Chapter 51: This Venerable One’s Shizun… Pfft Ha Ha Ha

For the next three days, Chu Wanning was even more sullen than

usual, his temper even worse. Resentment was written plainly all over the

Yuheng Elder's features, and a miasmic haze followed him wherever he

went. The disciples scattered like prey animals at the mere sight of him. Even

Xue Zhengyong dared not talk to him too much for fear of his murderous aura.

Chu Wanning didn't want to admit that he had any untoward feelings

for Mo Ran, but when he had seen his two disciples rendezvous by the

training dummies and act so affectionate, he had simply been unable to stop

his rage from flaring and a sour feeling from flooding his chest.

He was disgusted. With others, yes, but more so with himself.

Chu Wanning and Mo Weiyu were master and disciple, nothing more.

How was the matter of whom Mo Ran liked to stick to or whom he wanted to

be involved with any of his business? What right did Chu Wanning have to

wave around his willow vine just because he didn't like what he saw?

If he likes someone or likes being near them, what's that got to do

with you? Did it inconvenience you in some way? Chu Wanning, how are

you this pathetically petty?!

Anyway, backing up a thousand steps—so what if he felt unspeakable

longing for Mo Ran? He had his pride and plenty of self-restraint. Those

were more than enough to keep his feelings in check, more than enough to

suppress that terrifying yearning for however long it would take to suffocate

it.

No one would ever know of his unsightly affections.

Nothing would remain but for the brocade pouch that held the two

locks of hair.

Mo Ran would never know about Chu Wanning's feelings, just as he

would never know that, at the bottom of Jincheng Lake, the one who had

endured searing agony to save him hadn't been Shi Mei, but Chu Wanning

himself.

But what was this feeling? Was it…jealousy? The mere thought made

Chu Wanning choke.

For months after the training field incident, he tried to avoid Mo Ran

as much as possible, minimizing all interactions outside of routine

instructions in cultivation and training.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was nearly the end of the

year. One day, as Chu Wanning was returning from a trip down the mountain

to deal with monsters, it began to snow just as he got to the front gates.

Sisheng Peak was quickly covered in a veil of silver. Chu Wanning

was no good with the cold. Tugging his robes closer for warmth, he walked

briskly toward Loyalty Hall.

A hearty fire warmed the interior of the hall as firewood crackled

inside the copper basin. Chu Wanning had come to report to Xue Zhengyong,

but the sect leader was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he bumped into Mo Ran.

There was no one else in Loyalty Hall. This was the first time Chu

Wanning had been alone with Mo Ran in many months, and he felt a little

uncomfortable despite himself. What's more, this was the location where that

absurd dream had taken place.

Speaking of, Chu Wanning had experienced that dream several more

times since, and each time was clear and vivid. The first few times, he tried

to struggle, but after a while, he grew accustomed to it and just let the Mo

Ran in the dream run his mouth like a lunatic while Chu Wanning idly counted

his eyelashes out of pure boredom—one, two, three…

That dream always abruptly ended at a certain critical moment. After

multiple identical repetitions, Chu-zongshi decided that this cut-off must be

due to his innately pure and noble disposition. Even his fantasies refrained

from getting overly sordid.

Having come to this conclusion, the Yuheng Elder and his maidenly

heart of fragile glass finally managed to retrieve a bit of dignity.

However, the combination of Mo Ran and Loyalty Hall filled Chu

Wanning with an instinctual sense of danger.

Unfortunately, the young man in question hadn't the slightest idea about

any of this. At the sight of Chu Wanning, Mo Ran's face lit up in a toothy grin.

"Shizun, you're back."

Chu Wanning paused. "Mn."

"Are you looking for Uncle? My aunt's feeling a little under the

weather, so he's been taking care of her. What do you need? I'll let him

know."

Chu Wanning pressed his lips together and said mildly, "No need."

Then turned on his heel to leave.

Mo Ran called out to him. "Shizun, please wait."

"What is it?" Chu Wanning looked over his shoulder as he spoke and

was unexpectedly met with Mo Ran's extended hand brushing against his

brow.

Mo Ran brushed his brow a few more times, and said, like it was the

most natural thing in the world, "Look at you—you're covered in snow."

Chu Wanning froze. At a loss for what to do, he stood paralyzed as the

young man fussed, dusting the snow off his head, then took out a white

handkerchief to dry his hair.

Chu Wanning was terrible with the cold. He couldn't be exposed to it

or he would easily fall sick. However, this person didn't know to take care

of himself. In their last life, after he had been imprisoned, he had often liked

to sit in the courtyard and watch the koi fish in the pond, unheeding even

when it began to snow.

As such, he constantly took ill and ran fevers. He had been even more

frail after his spiritual core was destroyed. Every time he got sick, he would

be bedridden for at least half a month, and bowl after bowl of medicinal

decoction would have practically no effect.

And so, when Mo Ran saw Chu Wanning covered in snow, half-melted

and half-frozen, he reflexively started dusting him off. Halfway through

drying Chu Wanning's hair, he belatedly realized that his actions might have

been a little too intimate. His head snapped up just in time to come face-toface with a pair of inscrutable phoenix eyes.

Chu Wanning was glaring at him mutely.

Mo Ran's hands withdrew sheepishly. "Ah ha ha, this disciple

overstepped his bounds. Shizun can dry himself, of course."

Chu Wanning was quite relieved when he backed off. That dream was

just a dream, after all. His disciple was still the same as ever, nothing like

that man in his dream who referred to himself as "this venerable one."

Chu Wanning was silent for a while before he took Mo Ran's proffered

handkerchief. He doffed his cape and walked over to the fire to warm his

hands, then wiped the melting snow from his hair.

"Since when did you finally learn what a boundary is?" Chu Wanning

asked. Face illuminated by the warm light of the fire, he glanced sideways at

Mo Ran through narrowed eyes. "Haven't you always been oblivious to such

things?"

Mo Ran wisely kept his mouth shut.

Neither spoke for a moment. Chu Wanning finished drying his hair and

absentmindedly tucked the handkerchief away, then shot an impassive glance

at Mo Ran. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"It's the end of the year," Mo Ran hurried to reply. "There's a year's

worth of files that need to be organized, so I'm helping—"

Chu Wanning cut him off. "I know the files need to be organized, but

isn't that Shi Mingjing's job? Why are you doing it?"

Mo Ran paused. "Shizun's memory is truly quite impressive."

Chu Wanning was totally unmoved by the flattery. "Where is he?"

"He said he was a little feverish and headachey this morning." At the

look in Chu Wanning's eyes, Mo Ran hurriedly continued, "Sorry, Shizun, I

was the one who told him to get some rest. Please don't blame him."

This effort to cover for Shi Mei was like a sharp needle pricking at

Chu Wanning, and it made his brows draw together. He was quiet for a

while, then asked, "Is he okay?"

Upon realizing that Chu Wanning wasn't laying any blame, Mo Ran let

out a breath of relief. "I gave him medicine and waited for him to fall asleep

before leaving. He just caught a cold—should be fine in two or three days.

Thank you for your concern, Shizun."

"Who said I'm concerned about you lot? I was just asking."

Mo Ran shut his mouth.

"I'll leave you to your organizing, then."

With that, Chu Wanning left.

Sisheng Peak forbade its disciples from performing each other's

duties. Mo Ran had thought his shizun was definitely going to punish him, but

to his surprise, Chu Wanning had let him off easy. He stood in place,

dumbstruck, for quite a while, and didn't react until Chu Wanning was

already a distance away.

"Shizun!" Mo Ran picked up the umbrella leaning against the door and

ran after the lone figure in the snow. "Shizun, wait!"

Chu Wanning turned around. Mo Ran came to a stop in front of him,

shook the snow off the umbrella, and opened it above their heads.

"The snow's really coming down. Take this umbrella with you."

Chu Wanning shot a glance at him. "No need."

Mo Ran tried to hand the umbrella over, but Chu Wanning felt only

irritation and refused to accept it. In the back-and-forth struggle, the umbrella

fell right as a wind picked up and was blown several feet away.

Chu Wanning stared at that umbrella planted in the snow and kept

staring for quite a while. This was such a nonissue. He wanted to

indifferently turn and leave, just as he always had in the past. Yet his feet

refused to move.

Just like a candle will always sputter out in the end, and how even an

ancient well will dry up in time, even the most tolerant person will

eventually break down.

Chu Wanning turned with a sweep of his sleeve. "Mo Weiyu, would

you stop messing with me?" he snapped. "I'm not Shi Mingjing. I don't need

someone else to take care of me!"

A golden light gathered in his hand as he spoke, and Mo Ran

reflexively took a step backward, thinking Chu Wanning was going to

summon Tianwen for another whipping. Instead, the light rose into the sky

like a gushing spring of gold and formed a resplendent barrier that blocked

wind and snow alike.

Mo Ran stared. Oh. A barrier for blocking rain and snow…

Chu Wanning's expression was frigid, his brows even. "Do I look like

I need an umbrella?"

He seemed to be truly offended; the barrier rapidly changed colors

with the movement of his fingertips, from gold to red, to purple, blue, then

green. The effect of the barrier changed with the color. One warded against

only snow, one blocked the wind as well, and another even kept the interior

of the barrier warm despite the freezing storm.

These techniques were quite powerful, and Chu Wanning normally

wouldn't have wasted his spiritual energy to block the snow in this way.

Such a sulkily showy display was so childish that, for a moment, Mo Ran

was left utterly speechless.

"Shizun, don't be angry…"

"Who said I'm angry?!" Chu Wanning's face was pale from anger.

"Get lost already!"

"Okay, okay, okay, I'm getting lost." Mo Ran glanced at the barrier.

"Don't waste your energy like that, though."

"Get! Lost!"

With a wave of Chu Wanning's hand, the spiritual energy forming the

barrier suddenly gathered into a strike of lightning that landed right in front of

Mo Ran.

Mo Ran had just been showing him some concern out of the kindness

of his heart, and for all that, he'd nearly been struck by lightning. It made him

feel a bit resentful. He was about to say something, but when he looked up,

he saw Chu Wanning standing in the snow, his face as pale as the drifts. The

rims of his eyes were a little red.

"You…" Mo Ran said, startled.

"You and I are merely master and disciple, nothing more. There's no

need for any unnecessary concern between us. So take your umbrella and get

lost."

Mo Ran jerked, understanding dawning on him. "Shizun, that day at the

practice field, when I was talking with Shi Mei, did you…"

Hear?

Chu Wanning said nothing. He only turned to leave.

This time Mo Ran didn't call out to him, and neither did Chu Wanning

turn to look back.

A little ways away, Chu Wanning sneezed. His steps faltered, but he

put his head down and walked even faster—as if he was angry, but also as if

he was running away.

Mo Ran stood in the snow the entire time, lost in thought and staring

numbly at Chu Wanning's back until he disappeared.

Chu Wanning fell sick as soon as he returned to the Red Lotus

Pavilion.

He could use barriers to ward off rain and snow, but he never bothered

to do so when it came to himself, seeing it as a waste of spiritual energy.

That was why, when it rained, he used an oil-paper umbrella like any

ordinary person would.

He sneezed a ton, and the headache and fever were quick to follow as

well. He was used to self-medicating after all the times he had fallen ill, and

he didn't even bat an eye at a little cold. So he took some medicine, washed

up and changed his clothes, and burrowed into bed to sleep it off.

Maybe it was due to the chill, but the nausea that had been cropping up

ever since his injury at Jincheng Lake was especially acute this night. Time

passed in a haze as he slept, his entire body drenched in a cold sweat even as

it burned like a furnace.

Chu Wanning didn't wake until noon the next day. Blinking his eyes

blearily open, he laid there staring at nothing for a while before he slowly

got out of bed to put on shoes.

He paused and stared. His boots seemed to have become quite a bit

bigger overnight…

He looked more carefully and was rendered speechless. Wholly

speechless. Even the Yuheng Elder's composure couldn't handle this degree

of shock.

The problem wasn't that his boots had become bigger. Chu Wanning

stared blankly at his hands, his legs, his bare feet, and the shoulder off of

which his robe had slid.

The problem was…that he had become smaller