The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 79: My Master Is an Actor

If not for his intimate understanding of Chu Wanning, Mo Ran might have actually believed the absurd story he was spinning just from the serious expression on his face.

Xia Sini is Chu Wanning's son?

What a joke. Does he think he's stupid?

But it would be disrespectful to go against his master's wishes, so in the following days, Mo Ran found himself reluctantly playing along with Chu Wanning's charade, pretending to be surprised and exclaiming "Oh my" or "I never would have guessed" or "Master, you're such a free-spirited man," and so on.

To be fair, although he had no idea what Chu Wanning was up to, the experience was somewhat amusing.

Mo Ran would tease him every now and then. During their visits to the teahouse, he would prop his chin in his hand and peer at Chu Wanning with bright, round eyes, calling out, "Master, Master."

Chu Wanning would swallow a sip of Yangxian tea and lift his gaze to look at him coolly. "Hm?"

"Why haven't you acknowledged Xia Shixiong as your son?"

Chu Wanning replied, "It's not that I don't want to, but our fates have yet to align."

"When does one know that fate has brought them together?"

"It depends on his destiny."

Mo Ran, trying to suppress his laughter to the point of abdominal pain, maintained a sympathetic expression and said, "Junior Brother Xia really is pitiful."

For instance, while riding side by side on their journey, Mo Ran plucked a willow branch and used it to tease cats and dogs along the way. When he grew bored, he would call out to Chu Wanning.

"Master, Master."

"What is it?"

"I'll whisper you a question," Mo Ran said with a grin. "What kind of person is Shifu? Is she beautiful?"

Chu Wanning choked, then quickly covered it up with a light cough.

"Decent."

"Hmm? Only decent?" Mo Ran asked in surprise. "I thought the one who could win your favor must be an incredibly stunning beauty."

"..."

Mo Ran held the reins, bringing his black steed close to Chu Wanning's white one. With a mischievous grin, he inquired, "Shifu, do you still have any contact with Shifuren?"

"..." Chu Wanning shot him a cold glance and tersely replied, "She's already dead."

Just two sentences, and his wife was dead? Mo Ran nearly choked on his saliva. "D-dead?... How did she die?"

Chu Wanning's face remained expressionless as he answered, "Complications during childbirth."

"..." Hahahahaha.

If circumstances had allowed it, Mo Ran would have surely fallen off his horse from laughter.

Such an amusing topic, Mo Ran wouldn't let it slide easily. The next day, before they set off on their journey, he washed a bag of plump, juicy cherries and packed them into a bag for Chu Wanning to eat along the way, hoping to persuade him into chatting a bit more.

"Shifu, can I know who Shifuren was and what her name was?"

Chu Wanning picked up a sugared cherry, ate it calmly, then said coolly, "The deceased is gone, so knowing her name serves no purpose."

Mo Ran smoothly played along with the act: "Master has taught us about filial piety and fraternal respect. Even if my foster mother had a short life, as her disciple, I should remember her name and pay respects during significant dates like Winter Solstice and Qingming Festival."

Chu Wanning continued eating his cherries, saying nonchalantly, "No need. Your foster mother wasn't such a mundane person; she didn't like the smell of incense."

Mo Ran pouted, rolling his eyes inwardly. He thought to himself, You're the one who couldn't come up with your foster mother's background on the spot, yet you have the nerve to say she was above the world and didn't partake in earthly pleasures. But on the surface, he still wore a smile and asked, "If Foster Mother is so unconventional, she must be a cultivator, right?"

Chu Wanning paused, then picked up another cherry with his snow-white fingertips and slowly chewed it before answering, "Indeed."

Mo Ran blinked his curious eyes. "Which sect was Foster Mother from?"

Chu Wanning estimated Xia Sini's age and recalled that at that time, he was still in Lin Yi. He answered calmly, "The Confucian Wind Sect."

"Oh…" Mo Ran slightly raised an eyebrow. Chu Wanning had found a loophole here. The Confucian Wind Sect traditionally valued male disciples over females. While female disciples weren't disadvantaged in martial arts education, they never had the chance to show their faces or leave their names behind when going out on missions. As a result, even though Confucian Wind Sect female cultivators were skilled, people in the martial world only knew them as "Confucian Wind Sect female cultivators," but no one knew their individual names or biographies. Thus, Chu Wanning could fabricate whatever story he wanted since there was no way to verify it.

However, Mo Ran wasn't someone who would easily give up. He quickly regained his spirits and persistently asked, "Then when did Master meet Foster Mother, and how did they meet?"

"Ah..."

Chu Wanning was momentarily at a loss for words, hesitating. His gaze fell upon Mo Ran's bright, sparkling eyes, and he suddenly realized that he didn't have to answer his question at all. He pursed his lips, swished his wide sleeves, and coldly said, "Why do you concern yourself with your master's personal affairs?"

He then spurred his horse forward, his white cloak billowing behind him, leaving Mo Ran far behind.

For over ten days, the two wandered about, visiting several small immortal sects and searching around the markets for weapons and spirit stones, but found no clues.

On this day, Chu Wanning, as usual, used the osmanthus flower to communicate with Xue Zhengyong. After exchanging messages, he left the inn with Mo Ran to investigate the market under the jurisdiction of Solitary Moon Night.

Solitary Moon Night was the largest Medicine Sect in the world and also the sect where Xue Meng's birth mother, Madame Wang, had been a disciple.

This immortal sect was situated on an island called Linling Island. However, Linling Island was not a true island but the back of a colossal black tortoise. The tortoise was millions of years old and had made a blood pact with the founding elder of Solitary Moon Night to carry the entire sect across the sea, nourishing the myriad trees and flowers on the island with its unique immortal aura.

The disciples of Solitary Moon Night were always shrouded in mystery, avoiding conflict with the world. The sect itself did not often interact with outsiders, except on the first and fifteenth day of every lunar month when the black tortoise carried the entire sect near Yangzhou harbor. At these times, members of other sects would come to the island to purchase medicines, while merchants would offer them weapons, spirit stones, and other items not commonly found on the island.

However, the most famous establishment on Linling Island was not Solitary Moon Night but "Xuan Yuan Pavilion." Under the jurisdiction of Solitary Moon Night, it was a renowned trading house in the cultivation world.

This trading house opened twice a month, selling Solitary Moon Night's finest medicines as well as rare treasures from various sellers. Although some goods could touch upon taboos within the cultivation world, no one dared to provoke Solitary Moon Night, considering that the sect produced more than half of the spiritual herbs used by cultivators. In some respects, Solitary Moon Night's power was not inferior to the current top sect, the Confucian Wind Sect.

"There are too many people here. Put on your cloak."

As more people arrived at Linling Island, Chu Wanning pulled down the hood of his cloak and whispered a reminder to Mo Ran.

Despite the respect shown by the Xuan Yuan Pavilion by providing private boxes for major sects at the auction site, most cultivators would conceal their true identities here, where illicit transactions took place, for fear of revealing secrets or attracting deadly trouble.

Mo Ran and Chu Wanning entered the Xuan Yuan Pavilion. Inside, it was divided into three levels. At the center of the first level stood a white jade lotus platform protected by nine impregnable barriers. This was where items would be displayed during the auction.

Surrounding the white jade platform were hundreds of long benches made from red sandalwood, which formed the most ordinary seating area, extending in the four cardinal directions.

The second level consisted of private booths. Each booth had a large window made of golden nanmu wood, with a layer of silver moon veil curtains hanging in front. One could see clearly through the curtains from the inside, but outsiders couldn't catch a glimpse inside, effectively preserving the guests' privacy. However, they came at a steep price, costing nine thousand gold pieces per hour.

Chu Wanning disliked being in crowded spaces, so he spent the gold leaves sent by Xue Zhengyong without a second thought.

The slaves serving customers in the Xuan Yuan Pavilion had signed life contracts with the pavilion lord, ensuring that they wouldn't divulge any private information. Nevertheless, Chu Wanning remained uneasy. He requested the best booth and ordered two pots of Snow Ground Cold Fragrance tea, eight fresh fruits, eight preserved fruits, four pastries, and four candies, before dismissing the servant.

Left alone in the booth with Mo Ran, Chu Wanning lifted his hand to remove his cloak and stood by the window, gazing at the bustling crowd below.

"According to our Lord, there will be a weapon on sale at this Xuan Yuan Gathering, named Return."

"Return?" Mo Ran shook his head. "I've never heard of it."

"It's a divine weapon," Chu Wanning replied.

Mo Ran was startled. "Divine Weapon? But Jin Chengchi is already—"

"I know what you mean. But it's said that Return was found in an unknown tomb on Ten Thousand Gods Ridge. Its previous owner must have had no heir to pass it on to, so they buried the Divine Weapon with them."

"…I see."

However, a Divine Weapon only recognized its original master. Once that master died, it would recognize their descendants. Others who obtained the weapon would struggle to wield even a fraction of its power. In Mo Ran's opinion, buying such a weapon wouldn't make much sense.

Chu Wanning saw through Mo Ran's thoughts and explained, "Even if a Divine Weapon doesn't acknowledge its master, it's still far more powerful than ordinary weapons. People will still clamor for it."

Mo Ran understood. "I get what you mean, Master. Ordinary people might not see a Divine Weapon in their entire lifetime. Since this 'Return' was found in an unmarked tomb and has been around for a long time, many will test their spiritual energy just in case they're the descendant of the original owner. It can't hurt to try."

"Indeed."

Mo Ran mused, "Divine Weapons are rare, yet one without an owner suddenly appears up for auction. This seems like the fake Chen Gou's tactic. He could be using a high-quality replica to trick everyone into releasing their spiritual energy, so he can find out if anyone here has the essence spirit body he's looking for."

Chu Wanning leisurely sat down in a soft chair, poured himself a cup of Snowy Ground Cold Fragrance, and sipped it slowly. Looking at the bustling crowd below, he whispered, "That's right. Whether this Divine Weapon is genuine or fake, or if it's a trap set by the fake Chen Gou, it's worth investigating."

Just as he finished speaking, a commotion erupted from downstairs.

Looking down, Chu Wanning and Mo Ran both froze in surprise.

They saw the golden gates of the Xuan Yuan Pavilion wide open. Amongst a group of hooded cultivators, two rows of blue-robed youths with jade hairpins strolled gracefully forward. The leader, a tall and handsome figure, showed no shame for his visit to the black market.

Mo Ran exclaimed in surprise, "Ye Wangxi?"

Author's Note: Mini-drama: "Welcome to Sotheby's Auction, gentlemen. What would you most like to see auctioned off?"

Mo Ran: A medicine that stops people from dreaming.

Chu Wanning: I don't have anything specific in mind. I heard there's a famous ancient black gold saber next door, which could serve as a divine weapon for Xue Meng. So, the black gold ancient saber, please. (Alright, we get it, you're Zhang Qiling in the wrong setting. Next.)

Xue Meng: Black gold ancient saber! (Zhang Qiling, are you leaving or not?!!)

Shi Mo: Bla...

Meat Bun: Stop talking!!

Shi Mo: Black... uh, pot eraser. I wasn't finished yet.

Meat Bun: ... Oh.

Mei Hanxue: Are you selling beauties? In ancient times, black markets were known to peddle all sorts of enchanting individuals. I'll take any with exceptional looks; they'd make fine decorations for my palace.

Ye Wangxi: (Kicks the door open) ... Against the wall, everyone. Crouch down. Police.