Chapter 116: Shizun Meets Rong Jiu

As soon as Chu Wanning spied light gathering in the ghost king's

hand, he shoved Mo Ran hard and yelled, "Run!"

There was no need to tell him again. Mo Ran grabbed Chu Wanning's

arm, and the two fled toward the palace gates, leaping and bounding through

the air. "Dammit, Master Huaizui's spell is too careless!" Mo Ran cursed as

they ran. "How could he leave me with a shadow—of course people are

gonna see through me!"

For some reason, even though his disciple was maligning his own

master right in front of him, Chu Wanning showed no reaction. He only threw

Mo Ran a glance, as if there was something he wanted to say, but in the end,

no words left his lips.

"Trying to escape?" The Fourth Ghost King snorted. "As if I'd let you

off that easy."

Chu Wanning and Mo Ran were experts at qinggong. When they saw

the palace gates about to close completely, they vaulted off the wall and

made to leap over. But in that same moment, the Fourth Ghost King

summoned lightning into his palm. With a swing of his hand, thunder roared,

and lightning cracked down to strike the palace gates. In the blink of an eye,

the palace walls that had been only ten feet high shot up into the sky,

extending so far above they looked like they were about to meet the heavens.

The palace gates themselves continued to close rapidly—they were blocked

in on all sides.

Mo Ran swore under his breath and dragged Chu Wanning after him as

they veered in another direction. If they couldn't exit through the palace

gates, they'd go to ground for now. The main thing was to avoid capture by

the Fourth Ghost King.

It was this move that saved them. Every king of the ghost realm had

their own strengths and their own shortcomings. While the Fourth Ghost King

was a powerful spellcaster, millennia of debauchery and indulgence had left

his physical condition far inferior to the others. Never mind running a mile—

a mere fifty steps would leave him gasping for breath. The Fourth Ghost King

had lazed about for thousands of years, holding fast to the principle of never

standing if he could sit, and never sitting if he could lie down. After so long,

he'd long let himself go to the point that his qinggong was trash.

His outrage grew as he watched Chu Wanning and Mo Ran disappear

into the distance. Unfortunately for him, the Fourth Ghost King's penchant for

sweeping up beauties from the other kings' domains meant his relationship

with his eight counterparts was rather fraught. Even in a situation like this, he

was reluctant to go to the other kings for help capturing the fugitives.

"So you can run fast, so what! This king may be generously

proportioned, but there's still no escaping my grasp!" The Fourth Ghost King

rubbed his paunch, angry and aggrieved. He turned and saw the eight staunch

men who had carried him on their shoulders standing there like statues and

became even more displeased. "What are you all standing around for? This

king's legs are precious, not meant to give chase—what's stopping you?"

The guards exchanged a look. It was said that this Fourth Ghost King

had once been a slender, handsome man. But because he'd been deprived of

mortal pleasures for too long, no sooner had he cultivated his flesh body than

he ruined it with overindulgence in food and drink. He ate while sitting, ate

while walking, ate while reclining, ate while squatting. Even at hell's busiest

times, when he had to rush out appeals and hardly had time to write, he still

required attendants at his left and right, not to flatten papers or grind ink, but

to slice fresh fruit and feed him pastries.

Just like that, a fine and peerless beauty forcibly fed himself into a

porker. Although his foundation was excellent and his size wouldn't get too

out of hand no matter how much he ate, his appearance had nevertheless

changed. After that, the Fourth Ghost King had ordered that all the second

palace's mirrors be thrown out, and he abhorred the words "fat" and

"obese." Rumor had it that there had once been a pretty attendant who had

sung for him, but the first lines of the lyrics had been, "O moon, moon in the

sky, round and full, round and…"

Before the last word had left her lips, the Fourth Ghost King had

already sent her flying with a kick to the chest. "Round?!" he bellowed.

"How dare you call this king fat! Did you think you were being clever?! The

audacity!"

Which was why, even though these ghost men were strong and hardy,

they didn't dare go after Chu Wanning and Mo Ran. Each of them bowed low

and let the Fourth Ghost King complain and vent. In the end one, more clever

than the rest, spoke up: "My king is so nimble; how could we possibly catch

up to people my king can't chase down?"

Only then did the Fourth Ghost King huff out a breath and give up on

pursuit altogether. He turned to his subordinates. "Mn, that's true… It's good

that you all are self-aware. Very well, leave it. You may pass on this king's

command: all the doors of the second palace are to be shut, and the palace

walls covered in sealing spells. Not a single fly shall escape."

He clicked his tongue, then spat out the grape seed he'd been holding

in his mouth. "I'd like to see how far those two think they can get," he

muttered darkly.

Mo Ran and Chu Wanning were both agile, and the interior of the

palace was full of twists and turns. It didn't take long for them to ditch the

ghosts on their tail. The two hid in a dark and narrow little alley. Chu

Wanning was a ghost; no matter how far they ran, he wouldn't tire. Mo Ran,

however, was of mortal flesh, and he leaned against the wall, panting.

Chu Wanning peered around the corner. "He's completely sealed the

palace," he observed somberly.

Mo Ran was still catching his breath and merely waved his hand. "It's

fine, Shizun. Come into the soul-calling lantern—then we can return directly

to the mortal realm. There's no way he can stop us."

Chu Wanning gave a small nod. For some reason, worry still colored

his brows. Mo Ran didn't notice. He took out the soul-calling lantern and

silently recited the spell. The golden light flickered a few times—then went

winked out. Chu Wanning's earth soul yet stood before him, quite unmoved.

"What's going on?" Mo Ran was shocked. "Why isn't it working?"

The line between Chu Wanning's brows furrowed deeper, and he

sighed. "I thought so. The deliverance spell won't work here. We probably

have to leave the palace before we can use that spell to return to the mortal

realm."

Upon hearing this, Mo Ran bit his lip and a stubborn look came into

his eyes. After a moment he said, voice hoarse, "I'll get you out of here no

matter what."

Chu Wanning gave him a look. "We'll need to hurry. The palace

complex is massive, so it should be difficult for the ghost minions to find us

—but there's no food or water here. I'll be fine, but you won't last long."

Mo Ran smiled. "I didn't have much to eat growing up. I'm used to it."

The two recovered for a spell, biding their time while their

surroundings quietened. Eventually, they crept out of the alleyway. The cool,

rippling moonlight fell upon their figures, one with a shadow, one without, as

they walked side by side down the long, empty bluestone street.

"Shizun." Mo Ran called out.

Chu Wanning waited in silence for him to continue.

"I offended you, earlier, at the gate. Sorry."

Chu Wanning seemed caught off guard. Then his eyes flicked down, his

long lashes obscuring his gaze. "It's fine."

"Due to the circumstances, my words were…also offensive. I'm sorry

about that too."

Chu Wanning listened without responding.

"It was also incredibly improper of me to say you were already

married. I'm sorry again."

Chu Wanning stopped in his tracks. "How long are you going to keep

saying I'm sorry?" he snapped, his voice icy. "Don't you know how to say

anything else?!"

"Something else?" Mo Ran's heart started to race. He thought very

hard for a moment, then, very carefully, tried a change in wording. "Then…I

apologize?"

Chu Wanning shook out his sleeves and stalked off without a word.

Poor Mo Ran had absolutely no idea what he'd said to make his shizun

unhappy. On the one hand, he was worried he had further irritated him; on the

other, he was afraid that, if he continued, Chu Wanning would become only

more incensed. He stood and scratched his head, then followed obediently.

"Shizun."

"Mn?"

As he strode to catch up, Mo Ran asked in spite of himself, "Have you

ever…experienced any karmic events?"

Chu Wanning stopped and turned to face him. "What do you mean?"

"I found another earth soul of yours in the underworld, which means

you have one extra piece of soul compared to everyone else… Earlier, I met

Chu Xun at Tailwind Hall and asked him about it. He said the extra soul

likely wasn't yours originally." Mo Ran continued, hesitant, "But, including

your body in the mortal realm, I've definitely seen four Shizuns. So I was

wondering…if Shizun formed any bonds of fate in the past…"

Chu Wanning was silent for a time. A light flared in the depths of his

eyes, like something had occurred to him. But then he closed them and said,

"I don't think I have." He paused, then, uncertain and a little confused, asked,

"I really have four souls?"

"Mhm."

Chu Wanning didn't know why either. He contemplated it for a while,

then sighed. "I don't know the answer, but it doesn't seem to be affecting

anything, so let's set it aside for now."

The two carefully padded down remote little paths as they inspected

the spiritual strength of the spell the Fourth Ghost King had employed to seal

off the second palace.

"All barriers have a weakness," Chu Wanning said as they came

before a watchtower. His fingers skimmed across the rough walls, over

which washed an intermittent blue light. He closed his eyes, trying to capture

the flow of the energy streaming beneath the stones. But without any spiritual

power to draw on, his attempt to feel out the spell drained him in seconds.

Chu Wanning let his hand fall and shook his head, dejected. "My soul isn't

whole, and my powers are diminished. I don't know how to break through

this."

"Why doesn't Shizun teach me, and I'll give it a go?" Mo Ran

suggested.

"It won't work. Barriers are a complex art; it's not something you can

learn in a day or two."

"Then what are the typical weak points of spiritual barriers?" Mo Ran

asked. "We could try them one by one."

Chu Wanning eyed him. "Every barrier has its own weakness. There

isn't a one-size-fits-all method to breaking them. If we were to test them one

by one, I can't imagine how long it would take."

"How will we know if we don't try?" Mo Ran smiled. "Who knows?

Maybe I'll get lucky."

Chu Wanning had opened his mouth to reply when he spotted a white

shadow flit past at the edge of his vision. His brows knitted at once, and he

extended his hand, moving out of habit to summon Tianwen. Nothing

happened. His expression darkened, and he asked sharply, "Who's there?!"

That white shadow immediately attempted to flee.

Like Mo Ran would let that happen. He darted over and, in one

ferocious instant, captured the figure in his arms. He clapped a hand over the

ghost's mouth and nose to prevent it from calling out, then twisted its arms

behind its back and forced it to its knees. When he finally got a good look

and saw who it was, he couldn't help but burst out in anger: "Rong Jiu…!"

The young man kneeling on the ground was tender and fair, like willow

vines drifting in the breeze, but his eyes brimmed with defiance. He twisted

his head away and refused to utter a single word.

"Running off to snitch again?" Mo Ran demanded. "You really think I

won't kill you?!"

Chu Wanning strode over. He had never met Rong Jiu before, and after

looking him over, asked Mo Ran, "You know him?"

Mo Ran didn't know what to say. He thought back on those two crimes

of stealing and debauchery, the ones Chu Wanning had publicly tried him for

on the Platform of Sin and Virtue. At the time, he'd thought Chu Wanning

cruel and malicious, and his heart had been steeped in hatred. Now that this

sordid history was once more thrust in his face, Mo Ran wanted nothing more

than to find a hole to crawl into and hide.

Chu Wanning, however, noticed none of this. He only took this person

to be an acquaintance of Mo Ran. "Since he followed you all the way here,

don't leave him behind in the palace. Once we find a way out, let's bring him

along." As he spoke, he looked Rong Jiu over carefully, "A perfectly decent

person. Reincarnation should be top priority."

Mo Ran was struck speechless.

Upon hearing these words, Rong Jiu, who had been quietly panicking,

was at first taken aback. He suddenly smiled. His eyes softened, and his gaze

was gentle and charming as he glanced toward Mo Ran. "This must be Shizun

then?"

"What d'you mean Shizun; who said you could call him that?!" Mo

Ran said angrily. "He's my shizun!"

Rong Jiu was still resentful, so he drawled infuriatingly, "Oh, I see, my

shizun then."

"You—!"

Watching this back and forth, Chu Wanning finally detected something

amiss. "Mo Ran," he asked, "are there some hard feelings between you

two?"

"I…"

"Dear Shizun," Rong Jiu replied with a smile, "don't be angry with

him. There are no hard feelings between us. Just some past relations."

His words were ambiguous, but his tone was awfully suggestive. Chu

Wanning said nothing, but his eyes narrowed, and his lips slowly pressed

themselves into a thin line. His expression at first glance was as indifferent

as ever, but there was a gloominess between his brows that couldn't be fully

concealed. Rong Jiu had grown up in a brothel and was adept at reading

expressions. How could Chu Wanning, pure and naïve as he was, hide the

emotion flickering in his eyes from Rong Jiu?

Rong Jiu was rather shocked. All this time he'd thought Mo Ran a

sleazy philanderer, audaciously in love with his own shizun. Yet

unexpectedly, now that he'd met the shizun in question, it didn't seem onesided.

…How filthy this Sisheng Peak was.

Despite his current peril, Rong Jiu still couldn't help but sigh. He was

both disgusted and amazed. Dual cultivation between men was not unheard of

in the cultivation realm, but it was considered unseemly nonetheless. Mo Ran

was a young gongzi of Sisheng Peak. If word got out that he and his

benefacting mentor were an item, Sect Leader Xue Zhengyong would be

unable to show his face in public.

Rong Jiu blinked his expressive peach-blossom eyes and sized up Chu

Wanning. He parted his lips to say a few more words, ready to add oil to the

flames, but Chu Wanning spoke first. "You're already dead. What's the point

in bringing up 'past relations.'"

"Well, wasn't Xianjun the one who asked me?" Rong Jiu smiled. "I

only answered honestly."

"Who asked you," Chu Wanning said frostily. "I was asking him."

There was no need to clarify who "him" was. Chu Wanning's tone was

laced with sparks. His meaning couldn't have been clearer: don't get

friendly with me. When Mo Ran heard Chu Wanning taking his side, Mo

Ran's heart swelled, and warmth bloomed in his chest. He wanted to say

something, but before he could move in closer, Chu Wanning had already

turned around in a huff. "You deal with this."

Mo Ran didn't know what to do. If he let Rong Jiu go, there was a

chance the little tart would turn around and rat on them. But keeping Rong Jiu

around would be like carrying a barrel of gunpowder—if he were to run his

mouth in front of Chu Wanning, his shizun just might choke to death.

As Mo Ran agonized, Chu Wanning went back to inspect the Fourth

Ghost King's barrier once more. The second he was out of earshot, Mo Ran

yanked Rong Jiu by the collar and ground out, voice hushed, "What do you

want?"

"It's just that I'm profoundly irritated." Rong Jiu's thick lashes

flickered softly, and a faint light shimmered in his gaze. "I can't bear to see a

villain like you get a do-over."

But Mo Ran had a good handle on Rong Jiu's character. He wasn't the

kind of person who would allow himself to come to harm for the sake of

harming others; he'd only ever choose a course that'd harm others and benefit

himself. Resentful as he might be, his top priority was to spend his days in

comfort. He had no reason to risk death to follow them.

Mo Ran's eyes swept over Rong Jiu and landed on his feet. Only one

shoe adorned his delicate and fair foot. The other was bare and smeared with

mud—he had obviously fled somewhere in a hurry.

Mo Ran narrowed his eyes. "Tell the truth."

"Didn't I already say it?" Rong Jiu asked. "The truth is I can't stand

—"

"If you're thinking of trying to blackmail me with more lies, I will

blindfold and gag you, then toss you down a well. You're already a ghost, so

you won't die from hunger, and you won't be able to escape. If you're lucky,

the patrol may find you in a couple days. If you're not, prepare to be stuck in

that well for eight to ten years." Mo Ran paused, and when he continued, his

voice was deep and dark. "You decide."

As expected, Rong Jiu blanched. "I changed my mind," he said.

"I don't want to stay here. You have to take me with you."

"What, don't wanna be a ghost husband anymore?"

Rong Jiu bit down hard on his lip. Then he angrily raised his head and

said, "I want to live a normal life too. I want another start." He inhaled

deeply and declared, "I want to be reincarnated."

"Fine. Then let me ask you another question: Were you the one who

blabbed to the patrol and told them where I was?"

Rong Jiu didn't answer.

"Even if you don't wanna say, I have ways to make you 'fess up."

A red light glimmered in Mo Ran's hand, and he commanded, voice low,

"Speak."

"Yes, I was the one who told. But so what?" Rong Jiu held his head

high, his eyes shining with resentment. "If I didn't tell them so they all went

to look, how could I have escaped?"

Mo Ran released Rong Jiu's collar and flung him away, laughing

through his fury. "Well, you certainly know how to hit someone when they're

down, I'll give you that."

"I'm not bad at slander, either." Rong Jiu put himself back together

slowly, patting his robes back into place. He shot a look at Chu Wanning,

who stood just a short distance away. "Mo-xianjun, you really care about

him, don't you? What if I told him all about how you used to dote on me? I

wouldn't even need to exaggerate. How do you think he'd take it?"