The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 195: Master is the Best

Hearing her name called, Ye Wangxi turned around. Though she looked exhausted, her spirit was not as bad as Mo Ran had imagined.

Upon seeing Mo Ran, Ye Wangxi lowered her gaze and gave him a bow, still following male etiquette – a habit she couldn't break. "Young Master Mo," she said.

Mo Ran glanced at her, then at Nan Gongsi beside her.

He couldn't help but ask, "Where... where did you come from, and why are you covered in blood?"

Ye Wangxi replied, "We set out from Lin Yi, but encountered malevolent spirits along the way. It's inevitable that our clothes would become disheveled. I apologize."

Just as Mo Ran was about to ask more questions, Xue Zhengyong said, "Ran'er's here? Good, let's all go inside and talk."

Since Chu Wanning entered the room, he hadn't looked at Mo Ran again. Instead, he sat down in his usual spot, straightened his clothes, and gazed at Nan Gongsi.

Though they weren't officially master and disciple, Xue Zhengyong had been instrumental in Nan Gongsi's education. After looking at him for a moment, he felt a pang of sorrow, but all he said was a simple question, "Are you both doing alright?"

Since the Confucian Wind Sect was destroyed, this was the first time anyone had asked them how they were doing.

Nan Gongsi's eyes reddened instantly. He lowered his head abruptly, clenching his fists and closing his eyes to endure the urge to cry in front of Chu Wanning. In a hoarse voice, he said, "I-I'm fine, it's all manageable."

But Chu Wanning sighed softly and lowered his eyelids without saying anything more.

He didn't believe Nan Gongsi. The journey from Lin Yi was long and arduous; how could two young people not have suffered along the way?

Xue Zhengyong, feeling sorry for them, stepped in to explain, "Yu Heng, you weren't here earlier. It was like this: Young Master Nan Gong and Miss Ye found some clues and hurried over to tell us."

"I've heard. It has something to do with Xu Shuanglin?"

"Mm-hmm."

Chu Wanning said, "Sit down and tell me about it."

Mo Ran fetched chairs, but Nan Gongsi and Ye Wangxi, feeling dirty and stinky, were reluctant to sit. Chu Wanning didn't insist and paused for a moment before asking, "After parting ways in Lin Yi that day, where did you go?"

Nan Gongsi replied, "Ye Wangxi and I took refuge on Wei Mountain, which is just across a river, due to the flames of calamity." After a pause, he continued, "Wei Mountain is a remote place, inconvenient for communication. Besides, Ye Wangxi was injured, so after the fire subsided, we rested for a while before returning... returning to the Confucian Wind Sect."

Hearing Nan Gongsi mention the sect he had first joined when entering the mortal world, Chu Wanning couldn't quite describe the mix of emotions he felt. After a long while, he sighed and said, "I suppose there's no grass left growing there now."

"The Master is right, there's not a blade of grass left, but something has crawled out from the ruins," Chu Wanning lifted his gaze and asked, "What?"

"Look at these insects."

Nan Gongsi unzipped a bloodstained pouch in front of him, half-open and half-closed, revealing a swarm of buzzing insects inside. Their green shells were marked with black spots, three large and two small, together forming five dots. A faint stench of blood emanated from their tails. Most of the insects remained quietly huddled within the bag, seemingly afraid of light. However, a few had already flown out and landed on the walls of Danxin Hall or the pillars, leaving trails of blood wherever they crawled.

Mo Ran recognized these insects – Soul Devouring Bugs.

This type of insect only thrives in the Blood Pools near the Confucian Wind Sect in Lin Yi. It's a creature that exists in a state between life and death, feeding on human flesh and souls.

Almost all the elders found these insects utterly revolting. Luchen even covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, unable to tolerate the stench.

"Nan Gongsi," he said, "we discovered these Soul Devouring Beetles amidst the ruins. Initially, I assumed they were attracted from the nearby Blood Pool and flew over, but it turned out differently."

"How so?"

"There were too many of them. Ye Wangxi and I passed through the seventy-two cities of the Confucian Wind Sect, and these beetles were everywhere – in the brick crevices, the dirt, and even within the ashes. We sensed something amiss and upon closer inspection, found not only adults but also larvae. ...A Grandmaster would understand what I'm implying."

Chu Wanning was unfamiliar with the art of raising insects, and at first, he was somewhat taken aback. But upon closer thought, he understood the logic.

The Blood Pool was beside Wei Mountain, separated from Lin Yi by a great river. It made sense that the Soul Devouring Insects, with their weak wings, could flutter over to the scent of the dead. However, how could their larvae cross the river and traverse the mountains to reach the burnt earth of the Confucian Wind Sect?

Chu Wanning furrowed his brow. "Someone placed them here in advance?"

"Mm, that's what I think."

Elder Greedy Wolf, listening nearby, had an epiphany. "These Soul Devouring Insects can store spiritual energy. After the disaster, there would be countless vengeful spirits in Lin Yi, and many cultivators as well. The insects, after consuming these spirits, would become seeds storing different types of spiritual energy. With tens of thousands of such seeds, one wouldn't even need their own spells to activate most formations."

Then who could have left the insects behind? Who could have foreseen the calamity in Lin Yi? Who needed external spiritual energy?

No one answered, but the answer was clear.

Only the instigator, Xu Shuanglin, or rather, his original name, Nan Gongxu.

Xue Zhengyong said, "So during our search for Xu Shuanglin in the Lower Realm, we were tracing his magical residue all along, only to find out that he wasn't using his own power, but the insects'?"

Nan Gongsi replied, "Yes, that's true."

Xue Zhengyong pondered, "Hmm... Detection spells have always been designed to track humans, not beasts or demons. If Xu Shuanglin used this method, he could indeed conceal his traces for a long time."

He then asked Ta Lang, "Can you locate Xu Shuanglin by tracking those insects?"

Ta Lang answered, "Impossible. Soul-devouring insects can access the Netherworld. Once they've fed on soul fragments, they all burrow underground, leaving no trace of their whereabouts."

Upon hearing this, Xue Zhengyong suddenly remembered something and suggested, "Since they head for the Netherworld, why not ask Master Huaiwei? He should know about the ghost realm."

But Chu Wanning immediately interjected, "There's no need to ask him."

"Why not?"

"Seeking his help would be useless," Chu Wanning said. "He refuses to interfere with mortal affairs and won't reveal anything."

Chu Wanning had once been a direct disciple of Huaiwei. Hearing him say this so definitively, the others were confused but refrained from pressing the matter further. The grand hall fell silent once more.

After a moment, Xue Zhengyong muttered, "Then what should we do? Since Xu Shuanglin can use the insects' spiritual energy to evade pursuit, our investigations will be futile. Are we just going to let him go?"

Chu Wanning proposed, "Could we try shifting our approach to the search?"

"How so?"

"Lord Xue, when Xu Shuanglin left, he took three items with him. Do you recall what they were?"

Xue Zhengyong enumerated them, "Luo Fenghua's spirit core, Nangong...," He glanced at Nan Gongsi and sighed inwardly, softening his tone, "The sect leader of Nangong, and also a divine weapon."

Chu Wanning continued, "Very well. Whenever someone acts, there's always a purpose. Despite being in a hurry to escape, he insisted on taking these three items. It couldn't have been out of boredom. So, in your opinion, why did Xu Shuanglin take his brother along?"

"Hmm... Revenge?"

"But why would he take the divine weapon?"

Xue Zhengyong pondered, "To tear open a rift in the Ghost Realm using the five pure spirit energies."

"Opening the rift in the Ghost Realm was to obtain Luo Fenghua's spirit core," Chu Wanning pointed out. "There was no need for him to do it a second time."

"Then, what was his motive?"

Chu Wanning said, "I believe there's a possibility that he did it for the purpose of Rebirth Spell."

Xue Zhengyong was taken aback. "But the Rebirth Spell... can be performed without the five pure spiritual energies, didn't Master Huai Zui once cast it?"

Chu Wanning shook his head. "Huai Zui mentioned that the methods of resurrection in this world aren't entirely identical. Thus, Lord Zun doesn't need to refer to his method."

Tang Lang sneered upon hearing this. "Elder Yu Heng, how dare you speculate blindly? How do you know that Xu Shuanglin did all this for the sake of cultivating the forbidden Rebirth Spell?"

Chu Wanning replied, "Based on the last item he took—Luo Fenghua's spirit core."

In the grand hall, Chu Wanning's voice was calm and deep, speaking with clarity.

"Many years ago, I interrogated a wrongfully deceased girl in Butterfly Town. When she was young, she encountered a madman covered in blood who gave her an orange to eat. He said her eyes resembled those of an old acquaintance of his. Before leaving, the madman said, 'In Lin Yi, there is a man whose heart died at the age of twenty.'"

Twenty years old — that was the age when Nan Gongxu was framed and vilified, never to regain his reputation.

That year, during the Spirit Mountain Assembly, he was full of vigor and arrogance, believing that as long as he relied on his talents and perseverance, he would obtain fairness and justice, as well as everything he deserved.

However, despite his relentless efforts, all he gained was infamy for a lifetime.

In his hand, a sharp blade; in his heart, ambition—yet all was defeated by his brother's honeyed words and sycophancy.

He hated.

His hatred ran deep, with no outlet for redemption. Everyone laughed at him, blamed him, and spat upon him.

Eventually, the living became the dead, and the dead became vengeful spirits.

The vengeful spirit clawed its way out from the ruins of shattered mountains and spilled blood, seeking justice from every righteous man in this world.

"{Chu Wanning} says, 'No need to elaborate on this madman. As for the old acquaintance, who does Luo Xianxian's eyes resemble?'

"{Xue Zhengyong} replies, 'They look similar and both have the surname Luo... Could it be Luo Fenghua?'

"{Chu Wanning} adds, 'I believe it should be Luo Fenghua. In the Golden City Lake, Xu Shuanglin attempted the Chess of Precious Treasures and the Rebirth spell. The Chess of Precious Treasures is for controlling others, but who was the Rebirth for? He only took two corpses with him: the Sect Leader Nan Gong's and Luo Fenghua's. It couldn't have been solely for the Sect Leader.'

"{Xue Zhengyong} mutters, 'But why would he resurrect Luo Fenghua? Didn't Luo Fenghua once betray him?'

"{Chu Wanning} responds, 'Human hearts are unpredictable, so we must not speculate rashly. However, aside from resurrection, I can think of no other purpose for taking Luo Fenghua's corpse with him.'"

Everyone fell silent, pondering carefully. They all agreed that Chu Wanning's analysis was sound, but there was still no solid evidence. In the end, these were merely their conjectures. The answer to this question could only be given by Xu Shuanglin himself, who was currently in hiding somewhere unknown.

After the meeting, Mo Ran mulled over the matter for a long while. That very night, he went to the study and found Xue Zhengyong.

Xue Zhengyong was poring over ancient texts, searching for information related to "Soul Devouring Bugs," hoping to find clues about Xu Shuanglin's whereabouts.

"Uncle."

"Feng'er? It's late, why aren't you asleep?"

"I can't sleep. I have something I want to ask Uncle."

Xue Zhengyong lifted his chin, gesturing for him to sit down. Mo Ran got straight to the point without any preamble. "Does Uncle know what kind of person Luo Fenghua was... or rather, Xu Shuanglin's master?"

"Luo Fenghua." Xue Zhengyong frowned, deep in thought for a while before shaking his head. "I didn't interact with him much, so I can't give you specifics. From what I remember, he was... upright, resolute, fair, and not one to speak much, but had a good temper. He was decisive and wouldn't dilly-dally when it came to taking action. During his time as the leader of the Confucian Wind Sect, he even sent disciples to the Lower Realm to exorcise demons and monsters."

Mo Ran said, "So in conclusion, apart from usurping the Southern Palace family's leadership position, he had no other flaws, right?"

Xue Zhengyong sighed. "Yes, it's more than just no flaws. He was actually a good person. I can't understand how someone like him could lay such a heavy curse on his own disciple."

Mo Ran pondered for a moment before suddenly saying, "Uncle, did you feel that your description of Luo Fenghua just now resembled someone?"

Xue Zhengyong was taken aback. "You mean Yu Heng? ... Forget it, Yu Heng's temper isn't that good."

"No, it's someone else."

"Who?"

Mo Ran replied, "Ye Wangxi."

"Ahh..." Xue Zhengyong's eyes widened slowly as he silently repeated the name, then spoke it aloud with deliberation. "Ye Wangxi..."

This person was kind-hearted and resolute, tenacious yet unyielding. He indeed bore a striking resemblance to Luo Fenghua, who had only served as the leader of the Confucian Wind Sect for about a year in his memory.

"Does it seem like it?"

"...Yes." Xue Zhengyong gradually grew surprised. Ye Wangxi and Luo Fenghua were of different genders, had a significant age difference, and held different positions within the Confucian Wind Sect, so he had never compared the two before. Now that Mo Ran had mentioned it, he realized that the two were practically identical, like clones.

The more Xue Zhengyong thought about it, the more astonished he became. Forgotten memories flooded back, and he could even vaguely recall that when Luo Fenghua was still an honored guest of the Confucian Wind Sect, he wore clothes very similar to what Ye Wangxi usually wore.

Even their mannerisms and tone of speech.

Not to mention the way they drew their bows—

Xue Zhengyong had seen Luo Fenghua draw his bow when he was younger, during Nangong Liu's birthday celebration. The Confucian Wind Sect had also invited the two Xue brothers. Amidst the snowfall, Luo Fenghua had only needed to hook the string with three fingers and tense his pinky to send an arrow whistling through the air, piercing through the white flurries to strike down a snow demon rabbit a hundred paces away.

Everyone around had praised his archery skills, but Luo Fenghua had simply smiled gently, casually looping the bow behind his back with his left hand while his fingers unconsciously stroked the string.

It was a smooth and effortless motion, carefree and relaxed, ending in a finish that was different from the grand and imposing styles of others.

Watching from the side, Xue Zhengyong had been captivated, and the scene had etched itself into his memory.

Now, it suddenly occurred to him that during the Battle of Sky Splitting, Ye Wangxi and Nangong Si had both used bows. Nangong Si's arrows were fierce, but Xue Zhengyong didn't have much of an impression. On the other hand, Ye Wangxi, after firing off a flurry of arrows, would habitually loop the bow around his left elbow, just like Luo Fenghua, and stroke the string with his fingers.

Back then, he couldn't help but glance a few more times, feeling that the gentle fluidity, the casual elegance, was strikingly similar to someone.

He slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Ah, really... really, really! It's almost identical!"

Mo Ran raised an eyebrow. "Identical to what?"

"His style of shooting arrows is simply too similar to Ye Wangxi's, identical, utterly identical!"

Looking at Xue Zhengyong's astonishment, Mo Ran couldn't help but smile. However, he said, "Uncle, you're mistaken."

"Oh? Where did I go wrong?"

Mo Ran replied, "The cause and effect are off."

"Cause and effect?"

"Well, it's not that Luo Fenghua resembles Ye Wangxi," Mo Ran sighed. "Rather, it's Ye Wangxi who bears an uncanny resemblance to Luo Fenghua."

As he spoke, a brilliant glint shone in his eyes, filled with certainty. He was now convinced that he hadn't guessed wrong. Xu Shuanglin's technique of rebirth was indeed intended to resurrect Luo Fenghua.

Though he was unaware of the myriad secrets concealed within the annals of the Confucian Wind Sect's past, across two lifetimes, Xu Shuanglin had been willing to die for Ye Wangxi in his previous life. In this life, he had betrayed everyone and everything in the Confucian Wind Sect except her. Why?

He didn't believe that Xu Shuanglin would spare Ye Wangxi merely out of affection as her foster father.

Xu Shuanglin appeared to be an unattached soul, uttering phrases like "In Lin Yi, manly hearts wither at twenty," and naming his residence "The Three Lives Separation Courtyard," as if he aimed to erase all past memories. Even when naming his adopted daughter, he did so with remarkable transparency.

Wangxi.

Forget the past self, old acquaintances, forget the grudges and debts of kindness.

Yet, Xu Shuanglin, without realizing it, had nurtured Ye Wangxi into an unforgettable reflection, turning this abandoned orphan into another person entirely.

This man who so earnestly wished for others to forget all their past, might have been living in the quagmire of memories all along.

From this, Mo Ran began to form a hazy conjecture. Perhaps because he himself had once lost his mind in darkness, he felt that his predictions about Xu Shuanglin's actions might be more accurate than others. However, these thoughts were not suitable for sharing with others, so he could only speculate silently and observe the developments.

The next day, after failing to find any leads in ancient texts, Xue Zhengyong called everyone together again. "Poisonous creatures and strange beasts are Solitary Moon Night's forte. Since we found the Soul Devouring Bugs at the old Confucian Wind Sect, we should report it to Jiang Xi first."

Xuan Ji agreed, "The world's premier pharmacist, Cold Scale Sage, serves under Jiang Xi. He should be able to figure out a way to investigate this."

However, Chu Wanning frowned and asked Ye Wangxi, "Miss Ye, since you were young, have you ever seen your foster father raise any venomous creatures or beasts?"

"No, I haven't."

"Then, have you any knowledge of medicine or beast taming?"

"He… only ever raised a parrot. Apart from that, let alone exotic beasts or monsters, he wouldn't even consider taking in an ordinary puppy. His knowledge of medicine is even more lacking."

Upon hearing this, Chu Wanning said to Xue Zhengyong, "Regarding the Soul Devouring Worms, don't tell Solitary Moon Night for now."

"Why not?"

"Since Xu Shuanglin isn't skilled in either medicine or beast taming, it's likely that the one who fed and controlled the worms wasn't him, but rather the hand that reached out from the final rift."

"You suspect Solitary Moon Night…?"

"Jumping to conclusions would be hasty," Chu Wanning replied. "But caution is always advisable."

The author has something to say:

Mini-drama: "Who is the Second Boss?"

Xu Shuanglin: Hello everyone, let me introduce myself. I'm the first boss you'll face in your final battle. Now, I'd like to conduct a trivia session with no prizes. Can anyone guess who the second boss is, and how to defeat them?

Mo Ran: I bet the second boss is your master. He's so easy-going, I think I could defeat him just by using my verbal jutsu.

Chu Wanning: I bet that the second boss is a 0.5. With his terrible temper, I think he could be defeated just by being pinned down and beaten up.

Xue Meng: I... I bet the second boss is... Jiang Xi? He's so money-hungry; I believe we could defeat him by simply draining his bank account.

Shi Mo: Then I'll bet on myself as the second boss. Sigh, why is life so difficult? I can't even have peace while handing out meal boxes in a corner, qaq.

Mei Hanxue: Comrade, please make way. This food cart for distributing meal boxes is under my contract.