Heaven-Stepping Lord felt that he had never been so frustrated in his life, not even when he descended the mountain to farm, chop wood, slaughter pigs, or babysit for others.
That was because at least back then, he had disguised himself and gone by the pseudonym "Venerable Kuo"!
Ironically, both to his delight and dismay, the villagers held a rather favorable opinion of his "Venerable Kuo" persona. They praised him as robust and capable, ready to work for money and leave without any fuss. He was considered an excellent laborer.
The only thing they found peculiar about him was his penchant for bragging, constantly boasting about his past, saying things like, "Back in my day, I had over a thousand servants," or "In my youth, I possessed countless treasures." And so on.
Additionally, he had a bit of a fiery temper, always threatening to chop people's heads off, even using such threats when trying to calm down crying children. Yet, whenever his employer mentioned docking his wages, he could only put on a forced smile while soothing the frightened child by lifting them high up.
He gritted his teeth and coaxed in a venomous tone, "Rock-a-bye baby, on the willow tree. Lady Meng says, 'Be a good little one for me.'"
When the child finally stopped crying and smiled, the master turned away, unaware. Seizing the opportunity, he ground his back teeth and whispered under his breath, "Just you wait! When Chu Wanning no longer cares about you, this deity will ransack every last possession of your ungrateful lot! Pah!"
But this time was different. He wasn't in disguise or using an alias.
As the mighty Empyrean of Immortal Steps, his outer robe had been soiled by Xue Meng's vomit, forcing him to discard it. Now, he wore only a plain black cross-over robe underneath, devoid of any decoration, making him look like a destitute laborer.
Moreover, he had to clean up the mess. Who else would do it when everyone else was asleep but him?
The Heaven-Stepping Lord, with a look of clear disdain, escorted the inebriated Xue Meng back to their inn's guest chamber and unceremoniously deposited him onto the bed, subsequently drawing the covers over him in a perfunctory manner.
"Blame it on your intoxication, you drunkard!"
Saying so, he raised his hand to slap Xue Meng twice in mid-air, to which Xue Meng responded with groans and whimpers. Heaven-Stepping Lord stood there for a while, feeling exceptionally bored, then left the room.
Yet, instead of returning to his room, he went back to the shopkeeper and purchased a few more jugs of wine. He then made his way to the stairway of the inn, sitting alone there as he drowned his sorrows in alcohol.
Sipping the tea, he stealthily glanced at Chu Wanning's room.
He deliberately made loud noises, hoping for Chu Wanning to react on his own initiative.
Unfortunately, after all that ruckus, it was Guest A who eventually responded, peering out and shouting, "Are you crazy?!"
Heaven-Stepping Lord glared ferociously. "You're looking for death!"
Guest A never imagined that the person outside was none other than the mighty Heaven-Stepping Imperial Lord. Startled, they squeaked in fear and hurriedly retreated back into their room.
Heaven-Stepping Lord rolled his eyes and muttered, "If it weren't for the fact that I'm much more patient now, you'd have lost your head! You impertinent moner!"
Continuing to drink, he became increasingly melancholic and felt increasingly wronged with each sip.
By the end of his binge, he glared resentfully at the guest room at the end of the corridor – the lights had long been extinguished, and Chu Wanning hadn't e to soothe him or even care if he returned. He had just gone to sleep!
Heaven-Stepping Lord gritted his back teeth in frustration. If it were Grandmaster Mo, wouldn't Chu Wanning have tried every means possible to fort him with kind words?
Fuming, he drained another flask.
Xue Meng said there was no difference between him and Grandmaster Mo. Chu Wanning claimed they were one and the same person, and Grandmaster Mo himself also said that they were not distinct, merely different stages of the same individual.
None of them were right!
Heaven-Stepping Lord stubbornly insisted. They were indeed different! Just look at Chu Wanning's attitude! Why did he discard the sachet he had painstakingly embroidered with his favorite phrase from countless books, only to keep that rag made by that hypocrite?
They all deceived him about his lack of culture! Fooled him into thinking he was illiterate! The world had wronged him!
Even Chu Wanning, that scoundrel, didn't truly care for him! Although he had e to Impermanence Town to find him, he hadn't said a single forting word or apologized for losing the gift he had prepared for their Qixi celebration. It was a sachet he had searched through volumes of literature to create, containing the most cherished words – something others would have coveted!
An ungrateful wretch!
Drinking on, he became somewhat dazed, leaning against the balustrade with a clear "I'm not happy" expression etched on his face.
In his stupor, he thought he heard a door creak open somewhere, footsteps drawing closer until they halted beside him.
Heaven-Stepping Lord lifted his head. Through the veil of mist created by the flickering lamplight, he saw that face he had despised for half his life, pined for a decade, and yearned for across two lifetimes – the clear and handsome visage of Chu Wanning.
Pausing for a moment, he murmured to the newer in a low voice, "Chu Wanning..."
Merely uttering this name made his heart feel damp. Regardless of whether he was under the control of the Eight Sorrows Longing Flower, his desire for Chu Wanning remained the most intense and profound. His heart seemed soaked in longing, but beyond that, there was also resentment, tenderness, sorrow, and affection. Did he not love him? In truth, his feelings for Chu Wanning had never been any less than those of his other persona.
But what could he do? He had been a puppet for over a decade, then a living corpse. The Eight Sorrows Longing Flower had drained him of his vitality. He was like a dragon trapped in darkness for too long, accustomed to loneliness and savagery. When the sunlight of the mortal world embraced him once more, he was actually afraid.
This fierce dragon could only snarl ferociously, baring his scarred yet still sharp claws, pretending that he was above associating with others.
In reality, he knew how envious he was of his own reincarnated self.
Despite all the evidence stacked before him, despite everyone telling him that Grandmaster Mo was him, that they were one and the same, he refused to acknowledge it. He stubbornly defied the entire world.
Saying, "No, I am not the same as that person."
In truth, he was lying. This was because he had dreamed of returning to Wushan Hall too many times. In those dreams, he started anew, with flames engulfing the mortal world and him by his side. But upon waking, everything vanished once more.
He lay on the vast bed, surrounded by floating curtains, resenting why he had awoken, cursing Lord Zhou for not returning his pleasant dream, and blaming Zhuangzi for not making his butterfly fantasy e true.
In truth, every time he declared, "I'm not Grandmaster Mo!
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