"WHAT ARE YOU GOING to use the first forbidden technique for?"
Chu Wanning wasn't sure how many times he'd asked this question. But on that particular day, Mo Ran was in a good mood. He answered slowly at last, "To go back to the past."
"To do what?"
Taxian-jun raised his eyes. "I'll save him."
Whom he meant was obvious.
Chu Wanning was standing before Mo Ran in robes as white as snow. "If you've read all the records on the first forbidden technique, you should know all of its practitioners died horrific deaths. The last zongshi who mastered it tried to bring back his daughter from a different universe. He and that world's version of himself ended up killing each other. You can't be ignorant of this case."
Mo Ran frowned and shifted in his seat. Crossing one leg over the other, he propped his cheek against a hand and looked up at Chu Wanning. "Actually, this venerable one is ignorant indeed."
Chu Wanning blinked.
"What's the point in studying a failure?"
"No one's ever succeeded," said Chu Wanning.
"Then this venerable one will be the first."
"You cannot foresee the consequences of disturbing space-time," Chu Wanning warned.
Mo Ran snorted. "Whatever chaos or destruction comes of it, how does it affect this venerable one?"
"Even if you were really able to bring Shi Mingjing from another universe into this one, what about your other self?" Chu Wanning persisted. "Would he allow it? If it comes down to a fight like the one between the two zongshi in the tale, what will you do?"
Mo Ran grinned. "Who cares about some other version of myself? If he tries to stop me, I'll kill him."
Chu Wanning's mouth snapped shut as goosebumps rose over his skin. Mo Ran had truly lost his mind.
"So, if…" Chu Wanning continued woodenly. "If history were to repeat itself, and something went wrong when you tried to take Shi Mingjing from your other self, then the other world's Shi Mingjing might get crushed by the rift in space-time. You—"
A loud crash cut him off. Mo Ran had shot to his feet, flipping the table of fruit in front of him. Grapes, tangerines, and dried lychees tumbled everywhere, rolling about like the heads he'd so wantonly hacked off.
Taxian-jun stalked over with great strides, his dragon-embroidered shoes crushing grapes and lychees beneath their soles, juices splattering like blood and brains. Amidst the sweetly scented carnage, he yanked Chu Wanning up by the lapels. His eyes were savage. "I know you always looked down on him—you wanted him to die," Mo Ran growled. "How could you be so cruel? No matter what, he was your disciple too; he chose you as his teacher; he trusted you. Yet you curse him this way, Chu Wanning."
"I'm not cursing him. Everything I'm saying is the truth."
"Who wants to listen to your truth?" Mo Ran roared. "If this venerable one wants someone, it doesn't matter if I have to tear apart space-time, if I have to turn the universe upside-down—I'm going to save him; I'm going to bring him back! If the world tries to stop me, I'll destroy the world. If I try to stop me, I'll kill myself. If you try to stop me, I'll—"
He stopped, chest heaving. His frantic eyes seemed to go distant. What would he do? Trample him into the dirt? But he'd already snapped Chu Wanning's spine beneath his feet. Humiliate him? But he'd already forced Chu Wanning to bow to heaven and earth alongside him.
Then—kill him?
An ache tore through his heart. He couldn't say it; he didn't know how to finish that sentence.
Mo Ran stormed out, leaving Chu Wanning standing in the desolate hall by himself. Darkness pressed in on him on all sides. All of this was part of someone's plot. Both Taxian-jun and the Beidou Immortal had already been ensnared. What was he supposed to do?
Should the first forbidden technique be performed again, it wouldn't be a problem if the rift was small. Just as a small wound could scab over, space-time should also be able to heal itself. But if the rip was large, bringing about many changes as the two worlds collided, the outcome might be the chaos alluded to in the ancient scrolls. Nothing would be left intact.
There is an order to the mortal realm. Should the order collapse, the heavens will render their judgment. All shall return to primordial chaos.
Chu Wanning didn't remember where exactly he'd read this, but the words had left an indelible impression on him. They referred precisely to the consequences of opening the Space-Time Gate. The heavens would visit retribution upon the mortal realm: The two entangled universes would both be reduced to nothingness.
If the first forbidden technique spiraled out of control, the cost would be the annihilation of two worlds. Chu Wanning couldn't let such a thing happen. He could not let Mo Ran continue.
That night, Mo Ran was occupied tidying up the scrolls Kunlun Taxue Palace had thrown into disarray and didn't torment Chu Wanning further. Chu Wanning took a lantern and headed to the library.
Chu Wanning was practically powerless, and as such, Mo Ran didn't bar him from any areas of Sisheng Peak unless he was particularly angry. This was a tiny show of mercy on Mo Ran's part. Chu Wanning could freely access the library, the backwoods, and even the holy weapon arsenal. Mo Ran kept him as he would a cat: It was enough to file down the animal's fangs and clip its claws; there was no fun in breaking its legs, shackling its wild nature, and preventing it from roaming free.
Within the library, Chu Wanning sat and organized his various clues. After putting everything he had learned in order, he ascertained two things:
Firstly, the mastermind behind the scenes had an excellent command of medicine, but their spiritual power was weak. If this person had been gifted with copious amounts of spiritual energy, they wouldn't need to exploit a pawn like Mo Ran to achieve their ends.
Secondly, this mastermind must have plotted Shi Mei's death with the goal of rousing hatred in Mo Ran's heart. When Chu Wanning had painstakingly deciphered the demon tribe's ancient text, he'd learned of this strategy:
The Flower of Eightfold Sorrows will erase all the kindness from the heart of its host. However, it may preserve their fond memories of one person in particular. To this end, the spellcaster will often ensure that the host's memories of them remain intact. The host will develop affection for the spellcaster and come to rely on them, willingly facing death and mortal danger for their sake.
Chu Wanning had personally witnessed Shi Mei's death; he trusted there was no deception there. Shi Mei therefore couldn't be the spellcaster. Yet Mo Ran still retained his good memories of Shi Mei. It seemed the mastermind had used this bit of lingering warmth to draw Mo Ran toward the three forbidden techniques. From the Zhenlong Chess Formation, capable of controlling all under heaven, to the death-defying Rebirth technique, to the Space-Time Gate, which could warp the very fabric of the universe: Mo Ran had indeed tried them one after the other, regardless of whether he had ultimately succeeded in their execution.
Who would have such a pressing need to master all three forbidden techniques? Who would want to rip open space and time, risking the existence of two separate universes, in order to satisfy their personal ambitions?
To this, he had no ready answer. But as he considered his next steps, finding the mastermind seemed the least important. What Chu Wanning needed to do was stop Mo Ran before he could learn the Space-Time Gate. After careful thought, he saw that there was one path before him.
He must kill the Emperor Taxian-jun. Then he needed to return to the past, to a time before the Flower of Eightfold Sorrows took root in Mo Ran's heart, and find a way to nip the vile blossom in the bud. According to the texts, the flower couldn't be planted in the same person's heart twice. Thus, even if the mastermind opened the Space-Time Gate after Taxian-jun's death, they would never again be able to control Mo Weiyu at the height of his power.
He had to kill Emperor Taxian-jun…
Moths fluttered about in the dark library, drawn to Chu Wanning's lantern. One flew in, then the other, each instantly engulfed by the flame, leaving nothing but the faint scent of ashes. Chu Wanning watched that lonely light, those oblivious moths. The fire was very bright, but his heart was freezing cold.
He had to kill Emperor Taxian-jun… To kill Mo Ran.
He had to kill that man who'd been manipulated and exploited, who'd suffered, unknowingly, so very much. In the past, as his shizun, he hadn't properly protected him. Now, he needed to scheme against him. He needed to execute him.
Chu Wanning's eyes squeezed shut as he let his head fall back against a bookshelf. The lantern light flickered and swayed. He too was a moth, throwing himself toward a brilliant flame.
He had to kill Mo Weiyu.
It had begun to rain, a mist so soft it could sink into one's bones. Chu Wanning woke from shallow sleep beside the man who kept him as his concubine.
Mo Ran's desire and stamina had always been astonishing. Chu Wanning didn't know if he coupled with Song Qiutong the same way he did with him, if he unleashed the same primal lust onto her—or if that insatiable appetite was reserved for him alone. It wasn't important.
At that moment, Mo Ran was lying right next to him, sound asleep—no different from countless previous nights. Of late, Mo Ran had become more and more insatiable. After sex, he often refused to pull out, and the next morning, he'd demand a second round before he went to court.
Kill him.
Chu Wanning was no match for Mo Ran's raw strength. He doubted he had any chance of succeeding, even while Mo Ran lay defenseless next to him.
Not yet—wait a little longer, he told himself.
He had set himself two tasks. He had to commit murder, and then he had to open the Space-Time Gate before his opponent got the chance and stop Mo Ran from being devoured by the Flower of Eightfold Sorrows in the past. As he had no way of completing the first, he poured his efforts into the second: He would realize the first forbidden technique, the Space-Time Gate of Life and Death.
For some reason unknown even to himself, he possessed a vague intuition regarding this technique. He'd been piecing together the scroll fragments Mo Ran had found; after untold struggles and failed attempts, he finally recovered the form of the original spell.
Yet without his spiritual core, it was exceedingly difficult for Chu Wanning to use any magic. The endeavor would've been impossible if not for his innate connection with his holy weapon Jiuge, which allowed him to summon the guqin even without a core. Even so, Chu Wanning's progress was painfully slow, and he encountered innumerable setbacks.
Drawing on Jiuge's power, he was at last able to rip open a tiny crack in space-time—one that would allow him to return to the past.
He heard a haunting whistle from within the breach as he approached. It was just as the legends said: This whistle marked both the opening and the closing of the gate.
An eerie, distant voice asked: "Where do you wish to travel?"
At first, his heart had pounded like a drum, but now that he had reached the threshold at last, he was suddenly, surprisingly calm.
"Where do you wish to travel?" the voice repeated.
Chu Wanning glanced back at Wushan Palace, which was hosting a spectacle of song and dance. He had made certain to send Mo Ran into a towering rage that day, and Mo Ran had summoned Song Qiutong to his side instead. He figured Mo Ran wouldn't seek him out again soon. He took a deep breath, phoenix eyes glinting. "I wish to return to the year when the Flower of Eightfold Sorrows had just been planted in Mo Ran." And clarified: "Back when the flower was still in its first stage, when everything could still be turned back." He hesitated. "Do you understand?"
No answer came from the rift, but just as Chu Wanning felt his hope begin to wane, there was a flash of light, and the breach slowly opened. He stepped in, and the world spun giddily. When it had righted itself again, he opened his eyes. Peach-blossom petals floated before him.
He… He'd truly gone back in time.
Sisheng Peak was bathed in the limpid moonlight of late spring. Chu Wanning stood in silence, struggling to bring his emotions under control. At last, he swept aside the flowers and walked out of the rift.
He found himself in the sect's backwoods. He could smell Madam Wang's various magical flowers and herbs and see countless pinpricks of light twinkling in the distance, where the lamps from thousands of disciples' rooms merged into a silver river like the Milky Way.
To find himself back here again felt like a dream.
Chu Wanning's face betrayed nothing, but a million emotions surged within his chest as he stood frozen. Slowly, he took one step forward, then another. He saw little disciples giggling as they ran past. He saw the Xuanji Elder comparing notes with the Lucun Elder upon the Dancing Sword Platform. When he turned a corner, he even spotted Madam Wang's fat cat, Veggiebun. The kitty was perched on a low wall, craning his fuzzy head to sniff a flourishing Bengal rose.
No—it wasn't like a dream. Even in his very best dreams all these years, he had never been able to return to a Sisheng Peak like this.
Drinking in every detail, he proceeded onward. He had never had the habit of leaving the Red Lotus Pavilion at night, and so wasn't worried about running into his other self from this timeline. Suddenly, he caught sight of two young men walking toward him. One was as lovely as a blooming lotus, while the other was bright as a bird with splendid plumage.
Chu Wanning's steps, already slow, came to a stop. These youths were none other than Xue Meng and Shi Mei.