Chapter 125: Shizun Doesn't Need to Find a Cultivation Partner

Written in a neat and straight script, the ranking boldly declared:

First Place: Nangong Si Position: Young Master of Rufeng Sect Second Place: Xue Meng Position: Young Master of Sisheng Peak Xue Meng: "..." He slammed the booklet shut, every muscle in his face twitching, as if just barely holding back the urge to let loose and set the book ablaze.

"I see how it is," Xue Meng spat from between clenched teeth, expression dark as he tapped the panic-stricken vendor with the booklet.

"Wrap this book separately, I'll have to look it over when I get back."   Shoving the copy of "God-Knows-What Rankings" roughly into his sleeve,

Xue Meng carried the huge stack of books and scrolls picked out by the vendor and wobbled his way back up the mountain.

He was mad.

So mad he might die from it.

Second place on the Young Master Ego Ranking?

Bullshit! Which blind-ass dimwit wrote that! If he were to ever find out, he'd definitely have to give the guy a good pummeling to vent this rage—a hundred punches, maybe more! Ego my ass! What dogshit!

The rage tamped down the overwhelming joy somewhat, such that Xue Meng's state of mind was more normal by the time he got back to the Red Lotus Pavilion, no longer so easily explosive. He was still very excited of course, but the bout of anger just now had more or less cleared up his head.

There was a pair of high-level disciples standing guard outside the pavilion,

keeping people out to let the elder rest.

But Xue Meng was the young master, who would dare block his way?

And so Xue Meng walked in unimpeded.

Night had already fallen, and a honey-soft light glowed through the half-open windows of the pavilion's main hall. Not knowing if Shizun was awake or not, Xue Meng softened his steps as he pushed the door open and went in with the stack of books in his arms.

It was so quiet that he could hear his own heartbeat, sounding like a bird bouncing at the tip of a branch.

Holding his breath and temporarily tossing "God-Knows-What Rankings" to the back of his mind, he looked toward the bed.

"..." There was a long silence as Xue Meng stared blankly.

"Eh?" There was no one on the bed?

He was just about to go closer for a better look when he suddenly felt an icecold hand on his shoulder.

Followed by an eerie, chilly voice from behind him. "What intentions do you have in trespassing on the Red Lotus Pavilion?" "..." Stiffly, Xue Meng turned his head around, neck practically creaking, to see a deadly pale face in the dim lighting. He was so frightened that he screeched "WAH——" and reflexively raised an arm to cleave down toward the other before his brain even had a chance to process what he had seen.

But the other person was even faster than him, moving with lightning speed to land a strike at Xue Meng's neck and a solid kick to the guts before forcing him down to his knees and holding him there, sending the books he had been holding scattering all over the floor in a mess.

Xue Meng was only a bit startled at first, but getting forced to the floor like this left him absolutely shocked!

After five years of diligent training, he was no longer the boy he used to be,

so much so that even Nangong Si was no match for him. But this person, whose face he hadn't even seen clearly, had so easily dispatched him in only two moves, leaving him no room to even counter—who could it be?

There was a ringing in his ears as all the blood in his body rushed to his head.

But just then, that person spoke in an icy tone, "I went into seclusion for five years and now all of a sudden everyone just feels free to come into my residence. Whose disciple are you and where is your master? Didn't he teach you any rules?"   He had barely finished speaking when Xue Meng flipped around and threw himself at him in the tightest hug.

"Shizun! SHIZUN!!!" Chu Wanning: "..." Xue Meng lifted his head. He wanted to hold back, but tears fell despite his best efforts as he choked out between sobs, "Shizun, it's me… look… it's me…" It turned out that Chu Wanning had only just woken up and had gone out for a bath, and that was why his touch was cold and a little damp. He remained standing in the same spot, and though the light was dim, it was enough to see by now that he had calmed down.

The person kneeling before himself was a young man of around twenty.

He had fair skin and thick, dark brows that were lower and closer to the eyes than most people's, making him look pensive and compassionate. As for the lips,

they were full and pouty, and quite nicely shaped. A face like that would look spoiled even when angry—truth be told, it was all too easy for people with such looks to be called "coquettish", but not him.

Because the eyes were the most expressive part of the face, and Xue Meng's eyes were like a strong liquor, spicy, fiery, and unfettered in the light, giving off a domineering air.

The twin pools of liquor were unmistakable, even held within a pot of fine white jade.

It had been five years, after all. Xue Meng had been only sixteen when Chu Wanning had died; he was twenty one now.

Adolescent boys grow the fastest around sixteen to seventeen, a new look every year, a different build every half year. Suddenly seeing him again after having missed five years, Chu Wanning hadn't even recognized him at first.

"...Xue Meng." Chu Wanning said slowly, after staring at him for a good while.

Like he was calling his name, but also like he was telling himself— That this was Xue Meng, who was no longer that half-grown youth in his memories; he had grown up, with wide shoulders, and a height that was...

Chu Wanning pulled him up with a face that betrayed nothing.

"What are you kneeling for? Get up." "..." And a height that was not much different from his own.

The passage of time was the most visible on the young, carving a child into maturity in a mere few strokes. The first person Chu Wanning had seen when he'd first woken up had been Xue Zhengyong, so it hadn't quite hit him then just how long five years was, but seeing Xue Meng now, he was struck with the sudden realization that it had been a long time, that many people and things had changed in that time.

"Shizun, at the Spiritual Mountain Competition, I…" Having finally managed to calm down a little, Xue Meng began to talk of this and that, clutching at Chu Wanning the whole time. "I got first place."   Chu Wanning glanced at him, then a small smile tugged at his lips. "That's a matter of course." Xue Meng continued, red-faced, "I, I fought Nangong Si, he, he had a holy weapon, I didn't, I…" Feeling a little embarrassed about boasting so openly, he lowered his head and bashfully rubbed at the hem of his clothing.

"I didn't embarrass Shizun."   Chu Wanning nodded with a small smile, then suddenly said, "It must've been bitterly difficult." "Not bitter!" Xue Meng paused, and then said, "It was sweet."[12] Chu Wanning reached out, wanting to pat Xue Meng's head like he used to,

but then, remembering that Xue Meng wasn't a child anymore and thinking that it might not be the most appropriate gesture now, his hand went off-course midway and ended up patting him on the shoulder instead.

The two of them picked up the books scattered across the floor from earlier and put them on the table.

"You bought so many," Chu Wanning mused. "How am I supposed to read it all?" "It's not that many, Shizun can read ten lines at a time, it'll only take a night." "..." Xue Meng's admiration had not waned in the slightest, even after so long, but it was Chu Wanning who found himself somewhat at a loss for words. Not knowing what to say, he lit up the candle and flipped lightly through a couple of the books.

"Jiangdong Hall has a new sect leader now?" "Yup, the new sect leader is a woman, and rumor says she has quite the temper."   Chu Wanning kept reading. The page he was on was a long-winded record about Jiangdong Hall, which he read with rapt attention, but as he got to the section titled "Biography of Jiangdong Hall's New Sect Leader", he suddenly asked, as if entirely casually, "How has… Mo Ran been, these last couple of years?" He had made sure to ask in a very mild, carefully controlled tone.

So Xue Meng didn't think much of the sudden question, and just replied,

"He's alright." Looking up, Chu Wanning asked, "What's alright supposed to mean?" Xue Meng thought about how to say it for a moment. "Means he's more or less a decent person now." "Was he not a decent person before?" But then he nodded to himself before Xue Meng could even open his mouth to reply.

"Indeed not. Continue." "..." Xue Meng's specialty lay in describing his own deeds in lengthy,

dramatic narratives while talking about other people's deeds in a simple and brisk manner—especially if that other person happened to be Mo Ran.

"He's been running around everywhere these years. Grew up some," Xue Meng said. "That's about it." "He didn't attend the Spiritual Mountain Competition?" "Nope, he was cultivating at Snow Valley then."   Chu Wanning didn't ask anything else.

The two of them chatted some more about this and that, and then, worried he might get tired, Xue Meng reined in all the other countless things he still wanted to say and excused himself.

After he left, Chu Wanning lay down in bed, still dressed.

He still remembered everything that had happened in the Underworld, so he wasn't at all surprised about the way Mo Ran had changed. It was just that time waited for no one; during the past several years that he'd missed, even Xue Meng had grown up so much that he almost didn't recognize him, so he wondered what Mo Ran looked like now.

He thought about what Xue Zhengyong had said to him earlier, before leaving: "Yuheng, let's have a banquet tomorrow at Mengpo Hall to celebrate your coming out of seclusion. No refusing now, I've already sent a letter to Raner, surely you wouldn't want him to rush back all this way and not get to have a warm meal and good wine?" And so Chu Wanning hadn't refused. He didn't like crowds, but Mo Ran had always been his weak spot.

Xue Zhengyong also told him that many villages at the foot of Baitou Mountain had been destroyed during the last Heavenly Rift at Butterfly Town, leaving most of the survivors either injured or crippled. Due to the severity of the damage, the villages were still in ruins even now, and the entire region of snowy plains looked like hell on earth.

And that that was where Mo Ran was these days, helping the villages rebuild.

He continued reading for a while under the candle light, but in the end couldn't resist the urge. Getting up and summoning a messenger haitang with a wave of his sleeve, he thought for a moment before speaking, "Sect Leader, if I may trouble you, please send Mo Ran another letter and tell him to not rush. It would be great if he could make it back in time, but it's also alright if not, I won't blame him. The weather's getting cold lately, and winters in the Baitou Mountain region have always been harsh, so tell him to take care of the villages first, no sloppy rushing allowed."   Only after setting the haitang adrift did Chu Wanning finally let out a sigh and lie back in bed, picking up the half-read copy of cultivation world annals to continue reading.

His reading speed wasn't quite as outrageous as Xue Meng said, to be able to read the whole pile of books in one night, but finishing a couple of them was no problem.

Melted wax pooled into the candle holder as the night grew deeper. Folding the book closed, Chu Wanning shut his eyes, a slight crease between his brows.

He had read through essentially everything that had happened in the cultivation world in the last five years. The contents of the records were rather uneventful at first, but once they got to the second Heavenly Rift at Butterfly Town, Mo Ran's name started cropping up in many and more passages.

Chu Wanning was lying on his side at first, propping up his cheek with one hand while flipping lazily through the pages with the other, but he couldn't help sitting up at this part, holding up the book and reading closely.

"The people of the lower cultivation realm migrated eastward, but were met with a guarded wall at the border and denied entry. This coincided with several days of overcast skies that allowed fiends to walk freely in the open. The common people died by the thousands in front of the wall, and blood flowed in rivers. September saw the food supply route cut off for seventeen days; murder and cannibalism abounded…" Here was written the events of when ghosts and fiends had run rampant in the lower cultivation realm, and many of the common people had thought to seek refuge in the upper cultivation realm, only to be turned away at the border, and in the end, desperate and starving, resorted to killing and eating one another to survive.

That the horror and carnage then had been reduced to just a couple of lines on paper left a sour taste in Chu Wanning's mouth as he read.

"The defense was led by young masters Meng and Ran of Sisheng Peak.

Xue Meng's reputation soared as thousands of fiends were exterminated under the blade Longcheng and many more were driven back. Mo Ran single-handedly repaired the Heavenly Rift, banishing demons back into the Underworld, with barrier arts that were astoundingly similar to those of his master, Chu Wanning."   Chu Wanning's eyes opened a touch wider; though he knew that the Heavenly Rift described here was not quite as severe as the one back then, he was still a little surprised. "He can repair a rift all by himself now?"   As he kept reading, there were more passages about Mo Ran deeds,

vanquishing evil as he travelled the land.

"...The Hedong region was set upon by a monster, which Bitan Sect refused to deal with for reasons undisclosed. Hearing of this, Mo Ran travelled there and found the Drought Demon of Yellow River, and after a three-day long battle,

beheaded the demon and burned its head to eliminate the threat. However, the young master was gravely injured, having been stabbed through the abdomen and ribcage. He was fortunate to meet Jiang Xi, the sect leader of Guyue'ye…" Even the tips of Chu Wanning's fingers were ice cold.

He was gravely injured, having been stabbed through the abdomen and ribcage.

Whose abdomen, whose ribcage? Mo Ran's?

He read it over four, five more times, refusing to believe his eyes despite never having misread anything before. On the sixth time, he even putt his finger on the page to follow along as he read the words one by one.

Hearing of this, Mo Ran travelled there...a three-day long battle...

Chu Wanning could practically see the back of a black-robed figure, long boots stepping through the enormous waves of the Yellow River, one hand held behind his back, the other grasped around a brightly glowing holy weapon in the form of a willow vine.

Beheaded the demon and burned its head to eliminate the threat. However,

the young master was gravely injured.

His hand on the page clenched into a fist, so tightly that the joints turned white.

He could see Mo Ran lash out with the vine amongst the thunderous waves,

Jiangui snapping across the sky in a fiery arc, severing the drought demon's head clean off and sending blood flying everywhere, but at the very same instant, the drought demon's sharp claws also pierced right through Mo Ran's torso!

The giant beast that had lost its head swung for a moment before crashing to the ground with a deafening sound, its colossal body cutting off the very flow of the Yellow River itself. Mo Ran collapsed by the riverside as well, unable to stand any longer as blood spread on his robes…

Chu Wanning slowly closed his eyes.

And did not open them for a long, long time. But the lightly quivering eyelashes grew damp.

In the end, all of the books, without exception, referred to Mo Ran as "Mozongshi".

Reading these words, Chu Wanning felt only an indescribable strangeness and unfamiliarity.

He couldn't reconcile the brightly smiling, somewhat lazy adolescent in his memories with such a term of address as "Mo-zongshi". When it came to Mo Ran, he'd missed so much; Chu Wanning suddenly wondered, if that person were to come back tomorrow, whether he'd still be able to recognize this disciple of his.

A disciple who carried many more scars, a disciple who had become Mozongshi.

He couldn't help feeling vaguely uneasy at the thought.

He really wanted to see Mo Ran, but also didn't quite have the courage to.

Troubled by such anxiety, it wasn't until the latter half of the night that Chu Wanning finally dozed off.

Even after already having died once, he still didn't know how to take care of himself, lying there in a pile of books with no blanket. He really was a bit fatigued due to not being quite recovered yet. Add on top of that the fact that barely anyone dared to enter the Red Lotus Pavilion without permission, and no one would come to wake him up. And so Chu Wanning ended up sleeping the whole day away. By the time he woke up, it was already evening the next day.

Opening the window to see a setting sun, Chu Wanning fell into a prolonged silence.

"..." The surface of the lake reflected the dusk-red clouds as a crane flew leisurely across the horizon, returning to nest at the end of a long day.

It was already evening…

Had he slept through the night and then the entire day too?

Chu Wanning's entire face was ashen. A crack came from where his hand rested on the window frame, where he nearly snapped the wooden beam in half.

How absolutely unacceptable; the banquet that the sect leader was holding just for him was about to start, yet here he was, still drowsy-eyed, clothing in disarray and hair undone… what to do? What to do, what to do, what to do?!

He fretted anxiously to himself.

"Yuheng!" It was just his luck that Xue Zhengyong would choose this exact moment to come up here and invite himself in, only to freeze at the sight of Chu Wanning sitting on the bed with an indecipherable expression on his face.

"Are you still not up yet?" "I'm up," Chu Wanning replied, and he would've pulled off a dignified look too, if not for that strand of hair sticking up at his temple. "Did Sect Leader need something, to personally come all this way?"   "Oh no, I'm good, was just a bit worried cause I didn't see you come down from here all day." Xue Zhengyong rubbed his hands. "Well, since you're up, go get washed and dressed then come over to Mengpo Hall for dinner later. Before leaving, Master Huaizui said to hold off on food for twenty four hours; you haven't eaten anything since you woke up yesterday, and it's now been twenty four hours, perfect timing. I had them make a bunch of your favorite dishes, like stewed crab meatballs, sweet osmanthus lotus root, and all that. C'mon, let's walk over together."   "Your trouble is much appreciated." Hearing that there would be stewed crab meatballs and sweet osmanthus lotus root, Chu Wanning no longer cared to waste time getting ready, planning instead to just throw on a change of clothes and immediately go down the mountain with Xue Zhengyong.

After all, stewed crab meatballs had to be eaten while still hot, since they got all bland once they cooled.

"No trouble, no trouble." Xue Zhengyong rubbed his hands some more while watching him put on his shoes, and then, suddenly remembering something,

said, "Oh yeah, one more thing." Chu Wanning was no good at the mundane tasks of daily life to start with,

and the five year slumber only made him even more out of it: he tried to put the left sock on the right foot for a good solid while before realizing it and swapping them around with a perfectly straight face that betrayed absolutely nothing.

Focused on putting on socks, he answered mildly without even lifting his head, "What is it?"

Xue Zhengyong said with a grin, "I got an urgent letter from Ran-er this morning, saying he'll definitely make it back tonight. And he got you a congratulatory gift too; he's really getting quite thoughtful the older he gets, I…

hey, Yuheng, why are you taking off your socks?" "No reason, they're yesterday's." Chu Wanning said, "They're a little dirty, I'm changing to a fresh pair." "...Then why didn't you do that earlier?" "I only just remembered." Xue Zhengyong was an open and forthright guy, so he didn't think too deeply about it, only looked around the place for a bit before commenting, "You know,

Yuheng, you're not getting any younger. It's about time you got a cultivation partner if you ask me. Just look at your place, it was all neat and tidy when Master Huaizui left, but as soon as you woke up, haven't even really lived in the place yet, and there's already paper and clothes strewn about everywhere… I'll keep an eye out for you, how about it?" "Sect Leader, kindly see yourself out." "Eh?" Chu Wanning's face was all doom and gloom. "I'm changing."   "Haha, sure, I'll get out, but, the cultivation partner thing…?" Chu Wanning's head snapped up, eyes cold like a pair of frozen lakes as they glared at Xue Zhengyong, tactless man that he was.

Finally catching on somewhat, Xue Zhengyong chuckled awkwardly and said, "...Just asking. I was wondering what kind of things you look for, since I'm sure you won't settle for just anyone." Chu Wanning dropped his eyelids, but seemed to have shot Xue Zhengyong a glare.

Xue Zhengyong sighed and said helplessly, "What, am I wrong? I know you're picky." Chu Wanning replied mildly, "I just have better things to do, is all, how is that being picky."   "Alright then, if you're not picky, then tell me what kinda looks you like? No pressure or anything, just so I can keep an eye out for you." Annoyed and not wanting to waste his breath, Chu Wanning offhandedly made something up, "Alive. Female. Sect Leader can feel free to keep an eye out. Kindly see yourself out." He pushed Xue Zhengyong toward the door as he spoke, but Xue Zhengyong wasn't about to just give up, especially after the whole dying thing— he was really, truly, wholeheartedly invested in getting Chu Wanning hitched.

Back when Chu Wanning had died, Xue Zhengyong greatly regretted that he didn't have a child to leave behind like his brother did, that way he'd at least have some way to remember him by, someone to look after and make amends to.

But Chu Wanning had neither children nor siblings, had always kept to himself.

Xue Zhengyong had been disconsolate then, had felt incredibly guilty, and, more than that, had felt that Chu Wanning was really too pitiably lonely.

"That tells me absolutely nothing… Yuheng, really, I'm being serious here ——hey!" Xue Zhengyong was shoved out and the door slammed in his face even as he struggled.

Followed by a barrier to make sure he stayed out.

Xue Zhengyong: "..."  

Author's Notes:

New mini-theatre: "Lead Males' and Side Males' Standards For A Significant Other"   The Sect Leader handed down a little test-scroll, and required everyone to write their standards for a cultivation partner.

 Chu Wan Ning: Why is it this again? It is already stated in the novel: female,

alive. As long as these criteria are met.

Mo Ran: (sighs)...Actually, I don't know what qualities I want my cultivation partners to have as well, but I feel that with my IQ, I'm not suited for dating.    

Xue Meng (taking this seriously, thinking very hard): They can't be below my chin in height, they can't be heavier than me, and their waist can't be thicker than my thigh. Best if they have almond-shaped eyes, I like almond-shaped eyes. They can't lose to Shi Mei in terms of looks (Shi Mei: …...), can't lose to Mo Ran in terms of martial ability (Mo Ran: Submit your scroll, there's no such woman), they must be unsurpassed in loyalty and chastity, priority given to those who can cook. Most importantly: They must be able to eat spicy food, I can't stand half-spicy, half-clear broth hotpot. Even though my family doesn't have a throne for me to inherit, I feel that I'm not yet an old leftover man[13]. I don't care whether I get married or not; after all, a man's career is more important, so as long as one of the criteria above is not fulfilled, you don't have to approach me to talk, let's not waste each other's time.

 Shi Mei: I'm fine as long as they're kind. Whether they're pretty or ugly isn't very important.

Nangong Si: First, honest. Second, pretty.

Ye Wangxi: ...Not interested.

Mei Hanxue: Can I find one who can give me a bigger part? Director, do you need me as a body double for the bedroom scenes between those two male leads?

Big White Cat that has come online: [thanking jjwxc readers] Dog that has gone offline: [thanking jjwxc readers]

[12] 苦 can mean both bitter (taste) and hardship, so CWN said "it must've been hard" and XM's reply was basically that it was worth it/he has no complaints sometimes… a pun just… doesn't translate…

[13] 大龄剩男: A man of a certain age (about 40 years old or over) who's unable to get married because he's undesirable.