Mo Ran had a week-long fever after he got injured during the barrier breach. Shi Mei got a minor injury and he was fine after a day had passed. He wanted to stay a bit longer in Sisheng Peak to take care of Mo Ran, but Mo Ran said that he would be fine. He just needed to rest properly. Shi Mei thus reluctantly left and went back to Guyue'ye.
Xue Meng went to visit Mo Ran every day. Contrary to expectation, Mo Ran did not stay in bed the whole time. He went to sit in front of the Red Lotus Pavilion every day, gazing at the door with empty eyes and an expressionless face.
Xue Meng was frightened out of his wits. Convinced that his cousin had somehow lost half of his souls when sealing the barrier crack, he asked Tanlang Elder to perform some check-up on Mo Ran. After Tanlang Elder came three times to check Mo Ran's wellbeing and had nothing to report, he refused to come the fourth time.
Madam Wang noted that Mo Ran had not mingled with too many people during his seclusion, so that might have brought about his rather introverted behavior. She told her son to accompany Mo Ran often during his stay in Sisheng Peak.
Xue Meng took his mother's words to heart, so he started to tell Mo Ran the story that he had already told every single person in Sisheng Peak at least twice: the story of how he won the Spiritual Mountain Competition. As he had told the story many times, his storytelling became more and more eloquent and he exaggerated a lot of things.
What started as "I beat Nangong Si while racing through the mountain" became "I engaged in a duel of heaven and earth with Nangong Si. The clumsy guy fell off his wolf while fighting the humble me who had neither spiritual weapon nor spiritual mount."
What ended as "I won the Spiritual Mountain Competition" became "I wiped off the evil from the face of the mountain completely, saved my poor helpless cultivators from falling into the Eternal Abyss of Hopelessness, and came first in the Spiritual Mountain Competition."
Mo Ran listened to Xue Meng without interrupting him even once. Xue Meng mistook his rapt attention for admiration. He thus was not happy at all when, at the end of his magnificent story, the first thing that Mo Ran asked about was the whereabouts of a certain "Ye Wangxi".
"There was no Ye Wangxi!" Xue Meng shouted furiously. Did Mo Ran not listen carefully to his amazing achievements during the competition? The dog needed to have his ears cleaned.
Instead of reflecting on himself, Mo Ran insisted that there was a Ye Wangxi and that he was supposed to have paired up with Nangong Si. Xue Meng did not have any impression about Nangong Si's partner during the competition. Mo Ran had to tell him that he was supposed to be a very handsome man with unmatched skills.
Xue Meng shot Mo Ran a look before he exclaimed, "Why would I care about a handsome man? Other than Shizun, is anyone more handsome than me? Other than Shizun, is anyone more skillful than me? Other than Shizun..."
Mo Ran pulled his lips into a thin line. He was close to smacking Xue Meng.
Although he would rather bleed to death than hear Xue Meng's story about the Spiritual Mountain Competition for the fifth time, Mo Ran found solace in Xue Meng's company. He often wondered why Chu Wanning liked Xue Meng so much. Maybe because Xue Meng was such a pure person who harbored no ill intention in his heart. He was not stupid. He just didn't scheme against others. What he liked he said openly. What he disliked he also said openly. Not to mention that he was so devoted to Chu Wanning...
"Hey, Xue Meng," Mo Ran asked him one day. "How do you feel about Shizun?"
The answer came like a lightning bolt.
"I like Shizun the most! Shizun is the best teacher in the world! Shizun is the morning sun that illuminates the world with..."
Mo Ran squinted at his cousin who could not stop singing praises about Chu Wanning. A few days later, he left to go back to the mountain for another period of secluded cultivation.
Months later, Mo Ran received a letter from Master Huaizui who asked him to come back to Sisheng Peak. Thinking that something bad happened to Chu Wanning, Mo Ran departed right away and arrived at Sisheng Peak the next day. As soon as he returned, he dropped by Red Lotus Pavilion to see whether the barrier around his Shizun's residence had been taken down or not.
To his surprise, it had.
Mo Ran's feet moved automatically. He barged through the gate and screamed, "SHIZUN!!!"
There was no answer.
There was no one in the Red Lotus Ponds.
Mo Ran continued running toward Chu Wanning's bed-chamber and found his shizun lying on the bed.
"Shizun…?"
Chu Wanning looked as if he was only sleeping. The pale face that Mo Ran saw in the coffin had been suffused with a vibrant red shade.
Mo Ran approached the bed and extended his hands to touch Chu Wanning. He was dying to touch Chu Wanning, to feel his body temperature, to feel the warm breath under his nose, but he also did not dare to touch him. What if he messed up something? What if something went wrong with the revival? His fingers hung in the air just centimeters away from Chu Wanning's face for a long time. Until a sharp voice snapped him back to reality.
"Do not touch him."
Mo Ran turned his head and his eyes met with Master Huaizui, who was dressed to go out.
"Master, I… my Shizun…?"
"I have been waiting for your return. I need you to take care of Chu Wanning for seven days until I return from Wubei Temple. There are some complications that I was not prepared for. Put up a barrier after I go to prevent anyone from going in."
"But…"
"After I go, Chu Wanning will wake up but he will only have his memory until he is about seven years old. After I come back, I will give him the memories of the remaining years back to him."
Mo Ran was panicked beyond measure.
"WAIT, MASTER!!! What should I do with him? What if I said something wrong? What if I did something wrong??? What if I messed up???"
Master Huaizui shook his head with a smile.
"Whatever happens between you and him during these seven days will be erased from his memory as soon as I return. Don't worry too much. Just treat him normally. Make him feel comfortable. Remember, do not touch him until he wakes up on his own."
The old monk left and Mo Ran sat at Chu Wanning's bedside, petrified like a stone statue. Huaizui said that he could touch Chu Wanning after he woke up. He could do anything, say anything, it would not be recorded in Chu Wanning's memory…
Mo Ran sneaked glances at his sleeping Shizun. What was it that he wanted to do with him? What did he want to say to him? He was not going to remember anyway… so what was the point? Arghhhhhh…!!! Mo Ran wanted to bang his head at the wall in frustration.
A soft sigh came from the person on the bed. It was almost unnoticeable, but Mo Ran almost got a heart attack. He jumped from the bed and stared at Chu Wanning, who had his eyes slightly open and was watching him.
The man slowly pushed himself up to sit on the bed. He was only wearing a thin, white undergarment that was slightly open at the front side when he moved, revealing a huge expanse of his beautiful pectoral muscles. Mo Ran's eyes unconsciously wandered down, but before he could take a good look, Chu Wanning already covered himself up.
"..."
"Who are you?" Chu Wanning asked.
It was Chu Wanning's voice, but it was not his usual cold and sharp tone. Instead, it sounded rather meek, as tender as a baby's kick. It reminded Mo Ran a lot of…
Mo Ran blushed.
It reminded him a lot of his Chu Fei when he was docile during nights of passionate lovemaking. The end of Chu Wanning's eyes looked even reddish, as if he just got bullied by someone. Mo Ran did not know what devil possessed him, but he answered very confidently, "I am your husband."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to kill himself for his utter stupidity. Gods in heaven and deities up the mountain!!! What the hell did he say just now???
Chu Wanning gazed at him in confusion.
"I am married?" He asked.
There was no way back. Mo Ran could only continue lying. He nodded like the shameless sinner that he was. Chu Wanning narrowed his eyes at him and said, "Come closer. Let me take a look at you."
Mo Ran walked over nervously. When he came closer, Chu Wanning raised his hands and cupped Mo Ran's face. Mo Ran gulped in terror.
"Hmm," Chu Wanning said. "You do feel familiar for some reason."
"Oh."
He removed his hands from Mo Ran and hugged himself.
"Shi… I mean, Wanning, what's wrong??"
Wanning.
He called him Wanning.
He had not called Chu Wanning that way for ages.
"Cold…" Chu Wanning said, shivering as he spoke. "It's so cold…"
Without thinking, Mo Ran pulled Chu Wanning into a hug.
"Is… is this better…?"
"Hmm…"
Chu Wanning put his arms around Mo Ran's back and whispered, "I am a little tired. Come lie down with me for a while."
The invitation made Mo Ran go blank. Before he knew it, he already climbed into the bed and pulled Chu Wanning into his arms. Their legs were entangled under the quilt, and they could feel each other's warm breath against their face. Chu Wanning was happily soaking up the warmth that came from the other's body, but Mo Ran was in hell. When he smelled the cold haitang fragrance that came from Chu Wanning, his lower region reacted immediately. He had only one major wish at that moment. He did not want Chu Wanning to move even a millimeter, for fear that he would run against a certain monster that already perked its head up under the quilt…
Alas, Chu Wanning moved his leg and his upper leg accidentally grazed the spot between Mo Ran's legs.
"..."
Chu Wanning opened his eyes in astonishment.
Mo Ran wanted to die then and there.
A faint blush appeared on Chu Wanning's cheeks. He gently pushed Mo Ran away and turned his back at him while mumbling, "No."
Although Mo Ran was not thinking of doing anything indecent to his shizun, the rejection still made him upset. He put his arms around Chu Wanning's waist and whispered into his ear, "No, what?"
"Just no," Chu Wanning insisted. The tip of his ears turned red. Mo Ran was tempted to kiss and suck at the flower petal, but in the end he did not. He simply pressed his lips to the back of Chu Wanning's neck and inhaled his scent.
"Wanning,"
"Yes?"
"What is the last thing you remember?"
"Hmmm… I remember going for a walk with Shizun. We bought a pot of rice with sweet milk."
"Anything after that?"
Chu Wanning shook his head. There was a slight crease between his brows as he tried to remember.
Unable to recall anything, he gave up. "Nothing. Everything else is a mix of color and sound."
-So you really do not remember anything beyond the seventh year of your life. At that time, you were still just Chu Wanning. Not Yuheng Elder, not Beidou Immortal, and no one's shizun. You have not even entered Rufeng Sect. Xue Meng did not exist, Shi Mei did not exist, and I did not exist. The you right now is a pure sheet of paper who has not experienced any hardship in the mortal realm.
-So innocent.
-So pure.
-And so… captivating.
Mo Ran swallowed hard. If his shizun was not going to remember anything that happened within these seven days… then for these seven days, he was completely his. They could go back to the time when they were married. Only that this time it was not Taxian-Jun who bullied the poor Chu Fei. This time it would be Mo Ran and Chu Wanning. Just the two of them.
"Wanning…"
"Hmm?"
Mo Ran grasped Chu Wanning's chin and turned his face toward his own. The man in his arms did not resist. Their faces were so close to each other that Mo Ran could count Chu Wanning's eyelashes one by one…
"What is it?" Chu Wanning asked in a low voice.
"I…"
Mo Ran bit his lips and turned his head away. He could not do it after all.
Chu Wanning pulled at Mo Ran's neck and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. This kiss was so abrupt that it completely blew Mo Ran's mind. In two lives, they had had the wildest entanglements that could possibly happen between two people, but this was the first time that Chu Wanning took the initiative to kiss Mo Ran.
"..."
"You look like you want a kiss," Chu Wanning said as a matter of factly.
"... Then, can I have another…?"
Chu Wanning gave him another kiss on the other cheek.
"Another…?"
Chu Wanning gave him another kiss on his forehead.
"Another, please?"
This time it was on his chin.
"I want more," Mo Ran demanded.
Chu Wanning was silent for a while, but then he kissed him on the nose. Mo Ran grabbed Chu Wanning's shoulders, gathered all his courage, and asked.
"Wanning, can I kiss you?"