The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 129: Master, Are You Satisfied with What You See?

In that brief moment, Chu Wanning's mind was tossed about like a tempestuous sea, with thunderclaps and lightning bolts amidst a black, ink-like cloud.

To strip or not to strip – that was the question.

Not stripping seemed inappropriate. He already knew he had worn the wrong clothes; surely he couldn't pretend he hadn't heard Mo Ran's earlier remark?

Stripping...

How could he bear it? He had put on these clothes with great effort; there was no way he would strip them off again in front of Mo Ran.

A strange silence ensued.

Mo Ran said, "However, I did wash this garment thoroughly. If Master doesn't mind, you can just... wear it."

Chu Wanning replied, "Mm."

Mo Ran exhaled in relief. He had always been slow on the uptake, and only realized after speaking that Chu Wanning was already halfway through dressing. Was he now pressuring his master to undress in front of him?

The mere thought sparked a flame in his mind, scorching Mo Ran.

His face flushed even more, but fortunate for him, years of wandering had toughened his skin, no longer as delicate as in his youth. His tanned complexion hid the flush well, though the pounding of his heart was another matter. Guilty, he hurriedly reached for Chu Wanning's clothes and started dressing in silence.

After they were both decent, they exchanged glances, only to plunge into another awkwardness.

They didn't fit.

Mo Ran wore Chu Wanning's robe, which was clearly too tight, unable to close properly at the front. It gaped open, revealing his firm, honey-toned pectorals and half his legs. The garment seemed to barely contain him, an injustice that was hard to articulate.

Chu Wanning, on the other hand, didn't fare much better. Dressed in Mo Ran's outer robe, it dragged on the ground, covering not just his feet but trailing behind him like a billowing white cloud. The appearance was elegant and proper, but it also meant that he now stood significantly shorter than Mo Ran.

Chu Wanning felt a sting of hurt.

He lowered his face and said, "Let's go."

Translation: "I'm leaving."

Mo Ran misunderstood and thought he was being invited to join. He nodded, took the wooden basin and clean clothes for his master, and eagerly followed behind him.

Chu Wanning: "…"

The two reached the bathhouse entrance and lifted the curtain. Unlike the hot springs, it was slightly chilly outside. Chu Wanning couldn't help but shiver. Seeing this, Mo Ran asked, "Cold?"

"Not at all."

Mo Ran knew by now that his master was putting on a brave front, so he chuckled and said, "I'm a bit cold." With a wave of his hand, a red glow emerged, forming a barrier to ward off the chill. The barrier was beautiful, with shimmering light and delicate floral patterns at its peak.

Chu Wanning looked up, his expression inscrutable. "Not bad, you've improved."

"Still not as good as Master."

"Close enough. My own barrier against the cold might not be any better than this," Chu Wanning observed intently, studying the faint flower patterns on the light array. "Peaches are lovely."

"These are crab apples."

A subtle tremor stirred in Chu Wanning's heart, rippling through his eyes.

Mo Ran said, "Flowers have five petals."

"..." Chu Wanning chuckled, instinctively trying to hide the tremor in his eyes. He composed himself, even injecting a hint of mockery, "Imitating me?"

To his surprise, the man's gaze was clear and straightforward as he openly looked at him and nodded. "I didn't do it well. I must have made my master laugh."

Chu Wanning found himself at a loss for words.

They walked side by side in silence. After a while, Chu Wanning, not wanting to stand beside Mo Ran, quickened his pace. Mo Ran followed behind and suddenly asked, "Master, I wasn't able to make it back for dinner. Did... did you get angry?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Why would I lie?"

"Then why are you walking so fast?"

Chu Wanning couldn't possibly say, "Because you're too tall." He fell silent for a moment, glanced at the sky, and said, "It seems like it's going to rain soon."

And yet, his prediction proved true. Not long after he spoke, the already gloomy sky began to pour with raindrops that splattered against the beaded curtains and moistened the silk drapes.

Mo Ran smiled.

His smile was as captivating as it had been five years ago; in fact, it now appeared even more dazzling with an added touch of sincerity.

Chu Wanning glared at him. "What are you grinning about?"

"Nothing," Mo Ran replied, his dimples deep and charming.

The young man was tall, but when he looked back at Chu Wanning, his fluttering eyelashes made him appear docile, devoid of any intimidating presence.

He seemed slightly bashful as he said, "I haven't seen Shifu in a long time. So, seeing you now makes me very happy."

"..."

Staring at him, Chu Wanning gazed at the dimples on his cheeks. He had once believed these pools of sweetness belonged solely to Shi Mingjing, but he later realized that wasn't the case. It turned out he could obtain a share of them, too, if he were willing to pay the ultimate price.

Chu Wanning scolded him, "Idiot."

Mo Ran's eyelashes drooped, delicate and long, making him appear genuinely foolish with his smile.

In this moment of carelessness, Mo Ran stepped on the hem of the robe he had been carefully avoiding. Chu Wanning looked down at the ground, then at Mo Ran, his expression stern but silent.

Mo Ran was straightforward: "This robe is too big for you, Master."

"..." He was really bringing up the very thing they should avoid.

Mo Ran accompanied Chu Wanning all the way back to the Red Lotus Water Pavilion. Chu Wanning was somewhat unaccustomed to this; he was used to coming and going alone and rarely had the chance to share an umbrella with someone else, be it an oil paper umbrella or a barrier umbrella.

Halfway through their walk, he paused and said, "I'll do it myself. It's just opening a barrier."

Mo Ran was taken aback. "Why... why would you stop now?"

"How can a disciple hold an umbrella for their master?"

"But Master has done so much for me." Mo Ran fell silent for a moment before speaking in a soft voice. "For the past five years, I've wished every day that I could become a better person, because Master is capable of everything and can do everything on their own. I just wanted to know slightly more than Master, so that I could be of use and repay your kindness. After all this time training, I still feel like I'm looking up at a towering mountain. Perhaps I can never fully repay Master's grace. So..."

He lowered his head, his hands unconsciously forming a fist by his side.

The rain on the ground gradually formed rivulets, with water blossoms blooming and fading in succession.

"So from now on, let me handle such trifles as holding an umbrella for you."

Chu Wanning remained silent, gazing at him calmly.

"I want to hold an umbrella for Master for the rest of my life."

"..." Chu Wanning felt a burning sensation in his chest. Despite being such a heartwarming statement, it unexpectedly stirred a desire to shed tears within him.

Despite having endured so much suffering, he never easily showed weakness.

He seemed like a traveler who had wandered for an eternity, finally finding a place to take shelter, a spot where he could lay down and rest.

He collapsed, feeling as if his bones were disintegrating.

In this lifetime.

Mo Ran was twenty-two years old. Someone once said that after turning twenty, one's perception of time changes; three or five years before that age seemed to stretch out like a lifetime.

But after turning twenty, one begins to perceive the fleeting nature of time, with no return for what has passed. Everything seems to rush by in a hurry.

He said he wanted to stop amidst this rush and hold an umbrella for him.

Chu Wanning had experienced too little warmth in his life. The sudden surge of kindness in his chest caused a piercing ache. He gazed at Mo Ran, at the man with his head lowered. Suddenly, he said, "Mo Ran, look at me."

The man lifted his face.

Chu Wanning continued, "Say it again."

Mo Ran looked at him. This face was still somewhat unfamiliar to Chu Wanning, different from the memories and the absurd, drunken dreams of the past.

He was gentle, composed, resilient, with a fiery passion and an iron will. Their two gazes met directly, without hesitation or evasion.

It was as if, five years ago when Chu Wanning last saw him, he was still a boy with an air of immaturity.

In the blink of an eye, he had become a resolute and stalwart man.

This man knelt before him on one knee, looking up and declaring, "Shifu, I want to hold an umbrella for you for the rest of my life."

Staring at him, Chu Wanning was transfixed by the man's dark brows, chiseled features, and luminous eyes, his straight nose towering above all.

He had grown into an exceptional pine, standing tall beside Chu Wanning, then surpassing him. One day, after enduring countless storms, Chu Wanning, like an unwavering tree in the tempest, awoke from a fleeting dream. Blinking, he noticed the rain had ceased, the clouds dispersed, and in the tender glow of dawn, a taller, more resolute tree stood beside him, shimmering with golden light amidst the rolling forest of pines.

This tree vowed to stay by his side for a lifetime.

Until they both fell, withered and branchless, no longer alone through each passing spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Looking at Mo Ran, Chu Wanning suddenly realized that the disciple he had carried back from Rainbow Town five years ago, bloodied and inexperienced, was no more.

He stood in the rain, beneath the barrier of swirling peach blossoms. For the first time, he scrutinized Mo Ran meticulously, examining the man who had vowed to spend a lifetime with him.

Then Chu Wanning's heart began to race.

Suddenly, he realized how captivating Mo Ran now appeared, from the arched curve of his nose to his lips, from the sharp angles of his jaw to his Adam's apple.

If his love for Mo Ran was once deep yet concealed, their reunion today made him feel that this man had become a flame, effortlessly igniting the dry twigs within him, casting a blinding fire that threatened to engulf the heavens.

He sensed the dormant lava within his heart stirring awake, stretching its limbs in the depths, ready to erupt in a violent explosion at any moment.

That molten lava was about to turn his pride, arrogance, and abstinence...

Into ashes.

Into debris.

The author has something to say:

Updating character profile stickers.

"Mo Ran 2.0"

Words: (Crossed out) Feeding the fish (Crossed out) Gentle rain

Epithet: ...Not dead yet!!!

Occupation: Emperor (reborn)... Ah, no, that's incorrect. In this life, I am no longer an emperor, but an unemployed wanderer (devoted to doing good deeds).

Social Aspect: (Crossed out) Lei Feng (Crossed out) Grandmaster Mo

Current Favorite: Seeing everyone alive and well.

Favorite food: Wontons.

Dislikes: Losing people close by.

Height: 189 cm.

Mo Ran's 0.5 cents: Why is he 3 cm taller than me?

Meat Bun: Oh, that's because his growth pattern differs from yours. You spend your days in the dark room studying the Zhenlong Chess Game, while he runs around under the sun, bouncing about. Though you're essentially the same person, your different environments have caused this 3 cm difference. My apologies, Your Majesty, now you're no longer the tallest in the story. Smiles.