Chu Wanning was so shocked by the sudden kiss that he couldn't even process what Mo Ran was saying. It all sounded like a distant murmur to him, as if a heavy rain had started to pour down against his head.
Mo Ran, on the other hand, obliviously muttered a few more words and fell back to sleep.
"..."
Chu Wanning wanted to shake him awake.
But there was a haitang tree swaying in full bloom outside the window. Just as Chu Wanning lifted his hand, a light pink flower petal landed gently on the tip of Mo Ran's nose.
"..."
Mo Ran rubbed his nose a little in discomfort, but was sleeping so sweetly that he didn't wake up. The arm Chu Wanning stretched out to shove him changed its course, for no reason discernible to himself, and picked up the flower petal between his fingers to examine it.
As he lost himself in thought staring at the petal, some things slowly came back to him.
He remembered that, yesterday, Mo Ran had dressed his wounds and fed him medicine.
Afterwards, Mo Ran held him in his arms, gently stroking his hair and back long into the night and whispering softly into his ear.
Chu Wanning was baffled. That had to be a dream, right?
The tips of his ears went red, the bright color not unlike the haitang petal between his fingers.
The scolding words died in his throat.
He really…...didn't even know how to start.
"How did you end up in my bed?"
That sounds like a young maiden who had made a mistake.
"Get the hell out, who let you sleep here!"
That sounds like a she-devil who had made a miscalculation.
"How dare you kiss me?!"
If one really thought about it, it was only the touch of two lips. Compared to that time in the illusion, it could barely even be called a kiss. Making a fuss out of it would only make it look like he really did have something to hide.
"..."
Yuheng Elder, at a complete loss, could only roll over and bury his face into the quilt. His slender fingers grasped at its corner in irritation and embarrassment.
In the end, he decided to pry Mo Ran off of himself, sit up and get immaculately dressed first, and then shake the other awake.
And so, when Mo Ran blearily opened his eyes, the sight that greeted him was that of Yuheng Elder sitting on the edge of the bed with an unreadable, chilly look on his face.
He broke into a cold sweat immediately.
"Shizun, I——"
Chu Wanning responded expressionlessly, "You broke my Flora Spirit Boundary yesterday?"
"I didn't mean to..."
"Forget it," Chu Wanning said curtly and waved his hand like it was nothing. "You should get up. Morning classes."
Mo Ran was about to lose it. He scratched his head in agitation: "How did I fall asleep here..."
"You look tired," Chu Wanning was perfectly calm. "Doesn't look like you got much rest yesterday."
He glanced at the medicine on the table and said, "In the future, don't barge into Red Lotus Pavilion on your own. If you need something, tell me in advance."
"Yes, Shizun."
"You may leave."
Taxian-Jun felt like he'd narrowly escaped death, and hurried to run as far away as possible.
After he left, Chu Wanning lay back down on his bed and lifted his arm up, stretching out his hand. From the space between his fingers, he watched as the radiant blossoms outside of his window drifted and fell like snow in the wind.
The soft colors of the haitang petals were just like the hazy memories of last night.
Delicate. Hard to distinguish truth from wishful thinking.
He decided that he'd rather die before ever bringing up what happened yesterday.
It was far too embarrassing!!!
Yuheng Elder cared about his pride above all else; he'd rather save his face than his life. So the next time Mo Ran saw Chu Wanning a few days later, Yuheng Elder was elegant and composed in the usual manner, white robes billowing gracefully.
Neither of them brought up that night. But sometimes when their eyes met, Mo Ran's gaze seemed to linger on Chu Wanning a bit longer before habitually chasing after Shi Mei.
And what about Chu Wanning?
As soon as his gaze met Mo Ran's, he would turn away immediately and coldly. But then, when he thought Mo Ran wasn't looking, he would steal another glance as if entirely by accident.
Xue Zhengyong quickly found out about Chu Wanning's punishment.
As expected, the master of Sisheng Peak was protective to a fault, and immediately threw a fit. But he couldn't rightfully direct it at anyone in particular, and could only close his door and sulk by himself.
——If he had known that this would happen when they first made the rules, he would've added one more: the rules don't apply to the elders.
Madam Wang steeped a pot of tea and spoke soothingly with Xue Zhengyong for quite a while before he finally calmed down. He said: "Yuheng Elder is really too stubborn, if he tries to do this again in the future, please help me talk him out of it. The sects of the upper cultivation realm couldn't even beg him into joining them, but such an eminent cultivation master ended up suffering like this over here, how am I to live with myself?"
Madam Wang sighed: "It's not that I didn't try. You know how he is, stubborn to a fault."
Xue Zhengyong said: "Ah, forget it. Wifey, give me some of those painkillers and tissue-regrowth medicines you made, I'm gonna go check on Yuheng."
"The white one is to be taken orally, the red one is for applying externally." Madam Wang gave him two small porcelain bottles, then said, "Ran-er mentioned that Yuheng Elder's been wiping down the lions at Naihe Bridge lately, you should be able to find him there."
Xue Zhengyong tucked the bottles into his pocket and rushed over to the jade bridge.
Chu Wanning was indeed there. It was shortly past noon, the disciples were all busy practicing their cultivation, and few people passed by Naihe Bridge. Chu Wanning stood alone on the gentle curve of the bridge, his figure tall and straight.
Leaves rustled softly on the shores; his white robes amongst the graceful bamboo was a picture of refinement.
Xue Zhengyong walked over, grinning: "Yuheng Elder, watching the fish?"
Chu Wanning's face turned his way: "Sect Leader must be joking, this river connects to the yellow springs of the Underworld, there is no fish."
"Haha, just pulling your leg. You're all elegance no humor, I really worry about how you're gonna find a wife!"
Chu Wanning: "......"
"Here, medicine. My wife made them. Take the white one orally, apply the red one externally. Super effective. For you."
"..." Chu Wanning didn't want it at first, but seeing how proud Xue Zhengyong was, as if his wife's medicine was the most precious thing, he couldn't refuse, so he accepted with a mild "Thanks."
Xue Zhengyong was a crude man, but he was rather more reserved in front of Chu Wanning, and did not simply blurt things out. He thought for a bit before settling on a topic: "Say, Yuheng, the Spiritual Mountain Competition is coming up in three years. Young talents from every sect will gather to vie for for the top. What do you think Meng-er and Ran-er's odds are?"
Chu Wanning replied: "Three years is a long time; I can't say at the present. But right now, Mo Ran lacks the drive to improve, and Xue Meng is overly conceited and prone to underestimating his opponents. Neither has the right attitude."
His words were blunt and cutting, straight to the heart of the matter.
Xue Zhengyong was a little embarrassed, mumbling: "Aiya, they're just young..."
Chu Wanning said: "They've already come of age, not young anymore."
Xue Zhengyong: "You're not wrong, but still, they're not even twenty yet, I can't help being a little biased as their father and uncle, haha."
Chu Wanning: "An undisciplined child is the fault of a neglectful father and an irresponsible teacher. If the two of them end up walking the wrong path in the future, that blame will fall directly on you and I. How will you be biased then?"
"..."
Chu Wanning continued: "Does the Sect Leader still remember Linyi Rufeng Sect's two darlings of the heavens[9] some years back?"
Xue Zhengyong's heart dropped at the mere mention.
Twenty-some years ago, there were a pair of brothers from Rufeng Sect, the foremost sect of the upper cultivation realm. The both of them were immensely gifted and exceedingly skilled at a young age; by the age of ten they could each individually take down hundred-year old demons, and by fifteen, they were already capable of devising new spells and even starting their own sect had they so desired.
But the cultivation world wasn't big enough for the both of them. The brothers were both far too exceptional, and eventually ended up falling out with one another. At the Spiritual Mountain Competition that year, the younger brother even stole the older brother's secretly-developed technique, and was censured by all sects and scorned by every elder for it. As soon as the competition ended, the younger brother was immediately punished by their father. His pride couldn't bear it. Henceforth he bore a deep grudge and cultivated in unscrupulous methods, and in the end became a crazed monster.
To bring this up now, Chu Wanning was undoubtedly trying to remind Xue Zhengyong that Xue Meng and Mo Ran may be exceptional, but the heart was far more important than skill.
Unfortunately, Xue Zhengyong was hard on himself, serious with his disciples, but hopelessly addled when it came to his son and his nephew, to the point of spoiling them. So he didn't really take Chu Wanning's words to heart, only laughing as he said: "They won't end up like those brothers with Yuheng Elder guiding their way."
Chu Wanning shook his head.
"Human nature is set, not so easily changed without tremendous resolve."
Xue Zhengyong couldn't help feeling a little uneasy at Chu Wanning's words, unsure if they had a hidden meaning. He hesitated for a while, but ended up asking after all: "Yuheng, do you... aie, don't get mad, but do you perhaps look down on that dumb nephew of mine?
Chu Wanning hadn't meant that at all. The unexpected misunderstanding caught him so off guard that his words choked up in his throat.
Xue Zhengyong continued worriedly: "Actually, I don't really care if they come out on top at the competition or not. Especially Ran-er, it really wasn't easy for him, growing up, it can't be helped if he's a little difficult or disobedient. I hope you don't dislike him for having been raised in an entertainment house. Aie, he's all I have left of my da-ge, I can't stop feeling guilty for not having been there for him all those years..."
Chu Wanning interrupted him: "Sect Leader is mistaken. I do not look down on him at all. If I minded his background, I wouldn't have accepted him as a disciple."
He spoke directly and certainly. Xue Zhengyong was relieved: "Good, good."
Chu Wanning's gaze fell back to the river currents coursing beneath the bridge, surging and crashing, and said no more. Unfortunately, the conversation between them, and Chu Wanning's confession, were swallowed up by the billowing waters just like in the previous lifetime.
That he did not dislike or look down on Mo Ran, was never heard by a third person.
Three months of confinement passed by.
This day, Chu Wanning called his three disciples to the Red Lotus Pavilion, and said: "Since your spiritual cores have now stabilized, I've called all of you here today to take you to Dawning Peak, where you may attempt to summon your own weapons."
Both Xue Meng and Shi Mei's eyes widened, their faces ecstatic.
Dawning Peak was a sacred mountain located in the upper cultivation realm, thousands of feet tall, cliffs steep and fathomless.
According to legend, Dawning Peak was where Gouchen the Exalted once forged weapons. Gouchen the Exalted, the god of weaponry, oversaw the northernmost and southernmost ends of the heavens and controlled all the weapons of the world.
During the Heavenly Emperor's war to rid the realm of demons, Gouchen the Exalted forged the first true "sword" of the world using the mountains as the material, the seas as the smelting pool, and his own celestial blood as the forging flames. This sword pierced the heavens and the earth alike, and with one strike, split the land into pieces and caused the seas to flow in reverse.
"Sword" in hand, the Heavenly Emperor suppressed the demon race beneath the earth, henceforth unable to rise up, using only two strikes.
Those two strikes cut horizontally across the human realm, rending a pair of deep gashes into the earth. After the war, the skies wept and ghosts howled through the nights, flooding and desolation plagued the realm as torrential rain poured down for a thousand years, filling the pair of gashes, which became the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers that nurtured countless lives.
And Dawning Peak, the birthplace of the holy sword, hence became a sacred place, with many cultivators making pilgrimages thereto. Even now, the spiritual energy left behind by the ancient gods remain strong there, and countless mysterious creatures roamed the mountains where all kinds of peculiar flora thrived. Dawning Peak was also the location where many cultivators reached enlightenment and ascended to the heavens.
But to most people, the biggest appeal of this incredible mountain where the holy sword was forged was its "Jincheng Lake".
The icy lake at the summit of the peak was frozen over year-round, glimmering as it reflected the light of the rising sun.
Legend had it that when Gouchen the Exalted cut open his palm and used his own blood to forge the holy sword, a drop fell into the dent at the summit. That drop of blood, yet to be exhausted even after a thousand years, became Jincheng Lake, its waters so clear one could see to its very bottom.
Regardless of whether the legend was true or not, Jincheng Lake's wonders were real. Although it was covered by three feet of ice all year round, some few cultivators were able to use the power of their own spiritual core to temporarily thaw the lake. At that time, an ancient mythical beast would leap ashore, holding a weapon in its mouth, and offer it to the person.
Xue Meng asked excitedly: "Shizun, what kind of mythical beast came up when you went to get your holy weapon?"
Chu Wanning answered: "Kunpeng."
Xue Meng's eyes sparkled: "Awesome! I can't wait to see a Kunpeng!"
Mo Ran jeered: "Don't count your Kunpengs before you thaw that lake."
"What's that supposed to mean? You think I can't thaw Jincheng Lake or something?"
Mo Ran laughed: "Aiya, don't get your feathers so ruffled, I said no such thing."
Chu Wanning said: "It won't necessarily be a Kunpeng. It is said that hundreds of mythical beasts lived inside the lake, guarding the holy weapons. Whichever one takes a fancy to you will be the one to come offer you a weapon it had acquired. Additionally, each mythical beast has its own unique temperament. It will make a request of you; if you cannot complete its request, it will take the weapon and return to the lake."
Xue Meng pondered: "So that's how it is? Then, Shizun, what did the Kunpeng request from you?"
"It said it wanted to eat a meatbun," Chu Wanning replied.
The three disciples were silent for a moment, and then broke out into laughter. Xue Meng laughed: "You scared me, I almost thought it would be something challenging."
Chu Wanning also smiled a little and said: "I just got lucky. The requirements these mythical beasts have are bizarre; they could ask for anything. I once heard of someone who summoned a Xishu. That small rat asked him to give it his wife's hand in marriage. He refused, so the rat took the weapon back and left. In the end, that man never got another opportunity to acquire a holy weapon ever again."
Shi Mei murmured: "That's such a pity…..."
Chu Wanning glanced at him and said: "What is there to pity? Honestly, I respect him for his noble character."
Shi Mei hurriedly corrected himself: "Shizun misunderstands, I didn't mean it that way. Of course, one's wife can't be replaced with even the most powerful weapons. I just think it's a pity that he missed out on such a godly weapon."
"It's just a rumor, anyway," Chu Wanning said. "Unfortunately, I didn't get to see a man like that for myself. Rather, many years ago at Jincheng Lake, what I saw were repulsive things that dirtied my eyes."
He paused, as if reminiscing about something, expression darkening as his brows furrowed.
"Nevermind, forget it. These thousand years, who knows how many instances of unwavering loyalty this lake had borne witness to, and how many instances of chilling heartlessness. Truly, how many people are even capable of resisting the allure of a holy weapon, of abandoning their chance at advancement, just to stay true to their heart...? Heh."
Chu Wanning let out a cold chuckle, as if perturbed by something in his memories, before rearranging his features back into their customary impassiveness. But his brows were knitted just the slightest bit, as if in disgust, and he pressed his lips tightly together, speaking no more of the matter.
"Shizun, it's said that all of Jincheng Lake's holy weapons have a temper of their own. Was it easy for you to get the hang of yours when you first got it?" Xue Meng saw that he looked unhappy, and asked him to change the topic.
Chu Wanning raised an eyebrow and said tonelessly, "This teacher has three holy weapons, which one are you asking about?"