Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Shizun Tells Me to Get the Hell Out
What Rong Jiu meant to imply, of course, was that Chu Wanning
would certainly become upset and jealous, that he wouldn't be able to handle
hearing such things.
But Mo Ran had no idea that Chu Wanning had actually loved him all
along. He mulled it over, and only thought that Rong Jiu was threatening to
tell Chu Wanning about his past indiscretions. For a master to have to sit by
and listen to his own disciple's many outrageous acts recounted one by one—
how mortifying would that be? Wouldn't he drop dead from anger?
So he snapped, "You leave him alone!"
Rong Jiu smiled coquettishly, beautifully effeminate even as a man. "If
you protect me and take me with you, I promise I'll behave," he said softly.
"I won't breathe a word or make a bit of trouble."
Mo Ran was left with no choice. He cursed under his breath and
turned to walk back toward Chu Wanning. Rong Jiu followed gleefully at his
heels; he knew silent acquiescence when he saw it. But Mo Ran had barely
taken two steps before he turned on his heel and pointed a finger at Rong Jiu.
"If you put so much as a toe out of line, Rong Jiu," he hissed, low and
threatening, "I'll make sure to scatter your soul before you can even touch the
gate of reincarnation."
Rong Jiu was the picture of affected coyness as he replied sweetly,
"You don't mess with me, and I won't mess with you. I'll behave as long as
you don't mistreat me. Shouldn't you of all people know what I'm like, Moxianjun? You're my old regular, after all."
Mo Ran didn't know what to say. He was as disgusted now by those
soft, saccharine tones as he had been fond of them in the past life. But there
was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He watched Rong Jiu drift over
to Chu Wanning's side. Mo Ran really couldn't understand it. Had he been
blind back then or what? Song Qiutong, Rong Jiu… How the hell had he
managed to fall for these people?
If he could be reborn into his old life and face his past self, he'd give
anything to grab Taxian-jun by the neck and open his head up, just to see how
much water had gotten in there. Seriously, what the hell was he thinking?
Luckily, Rong Jiu hadn't said anything outright, and Chu Wanning was
basically a blank slate when it came to matters of the heart. After a few
words of explanation smilingly delivered by seasoned veteran Rong Jiu, Chu
Wanning's tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed. By the end, he was quite
convinced that he was the one with the impure thoughts, to have so
misunderstood what this young man meant by "past relations" earlier. Though
his expression remained unchanged, he secretly felt rather embarrassed about
the whole thing.
If Rong Jiu meant to tag along, he had to earn his keep. He was the one
most familiar with the palace, so he shared his knowledge of the place. "This
street isn't well-trafficked, but it's not exactly hidden," he said. "Let's go
somewhere a little more secure while you two figure out how to break the
barrier."
This "somewhere" was a storehouse for clothing and textiles in the
underworld. Bolts upon bolts of white burlap cloth were piled high within—
a perfect hiding spot.
The trio picked a dusty corner to hole up in. Chu Wanning felt along
the wall with his fingertips as if taking a patient's pulse, trying his best to
feel out the spiritual barrier currently covering the entire second palace. But
after a long while, he had still made no progress, while his soul grew
increasingly weaker for his efforts. Mo Ran placed his hand over Chu
Wanning's and tugged it off the wall. "Get some rest."
Frustrated and helpless, Chu Wanning seethed as he stared at his own
hand. "Why is this soul missing spiritual powers of all things?"
"What if I give you some of mine?"
"I wouldn't be able to use it." Chu Wanning glanced at Rong Jiu sitting
off in the distance and lowered his voice. "You're a living person, I'm a
ghost. Yin and yang energies are dissonant."
After a short break, Chu Wanning was back at it. If he'd had his other
three souls and his spiritual powers, he could have simply sent a burst of
spiritual energy into the barrier and pinpointed the weakness in the Fourth
Ghost King's spell. But right now, he had hardly any spiritual energy at all.
Although he forced what tiny bit he had into the barrier, trying to seek out its
weakness, it was hopelessly difficult, like looking for a single leaf in the vast
ocean.
Two hours passed in this manner. Rong Jiu was starting to get restless.
He ran over and tugged at Mo Ran. "So, can we get out or not?"
"Knock it off and go sit down," said Mo Ran.
"Come on, I'm worried sick. Just tell me if we can get out or not."
"Worrying won't do you any good. Be patient."
"Isn't your shizun supposed to be super powerful?" Rong Jiu whined.
"It's been ages. Why isn't anything happening?"
"He only has one of his three souls, and this one's missing spiritual
powers. Can you just shush?"
His words seemed to leave Rong Jiu dejected, and his lovely lashes
flickered as he sat back down on the pile of white burlap cloth.
Two more hours passed, and then some. Rong Jiu got up and padded
over to Chu Wanning. "Xianjun, is there no other way?"
Fingertips still pressed to the wall, Chu Wanning replied without
opening his eyes, "No."
"Th-then, is there any way to recover at least some of your powers?"
Chu Wanning thought for a moment. "Do you have any spiritual
energy?" he asked.
"No…" Rong Jiu was taken aback. "Why does Xianjun ask?"
"If you did, you could've passed me some to use."
"It's that easy?" Rong Jiu exclaimed. "Then hurry, have Moxianjun…"
Chu Wanning cut him off. "His is useless."
Rong Jiu of course didn't know that Mo Ran wasn't truly a ghost. As
soon as he heard that Mo Ran's spiritual energy couldn't be used, his smile
froze on his face. "How come?"
"Different elements is all." Mo Ran cut in. He knew Chu Wanning was
awful at lying, and it'd be best if Rong Jiu didn't learn the truth about his
less-than-ghostly state. "Can you please just go keep watch outside and tell
us if you see anyone coming?"
Rong Jiu shot him an irate glare. But the three of them were all in the
same boat right now, so he dragged his feet over to the storehouse entrance
and reluctantly leaned against the door, picking at his nails as he peered
about outside with that pair of hazy peach-blossom eyes.
Mo Ran glanced over at him before taking a seat next to Chu Wanning.
He hesitated for some time, but in the end, he decided he didn't want to keep
anything from him. "Shizun," he spoke up. "I…I want to apologize for some
wrongs I've committed."
"What wrongs?"
"Um. Do you remember that time you had me reprimanded at the
Platform of Sin and Virtue, for…" Mo Ran paused, too embarrassed to say
debauchery. A person's face truly was a mysterious thing: thick as the Great
Wall when they didn't care, thin as a sheet of paper—and just as flimsy—the
moment they did. Mo Ran lowered his head bashfully. In a small voice, he
said, "…for breaking the fourth, ninth, and fifteenth commandments."
The fourth commandment: thievery.
The ninth commandment: debauchery.
The fifteenth commandment: deceit.
Of course Chu Wanning hadn't forgotten. He opened his eyes but didn't
look at Mo Ran. "Mn."
When he saw that cool, disciplined expression, Mo Ran felt doubly
ashamed. He dropped his gaze and, after a second, whispered, "Shizun, I'm
sorry."
Chu Wanning had already guessed what he was going to say. He did
feel aggrieved, but he had ever kept a level head in difficult situations.
Besides, it wasn't as though he was only now learning of the sleazy things
Mo Ran did back then. "Weren't you already punished for that?" he replied
coolly. "And there was no repeat of those offenses—why bring it up now?"
"Because that Rong Jiu outside…he's…"
Mo Ran couldn't finish the sentence, and Chu Wanning was also silent
for a long while. Then Mo Ran heard him scoff. "So he's the one?"
"Mm." He didn't dare look up. Sisheng Peak didn't require its
disciples to abstain from worldly pleasures, and it was perfectly ordinary for
its young people to dual cultivate or see a lover outside the sect. But Chu
Wanning was different. His cultivation path upheld purity of heart and mind,
and he had always treated carnal matters with contempt.
Not to mention, Mo Ran hadn't even been properly seeing someone
back then like a normal young person, but had instead slept around in
brothels…
Xue Zhengyong might not have cared much, given how he spoiled his
nephew. Mo Ran was of age, and it wasn't like he cultivated the path of
purity. Anyway, it wouldn't be healthy for a young man to suppress his needs
—thus his uncle would close one eye and let it go.
But Chu Wanning couldn't tolerate it. He'd be disgusted. Mo Ran had
already witnessed such a reaction when he'd been punished on the Platform
of Sin and Virtue. In Chu Wanning's eyes back then, he had clearly seen his
disgust, contempt, and loathing. It had already been so many years, and he
hadn't whored or stolen since. But now Chu Wanning had run into Rong Jiu in
the underworld—how could it possibly not bother him? At that moment, Mo
Ran truly felt the weight of the words "you reap what you sow."
He wasn't afraid of being scolded or hit by Chu Wanning—in fact,
he'd prefer if he took out Tianwen at once and delivered another round of
lashing—just as long as nothing went awry, as long as the earth soul he had
gone through so much to find didn't sweep off in a huff over this past affair. If
Chu Wanning were to leave in a fit of rage, Mo Ran really might kill himself.
The more he'd thought about it, the more uneasy he'd felt. Rather than
keeping Rong Jiu around like a powder keg on legs, he figured it'd be better
to come clean himself and apologize to Chu Wanning upfront.
He'd had it all planned out. He had deliberately placed himself
between Chu Wanning and the door as he confessed. That way, if his shizun
tried to stalk off after hearing him out, he could grab him, tie him up if
necessary—whatever offense he had to resort to—to prevent him from
disappearing and leaving Mo Ran behind. Chu Wanning could be as furious
as he liked after this was all over.
Mo Ran was mentally practicing how to block off Chu Wanning's
escape routes when the fabric of Chu Wanning's robes shifted slightly in the
gloom. The dim light caught on scarlet silk and golden embroidery. Even Mo
Ran's heart was trembling as he ventured in a small voice, "Shizun…"
"This is all ancient history, and punishment's already been meted out,"
Chu Wanning said. "So what're you telling me all this for?" He cast Mo Ran
a sidelong glance, his face coolly indifferent as his thin lips parted
deliberately, even a touch sardonically. "Why should I care?"
Something like why should I care was the last thing Mo Ran had
expected him to say. Mo Ran was dumbstruck. He didn't taste any of the
vinegar dripping from Chu Wanning's words. All he felt was panic—he
thought his shizun had lost all hope in him, didn't want to bother with him
anymore, didn't care about him anymore. "Shizun," he said frantically,
"everything in the past was totally my fault, please don't be mad…"
"Why would I be mad. What's there to be mad about." Despite his
words, the more Chu Wanning thought about it, the more irritated he felt.
Finally he snapped, heated, "I knew things weren't so clean between the two
of you. 'Past relations' indeed. Are you still trying to pull the wool over my
eyes? Get out."
Mo Ran said nothing.
"Out!" Chu Wanning was painfully aware of the sourness in his voice.
He well knew this affair was over and done, yet he couldn't help but mutter
under his breath, "Absolutely shameless."
Mo Ran did not get out. Instead, he continued to sit dumbly next to Chu
Wanning, staring at him with that pair of bright, insistent black eyes. After a
moment he said, "I'm not leaving."
Chu Wanning was incensed. "Leave! I don't want to see you right
now!"
"I'm not leaving," Mo Ran mumbled. He sat and refused to budge, like
a stupid piece of rock. He was such a despicable person, yet as he stared at
Chu Wanning, the rims of his eyes growing red, he was somehow also a bit
pitiful, a bit stubborn.
"I'm afraid that if I go, you'll run away… Shizun, don't leave me
behind."
Chu Wanning fell silent. He'd never imagined that this was what had
been on Mo Ran's mind. It was true that he felt revolted every time this affair
was brought up, but it wasn't news to him. He was also aware of the common
practice in the cultivation world. Be it men or women, once they came of age
—provided their cultivation path was not one that forbade it—practically
everyone indulged in some degree of dissolution. It was nothing to raise
eyebrows at.
Mo Ran was no Xue Meng. His cousin had grown up sheltered and
coddled, with upstanding parents and a strict education. He'd always been
well-behaved, unlike some other young masters. But Mo Ran? A willful
personality, always doing whatever he liked. Raised in the pleasure houses.
No father, and a courtesan for a mother. He was a wild, unruly pup who had
grown up without guidance, and screwed around day in and day out for
fifteen years before his uncle plucked him from the mire, his fur covered
in mud.
Only an idiot would think he was clean and pure like a fine piece of
jade, and Chu Wanning was no idiot. Yet it was one thing to know all that,
and quite another to see Rong Jiu with his own eyes, this beautiful person
who had shared Mo Ran's bed in the past. Chu Wanning was still grossed
out.
He'd failed to shoo Mo Ran away, so he turned back to the wall,
closed his eyes, and went back to checking the barrier. But as he worked, he
couldn't help thinking about Rong Jiu's pretty little oval-shaped face; that
fair, tender-looking skin that was surely soft and smooth to the touch. And
those pert little lips, petal-pink and dripping honeyed words… That
damnable Mo Ran had certainly kissed them before. That slender waist, that
figure… In spite of himself, he even thought about how Mo Ran must have
been all tangled in bed with that effeminate little thing. How revolting!
When it came to some things, hearing about them was an altogether
different matter from seeing with one's own eyes. Now that he had seen, he
couldn't help thinking about it, and the more he thought about it, the less he
could stomach it. Chu Wanning's eyes suddenly snapped open, flames of
anger blazing within. He stood up and shoved Mo Ran away none-too-gently.
"Get the hell out."
"Shizun…"
"Out."
Mo Ran had no choice but to lower his head and trudge slowly out of
the storehouse.
Rong Jiu was surprised to see him. "Oho, Mo-xianjun, did you quarrel
with your shizun?"
Mo Ran didn't even want to acknowledge him. Just the sight of him
gave him a headache. He had been fond of him in the past life because he
looked somewhat like Shi Mei, and when he had slept with him after his
rebirth in this life, it had been with a grudge and the intent of screwing him
over. But be that as it may, his past deeds were like marks carved into a
wooden post, impossible to restore to its original state.
"I'll keep watch by myself," Mo Ran said. "Go find somewhere else to
sit."
Seeing as the door was the least safe place in the storehouse, Rong Jiu
was only too happy to comply. But after walking a mere two steps away, he
couldn't resist a look back at Mo Ran. He was a little curious as to how Mo
Ran had died. How had his personality changed so much in the few years
since they had last seen each other? It was as if he'd gone through some kind
of harrowing experience. Truly quite curious.
Pretty lashes aflutter, Rong Jiu looked Mo Ran up and down from
where he stood behind him. He had a sudden feeling that something was a
little odd. He examined him again, more carefully this time. His gaze came to
a rest on the smudge of a shadow at Mo Ran's feet…
Rong Jiu froze in shock.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone