Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 142

Chapter 142: Foundation Establishment

However, distractions were not so easily eliminated.

Rong Xie began to mobilize his spiritual power according to the “Mental Cultivation Method,” circulating it through the heavenly cycle. At first, it went smoothly. Spiritual power flowed like small streams into the great river of the cycle, continuously washing through the twelve regular meridians, widening and strengthening these twelve main trunks of qi and blood circulation.

Each meridian corresponded to an organ. When passing through the heart meridian, Rong Xie felt his breathing quicken, and an ominous premonition clouded his mind.

The heart meridian was the key to Foundation Establishment. There could be no errors. Once failed, it would leave sequelae difficult to recover from. The next attempt at Foundation Establishment would have to wait at least a year, at most three.

Rong Xie knew this so well because he had stumbled at this hurdle twice. Later, for the sake of the inner sect assessment, he recklessly attempted Foundation Establishment again before the trauma to his heart meridian had healed. Forcing it resulted in him coughing blood incessantly the night before the assessment, regrettably withdrawing from the inner sect.

The familiar sensation of obstruction rose again. Rong Xie immediately became nervous. A series of terrible consequences flashed through his mind. Waves rose in his Sea of Consciousness, and his state of mind was no longer as focused as at the start.

The way of cultivation lay in cultivating the heart. Once the heart was in chaos, problems would arise everywhere inside the body. Rong Xie clearly felt the spiritual power beginning to dash around uncontrollably. The stabbing pain occasionally coming from his heart meridian while breathing terrified him, and sweat seeped from his forehead and back.

“Am I going to fail again this time?”

“If I fail this time, I’ll have to wait another year to attempt Foundation Establishment.”

“Previous failures could be blamed on poor aptitude and insufficient spiritual power, but this time…”

The more Rong Xie thought, the more nervous he became, almost as if stuck in a nightmare. His body couldn’t move, only his consciousness darted around chaotically. He couldn’t even send a message to Shen Bingsi guarding beside him. This feeling of being unable to open his mouth to call for help despite rescue being right there was terrifying. Rong Xie felt his body sinking bit by bit into a quagmire, the stagnant mud covering his nose and mouth…

Wait.

Foundation Establishment was his own business. Since when did he have to rely on Shen Bingsi even for this? Was life too comfortable, too entangled with Shen Bingsi, that dependence grew involuntarily, expecting Shen Bingsi to take his place even in Foundation Establishment?

Rong Xie shuddered, and his scattered thoughts instantly reeled back in. He adjusted his breathing, eyes watching the nose, nose watching the heart, experiencing the feeling of sinking in the mud, and slowly pulled himself out of the quagmire.

He was no longer someone who had to rely on Shen Bingsi to survive. He had moved out of Huanxue Villa, had his own small house, a livelihood, and friends like Captain Zhao, Ling Long, and Little Branch. Even without Shen Bingsi’s love, he could live on. When his love for Shen Bingsi was about to overflow, he would hide in his own life to calm down. Once calm and wanting to see him, he would see him. Maintaining this neither-close-nor-distant relationship affected nothing. After succeeding in Foundation Establishment this time, he would have a hundred years of lifespan. Within a hundred years, there would always be new hope. The Heavenly Demon… Lu Yingqi… he had tried his best. Maybe the final ending would be different.

Rong Xie’s heart settled. Thoughts flowed like water, but he didn’t cling to them at all, just watching them pass by mightily and go into the distance, flowing endlessly, rising and ceasing.

A sense of freedom and lightness rose from his heart, spreading to his limbs and bones with the flow of spiritual power. Rong Xie felt the filth accumulated in his body flush away with a crash, slowly flowing out. Every pore became clear and refreshed. The spiritual power in nature seemed tangible, flowing around his body. With just a slight thought, that spiritual power would flow into the major acupoints of his body, pour into the twelve regular meridians, and then gather into the dantian and sea of qi, accumulating layer by layer.

The originally narrow dantian and sea of qi expanded greatly, as if turning from a small pond into an open lake. Blue sky, white clouds, and all things in nature were reflected in the lake, opening up his state of mind.

When he opened his eyes again, Rong Xie saw Shen Bingsi pursing his lips in a smile.

Foundation Establishment succeeded.

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“I actually succeeded…” Rong Xie sat there for a while. The wind, bird calls, and rustling leaves entered his ears with exceptional clarity. He still felt unreal, as if he were still in a dream.

From afar, a melodious and long sound came.

Bong—bong—

Rong Xie listened carefully and counted. Eight strokes in total—it was the bell for the Wei hour (1 PM – 3 PM).

He could hear the bell from the main peak.

So the bell from the main peak was this clear, audible even in Huanxue Valley. Shen Bingsi hadn’t lied.

Hearing the familiar bell, those days of cultivation in the inner sect floated to his mind again. Who would have thought that over a decade after leaving the inner sect, he would successfully build his foundation.

“What, very surprised?” Shen Bingsi’s voice came from the side. “Your strength was sufficient long ago; only your spiritual power couldn’t keep up. Once spiritual power caught up, Foundation Establishment is as simple as eating and drinking.”

Rong Xie turned his head slightly. The brilliant sunset sunlight spilled onto Shen Bingsi’s head and shoulders. He still maintained his meditative posture, sitting within arm’s reach.

“It wasn’t that simple. I nearly failed.” Rong Xie patted his chest. “Almost drowned in distractions, couldn’t even call you…”

” really?” Shen Bingsi was surprised. “Why didn’t I detect anything?”

Rong Xie remembered then that Shen Bingsi wasn’t an ordinary person. His guarding meant that Shen Bingsi could detect any abnormality and help him through difficulties without him needing to call for help.

yet Shen Bingsi hadn’t detected any abnormality.

It seemed the situation he encountered wasn’t as severe as he imagined.

It couldn’t be that Shen Bingsi was incompetent.

“Urgh… what’s that smell? So stinky.” Rong Xie frowned.

Shen Bingsi pursed his lips and smiled again, his gaze sweeping over Rong Xie.

Rong Xie looked down and finally understood why Shen Bingsi kept his mouth shut. His white casual clothes had turned a filthy color, as if someone had splashed mud all over him.

“Oh god…” Rong Xie felt dizzy, almost fainting.

With his usual mysophobia, how could he tolerate such filth on himself? He couldn’t stand it immediately.

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Shen Bingsi patted the Arhat bed. “This is nothing. You didn’t see the day of the Foundation Establishment assessment. Everyone discharged more impurities than you. You are the cleanest one I’ve ever seen.”

Though he said that, he was clearly holding back laughter, his breath unsteady between words.

Rong Xie gave him an annoyed glare, rolled off the bed, and ran toward the bathroom like the wind, not even bothering to put on shoes.

In the blink of an eye, the bathroom door was before him. Rong Xie opened the door, raised his hand to add water spirit to the tub. Endless clear water overflowed from his palm, filling a tub quickly.

Rong Xie stripped off his clothes in seconds and jumped into the water, ignoring whether it was cold or not. Layers of black mud washed off him—it took three tub changes before the bathwater stayed clear.

During this process, Rong Xie held his breath. Only after scrubbing himself clean did he start breathing.

“Phew…”

Calming down, Rong Xie realized what an amazing thing he had just done—he ran from the bedroom courtyard to the bathroom at extreme speed. Previously, this speed required a flight talisman; now, he could achieve it by circulating a little spiritual power.

And breathing. He didn’t need his nose and mouth; he could breathe freely through his skin and pores. This was called fetal breathing. After Foundation Establishment, the potential of every part of the body was greatly mobilized. It really felt like being an immortal, completely different from the Qi Refinement stage.

Slowly, ecstasy rose from his abdomen, growing in the wind, gradually filling his chest. Sitting in the cold water, Rong Xie didn’t feel cold at all. Instead, he felt spirited and refreshed. He stared wide-eyed, looking here and there. The improvement in vision made the world seem brand new. Familiar furnishings suddenly had new colors and details; he couldn’t look enough.

Shen Bingsi too.

He had come into the bathroom at some point, sitting sideways on the edge of the wooden deck, long legs spread casually, his back against the wooden slat backrest, waiting there. In front of him, two tubs were cleaned and filled with fresh water, awaiting Rong Xie’s use.

Rong Xie stared at him.

Sensing his gaze, Shen Bingsi stood up and walked over to him.

Although they had dual cultivated many times, Shen Bingsi still looked away, not staring directly at Rong Xie in the tub, knowing Rong Xie was easily shy.

But this time, although he didn’t look at Rong Xie, he felt Rong Xie’s gaze resting on his face.

Shen Bingsi found it strange. He glanced back at Rong Xie and found Rong Xie looking him up and down carefully.

“What, is something wrong with me?” Shen Bingsi looked at himself following his gaze.

“So clear.” Rong Xie extended a dripping hand, crooking a finger at Shen Bingsi, signaling him to stand closer.

Shen Bingsi’s heart skipped a beat. Muttering “Why so enthusiastic suddenly,” he pressed his body against the edge of the wooden tub, letting Rong Xie grab his belt and look again and again.

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“So beautiful.” Rong Xie praised.

Shen Bingsi’s gaze still drifted to the side, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curving up. “Not that beautiful. Besides, how can the word beautiful be used to describe—”

“These patterns, so intricate, so beautiful.” Rong Xie stroked Shen Bingsi’s belt, sighing in admiration.

“…” Shen Bingsi fell silent.

Rong Xie looked at Shen Bingsi’s belt over and over, fondling it admiringly, when he suddenly sensed something wrong.

A burning gaze landed on him.

He seemed to be wearing nothing right now. The discharged impurities were washed away, and the water was clear enough to hide nothing.

Rong Xie frozen instantly. The skin on his chest and shoulders felt like it was burning too. The only consolation was that Shen Bingsi cultivated the Ruthless Path. In his eyes, not wearing clothes meant being a cultivation object; wearing clothes meant being a best friend. There were no romantic feelings involved…

Rong Xie exhaled slightly, trying to act natural. In the past few days, they had done the most intimate things. They had combined deeply in both spirit and body. Being seen without clothes was no big deal.

Thinking this, Rong Xie glanced up.

Shen Bingsi was indeed looking at him. His dark eyes were deep as wells, his gaze landing… below his neck.

Rong Xie clearly saw the well-defined Adam’s apple slide up and down, cheeks slightly tense. Shen Bingsi was looking so intently that he didn’t notice Rong Xie looking up for a moment. The expression lingered only briefly. Shen Bingsi soon realized something, met his gaze for a second, then quickly turned away, a thin flush appearing on his cheeks.

At this moment, Rong Xie realized that his improved vision not only allowed him to see things clearly but even captured changes happening in minute timeframes. As long as he observed carefully, time seemed to slow down, allowing him to see every micro-expression and small movement of Shen Bingsi clearly.

This was truly amazing.

However.

Rong Xie frowned slightly.

Why did it feel weird somewhere? Shen Bingsi’s expression wasn’t as open and calm as he remembered. It was as if…

“Want to change to another tub? I refilled the water,” Shen Bingsi cleared his throat, adjusted his collar slightly, and dropped his hands to grip the edge of the tub, knuckles protruding with slight force. “Although you’ve built your foundation and cold water doesn’t matter, but… hot water is more comfortable.”

“Mn…”

“If you’re shy, I’ll turn around,” Shen Bingsi said, pausing, his Adam’s apple moving again. “Or do you want me to carry you over?”

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Rong Xie subconsciously placed his hand over his chest. Through the thin layer of flesh, the heartbeat felt exceptionally clear. Was this an illusion caused by improved vision, or a hallucination from soaking in cold water too long?

Why was Shen Bingsi’s attitude like that of an ordinary lover—blushing, heart pounding, looking tempted?