Chapter 34: This Venerable One Falls Out of Favor

Only Chu Wanning could say something so earth-shatteringly astonishing in such a calm and matter-of-fact manner.

Upon hearing this, his three disciples each had their own thoughts on the matter.

Xue Meng's thoughts were the simplest—a single exclamation: Ah!

Mo Ran's thoughts were a little more complicated. He recalled certain things from his previous lifetime as he stroked his chin and decided that he definitely wanted to go through this lifetime without ever seeing Chu Wanning's third weapon.

As for Shi Mei, he tilted his head, a faint light flickering in that pair of hazy, peach-blossom eyes, as if in reverence or fascination.

"Did you get Tianwen from Jincheng Lake?"

"Mn," Chu Wanning answered.

"Then the other two…"

"One was also from there, but not the other," he replied. "In any case, weapons tend not to have particularly fierce temperaments, so they should be manageable. There's no need to worry."

Xue Meng sighed with admiration. "I wish I could see Shizun's other holy weapons."

"Tianwen is more than enough for most situations," said Chu Wanning. "As for the other two, it will be for the best if I never have to use them."

Xue Meng reluctantly made a noise of agreement, but a light danced in his eyes. Chu Wanning noticed this; he knew that Xue Meng was combative by nature, and that such things were not so easily suppressed. Luckily, Xue Meng's heart was in the right place, so with some guidance, there would be little cause for concern.

Mo Ran stood to the side, still stroking his chin, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. The purpose of a weapon was to take the life of another; a righteous man would only resort to such things if there was indeed no other option. Chu Wanning…be it in this life or the last, that righteousness of his was truly his downfall.

All that bullshit about "justice always triumphing over evil" was just the way it went in books, but this idiot insisted on taking that kind of stuff seriously. For all his exceptional talent and martial prowess, it had served him right to end up as a mere prisoner beneath the steps, his bones in the dirt.

"Shizun." Shi Mei's voice cut off Mo Ran's musing. "This disciple heard that hundreds—if not thousands—of people climb Dawning Peak every year in search of a weapon, but only one or two are able to thaw Jincheng Lake. On top of that, in the last few years, no one has managed to do it at all. This disciple's cultivation is weak… I really…don't have a chance. A-Ran and the young master are both outstanding, but maybe I should just stay behind and practice my basics."

Chu Wanning did not answer immediately, his face like fine porcelain layered with a faint mist, as if he was in deep in thought.

In Mo Ran's last lifetime, Shi Mei had also turned down the chance to go to Dawning Peak due to his low self-confidence.

Mo Ran immediately put on a grin. "There's no harm in trying. Even if it doesn't work out, just think of it as taking a field trip. It's better than staying cooped up on Sisheng Peak all day. Why not go out and see the world instead?"

Shi Mei only became more nervous. "No, but, I really am too weak. And there are so many people at Dawning Peak—if disciples from another sect challenge me to a fight, I'll definitely lose and embarrass Shizun…"

Chu Wanning lifted his eyes. "Is that what you're afraid of?"

The words were strange, as if they were a question, yet also as if they were merely rhetorical.

The other disciples didn't sense anything off, but Shi Mei felt a creeping chill in his heart, and when he looked up, his eyes met Chu Wanning's cold, biting gaze. "Shizun…"

Chu Wanning remained expressionless as he spoke. "You specialize in healing. Fights aren't your forte to begin with. If someone bothers you with such things, simply refuse. There is no shame in that."

Mo Ran grinned. "Don't worry, Shi Mei, you have me."

And so the three disciples packed for the trip and set off.

Their destination this time was quite far away, all the way in the upper cultivation realm. Riding horses would have been too exhausting, and as before, Chu Wanning didn't want to go by sword, so they went by carriage. They traveled at a relaxed pace for more than ten days before they finally arrived at a city by the foot of Dawning Peak.

The three disciples had already climbed out of the carriage, but Chu Wanning didn't feel like moving just yet. He nudged the carriage's bamboo screen aside. "We'll stay the night here. A little more traveling tomorrow and we'll be at Dawning Peak."

Their rest stop was called Dai City. Though not large, it was affluent and bustling. The women wore silk and jade, and the men were dressed in expensive brocade. It was easily more opulent than even the richest settlements in the lower cultivation realm.

Xue Meng clicked his tongue. "Look at these upper cultivation realm mongrels. The scent of meat and wine wafts out of the doors of the rich while the poor starve and freeze to death in the streets."

Mo Ran disliked it as well, and so for once he didn't quibble with Xue Meng. Instead, he made fun of the scene before him with a sweet smile on his face. "No kidding. I'm so jealous. No wonder so many people are desperate to move to the upper cultivation realm. Even being a commoner who isn't a cultivator here is a much better life than what you get down in the lower cultivation realm."

Chu Wanning took out and donned a silver mask before leisurely disembarking from the carriage. He looked around at the hustle and bustle, but it was hard to guess what he was thinking.

"Why is Shizun wearing a mask?" Xue Meng asked, puzzled.

"This is Linyi Rufeng Sect's territory," Chu Wanning replied. "It's best if I don't show my face here."

At the sight of the lingering confusion on Xue Meng's face, Mo Ran sighed. "The li'l phoenix must have left his head back home, if he's forgotten that Shizun used to be Linyi Rufeng Sect's guest master."

His words jolted Xue Meng's memory, but the darling of the heavens wasn't about to admit that he really had forgotten. Face red, he rolled his eyes. "O-of course I knew that! But Shizun was only their guest master; it's not like they owned him or anything. There was no reason he couldn't just up and leave. Even if Rufeng people do see him, what're they gonna do, drag him back?"

"You blockhead, have you seriously never heard?" Mo Ran asked. "After Shizun left Rufeng Sect, basically no one from the upper cultivation realm ever figured out where he went. Whenever we're out on exorcism missions and we get asked who we're apprenticed under, haven't we always just said 'Sisheng Peak' without specifying a teacher?"

Xue Meng was taken aback for a moment before comprehension dawned on him. "Oh, so Shizun's whereabouts are a secret? But Shizun is so strong—why would he need to hide?"

"It's not that I'm deliberately hiding, I just don't want to be bothered," Chu Wanning said. "Let's go find an inn."

An inn attendant jogged over, greasy face gleaming. "Welcome. Will the four xianjun be staying with us?"

"Four rooms," said Xue Meng.

The attendant forced a smile while wringing his hands. "So sorry, Xianjun. All the inns in the city have been pretty full recently, so I'm afraid we don't have four rooms to spare. Would it be too much trouble to ask the xianjun to share? How does two rooms sound?"

There was nothing to be done about it; they would just have to share. But when it came to assigning those rooms, a small problem arose.

"I wanna room with Shi Mei." Mo Ran took the opportunity to make this declaration while the three disciples were standing by the side as Chu Wanning paid the bill.

Xue Meng wasn't having it. "Like hell you are."

Mo Ran feigned shock. "Eh? I thought you liked sticking close to Shizun."

"Th-that doesn't mean I want to—" Xue Meng had the utmost respect for Chu Wanning, but he was also afraid of him. Truth be told, even he couldn't say if what he felt toward the man was more adoration or fear.

Xue Meng's reddened face made Mo Ran grinned smugly. "Didi, why do I get the feeling that it's not that you don't want to sleep with Shizun, but that you're too scared to?"

Xue Meng's eyes went round as orbs. "It's not like Shizun's going to eat me! Why would I be scared?!"

"Oh." Mo Ran's shit-eating grin only widened. "But Shizun hits people in his sleep, did you know that?"

Xue Meng stammered, face going from pale to blue and back again, before he realized something. "How do you know what Shizun's like in his sleep?!" he shot back in a rage. "Have you slept with him before?"

That sounded a bit ambiguous, even though Xue Meng definitely hadn't meant it that way. Mo Ran sneered to himself. Not only had this venerable one slept with him before, this venerable one had slept with him before.

But real men didn't flaunt past conquests, so he only continued smiling. "If you don't believe me, go ahead and see for yourself tonight. Oh yeah, don't forget to bring a bottle of salve—you're gonna need it."

Xue Meng was just about to fly into a rage when Chu Wanning finished paying and came over. He glanced mildly at them and said, "Let's go."

The three youths followed their shizun upstairs like three little tails. Despite their bickering moments ago, as they stood in front of the rooms, all three of them looked down meekly and waited for Chu Wanning to speak.

Truth be told, their bickering hadn't carried any weight at all. When it came to actually assigning the rooms, they all shut up and waited for Chu Wanning to decide.

Chu Wanning paused before saying, "There are only two rooms. Which of you…"

He paused, feeling a little self-conscious. How was he supposed to say, Which of you wants to be with me? It sounded a bit hesitant and pitiful even to him—simply unbefitting of the Yuheng Elder.

How was he supposed he say it, then? Mo Weiyu, you're coming with me. Like that?

Forget it. Add a spiked club and a tiger pelt, and he'd be no different from some shady bandit stealing a family's young daughter. He was a respected zongshi, and he had to protect his face. Besides, ever since that one night at the Red Lotus Pavilion, both of them had felt awkward and avoided being alone together.

Chu Wanning's face remained impassive, but a thousand thoughts barreled through his mind. A good while passed before he lifted his chin, calm and collected, and nodded slightly toward Xue Meng. "Xue Meng will room with me."

Xue Meng was caught completely off guard.

Mo Ran had been smiling, but the smile dropped right off his face. He had indeed hoped that Xue Meng would room with Chu Wanning—so that Mo Ran could room with Shi Mei. But hearing this choice come out of Chu Wanning's mouth somehow left him profoundly infuriated.

He was utterly unaware of this, but he was just like a stray pup with an exaggerated opinion of his own importance. This stray pup had met a man who wasn't exactly the nicest to him, but who at every meal would at least toss him some bones to gnaw on. But the stray pup disliked this mean fellow. He chewed on his bones and, when done, would only lick his paw and bark endlessly at the man. He absolutely didn't think of this guy as his owner.

But one day, for some reason unknown to the pup, when the man came out with a bowl in hand, it no longer held one of the bones with which he was familiar. Instead, it was full of millet seeds. A beautiful bird with bright plumage flew down and perched on the man's shoulder, beady eyes staring at him as it rubbed its beak affectionately against his cheek. The man turned to look to the side, patting the bird while patiently feeding it.

The stray pup was dumbfounded. After all, he had been so certain that Chu Wanning would choose him…