Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 151

Chapter 151: In the Tree Hole

Rong Xie pushed aside a large, messy clump of grass and spotted a patch of grey-blue fabric in the shadows of a tree hole.

It was a garment Shen Bingsi rarely wore, but Rong Xie recognized it immediately.

They often bought clothes together, just in different sizes. Rong Xie had a set of everyday robes in the same fabric. Because the color was so ugly, neither of them wore it much.

Now, that patch of grey-blue fabric was stained with deep and shallow mud marks, making it look even worse.

Rong Xie bent down, grabbed the corner of the robe, braced one hand against the upper edge of the massive tree root, and peered into the pitch-black hole. “Shen Bingsi, what are you doing in there? Come out, quickly.”

The fabric tried to retract, but Rong Xie gripped it tightly. After a few tugs back and forth, the person inside gave up.

A muffled voice came from inside the tree hole, carrying a raspiness due to internal injury: “How come you’re here?”

Rong Xie felt both exasperated and amused, though his worry was halfway gone. At least Shen Bingsi could still speak; the situation was still within a controllable range.

“I should be asking you that. Why are you here?” Rong Xie held the edge of the tree hole and squatted down, keeping level with the figure inside. Gathering spiritual power in his eyes, the vision that should have been pitch black revealed faint outlines. A pair of eyes, bursting with bloodshot veins, stared back from the depths of the darkness like a wounded, dormant beast.

Shen Bingsi was someone who didn’t care about others’ evaluations—provided he still possessed his peak strength. When he was still a frail child, he hated anyone who tried to approach him, whether out of kindness or malice. Everyone in the Shen Family Village was kept at arm’s length because they had seen him when he was weak and destitute.

Rong Xie understood this too well; that was exactly when he had met Shen Bingsi.

Now, Shen Bingsi seemed to have reverted to that state, hiding in his tree hole, hostile toward anyone attempting to get close.

“Didn’t you say you were going to carry me to the Golden Core stage?” Rong Xie sighed. “I’m waiting for you.”

“…” The person in the hole shifted slightly, the sound of fabric friction exceptionally clear.

“Not coming out?” Rong Xie tugged the corner of the robe gently. “Then I’m coming in?”

“…Don’t come in,” Shen Bingsi said indistinctly. “It’s dirty in here.”

Rong Xie’s heart soured.

Just like in the past, Shen Bingsi resisted everyone who tried to approach him—except Rong Xie.

Rong Xie didn’t know why. He was just an ordinary person. In terms of background, status, appearance, or conversation, he had nothing worthy of special regard. Yet, from the very beginning, he had effortlessly walked into Shen Bingsi’s defensive circle and become his friend.

Even now… Shen Bingsi was afraid Rong Xie would get his clothes dirty if he came in, forcing himself to emerge from the hole.

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“Mn.”

The moment Shen Bingsi came out, Rong Xie hugged him tightly.

Shen Bingsi froze. He wanted to hug back, but the body in his arms had already pulled away. Only the scent of orchids and ink drifted past his nose.

“Rong’er, you…”

His heartstrings vibrated for an instant but didn’t form a turbulent wave. Shen Bingsi subconsciously severed the thought, steadying his mind, and that wave of wavering Dao Heart gradually subsided.

“How do you feel right now?” Rong Xie observed Shen Bingsi’s face, his palm clutching the sleeve. He wanted to support Shen Bingsi, but remembering how terrifying the consequences of a wavering Dao Heart were, he decided to avoid physical contact as much as possible until a solution was found. “Can you still walk? If not, we can rest a while longer, then take the Cloud Dream Skiff to find Elder Bai.”

Shen Bingsi hesitated. “You know…”

“I know.” Rong Xie’s tone was crisp. “Elder Yunfeng told me everything. Your situation is critical, and we need to find a solution for the wavering Dao Heart quickly. I asked around, and there is a method. Elder Red of the Hehuan Sect used to cultivate the Ruthless Dao. Later, he switched to another path without suffering backlash from a shattered Dao Heart. Elder Bai comes from the same sect as him and definitely knows something—isn’t that why you came to the Ruthless Dao Palace?”

Shen Bingsi stared at Rong Xie in astonishment. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but suddenly, he bent over and coughed violently.

Rong Xie’s heart tightened. Forgetting all about avoiding physical contact, he shifted to Shen Bingsi’s side, supporting his elbow with one hand and stroking his back with the other to help him breathe. Spiritual power seeped from his palm, guided into the meridians of Shen’s back.

Shen Bingsi’s coughing subsided. The hand covering his mouth opened slightly. He glanced down, his expression changing subtly, then curled his palm as if pretending nothing happened and lowered it on the side away from Rong Xie—

“Did you cough up blood?” Rong Xie stared at him fixedly.

Shen Bingsi subconsciously wiped the corner of his mouth. “What?”

“On your hand.” Rong Xie lifted his chin.

“No.” Shen Bingsi hurriedly wiped his hand on the ground twice. “Look if you don’t believe me.”

His palm, having been wiped in the mud, naturally showed no trace of what was there before.

“It’s just a wavering Dao Heart, not as scary as you think,” Shen Bingsi said with a tone of “everything is under control.” “We who cultivate the mind will more or less have times when our Dao Heart wavers. It’s fine for us who cut off love and desire, but like the guys next door who cut off their appetite? They waver at least three times a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus countless snacks. They don’t even dare walk the streets for fear of seeing a pan-fried bun or a candied hawthorn and spitting blood on the spot… cough, cough.”

Rong Xie was amused by Shen Bingsi’s explanation.

“Then… should I avoid you?” After the brief moment of levity, seeing Shen Bingsi’s pale face brought the heavy stone back onto Rong Xie’s heart.

Shen Bingsi gave a dry cough. “It’s not that serious. Just talking face to face…”