Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 51

Chapter 51: Heart Delighted in Lord

So, the Lightning White Orchid was a flying sword custom-made for him from the very beginning.

So, Shen Bingsi spending his entire fortune to win this flying sword wasn’t because he liked it himself, but for him.

So, that auction was a setup by Shen Bingsi. He found the materials, he found the swordsmith, and he spent a fortune just to make the Lightning White Orchid famous, so that before it was gifted to him, it would already be a famous sword passed down from a master.

Regrettably, he only realized Shen Bingsi’s painstaking efforts now…

Rong Xie could no longer hold the Lightning White Orchid. It was famous for being light and agile, yet in Rong Xie’s hands, it felt as heavy as a thousand jun.

With a pfft, the small silver sword plunged into the sand. The sharp blade wasn’t stopped by the sand; it continued to sink until the hilt was buried.

“Rong-er, what’s wrong?” Shen Bingsi finally sensed something was amiss. He stopped talking and carefully scrutinized Rong Xie’s face.

His friend’s face revealed a heavy sorrow. Those amber eyes looked at him with grief. For some reason, Shen Bingsi saw—pity—in those eyes?

Pity? Why pity? Was there something about him that needed pity?

“Why…” Rong Xie’s voice trembled. “Why didn’t you give it to me back then?”

“Back then?” Shen Bingsi took a moment to react. “You mean ten years ago? I wanted to give it to you, but…”

“I failed my Foundation Establishment.” Rong Xie finished the sentence for him. The uncontrollable pain made it hard to breathe. He closed his eyes, forcing back the tide of emotions rising within him.

“Mn.” Shen Bingsi replied with a low, brief nasal sound.

Foundation Establishment failure, leaving the Inner Sect—that memory was a past neither of them wanted to mention, nor needed to. Yet now, it floated clearly in their minds as if they had just experienced it yesterday.

Twelve years of effort wasted because he couldn’t step up one single stair. All gone down the river. Rong Xie returned to a state of being nothing—no origin, no destination, no belonging, no direction. During that time, he looked relaxed on the surface, but it was actually the hardest period to endure. Aimless every day, waking up inexplicably at night, lying open-eyed thinking through every bad possibility. Finally enduring until dawn, enduring until Shen Bingsi went to report to the Inner Sect plaza, only to welcome another day of aimlessness alone in Shen Bingsi’s high-ranking disciple quarters.

Sponsored

Fortunately, time heals all. He eventually got through that depressing period. Once they moved into Huanxue Villa, his mind shifted entirely to the villa.

Thinking back now, his ability to get through that difficult time was also related to Shen Bingsi keeping his mouth shut. Shen Bingsi always advocated for proactive progress, yet during that time, he chose silence. He rarely even mentioned the trends of the Inner Sect or his own cultivation progress to Rong Xie.

Naturally, Shen Bingsi definitely wouldn’t mention a topic as unlucky as the Lightning White Orchid.

Thus, it wasn’t until today that Rong Xie learned the Lightning White Orchid wasn’t a sword that put Shen Bingsi in a good mood, but a Foundation Establishment gift intended for him from the start.

If only he had known earlier…

If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have chosen this sword.

But he didn’t know.

By a twist of fate, he had chosen the Lightning White Orchid for Shen Bingsi in the prophetic dream. He didn’t dare to imagine what Shen Bingsi was thinking when he received the Lightning White Orchid.

“This is… the Lightning White Orchid.”

“Yes.”

Rong Xie could still clearly recall Shen Bingsi’s expression and words when he received the sword in the dream.

He had laughed twice—a bleak laugh—looked down at his palm with a sorrowful expression, as if looking at fate.

Fate…

How could it not be fate?

The natal flying sword he personally selected for his best friend, after twists and turns, returned to his own hands. Only this time, it became the tool to kill his best friend and prove the Dao—and it was selected by his best friend personally for him.

Sponsored

Anyone standing in Shen Bingsi’s position would have their heart and soul shattered, right? Nature is skillful, and heaven toys with people. The effort spent on this sword back then, the feelings that never had the chance to be spoken, finally turned into a tool to end everything—cold, ruthless, wiping away all warmth that once existed, perfectly fitting the will of the Great Dao.

In the end, humans simply cannot escape the arrangement of fate.

“Too late… it’s really too late.” Rong Xie covered his forehead, shaking his head incessantly. “Why do I only know now…”

His voice trembled, and his whole body exuded a sorrow so thick it couldn’t be melted.

Shen Bingsi had long since crossed the sand to stand in front of him. Facing this scene, however, he was helpless. He didn’t know why his friend had become like this, and he had no idea how to comfort him.

“What exactly is wrong? Know what?” Shen Bingsi asked anxiously, raising his hands several times only to put them down again. Helpless, he could only pace around Rong Xie.

“Do you not like the gift? Do you not like the shape? It doesn’t matter; the shape can be changed again. Just like the Shengxie Sword, whatever shape I want it to be, it can become…”

“Or do you blame me for not telling you sooner? Given your state back then, I couldn’t tell you! It’s all because my Dao heart wasn’t firm enough back then. If my Dao heart were as firm as it is now, would I have let you fail the assessment?!”

“Rong-er, please say something to me. Don’t be like this…”

By then, night had fallen. The moon had not yet risen; the sea was pitch black, and the sky presented a heartbreaking dark blue.

Beneath the reef, the tide surged violently. Perhaps because vision had become blurred, the sound of the waves was amplified, sounding like a giant beast of the seabed charging recklessly, unwilling to be trapped beneath the surface, roaring and rushing up time and again, causing the ground to tremble continuously.

In this night, amidst the huge waves, Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi stood close, face to face. Rong Xie constantly heard the other’s flustered questions and care, feeling the warm breath coming from him. They were so close; if Rong Xie just moved forward a little, he could throw himself into his arms, hug him tightly, and bury his face in his chest.

Then, they would reconcile as before, becoming dual-cultivating close friends as written in the Book of Fate, becoming irreplaceable existences to each other. They would follow fate’s arrangement and walk toward that final ending…

For a long time, this was what Rong Xie expected. The result wasn’t important; what mattered was the long companionship and the peaceful life.

But now, Rong Xie wasn’t sure.

Sponsored

Submitting to that damned Book of Fate—would he really get the peaceful life he wanted?

Knowing Shen Bingsi’s ending, could he still walk down the path arranged by fate with peace of mind?

Facing feelings that swelled day by day, could he still cooperate with Shen Bingsi to maintain the act of deep friendship?

“Bingsi.” Rong Xie’s voice was still trembling, but his tone had calmed down.

He lowered the hands covering his face and looked up at Shen Bingsi.

Shen Bingsi, who had been moving around anxiously, stopped abruptly upon hearing Rong Xie call him. Looking down, he saw a pair of eyes bright as stars gazing at him. Suddenly, he wasn’t anxious anymore.

“Rong-er.” Shen Bingsi found his hands and held them. “What exactly happened? Tell me, okay?”

Rong Xie traced his face and silhouette carefully with his gaze, as if wanting to brand this moment deeply into the bottom of his heart, so that in the long time ahead when he couldn’t see him, he could take it out to reminisce and soothe his empty heart.

“I think I know… why the jade pendant failed.”

“Why?”

“Because I hid something from you.”

“What?”

A sad smile flashed across Rong Xie’s face.

“I like you.”

Shen Bingsi just followed Rong Xie’s words; in that moment, he hadn’t realized the meaning within.

Sponsored

“What?” he asked again. “What do you mean, ‘like’?”

“It’s a sickness. Once you catch it, you lose your reason and become stupid and impulsive…” Rong Xie said slowly.

Shen Bingsi raised his eyebrows. His eyes had never been so wide. He stared at Rong Xie in astonishment.

Rong Xie continued to recall the verdict Shen Bingsi had once given this emotion: “The things they do are weirder than evil cultivators. They should be driven away like expelling demons and heretics. Without them, the world would have more peaceful days…”

“…”

“I just like you. I haven’t done anything bad yet. So, it’s probably a sickness slightly better than that.” Rong Xie lowered his gaze. He thought he could say it all in one breath, but Shen Bingsi’s gradually distorting expression made him afraid to look anymore. He still hid, and unnecessarily explained himself.

“…”

Once the head is lowered, it is hard to pluck up the courage to raise it again. Rong Xie felt Shen Bingsi’s gaze pressing heavily on his forehead. The warmth in the gaze vanished, becoming harsh and cold.

He just stared at him like that, without saying a word.

“I…” Rong Xie reorganized his thoughts, wanting to continue his previous words.

But he was ruthlessly interrupted by Shen Bingsi.

“Are you possessed?” he asked coldly.

Rong Xie’s heart sank.

Although he had expected a bad outcome, before this moment arrived, he still harbored a sliver of luck.

After all, just moments ago, he was dancing with a sword for him, nervous about a small scratch on his arm. Just days ago, he ran barefoot from Xiangji Temple to the wilderness of Lotus Town because he couldn’t find him. Further back, they were intertwined at Fragrant World Pavilion, sleeping and waking together at Huanxue Villa…

Sponsored

He thought he would be a tiny bit special compared to others. That when rejecting him, there would be a tiny bit more hesitation than with others—that the tone, the attitude… would be a tiny bit gentler.

However, reality slapped him hard in the face. His face burned with pain, and even his eye sockets burned. Tears uncontrollably welled up. He had to lift his head again to prevent the tears from falling so quickly.

In doing so, he had to face that terrifying face of Shen Bingsi directly.

Shen Bingsi seemed to have turned into another person.

Another person Rong Xie had never known.

All his smiles, kindness, and lively little expressions vanished behind a terrifying stone mask. A person filled with hostility toward Rong Xie seized control of the stone mask, scrutinizing him with a mean and cold gaze.

Are you possessed?

That was how he responded to Rong Xie’s confession.

In an instant, even the deafening sound of the tide couldn’t be heard. The surroundings became incredibly quiet.

Rong Xie blinked, and something fell rustling from his eyes.

The stranger opposite him took a step back, then a second, then a third. He tugged at his sleeve, quickened his pace, turned around, and walked away.