Chapter 120: The Master's Retreat

The morning sun is breaking and the sky is filled with red. It is still early, but a large crowd of disciples has already gathered outside the red lotus water pavilion. They are all dressed in onyx, their eyes downcast, standing on either side of the road.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The sound of the morning bell is heard from Tongtian Tower, and in the distance some men are slowly approaching with a coffin. At the head of the group is Xue Zhengyong, the Elder of the Greedy Wolf, followed by Mo Ran and Xue Meng. To the left and right stood Shi Mei and a monk with a half-used robe. They walk on the slippery stone path, gradually coming through the mist.

The monk is carrying a lantern, and it is already dawn, but the light of the lantern is still glorious in the daytime, with a golden glow like a summer flower.

The disciples bowed their heads and rested their eyes. They had heard that Master Huai Zui of the Temple of No Mercy had come all the way here for Elder Yu Heng, so this unassuming monk must be the one. None of them dared to take a closer look at this legendary figure on the long path, only to hear the sound of a man's staff and see a pair of monk's shoes made of hemp straw passing by in their dangling vision.

The coffin was carried steadily all the way, and as it was a resurrection, not a burial, no one wept. When they reached the red lotus pond, Huai Zui looked around and said, "Let's put it by the lotus pond, where the aura is abundant and where the spell can be easily performed."

"Xue Zhengyong led the rest of the group and set the coffin down there, "If there is anything else you need, just ask. If you save Yu Heng, you have saved half of my life, and I will do my best to help."

"Thank you, Master Xue, for your kindness." Huai Zui said, "The poor monk has nothing to ask at the moment, but if he has something in the future, it will not be too late to tell the master."

"Yes, then Master must not be polite."

Huai Zui put his hands together, smiled lightly and gave a salute to Xue Zhengyong, then turned to look at the others: "I am not talented, but it will take five years to revive Elder Chu's soul. To avoid disturbances, the red lotus water pavilion will be closed to visitors from now on, and will not be reopened until the day Elder Chu returns to life five years later."

Although Xue Meng had heard about this before, she could not help but feel red-eyed when she heard from Huai Zui again that it would be five years before her master would awaken. He silently lowered his head.

"If you all have something to say to Elder Chu for a while, please go ahead and go to the coffin, after today, it will be more than a thousand days before we meet again."

The people then went in turn.

First Xue Zhengyong and the elders, who stood one by one in front of the coffin to say goodbye, said Xue Zhengyong: "May we meet again soon."

Greedy Wolf said, "Wake up early."

Xuan Ji said, "May all go well."

Lu Cun sighed and said, "I envy you a little, five years of frozen age makes you look less old."

The rest of the elders also had something to say, in one way or another, and soon it was Xue Meng's turn. Xue Meng had wanted to hold back, but he was so used to being angry that he couldn't. He finally shed another tear at Chu Wanning's coffin.

He wiped his tears from his eyes as he choked out, "Master, I will train well even in your absence, and I will never disgrace you at the Lingshan Mountain tournament afterwards. When you wake up, I will tell you about my good ranking. Under my master, there are no disciples who say they are defeated."

Xue Zhengyong walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder. Xue Meng did not embrace his father as usual, but turned away stubbornly with a sniffle. He didn't want to be a playboy who only relied on his father in front of his master anymore.

Shi Mei, whose eyes were also moist, did not say anything, but looked down at Chu Wanning for a moment and then stepped back in silence.

After he had gone, a pale pink begonia flower was gently rested in the coffin. The hand that rested the flower was still somewhat juvenile in form, but it was also very long and slender.

Mo Ran stands at the edge of the coffin, the wind blowing gently across the lake, sending the sweet fragrance of lotus flowers. His hair is a little tousled around his forehead, but he raises his hand to straighten Chu Wanning's face.

Mo Ran pursed his lips, as if he had a lot to say, but in the end, he just said, a little hoarsely, softly, "I'll wait for you."

Waiting for you what

He didn't say it. He felt like he should have wanted to say wait for you to wake up, but it was as if that was all he had to say and it didn't feel like enough. It was as if he couldn't articulate the feelings that filled and crowded his heart; it was as if there was hot lava gathering in the bottom of his heart, and those lava, unable to find a precise outlet, rampaged through the cavity of his heart, crashing into him, making him panic and hurt.

He felt that one day his heart would be toppled, and then the lava would run uncontrollably, and he would be melted to ashes in the tumbling waves of that fury.

But he was not sure, today, what that burning affection really was.

So he just said "wait for you".

The red lotus water pavilion is finally closed.

A huge boundary fell as if it were a gate dividing life and death, isolating the crowd.

Since then the summer lotus has been fragrant and the winter snow has been silent for five years, and no one else has been able to enjoy it in the water pavilion.

The leaves of bamboo and the flowers of begonias are falling, stretching from outside the red lotus water pavilion to the front of the mountain gate, and all the disciples are kneeling down, while Mo Ran, Xue Meng and Shi Mei are kneeling at the front of this endless river.

Xue Zhengyong's voice vibrates through the trees and clouds: "Send, Elder Yu Heng, to his retreat."

The disciples hung their heads and spoke quietly, "Greetings, Elder Yu Heng is in retreat."

The uneven voices of thousands of people converged into a stream and suddenly exploded on the top of this smoky cloud of death and life, frightening the crows, mumbling and mocking, circling the treetops but not daring to cling to them. The rumbling of the voices was like muffled thunder, crushing through the rolling clouds and straight to the sky.

"Respectfully, the Master is in retreat." Mo Ran said softly.

Long knock down.

Guardian of the King for five years.

After Yu Heng's retreat, three of his personal legends did not want to be temporarily under the tutelage of the other elders, so they each practised hard.

Shi Mei and Xue Meng stayed on the mountain, while Mo Ran chose to travel far away for reasons of qualification and heart technique.

But he made this choice not only because he was suited to the experience, but also because there were many things that were different in his new life, not to mention the changes on Chu Wanning's side, and the fake Gouchen that worried him the most.

He had a sneaking suspicion that the person who had been hiding behind the curtain might also be reborn. After all, this man's mastery of the Zhenlong game could be said to be nine out of ten, and in his last life, until he had killed himself, no one else in the world had been able to perform this forbidden art to such an extent.

After Butterfly Town, the whole Xianxia world is watching and waiting for the gourmets of the night to reveal their tails.

Mo Ran knew that he was not smart, but his aura was rich and abundant and his cultivation talent was amazing. Since he was destined to fight again in the future, what he could do was to bring himself back to his pre-rebirth strength as soon as possible.

In a previous life he was the Destroyer.

In this life, he is going to be a protector.

Shortly after Chu Wanning's retreat, Mo Ran stands before the gate at the top of the mountain of death and life.

With his backpack, he will travel far.

There were only a few people to see him off: Xue Zhengyong, Madame Wang and Shi Mei.

Xue Zhengyong tapped him on the shoulder and said with some embarrassment, " Xue Meng is not coming, he said"

Mo Ran laughed, "He said he had to practice his sword in the woods and didn't have time to see me off."

"" Xue Zhengyong was even more embarrassed and couldn't help but curse, "That bastard really doesn't know what he's doing."

Mo Ran laughed, "He is determined to win the top spot at Lingshan Mountain, so it is only right that he practices hard. It's up to him to make the master look good."

Xue Zhengyong looked twice at Mo Ran hesitantly and said, "The Lingshan Mountain Assembly is the pinnacle of orthodox immortal arts, and Mo Ran's trip to the four corners of the world will give him great strength, but I am afraid that the Assembly will not recognize the mixed martial arts of the three religions and nine streams. It would be a shame to miss it."

Mo Ran said, "There's my cousin."

"Don't you ever think about getting a place?"

Mo Ran is really smiling this time.

Ranking

In his previous life, the Lingshan Mountain Assembly held a grudge in his heart when he was punished for not passing through confinement because he had done something wrong. But now, what is this trivial matter? He is a man who has experienced many lives and deaths, who has gone from reluctance to longing, from longing to resentment, from resentment to relief, from relief to guilt in the flood of calamities.

Nowadays, what he wants from Mo Ran is no longer wine and a beautiful woman and the worship of the world, let alone revenge and the thrill of killing.

The infinite prosperity of the clouds, the paper and gold, he had seen and was tired of seeing, he did not want to go back there, he just felt cold and no one was with him.

He is a former Fairy Tramper, a man who has been at the top of Mount Tai and has seen all the flowers on earth. They don't care about the applause and applause on Lingshan Mountain.

As for the ranking

Whoever wants to line up, go ahead.

"I still want to do something else." Mo Ran laughed, "Xue Meng is a son, so a son has his own way of life, and I'm a gangster, and a gangster has his own way of life."

Mrs. Wang could not help but pity her and said, "Silly child, what are you talking about? You and Xue Meng are the same, there is no difference between a male and a mongrel."

Mo Ran smiled a hey, but a little bitterly.

Even if one is lucky enough to reach the top of the world of death and life, how can it be the same when the previous ten years or so have been spent in a muddle?

But seeing Mrs. Wang's gentle and concerned expression, she naturally could not say anything, nodding her head and saying, "What auntie said was true, it was me who did not speak well."

Mrs. Wang smiled and shook her head, gave him a small pouch with a flower on it and said, "You are away on a trip and have no one to look after you. Take this pouch, it contains a lot of medicine for injuries, all made by Uncle's mother and better than those bought in ordinary shops, so keep it carefully and don't drop it."

Mo Ran was very grateful: "Thank you, Auntie."

Shi Mei said, "I don't have anything for you, just this jade pendant, you can wear it, it's for warming up the spirit core."

Mo Ran took the pendant and saw that the white jade was as white as cream and warm to the touch. He put the jade pendant back into Shi Mei's hand and said, "I can't take this, it's too valuable. It's too valuable. Besides, my spirit core is fire-based, so I'm afraid I'll go off the deep end if I warm it up again."

Shi Mei laughed, "What a mess, how could it go off the rails"

"I won't take it anyway." Mo Ran was adamant, "You're weak, you'll be better off with your own."

"But I asked someone to auction it to you at the Regulus."

Mo Ran was warmed by what he said, but more than that, he was heartbroken: "The Xuan Yuan Society's things are all overpriced, so I really don't have much use for this jade pendant, but it's very good for you. Shi Mei, I appreciate the sentiment, but keep it to yourself. Remember to wear it all day long to nurture your aura."

Shi Mei was about to say something else, but Mo Ran had already wrapped the thin cord around the jade pendant and attached it to his lapel for him.

"It's quite nice." He chuckled, lifting his hand and patting Shi Mei's shoulder, "It fits you much better than it does me. I'm such a rough guy, I'm afraid I'll knock something over in a couple of days."

" Mo Ran is right, although this jade pendant can be worn by everyone, it is most comfortable for those with water spirit cores. Keep it for yourself, Mi'er."

Since Madam Wang had spoken, Shi Mei naturally listened to her, nodded, and said to Mo Ran, "Then take care of yourself."

"Don't worry, I'll write to you often."

Shi Mei was a little sad to be leaving, but when she heard him say so, she couldn't help but smile: "The writing you write, only the master can read it."

When it comes to Chu Wanning, Mo Ran has no idea what to think.

The bone-chilling hatred dissipated, the guilt remained, as if the scars were scabbing over and the whole heart was aching and itching.

It was with this feeling in mind that he went down the mountain, alone.

"One, two, three."

He kept his head down and counted silently in his mind as he walked.

"One hundred and one, one hundred and two, one hundred and three."

As he reached the foot of the mountain, he couldn't help but turn back and look out towards the cloudy summit of death and life, with its stretches of stone steps that were nearly impossible to see, and he muttered, "Three thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine."

He walked along and counted down the whole way.

This is the number of steps leading up to the gate, the number of steps Chu Wanning climbed on his back that day.

He felt that he would never forget Chu Wanning's hands, cold, bloody and mangled, for the rest of his life.

It is often not in a person's nature to be good or to do evil. Some people are lucky enough to have rice and wheat saplings scattered among the monopolies, and in autumn, when the grains are plentiful and the rice smells like wheat, everything is good and praiseworthy.

But there are other fields that are not so fortunate. The seeds of poppies are planted between the soil, and when the spring winds blow, they give birth to the sin of bliss, and the sky is covered with golden-red, dirty blood. People resented it, reviled it, feared it, and were drunk on its fetid smell, rotting to a cinder.

At the end of the day, the righteous and benevolent would gather and throw a fire into the field, twisting and rising in the charred smoke, and they would call him a hotbed of karma, a harsh demon, a devil who eats people without spitting out their bones, a man who deserves to die and has no conscience.

He twitched and moaned in agony in the fire as the poppies quickly curled up and turned into charred, stinking mud.

But he was once a good field, too, and longed for rain and sunshine.

Who cast the first seeds of darkness, and then the sin became a plague that was uncontrollable.

This field, which was gentle and splendid, was lit on fire and became ash.

Thrown away.

No one wants it anymore, he is an old abandoned piece of land.

So it never occurred to him that another person would come into his life and give him another chance to turn the soil and plough and start again from scratch.

Chu Wanning.

He would not meet him until five years later, and today was the first day in five years.

Suddenly he realised that he was missing Chu Wanning's face, stern, exasperated, gentle, dignified, upright.

Mo Ran slowly closes her eyes.

He was thinking back carefully on his past life and how many past events had blown away the snow, and he gradually realised that the incident of the splitting of the ghost world sky was actually the biggest watershed in his life.

In a previous life he loved someone deeply.

Later, the man donated his life, and he went to hell.

In this life, there is another person who loves and cares for him.

Later, the man donated his life to ferry him back to earth.