Chu Wanning did not remember much of what happened that night. He eventually passed out when the stomachache became too unbearable. Strong arms caught him before he hit the ground and held him up. He did not know who it was.
Shi Mei was left behind to pay for everything while Mo Ran and Xue Meng left right away to bring Chu Wanning back to Sisheng Peak. Chu Wanning remembered hearing fragments of conversation between Mo Ran and Xue Meng while they left Wuchang Town in a hurry.
"What the hell happened…"
"Is he alright?"
"I don't know…"
"… the spicy soup…"
"Why did he eat if he cannot…"
Chu Wanning was slumped against Mo Ran's shoulder. The two teenagers were in a hurry so they inadvertently shook Chu Wanning around. The latter woke up once to throw up everything that he ate that night before losing consciousness again. The next time he regained his consciousness, he was curling up on a soft bed. Nearby, Madam Wang was angrily shouting at his three disciples.
"How dare you! Xue Ziming, do you know what you have done??? This is your Shizun…!"
Chu Wanning spoke up immediately, ignoring the excruciating pain that was tormenting his little body.
"Madam Wang!" he shouted all of a sudden, frightening Madam Wang and all three disciples in front of her. It was enough to make Madam Wang realize that she just misspoke.
"…'s most important person," she ended awkwardly in order to cover her words up.
Madam Wang rushed to Chu Wanning's side and checked his pulse.
"My God, you are burning with fever. Yuh… I mean, little boy, are you alright? Does it still hurt?"
Shi Mei's quivering voice was heard coming from behind Madam Wang, "Shidi, I am sorry… I am so sorry…"
Madam Wang did not wait for Chu Wanning to answer. She snapped at the three disciples behind her, "You three! Go kneel at Yanluo Hall for three hours to repent!!"
Chu Wanning did not even bother to look at the three people. He could see that they hesitated to leave, but Madam Wang eventually pushed them outside forcefully.
"I am so sorry, Yuheng Elder," Madam Wang quickly whispered after they were left alone. She pressed a hand against Chu Wanning's burning forehead. "My God, your fever is not coming down yet. Are you feeling pain anywhere?"
After throwing up all the spicy foods, Chu Wanning felt much better. His stomach still hurt, but not much. He shook his head weakly.
"I am fine. Madam Wang, no need to worry about me."
"How can I not???" Madam Wang shouted in exasperation. "I am going to teach those three children a lesson."
"It's not their fault," Chu Wanning slowly said. "I made the wrong judgment call. No need to blame them. Madam Wang, I am so tired. Sorry, but… I will rest for a while."
"Alright, Yuheng Elder."
Chu Wanning closed his eyes and sighed.
Yuheng Elder's three disciples went to kneel at Yanluo Hall for three hours as per Madam Wang's direction, but repent was the last thing on their mind after the huge revelation that night. They were worried for the little Shidi, of course, but it was not like the little Shidi was dying. There was something else that occupied the disciples' mind. It was so mind-shattering that they finally stopped pretending to repent and held a strategic meeting right then and there while kneeling for their punishment.
"You all heard it, right?" Xue Meng whispered, his eyes darting between Mo Ran and Shi Mei, who knelt next to him.
Both Mo Ran and Shi Mei nodded, their face serious without an ounce of laughter.
"Shizun's… most important person," Shi Mei repeated Madam Wang's words with a hollow voice full of disbelief.
The three disciples went silent and thought about the weight of those words. It was nothing too complicated. A child who was an adult's most important person.
"I knew it," Xue Meng said. "I knew that Xia-Shidi was not any regular disciple. To be able to live with Shizun right away…"
Mo Ran's expression was darker than the night. He did not want to even think about it, but Madam Wang's words reverberated around his head endlessly.
"Shizun has a son. Xia-Shidi is Shizun's…"
"Impossible!" Mo Ran exclaimed, followed by Xue Meng's "SSSHHHHH!!!"
Mo Ran lowered his voice and said, "Shizun cannot possibly have a child!"
Xue Meng stared at his cousin.
"How are you so sure? Shizun is a man."
Mo Ran clenched his jaws. Of course he knew that Chu Wanning was a man. Heck, he had the man naked and trembling under him for ten years! But how could Chu Wanning suddenly have a child this time around? No child of Chu Wanning ever showed up in the past life, neither during his time as Chu Wanning's disciple nor after he became the emperor of the cultivation world! The austere, lofty, and aloof Beidou Immortal steered clear of men and women alike, so where did this child come from???
Then again…
Mo Ran balled his fingers into fists.
It was not like Chu Wanning was the one giving birth. Maybe the child was the result of an unlikely one-night-stand with a lovely lady. Chu Wanning in the past might be more approachable than his current self. There might have been one lady who managed to thaw the ice block into spring water. Maybe a Xia Sini did exist in his past life and met with Chu Wanning. Maybe Mo Ran just did not know about it.
Mo Ran gritted his teeth in fury.
How many more things that Mo Ran did not know about Chu Wanning? How could Chu Wanning do this to him?
-Unacceptable.
-Unforgivable.
-Chu Wanning, you dared to have a child behind This Venerable One's back.
I am going to lock you in the Red Lotus Pavilion and have my ways with you for weeks before I allow you to even look at a single lotus flower!
Never mind that Xia Sini was born way before Mo Ran became Chu Wanning's disciple. Mo Ran could not care less. He had to find out who this "Shiniang" was, no matter what!
Chu Wanning was exhausted physically and mentally. His sleep was unpleasant due to the dizziness and stomachache. He had to wake up a few times during the night to get rid of the remaining spice in his body. Madam Wang tended to him meticulously the whole night and did not allow him to go back to Red Lotus Pavilion at all, not even after he had taken his breakfast.
"Yuheng Elder, do not worry. I will not allow anyone to disturb your peace."
"Mn. Thank you, Madam Wang."
Chu Wanning pressed his palm against his face and sighed.
At that point, he no longer cared about whatever was happening between Shi Mei and Mo Ran. Or that he had been foolish enough to eat spicy foods after being egged by his three disciples. Time could dilute even the most painful heartbreak. Chu Wanning had a more pressing problem at hand.
He was still in a child's body, and he was getting sick of being a kid.
It was clear to him that he was not going to return in his adult body just by waiting around. Almost two months had passed without any progress. Chu Wanning decided to take some action.
To Madam Wang's greatest shock, Chu Wanning informed her that he was leaving for Rainbell Isle the same day. The proud man completely disregarded the fact that he was in the body of a little boy at the moment and barely recovered. When Yuheng Elder wanted to leave, who could stop him?
It was unfortunate that Xue Zhengyong was away on another trip, so Madam Wang was not free to leave Sisheng Peak to accompany Chu Wanning. Not that Chu Wanning wanted her to come with him. She could only watch Chu Wanning leave for Red Lotus Pavilion helplessly while wringing her handkerchief in frustration until it was completely wrinkled and praying for her husband to come home as soon as possible.
Xue Zhengyong just happened to come back on the same day Chu Wanning left. Before he even sat down to rest, he got an earful of information from his wife, and was quite confused afterward. While he was pondering whether he should chase after Chu Wanning personally, Mo Ran came with a plate of fried radish cakes.
"Uncle, I made these snacks for fun. Why don't you try them and tell me if they are delicious?"
The fried radish cakes were still warm and fragrant. A whiff caused Xue Zhengyong to salivate immediately.
"Oooh, Ran'er is learning how to cook? Good, good, very good. Then this uncle will have a try."
Xue Zhengyong let out a satisfied moan when the tender radish cake melted inside his mouth. He quickly finished the whole plate by himself. Once he was full, he leaned back while rubbing his belly contentedly.
"Uncle," Mo Ran called out with a honey-laced voice. "I did a bad thing to my little Shidi last night. I really want to apologize to him but Aunt is still angry at me and does not allow anyone to meet him. Can you allow me to see him? I cooked some congee for him too…"
He said he wanted to apologize, but what he really wanted to do was drill this little Shidi until he confessed to having a father-child relationship with Chu Wanning. Taxian-Jun was very adept at digging the truth out of his prisoners. This little Shidi had no chance of escaping.
Xue Zhengyong, "Hm? Your little Shidi? Ah yes."
Xue Zhengyong was still digesting the news that Mo Ran, Xue Meng, and Shi Mei made Chu Wanning eat spicy stuff and caused him to fall sick. Sure, that was not the nicest thing to do to your own Shizun but look at how sorry Mo Ran was. Unfortunately, Chu Wanning had left Sisheng Peak so Mo Ran's good intention was futile.
"He, ahem, he's not here."
Mo Ran furrowed his brows.
"What does Uncle mean? He was so sick yesterday, how come he's not here anymore?"
"He, ahem, your Shizun took him back home to recuperate."
Xue Zhengyong thought that he was so smart. By saying that Chu Wanning took the little disciple away from Sisheng Peak, he only needed one excuse for two people's disappearance! He was congratulating himself in his heart, completely unaware of Mo Ran's scary-looking smile.
"Oh? Pray tell, where did Shidi come from?"
Xue Zhengyong instantly turned nervous.
"R-Rainbell Isle."
Mo Ran bared his teeth in a scary grin.
-Really.
-Shizun, you refused to leave Red Lotus Pavilion for two months, but you are in such a hurry to bring your darling son back home to his mother???
-You two-timing, cheating whore! This Venerable One will punish you properly!
Fuming, Mo Ran went back to the disciple dormitory to report his finding to his two accomplices/brothers-in-arm. After he was done telling that Chu Wanning took Xia Sini back to Rainbell Isle, Xue Meng started to wail from distress.
"It's over," he whispered in a hollow voice. "I not only have hurt Shizun over and over, but I have also bullied his son. He is going to kick me out, waahhhhhh!!!"
Shi Mei frowned.
"Guyue'ye Sect? Shiniang is from Guyue'ye Sect? How can it be..."
Mo Ran did not give a shit about the injuring or the bullying. He only cared to unearth Chu Wanning's private affair with some unknown woman.
"Shi Mei!" he snapped, frightening Shi Mei a little.
"Y-Yes, A-Ran?"
"Did you not always want to visit Rainbell Isle?"
"I… I did?"
"Of course!" Mo Ran shouted while grabbing the beauty's shoulders. "You have always admired their medical skills. Even Shizun allows you to go and learn from other sects. What better place to learn other than Rainbell Isle?"
Shi Mei, "…"
Xue Meng became energetic again as soon as he heard Mo Ran's brilliant suggestion. The crumpling heap on the floor peeled itself up and jumped in excitement.
"I will get permission from Mom! Let's have an excursion to the Rainbell Isle!!!"