No matter how much he speculated, Chu Wanning didn’t want to make any conclusions or think too much about it, so as not to make things difficult for himself. It was just that he had some reservations about this sudden feeling. So, when the tribulation fire was finally extinguished and the group was preparing to leave on their swords, Chu Wanning didn’t intend to ride on Mo Ran’s sword again.

     Of course, Yuheng Elder, who could barely fly twenty feet in the air, had no intention of stepping on Huaisha to cross the vast ocean. So, as the group stood at the edge of the rocky beach, waiting to be pulled up on Mo Ran’s expanded longsword one by one, Chu Wanning took out his Ascending Dragon Talisman.

     A drop of blood fell from the tip of his finger and onto the dragon scale. The noisy little paper dragon suddenly came to life again, soaring into the air and somersaulting several times, then circling around its master, shouting loudly.

     “Aiya, Chu Wanning, I haven’t seen you in so many years, I miss you so much. What are you asking me to do this time?”

     “Take me to the other side.”

     “Hey! This Venerable One is the Dragon of the Candle, the first true sovereign of heaven and earth! How can I do the work of a mule or donkey?! I won’t carry you. I won’t carry you!”

     Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the palm-sized paper dragon shook its head and wagged its tail. Although its body was weak, its voice was loud and clear. Some of the children couldn’t help but laugh when they heard its words.

     Chu Wanning’s face darkened. He raised his hand and a golden flame appeared in his palm. He said in a low voice, “You’ll burn if you don’t.”

     “...”

     The little dragon was so angry that it fell straight onto the beach, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, even blowing its whiskers and glaring at Chu Wanning, “How can there be someone like you?! Fierce and unreasonable, heartless and shameless. No wonder you’re alone every time I see you, even after so many years!”

     Mo Ran turned around when he heard this, as if he wanted to say something. But after thinking about it, there were so many people around, and Chu Wanning wanted to save face, so he didn’t say anything. He just smiled and shook his head.

     Chu Wanning said angrily, “You talk too much!”

     With a wave of his hand, the ball of fire in his palm was thrown directly at the little dragon on the ground. However, Chu Wanning didn’t really want to burn it, so despite being so powerful, the fire only brushed past the dragon’s whiskers and fell on the beach.

     The little paper dragon was so scared that it screamed and scrambled, patting its claws on its whiskers, “Where is This Venerable One’s tail?! What about my whiskers?! This Venerable One… This Venerable One’s head! Is it still there? Is it still—”

     “If you keep blabbering, it won’t be,” Chu Wanning threatened, a hissing golden light once again gathering in his palm.

     “Grow bigger.”

     “...Awoooooooo…” The little dragon wailed for a long time, half serious and half dramatic. It was using its claws to wipe away tears that didn’t exist. Suddenly, its green eyes caught a glimpse of Chu Wanning’s piercing phoenix eyes, and it couldn’t help but shiver. The rest of its whimpering ended immediately with a comical hiccup.

     It slowly crawled up from the ground. This time, it really looked like a dragon made of paper. Its body was boneless and its whiskers were drooping down. It hiccuped again and said with grievance, “Just this once, it won’t happen again.”

     “As you wish.”

     After all, it said the same thing the last time he rode it.

     The paper dragon stretched out its four legs, as if it was stretching its muscles and bones. Then, it let out a sharp cry, and a golden light suddenly spilled out from its small, thin body, spreading out around its body until it engulfed the paper dragon completely.

     ROAR! All of a sudden, the small and sharp cry from the paper dragon’s throat turned into a powerful and terrifying roar. In an instant, the golden light flashed with purple lightning and thunder, and the surrounding wind rose up, the waves on the shore surging.

     Everyone was blinded by dazzling light, bowing their heads, or covering their faces with their sleeves. Chu Wanning narrowed his eyes, his long ponytail and wide robes flowing in the wind.

     By the time the golden light disappeared, everyone looked around and found that the little dragon had already disappeared. The beach was quiet, with nothing in sight.

     “Huh? It’s gone?” A particularly bold child was surprised, but before he could continue, everyone heard a loud roar from above their heads. It was a roar that shook the heavens, causing the angry sea to surge violently, a roar that churned the wind and clouds.

     Suddenly, a mighty dragon rushed out from behind the thick clouds. Its eyes were wide with rage, its claws strong—just its whiskers alone were as thick as a hundred year old tree. It circled and hovered in the clouds like a tiger, then suddenly tilted its head upwards and dove towards the ground!

     A fierce wind rose from all directions.

     “Ahhhh!”

     “Father!”

     The child who had lost his parents was frightened, and cried out for his father out of habit. Mo Ran hurriedly picked him up and soothed him softly.

     Chu Wanning hadn’t expected that he would scare the child again, and was stunned for a moment. Seeing the giant dragon rushing towards the ground, Chu Wanning immediately said, “Slow down.”

     “Argh?”

     When the huge dragon heard this, it actually let out a stupefied whine. Then, with a crash, it landed on the rocky beach and slowly lowered its body.

     The dragon was so massive that sitting on it wasn’t much different from sitting on land. No wonder Chu Wanning didn’t like to fly on a sword, but was willing to fly up high on the dragon.

     Mo Ran wanted Chu Wanning to feel more at ease, so he held the child in his arms and teased, “Do you want to join that gege on the dragon?”

     However, the child was unwilling. He buried his face in Mo Ran’s shoulder and whispered, “I’ll tell you a secret, I don’t like him…”

     Mo Ran also said to him, “I’ll tell you a secret, I love him.”

     “Ah?” The child was stunned for a moment, but after all, he was pure and innocent, and asked, “Really?”

     “Shh, don’t tell anyone.”

     The child immediately laughed, covered his mouth, and nodded repeatedly.

     “What are you talking about? You’re still not leaving?” Chu Wanning didn’t plan to fly with the crowd, so he glanced at them briefly, then soared up on his dragon and disappeared into the clouds.

     Since they couldn’t fly too fast with so many people on the sword, they finally arrived at Wuchang Town in the middle Shu region by evening. Chu Wanning had landed before them and greeted a few of the larger families in the town.

     Wuchang Town was the town most looked after by Sisheng Peak, and as long as someone from the peak was in need of something, they would do everything they could.

     The refugees brought back from Linyi were all taken care of by the big family heads. The child in Mo Ran’s arms turned back and waved at him reluctantly before he left, “See you later, gege.”

     “Mm, see you later.” Mo Ran smiled and stood in the afterglow of the setting sun, watching them leave.

     Chu Wanning was tired of this kind of parting scene. He stood in place for a while, then turned to leave. Mo Ran quickly followed him, and they walked back to the sect.

     The two walked quietly to the front of the stone steps of the mountain gate. Step by step, they walked up the steps as the trees swayed in the brilliant twilight. Mo Ran recalled the time Chu Wanning had crawled back to the top of the mountain, carrying his heavily injured and unconscious body on his back. Even when his spiritual energy was exhausted, he still continued.

     Seeing that he could still stand by his side and return to the peak with him, he couldn’t help but have mixed feelings.

     Amidst the bitterness and sweetness, he reached out and gently held one of Chu Wanning’s fingertips.

     “...”

     Even though they had already held hands before, Chu Wanning still looked so stiff, so clumsy, so uncomfortable. He tried his best to keep his face calm, to make himself seem calm and at ease.

     But unfortunately, the person he was facing was Mo Ran.

     He was Mo Weiyu, who knew him to his bones, knew him inside out, knew that the mole by his ear was sensitive, and knew the fear of the cold at the tips of his feet.

     Neither of them spoke first, but seeing that Chu Wanning didn’t pull his finger away, Mo Ran gently wrapped his entire hand around his.

     It was a long way up the steps, and he wished for it to be longer, so he could hold his hand for a little longer, just a little longer…

     He also wished for it to be shorter. If it was shorter, then the pain Chu Wanning had gone through when he carried him home would have been a little less, just a little less…

     Just like that, they arrived at the mountain peak, the majestic towering mountain gate clearly visible.

     Suddenly, a lone figure in a white-silver fox cloak appeared out of the shadows of the swaying trees. Before the two could see clearly, they heard that person call out.

     “Shizun?!”

     Chu Wanning was slightly startled. He immediately pulled his hand out of Mo Ran’s grasp and let it hang in his wide sleeve. Then, he stood still and raised his head.

     Shi Mei walked down the steps, and under the dim glow of the setting sun, his face was as clear as a lotus flower, bright and beautiful. The brilliant rays of sun on his face made the red clouds in the sky look pale in comparison.

     He was truly very handsome.

     Shi Mei probably didn’t see the two of them holding hands just now. He seemed pleasantly surprised, and smiled, “Great, you’re finally back!”

     Mo Ran didn’t expect to meet him so suddenly. Feeling a little embarrassed, he asked, “Shi Mei, are you going out?”

     “Mm, I was about to go down the mountain to buy some things for the Sect Leader, but I didn’t expect to see Shizun and A-Ran first,” Shi Mei said. “A few days ago, the Sect Leader received Shizun’s messenger haitang, but hasn’t seen you two since. He was worried…”

     “Mo Ran and I are both fine,” Chu Wanning said. “What about the others in the sect?”

     “They’re all fine,” Shi Mei said. “Although the young master was used as a black chess piece, he wasn’t controlled for too long, and his heart wasn’t damaged. Tanlang Elder has been treating him carefully these past few days. This morning, he was able to get out of bed and walk around.”

     Chu Wanning sighed with relief, “That’s good.”

     Shi Mei smiled and looked at Mo Ran for a moment before lowering his eyes gently and bowing as he said, “Although I would love to talk a little more, if I don’t go get the medicinal herbs Guyue’ye sent over, I’ll make the person delivering them wait a long time. I’ll have to go first. Shizun, Mo Ran, see you tonight.”

     “Mm, go ahead,” Chu Wanning said. “We’ll talk later.”

     Shi Mei walked down the steps, his robe fluttering until his figure gradually disappeared.

     Chu Wanning turned his head. Although Mo Ran hadn’t let go of his hand just now, and he was the one who pulled away first, he didn’t know why, but for some reason, he felt irritated, and his cold, razor-sharp phoenix eyes shot Mo Ran a vicious glare before he flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

     Mo Ran: “...”

     The two arrived outside of Loyalty Hall one after the other. However, when they pushed the door open, they were shocked speechless by the scene in front of them. The main hall of Sisheng Peak was densely packed with gold and silver silk, precious corals, magic tools, and spiritual stones from the highest seat at the end of the hall, all the way to the door. Chu Wanning could only push the door open halfway before it was blocked by a pile of shiny refining crystals, unable to move further.

     Aside from these things, for some strange reason, there were also more than thirty peerless beauties standing in the hall, looking anxious and fearful.

     As for Xue Zhengyong, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he tried to reason with a Huohuang Pavilion disciple wearing a light red robe, “No, this really won’t do. We can accept the rest, but please take these singers back and return them to the pavilion master. We really don’t listen to songs like that here, nor do we like watching them dance either, thank you.”

     Mo Ran followed Chu Wanning into the hall, and was immediately assailed by the strong fragrance of cosmetics on the thirty girls standing by the door. He was already sensitive to the scent of such products, so he couldn’t hold it in. He immediately sneezed four or five times.

     Xue Zhengyong hurriedly turned around. When he saw the two of them, he was overjoyed, “Ran-er, Yuheng! You’re finally back! Hurry, hurry and help me persuade this… uh… this envoy.”

     Chu Wanning raised his eyebrows slightly, “Envoy?”

     Without waiting for Xue Zhengyong’s reply, the envoy turned around with a face full of smiles. He said enthusiastically, “I am the head disciple of Huohuang Pavilion. I’m here under the orders of the pavilion master to form an alliance with Sisheng Peak.”

     Chu Wanning: “...”

     Of course, forming an alliance couldn’t be done lightly. The three of them worked together to persuade the man for a long time before they finally sent him away.

     Looking at the envoy’s departing figure, Xue Zhengyong sighed heavily as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

     “You know, these days there are so many sects, big and small, that have sent people here to form alliances with Sisheng Peak. I haven’t had many encounters with them over the years. In the past, only Taxue Palace of Mount Kunlun was willing to pay attention to us, but this time, three or five of them have already scrambled over to present us with gifts. They suddenly became so enthusiastic that I don’t even know how to respond.”

     Chu Wanning frowned and asked, “What’s the situation in the cultivation world?”

     “It’s a mess,” Xue Zhengyong said. “Xu Shuanglin is a madman. He exposed so many grudges and grievances in the memory scroll. Even if we know he did it because of his vengeful heart, what can that change? It goes without saying that Rufeng Sect has fallen apart, along with Jiangdong Hall. Guyue’ye and Taxue Palace are now enemies, and there’s also Wubei Temple…”

     Speaking to this point, he suddenly remembered that Master Huaizui was once Chu Wanning’s Shizun and immediately stopped talking.

     However, Chu Wanning only said lightly, “Wubei Temple is an empty and pure place, but its former head was involved in the dispute over the succession of Rufeng Sect. His intentions were sinister, so naturally his reputation has been tarnished.”

     “Hmm…”

     Hearing him talk about his own sect without any mercy, Xue Zhengyong and Mo Ran looked at him with slight bewilderment.

     Chu Wanning pursed his lips and didn’t say anything more about it. After a while, he asked again, “Where is Nangong Si?”

     “I don’t know,” Xue Zhengyong replied. “After the tribulation fire was extinguished, I haven’t heard anything about him, or Ye-gong—Miss Ye.”

     Hearing this, Mo Ran couldn’t help but mutter an “Ah,” with a worried expression. Could it be that even after two lifetimes, those two were still unable to have a good ending?

     Seeing his strange expression, Xue Zhengyong turned to look at him, “Ran-er, what’s wrong?”

     Mo Ran couldn’t tell the truth, so he could only say, “I was just thinking that Xu Shuanglin’s whereabouts are still unknown, and the two of them have deep connections with him, so I’m worried they might be implicated.”

     “Don’t worry about it too much. All the sects have already sent people to thoroughly investigate the source of all the strange spells in the cultivation world,” Xue Zhengyong said. “If Nangong Xu makes any big movements in the future, he will definitely be caught. Perhaps Nangong-gongzi and Miss Ye are temporarily trapped in the forest for the time being, so it’s not convenient for them to contact anyone on the outside.”

     Mo Ran said, “Yes, I hope so.”

     They continued to ask about the changes that had occurred in the past few days. And although Xue Zhengyong had been informed by Chu Wanning’s messenger haitang, and knew they had spent some time on Feihua Island, he still didn’t know exactly what had happened, so he asked them in turn about their recent history.

     Chu Wanning explained everything that had happened on Feihua Island. Only when he got to matters related to Mo Ran, would he pause and deliberately leave it out.

     As for Xue Zhengyong, he would’ve never imagined that something could happen between Chu Wanning and Mo Ran. Except for their looks, the two didn’t seem to be a compatible match at all; age, personality, status—even the tone of their skin, their tastes in food, and their sleeping postures were all opposite.

     For so many years, the name Yuheng of the Night Sky had always stood for purity and nobility, while Beidou Immortal stood for coldness. The dignified Chu-zongshi didn’t have love and desire; he was a loveless man who cherished his face above all else, so how could he be with his own disciple?

     Nobody would dare to write such outrageous words—even the most daring and absurd books wouldn’t dare to write such a paragraph. If any storyteller could say such a thing, they would probably be spat on and drenched with a large bowl of tea before being beaten under the beechwood table.

     However, love was born just like that.

     In the dim light, in a corner where no one cared to look, a secret and delicate flower bloomed. Although it wasn’t yet in full bloom, its fragrance was already exquisite and charming.

     Since they had returned to Sisheng Peak, Chu Wanning wanted to go to Mengpo Hall to eat that evening.

     When he opened the door of the Red Lotus Pavilion, he suddenly saw a person standing quietly on the bluestone steps along the desolate mountain path. Hearing the door, the man turned around. The luxuriant light behind him was like a splash of ink, painting his handsome cheeks with a layer of gold.

     Mo Ran smiled and said, “Shizun.”

     Chu Wanning’s white silk shoes paused as the present suddenly overlapped with the past. It was as if he was once again back at Sisheng Peak during the first year of Mo Ran’s arrival. Every day, he would stand by his door, watch him leave, and wait for him to return.

     However, the boy was no longer the same. Yuheng Elder had long since become the Shizun he called thousands of times.

     In Mo Ran’s gentle respect, there was a trace of restrained eagerness, as well as a not-so-restrained tenderness.

     “What are you doing here?”

     “Waiting to eat with you.”

     Chu Wanning’s gaze fell to the food box in his hand, and he said, “I want to go to Mengpo Hall today. I haven’t been there in a long time, so I don’t want to stay in the Red Lotus Pavilion to eat.”

     Mo Ran was slightly confused before he understood and smiled, “Shizun misunderstood. This food box is empty, I just went to take some food to Xue Meng. He doesn’t have an appetite, so I borrowed a small stove and cooked a bowl of noodles for him.”

     He didn’t expect that Mo Ran would actually cook food for Xue Meng. In his memory, the two of them had always been at odds with each other. Even though they were cousins, it didn’t even take an incense stick of time for them to fight each other to the death.

     He didn’t know when it happened. Perhaps it was because he missed too much in his five years of seclusion and had missed out on too many things, or because Mo Ran and Xue Meng were both growing more mature. In short, without their Shizun noticing, the relationship between the two had long since been thawed, gradually becoming more peaceful.

     Even though it was still far from being brothers, at the very least, when Xue Meng made a clay figurine, he would remember to make an ugly Mo Ran. And when Xue Meng was sick, Mo Ran would personally cook him a bowl of noodles and bring it to his bedside.

     Chu Wanning sighed, “How is he? When I went to see him earlier, he was still sleeping.”

     “He’s awake now. He ate the noodles and wanted to go out for a walk, but I had to persuade him to go back and lie down,” Mo Ran said. “The Zhenlong Chess Formation is unlike any other. A person who has been hit by a black chess piece should rest for a while, even if the control wasn’t deep.”

     “Mm.”

     Although Chu Wanning agreed, he still had some doubts.

     Chu Wanning suddenly felt uncomfortable. It was as if Mo Ran was too clear, too sure about the pros and cons of the Zhenlong Chess Formation. He was too indifferent about it.

     “Shizun?” Chu Wanning came back to his senses, as Mo Ran asked with a smile, “What are you thinking about?”

     “...Nothing.” He was probably overthinking. After all, Mo Ran was now a respectable zongshi, it wasn’t strange for him to have some understanding of the forbidden techniques. He changed the subject and said, “Where are we going to eat? I don’t want to eat outside.”

     “I don’t want to eat outside either.” Mo Ran rubbed his nose and laughed softly. His voice was gentle as he said, “I just want to go with you. Anywhere is fine.”

     Chu Wanning would never admit that he was a little moved, but he couldn’t help but look into those dark, gentle eyes for a moment. Those eyes were sincere and bright, reflecting the morning light along with his own reflection.

     Simple and clean.

     He couldn’t think of any reason to refuse such a pair of eyes, so he ended up in the lively dining hall with Mo Ran.

     Perhaps that final layer of thin paper keeping them apart had finally been broken. In the past, Mo Ran wouldn’t hesitate to serve him food, even raising his hand when he noticed a bit of soup left on Chu Wanning’s mouth, and wiping it away with a smile.

     But now, the two of them knew the deeper meaning behind the other’s actions. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, even their eyes were blushing at the sight of each other.

     After they finished their meal, Chu Wanning got up and was about to put away his tray when Mo Ran called to him, “Shizun, wait a minute.”

     “What’s wrong?”

     Mo Ran reached out his hand and was just about to touch Chu Wanning’s face when he stopped in his tracks. He pulled back his hand and pointed to the corner of Chu Wanning’s mouth. He smiled and said, “You have a grain of rice right here.”

     “...”

     Chu Wanning froze for a moment, then put down the tray, seemingly calm as he wiped the grain of rice with his handkerchief. He pursed his lips and asked in a low voice, “Is there any more?”

     Mo Ran smiled and said, “Nope, it’s gone.”

     Only then did Chu Wanning pick up his tray and walk away. He was both embarrassed and flustered, but there was also a faint sense of loss that he wasn’t so willing to admit. Mo Ran used to just raise his hand directly to help Chu Wanning clean his face, so his sudden obedience made him feel awkward.

     This was the case for the next few days.

     Mo Ran used to be a person with no inhibitions, but now he was like a boy who had fallen in love. He wanted to do his best to treat Chu Wanning well without doing anything too extreme. It was as if Mo Ran was afraid of startling him, so he was very careful with each step he took.

     Sometimes, Chu Wanning could clearly see the burning heat in his eyes, but then the man’s eyelashes would quietly flick down and his broad hand would wrap around Chu Wanning’s. By the time he raised his eyes again, the lust in his gaze had already been completely covered by tenderness.

     But there was so much tenderness sometimes that Chu Wanning felt a vague illusion in his heart. It was as if Mo Ran was treating a clay figurine that had been broken into pieces, then glued back together bit by bit. It was as if he was afraid that if made a big move, he would crush him to pieces.

     Chu Wanning felt that this wasn’t bad. It was a good idea to take it easy and not move too fast. Although some things were exciting in his dreams, if they came true, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to bear it.

     However, no matter how much he restrained himself, no matter how obediently he followed the steps of love, there would still be an end to it.

     One day, after he finished his dinner as usual, he picked up a peach to bring with him as he left. He had barely taken two bites before his hand was caught. Chu Wanning was shocked. He raised his head and saw that it was Mo Ran.

     He scolded in a low voice, “What are you do—”