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Everything was quiet at Sisheng Peak. Chu Wanning and Mo Ran had just come back from a mission and were exhausted. However, routine called, and Chu Wanning decided that he desperately needed his afternoon tea. When they came to the Red Lotus Pavilion, Chu Wanning turned to look at Mo Ran, and was almost blinded by his dazzling smile.
“Mo Ran,” he called, his voice more stern than he’d like. “Would you like some tea?”
Mo Ran had to suppress a yawn and answered, “Shizun, this disciple is honoured, but I would like to go and rest now. Maybe in the evening?”
Chu Wanning huffed. How dare this insolent disciple refuse his tea when he offered it so nicely? He felt a pang of jealously, I bet he would go drink tea with Shi Mingjing. He turned his head and crossed his arms. “Then get out of my sight,” he demanded.
Mo Ran gave him a sheepish smile, “Shizun, I’m really sorry, okay? Please don’t be mad!” He fluttered his lashes, and gazed at Chu Wanning with apologetic puppy-dog eyes. Chu Wanning couldn’t say no to that face, could he?
Chu Wanning’s demeanour did indeed soften a fraction, though he still said, “I’m not mad. Go and rest, Mo Ran.”
Mo Ran nodded, promising, “Shizun, I’ll be sure to have tea with you in the evening. Don’t worry.” He bowed and left the Red Lotus Pavilion, heading for his quarters.
Chu Wanning sighed and went to put the water to boil. He remembered that an old lady at the village gave him some tea as thanks for defeating the ghost haunting the place, so he decided to try it out. After all, he was a tea connoisseur, and enjoyed trying out different flavours and combinations. He took a whiff of the dried herbs in the tea bag and raised a brow. It had a sweet smell, something he hadn’t expected from tea. Against his better judgement, he put the tea in the kettle and went on to engineer his Holy Night Guardian while he waited.
After a little while, the water boiled, and Chu Wanning took it off the stove. The room was filled with a sweet and fruity aroma, and he was secretly quite excited about whatever flavour the tea had in store for him. He was a little disappointed that Mo Ran couldn’t join him, but he pushed the thought aside for now. He was used to drinking tea alone, and who cares if Mo Ran wanted to join anyways?
As he poured the tea in the cup, he thought of his disciples, as he always does. It consumed his every waking thought, the fierce protectiveness that he harboured for them bordered on possessive. He took a sip of the tea, his fingers curling elegantly around the cup. Closing his eyes, he felt the sweetness pour into his mouth like a soothing balm to his soul. In that moment, nothing mattered but the tea, the flavour being so excellent that it made even the cold Chu Wanning moan in enjoyment.
He was definitely going to go back to that old lady to thank her later. This took the first place of his favourite drinks. And as he poured himself another cup, and then another, he managed to finish the whole pot, his belly full of the delicious amber liquid.
“Well, time to go to work,” he muttered to himself as he stood up and went to do his duties as a Shizun.
A few hours later, he was instructing Mo Ran on an advanced star throwing technique when suddenly, spiders emerged from his robes.
“Ah!” he yelped and frantically tried to swat the spiders away. “Since when did this place get so filthy!? It’s disgusting!”
Mo Ran gave him a curious look, “Shizun? What’s wrong?” He glanced at the Yuheng Elder who was plucking his robes and muttering about filth, despite them being as pristine as ever.
The spiders turned to Chu Wanning, their beady eyes boring straight into his soul. They stopped in their tracks and jumped to Mo Ran! Chu Wanning shouted, “Insolent pests! How dare you lay your filthy legs on him!?”
Mo Ran cocked his head so much that it was practically horizontal.
Chu Wanning plucked at Mo Ran’s robes, muttering, “Don’t worry, Mo Ran. I’ll get them off you…”
However, the spiders were tough. Each time he plucked one, two more appeared in its place. Chu Wanning’s brows furrowed and he readied Tianwen. He suddenly realized, the spiders were all looking at him. Obviously, they were holding Mo Ran hostage, and to release him, Chu Wanning had to tell a funny joke!
Chu Wanning cleared his throat, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. But he had to free his disciple from the evil spiders, so he mumbled, “Okay, here goes…” He puffed out his chest, his cheeks flushed from shame. “What did the skillet eat on its birthday?” He gave a dramatic pause before he finally revealed the answer. “Pan-cakes!”
Mo Ran grabbed a hold of Chu Wanning’s shoulders and shook him gently. “Shizun, have you gone mad?” His brows knitted in concern, watching his master lose his mind so suddenly was quite jarring. He turned Chu Wanning around and led him to his room. Chu Wanning kept muttering, “But, Mo Ran, they thought it was funny…”
When they entered, Mo Ran laid Chu Wanning down on the bed, moving away the mechanical parts and scrolls haphazardly strewn about and put them on the table. Chu Wanning felt his head spin, the colours were too vivid, too bright for him. He closed his eyes, but then heard, “Hey.”
His eyes snapped oven and he saw a shadow man pointing at him. The shadow man’s words were no more than a whisper, yet he pointed his finger at Chu Wanning accusingly. “What a bad Shizun you are,” the shadow man said. “You’re such a burden to your disciple. He has to babysit you all the time, walk on eggshells around your temper, and handle any social interaction because you’re hopeless at it. Give it a rest, Wanning. What use do you have? Remember how you whipped Mo Ran with Tianwen? I bet he still remembers that, and is holding you accountable”
Chu Wanning’s face paled and he looked away, his face burning. “I know…”
“When are you going to get yourself together? You’re thirty-two already. Get your life in order and stop expecting people to cater to you.”
Chu Wanning felt tears prickle at the corners of his eyes, “You’re right…”
Mo Ran turned to Chu Wanning and handed him some water. “Shizun, who are you talking to? Please, let this disciple assist you in any way.”
Chu Wanning turned his head away, refusing the drink. He blinked the tears away and muttered, “I’m sorry, Mo Ran. For my behaviour, for everything.”
Mo Ran stopped his movements. He looked around and saw nothing. He turned back to Chu Wanning and pieced together the puzzle. “Shizun,” he said, his voice low and intense. “What did you drink?”
Chu Wanning sighed and pointed to an empty tea set on the low table. Mo Ran felt this was conformation enough. “Shizun, I’ll be here with you until the effects wear off, okay?” he said, his voice gentle and soothing. “It’s not real, whatever you’re seeing or hearing. Just focus on my voice.”
Chu Wanning nodded, but the shadow person got in his face, sneering, “You lowly asshole. Look at the mess you’ve made.”
Chu Wanning jumped back, the walls seeming to want to topple on him. He grasped Mo Ran’s sleeve, his words going increasingly slurry, “Mo Ran, it’s not safe here! We have to leave!” His eyes were wide and wild, his gaze jumping between one illusion to the next. The spiders seemed to tickle him from under his clothes and jumped in delight at the shadow man’s words. Chu Wanning instinctively brought Mo Ran closer to him, muttering, “Stay close to me, Mo Ran.”
Mo Ran froze, but then wrapped his arms around Chu Wanning, his height and muscles dwarfing his master. He gently pat Chu Wanning on the head, stroking it in a gentle rhythm. “Shizun, they’re not real,” he said. “We’re safe here. Just stay with me.”
Mo Ran brought the water to Chu Wanning to drink, the latter reluctantly accepting it. Chu Wanning downed it all in one go, though his mouth was still dry. He felt himself tremble, the spiders were dancing around his skin, making a circle and jumping around. He closed his eyes, the whispers of doubt still clear in his troubled mind. He focused on Mo Ran’s touch, on his soothing words, but the hallucinations only seemed to get worse.
The walls grew ears and eyes, and they listened and watched. Chu Wanning couldn’t help but peek through the corner of his vision, his breath being caught in his throat. He clung onto Mo Ran, his eyes closing again as he buried his face in Mo Ran’s broad chest. He whimpered, “Mo Ran… I’m scared…”
Mo Ran’s heart clenched, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He’d never seen his Shizun this small, this frail like a child. He wanted to do anything to comfort him, and felt so helpless. He cooed, “It’s okay. I’m here, Wanning.”
Chu Wanning’s eyes widened and he gazed at Mo Ran. He could feel his pulse quickening at the way Mo Ran said his name and he slurred, “That’s ‘Shizun’ to you.”
Mo Ran chuckled, “I apologize, Shizun.” He rubbed soothing circles on Chu Wanning’s back and he spoke softly, “Shizun, are you feeling any better? Try focusing on your breathing.”
Chu Wanning nodded and tried to center himself. He just prayed this won’t have lasting effects. He took a deep breath and exhaled through his mouth. He took several, his breathing evening out and managing to calm his troubled state.
After a while, Chu Wanning managed to relax. His grip on Mo Ran never slackened though, and he felt a weird sort of satisfaction at being cared for. He was used to be the protector, the authority, but this was a strange sensation of being the small one for a change.
The hallucinations seemed to leave one by one. The spiders went into the wall’s ears, and the walls themselves seemed to get bored and the eyes and ears dissapeared. The shadow man gave Chu Wanning one last look before exiting the room. Chu Wanning sighed in relief, and finally collapsed on the bed.
Mo Ran sat on the edge of the bed and took off the jade pin off his Shizun’s ponytail, letting the hair spill free like ink. He wrapped Chu Wanning in blankets, and as he watched the other man fall asleep, he pressed a kiss on his Shizun’s forehead. “Rest well,” he cooed. “You deserve it.”
When he was sure Chu Wanning was asleep and comfortable, he went over to the bag of tea and threw it away in the trash with more force than necessary. He was pacing around the room, wondering if he should go back to the village and make all of them pay for this insolence against the great Yuheng Elder. But he couldn’t leave Chu Wanning alone now.
A few hours later, Chu Wanning woke up with a pounding headache. He slowly blinked the sleep from his eyes and sat up while rubbing his forehead. When he looked around, he saw a very concerned Mo Ran beside him, staring at him as if he’d seen a ghost.
Mo Ran put his palm up against Chu Wanning’s forehead, and said hesitantly, “Shizun, are you alright now? Are you seeing anything strange?”
Chu Wanning’s cheeks flushed and he wretched his head away. “I don’t need you babysitting me, Mo Ran,” he snapped, crossing his arms defensively.
Mo Ran merely smiled, his dimples showing like pools of happiness. “That’s the Shizun I know,” he proclaimed proudly. He let his hands fall to his sides and said softly, “This disciple threw away the tea. I hope Shizun doesn’t mind.”
At the mention of the tea, Chu Wanning blushed harder. He cleared his throat and puffed out his chest, “Good.” A shame, the flavours were so good!
The two sat in silence for a bit, before Chu Wanning muttered, “You didn’t have to sit with me through this… affliction.”
Mo Ran snorted, “If I didn’t, the whole peak would’ve seen you running away from the trees. Trust me, I won’t tell anyone.” Besides, why would he even want anyone to know the vulnerable side of Chu Wanning?
“Shizun,” Mo Ran said with a smirk, “do you want to drink some tea with me?”
Chu Wanning shuddered, “Not that one.”
Mo Ran raised his hands, “Of course. It’s your usual.”
As Mo Ran prepared the tea, he couldn’t help but smile. Life with Shizun was always interesting. He brought the cups and the pot, and the two drank it in silence, their minds reeling from the events of the day. But they got through it together, as they do with everything.