The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 254: Missing You at Dragon Blood Mountain

Shi Mo abruptly fell silent, his fair cheeks twitching slightly, as if he had been slapped with humiliation. But he still pressed his lips together. "You really don't leave me any face."

As he spoke, his hand reached for Chu Wanning's jaw, but Chu Wanning recoiled from him like he was touching a venomous snake.

Shi Mo narrowed his eyes. For a moment, it seemed like a storm was brewing on his face, but in the end, it dissipated into a calm sea.

"Let's not talk about that," he said, regaining his composure. With a gentle expression, he continued, "Anyway, you're just stubborn. In your previous life, you were planning to kill him, right? But in the end, you couldn't bear to do it. Even before you died, you sent what remained of your shattered soul into his heart."

Shi Mo was not wrong. In that decisive battle in the snowfield of Kunlun that year, Chu Wanning's final touch on Mo Ran's forehead had actually transferred the fragments of his shattered soul into him.

In this lifetime, Chu Wanning's soul had scattered, leaving one part within the past Mo Ran, another within his past self, and all the rest, he had desperately hoped, would reach the Immortal Emperor Taixian.

Chu Wanning had no idea how to dispel the Gu Flower in its third stage, but since the flower needed the caster's soul to bloom, perhaps injecting his own soul might make a difference...

He was now just a broken body, having done all that he could. He had always been decisive in killing, but his only soft spot was for Mo Weiyu.

There was still a sliver of hope for redemption, so in the end, he still didn't kill him. He sacrificed his shattered soul, hoping to bring the former Mo Ran back to the mortal world.

Despite his uncertainty about its effectiveness at the time.

Seemingly reading his thoughts, Shi Mo smiled. "What you did might not have removed the parasitic insect in Mo Ran's chest, but it certainly disrupted his mind, making him struggle between good and evil until he became as mad as a demon, ultimately taking his own life."

"..."

Chu Wanning's expression shifted slightly as he lifted his gaze.

Actually, connecting it to the Heartless Heaven-Stepping Lord he'd encountered on Dragon Mountain, he had already guessed the outcome of Mo Ran's past life. But hearing the words "killed himself" still struck a painful chord in his heart.

Shi Mo looked at him and continued, "Master, you succeeded. You truly protected him, and somehow, his soul even reincarnated into the past. Sigh, I still can't figure out how a useless person like you managed to ruin my plans back then. You... You really surprised me."

His soft eyelashes drooped, drawing near as if to kiss Chu Wanning.

Chu Wanning abruptly snapped back to reality, shooting up his hand like lightning to grip Shi Mo's throat, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

Shi Mo didn't flinch in the slightest. He casually held Chu Wanning's wrist, seemingly having anticipated this reaction from him.

He chuckled. "Why? Does Master want to ruin me a second or third time? Unfortunately, it's too late now. It's impossible."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a hissing sound echoed, and a golden ring snake slithered out from the wide sleeves of Shi Mo, sinking its fangs viciously into Chu Wanning's arm.

The snake seemed to have been nurtured in some extraordinary manner; with just one bite, excruciating pain shot through Chu Wanning's body. His hands went limp, and with Shi Mo holding his wrists, he was bound to the bedpost in an even more humiliating position than before.

"You don't need to worry, this snake is not venomous," Shi Mo said as he tied Chu Wanning's hands together. Then, he sat up leisurely, running the cold, pale tips of his fingers along the snake's body, his peach blossom eyes narrowing slightly. "This snake has been specially fed for you. One bite, and you'll be powerless. Out of respect for my master, that's the most I can do."

With a lift of his hand, the snake slipped back into Shi Mo's sleeve, vanishing from sight.

"As it happens, in my previous life, I was very reluctant to force you to stay by Mo Weiyu's side for so long," he stood up, his fingers calm as he began to remove his cloak, then his outer robe, and then...

Chu Wanning's face paled, overcome by disgust. "Shi Mingjing—!"

Shi Mo merely smiled gently and moved closer to Chu Wanning. "Let me tell you a little secret. When you two got married in your past life, I even attended the banquet as Hua Binan."

"!"

"Although Heaven-Stepping Lord had his selfish reasons for draping red silk over you, hiding your face from the guests, I knew it was you. So after the feast, I didn't leave—I went to the Red Lotus Water Pavilion. Later, he entered."

A sharp glint flickered in Shi Mo's eyes.

"At that time, although he was already under my control with the use of insects, his thoughts and emotions were still his own. Thus, I couldn't let him discover me. I hid, without actually leaving."

Chu Wanning trembled minutely, fueled by anger and intense disgust.

Shi Mo sat down and gently stroked Chu Wanning's chest with his cool, slender fingers. "Do you know?"

His voice was slightly hoarse, and there was an uncharacteristic hint of greed in his eyes.

With deliberate slowness, his fingertips moved downward, pausing at Chu Wanning's abdomen before starting to undo the waist sash.

"The way you were that night, beneath him, moaning wantonly as he pleasured you with aphrodisiacs... Tsk, truly." The corners of Shi Mo's eyes reddened, a hint of desire evident, "It has left me parched for two lifetimes."

Feeling an immense sense of humiliation, Chu Wanning, with his two lifetimes' memories colliding and draining him greatly, and further weakened by the venomous bite of the golden ring snake, gritted his teeth fiercely. "Shi Mingjing, damn it, get the hell out of here!"

Shi Mo chuckled softly. "It's just sharing a bed, why be so fierce? After all, you've already been intimate with your own disciple. There's no need to pretend to be reserved, is there?"

"Scram!"

"Serving a disciple, be it one or two, makes no difference to me," Shi Mo said unperturbed. "I have no qualms about it. Why don't you indulge and enjoy? Perhaps my skills aren't inferior to his."

"Get out of my sight!"

Just as he spoke, a cold voice echoed from the entrance.

"Get the hell out."

Chu Wanning was struck dumb, lifting his head to find the stone door had already opened. A man with an indistinct face stood in the half-opened secret chamber, holding a black-gold saber against his chest. He seemed towering and ominous, standing straight with his back to the light.

Shi Mo narrowed his eyes. "Is that you...? So soon?"

The man's heavy footsteps entered, bringing a chill with him. The room's flickering lamps cast cold shadows on his black, form-fitting leather armor, adorned with a silver dragon buckle at his waist and a hidden weapon case hanging from it. Sharp bracers adorned his wrists, covered by dark dragon-scale gloves.

Looking up, one would see a handsome face, with extravagantly heroic features—this was none other than the Immortal Emperor!

An eerie coldness and scent of blood radiated from the Emperor, as if he had just returned from the battlefield.

He lifted his gaze, blood still staining his pale cheeks. His eyes, like bayonets, pierced through the two figures on the bed.

To be precise, he only glanced at Chu Wanning before his gaze locked onto Shi Mingjing, shimmering with icy hostility.

"Scram." Shi Mo's expression turned cold as he saw him enter the room, then he straightened up and slowly sat up.

"Did you kill everyone in Solitary Moon Night like I asked?"

"Not enough to satisfy me." Heaven-Stepping Lord approached them with bared teeth, biting at the edge of his glove before removing it, revealing his well-proportioned hands beneath. He tossed the bloodstained glove onto the table, fixing Shi Mo with a sinister gaze as he said, "Be smart. One more soul wouldn't make much difference to the ghosts under my command."

Shi Mo's expression was also grim. "You'd better know who you're talking to."

"I only distinguish whether or not I'm pleased," Heaven-Stepping Lord replied coldly. "You've climbed into the wrong bed. Move aside."

"When did it become your turn to bark orders at me?"

Heaven-Stepping Lord replied perilously, "That has always been my way."

Shi Mo appeared somewhat irked, his eyes flickering with a subtle, scaled luminescence. "...I am your master!"

"And what if it is? Dragon Mountain belongs to me, and the one on the bed is mine," Heaven-Stepping Lord gazed down at Shi Mingjing with disdain, a hint of mockery tugging at the corners of his lips. "Master, I request that you leave."

The Immortal Transcender and Shi Mingjing engaged in a verbal sparring match, their words clashing like sparks from flint. Chu Wanning, on the other hand, stood by silently, observing the situation with a sense of uncertainty.

Shi Mingjing had just declared that Heaven-Stepping Lord was dead. Then who was this person before him? A pawn? A living puppet?

Furthermore, he had suppressed the insect curse within this life's "Mo Ran." As for the previous life's Imperial Lord, due to the deep infiltration of the curse, there was no way to restore his normalcy. Logically speaking, he should have been hopelessly in love with Shi Mo. Yet, from the tone, it seemed Heaven-Stepping Imperial Lord didn't even consider Shi Mingjing as a sentient being.

...And what about this so-called master?

Shi Mo stared at Heaven-Stepping Lord for a moment before scoffing and getting up to put on his robe.

While Chu Wanning was in the dark, he knew everything.

—In Mo Ran's previous life, when he took his own life, Shi Mo immediately lost his weapon. He then used medicine to refine Mo Ran's corpse and the remaining soul fragments into a living dead. This living dead resembled a Zhonglon Chess piece, willing to obey his commands while retaining all memories from life.

However, something went wrong, perhaps because of the severe trauma Mo Ran experienced in life or the numerous alterations he underwent in this lifetime, leaving his body broken beyond repair. In the mind of this living dead Heaven-Stepping Lord, the perception of Shi Mo was severely distorted. One moment, he believed Shi Mo was alive, the next, he thought Shi Mo was dead. At times, he would even temporarily forget who Shi Mo was. Thus, even when facing Hua Binan's face, Heaven-Stepping Lord wouldn't recognize it as Shi Mo, only seeing "master." Moreover, he wasn't very keen on following his master's orders.

"I really can't do anything with you."

Shi Mo approached and poked Heaven-Stepping Lord's forehead. "Soul Disperse!"

With a sharp command, Heaven-Stepping Lord froze, his sharp gaze suddenly becoming unfocused and losing its clarity.

"It's my puppet that's becoming more and more disobedient, constantly opposing me and even attempting to turn against me," Shi Mo said, patting his cold face. "But never mind. I won't blame you. You were never a complete 'human' to begin with."

Heaven-Stepping Lord: "…"

"Put up with it for now," Shi Mo said. "Once I obtain that item and remold you, you'll fall back in line."

After saying this, Shi Mo's control over Heaven-Stepping Lord reached its limit. The speed of recovery made Shi Mo's expression even darker. He hadn't expected that in such a short time, Heaven-Stepping Lord's eyes would regain their luster, now even more resolute and chilling than before.

With that chilling, intimidating gaze fixed on Shi Mo, Heaven-Stepping Lord paused, narrowing his eyes slightly. His nose wrinkled, and his expression resembled that of a hungry cheetah. "Hm? Why haven't you left?"

As he spoke, his slender fingers curled around the hilt of the Unreturning Blade.

"Are you standing there to be a target for this Lord?"

Shi Mo didn't engage him in further conversation. Or rather, Heaven-Stepping Lord's hostility was so intense that even Shi Mingjing, as his "master," knew he couldn't restrain him anymore.

This Master of Darkness could be truly terrifying when he lost control.

Shi Mo left.

After he left, Heaven-Stepping Lord gazed at Chu Wanning on the bed for a long while with an enigmatic and peculiar expression. It seemed as though he was struggling to restrain something, yet at the same time, unable to resist his desire.

Eventually, he sat down and reached out to hold Chu Wanning's waist.

"I..."

Pausing, he didn't know how to continue, so he pursed his lips and changed his words.

"You..."

Chu Wanning looked back at him, but after their eyes met for a prolonged moment, no further words came, so he slowly blinked away the slight sting in his eyes.

"Cough, I have an important matter to discuss with you."

"Go ahead."

Heaven-Stepping Lord hesitated for a moment before firmly stating, "Actually, it's not that important after all. Let's not talk about it."

"..."

After a moment, he spoke again with a more resolute tone, "It doesn't really matter whether it's important or not. Since you're so curious, I might as well tell you."

Chu Wanning: "..."

"In fact, what I wanted to say is..." Heaven-Stepping Lord took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and spoke with great stiffness, "After all these years, it seems... that I've thought about you... just a little."

He quickly added, "But not too much, only a tiny bit."

With just these two sentences, an expression of immense regret appeared on his handsome and pale face.

Staring blankly at him, Chu Wanning, with two lifetimes' worth of souls and memories intertwined, was unsure how to approach this man.

However, Heaven-Stepping Lord didn't give him time to ponder further.

Seemingly agitated, he untied the ropes around Chu Wanning's wrists and pulled him closer. A large hand caressed the back of Chu Wanning's head, holding and stroking it, before planting a hasty yet passionate kiss upon his lips.

Heaven-Stepping Lord's lips were cold, but his desire burned hot.

In this bold and eager kiss, layers of past memories unfolded.

Chu Wanning was kissed by him. These two souls, fragmented and incomplete, separated by two lifetimes of karma, finally reunited in this embrace, entwining with each other once more.

In the arms of Heaven-Stepping Lord, as he was kissed deeply, Chu Wanning seemed to be lost in countless thoughts, yet his mind was also eerily blank, unable to grasp anything tangible.

But in the end, he knew that his eyes were brimming with tears.

Right or wrong, good or evil – all boundaries blurred, everything became indistinct.

Yet, in this kiss with a man who no longer held warmth, he was certain.

Heaven-Stepping Lord hadn't deceived him.

Mo Ran hadn't deceived him.

He truly had missed him.