[2HA Recap] Chapter 9: This Venerable One Is Not An Actor

[wistmanswords]

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We left Mo Ran in Chu Wanning's absolute nightmare disaster of an apartment, having been told to clean up, and feeling pretty peeved about this. Not only is it going to take all night, Mo Ran was supposed to get his bandages changed by Shi Mei! Mo Ran is under the impression having your crush change your bandages is a cute date activity and not gross, sticky, and medically necessary!

Content warnings: None, again... I don't trust this trend to last.

What happens: First of all, Mo Ran decides the best revenge is to draw "sequential illustrations of homosexual obscenity" in as many books as he can manage. This amuses him so much he ends up literally rolling on the floor laughing, which at least seems to indicate his back must be feeling better. He only pulls himself together when Shi Mei sneaks in to check on him. Shi Mei, naturally, has brought Mo Ran food, and Mo Ran is delighted with this entire situation.

We get a nice snippet of Sisheng Peak worldbuilding here: Madam Wang makes the medicinal salve Mo Ran is currently using on his wounds. She was previously a disciple of Guyue'ye sect, which studies medical cultivation, and though she dislikes fighting and isn't known as an accomplished combatant, she maintains medicinal herb gardens. Sisheng Peak is never out of medicine thanks to her.

Mo Ran's back is healing, so when Shi Mei helps him put ointment on his back, he gets a little... excited. And then gets flustered, and can't say anything to Shi Mei except, "You're really nice!" Seriously, Taxian-jun this guy ain't.

Shi Mei offers to help with the books, but Mo Ran declines.

"No way, if Shizun finds out, he'll punish you too," Mo Ran spoke resolutely. "It's getting late, you should go back and get some rest, we have class tomorrow morning."

Shi Mei held his hand, laughing softly. "Don't worry, he won't notice. We'll be super quiet..."

He didn't even finish talking before an ice-cold voice spoke up. "And what exactly are you doing super quietly?"

Busted.

Chu Wanning drops a minor revelation - Shi Mei's courtesy name is Shi Mingjing - and points out that he has barriers set all throughout Red Lotus Pavilion, so obviously he knows whenever someone he's not expecting enters. Both of the disciples, recognising that Chu Wanning is absolutely not fucking around, immediately panic. Mo Ran says Shi Mei just came by to help Mo Ran change his bandages - which is almost mostly true! Well done, Mo Ran - while Shi Mei tries to take all the blame onto himself. We get our very first glimpse into Chu Wanning's point of view:

Chu Wanning's face was starting to turn blue. He'd barely even said anything, and these two were already hurrying to try and cover for one another, as if he was some kind of scourge they had to band together against. Chu Wanning was silent for a while, managing to suppress the twitch of his eyebrows with some difficulty. He spoke in a detached manner. "Such compassion between fellow disciples. How touching. Looks like I'm the only bad guy in this room, then."

It... almost seems like he straight up has NO idea how he comes off to other people. So that's interesting.

Chu Wanning sentences Shi Mei to copy the sect rules ten times, which seems... fairly lenient, by sect standards? Shi Mei asks Chu Wanning to go easy on Mo Ran, since his injuries are still healing; Chu Wanning dismisses him. Mo Ran theorises that Chu Wanning is mostly just angry because he hates seeing people being touchy-feely in front of him. Cripes, Mo Ran, it's like you don't even know you're in a danmei novel.

Shi Mei leaves. Mo Ran gets back to work, and Chu Wanning unexpectedly tells him that he can leave if he's tired. Mo Ran senses a trap, and thinks he's being very clever when he refuses to leave... which just makes Chu Wanning say, "Suit yourself" and go back to his mechanical work.

Mo Ran does eventually finish, and goes to let Chu Wanning know that before he leaves, only to discover that Chu Wanning has evidently passed out in the middle of his work.

Chu Wanning was not so harsh and cold when asleep. He was curled up on the bed that was stacked with machine parts, saws, and axes. There were too many things spread out everywhere and not much space left to accommodate a person, and so he was huddled up tightly, body hunched, long lashes lowered. The sight was unexpectedly lonely.

Mo Ran doesn't try very hard to wake Chu Wanning, but he tries a bit, and realises that Chu Wanning is out cold.

"Heh, he's really asleep." Mo Ran was delighted. He propped his arm next to the pillow and looked at him with a grin. "Perfect. I'll take this chance to settle the score with you."

Unaware that someone wanted to settle the score with him, Chu Wanning remained fast asleep, handsome features appearing quite peaceful.

This is very nearly adorable: Mo Ran puts on his Serious Emperor voice and tries to make up some refined and elegant insults for the refined and elegant Chu Wanning, but because he was raised in a brothel and never had much in the way of formal education, he can't think of anything high falutin' enough, so he calls Chu Wanning an "audacious rascal" and an "ungrateful little donkey hoof". He also roleplays with himself a little, playing both Taxian-jun and his servant, the eunuch Liu-gonggong, as he sentences Chu Wanning to a made-up punishment. Aww.

Of course, Mo Ran loves to push his luck.

This so-called Zuixing didn't actually exist; Mo Ran had made it up on the spot. Then how should this punishment be carried out?

The once-tyrant emperor Mo Ran solemnly cleared his throat. Gaze cold and wicked, he slowly pressed in close to the face that looked frigid as a clear spring in a snowy valley, and gradually drew near that pair of light-coloured lips. And then... Mo Ran stopped. Glaring at Chu Wanning, he cursed, enunciating each word slowly.

"Chu Wanning, fuck you and your peerless pettiness."

Pa. Pa. Two slaps in the air.

Punishment complete! Fuck yeah!

Of course, this is when Chu Wanning wakes up and wants to know why his disciple . Mo Ran, who seems to lack any talent for improvisation, fumbles very badly trying to come up with an explanation. This is what he ends up with:

Faced with his Shizun's darkening expression, the once-emperor of the world gave a mollifying grin. "This - this disciple was killing mosquitoes for Shizun."

This brings us to the end of part one of the translation. We made it through the first 27,000 words of the book, y'all! What are your predictions for part two? Here's mine:

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