After that day, Chu Wanning and Mo Ran didn’t have the chance to meet in private for the time being.

     In the middle Shu region, the rain continued to pour heavily, in an almost demonic manner. A large number of dead fish and shrimp appeared in the surging rivers outside of White Emperor City, as well as many vicious aquatic beasts. Almost all the elders and disciples of Sisheng Peak rushed to the villages to slay them.

     Since both Chu Wanning and Mo Ran were extremely powerful, they couldn’t afford to waste their strength in one place, and thus weren’t sent to the same location. One went to the Three Gorges Port, and the other went to Yizhou.

     Rufeng Sect had a hundred years of foundation, and so, Jingu Tower had trapped countless demonic beasts. Once it was destroyed, they were released, and began to unleash chaos on the world.

     In addition to the middle Shu region, the peaceful areas of Yangzhou, Leizhou, and Xuzhou in the upper cultivation world were also plagued by tragic cases of demonic beasts eating people and killing civilians. For a long time, the manpower and energy of the various sects was divided, slowing the search for Xu Shuanglin’s whereabouts.

     Since Mo Ran’s spiritual power was extremely advanced, it only took him four days to quickly stabilize Yizhou and return to Sisheng Peak. When he heard that Chu Wanning had also returned, he was delighted, and went to the Red Lotus Pavilion to find him.

     However, the door to the Red Lotus Pavilion was shut tight.

     When he asked Xue Zhengyong, his uncle said strangely, “He’s in seclusion. Didn’t Yuheng tell you?”

     “He’s in seclusion again?” Mo Ran was taken aback, “Is Shizun injured?”

     “Injured? Isn’t it due to his cultivation method? Every seven years, he has to go into seclusion. The last time it happened, you also went to look after him, how could you forget?”

     As Xue Zhengyong said this, Mo Ran suddenly remembered that there was indeed such an incident.

     At that time, he had just taken Chu Wanning as his Shizun. Only half a year later, Chu Wanning said that when he was young, he was too impatient to advance his cultivation, causing an old illness. Although it wasn’t a big problem, he had to go into seclusion every seven years for ten days.

     For ten days, Chu-zongshi’s cultivation would be so weak that he was almost mortal. He would need to meditate deeply in order to recover. During this time, he could only regain his consciousness for one hour a day to drink some water and eat food. For the rest of the time, he must not be disturbed, and he must not be injured.

     Therefore, Chu Wanning would set up the strongest barrier around the Red Lotus Pavilion in advance, only allowing Xue Zhengyong, Xue Meng, Shi Mei, and Mo Ran to enter, so he could safely overcome the tribulation.

     Not long before his last seclusion, Mo Ran had just had a conflict with Chu Wanning over the matter of picking flowers.

     After he was punished, Mo Ran was discouraged, so he didn’t accompany his Shizun during his ten days of seclusion, but instead went to help his uncle tidy Cangshu Pavilion.

     Thinking back to that time, Mo Ran felt uneasy, and immediately said, “I’ll go and see him.”

     “You don’t need to go. Before he entered seclusion, he said that, just like last time, Xue Meng would guard him the first three days, then Shi Mei for three days, then you can accompany him for the last four days,” Xue Zhengyong explained.

     “I just wanted to take a look at him…”

     “What’s there to see?” Xue Zhengyong said with a smile. “Didn’t Meng-er and Shi Mei accompany him last time too? What are you worried about? And if you go, Meng-er will have to talk to you when he sees you. It won’t be good if you disturb Yuheng.”

     Mo Ran thought about it and agreed, so he didn’t go. That night, he didn’t sleep. When he thought about Xue Meng alone with Chu Wanning in the Red Lotus Pavilion, he felt sour and unhappy.

     Of course, he knew that Xue Meng was pure, and didn’t have any interest in men whatsoever, but he was just so uncomfortable. He tossed and turned for most of the night, and only managed to sleep for an hour or two by dawn.

     After waking up, Mo Ran felt that it was no good. He couldn’t do it. He wanted to see Chu Wanning, even if it was from a distance.

     Although the Red Lotus Pavilion’s door was closed and there were enchantments everywhere, Mo Ran was Chu Wanning’s disciple, so the barrier wouldn’t stop him. And as for the wooden door made of green-jade bamboo, it was nothing more than a decoration.

     Mo Ran used his qinggong and smoothly landed in the courtyard. Every time Chu Wanning went into seclusion, he would stay in a bamboo pavilion deep in the lotus pond, so it should be the same this time.

     As expected, from far away, he could see that on the misty pond, among the lotus flowers, there was an elegant bamboo pavilion, its veil opened and fluttering in the wind. Chu Wanning sat quietly on the ground, his white robes spread out on the ground.

     Xue Meng stood beside him. Feeling the sunshine outside, he probably opened the veil, so his Shizun would also feel the warmth of the sun. The winter sunlight flowed into the pavilion, shining on Chu Wanning’s slightly pale face. Probably because he felt this warmth during his meditation, his face gradually regained some color.

     After a while, Chu Wanning’s forehead started dripping with sweat due to the circulation of qi in his body. Xue Meng took a snow-white handkerchief and wiped his face. After he was done, he couldn’t help but raise his head and look left and right. He muttered, “So strange. Why do I feel like someone is staring at me…?”

     Mo Ran wasn’t staring.

     He was staring.

     His expression looked calm, but his heart was in turmoil. He felt that Xue Meng had been holding the handkerchief for a little too long, the distance was a little too close, and the look in his eyes was a little too ambiguous… In short, he threw all kinds of groundless accusations at Xue Meng. He just felt unhappy and irritated.

     Mo Ran couldn’t stand the thought of staying here to suffer any longer, so he decided to leave.

     Unfortunately, he didn’t control himself carefully enough, and stepped a little too loudly. Xue Meng immediately threw a glittering plum blossom dart brimming with spiritual power and shouted sternly, “Who’s there?!”

     The plum blossom dart was a small matter, and he caught it with his bare hands. But when he heard the shout, Mo Ran’s heart almost jumped to his throat. He hurriedly emerged from the bamboo forest, swept across the lotus pond, and lightly leapt into the bamboo pavilion.

     Xue Meng’s eyes widened with astonishment, “How did you…?”

     “Softly.” Mo Ran immediately covered his mouth and said in a low voice, “Why are you shouting so loudly???”

     “Uuuuuuuu—uuuu!” Xue Meng struggled for a long time before he was able to break free from Mo Ran’s grasp. His face was flushed red as he angrily ran his fingers through his messy hair and said, “You’re still talking about me? Why were you hiding in the bushes like a thief?”

     “...I was afraid that you would be as noisy as you are now.”

     “Shizun can’t hear me even if I shout!” Xue Meng said angrily. “The Curse of Soundlessness—can’t you see that Shizun has already cast the Curse of Soundlessness on himself? Unless you break the curse, he won’t be able to hear you even if you shout in his ear…”

     He continued to grumble, but Mo Ran was stunned for a moment, “Curse of Soundlessness? Then why did uncle say he was afraid that I would come disturb you?”

     “My father must have felt that you must be too tired after coming back from Yizhou, so he wanted you to rest first,” Xue Meng said helplessly. “How could you believe him? Why didn’t you think about it first? Every time Shizun goes into seclusion, he always casts this or that curse on himself, so we can feel more comfortable next to him. You don’t even use your brain. You’re so stupid.”

     Mo Ran: “...”

     Seeing that Mo Ran was about to sit down in the pavilion, Xue Meng hurriedly went to pull him away, “Hey, what are you doing?”

     “Since that’s the case, I’ll keep watch as well,” Mo Ran said.

     Xue Meng argued, “Who wants you to keep it? We agreed that I’d be the one to guard Shizun for the first three days, but you’re trying to be nice to Shizun again. Go away, don’t steal my work.”

     “Can you take care of him on your own?”

     “How can I not take care of him? It’s not like it’s the first time I’m taking care of Shizun during seclusion.”

     Seeing that Xue Meng was angry, Mo Ran didn’t know what to say. After hesitating for a while, he was about to leave. Suddenly, he saw a teacup on the table with broad, dark leaves and a light fragrance. He asked, “Is this the Cold Fragrance Snow Tea from Kunlun?”

     “Huh? How did you know that?”

     “...” How could he not know this tea was Xue Meng’s favorite? Xue Meng was always willing to offer his most beloved things to Shizun, but he didn’t think carefully about whether these things were suitable for Chu Wanning or not.

     “Cold Fragrance Snow Tea is cold. Shizun already has a cold constitution. If you give him more tea like this, how can he be comfortable?”

     Xue Meng was stunned for a moment. His face turned a little red as he explained with embarrassment, “I didn’t think that much, I only know that Cold Fragrance Snow Tea is good tea. I…”

     “Go exchange it for some rose tea and add two spoonfuls of honey. When he wakes up, heat up some water for him to drink. I’ll go make some snacks and bring them to you in a little bit.”

     Thinking that Xue Meng would be able to save some face, he hurriedly said, “He can’t eat snacks, he has to fast for ten days.”

     “I know, but uncle said it was okay to eat a little.” As Mo Ran spoke, he waved his hand and left the bamboo pavilion, “See you later.”

     Xue Meng stared at his back. He was in a daze for a while.

     When Mo Ran had gone farther away, he lowered his head and couldn’t help but look at the side of his Shizun’s neck—at the faint bruise he had inadvertently caught sight of yesterday.

     Under the sunlight, it was even clearer. It didn’t look like a mosquito bite, nor was it a wound. Xue Meng was no longer a young fifteen year old teenager; although he hadn’t experienced some things, it didn’t mean he was ignorant of them. This mark on Chu Wanning’s neck made him very uneasy.

     He thought of all kinds of small details in his head, especially the sounds he heard that day at the back of the mountain. He kept telling himself that it was the wind—the wind. But the vague fog in his heart seemed to envelop him again, and beneath a thousand wisps of smoke, it seemed that something strange was gradually revealing its truth.

     Under the warm sun, for some reason, Xue Meng suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He couldn’t help but shiver and frown.

     Because of this unrest, on the sixth day of Chu Wanning’s seclusion, Xue Meng made a decision. He planned to secretly follow Mo Ran and see what was going on.

     This was the last day that Shi Mei would guard Chu Wanning. The shift change was supposed to be at midnight, but Mo Ran had dinner at Mengpo Hall early that day. He picked up a box of snacks and headed straight for the Red Lotus Pavilion.

     Xue Meng didn’t expect him to go take Shi Mei’s place this early, so he stopped eating the rest of his food and chased after him, following him all the way until he got to the Red Lotus Pavilion. When Mo Ran walked through the front door, he paused for a while, then followed Mo Ran’s example and climbed over the wall to enter.

     At this time, the sun was setting, and the crescent moon was beginning to rise. The sky had shed its colorful makeup, leaving only a tinge of red at the corners of the eyes that hadn’t been wiped away. The magnificent sun faded away, swallowed up by the stars in the dark sky.

     Mo Ran carried the food box and watched from afar as Shi Mei walked into the bamboo pavilion with his back to him. He didn’t seem to hear Mo Ran’s approach, and stopped right in front of Chu Wanning.

     Mo Ran smiled and was about to greet him when he saw a cold light flash from Shi Mei’s hand. He pointed it at Chu Wanning, who was still unconscious in meditation. Mo Ran stared blankly for a moment. His mind flashed and he suddenly shouted.

     “Shi Mei!”

     A chill ran down his spine and his hair stood on end.

     In his two lifetimes, he had experienced too many life and death separations; to this day, even the slightest movement could make him nervous. As the saying goes, once bitten, twice shy.

     The Red Lotus Pavilion once held Chu Wanning’s body for two years, until the day he died. In truth, he really didn’t like it here. When he stepped into the pavilion, he would always think of the last few years of his previous life when Chu Wanning lay among the lotus flowers, his eyes closed forever, lifeless.

     Therefore, he subconsciously felt that the Red Lotus Pavilion was a place of calamity, with a deep, bottomless pit that would swallow the last of the flame in the world.

     Shi Mei turned back and dropped his hand, so the silver light was hidden in his sleeve, “Mo Ran? …Why are you here?”

     “I—”

     Mo Ran’s heart was beating wildly. He couldn’t catch his breath. Uncaring of anything else, he frowned and said, “In your hand…”

     “My hand?”

     Shi Mei was stunned. He paused for a moment, then raised his hand again, revealing a comb made pure silver, inlaid with spirit stones to soothe the meridians.

     Mo Ran was at a loss for words. After a while, he said, “You… you’re combing Shizun’s hair?”

     “...Yes. What’s wrong?” Shi Mei looked him up and down before frowning slightly, “You look so pale, did something happen outside?”

     “No, I’m just…”

     Halfway through his sentence, he couldn’t continue, but his face turned from pale to slightly red. Fortunately, the darkness of the night made it hard for one to see him clearly. After a while, he turned his face slightly and coughed, “It’s nothing.”

     Shi Mei still looked at him in silence, then seemed to understand something. He looked slightly stunned, and spoke hesitantly, “Did you think…”

     “I didn’t,” Mo Ran replied hurriedly.

     After all, Shi Mei was someone who treated him extremely well, someone he saw as family. Mo Ran was also shocked by his momentary misunderstanding. He felt that he had let him down, so he blurted again, “I didn’t.”

     Shi Mei didn’t say anything.

     After a long while, he said, “A-Ran.”

     “Hmm?”

     “I didn’t even finish my sentence,” Shi Mei sighed softly. “Why are you in such a hurry to deny it?”

     With these words, it was clear that Shi Mei understood that in that instant, Mo Ran had mistakenly recognized the silver comb in his hand for a murderous blade.

     Although this fear came from Chu Wanning’s death in two lifetimes, no matter who was standing with their back to Mo Ran at that moment, whether it was Xue Meng, or Xue Zhengyong, he would still probably tremble. But facing Shi Mei, although he had calmed down, his heart was still in pain.

     He lowered his eyes and said, “...I’m sorry.”

     In his memory, Shi Mei was always gentle and generous to others, rarely was there a moment when he was cold, or blaming them. But tonight, beside the lotus pond, Shi Mei looked at Mo Ran without saying anything.

     The wind picked up, rustling the leaves in the pond and causing the red lotus flowers to dance lightly.

     Shi Mei said, “It’s one thing if people are not as good as they used to be, but A-Ran, we’ve known each other for almost ten years. How can I be so bad in your heart?”

     His voice was soft and calm, with hardly any anger, or grievance. When Mo Ran looked into his eyes, the two pools of cold spring water seemed to have seen through everything, but didn’t want to reveal any more of his feelings, didn’t want to say anything.

     Shi Mei handed the silver comb to Mo Ran and said lightly, “Before Shizun closed his eyes to meditate, he asked me to help him braid his hair. Since you’re here, I’ll leave it to you.”

     “Shi Mei…”

     But the tall and lovely man had already walked past him. His footsteps were gentle, but he didn’t look back as he left the Red Lotus Pavilion alone.