>>brief goriness
Mo Ran didn't even get a chance to respond before an ear-piercingly shrill voice rang out from behind him: "Make way, make way! Let me through!"
Was it the fuban?!
Carrying the heavy pile of rocks, the fuban trudged to the same apothecary as before, where it yelled: "I can't take it anymore! Hurry and save me doctor!"
A white-haired merman swam out, but his tail was distinct from those of the others, the entire length glittering resplendent like flowing gold. His hair was held back with simple clips and draped over his shoulders, and his face, although wrinkled, was well-proportioned, with a straight nose and a pleasant curve of the lips, and those golden eyes were as tranquil as a misty drizzle; it was easy to imagine how handsome he must have been in his prime.
Mo Ran quivered.
This was different from before; where did that turquoise-colored sea dragon go?
The elderly merman glanced at them from afar but said nothing, instead making his way to the doorstep and bending over to take the rocks off the fuban's back one by one.
With the removal of the last rock, the illusion shattered and the fuban exploded, its blood diffusing into the water like a haze of fog. Nearly simultaneously, all the monsters and creatures in the market stiffened for a split second before drooping bonelessly as their bodies festered and saturated the lake water with a miasma of blood.
The water was dyed red, the color deepening rapidly as more and more blood seeped out. It became difficult to see things in the distance, then the immediate area was smothered, and soon enough, scarlet filled their vision and they couldn't even see their hands in front of them.
Chu Wanning said: "Mo Ran."
Mo Ran knew him well, and didn't need him to say more: "Shizun, I'm here, don't worry."
Chu Wanning was a man of few words, or rather, he was no good with words. He was silent for a moment before saying only: "Be careful."
Through the muddled blood water, Mo Ran couldn't see the face that wouldn't change color even if the sky were to fall, but could more easily sense the concern in Shizun's voice. He rarely ever sensed Chu Wanning's warmth in everyday life, and suddenly his chest felt warm. He gripped the other's hand tighter, answering: "Okay."
Standing close, back to back, they could feel the other's heartbeat and breathing even though they couldn't see. The situation being perilous, Chu Wanning summoned Tianwen, and Mo Ran followed suit with Jiangui, having recovered his spiritual strength by now.
After they called out their holy weapons, Mo Ran suddenly exclaimed: "Shizun, look over there!"
Chu Wanning turned to look toward the apothecary, where the elderly merman was cleaning up the rock pile just now, to see that a couple dozen white colored light spots of various sizes had appeared on the ground. Hand in hand, the two of them walked over, and sure enough, the light spots were the fuban's rocks.
The elderly merman had arranged the several dozen rocks into three neat rows, every piece glowing with a gentle radiance.
Slowly, a figure appeared before the rocks. It seemed to still be the same white-haired merman from earlier.
Mo Ran tried: "Who are you?"
He didn't answer, only glancing at Chu Wanning, and then at Mo Ran, before wordlessly lifting his hand and pointing at the rocks on the ground.
Mo Ran asked: "You want us to pick up the rocks?"
The white-haired merman nodded, then extended a single finger.
"Do you mean to…...pick only one?"
The white-haired merman nodded, then shook his head, pointed at Mo Ran, and then pointed at Chu Wanning.
Mo Ran figured it out: "We should each pick one?"
This time the white-haired merman nodded vigorously before standing still and staring fixedly at the two of them.
Mo Ran asked: "Shizun, should we do as he said?"
"Might as well, we don't have any other ideas anyway."
So they each picked a rock, but unexpectedly, as soon as the tips of their fingers touched their rocks, a multitude of distorted colors flashed before their eyes as the world spun at full tilt. When things settled back down, the endless red had disappeared.
Looking closely, they had been teleported to the holy weapon arsenal!
"Shizun!!"
"Shizun, A-Ran!!"
And Xue Meng and Shi Mei were here too. Shocked and overjoyed to see Chu Wanning, they rushed over in welcome. Chu Wanning hadn't expected the glowing rocks to be enchanted with a teleportation spell, and was still a little nauseous from the rapid spinning. He put a hand to his forehead, the other still tightly clutching Mo Ran's.
While inside the blood lake, their hands had been joined the entire time without parting.
Chu Wanning's status being what it was, he rarely had any opportunity to hold hands with Mo Ran. Most of the time, he could only stand a little ways off, watching the closeness between his disciples from a distance.
And so, he cautiously cherished this rare warmth in his palm…...
"Shi Mei!"
But the warmth that was such a precious treasure to him was, to the other, perhaps worthless like a pair of worn out shoes, perhaps not worth mentioning, or perhaps wasn't even noticed at all.
The moment he saw Shi Mei, Mo Ran very casually let go of his hand.
Chu Wanning's fingertips twitched slightly, and, for a split second, seemed as if they wanted to grab onto him.
But what excuse did he have for that?
He no longer had the courage to like someone.
He didn't want to lose the pathetic bit of pride he had left too.
Watching Mo Ran smiling so easily at Shi Mei, hugging him so casually and stroking his hair so gently.
Chu Wanning's fingertips drooped back down.
With some embarrassment, with some awkwardness.
Luckily.
His face was habitually impassive, so emotions didn't show through too obviously.
Maybe because he was getting older, and being such a stiff person, after that spin in the teleportation array, his chest felt a little cold.
But it wasn't too bad, there was still a bit of warmth left at the tips of his fingers.
Leaning on that thread of remaining warmth that would soon disappear, he slowly stood up straight and arranged his expression and gaze, tidy and proper.
"Shizun, are you feeling ok? Your face is so pale..."
Chu Wanning nodded at Xue Meng: "I'm fine."
He paused for a moment, then asked: "Were you two also teleported here by that merman?"
Before Xue Meng had a chance to respond, there came a burst of bubbling sounds. Chu Wanning turned to see half a bloody face, and right after, a disfigured person emerged from the boiling-hot smelting pool with a splash!
This person was definitely no mortal, or else definitely not alive, for no mortal could survive being submerged in the fiery molten metal. But this person, although raw and burnt all over, clearly still drew breath. Chains shackled his four limbs and held him inside the smelting pool to suffer.
He slowly opened his eyes and bowed over and over to the group, gaze begging them to approach the smelting pool.
Although he couldn't speak, he did have other means of expression. They watched as he waved his arms, bloody flesh barely clinging to bone, and a small wave surged forth from the molten metal in the pool to form several rows of ancient script in the air.
Xue Meng, startled: "What kind of writing is this? Why can't I read a single character?"
Chu Wanning: "It's ancient Cangjie script, something I've yet to teach you."
Mo Ran: "Then——what does it say?"
Chu Wanning walked up and carefully studied the writing: "...He is…...asking for help."
According to legend, ancient Cangjie script was the writing of the Heavenly Realm. It was practically a lost art in the human world; very few people knew it anymore, and even an accomplished zongshi like Chu Wanning couldn't read all of it, but he could at least get the gist of it.
Chu Wanning studied the writing for a bit, slowly interpreting: "He says that he is the spirit of this willow tree, named Zhaixin Liu [Heart-Pluck Willow]. When he was a sapling, Gouchen the Exalted brought him here from the seventh heaven of the Realm of the Gods. Afterwards, Gouchen abandoned this world for reasons unknown. Zhaixin Liu hadn't seen him since, and doesn't even know if he yet lives."
"But even without him here, Zhaixin Liu had always followed his instructions these hundreds of millenia, protecting Jincheng Lake, guarding the holy weapon arsenal. Nourished by the spiritual energy here, it gradually cultivated into human form, and the days passed without incident until one day, when a——" Chu Wanning suddenly stopped reading.
Mo Ran asked: "What's the matter?"
"...I don't recognize these three characters. Seems to be a name." Chu Wanning said, raising a hand to point at the complex, twisting characters, "Anyway, this person came to Jincheng Lake. He was powerful and cruel, slaughtered everything in the lake, and used Zhenlong Chess Formation to control them. Zhaixin Liu was no exception."
Mo Ran shouted immediately: "That person is probably the fake Gouchen!"
Hearing his words, Zhaixin Liu's eyes flickered, and he nodded twice in agreement.
"...Huh, I really guessed it." Mo Ran grinned, a little embarrassed, and scratched his head, "Haha, I'm pretty smart eh."
Chu Wanning glanced at him mildly, then continued:
"In the years since then, Zhaixin Liu has been in a continuous unconscious state, without even half a day of clarity. Fortunately, the other two willow branches that had once been connected with it in body and spirit——Tianwen and Jiangui——both awakened. Borrowing their strength, Zhaixin Liu was temporarily able to regain consciousness. If not for that, it probably would've already lost control and hurt everyone here."
Hearing that, "everyone here" was either incredulous or apprehensive, the three youths collectively raising their heads to stare at the being in the smelting pool, unsure how to take its self-introduction.
Mo Ran started: "Liu-qianbei [Senior Willow]——"
Xue Meng: "Liu-qianbei?"
"Well what else should I say, Zhai-qianbei [Senior Pluck]?" Mo Ran glared at Xue Meng, then continued, "I'm gonna say something you probably won't like, but there seem to be some holes in your story."
Zhaixin Liu could not speak, but could understand spoken words. He turned to face Mo Ran.
Mo Ran: "First you said you were under the fake Gouchen's control, but then regained your consciousness under the influence of Tianwen and Jiangui's awakening. But the fake Gouchen was the one who gave me Jiangui, how could he not have known the consequences of doing that?"
Zhaixin Liu shook his head, and the characters in front of Chu Wanning changed.
"I am of the Realm of the Gods, he knows little about me, and is unaware that the holy weapons could affect my consciousness. In his pursuit of the three forbidden techniques, he needs to draw upon my power, but my lifespan is coming to its end, and he has been frantically looking for a way to extend my life. But I really do not wish to continue living, death is much preferable to helping this villain, it's just that I am under his control, and cannot act of my own will..."
At this, Chu Wanning paused in contemplation: "That must be why he brought Mo Ran here. Mo Ran is a wood elemental spiritual essence, that fake Gouchen must be planning to combine his spiritual power with that of Jiangui and offer that as sacrifice to you."
Zhaixin Liu nodded.
Mo Ran still didn't quite understand: "But that fake Gouchen said so himself, there are two wood elemental spiritual essences. Shizun is also one, why did he only lock me up?
Zhaixin Liu wrote: "Sacrificial offerings have always been better the younger they are, and even more care must be taken when making an offering to a tree spirit. Moreover, the offering must be sated in appetite and desire, satisfied in every need, and their life must be taken as they are immersed in such an euphoric illusion, without their slightest knowing. Otherwise, the offering would have remaining regrets, and the resentful energy would accelerate my withering instead."
At this, Mo Ran's thoughts snapped to the fox spirit monster in the cell that took on Chu Wanning's appearance.
So that was to sate his desires, like fattening up a pig before the slaughter so that it's tastier.
That would also explain why he saw Chu Wanning instead of Shi Mei. He cherished Shi Mei far too much to defile him. When it came to the matter of desire, he did indeed lust after Chu Wanning much more than he did Shi Mei...
Seeing the strange expression on Mo Ran's face, Chu Wanning thought he was still uneasy, and, wanting to comfort him, asked: "What are you thinking about?"
"N-nothing."
Mo Ran's face started turning red. Chu Wanning stared blankly for a second before comprehension dawned on him and he immediately closed his mouth. A while passed before he turned away in a fit of embarrassed rage.
What uneasiness? This guy was definitely thinking back to those so-called 'desires' just now, daydreaming, even.
Chu Wanning flung his sleeves in indignant anger, and, face frigid, muttered: "Shameless."
Mo Ran: "..."
Good thing Chu Wanning didn't know just who it was satisfying his desires in that illusion, or he'd probably skin him alive in a fit of anger.
He was in the midst of musing when the ground of the holy weapon arsenal suddenly started shaking. Xue Meng yelled, startled: "What's happening?"