Chapter 118: Shizun Sometimes Falls for Tricks Too

Mo Ran had a shadow. He…wasn't dead?

A panoply of little details flashed through Rong Jiu's mind. The shock

would've sent a chill up his spine and a rush of hot blood to his head to

scramble his thoughts if he weren't already dead.

Rong Jiu stood unmoving for some time. The way a person reacted to

unforeseen events often had to do with what they were accustomed to. For

instance, some people's past experiences made them habitually jumpy, and

they would freeze up at the first sign of the unexpected. Then there were

people like Xue Meng, darling of the heavens, who were self-possessed and

difficult to ruffle, unfazed by just about everything.

As for Rong Jiu, who had wallowed in the mud all his life and

suffered every manner of hardship, his immediate thoughts were: Did it pose

a threat to him? And if not, how could he benefit from it?

Within seconds, he realized, first, that Mo Ran was a living person

who had snuck into the underworld, and second, that he stood to gain much

from this knowledge. He merely needed to expose Mo Ran, and he'd have

done the underworld a great service. Such an achievement would

undoubtedly land him an official position of some sort, and from there he

could strut about with his chest puffed out. So what if he had sold his body in

life? If he seized this opportunity, he could at least move up in the world, as

men ought, in death.

The opportunity was practically handed to him on a silver platter. Why

bother with reincarnation? He could skip all that and secure a comfortable

life without delay. It would be a complete upset; he would erase all his past

disgrace and start fresh.

Rong Jiu's peach-blossom eyes narrowed subtly, and something

flickered within. He could see it now—being bestowed positions of import

and titles of nobility, sitting behind draped silks on a bamboo sedan chair

like those officials of the underworld, a picture of poise as he floated above

the throng of ghosts below.

The more Rong Jiu thought about it, the more gleeful he felt. There was

just one problem: he was weak and delicate, and there was no way he could

sneak out from under Mo Ran's nose to go tell on him. He'd need to keep Mo

Ran occupied…

The gears in his mind turned, and his gaze fell on the red-robed Chu

Wanning.

"Chu-xianjun." Rong Jiu greeted Chu Wanning and took a seat next to

him, his cheek propped in his hand. Chu Wanning continued to probe at the

barrier without so much as a grunt of acknowledgement. The man was so

cold Rong Jiu could practically see a layer of frost on his closed lashes.

Rong Jiu tried again. "Still nothing?"

A few moments passed. Chu Wanning still didn't reply, but neither did

he chase him off. So Rong Jiu sat and chattered idly about this and that, as if

talking to himself. Eventually, he muttered in a soft voice. "To tell you the

truth, Chu-xianjun, I wasn't completely honest with you earlier. There's

something… I was afraid you'd look down on me if you knew, that you

would harden your heart against me and leave me behind."

Chu Wanning's pitch-black brows were drawn tightly together, and

though he had yet to speak, a flame of anger burned between them. He was

still maintaining tight control, restraining himself from letting it out—but how

could Rong Jiu possibly miss that flickering light?

"I was thinking it over while I was outside," Rong Jiu said in his

delicate voice. "I feel so terrible about lying to Xianjun, so I wanted to come

say sorry…"

As luck would have it, his opener just so happened to match Mo Ran's.

Both of them wanted to say "sorry."

Chu Wanning wasn't even that repulsed until Rong Jiu opened his

mouth and came out with these words. He finally, slowly, opened his eyes

and, keeping his gaze trained on the wall, asked in a frosty tone, "Which

brothel did you work at when you were alive?"

Rong Jiu was caught off guard. "Xianjun…already knew?" He stole a

glance over at Mo Ran and swore internally. To think that guy had actually

come clean on his own. Would it be enough for Rong Jiu to fan the flames

like this? "Mo-xianjun and I…"

Chu Wanning cut him off. "I said, which brothel did you work at when

you were alive?"

Rong Jiu bit his lip. "The Immortal Peach Pavilion in Black Bamboo

Town."

"Hm, Immortal Peach Pavilion." Chu Wanning repeated the name with

a wry tug of his lips. Though he said no more, his expression was terrifying.

Rong Jiu snuck several glances at him. Then he pursed his lips and

ventured, "You don't look down on me, do you, Chu-xianjun?"

Chu Wanning did not reply.

"I lived a hard life and had a feeble body, and was sold to the brothel

very young. If I'd had a choice, of course I'd want to be a demon-slaying

hero like Xianjun, too." Rong Jiu sighed wistfully. "It'd be wonderful if, in

my next life, I could become an outstanding person like Xianjun."

"Reincarnation won't change the nature of a soul," Chu Wanning said,

impassive. "My condolences, but you and I belong to different walks of life."

Even after being shut down like this, Rong Jiu's smile didn't falter in

the slightest. "I know I could never compare with Xianjun," he said,

lowering his gaze. "It was just wishful thinking. When it comes to people like

me, if we don't give ourselves something to hope for, a dream to cling to, we

wouldn't last a year in the brothels before plotting how to end it all."

No response. Rong Jiu glanced at Mo Ran out of the corner of his eye,

checking to make sure he was out of earshot of their little chat. "After all," he

continued with a soft sigh, "the guests at the brothel were so often cruel and

callous. They hardly saw us as human. In a place like that, receiving a visit

from a kindly guest like Mo-xianjun was a thing to be envied."

Chu Wanning remained silent, but the veins on the back of his hand

stood out where it was pressed against the wall. Had he still possessed his

powers, there would undoubtedly be five holes in that wall right now. He

seemed to struggle with himself for a long moment. Finally, he asked, voice

dark and low, "What's there to be envious of?"

A trace of affection blossomed on Rong Jiu's gentle, lovely face—not

too much nor too little, precisely the right amount. "That Mo-xianjun is a

good person, of course. Although he might have erred and stolen from me in

the end, I can only imagine it's because I served him poorly in the past. He'd

always been such a reasonable, charming person."

Chu Wanning's face was cold and indifferent as he listened without a

word.

"Everyone who ever served him at my place mentioned how good and

kind he was. We always looked forward to his next visit."

After a long pause, Chu Wanning asked, "Did he go often?"

Rong Jiu feigned a dry laugh. "How often is 'often'? I'm not quite sure

how to answer Xianjun's question."

"Then tell me how regularly he went, for whom he asked, and when

his last visit was." Those thin lips were like a pair of knives, and each

question glinted with a cold, dangerous light, as if aiming for Mo Ran's life.

Rong Jiu pretended not to notice the frosty gleam in Chu Wanning's

eyes. Embellishing liberally, he answered, "I really didn't keep track of how

often he came, but I used to see him at least ten days a month, if not more. As

for whom he asked for…it varied." Rong Jiu sighed. "It's all in the past now,

Chu-xianjun, so please don't hold it against him…"

"I asked when his last visit was." By now, Chu Wanning's face might

as well have been one thick layer of ice. "Answer the question."

Mo Ran in fact had never gone back to see Rong Jiu after the day he'd

been reborn, nor had he visited any other brothel. But Rong Jiu took one look

at Chu Wanning's expression and knew the truth wouldn't do. He feigned

uncertainty and stoked the flames some more. "I'm…not sure. But I do

remember seeing Mo-xianjun around the brothel now and again, up until the

time I died…so probably around then?"

He had barely finished when Chu Wanning shot to his feet, pulling his

hand from the wall so that his wide sleeve fell over his slender fingers. In the

murky dark, his eyes blazed with sparks, and his entire body trembled.

Rong Jiu was privately delighted. This guileless xianjun was too easy

to fool. Rong Jiu was a prostitute, a veteran in the arena of love affairs, an

expert at reading the feelings of others. Baiting someone so virtuous and

upright as Chu Wanning was child's play. He had him hook, line, and sinker.

Rong Jiu had carefully prepared a nervous expression, and he

deployed it now. "What is it, Chu-xianjun?" he asked anxiously. "Did I say

something wrong? T-they're all misdeeds of a previous lifetime now; please

don't blame Mo-xianjun… He…he's not a bad person…"

"Like I need you to tell me if he's a bad person or not!" Chu Wanning

snapped. He shook with fury. "If I want to teach my own disciple a lesson,

what business is it of yours?!"

"Chu-xianjun…"

Chu Wanning ignored him completely. A chill emanated from his gaze

even as sparks flew from the rage that blazed in his eyes. Rong Jiu attempted

to block his way, but Chu Wanning shoved him aside and strode over to the

door of the storehouse. He grabbed Mo Ran by the back of his collar and

yanked him to his feet.

Mo Ran looked back, startled. "Shizun?"

Chu Wanning retracted his hand, as if even the collar of Mo Ran's

robes was too filthy to touch. He stared his disciple down like a cheetah on

the hunt, growling low in his throat and preparing to pounce. Yet even after

several long seconds passed, he was still much too angry to speak.

What was there to say at this point? If Mo Ran hadn't reformed even

after his public reprimand on the Platform of Sin and Virtue—if he had

apologized and acted like a decent human being before Chu Wanning all this

time, but was in truth still sneaking off to this or that Peach-Parting Pavilion

or Cut-Sleeve Lodge to fool around with prostitutes…

Mo Ran had no idea he'd been slandered. All he saw was the darkness

on Chu Wanning's face, his expression one of anger, revulsion, and—though

he wasn't sure if he'd imagined it—stifled sadness.

"Mo Weiyu! How many of your words were truth, and how many were

lies?" Chu Wanning's voice was hoarse, and his lashes quivered. After a

second, he said lowly, "You…really are vile by nature, beyond remedy!"

Those words were like a boulder crashing into the ocean, churning up

a massive wave in its wake. Mo Ran flinched violently. He stumbled back

two steps, shaking his head, staring at Chu Wanning in dismay. It couldn't

be… It couldn't be… Those were the words Chu Wanning had spoken in his

past life when he'd lost all hope in him. Why would he say that now? Wasn't

everything going well?

Mo Ran had no idea what had happened. He flew into a panic. He

tried to speak, but Chu Wanning cut him off, the rims of his eyes growing red

as anger blazed through his gaze like a wildfire. "How long do you plan to

lie to me?!" he asked, voice raw.

Mo Ran's mind was in chaos. What lie? What had Chu Wanning

learned? Mo Ran had too many dirty, unspeakable secrets. Faced with Chu

Wanning's terrifying glare, he didn't even think to suspect that this was Rong

Jiu's doing. Chu Wanning stepped closer, and Mo Weiyu backed away. He

retreated farther and farther, until his back hit the wall.

Chu Wanning came to a stop before him. A long interval passed as he

stared at Mo Ran's face. When he finally spoke, there was a tightness in his

shizun's voice, like he was choking back a sob. "Why do you want me to

come back so badly? So you can keep lying to me, angering me, leading me

by the nose? I thought you'd turned over a new leaf, Mo Ran. I thought you

were worth teaching, that you had changed for the better! I thought I could

teach you to be good…" He closed his eyes slowly. After a pause, he said in

a quiet voice, "Incorrigible."

"Shizun—"

"Get lost."

Mo Ran fell silent.

"Which part of get lost do you not understand?!" Chu Wanning's eyes

flew open, his gaze frosty. "Mo Weiyu, you disappoint me. How can you

expect me to pretend I know nothing, to go back to the world of the living

with you?"

Mo Ran's heart clenched. Heedless of Chu Wanning's anger, he

grabbed the wrist within that billowing sleeve and shook his head, begging

with teary, reddening eyes. "Shizun, please don't be angry. Tell me what

happened, okay? Whatever I did wrong again, I swear I'll change. Just please

don't chase me off…"

Change… That's what Mo Ran had said back then, too. And had he? If

Chu Wanning hadn't met Rong Jiu here, would he have ever found out about

these unseemly deeds?!

It was said that concern will make a person rash. Chu Wanning was

usually calm and collected, but he had a fiery disposition and acted on

emotion when it came to matters of the heart. On top of that, Rong Jiu and Mo

Ran had, by Mo Ran's own admission, shared an improper relationship, and

Rong Jiu's performance had been so convincing that Chu Wanning had fallen

for it completely. Unable to pull free from Mo Ran's grip, Chu Wanning lifted

his other hand to summon Tianwen in anger. Of course, nothing appeared. He

was mad enough to keel over; if he wasn't already dead, he would have been

spitting blood.

Suddenly, there was a brilliant scarlet radiance as Mo Ran summoned

Jiangui. He pressed the willow vine into Chu Wanning's hand and knelt

before his shizun. His other hand remained firmly wrapped around Chu

Wanning's wrist; he was scared to death he might leave. "Shizun, I know I…

I've done plenty of things that made you angry and upset in the past… But

since coming down to the underworld, every word I've said has been true."

He lifted his head, eyes brimming with tears. "All of it was true. I didn't lie

to you."

Chu Wanning clenched his hand around Jiangui. His heart burned with

rage, yet at the same time, he felt unbearably pained. Mo Ran's fingers were

wrapped so tightly around his wrist; they trembled uncontrollably,

despairingly, but refused to let go. His agony was so palpable it nearly

pierced the depths of Chu Wanning's soul. How could he possibly not feel it?

"If Shizun is upset," Mo Ran continued, "if Shizun can't forgive me,

then please strike me, yell at me—anything is fine. And if you really don't

wish to see me again… If you think I…if you think I'm…vile by nature,

beyond remedy…" Mo Ran's voice broke on that phrase. He bowed his head

where he knelt before Chu Wanning. "If Shizun really…doesn't want me

anymore…" He didn't want Chu Wanning to see him cry, but he couldn't stop

the shaking of his shoulders as silent tears soaked the ground beneath him.

"Then I'll…I'll leave Sisheng Peak…and never…never show my face before

Shizun again… But please…please, I'm begging you…"

His forehead was nearly touching the muddy ground where he knelt,

but his hand still gripped Chu Wanning's wrist so tightly, so stubbornly, as if

he'd sooner die than let go. "Please, don't leave."

Chu Wanning was silent.

"Shizun…"

Chu Wanning closed his eyes.

"You promised you'd come back with me, so please don't leave…"

Chu Wanning's chest ached. He was only a fragment of a soul, so how

could he still feel like his heart was being stabbed by knives, scorched by

flames? His eyes snapped open, shining with anger and resentment. "I

promised you? Then what about what you promised me? Back at the Platform

of Sin and Virtue, you said you'd seen the error of your ways, and then when

you knelt in Clearsky Hall, you said you'd never do it again—so why didn't

you keep your word?! Did you really think I wouldn't find out, Mo Weiyu?!

That I wouldn't discipline you again?!"

Mo Ran started. He raised his head in a foggy haze of confusion and

looked up through tear-filled eyes. "What?"

The word had barely left his lips when Jiangui flashed out bright and

scarlet, tearing viciously toward the side of his face. There was an eruption

of crackling sparks, and blood splattered across the ground and the wall.

Chu Wanning was incandescent with rage. He hadn't held back a whit.

A bloody gash opened on Mo Ran's cheek, bleeding profusely. But he paid it

no mind as he clutched at Chu Wanning's hand. "What do you mean the

Platform of Sin and Virtue?" he asked, wide-eyed. "What about Clearsky

Hall? I…what am I keeping from you? What am I lying about?"

His questioning only made Chu Wanning more furious. He tried to

shake off Mo Ran's hand again, but his grip was like iron.

Mo Ran suddenly realized something was off here. He whipped his

head around to look back toward the storehouse. While the two of them were

quarreling and completely distracted, Rong Jiu had snuck off!

He saw at once what had happened, and his expression shifted.

"Shizun—we fell for his trap! Come on, we've gotta go! It's not safe here

anymore! Hurry!"

He made a dash for the door, pulling Chu Wanning behind him, but they

had barely made it two steps when Rong Jiu appeared in the distance leading

a group of ghost soldiers. Even now, he was still tattling. "They're right this

way, that living person and the soul that's with him…the two of them…"

"I should've killed you!" Mo Ran roared furiously.

There was no time to explain. Mo Ran led the way, holding tight to

Chu Wanning's hand as they sped down streets and alleyways. The number of

their pursuers swelled, and the sounds of sentry whistles and clappers rang

throughout the palace grounds. Chu Wanning glanced back to see four or five

distinct groups of lanterns stream from the main alleys to gather into one

mass, like a hissing snake of fire on the hunt.

Rong Jiu's face was fair glowing with glee as he chased Mo Ran and

Chu Wanning. That frail body of his, weak from years of hardships and

abuse, was pushed to its limit; he ran like a famished jackal bounding after

its prey. He truly believed he had earned himself a great credit by being the

first to sniff them out and turn them in. Drunk on this feeling of

accomplishment, he unexpectedly mustered an aura of command. "Catch

them! Catch the living intruder!"

Someone grabbed his arm mid-stride. Rong Jiu whipped around

angrily, then faltered when he saw it was the captain of the guard who had

caught him earlier. "What're you grabbing me for?" he snapped, indignant.

"Hurry and catch that man up ahead there!"

"Sure, they're runaways, but aren't you one as well?" The captain

narrowed his eyes, leveling him with a malicious gaze.

"I-I only ran because I wanted to help the fourth lord catch them,"

Rong Jiu shot back, now alarmed. "I was the one who found the living

person… I was the one who discovered Mo Weiyu isn't a ghost! Don't even

think about laying hands on me just to steal my credit before the fourth lord!"

The captain was at first rather taken aback. But he soon put two and

two together and burst out laughing. "You found him out first? Credit? Ha ha

ha! You think I'm here to steal your credit?" His laughter stopped abruptly.

"How desperate are you for distinction—have you gone mad? The fourth

lord himself discovered that living person! You think he'd seal off the entire

second palace just to catch some common little ghost? Hah, stealing credit

indeed. You must be blind, trying to steal credit from the fourth lord himself!"

In his shock, Rong Jiu stumbled and fell to the ground. He watched as

the army of ghost soldiers tramped past him in pursuit of Mo Ran and Chu

Wanning. Rong Jiu trembled, and his lips quivered as he muttered, "Already

discovered? The ghost king already…saw through them? I…I'm not the first?

N-no credit? I…"

All his visions of riches and fame, of being revered and admired by

crowds lining the streets, came crashing to the ground to be crushed

underfoot by the army stampeding past all around him. Rong Jiu stared

vacantly for a while. Then he suddenly flew into a frenzy, straining with

every fiber of his being to struggle free. His frail body was like a mayfly,

lowly yet unwilling to bend to fate, a moth flying into a hungry flame.

His life had never been easy. All he'd ever known was a bed, men,

wealthy madams, guests who came and went. A small and windowless room,

filled with the scented haze from a brass incense burner, where it was

impossible to tell dusk from dawn. That was his entire existence. It was a

dark, never-ending night. He only wanted to see daybreak. For the sake of

that ray of light, that chance at living, that tiny scrap of hope, he had been

willing to abandon his dignity, his body, his honor, his kindness, his

conscience. These were all he had.

Flying into the flame for that bit of light.

"Wait! Wait for me! Chu-xianjun, save me!"

"Seize that runaway! Once this is squared away, have him sent to the

fourth lord himself for interrogation!"

"No—No!" Rong Jiu's pale, bloodless fingers clawed at the ground,

his hair falling loose and tangling into a disheveled mess in the struggle.

Under the cold light of the moon, his charming, lovely face appeared eerie

and terrifying. His eyes bulged as he screamed incoherently, "No! Chuxianjun, save me!" And then, hysterically, "I found him first! I found the

living person! Me! You can't treat me like this! You never would've found

them if not for me! You just want to steal my reward! My credit!"

The soldiers dragged him away, and his mad shrieks were soon

drowned out by the heavy thunder of footsteps.