Chapter 152: Grounded
Lu Yingqi couldn’t even save himself.
Outside Lu Yingqi’s independent courtyard in the Ruthless Dao Palace, a group of cold-faced cultivators were packed tightly together. It was obvious they were there to guard Lu Yingqi.
Unfortunately, Shen Bingsi’s Dao Heart was unstable, so he couldn’t use spells to slip past them right now. Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi had to crouch at the base of the wall, observing the situation in the courtyard while discussing a strategy.
“I say we should just walk in openly. We haven’t done anything guilty, why sneak in?” Shen Bingsi said, his lips pale.
“Didn’t you want to avoid being seen by them?” Rong Xie observed Shen Bingsi’s complexion and frowned slightly. “And… that Shang Qian is very annoying. I suspect these people were placed by him. If he catches us interacting privately with Lu Yingqi, it will inevitably lead to a lot more trouble.”
“You met someone named Shang?” Shen Bingsi looked disgusted. Meeting Rong Xie’s equally disgusted gaze, his brow relaxed, and a smile appeared in his eyes. “You hate him too?”
“Who wouldn’t hate him? How could the Sky Mirror choose someone like him to be an Adjudication Officer? It clearly wasn’t his case, yet he insisted on leaking the details to the whole world. Adjudication Officer Jiang and the Recording Officer are still cleaning up the mess in Qinghe, yet he ran back already. With a personality that avoids responsibility and loves stirring up trouble, why doesn’t he go shovel manure at the village entrance?” Rong Xie’s disgust was palpable.
Shen Bingsi couldn’t help but chuckle, rubbing his nose.
Seeing Rong Xie looking nervously over there again, Shen Bingsi said, “No rush. I’ll adjust my breathing for a moment. Once I recover, I’ll use a blinding method to take you in. These people are at most at the Foundation Establishment stage—I wonder where all the Ruthless Dao people went.”
Rong Xie opened his mouth, just about to say, They went looking for you, when he saw a Xuan Tian Sect cultivator descend from the sky. He walked quickly to the guards, exchanged a few words, and the guards left with him.
Rong Xie was delighted. Wasn’t this exactly what they needed—a pillow right when they were sleepy? But worrying that the Xuan Tian Sect was playing some game of cat and mouse, he hesitated to go over.
“Let’s go.” Shen Bingsi grabbed Rong Xie’s hand and strode toward Lu Yingqi’s courtyard.
“Wait, could it be a trap?” Rong Xie asked, even as Shen Bingsi pulled him out.
When Shen Bingsi walked, he was full of vigor, back straight and strides long, showing no sign of defeat.
The two entered the courtyard smoothly without encountering any obstruction.
“You really don’t fear someone guarding inside the yard?” Before Rong Xie finished speaking, he saw a young man in grey clothes standing in the courtyard, looking at them in surprise.
Rong Xie’s heart almost leaped out of his throat. Taking a closer look, however, he realized it was an acquaintance—Xiao Zhi.
“If there is, there is. Just knock them out and lock them in a dark room. We can’t do nothing just to avoid Shang Qian,” Shen Bingsi was still explaining to Rong Xie.
“Master Rong!” Xiao Zhi was overjoyed. He paused for a moment upon seeing Shen Bingsi but ignored his fear and hurried over to welcome them. “…Sword, Sword Saint Shen, how come you are here?”
“Xiao Zhi, are you all alright? Is Senior Brother Lu okay?” Rong Xie asked with concern.
Xiao Zhi’s face turned pale. “We are fine, but Brother Qi isn’t doing too well. Please come in and talk.”
The heart Rong Xie had been holding in suspense dropped halfway upon seeing Lu Yingqi.
At least outwardly, Lu Yingqi seemed fine; his condition was much better than Shen Bingsi’s.
After Xiao Zhi ushered them into the inner room, he carefully bolted the door.
Lu Yingqi was sitting on a low couch, hands on his knees, seemingly meditating. He didn’t open his eyes when he heard Rong Xie and the others enter.
“Xiao Zhi, what exactly is going on?” Rong Xie asked.
Xiao Zhi poured hot tea for Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi and told them that since they left, Lu Yingqi’s situation had undergone a drastic change. The main reason was that Shang Qian had become the Adjudication Officer. He had spread the Lu family case to the entire sect and publicly questioned Lu Yingqi’s cultivation method. Elder Bai had no choice but to ground Lu Yingqi here.
Currently, Elder Bai was still arguing in the Council of Elders to get Lu Yingqi off the hook. However, the situation wasn’t optimistic. Some people in the Council were inciting a purge of the Ruthless Dao Palace, wanting to clear out Elder Bai and the lineage he led to ensure the purity of the palace.
“Even Elder Bai is getting purged?” Rong Xie felt it was absurd. “But didn’t Elder Bai painstakingly build the Ruthless Dao Palace into what it is today?”
“That’s the logic, but they won’t care about that when they’re infighting,” Shen Bingsi said.
“…” Xiao Zhi lowered his head. “Xiao Zhi is just a servant boy and doesn’t know what those big shots are thinking. But Elder Bai came once and said not to let Brother Qi make any response, just to wait here for his message.”
“So that’s how it is.” Rong Xie placed his hand gently on Xiao Zhi’s shoulder, comforting him. “Things might not be as bad as you imagine. After all, Elder Bai has managed the Ruthless Dao Palace for so many years and weathered many storms; he won’t be toppled so easily. And Senior Brother Lu is the standout of the Ruthless Dao Palace. That Shang Qian can’t compare to Senior Brother Lu in cultivation or reputation. The Council of Elders isn’t stupid; they will weigh the pros and cons. Let’s just wait peacefully for news from Elder Bai.”
Hearing Rong Xie’s comfort, Xiao Zhi relaxed slightly.
The air was quiet for a moment. Xiao Zhi asked, “Master Rong, is your body okay?”
Rong Xie was startled, remembering that the last time Xiao Zhi saw him, he was under a nightmare spell. He quickly said, “I’m very well. Thanks to you lending the Hehuan Flower Dew, I was able to wake up smoothly.”
Xiao Zhi shook his head. “It is good that Master Rong is okay.”
An idea struck Rong Xie. He asked, “Xiao Zhi, did Madam Mei ever tell you what to do if Lu Yingqi’s Dao Heart wavered? How to lift that state?”
Xiao Zhi looked at Rong Xie blankly. “What…?”
Rong Xie sighed. Xiao Zhi obviously didn’t know about this. True, he didn’t cultivate the Ruthless Dao, so even if Madam Mei knew something, she wouldn’t have told him.
In the time that followed, Xiao Zhi prepared hot water for Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi, covering for them as they went to the washroom.
The two quickly took a shower, daring not to look at each other or say much. After changing into clean clothes, they returned to the inner room.
By this time, Xiao Zhi had tidied up the study connected to the bedroom for them to rest in.
As dawn approached, the rain stopped, and footsteps sounded outside again. The guards were back.
Under Shen Bingsi’s astonished gaze, Rong Xie released the Shunfeng Ear and eavesdropped on the guards for a while.
“They were temporarily pulled away to search the mountain. They said the big fireball that fell from the sky wasn’t found, and a Lingjing Sect disciple went missing too—oh, they went looking for me.”
Rong Xie thought, As expected.
Looking up, he saw Shen Bingsi staring at him in surprise.
“What is that?” Shen Bingsi pointed at the Shunfeng Ear dragging on the ground.
Rong Xie rolled up the Shunfeng Ear and put it away. “It’s the Shunfeng Ear. It lets you hear people talking from far away. A treasure you obtained when pursuing the Stone Forest Old Demon. Don’t you remember?”
“My treasure?” Shen Bingsi was even more astonished. He had absolutely no impression of it. He had such good stuff?
“Yes. To rescue you, I temporarily requisitioned it from the secret vault. You don’t have an opinion, do you?” Rong Xie glanced at him.
“No, no,” Shen Bingsi waved his hands immediately. “I was just thinking, since it’s inconvenient for me to use spiritual power now, if I had known about such a good treasure, it wouldn’t have been so troublesome…”
“What do you know,” Rong Xie thought about how Shen Bingsi ran off secretly instead of using him, the person who knew him best, and anger bubbled up again. ” knowing nothing, yet saying you would definitely return. Where does that confidence come from?”
Shen Bingsi fell silent and began studying what books were on Lu Yingqi’s shelf.
“Speaking of nightmares,” Rong Xie sat up straight, looking at Shen Bingsi. “You didn’t forget at all, did you? Is that… the reason you ended up like this?”
Time seemed to freeze. Shen Bingsi’s gaze remained fixed on the bookshelf. After a long while, he gave a soft “Mm.”
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