The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 45: This Seat Knows You'll Come

Xue Meng shouted into the air, "Damn Celestial! Are your dog eyes blind? Did we barge in on our own? We were abducted! Can't you see that?"

Shi Mo replied, "It's useless. This is just his recorded voice. He isn't even here. It seems like the fake Jiu Chen has confused the Heart-Plucking Willow, making it think we're uninvited intruders with ill intentions."

The voice continued,

"Those worthy of divine weapons should understand the meaning of benevolence and perseverance, not being trapped in illusions or losing their minds. Since you've come, you shall undergo my trial. If you pass, you will leave unscathed, and I will present you with divine arms. But if you are selfish and lack steadfastness, you are unworthy to be the wielders of divine weapons!"

With bloodstained lips, Chu Wanning said coldly, "What benevolence... Using people as a blood drip clock, is that what you call benevolence?"

He knew that Jiu Chen's Palace wouldn't hear him, but he couldn't help but vent his anger. Even though each word he spoke made his breathing heavy and worsened his wounds, he couldn't stop his sharp tongue.

The voice continued echoing in the Divine Armory, "To test your resolve. You will be trapped in the Heart-Plucking Willow's enchanting illusions. If you cannot awaken from the illusion in time, your companions will bleed out and die here."

Upon hearing this, the color drained from all three of their faces.

Shi Mo murmured, "What..."

In other words, the three of them were about to be trapped in an illusionary dream.

If they didn't awaken in time, they would be forever lost in that blissful reverie, leaving Mo Ran to bleed to death in reality?

After a moment of stunned silence, Xue Meng erupted in anger, "What kind of deity are you?! If this is what it means to cultivate as a immortal, I'd rather never touch a sword for the rest of my life!"

Chu Wanning also exclaimed angrily, "This is utter nonsense!"

"Master!" Shi Mo hurriedly tried to calm him down, "Please don't get angry, you must take care of your wounds."

And this insufferable Grand Minister Gouchen actually started reciting poetry at this moment, speaking slowly, "Pouring water on level ground, each droplet flows east, west, north, or south. A person's life is also predetermined, how can one keep sighing and lamenting, both standing and sitting in sorrow? Drinking wine to comfort oneself, I raise my cup and end the song of difficulty. If one's heart were not made of wood or stone, how could there be no emotions? Yet, with a stifled voice and hesitant steps, one dare not speak openly."

Xue Meng was virtually on the verge of being angered to dizziness. "What on earth are you blabbering about!"

Shi Mo explained, "Bao Zhao's 'Imitating the Difficult Road' implies that each person has their own destiny, and one should not overly lament or seek solace in alcohol. The song is interrupted by the wine, reflecting the human heart, which is not as hard as stone and is filled with emotions—longing to express yet hesitating, yearning to speak yet holding back."

Gou Chen of the Upper Palace let out a long sigh and said, "In this vast, fleeting world, how many people can forsake their lifelong dreams solely to aid others? Battles and conflicts never cease in this world. If the Divine Martial Art falls into the hands of deceitful villains, it would be my fault. How can I find solace in the guilt of creating such deadly weapons..."

Suddenly, the Divine Armory grew dim. The fragments of casting materials that had been whizzing through the air also came to a halt. A soft glow began to emanate from the ceiling, as if starlight was cascading down in a brilliant display, illuminating the ground below.

A voice whispered in the air, "Sleep..."

This gentle and radiant light seemed to have a hypnotic effect. Shi Mo and Xue Meng, with their shallow cultivation, quickly fell into a coma.

"Sleep on..."

Chu Wanning gritted his teeth, struggling to resist, but the power of the Origin Deity was immense. Eventually, he succumbed to the overwhelming drowsiness and drifted into a dream.

In the Divine Armory.

As the Blood-Dropping Sandglass, Mo Ran was the only one still conscious. He coughed up blood foam, barely able to make out the three figures behind the weakened waterfall, lost in their illusory dreams.

Chu Wanning, Shi Mo, and Xue Meng were all in slumber.

Mo Ran had heard the words of Gou Chen, knowing that only one of them needed to awaken promptly for the spell to be broken and for them all to be saved.

Yet, as time passed, his mind grew dizzy, and his body grew cold. None stirred from their dreams.

It seemed karma had come full circle. In his past life, he had inflicted this same torment upon Chu Wanning, and now, in this life, he was experiencing the bitter taste of his own blood seeping away drop by drop.

How amusing.

Of them all, who could abandon their most cherished dreams and deepest desires to come save him?

Xue Meng would never do such a thing.

As for Chu Wanning... forget it, he didn't want to think about him.

If anyone would, it should be Shi Mo.

He mused hazily, but he had lost too much blood, and his consciousness was faltering.

Mo Ran looked down at the pool of blood beneath his feet, now diluted by the water in the brass hourglass, shimmering with a pale pink sheen.

Suddenly, he wondered what sort of illusions he would encounter if he himself were trapped in Gouchen's hallucination.

Would he dream of translucent wrists, Shi Mo's gentle smile, Chu Wanning's praise, and the wind blowing through the hillside of flowering crabapple trees when he first arrived at the Peak of Life and Death...

"Mo Ran..."

Suddenly, he heard someone calling his name.

Mo Ran still had his head lowered, feeling that he was on the verge of losing consciousness and thus experiencing hallucinations.

"Mo Ran."

"Mo Ran!"

It wasn't an illusion!

He abruptly lifted his face.

The scene before his eyes made his pupils constrict instantly—

He nearly screamed, "Shi Mo!!!!!!!!"

It was Shi Mo!

The person who had awakened, forsaking bliss and happiness, still remembered him amidst all the worldly desires.

It's Shi Mo...

Mo Ran gazed upon the slender youth who walked towards him through the cascading waterfall, and suddenly found his throat constricting with emotion.

"Shi Mo... you..."

In the end, he was at a loss for words. Mo Ran closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice.

"Thank you... for still... remembering me... even in your sweet dreams..."

Shi Mo waded through the water, his clothes drenched, accentuating the depth of his dark brows and gentle countenance. It was the same tenderness that Mo Ran had seen when they first met, the same gentleness he had dreamt of countless times in his past life, and the same warmth he recalled when he was shivering with cold.

Shi Mo said, "Don't be silly, there's no need to thank me."

As he drew closer, Mo Ran noticed the blood flowing from Shi Mo's feet.

Unbeknownst to them, the ground had become scorching hot. The God of Creation seemed determined to test how far one would go for their companion, offering a seductive illusion followed by harsh torment.

Shi Mo's boots were already burnt through. If he didn't move, the ground would remain as it was. But if he insisted on going forward, a flame would ignite beneath his feet with every step. The heat wasn't intense enough to instantly incapacitate him, but it inflicted unbearable pain.

But this gentle person, despite being in immense pain himself, only grew more resolute with each step he took towards him, his gaze unwavering.

"Mo Ran, hold on just a little longer," he said.

"I'll get you down right away."

The moment their eyes met, Mo Ran knew there was no need for him to say, "Don't come any closer."

This person's gaze was too decisive and too resilient.

Mo Ran had never seen such an expression on Shi Mo's face before.

If Mo Ran could have calmed his heart just a bit, he would have found it peculiar.

Shi Mo always called him "Ah Ran." When had he ever addressed him as Mo Ran?

He had thought that Shi Mo was kind to him, but he had never realized that the person standing before him now was not Shi Mo, but rather –

It was Chu Wanning.

The Ancient Willow's final ability was called Heart Plucking.

Heart Plucking referred to the exchange of souls between two individuals.

When Chu Wanning broke free from the dream and regained consciousness, he found that his heart had been switched with Shi Mo's. Under the spell of the Heart-Plucking Willow, his consciousness had been transferred into Shi Mo's body, and presumably the same had happened to Shi Mo, who remained unconscious and unaware of the change.

Chu Wanning had no time to explain, and Mo Ran, ignorant of the truth, truly believed the person before him was Shi Mo.

He thought Shi Mo would surely endure the pain and crawl over, just as he himself could never forget Shi Mo's kindness even after death. People were stubborn creatures.

But it was too cruel.

When Chu Wanning finally reached the bronze hourglass and began to climb the towering willow vine to save Mo Ran, fiery thorns suddenly sprouted from the vine.

Chu Wanning hadn't anticipated this, and his hand was seared by the spikes. As he tried to grip on, his grasp slipped due to Shi Mo's untrained physique, causing his flesh to be torn apart by the sharp thorns.

"…!"

Chu Wanning cursed inwardly, wincing from the pain.

What a fragile shell Shi Mingjing has!

Mo Ran cried out, "Shi Mo!"

Chu Wanning crashed to his knees on the ground, and the flesh touching the surface was instantly seared by the high temperature. Yet, with a furrowed brow, he gritted his teeth, refraining from crying out in pain.

Such a look would appear stubborn and resolute on Chu Wanning's face, but on Shi Mo's delicate countenance, it added an air of vulnerability and pitifulness.

Indeed, one couldn't compare themselves to others.

"Shi Mo..."

Mo Ran spoke, tears streaming down his face.

His heart felt as if it were being torn apart. Through his blurred vision, he saw that slender and weak body climbing slowly up the vines and willows, inch by inch.

Thorns pierced through his hands, while the raging flames scorched his bones and blood.

A vivid red stain spread across the scene, leaving behind a trail of mottled blood.

Mo Ran closed his eyes, his voice laced with blood, each word quivering with emotion as he choked out:

"Shifu... Mei..."

The person was very close now, and Mo Ran could see a fleeting pain flash through his eyes. He seemed to be in immense agony, to the point where even Mo Ran's voice was torturous to him.

Thus, despite the stubborn expression on his face, the look in his eyes could almost be described as pleading.

"Please, don't call me again."

"..."

"Mo Ran, just wait a little longer, I'll... save you... right... now..."

Almost as soon as his words faded, a steely glint emerged in his eyes, like a sharp sword being drawn from its sheath. It was unexpectedly captivating against his usually gentle features.

Chu Wanning's robes billowed as he leaped onto the copper water clock.

His face had turned as pale as gold paper, on the verge of collapse; he was no different from a corpse save for the fact that he still breathed.

In that instant, Mo Ran felt that it would be better to bleed out and die than to let him endure such torment.

His throat was filled with fragmented apologies: "I'm sorry."

Chu Wanning knew this apology wasn't meant for him. He wanted to explain, but caught sight of the silver-blue sword of the God of Examinations piercing through Mo Ran's chest and ribs. The source of the vine spirit's power might lie in that sword. He feared that Mo Ran would be further injured by surprise, so he continued addressing him as "Shi Mo" and asked:

"Mo Ran, do you trust me?"

"I trust you." There was no hesitation.

Chu Wanning lifted his eyelashes, gazing at him for a moment before seizing the hilt of the sword. The blade was dangerously close to Mo Ran's heart; a slight misstep could claim his life.

"..." Chu Wanning's hand trembled slightly, yet he held steady.

Mo Ran's eyes were still rimmed with red, but he suddenly smiled. "Shi Mo."

"..." A soft response.

Mo Ran said, "… Am I about to die?"

"… No."

"If I am, can… can I hold you for a moment?"

He spoke with great delicacy, his eyes shimmering with moisture. Chu Wanning's heart melted instantly.

But upon realizing that Mo Ran was envisioning another person, that tenderness froze into ice within him.

Suddenly, he felt like an insignificant clown on a stage, concealed behind the flowing sleeves and gauzy silks of the leading roles. No one paid attention to him.

In this poignant scene, he was superfluous.

Or perhaps his only purpose was to don a grotesque mask, grin with a painted smile, and serve as a backdrop for others' joys, sorrows, loves, and hates.

How laughable.

Mo Ran, however, was unaware of this. He mistook the flicker in Chu Wanning's eyes for reluctance and promptly added, "Just a hug. For a moment, that's all."

A barely audible sigh escaped.

"I actually..."

Mo Ran interrupted, "What?"

"...Never mind." Chu Wanning said, "It's nothing."

He leaned in, not too close as to disturb the sword, then reached out and gently embraced Mo Ran's shoulders.

He heard Mo Ran whisper into his ear, "Shi Mo, thank you for waking up. Thank you for still remembering me even in your beautiful dreams."

Chu Wanning lowered his eyelids, his lashes fluttering like a butterfly's wings. Then, he smiled faintly, "You're welcome."

Pausing for a moment, he added, "Mo Ran."

"Mm?"

Still in a dream-like state, Chu Wanning held him, stroking his hair, and sighed softly, "Do you know that if a dream is too perfect, it often turns out to be an illusion?"

He finished with a light embrace, like a dragonfly skimming the water's surface, then swiftly withdrew.

Mo Ran lifted his gaze. He didn't fully grasp Shi Mo's meaning, but he understood that this brief hug was a kind gesture, a sweet treat bestowed upon him by Shi Mo.

It was bittersweet, with a hint of astringency when it touched the back of his tongue.

As the sword was drawn, blood blossomed like fallen peonies tossed about by a furious gale.

Mo Ran felt an excruciating pain in his chest, momentarily believing he was about to die. A myriad of regrets swirled in his heart, and he blurted out, "Shi Mo, I've actually always had a special affection for you. How about you...?"

With the sound of the sword hitting the ground, the entwined vines unraveled, and the cascading waterfall from the heavens abruptly ceased. The Divine Weapons Repository fell silent once more.

I've actually always had a special affection for you.

How about you...

Pushed to the limits of his endurance, Mo Ran saw a sudden blackout before his eyes.

Just as he collapsed, he was caught by a pair of bloodied hands, landing in Shi Mo's embrace. It might have been an illusion, but Mo Ran saw Shi Mo's thin brows furrow as he slowly closed his eyes, a trail of moisture appearing to slide down the corners of his lids.

It was as if he heard Shi Mo whisper softly, "I am too."

Mo Ran: "!"

It must have been an illusion, otherwise why would Shi Mo agree to him despite looking so distressed?

"I also... love you."

Consciousness faded away, and Mo Ran slipped into unconsciousness.