Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Moment the Heart Moved

“Bingsi… Bingsi?”

Amidst the white mist, a shadowy figure was moving, roughly in the center of the bathing room where the tub was placed. The sound of water splashing—splash, splash—came from that direction.

Rong Xie reached out and took a water ladle hanging from the wall to use as a defensive weapon. He called out tentatively while inching toward the screen.

He couldn’t figure out how things had developed to this point. If Shen Bingsi wanted him to bathe with him, couldn’t he just ask? Was it really necessary to drug the food?

And let’s not even mention… not even mention stripping off his clothes.

Rong Xie gripped the handle of the ladle tightly.

Shen Bingsi wouldn’t do something like this. Rong Xie knew him.

“Hm? You’re awake,” Shen Bingsi’s voice drifted over from the source of the splashing.

A wave of humid, hot air blew away the white mist, making the scene in the center of the bathroom much clearer.

Shen Bingsi stood with his back to Rong Xie, wearing only a white bath towel around his waist.

His physique hadn’t stood out among the tall, burly cultivators of the Lingjing Sect. Back during the Sect Grand Competition, Rong Xie would often sweat nervously for him from the audience. Compared to those massive body cultivators and lanky sword cultivators, Shen Bingsi had looked more like a half-grown teenager who had snuck into an adult’s circle, having to exert great effort just to squeeze out from between those thick limbs and mountain-like backs.

Later, Rong Xie learned that Shen Bingsi appeared slight not because he was weak, but precisely because he was strong. He had formed his Golden Core at a much younger age than the average cultivator, fixing his physical age at a more youthful stage.

Rong Xie’s worry had truly been in vain.

Now, Rong Xie began to suspect his eyes had deceived him back then. How could Shen Bingsi’s body have anything to do with being “frail”?

His back was broad, tapering down in an inverted triangle. The muscle lines were fluid and beautiful, stunningly converging into a narrow, powerful waist. His waistline was extremely high, displaying the unique proportions of a youth, and his long legs stood casually, making him look fully nine feet tall.

It had been many years since Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi had been naked together like this. Ever since leaving the inner sect’s public bathhouse, they no longer needed to fight for spots with others, so naturally, they washed whenever they pleased, with no need to squeeze together. Perhaps because it had been so long, seeing him so suddenly, Rong Xie couldn’t help but avert his gaze, secretly wondering if Shen Bingsi had started growing again.

Shen Bingsi was holding another ladle, stirring the steaming water in the tub. Occasionally, he would scoop up some water and pour it back in; that was the splashing sound Rong Xie had heard earlier.

“Come here. I have something to say to you.” Shen Bingsi spoke absentmindedly as he played with the water.

Rong Xie bit his lower lip, hugged the ladle to his chest defensively, and inched toward Shen Bingsi at a snail’s pace.

Shen Bingsi seemed very strange right now, but he didn’t appear to be possessed. To be safe, Rong Xie spoke first.

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“I have something to ask you too,” he said. “Was there something in those steamed rolls?”

“Yes,” Shen Bingsi admitted frankly.

Rong Xie drew the ladle like a sword.

“There was fresh meat,” Shen Bingsi said, turning his head.

Rong Xie quickly retracted the ladle. “Oh.”

“You didn’t think I drugged you, did you?” Seeing Rong Xie’s small movements, Shen Bingsi’s gaze darkened slightly.

“No, I didn’t,” Rong Xie lied guiltily. “I was just wondering why I fell asleep so suddenly…”

“Your body is too weak.” Shen Bingsi tossed his ladle into the tub and walked over. His gaze lingered for a moment on Rong Xie’s bare calves and arms before he reached out, grabbed the wrist protecting Rong Xie’s chest, and pulled it away with ease. “Drugs would harm your body. I wouldn’t drug you. I just used a bit of spiritual consciousness resonance to suppress your consciousness.”

“You…” Rong Xie felt the hair on his entire body stand on end. He tried to break free, but his wrist was locked tight in Shen Bingsi’s iron-like left hand. “What do you want? Let go of me!”

“I have something to say to you.” Ignoring Rong Xie’s struggles, Shen Bingsi dragged him to the edge of the tub. The ladle hit Shen Bingsi’s chest, leaving a bright trail of water before clattering to his feet, where he kicked it aside.

He gripped both of Rong Xie’s arms, pinning him against the rim of the wooden tub.

Shen Bingsi was a size larger than Rong Xie; suppressing him was effortless. Rong Xie felt himself drowning in Shen Bingsi’s aura. In his hopeless vantage point, the mountain of Shen Bingsi’s shoulder dominated his view. He didn’t want to look at Shen Bingsi’s body, so he could only tilt his head back, frantically searching his eyes for an answer.

“You’re crazy. Do you know what you’re doing?”

“I know. I should have done this long ago,” Shen Bingsi said expressionlessly. “The night before you took your last Foundation Establishment exam, I should have done this.”

“Wha… What?” Rong Xie was dizzy from his logic. What ‘last time’? What ‘night before’?

“It was because I was too weak,” Shen Bingsi continued to mutter to himself. “If my Dao Heart had been firm and I had reached the Nascent Soul stage earlier, I wouldn’t have been trapped by worldly stubbornness, watching you fail Foundation Establishment time and time again.”

“I was too weak.” He repeated it again.

“No… that’s not it,” Rong Xie instinctively refuted. If Shen Bingsi counted as weak, then there were no strong people in the world.

“But it’s different now.” Shen Bingsi closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, his ink-black pupils burst with a strange light as he stared at Rong Xie. “Now I have enough ability to help you.”

“Enough… ability?”

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“Yes,” Shen Bingsi answered with certainty.

At this point, even if Rong Xie didn’t want to understand, he understood.

The state of undress, Shen Bingsi’s so-called “original plan,” and his “unscrupulous means” all pointed to the same answer.

Shen Bingsi still wanted to Dual Cultivate with him.

After being rejected like that, Shen Bingsi still wanted to Dual Cultivate with him.

After running away in anger for over ten days, Shen Bingsi still wanted to…

Having heard Cui Xingmiao’s account, Rong Xie knew that Shen Bingsi hadn’t been living the high life after running away. Instead, he had been bent on finding famous doctors for Rong Xie, seeking out medical cultivators from all three Great Sects.

A trace of heartache rose in Rong Xie’s chest. He turned his face away, avoiding Shen Bingsi’s gaze. “But I… I don’t…”

His refusal wasn’t as firm as before.

Several hours ago, under the guise of prescribing medicine, Cui Xingmiao had told him that she liked Shen Bingsi.

“Brother Rong, I like Shen Bingsi.” Cui Xingmiao looked at Rong Xie with shining eyes.

Seeing that expression, Rong Xie knew Cui Xingmiao was serious.

But why tell him?

Did she hope for his blessing? For him to say, “You two are really a good match”?

Or did she want to secure the support of the target’s inner circle before making her move?

Many negative thoughts flashed through Rong Xie’s mind instantly, and the smile on his face grew stiff.

“But Shen Bingsi won’t like me. He never will.” Cui Xingmiao’s tone shifted, and the light in her eyes dimmed. Her young, plump cheeks revealed disappointment as her head drooped. “He cultivates the Heartless Path. There is nothing in this world harder than his Dao Heart.”

“…” Rong Xie stared blankly at the young girl before him, a feeling of pity for a fellow sufferer rising in his heart.

Once she opened the floodgates, the little girl began to ramble endlessly, telling Rong Xie how wonderful Shen Bingsi was. How no one could overshadow him, how no one was more dazzling. Even just standing next to him, one could feel the envy, jealousy, and hatred from all directions. What was more terrifying was that Shen Bingsi himself was completely oblivious, unaffected, continuing to do exactly as he pleased.

“Do you know how hard it is for a person covered in glory to maintain their own character? Disguised as Healer Miao traveling the Jianghu, I’ve met some so-called famous grandmasters. Every one of them was wrapped up in fame and fortune, reeking of vulgarity and shortsightedness, yet they were complacent, using their power and status to force everyone they met to accept their ways. It’s one thing for the old ones, but the leaders of the younger generation are even more putrid than the old men.”

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“But Shen Bingsi is different.” Cui Xingmiao’s cheeks reddened slightly, and stars appeared in her eyes again. “He’s good… so good…”

In that moment, Rong Xie understood Cui Xingmiao’s feelings. In truth, it wasn’t exactly the romantic love of eligible men and women; it was closer to worship. All of Shen Bingsi’s flaws were hidden by his halo. Cui Xingmiao could only see his dazzling side, leading to this deep conversation with “Brother Rong,” a man she had met only that day but who shared a deep connection with Shen Bingsi.

“I really couldn’t tell,” Rong Xie smiled gently, sighing inwardly for Cui Xingmiao. “Shen Bingsi’s evaluation is so high in Miss Cui’s eyes.”

“Of course, I definitely can’t let him see that,” Cui Xingmiao pouted. “His tail is already up high enough. If he knew, wouldn’t it go straight up to the heavens?”

Rong Xie laughed.

“By the way, Brother Rong, you must not tell Shen Bingsi what I told you. Never, ever. This is a little secret between the two of us.” Cui Xingmiao extended her pinky finger. “Otherwise, let’s pinky swear.”

He hadn’t expected the future high expert to have such a cute side in her youth. Rong Xie lamented silently, but smiled and said, “Rest assured, I absolutely won’t tell. I swear on Huanxue Villa.”

Cui Xingmiao felt relieved. “Brother Rong, thank you. I had no one to tell these things to, and I was really suffocating…”

“However, do you really not intend to let him know? Are you afraid of shaking his Dao Heart?” Rong Xie thought of the otherworldly Fairy Xingmiao of the future, and how she would know and accompany Shen Bingsi for over three thousand chapters, facing each other day and night but unable to pour out her feelings. Such torture was probably no lighter than a severe punishment.

“Brother Rong, you’re really cute. If there were a chance to shake that rock’s Dao Heart, I would absolutely shatter his Dao Heart, make him lose all his cultivation, and then pen him up in the back mountain of our Yunshan Sect. I’d use water from the Spirit Gathering Stone to wash his marrow every day until he returned to the Nascent Soul stage. I believe that with his will, he would succeed no matter what path he cultivated.”

Cui Xingmiao said this with a beaming smile, but her words revealed a very meticulous plan. Clearly, it wasn’t just spoken on a whim.

“…” Rong Xie sucked in a cold breath, feeling a slight chill in his heart.

Perhaps this was youth. For the things or people they wanted, they could disregard everything else. Even if the other party broke, they wanted to hold them firmly in their hands. But Rong Xie wasn’t young anymore; he couldn’t appreciate this kind of “daring action.”

“Brother Rong, then I’ll leave the secret keeping to you.” Cui Xingmiao pressed her palms together.

“Mm… don’t worry.”

“Actually, Brother Rong, I envy you very much,” Cui Xingmiao said at the end of her confession. “Before coming here, I only knew Shen Bingsi had a hidden best friend whom he grew up with and would do anything for. After coming here, I realized that someone as self-centered as Shen Bingsi could completely forget himself in front of another person. If not for his Dao Heart being like iron, and having broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, I would have thought he… deeply loved you.”

Rong Xie felt the string called reason snap in his brain. His cheeks burned uncontrollably. He sat there in a daze, not knowing how to respond.

Fortunately, Cui Xingmiao wasn’t looking at him, still immersed in her own fantasies. “If Shen Bingsi treated me that well, I’d be willing to be frail and sickly. That way, Shen Bingsi would revolve around me every day, worrying about me every day. How beautiful those days would be. Even if I could only live for ten years, it would be worth it.”

“…”

“If Shen Bingsi were willing to shatter his Dao Heart for me, even if I could only live for one year, I…” Cui Xingmiao babbled some more foolish young words.

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“It’s still better to live a few more years,” Rong Xie felt the heat on his face gradually fade. He pressed the back of his hand against his cheek to cool it down, looking as if he were deep in thought. “Nothing is more beautiful than living in the world with youth and health. Living old but healthy is also good. Shen Bingsi is just one person; how can he compare to the richness of the myriad things in the world? You’d never get tired of seeing them.”

Cui Xingmiao stopped talking, staring at Rong Xie in astonishment. “You… how could that be… Could it be that you actually don’t like him? That shouldn’t be. The moment I saw you… I felt it…”

Cui Xingmiao’s words were intermittent, and she still looked incredulous when she stood up to leave.

Rong Xie sat on the bed, watching her leave. Estimating that she and Shen Bingsi should have walked out of the villa, Rong Xie collapsed onto the bed as if his bones had been removed.

Had he passed the test? He had maintained the identity of Shen Bingsi’s best friend in front of Cui Xingmiao. He had still underestimated her. After all, she was one of the major protagonists occupying a significant portion of that book. Naturally, Cui Xingmiao wasn’t a simple little girl who blurted out everything. Her words were half-true and half-false, the purpose being to fish out the relationship between him and Shen Bingsi—or rather, Rong Xie’s one-sided thoughts—from his own mouth.

Rong Xie didn’t blame Cui Xingmiao for her selfishness. Every adult’s proactive conversation had a purpose. On the contrary, he wanted to thank Cui Xingmiao for her probing, which made him understand his own heart.

He had indeed fallen for Shen Bingsi.