Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 173

Chapter 173: The Imitation Method

Both Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi felt their spirits lift as they listened intently to Elder Red’s words.

“Have you two ever heard this story?” Elder Red began.

Once, there was a woman who encountered water bandits while traveling on a boat at night. The bandits killed the passengers and set the boat on fire. Fortunately, the woman heard them and woke her husband. He led her into the water and they swam away, surviving the ordeal.

However, the event left her with a massive psychological trauma. From then on, whenever she heard a window rattling or footsteps in the corridor at night, she would suffocate from fear, her arms flailing as if she were drowning. It was a terrifying sight.

To cure her “startle illness,” her family called for an experienced old physician. The physician ordered the woman to be held in a chair and struck a piece of wood in front of her. The woman was scared out of her wits, her breathing becoming labored.

The physician asked, “I am just striking wood; what is there to be afraid of?” The woman’s breathing slowed slightly. He struck the wood again, and her reaction wasn’t as severe as the first time. The physician waited a while, then tried striking wood at different times and locations to create noise. The woman was terrified at first, but gradually grew accustomed to it.

Eventually, even when the woman heard windows or doors rattling at night, she no longer felt terrified. She was completely cured.

After finishing the story, Elder Red pondered for a moment and said, “This is the method I will teach you. To switch from the Ruthless Path, you must first believe that the other path is the righteous one and that the Ruthless Path is an evil path that should be abandoned! Only by accepting the change in perspective from the bottom of your heart can you accept a new method of cultivation.”

“This… we still don’t quite understand,” Rong Xie pressed. “Is there a more specific method of operation?”

“To correct a deviation, one must overcompensate. From now on, you will stay here and live in our Acacia Sect. Pay close attention to how the disciples of the Acacia Sect act and imitate them. Live like an ordinary couple. After some time, your previous erroneous concepts will naturally be overturned. At that time, you can switch to another path.”

Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.

Was it… that simple?

No, that’s not right. It wasn’t simple at all. If they really lived like an ordinary couple, Shen Bingsi would suffer a backlash because of his broken Dao heart. He might die within days from a burst body—then how could he talk about switching paths?

“Elder Red, you might not understand Bingsi’s situation. He…” Rong Xie was slightly embarrassed, but for the sake of Shen Bingsi’s treatment, he gritted his teeth and spoke. “In the past, he used the Severing Thought Method to cut off his thoughts. Even if we had intimate contact, he wouldn’t be moved, so there was no impact. But now, his Dao heart is unstable, and the Severing Thought Method is useless. In this situation, if he gets close to me, he will suffer a backlash. At best, he spits blood; at worst… the consequences are unimaginable. The method you mentioned, Elder, might be very difficult to implement.”

Before Shen Bingsi could even change his concepts, he would die from a burst body. How could he switch paths then?

“What? You don’t believe my words?” Elder Red patted the railing. “Then please leave!”

“No, it’s not that we don’t believe you, it’s just…”

Elder Red’s voice rose. “When an illness has reached the bone marrow, one must use heavy medicine! Only by being placed in a situation of death can one find life! You’re so young, yet your minds are so stiff and unable to turn? You are being treated on my territory—do you think I would watch the two of you die?”

Although Rong Xie was worried, there was no other way. Hearing Elder Red’s guarantee, he gritted his teeth and said, “Alright… then we will try your method.”

Shen Bingsi, on the other hand, was quite happy. It was unknown what he was so joyful about. He immediately grabbed Rong Xie’s hand, and as expected, a series of coughs arrived right on schedule.

Sponsored

Elder Red ordered Guardian Siju to lead them to the disciples’ courtyard and arrange a separate bamboo tower for the two of them.

The bamboo tower also had two floors. The lower floor was an open-air reception room with bamboo curtains on four sides that could be lowered to block the view. Normally, they were pulled up, leaving the area completely open, so visitors from any direction could walk straight into the room.

The upper floor contained the bedroom and a flower room—an open balcony filled with various plants. The room itself was also filled with plants, giving one the illusion of sleeping in a wild forest.

It was the first time Rong Xie had seen such a “wild” living environment, and he found it very difficult to adjust. He couldn’t imagine how much dust would collect in such an open space. What would they do if it rained? And having all those plants in the room—how many bugs would they attract? Although he had protective spiritual qi and bugs couldn’t touch him, just thinking about bugs crawling everywhere and possibly making eye contact with one made Rong Xie feel uncomfortable all over.

Of course, compared to those things, the fact that there was only one bed in the room was nothing.

“How is it? Are you satisfied with this tower?” Guardian Siju asked after they finished touring the tower and arrived in the garden.

Rong Xie expressed his gratitude and then asked about the confusion in his heart. Guardian Siju laughed and said, “The weather here is hot and humid, like being at the seaside. Living in an open bamboo tower is cooler. Those plants also have a cooling and heatstroke-prevention effect. Furthermore, the gardeners have added plants that repel mosquitoes and insects; you don’t need to worry about bugs in the room.”

Once Guardian Siju said that, Rong Xie felt relieved. “No wonder it smells so fragrant.”

“Not only are there insect-repelling plants, but there are also plants with other effects… ahem. If you lack anything, you can tell me or go to the Five-Color Altar ahead to find Anangu. She is around thirty years old and wears a seven-colored skirt; she is very easy to find. She is responsible for these arrangements.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Guardian.” Rong Xie made a mental note of the person named Anangu.

Next, Guardian Siju briefly introduced the place where the disciples gathered—the Five-Color Altar. Rong Xie and the other could see it if they walked through the nearby bamboo grove. The disciples often gathered there for amusement, and they could join in.

Rong Xie asked hesitantly, “What kind of activities are they?”

“Singing, dancing, drinking, and drinking flower nectar. They do whatever they feel like doing.” A trace of annoyance flashed in Guardian Siju’s eyes. “Some people like that, some prefer to do those things only with close ones, and others hate it.”

“Hmm…”

“However, if you want to imitate the disciples’ actions, you should go take a look,” Guardian Siju said.

After Guardian Siju left, Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi were left alone.

“What do you think Elder Red actually means?” Rong Xie pondered. “The story he told seems to suggest that the ‘shattered Dao heart’ that used to affect you actually doesn’t have any impact on you now—as long as you’re no longer afraid of it, there will be no problem?”

“…” Shen Bingsi swallowed the metallic taste of blood in his throat. He had walked for a while holding Rong Xie’s hand. Although his hand felt very comfortable, the backlash was making every other part of his body feel terrible, especially his heart meridian, which felt as if it were being cut by a knife. Shen Bingsi was afraid he would drop dead before reaching their destination, so he had to let go.

Once they reached the bamboo tower and saw the large bed, the backlash that had just subsided surged again. The matter was clearly not as easy as Elder Red had said.

“Maybe the progress is too fast,” Shen Bingsi said hoarsely, unwilling to give up. “Why don’t we try proceeding step-by-step?”

Sponsored

But if even holding hands was a problem, how could they proceed step-by-step?

“…Let’s go to the Five-Color Altar first,” Rong Xie said.

The Five-Color Altar was actually a garden decorated with flowers of five different colors. Orange, yellow, purple, and green flowers were trimmed into circles and laid out on the square. A huge, brilliant red silk-flower stood in the center of the square, and the disciples in their revealing clothing played and frolicked among the flowers.

Fortunately, they seemed to only be singing and dancing, playing games like jumping over bamboo poles or performing acrobatics; there weren’t any particularly excessive actions.

Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi walked closer to watch them dance. The disciples of the Acacia Sect were all young people with graceful figures, firm muscles, and flexible limbs; each was an expert dancer. They spun like tops and twisted their bodies freely like boneless vines, making Rong Xie’s eyes unable to keep up.

After a dance ended, disciples who wanted to show their affection prostrated themselves on the ground to kiss the dancer’s toes, then kissed their way up from there… The scene gradually became suggestive. However, the dancer seemed uninterested in the admirers and kicked them away before walking off with light steps.

A burst of laughter erupted from the surroundings. The admirers climbed up from the ground, and soon a second dancer walked to the center of the crowd and began to dance. Every time they performed a high-kick or a spin with their strong legs, the surrounding disciples would cheer, and the atmosphere reached a new peak.

Rong Xie pulled Shen Bingsi away from the dancers. “We can’t imitate this kind of activity; let’s find something we can imitate.”

Shen Bingsi followed Rong Xie away, whispering into his ear, “That dancer just now didn’t seem to be wearing pants.”

“What?” Rong Xie suddenly looked back.

Shen Bingsi used his shoulder to bump Rong Xie, preventing him from looking back, while pushing him forward. “Actually, it’s not impossible to imitate. Later when we go back to the tower, if you want to dance, I can… cough, cough, cough…”

Cheers came from the disciples behind them again. Rong Xie felt a wave of intense heat on his face. He patted Shen Bingsi’s back to help him breathe while lowering his voice to ask, “Stop dreaming. With your physical condition, you’re still trying to increase the difficulty for yourself?”

“Cough, cough… Didn’t Elder Red say so? To correct a deviation, one must overcompensate. Maybe… cough, cough… if I keep spitting blood like this… I’ll eventually be cured…”

As Shen Bingsi spoke, he pulled out the handkerchief Rong Xie had prepared for him and covered his mouth while coughing heavily.

Rong Xie didn’t dare speak further to provoke him. He only focused on injecting water spiritual qi into the points on Shen Bingsi’s back and supported him as they walked toward a less crowded area.

Shen Bingsi’s coughing finally subsided. When he pulled away the handkerchief, there was a patch of bright red blood in the center, soaking through several layers of cloth.

Spitting fresh blood was not a good sign. Rong Xie’s heart sank, and it felt as if a heavy block of ice had slid into his stomach. He pulled out a fresh handkerchief to replace the one in Shen Bingsi’s hand. He carefully wrapped the old handkerchief and placed it into his storage pouch. The next time he saw Elder Red, he would make sure the old man took a good look at whether this “Imitation Therapy” was actually working.

At that moment, someone approached Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi stealthily.

Rong Xie looked up alertly, the Lightning White Orchid already in his hand. Looking closer, he saw a middle-aged man wrapped in a fur cloak. Traveling merchants often dressed this way. He looked at Shen Bingsi with a worried expression. “This young brother, how can you be so ill at such a young age? What a pity to have a beauty by your side yet be unable to enjoy it! Fortunately, you have met me, Medicine Master Rong! I have just imported a batch of new medicine. I guarantee that after taking it, young brother, you will immediately be a hundred times more energetic, as brave as a dragon and as fierce as a tiger, and you will no longer disappoint anyone!”

“…”