"Hey, hey, did you hear? Elder Yuheng violated the sect rules. As punishment, he has to kneel in Yanluo Hall for three days."
In the morning class the next day, the disciples gathered on the Platform of Righteousness and Evil to practice and meditate. In the end, they are all teenagers and 20-year-olds, and they couldn't just do as they were told. If a master wasn't paying attention, they'll start whispering and gossiping.
The news that Chu Wanning had been punished quickly spread.
The disciples who witnessed the beating yesterday were not shy about sharing the gossip with others.
"Wow, why are you guys finding out about it so late? Oh … So yesterday Elder Lucun took you up the mountain to collect night dew flowers? Well then - you guys really missed out on a lot! Yesterday evening, in the Qingtian Temple, there was flesh and blood flying everywhere. It was horrible. Elder Yuheng was beaten with more than two hundred strikes! More than two hundred strikes! Not a single one missed! There was no mercy!"
The disciple made a particularly exaggerated expression every time he said a new sentence. No need to mention the show he was putting on for all his junior brothers and sisters surrounding him.
"Do you actually count all two hundred strikes? Even a big man could be killed, not to mention Elder Yuheng. He couldn't stand it and passed out. This made our young master mad. He rushed in and fought with Elder Jielu. He said not to lay another finger on Elder Yuheng. Ah, that scene—"
His facial features were wrinkled up like a steamed bun. He squeezed his eyebrows. Finally, he stretched out a finger, swaying from side to side, and summed it up in three words:
"Tsk tsk task."
Immediately, a younger sister disciple paled: "What! Elder Yuheng fainted?"
"Young Master and Elder Jielu got into a fight?"
"It's no wonder I didn't see Elder Yuheng in this morning class … so pitiful … what crime did he commit?"
"I heard that he beat a civilian in a fit of rage."
"…"
Such gossips drifted into Xue Meng's ears from time to time. Life-Death Peak's young master had completely inherited his shizun's temper, so he was very irritable. It was unfortunate that more than one person was gossiping about this. There were groups all over the Platform of Righteousness and Evil, all muttering "Elder Yuheng was punished" and so on. It made him feel so irritated, but there was nothing he could do.
In one corner was Xue Meng, veins bulging on his forehead, and in the other was Mo Ran, unable to stop yawning.
Xue Meng couldn't direct his anger anywhere else, so he viciously spat at Mo Ran: "The plan of the day relies on the morning. You dog, you're so lazy in the morning! What has Shizun been teaching you?"
"Huh?" Mo Ran said with sleepy eyes followed by another big yawn. "Xue Meng, that's enough. I can handle Shizun's lecturing. Who do you think you are? I'm your cousin. Behave yourself when you talk with your cousin. Don't be so rude."
Xue Meng said fiercely: "My cousin is a dog. Be whatever you want to be!"
Mo Ran laughed: "You're so mean. If you don't look out for your elder sect brother, think about how disappointed Shizun will be once he finds out."
"You still have the audacity to mention Shizun! Let me ask you, when he went to the Court of Discipline yesterday, why didn't you stop him?"
"MengMeng, he's a shizun. Yuheng of the Evening Sky, Beidou Immortal. What did you want me to do?"
Xue Meng was furious. He drew his sword, his sharp eyebrows furrowed angrily: "What the hell did you call me?!!!"
Mo Ran's grin stretched from ear to ear: "Be good, MengMeng. Sit down."
Xue Meng bellowed: "Mo Weiyu, I'll kill you!!"
Shi Mei was caught between the two, listening to their daily bickering. He couldn't help sighing. He silently held the edge of his forehead, trying to concentrate on reading his book: "The sun and the moon are poured in the pot* when the spiritual core is first formed. The way of heaven cannot be interpreted, and life and death are involved in the process…"
*(T/N: 日月壶中灌 - referring to the Daoist practice of leisurely inactiveness)
Three days passed in the blink of an eye and Chu Wanning's period of reflection came to an end.
According to the rules, the next thing he had to face was a three-month grounding period. During this period of time, he could not leave Life-Death Peak and needed to go to Mengpo Hall to do miscellaneous chores, clean the corridor pillars of Naihe Bridge, sweep the steps in front of the mountain gate, and so on.
Elder Jielu was anxious: "Elder Yuheng, to be honest, I don't think you should do these things. You are the best shizun of your generation. Doing this kind of dishwashing and floor cleaning … it feels wrong." He trailed off, leaving half the sentence unsaid –
The main reason is that the old man doubts whether you can even sweep floors, cook and wash clothes!
Chu Wanning didn't doubt himself at all and went to report to Mengpo Hall in an orderly manner.
All of Mengpo Hall, from the chief steward to the servant, was shocked to hear that Chu Waning was coming to do hard labour. They were terrified, as if they were approaching the enemy.
Chu Wanning, dressed in white, arrived in a flutter.
His handsome face was cold and calm, completely expressionless. If you added an auspicious cloud under his feet and a whisk between his arms, he would've looked like the picture-perfect immortal.
Manager Meng Potang felt very ashamed and uneasy. He was actually supposed to make such a beautiful man wash vegetables and cook.
Chu Wanning didn't have the self-image of being a beautiful man. He stepped into the kitchen and coldly swept his gaze over the crowd, who couldn't help but take a step back.
"…" Chu Wanning was straightforward. "What should I do?"
The chief steward coyly pinched the edge of his hem and thought about what he should say. He cautiously went with: "How does this elder feel about washing vegetables?"
Chu Wanning said: "Okay."
The chief steward was greatly relieved. He originally thought that Chu Wanning led a very pampered life. He might be reluctant to do this kind of labour, however, all the other jobs were either dirty and tiring or required some skill. He was worried that Chu Wanning wouldn't be able to do a good job. Since Chu Wanning easily agreed to wash the vegetables, he didn't need to worry about it.
As it turns out, the chief steward was really naive.
There was a clear stream in front of Mengpo Hall. Chu Wanning went to the stream with a basket of green vegetables. He rolled up his sleeves and began to wash the vegetables.
This area is under the jurisdiction of Elder Xuanji. Occasionally a disciple of the Xuanji sect passed by. He saw Chu Wanning actually washing vegetables and was so scared that he couldn't even get a word out. He rubbed his eyes three or four times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He said in astonishment: "Elder Yu-Yuheng – good-good morning."
Chu Wanning raised his eyes: "Good morning."
Elder Xuanji's disciples shivered and fled.
"…"
Chu Wanning didn't bother to talk with them and continued with his business. He broke the leaves, washed them, and threw them back into the basket.
He washed them very carefully. He broke each vegetable leaf apart, repeatedly brushing them thoroughly. The consequence of that was – come noon, the basket of vegetables still hadn't been washed.
The man waiting in the dining room was anxious, pacing around in circles: "What should we do? Why hasn't the elder come back yet? If he doesn't come back with the vegetables, how are we going to make the stir-fried beef and vegetables?"
The chief steward looked at the sun and said: "Forget it. Hurry, let's replace it with braised beef."
So, when Chu Wanning returned, Mengpo Hall had already served the beef. The stew was so crispy and flavourful that there was no need for vegetables at all. Chu Wanning frowned. He held his vegetables, rather unhappily, and coldly asked: "If you didn't want the vegetables, why did you make me wash them?"
The chief steward's hairs stood on end. He wiped the cold sweat on his forehead with his handkerchief and said something that he regretted: "That's not it. I was thinking you could make a pot of stewed tofu with vegetables?"
Chu Wanning had no expression. Still holding his vegetables, he tilted his head and pondered silently: "…"
The chief steward hurriedly said: "If you don't want to, that's alright–"
He hadn't even finished speaking before Chu Wanning asked: "Where is the tofu?"
Chief Steward: "…"
"Elder Yuheng, do you … know how to cook?"
Chu Wanning said: "I'm not completely ignorant. I'll give it a try."
At noon that day, all the disciples happily entered Mengpo Hall as usual in groups, looking for somewhere to sit. Then, they headed to the counter to get their food served.
There was no shortage of food on Life-Death Peak. The food had always been plentiful and today was no exception.
The braised beef was fatty and lean, the fish shreds were vibrant and rich, the farmhouse pork was golden and crispy, and the chopped pepper fish was red and tempting. The disciples rushed to grab their favourite foods, lining up around the hall, asking the chef to add a spoonful of sweet and sour pork ribs to them, pour some marinade on the rice, or add some spicy sauce.
The ones who always made it to the front of the line first were Elder Lucun's disciples. The little guy at the head of the line had a big pimple on his nose. All he had on his mind was some Mapo Tofu. He skillfully carried the wooden tray to the last counter without raising his eyes and said: "Shizun, I'd like a bowl of tofu."
The shizun, with pale, slender fingers, handed him a plate full of tofu.
However, it wasn't the Mapo Tofu he was familiar with. Instead, it was a plate of strange food with a charred black colour and indistinguishable ingredients.
The disciple was surprised: "What is that?"
"Tofu boiled with bok choy."
Mengpo Hall was full of people, so the disciple didn't pay attention to answering the other person's voice. He said angrily: "Are you an alchemist? Can you even call this tofu with vegetables? I don't want it. Take it back!"
While cursing, he glared at the shizun there. As a result, when he saw the person standing behind the counter, the disciple screamed in fright and almost knocked the tray over.
"Elder Yu-Yuheng!"
"Hmm."
The disciple was on the verge of tears: "No, that's not what I - I didn't mean that just now. I…"
"Since you're not eating it, I'll take it back." Chu Wanning said blankly, "Don't waste it."
The disciple stiffly picked up the plate, handed it to Chu Wanning then left with his tail between his legs.
In a short while, everyone knew that Elder Yuheng was standing at the last counter, so the originally lively Mengpo Hall was suddenly silent.
The disciples lined up like a pack of puppies, and they hurriedly grabbed their food, panicked. They went up to the last counter respectfully, greeted the elder, and stumbled away.
"Hello, Elder Yuheng."
"Mmm."
"Good day, Elder Yuheng."
"Good day."
"Elder Yuheng has worked really hard."
"…"
The disciples were very disciplined and were acting with an abundance of caution, so Chu Wanning accepted the tense greetings from each disciple, but no one dared try his pot of boiled tofu with green vegetables.
Slowly, the line was getting shorter and the food in front of other shizuns was almost gone. Only Chu Wanning still had a pot full of food. The pot of vegetables was completely cold and untouched.
Chu Wanning's face didn't waver, but his heart was conflicted. He had washed them all morning…
At that point, his three disciples showed up. Xue Meng was still in silver-blue light armour, refreshing getup. He bounced over with excitement: "Shizun! How are you? Does your wound hurt?"
Chu Wanning was very calm: "It doesn't hurt."
Xue Meng: "Well, that's good."
Chu Wanning glanced at him and suddenly asked: "Do you eat tofu?"
Xue Meng: "…"