Something snapped in Mo Ran's head when he saw the two characters on the willow vine's silver handle. Suddenly he did not give a fuck about respecting Chu Wanning's wish to stay dead anymore. He did not know why Chu Wanning made such a decision, and he also did not care. He only knew that Chu Wanning could not die in this way. Chu Wanning must be revived. If he had to threaten Master Huaizui to drag Chu Wanning back from the underworld, so be it!
The young man marched to the guest room and knocked at the door.
He knocked once, twice, thrice, but there was no answer. Mo Ran was just about to break through the door when Xue Zhengyong opened the door with a frown.
"Ran-er, what are you doing here?"
Mo Ran's violent resolution escaped from his body like water running down the drainpipe.
"U-Uncle. I… I just…"
"Master Huaizui is tired," Xue Zhengyong cut his nephew off. He pulled at Mo Ran's elbow and dragged him away from the guest room. "Let him rest."
Mo Ran unhappily went back to his room, but he could not sleep for the whole night. He kept mulling over the words that he wanted to tell Master Huaizui to convince him that Chu Wanning did not belong to the underworld but the mortal realm. When the sun rose the next morning to start another day in Sisheng Peak, Mo Ran left his bedroom in a hurry and rushed toward the guest room to talk to Master Huaizui.
To his greatest disappointment, Huaizui wasn't there. He already left with Xue Zhengyong. Mo Ran refused to give up. He sat by the door stubbornly to wait for Huaizui's return. Nearing noon, someone finally showed up but it was not Master Huaizui. It was Xue Meng. The young man still looked feverish, but he forced himself to leave his bedroom. When he saw Mo Ran sitting in front of Master Huaizui's door, he squinted at him in displeasure.
"What are you doing here," he growled.
Mo Ran gave Xue Meng an unyielding look.
"Probably the same as you."
Xue Meng tossed out empty laughter. He leaned against the wall and smirked.
"Mo Ran, were you not paying attention to what Master Huaizui said yesterday? You are going to become his disciple, and Shi Mei is going to join Guyue'ye Sect. You two are no longer Shizun's disciples. I am Shizun's only disciple now."
Mo Ran gritted his teeth.
"What Shizun wrote in his will has nothing to do with what we want. With what I want."
"Yeaaaa," Xue Meng drawled, "It is always about you, isn't it Mo Ran? Shizun's wish doesn't matter, Shizun doesn't matter. You only care about yourself."
Mo Ran's blood quickly started to boil.
"I am here to ask Master Huaizui to revive Shizun! How does that make me look like I only care about myself?"
Xue Meng folded his arms before his chest and stared at Mo Ran.
"Tell me, Mo Ran. Why do you want Shizun to come back to life?"
"Why? What kind of question is that?"
Xue Meng exhaled slowly.
"I care about Shizun. I love him as much as I love my parents. I would gladly give my life to save him, protect him, and keep him safe. What about you, Mo Ran? Why are you really here?"
Mo Ran opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out.
In his previous life, he hated Chu Wanning greatly. In Mo Ran's eyes, Chu Wanning was a cruel, ruthless, and heartless person. The grandmaster in white always wore a cold and impassive face, his punishments were always so brutal, his demeanor was not at all gentle, and his tongue lashing was as severe as his attacks.
It was so easy to hate Chu Wanning. He just had to keep reminding himself of all the things that Chu Wanning failed to do as a shizun. He was a hypocrite who cared about saving humanity but could not be bothered to save his disciples. He was selfish. He basked in the glory of a won battle while Shi Mei's cold body lay in Frostsky Hall.
Mo Ran never thought that he would one day see a completely different side of Chu Wanning.
Chu Wanning wanted to save the mortal realm badly so he exhausted his spiritual energy until his core cracked. He saved so many lives already but he could not stop and think about himself for one second. The hero of the cultivation realm, the exalted Beidou Immortal just had to drag his broken body to carry Mo Ran back to Sisheng Peak. He gave his spiritual core to save the world, and then he gave his life to save Mo Ran.
After everything that happened, did he still hate Chu Wanning?
No, of course not.
But did he cherish Chu Wanning? Did he love Chu Wanning? Did he care about Chu Wanning as much as Xue Meng did?
The answer to all those questions was a flat "No".
The only reason he came here to beg Huaizui was that he felt guilty about Chu Wanning's death. He was there for a selfish reason. He did not want to owe Chu Wanning, so he wanted him to come back alive. After Chu Wanning was revived, then Mo Ran would feel a lot less guilty. Then he could continue living his life happily. With Shi Mei in one hand, and a spiritual weapon in the other hand.
How horrible.
Mo Ran's face turned pale when he realized the truth. Just like what Xue Meng just said, he was there for a selfish reason.
Xue Meng gave Mo Ran a contemptuous smile.
"What is it?" he asked with a pleasant tone that dripped with poison. "Unable to answer?"
Mo Ran clenched his jaw.
Xue Meng scoffed. He straightened his back and walked toward Mo Ran, preparing to throw him out. Some distance away from him, a clear voice spoke up.
"Then, Young Master, are you also going to kick me out?"
Both Mo Ran and Xue Meng turned to look at Shi Mei, who just arrived.
"Shi Mei..."
"My relationship with Shizun might not even be half as close as Young Master's, but there is a certain degree of affection between us that is dear to me. The same thing goes for A-Ran. Young Master, three mouths are better than one. We all want the same thing, for whatever reason. Must we fight in front of Master Huaizui?"
"..."
Xue Meng flicked his sleeve angrily and said nothing more.
The three disciples waited for hours in silence. Master Huaizui finally showed up close before the sunset. He was not at all surprised to see Chu Wanning's three disciples in front of the guest room.
"Amitabha. All three Shizhus are here. Are you all looking for this humble monk?"
They all started talking at once. Master Huaizui listened to their incoherent pleas patiently before he held a hand up and repeated what he already told them the previous day.
"This humble monk was delighted to hear how much the three Shizhus missed Chu Wanning and wanted him back, but he already made his decision and this humble monk will not show him any disrespect by going against his wish."
Master Huaizui put his palms together and bowed before the dejected young men.
"Good night."
"Wait, Master Huaizui," Mo Ran called out. "May we know why Shizun made such a decision?"
Master Huaizui froze in his movement.
"Master, do you know?" Xue Meng asked as well.
Master Huaizui did not answer. He did not know. Chu Wanning came to him with a copy of the finished will and the Ever-yearning box. When he came to confirm his origin with Huaizui, he was already prepared to die and not come back.
Everyone wanted to live. It was the most selfish but also understandable wish that everyone had. What exactly caused him to lose the will to live? Why did Chu Wanning not want to be revived?
Mo Ran, "I trust that Master Huaizui also cares a lot about Shizun. Don't we deserve to know the real reason for this radical decision?"
Mo Ran's heart was thumping hard as he spoke. He knew that his words were getting to Master Huaizui, but were they enough to convince him? Master Huaizui slowly tilted his head backward and sighed.
"Tomorrow is the sixth day. All three Shizhus, please rest well for today and come to find me again tomorrow one hour before midnight."
All three of them did not say anything anymore. They obediently went back to their separate bedrooms and waited until the agreed time came. Exactly one hour before midnight the next day, all three of them arrived at Master Huaizui's door. They did not dare to push the old monk too much, so they merely hoped that what they said the previous day was enough to shake the master's resolution.
Master Huaizui opened the door and found all three disciples waiting for him just like the previous day. The four people walked toward the Platform of Sin and Virtue in silence. Master Huaizui was carrying a bag with him. Once they arrived, he took out three lanterns from inside the bag. The lanterns shone with soft golden light. Intricate spells were written on the walls of the lantern. The vertical columns made of characters looked a lot like bars that were designed to keep something or someone hostage inside the lanterns.
Master Huaizui held one lantern above his head.
"This is a Soul-Guiding Lantern, this monk has prepared one for each of you. Before we proceed, please listen well to what I have to say."