The attack came so sudden and unexpected. Chu Wanning's body went stiff and felt numb all over while Mo Ran went crazy on top of him. The bite tore a wound at his lip, and blood started to gush out. The teenager licked at the blood and sucked at Chu Wanning's lips fervently as if trying to drink every drop of blood in his body. The warm body of the hot-blooded youth was lying on top of him, pressing down at him like a hot branding iron.
While he was being wildly kissed by Mo Ran, Chu Wanning's mind was a mess. Exactly what did he do wrong to earn this kind of treatment?
In his past life, Mo Ran humiliated and tortured him for years because he thought that Chu Wanning was responsible for Shi Mei's death. That was not true, but at least there was a reason for the continuous harassment.
In this life, Chu Wanning did his best to maintain a distance between himself and Mo Ran. He even went as far as giving Mo Ran as much private time with Shi Mei as possible. If everything went according to plan, Mo Ran should have focused his attention on Shi Mei only and left Chu Wanning alone.
That one time in Butterfly Town was an unfortunate incident that both of them clearly regretted.
What was it this time?
Chu Wanning had not met with Mo Ran in an adult body for months! Tracing back to the past three days, he had not done a single thing to aggrieve Mo Ran!
So what was Mo Ran so dissatisfied about?
What caused his mood to be unstable?
What exactly happened? Why was nothing running according to the plan?
While Chu Wanning was in a daze, Mo Ran's onslaught shifted from Chu Wanning's lips to his neck. The latter was so shocked that he did not even register the wild kisses. What caused him to snap to reality was the sound of his clothes ripped into two, followed by Mo Ran's mouth that closed over one of his cherry buds. The teenager's hot and wet tongue pressed against the shy little bean and sent an electric current into Chu Wanning's body.
That was the end of Chu Wanning's patience.
The Hatred Flower could go to hell, and Mo Ran was welcome to join it.
In his crazed state, Mo Ran did not fear anything. He was like a hungry wild beast that had not eaten meat for months. Once the meat was visible, he could no longer restrain himself and had to eat like a glutton. All that he wanted at that moment was to drink Chu Wanning's blood and devour his flesh. And yet in his lust, Mo Ran still felt the tiny hairs on his body rising seconds before he was brutally lashed by a golden willow vine. Before he even got a good look, the second, third, and fourth blow followed. Tianwen was practically running rampage in the room, knocking the lamps off the table and cast the room in darkness.
Mo Ran yelped in pain and jumped off Chu Wanning like a scared dog.
Chu Wanning was originally bad-tempered. He had been holding himself back a lot around Mo Ran for fear that he would accelerate the Hatred Flower's control over Mo Ran's heart. Since holding back apparently did not work, then it was time to beat the crap out of Mo Ran along with the despicable Hatred Flower.
"So hate me if you must," Chu Wanning hissed while Tianwen landed on Mo Ran's body mercilessly and whipped him bloody.
By the time Chu Wanning was done, Mo Ran already lost half of his souls and Chu Wanning had transformed back into Xia Sini. The little boy was so angry that he whipped at the table surface and caused the porcelain tea set to land on the ground and smash into pieces.
What remained from Chu Wanning's robe slid down her tiny body and little Chu Wanning stood there, naked as the day he was born. Trembling from anger, he kicked at his ruined clothes and went to grab the two pills that Jiang Xi gave him. Before he took a pill, he threw a glance at Mo Ran and found that he was still largely dissatisfied.
Chu Wanning went over to slap Mo Ran a few more times across his face before he took the pill and returned to his adult body. He glared at the remaining pill before safely tucking it back inside his bag.
One pill!
One pill remaining!
Mo Ran, you...!!!
Chu Wanning's mood could not be more sour. For the first time since he revived, he did not want to be a good Shizun. Mo Ran was lying unconscious on the floor, bleeding from some whip wounds but Chu Wanning did not care. He was not interested to touch Mo Ran, let alone tend to his wounds. If he did not make it clear to Mo Ran that this kind of attitude was unacceptable, then Mo Ran would only become more brazen with time!
How despicable!
Whenever Mo Ran opened his mouth, a litany of praises for Shi Mei came out incessantly. He never had one single good opinion about Chu Wanning no matter what Chu Wanning did for him, and this lustful disciple still dared to molest him? Not everything could be blamed on the Hatred Flower because the Hatred Flower merely amplified the emotions inside the host's heart.
What did it mean?
It meant that Mo Ran had always harbored dirty thoughts in his mind!!! Chu Wanning was unlucky enough to be stuck with him when he went crazy this time. It could have been Shi Mei. Or Xue Meng!
Chu Wanning gritted his teeth. He mercilessly gave Mo Ran one last kick before tying the scoundrel up.
An inn attendant was minding his business in the corridor when he heard the ruckus coming from a bedroom. He was concerned about the furniture inside but at the same time, he was also excited by the sound of heavy breathing accompanied by soft whimpers.
The rooms on that floor were specifically furnished for couples' use. It was easy to guess what was happening behind the closed door. Dual cultivation was hailed as one of the best methods of healing after all.
Also, he believed he heard the sound of a whip dancing through the air. His heart quickened as a grin spread on his face.
Oh my, he thought.
Was this not the room that was booked by that beautiful cultivator who came with that half-grown disciple? To think that the Shizun had such a kinky, exciting hobby! Just who was the person who had the blessing of serving underneath the man??? It could not be his disciple, could it???
The disciple supposedly stayed next door. And the door of the next room was slightly ajar. A little peek told the attendant that the disciple was not inside his room.
Oh my.
Oh my oh my.
Where else could he be?
A shizun and a disciple.
A forbidden romance between a shizun and a disciple!
Teaching swordsmanship during the day and bed pleasure during the night!
Naughty, naughty shizun!
The attendant licked at his lips and could not help himself anymore. He approached the sinful room and gently pressed his ear at the door, intent on eavesdropping.
The swishing sound had stopped.
The sweet sounds were gone.
The attendant frowned. He pressed his ear harder against the door, and then the door suddenly opened and he fell unceremoniously right in front of Chu Wanning's feet.
"..."
"..."
"X-xianjun..."
Chu Wanning's eyes were as cold as two frozen lakes in the winter. He flung a bag of cash at the attendant, who caught it with a precision that his employer would have been proud of.
"Buy me a set of clothes. White. No accessories."
The Ascending Dragon was relieved to see Chu Wanning in his adult state again. He wanted to poke fun at Chu Wanning but the words stopped short from leaving its snout. Mo Ran's bloody body, tied up like a criminal on the floor was an immediate reflection of Chu Wanning's mood. The dragon knew that he should shut up.
After they arrived at Sisheng Peak, Chu Wanning dumped Mo Ran's body like a worthless sack of meat in front of Xue Meng and Shi Mei.
"..."
"..."
"Take care of it," Chu Wanning said curtly before going back to Red Lotus Pavilion and slamming the gate shut behind him.
The story of Yuheng Elder who came back with a half-dead Mo Ran became the hot topic for the next few days. Meanwhile, Chu Wanning had transformed back to Xia Sini. The Beidou Immortal was in seclusion again and the youngest disciple Xia Sini started to attend classes with the other disciples. After class, he mostly hung out with Xue Meng.
Mo Ran still had not recovered after a week had passed. Xue Meng and Chu Wanning were enjoying their lunch at Mengpo Hall when Shi Mei came. A heavy sigh passed from the tender beauty. He put down a tray of food and sat next to Xue Meng.
"How is Mo Ran doing?" Xue Meng asked while chewing on spicy meatballs.
"Still the same," Shi Mei answered with a sigh. "He keeps saying that he wants to go apologize to Shizun but..."
Shi Mei stopped talking as he moved his gaze toward the little shidi. It was unbecoming to talk bad about the father in front of the son.
"..."
Xue Meng cleared his throat.
"Ah, Xia-shidi, how is Shizun these days?"
"Normal," Chu Wanning answered while picking at sauteed tofu with some green vegetables.
Chu Wanning scoffed in his heart. Mo Ran was such a weakling. Where did the courage go when he tried to rape him? In fact, Chu Wanning felt that one round of lashing was not enough to teach Mo Ran the lesson.
His anger did not subside until a few more days when Mo Ran finally showed up for classes. He looked haggard and miserable.
"Mo-xiong, what exactly happened?" A few nosy disciples came over to speak to Mo Ran after class. "I heard that the White Ghost came to personally deliver you to hell."
A round of cackles followed.
Little Chu Wanning was crawling under the table at the corner of the room at that time. He had clumsily dropped his inkstone when the class was about to end. The inkstone had unfortunately broken into several chunks.
The several teenagers seemed to think that everyone else had left the class so they stayed behind to chat.
-What white ghost are they talking about?
"Don't mention it anymore," Mo Ran said with a darkened expression. "My bones will snap from the mere reminder."
"Mo-xiong ah, the last time that Little Widow tortured someone so bad, it was because that shijie dared to peek at him when he was taking a bath. Exactly what did you do to him? Hahahahaha!!!"
When hearing those words, both Mo Ran's and Chu Wanning's faces turned ugly.
The disciple would never know that his guess was on point. Only worse. Mo Ran did not peek at Chu Wanning taking a bath, no. He merely forced himself on his Shizun. If others found out about it... Mo Ran did not think that he would have a place to bury whatever remained from his corpse after Chu Wanning was done with him. The creepy thought caused him to shiver from fear.
Meanwhile, Chu Wanning finally understood who they were talking about.
-What White Ghost?
-What Little Widow???
-These disciples deserve death!!!
Chu Wanning straightened himself up and the table clattered. The sound caused the group of disciples to jump from fright. Aghast, they all turned their pale faces at the little boy who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Little Xia Sini walked past them with a sour expression and then out of the classroom.
"Shidi, WAIT!!!!"
Mo Ran chased after Chu Wanning with great effort and dragged him to the side. The other disciples already escaped out of the classroom in a hurry.
"Shidi, please, please. Please do not tell Shizun anything that you heard just now," Mo Ran pleaded while grabbing at his little shidi's arms.
"Let me go!" Chu Wanning shouted, his eyes twinkled with fury.
"Please promise me first. I cannot afford to offend Shizun anymore in this lifetime."
"I won't say anything!" Chu Wanning snapped angrily. He heard it with his own ears already! What else was there to say???
The fool Mo Ran heaved a sigh, not at all realizing that the milk had long since been spilled onto the ground.
"Good. Uh..."
Mo Ran pulled a grimace and groaned when he straightened up.
"What's wrong?" Chu Wanning asked.
"Nothing. I just don't feel too well."
A little guilt tapped at Chu Wanning's heart.
"If you still have not recovered, then you should not come to class at all."
"Hahaha, I have to. If I miss too many classes, I will get punished again by Shizun."
Chu Wanning's face darkened. He stomped off and left without saying goodbye.
Whether it was due to his good looks or his easy-going personality, Mo Ran was well-liked by his fellow disciples. They often frequented his dormitory and brought some food for him. Unfortunately, there was only one dish that Mo Ran yearned for : the wonton soup that Shi Mei cooked.
Naturally, this time his wish was not granted because Shi Mei did not make the wonton soup in the first place and he did not have the cheek to ask his Shizun to cook for Mo Ran again.
Mo Ran lay around on his bed in a miserable state and mood. He still could not believe that in this lifetime he had given in to his impulse and attacked Chu Wanning without properly thinking about the consequences.
Yes, he lusted after Chu Wanning's body.
Yes, he would love to sleep with him again.
Yes, he was addicted to Chu Wanning's smooth skin and cold lips.
So what???
But why oh why.
Mo Ran groaned in sorrow.
-Why, Mo Ran, why.
-You are digging your own grave at an even younger age than in your previous life. What is Chu Wanning going to think about you now? How can you make it right???
Mo Ran rolled around on the bed while pressing both palms at his face.
-Chu Wanning is not one to forget such a barbaric act. He is going to make me pay for the rest of my life.
-Heavens.
-Save me.
-Oh God.
A soft click was heard, and Xia Sini's small figure showed up at the door with the outside light serving as a backdrop. He was holding a tray with a lidded ceramic bowl that was as large as his head. Xue Meng held the door open with one hand.
"Careful, Xia-shidi. Don't walk too fast, you will spill it."
"I won't."
Mo Ran sat up in his bed, speechless.
Chu Wanning put the tray down carefully on the table by Mo Ran's bed. Xue Meng dragged two chairs for him and Chu Wanning to sit.
"Our shidi feels sorry for you, so he went to cook something for you to eat," Xue Meng explained.
Mo Ran broke into a smile.
"Really? Thank you, Shidi. What did you cook?"
Chu Wanning said nothing. He merely removed the lid on the bowl to reveal a wonton soup. Mo Ran's eyes widened in surprise. The plumpness of these wontons... The fragrant spicy hot oil... It was exactly the one that Shi Mei used to cook for him!
Mo Ran took the spoon and dipped it into the bowl. When the first wonton entered his mouth, he could not help but groan in satisfaction.
"This is so good!" Mo Ran praised. "Shidi, did you make it yourself???"
Chu Wanning nodded.
"So good! Shi Mei taught you how to make it, right?"
Chu Wanning's expression went stiff for a split second, but then he nodded again.
"I knew it! No one was able to make wonton soup as delicious as this other than Shi Mei, hahahah!!!"
Mo Ran continued to praise Shi Mei's culinary skills while he took one spoonful after another. Xue Meng listened with a bored expression and Chu Wanning listened with an empty expression on his face. The light in his eyes slowly became smaller and smaller until it completely died out.
After Mo Ran was done eating, Chu Wanning took the empty bowl with him back to Mengpo Hall. Xue Meng offered to accompany him, but the little boy refused. He wanted to be alone.
It was snowing that night.
The tiny figure walked alone from the disciple dormitory to Mengpo Hall. The empty ceramic bowl felt cold in Chu Wanning's hands. As cold as his own heart.