Chapter 135: Want a Kiss
Rong Xie glanced at Shen Bingsi, complex emotions swirling in his eyes. Instead of answering, he fell into deep thought.
Shen Bingsi grew even more curious, itching to know the answer, and pestered Rong Xie with questions.
“I can’t tell you.” On this issue, Rong Xie became unusually tight-lipped, lacking the gentle frankness he displayed elsewhere in the dream. “Just treat it as a premonition.”
“What about me? If there’s a World-Destroying Heavenly Demon, shouldn’t I be the one to slay it? The Sheng Xie Sword has drunk its fill of demon blood; it was born for this trade. No one has more experience in this than I, Shen Bingsi.” Unresigned, Shen Bingsi gripped Rong Xie’s shoulders with both hands, forcing him to face him. “Look carefully. I am the nemesis of the World-Destroying Heavenly Demon, not some Lu Yingqi who never steps out his front door. A recluse who only knows how to meditate, no matter how high his cultivation, cannot compare to someone who constantly engages in real combat.”
“I know.” Rong Xie felt somewhat helpless. He tried to break free from Shen Bingsi’s grip, but the hold was too tight. Forced, he could only say, “I know you can defeat the World-Destroying Heavenly Demon. But… that requires paying a price…”
At this point, a flicker of worry crossed Rong Xie’s brow.
Shen Bingsi caught it accurately.
Joy surged in Shen Bingsi’s heart, causing a slight dizziness in his Sea of Consciousness. However, he was already used to this mild wavering.
“Are you worried about me?” Shen Bingsi raised an eyebrow.
Rong Xie sighed. “…Yes. Having an extra helper is better than going alone, isn’t it?”
“Clearly, it was for me.” Shen Bingsi’s hands slid down from Rong Xie’s shoulders to the wrists hanging at his sides. His fingers pried open the soft, cool palms, firmly clasping Rong Xie’s ten fingers and pulling him closer. “And you still say it was for yourself?”
Rong Xie’s eyes flickered, and he lowered his gaze, seemingly embarrassed to meet Shen Bingsi’s eyes after having his thoughts exposed.
Shen Bingsi felt it was about time. He could tell Rong Xie he was dreaming now.
Lu Yingqi being burnt to a crisp, Sect Leader Xue falling, the World-Destroying Heavenly Demon… all were dreams. Once awake, none of this would exist. The Three Sects would be stable, and the world would be at peace.
“Rong’er, actually…”
Before Shen Bingsi could finish, Rong Xie cut in, “Bingsi, I want to ask you a question.”
“Hm? What is it?” Shen Bingsi stopped. He thought, It’s just one question. Since Rong Xie rarely asks me things so formally, it must be important. If I miss this chance, it might not come again. I can leave after hearing it.
Rong Xie’s cheeks flushed slightly. He hesitated for a moment before whispering, “Does dual cultivation… affect your cultivation level?”
“What?” Shen Bingsi thought he misheard.
Rong Xie’s cheeks quickly turned bright red, making it impossible for him to repeat such a shameful question. “Forget it, it’s nothing.”
He struggled to pull his hands out, but Shen Bingsi held them even tighter.
“Of course it won’t affect it. I’m not a furnace cauldron.” Shen Bingsi blurted out. “Is your spiritual power insufficient?”
Rong Xie kept his head down. Seeing the shimmering light in the eyes beneath those long lashes, Shen Bingsi thought amidst his dizziness, Rong’er really does like me. Everything in the dream is the truest reality.
“Mn…” Rong Xie agreed very quietly, then didn’t know what to do, letting Shen Bingsi hold his hands as they stood motionless in the front courtyard of Huanxue Villa.
Shen Bingsi was fighting an internal battle.
He knew he should wake Rong Xie now. Although Rong Xie wasn’t using spiritual power—just sleeping and dreaming, and there were no dangers around besides the World-Destroying Heavenly Demon…
But he came here to wake Rong Xie. What was this about sinking into the dream with him instead? He was a Ruthless Path cultivator seasoned by illusions; how could he succumb to someone else’s dream so easily?
“Do you want it… now?” Shen Bingsi asked with difficulty through his teeth.
Rong Xie’s head drooped even lower. He nodded almost imperceptibly. The hand holding Shen Bingsi’s gave a slight tug, his cool fingers sliding between Shen Bingsi’s, gently clasping the back of his hand.
Shen Bingsi felt a tingling itch seep into his bones, like a warm spring breeze blowing peach petals silently into his skin. His head felt dizzy too. He strongly suspected his Sea of Consciousness might explode and his spiritual power might flow in reverse halfway through this dual cultivation session. But it didn’t matter; he still had the Severing Heavens Blade.
Besides, in reality, Rong Xie had consumed so much spiritual power that they would have to dual cultivate again sooner or later. Why not rehearse it in the dream first? Even if it failed, it wouldn’t matter much… He could use the excuse that it was a dream.
Many thoughts flashed through Shen Bingsi’s mind in an instant. He was already embracing Rong Xie and walking toward the bedroom in the backyard. Passing the bathroom, he asked for Rong Xie’s opinion. Rong Xie shook his head, so Shen Bingsi headed straight for the bedroom.
He hadn’t rested in the bedroom for a long time. Ever since Rong Xie left Huanxue Villa, the empty bedroom was just a place of unhappiness for him. The strings of drooping flowering crabapples in front of the bedroom door had turned into desolate, withered branches in the winter snow. Shen Bingsi hadn’t even bothered to tend to them…
Now, in the dream’s unknown season, the flowering crabapples were blooming brilliantly, shielding the bedroom door like tassels. The double doors stood open. Shen Bingsi asked, “Your room, or mine?”
It was a simple question, yet Shen Bingsi felt his throat go dry, his body heating up.
“It doesn’t matter… Your room.” Rong Xie wrapped his arms around Shen Bingsi’s waist. Like intertwined vines, they stumbled into the room. Shen Bingsi missed the bed several times; after several corrections, he finally placed Rong Xie on the bed and pressed down on him, fully clothed.
Many fragmented images flashed through his mind. Shen Bingsi had to use the Severing Heavens Blade for the first time. The distracting thoughts receded slightly but soon surged back like a tidal wave.
Amidst the chaos, Rong Xie actively reached up to Shen Bingsi’s shoulders, hooking his arms around his neck. His eyes shimmered like water, and his cheeks were dyed with a rosy flush as he looked straight into Shen Bingsi’s eyes.
Shen Bingsi felt a wave of dizziness, almost collapsing into Rong Xie’s embrace. A thought rose in his mind: Monster. Fortunately, there were no monsters like this in the illusions Master used to test me; otherwise, I might not have even passed the Golden Core stage.
Wait, what was he thinking? This was just dual cultivation, a method of cultivation. Rong Xie needed spiritual power… he was merely transferring it to him.
“Bingsi.” Rong Xie’s voice trembled slightly. Shen Bingsi didn’t notice; he was more passionate than usual, or perhaps more reckless.
“Hm?” Shen Bingsi leaned closer. Rong Xie’s voice was too soft; he could only hear clearly when their breaths mingled against each other’s faces.
“Lu Yingqi is dead…” Rong Xie brought up that name again, annoying Shen Bingsi slightly. But what he said next caught him completely off guard. “There’s no other way. The ending is the same anyway… Can you kiss me, just like ordinary Dao companions?”
Shen Bingsi felt as if a water-filled bag in his head suddenly burst with a pop. His Sea of Consciousness churned violently. A layer of white light covered his vision, making everything look hazy. Only Rong Xie’s lips were exceptionally close, exceptionally clear.
Those gentle lips spoke words he didn’t quite understand: “Since it’s come to this anyway, might as well make the accusation true,” “Can’t suffer for nothing; so what if we become real Dao companions,” “Didn’t you want to be Dao companions? Don’t tell me you don’t even know how to kiss”…
Shen Bingsi sealed them shut.
The bed curtains in the bedroom peeled and fell away like crumbling wall plaster. The surrounding scene changed once again.
Rong Xie vanished. Shen Bingsi hugged empty air. When he looked up, he found himself thrown into the sky above some godforsaken wilderness again.
Although his clothes had changed into a gleaming golden armor, quite dashing, the gold plate protecting his abdomen pressed painfully against him. Shen Bingsi stumbled a couple of steps in the air. As the cold wind blew, he felt completely dull and tasteless.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
Shen Bingsi swore silently that the next time he saw Rong Xie, no matter what Rong Xie said or did, he would ignore it all and focus solely on waking him up.
He would never fall for traps again. Wanting a Dao companion-like kiss, wanting dual cultivation, wanting to be real Dao companions—all lies. If he really wanted that, why skip this part? Whether to experience something in a dream or not was entirely up to the dream owner’s whim.
Shen Bingsi spun in circles in the air out of anger.
Fine, skip it if you want. But to dump him in this remote corner… The night wind howled past. Shen Bingsi felt like a stone being tumbled about in a rapid current.
He began to look around, judging his location as he flew.
Rong Xie wouldn’t just dump him in a place where nothing happened. Something was bound to happen here…
Shen Bingsi became alert. The last time he flew in the night sky, the World-Destroying Heavenly Demon appeared. At that time, he hadn’t found Rong Xie either; it was a dream scene where he existed alone.
This time was too similar to the last. Was the World-Destroying Heavenly Demon about to appear again? Being in the middle of nowhere, could it be coming for him?
Shen Bingsi wasn’t afraid of a head-on confrontation with the World-Destroying Heavenly Demon, but he didn’t want to waste time fighting a nonexistent monster. He looked up at the moon, recalling that the moon had turned red before the demon appeared last time. This time—
A blood moon hung high in the night sky!
Shen Bingsi’s pupils contracted. It was already here! He accelerated his flight. Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a familiar complex of buildings. That was… the Ruthless Path Palace of Orchid Ridge!
Excellent. He would borrow the Xuantian Sect’s barrier to withstand a wave of impact first, then think of a way to deal with the World-Destroying Heavenly Demon.
Thinking this, Shen Bingsi dove rapidly, transforming into a golden beam shooting straight toward the territory of the Ruthless Path Palace.
Only upon nearing the ground did Shen Bingsi realize something was wrong.
The ground below was a desolate gray, filled with broken walls and ruins. The Ruthless Path Palace had been reduced to rubble. Not only was there no barrier, even the Hall of Rectitude no longer existed!
Shen Bingsi’s heart went cold as he walked through the ruins of the Ruthless Path Palace. Rong Xie’s dream was too comprehensive. First Sect Leader Xue fell, then the Ruthless Path Palace turned to ruins… Could he really imagine all these out of thin air?
Shen Bingsi shook his head, throwing off the distracting thoughts. What else could it be but a dream? Precognition was a capability possessed by extremely few cultivators with special talents. Rong Xie had never shown such ability from the start. This was just a dream.
Buzz—
Shen Bingsi’s body jerked violently. He jumped aside, clutching his waist with one hand.
“Damn it.” He couldn’t help cursing. It turned out the Mirror Palace token was vibrating; the Mirror Palace was summoning him back.
Shen Bingsi looked up at the sky again. The blood moon remained, but the World-Destroying Heavenly Demon hadn’t appeared. He didn’t linger and flew toward the Mirror Palace on his sword.
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