Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 139

Chapter 139: Something’s Wrong

“You don’t remember?”

“What?”

“You really don’t remember?”

“…”

In Lu Yingqi’s independent courtyard at the Ruthless Path Palace, Shen Bingsi sat cross-legged on a couch. Lu Yingqi and Rong Xie sat opposite him. After Little Branch served tea, he hid far away in a corner of the room, peeking at the situation from there.

After waking from the Nightmare Spell, Rong Xie hadn’t suffered any mental aftereffects. Aside from his body being a bit weak due to spiritual depletion, everything was normal. In fact, his mood had improved significantly. Perhaps after venting all his worries and fears in the dream and waking up to realize the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed, he felt more grounded.

Now, the person with the problem was Shen Bingsi.

After seeing the prophetic dream, Shen Bingsi had lost control of his emotions, burying his head in Rong Xie and crying for a long time. The two had nearly failed to break free from the dream.

Rong Xie didn’t know how much Shen Bingsi had understood, or what impact that understanding would have on him. Shen Bingsi’s reaction had been intense, similar to the state he was in years ago when tormented by the mental demons created by his master in the illusion.

But those mental demons were either fake or events that had already happened. Shen Bingsi knew that, so after a breakdown and release, it passed.

This time, what he saw was the “future.”

Not a fabricated “future,” but one where signs and threads could be found with careful thought.

For the first time, Rong Xie worried that Shen Bingsi’s Dao Heart might waver.

Because of this, he repeatedly hinted to Shen Bingsi that it was all a dream, all fake, and to forget it upon waking.

He didn’t know if Shen Bingsi took it in or not. After waking up, his mood remained low, but he didn’t mention what happened in the dream, nor did he seek Rong Xie for discussion. It was as if he truly didn’t remember what had happened.

That would be best, but Rong Xie was still worried.

It just so happened that Lu Yingqi and Little Branch returned from shopping, so Rong Xie asked Lu Yingqi to take a look.

In front of Lu Yingqi, Rong Xie asked Shen Bingsi if he remembered the events of the dream. Shen Bingsi neither said he remembered nor that he didn’t.

He didn’t say a single extra word, nor did he express his mood. He just sat there silently.

Lu Yingqi released his spiritual power to probe Shen Bingsi, and Shen Bingsi didn’t resist.

Sponsored

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lu Yingqi withdrew his spiritual power, turned to Rong Xie, and slowly shook his head.

“What does that mean?” Rong Xie was puzzled.

Lu Yingqi called Rong Xie outside to talk. As soon as the two stepped out, Little Branch scurried out after them.

“Judging from his state, there’s nothing unusual about Shen Bingsi. His consciousness is clear, and his emotions are stable,” Lu Yingqi said. “A wavering Dao Heart wouldn’t look like this—did something happen in your dream that provoked him?”

“Mn…” Rong Xie didn’t know how to say it.

“I understand. It was a prophetic dream, wasn’t it?” Lu Yingqi nodded.

“Eh?” Rong Xie was startled and looked at Lu Yingqi in surprise.

“Just like how you foresaw that I would die prematurely between one and two hundred years of age, you also foresaw your own or Shen Bingsi’s future, right?” Lu Yingqi deduced.

One had to admit, Lu Yingqi’s deduction was very close to reality.

“You once mentioned a World-Destroying Heavenly Demon,” Lu Yingqi continued his deduction. “Could it be that in this dream, Shen Bingsi failed to defeat the Heavenly Demon, and the mortal world was destroyed?”

“Something like that…” Rong Xie felt that if Lu Yingqi kept guessing, he would guess everything. “This matter was a huge shock to him. Although I told him in the dream that it was all fake, but… I’m worried it will still affect his Dao Heart.”

“Currently, it doesn’t seem so,” Lu Yingqi said. “I’ve heard that the Great Elder of the Spirit Mirror Sect is particularly adept at Severing Thoughts. Sometimes he can even cut away memories that affect the Dao Heart. Perhaps Shen Bingsi did just that.”

Rong Xie had indeed seen Shen Bingsi use the Severing Heavens Blade many times. Afterward, Shen Bingsi would enter a state of absolute calm without emotion, sometimes even forgetting certain things. To some extent, it was similar to Shen Bingsi’s current state.

However, for some reason, Rong Xie still felt a faint unease.

“Can we stay here for another night tonight? I’m worried about Bingsi…” Rong Xie requested of Lu Yingqi.

“Mn, no problem,” Lu Yingqi said.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Lu!” Rong Xie breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Little Branch, who was constantly casting concerned glances from the side, and smiled at him.

“Master Rong has just recovered; staying a few more days is fine,” Little Branch said after looking inquiringly at Lu Yingqi and receiving his affirmation.

“Thank you, Little Branch. But I’m still worried about his condition. I want to take him back to the Spirit Mirror Sect to see his master or the Sect Leader,” Rong Xie stated his plan.

As they spoke, the guest room door creaked. The three turned around.

Sponsored

Shen Bingsi had put on his outer robe at some point. The Adjudicator uniform was majestic. Aside from his face looking a bit tired, there was nothing unusual about him.

“Rong’er, let’s go,” Shen Bingsi said.

Rong Xie’s eyelid twitched. Shen Bingsi was still using the address from the dream. Although he would use this address when in a good mood, it was mostly when no one else was around. Now, with Lu Yingqi and Little Branch standing right there, Shen Bingsi acted as if he didn’t see them, still using this address.

“Leaving right now?” Rong Xie asked. “You just broke the Nightmare Spell; don’t you want to rest a bit?”

“No need,” Shen Bingsi said.

“Where are we going?” Rong Xie asked again. “Shall we take a carriage? The Lunar Viewing Terrace…”

“Back to Huanxue Villa,” Shen Bingsi said firmly.

“What?”

Rong Xie hadn’t heard the name Huanxue Villa in a long time.

For a moment, he thought Shen Bingsi had used the Severing Heavens Blade excessively, cutting off too many memories, even forgetting the part about him running away.

But soon, Rong Xie rejected this guess. Shen Bingsi clearly remembered that he had just helped him break the Nightmare Spell.

“But…” Rong Xie hesitated. “Madam Mei’s case isn’t finished. Captain Zhao and the others are still waiting for me at the Lu family home in Qinghe. Even if this matter is passed over, I still have to go to Lanyuan to apologize to Steward Wang. I haven’t requested leave for so many days; Steward Wang must be frantic.”

Shen Bingsi lowered his eyes, his thoughts unknown.

“Even if all these matters are handled, I should still return to Lanyuan. My household registration documents, all my belongings… are there.” Rong Xie said tactfully. He didn’t want to provoke Shen Bingsi too much. Actually, a thousand words could be summed up in one sentence: he had moved out of Huanxue Villa long ago, and returning wouldn’t be returning home.

“Let’s go back to Huanxue Villa first. I have something to give you; it’s urgent. Afterward, you can go wherever you want and do whatever you want,” Shen Bingsi said.

Rong Xie looked at him in surprise, but finally said, “Alright.”

Half a year later, Rong Xie returned to Huanxue Villa.

He hadn’t expected to return so soon…

It was Shen Bingsi who flew him back on his sword. Just as Lu Yingqi said, Shen Bingsi’s Dao Heart hadn’t wavered; otherwise, he wouldn’t even have the ability to fly on a sword.

Only this time, the Sheng Xie Sword didn’t transform into a small house. There was only a sword clasp for Rong Xie to secure himself. Winter was ending, but the wind high in the sky was still biting. Rong Xie had to take out a stack of warming talismans and stick them on both himself and Shen Bingsi.

Sponsored

Shen Bingsi didn’t refuse. He just sat beside Rong Xie, accepting whatever Rong Xie handed him.

Rong Xie thought he sat closer to say something, but he remained silent. Since he didn’t speak, Rong Xie couldn’t bring up the prophetic dream, fearing it would trigger his mental demons. At such a height, if Shen Bingsi’s Dao Heart wavered, the two of them might fall.

Rong Xie kept his nerves taut until the Sheng Xie Sword landed in the familiar valley. The mirror-calm lake reflected the staggered pavilions and towers. Several plum trees were blooming brilliantly, their familiar fragrance drifting in the air.

Rong Xie’s eyes grew hot. He jumped off the flying sword, walked forward a few quick steps, and gazed unblinkingly at the familiar villa gate.

When he couldn’t see it, he could deceive himself that the outside world was wonderful. But seeing it, he realized he missed Huanxue Villa so much. There was no other place in the world that could give him such pure peace of mind and attachment.

“What do you want to give me?” Rong Xie asked.

“Let’s go inside first.” Shen Bingsi put away the flying sword and strode into the villa first.

Rong Xie stood before the gate for a moment. He didn’t know if he would have the resolve to come out again once he entered. Huanxue Villa was a massive trap of tenderness and illusion. Once he stepped in, he might sink deep into the mud and never want to return to Lanyuan.

“Brother Rong?”

Just as Rong Xie hesitated, two heads poked out from the villa gate.

Shen Yan and Long Shaoye.

Both stared at Rong Xie in shock. Long Shaoye even rubbed his eyes, murmuring, “Yanzi, are we hallucinating?”

Rong Xie knew he couldn’t avoid going in now. He sighed, “Just pretend it’s a hallucination. I’m leaving right after I get something.”

“What? Coming all this way just to get something?”

“Could it be—” Long Shaoye glanced inside the gate, “did the Big Master force Brother Rong to come back?”

“That’s not it,” Rong Xie thought to himself, though it’s pretty close.

Rong Xie walked into Huanxue Villa, habitually checking every blade of grass and tree in the courtyard, the neatness of the eaves and corners.

The three little ones instinctively felt guilty. They hadn’t expected Rong Xie to return suddenly and hadn’t had time to tidy up. Fortunately, it snowed in winter, so the lawn didn’t need maintenance. At a glance, there were no major flaws.

“Brother Rong, we also… didn’t clean up specifically…”

“You’ve maintained it well,” Rong Xie smiled. “Much better than I imagined.”

Sponsored

“Of course—Brother Rong wrote back with such detailed instructions,” Shen Yan replied.

“But Brother Rong, how bad did you imagine we’d make it?” Long Shaoye complained from the side.

Rong Xie laughed. “When you have something you love dearly and are forced to hand it over to others, you’ll understand how I feel.”

Rong Xie chatted and laughed with the three little ones as if he had never left Huanxue Villa.

Until they arrived at the flower-pendant gate. Shen Bingsi stood by the door in his black Adjudicator uniform, holding the Sheng Xie Sword, his gaze fixed on the ground before his feet.

The three little ones fell silent and stopped involuntarily.

Shen Bingsi raised his head, drew an imaginary line on the ground with the Sheng Xie Sword, and ordered the three not to step over it without his permission.

Then, he extended his hand to Rong Xie. “Rong’er, come here.”

His tone was gentle, but the discomfort in Rong Xie’s heart didn’t fade.

Rong Xie walked toward Shen Bingsi. Shen Bingsi took his hand and led him toward the backyard.

The flower-pendant gate fell shut behind them, the bolt sliding home automatically. Where the Sheng Xie Sword had drawn, a layer of golden light rose, cutting off the retreat.

“Bingsi, what exactly do you want to give me?” Rong Xie couldn’t help asking. “Why… lock the gate?”

“Spiritual power.” Shen Bingsi looked ahead, not turning back to look at Rong Xie. “Even if in the future… you aren’t by my side, you should have spiritual power to protect yourself. Foundation Establishment… no, at least cultivate to Golden Core. That way you can fly on a sword and go as far as you want.”