The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 273: Different Paths of the "Heavenly Sound Pavilion"

In the grand hall of Dragon Mountain, a single lamp flickered in solitude.

Nan Gongliu curled up beside the throne, sound asleep, with two unfinished oranges by his hand.

Suddenly, a slender figure emerged from the corner, casting a shadow over Nan Gongliu as it approached slowly. The person moved at an extremely slow pace, leaning on a bamboo cane. A snowy white silk veil was draped over their delicate nose, completely concealing their eyes.

"Mm..." Perhaps the tapping of the cane against the ground disturbed Nan Gongliu, who woke up from a light slumber. He rubbed his eyes, somewhat dazed, and said, "Oh, it's Elder Brother Zhiyou... What happened to your eyes?"

The person who had entered the hall was none other than Shi Mo, the blind man who had been elusive and avoided appearing before others.

Nan Gongliu stared blankly, "Didn't you go to the Heavenly Sound Pavilion?"

Shi Mo shook his head. "It's a long story, I won't go into details." After a brief pause, he continued, "Ah Liu, I think I left a precious chess strategy scroll on the table. Could you help me look for it?"

"Of course not." Nan Gongliu immediately rummaged through the desk and soon found the silk scroll. "Here you go."

"Thank you."

With his slender fingers gliding gently over the silk scroll, Shi Mo's blind eyes could not see the text, but these military strategies were not solely recorded in characters. In case of emergencies, they could also be perceived through spiritual energy. Standing alone in the vast and silent hall, he deciphered the contents bit by bit. The scroll detailed all the precious chess game troops Hua Binan had summoned to force Mo Ran to self-destruct his spirit nucleus.

Summoned: 46,000 former citizens of Linling Island.

13,000 citizens from the Weeping Buddha Temple.

...

And so on.

All former disciples of the Peak of Life and Death, from his past life.

Shi Mo held the soft and delicate silk in his hand, initially feeling numb. His mind was dull with the realization: Was this the 'necessary sacrifice' that his past self had referred to – a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood?

All disciples of the Peak of Life and Death, without exception.

Each one turned into a precious chess piece, serving the Immortal Emperor, except for Xue Meng, who seemed to have been the sole survivor?

Yet he distinctly recalled Hua Binan's gentle words: "You know, I've seen my share of life and death. The world is full of suffering; I only wish for no evil to be done. I hope that as few people as possible would lose their lives on this path, or else, I couldn't live with myself."

That was what Hua Binan had said to him the moment he had appeared before him through a temporal rift.

—Life on earth is full of suffering. Avoid evil deeds, and if love cannot be helped, may there be fewer sorrows.

It wasn't too far off from his own beliefs. He was ruthless and merciless, but only out of necessity, not by choice.

"Conscience is uneasy..." Back then, the earnest Hua Binan, who had spoken those words, had already slaughtered everyone in another world.

And yet, he had only found out now.

"Brother Zhiyou, y-you, what's wrong?" His head throbbed as he heard Nan Gongliu's anxious voice ringing in his ears. "Your face looks terrible, and you're shaking. A-are you sick? Are you cold?"

Childish rambling suddenly enveloped him in warmth as Nan Gongliu took off his outer robe and clumsily draped it over him.

"Here, I'm not cold. Take my clothes."

The sinner who once hid daggers in a velvet glove had become so innocent after losing his divine consciousness.

Perhaps everyone had gone through such earnest concern for others during their youthful sincerity? It was just that, over time, like the skin on one's face, wrinkles also formed in one's heart.

No longer resembling myself at all.

Shi Mo clung to Nan Gongliu's clothes, feeling an icy chill seeping through his bones.

Dizziness washed over him in waves, and blood-stained tears seeped through the white cloth... He slumped onto his seat, curling himself up as small as possible.

"He's not me..." Shi Mo kept muttering, "He's not me..."

Confused, Nan Gongliu asked from nearby, "What do you mean?"

Shi Mo buried his face in the crook of his arm. The faint tremors spread from his fingers throughout his body, making him reluctant to even touch that piece of silk again.

"I wanted to save lives, I knew sacrifices were inevitable. I was aware of the schemes and betrayals that would come with it. I had prepared myself for damnation. When he discussed with me the possibility of donating my eyes, I didn't hesitate. But I..."

"Brother Zhijiao..."

Nan Gongliu placed his hand on Shi Mo's hair, comforting him like a child, albeit clumsily.

Suddenly, Shi Mo choked back a sob. "I never imagined he'd kill so many people..."

Silk scrolls scattered on the ground, revealing in their intricate details the fate of virtually all cultivators and commoners in another world — reduced to mere skeletons.

After an eternity, so long that Nan Gongliu had been crouching beside him, at a loss for what to do, Shi Mo finally rose slowly, leaning on the icy table and rubbing his hands against it.

Nan Gongliu hurriedly asked, "Where are you going?"

Shi Mo stood silently for a moment, genuinely unsure of where he should go. It wasn't until Nan Gongliu's third inquiry that he snapped out of his daze. He bit his lip and said, "The secret chamber."

He couldn't afford to make any more mistakes. He needed to save his Master.

Arriving at the entrance to the secret chamber, he touched the stone door and realized that Hua Binan had placed an incredibly advanced enchantment upon it.

"…" Shi Mo was slightly taken aback, a hint of a bitter smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

From the Silk Scroll Armament Manual to the enchanted stone door — he suddenly found himself to be the laughingstock of it all.

Hua Binan had cast this spell to guard against him, a type of magic Shi Mo should never have learned according to logic. In the end, Hua Binan didn't trust him at all.

"I've let you down," Shi Mo whispered, a soft azure glow appearing in his hand as he reached toward the heart of the formation.

"Perhaps in your past life, at my age, you hadn't learned this incantation yet. But I have, only you weren't aware of it."

The stone door of the secret chamber burst open with a thunderous crash.

Could anyone truly relive their life and walk the exact same path?

Even if it were the same person, a single event like avoiding a spring rain or taking a nap under the shade of a tree during summer might alter their entire life's trajectory.

Shi Mo hesitated repeatedly before the entrance of the secluded chamber, but eventually, he stepped in gently.

Inside, a Nine-Dragon Holding Candle Lamp burned steadily, emitting pure radiance. However, this light was of no use to the two individuals within the room.

One was unconscious, and the other was blind.

With his eyes wrapped in bandages, Shi Mo sat by Chu Wanning's bedside. He reached out, his slender and fair fingers tracing the contours of Chu Wanning's face.

He murmured softly, "Master..."

Chu Wanning did not awaken, and thus gave no response. His cheeks remained flushed with heat.

Soul fragments merged, becoming one.

He endured the fragmented memories belonging to Mo Ran, tormented within dreams.

A gentle glow illuminated from Shi Mo's fingertips as he touched Chu Wanning's neck. A tranquil flow of spiritual energy coursed through his entire being like water.

"Are you feeling any better?"

Still, there was no answer.

Lowering his eyelashes, Shi Mo knew that Chu Wanning remained deeply asleep. Otherwise, he would not have mustered the courage to enter the stone chamber and sit beside him.

He fell into a brief reverie, seemingly lost in deep thought or perhaps thinking of nothing at all.

In truth, before he had become a disciple, when he was still very young, he held a profound wish for which he was willing to sacrifice anything. He was well aware of his destiny, and thus never felt that he had strayed from the right path.

Yet one day, time and space twisted, and another version of himself, worn from the mortal world, suddenly appeared before him.

He met his future self, more than a decade older.

Putting aside the shock and fear, the young him felt a profound sense of dissonance when he first encountered Hua Binan – he couldn't fathom what had transformed him into this. Cold, cunning, melancholic, and desperate.

But for their shared aspiration, he ultimately agreed to Hua Binan's request, meticulously planning each step until he reached this point today.

Over the years, the two versions of Shi Mo fulfilled their respective roles. The one by Mo Ran's side was him, while the other Shi Mingjing, who had returned from another timeline, manipulated events from behind the scenes.

Just as Heaven-Stepping Lord and Grandmaster Mo were vastly different, he and that Shi Mingjing were not as alike as they seemed. Their distinct experiences shaped them – the other Shi Mingjing resembled a master strategist with a cold heart, while he became a hidden pawn on the chessboard of fate in the flow of time.

Looking back now, before Hua Binan broke through the Door of Time and Life, he could also be considered a ruthless young man. But after collaborating with Hua Binan, the latter continually advised him: hide his sharp edges, learn to disguise himself.

In his youth, he had fiercely argued with Hua Binan over this: "I've had enough. How long do you want me to pretend? Being kind and gentle everywhere, swallowing my anger at every turn. Who can remember all the lies we've spun to work together?"

At the time, they had just returned from Jin Chengchi, and Hua Binan was dissatisfied with his behavior in front of Heart-Plucking Willow. He reprimanded Shi Mo, not expecting such a strong reaction. Startled, he replied, "I was only reminding you to be cautious, to avoid exposing yourself."

"You make it sound easy," he said, biting his lip. "How many times have I checked Mo Ran's feelings as you asked? Do you know how disgusting it is to fawn over someone you don't even like?"

Hua Binan seemed momentarily at a loss for a response, eventually saying, "I've gone through everything you have, so what right do you have to say you know better?"

"But there are things I haven't experienced that you have!"

"..."

"Ever since you appeared in my life, you've been telling me what's wrong and what's right. Fine, you've been there before, and for the sake of that goal, I'm willing to listen to you and give it my all. But Hua Binan," Shi Mo grew more agitated with each word, his breathing quickening, his eyes reddened, "you'd better understand that you have no right to criticize me."

This was the first major conflict he had had with his younger self since crossing over. Hua Binan's face was ashen, his lips pressed together in silence.

Shi Mo continued, "You failed in your world, so you came here through the rift in Chu Wanning's Life and Death Gate, wanting a second chance. But you need to be clear: I am not your pawn."

"..."

"I'm collaborating with you for our shared purpose."

Hua Binan closed his eyes briefly. "You're thinking too much. Nobody sees you as a mere pawn."

Shi Mo was still visibly upset. "Forget it. Since you sensed Mo Ran's rebirth, which of my actions hasn't been done according to your instructions? It was me who kept watch over the Eight Sorrows Longing Flower slumbering inside him! Me!"

"..."

"Right from the moment he first appeared in Impermanence Town, you were eager for me to 'casually encounter' him. Then you had me bring small dishes to feel out his intentions, not to mention all those instances where you asked me to deliberately sow discord between him and Chu Wanning," Shi Mo's phoenix eyes locked onto Hua Binan's increasingly uncomfortable expression. "I'm almost sick of playing this charade!"

"Huan Binan gritted his teeth, "You would have done these things even without me. Don't think I'm forcing you; the me from the previous life did all of this without exception too. Mo Ran is the host of the Eight Bitterness Flower of Longing; only by repeatedly confirming his emotions can we discern the condition of the flower poison within him. Do you think I haven't suffered these same humiliations?"

Noticing that Shi Mo didn't refute him immediately, Hua Binan continued, "In my previous life, I did almost the same as you. I was constantly pretending until the Heavenly Rift occurred in the Ghost Realm. It was then, with my death, that I fueled the hatred in his heart. Only after that did I restart my life as Hua Binan."

"..."

"I've endured for so long. Why can't you last even a year and a half?"

Shi Mo suddenly looked up. "Do I need to ask? You're fighting for yourself. What about me?"

Hua Binan: "…What difference is there between us?"

"There is a difference. If I could help it, I wouldn't want to be swayed." Shi Mo gazed at him, then slowly spoke the second half of his sentence, "Not even by my other self from another world."

But it was difficult to have everything go as one wished. No matter how much resentment he held in his heart, after that argument, Shi Mo had no choice but to surrender to fate.

After all, he was still too young, inexperienced in the ways of the world. Yet he knew precisely what he ultimately sought, so he would inevitably yield to his former self.

For years, he had followed the whims of his other self, living more like a puppet than the precious game piece in the world of mortals. To claim he never grew weary of this existence would be a lie. But whenever his frustration reached its peak, he would remind himself: for the greater scheme at hand, these sufferings were but trivial.

"When will this charade come to an end?" It became the question he asked Hua Binan most often. "When will the heavens tear?"

And Hua Binan's response was akin to dangling a carrot before a donkey: "Soon, much sooner than in your previous life."

Day after day, he waited patiently, never tiring of anticipation.

Eventually, the gates to the Realm of Ghosts opened. He assumed he could feign death as before to escape. However, Chu Wanning perished in that battle.

That fateful night, tensions between him and Hua Binan erupted to unprecedented levels. In the sealed chamber of disciples, Shi Mo shattered every porcelain bowl before him, his chest heaving with emotion—

"How can I continue to pretend composure? Our Master is dead. Did you calculate this outcome in your plans?"

Hua Binan's expression was equally grim. "How can you blame me for this? You should blame Mo Ran; it was his reckless actions that led to this." His fingers clenched into a fist on the table, almost embedding themselves in his palm, his voice sharp, "He is the one who caused Chu Wanning's death."

"…Yes, it was him." Shi Mo's eyes reddened, yet he struggled to hold back tears. From a young age, his mother had taught him never to shed a tear, no matter the circumstances.

Hua Binan was no different.

"It's him who caused our Master's death. Then don't stop me! I'll go kill him right now!"

Hua Binan abruptly looked up. "Are you insane?!"

"Oh?" Shi Mo panted, nodding with a provoking glint in his eyes. "You still know the word 'insane'?"

Hua Binan gritted his teeth. "…Protecting Mo Ran, refining him, controlling him — these are the keys to our plan. As for the rest, that's not your concern."

"See, that's precisely it." Shi Mo scoffed, covering his forehead with a mocking smile. A gleam of excitement flickered in his eyes. "You're Cold Scale Saint Healer. You can mourn Master Chu from afar during Solitary Moon Night alongside other cultivators, even curse Mo Ran as you please. But what about me? What kind of nonsense did you tell me?"

"…"

Shi Mo sat down on the chair, his expression bordering on disdain. "The first thing you told me when you came today was to confirm as soon as possible whether the Eight Sorrows Long Hate Flower inside Mo Ran has completely lost its effect and if there's still a chance to save him."

He muttered softly, lifting his gaze slightly to rest on Hua Binan's pale face.

Mockingly: "You actually want me to confess my feelings to Mo Ran at this moment? Telling me that I mustn't let Wanning take my place in his heart?"

His words were as sharp as thorns, piercing Hua Binan and himself alike.

He scoffed. "Between the two of us, who's the one that's truly mad?"

Hua Binan abruptly closed his eyes, his pupils rolling beneath thin eyelids. Then he said, "I have no other choice. Due to Chu Wanning's sacrifices in his previous life, the Eight Sorrows Long Hate Flower within Mo Ran's body was already on the brink of collapse. If it's completely destroyed, it will be even more difficult to control Mo Ran later on."

"So you're pushing all these inhuman tasks onto me, is that it?!" Shi Mo could no longer endure, slamming his hand on the table as he stood up abruptly. "Master has only just left... Have you considered my feelings at all?"

Silence.

"Do you like him? Does that mean I don't?" Shi Mo's voice quivered after saying those words.

The room fell into a deathly stillness.

In the end, he sat down again, placing his hand on his forehead. His long eyelashes trembled uncontrollably beneath his palm. For a moment, no one spoke. The rain outside poured heavily, as if the world was cracking apart under the flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder, just like in ancient times.

After a long while, Hua Binan sighed softly. "Nan, I owe you an apology."

In response, Shi Mo merely delivered a stiff and chilling remark: "Don't call me Nan anymore."

Silence.

"I'm not the same as you. Address me as Shi Mo or Shi Mingjing."