Chapter 127: Nightfall
Shen Bingsi had been waiting to boast about his classic battle where he defeated Lu Yingqi despite the level gap. Unexpectedly, before he could even start bragging, he saw Rong Xie spinning in circles with anxiety over Lu Yingqi, paying no attention whatsoever to the fact that he had defeated Lu Yingqi against the odds.
Shen Bingsi’s smile faded slightly. Arms crossed, he watched Rong Xie flutter before him, pacing anxiously around the ground, looking as if he wanted to leave the Golden Bell Cover to search for the spot where Lu Yingqi fell.
Shen Bingsi finally couldn’t hold it in. “Lu Yingqi isn’t dead. Hey, whose side are you on? Why are you so worried about him?”
Rong Xie froze instantly and looked at Shen Bingsi. “Not dead? Really? That’s wonderful… Of course I’m on your side. But… is he injured? Why did only you come back, and he’s nowhere to be seen?”
Shen Bingsi uncrossed his arms and rubbed his hands together. It felt like there were thorns under his feet as he shifted left and right. “What exactly are you thinking regarding Lu Yingqi? He stopped me just now from catching Madam Mei. The case you worked so hard to investigate almost failed because of him. Yet, you don’t blame him at all and care about him this much?”
“Mn… he has his difficulties too. He doesn’t want anything to happen to Little Branch,” Rong Xie said.
At the mention of Little Branch, Shen Bingsi understood even less. “You know he’s obsessed with some Little Branch or Little Leaf, ignoring justice and morality for that Little Branch. You’ve always looked down on people like that. Why did you get confused when it came to Lu Yingqi?”
“I was…” Rong Xie didn’t know how to explain. “He and you both cultivate the Ruthless Path. I thought perhaps you could spar and learn from each other. Maybe… in the future, you could fight strong enemies together.”
Shen Bingsi raised an eyebrow slightly. “Really? You’re so keen on Lu Yingqi’s affairs for my sake?”
“Really. If not for you, what else could it be for?”
Shen Bingsi’s expression clearly improved. He chuckled lightly and rubbed his nose. “Actually, I guessed it, but it differed slightly from your thoughts. Let’s just say… different paths leading to the same destination.”
Rong Xie was still worrying about Lu Yingqi’s whereabouts. While looking around, he casually asked, “What do you mean, different paths leading to the same destination?”
“Just…” Shen Bingsi turned his face away and coughed twice. “Treating him as my substitute or something.”
“Huh?” Rong Xie turned back, looking at Shen Bingsi in astonishment.
“I borrowed some books from the Red Fragrance Tower to understand the psychology between Dao companions better,” Shen Bingsi paused. “It mentioned there that some people, because they met someone they liked very much when they were young, tend to look for people like that afterward…”
“Why do you read such messy stuff?” Rong Xie felt his scalp tingle. Remembering Shen Bingsi previously said he wanted to cooperate with him to act as Dao companions, his scalp tightened again. “Don’t read that anymore. I’ve thought it through. The urgent matter now is to find Lu Yingqi. And the Lu family affairs need to be started too.”
After speaking, Rong Xie pushed Shen Bingsi to go find Lu Yingqi, telling him to contact him once he was found. Then he turned to discuss the arrangement of the Lu family’s aftermath with the Treasure Hunting Team members.
Shen Bingsi felt snubbed, muttering “Thought what through?” and “I haven’t even said how I won yet,” as he went to find Lu Yingqi very unhappily.
The sky had turned dark. The last traces of the sunset disappeared from the horizon. The green grass on the eaves grew dim, gradually merging with the night.
Shen Bingsi didn’t know where Lu Yingqi had fallen either. In his memory, after the head-on clash, Lu Yingqi had lunged at him with overwhelming spiritual pressure. At first, Shen Bingsi relied on his superior swordsmanship to dash left and right, avoiding Lu Yingqi’s sharp edge.
Gradually getting into it, Shen Bingsi felt his Nascent Soul, which had been dormant, suddenly stir. It was like the stirring he felt during his last breakthrough. Shen Bingsi was overjoyed. While clashing head-on with Lu Yingqi, he tried to force out his potential under extreme pressure.
This approach was indeed effective. With the final strike, vast spiritual power was released from his Nascent Soul. The Nascent Soul, originally curled up in a small ball, suddenly opened its eyes. Certain shackles that had been restricting Shen Bingsi shattered in response.
He had thought he wouldn’t break through again anytime soon. After all, he had encountered great turmoil recently—his master’s fall, Rong Xie’s departure—all of which put him under unprecedented pressure. He had used the Severing Heavens Blade frequently, to the point where his mind was dull from the cutting.
Under such circumstances, Shen Bingsi couldn’t even guarantee his Dao Heart was firm. Recently, he had been practically beaten down by the backlash, unable to exert even half his usual strength. Yet, upon meeting a stronger opponent, he inexplicably triggered greater strength. The distracting thoughts that usually plagued his Dao Heart vanished, leaving only a force dragging him forward.
Shen Bingsi found that familiar feeling again. Following it, he naturally charged at Lu Yingqi. In the collision of their bound life swords, he successfully broke through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage. The powerful energy and regenerative power produced by the breakthrough allowed Shen Bingsi to fight to a draw in this uphill battle without suffering any harm.
Yes, a draw. Shen Bingsi did not defeat Lu Yingqi. He could sense Lu Yingqi’s powerful and steady strength; Lu Yingqi hadn’t shown any signs of defeat in the bound life sword duel. If they continued, Lu Yingqi could still fight.
But for some reason, Lu Yingqi didn’t continue. Instead, he took the opportunity to retreat, his body engulfed in flames, falling like a meteor into the nearby barren mountains. Shen Bingsi didn’t know exactly where he landed.
Shen Bingsi had just broken through at the time and didn’t bother checking where Lu Yingqi landed. After he consolidated his cultivation, cleaned the mud off his body from the breakthrough with spiritual spring water, and regretfully stored away the clothes Rong Xie made that he had burst through, Big Brother Jiang arrived.
However, finding a cultivator in this wilderness was easy. Shen Bingsi walked briskly out of the Lu estate’s range, leaped to a high vantage point, and spread his spiritual consciousness over a ten-mile radius.
He not only found Lu Yingqi, who was meditating to regulate his breathing, but also found a team of Treasure Hunting members carrying a child toward a mountain village.
…
The night was black as ink. Clouds from somewhere blocked the moon. Shen Bingsi returned to the Lu estate gate.
He left alone, and he returned alone.
He had found Lu Yingqi. The man said he was returning to the Xuantian Sect. The Mirror Palace Adjudicator had taken over the Lu family affairs, so he would wait for the Mirror Palace’s verdict. Whatever the result, he would have no complaints.
Shen Bingsi wanted to call Lu Yingqi over to manage his own Lu family affairs and lighten the load for Rong Xie. But on second thought, it was better that Lu Yingqi left. It meant less hovering around Rong Xie. As for the mess in the Lu estate, he would accompany Rong Xie to handle it slowly. It just so happened they hadn’t had much chance to be alone together; now the opportunity had arrived.
Shen Bingsi also caught up with the team carrying the child away to ask about the situation. The child in their arms was the one Rong Xie had found in the well. Rong Xie had told them to leave first, so they broke out of the Lu estate to take the child to the mountain village.
Shen Bingsi thought that since they couldn’t enter the Golden Bell Cover if they returned, they might as well stay outside as support. having just shaken off Lu Yingqi, he could now spend time alone with Rong Xie. In a good mood, he effortlessly escorted the team to the village, watching them being welcomed into a house by villagers before returning to the Lu estate with a light step.
Standing before the main gate of the Lu estate, Shen Bingsi thought again of how Rong Xie had grabbed his lapels and pressed close to him. The corners of his lips curled up involuntarily as he stepped into the Golden Bell Cover’s barrier.
Before Shen Bingsi could stand firm, he saw Captain Zhao rushing out. His expression was barely better than when he had just woken from the illusion.
Shen Bingsi’s heart sank. His first reaction was that the Lu family was causing trouble again.
Captain Zhao rushed up, grabbed Shen Bingsi’s arm, and pulled him into the estate, looking as if he feared Shen Bingsi would run away.
“Sword Saint Shen! You’re finally back! I was just about to go out and find you!” Captain Zhao’s tone was frantic. “Something happened! Fellow Daoist Rong has fainted!”
“What??” Shen Bingsi thought he misheard, momentarily failing to grasp the meaning of “fainted.”
“Eh, shortly after you left, Fellow Daoist Rong said he was tired and wanted to go back and rest for a while before coming out to discuss the next steps with us,” Captain Zhao explained while dragging Shen Bingsi along. “Unexpectedly, after resting for an hour, Fellow Daoist Rong still hadn’t come out. I felt something was wrong and told someone to check. If Fellow Daoist Rong was sleeping soundly, we wouldn’t wake him and would discuss things tomorrow. But if he was up, we’d ask him over. Who knew his room was lit, and the door wasn’t latched. Ye Er went in and saw him lying on the floor.”
Before Captain Zhao finished speaking, he felt his body lift off the ground. His feet left the earth, kicking helplessly in the air, unable to find leverage.
Simultaneously, his left arm felt clamped by iron pincers, the bones creaking under the pressure. He dared not struggle; it felt as if the slightest resistance against this clamping force would snap his arm.
“Where is Rong Xie?” Shen Bingsi’s dark voice came from beside his ear.
Lu Yingqi’s main house—the study where Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi had rested yesterday—was now packed with Treasure Hunting Team members.
The door burst open. Shen Bingsi swept in like the wind, dragging Captain Zhao. The members blocking the way were tossed aside by a massive force. In an instant, a path cleared. Shen Bingsi almost carried half of Captain Zhao’s body as he drove straight to the bedside. The crowd saw only a blur before the person passed, leaving a dark afterimage in the air.
Reaching the bedside, Shen Bingsi released Captain Zhao and threw himself forward. He carefully observed the face of the person on the couch, flipping over the arm resting on the stomach to check the pulse.
Rong Xie lay on the couch he had slept on yesterday, face up, breathing evenly, his complexion normal. If Captain Zhao hadn’t told Shen Bingsi he was found lying on the floor, Shen Bingsi wouldn’t have been able to tell if he was comatose or asleep.
However, Shen Bingsi knew Rong Xie was a light sleeper. It was impossible for him to sleep so obliviously in a room full of people.
“What exactly happened?” Shen Bingsi asked through gritted teeth. In mere moments, bloodshot veins had burst into his eyes. He turned to scan the crowd in the room, his gaze ferocious, looking as if he wanted to scrape flesh off their bones. “Who is Ye Er?”
Captain Zhao patted the shoulder of a wind cultivator beside him. The wind cultivator mustered his courage and stepped forward. “It… it’s me.”
“Speak.” Shen Bingsi closed his eyes briefly, forcing some restraint into his tone. “Tell me everything you know, from beginning to end. Everything.”
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