Chapter Text
After a bit of teasing Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian finally stopped, he just missed the way Lan Wangji would say 'shameless' to him any second but he didn't say anything as of now.. it was weird but Wei Wuxian brushed it off.
"Alright! So I'll walk out first so that they do not suspect that you were with me and you walk out a few minutes after!" Wei Wuxian grinned.
"Mn."
Wei Wuxian was going to leave, okay. But he just froze and stared at Lan Wangji. There was a feeling he always had with Lan Wangji that he never had with others. He couldn't describe it. He felt.. so peaceful around Lan Wangji. He never felt this way with his shidi or shijie. He stared at Lan Wangji, sizing him up before coughing loudly into his fist and dashing out of the room.
His heart was beating wildly!
Lan Wangji stared at his running figure that faded away until there was nothing. His lips quirked up into a small smile and the tips of his ears reddened.
Scratch that, Wei Wuxian shouldn't have reconciled with him at all! He finally entered the room where they react to the future after a few minutes of running in loops. He slapped a hand over his mouth as he leaned up against a pillar. Luckily, no one noticed him.
He covered his stomach with one of his hands.'Just.. what is this feeling..?'
Maybe one day, he'd figure it out.
And that chapter is still far away, for now.
After some time, Lan Wangji walked back to his seat. Lan Xichen could immediately sense that his brother was happier than before, he tried repressing the smirk on his face but he couldn't. "So..you and Wei-gongzi."
Lan Wangji flushed and looked away. "It..is nothing serious."
Lan Xichen gave him a look and didn't believe him.
'Hi, hello, It is us again!'(O.Z)
Sect Leader Ouyang sadly let out a sigh. He wasn't able to control his son no more! He was close to qi deviation. (Lan Qiren very much relates).
Others perked up at the voice, it was finally time to react again! They were interested in what the Yiling Laozu would do now after escaping the Mo Manor and Lan Wangji. And.. how'd the cultivation world would find out that the Yiling Laozu was back. That is.. if they ever found out which they obviously do not know the answer to.
'We won't take any more of your time, let us start.' (L.S)
The screen lightened.
"Yes!"
"Finally!"
"I'm so interested in what is going to happen next!"
Slowly everyone sat down in their seats and turned to face the screen. Wei Wuxian really wondered since when were people interested in his life..
CHAPTER 3
It didn't take long before Wei Wuxian discovered that he might have made a mistake: this spotted donkey that he’d stolen away with was way too hard to please.
It was a mere donkey, but all it would eat was fresh, tender grass that dripped with dew, and it would refuse to eat if the tip of the grass had yellowed even a little bit. When they passed by a farmhouse, Wei Wuxian stole a bit of straw to feed it; after only chewing a couple of bites, it spat it out in disgust, and the sound of it was louder and clearer than when a human spat. If it didn’t eat well, then it would refuse to walk, throw tantrums, and kick its legs; Wei Wuxian himself was nearly walloped many times. On top of that, its braying cry was remarkably horrible.
As a steed or as a beloved pet, it was utterly useless!
Chuckles ran around the room.
"It's like the donkey is judging him on purpose!!"
"Yeah, but it's so cute, look!!!"
Jin Ling scoffed, "Even my dog is better than that donkey." He rolled his eyes.
Lan Jingyi smirked. "I bet its fatter than that donkey!"
"WHY YOU!!–"
Lan Jingyi grinned and hid behind Sizhui.
Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but miss his sword, which was most likely now hanging on some major clan leader’s wall as a trophy.
"He's not wrong.." Someone muttered. Jin Guangyao smirked and with a glance Jin Guangshan immediately knew that it was in his sect's hands. He had to admit, he hated his bastard son but even so he could be useful at times.
"So now he chooses the sword path!? As if he could be welcomed back!"
Jiang Cheng opens his mouth and closes it. He starts glaring at the screen. If Wei Wuxian were to just f*cking listen to him no one would have been harmed! But no, his stubbornness remained! "Too late, bastard." He muttered out. Jiang Yanli gave a glance
Wei Wuxian grimaced. It's not like he could actually use the sword that good. Mo Xuanyu's core was weak so he'd still have to depend on demonic cultivation but even so, he still wanted his Suibian back!
Pulling and dragging the donkey for all he was worth, he traveled down the rambling road. He finally came to pass the large paddy field of a village. The sun was scorching. Next to the field ridge was a large locust tree, and the area beneath the tree was thick with green shade. There was also an old well, and the villagers had placed a bucket and a scoop next to it to provide relief to the thirst of passersby. When the spotted donkey reached this place, it refused to walk a step farther. Wei Wuxian hopped down and patted its esteemed derriere.
“Well, aren’t you a pampered and noble little steed? And even harder to please than I am.”
The donkey snorted at him.
As they mucked around, a group approached from the crisscrossing paths in the distance.
Those people carried handwoven bamboo baskets and wore cloth shirts and straw shoes. They exuded the rustic air of the country from head to toe.
"Huh, rogue cultivators?"
There was a round-faced young girl among them, somewhat delicately beautiful, but hardly notably so.
"Ahhh, she looks very pretty!!" A girl who seemed to be still in her teens shouted out.
Lan Wangji's expression soured once more..
Perhaps they had also trekked for too long under the scorching sun, as they also wanted to come over for a drink of water and to stand under the shade. However, when they saw a kicking and screaming spotted donkey tied to the tree, accompanied by a disheveled, loose-haired lunatic smeared with rouge and white powder, they didn’t dare come over.
"Yeah, he looks f*cking scary." Jin Ling muttered.
Some did agree with him.. After all if they were to see that sight they would presumably choose between two options. One, make fun of him. Two, run as fast as you can, away from him.
"The makeup isn't even that bad, I bet I look pretty under all this." Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes.
"Sure, sure.. keep telling yourself that." Jin Ling gave him a pitying glance.
Wei Wuxian had always considered himself aman who cherished beauty, so when he noticed their hesitation, he moved from his spot to give them space and went to bother the spotted donkey. When that group saw he was harmless, they relaxed and walked over.
Girls started whispering about him.. they did try to be quiet for no one else to hear but when it comes to Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji has to hear everything, of course. He narrowed his eyes and listened in to their conversation.
"He's such a gentleman!!"
"Oi, he literally killed like thousands of cultivators, don't forget!"
"Ahhh, I can't wait to see how he looked like in his original body!"
"Weren't there rumours he was ranked the fourth on the list of top cultivator gentlemen in his generation?"
"Oh yeah!!"
Lan Wangji closed his eyes and clenched his fist, the other hand gripping on Bichen. 'Do not succumb to rage.'
When that group saw he was harmless, they relaxed and walked over. Each of them was drenched in sweat and red in the face, fanning themselves and drawing water as they needed. The girl sat by the well, and, seeming to know that Wei Wuxian had purposely yielded space, she smiled softly at him.
Lan Xichen gave Lan Wangji a pitying look.
One of the men was holding a compass in his hands, and he gazed far into the distance before looking back down, confused.
“How come the needle still won't move, even though we're almost at the foot of Mount Dafan?”
The carvings on that compass and its needle were both quite peculiar. It was no ordinary compass: a Compass of Ill Winds wasn't used to pathfind but rather to point out the whereabouts of nearby nefarious creatures.
Jiang Fengmian's eyebrows quirked up. "Who invented such a thing? It is very usable for night hunting."
Wei Wuxian slightly smiled.
Yu Ziyuan already had her theory that it was the son of a servant who had invented it. She placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. Would it even show them what went wrong? How everything turned out this way?
Wei Wuxian knew that this meant he had come across one of the small, downtrodden clans of the countryside. Outside of the elite, affluent clans, there were also quite a number of these small, independent clans. Wei Wuxian thought perhaps that they had traveled here from the countryside to seek refuge with a large clan with which they had some familial relation. Or maybe they were out here to go on a Night Hunt.
The middle-aged man who was the group’s leader told the other man to go for his drink and commented, “Is that compass of yours broken? l'Il give you a new one later. Mount Dafan is less than five kilometers away, so we can't rest for too long. We've traveled all this way. It won't be worth it if we slack off now and fall behind the others.”
Speaking of Night Hunts, The Night Hunts had originally been Wei Wuxian’s expertise, but he had been constantly on the move the past few days and had only managed to hunt down a handful of little devils from the few graves he’d broken into. He was in need of a band of tyrannical ghost generals to do his bidding, so he, too, decided to head to that “Rice Mountain” to try his luck. If there was one that proved useful, he’d capture it for his own use.
Wen Qing facepalmed.
Everyone stared at the screen in disbelief.
"He said Dafan, not mifan, idiot." Jiang Cheng spoke with gritted teeth.
Wei Wuxian didn't respond back, if they were in a good relationship perhaps.. he'd say a joke, tease him... but maybe in another life.
That group had finished their break and was ready to be on their way as well. Before they left, the round-faced girl took out a half-green, barely red apple from the basket on her back and handed it to Wei Wuxian.
“For you.”
Wei Wuxian smiled. The girl was nice!
Lan Wangji was not liking this.
Wei Wuxian extended his hand to receive it with a happy grin, but the spotted donkey raised its head and bared its teeth to bite for it, so Wei Wuxian quickly Snatched it up instead. Seeing how the donkey drooled for the little apple, an idea came to him.
The Jiang family recognized that look. It was never good. Jiang Yanli softly laughed into her sleeve while Jiang Cheng kept cursing him out for whatever he was about to do.
Upon finding a long branch and some fishing thread, he dangled the apple in front of the donkey. The spotted donkey smelled the sweet fragrance of the apple and craved it. With its head raised, it chased after that apple that dangled just barely out of reach. It ended up becoming faster than all the renowned steeds Wei Wuxian had seen before, leaving them all in the dust!
Wei Wuxian was amazed,'Ugh, future me is so smart!'He bit his lip, jokingly.
Everyone else gaped at the screen.
"At this point, I don't think what they say about him is true.."
"Are we sure that is not Mo Xuanyu.."
The donkey ran without stopping, and Wei Wuxian arrived at Mount Dafan before dark. It was only when he reached the foot of the mountain that he learned the “fan” in “Dafan” did not mean “rice” but instead “Brahma.” Seen from a distance, the shape of the mountain resembled that of a short, carefree, and content Buddha, hence its name. There was a small town at the foot of the mountain, and so it was called Fojiao Town.
"Finally, he realizes." Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes.
There were more cultivators gathered here than he imagined. It was an assembly of all sorts, a confusion of colors caused by the different uniforms of various clans and sects walking down the streets. For some reason, everyone appeared tense. Even at the sight of his wacky looks, no one seemed like they could spare a moment to mock him.
At the center of the long street, there were a bunch of cultivators gathered in a serious discussion. It sounded like they were having quite a difference of opinions; Wei Wuxian could hear them far down the street. It was all right at first, but it somehow grew more and more heated.
“I do not believe there are soul-eating beasts or fiends at all. There was clearly no activity on any azimuth of the Compass of III Winds.”
“If there aren't, then how did seven townspeople lose their souls? They couldn't possibly have all contracted the same disease? I’ve never heard of such an illness before!”
“Just because the Compass of Ill Winds doesn't show something doesn’t mean it's not there! The most it can do is point in a general direction anyway. It's not accurate enough to be fully trusted. Maybe there’s something nearby that’s obstructing the needle?”
“Why don't you think about who invented the Compass of Ill Winds? I’ve never heard of anything that can interfere with the needle.”
“What are you trying to say, huh? What are you implying? Of course I know the Compass of Ill Winds was created by Wei Ying, but it’s not like his creations are perfect, so why are you stopping people from questioning it?”
Wei Wuxian blinked at the screen.'Why are they using my birth name.. ahhh, whatever, they do what they want anyways.'
Jiang Fengmian finally got the answer to his question and this just confirmed Yu Ziyuan's theory. Fengmian did stay silent but he did admire the boy for inventing such stuff, it was a pity he did not stay to protect Jiang Cheng.
Others that already knew of the invention could say nothing. This was expected from Baoshan Sanren's disciple's, Cangse Sanren's son, the Supreme Lord of Evil or better known as the Grandmaster of Demonic cultivation, Wei Wuxian.
And so their argument swerved in a different direction. Wei Wuxian giggled and laughed as he rode past on his donkey. He wouldn’t have thought that, after so many years, he still stood strong and unfailing as a topic in cultivators’ verbal battles. He had a Wei of starting conflict, you might say.
Nie Huaisang couldn't help but laugh out loud at that. The Nie disciples gave him a side-eye. Nie Mingjue gave up on his brother at this point.
Jiang Cheng grimaced. "Never say that sh*t again." Jiang Yanli just laughed.
Wei Wuxian couldn't help it but grin.
If there was ever a vote on who had the most enduring popularity amongst all the clans, then he was the sure winner.
"Well.. He's not exactly way off, anything that happens, we always bring him into the conversation." The man shifted in his seat as almost everyone stared at him.
"Humph, as if he is not the one to blame."
In all fairness, that cultivator wasn’t wrong. The Compass of Ill Winds that was in common use now was only an early version, so it was indeed not accurate enough. He had started on refining it, but it wasn't his fault that his good ol’ lair had been toppled before that was done, so everyone would just have to deal with it and continue using the fallible first edition.
The Sect Leaders flinched. Wei Wuxian just glanced at them and shrugged it off. It was the truth after all..
Ouyang Zizhen was nervous but even so he opened his mouth and tried not to stumble over his words. "S-So, Wei-qianbei you won't continue finishing The Compass of III Winds?"
"Hmm.." Wei Wuxian didn't want to if he was honest. Creating a compass was something his teenager self wanted to do to make things easier for night hunts but now.. he had lost that interest. "No, I don't think I will."
Whines and groans were heard around the room. Wei Wuxian quirked up his eyebrow.'These people.. they want to use my creations but also hate on me, tsk tsk tsk.'
Anyway, creatures that consumed flesh were mostly low-level —walking corpses, for example. Only refined, high-level monsters or spirits could consume and digest souls. Seven souls had been eaten in one go too, so it was no wonder many clans had assembled here. Since this Night Hunt's prey was hardly insignificant in strength, it couldn't be helped that the Compass of Ill Winds would run into issues.
Wei Wuxian pulled on the reins and hopped off the donkey, then grabbed the apple that had been dangling in front of it this entire way and tugged it down to its mouth.
“One bite. Only one bite... Bah! Are you trying to eat my entire hand in one bite?!”
He took a couple of bites from the other side of the apple, then stuffed it back into the spotted donkey’s mouth. As he was reflecting on how he’d fallen so low as to share a single apple with a donkey, someone suddenly bumped into his back. He turned his head and saw it was a girl. While she was the one who had bumped into him, she took no notice of him at all. Her eyes were unfocused as she gazed, fixated, in a certain direction with a smile on her face.
Wei Wuxian followed the azimuth of her gaze. In that direction was a dense mountaintop. It was Mount Dafan.
All of a sudden, without warning, the girl started dancing in front of him.
"What the hell? Is she deranged?" Jin Ling frowned at the screen.
"Although it is strange, please don't judge without knowing the full picture.." Lan Sizhui awkwardly smiled slightly.
"Not judge!? I'd run away in an instant!" Lan Jingyi realized what he said and cleared his throat and straightened up. "I meant. I would like. you know. Hunt it down." Zizhen, Sizhui and Jin Ling snorted.
Wei Wuxian frowned. The cultivators too were weirded out by this strange behaviour.
This dance was feral and threatening, her arms flailing. Wei Wuxian was taking great pleasure in watching the show, but just then, a woman came dashing over with her skirt lifted. She wailed as she hugged the girl.
“A-Yan, let’s go back, let’s go!”
"How did you even enjoy that dance.. it was so terrible I almost shed tears!" Jin Ling nodded in agreement to what Jingyi said.
Wei Wuxian gave them a cheeky grin.
Lan Xichen was actually about to burst and become a whole ocean at this point. WHY WAS WANGJI'S AND WUXIAN'S RELATIONSHIP SO COMPLICATED!?!?
With a glance at Lan Xichen, Jin Guangyao could tell his thoughts. After all, he had told him stories before in the past about Wangji and Wuxian. He tried hard not to laugh at his sworn brother.
A-Yan fought her off. The smile on her face, never having faded, carried a hair-raising sense of maternal affection, and she danced and pranced while that woman continued to chase after her around the streets, weeping as she went.
A street vendor on the side commented, “What a sin. A-Yan from Blacksmith Zheng’s house escaped again.”
“It’s truly sad for her mom. A-Yan, A-Yan’s husband, and her own husband as well... It’s not right at all."
Madam Jin was confused, just some moments ago the girl–A-Yan looked extremely normal so why were the street vendors treating her like some lunatic? It wasn't only her that was thinking this, every cultivator was trying to figure the same stuff out.
Wei Wuxian sauntered about, and from snatches of overheard conversation on the streets, sorted out the strange affair that had happened here.
There was an old graveyard on Mount Dafan, and most of the ancestral graves of Fojiao Town’s people were located there. Sometimes, they also dug graves and placed wooden markers for unnamed corpses. Many months ago, there had been a stormy night where lightning crashed and thunder drummed, and after a night of being battered by torrential rain, a piece of land from the mountain slid and collapsed. This piece of land, more specifically, was the graveyard.
Many of the old graves were destroyed, and several coffins were expelled from the earth. Then lightning struck, sending the coffin lids flying and charring black both the corpses and their coffins.
The people of Fojiao Town felt very uneasy at all this. They prayed for good fortune and rebuilt the old graveyard in the hopes that would settle things. Despite their efforts, since then, cases of people losing their souls began to frequently crop up in Fojiao Town.
The first one was a deadbeat. This man was a penniless good-for-nothing, spending his days in idleness. But since he always loved catching birds up on the mountain, it just so happened that he got trapped on Mount Dafan the night of the landslide. He was scared half to death, but at least he was still alive.
The curious thing was that it didn’t take long after his return for him to suddenly get married. The wedding was conducted with great fanfare, and he declared his intent to do good from that day onward, to accumulate good fortune, and to live the rest of his life in peace.
Wei Wuxian quickly sat up and actually got serious.
On his wedding night, he got blackout drunk and never got up after lying down in bed. The bride called to him, but he wouldn’t respond. It was only after pushing him that she discovered the groom had an empty stare, his body cold. Aside from his breathing, he was no different than the dead. He lay like this, neither eating nor drinking, for many days, then was finally buried in peace. Pitiful was the bride who had only just been married, to be turned into a widow.
The second one was A-Yan from Blacksmith Zheng’s family. The girl had just gotten engaged when, the very next day, her future husband was killed by a jackal while hunting on the mountain. After learning of this, she was struck by the same affliction as had descended upon that deadbeat. Fortunately, she recovered from the soulless disease on her own after some time. However, it also caused her to become deranged, giggling as she danced outside in front of others.
The third one was A-Yan’s father, Blacksmith Zheng. To date, there had now been seven people who had fallen victim consecutively.
Wei Wuxian mulled this over. This was most likely a soul-eating fiend, not a soul-eating beast.
'That.. and it all doesn't add up.' Wei Wuxian frowned.
"Ohhh!"
"So it really doesn't eat souls.."
"The Yiling Laozu is very clever indeed."
Even though the difference was but one word, they were completely distinct creatures. Fiends belonged to the ghost category, while beasts were of the monster category. In his opinion, all this might be the fault of the old graveyard that had collapsed from the tremors of the landslide. Once lightning struck open the coffins, any ancient fiends that were resting within would be unleashed. He’d be able to determine if this was really the case once he took a look at what the coffins were made of—and if there were any remnants of seal talismans. However, the people of Fojiao Town must surely have reburied the charred coffins a long time ago, and also reburied the corpses anew, so there definitely wouldn’t be much evidence left.
The juniours listened intently. Especially Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen since they were to become Sect Leaders once grown up.
He would have to take the trail that started from Fojiao Town in order to properly scale the mountain, so Wei Wuxian leisurely treaded up the hill on his donkey.
After a while, he ran into a few people descending the mountain with gloomy expressions. Some of them carried injuries on their faces, and they were talking all at once. They all jumped in surprise when they ran into this donkey-rider with a face caked in hanged ghost makeup under the darkening skies, and they cursed as they went around him to hurry down the hill.
"Pfftt–" The cultivators tried not to laugh outloud..
Wei Wuxian pouted. "It's not even that bad.." He whispered to himself.
Wei Wuxian turned his head and wondered: Could it be that the prey was too difficult to handle, and they were going back empty-handed? He slapped the donkey’s hip after a moment’s thought and trotted up the mountain.
That group groused and complained after his departure: "I've never met anyone so unreasonable!"
“Why would the clan leader of such a big clan come here just to fight us over a soul-eating fiend? He already killed plenty of those when he was younger, I’m sure!"
“What can you do? He’s the sect leader. Of all the clans to offend, you don’t offend the Jiang Clan, and of all the people to offend, you never offend Jiang Cheng. Let’s just write it off as our bad luck, pack up, and get outta here.”
Jiang Cheng froze. He didnt know whether he wanted to cry or murder someone right now. A hand on his shoulder from his jiejie was all it took to calm him down. Jiang Yanli was staring at him with a determined look. Others couldn't hear it but it was clear Jiang Yanli was comforting him.
Yu Ziyuan was fuming. "Hah, someone dares to say something about the Jiang Sect!?" She glared at the audience. Jiang Fengmian glanced at Jiang Cheng then back to the screen. For now.. Jiang Cheng hadn't been shown on the screen but if what the group was fussing about was true then..'He ended up like his mother just as I feared..'He sighed.
Wei Wuxian would like to smack the people who've said that but.. he had already been done with the Jiang Sect. And it's not like Jiang Cheng would accept help from someone who caused the death of his family..
The people–civilians who were the ones on the screen that had said the offending words towards Jiang Cheng shifted uncomfortably. What were their future selves doing!? Asking for a death wish!?
Jin Ling was mad. How dare these people say those stuff about his jiujiu! He was the best jiujiu ever, he did his best to raise Jin Ling and taught him a lot of stuff!! He gritted his teeth but was calmed down by Sizhui.
A torch would be necessary to continue into the mountain forest if the sky got any darker. Wei Wuxian walked for a while and was quite surprised to not run into many cultivators.
Of all the clans that came, could it really be that half are arguing theory in Fojiao Town, while the other half are like that group from earlier? Trying, failing, and going back empty-handed?
Suddenly, a cry for help came from ahead.
“SOMEBODY!”
“HELP!”
Everyone in the room wondered what could have happened now.. especially since it wasn't just one person yelling.
There were both male and female voices, their cries full of panic and helplessness. It didn’t sound fake—even though nine times out of ten, cries for help in the wild were evil spirits out causing mischief, luring the ignorant into a trap. Wei Wuxian, however, was thrilled.
'The eviler the better! It had better be evil enough!'
Sect Leader Yao frowned. "How can you be thrilled at this!?"
Sect Leader Ouyang looked at him and shook his head. "Leave him alone, Yao-zongzhu. It is not a shock at this point do not forget who he is."
Sect Leader Yao scoffed but complied.
He urged the donkey to run toward where the voices were coming from, but when he arrived, there was nothing in sight. When he looked up, rather than any evil spirits or monsters, he saw the independent countryside clan he had run into previously by the field ridge. They were hanging from a tree, caught in a massive, shimmering gold net.
Jin Guangyao, Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng immediately understood that the nets were set up by the Jin Clan for Jin Ling.
That middle-aged man had led the group to patrol and scout the forest area at first, but they hadn’t run into the prey they were hoping for. Instead, they stepped into the net trap some rich folk had set up and ended up hanging from the tree as they cried their grievances. They perked up when they saw someone had come but were immediately greatly disappointed to realize it was the lunatic. While the threads of this immortal-binding net were thin, the material was of the highest grade, durable and indestructible. Once caught, it didn't matter if you were a human or a god, a ghost or spirit—you’d be trapped a good while. Unless, that is, the net was cut with an immortal device of an even higher grade. It’d be pointless to expect this lunatic to help them down. He probably didn’t even know what the net was.
Wei Wuxian whined,'At least have some faith in me..'
Meanwhile.. others prayed for the people so the Yiling Laozu didn't kill them..
Just as they were going to try to ask him to find help, there came the sound of agile steps crinkling leaves, approaching swiftly. From within the pitch-black woods there emerged a youth dressed in a light-colored jacket.
Wei Wuxian frowned.'Why is it that I have to face everyone once I reincarnated!? And even Shijie's and the peaco*ck's child..'
Jin Ling perked up when he saw himself. Jiang Yanli smiled and looked at Jin Zixuan who also looked back at her with a soft smile. They were both thinking the same thing.'Our son grew up too fast.'
There was a vermillion mark dotted between the brows of this little young master, and his features were so fine they were almost harsh. He was extremely young—around the same age as Lan Sizhui, a mere adolescent. On his back, he carried a quiver of arrows and a longsword shimmering with gold, and in his hand, there was a longbow. The embroidery on his robes was indisputably exquisite, swirling together into extraordinary white peonies. The golden threads twinkled delicately in the night.
Wei Wuxian marveled inwardly. Rich!
Jin Ling froze. "I-I– Seriously!? That's the first impression you get about me!?"
Wei Wuxian awkwardly forced a laugh and rubbed at his head.How does one get along with his nephew who hates him?!
Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan chuckled at Wei Wuxian.
This had to be a young master belonging to the Jin Clan of Lanling. Only this clan used the white peony as their insignia. By comparing themselves to the king of flowers, they implied they were kings among immortals. Dotting one's forehead with cinnabar symbolized the conviction to open the doors to wisdom, allowing the vermillion light of eternity to shine upon the world.
This little young master had been about to shoot, but when he saw the immortal-binding net had only captured humans, disappointment flashed on his face, and he lost his patience.
“It’s you stupid idiots every time. Over four hundred immortal-binding nets, but it's always the same: before they manage to catch any prey, dozens of them get wrecked by you lot!”
Jiang Cheng tensed. He looked away and cleared his throat. Jiang Yanli gave him a fake disappointed side eye, she then glared at him but it was clear she was amused and doing it for fun. "Hehe, He's acting just like you A-Cheng."
Jiang Cheng smiled. smiled. Holy sh*t, the cultivation world hadn't seen his smile for years! Even Jin Ling was scared if that was his jiujiu or not!
Jin disciples quietly murmured to each other along the lines of "Spoiled" or "Brat"..they were lucky no one heard them.
The same thought was still foremost in Wei Wuxian’s mind: Rich!
"Can you stop with that, please!?"
"No can do, that's the future me.."
An immortal-binding net was already considerably expensive, and he’d still set up over four hundred of them in one go. As expected of the Jin Clan of Lanling—an even slightly smaller clan would have been reduced to poverty and ruin. However, to abuse the immortal-binding net like this to hunt indiscriminately was not a Night Hunt. This was clearly an act of driving others out in order to hoard the spoils. It appeared that the cultivators who retreated previously hadn't done so because the prey was difficult but because these prestigious sects weren't ones to be offended.
During the days he’d spent strolling along, and on account of his ravenous eavesdropping earlier in Fojiao Town, Wei Wuxian had heard plenty of gossip about the rises and falls within the cultivation world. As the final victor of the tangled war between cultivation clans that had spanned over a hundred years, the Jin Clan of Lanling now led the clans and sects; the head of their clan was even respectfully addressed as “Cultivation Chief.” The Jin clan had always been haughty and enjoyed extravagance.
Jin Zixuan felt weird. Well–not weird. He was envious of Jin Guangyao. That was supposed to behis position. Maybe he wouldn't be the Cultivation Chief but..he wanted to be a Sect Leader along with his wife that was always his wish after he had married Jiang Yanli.
He wished he hadn't been so stubborn when confronting Wei Wuxian that time in Qiongqi Path. Maybe then he'd avoid his death somehow. He didn't blame Wei Wuxian, he saw the look on his face when Wen Ning punched a hole through him, his face contained a lot of emotions but only two were the most obvious: anger and confusion. He sighed and frowned, staring at the screen.
Su She was grinning. "Lianfang-zun is the best!" Jin Guangyao smiled back at him. Other people also started praising Jin Guangyao.
Jin Ling couldn't hold back from praising his uncle either! "Xiao-Shushu is the best!"
Jin Guangyao smiled at him too. "Thank you, A-Ling."
Madam Jin still didn't like him–probably would never like him–but at least he was a good Sect Leader.
Jin Guangshan didn't care one bit, it's not even a shock, of course. He hadn't confronted Guangyao about his death but he didn't have to. He knew this screen or whatever would definitely show them something that would expose Jin Guangyao. He had high hopes he himself wouldn't be exposed though..
In the span of years spent presiding high above the others, the clan had prospered and grown powerful, and their disciples were raised to dominate others without scruple. Inferior clans, no matter how much they were humiliated, had no choice but to swallow it down. Such a small cultivation house from the countryside could afford even less to offend them. This was why, although the boy’s words were harsh and the people hanging in the net turned red in the face at the abuse, they still didn’t dare argue back.
The middle-aged man said subserviently, “Will the young master grant us the favor of lowering us down?"
The youth was frustrated that his prey still hadn't shown itself, so this country bumpkin was a perfect secondary target for venting his anger. He crossed his arms.
“Stay hanging there so you don't wander around and hinder me again! Once I catch the soul-eating beast, l'Il let you guys go, if I remember.”
Jiang Yanli clicked her tongue, "A-Ling, don't be so mean. Be polite to strangers no matter what." She obviously wasn't being harsh but gentle.
Jin Ling flushed in embarrassment. "Y–Yes, A-niang.."
Yu Ziyuan smiled even though her eyebrows were furrowed.
If they really hung from that tree the entire night, unable to move, there would be nothing they could do but have their souls sucked out if the thing wandering Mount Dafan came upon them. The round-faced girl who had given Wei Wuxian an apple was terrified and wept out loud. Wei Wuxian was sitting cross-legged on the back of the spotted donkey, but when the donkey heard her crying, its long ears twitched.
Suddenly, it leapt forth. It even let out a long bray when it did, and if not for that uniquely horrible sound, it would’ve appeared irresistibly heroic. It wouldn't be idle flattery to call it a mighty young colt. Caught off guard, Wei Wuxian was thrown off its back and nearly broke his skull from the fall.
Wei Wuxian gaped at the screen. "That donkey is a traitor."
The spotted donkey’s broad head charged toward the youth, apparently convinced that it could send the boy flying with a headbutt. The youth's arrow was still nocked in his bow, so he was ready to shoot it down. Wei Wuxian didn't want to go find a new ride so soon, so he pulled at the reins with all his might.
That youth took a glance at him and briefly appeared stunned before his expression immediately turned into scorn. He pursed his lips.
“So, it's you.”
That tone was two parts surprise and eight parts revulsion, making Wei Wuxian blink in confusion.
“What, you went crazy after getting kicked back to your old home? Look at that ghastly painted face, I can’t believe they let you out!"
What was this incredible thing he’d just heard?!
Could it be...? Wei Wuxian slapped his own thigh. Could it be that Mo Xuanyu’s father was not some random small-time clan leader but the infamous Jin Guangshan?!
If Wei Wuxian could choose whose body to reincarnate into, It would never be Jin Guangshan's illegitimate kids. This time.. he really didn't have a choice..
Jin Guangshan smiled that was obviouslynota kind smile.
Nie Huaisang, once again, mentally cried."Wei-xiong, I promise I tried my best but he was the only person that could complete the job! And he looks similar to you..!! Well, almost..'
Jin Guangshan had been the previous head of the Jin Clan of Lanling and had long since passed on. This was a character with a long story. He’d had a fiercely strict madam wife from an illustrious family and been notoriously afraid of her, but scared as he might’ve been, he still incessantly played around with other women. No matter how strict Madam Jin was, she couldn’t follow him around twenty-four hours a day.
Madam Jin humphed and crossed her arms. She really was always envious of Yu Ziyuan. She always complained about how her husband was still in love with Cangse Sanren, but at least her husband was trying to make up for some stuff! Her own husband was going off and raping women! She pitied those women.
And the people in the room pitied her.
He was relentless in his affairs, bedding women from distinguished ladies above to wild prostitutes below. And, while he loved womanizing and had a great number of illegitimate children, he was extremely fickle in love. Once he grew tired of a woman, she’d be cast from his mind without any thought to responsibility.
Jin Guangyao frowned. His mother. His mother who'd been promised by Jin Guangshan that if she went to Koi Tower, requesting for anything he'd be there. What a f*cking liar!
He felt jealous of Mo Xuanyu who was actually remembered by him. That was why he created those rumours, especially when he saw the blueprints of Wei Wuxian's inventions. He saw this as an opportunity and kicked him out.
Of his many illegitimate children, only one had been outstanding enough to be recognized and taken back, and that was the current family head of the Jin Clan of Lanling, Jin Guangyao.
Yes, that was why many in the room admired him. For a whor*'s son to actually become such a known person..
And yet, they did not know what Jin Guangyao had done. At least, not yet. That is what Nie Huaisang was thinking.
Furthermore, even the way Jin Guangshan died was an embarrassment. Old, but fully confident he was still robust, he’d fooled around with a bunch of women at once in order to challenge himself. However, he unfortunately overestimated his vitality and died during the orgy.
The former Jiang Matriarch and Patriarch were..not sure how to feel.. this was a very embarrassing thing. Though, others started laughing.. they just couldn't hold back themselves from doing so. (Especially Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen..)
Jin Guangyao held back from smirking, he looked at his father who was seething with rage. Even the fan couldn't cover his emotion.
His father looked back at him and whispered with a smirk, "Don't be so smug now, you will probably be exposed." Instantly, Jin Guangyao's smirk faded away. That's right. Wei Wuxiancouldfigure out what happened. And the arm– the arm was Da-ge's.
He gritted his teeth and looked away from his sh*t of a father.
This was simply too embarrassing to speak of, so the Jin Clan of Lanling unanimously declared that the old sect leader had passed due to overexertion, and the rest of the clans, in tacit understanding, all pretended not to know the full truth of the statement. In any case, that was the real reason for his infamy.
Sect Leader Yao and Ouyang coughed into their fists to disguise their laughter as coughs.
Back during the Siege of the Burial Mound, Jin Guangshan’s contributions to the effort had come second only to Jiang Cheng’s. Now that Wei Wuxian had overtaken his illegitimate son’s body, he really didn’t know how this score should be settled.
Jiang Yanli frowned, why did Jiang Cheng participate in the siege..? What happened between these two? There were so many questions and so little answers..
In terms of seniority, Mo Xuanyu might have been this boy’s uncle or some other elder. And yet he had to suffer such humiliation from a junior. Even if it wasn't for himself, as he was currently in Mo Xuanyu’s body, Wei Wuxian felt he had a responsibility to humiliate the boy back.
So, he countered, “Didn’t your mother teach you any manners?”
...
No.
No way.
Wei Wuxian stared at the screen with his eyes widened.He didn't mean that. He didn't mean it. No. He didnt. He didn't. He didn't. He didn't. HE DIDNT.
To make it worse, the room was awfully silent. Suddenly, Wei Wuxian felt a presence next to his seat but he couldn't even bother seeing who it was. He almost wanted to laugh out bitterly, how dare he say those words?
Yu Ziyuan was being held back by Jiang Fengmian to not say anything. Jiang Cheng was scowling, he was about to open his mouth but Jin Zixuan grabbed his arm. When Jiang Cheng looked at him Jin Zixuan glanced at Jiang Yanli. As if he was saying she'd fix it. Jiang Cheng hissed and looked away, crossing his arms.
He looked over to Jin Ling. He was looking down at his lap. Jiang Cheng couldn't tell whether he was sad or angry..
Jiang Yanli sighed. She could already hear the ones in the back gossiping..She knew it hurt A-Xian. And so, she replaced her sad face with a strict one. She turned to look at Wei Wuxian. "A-Xian, listen to me." The people within the room thought that this was it, this would make his shijie hate him if she already didn't.
"What you said just now, yes, was mean and very rude. But, A-Xian, I don't blame you. You didn't know it was Jin Ling, because.. you didn't see him grow up.." She stood up and slowly walked over to Wei Wuxian, she sat next to him and caressed his cheek. "So, calm down, okay?" She smiled at him.
Wei Wuxian blinked his tears away, he gulped. Now he sensed that on his left was Jiang Yanli and on his right was Wen Qing, with Wen Ning behind. Wen Qing had been patting his back as in a way to calm him down.
"Sh..Shijie..I didn't mean to say that, I–I.."
"Shhh..I know, A-Xian. Xianxian just didn't know, okay? I'm sure you'll apologize."
"Mmh.." He hugged her, and she hugged him back. In other people's eyes within the room this was highly intimate or something.. but that was disgusting. They considered each other siblings, even if they weren't related by blood.
They parted away and Jiang Yanli gave him a pat on his head before walking back to her seat. Wen Qing continued soothing Wei Wuxian.
Jiang Cheng scowled when Jiang Yanli sat down in her seat again. "A-Jie, you shouldn't be so forgiving..towards him."
"A-Cheng." She stared at him with her brows furrowed. "I am the mother of Jin Ling, I get to decide if I want to forgive him or not. And when it comes to A-Xian.. no matter what I cannot bring myself to never not forgive him. In my eyes he will always be that small child who was hugging a tree outside, at night.." She smiled.
"That child in him disappeared when he also disappeared for 3 months."Jiang Cheng said under his breath.
Yu Ziyuan's brows quirked up. "Disappeared? ..It is interesting. The brat and you.. would never hate each other, to me it is still a shocker no matter what I did you two couldn't be parted away. It is.. interesting, what did happen to him. Perhaps, the screen will show us.."
Jiang Cheng considered that thought.'Wei Wuxian. What did really happened to you."
Ouyang Zizhen patted Jin Ling on the back. "I'm sure Wei-qianbei didn't mean it, Jin Ling.. please don't be sad even your A-Niang forgave him.."
"I'm not sad! Just.. angry. It's not the first time someone has said that.." He looked away.
"Still!"
"Ugh, whatever.. I don't care! Just..let's continue watching.."
Lan Qiren shook his head. "What a headache. I am telling you, Wangji, this is why you shouldn't be around him. He doesn't even respect his nephew."
Lan Wangji stayed silent and glanced at Wei Wuxian, Wen Qing whispered something to Wei Wuxian and walked away with Wen Ning, leaving Wei Wuxian alone again.
After a bit of hesitation, he stood up.
"Wangji?" Lan Xichen questioned, the Elders also looked towards him when he stood up.
Lan Wangji didn't respond, he walked over to Wei Wuxian and sat down next to him. "Huu–uhh!?" Wei Wuxian gaped at Lan Wangji.
Everyone's jaw's dropped to the ground. "Hanguang-jun!?"
"I will be sitting with Wei Ying."
"Lan Zhan, what are you doing!?" Wei Ying hissed at him, "You'll destroy your reputation!"
Lan Wangji silently looked at him then looked at the Lan Clan. Xichen was smiling at him, though it wasnt a normal one. It looked like he was warning Wangji to not overstep anything and to..not repeat thataccident. Lan Qiren wasn't even looking at him at this point.. the boy did not listen to him anymore. The Elders seemed disappointed as they always did.
Wei Wuxian gave up in the end. Everyone did keep staring at them with their mouths dropped because they literally just called each other by their birth names.
Ouyang Zizhen had his hands on his mouth while gasping and shedding tears. "This! This is love, I am telling you!"
Lan Jingyi finally shook his head from being shocked after everything that happened, finally coming back to his senses. "N-No way, Hanguang-jun and Wei Wuxian really aren't enemies.."
Lan Sizhui awkwardly glanced at Jin Ling who was also awkwardly looking back at him. Jin Ling opened his mouth to comment on Wei Wuxian’s and Lan Wangji's relationship, but someone beat him to talking..
'CAN EVERYONE LIKE, I DONT KNOW, FACE THE SCREEN, PLEASE?!'(JL)
Everyone finally shut up and continued looking back at the screen.
Raging flames of fury flashed in the youth’s eyes. He pulled the longsword from his back and glowered.
“What...did you say?”
The sword shimmered gold. It was clearly a rare, high-quality weapon that would be out of many clans’ reach even if they hustled their entire lives. Wei Wuxian studied it, fixated, and felt the sword appeared rather familiar. But he’d seen plenty of high-quality swords that glowed golden, so he didn’t think too deeply on it. He only twirled a small pouch in his hand.
Jin Zixuan blinked at the screen. "Wei Wuxian, I know you never liked me but..could you really not recognize my sword..?"
Wei Wuxian sighed and awkwardly laughed. "Eheheh..you see, I have a really bad memory.."
Jin Zixuan facepalmed, Jiang Yanli chuckled.
This was a spirit-trapping pouch that he’d thrown together haphazardly a few days ago, using scraps of fabric he found. The youth lunged at him, brandishing his sword, and Wei Wuxian took a small piece of paper cut in the shape of a human from the pouch. He dodged the attack, then slapped the paper onto the other's back.
Jin Guangshan perked up, he had finally done something that attracted his attention. He didn't really give a damn about what they said about his grandson or something.
Some minor sects, or those within the room who cultivated the demonic path were wondering what he just did.
The youth was already swift, but Wei Wuxian had plenty of experience in tripping people and slapping talismans onto them, so he was faster. The youth felt his back go numb and heavy, then fell forward onto the ground involuntarily. The sword dropped to his side with a clang. He couldn't get up, no matter how hard he tried; it was as if Mount Tai was sitting on top of him. More specifically, it was a ghost that had died of gluttony that clung to his back, crushing the breath out of him. While the little ghost was weak, it could easily take care of a brat like this.
Jin Guangshan smirked, the item would surely come in handy when in a specific situation..
"Hey, I'm not a brat!!" Jin Ling stuck out his tongue at Wei Wuxian.
"Pffft."
Wei Wuxian picked up that sword, weighed it in his hand, and then swung at the immortal-binding net, snapping it.
The cultivation family dropped to the ground in sorry confusion, then ran away in a hurry without a word. The round-faced girl seemed to want to express thanks, but her elder dragged her away, afraid that the young master Jin would hold an even deeper grudge should she say one more word.
The youth on the ground yelled angrily, “Damn cut-sleeve! Lookit you, going down the demonic path just because your spiritual power is too weak to cultivate into anything worthwhile. You watch yourself! Do you know who’s here today?! I’m gonna...”
Wei Wuxian clutched his heart insincerely. “Ah! I’m so scared!”
The cultivation method he'd employed in the past was denounced by the public. It harmed the cultivator’s constitution after prolonged practice, but it allowed for speedy success and was unrestricted by one’s innate spiritual prowess and natural talent, which was why it was an extremely tempting path. There was never a shortage of people who craved shortcuts in their training, and so this youth also thought Mo Xuanyu had strayed from the right path after being driven out of the Jin Clan of Lanling. It was a perfectly logical suspicion, and it saved Wei Wuxian from further unnecessary trouble.
"At least he now can get it that the demonic path is harmful."
"I doubt he does."
Nie Huaisang just grinned and waved his fan.'Of course, I had it all calculated for you, Wei-xiong.'
The youth tried to push off the ground but still couldn’t get up after several attempts. His face was flushed, and he clenched his teeth.
“If you don't remove this thing, l'Il tell my uncle, and you'll be dead!”
Wei Wuxian asked curiously, “Why is it your uncle and not your dad? Who’s your uncle?”
Wei Wuxian sighed and was about to slap himself when Lan Wangji caught his arm. "Lan Zhan..?" He stared at him and blinked.
"Don't. You did not know." Wangji put down his hand on his side and stared back at him with his jade-like face.
Wei Wuxian blankly stared at him before giggling. "Lan Zhan, I wasn't going to slap myself that hard." Lan Wangji still shook his head in disapproval. He shrugged and looked back to the screen.
There was suddenly a voice behind him, grave and intensely frigid.
“I am his uncle. Do you have any last words?”
Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian both froze. They knew this wasn't going to end up good..
Others stared in delight, they thought maybe Jiang Wanyin would take him back to Liánhuā Wù like he always does to those who cultivate the demonic path and take care of him.
Lan Wangji glared at the screen.
At the sound of that voice, every drop of blood in Wei Wuxian’s body seemed to surge to his head but then immediately drained away again. Thankfully, his face was already a mess of ghastly white, so it didn’t look strange when he went a little paler.
f*ck. He knew how his future self felt right now, because that is how he felt when he saw Jiang Cheng again after many years and seeing..Jin Ling too suddenly so grown up..It was all too much.
A man in purple attire strode over. He was dressed in a narrow-sleeved light robe, with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. A silver bell dangled from his waist, yet there was no sound when he walked.
This young man had fine brows and almond eyes, with a chiseled handsomeness to his features. His eyes were deep and intense with a hint of aggression, his gaze like two streaks of cold lightning. He stopped and stood three meters away from Wei Wuxian. His expression was like that of a nocked arrow on a bow, ready to shoot, and even his composure was suffused with arrogant pride.
Yu Ziyuan smirked in pride. In the end, her son still had turned out how she wanted him to. She placed a hand over Jiang Cheng’s shoulder and gave him the same smile with her brows furrowed but not in anger this time.
Jiang Cheng, a bit surprised but he still smiled back at his mother.
He furrowed his brows. “Jin Ling, why have you dawdled for so long? Do | need to come and invite you back? Look at the terrible state you're in. Get the hell up.”
After the initial numbness in his brain had passed, Wei Wuxian quickly snapped out of it. He beckoned with his fingers inside his sleeve, withdrawing the paper doll. Jin Ling felt the weight disappear off his back and immediately scrambled up, grabbing his sword back and scurrying to Jiang Cheng’s side.
He pointed at Wei Wuxian and yelled, “I'LL BREAK YOUR LEGS!”
'Yeahhh..no.. this kid has been spoiled by his xiao shushu and his jiujiu.. no wonder he acts like that. I trust my future self will try to do something.'Wei Wuxian smiled slightly.
When the two stood together, there was a vague resemblance in their looks, much like a pair of brothers. Jiang Cheng moved his finger, and the paper doll swiftly slipped from Wei Wuxian’s fingers and flew into his hand. He took a glance at it, and a wave of resentment flared in his eyes. He clenched his fingers and the paper was set ablaze, the ghost shrieking as it was burned to ashes.
Jiang Cheng said darkly, “Break his legs? Haven’t I told you that when you run into heretics, you should kill them outright and feed them to your dog?!”
Wei Wuxian flinched. Lan Wangji noticed but he thought it was because of something else..
Yu Ziyuan was taken aback. Not by his behaviour of course–the dog. dog. She knew Wei Ying hated dogs and feared it even, she knew her son always tried to fend of any dogs that went near him...so what was this..?
Jiang Fengmian, too, was taken aback. He already had known about the promise made between the two brothers. That he would always protect him from dogs.. a pensive look overtook his face.
Jiang Yanli gasped. The gasp made the people look over at her. They also noticed the Jiang family's expressions but.. they just shrugged it off and thought it was nothing much. Yanli, though.. was being held back by Jin Zixuan to not yell at Jiang Cheng.
Wei Wuxian hastily backed away, leaving the donkey behind too. No matter how much Jiang Cheng hated him, he had thought the feeling would’ve dispersed somewhat after so many years. Who would’ve thought it wasn't that easy? Not only was the hate still there, but it had thickened with time, like a jug of aged wine. And that rage was taken out on every cultivator who imitated him!
Jiang Cheng scowled. Hate? No– he could never.. nevermind.. of course he hated him. He did, right?
Jiang Yanli was gritting her teeth and on the verge of shedding tears. She thought her brothers would get along!
There were people behind them standing guard, and this time, Jin Ling attacked with greater ferocity. Wei Wuxian slipped two fingers into the spirittrapping pouch, but just as he was about to move, a streak of blue flashed. It was the glare of a sword clashing with Jin Ling’s sword, and it shattered the golden shimmer of this high-quality blade in an instant.
Everyone from the Lan Clan of Gusu obviously recognized the sword–Bichen.
Wei Wuxian beamed at Lan Wangji showing up.
"Holy sh*t..your swords clashed!" Zizhen whisper-shouted to Jin Ling.
Jin Ling was gaping.
It wasn’t that the other sword was superior but rather that the difference in ability between the two wielders was too great. Wei Wuxian had had the timing figured out at first, but the radiance of this incoming sword disrupted his steps, and he stumbled, falling flat on the ground before a pair of snow-white boots. He froze for a moment, then slowly looked up.
The first thing that entered his vision was a long and slender blade, as crystalline as ice.
This sword was famous in the cultivation world, and Wei Wuxian had had the honor of experiencing its power directly on multiple occasions, both fighting alongside and against it.
Both Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian frowned. They did not want to remember those times. It was something Wei Wuxian wanted to leave behind, forever.
And yet, the people in the room were wishing that that same sword should kill him.
The hilt was forged from pure silver that was refined by a secret method, and the blade was extremely thin, clear, and transparent. It emanated the frigid air of ice and snow, yet it could cut through iron as if it were mud. Thus, while the sword appeared light, agile, and transcendentally airy, it was extremely heavy, and no ordinary person could possibly swing it.
It was the sword Bichen!
"Ugh, did he have to describe everything about the sword in his mind?" Jiang Cheng grimaced.
Wei Wuxian couldn't verbally respond to him so he just nodded and crossed his arms. Lan Wangji tried not to blush.
The newcomer was cloaked in soft, white moonlight. He carried a sevenstringed guqin on his back. The body of the instrument was narrower than the usual standard and ebony-black in color, but soft in the luster of its wood. A cloud-patterned ribbon was fastened around this man’s forehead.
The man was exceptional in both looks and elegance: his skin was fair, and his features were as refined as smoothed jade. The color of his eyes was abnormally light, almost like colored glaze, and it made his gaze appear overly cold. There was a frostiness to his expression, which was stern enough to appear stiff. Even when he saw Wei Wuxian’s currently ridiculous-looking face, he appeared unperturbed.
From head to toe, he was scrupulous and immaculate, without a single foot placed incorrectly. Even so, two words still jumped out in Wei Wuxian’s mind:
Funeral clothes!
Many thought he was exaggerating but as people looked closer–he wasn't lying! Hewasactually wearing funeral clothes!
"Who's he mourning for..?"
"I bet I'll shock you, but my guess is Wei Wuxian."
"No way, psff."
"Hmph, just watch and we'll see then."
Wei Wuxian awkwardly glanced at Lan Wangji, the latter did not look back..
Those were funeral clothes, and that couldn't be denied, no matter how much the other clans proclaimed the uniforms of the Lan Clan of Gusu to be the most pleasing to the eye and sang their exaggerated praises to the heavens.
Lan Xichen frowned and stubbornly looked at the screen, he knew everyone in the room was eyeing the Lan Clan. Everyone did the same as Xichen as if they hadnt heard anything from the screen. No one said anything and so they brushed it off.
Wei Wuxian bit his lip and glanced at Wangji who was stiff.'He wasn't mourning for me, was he..?'
Furthermore, no matter how thoroughly Lan Wangji was praised as an unrivaled rare beauty, nothing could help the fact that he looked profoundly embittered, as if he had lost his wife.
Lan Jingyi frowned, he whispered to Sizhui. "I never really took notice of the funeral clothes.."
Sizhui's brows furrowed. "I had, but I didn't actually think he was mourning.."
Ouyang Zizhen thought and thought for a moment before he got to a conclusion. However he didn't voice out his thought.
Lan Wangji stood unspeaking. He faced Jiang Cheng with quiet calm and met his eyes squarely. Jiang Cheng was exceptionally handsome, but he was still a little inferior to the one standing before him and certainly the more impatient of the two. He quirked a brow.
“Hanguang-jun truly lives up to his reputation of appearing where there is chaos. What brings you here to the deep mountains today?”
Leaders of prominent cultivation clans did not normally care for these lowlevel evil spirits. However, Lan Wangji was an exception. He was never picky about his Night Hunt prey, nor would he refuse to appear if the nefarious creature wasn’t tough enough or if it would not earn him any acclaim. He would attend as long as there was a plea for help, and it had always been that way, ever since he was young. Thus, “appearing where there is chaos” was how the people appraised Hanguang-jun’s Night Hunt expeditions and praised his character.
Lan Qiren finally looked at the screen in pride instead of a disappointed look. The Elders too now were smiling. They did break rules by coming off a bit arrogant but..
The way Jiang Cheng used the phrase was not complimentary,
Then Lan Clan frowned.
Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes at Jiang Cheng.
Yu Ziyuan's stoic face returned, she turned to Jiang Cheng. "Jiang Cheng, you are now a Sect Leader. You need to show politeness and respect to the other clans." Her eyes narrowed.
"Yes..A-Niang.."
and the juniors attending behind Lan Wangji all felt a little uncomfortable with his tone.
Lan Jingyi was the blunt and outspoken sort. “Isn't Sect Leader Jiang here too?”
Jiang Cheng replied coldly, “Tsk. An elder is speaking, who are you to interrupt? The Lan Clan of Gusu pride themselves on being a clan of etiquette. This is what disciples are being taught?”
Lan Jingyi hid behind Sizhui, muttering a 'so so mean!'
Jin Ling snorted.
Lan Wangji, who didn't seem to want to exchange any words with him, sent Lan Sizhui a look. The latter understood: let the juniors speak to each other. And so, Lan Sizhui stepped forward and turned to Jin Ling to reply.
Jin Ling and Zizhen quirked a brow. "How did you even understand that."
Jingyi was the one to answer them instead of Sizhui who had just simply smiled. "Who knows? Sizhui was technically raised by Hanguang-jun..perhaps he grew to read his expression over time.."
“Jin-gongzi, the Night Hunts have always been a fair competition among the clans. But Jin-gongzi has set up nets all over Mount Dafan and made it difficult for the cultivators of other houses to tread, for fear of falling into traps. Does this not violate the rules of Night Hunts?”
Jin Ling’s cold expression was cast from the same mold as his uncle’s. “What can I do if they step into traps due to their own stupidity? I must capture my prey; everything else can wait.”
Jiang Yanli clicked her tongue and Jin Zixuan glared at Jiang Cheng.
"Oh please, Young Mistress Jin I'm so scared!" Lan Jingyi rolled his eyes playfully and faked a shiver.
"You! I'll break your legs!" Jingyi grinned at Jin Ling.
Lan Wangji wrinkled his brow. Jin Ling was about to say more when he suddenly realized he couldn't open his mouth, nor produce any sound from his throat. He paled in panic.
Wei Wuxian bit his lip hard to suppress the laughter..
When Jiang Cheng saw that Jin Ling’s lips were now glued together, unable to part, anger clouded his face and all previous forced civility went out the window.
“You, Lan! What's the meaning of this? It's not up to you to discipline Jin Ling. Release the spell!”
....
Jiang Cheng frowned at the screen. It was true how he—Sandu Shengshou and Lan Wangji—Hanguang-jun never got along. The rumours weren't always rumours you could say..
This silence spell was what the Lan clan used to punish its disciples. Wei Wuxian had fallen victim to this little trick on many occasions. While it was not complex magic by any stretch of the imagination, only those of the Lan family could undo the spell. If one attempted to speak by brute force, then either their lips would be torn to shreds by the effort or they’d lose their voice for days. The penitent one had to keep their mouth shut and self-reflect in silence until the punishment period was over.
Wei Wuxian chuckled at the reminder. "I remember it all too well!"
Nie Huaisang too, smiled. He missed those days, spending it with his Jiang-xiong and Wei-xiong..they had so much fun together and yet they didn't know that there was a storm coming.
That storm destroyed not only their friendship, but aperson.
Lan Sizhui said, “There is no need to be angry, Sect Leader Jiang. As long as he does not try to forcibly break the spell, it will be automatically undone in one incense time."
Jin Ling gave Sizhui a side-eye. The latter panicked and quickly bowed to apologize.
"I was just joking, geez."
Jiang Cheng had yet to reply when a man clad in the Jiang Clan’s purple came rushing out of the woods. “Sect Leader!”
When he saw Lan Wangji standing there, however, he appeared hesitant.
Jiang Cheng said derisively, “Go ahead. What other bad news do you have to report?”
The sect disciple said in a small voice, “Not long ago, a flying blue sword destroyed the immortal-binding nets you arranged.”
Small gasps were heard. Some were even gaping..
Ouyang Zizhen was mentally crying, he prayed someone never put these two in a room together or else the room itself would be the one crying.
Jiang Cheng shot Lan Wangji a look, anger clouding his expression once more. “How many?”
The sect disciple replied cautiously, “All of them.”
Over four hundred!
Jiang Cheng seethed with anger.
"Aiyah, Lan Zhan, you didn't have to destroy them all did you?" Wei Wuxian smiled in amusem*nt, Lan Wangji did not respond back to him.
He had never expected such bad luck in this expedition. He had originally come to assist Jin Ling: the boy was fifteen this year, the age to make his debut and fight for experience with the juniors from other clans. Jiang Cheng had reviewed the options carefully before deciding on Mount Dafan as the hunting ground. He had then set up nets everywhere and scared off all the other cultivators, making it so difficult for them to move that they'd be forced to back off—all so Jin Ling would emerge the winner without anyone fighting him for the title. While over four hundred immortal-binding nets were extremely expensive, the price was nothing to the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng.
Jin Ling turned red in embarrassment and crossed his arms, refusing to look at the juniours who wanted to tease him.
Jiang Yanli smiled and let out a small laugh alongside with Jin Zixuan, they could tell Jiang Cheng was embarrassed when he didn't look back at them.
Wei Wuxian smiled at them from afar, a sad one.
However, destroyed nets were a small matter compared to losing face. Lan Wangji’s actions made Jiang Cheng boil with anger, and his fury spiraled higher and higher. He narrowed his eyes, and his left hand subconsciously stroked the ring on his right index finger.
This was a dangerous sign.
Almost everyone recognized that movement. Yu Ziyuan smirked in pride. Jin Ling was almost sweating..
Everyone knew that ring was a formidable and deadly spiritual weapon. Once the Jiang Clan leader started fiddling with it, it signaled his intent to kill. However, Jiang Cheng didn't stroke it for long before he forced his hostility back down.
Although he was quite unhappy, as the leader of a sect, there was much to consider. He couldn't be as impulsive as that brat Jin Ling.
The minor sects relaxed when Jiang Cheng didn't do anything. Jin Ling, on the other hand was flabbergasted.
Ever since the decline of the Nie Clan of Qinghe, of the current three great clans, the Jin Clan of Lanling and the Lan Clan of Gusu had always been close due to the strong personal friendship shared by their clan leaders. Jiang Cheng ruled the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng alone, so it could have been said that he was in a state of isolation. Hanguang-jun—Lan Wangji—was a distinguished cultivator of great prestige. In addition, his elder brother Zewu-jun—Lan Xichen—was the clan leader of the Lan Clan of Gusu, and the two brothers had always gotten along well. Overall, it was best if Jiang Cheng kept things peaceful instead of giving in to his violent urges.
Yu Ziyuan nodded, her son was raised just as she wanted him to be.
Jiang Cheng slowly withdrew his left hand, which had been stroking the ring. It appeared that Lan Wangji had set his mind to interfere in this affair, so continuing to play the role of the villain would only cause trouble. He would simply have to remember this, for the time being.
After weighing his options, Jiang Cheng turned his head and saw that Jin Ling still had his hands covering his mouth angrily.
“Since Hanguang-jun wants to punish you, take the lesson this once. It’s not easy for him, either, to manage the juniors from another clan.”
His tone was sarcastic, but it was unclear to whom it was directed. Lan Wangji, who never responded to such provocation, ignored him.
Jiang Cheng turned, his voice scathing. “What are you standing around for? Waiting for the prey to run into your sword itself? If you can't catch the creature here on Mount Dafan tonight, then you needn't come to me again in the future!”
Jin Ling automatically straightened up just as his other self did on the screen. Right. He had to impress his jiujiu!
Jiang Yanli shook her head slightly, she placed her hand atop on Jiang Cheng's. "Don't be so harsh to him, A-Cheng." She smiled at him.
Jiang Cheng only nodded in reply.
Jin Ling shot Wei Wuxian a death glare but didn’t dare to glare at Lan Wangji, who’d been the one to punish him into silence. He sheathed his sword and bowed to the two elders, then left with his bow in hand.
Lan Sizhui spoke up, “Sect Leader Jiang, the Lan Clan of Gusu will fully recompense all the immortal-binding nets that were destroyed.”
Jiang Cheng sneered. “No need!”
Then he turned in the opposite direction and strode confidently down the mountain. The sect disciples behind him all quietly followed with long faces, knowing there’d be an inevitable round of punishment upon their return.
After they had gone, Lan Jingyi posed a general question: “Why is Sect Leader Jiang like that?!”
Everyone had the same thing on their mind: "Does this kid have a death wish?"
The said kid was actually trembling behind Lan Sizhui and Jin Ling who somehow.. felt pity for him.
The Lan Clan member's faces were devoid of any emotion, they just gaped..
Wei Wuxian was trying really really hard not to laugh like a hyena!
Then he remembered his Lan family upbringing and the rules against speaking behind another's back. He snuck a scared peek at Hanguang-jun before shrinking back and shutting up.
Lan Sizhui gave Wei Wuxian a light smile and said, “We meet again, Mo-gongzi.”
Wei Wuxian forced a smile, but it was Lan Wangji who spoke instead, his order succinct and clear without any flowery language.
“Do your work.”
Only then did the juniors remember why they were on Mount Dafan. They gathered themselves and respectfully awaited further instructions.
A moment later, Lan Wangji said, “Do your best, but do not overexert.”
The Lan Clan of Gusu knew they were disobeying their rules but even so– they still felt pride.
The juniors acknowledged the order politely and headed deeper into the woods, not daring to stay longer. Wei Wuxian thought to himself that Jiang Cheng and Lan Zhan really were two completely different people. Even their methods of instructing juniors were irreconcilably opposed.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly saw Lan Wangji give him a nod, curt and almost imperceptible. It made him unconsciously pause.
Lan Wangji had been painfully serious ever since he was young. A principled perfectionist, always so stern and stiff, as if there had never been a time when he was lively. Back then, he’d been extremely against Wei Wuxian cultivating the demonic path.
Lan Wangji refrained from frowning and muttered a 'ridiculous'.
The ccivilians and the others in the back who were still afraid of the Yiling Laozu being here–alive chose to be brave.. "Who isn't against his methods!?"
"Demonic cultivation should have never been found!"
"Indeed! So many lives lost.. even my little A-Ku couldn't survive this bastard!"
Lan Sizhui should have already informed Lan Wangji of his suspicious behavior at the Mo Estate, yet the man only nodded at him to give his regards. Wei Wuxian figured he was thanking him for helping the Lan juniors out, so he immediately returned the gesture without thinking. But when he looked up again, Lan Wangji was already gone.
He paused for amoment, then turned to descend the mountain.
It didn’t matter what prey was on Mount Dafan. He couldn't pursue it anymore. Wei Wuxian could rob anyone, but not Jin Ling.
He couldn't believe that was Jin Ling.
Jin Ling perked up at his name being mentioned by the Yiling Laozu.
Suddenly, leaves flew over Wei Wuxian’s head and passed by him, flying into the sky. The background turned white, and a leaf gently fell on a sword, It was Suihua.
"Huh..?" Both Jin Ling and Zixuan questioned at the same time.
The leaf fell off, and a baby hand reached for the hilt of the sword. It showed Jiang Yanli holding a baby with a man dressed in Jin robes. His face was not shown but you could tell who he was just by the sword.
Jiang Yanli's brows quirked up. She smiled softly at the memory. Jin Ling had been crying and only his A-Die's sword kept him calm. Tears blurred her vision and she felt a hand reach for her, It was Jin Zixuan who had also teared up. He slowly wiped away her tears and hugged her, she returned the hug.
Jin Ling's breath was shaky. Of course he didn't remember this.. he was only a months old at that time! He also felt hot tears streaming down his cheeks but he didn't care. The juniours next to him comforted him.
Jin Guangshan obviously didn't give a damn. The only reason he wanted to arrange their marriage was to find a way to control Wei Wuxian.
Madam Jin, Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan all smiled at the memory. Yu Ziyuan was glad for her daughter. Glad that she didn't end up going through the same thing as she did–being stuck in a loveless marriage.
Those who were mother's adored the memory, cooed at the sight even.
And there were those among them who were murmuring, the thought no one would hear them but Wei Wuxian always could.
"This is what the Laozu ruined!"
"Indeed, i feel bad for his shijie.."
"Shijie? No, I feel bad for the kid who has been orphaned."
"I agree but even so they should not spoil him that much.."
Wei Wuxian sighed, Lan Wangji reached for him but he leaned away from his touch. He hated it. That was what he stole away from Jin Ling.
Wangji didn't try any more and stared at him. He had covered his ears and looked down at his feet. Lan Wangji's lips quivered. He didn't like it that he couldn't do anything to help Wei Ying.
Jin Zixuan wrapped an arm around Jiang Yanli, the baby kept making noises.
Madam Jin smiled at the sight. Her grandson really was all grown up.. he was already fifteen.
Suddenly, there was a sword and a splashing noise as it splashed all around, like the sword had gone into something. It was blood.
Everyone flinched.
It was Wei Wuxian, the screen was zoomed in on his face who had a horrified face, there was a feminine hand at his cheek, it was a bad attempt at trying to caress it. The hand slowly slipped down, managing to grab only some lock of his hair to limply let it go away. The hand left a blood stain on his left cheek, his pupils followed the hand.
"A-Xian.." The voice was shaky and it was obvious who the voice belonged to.
Wei Wuxian sharply inhaled and tightened the hold on his ears. He didn't want to know what was happening. No. He did not want to see.
Jiang Fengmian let out a gasp and slapped a hand to his mouth, he watched in horror as his daughterbled. Yu Ziyuan's bottom lip quivered, she never had shown it but of course she loved her children!
Jiang Yanli observed the way Wei Wuxian looked, she shook her head wanting to open her mouth and say it was not his fault! She didn't blame him! But all she could do was cry into Jin Zixuan's arms. Jiang Cheng couldn't watch this. The first time he felt his jiejie go limp in his arms was already enough.
Wei Wuxian felt like vomiting for no reason..
Wen Qing knew the number one to Wei Wuxian was his shijie. She really wondered what happened, after all the Jin's had said they'd demand nothing from them if only she and her brother were to turn themselves in..
"How could Wei Wuxian bear to do it?!"
"That's the Shijie who brought him up!"
It showed Jiang Yanli bleeding on the ground. The scene switched to show a still little Jin Ling crying and trashing around.
"This innocent child is most pitiable!"
Jin Ling cried even more, he ran to his mother and father and sobbed into their chests as they embraced each other.
Wei Wuxian couldn't. He really couldn't watch this. He tried looking everywhere, anywhere but the screen– but he saw the way the people looked at him, hehatedit.
"He's barely a month old... But lost both parents."
The leaves flew around Wei Wuxian, who was staring at the sky.
"How could I say he has no mother to guide him."
There were so many disciples in the Jin Clan of Lanling that he’d genuinely never imagined he might run into Jin Ling. Had he known, he would never have mocked Jin Ling with that comment of his, “Didn’t your mother teach you any manners?” If anyone else had said that to Jin Ling, Wei Wuxian would've taught that person what “a loose tongue spells trouble” meant. But the tongue that said it had been his own.
Lan Wangji glanced worriedly at Wei Wuxian who stood up and walked away from the room, no one said anything.
Except.. one of course. Jiang Cheng. "Ha! He just leaves like he did nothing!" He grit his teeth.
The room was quiet..
After a moment of standing in silence, Wei Wuxian raised his hand and slapped himself across the face. "How could I!"
Gasps echoed around the room. They never thought they'd see the Laozu slap himself..
Jiang Cheng's eyes were widened but it quickly formed into a grimace. Jin Ling was staring at the screen in shock, alongside with others of course.
"Oh, A-Xian.." Jiang Yanli softly cried into her hand.
'Sigh.. We'll give you a break, especially for Wei-qianbei' (LS)
The voice had come out of nowhere again, which was strange. The cultivators didn't respond back only nodded in silence.
Lan Wangji stood up and left to find Wei Wuxian.
