SHIZUN, PLEASE DON'T BE MAD

Death was like a slumber from which one never awakened.

Revival was like being pulled out of said slumber mercilessly and pushed out of the water surface to inhale a lungful of cold air.

Outside of the Red Lotus Pavilion, five years had passed. Inside the Red Lotus Pavilion, time seemed to have stopped when Chu Wanning died.

When the man on the bed awoke after sleeping for a long time, he was initially lost in a haze of memories. Did he die? Did he not die? Where was he exactly at the moment? Who was chanting the sutra? Why?

His head hurt so much...

"Uh..."

The chanting abruptly stopped when the person heard sound coming from the bed. Chu Wanning heard a familiar rustling noise of a robe dragging on the floor and then a warm hand pressed against his cheek. Chu Wanning opened his eyes and gazed at the familiar face in front of him.

"Shizun."

Master Huaizui smiled at his disciple. "How are you feeling, A-Ning?"

"I am not sure," came the answer. "Alright, I guess."

Master Huaizui helped Chu Wanning to sit and lean at the headboard. "What is the last thing you remember?"

Rubbing at his temple, Chu Wanning frowned slightly. "Mo Ran," he finally said. "Where is he?"

Master Huaizui thought that the pair of shizun and disciple was surely close. Chu Wanning never stopped worrying about Mo Ran's safety. On the other side, why did he look somewhat angry? Never mind, he must be mistaken. Master Huaizui dismissed his observation completely.

"Mo Ran is doing fine," he said, in an attempt to placate Chu Wanning. Chu Wanning's eyes instead seemed to turn colder by a few degrees. Something golden sparked around his arm. Master Huaizui knitted his brows. What's with the sudden battle aura?

"Don't be hasty. Your spiritual core has not healed completely. You should be more lenient toward yourself."

Upon hearing about his spiritual core's condition, Chu Wanning finally calmed down enough to listen to reason. He pressed his hand against his chest to assess his spiritual core. To his delight, it is not broken anymore, but it was still very weak. Weaker than before.

"You still need to go on seclusion every seven years, but I fear that even that is not enough. You need to do more."

"I understand," Chu Wanning nodded in apprehension.

"It is beneficial to get someone to help you cultivate. Your cultivation itself is high, so it will mutually benefit the other party as well," Huaizui added. He was clearly suggesting a certain method.

Chu Wanning's face darkened but he said nothing.

"Well then, I will go back now. Please take good care of yourself, A-Ning."

Master Huaizui turned to leave, but Chu Wanning called for him. "Shizun, wait."

"Yes...?"

Chu Wanning climbed off the bed and prostrated himself on the floor. "I am sorry for not keeping my promise. I failed to deliver my end of the deal, and even inconvenienced Shizun to resurrect me."

Master Huaizui sighed. He went over to pull Chu Wanning to his feet. "A lot of things happened between you and me. There is no such thing as a deal and there is no need to feel sorry. I am just glad that you changed your mind in the end. Life is, after all, precious. Amitabha..."

The barrier that surrounded Red Lotus Pavilion slowly disappeared, and Master Huaizui left soon after. Chu Wanning went to walk around his residence.

He had only been sleeping for a while, but there were a few changes in the Red Lotus Pavilion. Such as the wooden bathtub that looked as good as new. Or the burned patch outside of the pavilion along with a pile of firewoods.

Chu Wanning's pale cheeks immediately turned crimson from anger. Which insolent person dared to desecrate his residence like that? Did they have no fear of death???

The man eyed the wooden bathtub.

It was too cold to take a bath inside the Red Lotus Lake. He might as well use the bathtub to clean himself first.

Chu Wanning made a few golems heave pails of cold water from the lake and pour it into the bathtub. He then heated it using spiritual energy and climbed into the bathtub. As he submerged his body into the warm water, a contented sigh escaped his lips.

He was not usually someone who bothered to take care of himself, thus he always bathed inside the cold lake without thinking of his own health. After dying a second time, he thought that he ought to cherish his life a little bit more.

Chu Wanning felt somewhat drowsy inside the water. He almost fell asleep. But then the door opened with a bang and he widened his eyes in shock.

Who was it?

Who dared to enter his residence with such audacity?

Whoever the person was, he seemed to be looking for something. Chu Wanning narrowed his eyes at the figure behind the partition.

A thief?

He put on his inner robe and went out to catch the thief.

The lurking thief was a man wearing Sisheng Peak's dark blue uniform with silver trim.

Very good, Chu Wanning thought. If he did not teach this insolent disciple today, he shall no longer be known as Yuheng Elder!

Although the man was clearly an adult, he was rather clumsy. As if not expecting Chu Wanning to be around, he actually screamed in horror when he caught sight of the former. Chu Wanning subdued him in several moves with hardly some effort.

"I went on seclusion for some time and now everyone thinks that they can just march in without permission," Chu Wanning scolded harshly.

"What's your name and who is your shizun???" He asked the man who was writhing in agony severely.

"S-shi... SHIZUN! IT'S ME! IT'S ME!"

"..."

Chu Wanning let the man go abruptly. The man went to hug Chu Wanning's waist right afterward and started sobbing like a little child.

"Shizun, I miss you so much... Waaaahh, wahhhhh, you are finally back!!!"

Chu Wanning froze on spot. The voice had changed and the arms around his body were toned from regular martial art practices, but...

"Xue... Meng...?"

Upon hearing his own name being called by his shizun, Xue Meng's cries became louder.

"Yes Shizun, it's me... Look, it's me..."

Xue Meng released Chu Wanning and stood up so that they could look into each other's faces. Chu Wanning stared at Xue Meng's tear-streaked but more mature face. His disciple had grown taller. But not taller than he was. Their heights were comparable.

"Look at you," Chu Wanning said with a sigh. "Already so big but still crying like a child."

Xue Meng pulled Chu Wanning for another hug.

"Shizun, I worked hard on my cultivation these five years. I won the Spiritual Mountain Competition. I did not bring disgrace upon Shizun..."

Five years?

Chu Wanning blinked in disbelief.

"Did you just say five years?"

Xue Meng loosened his hug and nodded.

"Yes, Shizun."

Chu Wanning rubbed at his temple. Five years. That long?

"Shizun, is everything alright?" Xue Meng asked, his face full of worry.

"Where is Shi Mei?"

Did Mo Ran keep his promise? Are they a proper couple now?

"He is doing fine! He is learning diligently at Guyue'ye Sect thanks to Shizun's recommendation!"

That was not what Chu Wanning wanted to hear, but he was pleased to hear that Shi Mei did not end up abandoning his studies in the name of love.

"And Mo Ran?"

Xue Meng disliked talking about anyone else but him and his shizun. He liked talking about Mo Ran even less. His answer was thus rather curt, "He's fine."

Chu Wanning narrowed his eyes at Xue Meng. "Fine?"

"Yes. He grew up to become a rather decent person."

"Ah."

"Not that he was indecent before," Xue Meng quickly corrected himself.

Chu Wanning raised a hand to stop Xue Meng from continuing.

"You were right. He was an indecent person before."

"..."

Chu Wanning gave Xue Meng a concerned look. He was not sure how to breach the topic. He did not want to cause Xue Meng unnecessary pain. The disciple in front of him looked perfectly fine. Unlike how Mo Ran described him in the Underworld.

Did Mo Ran lie in the end?

Chu Wanning furrowed his brows. If Mo Ran lied, then he better be prepared. On the other side, with his current weak spiritual core, could he still win against Mo Ran? Or better said, Taxian-Jun?

"Oh, yes!"

Xue Meng suddenly remembered something. He rummaged inside his qiankun pouch and pulled a golden sword out of it. Then he knelt in front of Chu Wanning and presented the sword to him.

"This disciple is unworthy of wielding Huaisha. Begging Shizun to please take it back."

Chu Wanning took Huaisha from Xue Meng's outstretched hands wordlessly. He then saw something on Xue Meng's left palm.

A scar.

Chu Wanning pulled Xue Meng up so suddenly that the latter almost lost his balance. His left sleeve was pushed aside to reveal a long scar. The scar extended from his left palm across the inner part of his lower arm. It seemed to come from a deep cut by a weapon.

Chu Wanning's lips trembled as he gazed at the ugly mark on Xue Meng's arm.

-Xue Meng actually... He actually...

Not at all noticing Chu Wanning's reaction, Xue Meng was busy hiding the scar away.

"That, uhm... That..."

Before he managed to tell Chu Wanning that he got injured during the Spiritual Mountain Competition, his shizun already pulled him into a hug.

"I am sorry," Chu Wanning said with a broken voice. "Shizun did not protect you."

Tears fell across Chu Wanning's cheeks as he held his disciple in his arms. Had Mo Ran not told him the truth, Xue Meng might really leave the world in such a foolish way...

"No, Shizun, this disciple is incapable..." Xue Meng mumbled in panic.

"No," Chu Wanning interrupted him. "I should have been there for you."

Just then, the door opened again and revealed an ecstatic Xue Zhengyong.

"YUHENG!!!"

Behind him, Mo Ran stood in a simple white robe. Pain flickered in his eyes when he saw Chu Wanning and Xue Meng in an intimate embrace. Then again, what did he expect? He was not that big of a fool to expect something different. And yet it did not lessen the pain, not even a little bit.

Lowering his eyes respectfully, Mo Ran cupped his hands and bowed before Chu Wanning.

"Disciple Mo Ran congratulates Shizun for coming out of the seclusion."