Chu Wanning and Mo Ran left the Peach Blossom Springs and went all over the place looking for information on when the markets open at the various sects.
After several days of hasty travels, they finally decided to stay a night at a small town inn.
They hardly got any rest since leaving the Peach Blossom Springs, so Mo Ran had already retired to his own room a while ago. Sitting at the table, Chu Wanning lit the candle and contemplated the porcelain bottle in his hand under its warm yellow light.
Inside the white jade porcelain bottle were thirty some golden-colored pills.
It was fortunate that Xuanji had brought this bottle with him when he came; if not for that, he really didn't know what identity he would've had to assume with Mo Ran.
"This is new medicine from Tanlang, there's about thirty in there." Xuanji had told Chu Wanning back at the cave, "He did some research in the ancient archives and changed some ingredients, so one pill will allow you to regain your normal form for seven days. Here, these will last you a while." "Send Tanlang my thanks." "There's no need for thanks." Xuanji smiled with a wave of his hand,
"Tanlang puts on a stern face, but he's the most curious about your condition.
Oh, right, he also said to let you know that this medicine isn't too stable, and intense emotions might cause it to lose its effectiveness, so be careful about that." Chu Wanning was caught up in his thoughts about what Xuanji had said when he heard knocks from the door. He quickly tucked the porcelain bottle away and extinguished the incense in the burner before saying: "Come in." Mo Ran, having just gotten out from the bath, walked into Chu Wanning's room wearing only a thin bathrobe while wiping his long hair that was dark as black jade.
"..." Chu Wanning cleared his throat, thankful that his face remained neutral, "What is it?" "My room is no good, I don't like it. Shizun, can I sleep on your floor tonight?" Mo Ran was being so vague, and Chu Wanning wasn't that gullible, so of course he sensed that something was up: "What don't you like about it?" "I-it's just…... just no good." He snuck a glance at Chu Wanning, mumbling,
"The sound insulation is terrible." Chu Wanning furrowed his brows, too noble and chaste by nature to catch his meaning. He pulled on his outer robe without another word and walked barefoot over to Mo Ran's room. Mo Ran couldn't stop him even if he tried, and could only follow after.
"It's a little bare, but not so much as to be intolerable." Chu Wanning stood in the room and looked around, a note of scolding in his voice, "When did you get so spoiled?" Just then, a burst of crashing sounds came from the room next door, like something heavy falling to the floor.
Mo Ran really couldn't bear to listen to any more, so before things get even worse, he reached out and tugged the corner of Chu Wanning's sleeve,
pleading: "Shizun, let's leave already." Chu Wanning's brows furrowed: "Really, what's the matter with you? Just what do you find so objectionable?" Mo Ran opened his mouth, but before he could get his words together,
coquettish giggles drifted over from across the wall: "Chang-gongzi is so naughty, always bullying me, nnh, n-no wait... ah!" "Hehe, babe, this peony at your chest is so pretty, let me take a whiff, see if it smells nice too." The walls were so thin that even the rustling of clothes on the other side could be heard, the rough pants of the man and the sweet moans of the woman mingling together into something truly harrowing to hear.
Chu Wanning actually didn't understand what was happening at first. It wasn't until a few moments later that he suddenly put two and two together,
pretty eyes flying wide open while the color of his face changed rapidly from white to red to blue and then finally settled on ashen as he cursed: "Shameless!" and stormed angrily out of the room with a sweep of his sleeve.
"Pfft." Mo Ran failed to hold it in and started laughing quietly from behind. Luckily,
Chu Wanning was so flustered that even his arms were swinging out of sync as he walked stiffly away, and so didn't notice Mo Ran laughing at him.
Only after getting back to his room and downing a whole cup of tea did he finally regain some semblance of composure. He nodded toward Mo Ran: "Such obscene speech is indeed detrimental to cultivation. You may stay here tonight." "Oh." Truth be told, Mo Ran was beside himself with shock and happiness in equal measure when Chu Wanning suddenly appeared at the Peach Blossom Springs and did everything to protect him without doubting him in the slightest,
and now that things have calmed down, he couldn't help feeling all giddy. Right now, under the candle light, Shizun's habitually impassive face somehow seemed a lot cuter.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor with his chin propped up, Mo Ran's eyes curved into a smile as he stared at Chu Wanning.
"...What are you looking at?" "I haven't seen Shizun for so long, just wanna take an extra look." Voice full of smiles, gaze warm and bright.
Now that he's looking, Chu Wanning... really does look quite like Xia-shidi.
Chu Wanning glared at him: "Instead of looking at me, go wipe your hair dry instead, how are you going to sleep with it dripping like that." "I forgot the towel in my room." Mo Ran grinned, "Shizun do it for me?" "..." There was a period of time before when Xue Meng got injured and couldn't lift his arm, and every time he washed his hair, Shizun would always wipe it dry for him. He always did it very quickly by regulating his spiritual energy to warm the towel and evaporate the water.
Chu Wanning looked at Mo Ran and his perfectly functional limbs, then hmph'd coldly: "You're neither sick nor injured, why would I do it for you?" But still waved him over.
The candle cast its warm light on Mo Ran's incomparably handsome face.
Almost a year had already gone by since his rebirth, and he was just at that age when growth spurts happened; without even really noticing it, he had gotten quite a bit taller these past few months. Right now, sitting on the bed, he was nearly the same height as Chu Wanning.
This kind of height made it a little difficult for Chu Wanning to wipe his hair,
so Mo Ran leaned back on his arms and shifted his body lower. Standing at the side of the bed, Chu Wanning wiped at his long hair with an exasperated expression.
Mo Ran yawned contentedly, closing his eyes to enjoy this rare moment of peace.
Outside the window, a frog croaked now and again.
"Shizun." "Mn." "Did you know? The feathered tribe's illusion sent me back to Lin'an, two hundred years ago, and I met someone named Chu Xun."
The wiping movement didn't even pause: "How would I know that." Mo Ran rubbed his nose with a grin: "He looked just like you." "...There's plenty of similar-looking people out there, nothing strange about that." "No, really." Mo Ran said, all serious, "He was practically made from the same mold as you. Shizun, do you think he might be your ancestor?" Chu Wanning replied mildly: "It's possible. But, something from two hundred years ago, who can say?" "He had a son." Mo Ran continued, "Who looked just like Xia-shidi. I feel like all this is a bit too much to be just coincidence, Shizun, maybe Xia-shidi is a lost relative of yours?" "I don't have any relatives." "That's why I said lost..." Mo Ran mumbled. He was so close to Chu Wanning that he could smell the light, soothing scent of haitang.
It smelled so good. No matter which lifetime, Chu Wanning's scent always seemed to calm him down; in the past life, whenever he returned from a bloodbath, he always had to bury his face into the crook of Shizun's neck just to breathe again.
Whether he wants to admit it or not, he was already hopelessly addicted to Chu Wanning's scent.
He closed his eyes and slowly relaxed into the familiar peace, mind drifting in the flow of time.
Last lifetime, returning to the empty Wushan Palace after another slaughter,
soaked head to toe in rain, he had clearly committed so many sins, but was nothing more than a drenched stray with no home to speak of.
At that time, he would sit and wrap his arms around Chu Wanning's waist,
bury his face against his abdomen, have him stroke his hair over and over again —it was the only way to calm the madness inside.
Those bygone dreams were already things of the past, of another life.
But with his eyes closed like this, they seemed like only yesterday.
Noticing that the chattery guy had stopped talking, Chu Wanning lowered his lashes and glanced down at him. In the dim light of the candle, his face was relaxed, at peace.
Although his face still had a touch of the soft tenderness of youth, his features had already matured into striking definition, like natural handsomeness blooming through a haze, but still carrying that deadly freshness and vitality of the young.
Chu Wanning's hand wavered for a split second, and his heart seemed to beat a little faster.
He had no idea what compelled him to call out in a soft voice: "Mo Ran." "Mm…..." Mo Ran absentmindedly mumbled a reply, and then, as if exhausted, leaned closer and pressed his face against Chu Wanning's waist like he used to do in the past life.
Chu Wanning: "..." Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heartbeat was rapid in his chest like war drums on a battlefield, the reverberations making him dizzy.
Chu Wanning pressed his lips together; not knowing what else to do, he could only continue to wipe at Mo Ran's hair, steaming away the last droplets of water.
A long while passed like this, then he set the towel down, brushed aside some stray strands of hair from Mo Ran's forehead in passing, and said in a low voice: "All done. You can go sleep now." Mo Ran opened his eyes, black with a tinge of purple and still a bit dazed,
only gradually becoming clearer after a few moments.
Finally breaking out of his daze and noticing that he had gone so far as to give in to habit and lean into Chu Wanning's waist, and, even more unexpectedly, that he actually hadn't been shoved off, Mo Ran was startled to say the least, his eyes opening wide in dumbfounded astonishment, looking just like a dumb dog.
Chu Wanning originally still felt a bit uneasy, but he couldn't help smiling at that look on Mo Ran's face.
Mo Ran saw that he was actually smiling—however lightly, it was definitely a smile—and his eyes became even rounder. He sat up straight, hair a bit of a mess, and suddenly said very seriously: "Shizun, there's a scent on you, it smell really nice." "..." He paused, then suddenly furrowed his brows, as if trying hard to remember something. Consternation crept into his expression when he managed to remember it, and he mumbled: "Huh, that's strange, doesn't... Xia-shidi also smell like this?" Chu Wanning's expression went rigid immediately.
He flung the towel onto Mo Ran's head before he could react, and physically tossed him off the bed, saying in a cold voice: "I'm tired now, get the hell off and go to sleep." Mo Ran landed stupidly on his back, caught completely off guard. He lay on the floor in a daze for quite a while before sitting up and rubbing his nose, not mad at all, and then obediently got up to make his bed on the floor.
Author's Notes:
Mini theatre:
Tianwen: What will happen if Xue Meng sleeps in the same room as my owner?
Meatbun: Xue Meng cannot possibly fall asleep, he will be antsy for the whole night, waiting to greet your owner in the morning.
Tianwen: What will happen if Shi Mei sleeps in the same room as my owner?
Meatbun: Mo Ran will wreck the inn.
Tianwen: What will happen if 1.0 Mo Ran sleeps in the same room as my owner?
Meatbun: As the text says.
Tianwen: What will happen if 0.5 Mo Ran sleeps in the same room as my owner?
Meatbun: Do you still need to ask that kind of question? Your owner sleeps on the bed, Mo Ran sleeps on your owner.
Tianwen: What will happen if 2.0 Mo Ran sleeps in the same room as my owner?
Meatbun: Puh, don't think you can make me give away spoilers.
Tianwen: ??? You said I could extract any truth in the world???