The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 276: "Heavenly Sound Pavilion," I'll Be Your Sacrifice

The execution ground was solemn. Mo Ran's spirit core fragments were being relentlessly extracted, piece by piece.

Again and again.

He endured it with all his might, gritting his teeth fiercely. Suffering was one thing, showing weakness was another. He refused to cry out in pain in front of Mu Yanli; he was as steadfast as a rock.

The pain was too deep, like drowning in an ocean of bitterness.

Suddenly, a voice boomed in his head like a spring thunderbolt.

"Mo Ran!"

Impossible, how could it be?

How could it be him...

It must be that he was in too much pain, causing hallucinations and a blurred state of mind.

"Mo Ran!"

Amidst the growing commotion, it seemed that someone was gasping in shock or shouting. The sky stirred with a sudden gust of wind, and Mu Yanli's hand froze in mid-air.

Shaking, Mo Ran summoned all his strength to lift his head—

He saw his deity riding the Torch Dragon, diving down from the heavens.

He saw his deity's white robes billowing, like a celestial being descending.

As they drew closer, the face beside the magnificent dragon horns became clear, and Mo Ran's heart lurched with a sudden pain that surpassed any blade piercing him.

He saw his deity crying—Chu Wanning... was crying.

"Master..."

Blood gushed from the wound in his chest, but Mo Ran struggled to sit up, the jingling of his bracelets echoing around him.

Chu Wanning leaped off the giant dragon. Just as he was about to reach the execution platform's barrier, the paper Torch Dragon transformed into a blinding golden light and returned to its talisman.

"Yu Heng!"

"Master!"

"Senior Elder Yu Heng!"

All the spectators on the Peak of Life and Death stood up. People from the other sects also reacted with astonishment, and even the common folk in their plain clothes couldn't help but exclaim, "Is this the legendary Venerated Immortal of the Northern Dipper?"

"It's Master Mo Ran!"

"Didn't they say it was over between them?"

Chu Wanning's eyes were already reddened, and upon seeing the blood in the silver tray and the shattered spirit core, he completely fell apart.

His voice was raspy as he attempted to speak, but before he could utter a word, he was already choked with sobs.

"You... cannot treat him like this..."

The surroundings erupted into an uproar.

"What is he saying?"

"Has he gone mad? Mo Ran is a deranged murderer!"

Each word was like a dagger piercing through Chu Wanning's heart, each accusation a needle stabbing into his chest.

It hurt unbearably.

Chu Wanning gazed at the man within the Heavenly Sound Pavilion's barrier, his dark eyes moist as he silently stared back, a man who had been cut open and had his heart and spirit nucleus destroyed.

A man who, amidst the accusations of a thousand, still didn't know he was innocent.

So foolish.

Chu Wanning's lips quivered, his entire body shaking.

His hand pressed against the transparent barrier of the Heavenly Sound Pavilion, his voice choking with sobs, "They've sentenced wrongly... They've sentenced wrongly..."

Don't stab him with that dagger, stab me instead.

Stab me...

All say that Heaven-Stepping Lord is heartless, and Mo Weiyu is despicable.

In his previous life, everyone condemned him, hoping he would die sooner rather than later. In this life, they live in constant anxiety, unable to escape their inner guilt.

But who truly knows the truth?

Mu Yanli seemed anxious, raising the dagger again after her initial shock. The blade dripped with blood, like scattered stars.

Mo Ran murmured, "Don't look."

With a puff, the dagger pierced through the heart once more, blood gushing out.

Chu Wanning's pupils constricted abruptly. After a moment, his voice shattered the heavens in a hoarse cry, "No—!!!"

Golden light flashed across the world, and a gale surged forth.

Heavenly Question responded to its summoner, lashing out with a whip. Dozens of high-ranking disciples from the Heavenly Sound Pavilion, who had maintained the barrier, were unable to withstand this blow. They all spat out blood and fell to their knees, the barrier collapsing instantly. Amidst the dazzling radiance, Chu Wanning, wielding his weapon that was now engulfed in sparks, darted straight towards the center of the execution platform.

"Someone's attempting to break a prisoner free!"

"Chu Wanning is trying to break the prisoner free!!"

Mu Yanli promptly stashed the remaining spirit core fragments into her Qiankun Pouch and turned to issue a stern command, "Stop him!"

"Aye! Pavilion Master!"

A golden tide from the Heavenly Sound Pavilion surged forward, colliding fiercely with Chu Wanning's spiritual current. The cultivators on the stands were dumbfounded; they had never seen Chu Wanning in such a state before –

Raging, mournful.

All reason was lost.

As Chu Wanning closed in relentlessly, Mu Yanli cursed under her breath, a frosty glint appearing in her eyes. She then tore out a shattered spirit nucleus and stowed it away in her Qiankun Pouch before her robes billowed, turning to confront Chu Wanning head-on.

"Grandmaster Chu, are you truly going to save him? Think this through. Once you take this step, both of you will bear the infamy for all eternity!"

The sword light illuminated Mu Yanli's apricot-shaped eyes as she stared at him, unflinching.

Heaven's Inquiry entangled Mu Yanli's sword, splashing brilliant light in an instant.

Chu Wanning spoke through gritted teeth, "Then let me be with him!"

The annals of history are precise, chronicling heroes in their glory.

Yet all I desire is to be by your side, whether it be in the annals of a tyrant or the records of malevolence, it would suffice.

I don't want our names mentioned in future generations with me deified and you vilified. I don't want our story recorded as a tale of estrangement, a feud between master and disciple.

If I cannot clear your name,

Mo Ran, Mo Weiyu, Heaven-Stepping Lord.

I am willing to bear the curses of countless ages alongside you.

Hell is too cold.

Mo Ran, I come to join you in death.

Amidst the gathering clouds, dazzling lights and shadows dazzled the onlookers.

On stage and off, everyone was in a state of confusion, only to hear the sharp "zing! zing!" as Tianwen sliced through the chains binding Mo Ran.

Mo Ran suddenly fell to his knees, landing in Chu Wanning's warm embrace.

His blood stained Chu Wanning's white robes red in an instant.

From the beginning until now, he had not shed a tear, nor had he choked back sobs even when his chest was ripped open and his heart exposed. But at this moment, Mo Ran finally crumbled. His hands trembled as they lifted, only to fall back down.

He yearned so desperately to hold onto Chu Wanning, yet equally wanted to push him away. He fervently wished to be inseparable from Chu Wanning, both in life and death, yet deeply desired for Chu Wanning to remain untainted, forever pure, with no connection to his own filth.

Thus, he was unsure whether to clasp or to part.

His hands quivered for what felt like an eternity before finally, he tenderly cupped Chu Wanning's back.

Mo Ran wept.

He said, "Shifu... why don't you blame me... why did you still save me..."

Chu Wanning felt an unbearable ache in his heart. He held the person in his arms tightly, ignoring the surrounding gazes and countless words that seemed to have no beginning. "I'm so dirty... I'll soil you too..." Mo Ran whispered, his voice laced with the thick scent of blood. His sobs grew more sorrowful; this man, who never showed vulnerability before others, now had no armor in Chu Wanning's embrace. "But I'm also afraid you'll abandon me... If even you reject me, I truly won't know where to go..."

It was Mo Ran's spirit core that shattered, Mo Ran's heart that was pierced.

And yet, at this moment, Chu Wanning felt his own heart convulse, as if being flayed and torn apart. His flesh and blood were blurred.

Turns out, their bones and sinews were already intertwined.

A large group of cultivators from the Heavenly Sound Pavilion surrounded them, pressing in relentlessly.

Chu Wanning's white robes were stained with blood, one hand holding Heaven's Inquiry, the other embracing Mo Ran.

The world was filled with numerous shades of black and white, right and wrong, that were not easily distinguished.

There were too many who believed themselves to be righteous.

And just as many with deceitful intentions lurking beneath their schemes.

Thus, Qu Yuan wept in the river Huai Sha, and the Miluo's waters mourned. Wu Mu was wronged, leaving regrets in the storms.

While they could still be vindicated, what about countless other innocent young hearts? Not every injustice could be revealed; some were doomed to remain blackened forever, with no chance of redemption.

Chu Wanning held Mo Ran close, whispering, "Don't be afraid, I won't abandon you."

"Shifu..."

"I'll always be with you, through life or death. I'll take you home."

Without the healing spell, Mo Ran's consciousness grew more hazy, and his heart ached increasingly. Yet, upon hearing these words, he trembled, his lips parting as tears rolled down his cheeks, yet a smile formed.

"You've been so kind to me... my basket is full... I'm happy..." He paused, his voice fading softly.

"Shifu, I'm so tired... I'm cold..."

Chu Wanning's body quivered imperceptibly. He held Mo Ran tighter, pouring his spiritual energy into him, but it was to no avail.

Just like in his past life, on the summit of Kunlun Mountain, when Heaven-Stepping Lord had held his dying self, trying to save his life.

No use.

Chu Wanning was fraught with anxiety, his phoenix eyes moist and reddened. Tears rolled down his cheeks soundlessly as he tenderly stroked the man's hair. Turning his face, he kissed the damp, cool temple and rasped, "Don't fall asleep. Tell me, what basket?"

Those who encircled him wore expressions filled with wariness, contempt, coldness, caution, disgust, and loathing.

But so what?

Nothing else matters anymore.

Reputation, dignity, life.

For two lifetimes, he had helplessly witnessed Mo Ran plummet into despair. He felt such agony, believing himself to be a complete failure.

He had arrived too late.

Mo Ran's voice was soft, his consciousness fading as blood continued to seep and his body grew colder. He whispered, "I only had a small basket... with holes in it... empty... I fished for so long..."

Involuntarily, he tried to curl up into a ball.

His pale lips quivered, whimpering softly.

"Master... My heart hurts so much..."

"Please hold me, I beg you."

Chu Wanning's heart ached terribly as he kept repeating, "I'm holding you, it won't hurt anymore, it won't hurt anymore."

But Mo Ran couldn't hear him anymore; his consciousness was in disarray.

Everything was a mess.

Like that child years ago, alone and hungry in the shed, or the one kneeling and wailing beside his mother's decaying corpse in the burial ground.

Like the Exalt of Immortals who could never return to the past.

Like the solitary figure beneath the Tower of Heaven.

Like Grandmaster Mo, waiting with a sword in hand for his soul to return.

Like a man in a torrential night rain, curled upon his bed, dampening the pillow with his tears.

"I hurt so much... it's really painful..."

"Shifu, have I paid it all back? Am I clean now...?"

His words grew increasingly indistinct.

"Shifu."

In the end, that innocent child, that youth, that devil, that tyrant, that little disciple, choked back sobs as he spoke softly, his voice as ephemeral as mist.

"The night has fallen, and I'm so afraid... I want to go home..."

Chu Wanning listened to him until he could no longer hold back his sobs.

Mo Ran, Mo Ran, why were you so foolish?

What repayment, what cleanliness...

It was I who owed you.

No one knew the truth, not even your own memories were spared.

Yet, I finally realized—

I finally understood that you were my disciple for only a few months, but you dedicated two lifetimes to protecting me.

Bearing all the slander, blame, misunderstandings, and false accusations.

Forced into madness, obsession, bloodlust, and corruption.

If not for you, the one kneeling on this penitence platform today would be me, and the one with a heart ripped out... would also be me.

It was Immortal Emperor Treading Heaven who preserved Yu Heng with his own soul.

From then on, he fell eternally into darkness.

While he remained forever in the light.

All of them are wrong.

In that moment, the elite of the Heavenly Sound Pavilion, like a leopard that had circled for too long, finally burst forth through the air, their claws tearing at the atmosphere as over a hundred people charged towards them!

The Heavenly Inquiry's golden radiance was blazingly pale, blinding to behold.

"Kill them!"

"Halt them!"

Chu Wanning closed his eyes.

Surrounded by enemies and deafening cries for bloodshed—

Amidst the onslaught of swords and splashes of blood, Chu Wanning abruptly opened his eyes! Then, with one hand descending and his fingers spreading wide, a sudden gale swirled around him as he bellowed, "Huai Sha, come forth!!"