Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 47

Chapter 47: I’m Sorry

“Impossible. It must have broken somewhere.” Shen Bingsi stared dead at the jade pendant, muttering incessantly.

Rong Xie didn’t know what Shen Bingsi was chanting—presumably, he was trying to fix the jade. He rummaged through his carry-on pouch, took out a clean bath towel and two pairs of shoes, and signaled a novice monk to help bring a wooden bucket for soaking feet.

Once everything was ready, Rong Xie filled the bucket with a Water Spirit spell, then tugged at the corner of Shen Bingsi’s robe, asking him to heat the water.

Shen Bingsi, looking ashen-faced, complied.

Rong Xie pulled Shen Bingsi over, had him sit on the bench in the corridor, and placed his feet into the wooden bucket.

It wasn’t until his feet were submerged in the hot water that Shen Bingsi jolted, snapping back to reality.

He looked down. Rong Xie was supporting his knees, standing up from the side of the bucket, asking gently, “How is the water temperature? Is it too hot?”

Shen Bingsi was never afraid of heat.

But for some reason, seeing his close friend care for him like this, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of sentimentality.

“A little, but it’s fine.” Shen Bingsi paused. “I probably just caught a chill outside and haven’t recovered yet. Soaking for a while should help.”

Rong Xie paused slightly, his fingers twisting the bath towel in his hands.

Shen Bingsi observed Rong Xie’s small movements and felt his heart relax a little. See? My close friend still cares about me very much. He had run so far barefoot, and his friend was the only one who noticed immediately. Rong Xie had brought a foot-soaking bucket right away and, hearing that he had been in the wind, became so nervous for him—wasn’t this proof that their hearts were connected?

You care about me, I care about you. Nothing can pull our relationship apart. If this doesn’t count as being of one heart and one mind, then what does?

Shen Bingsi comforted himself with this logic. He looked again at the gray, dull Transmission Jade, his face full of disdain. It’s just this broken thing acting up at a critical moment, nearly driving a wedge between me and my friend. What a treacherous court official of a jade!

“This jade must be broken. It doesn’t matter; we’ll buy another one at the Inner Sect market another day. Let’s just use ordinary Transmission Jades for now,” Shen Bingsi said, reaching into his Golden Light Fish-Patterned Pouch. He grasped nothing. “Hiss… why do things keep growing legs and running away?”

“Could you have left it in the room?” Rong Xie guessed. “No rush. Wash your feet first, and see if these shoes fit.”

Shen Bingsi changed the water two times. Under Rong Xie’s supervision, he washed between his toes and under his nails until they were spotless. He put on the wooden clogs Rong Xie had prepared and stood comfortably under the corridor.

A cool night breeze blew past; it was indescribably pleasant.

“Did you bring these clogs from home?” Shen Bingsi asked.

“Yes. I brought an extra pair, just in case,” Rong Xie replied.

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Shen Bingsi nodded with satisfaction. See, my friend hasn’t changed his heart at all. Hearts not in sync? Nonexistent. We just need to replace the Concentric Transmission Jade.

The only issue was that Concentric Transmission Jades were rare on the market. Usually, one had to ask someone to acquire Sound Jade from the West Sea, find a symbiotic jade embryo, and then use a special technique to craft it. It was equivalent to sourcing raw materials first and then commissioning a custom magical artifact. Even Shen Bingsi hadn’t prepared a second backup pair.

It seems I need to prepare a few more pairs, he thought. If this happens again, I won’t be left without a spare.

Shen Bingsi returned to the room and, sure enough, found his Golden Light Fish-Patterned Pouch on the floor. He dug out a Transmission Jade and handed it to Rong Xie.

“This is an ordinary Transmission Jade. Let’s make do with it for now,” Shen Bingsi said.

Rong Xie took the jade, hesitating. “Is mine… really broken?”

He still couldn’t believe it. How could his jade, which was perfectly fine, suddenly break?

He was always careful with his possessions. The inner sect disciple uniform from ten years ago could still pass as new if he washed and hung it up; no one would notice the difference if he stood among the new disciples. This was even more true for personal items. The luminous pearl by his bedside, given to him by Shen Bingsi when they first moved to Huanxue Villa, still had a smooth surface without a single scratch or dent.

Compared to him, Shen Bingsi broke things constantly. Even when getting up after a meal, it was like he had spikes on his backside, snagging half the cushion off the chair…

And yet, Shen Bingsi’s jade wasn’t broken, but his was. There was simply no justice in this.

“It’s not necessarily yours that’s broken; it could be mine. Either way, the transmission isn’t going through.” Shen Bingsi felt the matter was trivial, but seeing how much Rong Xie cared, he offered an extra explanation.

“…Alright.” Rong Xie felt a little better.

Having finished discussing the Transmission Jade, the two suddenly fell silent together.

The events at Lotus Town floated to the surface of their minds again.

“Maybe… I should go sleep next door,” Rong Xie said.

Although Shen Bingsi was acting as if nothing had happened, the second room had already been booked.

Sleeping alone in a separate room would certainly be more comfortable than sharing, and he would rest better.

“Why?” Shen Bingsi was astonished, seemingly not expecting Rong Xie to say such a thing. “I’m back now. Of course we sleep together.”

“…” Rong Xie felt a headache coming on.

“Are you… angry with me?” Shen Bingsi paused, then asked.

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Shen Bingsi wasn’t used to asking such questions, and his momentum weakened instantly.

In the past, he would have felt that asking such a thing was looking for trouble. If the other person was angry, what good would asking do? It would be better to find a chance to make it up elsewhere. If they weren’t angry, asking would just make him look guilty, potentially turning nothing into something.

Besides, emotions came and went quickly. If left alone, they naturally dissolved.

But today was different from the past.

After he had left his friend behind, the Concentric Jade stopped working. Whether or not the two events were directly related, it was extremely concerning.

Rong Xie clearly still cared about him—preparing hot water and clogs as usual—but when it came to bedtime, he was unwilling to share a room.

These two unusual occurrences put Shen Bingsi on high alert.

Tonight, he absolutely could not let Rong Xie sleep next door. Even if he had to throw a tantrum or do things he wouldn’t normally do, he had to make Rong Xie stay.

“No. I have something to say to you. Pack up and come over,” Shen Bingsi said, his tone as arbitrary as ever.

“But… I’m tired,” Rong Xie said, his brows furrowing slightly, looking somewhat troubled. “Can we talk tomorrow morning?”

Shen Bingsi’s heart skipped a beat. He grabbed Rong Xie’s hand. “You’re tired? How can you be tired? Are your meridians blocked? Let me check.”

Saying this, he moved to check Rong Xie’s pulse.

Unexpectedly, Rong Xie pulled his hand away first and hid it behind his back.

Shen Bingsi froze.

It’s over. Something is really wrong.

His heart sank.

He looked up to examine Rong Xie. His friend was frowning, his face showing weariness. He seemed truly exhausted. However, Shen Bingsi knew that today’s level of activity should not be strenuous for a cultivator at the tenth level of Qi Refining.

“You…”

“I’m fine. Can we just not talk tonight? My mind is a mess right now, and I want to rest.” Rong Xie sighed.

Shen Bingsi was silent for a moment. “I understand.”

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Rong Xie nodded. “See you tomorrow.”

He turned and walked toward the adjacent room. He had only taken two steps when he sensed someone following closely at his heels.

He looked back, gazing at Shen Bingsi in confusion.

“I promise I won’t say anything. I’ll stay quiet.” Shen Bingsi made a zipping motion across his mouth. “You can pretend there’s no one else in the room.”

“This…” How can I pretend there’s no one else? Shen Bingsi is such a massive target right next to me, and he snores.

“If you’re still bothered, I can turn invisible,” Shen Bingsi insisted.

This time, it was Rong Xie’s turn to be astonished.

He had never seen Shen Bingsi this humble before, willing to hide his presence just to follow him.

“…”

If he didn’t agree, Shen Bingsi might secretly follow him anyway, which would be impossible to detect. After all, when Shen Bingsi hid his presence, even a Nascent Soul grandmaster of the same level might not discover him.

“Let me pack up. I’ll go to your room,” Rong Xie said helplessly. “But I really am tired. I’m going there just to sleep.”

“Good.” Shen Bingsi agreed immediately, his steps returning to the room becoming fast and heavy.

Rong Xie went back to his own room.

He gathered up the bed he had just made, stuffed his own sheets and pillow into his carry-on pouch, looked around, and saw nothing else to take.

Returning to Shen Bingsi’s room, Rong Xie washed up simply, took off his outer robe, pulled back the covers, and lay down on the bed.

Shen Bingsi, true to his promise, didn’t make a sound the entire time.

Rong Xie lay there for a while. The room was quiet, yet he couldn’t sleep. He didn’t know if it was because of the earlier ordeal or because he could distinctly feel Shen Bingsi staring at the back of his head.

“…”

Rong Xie rolled over, facing Shen Bingsi. “Speak.”

Shen Bingsi had been sitting cross-legged on his bed, dazed, his gaze having nowhere else to land but the back of Rong Xie’s head.

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Rong Xie’s head was round, his hair soft and smooth. It had a special texture to the touch, and Shen Bingsi was just reminiscing about that feeling.

He hadn’t expected Rong Xie to turn around suddenly; it caught him off guard.

“Huh? Speak about what? Oh…” Shen Bingsi snapped out of it, sat up straight again, and placed both hands on his knees. “I’m sorry!”

As he spoke, he bowed to Rong Xie.

However, since his legs were still in a meditative lotus position, the bow looked a bit awkward.

Rong Xie was stunned. He hadn’t expected Shen Bingsi to offer such a formal apology.

“Why… say this all of a sudden?”

“Because I was wrong.” Shen Bingsi didn’t straighten up; he maintained the bowing posture but looked up at Rong Xie. This degree of physical contortion was nothing to him. His eyes were burning and spirited, looking directly at Rong Xie. “Participating in the Flower King competition was my idea. Not checking the almanac before going out today was my oversight. You didn’t do anything wrong, yet I left you there alone. It is my fault. I am sorry.”

Shen Bingsi’s words were crisp and decisive, without any hesitation. Clearly, he had repeated this speech many times in his mind.

“…” Rong Xie didn’t know what to say. “Straighten up first.”

“I won’t straighten up until you forgive me.” Shen Bingsi pressed his shoulders down even lower.

Seeing that he was about to fold himself into a sandwich, Rong Xie sighed helplessly. “I forgive you.”

“Really?” Shen Bingsi lifted his head again, looking at Rong Xie with bright eyes, squeezing out a few forehead wrinkles in his eagerness.

“Really.”

In truth, Rong Xie had been somewhat angry at first. But that anger, mixed with the terror of his feelings being exposed and the pain of Shen Bingsi mercilessly drawing a line between them, had become less distinct.

Therefore, Shen Bingsi’s apology now didn’t make him feel much better.

Shen Bingsi straightened his upper body, uncrossed his legs, got off his bed, and in three steps reached Rong Xie’s bedside, plonking his bottom down on it.

In the blink of an eye, Rong Xie saw Shen Bingsi suddenly magnified before him, sitting right against his bedding. Looking at the way he was lifting his legs, it seemed he wanted to squeeze in and sleep together.

This is a temple room!

This is a single bed!

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What does Shen Bingsi want to do? Start a war between Buddhism and Daoism?

“Don’t come up,” Rong Xie said weakly.

Shen Bingsi’s body went stiff briefly, then slid off the edge of the bed, returning to his own bed silently like water flowing back into a ditch.

Rong Xie hadn’t expected Shen Bingsi to go back so easily this time; he had already braced himself for Shen Bingsi to force his way in.

…

Regardless, this was a good thing.

Rong Xie breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, drowsiness hit him, so he closed his eyes and slept.

With a soft poof, all the candles in the room went out.

The temple room sank into darkness. Shen Bingsi sat in that darkness for a long time.

The following days passed quite pleasantly.

Rong Xie went to the Scripture Pavilion to read, and Shen Bingsi didn’t disturb him, letting him read to his heart’s content.

They ate lunch together. Shen Bingsi always managed to procure various delicious foods. Judging by the style of the food boxes, they definitely weren’t from nearby. Since the temple forbade meat and strong flavors, they always went outside to eat, sitting on a large rock at the edge of the plateau, admiring the vast plain scenery while enjoying the cuisine.

After living like this for a while, Rong Xie was the first to get restless.

“Shouldn’t we go back?” Rong Xie asked Shen Bingsi. “We’ve been out at least twice as long as planned.”

They were supposed to return in late June, but it was already mid-July.

“What’s the rush? Did you finish the scriptures?” Shen Bingsi was surprisingly patient.

“…That would probably take another month.” Rong Xie felt Shen Bingsi underestimated the volume of the pattra-leaf scriptures.

“Then read for another month,” Shen Bingsi said. “We have plenty of time.”

“…But,” Rong Xie could sense that Shen Bingsi was still making up for the Lotus Town incident. He didn’t need such compensation. He was eager to return home, impatient to get back to the comfortable, warm, grand, and elegant Huanxue Villa. “I’ve been reading for so long, I’m bored. Anyway, I have the token you gave me. If I want to come back later, I can come back.”

The smile of false peace on Shen Bingsi’s face vanished. He hurriedly asked, “Really?”

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After getting an affirmative answer, he slapped his thigh. “That’s great!”

The reality was that Shen Bingsi was also testing the limits of his endurance. He was bored out of his mind, but since Rong Xie was reading so happily, he didn’t want to spoil his fun.

After deep reflection on the night of the Qixi Festival, learning from the pain, Shen Bingsi realized something: compared to Rong Xie forgetting boundaries and smilingly getting too close, what was truly terrifying was Rong Xie telling him not to come up, not to follow, not to appear in front of him.

Forgetting boundaries could be solved by using the “Heaven-Severing Blade” to cut away distracting thoughts. But if Rong Xie actually ran away, he would be finished.

Once he figured this out and understood his position in this relationship, Shen Bingsi suddenly felt enlightened; his thoughts flowed clearly.

His urgent task was to coax Rong Xie back to happiness, then custom-order a new Concentric Transmission Jade, restoring everything to how it was before.

Fortunately, his friend had a gentle nature and was very easy to coax.

Moreover, before coming out, he had prepared a heavy gift. It would surely touch his friend’s heart deeply, making him forget the unpleasant parts of this journey. In the future, when he looked back, he would only remember the surprise and emotion brought by that gift.

“Rong-er, I want to fly you one more time to a place. It might be a bit far, but you absolutely won’t regret going,” Shen Bingsi said with unprecedented seriousness. “Ten years ago, to prepare a gift, I went to this place and saw the vastness of the world, the wonders at the end of the land. I wanted to take you there back then.”

Rong Xie looked up in surprise. He had warned himself not to have any expectations of Shen Bingsi, but hearing this earnest confession, he couldn’t help his heart pounding like a deer.

“Because of some unforeseen changes, I was never able to deliver that gift to that person. Now, I feel it is time.” Shen Bingsi pried open Rong Xie’s hand, which had subconsciously curled up, and held it tightly. “Rong-er, are you willing to go with me to get that gift? Once we get it, we’ll return to Huanxue Villa.”