Chapter 91: This Venerable One's Shizun is a Pro

Upon the great hall, this man's glamourous robe was white as snow; he stood with his hands folded behind him, the silk of his robes soft and light like clouds, expansive sleeves reaching the ground. While his expression appeared solemn and dignified, his eyes were slightly lifted, the lashes draping down;

amidst the politeness there were three parts scorn, and three parts arrogance.

Li Wuxin had never imagined that he was the Yuheng Elder, and instantly his face dropped, "Chu, Chu…" Chu Wanning spoke calmly, "Li-zhuangzhu, it's been a while." "Why is it you!" Li Wuxin who was only just clever-tongued now couldn't utter a single word, his face paling like dry wax, "We lost all communication with you after you left Rufeng Sect, and here we thought you went to wander the world,

yet who knew, you, you were actually casting pearls before swines!!" Chu Wanning snorted, his eyes rather cool, "Thank you for thinking I am a pearl." "..." "Alright, enough small talk, let's discuss serious matters. There's been word that you think I've murdered the five hundred civilians of Butterfly Town to practice evil spells. This incident was not done by me, but since Li-zhuangzhu has come all this way, I'm sure some things have already been misunderstood. I have more important things to attend to, so I won't accompany Zhuangzhu to the Tianyin Pavilion. If Zhuangzhu has any questions he wants to ask, please ask them here now." Then, like he was too lazy to even stand, Chu Wanning sat down in his seat.

There's a designated seat for every elder within the Loyalty Hall; Chu Wanning's seat was situated on Xue Zhengyong's left, lined with fine bamboo mat and draping with half a roll of bamboo screen. Compared to Lucun Elder's flowery seat beside his, filled wholly with fresh blossoms, it truly appeared much too meagre and simple.

In these past years, Chu Wanning had never tried to purposely conceal his name, but to say he kept a low profile wasn't wrong either, so while the younger generation of Bitan Sect had heard of his name, they didn't know just how powerful he was. But Li Wuxin wasn't like them. He'd been around the block for years, so how could he not know about the infamous Yuheng Elder?

His fists clenched tightly in his sleeves, and he kept stealing glimpses at Chang-gongzi.

If it wasn't that he had already accepted a lavish payment from the Chang family, how would he have gotten landed with this messy deal. At first he thought the Yuheng Elder of Sisheng Peak was but some famous cultivator, yet who knew it turned out to be Chu Wanning who hadn't shown his face!

 Had he known it was him, he would never have gotten himself roped into this mess no matter how much they paid him. Now he could neither proceed nor withdraw, what should he do…

While Li Wuxin kept his expression schooled, he was miserable inside.

Yet one of his direct disciples just had to be ignorant, thinking that it was this Yuheng Elder who was being unreasonable and his master didn't know how to handle him, so he spoke up thinking he was being clever, "Elder Chu, you recently went to Butterfly Town to exorcise evil, correct?" Chu Wanning raised his lashes and gave him a look, "That's correct." "Then, were you the one who sealed that ghost bride too?" "Are you speaking of Luo Xianxian?" "I…" Words died in that young man's throat. He had only known that the evil that went berserk in Butterfly Town was a ghost bride, but he didn't actually know more than that, so when Chu Wanning returned the questions, he didn't have any responses. He turned red, "In any case it's that ghost girl! Why do you have that many questions? She's young, about fifteen-sixteen, how many newly wed who died wrongly can there be in a small town?" The corner of Chu Wanning's lip curled coldly, "Butterfly Town has the custom of marrying the dead, there's at least fifty if not a hundred ghost brides,

so I really don't know which one you're speaking of.

"You——" "Cease that familiar address, how improper. Stand down now, you boorish disciple!" After having scolded that disciple who wanted to stand out, Li Wuxin changed face completely to one that was pleasant and agreeable, and he turned to Chu Wanning, "Chu-zongshi, it's the first time this disciple of mine has left the mountain, he doesn't know the rules so please don't be hard on him. The ghost bride he spoke of is indeed that Luo Xianxian." Chu Wanning furrowed his brows slightly, "Luo Xianxian's resentful spirit went berserk?" "Indeed." Li Wuxin sighed, "That ghost girl lost her mind. Never mind killing everyone in the Chen family, she went and slaughtered the entire town. By the time I led my disciples to go seal her, there was practically no one left in Butterfly Town still alive." "How can that be…" Chu Wanning muttered.

"I had heard that the one who involved in this affair was Yuheng Elder of Sisheng Peak. There's something questionable about this whole business, which was why we've come knocking. Besides, I've obtained two things while at Butterfly Town. Chu-zongshi, please come examine them closer and see if they've aught to do with you."

He retrieved a bloodied yellow silk cloth from his sleeve as he spoke,

intending to hand it to Chu Wanning.

But unexpectedly, Xue Meng stepped forward and blocked him with an irritated hmph, "I'll take it!" "Um…" "My Shizun likes to keep clean, he won't touch anything touched by outsiders!" It was a bit of an exaggeration—Chu Wanning wasn't actually germaphobic,

he just didn't like touching things stained by those he didn't like. Nonetheless,

Chu Wanning couldn't stand Li Wuxin in the first place, so he allowed Xue Meng to mess around without saying a word, and only lowered his lashes as he sipped the hot tea Shi Mei served.

Li Wuxin swallowed his indignant anger since he couldn't do anything, and could only sneer as he passed the yellow silk to Xue Meng.

Under the candlelight, all eyes were focused.

Chu Wanning shook open that silk cloth. He only took a glance and his face dropped.

"The Passings Service Spell…" "That's right. Chu-zongshi, based on my investigations, you were the one who temporarily sealed this resentful spirit Luo Xianxian, and before you left, you gave a copy of this Passings Service Spell to the only daughter of the Chen family, and told them to copy and recite it once a day for ten years, is that correct?" "That's correct." "That Passings Service Spell is in Chu-zongshi's handwriting, is that correct?" "...That is indeed the case." "But Chu-zongshi, at the end of every passage of this Passings Service Spell you've given, there are extra characters for a different spell. I trust you know what it is!?" Li Wuxin's voice was suddenly raised.

"Mark of the Returning Billows, a reversal spell!——Every time people in the Chen family completed a copy of the Passings Service Spell, they would then draw this reversal spell symbol, forcibly turning this spell that was meant to send off the dead into a spell that causes harm, encouraging the destruction of the seal until Luo Xianxian turned into a savage ghost and went berserk! Not a soul in the Chen family knew the ways of cultivation, so besides Yuheng Elder who personally gave them this silk cloth, I really can't think of a second person who could have taught them how to draw a spell this powerful!" "Watch your words, old man!" Xue Meng was outraged, "If my Shizun wanted to kill them, why would he need to take such a huge detour?! What spell, reversal spell, can't writings be forged? You think it's my Shizun who drew it?

Well maybe I'm suspicious it's you son of a bastard who copied it in secret so you can frame people!" Li Wuxin smiled without mirth, "Xue Meng-gongzi, what's a young'un like you doing interrupting when the elders are speaking?" Xue Zhengyong spoke up, "Li-zhuangzhu, isn't it a little farfetched to say Yuheng did this based on a silk cloth? My son is right, handwriting can be imitated. If someone wanted to frame Yuheng, they could simply copy his spell a few times and have it look similar."

"Then this begs the question of who Chu-zongshi's arch-nemesis is who'd go through all this just to harm him." Mo Ran who had been quiet on the side all this time suddenly chuckled drily.

Li Wuxin looked to him, then recalled that whole vulgar talk of mortar and pestle and couldn't help but frown, "What are you laughing about now?" "I'm laughing at how you're all so busy making speculations but totally forgot about one thing." Xue Zhengyong, curiously, "What thing? Ran-er, what're you thinking?" " I'm not that well-read, but it just so happens I know a bit about this Mark of the Returning Billows, and I just so happen to know how to draw it." Mo Ran laughed, "Here, look, isn't this it?" As he spoke, the tip of his finger gathered a smudge of red spiritual power,

and while he leaned lazily against the pillar, the spiritual power spread intricately in midair, and soon, a sophisticated and exquisite Mark of the Returning Billows was reflected in the air, as pretty as  fireworks.

Xue Meng was shocked, "You mutt, that's amazing, when did you learn this?" Mo Ran laughed, "It's there in Shizun's books. I thought it was interesting so I memorized it." Then he casually pointed at that bright red spell, making it rise gradually into the sky, riding over the heads of all present. That red reversal mark glowed brilliantly, streaming bits of broken sparks.

"How's that. Why don't you all go ahead and compare this spell I drew with the one on that cloth, see if they don't look exactly the same?" The disciples of Sisheng Peak all love a good spectacle, and when they saw Chu Wanning stoically tossing that silk cloth onto the table, looking like he silently consented to Mo Ran's method, they all immediately clamoured over,

crowding into a circle to compare the two in detail.

Those from Bitan sect were all standing stiff at first, but afterwards they couldn't help but be curious themselves, some even hoping to pick faults, so they all gathered around too.

All those people looked it over for a good while, and in the end came to one conclusion.

What Mo Ran drew was exactly the same as the spell on the silk cloth,

almost as if they were done by the same person.

Li Wuxin's idiot disciple from earlier spoke up again, completely shaken as he pointed at Mo Ran, "Good going! So you confess! You're the one who committed the murders, right!" Mo Ran: "...." Chu Wanning spoke evenly, "What's your name?" "Hm? You're asking me?" That idiot disciple was taken aback, then he stood tall, holding his head high and puffing his chest out, and proclaimed proudly,

"The thirteenth direct disciple of Wuxin, Zhen Congming[5]." "Pfft." Mo Ran snorted.

Chu Wanning, on the other hand, barely even reacted to "Very Smart'—after all, he himself had a name like "Scare you to death[6]." He only said coolly, "Young ones should learn to keep their mouths shut when the elders are speaking."  These words were obviously mocking Li Wuxin's comment on Mo Ran earlier, and when Li Wuxin heard, his face flushed the colour of pig's liver; while he was extremely frustrated, there was nothing he could do, so he could only beat around the bush with a hmph, "Chu-zongshi's disciples are certainly outstanding young men, what skill, to be able to draw this spell exactly the same as a zongshi does." "Li-zhuangzhu, it's not just me. If you knew how to draw this spell, it'd look exactly the same as mine and Shizun's too." "What are you trying to say?!" Li Wuxin glared at Mo Ran.

Mo Ran laughed, "The strokes to the Mark of the Returning Billows are complicated; the level of skill, the heaviness of the ink, no element can be amiss.

Which is why it doesn't matter who drew it, it'll all come out the same. This has absolutely nothing to do with writing style. If a drawing is even slightly off, the spell won't work." "Complete nonsense!" To be corrected by a junior before a crowd, Li Wuxin couldn't help but become outraged from embarrassment, all the hairs of his beard standing on end, "What spell in this world would require such trickiness! I may not have ever practiced this spell, but I know that's all complete nonsense.

Don't you go making things up, you little bastard!" "He's not making up anything." Li Wuxin was already at the end of his patience now, and he exclaimed in anger, "Chu Wanning, you're speaking without proof! How would you know! How can you know?! The flaws and weaknesses of a spell are usually known only to its creator. Do you dare proclaim yourself the creator of the Mark of the Returning Billows?!" Chu Wanning lifted his eyes and gazed towards him stoically, then took another sip of tea before replying leisurely, "Daren't I? Then I'll tell it to you now." Li Wuxin: "???" "I created the Mark of the Returning Billows." Li Wuxin: "...."    

Author's Notes:

[ The crazy nicknames of various characters ]

Chu Wanning: Xia Sini (Homophone for "scare you to death")

Mo Ran: Zhong Quangong （Homophone for "loyal dog tops")

Xue Meng: Bu Zilian （Homophone for "not self-obsessed")

Shi Mei: Zhen Bailian （Homophone for "real white-lotus")

Ye Wangxi: Nan Haizi （Homophone for "boy")

Mei Hanxue: Bu Haose （Homophone for "not lecherous")

[5] Homonym to "Very Smart".

[6] Referring to "Xia Sini" here, which is a homonym to "Scare you to death".