Actually, Mo Ran could usually hold his liquor pretty well.
It was just that, on this night, in order to cover up his anxieties and fake a nonchalance he didn't feel, he downed five whole jars of pear blossom white wine, grinning the whole time, until his consciousness grew hazy.
When he was half-dragged, half-carried back to his room by Shi Mei and collapsed on the bed, Mo Ran's throat moved, wanting to call Shi Mei's name.
But habit was a frightful thing.
During all of those years in the past, the one by his side wasn't the moonlight of his heart, but the mosquito blood he was sick of looking at.
The name that came out of his mouth was that of the person he had always thought he hated.
"Chu Wanning..." It came out all muddled.
"Wanning... I..." Shi Mei hesitated, then turned to look toward Chu Wanning, who was standing by the door. Chu Wanning had carried Xue Meng back to his room, and had just walked in, a bowl of sobering soup in hand, just in time to hear Mo Ran's murmuring.
After the initial surprise, he immediately convinced himself that he had misheard.
After all, Mo Ran had always called him Shizun. It was one thing if he called him Chu Wanning, but to call him Wanning—— He couldn't help remembering that night at the Red Lotus Pavilion, when they had slept holding one another, when Mo Ran, fast asleep, had clearly called out 'Wanning', and then pressed a kiss to his lips, light as the touch of a dragonfly on water.
Was it possible that, in Mo Ran's heart, there actually was a little bit of...
He smothered that thought before it had time to take root.
Chu Wanning had always been straightforward and resolute. Except for matters of the heart, he knew well that he was a dawdling coward in those.
"Shizun." Shi Mei's bright eyes, unmatched in elegance, looked at him with uncertainty, "You..." "Hm?" "...Actually, it's nothing. Since Shizun is here to take care of A-Ran, I, I'll take my leave." Chu Wanning spoke: "Wait." "Does Shizun have any other instructions?" Chu Wanning said: "You guys are leaving for the Peach Blossom Springs tomorrow?" "...Mhm." There wasn't much of an expression on Chu Wanning's face. A little while passed before he spoke again: "Go get some rest. Make sure to take care of one another out there, and——" He paused, then said: "Come back soon." Shi Mei left.
Chu Wanning walked to the bedside, face impassive as he propped Mo Ran up and fed him the sobering soup, spoonful by spoonful.
Mo Ran disliked the sour taste, and vomited it all back out not long after. But he did sober up a bit, opening his eyes and staring, half-awake, at Chu Wanning.
He mumbled: "Shizun?" "Mn. I'm here." "Pfft." He started laughing for some reason, his laughter framed by dimples as he said, "Immortal-gege." Chu Wanning: "..." Mo Ran plonked right back out after that, sprawled out on his stomach.
Worried that he might catch a cold, Chu Wanning stayed by his side, pulling his blanket back up and tucking him in now and again.
Outside the room, many disciples were not yet asleep, staying up to count down to the New Year. Most of them were gathered inside in groups chattering and laughing, playing pai gow[9], or putting on magic tricks.
When the hourglass hanging in front of Loyalty Hall finished trickling,
signifying the changing of the year, the disciples rushed outside and began to set off fireworks and firecrackers, instantly filling the night sky with silvery flowers and branches of fire.
The deafening sounds from outside woke Mo Ran from his hazy sleep.
He cracked open an eye and pressed a hand to his throbbing temple, but the sight that greeted him was that of Chu Wanning sitting by his bedside, his handsome features composed and impassive. Seeing him awake, he said,
lightly: "Did the noise wake you up?" "Shizun..." He woke up filly, startled despite himself.
Why was Chu Wanning the one keeping watch over him? Where was Shi Mei?
He didn't say anything in his sleep that he shouldn't have, did he?
Mo Ran snuck an apprehensive glance at Chu Wanning's face, and only let out the breath he was holding when it seemed that nothing was out of the ordinary.
The crackling sound of firecrackers continued outside. The two stared awkwardly at one another for a while.
Chu Wanning: "Do you want to go see the fireworks?" Mo Ran: "Where's Shi Mei?" Said at practically the same time.
It was already too late to take back anything.
Mo Ran's eyes opened wide, startled, and stared at him for a long while as if he didn't recognize him.
A moment passed in silence, and then Chu Wanning got up nonchalantly to leave, turning at the door to say: "Everyone's celebrating the New Year, so he's probably not asleep yet. You should go look for him." It was only to be expected. He had such a terrible temper, after all. Even if he summoned up all of his courage to ask him to go watch the fireworks together, of course he would be rejected.
He shouldn't have asked, how humiliating.
Chu Wanning returned to the Red Lotus Pavilion and sat by himself beneath the haitang tree that bloomed year-round. There, alone, with a cloak draped over his shoulders, he watched the brilliant flowers blooming across the night sky.
In the distance, the disciple quarters were warmly lit, their cheerful laughter drifting over, but none of it had anything to do with him.
He should've gotten used to this long ago.
But for some reason, his chest felt all stuffy.
Maybe because seeing the merriment of others made it harder to return to his own solitude.
Quietly, he watched the fireworks bloom, one, two, listened to the voices of people wishing each other a happy new year, three, five.
Leaning against the tree, he closed his eyes, feeling a bit tired.
He wasn't sure how long had passed, but he suddenly felt an intrusion into the barriers.
His heart lurched, but he didn't dare open his eyes. He heard the sound of breathing, slightly winded, and those familiar footsteps, coming to a stop not far away.
The young man's voice carried a hint of hesitation.
"Shizun." Chu Wanning:"..." "I'll be leaving tomorrow." "..." "It's gonna be quite a while before I can come back." "..." "Actually, there's nothing going on tonight, and we have to get up early tomorrow, so I think Shi Mei probably went to bed already." The sound of footsteps came nearer and stopped very close by.
Mo Ran said: "So, if you still want to, I..." he opened his mouth, but the rest of the sentence was swallowed by the bang of an especially large burst of fireworks.
Chu Wanning's eyelashes fluttered as he looked up. Backlit by the splendid river of stars in the night sky and the scattering of fire flowers like silvery frost,
the handsome young man stood before him, pitying and a little bashful.
"..." Chu Wanning had always been prideful. He didn't care for company born out of pity. But right now, looking at him, the words of refusal suddenly wouldn't come out.
Maybe the wine had gotten to him too.
Chu Wanning felt a sting in his chest, but also a warmth.
"Since you're already here, sit down with me." Then he added, softly, "I will watch with you." He gazed up at the sky with an impassive expression, but the fingers hidden in his sleeves had curled up nervously. He didn't dare to look closely at the person beside him, fixing his eyes at the fireworks above instead, at the boundless night sky sprinkled with glittering brilliance.
Chu Wanning asked quietly: "Has everyone been well these days?" "Mhm." Mo Ran replied, "We became friends with a cute little shidi, we mentioned in a letter to Shizun before. How is Shizun's injury?" "It's nothing. Don't blame yourself." A firework burst in the sky, scattering resplendently.
That night, fireworks and lanterns lit up the sky, firecrackers crackled nonstop, and the faint smell of smoke filled the snowy air. The two of them welcomed in the new year underneath the flowering tree; Chu Wanning was a man of few words, but Mo Ran looked for things to chat about, until he finally grew tired and fell asleep.
Early the next morning, Mo Ran woke up, still underneath the tree, with his head in Chu Wanning's lap and a hefty but soft fur cloak covering him. It was Chu Wanning's fire fox cloak, smooth and exquisitely-made.
A little startled, Mo Ran looked up to see Chu Wanning leaning against the trunk of the tree, deep in slumber. His long eyelashes drooped over his cheeks,
quivering slightly with each breath like butterflies in the wind.
Did they really just sleep under the tree like this?
How did that even happen?
With Chu Wanning's compulsive nature, he should've gone back to his room to sleep no matter how tired he was. How could he have been willing to settle for just carelessly resting under the tree like this, and, this fur cloak...
Did he cover him with it?
Mo Ran sat up, his ink-black hair a little disheveled. He stared, draped in Chu Wanning's cloak, a bit at a loss.
He wasn't that drunk last night. Although some things were a little blurry, he could more or less remember most of it.
Even running here to the Red Lotus Pavilion of his own accord to welcome in the new year together with Chu Wanning was a sober, conscious choice.
He had clearly hated this person, once, but when he heard him ask "do you want to go see the fireworks?", when he watched him turn around forlornly to leave with his head lowered.
He had actually felt an ache in his heart…...
He had thought that, they wouldn't see one another again for a long time anyway, he didn't really have much grievance toward him in this life, and Chu Wanning was so lonely, it was no big deal if he kept him company til the morning once in a while.
And so he brazenly came over.
Thinking back on it now, he felt like he was really too…...
Chu Wanning woke up before he could finish the thought.
Mo Ran stammered: "Shizun." "...Mn." He rubbed his temple, his brows drawn slightly together from having just woken up, "You... haven't left yet?" "I-I just woke up." Lately, for some reason, every time he saw Chu Wanning's impassive face,
that silver tongue of his tied itself into a knot.
Mo Ran was stock-still for a moment before suddenly remembering that he was still wearing Chu Wanning's cloak. He hurriedly took it off and scrambled to wrap it around the other person instead.
While draping the cloak over his shoulders, Mo Ran noticed that although Chu Wanning wore several layers of clothing, it was still a bit thin without the cloak as the outer garment in all this snow.
The thought made his movements even more frantic, and he ended up tying his own finger into the knot while trying to fasten the tassel cord.
Mo Ran: "..." Chu Wanning glanced at him and reached out to untie it, saying: "I'll do it myself." "...Ok." And, appended in a mumble: "Sorry." "It's alright." Mo Ran stood, and hesitated: "Shizun, I have to go pack and eat breakfast,
and then I'll be setting out." "Mn." "...Would you like to go get breakfast together?" Pah! He wanted to bite his tongue and die right there right after saying that! The hell's wrong with him! What did he do that for!
Maybe he saw the regret that surfaced on Mo Ran's face right after asking that, but Chu Wanning paused, and then said: "I'll pass. You go ahead." Mo Ran was deathly afraid that he might say something even more outrageous if he stayed any longer, so he said: "I-I'm going then..." Chu Wanning: "Alright." After Mo Ran left, Chu Wanning sat expressionlessly under the tree for a while longer before slowly getting up, with a hand on the trunk for support, but then didn't make any further movements.
His legs were completely numb from having served as Mo Ran's pillow all night; he couldn't walk at all with the pins and needles in them.
He stood there sullenly for a good while before his blood circulation returned to normal, and he could finally hobble his way back inside.
Sure enough, after spending the night outside in such bitterly cold weather,
even with the haitang tree shielding them from the snow, he still ended up catching a cold.
"Achoo!" He sneezed, the corners of his eyes already reddening.
Covering his nose with a handkerchief, Chu Wanning thought, dammit... I probably... caught a cold…...
Yuheng Elder.
The owner of three holy weapons, and the number one great zongshi most sought after by all the sects of the cultivation world. The mere sight of Tianwen tamed the four seas, the white of his robes bested all the colors of the world.
Such an impressive character, he could even be said to be the strongest cultivator of the era.
Unfortunately, even the strongest person was bound to have a weakness.
Chu Wanning's weakness was that he couldn't handle the cold, and would easily fall sick if exposed. Thus, when Mo Ran and Shi Mei set off from Sisheng Peak,
not only had Chu-zongshi turned small again from the pill wearing off, but on top of that, he was also sneezing and sniffling nonstop.
And so, when the feathered tribe arrived at noon to escort them, they were met with Xue Meng, Mo Ran, and Shi Mei, who were perfectly healthy, and a pitiful little shidi "Xia Sini" who could not stop sneezing.
Author's Notes:
Mini Theater "The Correct Way to Competitive Drinking Against Yuheng Elder" Xue Meng: Shizun, Shizun! I wish you prosperity like the eastern sea,
longevity like southern mountains, bottoms up! Gulp gulp…
Chu Wanning: Okay, drink.
After one cup, Xue Meng, flat on the ground.
Shi Mei: Shizun, I'll join in and drink with you, bottoms up.
Chu Wanning: Okay, drink.
Shi Mei: Shizun, one more cup.
Chu Wanning: Okay, drink.
Shi Mei: Shizun, one more…
Chu Wanning: Okay, drink.
Shi Mei: Shizun…
After four cups, Shi Mei, flat on the ground.
Mo Ran: Shizun, Happy New Years, bottom up.
God of Alcohol Chu Wanning: Okay, drink.
Mo Ran: Drink what?
Chu Wanning: Alcohol? Didn't you say bottoms up?
Mo Ran: (Brightly smiles) Yeah, bottom up, your bottom.
[9] A domino game