In order to show his heartfelt devotion in front of his shizun, the young master took three plates of charred tofu. He promised himself that he wouldn't waste a single piece and would eat all of it.
Chu Wanning was really pleased, showing a rare appreciation in his eyes.
Mo Ran, who was following behind him, took one look and wasn't happy. Emperor TaXian had an inexplicable obsession with Chu Wanning's approval, and immediately also ordered three servings of tofu. Chu Wanning glanced at him: "You're eating that much? Won't that make you sick?"
Mo Ran and Xue Meng were full of determination: "Three is nothing. Even if there were three more, I could eat that too."
Chu Wanning calmly said: "Alright."
Then he gave Mo Ran six servings of tofu and said: "The same goes for you. Don't waste it."
Mo Ran: "…"
Those two had ordered and Shi Mei was no exception. He smiled and said: "Then … Shizun, I also want three plates."
So, on the first day after Elder Yuheng's confinement ended, his three disciples had stomach problems because of food poisoning. The next day, Elder Jielu found Chu Wanning and politely expressed that Mengpo Hall wasn't in need of any extra workers. He asked Chu Wanning to head to Naihe Bridge to help sweep the fallen leaves and wipe the pillars.
Naihe Bridge was a bridge connecting the main area of Life-Death Peak and the disciples' break area. It was wide enough for five horse-drawn carriages running side by side. Nine beasts carved out of white jade stood on the bridge's pillars, representing the nine sons of the dragon. There were also 360 magnificent smaller pillars decorated with carved lion heads
Chu Wanning silently swept the ground. After that, he carefully wiped down the jade statues.
Having keeping busy for most of the day, when the sky got dark, it started raining.
Most of the disciples who finished their lessons didn't bring any umbrellas. They waded through puddles and ran towards their residences. Raindrops pattered on the stone steps. Chu Wanning gazed into the distance and saw young girls with relaxed smiles on their faces, cheerful despite being drenched from the rain.
"…" Chu Wanning knew that if they were to see him, the cheeriness and ease would disappear, so he thought about it and hid under the bridge.
Some of the disciples who ran ahead came to the front of the bridge. They saw the sight and couldn't help but let out a "huh".
"A barrier?"
"Why is there a barrier on the bridge?"
"Elder Xuanji probably made it." A disciple guessed. "Elder Xuanji is the best at it."
A translucent golden barrier enveloped the upper end of Naihe Bridge, spreading out and stretching across the main path towards the disciples' break area, covering the entire path the disciples were going to take.
"Elder Xuanji must have made it. Isn't this place under his jurisdiction?"
"Elder Xuanji is so thoughtful."
"This barrier is so beautiful. The elder is really amazing."
The disciples shook their wet hair. They hurriedly pushed into and hid in the barrier, talking all the way to the break area.
Chu Wanning stood under the bridge, listening to the loud voices on the bridge until there was no more noise. The returning teenagers had moved far enough away. He slowly closed the barrier and calmly walked out from under the bridge.
"Shizun."
Suddenly, he heard someone call him.
Chu Wanning's head jerked up. There was no one on the shore.
"Up here."
He looked up at the sound and saw Mo Ran sitting on the white jade bridge, dressed in silver and blue armour. His legs were laid lazily on the edge of the bridge railing.
The young man's eyebrows were astonishingly black, and his eyelashes were like two small fans, hanging down in front of his eyes. He was holding a paper umbrella, staring at him with a smile.
One of them was on the bridge, rustling leaves falling by. One was under the bridge, the cold rain flooding the river next to him.
They just looked at each other, neither speaking for a while.
The fog and rain in the sky were misty and lingering, bamboo leaves occasionally swaying down with the wind and rain, falling around the two.
Finally, Mo Ran laughed teasingly: "Elder Xuanji, you're all wet."
Chu Wanning said coldly at almost the same time: "How did you know it was me?"
Mo Ran pursed his lips, his eyes curled and his dimples deep: "It's such a large barrier. Elder Xuanji can't make one that big, right? If not Shizun, who else could it be?"
Chu Wanning: "…"
Mo Ran knew that he wouldn't bother to cast a barrier for himself to avoid the rain, so he had a bright idea and tossed down the umbrella.
"This is for you. Take it."
The bright red paper umbrella fluttered down, Chu Wanning caught it. The bamboo wood umbrella handle was still warm. Crystal water droplets dripped down the umbrella surface. Chu Wanning tilted his head and looked at him: "What about you?"
Mo Ran gave a sly smile: "Shizun can't cast a small barrier so I won't get wet on my way back?"
Chu Wanning scoffed but still flicked his sleeve. A transparent golden barrier immediately appeared above Mo Ran. Mo Ran looked up and smiled: "Haha, it's so beautiful. It's even covered in peony patterns. Thank you. "
Chu Wanning glanced at him: "They're begonias. They only have five petals."
After he spoke, the white robes and the scarlet umbrella left without a trace, leaving Mo Ran standing alone in the rain, counting the petals: "One, two, three, four, five … Ah, there really are five petals …"
When he glanced up again, Chu Wanning had already walked away.
Mo Ran narrowed his eyes. Standing under the barrier, the childish smile on his face slowly disappeared, gradually changing into a complex expression.
He suddenly didn't understand what he was thinking.
It would be nice if a person could only feel something obvious like pure love or pure hatred.
Four days passed before the rain stopped. When the clouds opened and the rain ceased, a team of carts and horses with tinkling bells stepped through puddles of water, distorting the reflection of the sky, and stopped in front of Life-Death Peak's gates.
The bamboo curtain was lifted, and a folding fan with bright red tassels peeked out from inside.
A pair of blue-soled, silver-trimmed combat boots stepped out off the carriage, landing with a heavy thud on the ground, dust flying.
It was a strong man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a large waist, light blue silver armour, and a neat beard. He looks like he was in his forties. He looked rugged, but his pagoda-like hands shook an exquisite literati fan, which was indescribably strange.
The fan opened with a "snap", the side facing others reading –
"Xue Lang is very beautiful."
The side facing him read –
"The world is ugly."
This fan was famous across the realm. The reason for this, in addition to the fan's owner's excellent kung fu, was because the words written on the fan were really embarrassing.
One side boasted his ego, the other side mocked everyone else.
The handle of the fan swayed slightly. The scent of the fan owner's narcissism could be detected for the next hundred miles. No one in the cultivation world could miss it.
Who was the owner of this fan? It was the Lord of Life-Death Peak who had been away for more than two months, Xue Meng's father, Mo Ran's uncle, Xue Zhengyong, another immortal elder.
As the saying goes: like father, like son.
The opposite is also true. If his son could be considered a peacock, the father will surely also spread his feathers.
Although Xue Meng had good looks, he was totally different from his father, who was a strong and powerful man. But at least their personalities were similar——
They both felt that "Xue Lang is very beautiful, and the world is very ugly."
Xue Zhengyong stretched his back. Stretching his muscles and craning his neck, he said with a smile: "Ah, this carriage ride really tired me out. Finally, I'm home."
In Danin Hall, Madam Wang was mixing medicinal powder, Mo Ran and Xue Meng sitting on either side of her.
She said softly: "Four taels of clotting herbs and one shouyang ginseng."
"I weighed them, Mother." Xue Meng sat cross-legged next to her and handed her the herbs. Madam Wang took it, smelled the clotting herb, and then said, "No, this herb was mixed with the patchouli for too long and the scent has been skewed. The tonic won't be as effective. Go and get some fresh ones. "
"Oh, alright." Xue Meng got up and went inside to look through the medicine cabinet again.
Madam Wang continued: "Three dashes of five-flavour berry and one pinch of dodder."
Mo Ran neatly handed her the materials: "Auntie, how long should I boil this medicine?"
"You don't need to boil it. Just take it." Madam Wang said. "After I finish the powder, can you bring it to Elder Yuheng?"
Mo Ran originally didn't want to bring it, but after taking one look at Xue Meng's back, he knew that if he didn't bring it, then the person who would be bringing it would definitely be Xue Meng.
For some reason, he just didn't like Xue Meng being alone with Chu Wanning, so he said, "Sure."
After a pause, he asked: "By the way, Auntie, is this medicine bitter?"
"It's a bit bitter. Why?"
Mo Ran chuckled: "It's nothing." But he grabbed a handful of candy from the fruit plate and stuffed them into his sleeve.
The people in the hall were concentrating on dispensing medicine when a loud and cheerful laugh suddenly rang out from the entrance of the hall. Xue Zhengyong strode into the temple with a radiant face, and joyfully exclaimed: "My lady, I'm back! Hahahahaha!"
The fact that the leader of the sect burst in without any warning startled Madam Wang, who almost spilled the powder in the ladle. She opened her eyes wide in astonishment: "Husband?"
Mo Ran also got up to greet him: "Uncle."
"Ah, Mo Ran is here too?" Xue Zhengyong looked burly and otherwordly, but he was actually very kind. He patted Mo Ran's shoulder. "Good boy. I haven't seen you for a while. It seems you've grown taller. How are things? How was your trip to Caidie Town?"
Mo Ran smiled: "It went well."
"Good, good, good! With Chu Wanning around, I knew nothing would go wrong, hahahaha - by the way, where is your shizun? Tinkering away alone with his gadgets in the mountains again?"
Mo Ran sniffed, a little embarrassed: "Shizun, he …"
His uncle was fierce and impulsive. A large part of the reason for his uncle's death in his previous life was precisely because of his personality. Obviously, Mo Ran didn't want to outright tell him that Chu Wanning had suffered two hundred strikes and was prohibited from leaving the sect for three months. As he was thinking about how he was going to word this, there was a sudden "ah" behind him.
Xue Meng had walked out holding a handful of clotting herbs and froze. When he saw his father, he joyfully exclaimed: "Father."
"Xue Meng!"
Mo Ran let out a secret sigh of relief. Whenever this father-son pair reunited, they were bound to flatter and praise one another. It gave him the chance to think about how he would break the news of Chu Wanning's punishment.
As expected, the peacock father and son fanned out their tail feathers and didn't hold back their praises for each other.
"I haven't seen you in two months and my son has gotten even more handsome. You're looking more and more like your father!"
Xue Meng didn't look anything like his father. He only looked like his mother, but he readily agreed and said, "Your physique has gotten much sturdier!"
Xue Zhengyong waved his hand and laughed: "During this period of time, when I was walking in Kunlun Taxue Palace, the more I felt that none of those young men were as good as my son and nephew! Ah, I'm tired of seeing that bunch of pansies. Xue Meng, do you remember Mei Hanxue?"
Xue Meng immediately showed disgust: "Is that the little fat man who's been cultivating in seclusion for more than ten years. Isn't he the senior disciple of Kunlun Taxue Palace? Has he left?"
"Hahaha, my son has a good memory. That's the one. He stayed at our house for a while when you were young, and he slept in the same bed as you."
"… How could I not remember? That fat guy was like a dog, always kicking people in his sleep. He kicked me off the bed many times. Father, did you see him?"
"Yes, I saw him." Xue Zhengyong twirled his beard as if lost in memory. Xue Meng was an arrogant son of heaven. Because he was competitive and aggressive by nature, he asked impatiently: "What about him?"
Xue Zhengyong chuckled: "He's not as good as you if I do say so myself. He's a nice boy. His shizun taught him how to play the piano and dance. He can cast lightwork and scatter the flower petals. I thought it was ridiculous, hahahaha!"
Xue Meng's nose twitched. He seemed appalled.
A fat little chubby guy playing the piano, dancing, scattering flower petals…
"Then how is his cultivation?" After all, Mei Hanxue had been in seclusion for more than ten years.
Since their "looks" have already been compared, Xue Meng will have to compare their "cultivation."
This time, Xue Zhengyong didn't answer immediately. He thought for a while and said: "Seeing that he doesn't draw his sword often, it doesn't really matter. Anyway, when it comes time for the Lingshan Discussion of Swords, naturally you'll have a chance to compete with him."
Xue Meng's eyebrow twitched: "Hmph, that fatty's a dead man. It won't matter whether he can fight me or not."
Madam Wang had already put the final ingredients in the medicinal powder. She got up, smiled and touched Xue Meng's head: "You shouldn't be arrogant. Keep an open mind and always show respect."
Xue Meng said: "What's the use in keeping an open mind? That's what incompetent people do. I want to be as joyful as my father."
Xue Zhengyong laughed loudly: "Look here. With such a distinguished father, how could my son fail?"
Madam Wang said displeased: "You, you don't teach him anything good, only bad things. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Xue Zhengyong saw a flash of anger on her face and knew that she was indeed unhappy, so he curbed his smile and scratched his head: "My lady, I was wrong. I'll teach him whatever you say, you're right. Don't be upset."
Mo Ran: "…"
Xue Meng: "…"
Madam Wang was a disciple of the Lone Moon Night sect in her early years and was said to have been taken captive by Xue Zhengyong. Whether this rumour was true or not, Mo Ran understood very well that his uncle treated his aunt with great affection, his rough personality melting away. But Madam Wang was not so affectionate with her husband. She was an extremely gentle person, but she always had a slight temper towards Xue Zhengyong.
After all these years, the couple's love for each other was deeper than any other, and it was plainly obvious.
Naturally, Xue Meng didn't bother to watch his parents flirt. He was a little disgusted. He scoffed and turned away impatiently.
Madam Wang was quite embarrassed and quickly said: "Xue Meng?"
Xue Meng waved his hand and strode out.
Mo Ran also didn't want to disturb the couple's reunion. It just so happened that this was also the perfect time to avoid his uncle's questioning. Madam Wang can tell him what Chu Wanning was punished for. She can handle it. So he cleaned up the concoctions on the table, and left with a grin on his face, closing the hall's door for them on his way out.
Holding the medicine, he wandered to Red Lotus Pavilion.
Chu Wanning was injured, and his body was a little weak these days. The barrier that was originally placed around the pavilion was removed, so when someone came, he didn't know.
So, by chance, Mo Ran saw such a scene …
Chu Waning, at that moment, was bathing in the lotus pond.
The issue wasn't that he was bathing. The issue was that Elder Yuheng, who had always been so consciously clean, had two other people in his imperial lotus pond…