Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 132

Chapter 132: Entering the Dream

The two great sword cultivators focused their attention on Little Branch simultaneously. Little Branch began to tremble again, unable to speak a complete sentence.

“Go to the guest room first.” Lu Yingqi realized the crux of the problem; with Shen Bingsi standing here, Little Branch couldn’t speak properly.

Although Shen Bingsi looked unhappy, he complied and left.

Entering the guest room and arriving at the bedside, Shen Bingsi held Rong Xie’s wrist with one hand to check his spiritual power consumption, while releasing his spiritual consciousness to listen to the conversation between the two outside.

“Um… I know a little…” Little Branch’s voice became much steadier. “Back in my hometown in Qinghe, I saw Madam Mei cast the Nightmare Spell. He told me that the method to break the Nightmare Spell is the same as casting it; both require the Albizia flower.”

Inside the guest room, Shen Bingsi’s heart dropped. To think he had worn out iron shoes searching, only to find the answer right under his nose without effort. The person who truly knew the solution to the Nightmare Spell was right in front of him! And to think he went to ask that Elder Bai, getting both himself and his master insulted, only for the solution obtained to be unworkable!

Half an hour ago, in the Hall of Rectitude, Shen Bingsi had used the narrative he and Lu Yingqi agreed upon to pry open Elder Bai’s mouth. Elder Bai flew into a rage out of humiliation and uttered many harsh words, but in the end, he told Shen Bingsi exactly how to break Madam Mei’s Nightmare Spell.

It was exactly as Little Branch said: the method to break the Nightmare Spell was the same as casting it. Both required the Albizia flower as a medium to activate the secret technique of the Hehuan Sect, causing the recipient to fall into a deep sleep at nightfall, never to wake.

Elder Bai threw over a booklet and a square box. The booklet recorded various basic spells of the Hehuan Sect, including the Nightmare Spell, illusion techniques, methods of using furnace cauldrons, and so on. Inside the square box was a dried Albizia flower. Placing it in an incense burner and lighting it would serve as the medium for the Nightmare Spell.

“That is all I know! If the Mirror Palace investigates Hehuan Sect matters again, do not come ask me!” Elder Bai flicked his sleeves, refusing to say another word to Shen Bingsi.

Shen Bingsi flipped through the booklet, confirmed he could cast the Nightmare Spell too, and retreated with the booklet and the dried flower. As for the furnace cauldron care methods Lu Yingqi wanted, they were also in this booklet. Whether they were what he needed, Shen Bingsi didn’t know—it wasn’t his fault Lu Yingqi didn’t come to check personally.

“Thanks, Elder Bai!”

That was the entire sequence of events that happened in the Hall of Rectitude half an hour ago.

After returning to the guest room, Shen Bingsi immediately followed the instructions in the booklet, placed the dried flower in the censer, and lit it. As black smoke rose, Shen Bingsi channeled his spiritual power according to the chant in the booklet, urging the floral scent to envelope himself and Rong Xie.

Correct, the method to break the Nightmare Spell required hypnotizing another person to enter the first person’s dream and tell them they were dreaming. Once the first person knew they were dreaming, the dream would end, and they would wake from the Nightmare Spell.

In theory, it was that simple. But in practice, it was a completely different matter.

The dried flower was almost burnt out, yet Shen Bingsi didn’t feel a shred of sleepiness.

He didn’t know if his spiritual consciousness was too powerful to be easily hypnotized by a petty Nightmare Spell, or if one couldn’t use the Nightmare Spell to hypnotize oneself—but the booklet didn’t say one couldn’t hypnotize oneself, did it?

Just then, the attendant Little Branch—who had touched the barrier without permission and pretended to be shrinking and fearful—clung to the doorframe, peeking inside, plotting god knows what mischief again.

A person is most irritable when they want to sleep but can’t. Shen Bingsi was exactly like this.

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In his irritability, Shen Bingsi cast a spell to freeze the black smoke, got down from the low stool by the bed, caught Little Branch, and unleashed a barrage of questions. Little Branch couldn’t answer and only shed large tears—

Thus leading to the scene Lu Yingqi saw upon his return.

Outside, Little Branch and Lu Yingqi were still talking, their voices clearly reaching Shen Bingsi’s ears.

“You said just now that the incense Shen Bingsi used was wrong. Was he not using an Albizia flower?” Lu Yingqi asked.

“He used an Albizia flower, but that flower has been dried for a long time, and its potency is almost completely lost… It’s impossible to use it to hypnotize a Nascent Soul cultivator…”

“Then what needs to be done?” Lu Yingqi had already understood that breaking the spell required hypnotizing someone to go in and wake the previous person. “For Shen Bingsi to hypnotize himself, must he use a living Albizia flower?”

Hearing this, Shen Bingsi instantly thought of the Albizia flower at the bottom of the well in the Lu estate. Rong Xie had found that flower. Madam Mei used it to create many furnace cauldrons and cast the Nightmare Spell. That Albizia flower would definitely work—he would fly on his sword to get it right now!

Shen Bingsi was about to move when he suddenly remembered that the Albizia flower was currently detained under the Golden Bell Cover as key evidence. No one could take it out of the Lu estate.

What to do then! No, even if he had to forcibly break through the Golden Bell Cover, he would bring that Albizia flower back to save Rong Xie!

“Living Albizia flowers are too rare… However, I have Albizia Flower Dew. This dew is all taken from living Albizia flowers… Madam Mei gave it to me before, and it can still be used.” The sound of rustling clothes came from outside; Little Branch seemed to have taken something out of his pocket. “Brother Qi, you take it. Go give it to Adjudicator Shen to use.”

“Mn, come in with me,” Lu Yingqi said. “After all, this flower dew is yours.”

“What are you saying, Brother Qi? Little Branch’s things are all yours,” Little Branch said with difficulty. “I won’t go in… Adjudicator Shen doesn’t believe me. If Brother Qi gives it to him, he might use it. If I take it…”

Shen Bingsi’s mood was complex. This Little Branch’s actions were truly unfathomable.

At first, he thought Little Branch was two-faced—secretly touching the barrier, denying it, and acting all timid to escape Shen Bingsi’s questioning… Listening now, it sounded like Little Branch truly cared about Rong Xie.

“If he doesn’t use it, he doesn’t use it. We aren’t begging him to,” Lu Yingqi said coolly.

Hearing this, Shen Bingsi’s temper flared again. If Lu Yingqi hadn’t caused trouble midway, would Madam Mei have had an opportunity? He was just about to go out and rebuke Lu Yingqi to his face when he heard Little Branch speak again weakly.

“I am begging him to use it,” Little Branch’s voice carried the sound of sobbing again. “Master Rong became like this… all because of me… It was I who harmed him…”

“…”

Inside and outside the room, there was silence, save for the sound of Little Branch’s quiet sobbing.

Shen Bingsi’s impression of him improved slightly.

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shortly after, Lu Yingqi entered, holding a brocade pouch in his hand, and placed it in front of Shen Bingsi.

Shen Bingsi stared at the pouch. “This is the Albizia Flower Dew?”

“Mn,” Lu Yingqi said. “I guarantee it on the reputation of ‘Xuantian’s One Sword.’ It’s real. Use it or not, it’s up to you.”

Shen Bingsi grabbed the pouch. Before even bringing it to his face, he smelled a strong rose scent.

A familiar feeling welled up in his heart. When he came to the Ruthless Path Palace to find Lu Yingqi before, he had smelled this scent. It was natural, gentle, and gladdening to the heart, much better than the rose scent on Madam Mei.

So it was from Little Branch.

However…

“Why does your Little Branch carry this kind of thing?” Shen Bingsi asked. “Did he know from the start that this was Albizia flower?”

“No, I told him,” Lu Yingqi said indifferently. “Just now, when you were settling Junior Brother Rong, I called Little Branch over and told him the outcome of this operation. Only then did he know that what he held wasn’t rose, but Albizia flower.”

“Oh…” Put that way, it made sense, Shen Bingsi thought.

However, he still felt something wasn’t quite right. Maybe it was because Little Branch’s attitude was too timid, always hiding from him, as if he had a guilty conscience and feared being seen through.

“Never mind.” Shen Bingsi didn’t have time to investigate this now. He opened the sachet and asked doubtfully, “With so little incense, how long will it burn?”

“No… no need to burn,” a weak voice came from the door. Little Branch hid behind Lu Yingqi, revealing only half his head, and explained to Shen Bingsi, “Just take a pinch and sprinkle it into the air.”

“Mn…” Shen Bingsi did as told, using spiritual power to urge the scent into the air, quickly filling the bedside area.

This Albizia Flower Dew was indeed powerful. Shen Bingsi’s spiritual power attached to it easily. He pushed the scent until it enveloped himself and Rong Xie.

Amidst flashing golden light, Shen Bingsi closed his eyes, sitting cross-legged on the stool by the bed in a meditative posture, motionless.

At the same time, the Sheng Xie Sword formed a layer of golden light, encasing Shen Bingsi and Rong Xie within.

Lu Yingqi looked at Little Branch. “Did it succeed?”

“It should… have succeeded,” Little Branch said. “I hope Adjudicator Shen can successfully wake Master Rong.”

“Is there anything else I need to do?” Lu Yingqi asked.

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“No need… Now only Adjudicator Shen can help; no one else can do anything…”

“In that case, shall we go around the outer sect market? Is there anything you need to buy?” Lu Yingqi asked as usual.

“I do need to buy some new fabric and clothes. Spring is here, time for new ones,” Little Branch said. Suddenly, he thought of something. “What about them? Just leave them here?”

“Mn. We can’t help anyway; staying is useless,” Lu Yingqi said. “After buying things, we’ll come back and study this Hehuan Sect manual.”

Saying this, Lu Yingqi picked up the booklet Shen Bingsi had set aside.

Biting cold wind blew against his face. Beneath his feet were layers of courtyard walls and roof tiles. Shen Bingsi was flying in mid-air; ahead lay an endless night.

Shen Bingsi hadn’t dreamt in a long time.

After entering the Nascent Soul stage, his spiritual consciousness was extremely powerful. Even when relaxing his mind for sleep, his consciousness wouldn’t go out of control and create hallucinations for itself.

Now, with the help of the Albizia flower, Shen Bingsi entered a dream.

However, it wasn’t his dream, but Rong Xie’s.

Thinking that he would see Rong Xie immediately, Shen Bingsi felt excited. He began to look around. Where was Rong Xie? What was he doing right now?

The next moment, something vibrated in his hand. Shen Bingsi looked down and found the sound transmission jade pendant with the character “Rong” in his palm. Waves of spiritual power rippled out; Rong Xie was contacting him.

Joy filled Shen Bingsi’s heart. He immediately connected the transmission jade.

Rong Xie’s voice came from the other side: “Bingsi, where are you?”

“!!” Shen Bingsi was so excited he almost crushed the jade pendant. Finally, after a full day, he heard Rong Xie’s voice again. “I’m… on the roof of the Lu estate?”

“Why are you still spinning in circles there? What about Senior Brother Lu? Did you find him?” Rong Xie said breathlessly. “Wait, I’m coming up too. Let’s go find him together!”