Chapter 52: Gone Home
Rong Xie stood in the darkness for a while, then slowly squatted down.
His legs could no longer support the weight of his body.
Enduring the pain seemed to drain all strength from his body. Rong Xie had to kneel on the ground, one hand supporting himself on the earth, the other clutching the fabric at his chest, waiting for the overwhelming nausea to pass.
Tears had streamed down his face unbeknownst to him, falling pitter-patter onto the ground.
For a long time, Rong Xie couldn’t think about what to do next. The painful emotion pressed heavily on his chest, making even breathing difficult. He kept shedding tears, shedding tears, wetting a small patch of sand beside his palm.
He raised his hand to wipe his face. When he put his hand back for support, he suddenly felt something hard against his palm. He moved his hand and looked closely—a silver object the size of a copper coin was buried under the gravel, threads of silver light seeping through the gaps in the sand.
This is…
Shen Bingsi walked very fast.
Looking up, he was already standing on the only main road in the fishing village.
Lights lit up in the stilted bamboo houses on the hillside, and fishing lamps were hung on the fishermen’s huts by the pier.
Shen Bingsi felt a moment of confusion. Why did he return to the fishing village alone?
Just now, he had unleashed three “Heaven-Severing Blades” in his sea of consciousness. He had almost forgotten who he was and what he came for.
“No.” Shen Bingsi slapped his forehead. “I came with Rong-er.”
Shen Bingsi looked back and scanned around but didn’t see Rong Xie’s shadow.
“Where is he?” Shen Bingsi instantly became anxious, muttering to himself, “What is wrong with you? Why did you leave him behind again?”
Passing islanders saw Shen Bingsi and wanted to greet him, but upon closer inspection, seeing him muttering to himself with a terrifying expression, they swallowed their greetings.
Shen Bingsi suddenly stamped his foot. His figure transformed into a ray of golden light and shot out. The middle of the road became empty again, leaving only the islanders looking at each other—immortals were indeed immortals.
In the blink of an eye, Shen Bingsi landed on the beach next to the Sea-Suppressing Stone.
By this time, the moon had risen. It was a full moon, illuminating the sea surface with sparkling waves, as if a moonlight avenue led from the horizon straight to the near shore.
Shen Bingsi swept his gaze around and immediately caught a familiar figure.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he returned in time this time. Rong Xie was still there.
However, in the next moment, that figure walked quickly toward the sea without any hesitation, stepping directly into the pitch-black water.
Shen Bingsi’s heart instantly leapt to his throat. He shouted Rong Xie’s name while sprinting madly toward him.
Rong Xie’s figure seemed to pause, looking back in panic. The moonlight shone on him, illuminating his pale face with distinct clarity. He stood there defenseless as a wave leaving the shore hit him, knocking him toward the dark deep water.
Shen Bingsi lunged forward violently. With a bang, his figure vanished, reappearing in the middle of the waves the next moment. He grabbed Rong Xie by the waist, dragged him out of the seawater, and threw him onto the mat they had sat on during the day.
“What are you doing?!” Shen Bingsi’s voice had never been so terrifying, the tremors of a false alarm suppressed beneath his anger. “Is your brain broken?”
Rong Xie stared blankly at Shen Bingsi, seemingly unable to believe he had appeared here.
“I didn’t… I… wasn’t…”
Rong Xie didn’t know how to explain the situation.
“Sword…” He pointed to the sea. “It fell in. I wanted to pick it up…”
Shen Bingsi paused. “What sword?”
Soon, he realized. He reached out and beckoned. A streak of silver light shot out from the seawater and into his hand.
Shen Bingsi grabbed the Lightning White Orchid and handed it to Rong Xie.
Rong Xie, however, did not take it.
Shen Bingsi looked at Rong Xie in confusion.
Rong Xie’s clothes were soaked through. His messy hair stuck to his forehead and cheeks. His exposed skin presented a bloodless pallor, but his eyes and nose were red.
If Shen Bingsi had been too arbitrary in judging Rong Xie’s motive for walking into the sea just now, Rong Xie’s current state undoubtedly provided grounds for Shen Bingsi’s judgment—he looked as if he had lost his backbone, ignoring even the neat appearance he usually cared about, sitting dejectedly on the ground.
This couldn’t elicit pity from Shen Bingsi; it only annoyed him, just like the towering rage he felt when he misunderstood that Rong Xie was going to drown himself.
“Didn’t you want this sword? Risking your life to pick it up? What, now you don’t want it anymore?” Shen Bingsi shook the sword in his hand meanly and threw it on the ground in front of Rong Xie.
Rong Xie shrank back and shifted to the side, unwilling to touch the sword.
Shen Bingsi frowned secretly. Why did he always get the feeling that Rong Xie seemed afraid of the Lightning White Orchid?
However, this feeling made no sense, so he didn’t dwell on it. He bent down to pick up the sword, turning his head to lean close to Rong Xie. “You really don’t want it? Then I’ll take it back.”
Rong Xie lowered his eyes. Shen Bingsi clearly saw the tear streaks on his face. His heart ached, and his sea of consciousness vibrated faintly. He hurriedly looked away and straightened up.
But his sleeve was tugged.
Shen Bingsi’s figure paused slightly. He stood sideways to Rong Xie, his back unnaturally straight, staring straight ahead, refusing to look back.
“…I want it.”
A hand as cold as ice squeezed into Shen Bingsi’s palm, taking the Lightning White Orchid from his loosely held fingers.
The icy fingers retracted quickly, taking the flying sword with them. Shen Bingsi’s palm felt empty. He subconsciously squeezed his hand, grasping nothing, and then subconsciously clenched his fist.
When Rong Xie stood up again, the Lightning White Orchid had been put into his pouch. He looked at Shen Bingsi’s tense profile and said softly, “I’m sorry. I can’t go back alone. Can you send me back to… Huanxue Villa?”
When mentioning Huanxue Villa, Rong Xie hesitated. Could he still return to Huanxue Villa? Seeing Shen Bingsi’s behavior, it seemed painful for him to even look at him. But his things were all at Huanxue Villa. He had to go back at least once. Even if he was being kicked out, he should get his property first.
The most painful choice had already been made, and at the worst possible time. For a moment, facing the boundless sea, Rong Xie had truly thought about ending it all. That way, he wouldn’t have to think about how to return from the South Island to the Five Continents without a Foundation Establishment, without understanding the language, and in an unfamiliar place. Nor would he have to think about where to go after returning to the Five Continents.
Fortunately, emotions come in waves. When the full moon rose from the sea, he knew he had survived it.
He had survived the darkest, most painful moment. Shen Bingsi had returned. Rong Xie felt there would be no hurdles he couldn’t pass. He could feel that a soft part of his heart had hardened.
As his emotions calmed down, he could think rationally. Rong Xie began to plan for his future. Getting back his share of property was a key step. While Shen Bingsi hadn’t completely cut ties with him yet, he should proactively make some requests.
From now on, the person he had to protect first in his life was himself.
Shen Bingsi still had his back to Rong Xie. Hearing that Rong Xie’s tone was much calmer than imagined, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
“Go back now?” Shen Bingsi asked. “Not staying another night?”
As soon as he asked, Shen Bingsi realized he had spoken too fast. Did he still have the composure to spend another night with Rong Xie?
Luckily, Rong Xie gave him the answer he wanted.
“Mn.”
When the moon reached its zenith, the two returned to the fishing village. The islanders worked at sunrise and rested at sunset; everyone was asleep by now. Walking along the deserted village paths, ears filled with the ceaseless sound of waves, Rong Xie looked back at the sea again. Whether it was because of the sea or the full moon, tonight’s moon was exceptionally bright, giving the illusion of being in the morning of a cloudy day.
It was magnificent.
How generous nature is, and how cruel.
…
After flying continuously for a night and a day, the two finally returned to Huanxue Villa at nightfall the next day.
The long continuous flight left Rong Xie exhausted. Almost as soon as he returned to his bedroom, he fell onto the bed and slept.
The next morning, when the sky was just getting light and the window paper was turning white, Rong Xie woke from his deep sleep.
Even the most luxurious room in the Fragrant World Pavilion couldn’t compare to his own bedroom.
Thinking this, Rong Xie didn’t rush to get up. He lay in the cozy bedding and squinted for a while longer.
When sunlight filled the room, Rong Xie got up.
He washed up simply and walked into the courtyard. As usual, he strolled around inspecting various parts of the courtyard while thinking about what to do today and what to eat for the three meals.
By the time he reached the front courtyard, he had basically made up his mind.
The three little ones had long been waiting in the front courtyard.
Seeing Rong Xie come out, they swarmed around him like kittens and puppies left alone in an empty house seeing their master return. They circled him immediately, nearly tripping Rong Xie several times.
“Brother Rong, you’re finally back! Why were you gone so long!”
“Didn’t you say you’d be back by the end of the month? It’s almost the end of July now!”
“Yeah, the Villa Master went out early in the morning, and we didn’t dare to ask. Brother Rong, where did you go play?”
…
Rong Xie rubbed his temples.
Actually, he really wanted to treat this trip as a nightmare he had last night and forget it.
When he got up today, he did indeed have that illusion.
He scanned the three pairs of sparkling, expectant eyes and sighed helplessly.
At the stone table in the courtyard.
Rong Xie drank a little soup but had no appetite. He began to tell Dragon Shaoye and Fang Renji about the places they visited on this trip.
Dragon Shaoye and Fang Renji listened entranced, forgetting to chew the soup noodles in their mouths.
Shen Yan brought up the last bowl of vegetarian soup noodles. Feeling she had missed a lot, she hurriedly asked:
“What, what? Where did Brother Rong go?”
“Mmm,” Dragon Shaoye stretched his neck to swallow the noodles. “So many places! The Capital, Xiangji Temple, Lanyuan, and one you’d never guess!”
“What? Say it, don’t keep me in suspense!”
“The South Island of Haizhou!”
“Eee!”
“Brother Rong and the Villa Master even brought us gifts!”
…
Seeing the three of them chatting away, Rong Xie withdrew from the dining table and went to the rear courtyard bathroom to take a bath.
One benefit of abundant spiritual energy was that he didn’t have to suffer chopping wood to boil water. He placed a few heating talismans, and the water in the tub heated up naturally; the temperature could be adjusted as he pleased.
However, spiritual energy had to be used sparingly. There wouldn’t be such opportunities to obtain spiritual energy in the future.
After the bath, Rong Xie’s thoughts became clearer.
The most urgent thing to do now was to inventory his assets and make a list to facilitate a clear handover with Shen Bingsi when he left.
The second most urgent thing was to book a room at the inn in Welcome Guest Town as a temporary foothold, continue contacting the brokerage in Lanyuan, confirm a house with suitable price and environment, and then move there.
The third was to summarize the daily affairs of the villa and teach Shen Yan and the others as soon as possible. Handing everything over to them thoroughly before he left would be a good start and end, living up to Shen Bingsi’s trust.
…
Rong Xie tied up his damp hair, changed into a work smock, and headed for the study in the rear courtyard. His large chests were kept here; he would start here.
He didn’t have much time left. He had to speed up.
After all, who knew when Shen Bingsi would return and kick him out?
Author’s Note: Bingbing: ? That never happened.
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