The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 208: Master, Are You Sure You Want Me to Hide Under the Bed?

Mo Ran attempted to speak several times but only managed to move his lips. His temples throbbed painfully as blood rushed wildly through his veins, yet he felt that his blood was no longer warm but cold, like ice. In his struggle, even the tips of his fingers grew numb.

"Master."

"..."

"Actually... I..." He finally spoke, but after only a few words, he became disoriented and fell apart once more.

Why was he saying this?

It all happened in his past life. He had already taken his own life in the Wu Mountain Palace; he was long dead, merely carrying the memories of his previous existence... So why was he still talking about it?

Wouldn't it feel better to let his conscience be at ease by speaking up? But was it truly the right choice?

Things were so perfect now. Xue Meng would smile at him, Chu Wanning belonged to him, his uncle and aunt were still alive, and Shi Mo was also still living... Nothing was more important than these. Even if he were to carry guilt for the rest of his life, even if he were to forever be a fugitive, he didn't want to personally destroy everything before him.

Yet, he also felt that he should say it.

It was now certain that the person behind the scenes had also experienced rebirth, and only he could warn everyone, preparing them for what was to come. This was his chance to atone; perhaps Heaven had allowed him to retain his memories after death precisely for this moment, so that someone could stand up and prevent this impending disaster.

Even if it meant sacrificing his life.

Mo Ran closed his eyes. He was trembling, and moisture glistened between his lashes.

Death did not scare him. He had already died once before, but there were things in this world more terrifying than death—things he had endured enough of in his previous life, which had driven him to take his own life to escape them. In recent years, especially after Chu Wanning's death, he had been running with all his might, trying to outrun the invisible giant beast on his tail. But now, he was backed into a corner.

Its razor-sharp claws hung over his throat.

Betrayal by all, condemned for eternity.

He couldn't escape... he couldn't escape...

Mo Ran wept silently, tears streaming down his face and splashing onto the ground.

Struggling to control the tremors in his voice, he said, "I'm sorry... I... I don't know how to say this... Actually... I..."

Suddenly, a pair of strong, well-proportioned arms wrapped around him from behind.

Mo Ran abruptly opened his eyes, realizing that Chu Wanning had approached and embraced him from behind.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to," Chu Wanning's voice resonated from his shoulder. "Everyone has their secrets... and we all make mistakes."

Mo Ran was stunned.

Chu Wanning had already understood.

He had understood... Of course, how could Chu Wanning not see through him? He had witnessed too many times Mo Ran's remorseful admissions, sincere or insincere, reluctant or earnest.

Though he didn't know the specifics of Mo Ran's wrongdoing, Chu Wanning knew that Mo Ran must be yearning to confess some past events, ones he actually didn't wish to speak of.

"Shifu..."

"If that matter troubles you deeply, and you wish to share it with me, then speak. I'm here to listen," Chu Wanning said. "But if it causes you pain to talk about it, then you don't need to say anything, and I won't push you further. ...I trust you would never repeat such actions again."

Mo Ran's heart felt torn apart.

He shook his head slightly, no...

It's not as simple as you think... Not nearly as simple...

I didn't merely break a flower that shouldn't have been broken. I took lives, leaving rivers of blood and stretches of barren bones. I devastated half the cultivation world, and I destroyed you.

He crumbled once more.

I destroyed you, Chu Wanning!

Why are you comforting a murderer... Why console someone who stabbed a knife into their own heart? Why did you beg for mercy on my behalf in your final moments?

Why didn't you kill me back then...

He trembled, violently, and Chu Wanning, dazed, suddenly felt warm droplets land on the back of his hand. He murmured softly, "Mo Ran..."

"I want to speak it out."

"Then say it."

Mo Ran was in disarray. He shook his head and said again, "I... I don't know how to express it..."

His voice had been well-controlled until now, when it finally wavered with emotion.

"I really... I don't know how to start."

"Then don't say anything." Chu Wanning released his hold and turned Mo Ran around. In the darkness, he caressed Mo Ran's cheek, who tried to evade, but Chu Wanning persisted, cupping his face. It was damp with tears that had been falling for a long time.

Chu Wanning said, "Don't say anything more."

"I..."

Suddenly, the scent of peach blossoms was so close. Chu Wanning kissed him, seemingly for the first time taking the initiative to kiss Mo Ran. It was awkward and clumsy as he pressed their lips together, gently parting his bitter mouth with his tongue, exploring and entwining.

It was chaotic, unsettling, and frenzied.

Mo Ran didn't know why this was happening. Perhaps love was an escape from all pain, perhaps humans were ultimately no different from beasts, forgetting everything in the act of union. In this indulgence of desire, only pleasure was real.

For the helpless, there was compassion.

For those in despair, a moment of respite.

No one spoke again. As their kiss deepened, Chu Wanning sensed Mo Ran's desire for him, pressing against him through their clothes. Hesitating for a moment, he reached out to touch him, but Mo Ran captured his fingers, interlacing them. "This is enough."

He held Chu Wanning in his arms, for only this person could calm his pain.

Purify his soul.

"There's no need to do anything else... This is enough..."

Chu Wanning lifted his hand, gently stroking Mo Ran's face, inexplicably feeling a pang of heartache. "Why are you so foolish?"

Mo Ran then took his other hand, connecting both hands tightly together. He pressed their foreheads together. "If only I had been this foolish earlier on."

Seeing that he couldn't convince Mo Ran and unsure how to express himself more softly, Chu Wanning awkwardly nuzzled his cheek and nose, eventually lightly capturing Mo Ran's lips with his own.

His ears were undoubtedly flushed, but he tried his best to appear composed and collected. He initiated the kiss, the embrace, doing things he wasn't accustomed to doing before.

"Shifu..." Mo Ran dodged, his breath quickening under Chu Wanning's kisses. "No... Don't do this."

"It's always been you taking the initiative," Chu Wanning freed himself from Mo Ran's grasp, looping his arms around his neck. "Listen to me today."

"Master..."

Looking into Mo Ran's warm and moist dog-like eyes, Chu Wanning patted the back of his head with unprecedented tenderness and affection: "Good boy."

Without any lamps, they kissed and caressed each other against the wall. Their kisses started gently then became passionate, then ardent, and finally, they clung to each other desperately, filled with the raw animalistic desire of males and urgency.

"Master... Wanning..."

Mo Ran kept calling out his name, with tenderness, love, madness, and guilt intertwined in his voice.

As long as Chu Wanning showed him the slightest bit of affection, it would be the most potent aphrodisiac in the world.

He no longer hesitated. Pressing Chu Wanning against the wall, he kissed him fiercely, kneaded him, until both of them were panting heavily, their hearts pounding wildly. Mo Ran was frenzied, his eyes reddened as Chu Wanning frowned under his kisses and murmured: "The lamp..."

"Isn't it already extinguished?"

He continued to kiss him, his lips moving down to his earlobe, then his neck. He heard Chu Wanning suppress a moan, whispering softly in his ear: "No, light it up..."

Mo Ran was taken aback.

Chu Wanning said, "I want to look at you."

The lamps flickered on.

Darkness vanished.

Chu Wanning's phoenix eyes were bright, clear, and resolute, veiled with a hint of desire. His cheeks held the usual frost, yet his ears were flushed red, adding a touch of color to the scene.

He said, "I want to look at you."

Mo Ran suddenly felt a searing pain in his heart, as if it were about to die. How could his dirty, scarred, once-merciless heart still survive under such an intense gaze?

He embraced him, kissed him, and pressed Chu Wanning's hand against his own chest, over the thumping spot.

He said, "Remember this place."

"..."

"If there comes a day when I am beyond redemption," Mo Ran murmured, their noses brushing against each other, "kill me yourself, right here."

Chu Wanning jolted, staring at him in disbelief. "Do you have any idea what you're saying?"

Mo Ran smiled, his expression bearing the charm and sincerity of Grandmaster Mo, as well as the wickedness and madness of Heaven-Stepping Lord.

"My spirit nucleus was formed because of you, and my heart belongs to you. If there ever comes a day when I must die, these two things should be yours, so that I can..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

The shock and fear that had never appeared in Chu Wanning's eyes made it impossible for him to continue.

In the end, Mo Ran lowered his gaze and said with a bitter smile, "I was just joking. I said that to tell you..."

He held him tightly.

Who knew how many more times they would have this chance.

"Wanning..."

I love you, want you, and cannot live without you.

There was so much he wanted to say, but like the events of his past life, it was all unspeakable.

Chu Wanning remained in a state of confusion and disbelief. He wondered what kind of monstrous mistake one had to commit to be able to utter such words.

But when Mo Ran kissed him, Chu Wanning's consciousness shattered amidst the chaos. He wasn't usually so susceptible, perhaps it wasn't fair to blame Mo Ran's kiss; he himself didn't wish to delve too deeply into his thoughts.

Passion intertwined with despair, like oil dripping into burning flames.

Their subsequent entanglement grew primal and frenzied. Before they even reached the bed, most of their clothing had been shed. Chu Wanning found himself pressed beneath Mo Ran on the mattress, where there was no more hesitation or awkwardness between them as men often sought their desires with straightforward brutality.

His undergarment was swiftly undone. Mo Ran buried his face in kisses, licking and sucking at him, occasionally lifting his gaze to watch Chu Wanning's dazed expression, his neck arched and breaths coming in shallow gasps beneath the lamplight.

How many more times would they share such intimacy?

Twice? Once?

They were soon leaving for Dragon Mountain, and might very well encounter the mastermind behind it all. If that person truly employed the Precious Chess Game, only he could unravel its secrets swiftly.

Then everything would come to light.

Yet amidst their entanglement, he soothed his Master and the despairing part of himself, saying that they would have countless more opportunities in the future.

They would always be together.

Just like their passionate love, spanning from night to day, he would bully him repeatedly through the night, sleeping intertwined, entwining until dawn broke, waking in the soft glow of the sunrise, indulging in their desires under the daylight, filthy yet deeply in love, pushing each other to the ultimate heights.

Mo Ran stroked them both, seeking mutual release.

In Chu Wanning's phoenix eyes, desire and mist mingled, his lips slightly parted as he panted with each of Mo Ran's movements, his gaze growing hazy and bewildered.

Amidst their intoxication, they heard someone knocking on the door.

Chu Wanning snapped back to reality, his face draining of color. Mo Ran immediately covered his mouth to silence him. The room was quiet, but his other hand still moved urgently and fiercely, stimulating himself and the person in his arms.

Chu Wanning tried to shake his head, but Mo Ran's strength was too great, holding him down. He couldn't move, only managing to reveal his phoenix eyes, filled with both pleasure and pain, resentment and regret.

"Master, are you there?"

Hearing that voice, Chu Wanning glared at Mo Ran in increasing anger, lightly tapping the bed frame with one hand.

Mo Ran swallowed, his Adam's apple moving sensuously. His voice was low and hoarse. "Mm. I know, Xue Meng."

"Shifu?" After waiting for a while with no response, Xue Meng muttered, "Strange, the lamp is still on… Shifu?"

It seemed that Mo Ran had no intention of acknowledging him, still lying on top of Chu Wanning, lost in passion. The room was too dark, causing him to mistake Chu Wanning's furious gaze for a look of desire.

"Shifu?"

The disciple outside wasn't planning on leaving, and the one on the bed wasn't about to stop either. Frustrated by their persistence, Chu Wanning bit down hard on Mo Ran's finger. Mo Ran yelped in pain, finally retracting his hand. A hint of grievance shimmered in his dark eyes.

He spoke in a deep, smoldering tone, "You hurt me so much..."

"Good, I hope it hurts you to death," Chu Wanning panted, shooting him a fierce glare before addressing the door, "I'm already in bed. What is it?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Xue Meng replied. "It's just that… I can't sleep. I have something on my mind that I want to talk to Shifu about…"

His voice gradually softened, and it was easy to picture the dejected expression on Phoenix outside.

Chu Wanning: "…"

What's going on? Why are both of you troubled tonight?

Concerned, Chu Wanning patted Mo Ran, who was still lying on top of him, and whispered, "Get up, quickly put on your clothes."

Mo Ran's eyes widened, his expression akin to that of a startled dog. "You want to let him in?"

"He sounds off somehow..."

"And me?"

"..." Though embarrassed, Chu Wanning still said, "Put on your clothes and hide under the bed."

The author has something to say:

Mo Ran: (In a challenging manner) Why should I hide under the bed?! I'm not some randy neighbor! I won't move! I'll just wait for him to come in!

Chu Wanning: Alright, then sit there. I'll go answer the door.

Mo Ran: ... (Cowers instantly)