The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 117: Master Told Me to Get Lost

Rong Jiu's words implied that Chu Wanning would be distressed, jealous, and unable to bear it.

But Mo Ran was unaware that Chu Wanning's feelings for him were love. He pondered Rong Jiu's intentions and concluded that the latter must want to reveal his debts and misdeeds to Chu Wanning, item by item, making the master embarrassed and furious.

He immediately said, "Don't even think about it!"

Rong Jiu smiled coquettishly, charming despite being a man with delicate features. He said softly, "Then protect me as well and take me away with you. I promise to behave and not cause any trouble."

Mo Ran was at a loss. Swearing inwardly, he turned and left. Noticing his acquiescence, Rong Jiu happily followed. After taking only a few steps, Mo Ran suddenly turned around, pointing at Rong Jiu in mid-air. He whispered, "Rong Jiu, if you don't behave, I guarantee you won't even touch the Wheel of Reincarnation before your soul dissipates."

Rong Jiu looked at him with a sultry gaze and smiled sweetly. "As long as you don't provoke me, I won't provoke you. If you don't bully me, I promise to behave. Lord Mo, don't you know what kind of person I am? You've been my old benefactor, after all."

"..." In Mo Ran's past life, he had found Rong Jiu's soft-spoken manner appealing, but now it disgusted him. However, he had no choice. Watching Rong Jiu float gracefully to Chu Wanning's side, he was baffled—

Was he blind back then?

What kind of people were Song Qiutong and Rong Jiu... How could he have seen them as desirable, or even loved them?

If he could be reborn in front of his past self, he would love to strangle Heaven-Stepping Lord and crack open the guy's skull to see how much water was inside. What on earth were all these things?

Fortunately, Rong Jiu hadn't been too straightforward with his words, and Chu Wanning was a complete novice when it came to emotions. Rong Jiu, an experienced hand, explained the situation with a smile, and Chu Wanning's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

He even thought that he had misunderstood the young man's intentions earlier, believing that his thoughts had been impure. Though his expression remained unchanged, he felt rather embarrassed inwardly.

Now that Rong Jiu had joined them, he couldn't just stand idly by. Familiar with the palace, he suggested, "This street is sparsely populated but not entirely hidden. If you want to investigate the barrier undisturbed, I can take you to another place."

The "other place" he mentioned was actually a storage warehouse for ghost realm fabrics, piled high with white linen that would serve as excellent cover.

The trio found a secluded spot. Chu Wanning's fingers touched the wall as if he were taking a patient's pulse, trying his best to sense the barrier spell that now permeated the palace.

However, after a long time, he still couldn't detect anything. Instead, Chu Wanning's soul grew weaker. Mo Ran covered his hand and pulled it away from the wall, saying, "Take a break."

Frustrated and helpless, Chu Wanning glared at his palm. "Why does my soul lack spiritual energy?"

"Can I give you some of mine?"

"It won't work," Chu Wanning replied, glancing at Rong Jiu in the distance and lowering his voice slightly. "You're human, and I'm a ghost. Our realms are separated by yin and yang."

After resting for a moment, Chu Wanning tried to probe again. If he had all three souls and his magic intact, he could simply inject a powerful spiritual current into the barrier to detect where the Four Ghost Kings' spell was weakest. But with his minuscule amount of spiritual energy now, attempting to merge with the barrier was like trying to catch a floating leaf in the vast ocean – far too difficult.

After waiting for two hours, Rong Jiu grew restless.

He ran over to tug on Mo Ran's sleeve. "Are we getting out or not?"

Mo Ran replied, "Stop messing around, just sit here quietly."

"I'm about to go crazy. Give me a straight answer, can we or can't we get out?"

"Panicking won't help. Just wait."

Rong Jiu said, "Isn't your master supposed to be very powerful? Why is there still no progress after so long?"

"He hasn't fully regained his three souls, and this particular soul lacks magical abilities. Can't you be a bit quieter?"

Upon hearing this, Rong Jiu appeared disheartened. His eyelashes fluttered as he sat back down on the pile of white linen.

Another hour passed before Rong Jiu stood up and walked over to Chu Wanning. "Immortal, do you have any other methods?"

Chu Wanning didn't open his eyes, his fingertips still pressed against the wall as he replied, "No."

"So, is there any other way for you to regain some of your magic?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Wanning pondered for a moment before asking in return, "Do you possess spiritual energy?"

"No…" Rong Jiu was slightly startled. "Why does Lord Mo ask…?"

"If you did, you could transfer some to me and I'd be able to use it."

Rong Jiu's face lit up. "It's that simple? Then hurry up and let Lord Mo…"

Chu Wanning interrupted him. "His won't work."

Of course, Rong Jiu had no idea that Mo Ran wasn't a ghost. Upon hearing that Mo Ran's spiritual energy wouldn't work, the smile on his face froze. "Why?"

"Without reason, our attributes are different." Mo Ran knew that Chu Wanning wasn't skilled in lying, so it was best not to let Rong Jiu know the truth about him not being a ghost. Thus, he immediately cut off Chu Wanning's words. "Could you please go outside and keep watch? If anyone comes, run back and give us a heads-up."

Annoyed, Rong Jiu shot him a glare. But since the three of them were in the same boat, he reluctantly went to the entrance of the warehouse, leaning against the door as he peeled at his fingernails while lifting his misty, peach blossom eyes to survey the area outside.

Mo Ran glanced at him and then sat down beside Chu Wanning.

After a moment of hesitation, he still decided not to deceive Chu Wanning and spoke up, "Shifu, I want... I want to apologize to you."

"What mistake have you made?"

"Do you remember the time when you escorted me to the Platform of Virtue and Vice for punishment because I broke..." Mo Ran paused, too embarrassed to mention the prohibition on lust. Human pride was truly a fickle thing; it could be as thick as the Great Wall when one didn't care, but as fragile as paper once one took notice, ready to crumble at a touch.

Lowering his head, Mo Ran felt deeply ashamed as he whispered, "I broke the fourth, ninth, and fifteenth precepts."

The fourth precept: Stealing.

The ninth precept: Fornication.

The fifteenth precept: Deception.

Chu Wanning, of course, did not forget. He opened his eyes but did not look at Mo Ran, simply responding, "Mm."

Gazing at that chaste and handsome face, Mo Ran felt even more mortified. After a while, he lowered his eyelids and softly said, "Shifu, I'm sorry."

Chu Wanning had already guessed what Mo Ran was going to say. Although he was furious, he always knew how to prioritize important matters. Besides, he wasn't just learning about Mo Ran's past misbehavior. Thus, he coldly replied, "Didn't I already punish you for that? You haven't repeated your mistakes since then. Why bring it up again now?"

"Because that Rong Jiu outside... he actually..."

Mo Ran didn't finish his sentence, and Chu Wanning remained silent for a long while.

After a moment, Mo Ran heard Chu Wanning scoff. "So it was him?"

"Mm."

He didn't dare to look Chu Wanning in the eye. While the Summit of Life and Death didn't prohibit its disciples from pursuing their desires, it was common for young cultivators to have romantic partners or engage in dual cultivation. However, Chu Wanning was different. He practiced the path of a pure heart, and he always looked down on those who indulged in amorous affairs.

Moreover, back then, Mo Ran hadn't followed the norm in finding a lover; instead, he'd visited a pleasure district...

Xue Zhengyong, being fond of his nephew, might not have cared. After all, Mo Ran was already an adult and didn't practice the path of a pure heart. It wouldn't be good to suppress one's desires all the time. Xue Zhengyong might have chosen to turn a blind eye, but Chu Wanning wouldn't have been able to tolerate it.

He would have found it disgusting. During the punishment on the Platform of Good and Evil years ago, Mo Ran had seen disgust, disdain, and hatred in Chu Wanning's eyes.

Despite so many years passing, and no repetition of such actions on Mo Ran's part, Rong Jiu's encounter with Chu Wanning in the Ghost Realm couldn't have made Chu Wanning feel at ease. Mo Ran thought this situation truly embodied the saying:

Revenge will come, but its time has not yet arrived.

He wasn't afraid of Chu Wanning scolding or hitting him; on the contrary, he wished Chu Wanning would drag him by the neck and whip him with Tianwen again. As long as nothing went wrong, as long as this long-forgotten grudge didn't drive away the hard-found Earth Soul, Mo Ran would rather kill himself than let Chu Wanning leave in anger.

Therefore, the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Rather than leaving Rong Jiu as a ticking time bomb, he decided to apologize and confess to Chu Wanning first. He had planned his approach: standing near the door, so if Chu Wanning tried to leave upon hearing his words, he would dare to embrace and restrain him, regardless of the consequences. No matter how angry Chu Wanning might become later, he couldn't let this person abandon him and disappear.

While Mo Ran was rehearsing his apology in his mind, Chu Wanning's clothes rustled slightly. The golden-red silk shimmered faintly in the dim light.

Mo Ran's heart trembled as he whispered, "Master..."

Chu Wanning replied, "The punishment has been dealt, and so much time has passed. Why are you telling me this?" He turned his gaze, his eyes cold and distant, his thin lips curling into a mocking sneer. "What does it have to do with me?"

Mo Ran hadn't expected Chu Wanning to say that it had nothing to do with him...

He froze in surprise. Chu Wanning's jealousy, which filled his heart, had gone unnoticed by Mo Ran. Instead, he felt panic, assuming that his master was utterly disappointed in him and no longer cared. In a flurry, he pleaded, "Master, it was all my fault before. Please don't be angry..."

"Why should I be angry? What is there to be angry about?" He said this verbally, but the more he thought about it, the more upset he became. Eventually, Chu Wanning snapped, "I knew you weren't as innocent as you pretended to be. Old acquaintances, huh? Trying to fool me? ... Get out!"

"..."

"Out!" Despite the sour taste in his words, and acknowledging that these were old grievances, Chu Wanning couldn't help but mutter, "How shameless."

Mo Ran didn't budge. He sat beside Chu Wanning, his clear, contrasting black and white eyes staring straight at him without averting.

After a moment, he said, "I'm not leaving."

Chu Wanning roared, "Leave! I don't want to see you right now!"

"I'm not going," Mo Ran mumbled. He persisted like a stubborn piece of broken stone. Despite being someone so hateful, as he looked at Chu Wanning, his eyes reddened, and within that hate, a hint of vulnerability and obstinacy emerged.

"I'm afraid that if I leave, you'll run away... Master, please don't abandon me."

"..."

Chu Wanning hadn't expected him to think this way.

Though the matter was nauseating to recall, he had known about it for some time now. He was familiar with the customs of the cultivation world, where after reaching maturity, regardless of gender, those who didn't cultivate the path of purity often indulged in dalliances. It was nothing out of the ordinary.

Mo Ran was not Xue Meng. Xue Meng had been nurtured with the finest upbringing and strict family discipline, with upstanding parents. That's why he hadn't followed the wayward paths of other noble-born youths. But what about Mo Ran?

His nature was impetuous and carefree.

He had grown up in the pleasure quarters.

With no father, and a mother who was a musician in a troupe.

He was a stray puppy, unchecked and mischievous, until his uncle dragged him out of the mire at the age of fifteen, covered in mud from head to toe.

To believe that Mo Ran was as pure as a flawless jade, Chu Wanning would have to be a fool.

But while he understood this, the sight of Rong Jiu, the beauty who had once been involved with Mo Ran, still made Chu Wanning uncomfortable.

Since he couldn't chase Mo Ran away, he simply turned away, closing his eyes to focus on detecting the barrier.

As he did, he couldn't help but picture Rong Jiu's delicate oval face, smooth and fair, wouldn't it feel soft to the touch? And that charming pink lips, Mo Ran must have kissed them. Then there was the waist, the figure... He couldn't help imagining how Mo Ran had entangled himself with that feminine creature in bed. Disgusting!

Some things sound one way when spoken of, but appear entirely differently when seen in reality. Once seen, they provoke endless contemplation, until it becomes unbearable. Chu Wanning abruptly opened his eyes, burning with rage. He shoved Mo Ran forcefully. "Get out."

"Master..."

"Scram."

With no other choice, Mo Ran bowed his head and slowly made his way to the warehouse door.

Rong Jiu noticed him and was somewhat surprised.

"Oh, Lord Mo, did you have an argument with your master?"

Mo Ran had no intention of responding. The sight of Rong Jiu now gave him a headache. In his previous life, he had loved Rong Jiu because he resembled Shi Mo. After being reborn, he entangled himself with Rong Jiu out of spite, wanting to make his life miserable.

Regardless, the path he had walked was like a mark on a wooden post – impossible to undo.

Mo Ran said, "Don't sit here. I want to be alone. Go somewhere else."

The entrance to the warehouse was the most perilous spot, so Rong Jiu was glad to leave.

Yet, after taking two steps, he couldn't resist turning back to look at Mo Ran again. He suddenly felt curious as to how Mo Ran had died and how his personality seemed to have changed so much after a few years, as if he had undergone some profound trauma. It was truly peculiar.

His long eyelashes fluttered as the charming individual sized up Mo Ran's retreating figure from head to toe. Suddenly, something felt off. He examined more closely, and his gaze ultimately landed on the faint shadow cast by Mo Ran's feet...

Rong Jiu froze in surprise.