Chu Wanning looked her up and down. Even back at Xuanyuan Pavilion, he'd already thought this woman devastatingly beautiful. Now, upon a closer look, it was clear she was a stunning beauty of the mortal realm. She was as lovely as lotus surfacing the waters, as gorgeous as the radiant dawn; her lustrous, silky hair was as black as ebony and could almost brighten her surroundings. No wonder Nangong Si would like her.
With this thought, he unconsciously stole a glimpse at Mo Ran, wanting to know what Mo Ran's reaction would be towards her.
Yet unexpectedly, when his gaze moved, it met squarely with Mo Ran's. Mo Ran wasn't looking at Song Qiutong at all; it was like there was only air standing next to Nangong Si. Instead he was staring at him, and when their eyes met, Mo Ran gave a gentle smile.
Chu Wanning felt himself turn weak at his gaze, yet he still had to fake composure, so he stared back at Mo Ran for a moment before turning his eyes away seemingly unaffected.
"There are many faewolves kept here at Xiaoyue Track Field, but the doughtiest one is Nao Baijin, and I like him best too."
Nangong Si led the party to the center of the vast field, then took out the jade flute hung at his waist and blew three sharp notes. After a moment of silence, demonic winds billowed within the woods in the distance, and a flash of a snow-white silhouette as fast as the winds and lightning charged out of the trees. In practically the blink of an eye, a faewolf with glistening fur and gleaming claws pranced into the air, its form pulling into one smooth arc as it let out a long howl. The chilling winter day shone behind its back as it landed steadily and stood before Nangong Si.
"Arf arf!"
Nangong Si went over and stroked its mane, then turned his head back with a smile. "Zongshi, look at him, he's so big now. The year you left he was still a little pup."
"The year I left, he was also already the height of a grown man," Chu Wanning replied expressionlessly.
"Hahahaha, really? I always think he's small. A baby."
"…"
"Zongshi, come and try riding him."
Nangong Si blew the flute again, summoning two more completely snow-white faewolves from the woods. "Mo-zongshi, wanna come play too?"
The three mounted the backs of their respective faewolves, and Nangong Si instructed, "Grip the reins or the scruff and squeeze your legs, it's actually not too different from riding horses." Then he leaned down towards Song Qiutong. "Qiutong, you'll ride with me, I'll take you."
Chu Wanning thought he didn't know how to ride at first, but after he mounted the back of the faewolf and tried walking a few steps, he didn't think it was anything difficult. In fact, since faewolves were highly intelligent, they could understand perfectly what their riders wanted, so it was even easier to ride them than normal horses.
Nangong Si grinned. "How about it? Let's run a lap?"
"Are we allowed to go wherever?"
"Sure, the forest of the back mountain and Xiaoyue Track Field are free for us to roam."
Mo Ran grinned too. "Are we racing?"
"Let's do it." Chu Wanning stole a glance at Nangong Si who had brought Song Qiutong along to ride on the same faewolf, and thought this was an opportunity for the married couple to build their relationship, so he happily agreed.
Nangong Si untied a bracelet made of spiritual stones from his wrist with a smile. "In that case, let's run to Lake Ganquan, located on the north side of the forest, and catch five groupers each. The first to return here will be the winner, and this bracelet will be the prize, how's that?"
"The seven stars spiritual stone bracelet. Isn't Nangong-gongzi being a little too ostentatious?"
"A thousand gold cannot so easily buy my joy." Nangong Si tightened his hold on the reins and bowed his head to Song Qiutong again. "Sit tight and don't fall. Let me know if we're going too fast."
Mo Ran glanced at Song Qiutong and smiled. "It seems Nangong-gongzi can take out the bracelet already."
"Ha! Underestimating me, are you? I grew up on the back of wolves! Nevermind taking a person with me, it'd be nothing to add another one even. Let's go, on my countdown of three, we'll start."
"Three, two——one!"
The word had only just dropped and three snow-white flashes pierced through the air like arrows, their steps swirling through the lifeless field, reaching the ends of the hunting grounds in seconds and vanishing deep into the woods.
At first Chu Wanning was going at a slower pace, trailing behind Nangong Si and Song Qiutong. But eventually, with Song Qiutong's screaming thrust back at his face time and again, his ears inevitably grew tired. Plus, he really could not stand the girl's coquettish whining, and so he sped up in spite of himself and surpassed them.
As the cries of "Gongzi, slow down" behind him grew distant, Chu Wanning slowly began to feel the joy of riding a faewolf. Such spiritual beasts truly were intelligent, and he needed but to move the tip of his finger slightly for Nao Baijin to understand what he desired and react instantaneously. No wonder Nangong Si valued these animals.
The winter wind brushed past his face but it didn't feel cold. Chu Wanning raised his head to gaze upon the spotted sunlight before his eyes, its rays constant, and with a swipe of the foot, he continued to surge forward like the torrent, rolling into the distance. He couldn't help but smile, feeling this run to be what they called ecstatic, so he urged Nao Baijin to dash on, and its wolf claws raised dust clouds behind as it tore through the heavily needled forest.
Behind him, Mo Ran followed closely whilst riding a black-clawed faewolf, and in that moment, an indescribable delight and relief filled his chest.
He suddenly felt, but wasn't sure, that he seemed to have gained the power to be selfish, as if he could run anywhere and there would always be the sound of those footsteps, that person, echoing ceaselessly behind him, never to be separated.
Chu Wanning and Mo Ran reached Lake Ganquan almost at the same time. There, the azure waters glistened, clear as a mirror, and the water type spiritual qi was overflowing. Thanks to nourishment from the spiritual flow, the flower and fruit trees by the lakeshore were unaffected by the passing of seasons. In the midst of winter, the orange trees were still thick and flourishing, and behind every dark green leaf hid numerous golden fruits while the breeze wafted with the sweetness of oranges.
After landing firmly on the ground, Chu Wanning scanned the surroundings. "Well, this is certainly a beautifully endowed place that nurtures both nature and the living."
Mo Ran walked over with the black-clawed faewolf and said with a smile, "If shizun likes it, then let's plant many fruit trees on Sisheng Peak too when we return, grow them year-round with spiritual power, and pick them whenever we feel cravings."
Chu Wanning humphed noncommittally. He approached the lake, then raised his hand and summoned Tianwen.
Mo Ran sensed things going poorly and stopped him. "What are you doing?"
"Catching fish."
"…Shizun is not thinking of blowing up the waters and wringing up the fish in the lake, are you?"
"What are you saying?" Chu Wanning shot him a glare. He threw the golden vine over the surface of the lake then said tepidly towards the lake, "Are any of you tired of living? Hooked be the willing."
Chu Wanning repeated those words three times then withdrew Tianwen. Upon the shimmering golden leaves, there really were several fat fish looking like they had nothing left to live for and were bubbling at the mouths, watching the sky with rolled back eyes.
Chu Wanning looked them over then turned to Mo Ran. "He said to fish for groupers, right?"
"Mn."
"…Do you know what groupers look like?" Chu Wanning thought maybe asking the question like this might be beating around the bush a little, so he simply raised Tianwen up and showed Mo Ran all the fish that had been fished up. "Are there any here?"
"…Why don't I catch the fish for shizun instead."
Mo Ran caught over a dozen fish, and divided them between the qiankun pouches hanging off the necks of both faewolves, so Chu Wanning released the several "wanting-to-die" fish he had caught earlier back into the waters. As he did so, he said impassively, "Life is short, pray my lords endure it for a bit longer."
Hearing such a thing, Mo Ran only felt this man was both amusing and adorable. After he put in the last grouper, he turned around just in time to see Chu Wanning come back ashore from the freezing azure lake. The lakewater shimmered behind him, soaking his white form in tenderness, obscuring him.
A powerful desire suddenly grew within Mo Ran; he wanted to stride over and pull Chu Wanning into his arms and kiss him. He wanted to caress him with utmost gentleness but at the same time crush him. He wanted to pull him into the orange trees and pin him against a tree, lift his legs and ravage him with immeasurable violence.
As he watched Chu Wanning walk closer and closer, he suddenly came to a startling realization about just how conflicting yet powerful his desires were. What made him weak and what made him hard were all borne of his meeting with this man.
Love, oh love.
Was this not its very image?
Hard and hot, it was the scorching, fierce blade that dissected you.
Gentle and soft, it was the vivacious tenderness that enveloped you.
"Really, that Nangong Si." Chu Wanning didn't notice the mixed emotions in Mo Ran's eyes. He came by Mo Ran's side to check and fix the qiankun pouch around Nao Baijin's neck. "Running so slow with a girl."
"He could be doing something else, you never know."
Mo Ran's mind was a little feverish as he stared at Chu Wanning's exposed, pale neck wolfishly, as heat burned in his lower abdomen, and he murmured the response under his breath without thinking.
Chu Wanning blinked. "Doing what?"
"…" Only then did Mo Ran come back around. He felt he misspoke so he cleared his throat and turned his head away. "Nothing."
However, Chu Wanning had wrapped his head around it by now and his eyes widened before narrowing dangerously, appearing to be in slight anger. "What are you thinking? Mount your horse, time to go back!"
Mo Ran moved his lips, wanting to say "It's mount the wolf, not the horse", but seeing Chu Wanning's gloomy face and the blushing tips of his ears, the words that came to his lips were swallowed once more.
He gazed a little regretfully at Chu Wanning, who was seated skillfully on Nao Baijin, his bearing incomparably refined, his beauty unparalleled. He yearned bigotedly. He thought, if only Chu Wanning was his. That way, he could fuck the man so weak he could ride neither horses nor wolves, and could only come into his arms.
Immediately, he felt both shocked and criminal for his thoughts, and subconsciously shook his head.
It just so happened Chu Wanning spotted his action, and he asked, "What? Why are you shaking your head? Was I wrong in my scolding?"
"No no, everything shizun lectures is right. I'm the one who was thinking too much."
But I wasn't thinking about Nangong Si and Song Qiutong's crappy affair.
The one I'm thinking about is you…
Then Mo Ran thought with a sigh, if only he could break Nao Baijin's legs. That way, Chu Wanning would have no wolf to ride, and perhaps would grant him the favor of mounting his black-clawed wolf.
He so wanted to hug him again, just like a man dying of thirst, longing for that sweet dew he'd once wasted… Stuck in such foolish fancies, Mo Ran rode closely behind Chu Wanning the entire way. When they returned to Xiaoyue Track Field, they saw Song Qiutong and Nangong Si were already waiting there.
Song Qiutong sat on the ground with her ankles exposed, skin as crystalline as jade, and there was blood on them.
Turns out, halfway through the race, she had forgotten Nangong Si's instruction of tucking in her legs, so thorns had scratched her skin. While they were minor injuries, Nangong Si refused to neglect them, so he'd brought her back early to tend to her wounds.
Mo Ran glanced at her legs. They were considerably good-looking, but when compared to Chu Wanning's, hers still fell short. And there his past self had been, liking Song Qiutong's legs.
So blind.
Now, he thought everything about Chu Wanning was good. The man was good whether he was horizontal or vertical, and even that pair of frosty, unfeeling, harsh eyes were now pride and decorum to Mo Ran. That was how Chu Wanning should be. So extremely good-looking. Good-looking to death.
So good-looking that to be glared at or yelled at or rolled eyes at by him all made Mo Ran brighten and burst with joy.
"I accept the loss." Nangong Si was cool about it, and easily gave Chu Wanning the bracelet worth a thousand gold. "For Zongshi."
Chu Wanning looked the bracelet over. "The seven stars spiritual stones are good for nourishing spiritual cores, I do need them. Many thanks."
Miffed at hearing this, Mo Ran grumbled out of the blue, "I'll buy you better ones next time."
"What's that?" Chu Wanning didn't hear clearly, and turned to look at him.
Seeing how Chu Wanning's phoenix eyes were so close that the pupils clearly reflected his face, the kind of distance where there was a me in you, the bitterness in his heart subsided somewhat.
Mo Ran smiled, "I said, next time if I see ones that are better suited for shizun, I'll buy them for shizun."
"Okay."
Chu Wanning's direct answer made Mo Ran even happier.
He very pettily looked in Nangong Si's direction. Nangong Si didn't care for something like this at all, but he had to compete with him anyway. He smugly wanted Nangong Si to know that shizun would politely say thanks when he accepted your things, but look, with me, shizun would drop the formalities.
Chu Wanning added, "Remember to get a receipt from the owner, and I'll pay you back."
Mo Ran: "..."
Ten freshwater groupers were taken out of the qiankun pouch, and Nangong Si took them to a hunter's cabin by Xiaoyue Track Field. Outside the cabin was a hearth caked in ashes; all the bowls and cutlery were there, but the wooden cabin seemed to be mottled and old, and when compared to the magnificent grass field, it didn't appear to be built in the same era.
Chu Wanning's fingers brushed past the fence, then stopped when he came to an old rope tied onto it. That rope had been exposed to the weather for a long time, and had long since lost the splendor it once held.
Nangong Si brought out seasoning from within the cabin, and when he saw Chu Wanning staring at the old rope, he smiled. "I tied that there the year Zongshi left, now it's almost rotten through."
Chu Wanning didn't respond, only letting out a soft sigh before seating at the small stool built from grinded-down wooden pegs.
Back when he'd worked for Rufeng Sect, Nangong Si had been but a small child. He had often taken him to Xiaoyue Track Field to run around, and this hunter's cabin was left from that time.
The fire was quickly built, and the groupers were set to grill, skewered with fruit tree branches. Luxuriant fish fat sizzled and dripped from the crispy flesh, emitting the thick fragrance of meat.
Nangong Si gave six fish to the faewolves crouching by the wooden fence, then sprinkled salt over the remaining four and distributed them to the group.
Song Qiutong only took a few bites before passing the grilled fish to Nangong Si, who had already swiftly eaten an entire plump fish. "I can't eat anymore, won't gongzi help me finish?"
Chu Wanning glanced over at them, and saw Nangong Si take the fish, happily starting to eat his second one. He thought, this Song Qiutong looked obedient and gentle, a considerate person, and not at all like the cheating woman in the rumors. As expected, rumors could not be believed.
Just as he was deep in thought, a lotus leaf was handed to him. The fish meat on it was attentively cut, though the main thing was the bones had all been picked out. The white and tender meat was giving off steam and the delicious smell of the grill.
Chu Wanning was a little confused and he looked over. Mo Ran was just putting away the silver dagger he always carried, and he smiled. "Shizun, have this instead."
"Where did you get the lotus leaf?'
"I picked them earlier when I was catching fish." Mo Ran handed him the fish meat. "Eat while it's hot, it won't taste as good when it's cooled."
Chu Wanning accepted the lotus leaf, something rippling in his heart. "Thank you."
It was true that he didn't enjoy picking out fish bones while eating, and the treated grouper meat melted in his mouth. Chu Wanning ate, piece by piece, not finding it overly greasy, and by the time he was done, the tea brewing over the fire was boiled too. Song Qiutong rose to remove the iron kettle, and poured a cup of tea for everyone. She offered the tea with both her hands.
"Chu-zongshi, please have some tea."
Slender jade-like hands held a small, white porcelain cup; her arms were like that of the bright moon, and on her wrist was an astonishing dot of cinnabar.
Chu Wanning suddenly recalled that back then, at the Xuanyuan Pavillion auction, the pavilion master had said her wrist was dotted with the chastity cinnabar by the Sage of Hanlin, so that must be what it was. Since the chastity cinnabar was untouched, then Song Qiutong and Ye Wangxi's affair was even more nothing but nonsense.
Having thought this, Chu Wanning finally relaxed. Nangong Si was a simple, uncalculating person, like a wild horse of the grasslands, like a lone wolf who moved alone. He possessed the natural fierceness of a spirited horse, and this wasn't a character Chu Wanning disliked, so he didn't want anyone unvirtuous by his side.
Song Qiutong's tea offering reached Mo Ran. Mo Ran accepted it but didn't drink it. He placed it down aside and smiled. "Miss Song, I have something I want to give you."
The Mini Theatre is this chapter ending's parody"The Protagonist Has Something to Give You"
Mo Ran: Miss Song, I have a frying pan to give you.
Mo Ran: Xue Mengmeng, I have a bunch of gays to give you.
Mo Ran: Shi meimei, I… Sigh, nevermind, it's nothing.
Mo Ran: Ye-gongzi, I have a wedding ceremony to give you.
Mo Ran: Nangong Si, I have a pair of glasses to give you.
Mo Ran: Shizun, come to my room tonight, I have a project worth a hundred million to give you.
Mo Ran: Ummmm… I seem to be forgetting something… Scratches head… Can't remember, whatever, forget it.
Mei Hanxue: ...