Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 100

Chapter 100: Straight Shooting

When Lu Yingqi appeared at the end of Bamboo Lane, clad in the black and white Daoist robes of the Xuan Tian Sect and striding forward, Rong Xie immediately felt the aura of a truly significant figure.

Unlike Shen Bingsi, who displayed his sharp edge for all to see, Lu Yingqi was like a heavy sword without a cutting edge. Simply standing there, he exuded a presence that was impossible to ignore.

It was no wonder Lu Yingqi and Lu Yinglin were twins; they shared almost identical faces and builds. However, despite their identical physical forms, their temperaments created completely different impressions.

Lu Yinglin traveled constantly, always wearing a smile before he even spoke. When he smiled, his eyes held a hint of calculation, yet never enough to make one uncomfortable—he was the consummate businessman who knew exactly how to cater to others’ feelings.

Lu Yingqi was the complete opposite. He did not smile as he approached. Only after greeting Rong Xie and confirming he was the person he sought did he offer a slight, polite smile. His cultivation was profound, his skin taut, and his complexion youthful, appearing to be around thirty years old. His gaze held a layer of detachment, as if nothing in the world truly interested him.

“Senior Brother Lu?” Rong Xie greeted him first, bowing. “I am Rong Xie. I have heard your name for a long time; seeing you today, you are indeed extraordinary.”

“You are too kind, Junior Brother Rong.” Lu Yingqi nodded slightly. “Xiao Zhi is waiting for us at Chongyue Terrace. Let us depart immediately.”

“Alright… but I have not yet reached Foundation Establishment, so I fear I cannot travel by flying sword,” Rong Xie said hastily.

“No matter. The Sect’s ‘Sky Eye’ is active here, so I cannot fly on my sword either,” Lu Yingqi replied. Having said that, he turned and began to walk back the way he came.

Rong Xie was puzzled for a moment but followed him.

Lu Yingqi walked a few steps before suddenly turning into a dead-end alley. He extended his palm into the air, and a glowing, rotating formation circle appeared out of thin air on the ground. Rong Xie looked at it and recognized it as a teleportation array.

Teleportation arrays were a common mode of transport within sects, capable of linking two locations that weren’t too far apart. Regardless of the user’s cultivation level, one could step in one side and arrive at the other. It was convenient, fast, and accessible to a wide range of people.

However, constructing a teleportation array was no easy feat. Although the method for creating the formations was mature, establishing them required “Teleportation Stakes”—carriers made from a type of ancient wood that was now extinct. Because the supply was limited, this convenient method of transport wasn’t widely promoted; it was only placed in specific areas within sects where heavy usage was required.

In other words, without the backing of a sect’s power, even the most formidable cultivator couldn’t just lay down teleportation arrays at will.

Thus, there was a saying among cultivators: the most expensive flight tool wasn’t an ancient sword forged by Ou Yezi, but the seemingly mundane teleportation array.

Rong Xie relaxed when he saw the array. He had been worrying about what he would do if Lu Yingqi tried to make him ride a flying sword like Shen Bingsi did.

It seemed Lu Yingqi truly lived up to being Elder Bai’s beloved disciple. Shen Bingsi certainly didn’t receive this kind of treatment at the Lingjing Sect.

“After you, Junior Brother Rong.” Lu Yingqi stepped aside to let Rong Xie pass.

“Many thanks, Senior Brother Lu,” Rong Xie said with a hint of restraint. He didn’t decline and stepped into the array first.

A flash of light passed, and when Rong Xie stepped out, the scenery had changed. He was standing on Chongyue Terrace, with the familiar restaurant right before his eyes.

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Immediately after, Lu Yingqi stepped out, retracted the array, and led the way. “Junior Brother Rong, please follow me.”

Lu Yingqi’s business-like attitude made Rong Xie slightly nervous. The pleasantries he had prepared beforehand died in his throat. The two entered the restaurant in silence, one after the other, and pushed open the door to a private room.

Xiao Zhi was hugging his knees, sitting behind a low table. Hearing the door, he stood up hurriedly, his eyes sweeping toward the entrance with trepidation.

When he saw that the arrival was only Rong Xie, Xiao Zhi visibly relaxed, and his complexion improved significantly.

“Rong Xie, you came.” Xiao Zhi managed a smile. “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

Rong Xie had been a bit nervous, but seeing Xiao Zhi even more tense than himself helped him relax instantly. He felt a sense of familiarity and closeness.

“Xiao Zhi, have you been well?” Rong Xie greeted him naturally, smiling. “Don’t worry, Shen Bingsi didn’t come.”

Xiao Zhi smiled somewhat bashfully at having his thoughts read.

The three took their seats, and Lu Yingqi called the waiter to order food.

“But why doesn’t Xiao Zhi want to see Shen Bingsi?” Rong Xie asked casually as he picked up the teapot to pour tea for everyone.

Xiao Zhi’s eyelids flickered. He lowered his gaze and whispered, “It’s not that I don’t want to see him, it’s just… I’m a bit afraid…”

“Xiao Zhi is timid; he doesn’t like meeting strangers.” Lu Yingqi pushed the finished menu toward Rong Xie. “I don’t know what dishes are popular these days, so I just ordered whatever the waiter recommended. Junior Brother Rong, please see if there’s anything you’d like to change.”

Rong Xie was slightly surprised. The behavior of this master and servant seemed inverted. Xiao Zhi was shy and introverted, while Lu Yingqi handled all the external social interactions. It felt as if Xiao Zhi was the one who had been in seclusion for ten years, cut off from the world, rather than Lu Yingqi.

However, he could also tell that Xiao Zhi was extremely attached to Lu Yingqi. Whenever he looked at his master, his eyes were full of admiration. This admiration wasn’t unrequited; Lu Yingqi treated everyone else coldly, but with Xiao Zhi, he took the initiative to care for him and explain things for him. When their eyes met, a gentle smile would unconsciously surface on Lu Yingqi’s face.

How strange. Are all people who cultivate the Ruthless Path like this? Rong Xie couldn’t help but wonder. Between Shen Bingsi, who exploded at the slightest provocation, and Lu Yingqi, who was gentle and protective, neither looked like someone who had severed all emotions and love. Had Rong Xie just happened to encounter the two strangest exceptions?

“By the way, I wonder what matter drove Junior Brother Rong to try every possible means to find me?” Lu Yingqi turned his face toward him, reverting to that indifferent tone.

To Lu Yingqi, Rong Xie seeking out his servant boy and then sending Shen Bingsi to bang on the door of his meditation chamber certainly qualified as “every possible means.”

Rong Xie’s eyelid twitched. The first thing he needed to clarify was exactly that: “I am truly sorry. It was because of me that Shen Bingsi ran over there so recklessly. I heard he even interrupted your seclusion…”

Rong Xie stopped halfway. He had intended to distance himself from Shen Bingsi, but for some reason, the moment he opened his mouth, he ended up apologizing on Shen Bingsi’s behalf.

“It is of no consequence. I was about to exit seclusion anyway. If I had still been in a state of deep meditation, Fellow Daoist Shen would not have been able to wake me,” Lu Yingqi said indifferently. “If Junior Brother Rong has something to say, you may speak freely.”

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“So that’s how it is. That puts my mind at ease…” Rong Xie hesitated for a moment, then said, “Actually, I received a prophecy. It is about you.”

Rong Xie quickly analyzed the situation in his mind. Before coming here, he had planned to build a friendship with Lu Yingqi first, and once they were closer, reveal that he would face a calamity in the future.

But after interacting with him, Rong Xie realized that building a slow friendship with Lu Yingqi would be difficult. He seemed interested in nothing but Xiao Zhi and cultivation.

Rong Xie suspected that even if he tried hard to curry favor, Lu Yingqi wouldn’t necessarily buy it. This meeting might very well be the only time they saw each other for the next few years. For all he knew, Lu Yingqi might go back into seclusion in two days.

Since that was the case, beating around the bush was less effective than speaking directly. At least it would leave an impression.

“About me?” Lu Yingqi’s expression remained rippled. “What is it?”

Xiao Zhi reacted much more strongly. He gasped, sat up straight, and stared unblinkingly at Rong Xie.

“Within the next one to two hundred years, you will encounter a great tribulation. In the prophecy I received, you… will die,” Rong Xie said solemnly.

Dead silence filled the room.

Xiao Zhi’s face turned deathly pale; he looked as if he were about to faint.

Lu Yingqi moved his lips slightly. After all, it was a matter of life and death; even someone as detached as he was found it hard not to be moved.

Observing their reactions, Rong Xie felt that half the mission was accomplished.

Choosing the direct approach was indeed correct!

Whether they believed it or took it seriously, the matter had left a mark on their minds. Xiao Zhi, in particular, cared so much for Lu Yingqi that even if Lu himself didn’t believe it, Xiao Zhi would keep it in his heart. Perhaps at some critical moment, his intervention would play a vital role.

Rong Xie’s next task was to ensure he wasn’t thrown out as a lunatic.

Under the burning gaze of the two men opposite him, Rong Xie lifted his teacup to moisten his throat, trying to make his words sound less like a charlatan scamming people. “I know this might sound absurd. This prophecy involves not just you, but me, Shen Bingsi, and many, many others. In the time when the prophecy takes place, you are already gone. I heard others mention you with great regret, saying that if you were still alive to combine swords with Shen Bingsi, we might not have failed to defeat—the World-Ending Heavenly Demon.”

“World-Ending Heavenly Demon?!” Xiao Zhi’s face grew even paler. He was listening with intense absorption, as if the events Rong Xie described were happening right before his eyes. “You mean… the world will be destroyed by a great demon?”

“Yes,” Rong Xie said heavily. “I saw that scene with my own eyes, in the prophecy.”

“How could that happen…” Xiao Zhi covered his mouth, his shoulders trembling.

Rong Xie wanted to thank Xiao Zhi for being such a great audience. He shuddered to think how much like a charm-peddling scammer he would have sounded if he had been talking to Lu Yingqi alone, facing that expressionless listener.

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Lu Yingqi, who had been silent, finally spoke.

“Fellow Daoist Rong, did you study the arts of divination while in the Lingjing Sect’s inner sect?” Lu Yingqi asked.

The address had shifted from the closer “Junior Brother Rong” to the polite and distant “Fellow Daoist Rong.”

“No,” Rong Xie answered truthfully. The art of divination wasn’t something just anyone could study; it required extremely high spiritual intuition, and the course wasn’t open to junior disciples.

“Does Fellow Daoist Rong possess some high-grade divine artifact that can see the future?” Lu Yingqi asked again. “Or perhaps a revelation from the Sky Mirror… did Fellow Daoist Shen disclose this to you?”

“Neither.” Rong Xie sighed.

Lu Yingqi fell silent again.

The implication behind Lu Yingqi’s questions was obvious.

However, this was within Rong Xie’s expectations. The fact that Lu Yingqi waited until he finished speaking to ask was already a pleasant surprise.

“I know it’s hard to believe, and I don’t expect you to believe it immediately. Just consider it an impression left in your mind,” Rong Xie said. “Finally, I have one more question. Please think carefully before answering. Answering this question will do you no harm.”

“…” Lu Yingqi frowned slightly. Feeling Xiao Zhi tugging at his sleeve, he finally spoke. “What question?”

“Is there any potential danger around you? Or do you have any dangerous plans? In what ways might you encounter a fatal danger in the next one or two hundred years?” Rong Xie stared intently at Lu Yingqi. “Think carefully. We can rule them out one by one to ensure you survive safely until the finale… I mean, until the time you fight the Heavenly Demon alongside Shen Bingsi.”

Xiao Zhi stared nervously at Lu Yingqi, his eyes brimming with tears, looking ready to cry.

Lu Yingqi was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Are you sure Shen Bingsi will live until then?”

Huh?

“Based on my observation, he should be the more short-lived one,” Lu Yingqi said expressionlessly.

For some reason, before this, Rong Xie had felt Lu Yingqi was just a cultivation machine in a human shell.

After that sentence, Lu Yingqi’s image suddenly came to life. He seemed a bit more human.

“Him,” Rong Xie sighed. “Well, as they say, scourges last a thousand years.”