The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 100: Master's Last Words

Mo Ran was startled.

He had only seen Chu Wanning perform the Nine Songs once in his life, during their life-or-death battle. Chu Wanning had summoned the ancient zither, and its melody tore through the air like a sharp blade, soaring into the clouds.

The living creatures and monsters under the control of the Precious Chess Game had regained their consciousness amidst the Nine Songs' melody. The long song caused chaos among Mo Ran's million chess soldiers.

Summoning divine weapons required the mobilization of one's spirit core, consuming a vast amount of spiritual energy.

Chu Wanning couldn't even recall his usual weapon, Heaven's Inquiry, let alone summon something more powerful than it, the "Nine Songs."

That fierce battle on the Heavenly Lake was no less intense than their previous master-disciple showdown years ago.

Yet, Mo Ran couldn't recall many details. After that bloodbath, there was finally no one left by his side to talk to.

In fact, even until Mo Ran's death in his previous life, he hadn't understood how Chu Wanning could summon Nine Songs using his own soul power.

This was a bond that no divine weapon and its owner should have shared, but Chu Wanning had achieved it.

On that day, the precious chess pieces created by Mo Ran crumbled into dust under the melody of the zither. The power of "Nine Songs" was more potent and pure than when he had first witnessed it years ago. It was so powerful that it made him doubt if Chu Wanning's spiritual core had ever been shattered. Perhaps all those years, Chu Wanning had been pretending, enduring humiliation to avenge his past disgrace.

He would later find himself wishing that it were true. If Chu Wanning had been faking it, perhaps events wouldn't have reached that final, disastrous point.

How wonderful that would have been.

"Nine Songs" dispelled Mo Ran's forbidden spell, abruptly awakening the cultivators who had been engaged in a deadly struggle. It even shattered the frozen ice columns binding Xue Meng and Mei Hanxue.

Mo Ran soared through the clouds, his robe fluttering in the wind, his eyes filled with both fury and joy. He wanted to see just how many more astonishing techniques Chu Wanning still had up his sleeve.

He stepped onto the barrier's edge, drawing closer until he stood before Chu Wanning.

He saw those pale, slender hands slow down as they caressed the strings of the Nine Songs zither, silencing its music.

Chu Wanning lifted his head, his face as white as snow illuminated by sunlight.

He said, "Mo Ran. Come here."

Inexplicably, Mo Ran found himself walking towards him.

With a gentle flick of his fingers, Chu Wanning sent a few tendrils of emerald radiance hurtling towards Mo Ran, which surged into his chest. Startled, Mo Ran had initially thought that Chu Wanning intended to kill him.

But the glow was painless and soothing, swirling around his breast and gradually seeping into his flesh. It was inexplicably warm.

"I've healed the wound Xue Meng inflicted on you," Chu Wanning sighed softly. "Let him go, Mo Ran. If he's gone too, who else will you turn to when you want to reminisce about old times...?"

Before Mo Ran could grasp the meaning behind those words, the powerful barrier beneath his feet vanished abruptly, along with the Nine Songs ancient zither that Chu Wanning had summoned. He promptly called forth his Unreturning Stranger sword and managed to regain his footing in the clouds. However, Chu Wanning drifted down like a falling leaf, seemingly having exhausted the last of his strength from that final melody.

"Wanning!"

His face suddenly paled, and he swooped down on his sword, catching the person before they plummeted into the icy Heavenly Pool.

"Chu Wanning! You... you..."

Chu Wanning's eyes were closed, blood trickling from his nose, mouth, eyes, and ears.

Dignity was of utmost importance to him; even when imprisoned in the Witch Mountain Palace, he would not bow his back, rarely allowing himself to appear in an undignified state. Yet, at this moment, he was bleeding from all seven orifices, his usually refined and elegant appearance now utterly disheveled and out of sorts.

Chu Wanning swallowed a mouthful of blood, his voice raspy: "You said... life and death are not in my hands... but look, Mo Ran... you still underestimated your Master. If I were determined to leave, you wouldn't be able to stop me, no matter how hard you tried..."

"Master... Master..." Mo Ran gazed at him, feeling a chill rise within him, his scalp tingling, leaving him at a loss for words.

Chu Wanning laughed, a hint of relief in his expression. "I clung to life all this time out of reluctance, always hoping to accompany you for a few more years, to teach you... not to commit any more sins... But now... now..."

Mo Ran trembled as he held the person in his arms. He suddenly felt a deep sense of fear.

Fear.

It was an emotion that hadn't belonged to him for over a decade, yet it struck him fiercely, tearing through his heart like a destructive force.

"But now I realize that only with my death might there be a chance for you... to stop doing evil..."

As he spoke, he seemed to be in unbearable pain. Summoning Nine Songs had pushed his body beyond its limits, causing organs to rupture as blood gushed from his mouth. Mo Ran cradled him, landing by the edge of Heavenly Lake, his face contorted with a mix of agony and madness as he continuously channeled spiritual energy into Chu Wanning's chest.

But the powerful force dissipated upon reaching Chu Wanning, disappearing without a trace.

Mo Ran was truly panicked. Heaven-Stepping Lord held onto the person in his embrace tightly, refusing to let go despite repeated failures. He continued to attempt sharing his spiritual flow with Chu Wanning.

"Futile... Mo Ran, with my last breath, I summoned the Nine Songs. My fate is sealed. If you... still possess a shred of clarity within your heart... then please... let go..."

Let go of whom?

Xue Meng, Mei Hanxue?

The Treading Snow Palace of Kunlun, or the entire cultivation realm?

Yes, yes... he could let them all go! As long as Chu Wanning survived, as long as this person he hated with every fiber of his being didn't die just like that.

Chu Wanning raised his trembling hand, his icy fingertips seeming to embody both pity and intimacy as they gently tapped against Mo Ran's forehead.

He said, "Please... let go... let go of yourself..."

The ferocity on Mo Ran's face froze in that instant.

Let go of whom...

Who was it that he had been thinking of in his final moments before death?

Let go of... yourself...

Did he say that?

Heaven-Stepping Lord held him, seeming both bewildered and relieved, as if experiencing immense pain yet also contentment.

"Let go of myself? Your last wish is for me to let go of myself?"

Mo Ran murmured, his eyes bloodshot. Suddenly, he burst into laughter, a frenzied flame that pierced through the clouds, burning away all reason and consciousness.

"Hahaha—HAHAHAHA—Let go of myself? Chu Wanning, you're crazier than I am! How naive you are—HAHAHAHA—"

His grotesque, chilling laughter echoed throughout the entire Kunlun peak.

Amidst Mo Ran's maniacal laughter, Chu Wanning swallowed blood, his expression would have been extremely pained if he still had the strength. But even the effort to frown was beyond him now. All that remained were his phoenix eyes... those eyes that once were sharp, resolute, stern, or gentle, now filled with profound sorrow.

As pure as snow on a Heavenly Lake, as hazy as frost on a roof.

Chu Wanning's gaze gradually lost focus, his once brilliant and piercing eyes now unable to see clearly.

He softly whispered to Mo Ran, "Please stop laughing. It's causing me great distress…."

"…"

"Mo Ran, no matter what happens in the future… it was my fault from the start. I didn't teach you well enough. I said you were stubborn and difficult to mold… I wronged you, and I have no complaints about life or death…" Chu Wanning's pale face had lost all its color; his lips were ashen. Straining to lift his gaze, he looked at Mo Ran's face. His eyes were open, trying to shed tears, but what slowly overflowed from his eyes was blood, trickling down his cheeks.

Chu Wanning wept. "But you… truly hate me that much… to the very end… not even granting me a moment of peace?"

"Mo Ran… Mo Ran… please stop this. Wake up, turn back… turn back…"

Wake up…

He asked him to awaken, yet his own eyes remained blankly open as he himself drifted into sleep.

Mo Ran refused to believe it, wouldn't allow himself to believe that Chu Wanning was really gone.

A revered master, an towering figure, his former mentor – the person he hated with all his heart – had passed away like this.

Lying in his embrace, by the Heavenly Mountain's bloodstained Heavenly Pool.

Bit by bit, the cold turned to frost and then froze into ice.

Chu Wanning's face was covered in blood. Mo Ran looked down for a moment before lifting his sleeve to hastily wipe it clean.

But there was too much blood. The more he wiped, the dirtier that originally serene and pure face became. Mo Ran pressed his lips together resolutely and scrubbed harder.

What resulted was a face streaked with bloodstains.

His features were no longer discernible.

He finally stopped smiling.

Closing his eyes, he whispered softly, "This time, you've won, Chu Wanning. I can't stop you from dying."

Pausing, he reopened his eyes. They appeared dark and cold, but beneath their depths burned the flames of an abyss.

He said, "However, you've underestimated me as well. If you don't want to live, I can't stop you, but if I decide that you shall not die, you won't be able to resist me either."

Mo Ran didn't pronounce judgment on Chu Wanning's life or death. Instead, he took him back to the Summit of Life and Death.

At that time, he had already acquired formidable divine arts, capable of preserving a body from withering and decaying forever. He placed Chu Wanning's remains within the Red Lotus Water Pavilion, forcing him to remain "alive" in this manner.

Admitting that he had killed the last person in the world who cared for him was too difficult.

As long as Chu Wanning's physical form did not turn to ashes, as long as he could see his face every day, he could convince himself that Chu Wanning was not truly dead.

His insane hatred or distorted love would still have a place to be unleashed, a place to find solace.

Heaven-Stepping Lord had, at last, descended into utter madness.

After Chu Wanning's departure, he visited the Red Lotus Water Pavilion daily to gaze upon his corpse. In the early days, a malicious gleam flickered in his eyes as he stood before the body, endlessly cursing. "Chu Wanning, you deserved it."

"You saved everyone in the world except me. You're a hypocrite."

"What kind of master are you? I was blind to have taken you as my teacher! Damn you!"

In time, he asked repeatedly without tiring, "Why do you sleep so long? When will you wake up?"

"I've already let Xue Meng go. You should do the same. Get up."

Every time he said such things, his servants thought he had lost his mind, gone mad.

His wife, Song Qiutong, also believed he was mad. She was terrified, so after a rare intimate moment, she whispered to him by her bedside, "Aran, the dead can't come back to life. I know you're grieving, but you...

"Who's grieving?"

"..."

Song Qiutong was an expert at reading people's expressions, and she had been especially cautious around Mo Ran these past few years. Seeing his darkening face, she quickly shut up and lowered her eyes. "It was my mistake to speak out of turn."

"Don't." This time, Mo Ran didn't let her off easily. He narrowed his eyes. "You've already said it, so why take it back? Tell me, who's grieving?"

"Your Majesty..."

Mo Ran's black eyes were filled with pent-up thunder. Suddenly, he sat up, grabbed Song Qiutong's slender neck with one hand, and lifted the woman who had just been entwined with him, throwing her off the bed.

His face transformed, revealing the cruel visage of a fierce predator.

"Who can't come back to life? Who has died? And who wants to be resurrected?" Mo Ran spat out each word with venom and force. "No one has died. No one needs to live. And no one is grieving!"

Song Qiutong's lips trembled as she tried to protest, but as soon as she started with "Red Lotus Water Pavilion...", Mo Ran's eyes turned bloodshot, and he erupted in rage.

"There's only a comatose Chu Wanning in the Red Lotus Water Pavilion! What do you want to say? What do you want to remind me of, you beast?!"

Song Qiutong was seized with fear at his uncontrollable anger. She didn't know what desperate act Mo Ran might resort to if this continued, so she took a gamble and raised her voice. "Your Majesty, the one lying in the Red Lotus Water Pavilion is a person from the past. How can Your Majesty remain immersed in it all day without causing... without causing this concubine worry?"

She had phrased her words carefully, framing her selfish desires as concern for Mo Ran to avoid his reproach.

Mo Ran stared at her, his breathing gradually steadying. It seemed he had taken some of her words to heart and no longer shouted at her.

After a moment, he said, "You've been preoccupied."

Song Qiutong breathed a sigh of relief. "For the sake of Your Majesty's well-being, this concubine would disregard life and death. Your Majesty is deeply devoted, but such despair is unwarranted."

"What should I do, then?"

"I speak too much out of concern for Your Majesty. In my view, it's time to bury... Master Chu... His body remains, but he's no longer here. Keeping it will only make Your Majesty's pain deeper when you see it."

"And what else? You haven't finished speaking. Why not share it all today?"

Seeing his expression soften, Song Qiutong felt a slight relief in her heart.

Lowering her eyelids halfway and tilting her head slightly, she knew that this was the appearance most reminiscent of Shi Mingjing.

She firmly believed that Shi Mingjing was Mo Weiyu's weakness, though she didn't understand why her meticulous imitation of Shi Mingjing's appearance never sparked any interest in Mo Ran.

Although this unpredictable man enjoyed her company, since their marriage, he would only touch her when he was deeply troubled or drunk. Song Qiutong thought perhaps Mo Ran wasn't as fond of women. Anyway, it had nothing to do with Shi Mingjing.

Not just her, everyone on the Peak of Life and Death knew that the man who had died many years ago was the Heaven-Stepping Lord's true love.

What was Chu Wanning?

Song Qiutong mused that he was merely a plaything for the Heaven-Stepping Lord to vent his sexual desires, a man he had grown tired of. Even though Chu Wanning's sacrifice made Mo Weiyu restless and haunted after his death, she understood that it was only temporary guilt and unfamiliarity.

Confident in her resemblance to Shi Mingjing, she believed that the living corpse in the Red Lotus Water Pavilion would never be her match.

But Mo Ran couldn't continue in this frenzied state. The world was in turmoil, with wars breaking out everywhere. She feared following the wrong master. If Mo Ran's power waned, she, no longer young, might never find another towering tree to cling to. Thus, she genuinely wished for Mo Ran to regain his composure and stop behaving so crazily.

Thus, after some contemplation and weighing the pros and cons, she mustered her courage and said, "After Master Chu left, no one else was worthy of the Red Lotus Water Pavilion."

Mo Ran replied, "Indeed. Continue."

"I believe that since this is so, His Majesty's visits to the pavilion would only stir up melancholic memories. Perhaps it would be better if the..."

"Better if?" Mo Ran narrowed his eyes.

"It would be better to seal off the Red Lotus Water Pavilion altogether. For a pavilion to house but one master—it could become a beautiful tale."

Author's Note: Miss Song is courting disaster.

Miss Song's graduation thesis, "On the Tragic Consequences of Failing to See Beyond the Surface: A Study in Immortal Fantasy and Homoerotic Themes."