The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 180: Master, Why Betray You?

For Chu Wanning, it was the first time their palms were tightly clasped together, fingers interlaced.

It was more than enough, too much for him to handle. Fortunately, Mo Ran didn't make any further advances, or he might have really jumped off the hundred-foot cliff to escape.

Truly fortunate.

But for Mo Ran, this was far from his first time holding hands with Chu Wanning like this.

He felt that it wasn't enough, it was too little. Fortunately, he hadn't done more, or he might have been tempted to kiss and then crave even more, indulging in the sweetness of the moment.

Not a good thing.

Yet even so, Mo Ran could sense that Chu Wanning seemed to be trying to escape.

That day, when they landed from the sword, Chu Wanning turned and ran without a word. After taking a few steps, he realized his pace was too hurried, and immediately slowed down.

After slowing down for a few steps, he heard Mo Ran following behind him. In a mix of embarrassment, anger, and panic, he started running again.

"..."

Mo Ran watched him stride away with a mix of longing, pain, warmth, and tenderness in his heart.

As Chu Wanning buried his head and walked towards a large tree, Mo Ran promptly cried out, "Watch out—!"

"Bam!"

He still ended up bumping right into it.

Rushing over, Mo Ran asked, "Does it hurt? Let me see."

Chu Wanning covered his forehead without a sound. After a while, he continued walking forward.

Mo Ran wanted to follow, but then he heard Chu Wanning say, "Don't follow me."

"I... also need to rest."

"Stay here for a while and let the wind cool you down before coming in."

Feeling cooler now?

Mo Ran smiled. How could he feel cooler?

After holding your hand, my heart has been warm all night.

Yet, he still obeyed and didn't follow. Standing under the chilly moonlight, he watched Chu Wanning walk away until he vanished behind a wall. Then, he approached the tree that Chu Wanning had accidentally bumped into. He stood there in silence for a moment before pressing his forehead against the trunk.

The bark was rough, so he closed his eyes.

Chu Wanning...

likes him.

Flowers float like water, a solitary island blooms in spring.

A bright moon hangs high, veiling the sun with a gentle cloud.

Tides ebb and flow, blending the sky and sea into one serene hue.

No matter how enchanting the mortal world might be, it could never surpass those three simple words: Chu Wanning liked him.

Despite his lack of eloquence and perceived dullness, this moment stirred a surge of emotions within him, igniting a torrent of thoughts. Love had transformed Mo Weiyu, this straightforward and blunt block of wood, into a poet. Chu Wanning liked him; Chu Wanning... liked him!

He pressed his forehead against the tree bark, striving for composure, seeking endurance, yearning to "cool down," to...

No, he couldn't do it.

He could no longer remain composed or hold back; he couldn't cool down. His closed eyes trembled slightly, and through the gaps in his eyelashes, tenderness and ecstasy shone. The corners of his mouth curled up, and the dimples on his cheeks deepened, overflowing with honeyed affection.

Chu Wanning liked him.

Liked him.

It was... the person he had been pining for, the best person in the world, the one he wanted to cherish for the rest of his life. It was Chu Wanning... Chu Wanning...

The once mighty Immortal Emperor, now the renowned Grandmaster Mo of the cultivation world, found himself in this desolate, pristine desert, leaning against a rustling tree, eyes closed, head lowered, shoulders quivering, laughter escaping his lips.

Because Chu Wanning liked him, even the wind he breathed was sweet, and the sound of the waves was sweet.

Chu Wanning, he loved him.

He smiled with his eyes lowered, but as he laughed, tears began to fall.

He grinned like a madman, tears streaming down his face, sweetness in his smile, yet pain in his heart.

Chu Wanning...

He loved him.

Since their encounter in Rainbow Butterfly Town, he had secretly carried their entwined hair tokens.

He loved him...

Suddenly, he wondered since when Chu Wanning had been standing quietly behind him, patiently accompanying, silently waiting, waiting for him to turn around, to reach out, to see him.

How long had Chu Wanning waited?

In this life, and the one before.

Stacked together, for twenty years?

Longer than that.

He was Mo Weiyu, who had seen through the dust of the world, knowing that the most priceless thing in existence was time itself.

Under power and influence, one could turn the world with a flick of a wrist, showered with precious treasures, charming companions, and sweet nothings. Yet, time flowed like a river, irretrievable once it passed.

If someone were willing to trade a fortune of ten thousand gold for you, that was desire.

For someone to be willing to trade a future filled with promise for you, that is love.

And for someone to offer twenty years of their prime, the best days of their life, in exchange for you, to wait for you...

All without a word, seeking no recompense and desiring no outcome...

That, my friend, is foolishness.

Truly, it is utterly foolish.

Mo Ran's throat constricted with bitterness that surged like an overwhelming tide. He thought to himself,

Chu Wanning, you were truly... too naive.

Why was it so? How could it be so?

What right do I, Mo Weiyu, have... for you to treat me this way?

You are the best person in the world, and what about me?

My hands are stained with blood, my life is unworthy of mourning, I am despised by thousands, doomed to never find redemption.

I bullied you, hated you, betrayed you, and caused your death.

You had no idea what I've done...

You had no idea at all!!

Mo Ran clung to the tree, his sobs carried away by the howling sea breeze. What had he done...

In Chu Wanning's eyes, he chased after another person's disappearing figure.

In Chu Wanning's eyes, he waited eagerly for that person to turn back.

In Jin Chengchi's illusory realm, he personally confessed to Chu Wanning, "Shi Mo, I like you."

He used a knife to pierce through Chu Wanning's heart!

But what about Chu Wanning?

Silent as a boulder, unyielding like a river stone, the knife pierced his heart, yet he remained unfazed, caring for him, forgiving him, and accompanying him.

Until death.

... Until death.

He laughed wildly, wept bitterly, alone amidst the aquatic sky and moonlight. No one could see his descent into madness.

Chu Wanning, in two lifetimes, never revealed his feelings to Mo Ran until his dying breath. This man of unwavering pride did the most humble thing in his life—falling in love with someone.

For that person, he had done everything within his power, but in the long wait, he had come to understand that he would never hold a place in the other's heart. Knowing full well that he could never win their affection, he chose not to intrude, not to disturb, sparing others even the slightest bother.

He chose to preserve his last vestige of dignity.

In his previous life, until his dying breath, he only spoke one sentence: "I was too shallow towards you; I have no regrets in life or death."

In this life, he confessed his feelings, yet Chu Wanning, such an excellent and proud person, replied, "I am not worthy. No one has ever liked me before."

What... had Heaven-Stepping Lord... Mo Weiyu... done...

Done... what exactly?!

Was it blindness, or a loss of reason?

How could they not see through it, how could they disappoint you so?

Chu Wanning lay in bed with the curtains lowered. Through the veil of ethereal shadows, he gazed at the lamp outside his tent.

His face burned hot, his heartbeat rapid, yet his thoughts were frozen, flowing slowly.

Compared to that person outside, plagued by the sins of his soul and unable to taste true sweetness, Chu Wanning seemed so simple and pure.

He spread his fingers wide before his eyes, and when he came back to his senses, realized one hand had covered the back of the other, palm against palm, just as Mo Ran had held him earlier.

"..."

Realizing what he was doing, Chu Wanning froze, then flushed with embarrassment and anger at himself for being so easily distracted, so entranced by the strength of that man's grip that he couldn't break free.

Pathetic!

He angrily released his hands and slapped his right wrist with his left.

"Screech."

The door creaked open, and the night breeze rushing in made the curtains flutter.

Chu Wanning abruptly rolled over, closing his eyes to feign sleep. He heard the man enter the room and approach the bed. The tall figure blocked the faint candlelight, casting a shadow on the bed that pressed down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.

"Shifu, have you already fallen asleep?"

Mo Ran's voice was gentle, yet for some reason, it carried a hint of hoarseness, as if steeped in the bitter saltiness of the sea.

Chu Wanning didn't respond.

Mo Ran stood still for a moment, then, rustling softly, he seemed to be wary of waking Chu Wanning and thus returned to the spot where he had slept the previous night. There, he laid out a bedding for himself with great propriety and respect, before extinguishing the candlelight.

The room plunged into an instant darkness, even deeper than the previous night due to the absence of the spirit butterflies and peonies filling the space. This darkness was provocative to the senses, oppressive, instilling fear of what might happen in the night, yet also anticipation for the possibilities it held.

But Mo Ran did nothing. The man who once caused a stir in the pleasure quarters now appeared so wooden, cautious, tender, and restrained.

He lay down fully clothed.

Chu Wanning exhaled in relief, but a faint sense of melancholy arose within him. Before he could feel ashamed of his own wistfulness, he heard Mo Ran rise from the ground again. Then, the silk curtains fluttered as he lifted them aside.

Chu Wanning's heart leapt to his throat. He remained motionless, still curled up in a sleeping posture, and even regulated his breathing to avoid any suspicion from the other.

He had no idea why Mo Ran had suddenly gotten up or what he intended to do.

He had never taken a Daoist companion, nor had he broken his vow of celibacy. His sole understanding of intimacy came from those inexplicably surreal dreams.

He seemed like someone who had never ventured into deep waters, fearing the tumultuous waves more than desiring them, preferring to dip his waist into a shallow pond first. If he were suddenly forced to confront the surging river, he feared he would drown in its vortex.

So, he was actually quite afraid of Mo Ran making any further moves.

But perhaps Mo Ran sensed his subtle tremors or heard his pounding heart, for he stood quietly for a moment before bending down—

Lowering himself so much that Chu Wanning could almost feel his fiery, robust breath, as if his heated chest was about to press down upon him.

Yet, he only gazed at him from this low angle for a while, gently sweeping a strand of hair from the side of Chu Wanning's face and tucking it behind his ear. Then, the bedclothes rustled as he pulled the warm blanket over him.

Chu Wanning felt a slight sense of relief, yet also dissatisfaction. From this perspective, Mo Ran was still a rather...

The word "person" was just beginning to sprout in his mind when the honest man lowered his head again. Chu Wanning barely had time to register the soft warmth on his cheek before his thoughts were engulfed by a tumultuous wave, crashing against the rocks on the shore and sending thousands of snow-like droplets flying.

Mo Ran's breath lingered around him, scorching and tormenting him.

He kissed his cheek.

How many people could look upon the sleeping face of their beloved and do nothing but watch, cover them with a blanket, and bid them goodnight?

Mo Weiyu exhausted all his restraint and endurance, the chains digging deep into the flesh of desire, constraining everything else but ultimately letting this gentle and tender kiss slip through his grasp.

Pulse pounding, Yu Heng, the brilliant and valiant hero, spent his entire life with composure and calmness, yet in Mo Weiyu's fervent, low breathing, his cheeks flushed red, and his palms grew clammy.

For a moment, he could think of nothing, perceive nothing. His breath was held back, his heart racing so fiercely that it seemed to have become detached from himself. The world around him blurred, as if everything had vanished, yet a sudden blaze ignited in his abdomen, and speckles of colorful light danced before his eyes. Amidst the dizziness, he could barely grasp one thing:

Mo Ran was kissing him.

Even if it was just the side of his face.

As for the rest, like how long the kiss had lasted, he lacked the strength to ponder such details. His fingers clenched under the covers, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. His eyelids trembled uncontrollably, quivering...

Fortunately, it was dark, so Mo Ran didn't witness the fluttering of Chu Wanning's lashes.

And luckily, Chu Wanning's face was burning hot, his whole being in a hazy stupor. Thus, he failed to notice that a warm tear slid down Mo Ran's cheek during the kiss, dripping onto the space between his own neck.

Author's Note: Since our puppy is feeling so guilty and distressed after learning the truth today, I won't be updating the bonus scene to maintain the rhythm. Updates will resume tomorrow~~ Muah~