Chapter 132: The Master and Shi Mei

In the late afternoon, the tired birds returned to their nests. The disciples at the summit of death and life finish their business for the day and head back and forth to Mengpo Court. Mo Ran, however, did not leave, but stood by the wooden stake, seemingly waiting for someone.

Xue Meng's relationship with him had eased considerably over the years, especially after Mo Ran had found the finest spirit stones to inlay his Dragoncity sabre, so that the animosity between the brothers was no longer so stark. So Xue Meng turned to him and asked, "Shall we eat?"

"I'll be a bit later."

Shi Mei stood in the sunset glow, her skin as beautiful as cream. He stroked his hair at his temples and asked, "Mo Ran is waiting for the Master."

"Yeah." Mo Ran had seen him during the morning retreat, and the year she and Xue Meng joined forces to fill the Sky Split, she had seen that Shi Mei was about to surpass Xue Meng in stature.

But at this time of year, with the sun setting, he and Xue Meng are standing in front and behind each other, which still makes Mo Ran feel a little awkward. It's not that he thinks Shi Mei is unattractive, of course, it's just that

I can't say, Mo Ran doesn't know what it was like. He was used to seeing Shi Mei in a soft position, always covered by Xue Meng, but he didn't expect it to be the other way round.

Mo Ran finally smiled at Shi Mei, "I missed the dinner yesterday, I want to apologise to my master and invite him for a meal down the mountain, so I won't be going to Mengpo Court today, if you want to go, you can join me."

Xue Meng and Shi Mei were not used to Chu Wanning eating with them, so they looked at each other and left. With nothing else to do, Mo Ran squatted on a large boulder, folding a dog's tail and playing with it, while waiting for Chu Wanning to come down the hill.

Only when the sunset was deep in blood and the moon was peeking through the purple clouds did a man slowly walk along South Mountain's bamboo path, changed into a fresh white coat and carrying a parcel in his hand.

"I was kind of trying to get to you. What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for the Master to eat." Mo Ran said, jumping down from the rock, still holding the dog-tailed grass in his hand, smiling brightly, "A new restaurant has opened in Wuchang Town, and I heard that the chef invited is the former chef of Upper Fairy World, who makes the best pastries. I would like to invite you to try it."

Chu Wanning gave him a nonchalant look from head to toe: "You've made a fortune."

Mo Ran just laughs and doesn't say anything.

Chu Wanning grunted and threw the cloth bag at him, Mo Ran took it and asked, "What is this"

"Your clothes." Chu Wanning said, and he was already walking forward. Mo Ran hurried to catch up with him and stood alongside him, smiling, "This is a good material, light to wear, but warm, and if your master likes it, I'll have it altered a little smaller, too"

"I don't wear clothes that have been worn by other people."

Mo Ran was slightly stunned, then a little embarrassed, "I didn't mean that, I saw you wearing it this morning and thought you liked it, so I didn't think it through.

Chu Wanning asks, "Do you know how big a dress I wear?"

Mo Ran thought, "How could he not know Chu Wanning's size?

He could gauge Chu Wanning's waist by wrapping his arms around it, and he knew that Chu Wanning's chin could just reach his shoulder when he padded his feet, and that once, when they were tangled up in each other's arms, Chu Wanning sometimes couldn't resist biting him, with two rows of sharp teeth imprinted near his collarbone that wouldn't fade for days.

And he certainly knew how long Chu Wanning's legs were, so powerful in combat, so helpless around his waist, their long, lean calves trembling slightly, the tips of their rounded toes taut

How could he not know how wide Chu Wanning's shoulders were and how full the curve of her hips was?

Chu Wanning, a virgin, did not know what he was asking and thought it was a very clever question to ask his good pupil, Mo Weiyu.

Chu Wanning brushed his sleeve and said, "I don't know what other clothes you cut."

""

Mo Ran has a hard time arguing.

He can't always say he knows, and he even kneads the dumplings without thinking of Chu Wanning's figure from yesterday, the even, strong figure in the Miaoyin Pool water mist, as tight and beautiful as he remembers.

And so the mind wanders, thinking of Chu Wanning's pale, thin lips, the pain they used to feel when they were forced to swallow themselves, unable to hold themselves up, the tightening in their throats, the desire to dry heave.

Mo Ran closed his eyes and rolled his throat, but cursed himself for being a brute.

Honour him, love him, and do not be delusional.

To him. To him.

Mo Ran took two deep breaths, but the hot desire was barely suppressed, but the dumplings were a bit too big, so they would stick to the mouth of the master.

The tip of his tongue rolled over it like a warm fire, igniting Mo Ran's seven senses and killing him.

He knew exactly what size dessert he could fit in his mouth, but Chu Wanning, that guy, asked him if he knew the size of his clothes.

The question was like the soft tongue of a cat, licking his chest.

Mo Ran dared not think any further and bowed his head, "Before cutting the clothes, naturally I must consult my master."

Chu Wanning looked at him a little strangely, "You've got a cold."

"No."

"Then how the throat is mute."

"On fire."

Chu Wanning is stunned for a moment, not knowing what to expect, and turns his face abruptly, his lips tightly pursed, his brow a haze, but the back of his ears a little red.

It was only when the two of them arrived in Wuchang Town and sat in the newly opened Zhongqiu Restaurant's private window room that the light red finally faded.

It was the first time that Mo Ran had invited Chu Wanning to dinner, although she had done so before, either out of necessity or out of necessity.

The waiter at the Zhongqiu House made a pot of Lushan Yunwu, served melon seeds and nuts, and then handed the two bamboo scrolls with the names of the dishes to the two Your Mightinesses. Mo Ran took them, smiled naturally at the waiter, and said, "Thank you."

Chu Wanning raised his eyes slightly and looked at Mo Ran for a moment.

This man was not in the habit of saying thank you before.

"Whatever you want to eat, Master, feel free to order, but I recommend this restaurant's Mandarin fish with pine nuts, which I've heard is sweet and sour and looks very nice."

Chu Wanning nodded, "One then, the rest is up to you."

Mo Ran smiled, "Then I'll do it to the Master's taste."

Chu Wanning indifferently: "You know what I like to eat"

"Well, know."

It used to be known but always forgotten.

Not in the future.

As I was looking at the bamboo book, I heard the sound of footsteps coming from the staircase and the tinkling of the beaded curtain. The waiter's voice came over, "Ah, Your Mightiness, please, the two you are looking for are sitting in the elegant room.

A lustrous white hand gently lifts the onyx-beaded curtain from the green gauze tent.

A very beautiful man with soft black hair, red lips and white teeth appeared at the door carrying a jug of wine and a breezy smile under his eyes. Mo Ran looked back, clearly stunned: " Shi Mei, what brings you here?"

"When he heard that you had come down to eat here, he thought that the restaurant was new and had good food but no aged wine, so he sent me to deliver a jug of Pear Blossom White. Shi Mei said, shaking the red clay wine jug in her hand, which was wrapped in a bamboo vine.

Shi Mei smiled, "It's a good thing we made it in time, otherwise it would have been redundant for me to come if you had ordered drinks."

Chu Wanning asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

"I'll eat when I get back, Mengpo Court won't close so soon, it's too late."

"You're here, so why go?" Chu Wanning, being a man of honour, said, "Sit down and join us."

"I'm afraid this is going to break the bank for Mo Ran."

Mo Ran smiled and said, "It's just a chair. The elegant room was decorated with fine chopsticks inlaid with gold and silver, and the candlelight made them shine.

Shi Mei took her seat and filled a glass of wine for each of the three people. The fragrant aroma of pear blossom white spreads over the whole table in no time. The fragrance of this wine is familiar, Mo Ran drank it after Shi Mei's death in her previous life, and when Chu Wanning died, Mo Ran even drank it on the roof all night.

Now that the calamity has passed, they are both still alive.

Mo Ran suddenly felt that all those past possessions and love affairs no longer seemed to matter so much. The two people who had treated him best in life were still in the world, and it was enough for him to earn money and treat them to a meal and a drink.

Three cups and two drinks are worth ten thousand miles of rivers and mountains in a previous life.

"Waiter, please order the Mandarin fish with pine nuts, followed by the lion's head with crabmeat, crystal delicacies, cherry ham, three fresh ingredients in soup, and steamed pork with dumpling leaves, all of which are not spicy at all. Then a side of boiled fish, mabo tofu, sliced lung of the couple, and diced chicken with kung pao, all of which should be heavily spiced. For the savoury dessert, you'll want the Ying Yu shrimp dumplings, steamed pork ribs with taro in soy sauce, dried scallop tripe and phoenix claw in black bean sauce. For the sweet dessert," Mo Ran glanced at Chu Wanning and closed the bamboo book, "I won't go into detail, just have one of each."

Chu Wanning didn't even raise his eyes, "Can't eat it."

Mo Ran said, "Take it back."

"Take it back cold."

"Let Mengpo Court warm up."

Chu Wanning felt that Mo Ran's appearance nowadays was somewhat like that of a merchant who had dug up a mine and become rich overnight, spreading his money in a wasteful manner, so he was too lazy to nag him any further, so he unfolded the bamboo slip in front of him, looked at it and said, "One kidney bean roll, one leaf rake, and three bowls of sweet bean paste in soup.

The dishes were soon served, Shi Mei loved spicy food and Chu Wanning didn't like red, so Mo Ran ordered them separately, half of the table was fresh and fresh, half was red and intense, the colours matched so well that it was unexpectedly beautiful.

"Here we go, the last dish, our signature dish, Mandarin fish with pine nuts"

With a shout from the waiter, a plate of brightly thickened and fragrant Mandarin fish was brought out by two waiters. The fish looked to be five pounds in weight, fried to a crisp golden colour and served on a huge, shallow porcelain plate, with its body sliced into even thicknesses and topped with a bright, red, sweet and sour sauce, sprinkled with green peas, finely shredded cloud legs and crystal shrimps, it was a sight to behold and an appetite to behold.

Chu Wanning, who has a sweet tooth, especially a sweet and sour one, saw the fish and although his face remained unchanged, his eyes lit up.

This light was seen by Mo Ran.

The waiter looked at their table and saw that there was still space in front of Shi Mei, so he went to sort out the plates to make room for them there.

But a hand was quicker than he was and had already started to adjust the table. Mo Ran got up and placed the few meat dishes that Chu Wanning didn't touch much on his side, then brought a few nice spicy dishes to Shi Mei. This left Chu Wanning's place open and Mo Ran smiled and said to the waiter, "Put the fish here."

"Hey, okay."

The waiter was so happy to meet such a helpful customer that he immediately took the plates from the two waiters and set them down in the vacant space, nodding his head and bowing down.

Mo Ran's adjustment was so natural that the casual observer would have thought he was just helping out the waiter brother, but Shi Mei sensed the favour. He is a little surprised by Mo Ran's move, and his gaze is filled with small shards of light, before lowering his eyebrows for a long time, seemingly in a state of regret.

Shi Mei felt that when Mo Ran returned after five years, not only had his whole appearance changed, but even his kindness towards him seemed to have faded.

He also likes to eat Mandarin fish with pine nuts, so why is it placed so far away from him?

Or is it that your heart has changed and is no longer as it was?

Shi Mei is not a person who is presumptuous. His looks and temperament are superior to Chu Wanning's, and there are few people in the whole Xianxia world who are as good-looking as he is.

But at that moment he suddenly felt a little hesitation.

He knows that when Mo Ran was young, he looked like a womanizer, loving those pretty clothes as if they were his bones, but that was just an illusion; what was most precious to Mo Ran was his friendship.

When someone gives him a tael, he has to return a thousand.

Now that his master and he had cleared their differences, Chu Wanning had treated Mo Ran with a kindness that was beyond his own. As he thought of this, Shi Mei suddenly felt a chill come over him and he lifted his face to look at the faces of the two men in the shadow of the lamp.

One drinks with his head bowed, his phoenix eyes like water, his ciliary feathers like smoke, his look and countenance reticent.

When the eyelashes move lightly, it is as if ripples have fallen in the lake, swinging away a million points of stars, and the love in them is something that the owner of these eyes has not even noticed.

Shi Mei was so distracted that his elbow touched his chopsticks and the chopsticks fell to the floor with a loud clatter.

Bending down, he was struck dumb.

The chopsticks landed, unobtrusively, right next to Mo Ran's boots. It was a shimmering colour, lying quietly, waiting for him to pick it up.

He could have asked waiter for another pair, but Shi Mei has never been one to bother others, and perhaps even the gentlest, most self-effacing person would have felt a little resentful and confused in the face of such a discrepancy. Or maybe it's not that complicated, but sometimes what one does is just a thought.

For Shi Mei, at this moment, by coincidence, he really wanted to know how much love Mo Ran still had for him, so with a little hesitation and a thought, he lowered his head and stretched out his long white hands to pick up the chopsticks that were resting on Mo Ran's legs.

The chopsticks fell too close together and naturally, when picking them up, the back of Shi Mei's hand inevitably touched Mo Ran's calf.