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Chapter Text

Outside of the Red Lotus Pavilion were three ponds littered with expensive medicinal herbs that had been commissioned by the pavilion's latest—and only—owner upon moving in.

Xue Zhengyong was more than happy to oblige his newest elder's request, stating that Sisheng Peak wouldn't bat an eye at any expense for the honourable Beidou Immortal to feel more at peace in their humble sect.

"But," the sect leader had asked gently, confusion bubbling beneath the surface of his wrinkled eyes, "why do you want the ponds, Yuheng?"

A spur-of-the-moment decision, or so Chu Wanning told Xue Zhengyong when it proved that silence was not a sufficient answer. In a way, that was the truth, he had only thought of the design right then and there without previous planning. Though it was not the whole story, something the sect leader was able to see quite easily yet pressed no further.

What the newly instated Yuheng Elder—only sixteen at the time and barely reaching Xue Zhengyong's shoulders—had failed to mention was that the ponds were something present in his birth sect. Not Rufeng—though he knows that they've tried to claim otherwise—but rather a secluded monastery hidden among the many mountains of the upper cultivation world.

He does not mention this because he does not like to remember his birth sect at all. In the dreams where he imagines tall prayer roofs littered with monks chanting on a marble floor, it always gave him a restless night.

So yes, he does like the monastery from which he was raised.

Though if that were true, why build the ponds?

Why indeed.

Reopening his eyes, Chu Wanning awakens in the Red Lotus Pavilion as a cluster of emotions frolic in the cavity of his heart. Right over the scar that would never fade as long as he lived.

Of all days to remember that place, it just had to be when he woke up from seclusion. Fitting, really, because his birth sect was the reason for said seclusion.

Slowly, Chu Wanning got to his feet with more trouble than he'd care to admit before taking in a deep breath. What would people say if they could see the mighty Beidou Immortal now?

Nothing kind, most likely. Or worse, pity.

From the outside of his door were Xue Zhengyong and Tanlang, both of whom were likely waiting for word of his awakening in the stillness of his secluded pavilion, trapped with little to discuss and even less to think about.

Against his better judgement, he does not immediately call for them and instead sits against the windowsill of his room, looking out to see those three ponds that had no business being there.

One day, he will destroy those ponds along with the last of his memories of Wubei Temple.

"I have returned from seclusion."

Those words were light, hardly carrying any volume at all. Though to Xue Zhengyong and Tanlang Elder, who had been sitting anxiously—the latter of whom would never admit it—outside his door were able to hear it just fine.

Creaking open his door, Chu Wanning makes a mental note to oil the hinges once his guests leave.

Marching up to him without a hint of decorum, Tanlang extends his arm with an expectant look. "Hand."

"Yuheng is not a dog, Tanlang." Xue Zhengyong reprimands even as Chu Wanning did as told.

"No, he isn't a dog, is he?" Tanlang muses while inspecting his meridians with a hum and an expression that held a hint of irony he could not place. "Alright, everything seems to be in order."

"Are you sure?" Chu Wanning asks despite himself, causing the elder men's eyes to sharpen.

There was something there, right above his heart, aching in a way he was certain it hadn't before. It's a dull pain, hardly noticeable among the other consistent aches that plague his body, but he knows what usual pain should be there.

Something is wrong.

Tanlang touches his wrist once more before shaking his head. "Nothing."

Nothing.

Of course, there was nothing there but a figment of pain he just didn't want to remember.

Nothing at all.

"Meng'er brought you gifts, Yuheng." Xue Zhengyong brings up as Tanlang takes his leave. "They're on your kitchen table."

Chu Wanning resists the urge to sigh. "He didn't spend too much, did he?"

Xue Zhengyong smiles sheepishly.

"You spoil him." Chu Wanning scolds as the man laughs from behind his fan. "The other disciples call him a peacock, you know?"

Other disciples being just Mo Ran. No one else would dare call the sect leader's son a peacock in front of the boy's Shizun unless they truly wished to court death.

"It's fine, Yuheng." The sect leader replies smoothly. "Meng'er is a child, he'll grow up eventually."

Right, a child surrounded by the love and warmth of his parents, who only know how to treat everyone around them with kindness, will grow up to do the same no matter how spoilt they were as a child.

Chu Wanning swallows thickly as an emotion he doesn't dare decipher bubbles up where his heart should be.

Tanlang obviously didn't do his job right, there was definitely something there.

"I hope for your sake that he does too." He responds evenly in an attempt to stomp down the bitterness that he knows is there.

Minutes passed by into hours, and suddenly, Xue Zhengyong was gone.

Clearly, his senses were rusty after his seclusion; he hadn't even noticed when the man had left.

After much contemplation, Chu Wanning eventually got up to go see what Xue Meng had managed to spend his allowance on this time. If it's all utter garbage, the first lecture he'll start once he gets back will be on money and how it shouldn't be spent recklessly.

At his kitchen table there indeed was a bundle of exuberant gifts which he expected. What he didn't expect, however, was his second disciple slowly reaching to put a small gift of his own on as well.

Shi Mingjing freezes upon seeing Chu Wanning before doubling over to greet him with a bow. "This disciple welcomes Shizun from seclusion."

Perhaps his ears were deceiving him, but Chu Wanning could almost hear an edge of fear in the boy's voice. But that was impossible, Shi Mingjing has never feared him, or at least he hopes he hasn't.

It must've just been his imagination.

"How did you get in?" He asks curiously before wanting to smack himself.

The barriers had yet to have been put back up after his seclusion, of course anyone with the ability to open a door could get in.

"What have you brought?" Chu Wanning moves on before Shi Mingjing could answer him with an obvious response.

"A-ah." Shi Mingjing flushed in embarrassment, looking as though he wished to hide whatever trinket he had brought and run away before pulling his hands forward to reveal a small, mechanical puppet.

It was a miniature Holy Night Guardian.

This one had a face and not the dull shape all of his normally possess, but the overall body and design were unmistakable. Especially to its creator.

Gently grabbing the puppet with far more care than he'd admit to, Chu Wanning felt breathless at this small figure, taking in every last detail like it was his last.

"This disciple made it while Shizun was in seclusion." Shi Mingjing explained in an embarrassed tone. "It's not very good, I know, but--"

"It's good." Chu Wanning rebutted immediately. "With what little materials you had to work with, this puppet seems to be fully functional despite its size." He pauses momentarily. "I take it back, this isn't just good, it's downright impressive."

Filling the miniature guardian with spiritual energy, both males watch as the puppet moves around under its wielder's command.

Impressive indeed.

"Thanking Shizun for his praise." Shi Mingjing finally manages to cough out after a minute with a tiny smile making its way onto his face.

"Hm." Chu Wanning turned away, the puppet still in his hands. "Classes start tomorrow, so be prepared to show me what else you've learnt."

"Yes, Shizun." The boy hesitates for a moment, looking as though he may say something more before taking his leave.

Privately, Chu Wanning was curious about what he wanted to say.

In his hands the puppet had stopped moving about after the removal of his qi, proving that though designed properly, it was still not fully functional without constant maintenance. Still, for a first attempt, this was more than any amateur could hope for.

Moving on through Xue Meng's gifts, Chu Wanning finds that, incredibly, the boy managed to throw in some actually useful items by some miracle that was most likely Madam Wang's doing.

The only disciple he was yet to receive something from was Mo Ran.

His heart clenched in an odd sort of way.

Why should he care that Mo Ran hadn't given him anything? It wasn't standard for disciples to do so, and it wasn't as though he was Xue Meng, who liked to spend first and ask questions later.

Still, though, Chu Wanning would've appreciated anything that the boy had given him so long as there was some thought behind it.

Back in Wubei Temple, he had always prepared gifts for after the short time period when his Shi—the monk was in seclusion every time, even when sometimes it was just two days.

Even though his time in seclusion was short, it had always felt like aeons to a young Chu Wanning, who had typically no one else to talk with.

The gifts were meticulously handmade since he had no escort to take him away from the monastery.

He still remembers the way his fingers bled as he carefully strewed together a metal figurine made in the monk's image. It was received with a sigh and a gentle reprimand to remember his health.

Even so, Chu Wanning still remembers his figurine proudly displayed in the windowsill of their communal kitchen.

Suddenly more aware than ever of the puppet in his hands, Chu Wanning began to inspect it carefully, taking in every last detail with precision only a man familiar with the craft could possess.

The features aren't very good, made sloppily under inexperienced hands. But he could see the faint outline of a familiar expression there.

It's a coincidence, or so he tells himself. Probably just a manifestation of his own delusions.

That doesn't stop the feelings of warmth blooming in his chest.

Chapter Text

Strolling through the garden of Sisheng Peak, two of Chu Wanning's disciples could be seen talking to one another blissfully after a long day of gruelling lessons that had left them worn out.

It was on this walk that a particular topic of interest was brought up among the two boys.

"Honestly, it was a little embarrassing." Shi Mei admitted while scratching his cheek. "Shizun said my gift was impressive, and while I don't think he'd exaggerate, I..."

"Have a hard time actually believing he'd say that?" Mo Ran filled in helpfully, to which the boy nods. "I get that, it feels really nice to be praised by Shizun, but sometimes, I just can't believe it."

That was an understatement. Kind words from Chu Wanning were hard to come by even on a good day.

His shidi continued to smile pleasantly. "I suppose it's more because of the gift than the fact it was any good that I got praised. Shizun seemed quite happy to get gifts from both me and the young master."

Mo Ran snorted, mentally imagining all the gifts his cousin had brought their poor Shizun before pausing in his wilful stride.

"Wait, you both got presents for him?" He asks in bewilderment, though perhaps he shouldn't have been too shocked.

If Shi Mei had brought a gift, there is no way Xue Meng hadn't as well.

"Yes, though I suppose the young master didn't bring just a gift but rather multiple." Shi Mei then pauses in his stride, as though something had just occurred to him. "Did you not get Shizun something?"

Wincing slightly, Mo Ran nods. "I didn't think we had to. Should I have?"

Every time Xuanji Elder enters seclusion, his disciples never get him gifts. He would've noticed if they had. There are so many of them that all of them purchasing gifts would've caused an economic boom.

Though then again, it may be different between different Elders.

And their Shizun had always been different. It was a part of his charm.

"Getting a gift isn't something that's demanded." Shi Mei explains, his gentle voice carrying through the afternoon winds. "It's just..."

More of a quiet expectation.

Silently, Mo Ran prays that his Shizun wasn't too offended by his lack of gift, he really would've gotten one if he had known.

"I'm sure it's fine, though!" Shi Mei assures him quickly, a flash of embarrassment lighting up on his face. "Shizun isn't the type to make a big deal about something like this."

That he isn't, but still. Mo Ran couldn't help the guilt he was starting to feel as the realisation of his lack of gift kicked in.

Of course he cares that his Shizun was away for so long, but maybe the man didn't know that he felt such a way. A thoughtful gift like Shi Mei's may have helped prove that a little better.

Even Xue Meng's excessive spending on material goods at least shows that he cares for their Shizun enough to actively find things for him.

This is probably why his Shizun had been so snappy today during lessons. He wasn't normally this easy to anger.

"It's getting late." The elder boy finally decides after walking in silence for another minute. "Remember to come back soon, shidi, if you fall asleep again in class, I'm not sure Shizun will let you off easy."

"Um, yeah, I will." Mo Ran replies awkwardly, still caught up in his thoughts. "I'll see you there soon."

Smiling brightly, Shi Mei turns around and walks off, leaving Mo Ran alone with his thoughts once more.

Was it too late to get his Shizun something? Or would that not seem genuine now that some time has passed? Would he even care now?

While consumed by the questions swirling in his mind, Mo Ran found something catching the corner of his eye as he turned to see a beautiful flower standing proud among the rest.

It was beautiful, unlike anything he had ever seen before. Otherworldly, some might say. Ethereal, others might.

Mo Ran thinks it looks like his Shizun in its elegantly solitary beauty. Untouchable, divine, captivating to so many unworthy eyes yet ever so graceful to allow them the fortune of witnessing utter perfection.

Slowly, the boy plucked the flower with a smile.

Even if it was too late to give his Shizun a gift, he still wants to show the man something with such vivid similarities to himself.

Maybe, just maybe, he'll get praised too.

Cruelty was not something Chu Wanning took pride in. The process of cruelty was a means to an end for most people that only ever leads to more suffering in the end.

So yes, cruelty was never a good first option. But sometimes, it's all someone like Chu Wanning could do.

He didn't like to be cruel, truly.

But cruelty is also just another fact of life that was unavoidable at times, a lesson he had learnt back when he was fourteen.

Even if he wished it wasn't.

Today was a nice morning with weather that agreed with him to a certain extent. So long as it wasn't the brittle cold, Chu Wanning could find himself withstanding even blistering heatwaves.

Naturally, he had taken a walk within the confines of his garden, eyeing the ponds around the pavilion with a sharp glance.

Truly, Chu Wanning doesn't remember them ever aggravating him this much before--

Before what, exactly?

While on his walk he had detected a small but familiar presence entering the pavilion. His newest disciple, then.

Looking to where the boy had entered, Chu Wanning felt his blood freeze in an instant.

"Mo Ran." He murmured quietly, restraint evident in every mannerism he took while peering down at the boy in front of him. "What is that in your hand?"

Because if it was what he thought it was, then he may very well qi-deviate from sheer unbridled rage.

Sensing something amiss, Mo Ran hesitates for a moment before trying to smile. "Ah, it's a nice flower, isn't it, Shizun?"

"Very nice." Chu Wanning agrees sharply as his disciple flinches. "Where did you pluck it?"

"Oh, from aunty's garden." The boy replies cautiously upon the sudden interrogation as Chu Wanning sucks in a foreboding breath.

He's certain Mo Ran didn't know the gravity of his crime, of what must happen now that it has been discovered. A mistake, this was all a childish mistake he could overlook.

Madam Wang would be heartbroken, of course, but she'd be even more upset by her nephew's punishment.

And really, Chu Wanning doesn't want to do this either.

However, there are rules, and the proper punishments should be given out when they are broken. Naivety is also a sin as far as most of the cultivation world is aware.

"That flower was incredibly valuable." He begins slowly, watching as Mo Ran's eyes widen. "Madam Wang cared for it for years, and you--"

Plucked it.

"S-shizun." Mo Ran stutters, suddenly holding the flower a lot more loosely, as though it hurt to grasp. "I did not know. I just picked it up because..."

He trailed off, saying nothing more. Chu Wanning could fill in the blanks.

The flower looked pretty, of course a child would wish to pick it to admire it better. It was only natural, anyone else without previous knowledge of the flower would do the same.

There is a pounding rage in his heart at the realisation, unlike anything he had ever felt before. Because the flower looked pretty, Madam Wang had lost years of her work to a boy's sharp eye.

He was livid on her behalf.

Had his temper increased just a bit more, he would've whipped the boy right then and there.

Suddenly, Chu Wanning couldn't bear to look at Mo Ran any longer. "See yourself to Yanluo Hall, I'll see to it that Elder Jielu administers the proper punishment."

Mo Ran did just that, though he wasn't sure when. Chu Wanning simply remembers continuing to look off into the distance and when he zoned back, his disciple was gone.

Good, because if he had not, Chu Wanning would've done something he wasn't sure he could regret.

Later, he tells the Jielu Elder how many strikes the offence was worth, watching silently as the man paled but obliged his request.

But not before asking him if he thought it was a little much.

"If you have a problem with it," he had snarked back, "then I'll do it myself."

The Elder refused once more, his voice firmer than before, but now with an edge of fear.

Chu Wanning unleashed Tiawen with a merciless fury as his blood pumped around his body, the anger he felt now renewed with a vengeance.

It was only after the whole affair was said and done that he felt a pang of guilt for what had happened. In all honesty, he did not know what came over him to take matters into his own hands and deliver so many strikes.

He was just so unbearably angry.

Unjustifiably so.

Perhaps he was too harsh. Mo Ran didn't deserve such a punishment when it had been done out of irrational emotions.

Chu Wanning should apologise.

Though then again, he has never been great at those.

A silent apology, then. Words don't always have their intended meaning when actions speak louder than them.

But what action would make up for this?

Nothing, really. Though that doesn't mean he can't start somewhere.

After a while he eventually decides on cooking when Xue Meng mentions his cousin's refusal to eat in concern disguised as annoyance.

He quickly regrets choosing cooking.

It was a little-known fact that Chu Wanning couldn't cook to save a life. Had people known about it, he would've died from the shame. This was just something he hadn't learnt as a child.

Something was always the reason why he shouldn't. That it was unnecessary. How he should focus on his studies. He could get injured.

That last one never did quite make sense to him.

Injuries from cultivation and training would always be more severe than whatever damage could be done in a kitchen.

Six failed attempts and two broken stoves later, Chu Wanning felt as though he should just give up.

But no, he decided on cooking, so cooking it shall be.

Something easier than all of his other failed attempts. It's clear that an amateur shouldn't explore too far out of their range.

Wontons, then. That should be simple enough.

Folding up the dumpling in a repetitive motion, Chu Wanning notices a small figure peeking through the door as he worked.

After his last experiment, he had to move into Mengpo Hall. Now that a disciple has seen him, Chu Wanning should just die so that rumours of him hunched over a poorly made wonton don't get out.

"Shi Mingjing." He realised with slightly widened eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Peach blossom eyes creased as Shi Mei smiled. "I saw that Mengpo Hall was open and got curious about who was here." The boy eyed his shameful wontons as his brows furrowed together. "Is Shizun hungry?"

"It's for Mo Ran." Chu Wanning informs the boy immediately before lowering his lashes. "I think I was too harsh on him."

This temper of his always ruins things. It's like what the monks at Wubei Temple always said between lectures of ethics and rules.

Those who don't know emotional restraint can do nothing but harm.

A favourite of the monk who had raised him.

Shi Mingjing says nothing to that, merely walking forward before rolling up his sleeves. "Then I will assist Shizun." He declares firmly.

"You don't have to." Chu Wanning tries weakly, though he can't escape that lopsided wonton that looked like its creation had been made through agony and suffering.

A little help might be appreciated.

Working together in relative silence, both Shizun and disciple begin folding the wontons together.

Though Chu Wanning still insisted on doing the majority. This is meant to be an apology gift, not a group project made out of pity.

Hours later, a somewhat acceptable bowl of wontons was made as Chu Wanning let out a sigh before a feeling of hesitation washed over him.

What if Mo Ran didn't accept the wontons because it was he who made it?

That shouldn't matter, actually. Whether he accepted them or not was a sign of if he should be forgiven or not and Chu Wanning hardly made these with the expectation of forgiveness.

It's just...he'd like it if the boy ate them.

Mo Ran not eating left a sour taste in his mouth, especially when he was so small upon first coming to the peak.

So maybe he shouldn't be the one to deliver these.

"Could you do me a favour, Shi Mingjing?" He asked after a moment as the boy's gentle eyes turned their attention towards him.

"Of course, Shizun." The teenager had replied softly.

Pushing the bowl forward, Chu Wanning took in a deep breath. "Take these to your Shidi. He's more likely to accept the wontons if they came from you."

Or anyone that wasn't him, really.

"I couldn't take credit, Shizun." Shi Mingjing insisted quietly. "You put in so much work."

"What's the point of that work if he doesn't eat it?" He shoots back dryly.

"Then after he eats?" The boy presses on steadily. "If he's already eaten them, then there isn't much Mo-Shidi could do."

That...

"Do whatever." He decides after a moment.

Smiling brightly, his second disciple quickly took his leave with the bowl in hand.

Left with nothing else to do, Chu Wanning heads back to the Red Lotus Pavilion to rest after subjecting himself to hours on end of cooking.

Really, he does not know how the chefs at Mengpo Hall do it everyday. Cooking was far worse than any cultivation regimen and their aches only served to prove that.

Even Chu Wanning, with his highly advanced cultivation, felt as though his back was going to give out any minute now.

Truly an old man.

Letting out a low sigh, the man crumpled into his bedsheets before tucking himself into a small, fragile ball of white silk and luminous sky-black hair.

In the privacy of his room, memories of a time long past flicker through his mind.

Normally—if one could call such vivid reminiscing normal—Chu Wanning would remember the three old ponds he used to splash in as a man laughed in the background. Or worse, he remembered the day he requested his leave from Wubei Temple.

Except it was neither of those things his mind took him to this time.

A sword lay in front of him as he stood frozen in place, cold sweat dripping down his back as a monk stood to the side, watching intently.

"Do it." The man commanded, not cruelly but not softly either. Perfectly passive, as a monk should be.

Chu Wanning stepped onto the sword before infusing qi into it as he resisted the urge to close his wavering eyes.

He began to fly high into the air.

It was freeing in a way he had never felt before.

He felt truly alive.

There was an old proverb in Wubei Temple. Once there was a boy who sought to see heights even the Heavens dared not glimpse towards. Of course, the boy had been warned about his desires.

"Come down." The father pleaded grimly. "You fly too high."

"I can't." The son had said with a grin. "I can almost touch the stars!"

Eventually, arrogance could only be paid in kind by tragedy as the son flew as high as he could, only to find himself stuck in the sky with the stars he so adored.

Flickering off into the distance, never to be seen again.

"What a fool," Chu Wanning had told the monk solemnly upon hearing the story. "His father will surely miss him."

But now, he could understand the fool's appeal to fly away.

Far, far away.

Chu Wanning reached higher as the sun beamed down upon him in its welcoming embrace.

Higher and higher and higher.

The monk's face twisted, calling out to him but the words never reached the boy. What expression was he wearing back then? It was something he had never seen on the man's face before.

A completely new emotion, which was why he used to be able to recall it with such ease.

Now, however, he finds himself unable to remember anything but the golden sun.

He was too far gone.

Too far up.

Until, eventually, he had no choice but to plummet down back to the earth from where he came.

Chu Wanning jolted awake as a dim, familiar presence wandered towards the edge of his pavilion. He did not know when he had fallen asleep.

Cooking truly was a tiring task, it seemed.

Wandering towards the edge of his barrier, sad peach blossom eyes looked towards him with a bowl of half-eaten wontons covered in grime.

He looked perfectly elegant despite his abject misery.

"I'm sorry, Shizun." Shi Mingjing spoke dejectedly, hugging the bowl tighter to his chest. "It had been going so well and Shidi was eating, so I thought--" He choked up but did not cry. "I thought I should tell him who made the bowl ahead of time."

And chucked the bowl if the cracks covering its porcelain form were any indication.

Chu Wanning felt inexplicably cold.

Perhaps he should've expected this, there was no way Mo Ran would forgive him so easily, no way that he wouldn't still hold some resentment. But--

But what? Why should he care if Mo Ran forgave him or not?

Chu Wanning should not care.

So why was he shaking?

From the cold? No, it was quite warm today. Sadness? Maybe, but it did not feel like that. Guilt—Anger?

He was so angry he could hardly breathe as his eyes burnt a velvet red underlay at the rims of his eyelids.

Those who don't know emotional restraint can do nothing but harm.

Perhaps the monk was right about that.

Shi Mingjing stepped forward hesitantly, bowl of wontons still present, and Chu Wanning couldn't stand the sight of them.

The bowl or his disciple—he himself was unsure.

Maybe it was both.

"Shizun?" The boy asked quietly, those same peach blossom eyes gazing into his soul, looking at something it seemed only he could understand before smiling gently. "Shizun should go to bed."

His body felt stiff, like his throat had been stuffed full of feathers before finally managing to choke out a response.

"I should." He struggles to say as Shi Mingjing continued to smile that same knowing smile.

Like he knew something.

Like Chu Wanning had given him something he had always sought.

The boy took his hand with his only remaining free one before leading him inside, and Chu Wanning, for the life of him, couldn't find out why he felt so warm when he did.

Chapter Text

Sisheng Peak was becoming cooler now after the warmth of the summer had subsided. Though not particularly cold, it was only a matter of time until winter arrived to encase them all in snow.

Not many people knew how badly Chu Wanning despised the winter cold.

But Xue Meng did.

Upon first arriving at Sisheng Peak, it had also been during the winter season.

Just after his sixteenth birthday, which Nangong Si had been looking forward to celebrating before he had left, a young Chu Wanning had entered while draped head-to-toe in the fine furs of a beast Xue Zhengyong had gifted him upon his acceptance of being an Elder.

And there, Xue Meng had greeted him at the gate before Sisheng Peaks 3799 stairs with wide, curious eyes.

"Is Immortal-gege cold?" The gap-toothed child had questioned with an innocent expression accompanied by a terribly prominent lisp.

"With this weather, who wouldn't be?" Chu Wanning snapped back, his temper flaring as a particularly unkind feeling washed over him.

He wasn't truly angry with the boy, more frustrated by events that had happened before than anything else.

However, Xue Meng took no offence, merely furrowing his brows before taking off his own fur cloak, extending his tiny arms with the utmost seriousness a barely six-year-old could manage.

"Here." Xue Meng offered solemnly. "I get angry when I'm hot, but father said you were from the upper cultivation realm, so you might get angry when cold instead."

The simplicity of the boy's gesture had left Chu Wanning standing completely still, frozen as the ice around him as a new figure stood behind the boy.

A woman, whose cold expression never really had matched the warmth in her heart, held forward a bowl of congee towards him now.

For a moment, Chu Wanning could not tell the difference between Xue Meng and Rong Yan until—until...

Gloved hands tug him back to reality as a much older—but still so dreadfully young—Xue Meng looked at him with a mildly concerned expression.

"I was calling you, Shizun." The teenager spoke in an uncharacteristically soft voice. "Are you alright?"

Something itched upon the scarred skin covering his chest at the sudden question. He wonders what his first disciple would do if he had said no. That there was something dreadfully wrong and yet he does nothing about it.

Why isn't he doing anything about it?

"Fine." Snatching his hand away from the boy, he continued. "Just cold."

Cold, of course, he has always been that. So disgustingly frozen with an unfeeling nature.

He suddenly felt ill in a way that had nothing to do with his physical health.

"It is getting a bit colder." Xue Meng agreed, gaze lingering on Chu Wanning for a moment with an uncanny intentness. "I'll buy Shizun a couple cloaks."

"I have more than enough." Chu Wanning points out blandly. "Don't waste your allowance."

"How can it be considered wasteful when it's spent on Shizun?" The teenager asked without expectancy of an answer.

And indeed, he received no answer to that. Merely a scoff before Chu Wanning turned on his heel to leave.

True to his word, each day that passed, a new cloak could be seen arriving at the door of Red Lotus Pavilion by an increasingly exasperated Xue Zhengyong after Xue Meng had been told to stop giving so many gifts. Of course, if the 'sect leader' was the one giving gifts, then surely it was fine.

Cheeky child. Who had taught him to conjure up such loopholes? It surely wasn't him.

Still, even he could admit deep down that the gesture was nice. Otherwise, he would have banned Xue Zhengyong from giving anything as well.

"The cloaks are beautiful." Shi Mingjing had commented at his visit to the pavilion. "The young master truly has good taste when it comes to picking them out."

"Better than his other gifts." Mo Ran snorted as he grabbed the papers they had come for.

Months had passed since Chu Wanning had made those wontons, and theoretically, the event had long since gotten over with. But even now, his sight couldn't linger long on the boy before feelings of unresolved tension began to build up once more.

One-sided tension as well. Mo Ran didn't seem to care about what had transpired, not mentioning it even once.

As though it never happened.

As though it meant nothing.

Maybe it did, to him. Though for Chu Wanning, it was a thought that remained wedged in between his frontal cortex without any intention of leaving.

Just why couldn't he forget when everyone else clearly has?

"Remember, there will be a test tomorrow." He suddenly spoke as both boys turned to him. "I expect nothing but top marks from all of you."

After all, he has taught them to be nothing but the best.

Just as he had been taught so long ago.

"Of course, Shizun." The two chorused in unison, bowing their heads slightly as a sign of acknowledgement.

What filial disciples he had.

The sickness he felt at that thought was so very wrong.

Soon, he was alone, wrapping a fur robe around his shoulders even as the barrier around the pavilion did its job well enough.

It felt better to use these gifts that had been picked out with such love. Possibly because it proved that someone out there cared for him without any conditions attached.

No expectations of obedience, as the monk once had. No secret agendas for power, as Nangong Liu still has.

No, this was just Xue Meng exchanging all the kindness he had been raised with back to the world at large. Even back then, at their first meeting, he had--

What was it again? It was something important, he was sure, but why could he not remember?

How strange.

The next morning, a test had indeed occurred. Both in mind and body, with an analysis of cultivation progress to be done after the written examination of their mental prowess.

As expected, Xue Meng and Shi Mingjing scored top marks, with Mo Ran only ever so slightly behind. A huge improvement from the boy who had once stood before him, unable to write more than three characters.

Pride. He felt pride for this boy who had come so far.

And then...that pride vanished into a hollow nothingness, as though it was never there in the first place.

"Hands." Chu Wanning demanded before that thought could linger.

Xue Meng was the first to go, as expected.

His progress was going well, cultivation steady but not exemplary by any means. A bottleneck year, then, one many cultivators experience at least once. For him that had been during his fifteenth year.

The year he knew no rest.

"I expect better next year." He stated as Xue Meng's face dropped.

Next to go was Mo Ran, whose cheeks were flushed a hue of pink as he pressed down onto his wrist.

Probably the product of it being cold out.

"Good." Chu Wanning remarked after a moment, ignoring the way his head ached when Mo Ran beamed.

Because it was good, even without a core, with the way his qi was beginning to circulate it looked to be of someone who was close to achieving it. Not to mention his late start. Mo Ran's progress was completely unheard of, to say the least.

So why was the pride he should feel flowing in and out of reality faster than it should?

It was odd. This all was. Chu Wanning wasn't so unfeeling that he could not feel pride for someone, nor was he someone who acted with unjust fury while lingering on pointless memories.

Odd, so very--

Shi Mingjing extended his pale wrist as all previous thoughts were lost to him.

This time, Chu Wanning couldn't exactly say that his disciple’s progress was good. If anything, it was less than mediocre.

That was fine. Shi Mei was a healer who did not have to fight but rather someone who should be protected and—what the hell was he thinking right now?!

No, this wasn't right. Chu Wanning would still expect any disciple of his to progress despite their innate talent.

This was wrong.

Chu Wanning felt his chest squeezed along with his throat, restricting what was once a perfectly rhythmic breathing pattern.

Wrong, wrong, so very--

"Shizun?" Shi Mei—no, Shi Mingjing's voice cut through his line of thinking with concern. "Is it no good?"

Only now could Chu Wanning feel how parched his throat had become as he suddenly swallowed. "No, it's fine."

There was more he should say. More he needed to say as a teacher. What should be improved upon, for instance, even if it was a little harsh to say.

Yet, pathetically, he finds himself completely speechless as Shi Mingjing backs away, a smile ever present as Chu Wanning finds himself wanting to shake the boy.

"Class is dismissed." He eventually concludes, turning on his heel to all but flee into the confines of Red Lotus Pavilion.

As soon as he crawls into his room, Chu Wanning throws a rogue piece of metal across the area in a fit of rage. Not at anyone in particular, but more so at himself for feeling so...so hapless.

The Beidou Immortal, a man who couldn't even control his temper—what a joke.

Those who don't know emotional restraint can do nothing but harm.

For the first time in his life, Chu Wanning felt an unbridled hatred for the man who raised him. Who was the monk to tell him such words when he had demanded his disciples’ core as payment to leave the Temple?

Before, Chu Wanning could empathise with the monk. Those teachings he had used to form his core all came from him, so who was he to say no?

Now, however, he has disciples of his own, and Chu Wanning knows that he could never have asked the same from any of those boys.

Hate. Hate. He hated the man so--

Huh?

No, he did not hate him. This wasn't right. Why was he thinking such thoughts? Despite all that happened between them, hate had never been on the table, so why--?

Shi Mingjing was outside of the pavilion. He always was after Chu Wanning storms off after feeling more emotions than ever.

Just when had they started this cycle?

Nevertheless, he lets the boy enter.

"Is Shizun alright?" Shi Mingjing asks, eyes circling around his room once before going back to him. "You stormed off rather quickly. Did I..." he bites his lip, "do something wrong?"

"No." The answer was quick and firm, as though blaming this boy for anything was fundamentally wrong. "I was just...it wasn't your fault."

Right. Why had he stormed off anyway? Nothing was wrong, he just needed to have a break was all.

"Then Shizun," the boy pressed on, his eyelashes fluttering as he closed the distance between them, "do you mind giving me some pointers? I really do want to improve more."

And, well, Chu Wanning has never been one to turn away an eager student who truly wanted to learn.

Moving for the vast library Red Lotus Pavilion managed to acquire in his tenure as the Yuheng Elder, he slowly pulled out a manual that has seen better days before handing it to Shi Mingjing.

"Medicine and beasts." The boy read, his eyes flickering from the cover to his Shizun in a second. "This disciple isn't bright, Shizun, I wasn't aware those two things were comparable."

"Not to beginners." And by this point, Shi Mingjing was no beginner. "Medicine often uses beasts for pills, but that is not their only use. They are also great companions for healers who can't typically defend themselves."

Especially ones with as low innate potential as his second disciple.

"A beast companion." Mulling the thought around his head for a moment, the boy eventually nodded. "Is there any way for me to acquire one, Shizun?"

"Money." An immediate reply came a second later. "You can often buy companion beasts at auctions. But otherwise, you can try to go to a high qi density land where beasts tend to roam."

Shoulders slumping minutely, Shi Mingjing looked away with mild disappointment.

A disciple from Sisheng Peak would hardly have the funds for such an expense. And he was hardly skilled enough to catch such a beast himself.

Chu Wanning hesitated before speaking once more. "I will get you a beast."

The boy immediately perked up at his words. "Ah, I could hardly trouble Shizun like that." He tried to deny, but with the way his eyes lit up, it made it harder for Chu Wanning to deny him.

"It's fine, I will get you one on my trip to Rainbell Isle." The trip was long overdue anyway.

Xue Zhengyong was not welcome there and Madam Wang would rather avoid the journey. The other Elders, though perfectly able to go, often left it to both him and Tanlang when it comes to gathering supplies from the upper cultivation realm since they were the only ones who've navigated it before without being completely banned from entering.

Truthfully, he wouldn't normally go if not for his disciple. Companion beasts are best acquired from Guyueye.

And he would rather not leave it to Tanlang to pick out a beast for his disciple.

"Still, isn't it...wrong?" Shi Mingjing asks, an unreadable edge to his voice. "These beasts would probably be happier to roam free, so isn't forcing them to remain with cultivators wrong, Shizun?"

Considering this for a moment, Chu Wanning hums before shaking his head.

"What you describe is called enslaving the beast. To do that, this process must be done against the beast’s will. Having a companion is different because if whatever animal is chosen does not like you, they can simply leave. They aren't comparable."

For a moment, Shi Mingjing stared at him, mulling over that answer for a moment before nodding.

He looked neither pleased nor disappointed, as though Chu Wanning had answered a pointed question with limited options and decided to reply in a completely different direction than either option.

Finally, the boy glanced outside, frowning slightly as he saw that the sun set as he turned back towards him. "Shizun should rest."

"I should." Chu Wanning agrees, a sudden drowsiness overtaking him as Shi Mingjing takes his hands and leads him to his freshly cleared bed.

Despite being tucked in with such care, his dreams were plagued with maddening memories and ill emotions, leaving no room for rest like never before. There was something off about that, about the whole of that day really, but he truly couldn't remember what it was.

The Beidou Immortal, a man praised for his prodigious mind, was beginning to forget what he once knew.

Chapter Text

Once the ice began to thaw over Sisheng Peak, revealing a more timid sun, both Chu Wanning and Tanlang Elder began their journey to Rainbell Isle after bidding farewell to their respective disciples. Or, in Chu Wanning's case, all but pry Xue Meng off of him so that he could go.

It reminded him of their early years, when once long ago the only disciple he had was just one spoilt clingy child. At least now Shi Mingjing and Mo Ran now exist to help in removing said child from his immediate vicinity.

Something that Elder Tanlang had taken great pleasure in teasing him about it. Not directly, of course, but his face says it all.

Scraping his fingers along the silver mask that covered his eyes, Chu Wanning offered to help his senior onto the giant tortoise's back only to be rebuked with a snort.

"I'm hardly so old that you need to hold me while I walk, Yuheng." The man states dryly causing him to huff and retract his hand.

"Truly? I couldn't tell." Chu Wanning snipes back before he could stop himself.

Tanlang paid the comment no heed, however, simply mumbling about 'sharp brats' and 'smart-mouthed children'. Which, while praised for being an intellectual in cultivation, he hardly sees how he could be labelled as either a brat or a child.

Still, they move on without fuss as their guide leads them through the streets of Rainbell Isle until they reach Guyueye Sect. Why a sect would exist on the back of a tortoise, he does not know, but according to Madam Rong it had something to do with the founder of Guyueye forming a blood pact of sorts with the tortoise.

How the two had even come to an agreement when said tortoise could not speak was a heavily debated topic in Rufeng back when he resided there.

"Oh!" Their guide, a middle-aged woman who had introduced herself as Xun Duan, pointed towards an auspicious building with a bright expression. "Xuanyuan Pavilion will be open tomorrow, honoured guests. This lowly one highly recommends a visit; they sell many coveted items."

Both Tanlang and Yuheng narrow their sights onto the Pavilion. They've heard of the establishment, most who deal with Guyueye do, but it is known for only being open two times a month. What luck they have to stumble in at such a time.

Companion beasts were a must at the auctions, and with his allowance from Sisheng Peak, Chu Wanning did not doubt he'd be able to acquire at least one suitable beast.

Still, there was something that was irking him.

"Xuanyuan looks quite well-guarded." Tanlang speaks up first, apparently having the same thought.

Xun Duan hums, her face giving nothing away as her refined voice roams into their ears. "There has been talks of selling a Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feast this year. Though the Sect Leader is talking about waiting one or more years until the girl is better developed."

Disgust immediately pools in Chu Wanning's stomach. At his side, Tanlang seems to be concealing it better, his hand clenching slightly but nothing more.

It was inconceivable to those in the lower cultivation realm to stoop to such lows of cannibalising and raping another living being in order to improve their cultivation. In Wubei Temple, the act of intercourse was strictly prohibited anyway, though that didn't mean there weren't cases of broken vows or eating of the flesh and bones instead.

To the upper cultivation realm, these things were just the way of life.

Horrific, filthy, revolting.

Those who indulge in harming an entire race just for a momentary gain in their cultivation truly don't deserve the right to be called human.

"Just how old is the girl?" Tanlang asks after a while, his face ashen while looking decades older.

There was a flicker of hesitation on Xun Duan's face, the first real emotion she's had since this topic came up. "I think, from word of mouth, that she is around 16-17." Her lips curl down. "The 'perfect age' according to Guyueye. Their only problem is that she's the last one they own."

Chu Wanning wants to hurl. He knows, factually, that even brothel houses employ younger, but how could he not feel utter contempt for his fellow cultivators at this moment?

That girl was around his disciples' age. Practically a child. Imagining any of those boys in a similar predicament made him sick to his stomach.

So small, so scared, all alone with no one willing to empathise with them for the sin of being born from women who had no choice to be used as livestock made for breeding and consuming.

Weren't cultivators, with the gifts they claim to be from Heaven, supposed to use said gifts for the betterment of humanity?

What made this one race so different?

If not for that event, so many more people would still be in that situation instead of one girl.

Years ago, Guyueye's facility containing Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feasts was burnt to the ground—rightfully so; that place was abominable. Ever since then there has been a noticeable lack of any Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feasts on the market.

Good on them for remaining undetected after escaping.

"The Sect Leader also doesn't care for the practice." Xun Duan adds on a moment later, as though that makes it any better.

"How kind of Jiang Xi." Chu Wanning does not sneer—it was already a great insult to call an unfamiliar Sect Leader by name—but it was a close thing.

Neither one of his companions comment on it either way.

Steps pattered against the hard stone floor of a pathway leading to one of the most horrific 'breeding pens' owned by the Guyueye Sect. No longer functional, of course, not since Guyueye's former Sect Leader took over and noticed that his very limited supply of Boned-Butterfly Beauty Feasts was too revolting to keep so close in his business.

Jiang Xi must've also felt that it was too far. Though with his power and money, what did he even do about it? Compensate them for their years of misery?

Heaven forbid that man spend any money on a sub-human species. No, he will merely sell his remaining supply before patting himself on the back that he wasn't involved in the mutilation of those poor monsters like his forefathers.

Alone on the floor of her cell, a young girl clutched her mother's outer robe as golden tears ran down either side of her pale cheeks.

Though the woman's scent was long gone by now, it was all she had left of a person who knew her plight. She wasn't much of a mother—could never be with their circumstances—but she was there and that's what mattered.

But now she's gone and Song Qiutong—a name her jailers have never cared to ask or learn—had no one but herself to push through this hell.

Slowly, the door to her cell clicked open as a hooded man dressed in black stared at the girl as her breath hitched.

This was not a jailer, it couldn't be. This man was truly looking at her like she was...like she was human.

But Buttery-Boned Beauties are not human. Not to the countless men who feast on their flesh like they were just another meal waiting to be devoured before moving on to their mothers and sisters bodies.

"Come." The man held out a hand, his gaze impeccably soft. "We are leaving."

We. Meaning the both of them.

Had she been bought? The jailers said the higher-ups were arguing about having her bred before being sold off. Though then again the minds of men were turbulent at best.

Squeezing the dirtied robe a little tighter, Song Qiutong moved to her feet as she followed the man.

It was then she noticed that the guards situated at her door were all unconscious. Or dead, it could be either.

Not sold, then. Kidnapped, maybe.

Or more like stolen. To be kidnapped means she had to have been considered as something more than a possession to be owned by the highest bidder.

They walked like this for half a shichen before the man finally stopped to hand her a veil. Silver, perfectly complementing the mask that lay upon the upper half of the man's face.

"Do you have a name?" He asks as she clips the veil onto her hair, keeping those distinct eyes carefully hidden.

Her heart thumps twice before failing itself as her mouth dries. "Song Qiutong."

Song. Like Song Xingyi, the last of their kind who had the power to fight. An old tale their elders would pass on into the night as they stared at a blank nothingness ahead.

How different things would be if they could fight half as well as their ancestor.

"Chu Song." The man finally spoke as he thought over her name. "Unless Chu Qiutong is more to your taste."

She blinks behind her veil with a curious expression. "...whatever the Zongshi prefers?"

A sharp snort escaped the man. "I prefer you to pick which one you like best, this is no trick question."

Pursing her lips together, she thinks about it for a moment before deciding. "Chu Song."

"Chu Song." Nodding his head, the man continues. "Relative to Chu Wanning who was visiting Guyueye before deciding to travel with him. Orphan."

A fake name and identity. In but a moment, she was no longer Song Qiutong, the Butterfly-Boned Beauty, but Chu Song, a probable human.

"Are..." She hesitates, lowering her head slightly. "Are you Chu Wanning?"

Confirming her suspicions, Chu Wanning pulls his head up and down before eyeing their surroundings once more, a frown forming on the lower half of his face.

"Don't give too many details about all of this. We're going to Sisheng Peak in two days, none of them would pry anyway, just make sure that whatever you say is somewhat plausible." The man then takes a step forward, ushering her along.

Sisheng Peak. A sect. She knows many sects, many that buy her kind. But this was not one of them.

An idea bubbles in her mind as she looks over to Chu Wanning. He was very pretty, and only few people ever see Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feasts as anything less than creatures.

A cultivator, and a strong one at that since he managed to dispatch those jailers. One that cares about her kind.

Perhaps...just maybe, her bloodline managed to produce another Song Xingyi. Which was possible now that the males weren't being immediately exterminated at birth and the women could disguise themselves from greedy eyes long enough to cultivate into something better.

Someone could've snuck into a sect, reproduced and created someone to save them all.

She was not safe, not just yet. But for the first time in years, Song Qiutong, foolish as it might be to hope, could imagine a better road ahead.

Tanlang eyed the young girl by his colleague's side, his face giving nothing away before staring up to high heaven, as if to ask if any of this was real.

"Alright." He says at last, finally turning to Chu Wanning. "But tell the Sect Leader and Madam Wang, they can handle these things better than either of us."

Besides, they should be prepared for the fallout if Guyueye found out they stole something from them.

Never mind the fact that this was a whole teenager, in the eyes of the upper cultivation realm, this was theft of property.

Chu Wanning grimaced as a bubble of hatred festered in his gut. This feeling he could accept, it was the only thing the cultivators here deserved.

Madam Rong had warned him about Guyueye, how they held things that he would not stand for and to not visit, because there was no way he could allow for it to continue. That he would cause something that would get himself and others into trouble.

But how could he just stand by when injustice was right in front of him?

Wubei Temple knew what was going on here. That monk, as secluded as he was from the world, must've also known. And yet, while they preach about compassion, they willingly turn a blind eye to the mass slaughter of a group for being born from the blood of both a divine entity and a demon.

Really, people like that should just die.

Praise be to Guochen the Exalted, but not his descendants, who were only here because of his crime. And revere the Feathered Tribe, for they are half-immortals, but also forget that they are half-demonic in their heritage.

Hypocrites, the lot of them. Looking up to one but condemning the other.

And yet, isn't he also one? Would Chu Wanning have ever gotten involved if not for the proof right in front of his eyes? He never would've entered Rainbell Isle if not to claim a companion beast for Shi Mingjing.

Like Jiang Xi, who could do more but chooses not to, is he not just as bad?

Of course, Chu Wanning has never claimed to be otherwise.

Song Qiutong—now named Chu Song—fidgeted at his side under Tanlang's scrutiny.

The man would not harm her. Chu Wanning doesn't believe any of the elders in Sisheng Peak would. Still, he could hardly expect this girl, one who has gone through so much, to believe that based on word of mouth alone alone.

"Any injuries?" Tanlang asks aloud, to either of them.

"I'm not injured, I don't think she is either besides some cuts and bruises." Damaging merchandise would ward off potential buyers, much to Chu Wanning's disgust and reluctant relief.

The other elder nods, reaching into his qiankun bag for some salve and passing it to the girl.

"Apply it to your wounds at least once a day. Even a small cut should be treated with care." The man speaks seriously, throwing Chu Wanning a pointed look which he promptly ignored.

"Thanking Zongshi for the salve." Chu Song mumbles, her face skewed by the veil.

Most likely, she was wondering if she could trust it.

Not that either of them could blame her. This must all be a lot for her to take in and Chu Wanning is a less than stellar explainer with Tanlang hardly being much better.

Unfortunately, this girl was stuck with the two most emotionally repressed people in the entirety of Sisheng Peak.

Madam Wang could have certainly handled this better.

"Listen, child." Tanlang spoke up, trying his best to sound gentle while failing spectacularly. "I'm sure Yuheng hasn't explained anything, but we are both Elders of Sisheng Peak. Neither of us look down on you for your race nor do we aim to harm you."

Though words like that were easier to be said than believed, the girl continued to listen intently.

"Sisheng Peak won't look down on you either." Chu Wanning speaks up after the other man finished speaking. "I will take you on as a disciple if you wish. Anyone who wishes to do you ill can and will be beaten by Tianwen."

Even with her face blocked out by the veil, it was easy to imagine the girl blinking in surprise.

"I can cultivate?" She asks with no small amount of disbelief mixed in with hope.

To be taken in as a disciple means to have at least a molecule of innate talent. Even if innate talent is something Chu Wanning does not necessarily believe is the final deciding factor in a cultivator's career, it absolutely helped. Still, there were always methods for someone to cultivate, it just depended on their teachings and motivation.

And, also, money helps with that in the form of buying spiritual devices.

It was different for Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feasts, who naturally had a harder time using their spiritual energy due to their heritage. Even so, in Chu Wanning's opinion, it could be entirely possible with the right method.

A method that he will find, whether the rest of the cultivation world likes it or not.

"Probably not well." He rectifies, though it does nothing to dampen the girl's mood. "But so long as you have the proper motivation, I believe you could form a core in a decade."

On average it took nearly half of that time for someone to form a core. However, given her age and heritage, doubling that time seems to be an underestimate.

Still, Chu Song was positively elated. Even with so much time, just the possibility of forming a core was something she couldn't have fathomed.

"Thanking Zongshi for the opportunity to learn!" The girl smiled from behind her veil.

"Who are you calling Zongshi?" Chu Wanning replies smoothly. "Shouldn't it be Shizun?"

"Thanking Shizun!"

Across from them, Tanlang snorted, his eyes twinkling in amusement as he watched the scene in front of him unfold.

"And they call you cold, Yuheng." He chuckles, his normally dispassionate face looking strangely gentle.

A trick of the light, obviously. There's no way Tanlang would show such emotion in front of Chu Wanning of all people.

Still, he finds his ears reddening before looking away, much to the elder man's entertainment.

Xuanyuan Pavilion was deserving of its fame, serving a myriad of legal and illegal items in the presence of high-ranking cultivators while a lesser establishment would've already been decimated for fewer products.

The perks one gets when a powerful sect is backing them are truly mind-boggling.

At his right was Tanlang while Chu Song sat at his left, both of whom were staring at the auction with analytical eyes. After this they can go back to Sisheng Peak since Tanlang has already claimed his medicinal herbs.

Besides, he doubts his newest disciple will want to be here much longer.

"Now, at a starting price of 30 million gold, one of Guyueye's famed twin snake blood eggs has been put on auction!" The auctioneer announced brightly before expanding further for his audience not in the know. "The twin snake blood eggs are companion beasts that are said to be descendants of the Bai Suzhen!"

Chu Wanning resisted the urge to roll his eyes. If they were companion beasts, he hardly believed they were Bai Suzhen's descendants.

Still, it made for a good enough story as people quickly began to place their bids.

"40 million!"

"42 million!"

"45 million!"

As the bids went up, Chu Wanning eyed the bag of money he had brought with him before sighing and raising his own bid.

"60 million." He finally declared as a series of heads swivelled to their booth on the second floor.

"60 million!" The auctioneer grinned ear to ear. "Going once, going twice...sold the Zongshi on the second floor!"

Tanlang stared at him incredulously. "Seriously? 60 million? You could've got another beast for cheaper." The man chides at him for his poor spending choices.

"Not for the same quality." Chu Wanning waves off, ignoring the other man.

"All of your disciples are so spoilt." The elder man huffs before looking over to the girl at his side. "You better not turn out as spoilt as your Shixiong's. Those three could mention wanting a certain sword and your Shizun will get it within the week."

"Ignore him." Chu Wanning rolls his eyes. "Your Shixiong's are not spoilt, he exaggerates."

"That 60 million spent on a companion beast says otherwise." Tanlang snarks back. "That jade locket you got for the young master also works against you. And let's not get started on that Mo Ran."

"It's hardly spoiling. Who else would I spend my money on?"

"Yourself."

"That amount of money being spent on one person is truly greedy." He replies dryly, causing the other man to shake his head.

"And spending it on a disciple isn't?"

Which, alright, he might have a point.

By their side, Chu Song giggles into her sleeve, the sound echoing in their ears. "Shizun and Shibo are quite close." She comments between laughter.

Them, being close?

"Preposterous."

"Don't speak nonsense."

If anything, the girl began to laugh harder.

Chapter Text

Wind brushed past Loyalty Hall as three teenage boys instinctively shiver while eyeing the door to Sisheng Peak's main hall with an unjust amount of both curiosity and annoyance.

If only that door were not there, then they'd be able to see what was going on without an unnecessary piece of wood getting in their way.

The first to break the terse silence between them was naturally Xue Meng, the blue-robed boy straightening as he addressed his fellow sect brothers.

"Alright, if I haven't seen that girl before, then I know you both haven't." He stated factually, ignoring the way Mo Ran bristled at the comment. "So maybe she's a new disciple."

Both Mo Ran and Shi Mei exchanged a sharp look. Of course, they had suspected it, but having it said aloud made the possibility far more real.

"She doesn't look like much. Shizun wouldn't take her in." Mo Ran huffed, though from the way his gaze remained on the door, it was obvious that he thought otherwise.

"A shimei would be nice." Shi Mei finally said once the silence that followed that comment became too much.

For once, Xue Meng and Mo Ran shared something in common when they pulled a face akin to disgust.

"But we already have you, Shi Mei." Mo Ran tried to joke, but with his strained smile, it fell flat.

"..."

Silence.

The joke was awful.

"That's it!" Xue Meng threw his hands up in the air as he began to march towards the Loyalty Hall. "I'm going in there and asking what's going on!"

Just as Shi Mei was about to open his mouth to dissuade the boy from doing just that, the door opened revealing their Shizun's solemn face and the veiled girl at his side.

Almost immediately, Xue Meng backtracked a couple steps under Chu Wanning's harsh stare before holding his hands forward to bow in greeting.

"This disciple welcomes Shizun back from his journey!" He spoke as Mo Ran and Shi Mei hurried to follow suit.

"Welcome back, Shizun!" The other two disciples bow in unison, waiting for a second to pass so that they could straighten and analyse both their teacher and this new person.

With a low hum, Chu Wanning nodded approvingly as he gestured towards the girl beside him, his face calm and impassive. "This is Chu Song, a relative of mine and your shimei, take care of her."

He then shoved an egg in Shi Mei's arm with no explanation.

Without further elaboration, the man walked off, leaving all three—now four—of his disciples floundering to catch up. Even the girl—none of them had the face to use her name—seemed distressed from being left behind.

"Begging Shizun for clarification!" Xue Meng yelled as he attempted to walk at a semi-reasonable pace so that he didn't look like he was running in public.

Phoenix eyes glanced towards the boy coldly. "What's there to clarify? Show your shimei to her dorm and get ready to present your progress to me."

After being given such an order as well as a clear dismissal by his Shizun, Xue Meng ceased his chase as the others looked between each other in confusion, wondering who was going to speak first.

Naturally, as Chu Wanning's first disciple, this duty fell on Xue Meng.

Clearing his throat to garner his fellow disciples’ attention, the boy turned to the older girl with a solemn face. "As Shizun says, I'll escort you to the female dormitories."

"Hey! Shizun never said for you to be the one to do it." Mo Ran shot back with a defiant look.

How could he let the chance to find out more about his Shizun and their new shimei slip by just like that?

Bristling at his cousin's insistence, Xue Meng folded his arms with a raised chin and a haunting look. "As Shizun's longest-serving disciple and the one with the strongest core—no offence, Shi Mei," "none taken," "it should obviously be me who gets to show our newest sect siblings around!"

Mo Ran, who has yet to develop a core, couldn't argue in terms of either cultivation or seniority, huffed in defeat with a glum expression.

Seeing this, Shi Mei gave Xue Meng a soft look. "I think it would be best if we ask Song-shimei what she wants to do."

At the boy's words, Chu Song flinches upon receiving so much attention at once. "O-oh, um, I really don't mind." She speaks weakly, showing none of their Shizun's backbone.

"Then how about I escort shimei to her dorm?" Shi Mei proposes with a smile. "I have to drop off some medicine to another disciple anyway, so it'd be no trouble."

Tilting her head towards the floor, the girl nods as both Xue Meng and Mo Ran sigh but do not protest with her decision. Chu Song looked uncomfortable as is among so many new faces, having someone gentle like Shi Mei show her around would probably be for the best.

Having long shoved the egg he had received from his Shizun in his qiankun pouch, the boy extended his arm forward for the girl to take.

As the two walk off to go train, Shi Mei directs his attention onto the girl, peach-blossom eyes curving upwards as his smile brightens. "Are there any questions Song-shimei would like to ask me?"

Stepping forward, the girl hums in thought for a moment as they begin to walk together.

"If it's not too rude, I'd like to ask shixiong how old he is." Chu Song says at last, causing a light chuckle to escape the boy.

"Well, I've just turned seventeen." He speaks calmly with an air of elegance one should not possess when answering simple questions.

"Ah." Chu Song pauses in her step before taking in a laboured breath and continuing. "Then we're around the same age."

Naturally, Shi Mei could guess why the girl seemed concerned if her hesitation was anything to go by. "You're worried about your own cultivation progress."

It was a cause of concern for many around their age who've yet to form cores. Though it isn't impossible to form one later in life—the oldest recorded example being around ninety-two—it certainly made the process harder.

"Shizun said I could do it." The girl finally sighed out. "I just don't know if I can with determination alone."

A reasonable concern, one he once shared when first joining Sisheng Peak.

"I cannot speak for your experience, but I am utterly untalented in terms of cultivation." Shi Mei admits without a hint of annoyance, as though stating a simple fact. "So much so that in terms of spiritual energy, a newborn baby could beat me in terms of potential."

"Yet you formed a core."

"Indeed I did." He agrees, his expression turning pinched. "What I'm trying to say is to have faith in Shizun's teachings. He does not teach lost causes."

As the two continued to walk, a comfortable silence settled between the two.

Finally reaching the dormitories, a senior disciple gives Chu Song keys to her very own room. Most disciples over the age of twelve get their own room as to maintain a semblance of privacy. Still, with so many disciples in one place, the rooms were hardly very spacious. Though in exchange for peace and quiet, it was a price many were willing to pay.

Once making it to the assigned room, Shi Mei finally speaks up about something he noticed during their journey as the door shuts behind them.

"Your feet are injured." The boy states, causing the girl to freeze. "I won't pry, just tell me if they are deep or not so I can prescribe a suitable salve."

Chu Song does not respond for a moment, analysing his sincerity before replying. "They are mostly healed now."

Once deep wounds, then.

Though from the sounds of it, she seems incredibly used to having them, walking without issue despite such injuries.

"Do they hurt?" He asks quietly, mentally recording the injury with a keen sharpness.

"They are old wounds, every now and then they sting but not unbearably so." She states curtly, not willing to divulge much more.

That's fine, however, it's enough to confirm some of Shi Mei's suspicions.

Suspicions that will turn into undeniable fact sooner or later.

"I will send Song-shimei the medicine later." The boy informs her after allowing the moment to drag on a little.

"Thanking shixiong for his kindness." Chu Song murmurs delicately, to which he smiles in turn.

With a small head tilt, he turns and leaves, his mind swirling with endless possibilities.

Sitting down on a hardwood chair, Chu Wanning massages his temples upon feeling a sharp light glisten onto the side of his body, heating it up better now that spring is finally turning into summer. Or at least, it will in one to two months time. Right now the weather was not comparable to the true warmth that lay ahead.

Craning open a singular eye, he watches his disciples meditate in a quiet circle, all of them in solidarity for once to focus on the task at hand.

Weather like this typically made outdoor cultivation the best method to use. Especially given that Xue Meng and Mo Ran would pout the entire time until he let them out.

At least Shi Mingjing and Chu Song wouldn't give him much trouble. Those two would probably get on without complaining.

Still, he understands that though they may not have said anything, they would also want to go outside.

What child doesn't enjoy bathing underneath a warm sun while cultivating?

When Chu Wanning was young and it was hot outside, he wouldn't dare settle for sitting indoors of all places when there was a perfectly warm sun to scorch his skin under, much to the exasperation of the monk.

Being outside would ruin his skin, or so he was told. Which was true, Chu Wanning would always turn a bright red hue before forming his core, but it was never permanent damage.

Truthfully, he thinks the monk just didn't care for connecting with nature nearly as much as a monk should with the way he preferred to lock himself inside all day. Having to follow a curious child around would severely hinder those hermit plans.

A burst of spiritual energy cut through his musings as Chu Wanning jolted upright, turning towards the circle of disciples.

Only Mo Ran remained seated as his fellow disciples backed away, expressions of both awe and annoyance fluttering across each of their features.

Slowly moving to his feet, Chu Wanning knelt by the boy's side, furrowing his brows while examining just why there was so much spiritual energy all of a sudden. Though having faith in his disciples, he really couldn't have expected something like this to happen.

Flickering his eyelashes apart, Mo Ran blinks owlishly upon seeing Chu Wanning at his side with the noticeable lack of other disciples around him.

"Shizun?" He piped up anxiously, not daring to speak further.

"Congratulations, disciple Mo." Chu Wanning announces at last, his once tense face smoothing out into something proud. "You have formed your core in less than one year."

Air fixed itself in his throat as Mo Ran wondered for one fleeting second just what the hell was said before the words registered in his brain.

He then, very masculinely, shrieked in delight.

It was needless to say that Mo Ran had been on cloud 9 ever since the formation of his core. Anyone would be as well if put into a similar position. Forming a core in less than a year was, quite frankly, unheard of.

So of course Sisheng Peak was alight with celebration for the emergence of such a talent.

Or at least, that was what was said to the younger disciples who couldn't quite comprehend that their sect leader would've celebrated with such extravagance even if Mo Ran took fifty years to form a core.

The disciple who was the cause of such celebration was in his room, however, preparing to join in the festivities for later. That was, until, a knock hit against his door.

Creasing his brows together, the boy ushered whoever it was inside. "Come on in!"

There was a pause before a girl pushed open the door, a white silky veil covering her face in contrast to the normally colourful ones she likes to wear.

In a way, it reminded him of his Shizun's plain white robes that earned him the nickname of 'little widow'.

"How can I help shimei?" Mo Ran asks once it was clear he'd have to be the one to break the silence.

"Oh, ah..." Chu Song fidgeted a little, still slightly nervous. It had only been a month since her arrival so it was understandable she still wasn't comfortable around others. "I was wondering if Mo-shixiong could accompany me around the peak?"

At the request, Mo Ran raises an eyebrow. "Shouldn't Shizun or Shi Mei show you around?"

They were far closer in terms of relationship, it would only make sense.

Still, he had asked Chu Wanning to accompany him so maybe the former option was impossible now. And Shi Mei was always so busy, it wouldn't be surprising if he was attending to a patient.

"Well, shixiong is off peak right now with some other disciples to work on a patient." Chu Song lists off cautiously, as though afraid of revealing something. "Shizun chose to accompany him."

Hearing this, Mo Ran felt his heart drop. He had never thought his Shizun would abandon him on such an important day.

Of course he knew of the favouritism between both Shi Mei and Chu Wanning. It was hard not to notice when the teenager was the only one allowed to enter the Red Lotus Pavilion, seemingly at his own leisure.

He knew this, and yet he had hoped that, for once, Chu Wanning would put him first instead.

Perhaps that was too much to hope for. The man always rebuffed him and treated him coldly ever since that stupid flower incident. If only he had left that damn thing where it was, things may have been different.

He really couldn't help but envy Shi Mei, who always had the perfect gifts and the right words to say.

"Then," he replied glumly, even while trying to put on a brave face, "I'll escort shimei around tonight."

Really, he still wanted to see Chu Wanning despite the man's clear displeasure of him. Mo Ran thought things were getting better. They even agreed to meet under the tree they once met under.

But in the end, things have turned out like this.

There was no one else Mo Ran would've liked to spend the day with, but if it was impossible, then at least he could spend the day with someone his Shizun clearly cared for.

One and a half shichen had passed since the time both Chu Wanning and Mo Ran were supposed to meet. Now, Chu Wanning was no fool, he quickly realised after the first half of a shichen passed that the boy most likely wasn't coming. However, his feet simply refused to move from their spot.

The tree behind him swayed lightly, its branches softly caressing his back, as if to comfort him.

Which was ridiculous, for one, trees cannot comfort people. And second of all, Chu Wanning was not upset.

So what if Mo Ran didn't want to celebrate with him. Who would want to celebrate with their old Shizun anyway?

It's not like Mo Ran had no friends, he didn't need to spend time with his Shizun if he did not want to.

The brat could've just said that he had plans if that were the case. There was no need for him to waste his day like this in fear of punishment. He's not so pathetic as to get jealous over something so petty.

He's only here right now because the tree had a wonderful view. This had nothing to do with Mo Ran.

"Shizun." Shi Mingjing appeared by his side after a while, his face pinched. "Why are you here?"

Suddenly, Chu Wanning felt his throat parch, unable to say anything for a moment until an uncomfortable amount of time had passed.

"It's a nice view."

Shi Mingjing turned to look at what view that could be.

There was nothing but tree branches in the direction Chu Wanning was once facing.

"...Shizun. I'd appreciate some company down the mountain." The teenager did not comment on this obvious lie and instead moved on.

"Patient?" Chu Wanning questioned, receiving a quick nod in reply.

"An elderly man." He explains with a soft sigh. "Broke his leg when carrying some boxes. No family to help him out."

Or rather, no family left.

A heavy air settled between them. The man's situation was unfortunate. Many of the elderly did not have people to rely on in terms of support, their friends either being too old or dead to help.

"I'll accompany you."

It's not as though Chu Wanning had any plans to fulfil anyway.

Pace by pace, the two descended Sisheng Peak's 3799 carefully carved out steps much quicker than the average mortal in relative silence. There was not much to say, any words that were spoke was information regarding their destination or the patient whose name was found to be Liu Dong.

His house wasn't too far from the main village but remote enough that someone wouldn't come across it while blindly searching the surrounding area.

Though it was a run-down house, it was not to the extent of disrepair. Modest, but not shabby.

Clearly, it was taken care of by the owner, even if said owner was getting on in his years and could only fulfil menial repairs.

Knocking on the front door, the two cultivators waited for a moment before a low, "doors open!" Finally came from their client.

Said man was sitting on a chair, a book on his lap in the corner of his living room. His hands were calloused from a lifetime of work yet still managed to keep a gentle expression on his wrinkled face.

"Ah, you two must be the cultivators in charge of my treatment." The man sighs, shaking his head in an exasperated motion. "I'm really fine, you both should spend your time elsewhere."

Shi Mingjing chuckled into his sleeve, moving forward to inspect the man's leg. "I really can't, Liu-lao. My Shizun is a righteous man,you see. I couldn't leave someone in need. It'd shame his teachings."

Chu Wanning felt blood rush to his ears at being called a 'righteous man'. It was hardly the first time someone had called him as such, but hearing it from his disciple so shamelessly was much different.

Listening to his words with an amused smile, Liu Dong glanced towards Chu Wanning before huffing out a hearty laugh.

"Then I suppose I have no choice but to allow for my treatment." The man then sighed dramatically, as though this was truly a painful development.

As the two began to talk about the progress of his injury, Chu Wanning took the chance to take a better look around the room they were in.

The table looked to be sloppily made, suggesting that perhaps Liu Dong was the one to sculpt it and not a professional. But no, the elderly man had many woodworking callouses, something he could recognise as a fellow inventor, he certainly wasn't lacking in experience.

Yet if that was the case, why would he have such a poorly made table?

Next were the seats surrounding the table. There were three carefully made seats with one a little lower than the rest. All of which seemed to be worn down by excessive use.

Considering these two things, Chu Wanning was willing to bet that there was more than one room upstairs as well.

Noticing his snooping, Liu Dong looked to see what had caught his attention before sighing as he looked at the table.

"My son made that, you know?" He reminisced with a pained expression. "Terrible work, that boy couldn't hold a hammer to save a life. Brilliant with a sword though."

"Children tend to differ from their parents." Shi Mingjing muses absentmindedly, causing Liu Dong to nod in agreement.

In face of talking about parents and their children, Chu Wanning found that he had nothing to add on. He himself never knew his parents, only that they had most likely abandoned him at birth in Lin'an.

Alone, in the terrible, biting snow according to the monk.

Perhaps that was why he hated the cold weather so much, it was where he was abandoned, after all.

Both by his parents and the man who raised him.

"I really couldn't keep him away from that sword." Liu Dong's expression turned bitter. "As soon as the war broke out back then, ah, you probably wouldn't have been born yet, he rushed to enlist."

A war. There were many wars in the lower cultivation realm before Xue Zhengyong and his brother founded Sisheng Peak.

This was a story many others shared as well. Their children running off to fight whatever invasion, whether demonic or otherwise, was plaguing their lands and tragically dying at the hands of higher forces.

Despite knowing this, the upper cultivation realm continued to look away from the troubles that plagued this land.

Unfortunately, Liu Dong finished his tale off in the way Chu Wanning had predicted. His son died in war, causing his wife to die not long after in heartbreak.

More often than not, there were no happy endings for the common people, who have no choice but to crawl on their knees to survive.

"I've finished bandaging the leg." Shi Mingjing abruptly declared before the tales horrid end could hover too long. "Don't walk on it too heavily for the next two weeks, light lifting is fine but don't strain yourself. I'll check on it after those two weeks."

"Thanking Xiuzhe for his care." The elder responded not a beat later. "Could I make some tea for you both in thanks?"

"That won't be necessary." Chu Wanning declines before his disciple could respond. "We have to return to the Peak before the celebrations are over."

Even if Mo Ran had ignored him to celebrate elsewhere, as his Shizun, he should still show up to support him despite this.

After all, what kind of man gets offended by being ignored by a fifteen year old?

"We still have time, Shizun." Shi Mingjing protests lightly as he eyed the kitchen. "Besides, some light tasks are good for recovery."

When put like that, Chu Wanning had trouble refusing his eldest disciple’s request.

Letting out a short breath he sat down at the table as Liu Dong moved to his kitchen in the quest of making tea. In truth, he was not a huge fan of the beverage, but refusing further at this point would be rude.

Mo Ran must be receiving his courtesy name right about now.

Shi Mingjing and Xue Meng had both gained theirs upon forming their core, as most practicing cultivators do. Now that Mo Ran had been given his Chu Wanning wondered if he should use it from now on.

Sensing his thoughts, Shi Mingjing spoke up. "Shizun helped pick out Mo-shidi's courtesy name with the Sect Leader and Madam Wang, right?"

"Had I left it to the Sect Leader, Mo Ran would've had a very unfortunate courtesy name." Chu Wanning stated blandly which startled a laugh from the boy.

It was well known that Xue Zhengyong should not be allowed to name things. The existence of Aaaaah and Waaaah Cliffs should speak for itself in this matter.

Honestly, Chu Wanning firmly believed the Sect Leader had simply given up naming things well at that point. He can only hope that Xue Meng inherited his mother's sense of naming.

"So, what was the name Shizun decided on in the end?"

"Weiyu." He informs the boy after comprehending the question. "Wei for tiny and yu for rain."

"Oh? What made Shizun choose such a name?"

"Because the first time I met him he was in the rain and looked tiny."

"..."

For some reason, Chu Wanning felt as though he was being judged right now.

Though the name was rather on the nose, he still finds it better than what Xue Zhengyong had picked out. Not even he had the face to utter it aloud with how shameless the name was.

It was a good thing he interfered when he did, Madam Wang was far too passive with her husband's naming style and was more than content in letting him do whatever. Someone had to put their foot down eventually since it was clear no one else was going to do it.

"Did Shizun also help pick out my courtesy name?" Shi Mingjing asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"I did." Chu Wanning confirmed as the boy smiled.

"I thought so." The teenager commented evenly. "It didn't sound like a name the Sect Leader might have given."

Hearing this, Chu Wanning coughed in an attempt to disguise a laugh. The name Shi Mei was not the boy's birth name. Having been found by Xue Zhengyong on his travels, the Sect Leader had named the boy Xue Ya of all things. A homophone for a set of words that he couldn't muster to think openly.

So not only had he unabashedly named Shi Mingjing after himself he also paired it with an uncomplimentary word to go along with it.

Obviously, he could not let the man give his poor disciple another disastrous name. That'd be far too cruel.

Pressing his hand onto the table unconsciously, Chu Wanning immediately regrets this action when a rogue splinter pierces its way through his skin. Because of the sudden pinch of pain, he instinctively removed his hand a tad too quickly to be passed off as simple movement.

Shi Mingjing had, of course, noticed.

"Let me see, Shizun." The boy commanded rather brazenly, extending his arms forward to pull the injured palm closer.

Once the palm was in sight, Shi Mingjing frowned upon seeing a particularly large splinter sticking out.

"I can remove it right now with my hands but it may hurt." His disciple spoke solemnly, as though the wound was critical and not just a small matter.

He huffed before commanding the boy to do whatever.

Pale, dainty hands circled around the injury as his fingers coated themselves with a layer of spiritual energy. In an instant, the splinter was gone and discarded.

Rubbing the area which was now tinged in a slight redness, Chu Wanning couldn't help but notice heat rushing to his ears at the action. It was ridiculous, really, he was a grown man. Reacting like this to such a simple touch was beneath him.

"Shizun." Shi Mingjing spoke once some time had passed, his face shrouded by the shadows of darkness around them after a candle went out. "Will you call Mo-shidi by his courtesy name from now on?"

An odd feeling rushed down his spine at the question. It was a feeling that he could not place, but it certainly wasn't pleasant.

His instincts screamed to answer this question carefully.

"I...suppose." He confessed truthfully, finding himself unable to lie in face of his disciple.

This answer seemed to satisfy Shi Mingjing as he continued to massage the redness of his palm. "Then Shizun, can I ask you of something?"

"Ask me something?"

Shi Mingjing hardly asked anyone for anything. On the rare occasion that he did, it was always for the benefit of others.

"I want to know Shizun's birth name."

Upon hearing the question, Chu Wanning felt his mood sour, tugging his hand away from the boy as hurt flashed in his eyes.

Almost immediately, he felt a pang of regret for acting in such a petulant way.

"I'm sorry, Shizun--"

"Chu Wanning is my birth name."

No one had ever assumed this to be the case, that the Beidou Immortal had casually allowed everyone to use his birth name instead of a courtesy one. From Rufeng to Sisheng Peak, Chu Wanning was the courtesy name of a mysterious man who had disappeared as quickly as he entered the public eye.

Why would they think otherwise? What kind of man at his age introduced themselves with their birth name?

Peach blossom eyes stared at him with an obvious expression of surprise.

"I was never given a courtesy name by the one who raised me." Was all he managed to explain, not daring to say more.

He didn't have to say more either, for in the next moment Liu Dong burst in with a set of tea bubbling on a wooden tray.

Shi Mingjing's body pulled away from his own, and Chu Wanning couldn't help but wonder why he felt so disappointed when he did.

Beneath the cover of darkness, a sharp glint lit up in the teenager’s eyes as he picked up his tea.

Finally, he was getting somewhere.

Chapter Text

Like during most spaces of sleep, Chu Wanning lay still with a wavering lucidity, utterly restless amongst endless thoughts while also desperately needing to rest. An unending battle of dreams that always ends with him sitting awake, drenched in a cold sweat and the feeling of nails digging into flesh.

Nails specifically scratching the top layer of skin over an exhilarated heart.

This time, however, fingers were instead wrapped around his wrist instead of the thin scarred flesh.

As though pressed down onto his mattress by weighting talismans, Chu Wanning felt his eyes sluggishly widen as a dark figure loomed over him.

It was not real.

It couldn't be. Logically, his talismans would've alerted him about an intruder.

Obviously, this was a figment of his imagination manifested by delusions of watchful eyes that seem to be monitoring him at all times.

None of this was real.

Until the cloaked figure spoke grimly. A mutter that displayed barely tangible words barely joined together, only somehow making sense from the sheer familiarity of its tone.

"Why is it in you? It should..."

Jerking forward, Chu Wanning rips his hand out of the figure's grip before moving to unleash Tianwen to apprehend the intruder.

The hood fell down before a single strike could hit, revealing an easily recognisable face.

Chu Wanning suddenly felt like a fool.

This wasn't even real.

Watching as the uncovered face runs away, he pointedly did not follow as to not indulge his obvious madness.

Insomnia from an unjustified fear was one thing. Hallucinations and delusions that feel far too real are another thing entirely.

Perhaps he should visit Tanlang.

Though the man may mock him, at least he would be taken seriously.

But to do that would be like admitting there was something deeply wrong with Chu Wanning. And of course there was, but that didn't mean he wanted others to know about this fact.

The monk threw him away without a second thought as soon as he began to form opinions of his own.

He couldn't bear to see the same blank look radiating from the eyes of Tanlang, analysing him with flashes of disappointment mounting along his face.

No, not again, being left like that would be unbearable. He won't ask for help.

After all, the Beidou Immortal should be able to stand firm no matter the challenge without help.

Even against himself.

Night had long since fallen when one of Xuanji Elder's disciples had come to Chu Wanning, citing a disturbance at the barrier between realms. Something he's noticed that has been happening more frequently, though not alarmingly so.

Not yet, at least.

Unravelling Tianwen with the flick of his wrist, Chu Wanning beats back a rogue beast that had managed to squeeze through the breach.

With no distractions, he took this time to mend the barrier.

It was a tedious task that hardly anyone would care to do. For one, the mission was time-consuming, providing no benefit for someone's cultivation while also bringing little to no prestige despite how important keeping this barrier intact was.

This fact made Chu Wanning more inclined to do it.

He had the talent, the experience and the skill set necessary to complete a task that others would scoff at, calling it a waste of time.

But it was never a waste, not to the people of the lower cultivation realm, whose lives depended on this barrier that had been gifted to them by Heavenly Emperor Fuxi himself. How could it ever be a burden to maintain the fragile happiness put together through decades of torment?

The pure selfishness of the immortal masters at his level who chose to not touch the barrier simply because it held no benefit to them was disgusting.

At last, he managed to repair the small fracture that had permeated from the rift which allowed him to finally breathe again in relief. Even after all this time, the barrier always served to make him anxious in his abilities.

Immediately after making it a safe distance away, Chu Wanning noticed two pairs of eyes trailing after him.

One of them being a gloomy faced Xue Meng, who was eyeing his cousin as though he were the scum of the earth. And the other was said scum of the earth cousin, who was looking a little too innocent.

Obviously, this indicated that the boy was guilty beyond doubt. He would've been more indignant at a false accusation.

"Causing trouble again?" Chu Wanning asked mildly, his eyes narrowing onto the shorter figure.

What would it be this time? Staying out late? Skipping classes? Or perhaps the boy has become more bold and decided to bring in a spring book this time. In any case, this punishment probably won't have to be too harsh. Maybe a lap around the peak or two.

"Shizun." His eldest disciple bowed before lifting his head back up. "This dog that I must unfortunately call my cousin has partaken in debauchery and theft. Please punish him."

Chu Wanning was flabbergasted.

Theft?! Debauchery?! Whose disciple was this?! The most Mo Ran has ever stolen was a pastry from Xue Meng's plate!

And debauchery? Who was he debauching, exactly? The boy probably didn't even know a thing about such matters yet!

What the hell?!

"I would never, Shizun!" The boy pipes up as a headache begins to form at the forefront of his frontal lobe. "My good name is being besmirched!"

As much as he wants to believe that Mo Ran would do no such thing, it's also a fact that Xue Meng wouldn't dare to face him with such claims if they weren't slightly true.

"Oh?" Chu Wanning sneered, sending a spasm of spiritual energy into his hand. "Then I'm sure you won't mind being interrogated by Tianwen."

Golden beams of light circled the air around them, flowing freely for a moment before wrapping itself around the apparent guilty party with no mercy.

Before Mo Ran could so much as blink, he was already bound tightly by the Holy Weapon.

Tugging on the vine, Chu Wanning coldly stared the boy down as he began to speak. "Did you commit debauchery?"

"Urgh--!" Mo Ran struggled momentarily, his face flushing red before finally confessing. "I did!"

"And did you also partake in theft?"

"Yes! I did it all!"

Chu Wanning was truly speechless. Never would he have imagined one of his own disciples doing such things.

He was so speechless that he couldn't even reprimand Mo Ran for a long moment, that was how unbelievable this all was.

"Xue Meng." The slowness of his words matched whatever short circuit was occurring in his brain. "Tell Elder Jielu to prepare punishment for Mo Weiyu at the platform of Sin and Virtue. Tomorrow, he will be punished before all."

If his disciple was doing such despicable acts then Chu Wanning had to take complete responsibility in teaching the boy some discipline.

With a harsh punishment, it would make him think twice about doing something so shameful again.

Suddenly, Mo Ran's face darkened inexplicably as he finally began to yell. "Chu Wanning, you bastard! You think you're so high and mighty? Watch me fuck you to death!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Mo Ran couldn't believe he just said that out loud.

Xue Meng was completely astonished by his cousin's complete lack of survival instincts.

Chu Wanning was livid.

So much so, he could hardly breathe.

Snatching Tianwen away from Mo Ran's body, Chu Wanning felt his ears blush a vivid crimson as he landed a strike along his side, causing a yelp of pain to be released from between the boy's lips.

Another strike.

A third.

"Who do you think you are?!" He bellows, rage wracking his entire body. "You steal, you commit debauchery, and then you threaten to--to do that with your Shizun! Tell me why I shouldn't whip you to death right now, Mo Weiyu!"

Clutching the wounds tightly, Mo Ran sends a withering glare towards Chu Wanning who felt even more justified in landing yet another strike on this clearly unrepentant scumbag.

"Um, Shizun..." Xue Meng spoke slowly, garnering the attention of both his cousin and teacher. "I just remembered, shimei was asking for you earlier for, er, cultivation...tips. It was important."

"Can your shimei not wait?" He spits, though his anger does cool off ever so slightly. "Fine, I'll go." Mo Ran was then shot a scathing look. "Be prepared for your punishment tomorrow."

With that, the elder man turned on his heel to leave.

Steps echoed through the open field, slowly dissipating with time as Chu Wanning got further and further away.

Only when no sound could be heard did Xue Meng let out a long sigh.

Turning his sights onto the bastard that was his cousin, the younger boy pointed towards him. "You really are completely shameless!" The boy announces resolutely. "Shizun was already mad enough about the breach and you just had to go and say that."

Remaining silent, Mo Ran slowly got to his feet with furrowed brows.

"Did Shi Mei really need help?" He asked the other boy seriously.

"Shi Mei? No, I said shimei. Honestly, you need to stop getting confused between the two even if they do sound similar."

Hearing this, Mo Ran snorted, his expression clearing ever so slightly. "Does Shizun have to look out for the other Elder's disciples? What poor shimei did you sic him on?"

"Our shimei. Why would I mention another one?" Xue Meng announced with tightly knitted brows, utterly confused about the topic.

Now it was Mo Ran's turn to be confused.

"Shimei? What shimei?"

He knows of a Shi Mei but Chu Wanning has never taken on a female disciple as far as he was aware.

What the hell was going on?

"Don't play dumb." Xue Meng chided while folding his arms. "And stop trying to move on from the problem here. How long have you been visiting those," blush dusted against the younger boy's cheek, "places."

A sly grin crossed Mo Ran's cheeks causing dimples to indent themselves across his tanned skin. "Why? Does Mengmeng want to visit?"

"You!" Xue Meng pointed a scandalised finger towards the elder boy. "Who do you think I am?!"

Releasing a laugh at his cousin's tomato-red face, Mo Ran quickly felt himself regretting that action when a searing pain jabbed at his side with a particularly vicious vengeance.

Noticing the pain, the other boy spoke up quietly. "Hey, you dog, haven't you noticed how Shizun has been acting lately?"

Mo Ran paused before frowning. "What do you mean?"

"Like, more," Xue Meng waves his hands around, as if that was meant to translate into an actual point, "irritable? No. Um. Sad? Er...closed off."

"He's always like that."

"No, he isn't!" Xue Meng defends vehemently, scowling in irritation. "Shizun, he's...you know what I mean!"

Rolling his eyes, Mo Ran snorts in dismissal. "I really don't. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get something to eat."

And maybe, if he's lucky, catch Shi Mei on the way back.

Standing alone on the empty plain where his master and cousin once stood, Xue Meng groans into his hands in frustration as he begins to ascend up the stairs of Sisheng Peak, immersed in deep thought.

It could be that he was overreacting. That there really wasn't something missing with their Shizun and Xue Meng was imagining things.

But...he knows Chu Wanning.

He knows the Immortal-gege who took him on reluctant piggyback rides when no one else was looking, who sighed deeply when accepting him as a disciple, even as his lips curled upwards.

Shi Mei and Mo Ran just didn't get it. Their Shizun looked so lost at times in ways that never happened before.

No one, not even his dad and mom recognised those looks, but he did. Chu Wanning was never unsure of himself until one day, when no one was looking, he was.

A decade, Xue Meng has studied under Chu Wanning for over ten years, that was enough time to recognise something deeply wrong with this entire situation.

It's just a matter of finding out what it even was that is the problem.

Muffled noises that sounded like a choked sob filled his ears as Xue Meng was abruptly jolted out of his thoughts.

Sitting a little further up from him was that guy who accused Mo Ran of stealing.

What was his name again? Rong Sun? No, it was definitely something else. Rong Mao? Oh! Rong San. That was definitely it.

"Hey, what are you crying over?" Xue Meng questioned boldly, causing the elder boy's head to snap up towards him, frustrated tears rolling down his cheeks.

"What do you think?!" The boy snapped, his face reddening in anger. "Do you know how close I was to buying my freedom? And then you and your fuckass dog breed of a cousin just swooped in and ruined everything!"

"Hey! I didn't steal anything!"

"Well you covered for that lower than a dog scumbag who did so you might as well have!"

"Don't call him that! It's true but only I can say that!"

"Stop changing the subject! You're not denying covering for him!"

At that, Xue Meng had to pause. Yeah, he did do that. That one is entirely on him. But this guy started it by targeting his mom!

Still, that didn't take away from the fact that he all but helped Mo Ran steal from this guy.

"How much?" He asks after taking a second to rein in his temper.

The other boy eyes him warily. "Five thousand gold."

Five thousand. That's...not a lot to Xue Meng. A bit troublesome to save for, sure, but not that bad. Thinking about how people can be bought for such a price was really weird.

"Plus the interest, it's probably more." He quickly remembers. "The madam was talking about raising it because of a lack of payback."

Reaching into his pockets, Xue Meng chucks a bag of gold coins towards the other boy who barely manages to catch it.

"That's not five thousand." Xue Meng explains as Rong what's-his-face opens up the bag of gold. "I'll need to wait until my next allowance, but I will pay you back."

Because if nothing else, he does feel a little guilty for what Mo Ran did. Shizun would probably approve of this action as well.

There was silence for a moment before the other boy looked up, his lips tightly pursed together before bowing his head. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me." Xue Meng waved off with a huff. "My cousin was the one who stole from you, anyway."

"Then I will take my leave." The boy stated, clutching his bag a little tighter, almost afraid of it being snatched away again.

"Bye then, Rong San!"

"It's Rong Jiu!"

Rong Jiu! Right, that was his fourth guess, he definitely would've got it right the final time.

Because no matter what Mo Ran has to say about it, he's brilliant with names.

Even if it takes a while to recall them.

At dawn, Mo Ran was indeed marched to Yanluo Hall by a gaggle of Jielu Elder's disciples, almost all of whom were eyeing him as though he were especially pitiful. None dared to voice this pity, however, lest the fearsome Yuheng Elder beat them up as well.

Elder Jielu sighed upon seeing Mo Ran entering his hall. He had already been informed of the boy's crimes and managed to conjure up a suitable punishment that would satisfy Chu Wanning and not offend their Sect Leader.

But still, isn't it too much? Being punished in full view of other disciples would be especially harsh on any child, let alone Xue Zhengyong's nephew.

If the man were back from his visit to Kunlun's esteemed sect, this whole punishment could be thwarted.

Unfortunately for Mo Ran, he just had to cause trouble when his uncle was away.

Reading out the list of crimes as Yuheng stands one step behind him, a slow chorus of protests escape some of the present disciples at such a punishment, hoping to curry some favour with a young master.

"Elder Yuheng, please show some mercy to Mo-shidi!" An especially brazen child spoke up after fidgeting in place for a while, glancing towards his sect siblings for support.

Slowly, another disciple joined him. "Yes! Please show some leniency, Mo-shidi has helped this disciple greatly in the past. He's really a good person!"

A satin-white-robed male scoffed hearing so many protests, even going as far as to send Elder Jielu a disapproving look at his disciples lack of restraint.

"Is that so?" Chu Wanning responded coldly, his gaze unwavering, causing the teenager to flinch before looking around. "Does anyone else want to add anything?"

"Though Mo-shidi has done wrong," another disciple piped up, "he once helped me slay a vicious demon, saving my life! Please lessen his punishment!"

"He once helped me through a qi deviation!"

"Once, Mo-shidi bestowed upon me an elixir that helped to save my mother!"

Hearing all these wonderful words of praise, Chu Wanning's expression turned even more fearsome.

Mo Ran defeated a vicious demon after having his core for less than a year? Mo Ran helped another disciple through a qi deviation when Chu Wanning had only briefly touched on the subject? Mo Ran has some mystery elixir that saved a woman's life?

Do all of these disciples think he has some form of cognitive impairment or are they all this brazen?

"Mo-shidi once helped me dual cultivate!"

"..."

"Pfft--!"

"Haha!"

"No way!"

Mo Ran's jaw dropped as he whipped his head around to see who dared to spread such lies about him. And in front of Chu Wanning too! Are they trying to help him or make sure he really dies?!

It's really all lies! Shizun, don't believe these scumbags!

"Who is this disciple?" Chu Wanning demands as Elder Jielu gains a light blush upon his cheeks.

"That's my disciple, Yao Lian."

Disciple 'Save Face'. What face was this disciple saving exactly? In fact, Mo Ran wanted to punch this disciple in his face!

"Since disciple 'Save Face'," Chu Wanning punctuates, causing Elder Jielu's face to alight further in red, "is so intent on lessening punishment, why doesn't he and his sect siblings join in?"

"But--!"

"Elder Yuheng!"

"Wait, no--!"

"Silence!" Chu Wanning demanded, allowing Tianwen to crackle against the ground before wrapping the weapon around a disciple.

"Mo Weiyu saved you from a demon?"

"Ah! No! No, he didn't!"

"And you, did Mo Weiyu help you through a qi deviation?"

Tears sprang in the young disciple's eyes before confessing the truth of the matter. "No!"

Moving onto the next, Chu Wanning sneered down towards the disciples. "So I suppose Mo Weiyu didn't give your mother an elixir either."

"Urgh! No! I made it up! I made it all up!"

Chu Wanning simply skipped disciple Yao Lian, his claim being so absurd and shameless that it didn't need to be verified.

And if it was true, then he'd rather not know.

Looking over the blue-wearing disciples one last time, Chu Wanning commanded them to kneel before calling for a discipline attendant.

Not only had these disciples failed to gain any favour, they also got severely punished in the end for daring to mess with the Yuheng Elder.

How very pitiful.

After night finally fell, leaving behind the punishment from dawn, Chu Wanning stood silently in a kitchen, his phoenix eyes pooling with an indecipherable emotion.

His hands itched to do something. Sure, Mo Ran deserved to be punished but...was he a bit too harsh? The last time a punishment like this had been delivered was back when Madam Wang's flower was carelessly picked.

But Mo Ran—Mo Weiyu, he reminds himself—had hardly enjoyed the wontons he had Shi Mingjing deliver.

He shouldn't involve himself further, Mo Weiyu wouldn't appreciate it.

So why couldn't he leave?

"Shizun?" A voice called from behind him.

At once, Chu Wanning expected to see Shi Mingjing, instead, he found a veiled face looking back.

"What are you doing here?" Chu Song asks carefully, inching slightly closer.

"I..."

What was he doing in Mengpo Hall?

"Are you hungry?" The girl prompts further, moving to grab a couple ingredients. "This disciple could make you something."

"You can cook?" Chu Wanning questions, causing the girl to freeze and, behind her veil, blush.

"I could learn." She rectifies after a moment.

So she really couldn't cook. Unsurprising, when would she have had the time to learn? He doubts Guyueye would've ever let her.

Remembering this, Chu Wanning's face soured as he moved to help the girl.

"Hm, what shall we make?" Chu Song questions causing Chu Wanning to point to certain ingredients.

The only thing he could make.

"Wontons."

Pulling up his sleeves, the two worked together as he gave the girl some prompts every now and then on how things should go.

It felt...nice. To work like this with someone again. The last person to do something like this with him was Shi Mingjing, but it's been so long since he last made a bowl of wontons.

He nearly forgot how to.

After how hard he tried to learn how the first time, it'd really be a shame if he forgot.

Time passed and in the end, a bowl of slightly malformed wontons lay between them. All of which were carefully devoid of any spices. If there was one thing both Chu Wanning and Chu Song shared it was their intolerance for spices.

"They're good." Chu Song remarks, moving to lift another one behind her veil. "I didn't think I could make anything this well."

Hearing this, Chu Wanning hums. The same could be applied for him.

Even back at Wubei Temple, if any of the monks saw him simply eyeing the building, someone would've ran to chase him away with a broomstick.

After a particularly traumatising incident involving the creation of a tray of sweets that looked to be straight from each layer of hell, he had been unceremoniously banned from anything to do with kitchen labour.

"Is..." he hesitates, almost unsure, "is Mo Weiyu alright?"

"Mo-shixiong? Oh, he's fine." Chu Song waves off with the flick of her wrist. "More than fine, actually, he's been talking Shi Mei's ear off all day."

That explains why he hadn't caught sight of the boy in a while. Chu Wanning is glad that those two have each other to confide in.

So why does he feel a bit odd when thinking about it?

"And you?" He asks after a moment. "How have you been?"

"Ah..." the girl lowers the wonton in her hand into the bowl below. "Good. Sisheng Peak is great. I've made friends with some of the shijie's in my dorm. They've helped a lot."

Chu Wanning's eyes soften. "I'm glad."

He truly is, it's the least of what she deserves after all she's been through.

"Oh!" Chu Song lit up as she remembered something. "Shi Mei's companion beast hatched the other night! He tried to tell you right away but then the rift happened and you were so busy afterwards."

Listening to her explanation, Chu Wanning felt a pang of guilt.

It couldn't be helped that a breach had occurred, but he did have time after. He had even helped Chu Song with her cultivation.

How could he have missed this?

Unaware of his thoughts, Chu Song continued to speak. "It's a beautiful snake. All white with a couple of black dots scattered around. And so friendly too!" She then paused before adding on, "it did try to bite Mo-shidi though."

Resisting the urge to snort, he simply nods in reply as Chu Song smiles at the memory.

"Um, speaking of Mo-shidi..." the girl fidgets in her seat, looking more than a little uncomfortable. "Has Shizun noticed he's been acting...odd, lately?"

Odd?

Other than being a complete scumbag, Chu Wanning doesn't really see much of a difference. He wouldn't really call Mo Ran's behaviour odd.

Had something happened?

"What do you mean?"

"He acted like he had no clue who I was this morning!" She finally spoke, frustration clear in her voice. "I thought I had angered him at first, but when I tried to apologise, he just looked at me funny! And he's been acting all buddy-buddy with Shi Mei! They're close but he's behaving like they've been friends for decades!"

That was strange.

In all honesty, Chu Wanning couldn't remember the two boys talking with each other too familiarly.

They hung around one another after class, as most sect disciples do, but not anything especially out of the ordinary. Still, if Mo Ran wants to strengthen his bonds with Shi Mingjing then it's not as though there was any problem.

But Chu Song did seem quite upset...

"Is there anything else you wish to say?" He questions as the girl lowers her head, giving off an ashamed aura.

"I just...well I thought we had something." She admitted sheepishly. "But then he started visiting that brothel and it was always to see men so I--you know, I'm a bit disappointed."

Chu Wanning blinked in surprise.

Not that Mo Ran preferring men is any sort of reveal, that was obvious the minute that boy had begun staring at some of his shixiongs from other Elders for a bit too long while they were training. No, the real surprise was that Chu Song didn't know.

Maybe it wasn't as obvious as he once thought.

"And now he's got a crush on Shi Mei." Chu Song grumbled in dismay, causing Chu Wanning to almost choke on air.

Shi Mei and Mo Ran. No matter what way he looked at it, he simply couldn't see it.

Shi Mingjing was quiet, observant and unnaturally kind.

Mo Ran was...well he was different. Loud, abrasive and while not unkind, Chu Wanning has always been on the receiving end of his petty behaviour.

Just the thought of those two together annoyed him.

Having spoken her say, Chu Song fell into a depressive silence as she mourned the loss of her first crush.

On the other hand, Chu Wanning closed his eyes. Contemplating the maybe love life of his two disciples.

How horrifying, those two were...growing up.

Ah, Chu Wanning really was an old man now.

"Hm, there are quite a few wontons left." The girl comments with surprise. "I'll go ask Shi Mei if he wants some if Shizun is done."

"Hm, yes, I'm done." He answers, suddenly grateful as the feeling of wanting to be alone washed over him.

He likes spending time with his disciples, but sometimes...

Sometimes he just feels so sick of it all.

The door leading to Mengpo Hall shut with a loud creaks Chu Wanning realised he was alone.

Just like always.