Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 101

Chapter 101: Purifying the Root of Love

Xiao Zhi looked at Lu Yingqi, then at Rong Xie.

He didn’t understand how these two could discuss such a shocking matter so casually.

“Brother Qi, don’t talk about others. Think quickly, how exactly did you… did you…” Xiao Zhi didn’t dare say the terrible word, his eyes turning red again.

“Die?” Lu Yingqi said indifferently. “I haven’t died yet, so I don’t know how I die. You’ll have to ask your friend here.”

Rong Xie sensed that Lu Yingqi didn’t want to cooperate. However, that wouldn’t stop him from probing. Since Lu Yingqi wouldn’t say, he would guess.

“Senior Brother Lu has high cultivation, the protection of his sect, and dislikes showing off. You don’t move around outside much, unlike Shen Bingsi who offends people everywhere. Logically speaking, you should be very safe.” As Rong Xie spoke, he observed the expressions of the two across from him. “Senior Brother Lu, surely you haven’t made any enemies?”

“None. Brother Qi is gentle by nature and has never been on bad terms with anyone,” Xiao Zhi said hurriedly. Suddenly, he thought of something. “There is only one thing. Back when Xiao Ya was failing, Young Master Yinglin came to ask for help. Brother Qi couldn’t help, so he advised him to let it go. Who knew Young Master Yinglin would misunderstand Brother Qi’s meaning, thinking he was refusing to save a life… Even though they are brothers, they haven’t spoken since…”

“I know about that,” Rong Xie nodded. “But Lu Yinglin shouldn’t have thoughts of revenge.” If Lu Yinglin didn’t even want revenge against the Lu family, how could he seek revenge against Lu Yingqi? “Anyone else?”

Xiao Zhi thought for a moment and shook his head. Lu Yingqi silently drank his tea.

Rong Xie thought that since Xiao Zhi had been by Lu Yingqi’s side since childhood, his word on whether Lu Yingqi had enemies should be credible.

“Since there are no enemies, then it must be an overlooked danger,” Rong Xie said.

“Overlooked danger?” Xiao Zhi was puzzled. “You mean an accident?”

“Accidents are one possibility. But I’ve always felt there are no true accidents; before danger strikes, there are always signs. For a powerful cultivator like Senior Brother Lu, as long as there is a trace, he would notice it. If he notices it, he will strengthen his defenses. Ordinary accidents aren’t enough to threaten his life,” Rong Xie said.

Lu Yingqi nodded slightly, showing a rare hint of agreement with Rong Xie’s words.

“Not an ordinary accident…” Xiao Zhi couldn’t imagine it. “Then what could it be?”

“For example, a weakness.” Rong Xie looked at Xiao Zhi.

Lu Yingqi’s calm, flat eyes suddenly rippled.

“Or for example, swimmers drowning in water,” Rong Xie continued.

Xiao Zhi remained blank, but Lu Yingqi was no longer as composed as before. His fingers resting on the table rubbed together gently as he fell into thought.

“People often die because of the things they are proudest of, or at the hands of the people they like. Because they are unprepared. If one is prepared for everything, no major mistakes will occur. The most fearful thing is having no preparation,” Rong Xie explained further.

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Xiao Zhi’s mouth hung half-open, seemingly understanding yet not quite grasping it.

Lu Yingqi pondered for a moment and said, “Junior Brother Rong’s words show deep insight. With such enlightenment, how is it you cannot reach Foundation Establishment?”

“Perhaps cultivation requires not just wisdom, but talent,” Rong Xie smiled. There was one sentence he didn’t say: I only have this enlightenment because I died once at the hands of the person I liked.

“I still don’t understand…” Xiao Zhi asked weakly from the side. “Dying at the hands of the person they like? But Brother Qi doesn’t have anyone he likes. He cultivates the Ruthless Path; he severed love and desire long ago.”

“This ‘like’ doesn’t necessarily mean romantic love. It could be familial love, friendship… sometimes, the distinction isn’t so clear,” Rong Xie explained.

“Ah…” Xiao Zhi’s face turned white instantly.

Seeing that Xiao Zhi remained silent, Rong Xie continued his explanation. “Swimmers drown in water—for Senior Brother Lu, the things he excels at are cultivation and swordsmanship. However, Senior Brother Lu has focused on seclusion for the past ten years and doesn’t seem to care as much about sword arts. Presumably, you’ve changed your cultivation direction from external techniques to internal cultivation. In that sense, not showing your face outside or fighting for dominance does reduce the likelihood of accidents.”

“…” Lu Yingqi made no comment.

“But seclusion has its own dangers. The greatest danger is Heart Demons. Senior Brother Lu’s realm is far above mine, so I shouldn’t speculate presumptuously. But Senior Brother Lu cultivates the Ruthless Path, a discipline of severing emotion. The easiest way to generate Heart Demons is if the ‘Root of Love’ wasn’t severed cleanly. I wonder if Senior Brother Lu has such a hidden peril in his cultivation?”

After speaking, Rong Xie looked at Xiao Zhi. Xiao Zhi let out another “Ah” and hung his head.

“You need not worry about that. I have already broken through to the Late Nascent Soul stage. My Root of Love was severed cleanly long ago; I am stronger in this regard than Fellow Daoist Shen Bingsi,” Lu Yingqi said. “If he can live until the Heavenly Demon emerges, so can I.”

Rong Xie was secretly startled. He hadn’t expected Lu Yingqi to have reached the Late Nascent Soul stage. He recalled that Shen Bingsi had only broken through to the Early Nascent Soul stage a few years ago; he should be somewhere between Early and Middle stage now.

Although there were only six cultivation realms, and Nascent Soul was the third, cultivators who truly reached the Nascent Soul stage were one in ten thousand. Going further to the Divine Separation stage was even rarer; within the three great sects, only a handful of old masters could reach that level.

As for the Integration stage and Dao Attainment stage, those were merely legendary realms. Perhaps a few secluded experts existed who had reached them, but they usually stayed in seclusion for centuries at a time, and there were no rumors of them in the cultivation world.

Since Lu Yingqi claimed he wouldn’t be disturbed by emotions and his cultivation progress was stable, only one possibility remained.

Rong Xie’s gaze fell back onto Xiao Zhi.

Xiao Zhi hung his head, looking listless. His hands were under the table, but judging by his movements, he was twisting the hem of his clothes or wringing his fingers, as if conflicted by a fierce internal struggle.

Just as Rong Xie was about to speak, Xiao Zhi spoke up first, hesitantly: “If Brother Qi encounters an accident, and it is… it is because of me, I will end my own life first. I will absolutely not drag Brother Qi down.”

Xiao Zhi spoke with hesitation, but his attitude was absolutely resolute, shocking Rong Xie to the core.

Legends of undying oaths only existed in ceremony vows, and even Dao Companion contracts couldn’t force someone to pledge their life like this. Yet Xiao Zhi had said such words directly. Rong Xie felt the amazement of seeing a storybook come to life.

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If it were him… he couldn’t go that far. Even if the world were about to end, he wouldn’t want to be sacrificed for Shen Bingsi’s Dao, let alone just to save another person’s life.

The world was so big and wonderful. To be lucky enough to be born human, to have eyes to see, ears to hear, and senses to feel—what a wonderful thing that was. He would never be willing to give that up for another person.

Therefore, when Xiao Zhi said those words, Rong Xie was shaken—shaken by a devotion he couldn’t comprehend.

The air stagnated for a moment.

Lu Yingqi glanced at Xiao Zhi, his expression still faint. “As long as you do not leave the Xuan Tian Sect and stay by my side, such a thing will not happen.”

Xiao Zhi buried his head lower and gave a quiet “Mmm.”

Rong Xie was shocked again by their dialogue.

Was this the mindset of a Late Nascent Soul cultivator on the Ruthless Path? Someone tells him they are willing to die for him so they won’t be a burden, and he just says, Just don’t leave the Xuan Tian Sect and it won’t happen?

Not leaving the Xuan Tian Sect, not leaving Lu Yingqi’s side… does that mean when Lu Yingqi is in seclusion, Xiao Zhi can only move about within the Xuan Tian Sect? He heard they had something called the Ruthless Path Palace, filled with Ruthless Path cultivators. Xiao Zhi didn’t cultivate that path; if he just wasted away in there for ten or eight years, he wouldn’t even have basic communication skills when he came out…

Rong Xie couldn’t help but think, if Shen Bingsi treated him like that, he would have kicked Shen Bingsi aside without hesitation.

It seemed Lu Yingqi’s Root of Love really was cut clean, without even a stubble left.

“Senior Brother Lu, to put it bluntly, are you sure Xiao Zhi can stay at the Xuan Tian Sect forever?” Rong Xie reminded him. “He has a Gu from the Lu family in him—I don’t know what it is, so let’s call it a Gu. That thing can control him remotely. If the Lu family suddenly decides to call him back, can he resist?”

At this question, both Xiao Zhi and Lu Yingqi fell silent.

If threatened by outsiders, Xiao Zhi could indeed commit suicide. But what if the threat came from the Lu family? The Lu family could remotely control Xiao Ya and prevent him from cultivating; remotely controlling Xiao Zhi to make him leave the Xuan Tian Sect wasn’t impossible.

Once Xiao Zhi walked out of Lu Yingqi’s protection and encountered danger, wouldn’t that be equivalent to holding Lu Yingqi’s weakness hostage?

Of course, there was another possibility: that Lu Yingqi simply didn’t care whether Xiao Zhi lived or died…

“What you say makes sense. I had not considered that point.”

Fortunately, Lu Yingqi’s humanity hadn’t been obliterated to that extent. Although the Ruthless Path was a bit heartless, it was still a righteous path. Unless it was an extreme situation like the Heavenly Demon destroying the world, a Ruthless Path cultivator would still care about the lives of those around them.

“Junior Brother Rong, in your opinion, what should be done?” Lu Yingqi asked.

“Sever the connection between Xiao Zhi and the Lu family. Destroy that method of control,” Rong Xie said seriously. “Only then can the hidden danger be removed from the root.”

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Rong Xie had wanted to do this for a long time, but he lacked the strength, money, and connections. Shen Bingsi would have been a great knife to use—formerly. He couldn’t use him now. After all, Rong Xie was in a “cooling-off period” with him and needed to maintain distance. If Shen Bingsi knew he was still so useful, he would stick to Rong Xie every day, and all Rong Xie’s efforts to start a new life would be wasted.

Now, in the process of talking with Lu Yingqi, his thoughts clarified step by step. Rong Xie realized this matter should have been Lu Yingqi’s responsibility all along. If Lu Yingqi valued Xiao Zhi enough, even if he didn’t believe Rong Xie’s prophecy of doom, he would do it for Xiao Zhi.

“…”

However, Rong Xie miscalculated. Lu Yingqi did not answer him immediately.

Whether because he didn’t believe the prophecy or didn’t want to fall out with the Lu family, Lu Yingqi stayed silent.

Since Lu Yingqi didn’t state his position, Xiao Zhi had nothing to say either, only staring into space sorrowfully.

The conversation reached a deadlock.

After sitting with them in silence for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Rong Xie looked at the sky. It was getting late, and he had to catch a carriage back.

Ever since being abandoned on the beach by Shen Bingsi, Rong Xie knew he had to secure his own transportation and not rely on others.

He rose from the table, reassuring the two that there was no need to rush a decision. They could consider it, and if they thought it through, they could contact him anytime.

Rong Xie walked out of the Chongyue Terrace restaurant, got into a carriage, and returned to Blue Plateau.

On the way, he thought a lot.

Since Lu Yingqi hadn’t rebelled against the Lu family ten years ago for the tragically fated Xiao Ya—even persuading Lu Yinglin to accept it—why would he turn against his own clan ten years later for a stranger’s prophecy?

It seemed the path through Lu Yingqi was slim.

But Rong Xie’s analysis couldn’t be wrong. Xiao Zhi being controlled by the Lu family was the biggest hidden danger he could see. To save Lu Yingqi’s life and keep him until the end, Rong Xie had to find a way to resolve the Lu family issue himself.

Investigate the Lu family’s “Well,” save the servant boys… it was time to start planning.

A plan surfaced in Rong Xie’s mind: a team full of adventurous spirit, and the sudden wealth and gratitude they would have toward him after successfully raiding the Ru’nan King’s treasure.

If he could utilize this resource well, perhaps he didn’t need to wait passively for Lu Yingqi’s reply.