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.