Chapter 39: This Venerable One Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Within the tree's hollow lay a narrow passage. They made their way along a flight of smooth stone steps, the slippery sensation underfoot seeming almost to travel from the soles of their feet to the depths of their hearts. At the end of the passage, a bright light awaited.

The Exalted Gouchen's "kind of small and a little messy" arsenal of holy weapons turned out to be of a totally different size than they had expected when they looked at it from outside. The ancient tree was enormous, but its interior was even more expansive. It seemed to encompass the heavens above and swallow the earth below. Towering shelves lined the arsenal and were packed with tens of thousands of weapons proudly on display. When they looked up, they couldn't even see the ceiling, only row upon row of racks filled with magnificent weapons. It made for a vision of boundless grandeur and untold splendor.

And in the center of the arsenal sat a crucible. Waves of blistering heat came off of the red-hot metal within it, and several unfinished weapons resting inside. Each and every weapon made by Gouchen the Exalted far surpassed the likes of the legendary weapons Zidian and Qingshuang. Where a normal weapon would have been marred by the intense, searing heat, the blades and tips of these weapons only glistened all the more, radiant and resplendent.

Even more wondrous were the various weapon parts soaring through the air on their own, moved by the ancient tree's spell arrays. These tiny decorative pieces and ornamental jewels danced overhead like so many little fairies, occasionally colliding to send sparks flying and fill the air with delightful tinkles.

Gouchen looked back with a smile. "It's a little cramped in here, huh?"

Hm, thought Shi Mei.

Cramped? Then what do you think is spacious? thought Xue Meng.

Am I allowed to say "motherfucker"? thought Mo Ran.

Chu Wanning remained impassive.

Gouchen the Exalted told Xue Meng and Shi Mei to look around and pick weapons, and that they were welcome to take whichever ones struck their fancy.

Meanwhile, Gouchen the Exalted was especially interested in Mo Ran, and so he had him try weapon after weapon. However, he found them all wanting.

"Fengming Jiaowei." Not the least bit discouraged, Gouchen handed over yet another weapon, the fourteenth so far. "Try this one."

"Um…I don't know how to play," said Mo Ran.

"No matter, just give it a strum."

This guqin was smooth and glossy on the front and scorched black on the back. Mo Ran plucked at it a couple times as instructed, but the strings unexpectedly began to vibrate, resonating with a shrill tone.

Gouchen instantly tossed Fengming aside, where a spell carried the guqin back to its stand, and exchanged it for a jade pipa.

"Let's skip this one," said Mo Ran. The pipa was an instrument much too feminine for a man like him. Something like that was better suited to those pretty boys at Kunlun Taxue Palace.

But Gouchen insisted. "Try it."

"Fine." Mo Ran had no choice but to give in and take the proffered pipa. His grievance ran a little too strong, and after only a couple of plucks, the string snapped under his hand.

Gouchen stared at that broken string and, after a long moment, said, "Do you know what that string is made of?"

"You're…not gonna make me pay for it, are you?" Mo Ran asked.

"The Wushan Goddess's white hair," Gouchen muttered. "It is of the spiritual essence of earth, impervious to sword and fire alike. But you… You…"

Mo Ran glanced backward in alarm. "Shizun! I don't have the money to pay for it!"

Chu Wanning remained silent.

Gouchen the Exalted twirled the string between his fingers, mumbling to himself. "The earth element is naturally weak to the wood element. For you to be able to destroy part of a spiritual essence of earth… Could it be that a weapon suitable for you must be of the wood element?"

"Wha—?"

"But it couldn't be…" For some reason, Gouchen shot a glance at Chu Wanning.

Chu Wanning noticed his glance. "What couldn't be?"

Instead of answering, Gouchen the Exalted lifted his hand and waved, summoning a ceramic xun. He blew into it, and as the sound slowly faded, the space above them was split open by a bloodred summoning array. "Ji Baihua, come here."

Mo Ran's head snapped upward. Xue Meng and Shi Mei heard the commotion and also came over. They watched as air swirled about Gouchen's fingertips with his power, rotating the intricate array above. From it emerged a fox spirit with fluffy, luxurious tails, accompanied by splendid lights and a shower of glittering silver.

The fox spirit circled the air and floated leisurely down to land in front of Mo Ran.

The fox spirit was quite pretty. Up close, he turned out to be a male fox spirit, with a dot of red between his eyebrows and a pair of peach-blossom eyes that were slightly lifted and delicately expressive. He was draped in ornate, finely embroidered garments and held a box of golden brocade in his hands. Glancing at Gouchen, he smiled. "Exalted God."

"You must know what I called you for, yes?" said Gouchen.

"This humble one knows."

"And what do you think?"

Ji Baihua smiled. "Not bad. It's worth a try."

The two went back and forth with each other, paying no mind at all to the four other individuals present.

Mo Ran couldn't resist asking, "What exactly are you talking about?"

"Hm? Is the young xianjun already getting impatient?" Ji Baihua asked with a smile. "Actually, it's really quite interesting: I felt your spiritual energy before I appeared and thought for sure that you would be a white-haired old man. I'm surprised you're actually a handsome young thing."

Mo Ran had no words.

"Ji Baihua," Gouchen the Exalted said. "The matter at hand?"

"All right, all right, I was just having a bit of fun." Ji Baihua's eyes narrowed, his fluffy tails swishing. "What was the matter at hand again? Aiya—don't glare at me, Xiao-Gou. As for this thing, it's really such a long story—"

"Then could you please make the long story short?" Mo Ran asked with a smile.

"Yep, yep. If you want the short version instead, it's actually super short," Ji Baihua responded, also with a smile. Using spiritual energy, he floated the brocade box in his hands over to Mo Ran. "Here, take it."

That was indeed super short.

Mo Ran took the brocade box to weigh in his hands and turned it over to examine. The box was a scintillating gold and shrouded in a luminous gleam, but it provided no hints as to what manner of holy weapon lay inside. Moreover, the box had neither seam nor crack; its only decoration was a pair of koi fish on the top, one black and one white, each holding the tail of the other in its mouth to form the yin-yang symbol.

"How does it open?"

"Heh heh, the opening method will have to remain between the two of us," said Ji Baihua. "No one else can know."

"Are you trying to say that we should excuse ourselves?" Xue Meng asked.

"That won't be necessary. I'll just borrow this young man for a minute," Ji Baihua replied with a smile, and he waved a hand.

Mo Ran's sight suddenly darkened, and he found himself alone with Ji Baihua in a small, secret chamber.

"No need to be nervous, young xianjun. I just teleported us. The box holding that weapon is a magic artifact of my secret and exclusive design; that's why I couldn't tell you how to open it in front of everyone else. I hope you understand."

Mo Ran smiled. "It's fine. But just what is this weapon, to warrant being held in such a box?"

"That, I cannot tell you," Ji Baihua said. "Holy weapons have their own temperaments. This one in particular doesn't like to let its form be known so easily. If you offend it, it will refuse to recognize you as its master—even if you do manage to open the box."

Mo Ran was speechless for a moment and could only force a smile. "What kind of weapon even… Such a strange temper. Fine, fine, tell me then: How do I open the box?"

Upon realizing that he wasn't going to force the issue, Ji Baihua found he quite approved of Mo Ran. He put his hands together with a laugh. "Since you're so straightforward, I won't beat around the bush either. This box is called Ever-Yearning. As you see, it's completely seamless. In order for it to open, two conditions must be met."

"And the conditions are?" asked Mo Ran.

"Fox spirits like us believe in fated love," answered Ji Baihua. "And so, first, there is only one person in this world who can open Ever-Yearning for you. This person will be extremely important in your life; you must love them dearly, and they must love you in return—as well as be wholly devoted to you."

Mo Ran smiled. "I see. It's a strange condition for sure, but that doesn't seem too difficult." He was confident in his feelings for Shi Mei.

But at his words, the corners of Ji Baihua's lips curved faintly upward. "How could it not be difficult? The heart of another has been a mystery to man since time immemorial. What you think to be true might not necessarily be so. I've lingered in this world for a long time and have seen far too many people who lost sight of their hearts, or who knew not their own most beloved. In all these thousands of years, pitifully few have ever managed to open Ever-Yearning."

"Why is that?" Mo Ran asked, surprised. "Even if you get the wrong person, can't you just try another? Even if you have to try every person you know, you'd definitely find this so-called most important person in your life eventually, right?"

"That's where the second condition comes in," said Ji Baihua. "Aside from you, only one other person can touch Ever-Yearning. In other words, you only have one chance. If you choose the wrong person, then it will remain closed to you forever, and no one will ever be able to acquire the item within."

Mo Ran laughed. "No wonder you separated us from everyone else. It'd certainly be hard to handle if the others heard this too. How awkward would it be if they knew that whomever I offer the box to is the one I like?" He paused, playing with the brocade box in his hands. "Anyway, this thing sure is interesting. So it's basically a lock with a one-use keyhole, and the wrong key will disable it for good."

"Of course you only get one chance to open it. What did you expect?" Now Ji Baihua glared at him. "You mortals only have a mere few decades of life, yet you're so preoccupied with self-indulgence. Just how much fated love have you squandered away without realizing it? Love is not unlike this Ever-Yearning, after all. You cannot so simply take back a wrong choice."

"Ha ha, worry not, O Great Immortal Fox. Others might have chosen wrong, but I've got this in the bag." Mo Ran bowed to him and smiled. "I won't squander this yearning."

Ji Baihua shot him a look. "Don't be so sure about that, young man," he said, voice soft and graceful. "From what I can tell, you don't actually seem to know your fated person at all."

Mo Ran paused, smile frozen on his face. "What do you mean by that?"

But the handsome immortal, this self-proclaimed "believer in fated love," was unwilling to say any more. He only sighed softly. "To yearn unwittingly breaks the willow branch.22 Ah…"

Mo Ran wasn't a learned man, and he didn't understand this pedantic, scholarly bullshit. But he also couldn't shake the feeling that the fox spirit was subtly trying to remind him of something. Unfortunately, however hard he tried, he was too dumb to understand just what that something might be.

He was just about to ask again when Ji Baihua, knowing that his task was complete, smiled slightly and waved a hand to send Mo Ran back into the world.

The second Mo Ran was gone, Ji Baihua froze and became stiff. Soon after, he shattered into pieces with a crash. All that remained was a single black chess piece that fell where he'd once stood.

It was really too bad that Mo Ran never saw this. Many things at the bottom of this lake might have turned out differently, had he only done so…

When Mo Ran came to, he realized he was back at the arsenal of holy weapons where the other four were waiting for him, Ever-Yearning in his hands.

Gouchen the Exalted smiled broadly at his return. "That little fox is really too much—all this secretive ado just to open a box. Well then, do you know how to open it now?"

The moment of truth was already upon him, so either way, Mo Ran didn't have time to ponder it too deeply. He smiled. "Yeah, it's easy."

He walked up to Shi Mei, very casually. "The lock has such an interesting and clever design. You guys probably couldn't figure it out even given a whole decade. Wanna try?"

As he said so, he offered the box to Shi Mei, once again very casually.

The brocade box glittered brilliantly in front of Shi Mei, its golden glow lighting up his gentle, elegant face.

"Shi Mei, why don't you try first?" Mo Ran tried to act nonchalant, but his heart had tied itself into a knot and his palms wouldn't stop sweating.

This was a gamble on his part, one that risked his chance at acquiring a holy weapon. By all rights, he really ought to have been careful about something like this, but in fact he felt like he was being plenty careful. After all, he had already died once. How could he still not know just who it was he cared for?

It wasn't like he was dumb.

Shi Mei hesitated a bit, but after that, he took the proffered box.

Mo Ran's heart leapt into his throat. He stared intently, but a long while passed, and nothing happened.

Mo Ran continued to stare dumbly.

Shi Mei carefully cradled the box as he examined it, tracing the yin-yang koi fish with his fingers. "There's no seam at all," he said, wondering aloud. "I can't find a keyhole either."

Why was there no reaction?! Shi Mei was touching Ever-Yearning, so why wasn't anything happening? Could it be—ah! It had to be! The gloves!

With that realization, Mo Ran glanced at the deer-hide gloves on Shi Mei's hands. He was just about to ask Shi Mei to take them off and try again when, without warning, a slender-fingered hand reached over and calmly took Ever-Yearning.

Mo Ran cried out in anguish as if he had been struck by lightning, "Shizun!"

Chu Wanning nearly jumped and almost dropped the box, but his composed exterior was ingrained all the way down to his bones, so his inner turbulence wasn't the least bit visible on his face.

Mo Ran howled like the freshly bereaved. "Shizun!"

Goosebumps sprang up across Xue Meng's body. "What are you wailing about?! It's just a box! What's wrong with you? You're yelling like somebody stole your wife or something."

"I—I—" Mo Ran was genuinely about to pass out from anger, but he couldn't say the reason why. He could only cover his face and howl helplessly. "Oh god…"

Chu Wanning! Why aren't you wearing gloves?! Why, when you're so afraid of the cold! It's all ice and snow out there! We're all wearing gloves, so why are you the only one—

Mo Ran paused.

Oh…

Each of the disciples wore demon-repelling haitang flowers that had to be linked to Chu Wanning's spiritual energy via his palms. So, Chu Wanning hadn't even bought himself a pair of gloves to start with. The reason he wasn't wearing gloves was to protect them.

But this whole time, Mo Ran had never spared him so much as a single thought. It was only now, at this crucial moment, that he noticed that Chu Wanning, the one among them most afraid of the cold, had been freezing from the start.

Mo Ran wanted to cry, but no tears came. He lamented his bad luck for having let the holy weapon slip through his fingers just like that. His chest was unspeakably tight. Then, all of a sudden, as Chu Wanning's fingers brushed past the yin-yang fish, that pair of metal koi came to life and began to weave nimbly around the box.

A beat of silence.

And then, with two crisp clicks, the yin-yang koi came together and rose to protrude from the surface, becoming a pair of handles. Chu Wanning turned the handles, and Ever-Yearning split in two to reveal a radiant object inside that emitted a golden glow.

Mo Ran was stunned. Ji Baihua's words rang in his ears.

"There is only one person in this world who can open Ever-Yearning for you. This person will be extremely important in your life; you must love them dearly, and they must love you in return—as well as be wholly devoted to you."

This person was Chu Wanning? How could it possibly be Chu Wanning?!

No way, absolutely no way in hell! How could he love Chu Wanning, and how could Chu Wanning even like him? What a joke!

This had to be a mistake. Something was wrong with the box. The box was definitely broken.

Mo Ran was still hung up on this as Chu Wanning removed the holy weapon from inside Ever-Yearning, at which point something even more startling occurred.

This time, Mo Ran wasn't the only one who was shocked; the other three were as well. Even Chu Wanning's expression flickered.

A glistening willow vine illuminated their faces, its transcendent light reflected in their eyes.

In the midst of everybody else's stupefied silence, Mo Ran choked for quite a while before finally spitting out with much difficulty and even more disbelief: "Tianwen?!"