These past few days, both the upper and lower cultivation worlds were abuzz with the rumor that Tianyin Pavilion’s punishment platform, which had stood for thousands of years, had been robbed for the first time. And the thief was actually the world’s number one zongshi, Chu Wanning. He killed eleven elite members of Tianyin Pavilion, injured hundreds of others, and left with the despicable criminal, Mo Weiyu.

     Some people said that Chu Wanning was mad, while others said that Chu Wanning was just like Mo Weiyu, a beast in human skin. There were also some people who had been close enough to see the finer details who angrily said there was something wrong with the relationship between Chu Wanning and Mo Ran. There was something very dirty going on between them.

     But no matter what was said outside, Chu Wanning and Mo Ran did not appear in the cultivation world again, and no one knew their whereabouts.

     The world’s most righteous zongshi had taken away the most dangerous evil spirit in the world.

     Then they disappeared completely.

     The wooden window was half-open, and the fine snow was crisp. Outside the curtain, there were traces of green, and four or five scattered flowers had fallen.

     Four days had passed since the incident at Tianyin Pavilion. The outside world was already in chaos, and there were people making all sorts of judgments. Only in this empty mountain was there some peace.

     Suddenly, someone came from the depths of the deserted forest and walked into the place with an ink painting framed by the window. He pushed the door open, holding a large oil-paper umbrella and a bundle of firewood. He piled the firewood by the fire pit and added a few pieces of wood to the furnace to light up the weak flames.

     This place was in disrepair and hadn’t been occupied for a long time. Although it had been tidied up, there was still a musty smell in the air. For this reason, he had specially picked a dewy white plum branch from outside and brought it back to place at the bedside.

     Chu Wanning sat down and looked at the man lying on the narrow bed.

     It was the fourth day, and he still hadn’t woken up.

     After escaping from Taxian-Jun that day, he used the spells he had learned in his previous life and the spiritual energy that hadn’t been lost in this life to keep Mo Ran alive. However, after so long, Mo Ran was still adrift, and his life was hanging on by a thread. His spiritual core could no longer be restored.

     “This house was built by my Shizun when he was traveling. It’s been too long since someone has lived here, so there’s always some smell.” Chu Wanning looked at his face attentively. “I know you don’t like incense, but you don’t hate flowers. I brought a branch of wintersweet. It should last for a long time.”

     Mo Ran lay there, his eyelashes drooping.

     He looked quiet and peaceful as he slept, a tranquility rarely seen in his life.

     For the past few days, Mo Ran had been sleeping peacefully like this, and Chu Wanning had been by his side, talking to him after finishing all the work he needed to do.

     In the past, when the two of them were together, Mo Ran would always talk while he listened.

     Who would have thought that one day, the speaker and listener would be reversed?

     “The barriers outside have been reinforced, and the forbidden spells have been set up. No one will find this place,” Chu Wanning said. “I’ve also brought back firewood and food. There won’t be any other matters for a while now.”

     After a pause, he sighed and said, “You, why are you still not waking up?”

     As he spoke, he reached out his hand and touched Mo Ran’s hair.

     The pool of fire swayed. He sat by the edge of the bed and waited for a long time, until the shadows cast on the ground moved with the sunlight, but the person still didn’t open his eyes.

     Chu Wanning closed his eyes and sighed softly.

     “Since you still want to sleep, then sleep… I will continue the story I told you yesterday.”

     “I’m sorry, you said you like to listen to bedtime stories, but I don’t know how to tell any… so I can only tell you about what we went through before.” He was silent for a moment, then said gently, “Hmm… what did we get to yesterday? …Let me think. Oh right, I told you about how I found out you were under a curse in the previous life, and I’ve always wanted to help you undo it.”

     Chu Wanning said, “But the roots of the Eight Sufferings Everlasting Hatred Flower were so deeply rooted that nothing I could do was of any use. In this life, I was finally able to get rid of it, but I never thought that things would turn out like this.”

     He touched the back of Mo Ran’s cold hand.

     It was always so cold.

     He just held Mo Ran’s hand like this, softly saying such words to him.

     In the past, because of their secrets and personalities, there were so many things the two of them had never spoken about openly, so much so that they were like strangers to each other.

     Chu Wanning regretted it very much.

     What would have happened if he had been more honest? Would everything have changed? Would he have found out that Mo Ran had been cursed by the flower earlier?

     Would he have been able to turn back?

     “You were reborn, and you’ve always been wanting to atone for your sins.” Chu Wanning closed his eyes and sighed. In the end, his voice was so cold that he could hardly speak. “But do you still remember how you were cursed by the Eight Sufferings of Everlasting Hatred? Think about it… Mo Ran, think about it…”

     You’ve never owed me anything.

     From the beginning, I’ve owed you.

     Please, wake up.

     If you can wake up, if you can recall those lost memories, you will know… The truth of all this started seven years ago, on that rainy night when I was in seclusion.

     —

     That was the point where his fate changed with Mo Ran’s. It was a day in his life that he hadn’t paid much attention to. That day, the Red Lotus Pavilion was blown with wind and rain. Rain flowed rapidly on the roof tiles, and thunder and lightning flashed, but he could not hear it.

     Chu Wanning’s spiritual core was weak, and it was time to repair it that year.

     In order to let the disciples accompanying him feel at ease, he cast the Silencing Curse on himself before he went into seclusion. Then he sat quietly in the pavilion, with his spiritual consciousness entering the great void.

     Hence, he couldn’t sense the tense situation in front of him.

     That day, right in front of him, in the thunderstorm and wind, in the Red Lotus Pavilion, Mo Ran and Shi Mei stared at each other. Mo Ran’s face was pale, and Shi Mei’s expression was malicious.

     A truth that Chu Wanning did not know of before slowly unfolded in the night rain.

     During that seclusion, Mo Ran, who had just entered the sect, felt wronged because of the “picking flowers” incident. He said that he couldn’t serve his Shizun well and didn’t want to accompany him.

     But how could a young boy’s angry words be taken seriously?

     After two nights, Mo Ran still remembered gratitude over grudges. He suppressed the bitterness in his heart and went to the Red Lotus Pavilion alone, wanting to replace Shi Mei.

     But he didn’t expect that, because of this strange combination of circumstances, he would encounter a conspiracy that would change his entire life…

     Shi Mei was casting a curse on Chu Wanning.

     Bewilderment, shock, fear, anger, disappointment—all of it instantly burned through his organs.

     He rushed forward and seized the sharp blade from Shi Mei’s hand, then shouted like a wild beast, “What are you doing?!”

     Shi Mingjing was only surprised for a moment before his beautiful peach blossom eyes narrowed.

     He smiled. “I was wondering who it was. Now, the Red Lotus Pavilion has many layered barriers, and only us three disciples and the Sect Leader of Sisheng Peak can enter. If it were the Young Master or Sect Leader, it would be troublesome, but fortunately, it’s you.”

     Mo Ran anxiously ran over. He was panting, and his thin body stood in front of Chu Wanning, the night wind blowing his clothes and hair.

     He stared closely at Shi Mei’s face.

     “Why are you taking advantage of Shizun’s seclusion? You… you…” At that time, Mo Ran simply couldn’t believe that the gentle and soft-spoken Mingjing-shixiong had a second demonic face. “Who the hell are you?!”

     Shi Mei laughed. “A-Ran is so cute. Of course, I am your Mingjing-shixiong. Who else could I be?”

     He looked at the way Mo Ran protected Chu Wanning.

     A new disciple, so insignificant, overestimating himself.

     Like a bad joke.

     “Didn’t you say you hated Shizun and never wanted to see him again?”

     Shi Mei was so confident that he teased and mocked him unhurriedly.

     “When I brought you the wontons, you said that you hate cruel and merciless people like Shizun to death. Why did you change your mind within just two days and come to look for him again?”

     “If I didn’t find him, who knows what you would have done today!” Mo Ran was both angry and saddened. “Shi Mingjing, I was wrong to think you were good at the time! I was wrong to believe in you!”

     “Aiya, you’re so easy to coax. Who are you blaming?” Shi Mei laughed. “A bowl of wontons and a few gentle words were enough to trick you to death. Actually, you’re just a dog that no one wants. You’ll follow whoever gives you a bone.”

     “...”

     “Why are you staring at me like that? How about it? Were the wontons delicious?”

     Mo Ran’s teeth had turned cold, and his black eyes looked wet and cold in the night. After a while, his adam’s apple moved up and down. “Shi Mingjing… your heart is truly black.”

     Shi Mei was still smiling. “The black one is the heart poisoned by the curse, a heart that’s sick. My heart isn’t sick or hurt, so naturally it’s the same as yours and Shizun’s at the moment—they're all red.”

     He paused, and then, with a twist of his delicate white fingers, an extremely beautiful flower appeared on the tip of his finger. The flower was still a bud and hadn’t opened yet. The edges of its black petals flashed with silver light.

     Shi Mei put the flower to his nose and smelled it.

     The flower was beautiful, full of charm, but full of danger.

     It was chilling.

     Mo Ran muttered, “What exactly are you trying to do…?”

     Shi Mei raised his eyes. His eyelashes were long, and his peach blossom eyes were full of waves as he smiled. He seemed to be in a good mood. “Actually, it’s useless to explain it to you. I just need to cast a spell, and you’ll soon forget everything that happened tonight. You won’t remember anything.”

     The black flower was caressed by his thin fingers.

     “However, considering that we’re from the same sect, it’s not like I can’t tell you.” Shi Mei said, “This is a flower bud that my mother gave birth to. It is the Eight Sufferings Everlasting Hatred Flower that I painstakingly cultivated. And if it were to disappear from the world without anyone appreciating it, I feel that would lack some taste.”

     “Eight Sufferings… Everlasting Hatred?”

     “Shidi, there are eight sufferings of life and also everlasting regret in death. In this world, there’s a type of flower left behind by the demon race. It is extremely difficult for mortals to cultivate. It is called Eight Sufferings Everlasting Hatred.” Shi Mei’s voice was gentle. “This kind of flower needs to drink human blood when it’s young. After it blooms, it needs to be rooted in a person’s heart, absorbing kindness and warmth, then nurturing evil and hatred.”

     As he spoke, he caressed the black petals affectionately.

     “No matter how good a person is in this world, as long as there is a trace of dissatisfaction in his heart, the Eight Sufferings Everlasting Hatred will be nourished, and gradually… he will become a devil who kills people without blinking an eye.”

     His eyes flashed with a faint light, like snake scales.

     His peach blossom eyes turned and fixed on Chu Wanning, who was still meditating.

     Mo Ran trembled in fear. “You want to plant the Long Hatred Flower in Shizun’s heart?!!”

     “Why are you so surprised?” Shi Mei smiled. “He is the greatest zongshi in the world. Tell me, if he becomes a demon, how powerful will he be?”

     “Are you crazy?! How can you… How can you bear to…?”

     “He’s cold-blooded and unkind—didn’t you say so?” Shi Mei said indifferently, “I’ll turn him into the person you hate the most. Shidi, from now on, you can be justified in your hatred of him. Isn’t this the best of both worlds?”

     Mo Ran’s head felt like it was about to explode, and his spine was numb from the attack.

     “You… ridiculous… I spoke out of anger. I, I don’t hate him. Just put it down. Don’t hurt him like this…”

     Shi Mei asked with great interest, “Why?”

     Why?

     He was so good. The tables in the Red Lotus Pavilion were filled with blueprints drawn by him. Whether it was the mechas or weapons he built, he never did it for himself, but because he was always worried about the lives and safety of others.

     He was pure and clean, like the first snowfall in the early winter sky.

     Although he was strict and sometimes harsh, he would hold his hand over and over again and teach him how to read and write.

     He would accompany him in training, from day to night.

     He was willing to accept him, and from then on, Mo Weiyu was no longer alone, only having false family and happiness.

     From then on, he had a true identity—

     Chu Wanning’s disciple.

     “You can’t hurt him…” Mo Ran said anxiously. He wanted to wake his Shizun up but didn’t know what to do. He could only stubbornly stand in front of Chu Wanning. “He can’t become an evil spirit. He’s so good. If you make him kill… he’ll be sad.”

     He didn’t know how to express the intense grief and anger in his heart. He could only use the simplest, most plain, and even incoherent sentences to persuade him.

     It was as if he hadn’t learned any spells yet, and all he could do was resist with his own thin body.

     It was an extremely painful thing for a good person to kill someone.

     He had already felt it deeply during the fire in the House of Drunken Jade.

     Shi Mei looked at him and found him to be indescribably funny.

     “Sad? When he becomes that kind of person, he won’t be sad anymore. A-Ran, you don’t have to worry about this.”

     “But why would you do this?! Why do you insist on hurting him?!”

     Shi Mei didn’t answer immediately this time. He lowered his eyelashes, paused for a moment, then said, “Because I also have something I must do.”

     “...”

     “I need the strongest power for my use.” Shi Mei pursed his lips. “You wouldn’t understand.”

     The young Mo Ran used his pitiful strength to persuade this enigmatic shixiong in front of him with all his might.

     “You should know what kind of person Shizun is. Even if… even if you treat him like this and polish away all the kindness in his heart, turning him into a murderous demon, he wouldn’t just listen to your words and be used by you. You… you can’t do it.”

     “How do you know I can’t do it?” Shi Mei chuckled. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. I fused half of my soul into this Eight Sufferings Everlasting Hatred Flower. As long as the flower blooms in his heart, he will slowly fall in love with me. For the rest of his life, there is no way to undo it.”

     Mo Ran was terrified. “You are insane!”

     Shi Mei slowly approached them. The curtain of night was brightened by thunder and lightning. The rumbling resounded, illuminating Shi Mei’s beautiful face.

     “Like you said, he’s so good. Why can’t he be used by me and become mine? So what if he becomes a demon? When the time comes, he’ll only obey me and be infatuated with me. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

     He knew that Chu Wanning wouldn’t wake up at this moment and wouldn’t hear the conversation between the two of them. Therefore, he wasn’t afraid at all. He said calmly, “Shidi, move aside. Do you really think that you, a person who has only just cultivated a new spiritual core, can fight against me?”

     Mo Ran was practically gritting his teeth. “I won’t move.”

     Shi Mei just smiled. Then, in the blink of an eye, he had already swept behind Mo Ran like a ghost. His hand was hovering in the air above Chu Wanning’s hair crown, holding the black flower that was about to bloom.

     “A-Ran, do you know how much effort I put into cultivating this Eight Sufferings Everlasting Hatred Flower? I’ve worked so hard, waiting only for the day Shizun would go into seclusion.”

     He lowered his body, his cheek almost touching the side of Chu Wanning’s face.

     “He is about to become my blade, my puppet, and my person. What can you stop?”

     The flower fell.

     His fate was about to change.

     Suddenly, he heard the youth’s stern voice and an insistent attempt to stop him.

     “Don’t touch him!!”

     “You’re really ridiculous.” Shi Mei gradually lost his patience. “Did you know…”

     "Use me instead.”

     The rest of his words were cut off. A clap of thunder broke through the sky, and a bolt of lightning struck the curtain of the night.

     Shi Mei narrowed his eyes and asked, “What?”

     Mo Ran’s entire body was trembling.

     He had only been in the sect for a short time, and the number of spells he had learned were pitifully few. He was fated to be unable to stop Shi Mei, and he didn’t know how to wake Chu Wanning up.

     He was unarmed and had no ability.

     Only flesh and blood remained.

     So, he could only say, “Use me instead.”

     Shi Mei was silent for a while, then sneered, “Do you know what you’re saying?”

     “I know.”

     “The Eight Sufferings Everlasting Hatred Flower was cultivated by my mother’s painstaking efforts and my soul.” Shi Mei straightened up and stared at Mo Ran’s face. “Who do you think you are? Do you think you’re worthy?”

     “I…” His fingers clenched into fists. After a while, he suddenly raised his head. “I may not be worthy, but I’m much more suitable than Shizun.”

     Shi Mei’s eyes flickered with light. “...What do you mean?”

     “You said that this flower will nurture hatred in one’s heart. But what if a person’s heart doesn’t harbor any resentment?”

     Shi Mei was silent for a while, then laughed. “That’s impossible. Everyone has hatred in their hearts; even Beidou Immortal is no exception.”

     But as his hand caressed the petals of the Long Hatred Flower, a sense of restlessness gradually arose in his heart.

     Mo Ran was right. In fact, he had also been thinking about whether Chu Wanning could be used as a flower bed for the Long Hatred Flower. What if this person never had a trace of resentment in his heart?

     It would take time and effort to cultivate another flower. Furthermore, the soul splitting was painful, and he didn’t want to experience it a second time.

     Seeing his hesitation, Mo Ran took a step forward. “In all these years, have you ever seen Shizun hate anyone?”

     “...”

     “You said that the Long Hatred Flower will devour the kindness and warmth in your heart… These things may not be everything to ordinary people, but you should understand Shizun better than I do.”

     The rain was getting heavier, and the trees were bleak.

     “Shi Mingjing, aren’t you afraid he will gradually lose all his memories and no longer remember anything good? Aren’t you afraid others will see the signs?”

     Shi Mei suddenly narrowed his eyes.

     His pupils were faint, as if he were a snake flicking its tongue.

     Mo Ran walked closer to him, step by step, his heart beating like a drum, louder than the rain.

     “I don’t know what you’re going to do, but if you must sacrifice someone, let it be me instead.”

     “You…”

     “There is hatred in my heart that can grow. I don’t have many pure and good memories. Even if I gradually lose them, it won’t be easy for others to find out.”

     Mo Ran was trying his best to persuade the executioner to turn the blade and place it against his own neck.

     “I can’t do anything now, but Shizun and Uncle both say I have high innate talent and sufficient spiritual power… I can do it.”

     He trembled slightly, and his nails dug into his palms, but he still persisted with his words.

     “I can take his place and become the sharp blade and weapon you want.”

     “I can take his place and become the murderous demon you want to create.”

     “Shi Mei.” He finally stopped in front of Shi Mingjing. Lightning flashed, and a sudden wind blew, causing the rain to tilt and hit the pavilion diagonally.

     Waves of coldness came one after another.

     “Use me instead.”

     Maybe it was because he hit the mark, or because Shi Mei wasn’t sure whether Chu Wanning could make the Eight Sufferings Everlasting Hatred Flower take effect, or because the spiritual energy Mo Ran displayed was unprecedented, and the time he took to form his spiritual core was even faster than the darling of the heavens, Xue Meng, so fast that it made people jealous.

     In short, after Shi Mei weighed the pros and cons several times, the black bud that was about to bloom finally pierced Mo Ran’s heart.

     After doing this, Shi Mei sat next to the stone table, leaning his head on his hands, his eyes slightly lost in thought.

     He didn’t understand why.

     Why did Mo Ran help Chu Wanning block this calamity in his life, with his own life, soul, future, and dignity?

     They were clearly only master and disciple for less than a year.

     He didn’t understand.

     Shi Mei watched as the black stamens melted into Mo Ran’s chest. They were obviously such soft petals, but they were like steel needles that could pierce through flesh and blood and dig deep into the heart.

     During the whole process, Mo Ran endured it without making a sound. Only when the stamens were like some sort of strange parasite with tentacles, fiercely drilling into his heart, did Mo Ran finally whimper and fall to the ground on his knees.

     The youth trembled in front of him, while Shi Mei just sat there quietly, his jade arms flawless as he sat high and mighty and watched Mo Ran spasm and cough up blood in front of him.

     “Does it hurt?”

     “Cough, cough…”

     Shi Mei was very intrigued, his eyes still gentle. “How much pain does it cause? I’ve never used this kind of curse on anyone before. I’m really curious… my good shidi, what does it feel like to have the Long Hatred Flower pierce through your heart?”

     His gaze was like spring water, flowing through Mo Ran’s body lying on the ground, bit by bit, before finally falling on Mo Ran’s pale knuckles.

     Mo Ran’s fingers subconsciously scratched the ground. The tips of his fingers were scraped, and there were streaks of blood.

     “Is it more painful than having your heart ripped out?”

     Mo Ran didn’t answer him.

     The pain was real, but… it was much more bearable than the pain in the mass grave outside Linyi City that year.

     It was much more bearable than watching his loved one die in front of him. It was much more bearable than digging up the sand and burying his own flesh and blood.

     “Back then… I failed to protect my mother. Now, I can finally… protect my master.”

     His eyes were unfocused as he murmured to himself.

     Those best memories were fading away little by little, his pure and clean past disappearing bit by bit. Those pitifully few memories flashed before his eyes—

     A bowl of soup someone had given him and his mother one year.

     An old farmer who was willing to invite them into his house on a snowy night to keep warm and rest by the fire.

     A child who was also begging for food sharing half of a meat pie he picked up with him.

     Duan Yihan holding his hand and bringing him over to the autumn riverbank, where dragonflies danced…

     There was no hatred, no bitterness, no unwillingness, no apprehension, and no hostility.

     Everything was peaceful.

     It was beauty in its purest form.

     He saw himself carefully embroidering a haitang handkerchief under the lantern light. He saw himself sitting at the stone table with his chin resting on his hands, smiling as he watched his Shizun eat mooncakes. He saw himself drinking under the moonlight and bringing pear blossom white to his Shizun for the first time.

     These memories would be forgotten forever.

     He would never remember them again…

     From then on, hatred would grow, and the gentle memories of the past would be transformed.

     From then on, the passion in his heart would be extinguished, and there would be no more fire. The spring water in his eyes would freeze and condense into ice.

     From then on, he would go against his mother’s last words.

     Duan Yihan had said, “Repay kindness; do not seek revenge.”

     He couldn’t do it anymore.

     He didn’t know where he got the strength, but he gritted his teeth and endured the pain tearing through his organs, trying to stand up. He staggered, but couldn’t stand, so he knelt and crawled until the pain was so excruciating that his soul trembled, but he still crawled, crawling to Chu Wanning.

     “Shizun…”

     He struggled and squirmed ridiculously, trembling pitifully.

     Shi Mei originally thought he wanted to do something, but in the end, he found that the boy was only fighting his hardest, using up his last bit of passion and gratitude to finally kowtow—

     Tears flowed down.

     “Shizun, I will soon… disappoint you…”

     The night rain fell heavily.

     “Very soon, I won’t remember your kindness. I won’t be able to… I won’t be able to learn spells from you properly anymore… You’ll hate me and detest me…”

     He was crying, telling him his last words of farewell while his consciousness was still intact.

     But Chu Wanning couldn’t hear him.

     He was right in front of him, but couldn’t hear anything.

     “I’m sorry. The reason I plucked the flower that day was because I wanted to give it to you. Shizun, I came here today because… I wanted to apologize to you when you woke up and tell you everything… that was on my mind.”

     His voice was so hoarse that it seemed to be gouged out of his throat along with his flesh and blood.

     “Shizun, thank you for not looking down on me and being willing to take me in…”

     “I really, really…”

     His heart suddenly tightened, and his eyes were filled with blood. That was the sign that the Eight Sufferings Everlasting Hatred Flower was beginning to take root, and also the sign that the Love Spell had begun to take effect.

     His forehead fell heavily and smashed into the ground.

     He sobbed.

     “I really, really like you very much.”

     Shi Mei sighed softly. His expression seemed to be filled with both interest and pity.

     However, whether it was pity or interest, they were both faint. Nothing could enter his heart.

     He finally walked over and lifted Mo Ran’s face. He stared at Mo Ran’s increasingly chaotic eyes, and asked softly, “Come, shidi, tell me, what do you want now?”

     “Want…?”

     What did he want?

     Linyi’s autumn colors, being in front of Heaven-Piercing Tower.

     Duan Yihan smiling, and Chu Wanning lowering his eyes.

     Xun Fengruo-jiejie from the music house, her eyes shining with eagerness and excitement as he said to him, “A-Ran, I will soon earn enough money to redeem myself. I will take you with me and leave this place. Jiejie will take you to live a good life.”

     Although Mo Ran was in a daze, he still tried his best to capture these memories as they dispersed like cattails.

     He murmured, “I want to repay kindness… not… seek revenge.”

     Shi Mei shook his head and waited for a moment.

     He asked again, “What do you want?”

     Mo Ran said hoarsely and persistently, “I want… to one day die by Shizun’s hands.”

     Shi Mei was stunned for a moment, then he laughed. “Die by Shizun’s hands?”

     “I don’t want to be a demon… I don’t want to go to hell…” He muttered incoherently, “I don’t want to only remember hatred, Shizun…”

     He actually broke free from Shi Mei’s hand and kneeled in front of Chu Wanning, almost wailing in pain. His eyes were already bloodshot, his consciousness becoming more and more chaotic.

     “Kill me.”

     In the end, the only thing that remained was this wish.

     “On the first day I do evil… please, please just… kill me.”

     The torrential rain poured down, swallowing the youth’s cries, which sounded like a trapped beast in the boundless night. Thunder and lightning flashed, and the bamboo forest was desolate. The lotus flowers in the Red Lotus Pavilion fell and sank into the pond in the middle of the night.

     There were eight sufferings of life and eternal regret in death.

     Before losing consciousness, Mo Ran stretched out his trembling hand and held the corner of Chu Wanning’s robes. He raised his head and murmured, “Shizun… you… pay attention to me… you pay attention to me… okay…?”

     Please pay attention to me.

     How much suffering and regret in this word had been covered up by the turbulent wind and rain?

     After two lifetimes, Chu Wanning, who finally knew the truth, looked back on the past and vaguely remembered that the next day, he finished one round of repair and woke up from his meditation.

     Golden light scattered into the bamboo pavilion. The haitangs and red lotuses in the Red Lotus Pavilion were all gone, and the former fragrance on the branches was quickly crushed to dust.

     The rain had stopped. Chu Wanning blinked and turned around to see Shi Mei standing by the stone table and brewing tea, the mist rising in spirals. Shi Mei’s brows were so gentle and elegant. Seeing that he had woken up, Shi Mei smiled.

     “Shizun.”

     “Why aren’t you going to rest? You’ve been guarding the past three days. Go change places with Mo Ran.”

     The teacup was filled, and the hot amber water seemed like a heart full of worries.

     Shi Mei offered him the tea and smiled. “Today, I’ll be the one guarding Shizun. A-Ran is a child, and after being punished by Shizun, he still can’t get over it.”

     Chu Wanning was stunned for a moment. “He’s not coming?”

     Shi Mei lowered his eyes, and his curtain of thick, black, and soft eyelashes fluttered down like two clusters of tender stamens on the branches in early spring. He made a “mm” sound and said, “He’s not coming. He’s going to the library to help Sect Leader organize the books.”

     Chu Wanning was in a stupor and felt disappointed for a moment.

     He originally planned to take advantage of the opportunity for the two of them to be alone and talk to Mo Ran about the matter of plucking flowers. That day, he had been too harsh…

     He had never encountered a disciple who violated the precepts, and after thinking about it, he felt that the punishment was too severe.

     But Mo Ran didn’t even want to see him and didn’t want to stay with him in seclusion.

     Chu Wanning closed his eyes.

     “Shizun, let’s have some tea.”

     After a long time, he agreed. He took the cup full of fragrant tea from Shi Mei’s slender, fair hands and blew the wisps of steam before taking a sip.

     The teacup was too full, and when he took it, a few drops spilled on his robe.

     Shi Mei was very meticulous. When he saw it, he smiled and said, “I have a handkerchief.”

     “No need to borrow yours.” Chu Wanning took out a white handkerchief embroidered with haitangs and lowered his head to wipe away the wet tea stains.

     “What a beautiful handkerchief. It looks like the one bought in town.” Shi Mei said gently, “Did Shizun buy it himself?”

      For a moment, Chu Wanning wanted to say, “No, it was Mo Ran who gave it to me.”

     He embroidered it.

     As an apprenticeship gift to me.

     But he was in a bad mood and didn’t want to say it. He also felt that his words were inexplicably embarrassing.

     Therefore, after a moment of silence, Chu Wanning just gave a muffled “mm,” then folded the handkerchief and put it back in his lapel.

     After putting the handkerchief away, he sighed softly.

     That day, the sun shone brightly, and last night’s wind and rain only left behind withered flowers and lotus leaves stained with fresh dew.

     “Was it raining very heavily last night?”

     Shi Mei was tending to the tea set. When he heard this, his fingertips froze, and his eyes darkened. “Hm?”

     Chu Wanning cast his gaze towards the lotus pond and said lightly, “All the flowers have fallen.”

     Shi Mei smiled again. He arranged the cups carefully, then said lightly, “There was a thunderstorm last night. The ruckus lasted for a while, then stopped. It will be a good day today. When the ground dries up a bit, I’ll sweep away all the fallen flowers in the courtyard.”

     Chu Wanning didn’t say anything else.

     In the distance, there was a glorious sunrise, as bright as a tapestry, and looking further into the distance, it was like the sky was washed clean. When the run rose in the east, golden feathers fluttered into the air.

     Indeed.

     It was a rare sunny day.