Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 48

Chapter 48: Touring the South Island

Ten years ago. How long ago was that?

At that time, Rong Xie was still in the Inner Sect, and Shen Bingsi hadn’t been promoted to Adjudicator yet. Their financial situation was only slightly better than average.

The gift prepared back then surely couldn’t be anything expensive. However, since Shen Bingsi still wanted to give it after ten years, it must carry a lot of sentiment.

“Alright,” Rong Xie agreed.

After visiting one more place, they could return to Huanxue Villa.

The fatigue of travel and the ups and downs of emotions could all be healed by going home. The thought of home increased Rong Xie’s tolerance significantly.

Besides, he was a little curious. What was the gift Shen Bingsi prepared ten years ago? He said he couldn’t give it due to some changes—what changes? Nothing major seemed to have happened between them in ten years.

No, there was one change: Rong Xie failed his Foundation Establishment and left the Inner Sect.

But that had nothing to do with Shen Bingsi giving a gift.

…

Just one day later, Rong Xie regretted it.

He regretted agreeing to Shen Bingsi.

A place a bit far? This was literally the ends of the earth where birds didn’t even shit.

According to the Map of Heaven and Earth jointly drawn by the three great sects, the known world was called the Five Continents. Surrounding the Five Continents was the boundless ocean. For ease of positioning, it was divided into seven seas, collectively referred to as the Five Continents and Seven Seas, representing the entire world.

Haizhou (Sea Prefecture), however, belonged to neither the Five Continents nor the Seven Seas. Accurately speaking, it was a collective name for a scattering of islands, large and small, in the sea at the southern tip of the Five Continents.

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And the South Island was the largest island in Haizhou.

Shen Bingsi took Rong Xie to the South Island of Haizhou.

Flying on a sword in the sky, by the third hour, Rong Xie couldn’t take it anymore. But thinking about landing to rest and then experiencing that terrifying takeoff process again, he endured it.

By the fifth hour, night fell. The sunset dipped below the edge of the clouds. The world above the clouds, bathed in gold and red, was spectacular, temporarily distracting Rong Xie so he wasn’t as fatigued. However, the air soon became dark and cold; even the Warming Talisman couldn’t withstand the impact of the low temperatures and high winds of the night.

They stayed overnight in a small county town at the border of the Central and Southern Continents. Rong Xie experienced the worst accommodation of the entire trip: just as he was preparing to sleep, a fist-sized black beetle dropped thwack from the rafters, landing right next to his pillow. It scared him so much he nearly rolled off the bed. Eventually, Shen Bingsi had to cast a barrier over him and the quilt before he could barely manage to sleep.

The next morning, Shen Bingsi swore they would reach the South Island that day, so Rong Xie reluctantly got back on the road. Because Shen Bingsi was too anxious, the ascent was a bit fast, leaving Rong Xie dizzy for the first half-hour. Fortunately, the morning scenery above the clouds was beautiful, improving his mood, and the nausea wasn’t as severe as at the start.

At noon, the sunlight became scorching. Rong Xie hid inside the Jade Sword Clasp, still feeling the sun stinging his skin. Shen Bingsi lowered the flying sword, dropping below the cloud layer. A view never before seen appeared: vast expanses of sea filled their vision, boundless and endless. People living inland could not resist such an open and pure sea surface. Rong Xie excitedly grabbed the edge of the Jade Sword Clasp, leaning half his body out, staring obsessively at the endless ocean beneath the flying sword.

The desire to become a Golden Core sword cultivator was stronger than ever. As long as I become a Golden Core sword cultivator, I can fly on a sword too—real sword flight, a thousand miles in an instant, much faster than this sword-carrying-people method. When I want to see the sea, I can just take out my sword.

Thinking of this, Rong Xie felt that with the world so big, getting stuck in petty romance and stagnating in cultivation was truly foolish. He should grab Shen Bingsi for dual cultivation more often and establish his foundation sooner.

“Almost there,” Shen Bingsi reminded him, his voice hiding a hint of excitement.

Although Shen Bingsi had been to the South Island more than once, he was shocked by the scenery every time. Moreover, this time he came with Rong Xie, which gave it a different meaning.

Compared to the scenery, he looked forward to Rong Xie’s reaction more.

The outline of land appeared faintly where the sea met the sky. At first, it was just a small patch, but as the flying sword approached, the land became larger and larger, and the coastline longer and longer, until half the sea surface was occupied by land. Dense coconut groves stretched endlessly, interspersed with ring-shaped hills resembling volcanoes. There were also well-developed rivers and lakes. If he hadn’t been told beforehand that this was an island, Rong Xie might have thought they had discovered a new continent in the sea south of the Five Continents.

“This is the South Island,” Shen Bingsi introduced proudly, though it was unclear what he was proud of. Regardless, Rong Xie’s shocked expression greatly satisfied his desire to show off, as if the South Island were his own territory.

“This is the South Island…” Rong Xie murmured.

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Lines on a map had turned into a vast, boundless island; written records had become volcanic craters, coastlines, and dense coconut groves. The things he had read in the study had now become the real world.

So… so wonderful, difficult to describe in words.

“It’s truly great,” Rong Xie sighed.

“Right? The first time I saw such scenery, I wanted to bring you to see it.” Shen Bingsi turned back, speaking to Rong Xie while maneuvering the flying sword along the eastern coastline. “In a little while, we’ll reach our destination. We’re going to the southernmost tip of the South Island. It’s said that Dao companions who visit there can last forever—because if they go that far together and haven’t broken up yet, it shows their mutual tolerance is quite high…”

Rong Xie thought Shen Bingsi would tell some romantic legend. He hadn’t expected that. He had really overthought it. Shen Bingsi saying that couples who go there last forever was already jaw-dropping enough; in the past, he would have disdained saying such things. If there was a scenic spot that caused people to break up upon visiting, he might have told that story triumphantly.

“I reckon this blessing works for us too,” Shen Bingsi continued with shocking words. Rong Xie’s heart began to beat faster until Shen shifted the tone. “Because we are close friends—nobler than Dao companions—we are even more worthy of this blessing.”

Rong Xie’s heart sank back to its original position, but he wasn’t too surprised. Forget it, let him say what he likes. As long as we are still together, what does the title matter?

…

When the midday sun began to decline from its peak, the flying sword finally reached its destination, landing at the southernmost tip of the South Island.

The beach here was extremely fine, presenting a pure white color without impurities, like snow. Thrusting a hand into it felt warm. Walking barefoot on it would likely be very comfortable.

However, that fine sand powder was too difficult to clean off. Rong Xie stood on the shore watching Shen Bingsi take off his shoes and run wild for a while, never attempting it himself.

The pure white beach extended into the heart-stoppingly blue seawater. Standing on the high ground by the shore, one could see the fish, reefs, and coral underwater. The beach covered a vast area, stretching far into the distance where the sea turned a fearsome dark blue.

“Where are we staying tonight?” Rong Xie caught the darting Shen Bingsi and asked.

“A fishing village,” Shen Bingsi answered confidently. “I’m familiar with the people in the village. I’ll just ask them to arrange a spare room.”

“Let’s go now,” Rong Xie said. He couldn’t relax without securing a place to stay.

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“Okay. Pinch a flight talisman; I’ll be right there,” Shen Bingsi said.

With lightning speed, Shen Bingsi cleaned the sand from his feet, put on his shoes and socks, and joined Rong Xie on the high ground covered in shrubbery. Together, they used flight talismans to head toward the fishing village.

The terrain of the South Island was high in the center and low around the edges. The central mountain range extended its ridges into the sea. Between two ridges, the flat bays would be washed by seawater into crescent-shaped white beaches. Shen Bingsi and Rong Xie climbed over a ridge and soon saw a fishing village in the bay on the other side.

The scale of the fishing village was larger than Rong Xie imagined. Half of it was built on the water—rows of fishing boats were securely tied together to form a floating platform, on which fishermen’s huts made of bamboo and rainproof cloth were erected.

The other half was built on the mountain. Stilted bamboo houses, like beehives set by a beekeeper, were densely scattered in the thick forest on the hillside. The bamboo houses were not large but very exquisite. They had large windows, all open for ventilation; one could imagine it must be very cool inside.

“I can’t believe there’s a fishing village of this scale here,” Rong Xie marveled. To find human traces in such a remote place was surprising enough, but to find such a thriving village was truly astounding.

“They’ve lived here for a long time, at least several hundred, maybe even a thousand years.” Shen Bingsi put away his flight talisman. The two walked down a small path clearly trodden by villagers. As they walked, Shen Bingsi introduced the village to Rong Xie. Don’t look down on the South Island for being remote; it’s actually a very comfortable place. The mountains aren’t high, there are no large beasts, and resources are abundant. Water is plentiful, and the climate is like this all year round. If you want to fish, you don’t need to go far; cast a net near the shore, and you’ll catch more fish and shrimp than you can eat. Even if you don’t want to fish, just lie on the beach, and coconuts that provide both food and drink will fall from the trees and roll right to you. Surviving here is just too easy. The only threat is probably storms.

By the time they came down from the hillside to the village entrance, Shen Bingsi had finished his introduction.

Rong Xie realized Shen Bingsi truly knew this village well. For someone who didn’t read idle books to know so many things, it was clearly learned through field visits. Soon, as they walked into the village, this thought was verified again. Many approaching fishermen recognized Shen Bingsi almost at first glance, greeting him enthusiastically as if they had seen him just yesterday. The fishermen spoke a babbling dialect Rong Xie couldn’t understand; he could only recognize some recorded characters, not the spoken dialect of a small place.

Shen Bingsi, however, knew a few words. Combined with his expressive gestures, he managed to communicate. He introduced Rong Xie to the fishermen, hooking his arm around Rong Xie’s shoulder and patting it to indicate their close relationship. The fishermen then grinned broadly at Rong Xie.

“Guests rarely come here, so they are very hospitable. Look, in a moment, they’ll arrange the best house here for us,” Shen Bingsi said.

Rong Xie was skeptical. No matter how hospitable, surely they wouldn’t give us their best house? That was until hand drums beat halfway up the mountain, and chanting echoed through the forest. Male and female islanders poured out of the bamboo houses. An old woman with colorful feathers in her hair parted the crowd, leading four strong male islanders to them. She performed the arched-hand salute common in the Five Continents and invited them up the mountain, leading them to a two-story bamboo house that was obviously much larger than the others.

“This is…” Rong Xie walked into the bamboo house and looked around the ground floor. He didn’t understand the local customs, but he could tell that the mats and hangings were not things ordinary villagers could afford. The items displayed on the tables were all skillfully carved works of art. With a command from the old woman, several small islanders ran out, put away the used utensils, took new ones from bamboo baskets, and re-laid them.

Then, the old woman led her people out of the two-story bamboo house.

Rong Xie stood in front of the open window lattice, the boundless azure sea right before his eyes. He still couldn’t believe it—the old woman had actually given up her own residence for them?

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This wasn’t just ordinary hospitality; this was clearly—

Treating them like an Emperor on patrol.

As soon as Shen Bingsi entered the bamboo house, he acted like he was in his own home, plonking himself down onto a rattan chair. He took a coconut from a nearby bamboo basket, crushed it open with his bare hands, and let the clear juice flow out through the crack into a coconut shell bowl below.

“Try it?” Shen Bingsi pushed the bowl toward Rong Xie, then immediately caught another bowl for himself.

Rong Xie sat hesitantly in the opposite rattan chair, took the bowl from the low table, and tasted it cautiously. The flavor was unexpectedly fresh and sweet, with a very unique aftertaste that lingered in the mouth.

“This is that coconut I told you about—falls from the tree, gives you food and drink,” Shen Bingsi introduced. He filled a bowl with coconut water. Since juice was still flowing from the crack, he propped the shell over a small bamboo bucket to let it drain.

“Exactly how many times… have you been here?” Rong Xie couldn’t help asking. “Did you lie about going on missions just to come here and enjoy yourself?”

“How is that possible?” Shen Bingsi took a big gulp of coconut water, making a satisfied sound, and leaned back into the rattan chair, thinking. “I came once ten years ago and stayed for quite a while. That time was to fight a sea demon… I wasn’t used to underwater combat then. Later, I came two more times. Once was to thank them for helping me find Lu Silver, and another time was…”

“Lu Silver?” The term sounded familiar to Rong Xie, but there were too many homophones; he couldn’t figure out which “Lu Silver” Shen Bingsi meant.

“Yes, Lu Silver,” Shen Bingsi smiled mysteriously. “Finding it cost me quite a bit of effort. Look, it’s right there.”

Saying this, Shen Bingsi stood up with his bowl, walked to the window, and pointed to a spot in the dark blue deep sea in the distance. “The village chief told me that hundreds of years ago, there was a great earthquake here that snapped the earth. The broken land sank to the bottom of the sea. Right there, there used to be an ancient village called Lu Village. The people there used silver to make jewelry, vessels, and daily items. Poor quality silver was even used to pave roads and build walls.”

“That type of silver has a very special material quality. It doesn’t corrode in water, it’s light and flexible, and high-quality pieces glow even in complete darkness. The sword-casting immortal Ou Yezi wrote about it in The Art of Casting Swords: ‘On the shores of the South Sea, Lu Silver is produced. Light, spiritual, flexible and tough; its light is like lightning.’ It is excellent material for casting swords.”

As he spoke, Shen Bingsi looked at Rong Xie. The gift he intended to give was on the verge of being revealed.