Chapter 174: Simple Things
Seeing the man’s shifty eyes constantly darting over Shen Bingsi’s face, Rong Xie felt a surge of revulsion. He used his protective spiritual qi to shove the man away.
Medicine Master Rong was knocked back a step. He looked at Rong Xie in astonishment, then at Shen Bingsi, muttering under his breath, “I misjudged. It turns out the ‘dragon-like’ and ‘tiger-fierce’ one is actually this beauty.”
“What nonsense are you talking!” Rong Xie blocked the way in front of Shen Bingsi. The tension he felt from worrying about Shen Bingsi transformed into anger, which he vented entirely on Medicine Master Rong. “Back off! We aren’t buying your fake medicine!”
“The beauty is indeed fierce. No wonder the little brother has been squeezed into such a state. As the saying goes, ‘to die under a peony is to be a romantic ghost’—ow, ow, ow! I was wrong! I was wrong! Stop hitting me!”
Medicine Master Rong continued to spout nonsense until Rong Xie grabbed him and gave him a thrashing. The scabbard of the Lightning White Orchid repeatedly rapped against Medicine Master Rong’s tattered felt hat. Medicine Master Rong raised his hands to ward off the blows, constantly retreating.
Rong Xie chased Medicine Master Rong for a distance while Shen Bingsi watched from behind, find the sight amusing, and slowly caught up.
As he drew near, however, he realized Rong Xie was talking to someone extremely familiar, which gave him a start.
“Lu Yingqi?” Shen Bingsi froze. “Why are you here? You really have gone mad…”
When the man looked up, Shen Bingsi realized he had mistaken the person. While his appearance was identical to Lu Yingqi’s, his demeanor and expression were entirely different. Lu Yingqi was solemn and cold; this man was cynical and irreverent—it was Lu Yingqi’s twin brother, Lu Yinglin.
Lu Yinglin wore a half-smile, his face carrying a hint of embarrassment. He looked like someone caught red-handed—which he indeed was, by Rong Xie.
“Didn’t you say you had no idea where the Acacia Sect’s main altar was?” At the mention of this, Rong Xie felt a spark of irritation.
“Hehe… about that…” Lu Yinglin rubbed his nose awkwardly.
“And you’re in league with a fake medicine peddler?” Rong Xie pointed at the cowering Medicine Master Rong nearby.
“…Not exactly. The medicine he sells isn’t fake,” Lu Yinglin explained, sidestepping the main issue.
“I see,” Rong Xie took a deep breath. “You’re in this together. It looks like this isn’t your first day coming to the Acacia Sect’s main altar to sell things. You’re their steady supplier, aren’t you? I should have known—Liujin City, the Liujin Sect, and the Yuanbao Auction House are all one and the same. How could you possibly not know where the Acacia Sect is?”
“…” Lu Yinglin’s smile became increasingly cramped. “Ahem, actually, I didn’t hide it from you on purpose. It’s just that I’m a person of little consequence; it wasn’t easy for me to introduce people here. Now that you’ve made it in, it must have been Elder Bai who introduced you, right? Isn’t that great!”
Rong Xie snorted coldly, merely staring at Lu Yinglin with a chilling smile. “So, avenging the blood feud of your little Xiao Ya is only worth this much of a reward.”
Lu Yinglin raised his hands in defeat. “I was wrong, I was wrong. Didn’t I return the Lightning White Orchid to you? Sword Saint Shen, have you been well?”
Shen Bingsi didn’t have any particular feelings toward Lu Yinglin, good or bad. He nodded, and Lu Yinglin seized the opportunity to shift the topic to him, preventing Rong Xie from digging further.
“It seems you’ve already started learning Elder Red’s method,” Lu Yinglin said. “Congratulations, congratulations! It seems Sword Saint Shen’s recovery is just around the corner!”
“Mhm…” Rong Xie looked troubled. “But Elder Red’s method is very strange. He told us to imitate the disciples’ behavior, saying that ‘to correct a deviation, one must overcompensate.’ If we want to abandon the Ruthless Path, we have to accept the ways of the Acacia Sect…”
“That’s perfect!” Lu Yinglin expressed his deep agreement. “Appetite and lust are part of human nature. The ways of the Acacia Sect are the true path of the mortal world. You two carry too much of that transcendent ‘immortal air’ that doesn’t touch the ground. You should shed that icy aura and get a bit more grounded.”
“But Shen Bingsi’s Dao heart is already shaken and prone to backlash. Now, he spits blood just by walking a few steps. Can this ‘grounded’ method really work?” Rong Xie voiced his greatest concern.
“Well…” Lu Yinglin wasn’t entirely sure either. “Since Elder Red told you to do it, he must have his reasons. In a place like the Acacia Sect’s headquarters, nothing too major will go wrong. If you run into trouble, just go find the old man; it’s guaranteed to be fine.”
Lu Yinglin didn’t provide any concrete answers, and Rong Xie sighed. It wasn’t surprising; after all, Lu Yinglin wasn’t even a disciple of the Acacia Sect, so Rong Xie hadn’t held much hope anyway.
“As an apology, I can help you understand the daily activities of the Acacia disciples. If you start with the simple ones, perhaps you can adapt slowly.”
As a regular supplier for the Acacia Sect, Lu Yinglin was quite familiar with their activities. He provided them with the items needed for daily life and group events, and his goods were always very popular.
“The disciples’ activities are very rich. As you’ve seen, there’s dancing and instrument playing. At dusk, everyone gathers to taste fine food and wine, dancing around flower lanterns. The activities during festivals are even more numerous.”
“Sword Saint Shen and Junior Brother Rong can start with the most basic step: opening your senses to enjoy the ability bestowed by heaven—the power of perception.”
Lu Yinglin recommended several activities, including tasting food and wine at dusk, collecting flower nectar in the morning, stargazing while lying on the grass at night, and listening to and imitating birdsong.
The activities Lu Yinglin suggested sounded very simple and highly feasible. Rong Xie took out a slip of paper and noted down the activities, locations, and times, determined to perform all of them within the next day.
“It’s too late for morning nectar… time is short, so we can only start with the dusk banquet. I wonder what we’ll be eating tonight.” Rong Xie checked the paper, guessing with interest.
They arrived together at an open space near the Five-Color Altar. The disciples preparing the evening banquet had already begun their work. They placed dried charcoal and kindling into small pits, setting up racks over them. Freshly slaughtered livestock was carved into pieces—some threaded onto skewers, others placed on iron plates. After Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi asked if they could join, they helped with the preparations.
As dusk approached, the orange-red setting sun bathed the bamboo forest and flower beds. Fires rose from the clearing, and large pots perched over the flames bubbled with aromatic scents. Disciples arrived at the clearing in groups of three or five, chatting and laughing.
Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi found a spot to sit. Someone came by carrying a brazier, using tongs to pull out glowing coals and drop them into the pit before them. The flames soon flared up. People nearby began placing meat skewers over the fire to roast, and Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi followed their example.
The sizzling meat skewers dripped oil and gave off a mouth-watering fragrance. As Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi tasted them, both momentarily forgot to speak. They had been exhausted from traveling lately, and a place like the Dao Palace of the Ruthless Path naturally lacked good food. It had been a long time since they had satisfied their palates like this.
Furthermore, he wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but the Acacia Sect’s roasted meat was exceptionally fragrant…
“It’s a good thing I didn’t cultivate a Ruthless Path that severs the desire for food,” Shen Bingsi lamented.
“Then your Dao heart would have shattered long ago,” Rong Xie laughed.
“Not necessarily.” Shen Bingsi licked his lips. “Severing the appetite is something one can endure by gritting one’s teeth. Severing other things… is much harder.”
Rong Xie’s cheeks warmed slightly. He knew what “other things” Shen Bingsi was referring to.
“I don’t think so,” Rong Xie said, wanting to tease Shen Bingsi but stopping himself for fear of making him cough again.
“Beauties of the Lingjing Sect!” Someone carrying two jars of wine squeezed through the crowd of people huddled on the ground eating skewers and approached Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi.
Rong Xie felt a wave of embarrassment at the call. This person was an Acacia disciple who had been threading meat with them earlier; they had gotten to know each other through idle chat while working. The man was very enthusiastic but, like other Acacia disciples, his words lacked boundaries.
Seeing Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi, the man’s eyes lit up. He strode over and handed a wine jar to Rong Xie. Rong Xie was forced to take it. The man laughed loudly and said, “Taste it! This is fine wine for guests!”
Rong Xie didn’t like drinking, and his tolerance wasn’t great. But remembering Lu Yinglin’s words about drinking being one of the disciples’ activities, he took the jar and had a sip.
He paused in surprise. The anticipated spicy sting was absent; the wine tasted like honeyed water and was very delicious.
“Hahahahaha! How is it? This is Beauty Wine, brewed specifically for beauties!” The man laughed heartily, raising the other jar and handing it to Shen Bingsi.
“What wine is this?” Shen Bingsi asked. “Hero Wine?”
“Hahahahaha… you joke! Who would want to drink that rubbish Hero Wine! This is also Beauty Wine!” the man laughed.
“Hah, I suppose I count as a beauty then.” Shen Bingsi was somewhat surprised.
“Of course, a sickly beauty,” Rong Xie whispered into Shen Bingsi’s ear.
Seeing the two whispering, the man left with a loud laugh. The surrounding disciples also looked at Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi with smiles.
Rong Xie felt a bit awkward. He had never been this close to Shen Bingsi in public. Such bold behavior would have been unimaginable for his former self.
Perhaps it was the atmosphere of the Acacia Sect, or perhaps it was the power of the Beauty Wine, but Rong Xie felt a long-lost sense of relaxation. Night gradually fell, and everything around them was shrouded in hazy blue shadows. Without intentionally using spiritual power, it was impossible to see the faces of those around them clearly.
Rong Xie tugged at his collar, letting the night breeze blow against his neck. Although Beauty Wine tasted like honeyed water, it was still wine. Rong Xie felt lightheaded and his whole body felt flushed with heat.
“Rong’er, how are you feeling? You aren’t uncomfortable, are you?” Shen Bingsi’s voice drifted into his ear, sounding dazed.
Rong Xie shook his head, feeling even more dizzy. He simply leaned to the side, falling into the embrace of the person beside him. Tugging his collar, he said, “It’s too hot here. Let’s go out for some air.”
Shen Bingsi helped Rong Xie up, saying somewhat helplessly, “With your tolerance, you still dare to drink the Acacia Sect’s wine so carelessly? Next time, if I’m not by your side, you aren’t allowed to—”
“What?” Rong Xie felt Shen Bingsi’s voice drifting near and far. He leaned his ear closer, wanting to hear clearly, but accidentally brushed against something soft. The surroundings fell quiet as a warm breeze blew into his ear. Rong Xie frowned and complained, “So hot. Why is even the night wind so hot? Let’s go to the forest quickly… eh.”
The soft thing suddenly became hard and pinched him. It wouldn’t let go of the tip of Rong Xie’s ear. Rong Xie hurriedly tried to push it away, attempting to save his ear.
“Cough, cough, cough…” The ‘pinch’ finally let go of Rong Xie’s ear. A burst of coughing came from nearby, causing the embrace holding Rong Xie to shudder. Shen Bingsi’s muffled complaint drifted through the wind, “How is this a simple activity? This is clearly trying to take my life…”
Translator’s Note:
- Beauty Wine (Meiren Jiu): In many cultivation novels, specific wines are brewed with spiritual herbs to enhance mood or spiritual energy. Here, it’s clearly designed to be dangerously smooth!
- “To die under a peony…”: This is a very common Chinese idiom (牡丹花下死，做鬼也風流) suggesting that it’s worth dying for the sake of a beautiful woman (or man, in this case).
- Lu Yinglin’s business: He is the “playboy” twin, and it makes total sense that he’d be the one supplying the Acacia Sect with their “specialty” goods. He’s definitely a contrast to his brother!
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