When Mo Ran opened his eyes again, the first thing he remembered was the Soul-Guiding Lantern which was unfortunately nowhere to be found. He jumped from the bed like a crazy person and ran toward Naihe Bridge to find Master Huaizui, all the while screaming for the elder monk.
"MASTER HUAIZUI!!!! MASTER HUAIZUI!!!"
There was no one at Naihe Bridge. Mo Ran's heart almost stopped. He continued running to Yanluo Hall, where Chu Wanning's body was. Xue Meng and Shi Mei were just exiting Yanluo Hall when they saw this crazy-looking young man storming in their direction. His eyes were trained at a spot behind them. He rammed into Xue Meng and Shi Mei without even recognizing them. If Xue Meng did not know better, he would have called for guards to throw Mo Ran out.
"A-Ran??" Shi Mei exclaimed in shock.
Mo Ran did not even stop to look at him.
"Where is Master Huaizui? Where is Shizun?? I need to speak to Master Huaizui!!!!"
Xue Meng gave Mo Ran a smack at the back of his neck and the latter slumped against him uselessly. Xue Meng sighed. The two shixiongs dragged their shidi back to the disciple dormitory. Xue Meng went to get Tanlang Elder and Shi Mei stayed with Mo Ran.
Mo Ran did not regain consciousness even after Tanlang Elder came and left. The elder merely repeated what he already said three days ago, that Mo Ran lost a lot of blood in the Underworld. He was young and robust, so proper and nutritious meals would be enough to get him back on his feet.
Shi Mei went to the kitchen to cook Mo Ran a bowl of chicken porridge. He added only half serving of chili sauce because Mo Ran was still very weak. He took care to warm the bowl with his spiritual power the whole time to make sure that Mo Ran woke up to a warm meal.
Mo Ran woke up eventually, but the first word that came out of his mouth was "Shizun" and he did not even say anything about being happy to see Shi Mei.
A little frown appeared between Shi Mei's brows. He was not the type of person to voice his discomfort, so he merely gave Mo Ran a forced smile and spoke gently to him, "A-Ran, don't get up yet. Tanlang Elder said that you need to rest and eat properly. Are you hungry? I have a bowl of chicken porridge for you."
The usual Mo Ran would light up in happiness, thank Shi Mei with all his heart, greedily eat spoon after spoon of whatever Shi Mei served him while showering Shi Mei in a downpour of praises. The Mo Ran in front of him was barely showing any reaction.
The frown between Shi Mei's brows deepened even more.
Never mind. Shi Mei exhaled.
Mo Ran had been through a horrifying experience in the Underworld. It was just natural for him not to be able to bounce back so easily. Shi Mei had to be patient. Yes, he had to be.
Shi Mei took the bowl of porridge in his hands, scooped a spoonful, blew on it carefully, and then placed the spoon at Mo Ran's lips. Mo Ran eventually opened his mouth.
"A-Ran, I cooked it myself," Shi Mei said with a gentle, heart-melting smile.
He did not know what happened, but Mo Ran who already swallowed the spoonful of porridge suddenly suffered from a coughing fit and ended up throwing up the porridge to the floor. Some of it splattered against Shi Mei's boots.
By that time, Shi Mei was barely able to contain his displeasure. Lucky for him, Mo Ran kept his gaze down the whole time so he was not able to see the cold look on Shi Mei's face. After taking a deep breath a few times, Shi Mei schooled his facial expression back to a gentle and understanding one.
"A-Ran, was the porridge too hot?"
Mo Ran shook his head rapidly. His gaze was unfocused.
"I... I am not hungry. Sorry, Shi Mei."
"Is that so."
Shi Mei rose to his feet with a smile.
"Then I will take this back to the kitchen first and come back to clean the floor, okay?"
"Y-yes. Um, Shi Mei... Where is Xue Meng?"
"I will get Young Master Xue to come right away," Shi Mei said without looking back. He was so angry. Instead of getting Xue Meng and bringing the bowl of unfinished porridge to the Mengpo Hall, Shi Mei smashed it against a tree outside of the dormitory and went to his own bed-chamber.
Mo Ran waited and waited, but Xue Meng did not come. Thinking that Xue Meng was still angry at him, Mo Ran gloomily went to sleep. Xue Meng did come a few hours later to take a look at Mo Ran, but Mo Ran was sleeping soundly and there was a mess next to his bed. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Xue Meng ended up cleaning the floor and then left for the night.
Shi Mei came early in the morning with a bowl of wontons from Mengpo Hall. Mo Ran was always a fan of wontons. Shi Mei didn't know how to make wontons the way Chu Wanning did it, so he was ecstatic when the grannies at Mengpo Hall cooked some.
Mo Ran was already awake. He no longer looked as crazy as the day before. There was an air of desolation in his room. He looked as if his whole family, wife, and children had just died in a horrible incident.
"A-Ran, good morning. Are you hungry yet? I have a bowl of wontons for you."
Upon hearing the words "a bowl of wontons", a complicated expression spread on Mo Ran's face. Shi Mei placed the tray with the bowl of wontons in Mo Ran's hands. Mo Ran held onto the tray, but he did not even lift the ceramic spoon to eat.
"A-Ran, let me feed you."
Shi Mei picked up the ceramic spoon. Mo Ran lifted his eyes and stared at Shi Mei.
"Shi Mei, have you ever made a bowl of wonton for me?"
Shi Mei froze upon hearing Mo Ran's question. He had been at the receiving end of Mo Ran's adoring and lovesick gazes many many times before, but what was with the piercing stare that he gave him right now?
Shi Mei forced himself to smile, trying to melt the ice that seemed to have formed within Mo Ran's eye cavities.
"A-Ran, what kind of question is that? Quickly eat, the soup is getting cold."
Mo Ran's eyes softened slightly, but he was not interested to touch the bowl at all.
"Shi Mei, have you or have you not?"
Shi Mei swallowed. The knot at his throat bobbed gently up and down in anxiety.
"No," he finally answered.
Mo Ran slowly exhaled when he heard Shi Mei's answer. He was secretly thankful that Shi Mei did not lie to him. If he did, Mo Ran would not know how to control his temper. That did not stop him from asking further.
"Who was it that made the bowls of wontons that I like so much?"
Shi Mei shut his peach blossom eyes in irritation.
"Shizun did."
Mo Ran pressed his trembling lips together. It was really Chu Wanning after all.
Deafening silence settled in the room as none of them continued speaking. Shi Mei thought that the atmosphere was too suffocating. He could not stand Mo Ran's attitude toward him. This was not how it was supposed to be.
"A-Ran, if you want, I can learn to make wontons on my own. I will make it the same way Shizun did. What about I try today and tomorrow I bring you a new bowl?"
Mo Ran furrowed his brows and looked at Shi Mei as if he had just said something completely insane.
"Shi Mei, what are you talking about?" He said. "No one can make wontons as well as Shizun did. That bowl of wontons is lost forever. I will never be able to eat Shizun's hand-made bowl of wontons, ever again."
Shi Mei felt as if someone just poured hot spicy sauce over his heart and burned it over an open fire. He clenched his fists in fury.
-What the hell? It is just a bowl of wontons. There is nothing special about it. Even the recipe is so basic. You just like a bowl of wontons, does it matter who makes it? Why are you now acting as if Shizun is the first person who creates wontons???
Indignation caused some wetness to stick to his tender eyelashes. Shi Mei pitifully batted his eyelashes and continued speaking.
"A-Ran, are you acting like this because Shizun died to save you? If I had saved you in his stead, will A-Ran also mourn my death the same way?"
Shi Mei never had to throw himself at Mo Ran that way to draw his attention. This time he already bared himself before Mo Ran, clearly asking for affection. So naturally, Mo Ran would...
Mo Ran did not answer. He merely lowered his gaze and stared at the bowl of wontons that he did not want to eat. It was as if Shi Mei was worth less than that darned bowl of wontons! In Shi Mei's head, he imagined himself smashing the tray against the wall and grabbing Mo Ran by his collar to bang his head a few times against the pillow.
But of course he did not do that.
Thankfully, Xue Meng arrived just in time. That gave Shi Mei an excuse to leave. He could not stand being in the same room as Mo Ran for a second longer.
"Xue Meng," Mo Ran said with a hollow voice, "is everything done?"
Xue Meng frowned. He thought that Mo Ran was maybe asking whether his mission to collect Chu Wanning's souls was completed. Considering that Master Huaizui was now working on returning Chu Wanning's souls to his body, of course the answer was yes.
"En," Xue Meng said with a nod. "It is done."
Unexpectedly, Mo Ran began to cry.
"I am sorry," he sobbed. "I am so sorry."
Xue Meng was puzzled. He had seen Mo Ran in a hundred ugly states before, but he had never seen Mo Ran cry openly in front of him. Xue Meng immediately felt awkward. Should he try to console him? Should he hug him?
Xue Meng's arm moved awkwardly over Mo Ran's shoulder. He didn't even know how to place his arm around Mo Ran.
"It is my fault," Mo Ran continued sobbing. "If not because of me, Shizun would not have died. Wuwuwuwu, Shi..."
The syllable "zun" had not even left his mouth yet before Xue Meng's hand that was originally intended to pat Mo Ran's arm gently made a sharp turn in the air and ended up smacking Mo Ran's head hard.
Mo Ran was so shocked that he stopped crying in an instant.
"Will you please stop cursing our Shizun???" Xue Meng screamed with a red face. "Master Huaizui said that Shizun would be resurrected in five years. Stop speaking as if he's six meters underground already. What bad luck! Pfui! Pfui! Pfui!"
Xue Meng spat on the floor, and the next moment after that the tray with the bowl of wontons came crashing on the floor.
Mo Ran grabbed Xue Meng's arms so hard that it hurt.
"What... What did you say? Shizun would? But... But he is nowhere... And Master Huaizui is also missing..."
"That's because they are in seclusion at Red Lotus Pavilion!" Xue Meng shouted. "Let go, you dog, IT HURTS!"
Mo Ran let Xue Meng go right away. He gaped at Xue Meng while mumbling incoherently. Something about lantern and then soul and then ghost soldiers. But when tears came streaming down his cheeks again, the look of desolation was completely gone.
"Shizun is going to be back in five years. Right, Xue Meng?"
"Yes!" Xue Meng confirmed in irritation. "Damn dog, I just cleaned the floor for you yesterday night and now I have to do it again! What's with you and wasting food..."
Xue Meng continued raging, but Mo Ran could not even hear a word of it. He kept repeating the same line in his head.
Shizun is going to be back in five years. Shizun is going to be back in five years.
By the time Xue Meng was done with his angry speech, Mo Ran turned to him and said, "Mengmeng, I am so hungry... Can you bring me anything from Mengpo Hall?"
"What the hell!" Xue Meng exclaimed. "First you drop foods on the floor and now you ask for more food to be delivered to your bed? Who the hell do you think you are???"
Despite his volatile temper, Xue Meng still stomped off the room to get food for Mo Ran. Before he left, he turned back and looked at Mo Ran indignantly.
"Hey, dog."
"Hm?"
"Thanks for bringing Shizun back."
The tips of Xue Meng's ears were slightly red. He left without waiting for Mo Ran's reply. Mo Ran stared at his back until he disappeared. Then he looked down at his quilt while pressing his lips into a thin line. There was a bitter taste in his mouth that he could not get rid of no matter how many times he swallowed his saliva.
-No need to thank me. Shizun came back for your sake.