The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 63: Who Did This Seat See!

In those war-torn days, Linan City was littered with blood and ruins. The suburban fields were withered under the poisonous haze of malevolent spirits, and all the trees stood barren.

Before Mo Ran could fully regain his composure, he heard an eerie sound. He looked up to see a set of freshly plucked intestines hanging from the broken branch of a nearby old locust tree. A dozen crows were pecking at them, causing blood and flesh to splatter continuously.

Underneath the tree lay the corpse of a middle-aged man, his abdomen torn open by sharp claws. His entrails and blood had spilled across the ground. No one could tell whether he had died with his eyes open or closed; they had already been pecked out.

Mo Ran was no stranger to such a scene.

In his previous life, he had once ravaged the world, slaughtering all seventy-two cities of the Confucian Wind Sect. Back then, blood flowed like rivers, and corpses littered the ground, just as they did now.

But for some reason, the sight of that bloodshed in his past had thrilled him, every fiber of his being howling with delight. Yet seeing such a similar scene again now, a chill crept into his heart, and a sliver of compassion emerged... Could it be that he had pretended to be obedient for so long that his nature had quietly changed without him realizing?

As he pondered this, he heard the sound of galloping hooves, and a cloud of dust rose up ahead.

In these chaotic times, anyone who could still ride their horse at full speed was likely no ordinary person.

Mo Ran immediately pulled Chu Wanning behind him. But the surroundings on Lanning Old Road were wide open, offering no place to hide. In the blink of an eye, a group of lightly armed riders appeared amidst the billowing dust. Upon closer inspection, the horses were not robust; a few were so emaciated that their ribs were visible. Ten people sat on their backs, holding onto the reins.

Those individuals were clad in uniformly tailored white garments with crimson borders, their heads adorned with headdresses featuring red and white plumes, and their foreheads encircled by twin dragon-twined diadems. Though their attire was not spotless, it was impeccably neat. Despite their unusually gaunt faces, they exuded remarkable vitality. Most impressively, each one of them carried a powerful bow, with quivers full of arrows slung across their backs.

In a world ravaged by war and chaos, two commodities hold the greatest value: food and weapons.

They were evidently not ordinary people.

Mo Ran was uncertain whether the approaching figure was benevolent or malevolent, ally or adversary. Yet amidst his uncertainty, he heard a heart-wrenching cry from one of the youths, approximately fourteen or fifteen years of age, exclaiming, "Father! Papa!"

With a thud, the youth tumbled from his horse's back, landing awkwardly in the dirt. He scrambled up, reeling as he dashed towards the base of a tree, collapsing onto the body of the middle-aged man who lay there lifeless. Overwhelmed with grief, he wailed, "Father! Father!"

Others also wore expressions of pity, but having witnessed too much life and death, they seemed somewhat desensitized. Apart from the young man weeping over the corpse, no one else dismounted to console him.

Someone noticed Mo Ran and Chu Wanning not far away, pausing in surprise before asking in a heavily Lin'an dialect, "You aren't locals, are you?"

Mo Ran replied, "Yes, we're... from Shu Province."

"So far away?" The man was astonished. "In these times, nights are filled with malevolent spirits. How did you manage to survive?"

"I know some spells," Mo Ran said, aware that he should be cautious with his words. Seeing that these people didn't seem malicious, he pulled Chu Wanning forward to change the subject. "This is my younger brother. We were passing through here and can't walk any further. We'd like to rest for a while."

Upon seeing Chu Wanning among the riders, a few of them seemed to be slightly taken aback, with two of them even whispering a brief exchange to each other.

Mo Ran's senses sharpened as he queried, "What is it?"

"Nothing much," the leading youth replied. "Let's get down to business. You should seek shelter in the city. Although there seem to be no monsters around here at the moment, come nightfall, ghosts would be lurking everywhere. Xiaoman's foster father went out to find food during the day, but due to yesterday's heavy rain, he couldn't make it back before dark. As you can see, that's what happened..." He let out a deep sigh and fell silent.

So it turned out that Xiaoman was the weeping youth, and the one who had passed away under the tree was his foster father. In chaotic times, such tragedies were not uncommon – a family member would set out to find food, leaving in the morning as healthy as could be, only to never return by nightfall.

Though he knew full well that this was an event that had transpired two centuries ago, the sight of the young man weeping with heartrending sobs, verging on shedding blood-tears, still stirred a faint bitterness in Mo Ran's chest.

Yet, after that slight bitterness, a sudden jolt of alarm surged within him.

In his previous life, he had killed without spilling a drop of blood. Why had he grown so soft now?

He immediately took Chu Wanning's hand and bid farewell to the group of young riders.

The leader spoke, "Once you enter Linan City, find a place to settle first. The city is about to relocate entirely to Putuo, where the spiritual energy is abundant and has yet to be tainted by ghostly influences. Since you two are alone, it would be better to join us on our journey."

"Entire city relocation?"

"Yes." The man's eyes shone with intensity as he spoke, his face radiating a gentle light. "Thanks to Young Master Chu's brilliant plan, the entire city was saved. Enough talk, enough talk. We still have to search the outskirts before nightfall to see if there are any survivors we can bring back into the city—oh, Xiaoman, come on, let's go."

He called out to Xiaoman, but Xiaoman remained weeping over his foster father's body, not turning to look back.

Mo Ran sighed and tugged at Chu Wanning, whispering, "Let's go. We should enter the city first."

Chu Wanning nodded and suddenly asked, "Did their plan to evacuate the entire city actually succeed?"

Mo Ran took his cold, delicate hand and said, "Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

"Of course, I want to hear the truth."

"It's better for kids to hear lies."

Chu Wanning replied, "They didn't manage to leave."

"That's right," Mo Ran said. "Look, you already know what the truth is, yet you insist on asking me, as if repeating the question will change the outcome."

Chu Wanning ignored him and continued, "Do you know why they didn't manage to leave?"

"You're asking me again. I'm not some two-hundred-year-old monster, how would I know?"

Chu Wanning fell silent for a moment before he said gloomily, "Almost everyone in Linan City from two hundred years ago is long gone."

Mo Ran: "…"

Chu Wanning continued, "Very few managed to escape."

"Not that, Junior Brother, but why do you know all of this despite your young age?"

Chu Wanning shot him a disdainful look. "Elder Yu Heng has mentioned it more than once in the old history lessons. You didn't listen in class, yet you come to ask me why I know so much. How infuriating."

Mo Ran was speechless. He thought to himself, Master hasn't even scolded me for daydreaming during his lectures, so why are you scolding me? But then he decided not to stoop down to a child's level and let him have his fun.

As they talked, they passed through the city gates and entered the main part of Linan City. The ancient city, standing tall by the Qiantang River, had been fortified and cleared of any potential threats. Exorcism fortifications were set up along its walls and edges.

Countless corpses lay outside the city, all bearing the marks of evil spirits. If left unchecked, these corpses would rise at night.

The Taoist priests took advantage of the noon sunlight to sprinkle incense ash over them. For those with particularly deep curses, they dipped brushes into red ink and wine to draw charms to dispel the malevolent presence.

Two guards stood before the city gate's barriers, dressed identically to the group of youths they had encountered outside: white garments trimmed with red, double dragon headbands with intertwined patterns, and bows slung over their arms with quivers full of arrows on their backs.

"Halt, who goes there?"

Mo Ran repeated his previous explanation. The guards weren't trying to prevent them from entering but rather were conducting registration. After recording their details, they allowed the pair to pass.

Before leaving, Mo Ran recalled the mention of "Young Master Chu" by the horse-riding youth. As that person had said, it was due to "Young Master Chu's" brilliant idea that Lin'an City had been evacuated. Thus, the key to deciphering the illusory array likely lay with this Young Master Chu.

"Excuse me, I'd like to inquire about someone," Mo Ran said.

The guard lifted his gaze. "You come from Shu, and you know someone here?"

Mo Ran smiled. "Not exactly. We met a few military officers on the way who mentioned a young master named Chu. They said he plans to lead the entire population to Putuo in two days. I wonder who this Young Master Chu is. I have some knowledge of magic, and if there's any way I can assist, I'd be willing to lend a hand."

The guard appraised him for a moment, perhaps concluding that Mo Ran's ability to arrive safely with a young child over such a great distance suggested genuine skill. He replied, "Young Master Chu is the eldest son of the governor. A month ago, the Ghost King descended, and unfortunately, the governor lost his life. Since then, it's been Young Master who has led us in defending against our enemy."

"The governor's son?" Mo Ran exchanged a glance with Chu Wanning. He turned back to the guard and asked, "How strange. Does the governor's son also practice magic?"

"What's so strange about that?!" The guard shot Mo Ran a withering look. "Are only major sects allowed to cultivate, not mortal cultivators?"

...

There were indeed wandering cultivators, but they never amounted to anything significant.

Mo Ran wondered if this Young Master Chu was an inexperienced and ignorant person who had given reckless advice, endangering the lives of all citizens in Linan City.

But as he followed the guards' directions and headed for the Governor's mansion, Mo Ran quickly realized he had been mistaken. This nobleman, coincidentally sharing the same surname as his master, clearly wasn't some amateurish fighter.

Because he saw the Upper Clear Barrier.

The Upper Clear Barrier was a very powerful purification barrier that could repel all malicious auras within its range. As long as it was active, not only ordinary ghosts but even vengeful spirits with a thousand-year history would find it difficult to enter.

However, the protective range of such a barrier required the caster's presence as the focal point of the formation. And the area it covered was extremely limited; even a grandmaster like Chu Wanning could only envelop half of the Summit of Life and Death with it.

Yet, at this very moment, this two-hundred-year-old Young Master Chu had created an Upper Clear Barrier covering a radius of ten miles around the Governor's mansion. Although it was far from Chu Wanning's, it was still something extraordinary that an average person couldn't match.

As the two approached the entrance of the Governor's mansion, Mo Ran initially thought of trying his luck by asking the guards to announce their arrival, saying that there was a cultivator offering assistance, to see if the Governor's son would be willing to grant them an audience.

Unexpectedly, upon turning a corner, they saw three long queues in front of the Governor's office. Six female attendants dressed similarly to the guard cavalry were standing with large wooden barrels, while hundreds of malnourished, weak, and elderly people gathered in front of the office, receiving charitable servings of porridge one by one.

Those who had received their porridge then gathered beneath a flowering crabapple tree in front of the residence. Under the tree stood a man dressed in white, his long, ink-black hair loosely tied into a single bundle. He was distributing sheets of talismans to the crowd, meticulously instructing them on how to use them.

His back was turned to Mo Ran, so his appearance could not be seen clearly.

But those who received the talismans thanked him gratefully, repeating, "Thank you, Young Master Chu, for your great kindness, thank you, Young Master Chu, for your great kindness..." as they dispersed.

So this was the Prefect's son?

Mo Ran felt a spark of curiosity and tugged his junior brother over for a closer look.

At first glance, Mo Ran's eyes widened in astonishment, as if struck by five bolts of lightning—

This... wasn't this Chu Wanning??

Not only was Mo Ran stunned, but even Chu Wanning himself was taken aback. From the end of the line, he observed that the Prefect's son had a delicate face, arched brows, phoenix-like eyes, a gentle nose bridge, and even wore a white robe that resembled his own to an astonishing degree!

Chu Wanning: "...."

Mo Ran: "...."

For a long while, Mo Ran stammered, "Junior Brother."

"Mm."

"Have you noticed... that Young Master Chu looks incredibly similar to someone?"

Chu Wanning replied dryly, "He resembles Elder Yu Heng."

Mo Ran slapped his thigh. "That's exactly what I thought! What's going on? Who is this person? What's his connection with our Master?"

"How would I know if you're asking me?"

"But aren't you always attentive in class?" Mo Ran was anxious.

"This isn't something they'd teach in class," Chu Wanning said, exasperated.

The two fell silent again, standing in line and moving forward slowly, both of them staring intently at Young Master Chu.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that there were differences between Chu Wanning and this young master. This gentleman had a more refined and scholarly appearance, with less-slanted eyes and a warmer gaze. His eyes were gentler than Chu Wanning's.

Mo Ran, as he gazed, suddenly exclaimed, "Huh?" and lowered his head to look at his little junior brother once more.

"I want to have a good look."

"What...?" Chu Wanning couldn't help but feel guilty and turned his face away.

Seeing him evade, Mo Ran became even more persistent, reaching out to pinch his cheek, forcing him to turn back. After observing for a while, he suddenly realized something and murmured, "Oh."

Chu Wanning tried to remain calm. "W-what is it?"

Mo Ran narrowed his eyes. "No wonder back outside the city, those people whispered when they saw you. I've just realized that you bear a resemblance to Master too."

".................."

Chu Wanning hurriedly broke free from him, his ears turning red. "Nonsense."

"But it's so strange. Why could those guards recognize it at first glance, but it took me so long to figure it out?"

Chu Wanning: "..............."

Pondering deeply, a crisp sound suddenly echoed, followed by a childish voice crying out, "Father."