Chapter 42: This Venerable One Is a Little Uneasy

Chu Wanning replied, "If it was the real Gouchen the Exalted, why would he use the dead instead of the living? Even though this fellow's powers are fairly strong, they're nothing compared to a god's."

This made a lot of sense, but Mo Ran was still confused about a few items. "Was it when Shizun saw this…this dead fox that you realized that guy was an imposter?"

Chu Wanning shook his head. "No."

"Then how could you tell?"

"Do you remember what this Gouchen asked me when he first showed up?" Chu Wanning asked.

Mo Ran thought about it for a moment. "I think he asked you something about your weapon?"

"That's right," Chu Wanning confirmed. "I've never hidden the aura of the holy weapons on my person; they can be sensed with just a little perceptiveness. But even as the supposed God of a Thousand Weapons, he couldn't immediately tell that I had two holy weapons from Jincheng Lake and assumed I only had one. I was suspicious then, but the important thing was to acquire your weapons, so there wasn't a good time to bring it up. I just kept a close eye on everything he did from then on so that he wouldn't get his way."

"But…" Mo Ran said. "If he isn't Gouchen the Exalted, how could he create holy weapons?"

"First off, it's just a rumor that Gouchen created all those weapons. No one really knows why this lake has so many weapons inside of it, so the holy weapons weren't necessarily made by Gouchen in the first place. Second, this person let you all pick whatever you wanted from the holy arsenal, but who knows if they were even his to give to begin with? Moreover, I examined Xue Meng and Shi Mei's weapons earlier: they're entirely fake."

At this, Mo Ran grew alarmed. "Fake?"

"Mn."

It took Mo Ran a long moment of staring blankly before he realized something. "Then Jiangui…?"

"Jiangui is real," said Chu Wanning. "But his goal wasn't just to grant you a weapon."

"Then what did he want to do?" Mo Ran gave the fox corpse lying on the stone bed a disgusted look. "First he spent all this effort to lock us up, and then he made this sickening thing. What does he even want?"

"You," said Chu Wanning.

"Huh?"

"What you just said was only half-right. That Gouchen didn't go through all this to trap us; the one he ultimately wants is you."

"What does he want with me?" Mo Ran laughed dryly. "I'm just some dumbass."

"I've never met a dumbass who could cultivate a core within one year," Chu Wanning replied.

Mo Ran had been about to continue, but a realization hit him and he froze. Had Chu Wanning just…praised him?

The thought made his heart rate pick up, and he stared at Chu Wanning with wide eyes. A few moments passed before he slowly blinked; the thick face he'd always been so proud of actually blushed, just a little.

Chu Wanning, however, was paying him no attention and went on muttering to himself. "Furthermore, Tianwen and Jiangui seem to have something to do with that willow tree in the courtyard. I'd read about it before, in ancient texts. When Gouchen the Exalted descended to the mortal realm, he brought with him three willow branches from the imperial court. But the ancient texts were missing a great deal; I never did find out what Gouchen did with those three lengths of heavenly willow."

He paused before continuing. "But if the rumors are true, it seems that Tianwen, Jiangui, and the old tree in the courtyard could be those same three willow branches. Two became holy weapons, and one was taken to the bottom of Jincheng Lake to become the powerful guardian of Gouchen's arsenal."

"But what does that have to do with me?" Mo Ran said.

Chu Wanning shook his head. "How could it not have something to do with you? You're the one who awakened Jiangui."

Mo Ran sighed. "Like I said: Seriously, what the hell?!"

"My guess is that this impostor's ulterior motive has something to do with the willow tree in the courtyard. But that's as much as I can infer from what we've gathered. For now, I don't know anything else beyond that."

This was almost all conjecture on Chu Wanning's part, but Mo Ran felt that given Chu Wanning's intelligence, if this was his conclusion, then it was probably pretty close to the truth.

As they considered these things, they walked quickly though the gloomy underwater dungeon path. When they made it past that twisting, winding path, they walked another until they finally came to the exit. Taking advantage of the fact that the merfolk patrolling back and forth weren't expecting them, they escaped.

The dark underground cells exited right into the courtyard where the giant willow stood. They surfaced to a scene that left Mo Ran shocked.

Four coffins had been placed in front of the giant willow, and one of them was empty. Lying in the other three were Chu Wanning, Shi Mei, and Xue Meng.

Mo Ran paled. "What the hell is this?!"

"Those are corpse-sacrificing coffins," Chu Wanning said. "You see the vine wrapped around the edge of the caskets? The other end is linked to the giant willow. The fake Gouchen only needs you, so after he drugged us, he had merfolk take you to the cell and put the three of us into these coffins. He can transfer an entire lifetime's worth of cultivation from the people within those coffins to the giant willow. It's similar to extracting blood."

Chu Wanning acknowledged Mo Ran's grim look as he continued. "Don't worry, Shi Mei and Xue Meng are unharmed. I pretended to be unconscious and waited for an opportunity to dispatch the three merfolk guarding the coffins. The three people you see in front of you are in fact the bodies of those demons."

He said all of this very matter-of-factly, but Mo Ran couldn't help raising his eyebrows and covertly sneaking a look at him.

How high was the cultivation of the merfolk in Jincheng Lake? Chu Wanning's so-called simple plan to "wait for an opportunity to dispatch them" meant that he'd had to take care of all three merfolk in a single blow, and without making a sound.

Just how skilled was this man?

It had been too many years since he'd last fought on equal footing with Chu Wanning, so hearing this left him a little dazed. A scene from his past life flashed before his eyes—that striking, unforgettable figure standing within the hailstorm, face turned slightly toward him, eyes shining bright like Mercury in the heavens.

"What is it?" Chu Wanning asked, seeing him lost in thought.

Mo Ran jolted back to the present. "Nothing."

Silence.

"I was just wondering how Shizun made the merfolk take those forms."

Chu Wanning smiled grimly. "Simple illusions. If that fake Gouchen can do it, how could I be any less able? We'll leave the fake bodies here to avoid being discovered by those eels. Give him a taste of his own medicine."

Mo Ran had no words.

In any case, they were in a dangerous place, so they couldn't stay long. They took a short breather and left right away. However, when they ran to the meeting place that Chu Wanning had agreed upon with Xue Meng and Shi Mei, they found it empty. No one was there.

Mo Ran's face went completely white. "Where's Shi Mei?!"

Chu Wanning's expression was also slightly uneasy. He didn't answer and instead lifted his ring finger, producing a golden light at its tip. He could track the location of the haitang flowers he'd tucked into the waistbands of his three disciples before they climbed Dawning Peak.

After a short period of time, Chu Wanning cursed under his breath and put the light away. "Something we didn't expect may have occurred. The two of them probably ran from here to hide from the merfolk patrolling back and forth, possibly toward the market. Come, let's go look."

Chu Wanning and Mo Ran were both extremely skilled and easily avoided the merfolk patrols. They swiftly flipped over the tall walls of the courtyard and rushed in the direction of the market that Gouchen had taken them to earlier that day.

Normally, there was no such thing as night and day under water, but Jincheng Lake was different. Within it, one could perceive the rising of the sun and the setting of the moon. By this time, the long night had broken, and the sun was rising in the east.

Mo Ran could make out Jincheng Lake's morning market setting up in the distance, and the bustling city center was filled with gathering people. He subconsciously let out the breath he'd been holding. It looked like Shi Mei and Xue Meng were safe; otherwise, the scene before them wouldn't have been so peaceful.

On the other hand, for some reason, Chu Wanning's face didn't look so good. He didn't say anything as he wordlessly pulled Mo Ran toward him.

"Shizun?"

"Come here."

"What's wrong?"

"Stay close." Chu Wanning's voice seemed to be laced with some self-reproach, even if he looked as cold as always. "Xue Meng and Shi Mei have already gotten lost. I'm afraid that if I'm not careful, you'll also…"

Mo Ran realized that Chu Wanning's face was a little pale, and it actually seemed to be out of worry for him. At first, he stared blankly. Then, for reasons he couldn't figure out, his heart jolted faintly, and he offered some words of comfort. "I won't get lost. Come on, Shizun. Let's go look for them."

He started walking forward while he spoke, and as he did so, he turned his wrist and casually took Chu Wanning's hand in his own.

Chu Wanning did not reply, but in Mo Ran's palm, his fingertips seemed to tremble for the barest fraction of a moment.

But the moment was too short and too faint. Mo Ran's heart was preoccupied with Shi Mei, and so he didn't think much of the sensation. He chalked it up to his own mistaken perception.

"Fish-blood mantou, freshly made!"

"Skin of Shuairan Snake, premium clothing material, only three feet left! Once it's all gone, you'll have to wait for my next shedding!"

"Selling squid ink brow-filler, made with fresh ink, spat just this morning by yours truly. It'll do wonders for your eyebrows—hey! Hey wait, miss, don't leave!"

The shouts of the peddlers in the market fell incessantly on their ears. The extraordinary scene was far too much for anyone to take in.

Mo Ran pulled Chu Wanning along with a silly smile on his face for two steps before realizing that something wasn't right. He slammed to a halt, eyes widening in an instant, and all the blood in his body ran cold.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong here.

He swept his gaze around, and sure enough…

A headless ghost sat by its stall, selling combs and makeup. It held a comb between two fingers with long, scarlet-painted nails as it brushed the hair on its own still-bleeding head, which rested on its knees. "High-quality bone combs," it called in a soft voice. "Take one home with you today."

Just as he'd thought! Exactly just as he'd thought!

In this city center, every person's movement, every person's words, every person's expression, was exactly the same as when Gouchen had brought them through the day before.

Mo Ran jerkily recoiled a few steps, crashing right into Chu Wanning, who caught him. He jerked up his head and said hoarsely, "Shizun, what is this?"

Chu Wanning seemed to have had his own suspicions for a while now, but after confirming the situation with his own eyes, his heart dropped in his chest. He gripped Mo Ran tightly.

"What's going on? What is this? An illusion?"

Chu Wanning shook his head. After thinking it over, he said, "Mo Ran, it must've occurred to you before. Jincheng Lake has many different beasts and creatures, and at least some among them must have seen the real Gouchen the Exalted before. In that case, how would they not be able to tell that this one was a fake?"

The color drained from Mo Ran's face, and a twinge of fear ran through him. "Yeah…you're right."

"And let me ask," Chu Wanning continued, "if you were pretending to be Gouchen the Exalted and hiding in Jincheng Lake, how would you make everyone else say what you wanted them to say, do what you wanted them to do, listening to your every word and putting on an act for you?"

Mo Ran understood immediately.

The Zhenlong Chess Formation. Black and white chess pieces would fall into place as everything under the heavens fell into line. None knew the sheer might of this forbidden technique better than Mo Ran.

He almost blurted this out, but he glimpsed Chu Wanning's eyes and managed to stop himself just in time. How could his sixteen-year-old self so easily name one of the three forbidden techniques?

And so, all he said was, "That would be very difficult."

"No," Chu Wanning said. "It's very easy." He paused for a second. "You just need them all to be dead."