The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 300: "The Apex of Life and Death" - His Heart Is Like Mine

Thunder and lightning illuminated Shi Mo's face through the open temple doors, casting alternating shadows and highlights upon him.

In the blinding light, only his eyes remained dark and unfathomable, as if even Zhurong's heavenly fire could not ignite them.

Chu Wanning's expression shifted slightly, but he didn't ask any questions. At this moment, it was difficult to discern Shi Mo's intentions with any words he might speak. Nevertheless, the flame in his hand dimmed involuntarily.

Shi Mo noticed the change immediately.

Grasping at a straw in a vortex, he turned to Chu Wanning and said, "Master, do you truly believe that Mo Ran is utterly gone?"

"You really think…" Shi Mo panted softly, "that Heaven-Stepping Lord is just an empty skeleton?"

Pausing for a moment, he continued, "…Master, perhaps you should ponder this. In this world, how can a corpse think so deliberately, act so stubbornly? Who could achieve such a feat? What could accomplish this? Even the game of Precious Chess cannot reach such depths."

"…"

"Do you know?" Shi Mo gazed into Chu Wanning's eyes, slowly revealing a hidden secret, "Heaven-Stepping Lord still has a fragment of his soul within him that hasn't dissipated."

"!!"

Before this revelation, Chu Wanning's eyes had been hollow, as if he were a mere walking corpse. But after hearing Shi Mo's words, the phoenix-like eyes stirred with emotion, and Shi Mo could see the change. He sighed in relief but remained cautious.

"My master knows my spiritual core is weak, so I can't wield powerful spells on my own. Thus, I couldn't control the precious chess game. However, the Medicine Sect has its own means."

As Shi Mo spoke, the image of Heaven-Stepping Lord's lifeless body, after he'd consumed poison and killed himself, flashed before his eyes. It lay peacefully in the grave within the Tower of Heaven...

Back then, he had no idea what had gone wrong; his mind was blank. How could his sharp weapon, his invincible divine weapon, have died?

Mo Ran's conscience should have been devoured long ago by the Eight Pains of Bitter Hatred Flower! What could possibly torment him so much that he took his own life?

"When the Ten Great Sects besieged the Peak of Life and Death in the previous life, they were about to quarter Mo Ran's corpse," Shi Mo continued. "But I, as a master from the Medicine Sect, pleaded with them in the crowd. Eventually, I managed to preserve his body."

With every word, Shi Mo closely watched the shifts in Chu Wanning's expression.

"I couldn't afford to lose his power. So, I tried every means possible to turn him into a zombie, a living dead. Although his abilities would be diminished, he could at least serve as a temporary substitute... But you see, perhaps because he was still longing for someone until his last breath, there was an obsession too deeply rooted in his heart. No matter how much I tried to cleanse his soul, I couldn't completely erase it."

Shi Mo approached slowly. "No matter what method I used to force the soul, that wisp wouldn't dissipate. That...," he enunciated clearly, "soul that supported his confused mind and led him to the Tower of Heaven."

"That soul bound to you with an obsession."

His footsteps halted, and Shi Mo stood in the center of the grand hall.

By now, he could clearly see the ashen face, tightly pursed lips, and bulging veins on the back of Chu Wanning's hand.

He sensed Chu Wanning's pain and hesitation, causing his own tension to completely dissipate. Gradually, he regained his composure and spoke calmly, "That soul didn't reincarnate; it still lingered within Heaven-Stepping Lord's corpse. So when he revived, his obsession with you was intense. As for Grandmaster Mo...you should have felt that he wasn't as concerned about you when he first came back to life. His affection for you developed later on."

As Shi Mo revealed these buried truths, he intently observed Chu Wanning's shifting emotions.

"Heaven-Stepping Lord's body contains the most stubborn love he had for you from his past life."

He noticed Chu Wanning's fingertips trembling slightly, so he licked his lips and slithered forward like a snake, his voice bewitching.

"Master, look, all I need now is thirty more lives. Thirty lives to exchange for Mo Ran's survival. Are you willing?"

Outside, the wind howled fiercely, as if demons danced wildly.

He waited for Chu Wanning's response, thinking to himself that it was an excellent bargain.

This man before him appeared cold and detached, but in truth, both his lifetimes had been ruined by the depth of his emotions.

He was certain that he would agree.

After a moment, Chu Wanning lowered his gaze, and no one could discern the true expression on his face. "…You said there is still a trace of his soul within him."

"Mm."

"You plan to let him go after sacrificing the last thirty people to pave your way home?"

"Indeed."

"…" Chu Wanning didn't answer right away but murmured, "So the things he said to me when I saw him were sincere."

A person with vulnerabilities was easy to persuade, even someone as revered as the Immortal Venerated North Dipper was no exception.

Shi Mo felt he had the upper hand and grew more relaxed. He said, "Yes, all of it came from his heart. Although he is no longer the complete Mo Ran, at least his soul remains, and he still possesses his own consciousness."

"Master, listen to me just this once," he pleaded softly. "Don't do it. All three of us – you, I, and he – will be much better off."

Chu Wanning still didn't lift his head. He sighed. "…Shi Mingjing."

"Mm?"

"Do you remember what your wish was at the end of your letter when you joined the sect?"

Caught off guard by this sudden question, Shi Mo seemed a bit lost but, after some thought, he replied, "I wished for mercy and to find a home."

Feeling an ominous premonition after his words, he added, "But back then, I genuinely wanted to regard Master as family. I'm not talking about the Beauty's Feast incident…"

Chu Wanning didn't acknowledge that. Instead, he asked, "Do you know what Mo Ran's wish was when he became my disciple?"

"…What was it?"

Finally, Chu Wanning lifted his gaze to look at Shi Mo. His eyes gradually turned cold, with a deeper sense of silence than before.

"He said he wanted a divine weapon like Heavenly Inquiry. That way, he could save more lives."

The man spoke calmly and casually, recounting his lover's past wishes as if they were everyday conversations. Before Shi Mo could react, the grand hall was suddenly illuminated by a blinding golden light. A powerful spiritual energy surged like towering waves, repelling all others from approaching.

Shi Mo snapped back to reality, yelling fiercely,

"Chu Wanning!!!"

His shrill, distorted cry shattered the roof tiles and echoed through the air.

"Chu Wanning! Have you lost your mind?! Are you insane?!"

Despair and fury gripped Shi Mo. Struggling against the blinding light, he desperately pushed towards the center where the man in white stood. Mu Yanli was beside him, trying to support and reason with him.

But what was the point?

"Split... the corpse! Seal... the coffin!"

"No—! Stop!!! Stop it, Chu Wanning!!" Upon hearing Chu Wanning's voice amidst the swirling golden vortex, Shi Mo became even more frenzied. His eyes bulged, and he screamed, yelled, and sobbed with all his might.

However, the golden radiance flickered and faded. The glaring brilliance that had momentarily blinded them left behind shimmering afterimages. It was all over.

The fierce wind ceased.

Silence descended.

Chu Wanning stood, his face ashen, while the emaciated Shi Mingjing knelt before him.

Spiritual energy gradually subsided.

After a while, they both heard a distant, rumbling tremor from the direction of the back mountain – that was likely the sound of the remains of the Immortal Trampler being crushed into dust.

Shi Mo gazed at Chu Wanning. After a fierce battle of emotions played out on his face, only emptiness remained. His hatred and fury had cracked, revealing a hint of fear within the fissures.

He wasn't even sure what he was afraid of. Was it the thought of Chu Wanning, who could kill Mo Ran with his own hands? The uncertainty of the road ahead? Or perhaps... fear itself?

It seemed like doomsday had arrived.

Finally, Shi Mo murmured, "...Dead? ...He... is dead?"

"Chu Wanning, you killed him... He once stood in front of you at the Red Lotus Water Pavilion, begging me to strike him instead, not to harm you... But you were so ruthless... So ruthless..."

Terror morphed into maniacal laughter, even though he had no intention to laugh. He threw his head back and cackled wildly. Mu Yanli wept beside him, repeatedly trying to console him, "Nan... enough... enough..."

Shi Mo laughed long and hard. As he laughed, tears streamed down his face, golden droplets that fell to the ground.

"He's dead. Heaven-Stepping Lord is dead... Good, it's over. Chu Wanning, you can afford to lose. You're heartless, you can play these games."

Chu Wanning stood still, devoid of any emotion.

He was like a corpse, indeed, he was one.

"Master, I underestimated you."

Shi Mo's voice trembled.

"You're far more ruthless than I imagined."

Chu Wanning remained motionless, as if he had lost all warmth within him.

He had once believed that Mo Ran had departed this world, but in the previous moment, he realized that there was still a wandering soul and a shattered body of Mo Weiyu in existence.

Yet, he reduced this fragment to ashes as well.

Yes, he is indeed heartless, and there is no denying it.

The youth, the young man, the adult – one who laughed and chafed, complete or broken in his love. The singular being in this world unafraid of him, respecting him, embracing him, and the one who shielded him from calamity with his own flesh and blood.

The one who took his place, consumed by the Eight Sorrows Long Hate Flower, the one who, in his stead, became the ruthless ruler, the Lord of Darkness.

In the year before he turned sixteen, he gave all he had to protect his foolish beloved.

Never to return.

"I wanted to save more earthworms during the rain."

"Master, here's a cup of White Pear Blossom tea for you."

"The gift I offered as a gesture of apprenticeship was...ugly, very, very ugly."

Wanning, I miss you.

Once, he had playfully tried to write the phrase, "How can I secure vast abodes for millions, so all the world's cold scholars may rejoice?"

"Seek to repay kindness, not to hold grudges."

Yet, in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he had drifted through two lifetimes.

Hold no grudges... Hold no grudges...

"I don't have much ambition either. If I can master these spells and save more people when adversity strikes, that would be great..."

That was the heartfelt wish that Mo Ran had earnestly expressed to Chu Wanning during his youthful awakening.

Back then, he had fervently wished that more people could have survived.

Before he descended into being the Heaven-Stepping Lord, he had been so dedicatedly and earnestly in love with every beautiful life, willing to sacrifice his soul to express gratitude and protect every person who had shown him kindness.

"Though I might be slow-witted, I'll put in my utmost effort to learn. If I try my best, Senior Master won't blame me for my lack of intelligence, right? Haha."

In memory, that young man laughed as he scratched his head, thus showing his tenderness to Chu Wanning. At that moment, his radiant dimples seemed filled with the white of pear blossoms, enough to intoxicate one's life from then on.

Chu Wanning closed his eyes.

His hands finally began to tremble.

In the blur and dizziness, it felt as if a gentle breeze brushed against his face, kissing his damp eyelashes. He thought he heard Heaven-Stepping Lord's voice, unusually soft and tender. That voice caressed his earlobe, whispering a sigh by his temple:

Fame, wishes, blood, flesh, heart, soul, corpse, ashes.

I'm sorry, that's all I have to offer, sacrificed for you.

I've done my best.

Wanning, take care of yourself...

He abruptly opened his eyes and lifted his head, his phoenix-like eyes now misty. In this ethereal realm, he seemed to truly see Heaven-Stepping Lord's soul floating before him, with gentle and handsome features, a smile that was both joyful and sorrowful.

"Mo... Ran..."

That pure soul, like a winter plum blossom, radiated a gentle glow. He leaned down to embrace and kiss him, passing through the palm of his outstretched hand before scattering like a fleeting lotus flower in his arms.

"Terrible news!"

In a sudden rush, a disciple from the Heavenly Sound Pavilion burst in, panic-stricken and shouting, "Terrible news!"

Mu Yanli was the only one in the room who remained relatively calm. With tears in her eyes, she turned back and sternly said, "I already knew something happened to Heaven-Stepping Lord. Don't—"

"What?" The disciple froze for a moment before stomping his foot in confusion. "Not Heaven-Stepping Lord! It's at the foot of the mountain! All the sects from both the Lower and Upper cultivation realms have joined forces and are attacking us!!"