Chu Wanning was shocked by the sudden kiss. He couldn't make out what Mo Ran was muttering. His words were just buzzing in his ears like static.
Mo Ran lightheartedly muttered a few words then fell asleep again.
"…"
Chu Wanning wanted to shake him awake.
However, the begonia flowers on the tree outside the window by the bed had just bloomed. Just as Chu Wanning raised his hand, a pale pink begonia flower softly drifted onto the tip of Mo Ran's nose.
"…"
Mo Ran sniffed uncomfortably, but he continued to sleep soundly and still didn't wake up. So, the hand that was reached out to shake him awake, by some miracle, changed directions. Chu Wanning picked up the begonia and pinched it between his fingers, examining it carefully.
While looking at the flower, lost in thought, he slowly started to remember some details.
He vaguely remembered that Mo Ran had cleaned his wound for him yesterday and fed him some soup.
After that, Mo Ran seemed to hold him close, stroking his hair throughout the night, whispering in his ear.
Chu Wanning was dumbfounded. He must have been dreaming, right?
The tips of his ears subconsciously turned red, resembling the brilliant colour of the begonia flower resting in his fingertips when it was in full bloom.
He swiftly swallowed his reprimands.
Really… He didn't know how he should scold him.
"Why are you sleeping here?"
That sounded like a sloppy woman having an affair.
"Get out of bed! Who told you you could sleep with me?!"
That sounded like a sloppy vixen.
"You dare kiss me?"
In all honesty, it was just the lips that touched. Compared to that time in the illusion, it wasn't really a kiss. With all this debate, it seemed like he was just trying to cover it up
"…"
Not knowing what to do, Elder Yuheng could only silently roll onto his side on the bed, burying his face into the bedding. His slender fingers gripped the sheets, a little annoyed and irritated.
In the end, he chose to break Mo Ran's arms and legs. He sat up and brushed off his clothes first, and then shook the other party awake.
So, when Mo Ran opened his drowsy sleepy eyes, what he saw was Elder Yuheng sitting by the bed with a profoundly cold look on his face.
A cold sweat immediately broke out.
"Shizun, I –"
Chu Wanning interrupted indifferently: "You broke my Flower Spirit Sacrifice Technique yesterday?"
"I didn't do it on purpose…"
"Fine." Chu Wanning was very cold, waving his sleeves like nothing, "Get up. Go to your morning lesson."
Mo Ran was about to collapse. He rubbed his hair a little anxiously: "Why am I sleeping here…"
"You were tired." Chu Wanning was very calm. "Looking at you like this, you must have been busy yesterday."
As he spoke, he glanced at the medicine on the table: "In the future, don't barge into the Red Lotus Pavilion without permission. If you want something, report to me in advance."
"Yes, Shizun."
"You may go."
Ta XianJun felt that he had barely escaped with his life and ran away in a hurry.
When he left, Chu Wanning laid back on the bed. Raising his hand to open his palm, he looked out the window at the brilliantly flourishing flowers through the gap between his fingertips. The wind-blown flowers fell like fragrant snow.
The soft hue of the begonia was like a fragmented memory of last night.
Very light, but difficult to distinguish between true and false.
He decided not to take the initiative to bring up yesterday's affairs.
It was too embarrassing!!!
Elder Yuheng cherished his reputation like it was gold and would rather die than tarnish it. So, a few days later, when Mo Ran saw Chu Wanning again, Elder Yuheng was still calm, noble and cold, graceful in his white robes.
Neither of them actively mentioned the cuddling that happened that night. Every now and then, however, when their eyes met, Mo Ran's gaze seemed to linger on Chu Wanning for a while, and then, out of habit, chase after Shi Mei.
And Chu Wanning?
Whenever he met Mo Ran's gaze, he would immediately coldly turn away. Then, when the other wasn't aware, he glanced back at him, seemingly inadvertently.
Xue Zhengyong soon learned that Chu Wanning was punished.
Sure enough, the venerable lord of Life-Death Peak was defensive over his shortcomings and immediately made a big stink about it. But this stink wasn't doing anything for anyone, so he could only sulk behind closed doors.
——He should've added an extra rule when he made the sect rules: Elders are above the rules.
Madam Wang made a pot of tea and talked to him in a hushed voice. Only then did Xue Zhengyong calm down, but he still said: "Elder Yuheng is naturally stubborn. If he does this again in the future, you must help me persuade him. Something. He is a shizun that the other sects of the upper cultivation world couldn't even dream of having yet he suffers here like this. How can I make things right?"
Madam Wang said: "It's not that I didn't try to persuade him out of it. You know that Elder Yuheng is a very stubborn man."
Xue Zhengyong said: "It's just a matter of time, madam. Bring me some of those muscle-relaxing and pain-relieving medicines you've mixed. I'll go see Yuheng."
"Take the white one internally and apply the red one externally." Madam Wang handed the two small porcelain jars to Xue Zhengyong, and said, "I heard Ran'er say that Elder Yuheng has been rubbing down the lions at Naihe Bridge these days. You should be able to find him there."
So Xue Zhengyong grabbed the porcelain jars and rushed all the way to the edge of the jade bridge.
Chu Wanning was indeed there. At this time in the afternoon, the disciples were busy practicing and few people passed by Naihe Bridge. On the winding jade bridge, Chu Wanning stood alone, standing tall and upright, with a strong character.
Forest leaves on both sides of the river, white clothes against the bamboo; the posture of a gentleman.
Xue Zhengyong walked over and smiled heartily: "Elder Yuheng, are you looking for fish?"
Chu Wanning turned his face to the side: "My Lord must be joking. This river flows through the yellow spring water of the underworld, how can there be fish."
"Haha, I'm just kidding. You're so elegant that you're no fun. You won't be able to get a wife if you go on like this."
Chu Wanning: "…"
"Here, the wound medicine, my wife mixed it. The white one is taken internally and the red one is applied externally. It works very well. Here you are."
"…" Chu Wanning originally didn't want it, but seeing that Xue Zhengyong was so proud of the medicine his wife made, he couldn't refuse it. He accepted it and said lightly, "Thank you. "
Xue Zhengyong was a rough man, but facing Chu Wanning, he was a bit cautious. He didn't dare try coming up with just any sort of casual small talk. After thinking about it, he picked a topic: "Yuheng, in three years, the Spirit Mountain Sword Discussion will take place. When the time comes, young talents from various sects will gather together to compete for a higher and lower level. What do you think are Meng'er and Ran'er chances of winning?"
Chu Wanning said: "That's three years away. It's not easy to say. I can only say that, at the moment, Mo Ran isn't trying to make any progress and Xue Meng is gullible and conceited. They both aren't where they should be."
He spoke dryly and meanly, without beating around the bush.
Xue Zhengyong couldn't keep a straight face, and muttered: "Ah, these young kids …"
Chu Wanning said: "They're weak, not young."
Xue Zhengyong: "That's true, but they aren't even 20 after all. As a father and uncle, it's inevitable that I'll be a bit biased, haha."
Chu Wanning: "To nurture without teaching is the father's fault. To teach without severity is the teacher's laziness. If these two people go down the wrong path in the future, you and I are to blame. How can you be biased?"
"…"
Chu Wanning added: "Does Lord remember that Linyi Rufeng Sect also produced two heavenly sons back then?"
When he mentioned this, Xue Zhengyong's heart suddenly sank.
More than twenty years ago, the Linyi Rufeng Sect, the first major sect in the upper cultivator world, once had a pair of brothers, both of whom were young and very talented. The two of them were able to subdue a hundred-year-old demon alone at the age of ten, and at the age of fifteen, they had reached the point where they could create their own techniques and start their own sects.
However, there is no room for two tigers on one mountain*. As both of them were among the highest-ranked cultivators, the siblings ended up in deep rivalry. At the Spirit Mountain Sword Discussion, the younger brother was despised by all the sects and spurned by the elders for spying on his older brother's techniques in advance. After the meeting, the younger brother was immediately punished by his father. He was arrogant and haughty. From then on, he held a grudge, specializing in wayward tricks, and finally degenerated into a heartless demonic cultivator.
*(T/N: 一山不容二虎. Same thing as "this town's not big enough for the both of us.")
Chu Wanning mentioned this old matter right now, undoubtedly wanting to tell Xue Zhengyong: Although Xue Meng and Mo Ran are excellent, their well-being is more important than their techniques.
It is a pity that Xue Zhengyong is harsh on himself and serious with his disciples, but he is lenient with his son and nephew to the point of spoiling them, so he didn't listen to Chu Wanning's words, only scoffed and said: "With Elder Yuheng's guidance, they won't follow the path of those two brothers."
Chu Wanning shook his head.
"Human nature is stubborn. Unless you are painfully determined, it's easier said than done."
When he said this, Xue Zhengyong couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. He didn't know if Chu Wanning was implying something. After hesitating briefly, he said: "Yuheng, aren't you being a bit … Well, like I said, don't be offended, aren't you somewhat looking down on my nephew?"
Chu Wanning did not mean that. He didn't expect Xue Zhengyong to misunderstand him like that and he was speechless for a moment.
Xue Zhengyong said anxiously: "In fact, I don't particularly care if they can come to prominence in three years. Especially Mo Ran. He grew up with a lot of hardship, his nature is inevitably a bit stubborn and twisted. I hope you don't dislike him because he was raised in an entertainment pavilion. Alas, he is the only flesh and blood left of my elder brother in the world. I always have some bias in my heart for him …"
Chu Wanning interrupted Xue Zhengyong and said: "My Lord has misunderstood. I won't look down on him. If I minded Mo Ran's background, why would I be willing to accept him as a disciple."
Seeing his straightforwardness and resounding tone, Xue Zhengyong said joyfully: "That's good, that's good."
Chu Wanning's gaze fell back down to the river rolling under the bridge. He watched the flooding waves surge up, waves fighting clash. No more words were spoken. It's a pity that the conversation between the two on the bridge and Chu Wanning's confession were just like in the previous life, easily swallowed by the waves.
In the end, no one else heard that he was "not disgusted" by Mo Ran.
Three months of grounding passed in a flash.
On that day, Chu Wanning summoned his three disciples to Red Lotus Pavilion and said: "Your spiritual cores are all stable. I have summoned you here today to take you to Rising Sun Peak so you can try to summon your own weapons."
Upon hearing this, Xue Meng and Shi Mei's eyes widened and a joyful look appeared on their faces.
Rising Sun Peak was a sacred mountain in the upper cultivation world. Its peak is 1000 feet tall and it stretches for more than 10 000 feet wide.
According to legend, Rising Sun Peak was once the place where the god Gouchen Shanggong forged his sword. Gouchen Shanggong is a god of war, in charge of the north and south celestial poles, and dominates the world.
When the Emperor of Heaven was slaying demons, Gouchen Shanggong used the mountain as his base, the lake and the sea as a pool, and his own blood as the raging fire and forged the first real "sword" in the world. This sword struck through the heavens and earth. The natural order was torn apart, and the sea flowed backwards.
The Emperor of Heaven took the "sword" and suppressed the demons under the earth in two strokes, making it difficult for them to rise up from then on.
And those two moved across the earthly frontier, cracking out two hideous deep valleys. After this battle, the heavens rained down, ghosts cried in the night, thunder crashed, and the torrential rain poured for thousands of years. The two deep trenches cut by the divine sword filled with rainwater, and it became the Yangtze River and the Yellow River that gave birth to countless lives.
As for the world-breaking Rising Sun Peak, it has become a sacred place of worship for immortal cultivators generations later. The aura left behind by the ancient god is so dense that, to this day, countless mysterious spirits still haunt the mountains and exotic flowers and plants continue to grow. Numerous cultivators also peered at Rising Sun Peak to break through the Great Dao and ascend.
But for the rest of the world, the biggest attraction of this strange peak where the divine sword was cast is still its "Jincheng Lake".
It is an ice pool on the top of Rising Sun Peak, which is frozen all year round.
According to the rumours, when Gouchen Shanggong made his divine sword, he cut through the palm of his hand and squeezed out his own divine blood, and a drop of blood splashed on the lowlands of the peak. After millions of years, the divine blood had still not dried up. It formed this clear and visible right to the bottom golden pool, embraced by future generations.
Regardless of whether this rumour is true or not, the golden pool's wonder was not. Although it was frozen three feet thick all year round, there were very few Taoist priests who could make the pool water temporarily melt with the power of their spiritual core, and an ancient beast will jump out of the lake with a weapon in its mouth and offer it to the people on the shore.
Xue Meng asked impatiently: "Shizun, what ancient beast jumped out when you received your divine weapon?"
Chu Wanning said: " A Kunpeng."
When Xue Meng heard this, an eager light flashed in his eyes: "Amazing! I get to see a Kunpeng!"
Mo Ran: "Wait until you melt the lake before you talk."
"What do you mean? Do you think I can't melt Jincheng Lake?"
Mo Ran chuckled: "Oh, why are you angry? I didn't say that."
Chu Wanning said: "It won't necessarily be a Kunpeng who brings the weapon from the lake. It is said that there are more than a hundred sacred beasts living in Jincheng Lake, guarding the martial arts spirits. As long as one of them likes you, it seeks the weapons it can obtain and offers them to the person on the shore. Moreover, these sacred beasts have different temperaments, and they will make various requests of you. If you can't complete them, they will take their weapons and return to the bottom of the lake."
Xue Meng wondered: "That's how it is? Shizun, what request the Kunpeng request from you?"
Chu Wanning said: "It said it wanted to eat meat buns."
The three disciples were stunned for a moment before bursting out laughing. Xue Meng said: "I was scared to death. I thought it would be something difficult."
Chu Wanning also smiled faintly and said: "I was just lucky. These divine beasts have strange and unusual requests, they could ask for anything. I have also heard that someone summoned a Xishu, and the little rat asked that man to let him marry his wife. The man didn't agree and the Xishu left with the weapon in his arms. Since then that person has never had the chance to cultivate."
Shi Mei murmured: "That's such a shame …"
Chu Wanning glanced at him and said: "What's a shame? I respect him."
Shi Mei hurriedly said: "Shizun misunderstood. I didn't mean that. Naturally, exchanging your wife for a powerful weapon is out of the question. It's just a pity that he missed out on such a divine weapon."
Chu Wanning said: "It's just a rumour, but it's a pity that I never met such a person. Many years ago in Jincheng Lake, I saw how wretched the human heart could be."
He paused, seeming to remember something, and his eyebrows furrowed.
"Never mention it. Over the past thousands of years, Jincheng Lake has witnessed swaying loyalty and also many people who have been exposed to the unfairness of the world. In front of the martial arts spirits, how many people can give up the opportunity to become a cultivator? Stick to your morals without hesitation …? Haha."
Chu Wanning scoffed. It seemed that something in his memory was grinding him. His expression gradually became indifferent, his lips finally tightened, and he kept silent. His sharp eyebrows frowned slightly, and seeing his expression, he seemed to feel a little disgusted.
"Shizun, it is said that Jincheng Lake's divine weapons have a temper, so did you use yours smoothly on the first try?" Xue Meng changed the topic when he saw that he was displeased.
Chu Wanning raised his eyes and said faintly: "As a shizun, I have three divine weapons. Which one are you referring to?"