The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 174: Master's Satchel of Secrets

Though Fluttering Flower Island might be poor, the head of the prominent family was evidently skilled in amassing wealth and lived a very prosperous life.

She was attired in a bat-embroidered gold-sprinkled silk jacket, overlayed with an exquisite snow gauze cloak that was unmistakably from the Treading Snow Palace of Kunlun. Her long hair, a mix of black and white, was styled into a sleek and impeccable bun adorned with kingfisher feather and pearl ornaments. Her eyebrows were meticulously defined using the finest black clamshell powder, her face powdered and rouged, and her lips painted a rich crimson. Around her neck lay a circle of pearls with a gently warming luster, while her ears bore the weight of two resplendent golden earrings, each set with ruby stones as large as pigeon eggs, pulling slightly at her earlobes.

She was a woman well past her prime, with her youthful beauty long faded. Her figure was somewhat plump, and her face was etched with wrinkles. Had she taken the effort to dress up, she might have appeared better. However, she seemingly believed that adorning herself with more lavish ornaments would accentuate her beauty. As a result, she was buried beneath a profusion of glittering jewels, resembling an elderly turtle draped in vibrant colors.

Old Turtle owned half of the Fluttering Flower Island, and even the village chief dared not utter a word when she spoke.

At that moment, the sun rose, and the old turtle, resplendent with her red flowers against green leaves, leisurely arrived at the square. She seated herself in the crimson zitan bat-deer armchair prepared for her, observing the refugees from Lin Yi with a critical eye.

"Why did you take them in?" she asked, lifting her heavy, greasy eyelids to give the village chief a withering glance. "No payment, and you're giving them shelter? What about food? How much have they eaten?"

"Not much... It's all leftovers from the villagers' own homes," the village chief mumbled.

The old turtle cooed softly, "Well, they still need to pay. Doesn't that rice and wheat come from my land, Sun Sanniang's fields? Despite the poor harvest this year, I've even opened my granaries to provide ten catties of barley flour and a jar of oil to each family on the island. It's fine if they eat it; we're all one community. But using my grain to feed Lin Yi's refugees? That might not be appropriate, don't you think?"

"Madam Sun has a point," the village chief chuckled nervously. "But look, these poor little girls and elders are so pitiful in this freezing cold. With your compassionate heart, perhaps you could let it slide this time."

The old turtle's small eyes widened. "How can we just let it go? It's all about the money."

The village chief: "…"

"The villagers gave them how much food?" the old turtle asked. "Did you keep track of it like I told you?"

The village chief had no choice but to reply, "Yes, I did. Here it is." He handed a small notebook to the old turtle and Sun Sanniang. Sun Sanniang swiftly raised her hand, and on her right wrist alone, she wore nine colorful bracelets and bangles made of gold, silver, jade, and various gems, almost covering half of her forearm.

"Mm," she said after lazily scanning through the book. She closed it, counted on her fingers, then said, "You people are like pigs, eating so much. In such a short time, you've eaten twenty-six steamed buns from our island. Our buns are large and substantial, so charging you ninety silver for them isn't unreasonable. You also drank half a vat of fresh water, which I transported all the way from Lin Yi. They sold me a vat for three gold in Lin Yi, but I have to factor in transportation costs and loss, so I'll sell it back to you at four gold a vat. Half a vat would be two gold, so that's two gold and ninety silver in total. Oh, yes, Sister Zhang."

The kind-looking woman trembled when her name was called and hurriedly looked up. "Ah, Lady Sanniang."

Sun Sanniang smiled. "Your steamed buns taste the best. When you knead the dough, you add lard, so that should be included in the bill too."

"But... it's only a pea-sized bit of lard for ten steamed buns. How do you calculate that?"

"Why is it hard to calculate? For ten steamed buns with a pea-sized bit of lard, I'll charge one copper coin. That's not too much, is it?"

"…"

"That makes it two gold, ninety silver, and one copper," Sun Sanniang said. "Also, you slept in the houses on my land. Although the houses don't belong to me, the land does. You all slept for half an hour, so the fee is seventy copper each."

Turning to the manager by her side, she asked, "How many of them are there in total?"

"The reply, Madam, is forty-nine."

"That's not right. Didn't we say there were fifty-one earlier? Where are the other two?"

Before she could finish her question, a gloomy voice responded,

"They're here."

Despite not wearing a white shirt but a deeper moon-white robe, Chu Wanning still exuded an aura of elegance and divinity, as if carrying the chill of frost and snow. His slightly raised eyes held clear pupils, yet they were cold and proud, resembling a sharp dagger freshly unsheathed.

Sun Sanniang was an ordinary person, but she wasn't afraid upon seeing a cultivator.

She had spent most of her life in business, nitpicking and being meticulous without causing trouble, merely annoying people with her antics.

Thus, she spoke unhurriedly, "So you're a Celestial Lord. No wonder you don't need to sleep. Did you save all these people? Perfect timing. Pay up quickly."

The village head whispered, "Sanniang, these two aren't from the Confucian Wind Sect. They're Immortal Lords from the Summit of Life and Death. You don't need to be so..."

"I don't care which sect they're from. I recognize money, not people."

Chu Wanning glanced at the huddled, shivering refugees and raised his hand, casting a golden-red barrier to dispel the cold for them. Then he turned to ask, "How much do you want?"

"Two gold, ninety-three silver, and four hundred thirty copper."

Though Sun Sanniang was repulsive, they had nowhere else to go. Chu Wanning knew that if he offended her, he would be implicating the group he had brought with him. So, despite his terrible expression, he retrieved a purse from his Qiankun Pouch and tossed it to her.

"There's roughly eighty gold inside." Most of his wealth was with Xue Zhengyong, and he didn't have much left on him now, "We'll be staying for about seven days. Count it and see if it's enough."

"It's not enough."

Sun Sanniang wouldn't dirty her own hands; she simply handed the purse to an underling to count beside them.

"Eighty gold can only cover your stay for three days, and that's without including the cost of meals."

"You—"

"If you're not convinced, I can go through the details with you. Business is all about transparency; I can explain every cent spent."

By then, Mo Ran had also arrived, but he didn't have much money either. Together with Chu Wanning, they barely had enough for fifty-two people's food and lodging for four days.

Sun Sanniang took in their valuables, her scarlet lips curling into a smile as she said, "I'll give you four days. After that, if you don't have any money, I won't care whether the Calamity Fire has been extinguished or not. You'll all have to leave immediately."

To save expenses, Chu Wanning skipped dinner that night. He threw his voice-transmitting crab into the river, attempting to contact Xue Zhengyong, before returning to the small room he was temporarily staying in.

The room was even more spartan than the one he had stayed in during the harvest season in Jade Cool Village. With few unoccupied rooms on the island, everyone had to squeeze together. Chu Wanning wasn't used to sharing a space with strangers, so he had no choice but to share a room with Mo Ran.

The light was on inside the shabby room, but Mo Ran was nowhere to be seen. No one knew where he had gone.

Chu Wanning removed his outer robe. Despite its elegant design, the fabric wasn't as good as his usual white clothes. It was covered in ashes from the Calamity Fire and bloodstains. He filled a wooden bucket with hot water, preparing to clean himself when the door opened.

Raising his eyelids, Chu Wanning glanced at him. "Where did you go? Why are you back so late?"

Mo Ran entered the room, carrying a bamboo lunch box. The wind outside was strong, and it was freezing cold, so he had kept the box close to his chest. His nose was red from the cold as he smiled and said, "I went to Sanniang's place to beg for food."

Chu Wanning was taken aback. "You went begging?"

"Only joking," Mo Ran said. "I brought some food back."

"What kind of food?"

"Baozi," Mo Ran replied, a hint of embarrassment in his voice. "Also a bowl of fish soup and a bowl of braised pork. Too bad there's no dessert. Old Lady Sun was watching too closely; everyone in the village is afraid of her. No one dared to give me anything else, so I went to her place and traded her a silver dagger I had on me for these."

Chu Wanning frowned. "She's awfully greedy. I know that silver dagger – it has a spirit stone embedded in it. How could you only get such a small amount with that?"

"It's not just this; I bargained with her and got fifty-two portions, enough for everyone. Watch as they're sent out from the kitchen," Mo Ran said with a smile. "So, Master, don't worry about others. Just quietly eat all of this."

Chu Wanning was genuinely hungry and sat down at the table. He drank several mouthfuls of the hot fish soup before picking up a baozi and biting into it, accompanied by the braised pork. Old Lady Sun was stingy and didn't give much meat, most of which was quite fatty – not to Chu Wanning's taste. But dipping the baozi in the meat broth made for a decent flavor. After finishing one, he started on the second.

Mo Ran glanced at the steaming bucket and asked, "Master wants to wash your clothes?"

"Mm-hmm."

"It's only an outer robe. Let me help you wash it."

"No need. I'll do it myself."

Mo Ran said, "It's alright, I was going to wash up anyway. It's just a coincidence."

As he spoke, he picked up the few pieces of clothing he had discarded on the bed and carried the wooden bucket outside.

The moon shone brightly in the courtyard. Mo Ran looked up, wondering how Xue Meng and his uncle were doing, and where Ye Wangxi and Nan Gongsi had gone. The burning flames from the sea still raged like a crimson tide, incessant day and night, sending plumes of smoke soaring into the sky.

Song Qiutong, and... that person.

That person whom he had hated with every fiber of his being in his past life, the one for whom he had slaughtered everyone in the Confucian Wind Sect.

Perhaps they've all been consumed by the flames.

Mo Ran sighed and pushed the thought aside. He set down the wooden bucket, scooped some cool water from the water jar, and rolled up his sleeves to start washing clothes.

Chu Wanning, that fellow, whether it was constructing mechas or writing scrolls, he always approached them with meticulous order and attention to detail. But when it came to tasks like laundry or cooking, he tended to make a mess of things.

For instance, before Mo Ran fully submerged his clothes in water, he would habitually check his Qiankun Pouch and hidden pockets to ensure nothing important got wet. But Chu Wanning often forgot to do this step.

"..."

Faced with the assortment of trinkets that emerged from Chu Wanning's robe, Mo Ran fell into a thoughtful silence.

What on earth were these?

A peach blossom handkerchief.

Well, that was ordinary enough.

Various medicinal pills.

Nothing out of the ordinary there.

A bundle of sweets...

Mo Ran was speechless. Upon closer inspection, they seemed to be the same milk candies he had once bought for him in Jade Cool Village.

Hadn't he finished them yet?

Continuing to dig through the pile, Mo Ran got a surprise.

...A self-detonation charm?

Mo Ran's face turned ashen as he held up the damp, half-soaked charm in shock.

How broad was Chu Wanning's mind to carry a self-detonation charm around without any precautions? Although the chance of it igniting spontaneously was negligible, it was still far too risky. Was this some kind of joke?

Frowning, Mo Ran hastily searched his clothes again with meticulous care, removing all the self-detonation, freezing, and soul-calming charms. To his surprise, he found that even the Rising Dragon Charm with the little dragon drawing had been inadvertently left behind by Chu Wanning's carelessness.

If these charms had not been checked, most of them would have been ruined and rendered useless. Chu Wanning truly was...

Mo Ran shook his head helplessly, inwardly resolving that he must never let Shifu wash his own clothes in the future.

Lost in thought, something small and lotus-white suddenly slipped out from the hidden pocket. Mo Ran paid it no mind, assuming it was another magical talisman or spiritual charm. He picked it up casually and gave it a brief glance.

With just that one glance, he was utterly entranced.

It was an old silk pouch, intricately embroidered with a pattern of mandrake flowers. The petals and leaves had faded with time, no longer retaining their initial vibrant hues.

With a hint of confusion and a touch of bewilderment, he faintly sensed that this object was eerily familiar, as if he had encountered it somewhere before. However, so much time had passed that he couldn't recall the exact moment.

Mo Ran caressed the small silk pouch, his dark brows knitted together, and his eyes flickered with fluctuating light. Memories raced through his mind like a swift river, as he tried to uncover the source of this blooming osmanthus in his turbulent years.

The lightweight, slightly cool fabric, its once vivid colors now faded with time.

He held it in his hand, examining it closely, turning it over and over again, yet unable to recall its origin. Worried that it might contain some perilous item akin to an "explosion charm," he cautiously opened a small gap to take a peek inside.

"..."

It was a strand of hair.

No, upon closer inspection, there were actually two.

Tied together, intertwined like a web, fitting seamlessly. Amidst the fleeting moments, they had remained entwined, companions to one another. At first glance, they appeared as one bundle, but these two strands of black were inseparable.

"Hair?"

Mo Ran's gaze grew distant as a spark of realization flickered before him.

He murmured, "Silk pouch... Osmanthus silk pouch..."

Suddenly, a memory from the past flashed through his mind. It burst in his heart like a flame, scorching his chest with its intensity. His eyes widened in astonishment.

The Ghost Conductor.

He remembered.

Golden Boy and Jade Girl, the butterflies in Rainbow Village, their wedding cups entwined, vows cut with severed hair, bonds forged— he recalled it all...

Henceforth, two wandering souls shall be companions, never to part in the heavens or the underworld.

He... remembered.

He remembered!!

At the marriage ceremony conducted by the Ghost Conductor in Butterfly Village, the Golden Boy and Jade Girl had cut off two strands of their hair as a symbol of their union, which were then placed in a shared joyous pouch and given to Chu Wanning.

It was this very pouch.

"How could this be."

Mo Ran's mind buzzed with blood surging through his veins, leaving him momentarily stunned.

"How could this be..."

He clutched the silk pouch tightly, his hands trembling slightly. His eyes shimmered with a myriad of emotions—surprise, shock, disbelief, confusion, ecstatic joy, and even sorrow.

Master... Chu Wanning...

Why... Why did he keep this?

Author's Note: Congratulations to Doggie for obtaining the important item "Amorous Silk Pouch" x1.

System Prompt:

The "Amorous Silk Pouch" was dropped in the Ghost Conductor's Illusionary Realm. Embroidered with a pattern of mandarin ducks, the colors have faded over the years. Inside, there are... no, two strands of hair. It's unclear why Chu Wanning kept it.

Player "Mo Ran" can gain 100 points of Courage by using this item.

Other players will receive no effect from using it.

Today's mini-theater is still brought to you by my buddy Ah Li, 23333.

Buddy: Second Dog and White Cat can be called the Monroe Duo.

Me: Why's that?

Buddy: Chu Wanning drives by dreaming, while Mo Ran drives by... stroking. Dream-stroke, dream-stroke, dream-stroke. Doesn't that make them the Monroe Duo? (rolls eyes.jpg)