Mo Ran laid on the bed like a dead fish for three whole days. His wounds had only just healed a bit when he received a summons, telling him to get the hell to the Red Lotus Pavilion to do manual labor.
This was part of the punishment as well; Mo Ran couldn't go down the mountain during the period of confinement, but neither could he just sit around. And so he would help out by doing odd jobs around the sect.
These odd jobs were generally things like helping the cafeteria lady at Mengpo Hall wash dishes, giving the three hundred sixty five stone lions on the pillars of Naihe Bridge a scrub down, transcribing copies of files and scriptures stale and dry, so on and so forth.
But just what kind of place was the Red Lotus Pavilion? It was the residence of that bastard Chu Wanning, the cursed place that everyone called Red Lotus Hell.
Very few people at Sisheng Peak had gone there. Of the ones who had, every single one had come back with either their arms or else their legs broken.
Thus, in addition to Red Lotus Hell, Chu Wanning's residence had another nickname that was even more down to earth: Pavilion of Broken Legs.
The sect disciples had an inside joke: "The Pavilion hides a beauty, the beauty holds Tianwen. Enter through the gate of broken legs, feel the agony of getting your legs broken. If you want your meridians busted, look no further than Yuheng Elder."
There was once a female disciple who had laughed in the face of death, whose lechery reached the skies. She had actually dared to thirst after Yuheng Elder's beauty, and snuck to the southern peak on a moonless night to climb onto the roof, hoping to peek at the Elder as he bathed.
The outcome was obvious. That female warrior was escorted by Tianwen to the very line between life and death, and had been laid out on the bed for no less than one hundred miserable days.
Furthermore, Chu Wanning had declared that should there be any more transgression, he'd poke out the eyes of the interlopers directly.
Do you see? What blunt boorishness! What insensitive gestures! What a loathsome man!
Within the sect, there were a number of naive and foolish young girls who, thinking that they were girls and that Yuheng Elder would pity them and show compassion, would giggle and tease, hoping boldly to arouse his attention. However, once the elder butchered that female delinquent, no one dared attempt to hit on him anymore.
The Yuheng Elder was indiscriminate when it came to lashing, having none of the disposition of a proper gentleman. Other than his face being pretty, there was nothing about him that was acceptable—that was the critique from the disciples within the sect.
The little messenger shidi looked at Mo Ran with sympathy in his eyes, and tried to hold back but in the end, he still couldn't. "Mo-Shixiong…"
"Hm?"
"…Yuheng Elder's temper is so bad, no one who enters the Red Lotus Pavilion can come out standing. Why don't you go see if maybe you could say your wounds haven't healed and beg Yuheng Elder to let you go wash dishes instead?"
Mo Ran was very grateful for this shidi's compassionate buddha heart, but he still rejected the idea.
Beg Chu Wanning?
Please. He didn't want to be served by Tianwen for another round.
Thus he dressed himself with immense effort, and dragged his heavy feet to walk towards the southern summit of Sisheng Peak with great reluctance.
Red Lotus Pavilion, Red Lotus Hell. There was not a single soul in sight for a hundred miles around Chu Wanning's residence.
No one wanted to go close to where he lived; Chu Wanning's terrible taste and unpredictable temper made everyone in the sect stay far away, only watching with respect.
Mo Ran was still somewhat nervous, not knowing what Chu Wanning would make him do as punishment. His thoughts ran wild for the entirety of his journey to the peak of the southern summit. After crossing through a dense field of bamboo groves, a large expanse of vivid crimson red lotuses came into view.
It was only early morning just then; the sun had only just risen from the east,
reflecting a dazzling gleam in the horizon. Through the heavenly lotus pads in the pond grew stalks that connected the fiery red skies with the crimson blossoms, each absorbing and reflecting the other, amplifying their radiance, truly impressive to behold. Upon the pond, a winding zig-zag bridge led to the pavilion that stood in quiet elegance. Behind it, a mountainous backdrop that streamed with curtains of waterfalls, beads of water like shards of crystals beating at the rocks clinkingly at the bottom, watery mist steaming, light shimmering through the haze, casting an ethereal ambiance amidst the calm.
How Mo Ran felt about all this was:
Ugh.
No matter how beautiful, wherever Chu Wanning lived would be all UGH to him!
Look how excessively lavish, how wastefully bountiful! The dormitory where the disciples slept was tightly cramped, each room given very little space. Yet look at Yuheng Elder; he was just one person, but he'd taken over an entire mountain top, and had even dug three giant ponds, planting an abundance of lotus flowers. Alright, fine. Those lotus flowers were said to be of unique breeds and could be made into medicines of rare quality, but——
Anyway, it was an eyesore. It really was too bad he couldn't just set fire to this pavilion and burn it down!
Nonetheless, grousing was nothing more than grousing. Since he was only sixteen and powerless to compete with Shizun, Mo Ran still approached Chu Wanning's residence to stand at the front entrance. He squinted his eyes into a smile and called out with a disgustingly sweet voice, pretending to be a lowly pleb.
"This disciple Mo Ran greets Shizun."
"En. Come in."
It was a huge mess inside the house. That cold-blooded demon Chu Wanning was dressed all in white, the lapels of his robes crisscrossed high and tight, giving him an ascetic, chaste air. Today his hair was up in a tall ponytail, and he was seated on the ground surrounded by mechanical parts, wearing a pair of black metal gauntlets, and biting a brush between his lips.
He glanced at Mo Ran without any emotion, and with the brush in his mouth, he said, voice muffled, "Come here."
Mo Ran went over.
It really was a little difficult because there wasn't any space left in the house for a person to walk; blueprints, broken logs, and metal parts were scattered all over the place.
Mo Ran's brows twitched. In the previous life he had never entered Chu Wanning's room. To know that a poised, handsome man such as he lived in such a mess…it was an undescribable feeling.
"Shizun, what are you doing?"
"The Holy Night Guardian[17]."
"Huh?"
Chu Wanning was a little grumpy, probably because there was a brush in his mouth and it wasn't easy to talk. "The Holy Night Guardian."
Mo Ran mutedly glanced at the parts strewn about all over the floor.
This Shizun of his also had the title Chu-zongshi, which wasn't just an empty title. If he had to speak the truth, Chu Wanning was a remarkable man; whether it was his three holy weapons, his barrier repairing powers, or his mechanical engineering skills, they all deserved the name "highest of the peak".
This was also why no matter how bad his temper was, how difficult it was to please him, every major cultivation sect fought over who could keep him.
As for this 'Holy Night Guardian', the reborn Mo Ran was more than knowledgeable of it.
This was a mechanical armor Chu Wanning had created; it was cheap in price but very strong and effective in battle, and could protect the common folks in the lower cultivation world from demonic intrusions at night.
In the previous lifetime, the completed Holy Night Guardian had been something that nearly each household owned. Each of the armors was priced at around the same price as a broom, and was more effective than pictures of door guardians and their open, teeth-baring mouths.
After Chu Wanning had passed away, those Holy Night Guardians still protected the impoverished families who couldn't afford the services of a cultivator. Such heartfelt compassion, when compared to the indifference with which he treated his disciples…heh, it filled Mo Ran with contempt.
Mo Ran sat down and looked at the Holy Night Guardian that was nothing more than mere parts at the moment, events of the past drifting through his mind. Unable to resist, he reached out and picked up one of the finger joints of one of the Holy Night Guardians to examine.
Chu Wanning clicked together the tenon and mortise of the parts in his hands, and finally freed a hand to take away the brush that had been between his lips. He glared at Mo Ran. "That one was just oiled, don't touch."
"Oh…" Mo Ran put down the finger joint and schooled his thoughts. Still playing the role of one that was cute and harmless, he asked with a happy smile, "Did Shizun summon me here to have me help?"
"En," Chu Wanning said.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Clean up the house."
Mo Ran's smile froze, and he looked at the room that appeared like it had just undergone an earthquake. "..."
Chu Wanning was a genius when it came to the art of spells, but an idiot when it came to everyday life.
After cleaning up the fifth teacup that had been shattered but hadn't been swept away, Mo Ran finally couldn't take it anymore. "Shizun, how long has it been since you last cleaned? My god, it's so messy!"
Chu Wanning was looking at a blueprint, and didn't look up even when he heard the question. "Around a year."
Mo Ran: "..."
"Where do you usually sleep?"
"What?" That blueprint probably had some problems; Chu Wanning was more prickly than usual at being interrupted. He ruffled his own hair and answered irritably, "On the bed, of course."
Mo Ran took a look at that bed, which was piled high with various gadgets and gimmicks that were almost finished. There were also saws, axes, sickles, and other such tools, each exceedingly sharp, glinting with a steely light.
Amazing. How did this person sleep without chopping his own head off?
After laboring for over half a day, all the sawdust and dirt from the floor was enough to fill three dustpans. After wiping down the shelves, more than ten white rags were now black. By the time noon came around, only half the place had been organized.
Fucking Chu Wanning. He really was more evil than a harpy.
Cleaning a room didn't seem like a severe punishment on the surface, and if anyone heard it wouldn't sound like anything laborious either. However, who knew it was to sweep up a hellish place that hadn't been cleaned for three hundred and sixty five days? Nevermind that he was covered in lashes right now, even if he was perfectly healthy, a tiresome torture like this would kill him half dead!
"Shizun…"
"Hm?"
"This pile of clothes of yours…" Had probably been sitting there for three months.
Chu Wanning finally finished connecting an arm of the Holy Night Guardian. He rubbed his sore shoulders and looked up to glance at the laundry basket that was piled high as a mountain with robes and said coolly, "I'll wash them myself."
Mo Ran let out a sigh of relief. Thank the heavens. Then afterwards, he was a little curious, "Eh? Shizun knows how to do laundry?"
Chu Wanning glanced at him. After a moment, he replied coldly, "How hard can it be? Throw it into the water, soak a bit, then fish it up to lay dry. Done."
"..." Really. What would the ladies who secretly admired and crushed on Chu-zongshi think if they knew about this? Mo Ran wholeheartedly believed that this man was only good for looks and nothing else, repulsive and disgusting. If this went out, how many tender hearts would be broken?
"It's getting late. Follow me to the cafeteria and do the rest when we come back."
Mengpo Hall was bustling with activity, people coming and going. Sisheng Peak disciples gathered to eat together in groups of three to five. Chu Wanning placed a few dishes on his wooden tray and went to sit quietly in a corner.
Gradually, a twenty feet radius area centered around him became completely deserted.
No one dared to sit near Yuheng Elder, on the off chance that something upset him and Tianwen would come out for a whipping. Chu Wanning was aware of this but didn't mind in the least. He sat by himself like a cold beauty, partaking of his meal in a refined manner.
But it was a little different today.
Mo Ran had come here with him, and naturally had to stay with him.
Everyone else was afraid of Chu Wanning, and Mo Ran was no different.
But at least he had already died once, so he was not too frightened of Chu Wanning.
Especially after the dread from their first meeting had faded away, and the loathing he'd felt toward Chu Wanning in the last life had slowly re-emerged. So what if he was ferocious? He'd still died by Mo Ran's own hands in the previous lifetime.
Mo Ran sat down facing him, leisurely chewing the sweet and sour ribs in his bowl. Crunch crunch, a small hill of bones materialized speedily.
Chu Wanning suddenly slammed down his chopsticks.
Mo Ran blinked.
"…Can you not smack your lips when you eat?"
"I'm chewing ribs, how do I chew without smacking lips?"
"Then don't eat ribs."
"But I like ribs."
"Then get lost and go eat elsewhere."
Their argument grew louder and louder, and some disciples were already starting to steal glances toward them.
Mo Ran suppressed the urge to flip the bowl of food over onto Chu Wanning's head. His lips, gleaming with oil, pursed into a line. After a while, he squinted his eyes, the corners of his lips curving into a sweet smile.
"Don't yell so loudly Shizun. If others hear, won't they make fun of us?"
Chu Wanning had always had a thin face, and sure enough, he lowered his voice, saying quietly, "Scram."
Mo Ran laughed so hard he almost fell over.
Chu Wanning: "..."
"Ah, don't glare at me Shizun, please eat, eat. I'll try to eat quietly." Having had his fun, Mo Ran went back to his good and obedient act, and indeed are his ribs much less noisily.
Chu Wanning was amenable to coaxing but not coercion; seeing that Mo Ran had done as told, his expression relaxed a bit and he no longer looked so bitter and resentful. He lowered his head, and continued elegantly eating his meal of vegetables and tofu.
This peace did not last long before Mo Ran started acting up again.
He didn't know why he did what he did either; what he did know was that every time he saw Chu Wanning in this lifetime, he just wanted to piss him off, one way or another.
Thus, Chu Wanning noticed that, although Mo Ran no longer chewed loudly,
he was now eating with his hands, fingers covered in grease, sauce shiny and dripping.
The veins at Chu Wanning's temples bulged angrily as he tried to bear with it.
He lowered his gaze, not looking at Mo Ran, and focused on eating his own food.
Maybe it was because Mo Ran was having too good of a time eating, but forgetting form and manner, he finished chewing a bone and carelessly tossed it into Chu Wanning's bowl.
Chu Wanning glared at the messily gnawed rib, the air around him freezing visibly with frightening speed.
"Mo Ran…!!!"
"Shizun…" Mo Ran was slightly terrified, but even he couldn't tell how much of that was real and how much was fake. "That…uh, I didn't mean to do that."
Yeah right.
"..."
"Don't be mad, I'll pick it out right away."
Saying so, he really extended his chopsticks and speedily stuck them into Chu Wanning's bowl to retrieve the offending rib bone.
Chu Wanning's face was blue; he looked like he was about to faint from disgust.
Mo Ran's eyelashes quivered, delicate features looking somewhat pitiful as if he'd been wronged. "Does Shizun find me that repulsive?"
"..."
"Shizun, I'm really sorry."
Forget it.
Chu Wanning thought to himself.
There was no need to argue with those who were younger.
He abandoned the urge to call forth Tianwen and give Mo Ran a beating,
but his appetite had been wiped out. He stood up. "I'm full."
"Eh? That's all you're going to eat? Shizun you've barely touched your food."
Chu Wanning said coldly, "I wasn't hungry."
Mo Ran was delighted inside, but his mouth kept speaking sweet words. "Then I'm not eating any more either. Let us go back to Red Lotus He——cough, Red Lotus Pavilion."
Chu Wanning's eyes narrowed. "Us?" His gaze was disdainful. "There is no 'us'. Elders and juniors have an order and distinction, watch your words."
Mo Ran responded agreeably on the outside, eyes curved in a smile, clever,
obedient and adorable.
But he thought on the inside, elders and juniors? Watch my words?
Heh, if Chu Wanning only knew what had happened in the previous lifetime, then he would realize——in the end, in this world, only him, Mo Weiyu, was the superior.
No matter how noble and arrogant Chu Wanning was, how unparalleled, in the end he had still been reduced to a mere piece of mud on the bottom of Mo Ran's boots, living on without purpose only by Mo Ran's grace.
Mo Ran walked faster to match Shizun's pace, still smiling brightly.
If Shi Mei was the pure white moonlight of his heart, then Chu Wanning was the piece of fish bone stuck in his throat. He would pull it out and crush it, or else swallow it and let it be dissolved by stomach acid.
In this reborn life, he could forgive anyone.
But he would absolutely never forgive Chu Wanning.
But, it seemed that Chu Wanning didn't intend to let him off easy either.
Mo Ran stood before the library at Red Lotus Hell, staring at the fifty bookshelves, each ten levels high, and thought that he had surely misheard.
"Shizun, what…did you say?"
Chu Wanning answered indifferently, "Wipe every book in here."
"..."
"And catalogue them."
"..."
"I will be checking in the morning."
"!!!"
What the hell!!! He's gonna get stuck here at Red Lotus Hell overnight??
But he'd already made arrangements with Shi Mei to change his bandages tonight!!!
He opened his mouth to bargain, but Chu Wanning ignored him, turned around with a sweep of his sleeves and left for the machinery room, even closing the door behind him.
Date night summarily dashed, Mo Ran sunk deeply into his feelings of disdain for Chu Wanning——he wanted to burn all of Chu Wanning's books!!
Wait!
The gears in his head turned as he thought of an even more ruinous idea...
[17] 夜游神 Ye You Shen, lit. night-wandering deity.