The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 43: This Venerable One, a Sacrifice?!?!?

Before Mo Ran could speak, a shrill and piercing voice cried out from behind him, "Make way, make way! Let me through first!"

Is it that ant-lion?!

The Bendi ant, laden with heavy stones, struggled forward with all its might. As usual, it arrived in front of the apothecary and cried out, "I can't bear it anymore! Quick, send a physician to save me!"

Out swam a hoary-headed Jiao-ren—yet his Jiao tail was strikingly distinct from those of his kin, entirely lustrous with flowing gold, shimmering with a resplendent sheen. His silvery mane was elegantly bound with a minimalist hair clasp, cascading over his shoulders. Though his face was etched with wrinkles, it retained a well-proportioned contour, featuring a prominent nose and lips curved to just the right degree. A pair of gilded eyes, veiled in a misty haze, bespoke that in his youth, this gentleman must have been exceedingly handsome.

Mo Ran's heart skipped a beat.

This wasn't how it was before. What happened to that green flood dragon?

The aged flood dragon glanced at them from afar but didn't speak. Instead, it approached the doorstep and, bending down, removed each stone that the toad was carrying on its back.

With the last pebble moved aside, the illusion shattered. The toad suddenly self-destructed, its pus and blood splattering everywhere like a mist. Almost simultaneously, all the ghosts and demons in the marketplace froze, their bodies then collapsing as they oozed with pus, turning into a stench of bloody water that permeated the lake.

The lake instantly turned crimson. As the color of the blood deepened, Mo Ran and Chu Wanning soon found it difficult to see anything far away, and then even nearby objects became blurry. Eventually, their vision was consumed by a glaring red, leaving them unable to see even an inch in front of them.

Chu Wanning said, "Mo Ran."

Mo Ran understood him all too well; he didn't need Chu Wanning to say more. "Master, don't worry. I'm here."

Chu Wanning didn't elaborate, perhaps because he was too tongue-tied. After a moment of silence, he simply said, "Be careful in everything you do."

Amidst the bloody water, Mo Ran couldn't see that face which remained unperturbed even when the sky fell. But he could sense the concern in his master's voice more easily than usual. He rarely felt Chu Wanning's warmth, but at this moment, a flush of heat spread through his chest, and he held onto the other's hand even tighter. "Okay."

Back to back, the two were close enough to feel each other's heartbeat and breath, even though they couldn't see one another. The situation was eerie, and Chu Wanning summoned his sword, Tianwen. With his spiritual energy restored, Mo Ran summoned Ghost-seer as well.

Moments after both had summoned their divine weapons, Mo Ran suddenly said, "Shifu, look over there!"

Chu Wanning turned sideways, and just at the entrance of the apothecary where the elderly Jiao-ren had been arranging pebbles moments ago, a multitude of white light spots, varying in size, suddenly emerged upon the ground. The two men, hand in hand, approached closer, only to discover that these luminous specks were indeed the stones left behind by the previous Snail-Sloth.

These dozens of stones were neatly arranged in three rows by the old dragon-man, each emitting a gentle glow.

Gradually, a figure materialized before the stone, and to his surprise, it was none other than the white-haired dragon-man from before.

Mo Ran ventured to ask, "Who are you?"

The creature didn't respond. It glanced at Chu Wanning, then at Mo Ran, before silently lifting its hand and pointing at the stone on the ground.

Mo Ran asked, "Are you asking us to pick up this stone?"

The white-haired dragon man nodded, then extended one finger.

"Is it… one stone each?"

The white-haired dragon man nodded, then shook his head. He pointed at Mo Ran, then at Chu Wanning.

Mo Ran understood, "One for each person?"

This time, the white-haired dragon man nodded vigorously and then fell silent, staring at the two of them with wide eyes.

Mo Ran inquired, "Shifu, should we listen to him?"

"Let's do as he says. There's no other method for now, anyway."

So the two of them each chose a stone and lifted it, only to have dazzling lights flash before their eyes as the world spun around them, flooded with a kaleidoscope of colors. When everything settled down, the endless expanse of blood-red suddenly vanished.

Upon closer inspection, they had actually been teleported into the Divine Armament Repository!

"Master!!"

"Master, Ah Ran!!"

Xue Meng and Shi Mo were also there. Spotting Chu Wanning, both of them were equally surprised and overjoyed, rushing forward to greet them. Little did they expect that the glowing stone was attached with a teleportation spell. Still slightly nauseous from the rapid spinning, Chu Wanning held his forehead with one hand while the other remained tightly clasped around Mo Ran's.

In the blood lake, Mo Ran's hands were intertwined with his, never parting.

Due to his status, Chu Wanning rarely had the chance to hold hands with Mo Ran. Most of the time, he could only stand at a distance, watching his disciples share intimate moments.

Thus, the rare warmth in his palm made him cherish it cautiously...

"Shi Mo!"

But what was invaluable to him might be as insignificant as a trampled shoe to someone else, or perhaps not even worth mentioning. The moment he saw Shi Mo, Mo Ran's hand let go naturally.

Chu Wanning's fingertips trembled slightly, as if for an instant, he had considered reaching out to grab him.

But what reason was there?

He no longer had the courage to like someone.

He didn't want to lose even that tiny bit of pathetic pride.

Watching Mo Ran smile so happily at Shi Mo and then naturally embrace him, ruffling his hair, Chu Wanning's fingers dropped.

With a hint of embarrassment and a tinge of humiliation.

Fortunately.

His face was always accustomed to being expressionless, with emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness not showing so distinctly.

Perhaps it was because he was getting older, his body stiff, and after spending too long in the teleportation array, his heart felt a chill.

Fortunately, there was still a faint warmth left on his fingertips.

With that last vestige of warmth that would soon dissipate, he slowly straightened up, recomposed his expression and gaze, making them both orderly and composed.

"Shifu, are you alright? Why do you look so pale?"

Chu Wanning nodded at Xue Meng and said, "It's nothing."

After a pause, he asked, "Did the merman summon you as well?"

Before Xue Meng could respond, they heard a series of bubbling sounds. Chu Wanning turned his head and suddenly caught sight of half a bloodied face. Then, with a splash from the boiling sword-forging pool, a distorted figure emerged!

This was definitely no ordinary person, or perhaps not even a living being. No mortal could survive being immersed in scorching molten iron. Yet, this person, despite his charred flesh, blurred bones, and tattered appearance, was clearly still breathing. Four chains bound his limbs, securing him within the furnace, subjected to immense agony.

He opened his eyes slowly and repeatedly bowed towards the group, his expression pleading, urging them to gather by the sword-forging pool.

Though he couldn't speak, he had a means of communication. He waved his arm, now nothing but white bones adorned with clumps of flesh. The churning iron water in the pool suddenly surged, forming a small wave in the air which slowly twisted into ancient characters.

Xue Meng exclaimed, "What are these characters? I can't understand a single one!"

Chu Wanning said, "It's the ancient script of Cang Jie, which I haven't taught you yet."

Mo Ran asked, "Then… what does it say?"

Chu Wanning stepped forward to examine it closely and said, "…He's seeking help."

The Cang Jie ancient script was believed to be from the Heavenly Realm and had been lost in the mortal world for ages. Only a few knew how to read it, even someone as skilled as Chu Wanning, a grandmaster of his generation, could not decipher every character. However, he could still grasp the general meaning.

After studying it carefully for a while, Chu Wanning translated slowly, "He says that he is the spirit of this willow tree. His name is Heart-Plucking Willow. When he was just a sapling, he was brought from the Seventh Heaven of the Divine Realm to the mortal world by Lord Gou Chen. Later, for some reason, Lord Gou Chen left this world, and Heart-Plucking Willow never saw him again, nor did he know if he was alive or dead."

"He continued to guard Jin Chengchi and protect the Divine Armory, as Lord Gou Chen once instructed, for tens of thousands of years, day after day. Gradually, nourished by spiritual energy, he took on human form. Everything remained normal until one day, there was—" Chu Wanning paused abruptly, not reading on.

Mo Ran was curious. "What's wrong?"

"…I don't recognize these three characters. It seems to be a person's name." Chu Wanning pointed at the intricate script. "Anyway, this person came to Jin Chengchi. He was powerful, ruthless, and killed all the living beings in the pond, controlling it with a game of precious chess. Heart-Plucking Willow couldn't escape either."

Mo Ran immediately said, "This person must be the fake Lord Gou Chen!"

Heart-Plucking Willow's eyes brightened upon hearing this, and he nodded vigorously in agreement.

"…You actually guessed right," Mo Ran chuckled, a hint of embarrassment on his face as he scratched his head. "Haha, I didn't expect I could be this clever."

Chu Wanning glanced at him indifferently and continued:

"Over the years, Heart-Plucking Willow has been in a state of dementia, never conscious for even half a day. Thankfully, the other two willow branches that were once connected to it – Heaven's Inquiry and See Ghost – have both awoken. Borrowing their power, we temporarily restored its consciousness. Otherwise, it might have already lost control and caused harm to everyone here."

Upon hearing this, the three teenagers looked up at the spirit in the sword-forge pool, unsure how to process its words.

Mo Ran said, "Senior Willow—"

Xue Meng: "Senior Willow?"

"What else would you call it, Senior Pluck?" Mo Ran shot Xue Meng a withering look before continuing, "Let me say something you might not like to hear. Your story is a bit hard to swallow."

Though Heart-Plucking Willow couldn't speak, it could understand Mo Ran. It turned its face toward him.

Mo Ran continued, "You mentioned being deceived by False Chen, then said your regained consciousness was due to the influence of the qi from Heaven's Inquiry and See Ghost after they woke up. But See Ghost was given to me by False Chen. Didn't he know what consequences it would bring?"

Heart-Plucking Willow shook its head, and the text before Chu Wanning's eyes shifted.

"I am the divine seed of a celestial realm, and he doesn't know me well enough to understand how divine weapons can affect my mind. He has been studying the three forbidden arts and needs my power to aid him. Lately, with my lifespan dwindling, he's been in a panic, searching for ways to prolong my life. But I truly have no desire to continue living. It would be better to die than to keep serving his malicious purposes. Unfortunately, I'm bound by his control and have no choice in the matter..."

Chu Wanning read this and pondered slightly. "So that's why he brought Mo Ran to the underwater realm. As a Wood Spirit essence, the fake Jiu Chen must have planned to merge Mo Ran's spirit energy with that of the Ghost King and offer it as a sacrifice to you."

Heart-Plucking Willow nodded.

Mo Ran was still confused. "But the fake Jiu Chen said there were two Wood Spirit essences, and you were one of them, Master. So why did he only lock me up?"

Heart-Plucking Willow wrote, "Throughout history, younger sacrifices have always been considered the best. For a tree spirit, the selection is even more crucial. Furthermore, the sacrifice must be well-fed and well-rested, with all desires fulfilled, before being taken away in an illusion of ultimate bliss without their knowledge. If not, the sacrifice might hold resentment, and that could hasten my withering."

Upon hearing this, Mo Ran immediately recalled the fox demon who had transformed into Chu Wanning in the secret chamber.

It seemed they needed to satisfy his desires, much like fattening a pig before slaughtering it for a tender meal.

This explained why he saw Chu Wanning instead of Shi Mo. He cherished and pitied Shi Mo, so he wouldn't dare to use him for such a purpose. In terms of desire, his longing for Chu Wanning was indeed far greater than for Shi Mo...

Seeing the strange expression on Mo Ran's face, Chu Wanning thought he was still shaken by the experience and wanted to reassure him. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Seeing Mo Ran's flushed face, Chu Wanning froze for a moment before suddenly realizing what was happening. He abruptly stopped talking and, after a while, turned his head away in a mix of embarrassment and anger.

How could this brat be merely shaken by fear? It turned out he was reminiscing about so-called 'human desires,' and had started to daydream lasciviously.

Chu Wanning angrily flicked his sleeves and, with a cold expression, rebuked in a low voice, "Shameless."

Mo Ran: "............"

Fortunately, Chu Wanning didn't know who had indulged their desires in the illusion. If he found out, would he be furious enough to tear him apart?

Lost in thought, suddenly the Divine Armory's ground shook violently. Xue Meng cried out, "What's going on?"