After coming out of Jiao Mountain, Mo Ran was like a wooden sculpture. His eyes were slightly blank as he walked forward in silence.
Standing in front of a fork in the road, he was in a daze.
The great battle was over. The sun rose from the east, and the morning glow washed away the darkness of the night. Only the smell of dewdrops and grass remained in the forest, like greasy powder floating in the morning light.
He turned around and looked at the towering mountain range. Then he looked at the road in front of him. If he walked straight, he would reach Linling Island. Xue Meng and his uncle were waiting for him there. They were waiting for an explanation, an answer. But he couldn't go there. He had to go to Dragon Blood Mountain.
Mo Ran vaguely understood that Master Huaizui knew far more than he thought. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so calm when he saw the Emperor Ta. Perhaps it was because of this that he was increasingly at a loss. He didn't know what was waiting for him.
Actually, his mind was in a mess. He didn't have the mood to think. In the end, he only knew numbly —
He had to go, because his Master was there.
Dragon Blood Mountain was located near Wubei Temple. In the early years, monks would occasionally come to the mountain to meditate, practice Zen, and comprehend. But this mountain was often puzzled. Many people said that they encountered ghosts at the top of the mountain. Once they entered, they couldn't come out. So gradually, it became a barren mountain.
Mo Ran traveled on his sword. After a day of traveling, he finally arrived at the foot of Dragon Blood Mountain at sunset. He didn't eat or drink all day and was already very tired. So when he saw a stream of clear spring water flowing out from the cypress trees, he walked over and scooped up a handful of water to wash his face.
What came down was mud, then melted blood. Finally, his face was revealed, reflected in the rippling water.
It wasn't an ugly face, but Mo Ran stared at it for a while. He felt an unspeakable disgust and disgust. He suddenly broke the water surface, shattering the reflection. Then he closed his eyes and rubbed his face in his palms, almost painfully.
Was there any perfect method in this world that could completely separate a person's past from their present? Was there any sharp weapon that could remove the rotten memories from his mind?
Was there anyone who could save him? Could they tell him that he was not the Emperor Ta, he was just Mo Ran, he was just Mo Weiyu.
But when he opened his eyes, the ripples were calm again, and the man in the water was still staring at him with resentment and despair.
He knew he had no way out.
He got up and went up the mountain.
When they were halfway up the mountain, there was a sudden fog. It was so thick that they couldn't even see their own fingers in front of them.
At first, Mo Ran thought it was a ghost, but when he sensed it, there was no trace of evil.
It was getting late. Occasionally, the sound of cuckoo crying blood could be heard from the woods. The surroundings were getting colder. The sunlight was disappearing bit by bit. The surroundings were getting dark.
"Master?"
His voice was slightly hoarse as he walked forward while rubbing his hands.
"Master Huaizui?"
No one answered him.
But the strange thing was that he was climbing the entire way, almost blindly, but he didn't encounter any obstruction. This path was so smooth that it made one's hair stand on end. It was as if someone had long set up a trap in the depths of the fog, waiting for him to walk into the trap alone.
"Is there anyone here?"
The fog gradually dissipated.
The scenery in front of him became clearer and clearer. The thick fog fell, and the mountain rocks and vines appeared in front of him.
He found that he had unknowingly arrived at a flat and open area. Looking back, the path he came from was still covered by the fog. Only this area had lush vegetation and sparse moonlight.
He stepped on the withered grass that was full of dew and walked forward. Then, he heard a person's back.
Mo Ran was startled for a moment. Then, he ran forward in panic and anxiously called out, "Shizun?!"
Chu Wanning had his back to him. He was kneeling beside a cave covered by wisteria. In front of him, Master Huaizui was sitting cross-legged with his eyes lowered. His expression was sorrowful and silent.
"Shizun! You — "
He was suddenly at a loss for words because he saw Chu Wanning turn around. His eyelashes were wet, and there were traces of tears on his face.
Mo Ran was stunned. "What's wrong with you?"
Chu Wanning didn't speak. He had been suppressing himself. Since a long time ago, he had been high and mighty, majestic and awe-inspiring. It was as if when he was born, he was an elder, an immortal. There was no time when he was young or weak.
"Mo Ran …"
But this time, he used all his strength, but only opened his mouth to say two words. He couldn't hold back his sobs anymore and overflowed from his lips.
Mo Ran murmured as he walked forward. He walked to his side, knelt down, and hugged him tightly. "… What's wrong? Why are you crying? "
As he spoke, he lowered his head and stroked Chu Wanning's hair. Chu Wanning's body was very cold, but now that he had found him and was able to hold him in his arms, Mo Ran felt very warm in his heart.
Every moment of peace he had was stolen. Every word he said to Chu Wanning was the wrong charity of the heavens. If he could get a little more, he would treat it as a treasure and didn't dare to take it lightly.
"Okay, okay." He was clearly so helpless, but he still hugged Chu Wanning in his broad and warm chest and comforted him. "It's okay, I'm here. I'm here, I'm here."
As Mo Ran spoke, he kissed Chu Wanning's forehead. And at this moment, he suddenly realized that Chu Wanning, who was lying in his arms and restraining himself, was still trembling and crying. His fingers were clutching his lapels tightly. He looked very much like that little junior brother in the Peach Blossom Spring who would never appear again.
No one was born strong, and Chu Wanning should also have been like that when he was young.
Mo Ran's heart trembled as he vaguely understood something. As he hugged the slightly trembling Chu Wanning, he kept kissing him and stroking his hair while looking at Master Huaizui.
The old monk was sitting on a huge, cold rock. His brows were furrowed and his eyelashes were drooping. His eyes were half closed, and there was no light in them. He was holding a begonia flower in his hand and leaning it forward slightly, as if he was going to give it to someone. But that person must have rejected his good intentions. The flower had already withered, and only a few had yet to wither from the branches.
Huaizui had passed away.
This person, who hid many myths and mysteries, didn't have any relief on his face at the last moment.
His expression was one of pain.
What was even more unbearable was that after he died, his face no longer retained the youthful appearance of a thirty-something year old. He had completely turned into an old monk with thorny skin. And for some reason, his face was being eaten at a speed visible to the naked eye by a small golden worm.
"This worm …"
"It's a false worm." Chu Wanning finally spoke, but his voice was terrifyingly hoarse. "Some people who loathe their appearance will make a blood contract with this worm. The false worm can change the host's appearance, and in return, on the day the host dies, the false worm will devour the host's entire body. "
Hearing him do his best to maintain a steady tone as he slowly spoke, Mo Ran couldn't help but hug him even tighter. The person in his arms had probably been kneeling here for a very, very long time. His hands and feet were ice-cold.
From his previous life to this one, it had always been Chu Wanning who had been his lighthouse, his flame, dispelling the darkness and giving him the warmth he could.
But at this moment, Mo Ran only felt like the person in his arms was made of ice.
So cold.
His heart was in pain.
"I'm here, I'm here."
"He told me to come to Dragonblood Mountain long ago." Chu Wanning seemed extremely exhausted, as if someone had drained all of his warm blood and poured endless pain and suffering into him.
"He knew that I didn't want to talk to him face to face, didn't want to listen to any of his explanations, so he left me a letter. The letter was filled with sincere words, but I was still obstinate and self-opinionated. I wasn't willing to believe him … I was suspicious of him."
Mo Ran stroked his cheeks. He had never seen Chu Wanning like this before.
Not even in his previous life.
He couldn't help but feel apprehensive. He asked, "Just what happened?"
But Chu Wanning only answered blankly, "I was suspicious of him …"
This person who had always been calm and rational finally shattered.
He was like a drawn bow whose string had been stretched to the limit and then suddenly snapped. He trembled in Mo Ran's arms, unable to stop shaking. He was so desperate, so pitiful.
Chu Wanning curled up. Once a person who had been tense for half his life collapsed, the accumulated grief was enough to burst a dam. "I should have come here long ago … If I had listened to him, many things wouldn't have happened. Nangong wouldn't have died, Shi Mei wouldn't have been blind. Originally, we could have made it in time … we could have made it in time."
"Master."
"If I had listened to that letter, things wouldn't have turned out like this …"
Mo Ran spent a long time comforting him. After a long time, Chu Wanning finally stopped crying, but his eyes were unfocused. Mo Ran pinched his fingertips, but found that they couldn't warm up. Just like that slight trembling, they couldn't stop.
"Why wasn't I willing to believe him one more time …"
Mo Ran listened in silence. In fact, on the way here, because of the Emperor Ta, Mo Ran had actually imagined countless scenarios of meeting Chu Wanning again. He had thought of many explanations and requests.
But he found that they were all useless.
He didn't expect that when they met again, it would be in such a situation.
"He … also left a memory scroll …" In the end, Chu Wanning finally calmed down. Mo Ran touched his cheek, which was cold. "… before he left, he always hoped that you would come and personally give it to you."
Hearing that it was related to him, Mo Ran's fingertips froze.
A memory scroll?
What was written there? What did Master Huaizui know?
Mo Ran felt that his hand was starting to become cold. His hair stood on end. He was so cold that it penetrated his bones.
Chu Wanning said hoarsely, "But he can't wait any longer. His lifespan has come to an end." When he finished speaking, he seemed to have touched upon an extremely painful scar. He furrowed his brows and didn't say anything else.
He was probably afraid that if he said another word, he would break down again.
Chu Wanning covered his eyes with his arm. He calmed himself down and slowly tidied up the mess on the ground. He was calm, peaceful, cold, reliable. He picked up the pieces and slowly put them on himself.
After all, he wasn't used to being weak.
In the end, Chu Wanning raised his teary eyes. He took out the scroll from his chest and handed it to Mo Ran.
"This contains all the secrets he knew."
Mo Ran's voice trembled slightly. "… did he show it to you?"
"Yes."
Mo Ran's heart trembled.
He looked into Chu Wanning's eyes. In that moment, he had an extremely terrifying thought.
He felt that Chu Wanning seemed to have understood everything.
He took the painting scroll with green jade as the axis.
But he suddenly felt uneasy, so he suddenly held Chu Wanning's finger and rubbed it.
"Wanning …"
"…"
"If that person on Jiao Mountain … what he said to you was true, would you hate me?"
Chu Wanning's face was already very pale. At this time, it was even more bloodless. Even his lips were slightly blue.
"Would you hate me?"
Mo Ran held his hand. He was so strong, stubborn, and even barbaric. But what was different from that strength was the bitter pleading under his soft eyelashes.
"Would I?"
Chu Wanning shook his head and didn't answer. He closed his eyes. "… Look at the scroll."
The scroll left behind by Master Huaizui was very heavy with Yin energy. It was not similar to the spells of the mortal world. Instead, it was similar to the dreamland of the feathermen of the peach blossom spring.
Mo Ran took a deep look at Chu Wanning again. Then, he opened the scroll and pressed the scroll that was emitting a jade light between his eyebrows.
The scene of Dragon Blood Mountain disappeared. What followed was a bottomless darkness. In the darkness, Huaizui's voice sounded with a hint of sigh, echoing in Mo Ran's ears.
"Grandmaster Chu, Benefactor Mo, I know that I don't have much time left. But now that the world has changed and a great disaster is coming, if I don't do my best to tell the two of you what I know to help you return, I will regret it in purgatory."
The voice paused for a moment and then slowly said,
"The past mentioned in this scroll is all unimaginable. There are also my past mistakes that I can't hide. I know that I've lived half of my life and have sinned deeply in the past. In addition, I'm slow-witted and narrow-minded. In these two hundred years of life, the days when I'm awake can be counted on one hand. The good deeds I've done are also pitifully few. My life is Huaizui, and I can't redeem myself. After I die, I will fall into the Avici Hell and never be reincarnated. However, I still have extravagant hopes that after the two of you read it, you won't hate me and think that I'm … worse than a beast. "
Mo Ran's eyes gradually lit up. He blinked. As far as his eyes could see, there were broken walls, old trees, and crows. There were flocks of birds pecking at eyeballs and guts everywhere.
He was slightly stunned. He felt that this scene was very familiar, but he couldn't remember it.
Until the dust at the city gate flew, a group of people galloped over. They were wearing headbands, carrying feathered arrows, and riding thin horses. One of the young men suddenly pulled the reins and rolled off the horse. He rushed toward a corpse at the city gate and kept shouting, "Father! Father! "
Mo Ran was shocked and felt a chill on his back.
This is …
The illusion of the Peach Blossom Spring?
This is Gu Lin 'an in the flames of war?!