SWEET DREAM, SHIZUN (8)

Chu Wanning wriggled in discomfort, but the warm and sticky body kept latching onto him stubbornly. The strong scent of male hormones attacked Chu Wanning's nose, making him blush.

"Mo Ran, let me go," he pleaded, only to get a crude "No" as an answer. Chu Wanning was a little startled. He used to say "No" to Mo Ran to keep him away and now Mo Ran said "No" to him to keep him close. The little cat was confused. What on earth got into Mo Ran? And what he said just now...

"Wanning, I love you."

Chu Wanning's cheeks burned even more. Hearing that Mo Ran loved him made him very happy, but also very confused. This was not right. Mo Ran did not love Chu Wanning. What happened during the visit to Wuchang Town? Did he hit his head on something? What made him come back and spout such a nonsensical thing?

Chu Wanning wanted to run away, hiding in a place where he was safe from Mo Ran. He was not ready for anything that Mo Ran wanted to say. The good and the bad thing, he wanted to hear none of it.

Or was this another beautiful dream that he needed to wake up from? Did he fall asleep halfway through meditation? Yes... He might have fallen asleep. How undisciplined. His shizun would be very displeased. Chu Wanning was greatly ashamed of himself. He did not deserve such a good dream!

"Let me go, let me..."

Chu Wanning's words were drowned in his throat when Mo Ran started to pepper his face with little kisses. His eyes, his forehead, his cheeks, his nose, over and over again. Heat rose to Chu Wanning's head and colored his cheeks bright red.

"..."

Chu Wanning sighed. The reality was ruthless. Why must Mo Ran's affection for him be nothing but an illusion? He liked it when Mo Ran was nice to him. He was happy when Mo Ran pampered him. He wanted to sleep a little more and stay a little longer in this dream, even if he would be punished for that later on.

Mo Ran cupped Chu Wanning's face with both hands, his own eyes were radiating passionate love. "I love you, Wanning. I love you, I love you."

Chu Wanning's lips trembled in distress. There was fear in his eyes. If he said something, was he going to wake up? Was the Mo Ran who loved him going to disappear? In that case, it was best not to say or do anything. Just enjoy the dream while it lasted.

"Wanning?"

Mo Ran furrowed his brows out of concern.

"Wanning, do you hear me?"

Chu Wanning shook his head.

"..."

"I don't hear you," The man said, averting his eyes.

Mo Ran refused to give up.

"Then I will say it again. I love you. I love you. I love you. Now, do you hear me?"

"No," Chu Wanning insisted. Tears welled up in his eyes but he still stubbornly said no.

Mo Ran sighed and pulled Chu Wanning into a tight hug. "Wanning, forgive me, alright? I am too dumb. I don't know what love is, so I accidentally hurt you."

Chu Wanning sobbed into Mo Ran's shoulder. "But you said you didn't love me. You don't have to lie to appease me. I will be fine on my own."

Mo Ran's heart was aching. Of course Chu Wanning did not need him. He was the greatest grandmaster in the cultivation world, a real zongshi. He wielded three spiritual weapons. He mastered the barrier technique. His compassion was boundless. It was Mo Ran who needed him.

"But I will not be fine on my own," Mo Ran cuddled Chu Wanning. "Wanning, don't leave me alone, alright? Be with me, stay with me."

Chu Wanning pushed Mo Ran away. "You have someone else who you love. He can stay with you."

There was hurt and jealousy reflected in Chu Wanning's eyes, and it made Mo Ran happy. The dumb disciple continued coaxing his shizun, "There is no one else. The person is you. The person has always, and will always be you."

"..."

The real Chu Wanning would probably whip Mo Ran with Tianwen and tell him to scram, but the seven-year-old Chu Wanning was very innocent and agreeable. He pressed his lips together and asked in a low voice, "Really...?"

"Yes!"

"And you are really not lying?"

"Not at all!"

Chu Wanning did not know what to do. He had spent days thinking that they were a married couple who mutually loved each other, only to find out they were not. And now this so-called husband of his claimed that he did love him.

Mo Ran grabbed Chu Wanning's hands desperately. "Wanning? Say something."

Chu Wanning looked up at Mo Ran, hesitation and doubt were written all over his face. "I don't know," he mumbled. "I don't know..."

Mo Ran's face fell, but he quickly regained his composure. He made his shizun cry a whole day. Naturally, just the three words would not be enough to convince Chu Wanning of his sincerity. Mo Ran must not give up.

"It's alright," Mo Ran said, caressing Chu Wanning's cheek fondly. "Wanning can take as much time as possible to think about it."

That was what he said, but he knew that they only had two days left together.

Chu Wanning looked at Mo Ran's distraught face and felt sorry for him. He thus reached out and gave Mo Ran a little peck on the cheek.

"..."

"I must continue with meditation," Chu Wanning said, turning away from him and going back to sit on the floor. He then closed his eyes and started to meditate.

"Alright, Wanning."

That little kiss was like water for a man who was dying of thirst in the desert. A glimmer of hope. A hand that pulled someone out of the darkness of despair. Mo Ran grinned shamelessly as he pressed a hand against the scorching spot on his cheek.

The infatuated man realized that he had come back to Red Lotus Pavilion without buying anything. Although Mo Ran's face was not as thin as Chu Wanning's, he still could not stomach the thought of going back to Wuchang Town to buy groceries. He did not want those aunties and uncles to laugh at him.

Out of a better option, he decided to run to Butterfly Town instead. The town was in the middle of rebuilding after the last breach in the barrier. Mo Ran had not visited for months. This would be a good opportunity to find out how things were.

To Mo Ran's surprise, Butterfly Town was doing quite well during the rebuilding phase. Surviving two heavenly barrier breaches cemented the brotherhood and sisterhood among the town folks. They all helped each other with everything that they had. The men rebuilt houses, and the women cooked and looked after the children. The frantic crying and agonized screams from back then had been replaced with smiles and sounds of cheerful laughter.

Mo Ran was a hero in Butterfly Town, so when he came by even the town chief rushed out to welcome him.

"Mo-zongshi!!! Fancy seeing you here!!! Come, come and sit!"

The greeting "Mo-zongshi" never sat right with Mo Ran. He could never compare himself with Chu Wanning. Chu Wanning was the real zongshi. Mo Ran was just his humble disciple.

"Chief, I am not a zongshi. My shizun is."

"Of course, of course. Cultivator Mo then. How are you doing? How is everything?"

"I am doing fine. How is Butterfly Town doing? Does Chief need any help?"

"Oh, we are doing more than fine. Other towns have been helping us a lot. Esteemed Sisheng Peak Sect Leader often sent disciples here to help out whenever possible, too. This will not be possible without Cultivator Mo's hard work."

Mo Ran smiled.

"I am glad then. I am just here to do some shopping. Chief, you don't have to accompany me. I can go around just fine."

"Absolutely not! Come, what are you looking to buy???"

"..."

And that was how hero Mo-zongshi was paraded around the town while he bought all kinds of seafood, vegetables, and fruits. When they passed by a certain accessories shop, Mo Ran stopped in his track. There was a familiar wooden board affixed at the door. It was the accessory shop he once wanted to buy the jade pendant for Shi Mei from. The previous owner died during the first heavenly barrier breach. The shop was destroyed completely. The man who manned the shop was much younger, but he bore striking resemblance to the previous owner.

Mo Ran gingerly stepped over the threshold. The young owner looked up and smiled. The smile quickly froze when he saw the town chief stepping into the store after Mo Ran.

"C-chief...!!"

The town chief patted the young owner's shoulder. "A-Xuan, you don't know this esteemed cultivator yet so let me introduce you. This is Cultivator Mo. If not because of him, we would all have died during the second ghost attack!"

The young owner bowed so low that he almost folded himself into two. "So this is Cultivator Mo. This is such an honor. Please come and take a seat!"

Mo Ran laughed. He had four baskets of groceries in his hands and a lover waiting at Red Lotus Pavilion. He really was not in the mood of sitting and chatting.

"No need to be so formal with me, Owner. I just happen to know your late father. I asked him to keep a jade pendant for me once."

When hearing Mo Ran's words, the young man's face quickly fell. "So sorry, Cultivator Mo, all accessories from back then had been ground to dust during the ghost attacks. My oldest collection here is from two months ago."

Mo Ran shook his head with a smile. "No, I am not looking to buy the pendant anymore. I just come here because of the memory."

The young owner hesitated but then said, "Cultivator Mo, are you not interested to get something in place of that lost jade pendant?"

Initially, Mo Ran did not plan to do so. The nature of his feelings for Shi Mei had changed from obsession to a little more than friendship. Why would he get Shi Mei a pendant then? But then he thought of Chu Wanning, and his heart grew warm. He wanted to get Chu Wanning something. Wouldn't it be great if Chu Wanning wore something that he bought?

"Then I shall trouble Owner to find me something exquisite."

The young owner happily showed Mo Ran his best collection of jewelry but nothing impressed Mo Ran. They were all too gaudy, too sparkly, too common. They would not look good on Chu Wanning.

"Thank you, Owner. Maybe next time. I have not found anything that I like."

Mo Ran wanted to grab his baskets and go, but then the young owner suddenly remembered something.

"WAIT! I still have something else to show Cultivator Mo!"

After tossing out the statement, the young owner rushed to his storage room and brought out an intricate black wooden box. When the lid was removed, it revealed a pair of exquisite pendants with red crystals. The design easy very simple, but the crystals were not common gems.

The young owner lowered his voice to a hush dramatically. "Cultivator Mo, these are Dragon Blood Crystals. They were dug out and cut by artisans from Kunlun Taxue Palace themselves. They grow brighter when they come in touch with body temperature."

Mo Ran's eyes were wide from astonishment. The crystals were not that rare, but there had not been many accessories made of the Dragon Blood crystals. The young owner only knew about their flashy characteristics, but Mo Ran knew that the crystals were especially good to nurture a cold body. It would be perfect for Chu Wanning.

"... How much?"

The young owner cleared his throat and added in a conspiratorial tone, "Cultivator Mo, if you are buying this for your dual cultivation partner, why not buy a pair? When the time comes, the effect will be quite... interesting."

Blood crept up Mo Ran's tanned face. He too cleared his throat and asked, "How much for both?"