Chu Wanning was a little full from eating, so he said angrily, “Marry what? You’re a man, aren’t you ashamed to say such things…”

     Mo Ran’s smile became even brighter, “Then, if you didn’t marry me, was it me marrying you?”

     Chu Wanning got even angrier. But not only was he angry, he was also ashamed. He could never tell Mo Ran that the lust gourd had turned into the same pale-skinned Mo Ran he’d dreamt of. Nor would he tell Mo Ran that in that dream, they had been entangled passionately, making love fiercely and shamelessly.

     One of the most important things was Yuheng Elder’s face. So, Chu Wanning only flicked his sleeves and said, “If you keep babbling such nonsense, you’ll have to leave. I won’t allow you to stay here any longer.”

     This time, Mo Ran really did behave. He pursed his lips as if he felt wronged, but he was still obedient. He looked at Chu Wanning with his dark eyes, then rubbed the tip of his nose against Chu Wanning’s cheek, acting very soft, “Oh, then I won’t ask anything. Good Shizun, don’t chase me away.”

     “Shizun is Shizun, don’t add ‘good’ to it.” Chu Wanning’s heart softened at his words, but even though he didn’t want to, he still pushed his head away and said with a straight face, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

     “But if I just call you Shizun, then it’s not intimate at all.”

     “Yes?”

     “I call you Shizun in public. If I also call you Shizun when we’re alone, it wouldn’t be sentimental, right?”

     Chu Wanning was not fooled, “Wrong.”

     “...”

     When Mo Ran’s first trick didn’t work, he switched to another one. He pulled at Chu Wanning and called, “Shizun, Shizun, Shizun.” Every call was so sweet that it made Chu Wanning’s hair stand on end. Finally, Chu Wanning couldn’t take it anymore and threw a book sitting beside him at Mo Ran’s face.

     “Quiet.”

     Although the book was very thick, it had been tossed very gently, and did not hurt when it hit him.

     Mo Ran smiled as he picked up the book, revealing his handsome face, “I’m afraid that if I keep calling you Shizun, I’ll get used to calling you like this and slip up in front of someone. So, let’s think of another way I can address you.”

     Chu Wanning frowned, “If you call me something else, won’t you get used to it and shout it in front of someone?”

     Mo Ran sighed, “Why don’t you bite the hook?”

     “...” This description of taking the bait made Chu Wanning even more displeased. He lowered his head to tidy up his books, no longer paying attention to his disciple who was lying on the table and blowing at the stray hair in front of him.

     After a few moments of peace, Mo Ran said dejectedly, “I just wanted to get some special treatment from Shizun.”

     “Hm?”

     “Shi Mei and Xue Meng both call you Shizun. I also call you Shizun. There’s no difference at all. I-I actually don’t want much, I just want something different… something only I can call you.”

     Chu Wanning stopped what he was doing and straightened up to look at him.

     “I won’t do it often.” Mo Ran’s long eyelashes fell, casting a small shadow on the tip of his nose, “Only sometimes… Is that also not possible?”

     “...”

     “If it’s really not okay, just forget it.” Mo Ran looked even more dejected, “If you don’t want me to, it’s okay.”

     In the end, Chu Wanning gave in.

     Even being ten years older than Mo Ran, he still couldn’t resist the young man’s coaxing and pleading.

     He looked at the handsome man, who smiled brilliantly after Chu Wanning finally nodded, and suddenly felt that he had been cheated. Even though he appeared to be fierce all the time, baring his fangs and brandishing his claws, in the end, he always compromised and acquiesced to Mo Ran.

     He was a fish. After going around in circles for so long, he finally got dizzy and bit the hook called Mo Ran.

     “What should I call you?” the hook asked.

     Chu Wanning replied unenthusiastically, “It’s up to you.”

     “How can you be so casual?” Mo Ran lamented. “This is a very important matter.”

     Mo Ran thought long and hard, but his brain was still lacking, and even a little crude. In the end, he could only say, “Baobei?”

     Chu Wanning immediately thought of that dream and couldn't bear it, “No.”

     “Chu-lang?”

     Chu Wanning was stunned. He asked with a grimace, “...Do you want me to call you Ran-mei then?”

     “Hahaha, not very good indeed.” Mo Ran scratched his head and laughed for a moment before he frowned and began to ponder again.

     However, he was still thinking too hard, so the result was still terrible, “Chu-lang Baobei?”

     After saying this, even he couldn’t bear it anymore. He held his forehead and felt despair.

     Seeing him like this, Chu Wanning couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s better not to think too much. It’s not as meaningful as it is awkward.”

     Mo Ran felt that what he said made sense, but he wasn’t willing to accept it. In the end, he only smiled and said, “Then, in the future, I will definitely think about it and find the most suitable one for you.”

     After pausing for a moment, Mo Ran pulled Chu Wanning over. He had been standing to the side, but Mo Ran easily brought him onto his lap, gazing at him for a long time.

     Chu Wanning felt uneasy, “What are you doing…?”

     Mo Ran sighed and muttered, “No matter how many times I see you, I just can’t help it.”

     “What nonsense—mmf.”

     Before he could finish his words, his lips had already been covered. Mo Ran’s warm and moist lips touched his, sweet and passionate. Mo Ran hugged the person on his lap, and the two kissed intimately on the chair. It was raining outside, and the sound of the rain drowned out the soft wet sounds of their lips and tongues intertwining.

     When they parted, Chu Wanning slowly opened his watery eyes. He wanted to look at Mo Ran, but didn’t dare to.

     Mo Ran smiled. Knowing that he was thin-skinned, he couldn’t help but take him into his arms and caress him, his heart beating wildly.

     “Actually, it’s fine to call you anything.”

     “Hm?”

     “Nothing.” Mo Ran smiled and finally said, “Shizun is the best.”

     Chu Wanning leaned against his shoulder. The feeling was very sweet, but also overwhelming. Sitting on Mo Ran’s lap, he could clearly feel the hard, hot thing below. He felt like there was smoke rising from his head.

     After a while, he asked softly, “Why are you…?”

     “Ahem. It’s nothing.”

     “...I’ll help you…” After saying this much, Chu Wanning’s face was burning.

     Mo Ran hurriedly said, “There’s no need. Shizun still has to go to the elder’s meeting in a little while.”

     Chu Wanning glanced at the hourglass, “There’s about ten minutes left. It should be…”

     “It’s not enough,” Mo Ran said awkwardly.

     “What?”

     “...It can’t be done.”

     Chu Wanning was stunned for a moment before he finally reacted, his face turning even redder. He quickly got up from Mo Ran’s lap and took a step back.

     After retreating, he felt a little chagrined, thinking that his behavior was too timid, too cowardly, and stepped forward again.

     Mo Ran found it funny. He sat in the chair, not even trying to hide. Even though he was covered by his clothes, the place where his desire rose still looked ferocious, capable of taking a person’s life.

     “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore.” At last, Mo Ran grabbed Chu Wanning’s wrist. He wanted to pull him over and kiss his lips, but Chu Wanning’s lips were too tempting. He was afraid that if he touched him, he wouldn’t be able to resist indulging again, so in the end, he just held his hand.

     He put the hand to his lips and looked at Chu Wanning before lowering his long curtain of eyelashes and kissing him reverently.

     At the end, he lightly licked the back of Chu Wanning’s hand, “Shizun, you’re so sweet.”

     —

     After raining intermittently for half a month in the middle Shu region, the day finally came when the sky cleared and the sun could be seen.

     Mo Ran stepped between the deep and shallow pools of water as he walked through the bamboo forest. Morning cultivation had resumed today, but Chu Wanning didn’t come. He heard that he'd gone to the back of the mountain today to teach some of Xuanji Elder’s foolish disciples how to throw plum blossom darts.

     Before he reached the shooting range, he heard Chu Wanning’s deep, cold voice, “Keep your hand relaxed. Hold the plum dart between your index and ring finger and let your spiritual power flow to the tips of your fingers. When the edges emit a golden light, throw it at the target.”

     Sha—

     Just from the sound alone, Mo Ran knew the disciples had failed once again. Each of them lamented.

     “Geez, it’s really difficult.”

     “Elder, can you demonstrate it again?”

     Chu Wanning replied, “When the golden light is emitted, the plum blossom darts will feel slightly warm. Feel it carefully and don’t use your eyes to look.”

     “You can aim it accurately even when you aren’t looking?”

     Before Chu Wanning could answer, a laughing voice came from behind him, “Of course you can aim it accurately.”

     Chu Wanning turned around, “Why are you here?”

     The disciples greeted, “Mo-shixiong.”

     Among them was an extremely cute and delicate female disciple. When she saw Mo Ran, her face immediately turned red as she hurriedly cupped her hands.

     Mo Ran didn’t pay any more attention to Xuanji Elder’s disciples, and only walked up to Chu Wanning, “Shizun, why don’t you put on a blindfold and show them?”

     “...Okay.”

     With permission, Mo Ran removed his snow-blue hair ribbon. It was about three fingers wide, and easily wrapped around Chu Wanning’s eyes. The hair ribbon was tied tight, but it didn’t hurt; the silk felt like flowing water, the ends whipping in the wind.

     Chu Wanning said, “The plum dart.”

     One of Xuanji Elder’s disciples came forward and handed his plum blossom dart to Chu Wanning.

     “Three,” Chu Wanning said.

     “Huh?” Although the disciple was puzzled, he still took two more darts from his concealed weapon pouch and gave them to him. Chu Wanning’s slender and pale fingers rubbed the cold metal of the plum blossom darts. He pursed his lips, and then, without a word or a moment’s hesitation, the three plum blossom darts flew out from between his fingers in a split-second.

     Clang! Clang!

     Two crisp thuds rang out.

     “Oh, it hit! Right in the bullseye! But only one landed, ah…”

     Chu Wanning didn’t say a word, but Mo Ran said flatly, “Two more hit the targets behind you.”

     When the new disciples heard this, they were unconvinced. However, when they turned to look, they were all immediately stupefied. The remaining two plum blossom darts were unexpectedly embedded deeply into targets in the opposite direction, one on the left and one on the right. Both of them even hit the bullseye.

     In the rustling bamboo forest, the first rays of dawn streamed through the trees. Xuanji Elder’s disciples were shocked speechless as Chu Wanning raised his hand and removed the snow-blue ribbon covering his eyes.

     When Chu Wanning opened his phoenix eyes, his eyelashes fluttered slightly from the light. He returned the ribbon to Mo Ran and said, “The first sound just now was the sound of the three plum blossom darts colliding in the air. If you control your spiritual energy well, you can cause two of the darts to be repelled and fly in the opposite direction. During a battle, this can be used to catch your opponent off guard, so you can gain the upper hand.”

     All of the disciples looked at each other in awe. Suddenly, a young disciple shouted with a hopeful expression, “Elder, this… how do we practice this? Is there a trick to it?”

     Chu Wanning turned to the side, “Mo Ran, let them see your hand.”

     Mo Ran smiled and stretched out his hand. The young disciples surrounded him in an attempt to see what kind of secret he had, but after looking for a long time, they still couldn’t see anything. In the end, the female cultivator just began staring at him, her heart beating wildly and her eyes shining brightly.

     She and a few of her sisters had just entered the sect, their hearts still restless and undisciplined. As such, they would often go down the mountain to buy some idle books. They even secretly read the book that Chu Wanning had read before.

     When the girls saw the rankings, they were both embarrassed and intrigued. They laughed and joked around with each other, but they also quietly discussed this matter in the disciples’ quarters.

     “I heard that the longer a man’s fingers are, the more exciting that place is.”

     Another spirited sister, with sizable breasts and a bold attitude, said, “Next time, if I have the chance, I’ll go to Mengpo Hall for dinner and squeeze in behind Mo-shixiong to take a look. I’d like to see how big his hands are.”

     Later on, this sister really did squeeze in, running in a hurry to get behind Mo Ran. She even accidentally knocked over her bowl of soup, splashing half of the hot soup on him.

      The girl’s small mouth opened slightly, stunned and embarrassed. She was at a loss for what to do when she saw a large, firm hand take her bowl, which was still dripping hot soup, and put it back on the counter before replacing it with a new bowl.

     “Don’t knock it over again. It’s not good to waste it.”

     Hearing his low, magnetic voice, that sister didn’t even dare to raise her head. Her face flushed red, and she felt that her head was steaming just like the soup in the bowl.

     From beginning to end, she only dared to secretly glance at Mo Ran, at his sturdy waist, his strong figure, his broad chest, and of course, most of all, his hands…

     “Exquisite.” After she came back, she couldn’t say any elaborate words of praise. In the end, she could only come up with this word to describe him.

     As she told them about what she had seen, all of the younger shimei were silent. They pursed their lips and felt their hearts warm, filled with fanciful and charming fantasies.

     Suddenly, a cold voice interrupted her recollection—

     “What do you see?”

     One of the disciples replied, “Elder, please forgive me. This disciple is too ignorant to see.”

     “Mo-shixiong’s hands seem to be particularly strong?”

     Everyone was talking at once. When it was her turn to speak, she blushed, and in a moment of nervousness, she blurted out, “His fingers are very long.”

     “???”

     Walking up next to Chu Wanning, Mo Ran was stunned for a moment. He didn’t know what they were looking at, so he simply withdrew his hand and scratched his head, looking back at Chu Wanning.

     Although Chu Wanning didn’t know what long fingers meant, he wasn’t stupid. He glanced at the female disciples’ flushed appearances and knew that it wasn’t something good. His face darkened as he flicked his sleeve and said coldly, “What are you looking at?”

     Seeing the anger between his brows, the disciples were frightened and couldn’t help but lower their heads.

     Mo Ran, sensing the frosty atmosphere, didn’t want Chu Wanning to be called unreasonable again, so he smiled and took the initiative to say, “It’s a callus.”

     After saying this, he glanced at Chu Wanning for a moment before saying, “Rub your fingertips together until you can form a callus. After repeating this about a hundred times, you should be able to accurately control your spiritual power. There are no shortcuts.”

     After practicing with them until noon, most of the disciples were able to grasp the gist of the technique, so Chu Wanning didn’t stay any longer.

     When training other people’s disciples, it didn’t matter if he gave some pointers, but if they were taught too carefully, it wouldn’t look good to Xuanji Elder. Chu Wanning was no longer the fifteen year old youth that had just left the mountain. In the end, he understood a little about the ways of the world.

     He and Mo Ran walked out of the bamboo forest together until they reached Naihe Bridge. They walked very close, side by side, the backs of their hands brushing against each other under their wide sleeves, making their hearts feel tingly and warm, like the sprouting of spring.

     There was no one around. Mo Ran finally reached over and clasped Chu Wanning’s fingers. Although he quickly let go, the tips of both of their ears were slightly red and their throats were dry.

     After the last time the two of them had been intimate in Wuchang Town, there had been very few chances for them to spend time alone. Occasionally, they would close the door to the Red Lotus Pavilion and entangle with each other. But they also had to worry about whether Xue Zhengyong would show up for a surprise visit.

     In fact, just the brief touch of their fingers had already caused a fire to burn in Mo Ran’s chest. He said softly, “Shizun, tonight, can we go…”

     Before he could finish his words, someone suddenly rushed in front of them. Mo Ran immediately stood up straight, pursed his lips, and stood to the side without saying anything.

     That disciple didn’t notice anything strange as he walked over and bowed, “Yuheng Elder, there’s an urgent matter. The Sect Leader has asked you to come to Loyalty Hall immediately.”

     Chu Wanning asked, “What’s wrong?”

     The disciple replied, “A guest has arrived with important news related to Xu Shuanglin. Sect Leader Xue couldn’t make up his mind alone, so he called all the elders over early this morning to discuss the matter. You’re the only one left.”

     When Chu Wanning heard Xu Shuanglin’s name, he could no longer think of being affectionate, and immediately rushed to Loyalty Hall.

     Mo Ran followed closely behind and said, “Wait for me. I’ve fought with Xu Shuanglin, so maybe I can help.”

     The two of them quickly swept past, using their qinggong, and arrived in front of Loyalty Hall in no time.

     When they pushed the door open and entered, the entire hall was silent. Other than Xue Zhengyong and the elders, there were also two people standing in the hall, only they were covered in blood.

     Mo Ran’s gaze fell on the sheath strapped around one of their backs. He felt that it looked familiar. After a moment, his eyes suddenly widened and his expression changed, “Ye Wangxi?”