Chapter 149: Shizun, I Can't Stand Up

Chu Wanning: "..." Mo Ran: "..." It was practically a flurry, Chu Wanning didn't know where he got the strength from either, but he jolted to his feet, his lips trembling minutely, his face going dark and pale and flushed in turn, looking as if he was extremely shaken but also frightened.

The mighty and powerful Yuheng Elder was actually, genuinely, frightened?

Mo Ran was instantly disconcerted, incredibly anxious, and he sat up,

holding the spot of his chest that was kicked and was now in pain. He ventured tentatively, "Shizun…"

It was as if Chu Wanning had his tail stepped on, and he took a huge step back.

Must've been hard work, to be able to bulge those phoenix eyes into round circles.

Seems he really was wickedly startled…

Mo Ran smiled wryly, "Sorry, I'm not… I…" But he didn't know what to say either.

Chu Wanning though, the thoughts in his mind raged like the ravaging waves; I what? I'm not what? Why would Mo Ran have such a reaction? Was he himself the one mistaken? But if that wasn't a reaction, then was Mo Ran normally that hard and that big? Then how big…

That god forsaken ranking violently came to mind again, written with those two words.

Absolute Unit…

Chu Wanning's entire face flushed bright red. He noticed Mo Ran wanted to say more and he jerked his hand up. "Don't say anymore. Go back." Mo Ran thought he made him upset, so why would he stick around?

Enduring the pain, Mo Ran crawled up, but when he rose kept to a half-kneeling posture, and mumbled, "Shizun, I'm sorry, it was an accident." "..." Chu Wanning looked at him with a complicated expression, looking as if there were many things running through his head, but truthfully, he wasn't thinking about anything. His brain was already stuck on the words "Absolute Unit" and no longer able to spin.

Mo Ran left, and Chu Wanning stood there rooted for a long time.

The thin hairs on his arms were standing, and his entire person was both a little blank and somewhat dazed.

Suddenly, he remembered a long time ago when they sought for swords at Jincheng Lake, when they were at the hot springs Mo Ran had accidentally slipped. At that time, the boy had also touched him due to a series of unexpected events, but the physical contact didn't last for long, and Chu Wanning wasn't sure if he was mistaken. But just now, Mo Ran had uttered a sorry from his lips, that it was an accident, which meant that just now, he really did… become aroused… it wasn't his imagination.

Although he knew it was perfectly normal that males would sometimes become aroused from the sights they saw, yet when Chu Wanning reflected on himself, he didn't think there was any part of him that's attractive at all. There were plenty of people more handsome than he in the world, could Mo Ran like his sweaty and disheveled form?

...What's so good looking about that?

Nonetheless, as confused as he was, that hair-raising feeling between his legs still wouldn't die down for the longest while, and even with clothes in between, it still felt so alive, so ferocious.

In that mess of thoughts, something out of place suddenly came to mind.

He couldn't help but think: Such a ferocious beast, if it was let loose, who would be able to take it…

Chu Wanning bit down on his lips dejectedly then clenched his teeth, yet the flush on his face refused to fade, and the pair of phoenix eyes remained both unfocused and utterly confused.

It was like a fever, like he was wrapped by searing fire.

He stood out there for a long time before returning to his room. Chu Wanning let down his hair, biting the ribbon between his lips, and raised his hands to gather his long hair anew then bound it tightly, tying a ponytail.

He sighed a breath, then raised his eyes to see himself in the mirror.

Sharp and narrow phoenix eyes, giving off the impression of absolute authority and fierceness when he didn't smile. Unlovable.

His nose ridge wasn't considerably high, the arch gentle but the form wasn't vivid. Unlovable.

His mouth…

Forget it. This mouth was exactly the same as the words uttered by the same mouth, both very unkind, cold and aloof without any temperature. Of course it was also unlovable.

Who knows what mind Mo Ran lost that roused that kind of fervor.

Chu Wanning had always been extremely conservative and obstinate when it came to matters of love, he knew very little of it, and simply touching debauched literature would make him think he'd dirtied his hands, so even after staring and pondering at the mirror for a long time, he still couldn't figure anything out.

Whatever.

Don't bother with it then. Yuheng Elder who had never had any experience in love told himself: it wasn't like men only reacted when lust overtook the body,

maybe it was only a coincidence.

The next day, Xue Zhengyong and Madam Wang stood before the mountain gate bright and early in the morning, waiting for the other three who would be attending the banquet to arrive. The first to come was Xue Meng. He normally wore the blue and silver soft armour of Sisheng Peak that somehow always appeared poignant in endowment.

However, today he wore an elegant and solemn formal robe, and his hair was also done simply with a jaded hairpin, presenting him with a different air,

appearing poised and stately, his shoes refined and tasteful.

When he saw his parents, he was actually a little embarrassed, and he tugged at his own sleeves before speaking up, "Papa, mum." Xue Zhengyong couldn't help but praise, "Meng-er looks so good, you and your mom are practically made from the same mold." Madam Wang had her beautiful eyes lowered and she was blushing a little,

probably from her husband's compliments.

She waved at Xue Meng and said, "Come, Meng-er, come over here." Xue Meng stood before her and she tilted her head up, staring at him for a while. In her eyes there seemed to be imperceptible passing of time. A moment later, she let out a soft sight, "This outfit suits you, it makes you look fair. Quite lovely." Xue Meng smiled at this, "Isn't it because I was born this way thanks to mum?" "Listen to your cheekiness, exactly like your dad." Madam Wang said, feeling amazed, "Over twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye…" Xue Meng seemed to have sensed what she was going to say next, and all of a sudden his smile froze, unconsciously taking a step back.

But what good was this half a step back? He still couldn't escape his mother's nagging.

Sure enough, in the next second, Madam Wang pulled him over and started earnestly, "Meng-er, we're setting off for the Rufeng Sect today to congratulate Nangong-gongzi. Look at it, you're pretty much the same age as him, isn't it time for us to discuss your marriage?" "Mum, I haven't thought about starting a family yet… I don't have anyone I like…" Xue Meng grumbled.

"Mom knows you don't have anyone you like, so take this outing this time as the chance to pay more attention to the girls. She doesn't have to be from any major wealth or some great beauty. As long as her character is not bad and you fancy her, then mother I will definitely plan everything perfectly for you, and send a matchmaker." Xue Meng was blushing now. "The bazi[7] hasn't even been looked at yet,

how did you jump to matchmaking already?" "Mom is only making a mention…." "But I'm not interested in anyone. Take the girls that we've seen in the Upper Cultivation World for example, mum, not a single one of them is better looking than me. If I married one of them, won't I be the one losing out? I'm not marrying. Nope, not a chance." Xue Meng was shaking his head like a pellet drum, then a brilliant idea came to him, and he said, "Besides, why do you guys only bother me? Mo Ran is a year older than me, eh? Why don't you two worry about him? And my shizun——" "What level do you think Yuheng Elder is? Can you compare?" Madam Wang found him funny, "Alright, I won't force you, mum is just talking, asking you to pay more attention. But if there really is no one you're interested in then it's fine. It's not like mom will tie you up and throw you into the wedding halls." Xue Zhengyong however, pondered for a moment, then spoke up, "Well I do think Meng-er is right. I did mention the matter of a cultivation partner with Yuheng the last time." "Huh?" Xue Meng was shocked hearing this, "Papa, you brought that up with shizun? He didn't get mad at you?" "Of course he did," Xue Zhengyong smiled wryly, "He kicked me out." Madam Wang, "..." Xue Meng burst out laughing. "See? My shizun is a transcendent being, not a god but akin to one. Someone like him has already cut off all desires, what need does he have for a cultivation partner?" Xue Zhengyong sighed, obviously not giving up, and was just about to continue arguing with his son when suddenly, Madam Wang covered her mouth with her sleeve and whispered, "Husband dear, don't say any more. Yuheng Elder is here." Amidst the morning fog not yet dispersed, Chu Wanning slowly walked over through the trail of verdant flagstones still damp, his long, loose robe trailing on the ground, the robe itself a proper moonlight white with the hems embroidered with golden threads, flowing along with the moving of his heels as the golden threads shimmered faintly beneath the sun. His hair was bound with a white jaded hairpin, and at the end of the hairpin sat a red jewel carved in the shape of a plum blossom. His entire person was pure and clean coloured with dignity, and in that detached coldness there carried a disdainful indifference.

At that moment, Xue Zhengyong suddenly felt weak and his jaw dropped, but then closed his mouth.

He thought, Xue Meng was right after all.

What kind of woman could match someone like him so as to not be drowned by his splendour, or be covered by dust in the wake of his imposing grandeur?

This god walked down to the mortal realm and stopped before the mountain gate. He creased his brows and looked at Xue Zhengyong.

"Sect Leader." "Haha, Yuheng, the clothes fit you well, eh." Chu Wanning raised a hand, and a sachet with extremely intricate embroidery and design swung in midair. "The sachet that came with the formal outfit isn't quite the same as the usual ones." "Ah, it's made in Linyi styled knots, what about it?" The divine daozhang who stood high above and out of reach from all furrowed his brows and said, "It's too hard, I don't know how to tie it. Will sect leader please grant guidance." Xue Zhengyong, "..." He taught Chu Wanning three times, but still Chu Wanning couldn't figure out how the strings were wound, and in the end he gave up completely. Xue Meng couldn't watch on anymore, and he took the initiative to go up and requested permission to help tie the sachet for shizun. It took him no time to have it hung properly by Chu Wanning's waist, and Chu Wanning watched, a little surprised.

He commended, "Not bad." Next to them, Xue Zhengyong's mind couldn't help but turn back around and thought, dear lord, if someone like him doesn't have a cultivation partner, would he really not end up dying from lack of daily self-care?

A while later, Mo Ran had come too, looking kind of grim. That kick from Chu Wanning yesterday was too hard, but he was too embarrassed to seek medical attention, because there'd definitely be questions of how he was hurt and who kicked him. He couldn't just say he was kicked by Yuheng Elder because he trifled with him, right?

He could only meditate on his own and heal quietly, and he was finally a little bit better now. At least his chest didn't hurt to the point where it was difficult to breathe.

But when he saw Chu Wanning who was standing next to Xue Zhengyong waiting quietly for him. This man was wearing the formal moonlight white robes embroidered with golden threads, the collar high, looking both ascetic and dignified——What a respectable, handsome man.

Mo Ran felt something stir in his chest cavity, and the air that finally flowed in his lungs seemed to have been interrupted again, and he couldn't breathe, his breathing completely erratic.

"Ahem!" Goddammit. He fell in love with a man he should never love and swore to never touch again.

The old spirit that was reborn twice was now like some unfledged twenty something little lad, young and impulsive, surging with hot blood, feeling as if the world was both ending and thriving because of one one look or the change of an outfit of his object of affection. From now on, his happiness had everything to do with that person, his sorrow had everything to do with that person, his heartbeat had everything to do with that person, his breath had everything to do with that person, and even the moonlight shining in upon the windowsill illuminating the solitary ant as well as the stamen that attracted said ant had everything to do with that person.

In this love he felt tormented, very sullen.

Because every single petal, every single leaf was all that person, but he couldn't have him, he couldn't pick the flower.

God. Life is so hard.

After handing over all the sect affairs over to Tanlang Elder to manage, Xue Zhengyong took the invitation and set off with his wife and company.

With Chu Wanning in the traveling ranks, as long as there was no rush in the itinerary, they would usually ride the carriage, and this time was no different. The group went on their way in leisure, slowly as they headed down the official roads towards Linyi, stopping at various scenic spots along the way. When they encountered small-time demons and monsters, they'd exterminate them too while they're at it.

They traveled thus for over a dozen days before finally arriving at Daicheng City.

Daicheng City was known for cosmetics, and the moment they arrived in the city, Xue Zhengyong took Madam Wang to go buy products. Xue Meng scorned them for being an old married couple but still acted so clingy with one another,

and he rubbed his goosebumps, refusing to go with them. Instead, he went with Chu Wanning and Mo Ran to go find a tea stall to sit for a bit to wait for mom and dad to return.

Revisiting an old place, all three of the master and disciples were feeling somewhat amazed.

Xue Meng spoke up, "Too bad Shi Mei isn't here, otherwise it'd be exactly the same as when we went to seek our swords six years ago. We could've gone to check out the top of Xuying Peak too." Mo Ran grinned, "Aren't you scared that the fake Gou Chen would still be there, and would pull you back into the bottom of the lake to catch up?" Chu Wanning creased his brows at the mention of the fake Gou Chen,

"There didn't seem to have activities of him in the past five years?" Mo Ran replied, "Hard to say. The past major disturbances are all unresolved cases. The ones that had to do with shenwu, I suspect it's him but I've no proof." Xue Meng twirled the cup in his hand and looked at Mo Ran, "I on the other hand don't think those unresolved cases have anything to do with him. Think about it, years ago he went through great pains trying to find a spiritual body. If you were the wood elemental spiritual essence, then he'd grab you by the scruff and hurt you, so the one he's searching for should be a person, not a weapon." Chu Wanning was pensive, "But in the past five years, there haven't been consecutive cases of living humans going missing." Mo Ran propped up his chin, "I didn't run into any blockades or traps either.

But there's also the possibility that he didn't know where I was since my whereabouts had been uncertain in the past five years." The three fall silent, each deep in their own thoughts, until the boss lady came with their ordered tea and candied fruits. Xue Meng scratched his head, "Do you guys think that after having done so much bad, he might've burnt himself to death playing with fire?" "..." "Don't look at me like that, don't evil magic usually backfires easily or something?" Xue Meng grumbled, "Otherwise, how come there's been no great commotions from him? It's been five years." Mo Ran suddenly spoke up, "There's one possibility." "What?" "See, shizun hasn't done anything in the past five years either." Mo Ran hadn't finished before Xue Meng hit him with a chopstick, "What are you trying to say? Are you suspecting shizun to be the fake Gou Chen?" "...Can you wait til I finish?" Mo Ran griped in resignation, "I'm just giving an example. I was thinking that if those unresolved cases of the shenwu being stolen had no connections to the fake Gou Chen, then in the five years he certainly didn't cause anything great. Then, is there any chance that he'd be like shizun, where due to some sort of circumstances, like being hurt or some other reason, that he had to remain in a certain place and couldn't come out?" Having said this, something suddenly came to mind, and he stopped.

"Shizun…" "What is it?" Mo Ran shook his head at first, appearing as if he couldn't believe he was having this thought, but then after a moment of hesitation, he still stammered out two words, "Master Huaizui…" In the past five years, the other skilled fighters didn't know, but there was obviously one man who was trapped in the Red Lotus Pavilion like Chu Wanning, not having taken a single step of leave.

Master Huaizui.

But the idea was too great of an offence. Regardless of everything, Master Huaizui had once taught Chu Wanning. Mo Ran actually didn't really know how shizun felt about Huaizui deep down, and so he didn't dare to cross the line too much.

Chu Wanning replied, "You can cease that thought, it wouldn't have been him." His tone was light and indifferent, but there wasn't any hesitation.

And so Mo Ran immediately nodded. Since Chu Wanning didn't want to talk about his past being a disciple under Huaizui, then Mo Ran would never force any questions.

He then continued his ponderings, "Then, are there any other skilled fighters who haven't shown themselves in the past five years?" "Guyueye's sect leader Jiang Xi," Xue Meng answered, "At the Lingshan Conference, every sect leader showed up save for him who begged off saying he was ill. He rarely shows himself." Mo Ran laughed in spite of himself, "He's your mom's shixiong, right? You suspect him?" Chu Wanning said, "Jiang Xi thinks very highly of himself and never yielded Guyueye to be below the Rufeng Sect, so ever since Nangong Liu became the leader of the ten great sects, he stopped attending any of the gatherings, it's not just the past five years." "Then there's no one," Xue Meng said, "Ay, whatever, forget it. If we can't figure it out then stop thinking about it. There's too little clues, my brain's hurting." It just so happened that Madam Wang and Xue Zhengyong came back just then, it was getting late, so the five got ready to find somewhere to settle for the night in Daicheng City.

Xue Meng said, "I know of an inn that's particularly nice, it even has hot springs we can soak in." Mo Ran, "..." It was a no brainer which one Xue Meng was talking about, wasn't it that inn they stayed at when they were younger?

Back then when they were soaking in the hot springs, he'd even brainlessly slipped and fell into Chu Wanning's arms…

Having thought of this detail, he unconsciously cleared his throat softly, and silently turned his head away, not wanting the tiny embarrassment and anticipation in his eyes to be discovered, yet his heart involuntarily started to race.

Xue Meng was someone who, in truth, always spoke with some exaggeration. What he liked he'd praise with all that he's worth and completely blind to the flaws, what he disliked, he'd trample with everything he'd got,

beating it to death without giving any second chances. But as they say, fathers knew sons best, and Xue Zhengyong thought he could only trust half of what his son says. He turned to Mo Ran, "Ran-er has also stayed at that inn before,

right? What did you think of it?" Mo Ran cleared his throat another couple of times, and didn't dare to meet his uncle's eyes, "...It's indeed not bad." "Then let's go." Xue Zhengyong made the final decision. Thus, Mo Ran's hands grew sweaty, the tips of his fingers curling from the throbbing of his chest.

He bowed his head and en-ed, appearing fully tame and gentle, but the thoughts in his head were actually: could… he be like back then, and go soak in the bath with shizun again…

He subconsciously recalled Chu Wanning's slender and delicate body within the steaming mist, the lines of his curves sharp and taut, filled with the tension that invited violation.

But if he really could bathe together with Chu Wanning, amidst that blurring steam, could he really hold back?

After discussing where to go, the others had all risen to their feet. Xue Meng had finished the peanuts in his hand, and he clapped his hands free of the crumbs, also standing up, then he turned his head to look at his cousin who was still sitting in the same spot with a puzzling face.

"What's with you? Let's go."  Mo Ran's expression was unreadable, and who knows if it was because of the reflection from the setting sun, but his handsome face seemed to be a little red.

He reached out and poured himself another cup of tea, determined not to stand up and continued sitting there awkwardly. He cleared his throat softly a couple times and said, "...We ordered so much and didn't finish, what a waste.

You guys go ahead first, I know the way, I'll come once I finish the tea."

Author's Notes:

Ahem, some of you should know this, but let me still give you a tl;dr. Males really don't only react when in lust. When they're excited, or in a very good mood, or even just out of the blue, they really will… ummmm…

While we're here, I suddenly remembered a response on Zhihu (kinda like Chinese version of Quora), the poster was a boy, and once during class he was called on by the teacher to go in front of the class to recite text. He felt mixed about it, and as he recited, for some reason he became erect. It was a summer day, said boy was wearing the summer uniform briefs so it was very easy to tell.

The poster said he would never forget in this lifetime his woman teacher's sweet and awkward expression, and the blush on her face hahahahaha lights a candle!

Mini Theatre: Apparently Xue Mengmeng is Very Picky When it Comes to Finding a Match, as if There's a Throne at Home for Him to Ascend, So if the Other Characters Are to Change Their Sex, Would He Be Satisfied Pretty chick Mo Weiyu (characters modified to a girl's name) Result: Pass Reason Xue Mengmeng gave: I can't marry my cousin.

Pretty chick[8] Shi Mingjjing (characters modified to a girl's name) Result: Pass Reason Xue Mengmeng gave: She's beautiful indeed, demure and sweet tempered too, and graduated from nursing on top of that. Overall not bad, it's just the bosom isn't big enough, and the arse isn't perky. The figure is somewhat lacking, so let's forget it, let me see if there are better ones. But let me save this chick's number anyway, so if there aren't anyone better I can consider contacting her.

Pretty chick Nangong Si Result: Pass Reason Xue Mengmeng gave: This woman must be the weirdest I've ever met in all my marriage matches. She has a bigger temper than me, said her family is the number one richest clan of Shandong, her dad is Governor Nangong, super condescending. I was talking to her, but she only cared about walking her dog, did she have to be so condescending like that? I'm also the only son of the Village Chief of Mount Shushan's Sisheng peak Village! The more I think about it the more pissed I get, why would I want someone like this.

Oh yea, she also freakin' boasts her wealth everyday; said she drives a maserati every Mon Wed Fri, a lamborghini on Tues Thurs Sat, and on Sundays she rides her personal jet. This show off was worse than swaggerin mcswagger, I held back my disdain and tried to comment on it nicely: It's everyone's duty to conserve energy, a girl who cares about protecting the environment is the prettiest, but she dared respond with: Piss off, poor ass. Mutual unfollow.

Jeezuz, I'll be unfollowing her alright! Let's see who can block the other the fastest! So annoying!

Pretty chick Ye Wangxi Result: Pass Reason: This chick is good in everything, perfect height, gentle personality,

clean family background, and though she's not very good looking, she's not bad for spending life with. I already added her as a friend and was going to invite her out to eat malatang this week, you can fill your stomach with just ¥16, now don't think me stingy, I just wanted to see if she's someone who judges people based on wealth. I was worried that she only liked me because I'm second gen wealth,

so I wanted to pretend to be a poor loser first. She did accept my invitation, but on the day of the date, when I sent Xiao-Ye jiejie a text, it came back with: The other party is no longer your friend.... Ummmmm, where did I go wrong? I only remember the night before, that materialistic gold-digging, swaggerin' mcswagger Nangong dropped a pic driving her car in her friend's circle, I commented on it then blocked her… But what does that got to do with XIao-Ye jiejie? Could Xiao-Ye jiejie be gold digger Nangong's side account? A terrifying thought QAQ Pretty chick Chu Wanning (characters modified to a girl's name) Result: Pass Reason Xue Meng gave: My mama says women with ferocious looks subdue their husbands Pretty chick Mei Hanxue Result: Pass Reason Xue Meng gave: She is very beautiful, and a little mixed blood by her looks, but I dropped her pic in one of my peers' groups, there's about over a hundred dudes in that group right, and all of a sudden over eighty of them popped out and said they've slept with her… I'm instantly shook. And the key thing is, she's my dad's friend's daughter, even now I don't know whether I should tell this to that friend of my dad's, and tell her to mind her daughter more?

What to do, this is urgent, waiting online for a response.

The above is the matchmaking journal kept by the straight dude Xue Meng who has a throne at home to ascend. Tomorrow's mini theatre will update on how every pretty chick felt after meeting with Xue Meng.

Pretty chick Nangong Si: Thank fuck, that dude is a weirdo! Tomorrow! Let me rant about that fuckin' chauvinistic pig! I'm so pissed!

[7] [八字] Bazi are the eight characters that indicated a person's birthdate information for consulting fortune tellers. Before a marriage can be set, the couple's fortune must match, then the groom's family must send a matchmaker to seal the deal.

[8] Word used is "Little Barrier" but a pun to the word Pretty Chick