Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 29

Chapter 29: Severing Ties of Affection

“Miss Cui?”

Rong Xie turned around in surprise. He saw Cui Xingmiao standing there, dressed in an emerald-green outfit with narrow sleeves and a cinched waist. It was attire designed for traveling the martial world, yet it lost none of its elegance or spirit; she was truly a sight to behold.

However, at this moment, Cui Xingmiao’s vitality seemed to have drained away. She looked nothing like her usual lively and spirited self.

“Brother Rong, I… I really had no other choice, so I came to find you,” Cui Xingmiao said with a hoarse voice.

“Come inside first. Have a cup of hot tea and tell me slowly.” Rong Xie pushed the gate fully open.

Cui Xingmiao, however, shook her head. “I don’t think I can enter.”

Rong Xie paused. Couldn’t enter where? The Huanxue Villa?

“I can unlock this restriction myself; there’s no harm in entering,” Rong Xie assured her.

A glimmer of hope ignited in Cui Xingmiao’s eyes. She tentatively walked toward the villa’s main gate. But before she could even reach the steps, a burst of golden light repelled her.

With a startled cry, Cui Xingmiao was thrown backward, landing on the grass.

Rong Xie was also startled and rushed forward to help her up.

Cui Xingmiao covered her face and began to weep softly.

Rong Xie stood beside her, at a complete loss, apologizing profusely.

“Miss Cui, I’m sorry, I really didn’t know…”

The restriction had clearly been lifted, yet the barrier of Huanxue Villa still bounced Cui Xingmiao away. This could only mean one thing: Shen Bingsi had added Cui Xingmiao to the blacklist.

Shen Bingsi’s blacklist was likely quite long; Rong Xie didn’t even know exactly who was on it. Shen Bingsi had too many taboos. Sometimes, people on the list hadn’t even spoken to him before he unilaterally blocked them.

Those he refused to associate with couldn’t even dream of getting close to Huanxue Villa; the outermost golden barrier existed precisely for that purpose.

And now, the person being rejected was Cui Xingmiao.

Rong Xie felt his mind turn into a tangled mess he couldn’t unravel.

He had previously assumed that Shen Bingsi had said something wrong and offended her, leading to her cutting ties with him unilaterally. He thought Shen Bingsi had then refused to let it go, chasing after her to cause trouble, which resulted in those outrageous rumors.

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Rong Xie had it all planned out: the first step to clarifying the rumors was to apologize to Cui Xingmiao and clear up the misunderstanding. Cui Xingmiao wasn’t an unreasonable person; as long as she was appeased, the rumors would die down.

If that didn’t work with Cui Xingmiao, he would appeal to authority—like the Old Sect Master of the Spirit Mirror Sect, Xue Baoshan. He was a figure who could make the cultivation world tremble with a stomp of his foot. If he vouched for Shen Bingsi, declaring his Daoist Heart was as solid as iron and that he would never be involved in such a scandal, the rumors would collapse on their own.

Who could have guessed the situation was the complete opposite of what he thought? It was Shen Bingsi who had rejected Cui Xingmiao and unilaterally cut ties with her. This forced Cui Xingmiao—a particularly proud girl—to chase him to the villa’s gate, bow her head to ask Rong Xie for help, and then get knocked to the ground by the barrier due to Rong Xie’s negligence. Could there be anything more awkward than this?

“Miss Cui, I am truly sorry. I didn’t know this would happen…” Rong Xie had zero experience comforting crying girls and truly didn’t know what to do. He fished a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to her. “This is new; it hasn’t been used.”

Cui Xingmiao took the handkerchief and wiped her eyes. Rong Xie breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, Cui Xingmiao’s emotions stabilized.

Rong Xie asked if she was injured; she shook her head.

Rong Xie asked if she wanted tea brewed from jasmine and spirit cage grass; she shook her head again.

She didn’t even want to get up. She just sat on the ground, tightly clutching Rong Xie’s handkerchief.

Rong Xie knew she had something to say to him, so he waited quietly by her side.

Cui Xingmiao lifted her red, tear-filled eyes and looked at Rong Xie. “Did you really not know anything at all?”

“Know what?”

“About the matter between me and Bingsi,” Cui Xingmiao lowered her eyes again. “We… we had a fight. Because of you.”

Rong Xie’s heart skipped a beat. It was because of him. could a disagreement over a treatment plan really escalate to this extent?

“I just heard about it too,” Rong Xie said. “If it’s because of me, there’s no need for this. When Shen Bingsi comes back, I’ll accompany you. We’ll talk things through and clear up the misunderstanding.”

“No… it’s not that simple,” Cui Xingmiao shook her head. “If it could be cleared up, it would have been already… But, did you truly not know anything?”

Rong Xie was confused.

Was he not expressing himself clearly? Why did Cui Xingmiao ask the same question twice?

“I’m sorry, I really have no other way. I shouldn’t doubt you,” Cui Xingmiao’s eyes flickered slightly. “But, regarding that matter, I only told you.”

“What…?”

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“The matter that only you and I knew about. The thing you promised me you wouldn’t tell anyone.”

Rong Xie suddenly realized which “matter” Cui Xingmiao was referring to.

The confession that appeared as a final secret prescription. The feelings she had poured out to him alone after sending Shen Bingsi away. Indeed, no third person knew about that.

So, now Shen Bingsi knew…?

How did Shen Bingsi find out?

He hadn’t told Shen Bingsi!

Rong Xie felt the fine hairs on his back stand on end. He found himself unable to defend himself because only he and Cui Xingmiao knew about it!

If a third person knew… Cui Xingmiao certainly wouldn’t have said it herself, so that left only him.

“Miss Cui, I know it’s hard to believe, but I truly didn’t say anything.” Rong Xie’s heart pounded wildly, but he forced himself to remain calm. “I don’t know how Shen Bingsi found out either. He didn’t know when he left the villa. Something must have happened in between…”

“Brother Rong, I don’t want to suspect you either, but… but I really don’t know what to do anymore. Could you tell Shen Bingsi that I was just joking when I said those things? That I just wanted to tease you because, at that time, you really looked like you were jealous?”

Cui Xingmiao grasped Rong Xie’s arm with both hands, looking at him pleadingly.

“I beg you, Brother Rong.” Cui Xingmiao’s fingers were icy; he could feel her freezing temperature even through the fabric. Her voice carried a sob, and tears welled up in her eyes again. “If it’s you, Shen Bingsi definitely won’t mind. The person he cherishes most in his heart is you. No matter what you say, he won’t blame you.”

Rong Xie felt a chill run through his entire body.

He understood Cui Xingmiao’s intention. She wanted him to go to Shen Bingsi and turn himself in—to admit that he liked Shen Bingsi, that he was jealous of Cui Xingmiao, and that Cui Xingmiao’s confession was merely a ply to tease him.

Was she using him as a cushion? A scapegoat?

Did he look that easy to talk to?

Or was Cui Xingmiao certain that his guilt over “leaking the secret” would compel him to try his best to mend her relationship with Shen Bingsi, even if it meant Shen Bingsi would detest him?

That’s right, Shen Bingsi would definitely detest him.

Shen Bingsi loathed anyone who harbored romantic intentions toward him.

Even Fairy Xingmiao, the highly favored female confidante in the book Offering a Long Aotian to the World, ended up like this once she confessed to Shen Bingsi.

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Being bounced three feet away by golden light—didn’t that explain everything?

And what was he? Just a Q&A tool existing within a sound-transmitting jade pendant.

Aside from being pulled out by the Heavenly Mirror to take a bullet at the end, he was a negligible corner in Shen Bingsi’s vast social circle.

In terms of destiny and connection, how could he compare to Fairy Xingmiao?

Dragging him out to be a scapegoat—wasn’t that pitiful?

Rong Xie closed his eyes briefly, suppressing a surging emotion. Slowly but firmly, he pushed Cui Xingmiao’s hands away and stood up.

“Miss Cui, did I not make myself clear?” Rong Xie lowered his gaze. “I didn’t leak your secret. I have no obligation to cover for you.”

Cui Xingmiao seemed frightened by Rong Xie’s sudden coldness and stared at him blankly.

Rong Xie thought that right now, he must look very much like Shen Bingsi when his “Petrification Disease” flared up.

Perhaps when two people stay together for a long time, they become more and more alike.

Looking at the tear-stained Cui Xingmiao, he couldn’t summon a shred of sympathy. Instead, a controllable aversion and irritation rose from the bottom of his heart.

This person clearly sensed his unusual feelings for Shen Bingsi.

This person clearly knew how Shen Bingsi dealt with those who harbored improper intentions toward him.

Yet, this person repeatedly incited him to reveal his feelings to Shen Bingsi.

A wave of malice surged up, filling his chest and spilling from his throat:

“Even if… I was the one who leaked your secret, what makes you think I would cover for you?”

Cui Xingmiao’s eyes widened, staring unblinkingly at Rong Xie.

Rong Xie couldn’t help but let out a laugh. Perhaps in Cui Xingmiao’s eyes, he looked like a villain ripping off his mask and showing his true colors.

But he didn’t care what she thought. Not one bit.

“If you don’t want others to know something, don’t say it from the start,” Rong Xie said indifferently. “If there’s nothing else, I’m going back inside.”

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He nodded to Cui Xingmiao, turned resolutely, and walked up the steps.

A rustling sound came from behind; Cui Xingmiao had stood up and chased a few steps forward.

“Brother Rong, wait! That’s not what I meant…”

A streak of golden light slashed across the sky, crashing into Huanxue Valley like a meteor.

BOOM—

The owner of the sword was rushing to the villa’s gate in such a hurry that he couldn’t stop in time, smashing a massive crater into the ground.

Golden light spilled everywhere, illuminating the area in front of the gate. Rong Xie, though facing away from the impact, wasn’t spared; the reflection off the lintel made him squint, almost thinking the effect of the sound-transmitting jade pendant had doubled.

Rong Xie didn’t need to look back to know who had returned.

He held onto the doorframe, waiting for the tremors to pass.

The sand and soil kicked up from the ground were blocked by the barrier and didn’t splatter onto Rong Xie. However, Cui Xingmiao, who was outside the barrier, wasn’t so lucky. She let out a scream, followed by a fit of coughing.

The culprit behind all this—the sword master Shen Bingsi—strode through the barrier, rushed behind Rong Xie, grabbed his arm, turned him around, and looked him over carefully from head to toe.

“Rong’er, are you alright?”

Rong Xie felt a bit awkward. It was just him and a young girl here, yet Shen Bingsi checked on him first as if he couldn’t even defeat a little girl.

Well… in terms of cultivation, he really couldn’t defeat her.

“I’m fine… You should go check on Miss Cui,” Rong Xie brushed Shen’s hand off his arm.

Shen Bingsi had been holding him loosely, but when his hand suddenly grasped empty air, he became agitated again, repeatedly scanning Rong Xie’s expression. “Are you unhappy? Did you hear those rumors? That’s just idle people with nothing better to do spreading nonsense! There is absolutely nothing going on between me and Cui Xingmiao!”

“Is that so?” Rong Xie didn’t even bother to expose him. “Is it the ‘she can’t even get in the door’ kind of nothing?”

Shen Bingsi choked. Suddenly realizing something, he turned his head, his gaze fixing on a spot, his tone turning cold. “Hm? What are you doing here?”

So Shen Bingsi hadn’t even seen Cui Xingmiao just now…

A silence fell below the steps.

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Cui Xingmiao’s face was ashen. Her hair and clothes were covered in the dust that had just been kicked up. The usually lively and beauty-loving girl seemed to have been drained of all strength, leaving only an empty shell.

Seeing Cui Xingmiao like this, Rong Xie couldn’t stay angry.

She had fallen to this state not because she had bad intentions, nor because she did anything wrong, but simply because she liked Shen Bingsi, and Shen Bingsi found out.

Today, the one standing there covered in dust was Cui Xingmiao; next time, who knew who it would be?

Repelled by golden light, subjected to cold words, ruthlessly driven away… If even the number one female confidante destined by the Book of Fate couldn’t avoid this, let alone others.

A feeling of grief for one’s own kind rose in Rong Xie’s heart—like a fox mourning the death of a rabbit.

“Miss Cui came to ask for my help,” Rong Xie said. “A matter that only the two of us knew about was leaked. Although I don’t know how it leaked, as someone in the know, I bear some responsibility.”

Rong Xie ultimately couldn’t bear to see Cui Xingmiao end up too miserably. Perhaps, he was trying to secure some wiggle room for his future self.

“I should have dissuaded Miss Cui immediately from harboring such thoughts.” Rong Xie lowered his eyes to look at Cui Xingmiao. At the same time, Cui Xingmiao looked up unexpectedly. Their gazes collided in the air, exchanging emotions only they could understand. “Falling in love with a cultivator of the Ruthless Path has no good ending.”

“…What are you talking about?” Shen Bingsi’s voice turned frigid. If he was just angry in his agitation before, he was genuinely enraged now when he turned cold.

Rong Xie’s hand, hidden in his sleeve, clenched into a fist.

Did he… touch a reverse scale?

“What do you mean by ‘a matter only the two of you knew’? Cui Xingmiao, is that what you told him?” Shen Bingsi turned away from Rong Xie, his voice filled with suppressed frost. “We’ve known each other for so many years. I always thought your character was at least decent.”

“No…” Cui Xingmiao’s face was pale as paper as she shook her head and backed away. “That’s not what I meant… I just wanted Brother Rong to help me…”

“So, knowing full well that I saw the verbatim record from the Shadow Stone, and knowing full well I forbade you from speaking nonsense in front of him, you still came.” Shen Bingsi walked down the steps one by one. With a dragon’s roar, the Shengxie Sword, forged from pure gold, appeared in his hand. The sword energy dragged a deep trench along the ground. “Cui Xingmiao, for the sake of your past kindness, I won’t raise my hand against you. Leave. From this day forth, all ties between us are severed. We shall never meet again.”