There seemed to be a kind of tacit understanding between Chu Wanning and Mo Ran after their last encounter. They mutually avoided each other.
Chu Wanning went about his daily activities as usual without much change. He taught his classes in the morning, took Mo Ran and Xue Meng to train in the bamboo forest before lunch, and tutored Shi Mei in defense and healing techniques in the afternoon. After that, he left Sisheng Peak and disappeared to unknown places. He only came back late at night, way past the curfew time for disciples.
Mo Ran spent more and more time with Shi Mei. Their relationship had gotten a lot closer compared to the one in his previous life. He often ran to nearby towns to buy little gifts for Shi Mei just to see the bright smile on his face whenever he unwrapped yet another present from Mo Ran. What started with holding hands had turned into intimate hugs, but Mo Ran still could not find the right moment to confess to Shi Mei.
The young man kept thinking back to how Shi Mei cried back in his dream underneath the Jincheng Lake. For some reason, those tears did not seem like they were brought about by excessive happiness. There was something different about them. Something inexplicably sad. Something Mo Ran did not understand.
Nevertheless, he was a hot-blooded young man. His patience had a limit, and it was nearing the end. Mo Ran thus decided to go get Shi Mei one grand gift and confessed his feelings for real. Should Shi Mei accept his love, then they would be a real couple. The mere thought of calling Shi Mei his lover was enough to put a smile on Mo Ran's face the whole day, making him grin like an idiot.
Mo Ran used to wander around the towns in the past. He knew where to eat, where to shop, and also where to buy good gifts. There was a high-tier jewelry shop in Butterfly Town that sold exquisite jade accessories. Mo Ran went there once to admire the goods. They were very expensive, but also very beautiful. He especially had eyes for a certain red jade pendant which was embedded in pure gold. The shopkeeper told him that it was one-of-a-kind, extremely rare, and absolutely exquisite. The red color reminded him of Shi Mei's beautiful lips. Shi Mei was going to look very beautiful with a thin, sleek gold chain around his neck, and the jade pendant close to his chest.
The moment Mo Ran saw the pendant, he knew that he had to buy it for Shi Mei. He thus asked the shopkeeper to keep the pendant for him for three days.
After Mo Ran made up his mind that morning, he told Shi Mei that he had something to say to him.
"What is it, A-Ran?" Shi Mei asked with a smile.
Mo Ran simply gave him a mysterious smile. He swiped Shi Mei's nose playfully and pulled him into a hug.
"Not now. Tonight, okay? I will be back before dinner. Let's eat together, and then... Let's talk. Okay?"
Shi Mei was confused, but he sent Mo Ran off with a smile, saying that he would be waiting.
A lover's smile was more potent than the strongest cultivation pill.
Mo Ran felt as if he had grown wings on his back. His steps were light as he skipped happily to Butterfly Town in the afternoon. The day had finally come. This time, no one and nothing was going to prevent Mo Ran from getting together with Shi Mei!
All the excitement made Mo Ran hungry. He decided to stop by a stall to buy some snacks and wine and calm his heart before getting to Butterfly Town.
"Boss, I want a plate of dumplings! Add a lot of chili sauce please!"
The stall was a small one. The owner merely put three long tables under a makeshift tent for guests to sit in. Therefore, it was normal for random people to sit and enjoy their meals together. The stall was pretty crowded that afternoon. Two empty seats remained at one last table. Mo Ran sat at the table without paying attention to the people next to him. He only realized that something was amiss when the person next to him curled up his fingers unnaturally.
Mo Ran turned to his left and stared directly into Chu Wanning's frowning face. He almost got a heart attack then and there.
"S-Shizun!!" He shrieked.
Chu Wanning regarded him with a cold look. There seemed to be a layer of frost covering his phoenix eyes.
Before any of them said anything, another person arrived at the table and screeched like a ghost.
"You dog, you are sitting in my seat!"
Mo Ran sneered at the newcomer. Xue Meng stood in front of the table with two plates of fried dumplings. His lips were pursed unhappily.
"Mengmeng ah, there is another seat in front of me. Go ahead, sit down and let's eat."
"Why must I sit in front of you??? I want to sit next to Shizun! Get up!"
Mo Ran did not particularly insist on sitting next to Chu Wanning, but he enjoyed annoying Xue Meng very much. The more aggrieved Xue Meng was, the broader the grin on Mo Ran's face. Chu Wanning on the other side did not have half the thick skin that Mo Ran had.
The people around them started to look in their direction. The frown between Chu Wanning's eyes deepened from shame.
"Xue Meng. Sit down."
Xue Meng sat begrudgingly opposite Mo Ran. He threw one last glare at Mo Ran before his scrunched-up face unraveled into a bright smile as he shoved a plate of dumplings in front of Chu Wanning.
"Shizun, the dumplings here are the BEST. Please try some."
Mo Ran, "Where is the chili sauce? Mengmeng, are you eating your dumplings without chili sauce???"
Xue Meng was close to pouring a bottle of chili sauce down Mo Ran's throat. Mo Ran paid him no attention and grabbed a dumpling from Xue Meng's plate.
"Hey! That is mine! Wait for yours to come!"
Acting deaf, Mo Ran put the stolen dumpling into his mouth and grinned.
"Ooh, so delicious! The filling is so plump and juicy! And the skin is fried to perfection! Mengmeng, eat already."
Xue Meng looked as if he wanted to turn Mo Ran into a dumpling. Chu Wanning put one dumpling from his plate into Xue Meng's to compensate Xue Meng for his loss.
"Eat, Xue Meng."
"... Yes, Shizun."
Xue Meng quickly grabbed the one dumpling he got from Chu Wanning, worried that Mo Ran would steal it away as well.
Chu Wanning coughed softly into his fist. He took a dumpling and slowly chewed on it. Next to him, Mo Ran and Xue Meng were having a dumpling eating competition. By the time his two disciples finished Xue Meng's plate, Chu Wanning had only finished one. There was nothing wrong with the dumpling. He simply did not have an appetite. If not for Xue Meng begging him under tears to accompany him to eat, he would not have agreed to come.
Mo Ran sneaked a furtive glance at Chu Wanning. The hand that held the chopsticks was firm and beautiful as always, but his arm had become so thin that his bones stuck out. Chu Wanning looked pale and haggard. There were dark circles around his eyes. Yuheng Elder took care of everyone but himself. What exactly had he been doing these days that caused him to fall into this state?
Chu Wanning forced himself to eat three dumplings, and then he pushed the plate away.
"Shizun? Are the dumplings not to your liking?" Xue Meng inquired full of concern while having a chopsticks battle with Mo Ran over the last dumplings on Mo Ran's plate.
"They are delicious," Chu Wanning answered. "Xue Meng, I still need to go somewhere else. Go back with Mo Ran to Sisheng Peak."
Mo Ran nearly choked on his dumpling. He did not want to have Xue Meng around him while he picked the jade pendant for Shi Mei!
It turned out that Xue Meng was not willing to accompany him at all. The two disciples spoke at the same time in response to Chu Wanning's words.
"Shizun, I want to go with you!" Xue Meng cried.
"Shizun, I have something else to do. Xue Meng should go back first," Mo Ran said. He cursed in his heart when he heard what Xue Meng had to say. Damn it. If only he waited for a little before speaking.
Mo Ran gazed at Chu Wanning, who narrowed his eyes at him.
"What do you plan to do? It is nearing curfew."
Mo Ran swallowed hard.
"I... I just need to pick up something at the Butterfly Town."
"Really. In that case, we will accompany you to Butterfly Town. After that, you and Xue Meng will go back to Sisheng Peak right away."
Mo Ran cursed under his breath. Having Xue Meng come along was bad enough. Now he had to deal with Chu Wanning as well! He gritted his teeth in displeasure, but he knew he had no other choice.
After they finished three plates of dumplings, Xue Meng begrudgingly paid for Mo Ran as well. They then set off on their sabers for Butterfly Town. Mo Ran squinted in irritation at Xue Meng, who casually took Chu Wanning with him on Longcheng.
It was an hour before sunset, but darkness had started to set in around them. Gusts of cold wind blew as dark clouds collected in the sky. Slight rumbling sounds were accompanied by crackling lightning that flashed from time to time.
They had visited Butterly Town a few times in the past. The road to the town was flanked by kilometers of flower fields left and right. There used to be a bunch of butterflies flying around in the field, but that afternoon there was none visible.
Mo Ran thought that it was weird, but paid it no further mind. After all, he never visited Butterfly Town close to nightfall. Maybe butterflies only came out during the day.
It was Chu Wanning who first noticed that something was wrong. He gestured for both disciples to stop just a few hundred meters away from the entrance to Butterfly Town.
"Shizun, what..."
Mo Ran followed Chu Wanning's gaze and stared at the sky. There, above the Butterfly Town, hovered a gigantic chessboard. On top of it stood blurry figures, and the number increased by the second!
"That is...!!!"
Xue Meng stepped forward but Chu Wanning yanked at his arm.
"Go back to Sisheng Peak," he commanded. "Go back and ask Sect Leader to come right away! He will know what to do!"
Xue Meng looked at Chu Wanning in confusion.
"But Shizun, what are you going to do?"
"Listen to me and go!" Chu Wanning shoved Xue Meng and Mo Ran hard.
Xue Meng grabbed at Chu Wanning's hand. He was not sure why, but he suddenly had a very bad feeling.
"Shizun, please wait for us to come back, alright? You... You have to take care of yourself. You must not be rash."
Tears pooled in Xue Meng's eyes. It was Zhenlong Chess Formation all over again. They managed to escape Jincheng Lake and Peach Blossoms Spring with their lives, but what about this time? In the first two instances, Chu Wanning had been heavily wounded. He had barely recovered from the incident at Peach Blossoms Spring. Xue Meng was unwilling to leave. He did not want to leave Chu Wanning alone. The past few weeks, the Shizun he admired seemed to be reduced to a mere shadow of his past self. It was as if Chu Wanning was going to disappear soon...
Chu Wanning sighed.
His eyes softened and he grabbed at Xue Meng's hands.
"I will be fine."
"Promise me, Shizun. Promise me that..."
Xue Meng's lips trembled in agony. He did not want to paint the devil on the wall. He just desperately wanted to extricate a promise from Chu Wanning. A promise that he would wait for them. That he would not do anything to harm himself.
"Promise me that we will eat fried dumplings together again."
Chu Wanning stared at Xue Meng for some time before he cracked a sad smile.
One last lie.
"I promise."