Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 71

Chapter 71: Longan Wine

Shen Bingsi headed to the main peak in high spirits, while Rong Xie crushed a flight talisman alone to travel to Yingbin Town.

From his brocade storage pouch, he retrieved two jars of Longan Wine he had prepared in advance. Upon seeing Lu Yinglin, he presented the wine immediately.

Lu Yinglin, who had always loved wine, couldn’t take his eyes off the jars. He insisted on ordering a few side dishes right then and there to taste it on the spot.

“Tsk, the taste of this wine… it’s like drinking honey water,” Lu Yinglin praised.

Rong Xie smiled. “This wine is brewed from longan and grapes using a technique from Xizhou. We rarely get to drink it here. I imagined Young Master Lu has tasted all the fine wines of the Central Plains, so sending Zhuangyuan Red or Bamboo Leaf Green wouldn’t have been much of a surprise.”

“I didn’t expect Junior Brother Rong to be so knowledgeable,” Lu Yinglin laughed. “I thought Junior Brother Rong wasn’t fond of drinking and would just send some famous, safe choices. To send such a rare vintage shows you really put some thought into it.”

Rong Xie thought to himself that he hadn’t actually put in that much effort. It was simply that the incident with “Xuantian One Sword” had inspired him. Things that were hard to find in reality were everywhere in the Book of Fate. Having read a few character profiles in the book, he found them incredibly useful when it came to giving gifts.

“As long as Young Master Lu is satisfied,” Rong Xie said with a smile.

“Won’t you have a couple of cups, Brother Rong? Drinking alone is rather lonely.” Lu Yinglin pointed to the wine cup Rong Xie hadn’t touched.

Rong Xie knew that while this Longan Wine tasted sweet and fragrant, it had quite a kick. He hadn’t discussed his main business yet, so he couldn’t drink too much. He took only a small sip.

“Just that one sip? I’ve already had several cups.” As the alcohol took effect, Lu Yinglin felt the urge to tease Rong Xie into drinking more.

“I have a troublesome matter. If Young Master Lu can help me solve it, drinking three cups won’t be a problem,” Rong Xie said with a faint smile.

“Oh?” Lu Yinglin was instantly interested. “As long as you don’t ask me to compete in swordsmanship against the Sword Saint Shen, there are truly very few troubles in this world that I cannot solve.”

Rong Xie looked around. It was late morning; the inn’s lobby was empty. The breakfast crowd had already hit the road, and the lunch crowd hadn’t arrived yet. It was a convenient time to talk.

Rong Xie weighed his words carefully. He tactfully explained to Lu Yinglin that Shen Bingsi seemed to know he wanted to leave. Recently, Shen Bingsi insisted on doing everything with him and displayed an incredibly proactive attitude, making it impossible for Rong Xie to find an opening to bring up the subject.

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Hearing this, Lu Yinglin laughed. “Actually, since you took so long to come find me, I had already prepared myself for this deal to fall through.”

“How could that be?” Rong Xie said hurriedly. “You’ve run around so many times for this business. I am serious about it, too. How could I suddenly overturn everything and back out?”

“It’s hard to say. People’s minds change in an instant. What if you suddenly felt the Sword Saint was actually quite good? Of course, I’m not doubting you, it’s just… in our line of work, we encounter situations like this often. Until the money is in the bag, nothing is certain,” Lu Yinglin said with a smile.

Rong Xie thought to himself that doing business really wasn’t for everyone. If he had spent a month painstakingly planning something only for it to fall through because a client changed their mind, he would definitely take a stack of talismans and block their door.

“You can rest assured on that point. I am determined to leave. It’s just… I don’t want things to get too ugly and hurt our… friendship.” Rong Xie didn’t know how he managed to utter the word “friendship.”

Fortunately, Lu Yinglin didn’t seem to notice his awkwardness.

“Junior Brother Rong really does think of others. In my opinion, this matter isn’t difficult to handle at all. As long as you think a little bit for yourself, you’ll know what to say.” Lu Yinglin swirled the pale green Longan Wine, speaking with ease.

“What should I say?” Rong Xie asked, puzzled.

“Brother Rong and the Sword Saint have a deep friendship that is indeed rare in this world, something to be envied. But friendship… is just that. It’s nothing more than people playing together in their youth and killing time together as adults. I’ve never seen anyone spend their whole life with a friend. Even friends from childhood aren’t usually the same group you end up with. Friends, in the end, are just people who walk with you for a segment of the journey,” Lu Yinglin said.

Rong Xie had heard this kind of reasoning many times. However, his relationship with Shen Bingsi wasn’t like that at all. Every stage of their lives had long been deeply entangled. Now, it had become ambiguous and unclear… though perhaps it was only ambiguous on Rong Xie’s side.

“Those words make sense, but… specifically, what should I do?” Rong Xie asked.

“You are about to enter a new stage of life and can no longer fool around with the Sword Saint. Ask him to bless you—tell him you are getting married.” Lu Yinglin raised his wine cup and toasted Rong Xie, a joyful smile on his face as if Rong Xie were truly getting married.

“That was just an excuse used to move out of the Shen family home…” Rong Xie stopped mid-sentence, realizing something, and looked at Lu Yinglin in surprise.

“Then use it again.” Lu Yinglin drained the Longan Wine in one gulp and praised, “This wine really has some strength. Are you sure you won’t try it, Brother Rong?”

“No, I… still think it won’t work,” Rong Xie hesitated. “I could deceive the Shen family because they don’t know me. But Shen Bingsi is with me all the time. He probably knows better than I do whether I know some wealthy young lady from the capital’s outskirts.”

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“Simple. You don’t need to be specific. There is no specific person. Just say you feel the time has come, that you aren’t cut out for cultivation, and you want to live an ordinary life—get married, have children, carry on the family line. That’s normal, isn’t it? If the Sword Saint truly cares for you, he should respect your choice.” Lu Yinglin spoke logically and persuasively.

“This…”

“Brother Rong,” Lu Yinglin lifted the wine pot and refilled both their cups. “Try this wine. It’s good. Drink a little, and you’ll realize there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

At noon, Shen Bingsi returned from the main peak, his expression rather grim.

He had gone to find Xue Baoshan again. Given the chaotic state of his Sea of Consciousness, a scolding was inevitable. Xue Baoshan had shouted “You’ll be the death of me!” repeatedly, telling Shen Bingsi to figure it out himself and stop asking every time. Asking didn’t lead to changes; told to go to Wushang Immortal Mountain, he wouldn’t go. He was courting death himself, and even a Golden Immortal couldn’t save him.

Shen Bingsi felt the problem lay in the fact that Xue Baoshan wasn’t a cultivator of the Heartless Path. As the saying goes, different trades are separated by mountains. Xue Baoshan couldn’t offer objective advice and could only vent his emotions. These emotions were useless to Shen Bingsi, so seeing no benefit in staying, he withdrew.

Returning to Huanxue Villa, Shen Bingsi stepped eagerly over the threshold, looking everywhere for Rong Xie.

Learning from the three younger ones that Rong Xie hadn’t returned yet, Shen Bingsi finally settled down. He sat at the stone table in the front courtyard, waiting for Rong Xie to come back.

The three younger disciples were eating lunch. Seeing Shen Bingsi squeeze in at the stone table, they shuddered, and the steamed buns in their hands suddenly lost their appeal.

“You guys eat,” Shen Bingsi said considerately, noticing they had stopped to look at him.

“Mmh… mmh.” The three stretched their necks like ducks to swallow the dry buns, quickly finishing the battle. Those washing dishes went to wash dishes; those cleaning the table cleaned the table.

Shen Bingsi sat at the table waiting for Rong Xie. He discovered that just knowing he would see Rong Xie soon put him in an excellent mood. The scenery in his eyes seemed much more vivid. He hadn’t noticed before that the maple tree outside the courtyard wall had grown so tall. The deep red maple leaves pressing against the azure tiles had a unique beauty.

Shen Bingsi rarely read those flowery books, so he didn’t know what words to use to describe this feeling. When Rong Xie came back later, he would ask him.

…

He waited for a long time. The three younger ones finished cleaning the kitchen and went elsewhere to work, but Shen Bingsi remained sitting there. Several times he reached out to touch his transmission jade pendant, but thought better of disturbing Rong Xie while he was eating with someone. But this meal was taking too long, wasn’t it? What kind of favor was Rong Xie returning that required such a delay?

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Several annoying candidates flashed through Shen Bingsi’s mind: the carpentry shop boss, the servant at the letter dispatch room, and that pawnshop owner who always smiled with ill intent…

Just then, a dull thud came from the gate, as if something had crashed into it.

Anything hitting the gate of Huanxue Villa, be it person or object, required Shen Bingsi’s permission to pass through the barrier. This particular one had the highest clearance of all.

Shen Bingsi stood up immediately and rushed to the door like a gust of wind. The door opened halfway, and the person outside pitched straight inward.

Shen Bingsi hurriedly caught him and helped him over the threshold.

Rong Xie carried a scent of sweet alcohol. His cheeks were flushed, but his eyes were very bright, gazing intently at Shen Bingsi. Judging solely by his face, he didn’t look drunk at all.

“You’re back? Why did you drink?” Shen Bingsi frowned, supporting Rong Xie as they walked toward the stone table.

Rong Xie followed obediently, smiling. “I couldn’t help it. It’s just that walking… I can’t quite aim straight.”

“…?” Shen Bingsi raised an eyebrow and looked at him. Listening to his fluent speech, he didn’t seem drunk, but the content of his words clearly indicated intoxication.

Rong Xie felt the edge of the stone table and sat down heavily. He held his upper body perfectly straight, facing outward, with one elbow resting on the table’s edge. His posture looked as if he were attending an important banquet, waiting for the host to give a speech.

Seeing him sitting steadily, Shen Bingsi stopped supporting him and sat on the adjacent stone stool. “Who exactly made you owe such a big favor that you had to drink?”

“It was Manager Lu from the Yuanbao Auction House. Have you forgotten? We met him in the garden.” Rong Xie turned his head, looking at Shen Bingsi with a beaming smile. “I’ve organized a list of assets. It includes the things you gave me in the past, and the monthly salary I saved up. The salary for managing the villa—that should be mine, right?”

“Hmm?” Shen Bingsi didn’t register his meaning yet. “Of course it’s yours.”

“Exactly. According to the market rate outside, the salary I took isn’t much. As for other things, I haven’t taken anything of yours for free. You can go check the secret vault; I haven’t touched the heavenly treasures you brought back this year, lest you say I took your things to sell.”

Shen Bingsi couldn’t help but find it funny. “Who said you took my things to sell? You and I are one entity; what’s mine is yours. Those things in the secret vault—use them if you want, sell them if you want. Who dares to say anything about you?”

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Rong Xie frowned, the smile vanishing from his face. “It was you. You said I should take your treasures out to auction for a good price, to buy a big house. Three thousand taels, five thousand taels…”

Shen Bingsi’s face fell. He knew his best friend had an exceptional memory, but he didn’t expect the angry words he had spoken that day to be memorized verbatim and recited back to him now.

“I didn’t… I was dizzy with anger that day, talking nonsense…” Shen Bingsi tried to defend himself.

Rong Xie’s eyes, however, turned red. “Bingsi, I’m so tired. I want to live my own life. Thank you for all these years, for letting me save up this family fortune.”

Shen Bingsi stared at Rong Xie in astonishment. As if premonition struck, he abruptly looked away, his voice pressed low and fast: “You’re drunk. I’ll take you back to your room to rest.”

“But this is what I deserve. I haven’t taken a single extra copper coin from you. I will use this money to buy my own house, set up my own property, choose my own family, and live the life of an ordinary person. I haven’t done these things before, but I want to try… to live completely according to my own will.”

“Not anyone’s steward, not anyone’s best friend. Just me. Just Rong Xie.” Rong Xie thought for a moment. “No, wait, the name Rong Xie isn’t mine either. Forget it… thinking of a new one is too hard. I’ll just use this one for now.”

Author’s Note: 520 (May 20th), Bing Bing’s Heartbreak Day. [Crying] [Doge Face]