The two brothers stopped bickering, and rose to their feet at the same time.
The person in front of them had an extremely distinguished air about him.
Xue Meng stared for a moment before he finally reacted, nodding. "Mn. That's right. Who are you?"
Xue Meng had been headstrong since birth, and even though Madam Wang taught him etiquette over and over again, he never took it to heart. So, he never asked for people's proper courtesy names, didn't bother with honorifics, and wouldn't give out his own name, either. He was, in essence, downright rude.
But Mo Ran knew that this person was too dignified to make a scene at such actions. After all, this was…...
"I am a disciple of the Rufeng Sect, Ye Wangxi." As expected, the young man was calm and composed, and didn't get angry. Below his dark, black eyebrows were a pair of eyes that shone like scattered starlight, exceptionally bright and piercing. "May I inquire as to your name?" "Ye Wangxi?" Xue Meng frowned, muttering. "Never heard of him, must not have much of a reputation." His mutters weren't loud, but the only way the other wouldn't be able to hear him would be if he was hard of hearing. Thus, Mo Ran discreetly tugged on Xue Meng's sleeve to get him to hold back a bit, then masked the emotions on his own face and smiled lightly. "I'm Mo Ran, a disciple from Sisheng Peak, and the one beside me is my ill-mannered little brother, Xue Meng." Xue Meng pulled away from him, throwing him an angry glare.
"Don't touch me, who's your little brother?!" "Oh, Xue Meng, you..." Mo Ran sighed. He turned to Ye Wangxi, eyes curving up into crescents and smiling. "My younger brother is a bit stubborn,
please don't mind him, Ye-xiong." It wasn't that he suddenly decided to change his entire attitude and start being courteous about Xue Meng. Rather, it was because Ye Wangxi was an outstanding genius among his peers. Although this Ye Wangxi hadn't made a name for himself yet, in his previous life, Ye Wangxi was second only to Chu Wanning in the entire cultivation world.
Heaven knows how much Mo Ran had suffered at Ye Wangxi's hands in his previous life. After being reborn into this life, seeing as the other was still sharp as a knife's edge, an upright hero pure and noble…...even if he couldn't get into his good graces, at the very least, Mo Ran didn't want to be his enemy again.
Just Chu Wanning alone was enough to beat him black and blue. How would he even be able to live in peace if Ye Wangxi was added to the mix?
Ye Wangxi was a man of few words, so after a few polite words, he returned to his own room. As soon as he left, Mo Ran's expression returned to his annoying-as-hell,
shit-eating grin. "What do you think?" "What do I think about what?" "That person," Mo Ran replied. "Like him? Think he's good-looking?" "...?" Xue Meng looked at him like he was out of his mind and scoffed.
"Weirdo." Mo Ran laughed. "The four of us are living in the same courtyard, we'll run into each other around every corner. You should be glad that he's the one we're living with." Xue Meng was puzzled. "The way you talk, it sounds like you know him already?"
Of course, Mo Ran couldn't tell him the truth, so he joked without a hint of seriousness: "Nope, I don't know him, but I only judge people by their faces.
He's good-looking, so I like him a whole lot." Xue Meng scorned, "Disgusting!" Mo Ran laughed, waving his hand as he turned around, flipping an offensive hand gesture at Xue Meng behind his back. He then lazily walked back to his own little stone house, barring the door with a klunk, and shutting all of Xue Meng's cursing and swearing outside. The morning of the next day, Mo Ran got up early.
The feathered cultivators delayed cultivation practice for three days so they could get accustomed to life at Peach Blossom Springs. After Mo Ran freshened himself up, he saw that Ye Wangxi left on his own. The other two hadn't woken up yet either, so he went for stroll through the streets.
Amidst the thin layer of morning fog, quite a few cultivators glided by with light steps, rushing to their own individual cultivation grounds.
Mo Ran passed by a breakfast stall and saw a fresh pot of steam-fried buns.
He thought of his little shidi, who was still sick, and walked over to say, "I'll take eight fried buns and one bowl of sweet congee to go, Mrs. Shopkeep." The feathered stall owner didn't even lift her head up and replied: "Give me six feathers." Mo Ran stared blankly. "Six what?" "Six feathers." "...So do I need to find a chicken right now and pluck a couple of feathers?" That feathered shopkeeper raised her eyes to give him a look. "No feathers and you still want food? Go, get lost." Mo Ran was both irked and humored, but just as he was about to ask again,
a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him. A hand wrapped in bandages reached out, six glimmering, resplendent golden feathers pinched between his fingers.
"Mrs. Shopkeep, some porridge please. It's on me." The feathered shopkeep took the feathers, not wanting to waste any more time on them, and turned to pack up the breakfast to go. Mo Ran turned his head, and saw that Ye Wangxi was standing by his side, standing tall and handsome, his presence elegant.
"Thank you very much." Mo Ran grabbed the still-steaming, piping hot buns and the sweet congee, and walked away with Ye Wangxi, "If I hadn't run into you today, I'm afraid we might've gone hungry." "No worries," Ye Wangxi said. "Miss Eighteen doesn't have a good memory,
and always forgets to give newcomers some feathers. I also ran into you by chance; it's not much skin off my back, so don't worry about it." Mo Ran asked him, "Do you need these feathers to do all the business in Peach Blossom Springs?" "That's right." "Where do the feathers come from?"
Ye Wangxi replied, "They're plucked." "P...Pluck…ed…" Mo Ran felt slightly dumbfounded. These feathers really were plucked straight off the body of a bird? Then wouldn't the birds around here all end up completely bald?
Seeing his shocked face, Ye Wangxi glanced at him with amusement: "What are you thinking about? In Peach Blossom Springs, there's a place called the Ancestral Abyss. Legend has it that that was where the Zhuque immortal ascended. The bottom of the abyss is filled with roaring flames, it's hot beyond measure and hard to endure. Not a single inch of grass can grow there, and no beasts can survive either." Mo Ran listened to his description, and immediately thought of the blood-red sky that he'd seen in the distance when he passed through the outskirts of the city yesterday. "Is the abyss near the northern part of the city?" "You are correct." "What does that have to do with the feathers?" Ye Wangxi replied, "It's like this: although no other creatures can live around the Ancestral Abyss, there is a flock of angry owls that lives inside. They make their nests with the fire, hide during the day, and come out at night. Their feathers can help people from the feathered cultivators' tribe refine their cultivation.
"So that's how it is," Mo Ran grinned. "No wonder they want to trade goods for feathers, then." "Mn. But you should be mindful, because when they come out at night, their feathers will turn into normal ones, the same as those from regular owls. Even if you catch them then, they won't be useful at all. Only at daybreak every day,
when the sun rises in the east, will the flock of owls return to the Ancestral Abyss in the hundreds and thousands. The moment right before they enter their abyss,
their feathers will turn gold again, and only then is it useful to pluck them." "Haha, wouldn't that be the same as practicing footwork and flying skills? If your skills are subpar, then you'd fall in and become barbeque. If you don't go and harvest feathers, then you'd probably starve to death." Mo Ran couldn't help but click his tongue. "That's pretty rough." Ye Wangxi asked, "Could it be that you're not good at light footwork?" Mo Ran chuckled. "Just so-so." "That won't do," Ye Wangxi replied, "The owls' movements are swift and violent, no slower than a falcon or hawk. If you don't practice diligently, then you'll go hungry after a couple of days." "So that's how it is..." When he saw that Mo Ran was still spacing out, Ye Wangxi sighed and spoke again: "I've acquired quite a few feathers, and I'm not lacking for the time being. If the three of you need some, then just ask me for now." Mo Ran waved his hand again, smiling. "How could we do that? Let's just count this as me borrowing these six feathers from you. I'm going to go back and eat some food first, and if I can harvest some feathers tomorrow, I'll pay you back. Thanks a lot."
Mo Ran bade farewell to Ye Wangxi, carrying the congee and food back to the courtyard.
Xue Meng's room was empty. He'd probably woken up and gotten bored,
and went out for a stroll. Mo Ran then went to Chu Wanning's bamboo house.
Chu Wanning hadn't woken up yet. Mo Ran set the congee and steam-fried buns on the table, and went to his bedside. He lowered his head to take a look.
All of a sudden, a familiar feeling washed over him.
This little shidi's appearance while sleeping... why did it seem like a certain someone?
But he couldn't think of exactly who his shidi's appearance resembled. He only had a fuzzy impression of someone else who was just like this, someone who always curled himself up into a ball while laying on his bed, his hands under his cheeks——but who was it, exactly?
While he was busy getting lost in his thoughts, Chu Wanning woke up.
"Wuuh..." He rolled over. Chu Wanning saw the person beside his bed,
and suddenly opened his eyes wide. "Mo Ran?" "How many times have I told you, you should call me Shixiong." Mo Ran ruffled his hair a bit, and then took his temperature by feeling his forehead, "It seems like your fever's broken. Come on, get up and eat some food." "Eat food..." The child on the bed repeated blankly, his messy hair just making his face look cuter.
"Look at how much shixiong cares about you, I got up so early to go buy breakfast. You should eat it while it's still hot." Chu Wanning put on his spotlessly white inner robes and got off the bed,
walking towards the dining table. On top of the dining table, there was a single fresh lotus leaf. The steam-fried buns inside had thin skins and crispy bottoms,
with jade-green pieces of chopped green onion and black sesame scattered over top. On the other side, there was a small bowl of longan and osmanthus congee.
It was soft and sticky, but thick and rich at the same time, still piping hot, with clouds of steam rising from it.
The usually strong and steadfast Yuheng elder was suddenly unsure of himself. "For me?" "Ah?" "Do you buy all of this…...for me?" Mo Ran was stunned for a second. "That's right." He watched Chu Wanning, who looked all hesitant and unsure. He thought about it and smiled, "Hurry and eat up, otherwise it'll go cold." Although Chu Wanning had been in Sisheng peak for so many years, and everyone respected him, almost no one would eat food with him because his cold and stiff personality. They were even less likely to bring him a portion of breakfast from the canteen. Sometimes, he'd watch the disciples taking care of each other, and he was unwilling to admit it, but he couldn't help being slightly jealous of them in his heart. And so, faced with this bowl of porridge and a couple of buns, he couldn't bring himself to actually eat them. A long while passed in silence.
Mo Ran saw him sitting on the small stool, staring at the food in front of him and not moving his chopsticks, and thought the food might not be to his tastes.
"What's wrong?" Mo Ran asked. "Is it too greasy for you?" "..."
Chu Wanning looked back at him and shook his head. He picked up his spoon, scooping up a spoonful of congee. He blew on it, and took a careful sip.
If he was still the beautiful, cold, and distant Chu-zongshi from before, then he would seem elegant and refined eating congee in such a manner, as though he was practicing restraint.
But in the body of a child, he just looked slightly awkward and pitiful. Mo Ran misinterpreted his hesitation, and said to him, "Do you not like longans? You can pick them out and leave them by the side then, it's no biggie." "No." The little shidi's face wasn't too expressive, but when he looked towards Mo Ran again, his crow-black eyes were soft. "I like it." "Oh... Haha, that's good then, I thought that you didn't like it." Chu Wanning's thick curtain of lashes swept downwards, and he repeated his words quietly, "I like it. No one's ever taken care of me like this before." As he spoke, he lifted his eyes to glance at Mo Ran. He spoke again,
earnestly.
"Thank you very much, shixiong." Mo Ran didn't expect that he'd say something like that, and couldn't help feel stunned.
He wasn't a naturally kind person, and didn't particularly like kids. He only treated Xia Sini well because his skills were unusually good at a young age, and he seemed like a junior worth making friends with.
Mo Ran was only thinking about things practically, but seeing how Chu Wanning was treating this matter sincerely, he couldn't help but blush with shame. However, after hearing what his shidi had said, he thought it was a little strange. Mo Ran waved his hand to tell Chu Wanning that he didn't need to thank him, and asked, "Has nobody ever bought you breakfast before?" Chu Wanning nodded expressionlessly.
"Do Xuanji Elder's disciples not know to look after one another or something?" Chu Wanning replied, "I don't hang out with them much." "What about before you came to the sect? When you lived at your old house,
your mom and dad..." After saying the first half of his sentence, Mo Ran stopped.
Seeing how his little shidi was so quick-witted and pure as snow, what sort of parents would have the heart to leave such a kid on top of a mountain to cultivate, and never come back and come visit him ever again? It seemed like he had suffered the same experiences as Shi Mei and himself.
As expected, Chu Wanning spoke calmly: "My parents abandoned me, and I didn't have any other relatives, so there was nobody to look after me." Mo Ran was silent for a long while before letting out a big sigh. He thought:
Originally I just wanted to be friends with this kid, one, because his cultivation level was quite high, and two, because he was steady and mature, unlike the usual rowdy kid. Who would've thought that he came from the same background as me...
Looking at the little shidi in front of him, Mo Ran couldn't help thinking of his own childhood and remembering those years filled with bitterness and hardships. He felt a surge of emotion rush through his chest that filled him with sympathy and a sense of intimacy. Suddenly, he spoke: "There was nobody to take care of you before, but there will be from now on. Since you've already called me your shixiong, I'll take care of you properly from here on out." It seemed like Chu Wanning didn't expect him to say this, and was a bit surprised. After a while, his features melted slowly into a tiny smile, and he spoke: "You'll take care of me?" "Mn. If you stick with me from now on, I'll teach you meditation and sword techniques." Chu Wanning's grin widened. "You'll teach me meditation and sword techniques?" Mo Ran misinterpreted his expression and scratched his head, saying, "Don't make fun of me, I know that your cultivation level is already pretty good, but you're still young, after all, and you have lots to learn. There's a lot of disciples under Xuanji elder, and he probably won't be able to teach you individually.
What's wrong with learning a bit from me? At the very least, I'm still a person with a spiritual weapon." Chu Wanning was silent for a moment, and finally spoke: " I wasn't making fun of you. I…...think you're great." Chu Wanning would've never been able to say something like this before.
However, ever since his body had gotten smaller, it seemed as though his personality had gotten gentler and softer too. It was as if he was hiding under a cloak of darkness and could finally take off his rock-hard mask.
As for Mo Ran, although he'd lived through two lifetimes, this was the first time someone had praised him like that and told him "you're great." Even though the one who praised him was just a little kid, he was still at a loss at what to do,
overwhelmed by the pleasant surprise. Mo Ran could do nothing but sputter for a while. His skin, which had always been as thick as city walls, actually flushed red.
He repeated what was said to him, stuttering, "I, I-I-I'm great…...you really think I'm great?" Suddenly, Mo Ran vaguely recalled that, when he was young, he had wanted to be a good person.
But that small, gentle wish of his from back then, much like all of his other little wishes—"When I grow up, I want to ask Li-zizi[2] from the makeup store to marry me", "When I have money, I want to eat pancake fritters every day", "If I could have just two pieces of barbecued meat for every meal, I wouldn't trade it even for immortality"—all of it, in the end, became nothing more than memories blown away by the wind and scattered in the snow.
[2] Regional dialect for jiejie