The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Chap 10
Fortunately, Mo Ran’s “verbal torture” was not completely heard by Chu Wanning. After spouting a bunch of nonsense, he barely managed to get away with it.
When he returned to his bedroom, it was already very late. Mo Ran slept for a while and went to his morning cultivation as usual the next day. After his morning cultivation, it was time for his favorite thing in the morning: being too early.
Breakfast was at the Meng Po Lobby. As the morning cultivation dispersed, more and more people started to gather.
Mo Ran sat across from Shi Mei. Xue Meng arrived late, so the seat next to Shi Mei was taken by someone else. He had no choice but to sit next to Mo Ran with a gloomy face.
If Mo Ran were to talk about the most exquisite part of the heart sutra of the Peak of Life and Death, he would definitely say: Our sect does not need to abstain from eating.
Unlike many of the sects in the Upper Cultivation World, the Peak of Life and Death had its own set of cultivation methods. They did not abstain from meat and did not need to fast. Therefore, the food in the sect was always sumptuous.
Mo Ran drank a bowl of spicy and fragrant oil tea. He ate peanuts, chopped vegetables, and crispy soybeans. In front of him was a plate of yellow and crispy pan-fried dumplings that were specially prepared for Shi Mei.
Xue Meng looked at Mo Ran from the corner of his eyes and said mockingly, “Mo Ran, I didn’t expect you to be able to walk out of the Red Lotus Hell alive. Amazing. ”
Mo Ran did not even raise his head. “Then why don’t you see who I am?”
“Who are you?” Xue Meng sneered. “Shizun didn’t break your leg, and you’re so arrogant that you don’t know who you are?”
“Oh, if I’m an onion, then what are you?”
Xue Meng sneered. “I’m Shizun’s chief disciple.”
“You gave yourself that title? Sigh, I suggest you ask Shizun to give you a seal and hang it on the wall. Otherwise, you’re not worthy of the title of chief disciple. ”
With a crack, Xue Meng broke the chopsticks in his hand.
Shi Mei hurriedly tried to calm them down. “Stop arguing. Let’s eat.”
Xue Meng: “… Hmph.”
Mo Ran giggled and imitated him. “Hmph.”
Xue Meng flew into a rage and slammed the table. “How dare you!”
Seeing that the situation was not good, Shi Mei hurriedly pulled Xue Meng back. “Young Master, there are so many people watching. Let’s eat, stop fighting.”
The two of them were at odds with each other. Although they were cousins, they quarreled whenever they saw each other. After Shi Mei persuaded Xue Meng, he had no choice but to sit in the middle and talk to both sides.
After a while, he asked Xue Meng, “Young Master, when will Madam’s cat give birth?”
Xue Meng replied, “Oh, you mean Ah Li? My mother made a mistake. It’s not pregnant. It just ate too much and looks like it has a big belly. ”
Shi Mei: “…”
After a while, he asked Mo Ran, “Mo Ran, are you still going to work at Shizun’s place today?”
“I don’t think so. Everything that needs to be done has been done. I’ll help you copy the sect rules today. ”
Shi Mei laughed. “Why do you still have time to help me? You still have a hundred times to copy. ”
Xue Meng raised his eyebrows and looked at Shi Mei in surprise. “Why do you want to copy the sect rules too?”
Shi Mei looked embarrassed. Before he could say anything, the chatter in the dining hall suddenly died down. The three of them turned around and saw Chu Wanning enter the Meng Po Lobby in his white robe. He walked to the counter expressionlessly and began to pick out the snacks.
With the addition of Chu Wanning, the dining hall with more than a thousand people suddenly became as quiet as a graveyard. The disciples all buried their heads in their food. Even if they wanted to talk, they spoke very softly.
Shi Mi sighed softly. He watched as Chu Wan-ning carried the tray and sat in the corner where he usually sat. She silently ate the porridge by herself. He couldn’t help but say, “Actually, I feel that sometimes Shizun is quite pitiful.”
Mo Ran looked up. “What do you mean?”
“Look, no one dares to go near where he sits. When he comes, no one dares to speak loudly. It was fine when the Lord was around, but now that the Lord isn’t around, he doesn’t even have someone to talk to. Isn’t he very lonely?”
Mo Ran snorted. “He asked for it.”
Xue Meng was angry again. “You dare to mock Shizun?”
“When did I mock him? I’m just telling the truth. ” Mo Ran gave Shi Mei another pan-fried bun. “With his temper, who would want to stay with him?”
“You — —!”
Mo Ran looked at Xue Meng with a mischievous smile and said lazily, “Not convinced? If you’re not convinced, then sit over there and eat with Shizun. Don’t sit with us. ”
That one sentence made Xue Meng speechless.
Although he respected Chu Wanning, he was more afraid of him like everyone else. He couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and angry, but he couldn’t refute. He could only kick the table legs and sulk with himself.
Mo Ran’s face had a trace of lazy pride. He glanced at the little phoenix provocatively, and then his line of sight fell on Chu Wanning across the crowd.
For some reason, looking at the only white figure in the dark blue silver armor in the room, he suddenly thought of the person curled up in the cold metal and fell asleep last night.
Shi Mei was right. Chu Wanning was really pitiful.
But so what? The more pitiful he was, the happier Mo Ran was. As he thought about it, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up a little more.
The days passed by quickly.
Chu Wanning didn’t ask him to go to the Red Lotus Pavilion anymore. Mo Ran’s daily tasks were washing dishes, feeding the chickens and ducks raised by Madam Wang, and weeding in the herb garden. He had a lot of free time.
In the blink of an eye, a month of confinement had passed.
One day, Madam Wang called Mo Ran to the Dan Xin Palace. She touched his head and asked, “Mo Ran, have your wounds healed?”
Mo Ran smiled and said, “Thank you for your concern. They’re all healed.”
“That’s good. Be careful when you go out in the future. Don’t make such a big mistake and make your Shizun angry. Do you understand?”
Mo Ran was very good at pretending to be a grandson. “I understand, Auntie.”
“There’s one more thing.” Madam Wang took out a letter from the small table and said, “You’ve been in the sect for a year. It’s time for you to take on the responsibility of eliminating demons. Yesterday, your uncle sent you a letter and asked you to go down the mountain to complete this task after your confinement is over. ”
According to the rules of the Life and Death Summit, disciples who had been in the sect for a year had to go out and eliminate demons.
During the first time, the disciple’s Shizun would accompany him. In addition, the disciple had to invite a fellow disciple to go with him. This was to let the disciples support each other and understand why the saying, “Loyal heart can be a mirror, and will not change in life and death.”
Mo Ran’s eyes lit up. He took the letter and tore it open. After reading it, he grinned happily.
Madam Wang said worriedly, “Ah Ran, your uncle hopes that you can make a name for yourself in one battle, so he entrusted you with a heavy responsibility. Even though Elder Yu Heng’s cultivation is profound, but in a battle, blades and swords are merciless. He might not be able to protect you well. You must not be too happy and underestimate the enemy.”
“I won’t, I won’t!” Mo Ran waved his hands and laughed, “Auntie, don’t worry. I’ll take care of myself.” After saying this, he slipped away to pack his luggage.
“This child …” Madam Wang looked at his back. Her gentle and beautiful face was full of worry, “Why is he so happy to accept a task?”
How could Mo Ran not be happy?
The task his uncle gave him to eliminate demons happened in Colorful Butterfly Town. It was entrusted by a local official surnamed Chen.
Regardless of what kind of demons were there, the key was that in his previous life, he was bewitched by demons in this Colorful Butterfly Town. He lost his mind and forcibly kissed Shi Mei in an illusion. This was one of the few times that Mo Ran was close to Shi Mei. It was really ecstasy.
Moreover, because he was bewitched, Shi Mei couldn’t be bothered. He kissed her for nothing! After he kissed her, she couldn’t even find him to settle the score.
Mo Ran was so happy that his eyes turned into crescents. He didn’t even mind that this task had to be done with Chu Wanning.
Eliminating demons depended on one’s master, and flirting depended on one’s self. This kind of easy task, why not?
After inviting Shi Mo and reporting to Shizun, the three of them quickly rode their horses and arrived at the Colorful Butterfly Town, which was full of evil spirits.
This was a town that was rich in flowers. Outside the residential area were flower fields that stretched for dozens of miles. Because of this, there were always butterflies fluttering about in the town, hence the name.
When the three of them arrived, it was already night time. The village entrance was bustling with noise and excitement. A line of musicians wearing bright red clothes walked out of the alley while playing suona.
Shi Mei asked curiously, “Is this a wedding? Why are they marrying at night? ”
Chu Wanning said, “It’s a ghost wedding.”
Ghost weddings were also known as yin weddings or matching bones. It was a marriage arranged by the common people for men and women who died young before marriage. This kind of custom didn’t flourish in poor places, but the Colorful Butterfly Town was very rich. Therefore, it was common for the unmarried young men and women to find a spouse.
The group of ghost weddings was majestic. They were divided into two rows. One row was carrying silk and satin, the other row was carrying paper ingots and ghost coins. Like this, they escorted a red and white palanquin with eight carriers. All of them were deacons with golden lanterns as they filed out of the village.
Mo Ran pulled the horses to the side and let the group of ghost weddings pass first. As the palanquin came closer, they saw that the person sitting inside was not a living person, but a ghost bride made of paper. The ghost bride was covered in makeup. Her lips were bright red, and the two rosy clouds on her cheeks reflected her pale face. Her smiling appearance was extremely frightening.
“What kind of bad habits does this village have? They really have money to burn.” Mo Ran whispered.
Chu Wanning said, “The people of Colorful Butterfly Town are very particular about the art of geomancy. They believe that a lone grave cannot appear in a family, otherwise, the family’s luck will be affected by the wandering ghosts.”
“… There’s no such saying, right?”
“The townspeople believe in it.”
“Ai, that’s true. Colorful Butterfly Town has been around for hundreds of years. If we tell them that the evil they believe in does not exist, they probably won’t be able to accept it.”
Shi Mei whispered, “Where is this group of ghost weddings going?”
Chu Wanning said, “When we came here, we passed by an earthen temple. The temple doesn’t worship any deity. There was a ‘double happiness’ character pasted on the door. The table was filled with red satin. On the satin, there were words like ‘heaven-sent good fortune’ and ‘a good match in the underworld’. I think they are going there. ”
“I noticed that temple too.” Shi Mai seemed to be deep in thought. “Master, is that a ghost emcee enshrined there?”
“That’s right.”
A ghost master of ceremonies is an image of a ghost god. People believe that a ghost wedding needs three matchmakers and six cards. When exchanging dragon phoenix invitations, the master of ceremonies is also needed to recognize two dead people as husband and wife. Because of the popularity of the ghost wedding in Colorful Butterfly Town, naturally, a golden body was sculpted for the ghost master and placed in front of the graveyard outside the town. Before the people who carried out the ghost wedding were buried, they had to first carry the ghost bride to the temple to pay their respects.
Mo Ran rarely saw such a ridiculous scene, so he watched with great interest. Chu Wanning only watched for a while before turning his horse around and said, “Let’s go. We’ll go take a look at the haunted house.”
“Three Daoists, my life is really bitter! You’re finally here! If no one cares about this matter, I, I don’t even want to live anymore! ”
The person who entrusted the Peak of Life and Death to eliminate the ghost was the town’s richest merchant, Chen Yuanwai.
The Chen Family was in the fragrance powder business. There were four sons and one daughter in the family. After the eldest son got married, the wife didn’t like the noise in the house, so the two of them thought about moving out and starting their own family. The Chen Family was rich and overbearing, so they bought a large piece of land in a secluded area of the North Mountain. There was also a natural hot spring pool, so they were very good at enjoying themselves.
As a result, on the day of the groundbreaking, the shovel hit a hard object after a few shovels. The eldest daughter-in-law went over to take a look and fainted. They dug up a new coffin painted red on the North Mountain!
There was a mass burial ground in Colorful Butterfly Town. After the townspeople died, they were all buried there. But this lone coffin inexplicably appeared on the North Mountain. Moreover, there was no tombstone, and the coffin was blood-red.
They didn’t dare to move it again, so they quickly filled the hole with soil. But it was already too late. Since that day, strange things kept happening in the Chen Family.
“First, it was my daughter-in-law.” Chen Yuanwai cried, “She was frightened, which affected the baby and caused a miscarriage. Then, it was my eldest son who went to the mountain to pick herbs for his wife to nourish her body. In the end, he slipped and fell down the mountain. When we went to save her, he was already dead … Sigh! “He sighed deeply, choked with sobs, and couldn’t continue. He just waved his hand.
Madam Chen was also wiping her tears with a handkerchief. “My husband was right. In the following months, our sons met with mishaps one after another. They either went missing or lost their lives. Four sons, three of them are gone!”
Chu Wanning frowned, glanced at the Chen couple, and fell on the pale-faced eldest son. He looked about the same age as Mo Ran, about 15 or 16 years old. He had delicate features, but fear made his face somewhat distorted.
Shi Mei asked, “Can you tell us how the other children … died?”
“Sigh, Zhong Zi was bitten by a snake when he was on his way to find his brother. That snake was just a normal grass snake. It wasn’t poisonous. At that time, no one paid much attention to it. But a few days later, when he was eating, he suddenly fell straight down, and then … Wuwuwu, my child … ”
Shi Mei sighed, and felt bad, “Then, did the body show any signs of poisoning?”
“Sigh, where did the poison come from? Our family must have been cursed! The first few sons have all died, and the next one is the youngest! The next one is the youngest! ”
Chu Wanning frowned, and his eyes fell on Mrs. Chen like lightning, and asked, “How do you know that the youngest will be the next one? Why not yourself? Does this evil ghost only kill men? ”
The youngest son of the Chen family huddled there, his legs shaking and eyes swollen. When he opened his mouth, his voice was sharp and twisted, “It’s me! It’s me! I know it! The man in the red coffin is here! He’s here! Taoist priest, Taoist priest, save me! Taoist priest, save me! ”
As he spoke, he began to lose control of his emotions. He rushed over and hugged Chu Wanning’s leg.
Chu Wanning didn’t like to interact with strangers, so he immediately avoided him. He raised his head and stared at the couple, “What’s going on?”
The couple looked at each other and said in a trembling voice, “There’s a place in this house, we, we don’t dare to go there again. Taoist priest, you’ll know when you see it. It’s really evil, really …”
Chu Wanning interrupted, “Where is it?”
The couple hesitated for a while, and then reached out their hands and pointed to the ancestral room, “It’s there …”
Chu Wanning took the lead, followed by Mo Ran and Shi Mei, and the Chens at a distance.
When they opened the door, they saw that the room was very similar to the incense house where some big families worshiped their ancestors. There were several rows of memorial tablets, and pale candles were burning on both sides.
All the memorial tablets in this room were engraved with yellow paint. The names of the deceased and their ranking in the family were written on them.
The memorial tablets were written in a very orderly manner. The spirit of a certain Lord Taifu would be tested on the spirit of a certain Lord Taifu, and the spirit of a certain Lord Taifu would be tested on the spirit of a certain Lord Taifu.
Only the memorial tablet in the middle didn’t have the words engraved on it. Instead, it had a line of words written in bright red:
The spirit of Chen Yanji.
Erected by Lord Yang Chen Sun
The members of the Chen family who were hiding behind the Taoist priest felt lucky and timidly glanced at the white silk fluttering in the air. However, when they saw the words on the memorial tablet that looked like they were painted with blood, they immediately collapsed.
Mrs. Chen cried loudly. Her youngest son’s face was so pale that he didn’t look like a living person.
First, the writing on the memorial tablet was not in accordance with the etiquette. Second, the words on the memorial tablet were crooked, like the scribbles of a sleepy person. It was so messy that it was almost unrecognizable.
Shi Mei turned around and asked, “Who’s Chen Yanji?”
The youngest son of the Chens cried behind him and said with a trembling voice, “It’s, it’s me.”
Chen Yuanwai cried and said, “Taoist priest, it’s like this. Since Master Zhong passed away, we found that … we found that there was a memorial tablet in the ancestral hall. The names of all the living people in our family were written on the tablet. As soon as the name appeared, within seven days, that person would meet with an unexpected disaster! When the third son’s name appeared on the tablet, I locked him in the room and scattered incense outside the door. I asked someone to perform a ritual. I tried everything, but on the seventh day! He still died … for no reason, just like that! ”
The more he spoke, the more agitated and scared he became. He knelt down with a thud and said, “I, Chen Yuanwai, have never done anything evil in my life. Why did God do this to me? Why? ”
Shi Mei felt sad and hurried to comfort the crying old man. At the same time, he raised his head and said softly, “Master, look at this …”
Chu Wanning didn’t turn around. He was still looking at the memorial tablet with great interest, as if a flower would bloom on it.
Suddenly, Chu Wanning asked, “Master Yang, Madam Chensun, are they talking about you, Madam Chen?”
