CHU WANNING'S RETURN

By the time Master Huaizui finished erasing Chu Wanning's memory, the sun had already set and Mo Ran had already left.

Master Huaizui looked at his disciple's tranquil face in silence for quite some time before he reached out and took a look at the inside of Chu Wanning's right upper arm. There was a red cinnabar dot there, the very same mark he left on Chu Wanning before he left. Master Huaizui pressed on it, and a golden circular array appeared on Chu Wanning's fair skin.

The cinnabar dot was intact. And so was the enchantment array.

Master Huaizui was not sure whether he was disappointed or not.

If Mo Ran had done anything untoward to Chu Wanning, the cinnabar dot would disappear and set off the enchantment. The spell was not enough to kill the young man but definitely enough to chase him away. Master Huaizui had wanted to use it as an excuse to take Chu Wanning away and keep him safe with him up on the mountain.

Master Huaizui missed Chu Wanning greatly and wished to have a second chance on the shizun-disciple relationship.

He would listen to Chu Wanning this time. They would help each other. Together, they could contribute to the good of humanity.

But he could not do it anymore.

Not after seeing how distraught both Mo Ran and Chu Wanning were.

Chu Wanning never directly referred to Mo Ran as Taxian-Jun during their last encounters, but Master Huaizui suspected it. He took Taxian-Jun as Chu Wanning's tormentor, thus Mo Ran as a wayward, unfilial disciple who not only ruined his own shizun but also the whole cultivation world.

A madman.

A dangerous person.

Master Huaizui curled his fingers into fists.

So why did Chu Wanning sacrifice himself for Mo Ran?

Did Mo Ran trick Chu Wanning?

Or...

Master Huaizui shook his head.

No. He refused to believe that his disciple harbored any emotions beyond his position as a shizun.

It simply could not be.

-----------------------------------------

A year later...

-Tap, tap, tap...

The melodic chanting of the Buddhist sutra accompanied by the rhythmical sound of the wooden fish emanated from within the Red Lotus Pavilion. The solemn sounds were carried away by the wind and were heard by disciples who were lazying around near the Naihe Bridge.

"Yuheng Elder has been sleeping for five whole years," a disciple remarked. "Shixiong, it is about time for his revival, right?"

His shixiong frowned and tried to remember when the Heavenly Rift happened. He was only seventeen years old then. He remembered it clearly because he just turned seventeen a week before the disaster happened. And now, he was already twenty-two years old! His birthday was more than two months ago!

The elder disciple widened his eyes in realization. He grabbed his young shidi in excitement. "Shidi, you are so right! Any day now!"

This explained why Young Master Xue Meng had been passing by Red Lotus Pavilion at least twice every day, his eyes full of deep longing for the shizun in seclusion.

Sigh. Young Master Xue Meng was such a filial disciple. And just as the shixiong thought about him, there he was. Long live Young Master Xue Meng!

"Greetings, Young Master Xue!" the shixiong and shidi shouted in unison.

Xue Meng glanced at them and hummed. He kept sneaking surreptitious glances at Red Lotus Pavilion as he headed toward the bamboo forest. Although he could see the faint shape of the barrier from the disciple dormitory, he still could not help but hope that said barrier would come down when he got close. As if his shizun would wake up earlier when Xue Meng visited him often.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. Disappointment was written all over Xue Meng's face as he walked away with slightly slumped shoulders.

The shidi sighed at Xue Meng's lonely back.

"Young Master Xue Meng has such a close relationship with Yuheng Elder. He must be Yuheng Elder's most beloved disciple," the shidi said.

His shixiong frowned slightly.

"Of course. But Yuheng Elder died because he saved Mo-shixiong and not Young Master Xue."

"Oh? Shixiong, who is this Mo-shixiong?"

"Mo-shixiong is..."

The elder disciple gaped at his shidi. How could he not know who Mo-shixiong is? Among Yuheng Elder's disciples, Mo-zongshi resembled him the most! He even dressed like him and wielded a similar weapon! Mo-shixiong made an enormous contribution in sealing the Heavenly Rift over the Butterfly Town a year ago, earning him the title of zongshi right away.

Even after the elder disciple told his shidi tales about Mo-shixiong, the shidi still did not have much of an impression about Mo-zongshi.

"So what is Mo-shixiong up to now?" the shidi asked.

The shixiong had to think for a while before answering. "Oh! I remember! He went to exorcise the demon at Yellow River!"

"Oh," was all that the shidi had to say.

Speaking about Mo-shixiong, he had been away for such a long time that the elder disciple suspected that Mo-shixiong did not plan to come back at all.

As the day of Yuheng Elder's revival drew nearer, should he not come back to wait on Yuheng Elder? Else Yuheng Elder was too pitiful with just one disciple who longed for his return. Even Shi Mei shixiong spent more and more time away from Sisheng Peak. Sigh. The elder disciple bit into his mantou full of regret.

The shidi was gazing absent-mindedly at the barrier when he noticed that something was happening.

"Shixiong, the barrier seems to be chipping away."

"Hmm. Yes. Of course," the shixiong answered lazily without even looking up. He was too busy gobbling down his food.

"Shixiong, the barrier is disappearing."

"Mmmm. Yes, of course..."

"SHIXIONG! LOOK! THE BARRIER DISAPPEARED!!!"

The shixiong almost choked on his mantou. His shidi had to slap his back repeatedly to get him to spit out the mantou.

"Yu-Yu-Yuheng Elder's seclusion has ended!!!"

The elder disciple was part horrified part excited. He shoved his shidi. "Quick! Go inform Sect Leader about the end of Yuheng Elder's seclusion!"

The shidi looked visibly shaken. He was just a junior disciple, a no-one. He did not dare to go alone to meet with Xue Zhengyong. Not that Xue Zhengyong was scary, but he was after all the sect leader!

"Shi-shi-shi-shixiong, can we please go together?" he begged.

But his shixiong had other things in mind. It was a golden opportunity to leave a good impression on Young Master Xue. The shixiong thus refused. "No. I am going to tell Young Master Xue first. You go and tell Sect Leader."

Without waiting for the shidi to utter further objection, the elder disciple already ran in the direction of the bamboo forest to tell Xue Meng the good news.

The shidi could barely believe what just happened. What else could he do? He dragged his limp legs over to the Loyalty Hall to find Xue Zhengyong. He was so terrified of the prospect of facing the sect leader by himself that he ended up bumping against a man.

"Oh, sorry Mister..." the shidi quickly apologized.

He looked up and saw a handsome, tanned man in front of him. Some parts of his white robe were drenched in blood and white bandages peeked out from behind his lapel. If not for the gentle smile on his face and the kindness that reflected in his black-purplish eyes, the shidi would have screamed out of terror.

"Why are you running around like that?" the mysterious man asked.

"Oh, um... Yuheng Elder has awakened!"

The shidi quickly slapped himself afterward. Was he not supposed to tell the sect leader??? Why did he blab to a random stranger?

Mo Ran lifted his eyes and gazed in the direction of the Red Lotus Pavilion. His heart felt heavy as soon as he saw that Master Huaizui's barrier had disappeared.

-Shizun... you are finally back.