The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 10: My First Venture Out

Fortunately, Mo Ran's playful act of "verbal torture" was not entirely overheard by Chu Wanning. With a string of nonsense, he managed to bluff his way out of it.

When he returned to his quarters, it was already late. After a nap, Mo Ran woke up early the next day and continued with his usual morning practice. Once that was done, he indulged in his favorite activity of the day: breakfast.

At the Hall of Mother Meng, where they had their breakfast, the place gradually filled up as the morning practice ended.

Mo Ran sat opposite Shi Mo. Xue Meng arrived late, and by then, the seat beside Shi Mo had been taken by someone else. He reluctantly joined Mo Ran, sitting with a gloomy expression and holding his breakfast.

If Mo Ran were to describe the most brilliant aspect of the Death and Rebirth Peak's cultivation techniques, he would say: "Our sect doesn't require abstaining from food."

Unlike many other ethereal sects in the Upper cultivation realm, Death and Rebirth Peak had its unique method of cultivation, allowing its disciples to eat meat and drink without restrictions. As a result, the food provided in the sect was always abundant.

Mo Ran savored a bowl of spicy and aromatic oil tea, sipping on the crushed peanuts and vegetables at the edge. In front of him was a plate of crispy pan-fried buns, specially prepared for Shi Mo.

Xue Meng glanced at Mo Ran with a mocking expression. "Mo Ran, I didn't expect you to survive the Crimson Lotus Hell and come out standing. Impressive."

Mo Ran didn't bother to lift his head. "Well, you should know who I am."

"Who are you?" Xue Meng scoffed. "Your legs weren't broken by Master, and now you think you're something special, huh?"

"Oh, I'm a scallion, then what are you?"

Xue Meng sneered. "I'm Master's top disciple."

"You appointed yourself, right? Hey, you should ask Master to stamp your approval, frame it, and hang it on the wall for worship. Otherwise, wouldn't that be an insult to the title of 'top disciple'?"

With a snap, Xue Meng broke his chopsticks in anger.

Shi Mo hurried to mediate. "Stop arguing, everyone. Let's eat."

Xue Meng grunted. "Hmph."

Mo Ran mimicked him with a grin. "Hmph."

Xue Meng's anger flared, and he slammed the table. "How dare you!"

Seeing the situation escalating, Shi Mo quickly held back Xue Meng. "Young Lord, so many people are watching. Let's eat and not fight over this."

These two were incompatible, despite being cousins. They bickered whenever they met. After Shi Mo calmed Xue Meng down, he found himself awkwardly caught in the middle, trying to ease the tension between them.

He asked Xue Meng, "Young Master, when is the lady's pet cat giving birth?"

Xue Meng replied, "Oh, you mean Ah Li? Mother was mistaken; it isn't pregnant. It just ate too much and looks swollen."

Shi Mo: "..............."

Then, he turned to Mo Ran, "Ah Ran, are you still going to work for Master today?"

Mo Ran said, "Probably not, everything has been sorted out. I'll help you copy the sect rules today."

Smiling, Shi Mo replied, "How do you have time to help me? You still have a hundred copies to make yourself."

Xue Meng raised an eyebrow, looking at the usually well-behaved Shi Mo in surprise. "Why do you need to copy the sect rules too?"

Shi Mo looked embarrassed, unable to speak before the chatter in the dining hall suddenly fell silent. The three of them turned around to see Chu Wanning, dressed in white, enter the Hall of Mother Meng. With an expressionless face, he walked up to the food counter and started selecting snacks.

In a dining hall filled with over a thousand people, the addition of Chu Wanning made it as quiet as a graveyard. All the disciples buried their heads in their food, speaking softly even if they needed to communicate.

Shi Mo let out a soft sigh, watching as Chu Wanning carried a tray and sat in his usual corner, silently sipping his porridge alone. He couldn't help but comment, "Actually, I think Master is rather pitiful at times."

Mo Ran lifted his gaze. "Why do you say that?"

"You see, no one dares to approach the spot where he sits. When he's around, others don't even dare to speak loudly. Back when the Lord was still here, it was fine, but now that he's gone, Master doesn't have anyone to talk to. Isn't that very lonely?"

Mo Ran snorted. "That's just what he brought upon himself."

Xue Meng flared up again. "You dare to mock Master?"

"What mockery? I'm just speaking the truth," Mo Ran replied, picking up a pan-fried bun for Shi Mo. "With his temperament, who would want to be around him?"

"You—!"

Mo Ran grinned cheekily at Xue Meng and said nonchalantly, "Disagree? If you're not convinced, go sit with Master during meals. Don't sit with us."

Those words left Xue Meng speechless.

Although he respected Chu Wanning, like everyone else, he mostly felt fear. He felt embarrassed and annoyed, yet unable to refute Mo Ran's words. All he could do was kick the table legs in frustration, sulking by himself.

Mo Ran's countenance bore a hint of languid arrogance, his gaze provocatively flickering towards the little phoenix before it pierced through the throng, settling upon Chu Wanning.

For some inexplicable reason, amidst the sea of dark blue silver armor filling the room, his mind suddenly drifted back to the person who had fallen asleep nestled within the cold metal the previous night.

Shi Mo was indeed correct; Chu Wanning was pitiful beyond measure.

So what? The more pitiful he was, the happier Mo Ran became. Lost in thought, the corners of his lips curved up involuntarily, forming a more noticeable smile.

Days flew by swiftly.

Thereafter, Chu Wanning did not summon Mo Ran to the Red Lotus Water Pavilion again. Instead, Mo Ran's daily tasks became washing dishes and cleaning utensils, feeding the chicks and ducklings tended by Madame Wang, and weeding in the herb garden. It was an unexpectedly leisurely existence.

In the blink of an eye, the month-long confinement had passed.

On this day, Madame Wang summoned Mo Ran to the Danxin Hall and, gently stroking his head, inquired, "Aran, have all your wounds fully healed?"

Mo Ran grinned warmly, "Auntie Luo, don't worry, I'm completely healed now."

"That's good. In the future, be more cautious when you go out. Don't make such grave mistakes and upset your master again, understand?"

Mo Ran was particularly adept at acting subservient. "Auntie, I understand."

"There's one more thing," Madame Wang said as she took out a letter from the huanghuali side table. "It's been a year since you entered the sect, and it's time for you to take on the responsibility of demon-slaying. Your uncle sent a message by homing pigeon yesterday, specifically requesting that you go down the mountain to complete this assignment after your confinement ends."

According to the rules of Death and Life Peak, disciples were required to embark on their first demon-slaying mission after a year of training.

Their master would accompany them for support during this maiden mission, and they also had to invite another fellow disciple to join them. This was to foster camaraderie among the disciples and reinforce the principle of "an unyielding heart, even in life or death."

Mo Ran's eyes lit up as he took the letter of assignment and quickly tore it open to read. He couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

Madame Wang worriedly said, "Ran-er, your uncle wants you to make a name for yourself through this mission, which is why he has entrusted you with an important task. Although Elder Yu Heng is highly skilled, battles can be ruthless, and he might not always be able to protect you. Don't let your excitement blind you to the dangers of the enemy."

"No worries, no worries!" Mo Ran waved his hands repeatedly, still grinning. "Auntie, don't worry about me. I'll take good care of myself." With that, he rushed off to pack his bags.

Madame Wang watched his retreating figure, her delicate and beautiful face filled with concern. "Why is he so happy just from receiving an assignment?"

Could Mo Ran not be happy?

The demon-slaying mission his uncle had given him took place in Butterfly Town, commissioned by a local wealthy man named Chen.

Putting aside the nature of the ghostly disturbances there, the crucial point was that in his previous life, it was in this very Butterfly Town where he had fallen under the spell of an evil enchantment and lost his senses. In a hallucination, he forcefully kissed Shi Mo. It was one of the few intimate moments between Mo Ran and Shi Mo, leaving an indelible impression on him.

Moreover, because he had been bewitched, Shi Mo couldn't hold it against him. It was a free kiss! There was no way for Shi Mo to seek retribution after the fact.

Mo Ran's eyes curved into delighted crescents. Even the assignment that required working alongside Chu Wanning didn't bother him.

Exorcising demons relied on his master, but winning over men was up to himself. Such a delightful task, why not enjoy it?

He invited Shi Mo, informed their master, and the trio rode swiftly to the haunted Butterfly Town.

This was a town renowned for its flowers; fields of blooms stretched for miles beyond the residential area, thus the place was always filled with fluttering butterflies, hence its name.

They arrived at dusk, greeted by the sounds of drums and music at the village entrance. A row of musicians dressed in vibrant red played their suona trumpets as they turned out from an alley.

Shi Mo found it peculiar. "Is someone getting married? Why at night?"

Chu Wanning replied, "It's a spirit wedding."

Also known as a yin wedding or a bone-pairing, it was a folk tradition where unmarried individuals who had passed away prematurely were paired in a posthumous union. This custom wasn't prevalent in impoverished regions, but Butterfly Town was prosperous, so it was common practice to find spouses for these young, unmarried souls.

The grand funeral procession divided into two lines, one carrying genuine silk and satin, while the other bore paper gold ingots and ghost money. They escorted a red-and-white palanquin with eight bearers, all adorned with golden lanterns, as they exited the village in a solemn march.

Mo Ran reined in their horses and stood aside to let the ghost wedding pass. As the palanquin drew closer, they saw that it was not a living person seated inside but a papier-mâché ghost bride. Her face was painted with makeup, her lips bright red, and two blushes of crimson on her cheeks contrasted with her deathly pale complexion, giving her an eerie, smiling appearance.

"Such a ridiculous custom this village has. Money truly burns a hole in their pockets," Mo Ran muttered softly.

Chu Wanning replied, "The people of Butterfly Town place great importance on feng shui. They believe that a lone grave within a home's grounds will bring misfortune from wandering spirits."

"…I've never heard of such a thing."

"The townsfolk believe it to be true."

"Mm, I suppose so. After centuries, Butterfly Town must have grown attached to their beliefs. Telling them that what they believe in is nothing but superstition would likely fall on deaf ears."

Shi Mo whispered, "Where do you think this ghost wedding is headed?"

Chu Wanning said, "On our way here, we passed by a small temple. It didn't enshrine any deities, and there was a double happiness symbol on its door frame. The altar was piled high with red satin, with messages like 'Heavenly Bestowed Match' and 'Eternal Union in the Netherworld' written on them. I suspect that's where they're going."

"I noticed that temple too," Shi Mo mused. "Shifu, do you think the deity worshiped there is the Ghost Host?"

"Not bad."

The Ghost Conducer was an imagined deity in folk beliefs, believed to preside over weddings between deceased spirits. People thought that even ghosts needed matchmakers and marriage certificates, as well as a conductor to witness their union, acknowledging the two deceased as husband and wife. Due to the flourishing custom of ghost weddings in Butterfly Town, a golden statue of the Ghost Conducer had naturally been erected outside the cemetery for couples to pay their respects before being buried together.

Mo Ran found the absurd scene fascinating, but Chu Wanning merely watched coldly for a while before turning his horse's head and saying, "Let's go take a look at the haunted house."

"Immortal saviors, my life is truly miserable! You've finally arrived! If no one took care of this, I...I wouldn't even want to live anymore!"

The family who had requested help from the Summit of Life and Death was the wealthiest merchant in town, Magistrate Chen.

The Chens dealt in perfumes and powders, with four sons and one daughter. After the eldest son married, his wife grew tired of the noise in the household, so they decided to move out and establish their own home. Being wealthy, the Chens purchased a large plot of land on the quiet northern mountain, complete with a natural hot spring, perfect for relaxation.

But on the day they broke ground, their shovels struck something hard. The eldest daughter-in-law rushed over for a closer look and fainted on the spot; they had uncovered a freshly painted red coffin on North Mountain!

Butterfly Town had a communal burial ground where all its residents were laid to rest. This solitary coffin, however, had mysteriously appeared on North Mountain without any grave or marker, its surface a deep crimson.

They dared not touch it further, hastily filling the hole back up. But it was too late—the Chen family began experiencing strange occurrences ever since.

"It started with my daughter-in-law," Magistrate Chen lamented. "She was frightened, which affected her pregnancy, causing a miscarriage. Then my eldest son—trying to gather herbs to nourish his wife's body—he slipped and fell down the mountain. By the time they retrieved him, he was already gone... Ah!" He let out a long sigh, unable to continue through his sobs, only waving his hands.

Madam Chen couldn't stop dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief. "My husband is right. In the months following that, one of our sons after another met with calamity – either they went missing or lost their lives... Four sons, and we've lost three of them!"

Chu Wanning frowned, his gaze sweeping past the Chen couple to land on their youngest son, whose face was pale. He seemed to be about the same age as Mo Ran, around fifteen or sixteen, with delicate features, but fear had distorted his expression.

Shi Mo asked, "Can you tell us how the other children... passed away?"

"Sigh, Second Son was bitten by a snake while searching for his older brother. It was just an ordinary grass snake, harmless, so no one paid it any mind at first. But a few days later, he suddenly collapsed during dinner, and then... wuwuwu, my child..."

Shi Mo sighed, feeling deeply sympathetic. "Was there any sign of poisoning on the body?"

"Sigh, what poison? Our family must be cursed! Our elder sons have already gone; next will be the youngest! The youngest!"

Chu Wanning frowned, his gaze like lightning as it landed on Madam Chen. "How do you know it'll be the youngest next? Why not yourself? Does this vengeful spirit only kill men?"

The Chen family's youngest son, already trembling with fear and his eyes swollen like peaches, cried out in a high-pitched, distorted voice, "It's me! It's me! I know! The person in the red coffin has come for me! He's here! Daoist Master, save me! Save me!"

His emotions got the better of him, and he lunged forward, trying to cling to Chu Wanning's leg.

Chu Wanning disliked physical contact with strangers and immediately stepped aside, looking up at the Chen couple with a stern gaze. "What exactly is going on here?"

The couple exchanged a nervous glance and whispered, "There's a place in this house that we...we dare not enter anymore. If the Daoist sees it, he'll understand how sinister it truly is."

Chu Wanning interrupted, "What place?"

The couple hesitated for a moment before they reached out, trembling, to point at the ancestral shrine within the house. "It's in there..."

Chu Wanning took the lead, followed by Mo Ran and Shi Mo, with the Chen family trailing at a distance.

Pushing open the door, they found an interior similar to that of a wealthy family's shrine for deities and ancestors, with rows upon rows of spirit tablets neatly arranged. Pale, eternal candles burned on either side.

All the tablets in this room had their inscriptions engraved and painted in yellow, bearing the names and ranks of the deceased within the family.

These spirit tablets were all properly labeled, reading something like "The Spirit of Esteemed Ancestor So-and-So, Lord of the Great Mansion," or "The Spirit of Esteemed Ancestor So-and-So, Lord of the Mansion."

However, the tablet right in the center was different. Instead of being engraved and then painted, it was written in vivid red ink:

The Spirit of Chen Yanji.

Established by Chen Sunshi, a respected member of the living world.

Hiding behind the Daoist priest, the Chen family members, perhaps hoping against hope, timidly glanced again at the shrine with the fluttering white silk, only to witness the words on the plaque that seemed to be written in blood. Instantly, they collapsed in despair.

Madam Chen wailed uncontrollably, while her youngest son's face had turned ashen, like that of a living corpse.

This plaque was problematic for two reasons: first, it violated the rules of proper writing, and second, the words on it were slanted and haphazard, resembling scribbles made by someone half-asleep. They were so hastily written that they were almost illegible.

Shi Mo turned his head and asked, "Who is Chen Yanji?"

Behind him, the Chen family's youngest son, his voice trembling with sobs, replied, "It's... It's me."

As he wept, Mr. Chen said, "Daoist Priest, this is exactly what has been happening. Ever since our middle child passed away, we've noticed... noticed an extra spirit tablet in the ancestral shrine. And it bears the names of our living family members. Once a name appears, that person is bound to suffer misfortune within seven days! When Third Brother's name appeared, I locked him in his room, scattered incense ash outside the door, and invited people to perform rituals. We tried everything, but on the seventh day... He still died... Just like that, without any reason!"

The more he spoke, the more agitated and frightened he became. Falling to his knees, he cried out, "I, Chen, have never committed any heinous act in my life. Why is Heaven doing this to me? Why!"

Shi Mo felt a pang of sympathy and quickly went to console the heartbroken old man, all the while glancing up and softly calling, "Master, look at this..."

Chu Wanning didn't turn around. He remained engrossed in studying the spirit tablet as if it could bloom into a flower.

Suddenly, Chu Wanning asked, "Is Yangren, Chen Sunshi, referring to you, Madam Chen?"

Author's Note: Once upon a time, there was a cold-hearted demonic master named Shi Mingjing. This demonic master had three disciples, each with exceedingly melodramatic titles. They were the Phoenix of Shu, Xue Ziming, the Reincarnated True Dragon, Mo Weiyu, and the Slumbering White Tiger, Shi Mingjing.

Clink!

All those titles were fake, though.

In reality, they should be: Bird Nonsense Xue Mengmeng, Dog Stuff Mo Feiyu, and the Delicate White Lotus Younger Sister. Wry Smile and Shrugging Hands