THE PILL OF INFATUATION

It was relatively easy to use the Pill of Infatuation.

The pill consisted of two halves: one half with the tiny lotus flower engraved on the surface was for Shi Mei, the object of infatuation, and the other half with nothing engraved on it was for Mo Ran, the one who was to be infatuated in Shi Mei.

Shi Mei carefully split the pill into the two halves, ground the one half with the tiny lotus flower into powder, mixed it with water, and drank it in one go.

Then, he gently dabbed the end of his lips with a handkerchief while staring at the other half inside the small brocade box.

The difficult part was to feed Mo Ran the other half.

If this was in the past when Mo Ran chased behind him like a little dog chasing its owner, it would be a piece of cake. Shi Mei could have told him to swallow the other half of the pill without any reason, and Mo Ran would comply without raising any questions. That was how devoted Mo Ran was. Then again if Mo Ran was still the same Mo Ran in the past, there was no need for the Pill of Infatuation, was there?

Shi Mei heaved a frustrated sigh. He pressed both hands against the edge of the table and glowered at the brocade box in front of him.

Chu Wanning's death during the Heavenly Rift changed everything.

Hua Binan might boast all he wanted about his being able to wrap Mo Ran around his little finger, but he was not looking at Mo Ran from Shi Mei's current perspective. Along with the changes that happened in this world, Mo Ran's attitude toward Shi Mei changed completely. If Shi Mei did not know better, he would think that the Hatred Flower was uprooted the moment Chu Wanning perished.

Alright, maybe he overreacted a little.

Mo Ran was still friendly toward him, a lot friendlier than he was to Xue Meng.

If Shi Mei tried his best to think positively, there was a possibility that Shizun's death traumatized Mo Ran so much that he forgot what he told Shi Mei the morning of the Heavenly Rift incident.

Shi Mei was pretty sure that Mo Ran wanted to confess. Urged by Hua Binan, he tried to tickle the confession out of him many times afterward to no avail. Mo Ran kept dodging the topic. After many failed attempts, Shi Mei did not raise the topic again.

After so many years had passed, did he have to beg Mo Ran for his love? Shi Mei gritted his teeth in anger.

No way. It was too degrading. Besides, he did not even like Mo Ran! The one he loved, his white moonlight, had always been Chu Wanning, no one else!

...

A selfish thought manifested itself in Shi Mei's mind. What if he used the pill on Chu Wanning instead?

...

Originally, he had wanted to use the Hatred Flower on Chu Wanning. Other than the fact that he liked Chu Wanning, his shizun was at the time the strongest grandmaster in the entire cultivation realm. He had wanted his shizun to become both his blade and his lover.

Alas, that stupid Mo Ran offered to become the host of the Hatred Flower instead. That idiot emperor killed himself, so Hua Binan told him, and thus ruined the grand scheme of returning their people to the demonic realm.

Chu Wanning would have been a much better option.

Sigh. There was no use crying over spilled milk.

Shi Mei picked up the other half of the pill from the brocade box and held it before his eyes. A Pill of Infatuation was a weaker option, but it still worked to some degree. Maybe it would be enough to make Chu Wanning follow him.

If Shi Mei followed Hua Binan's order to the t, Chu Wanning would end up dying again. Shi Mei knew that for sure.

His beautiful face darkened as he recalled Chu Wanning's tiny body inside the coffin, lifeless and cold.

No.

He could not let it happen again.

The days leading to Chu Wanning's resurrection had been extremely painful.

Yes...

Shi Mei's lips curled up into a smile.

"Shizun, this time, let's stay together," he softly whispered.

He should just use the pill on Chu Wanning, and manipulate his shizun to run away with him, far far away from Hua Binan and his crazy schemes.

Hua Binan was free to execute his grand plan with his deranged friends. He needed to involve neither Chu Wanning nor Shi Mei.

The more Shi Mei thought about it, the stronger his wish became. Soon, he was convinced that it was the right thing to do. At this point, it was not too late to change his mind. Hua Binan would be furious when he found out about Shi Mei's betrayal but so what? At this critical junction, he did not have time to waste.

Shi Mei had ample time to run away with Chu Wanning. His infatuated shizun would protect him, and so would Sisheng Peak. With Chu Wanning by his side, Shi Mei was willing to go through the scorching flame of everlasting hell.

Once Shi Mei made up his mind, another problem presented itself.

Feeding Chu Wanning the other half of the pill was more difficult than feeding it to Mo Ran.

Shi Mei swallowed hard as he slowly ground the other half of the pill into powder.

What was the best way to execute his plan?

Put it into some food and give it to Chu Wanning to eat?

No, what if Chu Wanning did not want to eat the food?

Mo Ran was so good at cooking, and yet there were times when Chu Wanning refused to give Mo Ran even the slightest bit of face when the food that Mo Ran cooked was not up to his standard.

Other than the fact that Chu Wanning's culinary taste was otherworldly, Shi Mei did not consider himself a particularly great cook.

He could brew some medicine, but he could not cook.

Medicine.

That's it.

Shi Mei went to his bookshelf and rummaged inside the notes that he made while studying at Rainbell Isle.

Chu Wanning broke his cultivation core when he fixed the ancient barrier. After he was resurrected, despite Master Huaizui's great efforts, Chu Wanning's core remained fragile. With that kind of spiritual core, what help could he possibly give Nangong Si?

The former Guyue'ye Sect Leader had achieved perfection with his Five Element Core Strengthening Medicine. Although Guyue'ye Sect forbade his disciples to ever sell the medicine or reveal the recipe to the outside world, the disciples were free to brew it and give it to anyone.

Not that the medicine sect's disciples were very generous with the secret recipe.

It was after all one of the sect's most precious secrets. Not to mention very expensive.

As an outsider, Shi Mei only managed to get his hands on the recipe because Hua Binan, the Cold Scale Sacred Hand, was a respected elder in the sect. Look at that, Hua Binan actually proved useful in the end. The plan was perfect. Chu Wanning might reject food, but he for sure knew to appreciate a renowned cultivation medicine when Shi Mei made the effort to brew it for him.

Chu Wanning's second disciple worked day and night to brew a bowl of the Five Element Core Strengthening Medicine. It was ready on the day Chu Wanning was set to depart for Linyi.

The shizun was positively surprised when Shi Mei showed up in front of Red Lotus Pavilion in the morning with a bowl of steaming medicine in his hand. Having worked day and night to make this one bowl, Shi Mei looked pale and exhausted.

"Shizun, this disciple and Young Master Xue will stay in Sisheng Peak and await Shizun's return. This disciple is incapable and has nothing else to aid Shizun with. Please accept this Five Element Core Strengthening Medicine as a token of this disciple's filial piety."

Chu Wanning furrowed his brows as he gazed into the dark brown liquor inside the bowl.

"This is a secret medicine from Guyue'ye Sect," he pointed out. "You are going to get into trouble if anyone from Guyue'ye Sect finds out."

Shi Mei shook his head gently. Typical of Chu Wanning, always worried about others although he needed the medicine desperately to help with his own spiritual core.

"No, I did not and do not distribute the medicine freely. This is the first time I make this medicine on my own, and it is just for Shizun."

Shi Mei cupped his hands together and performed a bow before Chu Wanning.

"This disciple wishes Shizun a safe trip. Then, I will take my leave now."

"..."

Chu Wanning held the steaming bowl of precious medicine in his hand.

It was very precious. Too precious. Shi Mei might be the weakest of his three disciples, but the young man was sensible and kind. Of all his three disciples, he gave Chu Wanning the least problem. Xue Meng and Mo Ran should learn from him.

Chu Wanning lifted the bowl to his lips.

He was about to take a sip, but then he thought about something else.

He thus set the bowl on the table and drew an incantation in the air. A golden haitang flower manifested itself from thin air and floated gently into Chu Wanning's outstretched palm.

"Mo Ran, come to the Red Lotus Pavilion, now."