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Chapter Text

The sun shined brightly as the songbirds chirped in harmony. Lan Qiren was teaching disciples, as usual, while Lan Wangji was helping his brother who just got out of seclusion. Wei Wuxian was in the Jingshi, fixing or creating talismans, as always. Numerous talismans was scattered on the wooden floor of the Jingshi. Eyebrows furrowed together, Wei Wuxian let out a yawn as his eyes became heavier.

When we settled in the Burial Mounds, I worked for days without sleep. And we didn't have much there! Life is better here in Cloud Recesses, so why is it that I get sleepy easier? I don't even do much!

Wei Wuxian thought with a pout. Yawning once again, Wei Wuxian decided to rest for a while, and so placed the talisman he was fixing down. Walking outside the Jingshi, before Wei Wuxian could even go to the rabbits at the back hills, a huge wave of energy suddenly blew over Cloud Recesses, knocking him unconscious in an instant.

Wei Wuxian woke up to a dark place. Panicked voices ring in his ears, almost giving him a headache. Despite Mo Xuanyu's weak core, Wei Wuxian could still sense the familiar resentful energy. It felt like the resentful energy that he once commanded, and once, had whispered endlessly into his mind.

(W e i Wu- Xia N-)

"Where are we?!"

"It's so dark here!"

"What is this place?!"

Many voices yelled, terrified and concerned. Wei Wuxian's eyes roamed around, searching for any familiar robes. In the corner of his eyes, a man in purple robes was in front of Yunmeng Jiang disciples that had gathered together. Grinning, Wei Wuxian immediately walked over to the Jiang sect leader (his brother). "Jiang Cheng!" He yelled, earning the attention of Jiang Wanyin.

"Wei Wuxian, if this is your doing I'll break your legs!" Jiang Wanyin angrily accuses as he turned around. Zidian does not cackle like they would always do, much to Wei Wuxian's confusion. Every time Jiang Wanyin expreses annoyance, Zidian would sparkle, but that was it.

Perhaps Jiang Wanyin was not so angry?

In the corner of his eyes, he could see a figure in white coming closer. Grinning, Wei Wuxian immediately latched on his husband's side. "Lan Zhan!"

"Wei Ying." Despite Lan Wangji having no emotion to others, Wei Wuxian could see the tip of his husband's ears red, his lips slightly turned upwards. Wei Wuxian beamed and hugged his husband, who, fondly returned the hug.

"Young Master Wei." Wen Qionglin's voice suddenly called. Wei Wuxian almost shrieked, startled at his friend. Wen Qionglin was covered in dirt, most likely he was in a night-hunt and was suddenly transported here as well.

Wei Wuxian smiled at his friend. "Wen Ning." Lan Wangji slightly tighten his hold on Wei Wuxian's waist which went noticed by his husband. Chuckling at his husband, Wei Wuxian was about to tease Lan Wangji when he was cut off by the bickering of Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling, as usual.

"You bumped into me!"

"It's not my fault your blind, young mistress!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Guys.." Lan Sizhui smiled nervously as he tried to calm both of his friends down. Ouyang Zizhen merely giggled at the childish bickering, not caring for his father who was yelling at him. Jiang Wanyin strode forward to Jin Ling.

"Jin Ling! You're a sect leader now, why are you so childish?!" Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi finally stopped bickering, but not before sending glares at each other. Jin Ling pouted as he crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at his uncle. "Jiujiu, I'm not a kid anymore!"

Jiang Wanyin opened his mouth to reprimand Jin Ling, but as if just noticing Wei Wuxian, those who still bore hatred for the Yiling Patriarch accused in horror and anger. "I bet it's the Yiling Patriarch that did this!"

"I bet he trapped us all to kill us!"

"We won't let you!"

"Vile man!"

"Such arrogance you have for you to think we'll let you!"

"I bet the Yiling Patriarch is planning on taking over all sec-" The accusations were quickly cut off by Lan Wangji's glare as he hold his husband's waist. Sighing, Wei Wuxian merely shook his head, not even bothering to defend himself. The juniors upon seeing this, walk up to Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and Wen Qionglin to defend their senior.

"Wei-qianbei did nothing! Even if he is the Yiling Patriarch, not even him would have the power to transport us all here!"

"Yeah! Stop slandering Wei-qianbei!"

Someone, upon hearing this, scoffed. "Tsk. Is this how the great sects discipline their disciples these days?! Shamelessly looking up to the wicked Yiling Patriarch. Tsk." Lan Xichen's smile, upon hearing this, turned cold.

"Sect Leader Wang, please do refrain from insulting our disciples and how we discipline and teach them." Sect Leader Wang immediately shut up as he saw the coldness in the usual gentle sect leader. Some Lan disciples had to surpass the urge to snicker as it is forbidden by the rules. Jin disciples, however, who were loyal to Jin Ling, laughed at the embarrassed face of Sect Leader Wang.

"So um.. where exactly are we?" Nie Huaisang asked, half of his face hidden behind his fan. Wei Wuxian frowned as he stepped forward, some cultivators half unsheathing their sword already.

"Yiling Patriarch! If you think you can get away with killing us here, think again!" Sect Leader Yao yelled. While Wei Wuxian ignored him, Lan Wangji went closer to his husband and sent a glare to Sect Leader Yao, making the sect leader cower in fear. Others who were about to slander Wei Wuxian stayed silent after seeing the cold expression on Hanguang-jun.

"It seems that this person that have brought us here is a very powerful cultivator." Lan Qiren spoke, slowly stroking his beard as he looked as though he was thinking. Frowning, Wei Wuxian gathered the resentful energy (the whispers were back).

Black mist immediately surrounded the room. Many gasped, horrified. Sect Leader Yao who was just cursing Wei Wuxian quieted in fear, his face pale. Many that has lived long enough to witness the Yiling Patriarch's fall shudder, remembering the bloodshed that had happened years ago.

"Our cores are sealed." Lan Wangji says as he tried to use his spiritual energy to no avail. Jiang Wanyin also tried to use Zidian, but the spiritual whip did not respond and stayed as a ring. Many tried as well, only to be disappointed as they could not also access their cores. Wei Wuxian was shocked by this. Which powerful cultivator would be able to seal golden cores? Not even an immortal would be able to do such thing. What if it was the Buri-

"I knew it! Only the Yiling Patriarch could do such thing!" A cultivator yelled. Wei Wuxian merely rolled his eyes as Lan Wangji held him closer.

"You all really overestimate me." Wei Wuxian muttered under his breath. Smiling softly at Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian cotinued to examine the resentful energy when Jin Ling's voice cut him off.

"Hey! What's this?" Jin Ling yelled, pointing at the glowing, black and red orb. Jiang Wanyin marched over to Jin Ling, but the young Jin sect leader had already touched the orb.

"Jin Ling!" Jiang Wanyin yelled in anger. If his golden core was not sealed, then Zidian would be cackling furiously.

"..Oops?" Jin Ling sheepishly smiled as he hid behind his friends. Lan Jingyi laughed at Jin Lings predicament while Lan Sizhui sighed. Ouyang Zizhen laughed with Lan Jingyi in amusement before he was hit in the back of his head by his father.

Before Wei Wuxian could approach the orb, a sudden light blinded them, and when they opened their eyes, an inn came into view.

Chapter Text

Inside the inn, a man suddenly ran inside, frantic. His face screamed joy and triumphant. Panting, sweat dripped down his temples as he yelled. "Great news! Wei Wuxian has died!" Those inside the inn suddenly paused, turning their heads with wide eyes. A woman suddenly dropped the chopsticks she was holding, and after a moment of silence, yells of joy erupt the whole inn.

"Finally!"

"Good riddance!"

"These pictures are moving!"

"What is this?" While others look to the vision with wide eyes, the said man stared with narrowed eyes.

"What the fuck?" Wei Wuxian cursed, raising an eyebrow. Lan Wangji held Wei Wuxian closer as he glared at the vision with cold, golden eyes. Jiang Wanyin's eyebrows twitched in anger, his hand twitching to use Zidian.

"The Yiling Patriarch died? Who could have killed him?" A man oblivious to the gossips asked. The same man laughed, "Who else other than his shidi, Jiang Cheng, putting an end to his relative for the greater good? Jiang Cheng led the four sects of Yunmeng Jiang, Lanling Jin, Gusu Lan, and Qinghe Nie to destroy his den -- the Yiling Burial Mounds!" The cheers got even more louder, praising Jiang Wanyin for his bravery.

Many murmurs in agreement with the cheers. While others, specifically Jiang Wanyin, Lan Wangji, Wen Qionglin, and the juniors frown or glare at the vision.

"They actually dare call a sect leader by their birth name?" Jiang Wanyin thundered, quieting the murmurs. Yunmeng Jiang disciples around Jiang Wanyin slowly moved away from their sect leader while others near the Jiang sect leader tremble in fear as they cower away from the sect leader.

"Good riddance! We finally eliminated this scourge!" The inn owner says triumphantly. Another man smirked, crossing his arms together as he continued to slander Wei Wuxian. "If not for Yunmeng Jiang Sect adopting and teaching him, he would have been a hobo living in the streets, causing mayhem as bold as one of these days. The head of Jiang sect raised him as one of his own child, and yet he defected and become the enemy of the cultivation world, bringing shame upon the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, and even causing it's almost near-extermination!"

Wei Wuxian curled to himself at those words. Lan Wangji pulled him into a protective embrace while Jiang Wanyin growled at the gossip, Jin Ling doing the same as well.

"Tsk. At least these people know how vile the Yiling Patriarch truly is!" Sect Leader Yao smirked, raising his head up. However, before he could speak more, his mouth was shut by the Lan silencing spell. Looking over to the Lans, Lan Wangji was glaring at him.

Sect Leader lowers his head in fear, trembling as Hanguang-jun continue to glare at him.

"I say, he is the prime example of biting the hand that feeds him!"

"What the hell?! They don't even know Wei-qianbei and their slandering his name like they know him well!" Lan Jingyi growled, forgetting for a moment that his sect leader, along with the elders of Gusu Lan and Lan Qiren could hear him. Lan Sizhui turned his head to Lan Jingyi to silence him, and only then did the latter remember that his sect was at the same room with him. Slamming his mouth shut with hand, Lan Jingyi was met with Lan Qiren's unimpressed gaze along with Lan Xichen's amused smiled.

A sigh escaped Lan Jingyi. He'll most definitely copy the rules for a year after this -- whatever this is.

The same man who delivered the news sighed. "Jiang Cheng has let this fellow live for way too long. If I were him at the defection, I wouldn't have just stabbed him. In fact, I would have thoroughly examined the disciples of the sect once again so that he doesn't do those crazy things he did! Who cares about the so called 'consideration' he gave to his childhood friend. Tsk."

Jiang Wanyin's hands tighten in a fist. "They dare comment about how I run my sect?" He scowled. A sigh escaped Wei Wuxian's lips as he snuggled closer to Lan Wangji.

A woman who stayed quiet then shook her head. "That's merely hearsay. Although Jiang Cheng was one of the main forces, he did not give Wei Wuxian the final blow. Because he cultivates the demonic path, his powers had backfired and he was ripped into pieces." After the woman's statement, the scene changed to Nightless City. A figure in black could be seen holding his head, laughing and sobbing in between.

It showed to reveal Wei Wuxian, looking more dead than alive.

His silver eyes glowed crimson red. Blood soiled his pale face as well as his robes. Chenqing was on the ground, ready to be played any second. Then, the scene changed once again, to the Burial Mounds this time.

Smoke fly up to the sky, as if something was burning. It then showed Wei Wuxian standing on top of a rock, the rest of the sects below him. The sects raise their swords, chanting for Wei Wuxian's demise as the demonic cultivator looked at them with tired eyes.

The scene changed back to the inn as black mist cover the whole vision.

"Wei-qianbei.. was that you..?" Ouyang Zizhen asked in a shaky tone. Wei Wuxian was in a daze earlier upon seeing his past self once again, but quickly snapped out of his stupor. Taking a sharp inhale, Wei Wuxian answered in a pained tone. "It is."

The juniors shift uncomfortably.

"Hahaha, that's karma! The ghost soldiers of his are like unleashed dogs, biting everyone they come across. It serves him right to be chewed to death!"

Lan Wangji tighten his hold on Wei Wuxian as he glared at the scene. He tried his very best to avoid these rumors and gossips after he was out of seclusion in the past. He knew that these were mere gossips of ignorant people who know nothing of what truly happened, but he still couldn't help but feel anger. Even now that his beloved is with him in his arms, hearing these gossips once again, Lan Wangji felt rage.

Lan Xichen sighed, knowing exactly what was making his brother riled up.

"But, if not for Jiang Cheng making a plan that aimed at Wei Wuxian's weakness, the siege might not have succeeded. Should I remind you folks the item that Wei Wuxian possesses? Did you forget about the day three thousand skilled cultivators were completely annihilated?" Another man spoke, raising an eyebrow. Many murmur in agreement.

"I heard it was more than three thousand, possibly five thousand."

"What's up with people exaggerating these numbers? Only a deity can kill three thousand or five thousand in one day!" Wei Wuxian huffed, crossing both his arms together. Sect Leader Yao scoffed, smirking as he spoke in a smug manner. "Only you the Yiling Patriarch could have the power to do that!"

He was immediately quieted down by Lan Wangji's glare.

"He's most certainly out of his mind."

"Fair enough." Wei Wuxian muttered to himself. However, Lan Wangji was close enough to hear this.

"Wei Ying."

Wei Wuxian pouted as he turned to his husband. "What? It's true! You can't lie, Lan Zhan! That's against the rules!"

Lan Wangji merely sighed before puling Wei Wuxian close once again. Although they've talked about it, his husband still can't stop with his self-deprecating habit.

"It's a good thing that he destroyed the evil weapon before he died. Otherwise, if it was left in the world to harm humankind, his sins would have been worse." The inn owner sighed. A woman, seemingly from Qinghe, sighed as she stared in thought. "Oh well.. you know, back then, Wei Wuxian was one of the most promising cultivators, coming from a highly distinguished sect and made a name for himself at a young age. How on earth did he end up how he is now?"

Jiang Wanyin closed his eyes, hands clenched on a fist. The reason was so simple, yet so painful. Many murmur in agreement as the Jiang sect leader go over a crisis. How did such a promising cultivator turn into a demonic cultivator, massacring thousands?

"This proves that one can only cultivate the honest path. Using these dishonest practices only seem beneficial at first glance. Look at what happened, not even a whole corpse was left of him." As the inn owner spoke his words, the scene changed to the ruins of the Burial Mounds. Smoke engulf the sky, the skies dark. In the middle was a puddle of blood, Chenqing bathing in it. Besides Chenqing was a torn red ribbon.

The scene changed back to the inn.

"Not everything was because of his demonic cultivation. Wei Wuxian's personality was quite immoral. One's deeds will be paid, one way or another; what goes around always comes around."

'What the hell?!" Jin Ling yelled, fury in his eyes. He had hated Wei Wuxian at first, believing he had killed his parents. However, now that his misunderstanding was cleared, his anger was no longer directed at Wei Wuxian. Instead, it was directed to those who still slander Wei Wuxian's name to the dirt, seemingly still believing that Jin Guangyao was innocent and was framed.

Lan Sizhui also felt rage. These people know nothing of Xian-gege, and yet they assume his personality? Lan Sizhui kept quiet, but anger stirred in his heart.

And Lan Wangji? He was glaring at the vision as he held his husband close.

Suddenly a rough voice spoke, "After Wei Wuxian died, the period is drawn on the topic. the discussions of people were mostly the same, with a few unconventional opinion brought down immediately."

"However, the elephant in the room stayed in the back of everyone's mind."

"Nobody could summon Wei Wuxian's soul, which meant it disappeared. It might have been torn apart by the million ghosts that devoured him. Or, it might have escaped."

"If it was the first, then all is well. Then again, nobody doubts the fact that the Yiling Patriarch has the power to move mountains and empty seas."

"All of you do know I raise corpses?" Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow. Those who have believed these felt their face go hot from embarrassment. But who could blame them? It was the Yiling Patriarch that they were talking about,a man who can create an army of undead with just a flute. A man who had the highest body count during the Sunshot Campaign.

"If i was the last, then his soul would return to revive his body. When the day comes, the cultivation world, or even all the mortal lands, would be faced with the most insane damnation and revenge, sinking into nothing but chaos and despair."

"That was like the opposite that happened." Jin Ling spoke, rolling his eyes. Seeing Wei Wuxian in a new light, Jin Ling couldn't help but think that these rumors are truly ridiculous. A man who raise the undead couldn't be so powerful that he can move mountains or empty seas. It was obvious that these gossips and rumors were exaggerated, just like any other gossips.

Ouyang Zizhen snorted at the words spoken by the mysterious voice. What damnation? What revenge? The only thing that happened after the Yiling Patriarch's revival was the truth finally coming to light. And of course, the continuation of the love story between Hanguang-jun and the Yiling Patriarch.

"Various sects set one hundred and twenty stone beasts on top of the Burial Mounds and initiated frequent soul-summoning rituals, followed by heightened vigilance and searches for strange occurrences from all over the world."

"In the first year, nothing happened."

"In the second year, nothing happened."

"In the third year, nothing happened."

...

"In the thirteenth year, nothing happened either."

"More and more people started to believe that maybe, the Yiling Patriarch actually perished. Even if he was capable of turning the world upside down, it was his turn to be toppled over."

"After all, nobody would remain at the top for all of eternity -- legends are only legends."

The scene suddenly changed. showing the moon.

"Why are we being shown this?" A rogue cultivator asked. Lan Xichen shared looks with Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji before moving forward, a smile on his face.

"Fellow cultivators, I'm sure the good friend that have locked us all here have good intentions. How about we find out what our good friend has to show us, then find out a way to leave? If this is something important, then perhaps we could help our good friend." Lan Xichen gently spoke. Many murmurs in agreement, as it was Zewu-jun that spoke. Reluctantly, everyone sat on the rocks.

Suddenly, the scene changed into a donkey shed.

Chapter Text

The donkey shed looked as if someone destroyed it. A donkey is shown wailing, looking like it wanted to run away. It then showed a young man covered in excessive rouge. The young man looked like a hanged ghost, scaring almost half of the cultivators watching. The features of Jin Guangshan were obvious in the youth's face. Anyone could tell that the youth was a bastard child as the longer they stare, the more they were reminded of Jin Guangshan.

It was Mo Xuanyu.

A circular array was seen below Mo Xuanyu. Using his own blood as medium, Mo Xuanyu spoke, "With my blood,"

"drawn by my hand," Dark energy started to gather around the donkey shed, all going towards Mo Xuanyu.

"I sacrifice my body to you,"

"my soul shall disappear.."

"Humbly I await you, Yiling Patriarch, Wei Wuxian!" The donkey started to pull away, but the leash of it was keeping the donkey from running away. Mo Xuanyu's wobbling shadow was shown, and then, the youth passed out.

"Wei-qianbei! Was this how you were resurrected?" Ouyang Zizhen questioned Wei Wuxian with sparking eyes. Many cultivators had looked away, mostly scared of the hanged ghost look of Mo Xuanyu. Wei Wuxian stared at the vision with narrowed eyes before nodding slowly, his lips open. How the fuck did this orb show this?

Someone muttered something about how stupid Mo Xuanyu must have been resurrecting the Yiling Patriarch, but it was not loud enough to be heard.

The scene changed to black, and then, distant voices can be heard. The black slowly disappeared as if it was someone's vision. Everything was blurry, but everyone could see a figure dressed in orange robes. Everyone could hear the sound of shattering in the background, but the sound was distant as well. Suddenly, they could see Mo Xuanyu getting kicked by the figure who now looked clear. The figure was a fat man, glaring at Mo Xuanyu with hatred and disgust.

The man thundered, "Stop playing dead!"

Wei Wuxian suddenly jumped, startled. He recognizes this. This was the moment he woke up in Mo Xuanyu's body. The man shown in the vision was Mo Xuanyu's cousin, although he had already forgotten the young master's name. But anyways, he knows this.

"What the fuck?! How is this orb showing this?!" Wei Wuxian yelled, earning confused looks from others.

"What do you mean, Wuxian?" Lan Xichen asked, confused. Lan Wangji stared at his husband with concern, but decided to let him finish what he was saying.

"This was the moment I woke up as Mo Xuanyu! How could this orb show this the exact same way it happened?!" At the words of Wei Wuxian, many got creeped out. Jiang Wanyin was surprised as well, like everybody else. Lan Wangji was now staring at the orb with hard eyes.

"If what Wei Wuxian had said is the truth, then how can this orb show us this?" Jiang Wanyin spoke. Although Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi tried to look tough, but the two were terrified and creeped out.

Wen Qionglin frowned. He did not like the idea of Young Master Wei's privacy being disregarded easily. And he was not the only one. Wei Wuxian turned to Lan Xichen and faced the Lan sect leader. "Is there really no way out? This is disregarding my privacy!" A cultivator was heard snickering in the background, clearly having no care about how uncomfortable Wei Wuxian is. After all, Wei Wuxian is still the evil Yiling Patriarch.

Lan Xichen shook his head and Wei Wuxian stared in disbelief.

Jiang Wanyin glared at the vision before trying again to unleash Zidian to no avail. Their golden cores were still sealed.

Fuck.

"Do we.. need to keep watching then..?" Nie Huaisang spoke hesitantly. Wei Wuxian stared in the distance for a while before sighing and nodding grudgingly.

This was going to be a disaster.

The kick threw Wei Wuxian backwards, his head hitting the ground first.

Lan Wangji glared at Mo Ziyuan.

'That's quite a lot of courage you have to kick me, the Yiling Patriarch.'  Wei Wuxian's voices spoke with echoes, although Wei Wuxian did not open his mouth.

Seeing this, Wei Wuxian was in disbelief and is feeling more discomfort. Those are his thoughts. What the fuck?

"Those are my thoughts! How can it show my thoughts?!" Wei Wuxian yelled. Nie Huaisang yelped as he was surprised by Wei Wuxian suddenly yelling while Jiang Wanyin stared in disbelief.

Murderous intent was radiating off Lan Wangji now.

Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren were also clearly uncomfortable with this fact and shared looks with each other. Lan Qiren nodded and Lan Xichen turned to the Lan disciples.

"Try seeing if there are other ways to leave." Lan Xichen ordered. the Lans nodded and scattered around, looking for an exit. Ouyang Zizhen and Jin Ling clearly look just as uncomfortable as Wei Wuxian is.

However, after a minute, the Lan disciples came back with disappointed looks. "We cannot find any other way to exit." A Lan disciples bowed. Wei Wuxian stared at the orb in disbelief. Jiang Wanyin looked uncomfortable, while Lan Wangji was holding his husband's waist whilst glaring at the orb. The juniors looked weirded out, their expressions the exact same when they saw Wei Wuxian's wrist tied with Lan Wangji's forehead ribbon.

Nie Huaisang, on the other hand, hid half of his face and stared with narrowed eyes at the orb. This could not possibly be a doing of a cultivator, no matter how powerful they were. Suspicion crept up to Nie Huaisang.

'Could it really be..?'

Lan Qiren took a deep breath and spoke again.

"It seems that we have no way out. We will have to watch this, whether we like it or not." Lan Qiren stated. Wei Wuxian took a deep breath before laying his head on Lan Wangji's shoulders. A frown was plastered on the lips of the demonic cultivator.

Wei Wuxian was clearly feeling annoyed with the voice. It was his first time hearing a human voice after quite a few years, after all. Let alone such a loud and annoying one. His head swirled and his ears buzzed as Mo Ziyuan continued to yell. "Whose land do you think you're living on? Whose rice are you eating? Whose money are you spending? What's wrong with taking a few of your belongings? Everything you own should be mine, anyways!" Mo Ziyuan said with venom.

Some had already forgotten their discomfort, now annoyed with Mo Ziyuan. One woman from a small clan clicked her tongue. "Who's this brat anyways?! If this brat was my child, I would've slapped them to shape!" No one argued with the woman. They in fact even agreed with her.

Despite feeling uncomfortable, Wei Wuxian can't help but slightly chuckle, remembering how mad Mo Xuanyu's cousin got when he humiliated him.

"How dare you tell mother and father? Did you really think anybody in this house is going to listen to you? You actually thought I was scared of you!"

"I wonder how no one thought that this cousin of Mo Xuanyu as a lunatic." Jin Ling muttered under his breath. Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen nodded in agreement, while Lan Sizhui sighed.

A manservant then came into view. "Young Master, everything is smashed!"

Mo Ziyuan asked as he faced the servant, "How did you finish it this quickly?"

The manservant replied. "There's nothing much inside this shack anyways."

Mo Ziyuan was clearly pleased, poking Wei Wuxian forcefully on the nose. "You dared tell on me, and now look at you, playing dead on the ground! For whom? As if anyone actually wants these piles of junk! Now that I've smashed everything, let's see how you're gonna tell on me in the future! Are you proud of yourself just because you've studied cultivation for a few years? Well, how does it feel when you've been kicked back home like a stray dog?"

Lan Wangji glared at the vision as he tightened his hold on Wei Wuxian's waist, though not tight enough to hurt the latter. Although he knows that the insults were directed at Mo Xuanyu, Mo Ziyuan hurting Wei Ying was enough to enrage him.

Wei Wuxian seems to have noticed his husband's reaction and smiled knowingly. His husband is just too amazing!

Wei Wuxian thought wearily.

I'm not pretending dead at all. I've actually been dead for a couple of years.

Who is this?

Where am I?

When did I do something as immoral as stealing another's body?

Plenty of cultivators in the room scoffed. Sect Leader Yao, with his usual big mouth, spoke. "You dare to feign ignorance of all the immoral things you've done? Truly the Yiling Patriarch!" Sect Leader Yao laughed. Many murmured, spouting insults towards Wei Wuxian. Jiang Wanyin's eyebrows twitched while Lan Wangji could feel his blood boil.

Wei Ying has been proved innocent, so why can't others accept that?

Suddenly, when Sect Leader Yao was about to speak again, he couldn't. His lips were clamped shut. When he looked at the Lans, Lan Wangji was glaring at him.

That shut up Sect Leader Yao.

Mo Ziyuan then kicked Wei Wuxian and wrecked the house. He was strutted out by his two man-servants, slamming the door with a 'bang'. He shouted his orders, "Watch carefully. Don't let him outside anytime this month, or he'll make a fool of himself again!" As the group went away, silence fell upon the room. Wei Wuxian tried getting up, but his limbs were unable to uphold themselves, so he laid down again.

A bronze mirror rest on his side, probably thrown onto the ground. Wei Wuxian grabbed it and looked at himself, only to see a ghastly pale face, with two asymmetrical piles of red on each side of his cheek. Add a blood-red tongue onto the features and he would look like a hanged ghost. He tossed the mirror aside and wiped his face, finding his hands covered with white powder.

Fortunately, the body wasn't born this way--it was only one of the owner's penchants.

Jiang Wanyin snorted. "What? You thought someone could be born that way?" Jin Ling laughed loudly at that.

Wei Wuxian pouted, but chose to ignore his brother. He was just bitter since the orb was showing him! (Though he still felt uncomfortable about that, though.)

After some energy finally came back to him, he sat up, noticing the circular array beneath him.

The array was scarlet in color and crooked in shape, appearing to be drawn by hand, using blood as medium, still damp and emitting a strong scent. The array was filled with warped scribbles of incantations, which were somewhat smudge by his body.

After all, Wei Wuxian was known as the Supreme Leader and Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, so he was most certainly accustomed to vile-looking arrays such as this one.

"Ohh! I wonder what kind of array that is?" A junior from a small sect wondered. The junior's sect leader unfortunately heard this, as the sect leader glared at the junior.

"Don't question it! You shouldn't involve yourself with the Yiling Patriarch!" The junior didn't listen, staring at the vision with wide eyes.

Lan Jingyi, who saw this, would've laughed if not for the fact that Lan Qiren was in the same room as him.

It turned out that, in fact, he did not seized another's body-- he was offered one.

"Foolish child, resurrecting a vile man just for revenge." A rogue cultivator muttered under her breath.

It was an ancient, forbidden technique. Compared to an array, it resembled a curse more. The caster of the array injures themselves by creating incisions on their body, and draws the array and writes the incantations using their own blood, finishing by siting in the center of the array. They can then summon an extremely villainous ghoul and ask for it to complete their wish. The price to pay was to offer their body to the evil spirit, with their own soul returning back to Earth.

This forbidden technique was the opposite of stealing one's body-- offering one's body.

"Wow. That must hurt." Ouyang Zizhen winced, subconsciously touching his hand. Jin Ling, who was sitting next to Ouyang Zizhen, agreed to the Ouyang sect heir's statement.

Because of the grave sacrifices, only few people who were brave enough put it into effect. After all, there were hardly any wishes strong enough for a living person to willingly sacrifice everything that they own. Over thousand of years, only three or four examples have been proven to be true and recorded by history. Without exception, the three or four people's wishes were the same-- to take revenge.

"Mo Xuanyu really hated Jin Guangyao, huh?" A Jin disciple spoke. It made perfect sense as to why Mo Xuanyu brought Wei Wuxian back, even knowing the price. He was kicked out of the Jin sect, and when he came back to the Mo Village, he was disgraced and abused.

Who else would be the perfect man to take revenge for him but the Yiling Patriarch?

Nie Huaisang covered half of his face with his fan, a knowing smile on his lips.

Wei Wuxian refused to accept this.

Why would he be put in the category of 'extremely villainous ghouls'?

"Why wouldn't you be?" Jiang Wanyin deadpanned. Wei Wuxian pouted, crossing both his arms together.

"Because I'm an angel, obviously!" Jiang Wanyin faked gagged while Lan Wangji smiled softly. Jin Ling, who was watching his uncles, tilted his head. A confused look visible on his face.

'Since when did Jiujiu and Uncle Wei talked to each other properly?'

Although his reputation wasn't great and he had died in a horrifying way, he neither haunts the living nor' seeks vengeance. He could swear that one can't find another wandering ghost as harmless as him.

Lan Qiren stroked his beard, his expression telling that the old man clearly thinks otherwise. Jiang Wanyin snorted while Wei Wuxian pouted, seeing the mocking look in the Jiang sect leader's face.

Lan Wangji smiled and held his husband closer. Sect Leader Yao, who was about to spit some insults towards Wei Wuxian decided to stay quiet, seeing the cold glare that Lan Wangji was giving him.

"Wei-qianbei's right! There's no other ghosts as harmless as him!" A junior who admires Wei Wuxian proudly agreed. The junior's parents looked like they were five seconds away from qi deviation. Wei Wuxian looked surprise but immediately laughed in amusement.

"See? The junior agrees with me! And kids don't lie, you know?" Wei Wuxian pointedly looked at the back, where Sect Leader Yao and his friends sit. Lan Wangji wore a stoic face, but Lan Xichen could see the proud look of his brother.

'Ah, Wangji.' Lan Xichen smiled with amusement.

The difficult part was that, as soon as the evil spirit has taken over the body of the caster, the contract is sealed by default. The evil spirit must grant their wish, or else the curse will cause a backlash. The spirit in possession of the body will be annihilated, never to be born again!

"But you're okay now, right Wei-qianbei?" Lan Sizhui asked with concern. Wei Wuxian smiled and lifted both of his sleeves.

"Of course I am! I'm the Yiling Patriarch, you know? Such thing don't bother me!"

Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, sounds of footsteps could be heard. Everyone turned their heads to where the sound was coming from. Lan Wangji immediately put himself as a protective barrier for Wei Wuxian, while Nie disciples stood in front of Nie Huaisang.

A woman wearing purple then came from nowhere, followed by a man in yellow. Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian's breath both hitched as they watched the woman and man look around, confused.

It was both Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan!

Chapter Text

Jiang Yanli looked exactly what she looked like before she died. She was still wearing the same white mourning clothes during her last moments, and there were dark circles from crying under her eyes. Her complexion was pale, but she was still as beautiful as ever. Her soft features were just as the same as Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin remembered. Memories of Jiang Yanli’s lifeless body bathing in her own blood assaulted the minds of Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin, but those memories were ignored.

She was here.

She’s here, alive. She’s here.

But how?

Not just Jiang Yanli, but Jin Zixuan looked the same as when he died as well. He still wore the extravagant and vibrant robes that were stained with his own blood during his last moments.

Wen Qionglin took a step backwards and lowered his head with pursed lips.

The couple looked around in confusion until they saw each other, surprised. They ran to each other’s arms with smiles on their faces.

Everyone watched the scene with wide eyes and agape mouths. How could Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, who both died decades ago, be here? How powerful is the person who brought them here?

The couple parted with each other. Tears were streaming down their cheeks. Jiang Yanli sniffed and looked around, searching. When she saw Jiang Wanyin, she immediately ran to him.

“A-Cheng…” Jiang Yanli sobbed.

Her brother… He’s grown up now...

It felt as though her death was just yesterday, but she knew that a long time had passed. Her brother looked older than the last time she saw him. How long has it been?

“A-jie..” Jiang Wanyin sobbed as he hugged Jiang Yanli. Jiang Yanli smiled softly as she hugged her brother back.

Wei Wuxian smiled, but his smile was quickly replaced with a frown as he bowed his head.

No matter how much his husband reassured him, he still felt guilty for the death of Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan deep inside. If he hadn’t lost control… If he didn't attend Jin Ling’s one month celebration... It was stupid of him to attend anyway. He was the Yiling Patriarch who everyone hated.

Jiang Yanli and Jiang Wanyin sniffed as they both broke the hug. The former wiped away her tears and asked, “A-Cheng, where’s A-Xian…? He’s alive, right? How about A-Ling? Where is he?”

Jiang Wanyin replied, “Don’t worry, A-Jie. Wei Wuxian’s alive.”

“Then where is he?” Jiang Yanli asked again.

The Jiang sect leader sighed. How should he explain Wei Wuxian’s situation to his sister?

Meanwhile, Jin Ling looked at Jin Zixuan, then at Jiang Yanli. His lips were trembling, and his eyes were glossy.

They both looked similar to the portraits he saw. Was this real? He really isn’t dreaming? His parents… They’re really here, right now?

Wei Wuxian glanced at Jin Ling and wiped his own tears. He placed his hand on the young sect leader’s shoulder and smiled. “What are you still doing here? Aren’t you gonna go to your parents?”

“It’s really them…?” Jin Ling said with a strained voice. Tears continuously spilled from his eyes.

Wei Wuxian nodded. The corners of Jin Ling’s lips curled into a trembling smile as he sobbed and ran to his father.

Jin Zixuan looked around with furrowed eyebrows. Everyone had matured and became respectable people, and it felt weird. There were also some faces he didn’t see, like his father, Chifeng-zun, and A-Yao.

He stared at the disciples from the Lanling Jin Sect and thought, ‘One of these youth is A-Ling, right?”

As he looked around, he sensed a presence beside him. He turned around and saw a young disciple from his sect approaching him with… tears?

The boy looked familiar. Jin Zixuan didn’t know why, but his eyes were tearing up again as he stared at the boy. He looked at the sword of the boy and-

Oh. Oh.

His son. This was his son, wasn’t it? His son… A-Ling…

“A-Ling?” Jin Zixuan called out in a shaky voice.

The boy, his son, replied, “A-Die…”

Jin Zixuan’s hands trembled as he reached out to Jin Ling, who slowly walked towards his father. Jin Zixuan pulled Jin Ling into a hug as soon as his fingertips touched the younger's shoulder.

Jiang Yanli approached the father and son duo with a smile on her face. “A=Ling?” said Jiang Yanli.

Jin Ling turned around and gave a shaky smile to Jiang Yanli. “A-Niang…!”

Jiang Yanli embraced her son with Jin Zixuan, sobbing. “I’m sorry for leaving you… My son…”

Wei Wuxian watched the family with a smile on his face. Lan Wangji held his hand and looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. He spoke, “Wei Ying.”

As he said this, he raised his hand to wipe away the tears on Wei Wuxian’s cheeks. The demonic cultivator sniffed and shook his head. “Don’t worry about me, Lan Zhan.”

Lan Wangji replied, “I will always worry about you.”

“You should go introduce yourself to A-Jie. I told her about your situation.” Jiang Wanyin said, approaching Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian turned his head to face Jiang Wanyin. The latter continued, “She was looking for you, but then she heard Jin Ling and immediately went to him.”

The Jiang sect leader briefly glanced at Lan Wangji. “You should also tell A-Jie that you’re married to him.”

“Ah, well…” Wei Wuxian’s voice trailed off as he avoided Jiang Wanyin’s gaze. He scratched the back of his neck with pursed lips.

“Tsk.” Jiang Wanyin turned around and shook his head. “Why are you shy? I’ll tell A-Jie myself if you won’t.”

Lan Wangji stared at Jiang Wanyin with a frown. He encircled his arms around Wei Wuxian’s waist and asked, “Are you okay?”

Wei Wuxian nodded. His lips curled into a small smile as he turned his head and stared into his husband’s concerned eyes. “I told you, right? Don’t worry about me.”

Lan Wangji glanced at Jiang Yanli, Jin Zixuan, and Jin Ling, then asked, “Are you gonna go to them?”

“I don’t know… I want to, though, and I should. I can’t act like they’re strangers.” Wei Wuxian quietly replied.

“Don’t force yourself if you’re not ready.”

Wei Wuxian chuckled. “Mn. I won’t, my loving husband.”

As the two conversed with each other, Lan Xichen was busy trying to ease everyone.

“Everyone, please calm down.” The Gusu Lan sect leader pleaded with an awkward smile.

The whole room was in chaos. Everyone was talking; they were still in disbelief. Every time the cultivators glanced at Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, they would chat with their friends and make assumptions with them.

Were they brought here by a demon? A god? An immortal?

Lan Qiren shook his head and sighed. The noise was going to give him a headache. He thought, ‘Whoever brought us here should reveal themselves.’

“Since the person or creature that brought us here brought back Young Master Jin and Second Madam Jin, why can’t they do the same for our families?” A cultivator from a minor sect complained.

"Right! It’s unfair if they only bring back Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli!”

“Exactly! It’s unfair!”

The awkward smile on Lan Xichen’s lips disappeared. With knitted eyebrows, he spoke in a rather loud voice, “Everybody, please calm down! We must have peace and order so that we’ll be able to think properly.”

A rogue cultivator crossed their arms together and scoffed. He stared at Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli, then approached them. He bowed at the two. “Greetings to Young Master Jin and Second Madam Jin.”

Jiang Yanli was looking around while her husband’s arms were wrapped around her, her hands on top of Jin Ling’s shoulders. As she looked around, her eyebrows were furrowed, and she had a frown on her face.

A-Cheng mentioned that A-Xian… was in a different body. Because he died. He died.

Her sacrifice was all in vain, because A-Xian still died and Jiang Yanli might cry again.

She looked at the rogue cultivator and saluted as well. Jin Zixuan asked, “Greetings…?”

The rogue cultivator gulped, then quickly spoke, “Did the two of you do something that brought you two here? Please answer!”

“What are you doing?!” the friend of the rogue cultivator scolded as she ran to him. She took her friend’s wrist and bowed to Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan. “My apologies for my friend’s boldness.”

Jiang Yanli replied, “It’s fine. We don’t know as well on how we got here.”

The rogue cultivator sighed upon hearing the reply of Jiang Yanli. He let his friend drag him away as he blankly stared at the ground.

“Wei Wuxian… He’s not here?” Jin Zixuan said. He noticed Wen Qionglin standing alone at a corner, looking at anything but him.

“I don’t know where he is…” Jiang Yanli said, dejected. A-Cheng said that A-Xian was here as well, so why won’t he come to her? Why?

“Uncle Wei Is there, beside Hanguang-jun.” Jin Ling said, pointing at Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. He continued, “He’s the man wearing black and red clothes with a red ribbon.”

His Uncle Wei clearly wants to talk to his mother with the way he keeps staring at them, so why won’t he approach them? He’ll have to talk to her anyway, even if he acts like he’s not Wei Wuxian. He’s in the body of Mo Xuanyu, his father’s half-brother, after all.

Jiang Yanli looked at the boy Jin Ling was pointing at, her lips trembling as she does so.

A-Xian’s body looks so similar. His features reminded her of Jin Guangshan and her husband. His style was definitely her brother’s style, and the longer Jiang Yanli stared at him, the more she saw Wei Wuxian.

“A-Xian…” she called out in a shaky voice as she slowly approached Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian was startled by the voice of his shijie. He gulped and turned around, eyes wide with tears threatening to fall. He stared at Jiang Yanli, his hands trembling.

He quietly replied, “Shijie…”

Lan Wangji let go of Wei Wuxian and stepped backwards. He quietly watched his husband and Jiang Yanli with a small smile on his lips.

Wei Wuxian lowered his head and shakily whispered, “I’m sorry, shijie… I’m sorry…”

Jiang Yanli touched Wei Wuxian’s cheeks and wiped his tears. “What are you sorry for?”

“I… You and Jin Zixuan…”

Jiang Yanli shook her head. She spoke with furrowed eyebrows, “I didn’t die because of you. It’s not your fault, okay? I’m not angry at you for the death of A-Xuan either.”

“But if it wasn’t for me…! If I hadn’t lost control…” Wei Wuxian protested. He looked away at Jiang Yanli and stared at the ground instead.

Jiang Yanli bit the bottom of her lip. She knows that, no matter how much she tells Wei Wuxian that it wasn’t his fault, his mind wouldn’t change at all. She can’t change his mind with only a few words.

She sighed. “A-Xian… Don’t blame yourself too much, okay? A-Xuan and I don’t blame you.”

Wei Wuxian was silent for a few moments, then nodded. He slowly turned his head in Jiang Yanli’s direction, lips trembling. Jiang Yanli smiled. “I missed you a lot, A-Xian.”

Wei Wuxian sniffed and hugged Jiang Yanli. Jiang Wanyin stared at them with a small smile on his lips.

“I’ve never seen Senior Wei cry like that before…” Lan Jingyi whispered to Lan Sizhui.

The latter replied, “He just reunited with his shijie. Of course, he’ll cry. Everyone would if they ever have the chance to be reunited with their family, whom they haven’t seen in a long time.”

He stared at them for a little longer, then smiled. “It’s touching to watch their reunion.”

Lan Jingyi nodded. “I agree. Ah… I feel like I’ll cry too if I watch them any longer.”

Jin Zixuan watched his wife and Wei Wuxian, then asked his son with furrowed eyebrows, "I'm confused... How can Wei Wuxian be in a different body?"

Jin Ling sighed. “It’s a long story, A-Die.”

“What else? He died, then got resurrected.” Jiang Wanyin suddenly said, startling the father-and-son duo.

“… So he seized that body?” Jin Zixuan muttered.

Jiang Wanyin sighed. He spoke, “No, he was brought back by Mo Xuanyu.”

Jin Zixuan nodded. Jiang Wanyin should tell him about Mo Xuanyu’s blood ties with him, but he’ll know soon, anyway. He doesn’t need to bother to do so.

“Anyway, there’s this orb that shows the events of the past. No one knows how much it will show. It already showed Wei Wuxian’s resurrection.” Jiang Wanyin said, as if he was talking about his breakfast for the day.

Jin Zixuan raised an eyebrow. “… What? What the fuck? Such a thing exists?”

Jiang Wanyin nodded. Huh, really? Jin Zixuan never imagined such a thing to exist… Then again, the world is full of surprises. He looked at Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian again, then noticed the latter holding hands with Lan Wangji.

Wait, what?

“Hey, since when did Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian hold hands?” He asked.

Jiang Wanyin replied, “They’re married. Of course they’ll hold hands.”

“They do that every day. They’re really shameless too — they love showing affection in public!” Jin Ling added. It was really embarrassing to see the two flirt and talk about their sex life during night-hunts. Can’t they talk about that in private? God.

Jin Zixuan spun his head to Jin Ling and Jiang Wanyin. His eyes were wide, and he looked like he just witnessed his father having sex with another prostitute. “What?!”

Didn’t Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji fight a lot? Jin Zixuan has nothing against the idea of same-sex relationships — he just couldn’t imagine Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji being in a romantic relationship! Not to mention, married?!

Jiang Wanyin snorted. It was funny seeing Jin Zixuan expression.

“A-Xuan, come. A-Xian and Hanguang-jun are married! It’s a surprise, isn’t it?” Jiang Yanli called out with a smile.

She was surprised when A-Xian held Lan Wangji's hand and told her that they were married, but she was happy that her brother found happiness. She wondered if A-Cheng did as well. Seeing that there were no woman or man who are intimate with him at the moment, he’s probably still single.

That’s fine. Getting into a relationship wasn't the only thing that could make a person happy. However, a lot of elders are probably nagging him to get married soon…

Jin Zixuan and Jin Ling walked towards the three. The former stared at Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji the whole time, thinking, ‘I still can’t believe it…’

Wei Wuxian cleared his throat and looked away.

“They’re really married, huh.” Jin Zixuan muttered.

Jiang Wanyin, who followed him and Jin Ling, snorted, “Stop saying the same thing over and over. It’s not the end of the world. Get over it.”

Jin Zixuan glared at him. He cleared his throat and returned his stare to Wei Wuxian. It was silent for a moment before the latter spoke. “I’m sorry.”

The former's eyes widened. It was weird to hear Wei Wuxian, who strongly disliked him, apologize. However, he should've expected this. It wasn't like the matter Wei Wuxian was apologizing for was him punching Jin Zixuan in the face. He would never apologize for that.

“It was an accident. Don’t blame yourself too much.” Jin Zixuan said. As he spoke, his gaze went to Wen Qionglin.

The fierce corpse seems to have something to tell him, but doesn’t have the courage to. Wei Wuxian followed Jin Zixuan’s gaze and stared at Wen Qionglin as well.

His friend must want to apologize to Jin Zixuan…

Wei Wuxian turned his head to Lan Wangji and whispered, “I’ll just go get Wen Ning. He seems to have something to say to Jin Zixuan.”

The latter nodded and let go of Wei Wuxian’s hand. The demonic cultivator approached Wen Qionglin with a smile. “Wen Ning, what are you doing here? You look so nervous.”

The fierce corpse looked down and fiddled with his fingers. “I… I want to apologize to Young Master Jin…” He paused for a moment, then continued, “But I… I can’t bring myself to face him…”

Wei Wuxian placed a hand on Wen Qionglin’s shoulder. “I understand. However, you must do it now. You might not get the chance to do so later.”

His master was right. It’s just that he can’t bring himself to walk and face Jin Zixuan. He was the one who killed him, yet Jin Zixuan’s gaze suggested he didn’t detest him for that. He could be wrong, of course, but if Jin Zixuan doesn’t actually hate him…

Why?

Wen Qionglin looked up. Wei Wuxian’s smile widened as he took the fierce corpse’s wrist. “Come on. Jin Zixuan probably has something to tell you as well.”

As Wei Wuxian dragged him towards Jin Zixuan, Wen Qionglin tried to calm himself. He… He can do this. It was only right to apologize immediately to Young Master Jin for killing him. For taking away Sect Leader Jin’s chance to grow up with a father.

Jiang Yanli softly patted her husband’s back with a small smile as they watched Wen Qionglin and Wei Wuxian approach. Jin Zixuan took a deep breath.

As soon as Wei Wuxian and Wen Qionglin halted their steps in front of Jin Zixuan, the latter kneeled. “I’m sorry, Young Master Jin!”

Jin Zixuan spluttered in surprise, “I- what- you don’t need to kneel! It was an accident. I don’t hate you at all, okay?”

As he spoke, he looked at Wei Wuxian with a pleading look. The demonic cultivator sighed and shook his head. He also wanted to stop his friend from kneeling, but this was his friend’s way of apologizing. If this is what would lessen his guilt, then he’ll let Wen Ning be.

Wen Qionglin shook his head. “No! I… I was the one who killed you! I’m sorry, Young Master Jin!”

Jin Zixuan glared at Wei Wuxian. Since the bastard won’t help him, he turned to his wife. He whispered, “What do I do?!”

“Accept his apology if you want to.” Jiang Wanyin said nonchalantly.

Jin Zixuan let out an exasperated exhale. Stupid Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin… They weren't helpful at all! As much as he hated to admit it, he was hopeless during emotional conversations or confrontations.

He didn't want the fierce corpse to kneel in front of him any longer, so he spoke with a defeated tone, “Alright. I accept your apology. Know that I don’t hate you, though. Please stand up now.”

Wen Qionglin nodded and slowly stood up. He kept his gaze on the ground. He still can’t look at Jin Zixuan properly.

“The orb! It’s starting again!” A rogue cultivator pointed out.

Everyone’s gazes turned toward the orb. Wei Wuxian spoke, “I guess we’ll continue our conversation later?”

Jiang Yanli replied, “We will. We have a lot to talk about.”

She knows that life must’ve been lonely to A-Cheng. Her heart ached when she thought about him raising Jin Ling and leading Yunmeng Jiang alone. She was proud of him for being strong.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian raised his hands, to find that, unsurprisingly, both of his wrists were crisscrossed with multiple cuts. He proceeded to take of his belt. Under the black clothes, his chest and stomach areas were also covered with what seemed to be lacerations from a sharp tool.

Lan Wangji wrapped his hands around Wei Wuxian's wrists, trying to feel if there was still any wounds from the sacrificial ritual that Mo Xuanyu did. Wei Wuxian was surprised at first, then chuckled as he held Lan Wangji's hand and squeezed them reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Lan Zhan. Their gone now!" Wei Wuxian smiled to his husband. Lan Wangji sighed and softly smiled back, fondness visible in his eyes as he stared lovingly at his husband. Jiang Wanyin, who was witnessing all of this, was on the verge of throwing up.

'Shameless fuckers.'

"Wow.. this orb really does seem to show memories." Jin Zixuan spoke in astonishment. It surprised him a lot. Never did he ever think that such thing exist in this world.

..But then again, if one can control corpses and command them by using a dizi, then such thing was bound to exist.

Although the bleeding has stopped, Wei Wuxian knew that these weren't normal wounds. If he didn't fulfill the wish of the body's owner, the wounds would not be able to heal. It would worsen as time goes on, and by the time limit passes, his soul and the body would be ripped apart.

"I wonder what kind of wish did Mo Xuanyu had to sacrifice his body to the Yiling Patriarch?" A curious rogue cultivator asked to particularly no one. Wei Wuxian, who heard the rogue cultivator, only sighed with pity.

Wei Wuxian confirmed his situation several times, repeating "how can this happen to me?" in his heart even more times, and could finally stand upright, leaning against the wall.

Even though the house was large in size, it was empty and shabby, with sheets and blankets looking like they haven't changed in a long time. There was a bamboo basket in the corner. It was supposed to be for storing trash, but, having been kicked over earlier, the scraps all tumbled out onto the ground.

"Master Mo was treated really poorly by his family, huh." Lan Sizhui muttered to himself, feeling sympathy for Mo Xuanyu. He hoped that he was in a better place now.

Wei Wuxian scanned around the room and picked up a crumbled piece of paper. He unfolded it and was surprised to see it crammed with words. He hurriedly gathered all of the paper. The words on the paper must have been written by the owner of this body to vent when he felt stressed. Some sentences were incoherent and disordered; anxiety leaped off of the page through the distorted handwriting.

Wei Wuxian sat through every single piece of paper, and began to notice that something was very wrong.

"You understood what Mo Xuanyu wrote?" Jin Ling spoke in surprise. Wei Wuxian crossed both of his arms and smiled smugly. "Of course I do! It was very easy to read."

Jin Ling squinted his eyes and slightly moved forward, intensely staring at Mo Xuanyu's writing. Jiang Yanli chuckled and ruffled Jin Ling's hair tenderly. Jin Ling paused, a look of surprise on his face. Jiang Yanli furrowed her eyebrows together as she stared at her son with concern.

"A-Ling, are you okay?" Jiang Yanli asked. Jin Ling merely nodded.

He took a few guesses and roughly understood the state of things. It turned out to be that the owner of this body was named Mo Xuanyu. His location was called Mo Village.

Mo Xuanyu's grandfather was from a rich family of the area. His family was few in number, and, although he tried at it, he only had two daughters. Their names were not mentioned, but the elder one was the daughter of his principal wife, looking for a husband to marry into the family, while the younger one was the daughter of a servant. The Mo family originally wanted to hastily give her to someone, but an adventure awaited her. When she was sixteen, the leader of a well-known cultivation family was passing by the area, and fell in love with her at first sight.

Jin Zixuan could feel others in the room glance at him. The first time he had seen Mo Xuanyu, he already had a feeling that he might be his half-brother. Anyone could tell that Mo Xuanyu was another illegitimate child of Jin Guangshan just by looking at his face. If his mother was here at the moment, she would be fuming, cursing Jin Guangshan.

Jin Ling couldn't help but wonder, why does his grandfather love to fool around so much? He already had a wife, and yet he still sleeps with other women. How did his grandmother manage in the past with a husband like his grandfather?

Everyone admires cultivators. Cultivation families, in the eyes of common folk, are like people favored by God, mysterious yet noble.

Wei Wuxian couldn't help but snicker. Lan Wangji raised an eyebrow, curious to what his husband was thinking.

Noble? What a joke. There are very few noble cultivators out there, usually getting overshadowed by greedy ones. Despite knowing that what their doing is not in the right, they don't care at all, as long as they obtain whatever they want.

In the beginning, the people of Mo Village regarded the topic with contempt, but because the Sect Leader often helped out, the Mo family received plenty of advantages. And so, the direction of the discussions changed, and the Mo family took pride in the matter, while everyone else also envied the opportunity. The second-lady of Mo bore one son for the Sect Leader-Mo Xuanyu.

But, not for long, since the Sect Leader was only involved with her to experiment with something new, he grew tired of it in a few years. After Mo Xuanyu turned four, his father never came back again.

"Jin Guangshan truly is a bastard. Abandoning his own son just because he got bored of his affair, tsk tsk." Many commented with disdain. Jin Zixuan wasn't even angry, since it was the truth.

He only wished that it wasn't.

Gradually, the opinions of the Mo Village's people changed again. The original contempt and scorn returned, alongside with disdainful pity.

The second-lady of Mo did not want to accept this; she firmly believed that the Sect Leader would not turn a deaf ear to his own son. Sure enough, when Mo Xuanyu turned fourteen, the Sect Leader took him back.

Jin Zixuan was surprised. He never expected his father to take back a illegitimate child to the sect. Sure, he took in A-Yao, but the Jin Guangshan he knew when he was still alive would never. Did his father had a change of heart?

But that was very unlikely in Jin Zixuan's opinion. Perhaps A-Yao managed to convince him?

Jiang Yanli noticed Jin Zixuan's troubled face and held his hand, squeezing it gently. She gave a tender smile to her husband. Jin Zixuan looked up and smiled back. His wife was just too amazing!

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin, who noticed the two, made a gagging sound.

'Damn peacock.'

The second-lady stuck her nose up in the air again, and told everyone that her son would most certainly become an immortal as fast as he could, and bring glory on his ancestors.

"Tsk. An ignorant woman that she is. Does she think that reaching immortality is like making porridge?" A wife of a minor sect scoffed. Many silently agreed with her. There were very few immortals known in the cultivation world, one of them being Baoshan Sanren, whom no one has ever seen before except for her students.

At the mention of immortals, Wei Wuxian suddenly grew anxious.

'It won't show the transfer, right?'

Lan Wangji notice Wei Wuxian's troubled face and has seemingly read what was on his mind. He traced circles on the back of Wei Wuxian's hands, smiling at him tenderly.

"Wei Ying, do not worry. Everything will be alright."

Wei Wuxian looked quite hesitant, but smiled back.

However, before Mo Xuanyu achieve success in cultivation and inherit his father's position, he was driven back.

On top of that, he was driven back shamefully.

"Wasn't he kicked because he dared harass Jin Guangyao?" Sect Leader Yao spoke. Some Jin disciples grimaced, as if remembering a shameful memory.

A rogue cultivator then spoke out, "What if, Mo Xuanyu found out about his crimes, and so Jin Guangyao kicked him out?" Many murmured in agreement. It could be indeed the real reason as to why Mo Xuanyu was kicked out.

But in the end, no one would be able to know the truth except Mo Xuanyu and Jin Guangyao themselves, who are both dead.

Mo Xuanyu was homosexual, and had enough nerves to harass the other disciples. The scandal was revealed to the public and as he had few achievements in terms of cultivation, there was no reason for him to stay in the clan.

Like adding frost to snow, aside from the event itself, when Mo Xuanyu returned, he often behaved in a crazy manner, almost as if his life was scared out of him.

The story was almost too complex to be put into words. Wei Wuxian's eyebrows twitched.

Not only a lunatic, a homosexual lunatic as well.

Jiang Wanyin looked at Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, and snorted.

That explained why there were enough rouge and powder on his face to make him look like a hanged ghost, and also why nobody was surprised at the large, bloody array on the ground. Even if Mo Xuanyu painted the whole room red with blood, from the tiles on the ground to the walls to the ceiling, the others wouldn't be overly surprised. After all, everyone knew that his head had a screw loose!

"Is his family so heartless?" A Lan disciple muttered under their breath, talking to themselves.

After he went back home dejectedly, he was bombarded with ridicule. The first-lady of Mo was in charge of the family, but, ever since a young age, she had been unable to stand her younger sister, including her sister's son. She had an only child, Mo Ziyuan, who happened to be the person who ransacked the place earlier. When Mo Xuanyu was taken away by his father, the first-lady was jealous, and wanted to have even the slightest relationship with a cultivation sect. She hoped that the envoy who came would take Mo Ziyuan to cultivate as well.

"Does she think that cultivation sects would take everyone they see?" Sect Leader Wang scoffed.

Of course, she was refused, or rather, ignored.

This was most certainly not a case of selling cabbage. One simply can't bargain, much less buy one and get another for free.

Strangely confident, this family all held the thought that Mo Ziyuan had the potential and talent. They believed that if, back then, he was sent instead, he would have won recognition from the sect, unlike his disappointing cousin. Although, when Mo Xuanyu left, Mo Ziyuan was still young, he was repeatedly instilled with nonsense such as this, and believed in them wholeheartedly.

Every two or three days, he would find Mo Xuanyu and humiliate him, cursing him for snatching his road to cultivation.

"If I had a disciple as arrogant and spoiled as this kid is, I'd kick them out immediately!"

Many murmured and nodded in agreement.

At the same time, he found great interests in the talismans, elixirs, and magic tools, regarding all of them as his possessions and doing whatever he wanted with them.

'A habit that would get him in trouble.' Lan Qiren silently thought.

Although Mo Xuanyu switched in and out of being a lunatic, he did understand that he was degraded by others. He tolerated it, but Mo Ziyuan further intensified his behavior, almost emptying his whole room. His patience had finally drained out and he complained to his aunt and uncle, causing Mo Ziyuan's commotion from this morning.

"How can somebody switch in and out of being a lunatic?" Lan Jingyi asked. Ouyang Zizhen and Jin Ling merely shrugged, as they also don't have any idea how. Lan Jingyi then looked at Wei Wuxian, expectant of an answer, but the demonic cultivator did the same as the other two and shrugged.

The words on the paper were small and compact, which hurt Wei Wuxian's eyes. He thought to himself, 'How fucked up is this person's life?'

No wonder Mo Xuanyu used the forbidden technique to sacrifice his body and ask villainous ghouls to take revenge.

Nie Huaisang's eyes drifted from the orb for a second, before looking back at the orb again.

The pain from his eyes transferred to his head. Supposedly, to use the forbidden technique, the caster would chant their wish silently. As the evil spirit being summoned, Wei Wuxian should have been able to hear his specific requirements. However, it was likely that Mo Xuanyu copied fragmented excerpts of the technique somewhere, and skipped this step. Although Wei Wuxian guessed that he wanted to take revenge on the Mo family, but how should he do it? To what extent?

'Mo Xuanyu, how will I be able to take revenge on your family? Shall I retrieve the items that were taken from you? Or shall I beat up the whole family?... Or shall I wipe out the whole family?'

This thought of Wei Wuxian caused an uproar. Jiang Wanyin sighed and facepalmed, feeling an upcoming headache. Jiang Yanli was quite speechless, although logically speaking, his brother was just guessing what revenge Mo Xuanyu wanted. She didn't expect his brother to talk about massacre so lightly, though. But if she was being honest, she wasn't surprised that much.

After all, A-Xian during the Sunshot Campaign... He was different from what she grew up with.

"See?! He is the Yiling Patriarch after all! Wicked and cruel! Speaking so lightly of killing a whole family, tsk tsk." A rogue cultivator scoffed. Those who were sitting or standing quite close to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji retracted slightly, minus the Lan Jingyi, Lan Sizhui, and Ouyang Zizhen who were quite surprised.

"I heard that the whole Mo family died for unknown reason. Now that you think about it, could it be that Wei Wuxian sent his corpses to kill them?" A disciple from a minor clan shivered. Wei Wuxian listened to all the gossiping, amused.

'They think I killed the Mo family just because of that?'

Lan Wangji tightened his hold on Wei Wuxian's waist, glaring at everyone that he could hear talking bad about his husband.

"Well, I was thinking what revenge Mo Xuanyu wanted. And is wiping out the whole family not an option? You can't expect me to only think about retrieving the items stolen as the revenge that Mo Xuanyu wanted!" Wei Wuxian yelled. Some finally quieted, while others still talked among their family and friends.

Jin Zixuan sighed. Since this would surely happen again throughout the whole viewing memories, then he would surely get a headache soon enough. Fortunately, though, his wife and son is with him. 

Chapter Text

It took quite a long time before Lan Xichen managed to convince everyone to calm down. After all, what they're seeing at the moment is the past, which they could never change.

Some were still cautious, sitting as far as they can from Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian sighed tiredly.

'I wonder what this person's intention is.. Trapping us all here, just to watch nonsense, invading my privacy..'

In all likelihood, it was probably to wipe out the whole family. After all, anyone who touched upon the cultivation world would know what phrases were used most often to describe him-ungrateful, eccentric, not recognizing his own family, intolerable by Heaven, and other spectacular terms. Was there anyone else more 'villainous' than him? If Mo Xuanyu had dared to summon him specifically, the wish was most likely not an easily fulfilled one.

Lan Wangji's eyes harden as he heard the terms his husband was always referred to. He has always heard these insults whenever he wandered around, usually on a night hunt. He never liked them, and they would always irk him. Hearing them directly from Wei Ying..

He doesn't like it, at all.

Suddenly, a hands tenderly rubbed circles at the back of his hands. Lan Wangji looked at Wei Wuxian and smiled, his eyes full of fondness.

Lan Qiren, who witnessed this, resisted the urge to sigh loudly, as it was against the rules. He thought, 'My nephew.. He became so shameless...'

Wei Wuxian couldn't help but to say, "You've got the wrong person..."

Many couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, thinking otherwise of what Wei Wuxian said. If one wishes to get revenge on their abusive family, then the Yiling Patriarch is surely the best villainous ghost to summon. After all, he slaughtered thousands mercilessly with his army of corpses.

Wei Wuxian wanted to wash his face after seeing the face of his body's owner, but there wasn't any water in the room, not even for drinking or washing.

The only basin-like container was probably, he suspected, for lavatory purposes instead of cleansing. He pushed the door, but it was fastened with a latch, probably to prevent him from wandering outside.

None of these things made him feel the joy of reincarnation at all!

"You know, if I was Wei-qianbei, I'd feel the same. I mean, look at Wei-qianbei's situation right now!" Lan Jingyi spoke to his friends. Jin Ling rolled his eyes, but quietly agreed with his friend. Ouyang Zizhen nodded in agreement. No one would feel the joy of reincarnation if they were treated badly upon waking up!

He figured that he might as well sit in the lotus position and get used to his new home. Time flew by, and the day had passed. When he opened his eyes, sunlight seeped inside from the gaps of the door and windows. Although he could stand up and walk around, he still felt lightheaded.

Wei Wuxian was puzzled, 'Mo Xuanyu's spiritual powers are insignificant enough to be ignored, so there shouldn't be a reason as to why I can't control this body properly. Why doesn't it work?'

Then, a noise came from his stomach, and he realized that this wasn't related to his spiritual powers at all. In fact, it was because this body had not practiced inedia, and felt hunger.

"I wonder how Mo Xuanyu managed to survive that long, despite being treated like dirt..." A disciple from a minor clan muttered under their breath. If he was Mo Xuanyu, he would have killed himself a long time ago and wouldn't even be in the right mind to think about summoning the Yiling Patriarch.

If he didn't scavenge for food, he might become the first villainous ghoul who starved to death upon arrival.

Wei Wuxian lifted his foot and was about to kick the door open, when suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps appeared. Someone stomped on the door and grunted, "It's mealtime!"

Nonetheless, there was no indication of the door being opened. Wei Wuxian lowered his head and saw a miniature door on the bottom of this one opening, with a small bowl set in front of it. The servant outside shouted again, "Chop-chop! What are you waiting for? Take the bowl out after you finish!"

Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Wanyin scowled at the attitude of the servant. He supposes that since the young master and madam of the village has an inappropriate attitude, the servants would also be the same. Honestly, he now sees why Mo Xuanyu became a lunatic.

The door was slightly smaller than the kind for dogs to crawl through-it didn't allow the passage of humans, but bowls could be easily taken inside. There were two dishes and one serving of rice, which looked quite unpleasant. It reminded him of his time in the Burial Mounds with the Wen remnants.

Wei Wuxian played with the pair of chopsticks, feeling quite bitter.

The Yiling Patriarch had just returned to the mortal world, but the first thing he came upon was a kick and a scolding, not to mention the leftovers that served as his welcoming-meal. Where were the blood and gore? The ruthless slaughter? The absolute destruction? Who would believe them? He was like the tiger in a flatland, the dragon in shallow water, the phoenix without feathers, losing his advantage and belittled by those weaker than him.

Indeed, where was the slaughter? Ever since Wei Wuxian's resurrection, it was quite peaceful, with almost everyone was living their lives as they normally would. There was no revenge that set the whole world into chaos. In fact, Wei Wuxian and Hanguang-Jun both exposed Jin Guangyao and his crimes.

Still, he harbored and sheltered the Wen-dogs after the war. Surely, there's no explanation needed for that, nor' any justification?

The servant outside spoke again, but with laughter this time, "A-Ding! Come here!"

The sweet voice of a girl answered from a distance, "A-Tong, are you delivering the meal to the one in there again?"

A-Tong clicked his tongue, "Why else would I come to this ominous courtyard?"

"Huh, so he was hated even by the servants." Jin Zixuan muttered. Wei Wuxian sighed and shook his head.

'Me and Mo Xuanyu are really similar in many aspects..'

A-Ding's voice sounded closer, as if she was in front of the door, "You just deliver one meal a day, and nobody cares if you're lazy. This is such an idle task, yet you think it's ominous. Look at me. I'm busy to the point that I can't even go outside to play."

"Tsk. If my servants that are supposed to work act like this, they would long have lost their job!" A clan leader from a minor clan exclaimed. Many agreed. The attitude of the people in Mo Village would surely be the cause of their downfall!

A-Tong complained, "Delivering his meal is not the only work I do! How can you dare to go outside these days? With so many walking corpses out there, everyone's locking themselves in their house!"

Wei Wuxian squatted by the door and listened while eating.

At the mention of waking corpses, everyone's eyes landed on Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian raised both of his hands, "Come on, I was only resurrected! I couldn't have been the one behind that!"

Lan Xichen shook his head and silently sighed. It seems that this would be happening a lot in the future. It was not surprising, but it was tiring. Why was everyone still so doubtful? The truth has already been exposed. What more do they need?

Then again, he was once one of those who doubted Wei Wuxian. He was the same as everybody else in the cultivation world.

It appeared that, ever since a while ago, the Mo village hadn't been peaceful. Walking corpses, like their name, were dead people who could move, a type of low-level altered corpse. Unless the deceased person held strong resentment, they were usually dull-eyed and sluggish. They weren't overly dangerous, but they were enough to alarm the average person, especially their vomit-inducing stench.

"We already know what walking corpses are. Does this person think of us as ignorant and stupid?" Sect Leader Yao scoffed. He still doesn't understand why they have to watch the Yiling Patriarch. What more is there to know? This is just a waste of time!

Everyone ignored him.

However, to Wei Wuxian, they were the most obeying puppet. When he heard them being mentioned, he even felt a sense of familiarity.

A-Tong seemed to be making a face, "If you want to go outside, you'll have to take me so that I can protect you..."

"I must say, A-Tong's concern for his friend is very admirable." Lan Xichen spoke from his observation. Although it was nice that he wanted to protect his friend, his mistreatment and attitude towards Mo Xuanyu was still not excused.

A-Ding replied, "You? Protect me? Stop bragging. Are you sure you can even defeat them?"

A-Tong said bitterly, "If I can't defeat them, other people can't either."

A-Ding laughed, "Ho do you know that other people can't defeat them? Let me tell you-today, some cultivators came to Mo Village. I heard that they were from a very prominent clan! The madam is talking to them in the main hall, and everyone in town is watching. Can't you hear the noise? I don't have time to play around with you; they might give me more work afterwards."

The Lan disciples that were present at Mo Village perked up. Even Lan Sizhui looked interested. Some wondered how they would look like in the orb. Well, they would obviously look the same, but still! It's exiting to see yourself talk and move around, despite not being in front of a mirror.

Lan Jingyi, on the other hand, was crying on the inside. He had broken so many rules! After this was done and they go back to Cloud Recesses, his poor hands are gonna suffer! He'll have to write the rules while standing upside down, with only his left hand supporting him.

He was doomed.

Chapter Text

Wen Qionglin was just quietly sitting in a corner, not bothering to make a sound as to not make himself the center of attention. He looked at the direction of Jin Zixuan and frowned. He still felt guilty for the death of Jin Zixuan. After all, he was the one who stabbed him. He was happy that Jin-gongzi is now able to feel the affection of his parents, even if it is only temporary. After all, Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan were still dead.

But, that made him wonder.

Will he be able to see his sister too? Even for just a short moment, to be able to hug her again? To let A-Yuan see his Qing-jie?

Wei Wuxian listened attentively. Sure enough, the faint bustling sounds of people came from the east. He pondered for a moment, stood up, and kicked the door. It cracked with a clank.

At the moment, the two servants, A-Tong and A-Ding, were flirting with each other, and screamed when the door suddenly flung open. Wei Wuxian threw away his bowl and walked outside, flinching from the glare of sunlight. He brought his hand to the tip of his brow and closed his eyes for a moment. A-Tong screamed even louder than A-Ding, but as he took a closer look and realized that it was Mo Xuanyu, the person whom everyone could humiliate, his courage came back to him.

He figured that he probably lost his face to A-Ding, and wanted to make up for it, so he jumped over and waved his hands like he was reproaching a dog, "Shoo! Shoo! Go away! Why did you come out?"

"Even Fairy is treated better!" Jin Ling huffed. Jin Zixuan raised an eyebrow, confused. Who was Fairy? Jiang Yanli, who was raised alongside Jiang Wanyin, had an idea on who "Fairy" was, and fondly laughed. If Fairy was indeed a dog, then it seems that her son inherited her brother's naming sense.

Wei Wuxian was resisting the urge to laugh, while Jiang Wanyin looked away, scowling. He knows that the peacock will judge him. There was nothing to judge! Fairy is a appropriate name for a dog!

"A-Ling, who's Fairy?" Jin Zixuan asked.

"He's my dog that.. Jin Guangyao gave me.." Jin Ling's voice faltered as he spoke Jin Guangyao's name. Jin Zixuan chocked. Fairy was a dog? Why on earth would his son name his dog that? Jin Zixuan looked at Jiang Wanyin, who raised his son, and stared at him with a judging look.

Jiang Wanyin did not bother to look back. Wei Wuxian could not hold on any longer and laughed loudly, making everyone in the room look at him as if he was a lunatic.

A-Tong treated him even worse than a beggar or a fly. Most of the time, all of the servants of the Mo family treated Mo Xuanyu like this because he never resisted. Wei Wuxian gave A-Tong a light kick, knocking him over, and laughed, "How daring of a mere errand-running child to humiliate others like this." Wei Wuxian's grin was sadistic, mirroring the Yiling Patriarch thirteen years ago from the timeline of the events in the orb.

Those who have personally witnesses the rise and fall of the Yiling Patriarch shuddered.

With that, he headed towards the commotion in the east. Quite a lot of people crowded in and around the East Hall. Just as Wei Wuxian stepped into the courtyard, a woman spoke in a voice a few pitches louder than the others', "A member from the younger generations of our family used to be a cultivator as well..."

It must have been Madam Mo trying to make connections with the cultivation family again. Wei Wuxian didn't wait for her to finish speaking, and quickly hustled through the crowd, into the hall, and grinned, "I'm coming, I'm coming! Right here!"

Jiang Wanyin face palmed. Of course, the first thing Wei Wuxian does is humiliate himself. Of course.

Wen Qionglin, although he cannot smile as he was a corpse, you can still see the amusement in his eyes. If you look close enough, that is.

A middle aged lady sat in the hall, with well maintained health and wearing extravagant clothing. She was Madam Mo. Her husband sat below her, and the opposite side sat a few white-robed boys.

"Look! It's us!" A Lan disciple excitedly whispered to his friend, but was met with Lan Qiren's disapproving gaze and quickly fixed his posture, shutting his mouth as well. The Lan disciple sighed sadly on the inside. He'll have to copy the rules as punishment later for breaking the rules right in front of the Grandmaster..

...Now that he think about it, he and the other Lan disciples present in Mo Village and Dafan mountain broke a lot of rules...

The disciple is crying on the inside.

Because of how an unkempt freak just appeared from within the people, all the chatter came to a halt. Wei Wuxian spoke shamelessly, as if he did not notice the motionless atmosphere at all, "Who was calling me earlier? I am the only one who used to be a cultivator!"

Jiang Wanyin covered his eyes, unable to watch from second-hand embarrassment.

There was too much powder on his face, and as he smiled, the powder sprinkled off. A younger cultivator was on the brink of laughter, letting out a ' pfft' sound. His face grew serious again as another one, seemingly the leader of the group, gave him a disapproving look.

Lan Qiren recognized the young cultivator as Lan Jingyi and had a disapproving look, the same as Lan Sizhui's in the orb. Lan Xichen merely smiled, amused. Lan Jingyi nervously looked at Lan Qiren's way, wincing at the look on the elder's face. He will certainly get punished the moment they get back at Cloud Recesses.

Wei Wuxian followed the voice and scanned over. He thought that the servants were being ignorant and exaggerated the situation, but he was surprised to see that they were really disciples of a "prominent clan".

The boys wore robes with drifting sleeves and flowing belts, appearing to be ikemen and doubtlessly a treat to the eyes. Looking at the uniform, it was obvious that they were from the Gusu Lan Sect. They must have also been younger generations of blood-relationship to the Lan family, as they all wore white forehead ribbons around a finger's width, with cloud patterns sewn onto them.

Although their faces do not show it, many disciples and elders from the Gusu Lan Sect couldn't but feel proud.

The motto of the Gusu Lan Sect was "righteousness". The forehead ribbon implied to "conduct oneself well", and the cloud pattern was the official pattern of the Lan family, of which cultivators who came from other families did not have the right to wear.

Wei Wuxian laughed awkwardly before covering his face on Lan Wangji's shoulder. He looked like an absolute idiot, not knowing the true meaning of the Gusu Lan Sect's forehead ribbon! He copied the rules many times and memorized most of it when he was still studying in Gusu, yet he still didn't know the meaning of it!

Lan Wangji softly chuckled at his husband and stroked his hair gently, making the embarrassed Wei Wuxian as red as a tomato.

Jiang Wanyin and Jin Zixuan was staring with disgust. Wei Wuxian acting like a lovesick maiden... they would like that image to be erased in their memories.

Wei Wuxian got toothaches whenever he saw anybody from the Gusu Lan Sect. In his past life, he had always thought of the clan's uniform as "mourning clothes", which was why he would never mistake it.

Lan Qiren's was enraged by the comment. Lan Xichen nervously smiled as he tried to calm his uncle. Wei Wuxian was hiding behind Lan Wangji, avoiding the fuming gazes of the elders of Gusu Lan. Jiang Wanyin face palmed for what felt like the millionth time. God, why is Wei Wuxian like this?

Lan Qiren glared at Wei Wuxian, "You! Disrespecting the Gusu Lan Sect's uniform so shamelessly.. Why did I let my nephew marry you.." Lan Xichen was patting Lan Qiren's back. He hoped that his uncle won't suffer from qi deviation during this.

Some cultivators who thought the same silently agreed.

Lady Mo hadn't seen this nephew of hers in a while, and only got over her dismay in a long time, when she realized who the heavily- makeuped person was. She was furious, but she didn't want to lose her temper and discompose herself, so she lowered her voice at her husband, "Who let him out? Get him back there!"

Her husband promptly smiled to calm her and walked over with an irksome look, ready to pull him out of here. However, Wei Wuxian suddenly dropped to the ground, his limbs tightly clinging to the floor. Nobody could get him up, even after more servants were called to help. As Lady Mo's face darkened bit by bit, her husband was also sweating. He scolded, "...You.. Damn madman! If you don't go back now, wait and see how I'll punish you!"

"They are acting very disorderly, especially in front of respectable cultivators." A sect leader muttered under their breath. If there was anything he hated the most, it was having to witness family problems in front of him.

Although everyone in the Mo Village knew that the Mo family had a young master who lost his marbles, Mo Xuanyu had already hid in that dark room for a couple of years, scared to come outside. After seeing how both his face and actions are like those of a monster's, the people whispered among themselves, looking forward to a good show to watch. Wei Wuxian spoke, "I could go back if you want me to," he pointed at Mo Ziyuan, "But tell him to return the things he stole from me first."

Mo Ziyuan did not expect that the good-for-nothing lunatic had the guts to cause trouble here, even after his disciplining yesterday. His face grew pale, "That's nonsense! When did I ever steal your things? Would, would I need to steal anything from you?"

Wei Wuxian huffed and said, "Yeah, yeah. You didn't steal, you robbed!"

"How stupid can you be? There's no difference between stealing and robbing!" Jiang Wanyin spoke. Nie Huaisang chuckled behind his fan, 'I guess Wei-xiong's brain still wasn't at its best condition after being brought back to life thirteen years later..'

Wei Wuxian pouted, ignoring Jiang Wanyin. So what? That's not important at all!

 Madam Mo didn't say anything yet, but Mo Ziyuan was furious, raising his foot to kick him. However, a white-robed boy carrying a sword moved his finger slightly, and Mo Ziyuan's feet slipped, falling to the ground with only his foot scraping him. Even so, Wei Wuxian still rolled to the ground, as if he was really kicked over.

"Sizhui! I never knew you were the type to that!" Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen laughed. Lan Sizhui awkwardly smiled, "I only did that to avoid any more trouble..."

He pulled open the front of his robe, showing the footprint Mo Ziyuan made yesterday. The others thought that obviously, Mo Xuanyu couldn't have kicked himself. Along with the fact that Mo Ziyuan had always been imprudent and arrogant, who else could have done it? No matter what, the Mo family had been being too ruthless to their own blood relative. It was plain to see that, when he first came back, he wasn't this insane. It must have been worsened by the Mo family. Nevertheless, all is well as long as there is a good show to watch. This one was much more interesting than the cultivators!

Lan Qiren disapprovingly frowned. The people in Mo Village are certainly not any better, if watching a boy get abused by his family is interesting and a good show to watch. While it was obvious that they can't do anything about Mo Xuanyu's abuse as they are much inferior to the Mo family, they could have at least helped him at this moment. There were cultivators watching, so the Mo family won't be able to do much in order to make themselves look good.

Before this, Madam Mo ignored him, as she didn't bother to argue with a sick person. She ordered the others to take him out. Now she knew-Mo Xuanyu had definitely come prepared. His head was completely clear and deliberately disgraced them. She felt both shock and hatred, "You made a big scene on purpose, didn't you?"

Wei Wuxian replied blankly, "He stole my belongings, and I'm here to retrieve them. Does that also count as making a big scene?"

With so many pairs of eyes watching, Madam Mo could neither hit him nor' throw him out. Anger welled up deep inside her, and she could only forcefully compromise the two sides, "Stealing? Robbing? That's a bit disrespectful, if you ask me. We are all part of one family, and he only wanted to take a look at them. A-Yuan is your younger cousin, so what's wrong with taking a few of your things? As the older one, you shouldn't be reluctant to lend one or two playthings, should you? It's not as if he won't return them."

Almost everyone was speechless. What kind of logic is that? Even if one is older, if they do not wish to let someone younger borrow their things, then they don't. It's as simple as that. It's not a matter of age, but the owner's consent. Did the Mo family grow with idiocy following them every place they go?

The boys from the Gusu Lan Sect stared speechlessly at one another. These young boys grew up in a cultivation sect, exposed to splendor and that only. They'd probably never seen farces like these, or even heard of this kind of logic. Wei Wuxian laughed hysterically in his mind, and extended his hand, "Then, return them."

Of course, it was impossible for Mo Ziyuan to return anything, having either thrown them out or disassembled them. Even if he was able to return them, his pride wouldn't have allowed it. His face turned purple with anger and he shouted, "Mom!" His glare raged,  'Are you really allowing him to treat me like this?'

"We can also hear others' thoughts!" A disciple gasped. Everyone looked interested. How powerful is this person who put them here, to be able to produce an orb that shows memories of the past, and even the private thoughts of those inside the orb?

Nie Huaisang was getting nervous. Will he get exposed? If so, then he will certainly undergo a lengthy interrogation. He sighed.

There's no escaping, is there?

Madam Mo glowered at him, signaling for him to not worsen the situation. However, Wei Wuxian spoke again, "Not only should he not have stolen my belongings, he shouldn't have stolen them in the middle of the night. Everyone knows that I am into men. Even if he was not ashamed, I knew to not look suspicious."

Many chocked. How shameless Wei Wuxian is! Saying such things, sspecially in front of young boys..

Jin Zixuan looked at Wei Wuxian with an unamused gaze. "Really? Your shamelessness really never left you, huh." Wei Wuxian did not reply. He was just seeing if what Mo Xuanyu wanted as revenge was humiliation! The disciples would learn such things anyways, if they hadn't learned it at the time. Their not kids! When he was their age, he, Jiang Cheng, and Nie Huaisang would sneak erotic books and read them in the night when their alone at Cloud Recesses.

The memory sent nostalgia to Wei Wuxian. Back then, before everything became a mess, it was joyful. However, the past is the past. There is nothing he can do to change things.

Madam Mo gasped and shouted, "What are you talking about, in front of the villagers? How shameless! A-Yuan is your cousin!"

In terms of running wild, Wei Wuxian was definitely a master. In the past, if he wanted to run wild, he would have to keep his status in mind, but now, he was a lunatic anyways, which meant that he could do whatever he wanted to, whichever way he wanted.

Jiang Wanyin raised an eyebrow, "You were thinking about your status in the past? It didn't seem like it." Wei Wuxian dramatically gasped, looking offended, "Jiang Cheng! I'll have you know that I, as once part of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, thought about my status when running around, playing!" Jiang Yanli chuckled at her brothers.

Jin Ling looked between his uncles, baffled. They were actually talking! Talking to each other with no awkwardness. It was just yesterday when they were being awkward with each other, having so much to say and yet they couldn't find their courage to do so. But now, their actually talking properly with each other.

Jin Ling smiled slightly. Well, this was certainly better than having to deal with emotionally constipated uncles.

(He's also emotionally constipated, but that's not the topic! It's not like he'd admit to be one anyways...)

He stiffened his neck, and argued defiantly, "Even though he knew that I was his cousin, he chose to not avoid me, so who was more shameless? I don't care about your reputation, but don't ruin my innocence! I still want to find a good man."

Mo Ziyuan let out a loud scream and started swinging a chair at him. As soon as Wei Wuxian saw that his anger finally went out of control, he rolled over and climbed up, dodging so that the chair only smashed on the ground, falling apart in the process. The mass of people in the East Hall were originally gloating at the disgrace of the Mo family, but, after the fight, they'd all fled away. Wei Wuxian bolted towards the group of boys from the Gusu Lan Sect, who all gaped at the scene, and yelled, "Did everyone see that? Did you? The burglar is also beating someone up! How heartless!"

"You truly succeeded in acting like a lunatic." Jin Zixuan muttered. Wei Wuxian crossed both of his arms proudly. Of course he did! He has great acting skills!

Mo Ziyuan chased him, and was close to pouncing on him, when the leader of the boys hurriedly stopped him, "Please calm down. Words are more powerful than weapons."

Lan Wangji smiled proudly. A-Yuan truly is a good-hearted person. Wei Wuxian looked at Lan Wangji's face and smiled. He was blessed to have found a good husband and an amazing son. (A-Yuan is his son, no matter what anyone says! Plus, A-Yuan as a child even called him mother!)

"Gusu Lan disciples truly have amazing integrity!" Cultivators whispered among themselves. It was to be expected from a righteous sect. The respectable Grandmaster Lan truly thought the disciples discipline! Some whose disciples are quite disorderly were jealous. No matter how much they punished their disciples, behind their back, they would still cause trouble! If their disciples could attend the classes of Lan Qiren, would they finally change their unruly behavior and be proper?

However, only well-known sects were mostly invited to study in Gusu.

Madam Mo saw that the boy was deliberately protecting the lunatic, and pulled a smile warily, "This is my younger sister's son. He's not so bright here; everyone in the Mo village knows that he is a lunatic, and often speaks strange words that shouldn't be taken seriously. Cultivator, please.."

Before she finished her sentence, Wei Wuxian's head peeked from the behind the boy's back and glared, "Who said that my words shouldn't be taken seriously? Next time, try stealing anything from me again. You steal once, and I cut off one of your hands!"

"Shamelessly saying such things in public.. Are we supposed to believe that the Yiling Patriarch isn't a heartless murderer?" Sect Leader Yao scoffed. Many looked at Wei Wuxian with fear in their eyes, but Lan Wangji was glaring at anyone who stared at Wei Wuxian as if he just dismembered someone in front of them with coldness, making those cultivators look away, shivering.

Jiang Yanli frowned, her hands clenched in a fist. When she was still alive, she couldn't protect her brother. However, now, she can't let that happen.

She stood up, a determined frown on her face. Jin Zixuan, Jin Ling, and Jiang Wanyin turned to her with a questioning look. She spoke, "Don't you think that all of you are spewing accusations too quickly? A-Xian haven't done anything. He didn't really cut off Mo Ziyuan's hand. If all of you are so sure that A-Xian did cut Mo Ziyuan's hand, then why not ask the junior disciples that were at the Mo Village? And if you all don't believe the words of the disciples, why not watch instead of immediately accusing A-Xian?" Her tone was not soft and gentle. Wei Wuxian stared with wide eyes, failing to notice the tears that threatened to spill.

Lan Wangji gently wiped Wei Wuxian's teary eyes and coldly spoke, "Second Madam Jin is correct. One shall not jump into conclusions when they have no evidence." Lan Wangji turned to the Gusu Lan disciples, "Take notes. This is a lesson that everyone must know."

Sect Leader Yao's face turned red in embarrassment. He cursed Wei Wuxian in his head, but did not speak further.

Wei Wuxian was reminded of when Jiang Yanli defended him from Jin Zixun. He smiled softly. Getting accused of atrocious deeds was not new to him, but having someone defend him..

It was nice. It felt nice.

Chapter Text

Jin Ling wanted to know more about his parents.

He could ask them now, when he still have the chance, but would they really tell him the truth? Jin Ling doesn't want to doubt his parents, but almost everything he had known in his life was a lie. Jin Ling wanted to know how his parents fell in love, their relationship with his uncles, and many more. If this orb could show that, then...

Jin Ling would be delighted.

Mo Ziyuan was held down by his father, but, after hearing this, he was close to losing his temper again. Wei Wuxian leapt outside quickly, and the boy blocked the entrance at once, switching to another topic with a serious tone, "Then, we will borrow the West Courtyard for the night. Please remember the things that I've talked about-after nightfall, close all the windows, don't come outside, or worse, walk towards the courtyard."

Madam Mo was shaking from anger, "Yes, yes, please.." Mo Ziyuan found it beyond belief, "Mom! The lunatic insulted me in front of so many people, and that's it? You told me before; you told me that he was only a..."

Madam Mo commanded, "Be quiet. Can't you wait until we go back?"

Mo Ziyuan had never been at such a disadvantage or been disgraced like this before, with his mother's scolding making the situation worse. He was full of hatred, and thought, this lunatic is going down tonight!

"That kid's ego is too big." A Jin disciple sneered among themselves. Another disciple from a different sect raised an eyebrow, Aren't yours just as big as Mo Ziyuan's?

After Wei Wuxian finished flipping out, he walked out the door of the Mo family's place, and showed his face around the Mo Village. Although he surprised countless of people, he was, in fact, loving every second of it, and finally realized the delight of being a lunatic. He was even starting to approve of the makeup that resembled a hanged ghost, almost unwilling to wash it away.

"Only you would have fun being a lunatic." Jiang Wanyin facepalmed. Wei Wuxian crossed both of his arms, "What? It was a fun experience! You just never had to do it before!" Jiang Wanyin stared at Wei Wuxian with an unimpressed look.

"Jiang Wanyin is just a boring person." Lan Wangji suddenly said with a straight face. Wei Wuxian choked and laughed, while Jiang Wanyin looked as though he was a dog whose tail was pulled. That fucking Lan Wangji-

Wei Wuxian laughed, "Lan Zhan! You seriously changed!"

"Mn."

Lan Wangji smiled at his husband. No one else noticed what Lan Wangji said as it was only for the two to hear. Everyone else ignored Wei Wuxian who suddenly broke into laughter. They guessed that it was probably because of what they were watching.

Jiang Wanyin was glaring at Lan Wangji. As if he wasn't a boring person before!

He fixed his hair and looked at his wrists. The cuts didn't seem like they were healing at all, which meant that a slight revenge like this would not be approved by the forbidden technique.

Would he really have to eliminate the Mo family?

Ouyang Zizhen's mouth opened in surprise, "Wei-qianbei! You were just seeing if humiliation was just the revenge Mo Xuanyu wanted?"

Wei Wuxian replied with a smile, "Of course! I wouldn't just suddenly barge in there and start acting crazy, you know?"

To be honest, it wouldn't be too difficult of a task.

Wei Wuxian strolled back to the Mo family's West Courtyard. The disciples of the Gusu Lan Sect were standing on top of the roofs and walls, discussing with a solemn look.

Although the Gusu Lan Sect contributed greatly during the siege on him, at that time, these juniors were either not born yet or still young children. He shouldn't direct his hate towards them, so Wei Wuxian decided to linger around and observe what they were going to do.

Lan Wangji grimaced at the mention of his sect's contribution to his beloved's demise. He clenched his hands in a fists tightly. It always left a bitter taste on his mouth whenever he gets reminded of Gusu Lan's role in the siege.

After a while, he felt like something was wrong.

Why did the fluttering black flags on top of the roofs and walls look so familiar with him?

This type of flags was called the "spirit-attraction flag". If it was set on a living person, it would attract all of the spirits, wronged ghosts, moving corpses, or evil beings within a certain area, and they would only attack that person. Because the flag-bearing person would turn into a living target, it was also called the "target flag". It could also be set on a house, but the house must have living humans inside it. Then, the attack range would expand to include everyone inside the house.

"Truly, this person knows it all!" A rogue cultivator praised.

Wei Wuxian frowned. If this orb was going to explain every invention he has ever made, or worse, demonic cultivation, then someone might be intrigued to follow him and become a demonic cultivator. But, the fear of being an outcast and disgraced by their own peers might scare whoever is thinking of becoming a demonic cultivator to not pursue the crooked path.

Still...

It was too early to worry. Wei Wuxian let the thought fade on the back of his head, and focused on the orb instead.

Because of the sinister energy that always surrounded the area of the flag, as if there was swirling black wind, they were also called "black wind flags". Arranging the flag formation in the West Courtyard and not allowing anyone to approach them must have meant that they wanted to lead the walking corpses here and capture them in one go.

As for why they looked familiar, the creator of the Spirit-attraction flags was none other than him, the Yiling Patriarch!

'They condemned me for using demonic cultivation, and yet they still use the inventions I created with demonic cultivation.'

Why use Wei Wuxian's inventions, if they were made with dark intentions? Since the Yiling Patriarch is a cruel and merciless man, then it can't be possible that he created his inventions for the advantage of everyone? If the Stygian Tiger Amulet was destroyed, then why not destroy the other inventions of Wei Wuxian? The spirit-attraction flags, if used wrongly, would cause trouble and attract evil beings. Just like the Stygian Tiger Amulet.

Then again, the Stygian Tiger Amulet was much more powerful and dangerous. Not to mention, the cultivation world only spares those that they deem useful, and the inventions of Wei Wuxian were indeed useful. But, wasn't it Wei Wuxian himself who destroyed the Stygian Tiger Amulet? Who was to say that the amulet would truly be destroyed if Wei Wuxian didn't manage to do so before dying?

Some senior Lan disciples who were present during the Sunshot Campaign shuddered. They remembered the pattern of the spirit-attraction flags. It was the exact same pattern on the talismans scattered around the supervisory offices of the Wens back then, where every Wens were slaughtered with inhumane ways.

"Tsk. At least your inventions are still being used!" Sect Leader Ouyang scoffed. Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow, and laughed.

"I never begged anyone to use them, and all I said in my thoughts was my observation!"

A disciple on the roof saw him lingering around, and spoke, "Please go back. This isn't where a person like you should come."

Although he was being driven away, it was out of kindness. The tone differed from those of the servants of the Mo family. It has been a long time since someone had asked him to go away with kindness, instead of fear.

Wei Wuxian caught him off guard and quickly hopped up, grabbing one of the flags. The disciple was startled and jumped down to chase him, "Do not move. That is not something you should take."

Wei Wuxian yelled while running away, looking like a real lunatic with his hair disheveled and limbs flinging about, "I'm not giving it back, I'm not giving it back! I want this thing! I want this!"

The disciple caught up to him in a few strides and grabbed his arm, "If you are not going to give it back, I'm going to hit you!"

Lan Jingyi grimaced, and timidly looked at Lan Wangji. Although Lan Wangji's expression was blank, Lan Jingyi knows that he must be counting the punishments he'll receive when they finally leave this place. The young Lan disciple let out a defeated sigh. If only he could go back in time, he would slap his past self for always speaking mindlessly.

A hand touched Lan Jingyi's shoulder, and the young disciple turned around, where Lan Sizhui was smiling at him with sympathy.

Wei Wuxian held onto the flag, unwilling to let go of it. The leader of the boys was setting up the flag formation, and hopped of the roof when he heard the ruckus. "Jingyi, cut it out. Do not make a fuss about it and just take the flag."

Lan Qiren was glad that Lan Sizhui at least followed the rules at any time, and kept his friend from causing too much noise and chaos.

Lan Jingyi spoke, "Sizhui, I did not actually hit him! Look at him! He messed up the flag formation!"

Wei Wuxian was silent as he checked the spirit-attraction flag. The motifs were drawn correctly and the incantations were complete. There wasn't any error, so nothing would go wrong while using them. It would be bad if the motifs were wrongly drawn and the incantations were incomplete. If there was anyone who knows how terrible the result would be if his inventions go wrong, it would be him. He has already experienced it, after all.

The person who drew on the flag was lacking in experienced, so it would attract evil beings and moving corpses from within' five li. That should be enough, though. There shouldn't be any malicious creatures in a place as small as the Mo Village.

Jiang Wanyin's eyes darkened. He would always remember how Wei Wuxian died from now and then, and... it wasn't a great memory to remember. The past was just a pain to remember, and Jiang Wanyin wished he could just drink the pain away and forget. He may not be the one to directly kill Wei Wuxian, but he had stabbed him, and he had contributed greatly to his demise.

Lan Wangji, although he was not there when Wei Wuxian died, he had heard many gossip from others. They say that his husband was devoured by his own army of corpses. It made Lan Wangji want to puke whenever he imagined his beloved, screaming in agony as his own army of corpses that he once commanded devour him. A shaky sigh left Lan Wangji's lips. Wei Wuxian stared at him with concern.

"Are you okay, Lan Zhan?" Wei Wuxian worriedly whispered. Lan Wangji softly smiled and nodded.

"Oh! So you were just checking if the spirit-attraction flag was drawn correctly!" Lan Jingyi spoke. Wei Wuxian chuckled, albeit still worried with his husband. He wouldn't just take something without any intention. He was just acting as a lunatic! He wasn't one.

Lan Sizhui smiled at him, "Young Master Mo, the sky is growing dark. We are going to start capturing the walking corpses soon. It is dangerous, so it would be best for you to return to your room."

Wei Wuxian looked over him. He was fair and refined, with a dignified appearance and smiling softly. Wei Wuxian silently approved of him. The flag formation was set in an organized way, and his mannerisms were also respectful. He didn't know that, at a conservative sect such as the Gusu Lan Sect, who on earth brought up such a junior.

The junior strangely felt familiar as well.

Lan Xichen slightly smiled, and softly grabbed his uncle's arms. His uncle was surely fuming in the inside. The Lan elders were probably not doing much better. When they get back to Cloud Recesses, he'll have to request the cook to prepare calming tea for his uncle and the elders for sure.

Jiang Yanli fondly smiled. She was glad that her brother was back to his joyfulness, if not fully. There was still something dark in his eyes. A-Xian has matured, it was inevitable. Still, Jiang Yanli didn't like the fact that he matured through suffering. But, life was cruel, and that harsh fact always left a bitter taste on Jiang Yanli's mouth.

She hated how her brothers had to suffer, and she was powerless to do anything.

Lan Sizhui spoke again, "This flag..." Before he finished speaking, Wei Wuxian threw the spirit-attraction flag onto the ground and humphed, "It's just a flag, so what's the big deal? I can draw way better than this!"

"Of course you can, Wei-Xiong. You are the creator of it, after all." Nie Huaisang laughed behind his fan.

He sprinted off the moment he threw the flag. The boys who stood on the roof to watch the bustle almost fell off from laughter after hearing his ridiculous words. Lan Jingyi also chuckled from anger and picked up the flag, "What a maniac!"

"Who would have thought that the Gusu Lan Sect have such a loud disciple?" A young disciple from an unknown sect snickered. The rest of his friends mockingly laughed, and Jin Ling who overheard the group glared at them.

"So what? Not everyone who's a Lan disciple have to be like Hanguang-jun!" Lan Jingyi was surprised. The disciple was about to argue back but paused when he saw that it was Sect Leader Jin who yelled at them. The disciple instead kept quiet, gaze downcast. He didn't want to fight a sect leader!

Wei Wuxian continued to roam around, doing nothing, and finally went back to the small courtyard that belonged to Mo Xuanyu. He ignored the mess on the ground, picked a relatively clean spot, and sat in the lotus position again.

However, before daylight came, he was pulled out of meditation by some noise from the outside.

A series of chaotic footsteps quickly approached, along with cries and screams. Wei Wuxian heard a few phrases being repeated, "...Barge in and drag him out!"

"Notify the officers!"

"What do you mean notify the officers?! Beat him to death!"

Nie Huaisang sighed. This was the start, isn't it? The start of trouble. The hand of his brother would appear soon, and then Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji would meet again. They would go and investigate, searching for the missing body parts of his brother. Maybe he should start preparing himself for what was to come.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian was worried. He has been since the start of this... whatever the fuck situation they are currently in.

Since this orb seems to have the ability to show the past, who was to say it won't go all the way back to the days when he was still a student in Gusu, all the way to the siege that eventually led to his death?

He wasn't worried if the orb ever shows the war, nor their days studying in Gusu. Hell, he didn't care much if the orb shows the fractured relationship of Madam Yu and Uncle Jiang. It was to be expected, with all the rumors going around in the past, wasn't it? Wei Wuxian was sure that everyone would be surprised if Madam Yu and Uncle Jiang acted like a happy couple.

Wei Wuxian was worried about the golden core transfer.

If the matter about the golden core transfer comes out, then it will surely affect Jiang Cheng. He didn't care about what everyone else would think about him, but what about Jiang Cheng? Even if the orb doesn't show the past of when he was still in his original body, the truth about the golden core that currently resides in the dantian of Jiang Cheng would be out anyway. After all, Wen Ning had revealed the truth to Jiang Cheng at Lotus Pier, during when everyone gathered from the Burial Mounds and the crimes of Jin Guangyao were all finally revealed.

Wei Wuxian was worried about Jiang Wanyin.

Wei Wuxian opened his eyes to see that a few servants had already came in.

The whole courtyard was set alight with fire. Someone cried out, "Drag the insane murderer to the Main Hall and make him pay for it with his life!"

Wei Wuxian's first thought was that something went wrong with the flag formation that the Gusu Lan disciples set up. His inventions needed to be used with extreme care, or else disasters would happen.

As a few pairs of big hands came to drag him outside, Wei Wuxian straightened his body and allowed them to drag him with no difficulty so that he won't have to walk by himself. The East Hall was bustling with people, almost more crowded than when the villagers of Mo Village gathered. All the servants and relatives were present. Some were still in their undergarments and didn't have the time to brush their hair. Everyone looked terrified.

Madam Mo was collapsed in her seat, as if she just woke up from a swoon. Streaks of tears could be seen on her cheeks, and tears still lingered in her eyes. But, as Wei Wuxian was being dragged inside, her sorrowful gaze turned hateful.

Wei Wuxian stared at the wary faces of almost everyone and scoffed. Really, they think he did something? All he did was meditate! He isn't a god that have the ability to cause trouble even without moving! He was a mere human!

A human with limits to his abilities. A human who has emotions.

A human-shaped object lay on the ground, with its body covered with a white cloth and only the head being revealed. Lan Sizhui and the other boys wore heavy expressions, bending down to check the situation and talking in soft voices.

"...Less than three minutes have passed since the body was discovered?"

"After subduing the walking corpse, we hurried from the West Courtyard to the East Courtyard, and found the corpse by the hallway."

"This person is very stupid. The Gusu Lan disciples have told them that it was dangerous to wander out during nighttime, yet they didn't obey. Now, look at how they ended up!" Jiang Wanyin agreed with the cultivator's words. Seriously, was it so hard to follow the words of experienced cultivators when your village is surrounded by danger?

The human-shaped thing was, apparently, Mo Ziyuan. Wei Wuxian took a glance at it, and couldn't help but look again.

The corpse looked like Mo Ziyuan in some ways, but unlike him in other ways as well. Although the features were clearly that of Mo Xuanyu's petty cousin, the cheekbones were deeply sunken, eyes bulging, and skin wrinkled. Compared to the youthful Mo Ziyuan before this, it was as if he aged twenty years. It also seemed like his blood and flesh were sucked out of him, turning him into a skeleton with only a thin layer of skin on the outside.

"That's a horrible way to die..." A voice muttered with a frightened tone. The thought of dying in such way disturbed the cultivator.

As Wei Wuxian was scrutinizing the corpse, Madam Mo suddenly rushed towards him, a gleaming dagger on her hand. Lan Sizhui quickly knocked the dagger off. Before having the chance to talk, Madam Mo shrieked at him, "My son died a tragic death, so I am only avenging him! What are you stopping me for?"

"Does he look like he has been killed by a human being?" Jin Zixuan scoffed. He and Wei Wuxian may not be on best terms, but it was so obvious with the way the corpse of Mo Ziyuan looked that he was not killed by a person. How foolish can the Mo family  be?

Jiang Yanli elbowed Jin Zixuan and stared at him with a disapproving look. "A-Xuan, Madam Mo may not be the the best person, but she is grieving. Grief could blind anyone with unreasonable anger." Jin Zixuan guiltily looked down. Jin Ling stared at his parents and was reminded of a kid getting scolded by their parents after causing trouble.

Jiang Wanyin, who heard the conversation, quietly coughed.

Madam Mo was just like him. Blinded by grief that turned into anger, wrongly blaming Wei Wuxian for the death of a loved one.

Wei Wuxian hid behind Lan Sizhui's back, and spoke, "How does your son's tragic death concern me?"

During the day, Lan Sizhui saw Wei Wuxian make a scene in the East Hall, and afterwards, he also heard a lot of exaggerated rumors from other people. He felt extremely sympathetic to the invalid, and couldn't help but to take his side. "Madam Mo, seeing from your son's condition, his flesh and essence have been drawn out of him, which means that he was killed by evil beings, not Young Master Mo."

Madam Mo's chest heaved, "You know nothing! The lunatic's father was a cultivator, he must have learned demonic spells from him!"

"How dare this woman accuse Lanling Jin Sect of using demonic spells!" A Lanling Jin Sect disciple angrily spoke. A few snickered, which had the disciple's face turn red. He looks like a tomato, Ouyang Zizhen mused.

Lan Sizhui turned to look at the seemingly dull-witted Wei Wuxian, and spoke again, "Madam Mo, there is a lack of evidence, so..."

"The evidence is my son!" Madam Mo pointed at the corpse on the ground. "Look for yourselves! A-Yuan's remains already told me who the murderer is!"

Not needing other people to do it, Wei Wuxian lifted the white cloth by himself, from the head down to the feet. There was something missing from Mo Ziyuan's corpse.

His left arm, severed from below his shoulder, had disappeared!

"Didn't Wei Wuxian threaten to severe Mo Ziyuan's hand...?" Someone accusingly stated. Ouyang Zizhen furrowed his eyebrows together. Wei-qianbei didn't even do anything! He was shown meditating after going back inside the courtyard of Mo Xuanyu. He didn't come out at all! It was ridiculous to accuse Wei-qianbei, and anyone with logic knows that!

Lan Wangji's icy cold voice echoed inside the cave, "Wei Ying has been meditating and hadn't left the courtyard at all. It is impossible for him to be able to cut off Mo Ziyuan's hand while his mind was elsewhere, focusing on meditation." Wei Wuxian blinked in surprise. He hadn't heard anyone say anything at all... But then again, he wasn't paying attention at all.

Madam Mo spoke, "Do you see this? The lunatic said that he would cut off A-Yuan's hand if he ever touch his belongings again!"

Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi made eye contact with each other. Madam Mo covered her face and sobbed, "My poor A-Yuan... Although he didn't do anything at all, he was framed and killed... The lunatic is out of his mind..."

"Out of his mind!"  Multiple voices yelled in the mind of Wei Wuxian loudly.

It had been years since he last heard the phrase being used to describe him. Wei Wuxian pointed at himself, but no words came out of his mouth. He didn't know if he was the ill one or Madam Mo.

When he was younger, he talked quite a lot about exterminating entire families and clans, killing million of people, creating rivers of blood, and other cruel actions. If he could actually do the things he said, then he would have long been dominating the cultivation world. Madam Mo's true intention wasn't to avenge Mo Ziyuan, but to let her resentment out on someone.

"Tsk, you act as if you hadn't actually killed millions of people, exterminated families and clans, and created rivers of blood!" A rogue cultivator scoffed. Jin Zixuan's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, and he knows that he isn't the only one vexed. Couldn't these cultivators just stay silent, instead of spewing insults towards Wei Wuxian every time his past was brought up? It was growing repetitive, and Jin Zixuan, as much as he dislike Wei Wuxian, was getting irritated.

He glanced at his wife, and saw a frown on her lips. Her eyebrows were furrowed together, and her hands were clenched into a fist. She must be getting angry at hearing her the slander on his brother.

Jin Zixuan wondered if his wife had taken her mother's temper, would she be openly showing her anger at these cultivators? Would she be cursing them for slandering Wei Wuxian?

Maybe. Jin Zixuan would fully support his wife if she ever snaps and puts these irritating cultivators in their places.

Wei Wuxian didn't want to be bothered by her. He thought for a moment, and then stuck his hand onto Mo Ziyuan's arms. He fished around for a moment and then took something out, unfolding it in front of everyone. Everyone stared at the spirit-attracting flag that Wei Wuxian was holding.

Wei Wuxian instantly realized what had happened, and thought, He had it coming!

Jiang Wanyin shook his head, and commented, "Mo Ziyuan is a fool. Does he not know how to listen to cultivators? He took a spirit-attraction flag because of his ignorance, and look at the result!" Many agreed with the Jiang sect leader. If Mo Ziyuan hadn't stolen a spirit-attraction flag, then he wouldn't have faced death at all. 

Ignorance truly is dangerous.

When Lan Sizhui and the other saw the flag, they had also understood what happened. Associating this with the farce that happened earlier today, the cause was easy to guess. Mo Ziyuan lost his face due to Mo Xuanyu's crazy behavior and loathed him, wanting to square up with him.

When the night had fallen, Mo Ziyuan secretly went outside, and was passing the West Courtyard when he saw the spirit-attraction flags on the walls. Although he was warned to not wander around outside during nighttime since it was dangerous, Mo Ziyuan thought he was told to do so because the cultivators were scared that people would be stealing the flags.

'Foolish boy.' Lan Qiren thought. Do people these days not bother to listen to cultivators at all? If one does not have knowledge on the danger that surrounds their home, then they should just listen to the experienced, and much more knowledgeable people!

Mo Ziyuan had no idea about the dangerous effect of the spirit-attraction flags. He got addicted to stealing hid cousin's talismans and magic tools, and he would always itch to take odd items like the flags, not giving up until he obtained them. Therefore, when the Gusu Lan disciples were subduing walking corpses in the West Courtyard, Mo Ziyuan quietly took one.

Lan Sizhui bowed down his a head, his lips curling into a frown. If they had payed more attention, then would they have caught Mo Ziyuan stealing a flag, and save the young master from death?

Ouyang Zizhen glanced at Lan Sizhui with concern. He had an inkling on what made his friends upset, and a sigh left his lips. He placed a hand on Lan Sizhui's shoulder, softly smiling as the Lan disciple turned around and met his eyes. "Don't worry. It's not your fault. You and the Lan disciples at Mo Village were busy subduing the walking corpses, so you wouldn't be able to even notice Mo Ziyuan at all."

Lan Sizhui looked as though he wanted to refute what Ouyang Zizhen said, but he instead sighed. He smiled back at his friend and nodded.

Nothing good will come out of blaming himself for something that had happened in the past. The past is the past, nothing can be changed. The only thing he could do was ponder his actions in the past, and think of ways on how to improve himself for the future.

Mo Ziyuan, unlike the Gusu Lan disciples that have countless of magical tools and protection, has no protection at all. And so, when he took a flag, the evil beings was immediately attracted to him. If there were only walking corpses, it wouldn't matter too much. If he was bitten, he wouldn't die immediately and could've still been saved. Unfortunately, the spirit-attraction flag attracted something worse than a walking corpse, and that unknown being killed Mo Ziyuan and took his arm.

Many took a quick glance at Nie Huaisang. The Qinghe Nie disciples were looking elsewhere other than the orb, while Nie Huaisang was covering half of his face with his fan, a dark and unreadable look on his face.

Wei Wuxian shook his head at the obvious stares that almost everyone was giving the Qinghe Nie disciples and Nie Huaisang. These people really don't know how to be subtle, do they?

Wei Wuxian raised his wrist. Sure enough, one of the cuts on his right-hand had healed. Since he was the creator of the spirit-attraction flag, the sacrificial contract had deemed the death of Mo Ziyuan as his doing.

"Well, that is one convenient way to fulfill Mo Xuanyu's wish.."

Madam Mo was well aware of her son's foibles, but she wasn't willing to admit that Mo Ziyuan caused his own death. Due to impatience and anger, Madam Mo grabbed a teacup and threw it in the direction of Wei Wuxian's head, "If you didn't frame him in front of so many people, he wouldn't have went out in the middle of the night! It's all your fault, you son of a bitch!"

Wei Wuxian saw it coming, and dodged to the side. Madam Mo turned to Lan Sizhui and screeched, "And you! You bunch of useless fools! You cultivate and ward off evil spirits but you can't even protect my son! A-Yuan is still a child!"

Lan Xichen clenched his hands into a fist, and sighed. There was no point in getting angry at the words of Madam Mo. She was blinded by rage and grief; she wasn't in the right mind. Still, hearing his disciples get blamed for the death of Mo Ziyuan that they didn't cause slightly irked him. He knows that uncle must be feeling the same, although he wasn't voicing his anger. It was against the rules, after all.

Lan Xichen took a quick glance at his brother and the elders. They didn't seem happy, either. Lan Xichen was glad that his brother has his husband to calm him. The elders, however...

"How dare she?! It's so obvious that Mo Ziyuan was the one who had caused his own death! Our disciples had nothing to do with the death of her son, and yet she blames them? Tsk. Ignorant woman!" Lan Qiren closed his eyes, and Lan Xichen wondered if his uncle was still feeling fine. Sighing, Lan Xichen smiled, "Please, calm down. What we are being shown is the past. There is no point in being angry."

Lan Qiren felt grateful for his nephew. At least, Xichen was much more mature than the elders of their sect.

The boys were still young. They hadn't been outside much and were too inexperienced to find anything wrong with the area, which was why they felt sorry for not detecting an evil being as fierce as this one. After Madam Mo's senseless scolding, the disciples all looked blue in the face. After all, they grew up in a prominent family, so nobody dared to treat them like this. The Gusu Lan Sect was very strict to its disciples, forbidding violence against the powerless, not even allowing disrespect. Even if they felt displeased, they had to bottle everything down with a dark expression.

"Wei Wuxian sure knows a lot about Gusu Lan Sect." Jin Ling muttered. Lan Jingyi snickered, crossing both of his arms together," That's because he studied to Gusu when he was young! Everyone knows that Hanguang-jun and Wei-qianbei met at Cloud Recesses!"

Jin Ling scowled, his ears turning red. "So what if I didn't know? I don't have to know every single detail about Wei Wuxian!"

"He's one of your uncle! You should know your uncle well!"

"Well, I'm a sect leader now! I don't have time to get to know him better!" Jiang Yanli fondly chuckled at the quarrel of Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling. The two boys reminded Jiang Yanli of Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian, back when everything was still so peaceful.

Jiang Yanli softly smiled, "Boys, calm down." Her tone was reprimanding yet soft. Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling quieted when they heard Jiang Yanli, glaring at each other.

Wei Wuxian thought, 'It has been so many years, yet Gusu Lan is still the same! What's the use of their "self-restraint"?'

Lan Qiren took a deep breath. Whatever Wei Wuxian was going to say, he was sure that the words will just get his blood boiling.

Wei Wuxian spat loudly and spoke, "Who do you think you're taking out your anger on? They traveled far and wide to come here and exorcise evil spirits for you. Do they owe you anything? How old is your son? He should be at least seventeen, so how is he still a child? How young of a child does he have to be to not understand basic human language? Did they or did they not repeatedly instruct him to not touch anything in the formation and not approach the West Courtyard? You son sneaked outside on his own. Is it my fault? Or is it his?"

"Wei-qianbei is so cool!" Ouyang Zizhen whispered among his peers from the Ouyang Sect. The Ouyang disciples nodded their heads in agreement. Sect Leader Ouyang sighed, glaring at Wei Wuxian. That Wei Wuxian has corrupted my son and disciples!

Lan Xichen smiled at Wei Wuxian, "Thank you for defending our disciples, Wei-gongzi."

Wei Wuxian merely shrugged, nuzzling deeper into Lan Wangji's arms. "I can't just stand there and not do anything while the juniors are getting yelled at by Madam Mo for no reason, can't I?" Lan Wangji smiled at his husband, proud.

The Gusu Lan disciples let out a breath of air, faces not so dark anymore. Madam Mo was both extremely mournful and resentful, and all she could think about was the word "death". Not her death so that she could be with her son, but the death of everyone, especially the ones in front of her.

She had a habit of ordering her husband around, so she knocked him, "Call everyone! Call everyone inside!"

Even so, her husband was in a trance. Possibly because of the trauma of losing his only child, he went as far as pushing Madam Mo. It caught Madam Mo by surprise, and she fell onto the ground.

"Do you think he's possessed?" A cultivator murmured to their companion. The companion stared at the figure of the husband of Madam Mo, and nodded. To push his own wife because of the trauma of losing your child? It was... too bizarre.

Wei Wuxian stroked his chin, deep in thought. 'How did I not notice that the husband of Madam Mo was also attacked?

In the past, Madam Mo didn't even need to push Master Mo. If she just raised her voice, he would comply immediately. How could he dare to strike back today?

The servants were all scared out of their wits from her expression. A-Ding helped her up while quivering. Madam Mo clutched her chest and spoke in a trembling voice, "You... You... You, get out of here as well!"

Her husband seemed like he didn't hear anything. A-Ding gave a few looks to A-Tong, and the latter hurriedly helped his master walk outside. The East Hall was in chaos. As Wei Wuxian saw that the family had finally silenced, he intended to examine the corpse again. However, before he could take another look at it, a high-pitched scream pierced through the air. It was from the courtyard.

"What do you think happened?" A rogue cultivator asked their friend. Their friend replied, "Didn't you hear? The whole Mo Family was annihilated!"

"Chifeng-zun's hand is very fierce and dangerous..."

The people in the hall all rushed outside. On the ground of the East Courtyard, there were two twitching bodies. The first was that of A-Tong's, still alive, collapsed on the ground. The other fallen body was wrinkled and withered, as if the blood and flesh has been emptied dry. The left arm was already gone, but no blood came out of the wound. The condition of the corpse was the same as Mo Ziyuan's.

It was a horrible way to die. No one would want their corpse to look withered and almost unidentifiable. Although the Mo Family has been nothing but arrogant and abusive, some still can't help but feel pity for the family.

Looking at the corpse shown in the orb, Wen Qionglin's eyes wandered to Wei Wuxian. At the thought of the word "gruesome death", he can't help but think of his master. Although he wasn't present during the siege to witness the death of Wei Wuxian, he has heard that his master had died a very gruesome death. Devoured by his own army of fierce corpses, they say.

Madam Mo brushed off A-Ding's supporting hand a second ago, but as she the corpse on the ground, her eyes widened, and she was finally out of energy to throw another fit. As she fainted, Wei Wuxian happened to be next to her, and gave her a hand, passing her to A-Ding, who came running. He looked at his right wrist and saw that another one of the cuts was also gone.

It was merely a few seconds ago before they walked over to the threshold of the hall, not even past the East Courtyard yet, and saw Madam Mo's husband die distressingly. The Gusu Lan disciples grew pale in the face. Lan Sizhui was the first to calm down and asked A-Tong, who was lying on the ground, "Did you see what it was?"

Whilst Lan Sizhui was asking A-Tong, Lan Jingyi sent a signal to the sky. A white, cloud motif of the Gusu Lan Sect flared up.

The back of a man was shown. He looked up at the signal and immediately stood up, taking a familiar, white sword with him.

"Lan Zhan! You're finally appearing!" Wei Wuxian excitedly whispered to Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji didn't particularly feel excited about his appearance, but he nodded at his husbad. "Mn."

A-Tong was almost scared to death, unable to open his mouth. Even after a few moments of asking, A-Tong still couldn't answer, and only shook his head repeatedly. Lan Sizhui was burning with anxiety. He asked another disciple to take him back inside, and turned to Lan Jingyi, "Did you send the signal?"

 "They are clever. Truly, the Gusu Lan Sect exceed their honorable reputation." A minor sect leader spoke. Lan Jingyi gulped, nervously staring at the orb.

He doesn't want to know how many times he will have to copy the rules as punishment. At least he won't be punished alone. Lan Jingyi turned to his peers and saw the distressed looks in the faces of the Gusu Lan disciples present at Dafan Mountain.

'Just why did we forget to bring a signal?'

Lan Jingyi answered, "I did, but if there are no seniors who can assist us in the area, it would take at least an hour for our people to come here. What should we do now? We don't even know what it was."

Of course, it would be impossible for them to leave. If the disciples of a sect only cared about their own well-being, when facing evil spirits, it would not only be bringing disgrace to the sect. They themselves would also be too ashamed to face others. The frightened people of the Mo village couldn't go either, because it was likely that the evil being was among them, so nothing would be gained from going away.

Lan Sizhui gritted his teeth, "Wait here, for the reinforcements!"

Lan Wangji nodded in approval, "You made a good decision, Sizhui." Lan Sizhui smiled, flustered. His ears were turning red, and Wei Wuxian grinned. A-Yuan and Lan Zhan sure are alike!

Now that the signal for help has been sent, other cultivators would come to aid them within a short period of time. To prevent things from getting out of hand, Wei Wuxian should withdraw and keep away from the situation. If the person who came happen to know him or has fought him before, it would be hard to say what was going to happen next.

However, with the curse, he couldn't leave Mo Village anytime soon. In addition, the being that was attracted here had taken the lives of two people within such a short time, which meant that it must be extremely vicious. If Wei Wuxian leaves now, when the helpers come, the streets of Mo Village might be packed with corpses who lost their arms, including a few disciples of blood relations to the Gusu Lan Sect.

After pondering for a moment, Wei Wuxian told himself, 'Finish it quickly.'

"Of course he went to help, even with his identity at risk of getting revealed." Jiang Wanyin muttered under his breath. It was not surprising at all. Wei Wuxian loved helping others, while endangering his well-being at the same time. Even after thirteen years, death had not managed to change some aspects of Wei Wuxian.

(He wished that death took away Wei Wuxian's tendency to sacrifice himself.)

Chapter Text

Lan Wangji did not feel quite comfortable with his husband’s life on full display, the whole cultivation world watching. He felt uncomfortable, knowing that a stranger has the ability to show the past to the whole cultivation world. He didn’t even know that such ability was possible.

Why did this person specifically choose his husband’s life to be shown? Or, rather, why did this person even think of such a thing? Lan Wangji was worried for the safety of Wei Wuxian. He knows that there are still cultivators who harbor hate and ill-intent towards his husband. What if those very people find a weakness of Wei Ying because of the orb, and then use it to attack his husband?

Lan Wangji would use all his strength to protect his husband, but still, he was worried.

The Gusu Lan disciples were all young and inexperienced. However, although they all looked nervous, they strictly stuck to their positions and protected the Mo family’s house, fixing talismans onto the walls. A-Tong was already carried into the hall.

Lan Sizhui felt his pulse with his left hand and supported Madam Mo’s back with his right hand. He couldn’t save both of them at once, and was in a terrible fix when A-Tong crawled up from the ground.

“He looks… possessed.” a cultivator murmured.

“That’s because he is!”

“A-Tong! You’re finally awake!” A-Ding exclaimed.

However, before her face had the time to light up, A-Tong raised his left hand and clutched his own neck.

“He’s most definitely not in his right mind!” a disciple whispered to his friend. Their friend lightly hit the disciple’s shoulder, “Of course he isn't’! Haven’t you heard? The whole Mo family was annihilated overnight, even their servants died as well! Where have you been living to be so oblivious?”

“Of course I won’t remember! This was years ago, and there was much more shocking news than this! For example, Jin Guangyao! Yiling Patriarch!” The disciple huffed. How could he possibly be interested or remember this? He didn’t know that Mo Village even existed in the past, and he wasn’t interested in the village.

Seeing this, Lan Sizhui tapped on a few of his acupoints three times. Wei Wuxian knew that although they looked gentle, the people of the Gusu Lan Sect had the arm strength opposite of gentle. With a force like this, it would be hard for anyone to move.

However, A-Tong seemed like he didn’t feel anything. His left hand’s grip tightened, and his expression looked more painful and twisted. Lan Jingyi proceeded to grab his left hand, but it was like breaking off a chunk of iron, having no effect at all.

After a moment, a crack came from his neck, and A-Tong’s head drooped down. His neck was broken.

Seeing this, A-Ding’s voice wavered, “...A ghost! There’s an invisible ghost here! It made A-Tong strangle himself!”

Jin Ling’s mouth was wide open. He has briefly heard of what happened at Mo village, but he didn’t expect it to be this gruesome!

Then again, Chifeng-zun’s hand was fierce, so it shouldn’t be any surprise at all.

Her tone was sharp and her voice was shrill. It made everyone’s blood run cold, they believed it easily. Wei Wuxian’s judgement was the opposite– it wasn’t a ferocious ghost.

He examined the talismans that the Gusu Lan disciples chose. All of them were spirit-fending ones, and the East Hall was literally covered with them. If it really was a ferocious ghost, then, as it went into the East Hall, the talismans would have incinerated green flames. Yet, nothing was happening right now.

“Oh, Senior Wei is really knowledgeable!” Lan Jingyi praised. Jin Ling snickered, “Of course he knows this! He’s the Yiling Patriarch, the founder of demonic cultivation!”

It was not the group of kids’ fault for reacting too slow, but the creature was indeed cruel. The cultivation world had a strict definition for a ferocious ghost. They had to kill at least one person a month and continue the behavior for at least three months.

Wei Wuxian himself set the criterion, and it was probably still being used. He was the best at dealing with this kind. This thing killed three people at once, and within a short period of time. It would be hard even for a capable cultivator to think of a solution immediately, let alone these juniors who had just started their careers.

As he was thinking, the candlelight flickered. A sinister wind passed, and all of the lanterns and candles in the courtyard and East Hall had died out.

“No one got hurt, right?” Jiang Yanli worriedly asked. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her lips were curled into a frown. She was aware that this has happened in the past, but still, she can’t help but worry.

Wei Wuxian smiled at her in a assuring manner, “No one got hurt other than the Mo family members that died. Don’t worry about it, Shijie!”

“Wei Wuxian at least knows how to deal with these kinds of things. He may be stupid, but he’s not inexperienced.” Jiang Wanyin chimed in. Wei Wuxian dramatically gasped, staring at the Yunmeng Jiang sect leader with an offended look.

“You wound me, Jiang Cheng! How could you call me stupid?”

Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, Ouyang Zizhen, and Jin Ling all stared at Wei Wuxian. Lan Xichen, who heard the conversation, also turned to stare at him.

“Who was the person that didn’t know the romantic feelings of his lover when everyone else did?” Jiang Wanyin taunted. Wei Wuxian didn’t argue back, and he merely pouted. He didn’t need to be reminded of how oblivious he was!

Lan Wangji looked away, feeling awkward. He didn’t look away for long though, as he went to stare at his cute, pouting husband.

The moment the lights were extinguished, screams came from everywhere. Everyone pushed and pulled, wanting to escape as fast as they could. Lan Jingyi shouted, “Stay where you are and don’t run! I’m gonna catch whoever runs!”

He wasn’t merely saying this to alarm the people. Evil beings loved to cause trouble in the dark and make profit in times of trouble. The worse the chaos is, the more likely it was to unknowingly attract danger. At times like this, being isolated and becoming anxious was extremely unsafe.

After a while, the East Hall grew quiet, with only a few light breaths and faint sobs. It was likely that only a few people left.

Lan Sizhui ignited a flame talisman. The fire from the fire talisman would not be extinguished by sinister winds. He used the talisman to light up the candle again, and the rest of the boys went to comfort the others. Under the light, Wei Wuxian casually looked at the cuts on his wrists. Another cut had healed.

After looking, he suddenly realised that there was something with the number of cuts on his wrists.

“Who could the next victim be?” a rogue cultivator wondered out loud.

“It’s probably Madam Mo. Evil beings are attracted to chaos, and isn’t Madam Mo’s emotional condition so chaotic that she even fainted?”

Originally he had two cuts on each of his wrists. One healed when Mo Ziyuan died, and another healed when Mo Ziyuan’s father died. The death of A-Tong healed another. Adding it up, only three of the cuts should have healed.

But, right now, there were no more remaining cuts on his wrists.

“The last cut was clearly for Madam Mo. How did Madam Mo get attacked by Chifeng-zun’s hand, that even the Yiling Patriarch only noticed when he looked at the curse of the sacrifice?” Jiang Wanyin wondered the same. Wei Wuxian was smart, and while he was oblivious and sometimes stupid, he would’ve noticed Madam Mo getting attacked by Chifeng-zun’s hand.

He looked at Wei Wuxian, and didn’t bother to ponder the topic. Since it seemed that even Wei Wuxian didn’t know the reason that he never noticed anything wrong, then how can anyone else guess?

Wei Wuxian knew that Madam Mo was definitely one of Mo Xuanyu’s targets of vengeance. The longest and deepest cut was probably for her.

Did Mo Xuanyu suddenly reach an epiphany and let go of his hate? It would be impossible. Mo Xuanyu’s soul has already vanished, as a price for summoning Wei Wuxian. The death of Madam Mo was the only way that could heal the cut.

His gaze slowly moved towards the pale-faced Madam Mo, who recently woke up and was surrounded by everyone.

Unless, she was already dead.

“Is this the part where everyone figures out that the evil being was the hand of Chifeng-zun?” Ouyang Zizhen asked Lan Jingyi in a whisper. The latter nodded, and the Ouyang sect heir slowly nodded his head and straightened his posture.

Lan Jingyi tilted his head, and leaned towards his friend, “Why? Is there something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong!” Ouyang Zizhen assured his friend, then he continued, “Jingyi, if this is the part where they figure out that it was the hand of Chifeng-zun that killed their master and young master, as well as madam, doesn’t that mean we’ll get to see Senior Wei do heroic stuff? I mean, since the hand was cruel and fierce, and there was no way that your group could have handled it before reinforcement came!”

Now that Lan Jingyi thought about it, the corpses were suddenly fighting each other. Before, it didn’t make sense why the corpses started having a brawl with the hand, but now, it made so much sense! It was probably Senior Wei who commanded the corpses.

Wei Wuxian was sure that something was already possessing Madam Mo’s body. He wondered, ‘If the being isn’t a spirit, then what is it?’

Suddenly, A-Ding cried, “Hand… his hand! A-Tong’s hand!”

Lan Sizhui moved the flame talisman to above A-Tong’s body. Sure enough, his left hand had disappeared as well.

With lighting speed, Wei Wuxian’s mind became clear. The being that was wreaking havoc and the missing left arms finally completing the puzzle. He promptly burst out laughing.

Lan Jingyi snapped, “You idiot! How can you still laugh in a situation like this?” But, after a second thought, he knew that he was an idiot anyways. What’s the use of haggling over him?

Lan Qiren was not impressed. The more he watched, the more the Gusu Lan disciples broke the rules, and by the time they get back to Cloud Recesses, it seems like the disciples would copy the rules as punishment for months.

It seems that the Gusu Lan Sect needs to be stricter to disciples, lest they continue such disorderly behavior and keep on breaking the rules.

“Who knew that a Gusu Lan disciple would call someone stupid?”

Wei Wuxian tugged at his sleeves. “No, no!”

Lan Jingyi was annoyed, pulling his sleeves back. “What ‘no’? You’re not an idiot? Stop fooling around! Nobody has the time to pay attention to you.” 

Wei Wuxian pointed at the corpses of Master Mo and A-Tong, and said, “These are not them.”

Lan Sizhui stopped the fuming Lan Jingyi and asked, “What do you mean by 'these are not them’?”

Wei Wuxian stated solemnly, “This is not Mo Ziyuan’s father, and this is not A-Tong either.”

Nie Huaisang chuckled. Only Wei Wuxian would not properly explain and beat around the bush. If Lan Sizhui had the temper of Jiang Wanyin, then he would’ve long cussed the demonic cultivator and threatened to beat him up if he didn’t explain properly.

With his make-up covered face, the more solemn he looked, the more he looked like a lunatic. Surrounded by the dim candlelight, his words sent chills down everyone’s backs. Lan Sizhui blankly stared for a second, then asked, “Why?”

Wei Wuxian exclaimed proudly, “Their hands. None of them were left-handed. I’m sure of this, because they would always hit me with their right hands.”

“He really does seem like a real lunatic, not just acting as one…”

Lan Jingyi spat, running out of patience, “What are you being proud of?! Look at how complacent you are!”

Lan Sizhui broke into a sweat. Thinking back, A-Tong had used his left hand to strangle himself, and Madam Mo’s husband also used his left hand to push his wife. But, during the day, when Mo Xuanyu was causing trouble in the East Hall, the two were rushing to get him out of there, both using their right hands. It was impossible for them to suddenly turn left-handed before they died.

Although he didn’t know why, in order to figure out what the creature was, they had to think in the direction of “left hands”. After Lan Sizhui realised this, he felt surprised and looked at Wei Wuxian. He couldn’t help but think, ‘Suddenly saying this, it doesn’t seem like a coincidence…’

Wei Wuxian only smiled. He knew that the hint was too deliberate. The good thing was that Lan Sizhui himself didn’t think too much of it. The Gusu Lan disciple’s eyes moved away from him, passing A-Ding, who fainted from crying too much, and landed on Madam Mo.

“If one does not look keenly, they would never notice that something is wrong with her!”

His gaze traveled from her face down to her hands. Her arms were hanging down and were mostly covered by her sleeves, with only half of her fingers showing. Her right hand had fair, thin fingers.

However, the fingers on her left hand were much longer than the ones on her right. They were also thicker. The knuckles were bent, full of power.

It wasn’t the hand of a woman– it was a man’s!

Lan Sizhui commanded, “Hold her!”

A few boys grabbed Madam Mo. Lan Sizhui was prepared to slap down a talisman when the left hand suddenly twisted, aiming for his throat.

Lan Xichen’s eyebrows furrowed. While he knew that this was the past, and Lan Sizhui was not injured, he still felt a little anxious. However, his brother-in-law was there, and he knew that Wei Wuxian would make sure that their disciples would not get hurt.

Wei Wuxian saw this, and he immediately pushed Lan Jingyi to block the hand.

“Outrageous!” Lan Qiren yelled, fuming. How dare Wei Wuxian endanger a disciple of Gusu Lan? Lan Sizhui may not have been injured, but what about Lan Jingyi? He glared at Wei Wuxian, hands clenched into a fist.

Wei Wuxian sighed. He knew that this would happen, since it was indeed startling for him to suddenly push Lan Jingyi to block the arm. It did look as if he tried to kill the disciple. He raised his hands, a defeated look on his face. “I wouldn’t push Jingyi if I knew that he was going to be hurt! The robes of Gusu Lan have many incantations. The incantations on his robes protected him!”

Lan Qiren’s glare lessened its intensity, and the elder didn’t say anything else.

As soon as the hand grabbed Lan Jingyi’s shoulder, green flames ignited on the arm, making it loosen its grip. Lan Sizhui was about to thank Lan Jingyi for saving him from death when he saw that half of the latter’s uniform was burnt to ashes.

Lan Jingyi took off the other half of his uniform and scolded, fuming with rage, “Why did you push me, you lunatic? Did you want to kill me?!”

Wei Wuxian scampered away like a frightened rat. “It wasn’t me!”

Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes at Wei Wuxian’s act. He was really dedicated to acting as a lunatic.

Lan Jingyi wanted to scold him again, but Madam Mo fell onto the ground with all of the blood and flesh on her face drained with only a thin layer of skin on her skull left. The male arm that didn’t belong to her had fallen off her shoulders.

Being dismembered was a classic example of death. It was only somewhat more dignified than the way Wei Wuxian died. Unlike being devoured until there were no remains left, the limbs and parts of the corpse would be tainted with some resentment of the person who died. It would want to reunite with the other parts of the body, and die as a whole corpse.

Lan Wangji frowned. He didn’t like how his husband would casually talk about his death, as if it was something to think lightly of. He knows that Wei Ying always speaks about his sufferings lightly, as if they were nothing to be concerned about.

With glum eyes, his eyes went back on the orb.

“So the rumors were true about Wei Wuxian getting devoured by his own army?”

“Wei Wuxian said it himself that he was devoured in the orb, why are you asking something that is already confirmed? Are you not paying attention to what the orb is showing?”

Jiang Yanli’s eyebrows were furrowed, and her hands were tightly clenched into a fist. What was the point of her sacrifice, if A-Xian still died? And the way he died…

Jiang Yanli didn't want to think about it. A-Cheng must’ve been lonely, raising her son alone, with his family dead. Fate was too cruel to her brothers. Her eyes watched Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian, and a sigh left her lips.

Hopefully, her brothers are finally happy in the present. Jiang Yanli was not blind, and she could see the tension between her brothers. However much her brothers try to hide it, Jiang Yanli could see the wedge between them. A-Xian and A-Cheng are distant to each other, with unspoken words that they would not tell to each other.

A-Cheng and A-Xian’s relationship at present was the same as it was after the war had ended. Except, this time, it seems that the wedge between them isn’t as severe as it was before.

Jiang Yanli sighed, ‘Before I go, I should ask A-Xian and A-Cheng to have a chat with me in private. I want to see them properly reconcile before I go…’

If it found the other parts of the owner’s body, it might rest in peace or stir up more trouble. If it couldn’t find the other parts of the body, then the body part would have to put up with the second best option.

It would have to make do with the bodies of living humans.

It was like this left hand– eat the left hand of a living person, and replace it. After draining all the person’s blood and energy, it would abandon the body and find another until it finally collected the other parts of its corpse.

“You know, it was a good thing that Senior Wei was there. If he wasn’t at Mo Village at that time, then the Gusu Lan disciples would’ve been dead by now!”

The boys from the Gusu Lan Sect saw that, although talismans didn’t work, clothing did, and they all took off their coats to cover the left hand. The layers of clothing all looked like a white cocoon. After a second, the ball of white clothes ignited, creating a green, abnormal inferno.

Although it would take care of the moment, after a while, when the uniforms were completely burnt, the hand emerged from within the ashes.

While nobody was looking, Wei Wuxian ran towards the West Courtyard.

“What do you guys think Senior Wei is gonna do?” Ouyang Zizhen asked his friends. Lan Sizhui stared at the orb, and wondered, ‘The corpses fighting the hand… Perhaps it was Senior Wei that did that?’

The walking corpses that were subdued by the Gusu Lan disciples stood silently in the courtyard, sealed by the incantations drawn on the ground. Wei Wuxian kicked one of the symbols, destroying the entire formation. He clapped twice.

Suddenly, with a jolt, the whites of the walking corpses’ eyes all turned upwards, as if they were woken by a bolt of thunder. Wei Wuxian spoke, “Wake up, it’s time to work!”

The walking corpses moved. As they approached Wei Wuxian, their legs grew weak and they collapsed in front of Wei Wuxian, as if they were real humans.

“Are they supposed to be like that?” Jin Ling couldn’t help but ask.

Wei Wuxian laughed, “They were weak and not cruel enough. They were too afraid of me, so they just laid down on the ground.”

Jin Ling was surprised. These walking corpses were actually terrified? Then again, it was Wei Wuxian that they were facing, and it seems that even walking corpses were scared of him.

Wei Wuxian found it both funny and annoying. He clapped his hands again, this time lighter. These walking corpses were probably born in Mo Village and probably died here as well, not having experienced life fully.

They instinctively followed the summoner’s command, but were also horrified at the summoner, lying on the ground and afraid to get up.

The crueler the being was, the better Wei Wuxian could command it. These walking corpses weren’t directly trained by him and couldn’t withstand direct manipulations from him. He didn’t have any materials on him, which meant that he couldn’t immediately make tools to ease the walking corpses.

The soaring green lights in the East Courtyard gradually grew dimmer. Suddenly, Wei Wuxian found a solution.

Lan Jingyi seems to have realised something, as his mouth opened into an ‘o’ shape. Ouyang Zizhen asked his friend with an eyebrow raised, “Why? Is there something wrong?”

Lan Jingyi shook his head. “No, no! I just realised something. At that time, in the Mo Village, the corpses of the Mo family suddenly started fighting the left hand!”

Ouyang Zizhen’s eyes sparkled. He has never seen such a thing before. This was a one-time experience! He turned his head and completely focused on the orb.

Why would he need to come outside and find a dead person with strong resentment and a cruel personality? There was not only one, but multiple corpses in the East Hall!

Wei Wuxian ran back to the East Courtyard. As Lan Sizhui’s first solution failed, he found a second one. The disciples pulled out their swords and stuck them to the ground, making a sword fence. The hand crashed into the sword fence, and they spent all their energy compressing their hilts so that it didn’t break out.

Wei Wuxian strode into the East Hall and grabbed Madam Mo’s and Mo Ziyuan’s corpses, one on each hand. His eyes glowed red, and he spoke in a low voice, “Wake up!”

Wen Qionglin jolted. He remembered this. This was when Master Wei’s voice echoed in his mind, and he awoke, trying to search for his master.

The scene changed suddenly. The orb was no longer showing the East Hall, but a dark room instead. There was only one candle lit in the room, and the watchers could vaguely see the metal jail cell beside the candle.

The voice of Wei Wuxian echoed in the room, and a pair of black eyes opened. It was evident that the owner of the eyes was not human.

Wei Wuxian stared at the orb with narrowed eyes. He had an idea on who the owner of the black eyes could be.

The scene then changed back to the East Hall, where Madam Mo’s and Mo Ziyuan’s eye whites turned up. They started making the shrill and powerful shrieks that ferocious ghosts make after they came back to life.

Amidst the shrieks, another corpse trembled and crawled up, making the lowest and faintest shrieks. It was Master Mo.

The shrieks were loud enough and the resentment was strong enough. Wei Wuxian smiled, feeling quite satisfied, “Do you recognise the hand outside?”

He commanded, “Tear it apart.”

Lan Sizhui now understood why the corpses suddenly started fighting the hand of Chifeng-zun. He had suspected that it was Senior Wei before in the Mo Village, but his suspicion was immediately dismissed when he saw the terrified look on his face.

‘Senior Wei is a great actor.’ Lan Sizhui thought.

The three members of the Mo family whipped out like three clouds of black wind.

Aside from being unable to defy Wei Wuxian, the family also loathed the creature that killed them. The main attacker was undoubtedly Madam Mo, because female corpses were often especially fierce after they were modified.

Madam Mo’s hair was loose and her eyes were bloodshot. With nails that multiplied in length, foam gathering at her mouth, and shrieks that were enough to uplift the ceiling, she looked extremely insane.

Behind her followed Mo Ziyuan, who cooperated with her, using both his teeth and hands. Master Mo was at the end, covering for the gaps between the other two corpses’ attacks. The Gusu Lan disciple watched with awe.

Almost to one in the room had seen such a thing before, so many were watching the corpses of the Mo family fiercely fight the hand of Chifeng-zun with awe and interest.

They had only seen these battles between multiple books and hearsays, and they all gaped as they saw the gore-splattered scene for the first time, unable to avert their gaze. They all thought that it was absolutely thrilling!

The three corpses and the hand were in the middle of a tough battle, when Mo Ziyuan abruptly moved out of the way. His abdomen area was attacked by the hand, causing a few chunks of his intestines to spill out.

Although corpses are not anything new to cultivators, the imagery in the orb made many feel like throwing up. There were many who looked away with a grimace in their faces, while some intently stared at the orb with fascination.

Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow. “We’re all cultivators here, but why are there so many here that act like they have never seen such a thing before?”

“Wei Ying, not everyone can handle seeing disturbing and gory scenes or images.” Lan Wangji responded.

As Madam Mo saw this, she screamed incessantly and shielded her son behind herself. Her attacks were violent, the strength of her fingers almost comparable to that of steel and iron weapons. But, Wei Wuxian knew that she was gradually getting overpowered by the hand.

Wei Wuxian was astonished. ‘Even three cruel corpses who recently died couldn’t subdue this single arm!’

Watching as the Mo family grew closer to defeat, Wei Wuxian prepared to blow the whistle that he suppressed under his tongue. At the same time, the echoes of two strums on a stringed instrument came from far away.

Jiang Wanyin scowled. It was evident that the stringed instrument was Wangji, Lan Wangji’s guqin. Who else could the newcomer be, if not the noble and almighty Hanguang-jun, who always appears whenever there is trouble?

God, will he have to watch Lan Wangji pine over Wei Wuxian, while the idiot was completely oblivious? He’ll actually be pissed.

The sound seemed to have been played by a human. The creatures battling in the courtyard all stiffened as they heard the sound.

Instantaneously, the disciple from the Gusu Lan Sect beamed, as if they were born again. Lan Sizhui wiped the blood off his face, happily exclaiming, “Hanguang-jun!”

“Do you think we’ll see Senior Wei and Hanguang-jun’s love story?” Ouyang Zizhen asked his friends. Jin Ling crossed his arms together, scoffing, “Of course we will! The orb will probably show their journey together. Isn’t that their love story?”

“I mean the love story they had when they were teenagers!”

Jin Ling paused. Would the orb also show them the days when his uncles were still teenagers, his mother and father still alive, and the Qishan Wen Sect still standing?

Lan Sizhui spoke out, “Maybe? We can’t be sure, however.”

Chapter Text

In all honesty, Lan Xichen wasn’t sure if he could handle seeing A-Yao, no, Jin Guangyao, again through the orb’s vision. However, it was inevitable, seeing as how the orb was showing the past.

He must handle it, though. He was an adult, not a child. The past is long gone and the truth has already been revealed.

As soon as he heard the two faraway strums of the guqin, Wei Wuxian turned around and began to leave.

The sound of another strum came. This time, the pitch was higher. The three corpses backed off and covered one ear with their right hand. However, it was impossible to block out the Eradication Tone of the Gusu Lan Sect by means such as this. They had just retreated a few steps, and slight bursting sounds came from within their skulls.

Nie Huaisang covered his ears with a grimace. Everyone else in the room did the same, minus Wen Qionglin, who remained silent. The sound was shrill and high-pitched; Nie Huaisang felt that his head would explode.

Wei Wuxian wasn’t as bothered as everyone else with the sound. He was used to the whispers that he could hear in his head. The unpleasant and loud sound was different from the sinister whispers that he used to hear, but the two had something in common: they were both bothersome.

Wei Wuxian used to have headaches because of the whispers, especially during the days that he lived in the Burial Mounds with the Wen remnants, but that was because in the Burial Mounds, resentful energy was everywhere, and so the whispers would often come and annoy him. So now, Wei Wuxian was somehow not that bothered with the sound.

Wei Wuxian stared at Lan Wangji with concern written all over his face. “Lan Zhan, are you okay? Is it too unbearable?”

Lan Wangji did not speak for a moment. Then, after the sound dispersed, he whispered, “I’m fine. Do not worry, Wei Ying.”

“What the hell was that! The orb could’ve at least given us a warning.” Jin Ling huffed. He was startled by the sudden noise piercing through his ears that he almost screamed. He covered his mouth before he did so, not wanting to lose face. He was a sect leader now!

Lan Jingyi scowled. “Stop being so loud! I’m gonna get a headache because of you.”

“You-”

“Boys.” Jiang Yanli intervened. The sound was unpleasant, but it did not affect her and Jin Zixuan much. Was it because they were dead? Jiang Yanli wasn’t sure, but she and her husband sure are lucky. Her son and everybody else weren’t as lucky as them, however. She could see it just from their expression. The sound was indeed deafening to the ears.

Because the arm had just endured a tough fight, after hearing the sound of the strings again, it instantly fell onto the ground. Although the fingers were still flinching, the arm was unable to move.

After a short silence, the Gusu Lan disciples couldn’t help but cheer loudly, celebrating the joy of surviving the incident. They struggled through the exhilarating night, and their sect’s reinforcement had finally come. Even if they’d be punished because of reasons such as “being discourteous and making noise is harmful to the sect’s reputation”, they didn’t care.

Lan Qiren took a deep breath and glared at the disciples of Gusu Lan behind him. The disciples withered at the glare, and those who were at Mo Village were profusely sweating. They were certainly going to be punished!

They were relieved when Hanguang-jun didn’t punish them since he was too busy trying to bring back Senior Wei to Gusu, and then he went on a journey with Senior Wei to track the culprit behind the left hand.

The Gusu Lan disciples, especially Lan Jingyi, desperately wanted to travel back in time and cut off their mouths.

Lan Xichen smiled at his disciples, amused.

After waving towards the moon, Lan Sizhui had realized that someone had disappeared. He tugged at Lan Jingyi, “Where is he?”

Lan Jingyi was absorbed in the act of rejoicing. “Who?”

Lan Sizhui replied, “Senior Mo.”

Lan Jingyi said, “Hm? Why are you looking for that lunatic? Who knows where he ran to. He’s probably frightened by my threats to hit him.”

“...”

Lan Sizhui knew that Lan Jingyi had always been careless and straightforward, not thinking twice about anything or suspecting anyone. He thought, ‘I’ll wait for Hanguang-jun to come, and then tell him everything.”

“I wasn’t trying to insult you!”’ Lan Sizhui said with a panicked expression. Lan Jingyi placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder and sighed, “It’s fine. You weren't wrong. I really should start being more thoughtful…”

Mo Village was still asleep, but it was difficult to tell whether it was a real slumber or not. Although the corpse fight was bloody and loud, the villagers didn’t wake up during the early morning to watch. After all, even bystanders needed to choose which events to show up at. One that involved lots of screaming was definitely not the safest type to watch.

Wei Wuxian eliminated all evidence of Mo Xuanyu’s ritual as fast as he could, and ran out of the door.

Unfortunately, the person who came was from Gusu Lan Sect, but even more unfortunately, the person happened to be Lan Wangji!

Lan Wangji frowned.

The Wei Ying in the orb was still the Wei Ying that thought he hated him. All because he couldn’t properly express his concern and desire to protect the love of his life, which led to a misunderstanding that went on until Wei Ying's death, to his resurrection years later.

“Lan Zhan! Don’t feel upset!” Wei Wuxian hurriedly spoke as he saw the frown on Lan Wangji’s face. He wrapped his arms around his husband’s waist and rested his head on Lan Wangji’s shoulder.

“I was stupid before, alright? This is the past, and the present is different from the past! I now know that you love me very much, and I also love you.” Wei Wuxian mumbled.

Lan Wangji stared at Wei Wuxian and smiled. His heart warmed at his husband’s attempt to comfort him. While he still felt guilt in his heart, he felt lighter after hearing his husband.

Lan Wangji was one of the people who had fought him before, so he should retreat quickly. He was in a hurry to find a mount, so he passed a courtyard and saw a big millstone inside. 

A donkey was tied to a handle, chewing on its mouth. When it saw him run over rashly, it seemed like it was surprised, and eyed him sideways as if it was a real person. Wei Wuxian made eye contact with it for one second, and was immediately touched by the minuscule amount of contempt in its eyes.

He tried to grab the rope and pull it out, but the donkey complained by making a few noises. Therefore, Wei Wuxian had to use both his words and strength to deceive the donkey and get it on the road.

As dawn came over the horizon, they went off onto the main path.

“That donkey reminds me of Jiang Wanyin,” Jin Zixuan muttered, "Their both grumpy." He added.

Jiang Yanli chuckled at his husband’s remark. If her brother heard A-Xuan, he would certainly be fuming, cursing out her husband.

Only a few days passed, and Wei Wuxian realized that he might have made the wrong choice. The donkey that he had conveniently picked up was too hard to please.

Although it was only a donkey, it would exclusively eat fresh, young grass with dewdrops still hanging off them. If the tip of the grass had a streak of yellow, it wouldn’t eat it. 

Passing a farm, Wei Wuxian stole some wheat straws to feed it, but after chewing them, it spat it out. If it didn’t eat high-quality food, it wouldn’t budge, and it’d lose its temper and kick around. Wei Wuxian was almost kicked by the donkey multiple times. Aside from that, its brays were also displeasing to the ears.

The donkey of Wei Wuxian was even more spoiled than Jin Zixun, Jiang Wanyin thought. Wei Wuxian’s luck was truly unpredictable, because either misfortune or fortune would come knocking at his door.

Maybe the luck that Wei Wuxian had was from Lan Wangji, while all the misfortune was from his tendency to invite trouble.

“If I had a donkey like that, I would’ve long abandoned it!”

“I doubt there’s other donkeys that has the same attitude as that donkey…”

Wei Wuxian thought, ‘It was useless, no matter as a mount or as a pet!’

Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but think of his sword. The sword was probably collected by the sect leader of a prominent sect and would have been hanged on a wall as a trophy that they could show other people.

At the reminder of Suibian, Jiang Wanyin’s eyes darkened. His hands clenched into a fist, and he took a deep breath.

After pushing and pulling along a few blocks, the road reached a vast farmland of some village. Under the scorching sun, there was a thick pagoda tree. Beside the tree, there was an old well, with a barrel and a dipper on the side.

The donkey ran over there and nothing could make it leave. Wei Wuxian hopped down and slapped its buttocks. “You’re definitely destined for health, even harder to please than me.

The donkey was indeed harder to please than Wei Wuxian.

‘Master Wei isn’t really hard to please though…’ Wen Qionglin thought as his gaze landed on Wei Wuxian. His master was easy to please. It wasn’t hard to make him smile, and during their days living in the Burial Mounds, you could just give him potatoes and he would be happy.

The donkey spat at him.

While they fooled around aimlessly, a group of people approached from within the fields.

The people carried handmade bamboo baskets, and wore cotton clothes and straw sandals. In the group, there was a young girl with a round face that could be considered delicate.

Possibly because of walking for too long under the sun, they also wanted to rest under the shade and have some water. However, seeing that there was a wild donkey tied to the tree and a lunatic with heavy makeup and disheveled hair, they were reluctant to come over. 

Wei Wuxian had always thought of himself as one who was courteous towards women, so he moved over, emptying some space, and went to struggle with the donkey. After realizing he was harmless, the people were finally at ease to come over.

All of them were drenched in sweat and had ruddy cheeks; some were fanning themselves and some fetching water. The girl sat by the well and smiled at Wei Wuxian, as if she knew that he moved away.

Lan Wangji quietly huffed, and he encircled Wei Wuxian’s waist in a possessive embrace. Wei Wuxian looked at his husband with a smirk. “Lan-er-gege, are you… jealous?”

Wei Wuxian laughed when he saw Lan Wangji’s ears turn red. Teasing his husband is too fun!

One of the people held a compass. He looked into the distance, and then lowered his head questioningly. “We’re already at the foot of Dafan Mountain, so why hasn’t the pointer started pointing yet?”

At the mention of Dafan Mountain, Jin Ling suddenly remembered his actions in the mountain. He glanced at his uncle and parents for a second before lowering his head, cursing the Jin Ling of the past.

Jin Ling was aware that his actions in Dafan Mountain were too arrogant and rude. His parents would probably be disappointed in him, and his uncle was most definitely going to get mad at him for not using his signal firework at that time.

Heck, from what he could vaguely remember, didn’t he make a wish and caused a disciple to lose their soul?!

“A-Ling? Are you okay?” Jiang Yanli asked when she noticed Jin Ling’s distressed face. Jin Ling jumped, startled at the voice of his mother, but forced himself to calm down and smile. “I’m fine, A-Niang,”

Jiang Yanli frowned, but she didn’t say anymore. She raised her hand and caressed Jin Ling’s hair, making the young sect leader’s cheeks turn red. Jin Zixuan smiled at his wife and son.

The designs on the compass looked strange, indicating that it wasn’t a normal compass. It wasn’t one that showed the north, south, east, and west, but one that showed the directions of malicious creatures. The compass was known as Compass of Evil.

Wei Wuxian realized that the group was probably from a poor cultivation clan from the countryside.

The middle-aged man leading the group called for people to take a drink and replied, “Your compass might be broken. I’ll get you a new one later. Dafan Mountain is less than ten miles ahead of us, which means that we cannot rest for too long. We have struggled through the whole journey. If we relax now and fall behind, with other people beating us to it, it wouldn’t have been worth it.”

After the group of people finished resting, they prepared to move on. Before they left, the round-faced girl took a small, partly-ripened apple out of her basket and handed it to him. “Here you go.”

“I must say, this girl is quite beautiful…”

“You find everything beautiful!”

Wei Wuxian extended his hand to receive the apple, grinning broadly, but the donkey opened its mouth and bit it. Wei Wuxian quickly took the apple away. Seeing that the donkey craved the apple so much, he thought of a good idea.

He gathered a long thread and a fishing thread, hung the apple on one end, and dangled it in front of the donkey. The donkey smelled the apple’s refreshing scent in front of him and wanted to eat it, chasing the apple which was always a centimeter away from him.

Nie Huaisang chuckled. No matter how many insults the cultivation world throws at Wei Wuxian, one thing that they can’t deny was how quick-witted the demonic cultivator was.

Without stopping, Wei Wuxian arrived at Dafan Shan before dark. Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain, he finally realized that the “fan” wasn’t what he thought it was. It got its name because, looking from far away, the mountain looked like a kind, chubby buddha. There was a small town below the mountain named Buddha’s Feet.

Jin Ling couldn’t help but feel a foreboding feeling.

The number of cultivators who gathered were far more than what he had expected. Everything was a jumble, with people from different sects and clans walking down the streets, all in uniforms of different colors, almost blinding to the eye. For some reason, all of them wore distressed expressions. Nobody bothered to laugh at him even though they saw his strange appearance.

In the center of the long street, a group of cultivators gathered, talking in serious tones. Even from afar, Wei Wuxian could hear them talking.

“I think that there are no soul-consuming beasts or spirits in the area at all. It’s clear that none of the Compasses of Evil showed anything.”

“If there isn’t, then how did the seven people lose their souls? They couldn’t have all attained the same disease, could they? I, for one, haven’t heard of this disease at all!”

“Their compasses were clearly broken!” Lan Jingyi spoke, remembering the statue that they struggled to fight. It was a good thing that Senior Wei was there and called for Wen Ning, although he was almost choked to death by the fierce corpse…

“Even if the Compass of Evil hasn't shown anything, does it mean that there’s nothing in the area? It can only point out an approximate direction without any specifics, so it shouldn’t be trusted fully. Maybe there’s something here that can interfere with the pointer’s direction.”

“Do you remember who created the Compass of Evil? I’ve never heard of anything that can interfere with its pointer’s direction.”

“What do you mean? Are you implying anything with that tone of yours? Of course, I know that Wei Ying created the Compass of Evil. But, it’s not as if his creations are flawless. Aren’t we allowed the option of doubt, at least?”

Wei Wuxian hadn’t thought of it much before, but he can’t help but wonder. Why do the people shown by the orb gossip about them disrespectfully? First, it was Jiang Cheng, a sect leader, and then him. He wasn’t surprised much that his birth name was being used instead of his courtesy by these strangers, but Jiang Cheng?

Very disrespectful to a sect leader!

“I never said that you can’t doubt it, much less that his creations are flawless, so why accuse me?”

And so, their argument turned another direction. Wei Wuxian passed them on his donkey, giggling. He didn’t expect that, after so many years had passed, he was still alive in the cultivators’ conversions.

“You’re the infamous Yiling Patriarch. What do you expect?” a rogue cultivator snickered.

This was the so-called “much ado about Wei”. If there was a poll to find out whose popularity was the most lasting in the cultivation world, the winner would be no other than Wei Wuxian.

To be honest, the cultivator wasn’t wrong. The Compasses of Evil used today was the first version he made, and were not specific enough. He was in the middle of making improvements when his “den” was destroyed, so he had to put everyone through the inconvenience of using the imprecise version.

Wei Wuxian reined in the rope and hopped off the donkey’s back, holding the apple, which had been ahead of it for the whole journey, in front of its mouth. “One bite, one bite only… Hmph, are you trying to steal my whole hand with that bite of yours?”

He ate a few bites from the other side of the apple, and stuffed it back into the donkey’s mouth. Wei Wuxian was pondering upon how he came down to the point of sharing an apple with a donkey, when, suddenly, someone bumped into his back.

He turned around to see a girl. Although she bumped into him, she didn’t acknowledge him at all. Her eyes were dull and she had a smile on her face, staring into the distance without blinking.

“Is she possessed?”

“Maybe…”

Wei Wuxian followed her gaze and saw the dense mountaintop of Dafan Mountain.

All of a sudden, the girl in front of him started dancing without saying anything.

‘There is something wrong with the girl.’, Lan Wangji thought.

He frowned when he saw the face of his husband in the orb, watching the girl. Wei Ying liked to flirt with women before, and now, seeing the pleasure in his face…

He didn’t like it.

The dance was wild, her arms flinging about savagely. Wei Wuxian was watching the performance with keen pleasure when a woman ran over, lifting her dress slightly. She embraced the girl and cried, “A-Yan, let’s go back, let’s go back!”

A-Yan brushed her off with force, and her smile didn't fade. She continued to dance. The woman had to chase her down the street, sobbing while running. A street vendor on the side spoke, “How awful. A-Yan from Blacksmith Zheng’s family has escaped again.”

“It must be terrible for her mother. A-Yan, A-Yan’s husband, and her husband…”

Wei Wuxian wandered around, piecing together the strange event that happened here from listening to the conversations of others.

On Dafan Mountain, there was a burial ground. Most of the ancestors of the townspeople from Buddha’s Feet were all buried here, and, sometimes, unidentifiable corpses would also receive a spot and a wooden plaque here.

A few months ago, on a dark and stormy night, the wind and rain caused a piece of land on Dafan Mountain to slide and collapse, which happened to be the burial ground. Many older graves were destroyed, and a few coffins were exposed to the air and struck by lightning.

“How terrible…” Many murmured.

It was indeed terrible. The families whose ancestors’ graves were destroyed probably felt uneasy and immediately kowtowed, asking for forgiveness. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the families did so. After all, no one wanted their ancestors to visit their dreams in anger.

The townspeople of Buddha’s Feet were extremely uneasy. After a few rounds of prayer, they rebuilt the burial ground again, assuming that everything would be fine. However, ever since then, people in the town started to lose their souls.

The first one was a sluggard. He was a poor wretch, loafing about and doing no work at all. Because he loved to hike mountains and catch birds, he happened to be stuck on the mountain during the night of the landslide. He was frightened to death, but luckily, he was safe. The peculiar thing was that, after a few days, he suddenly married someone. His wedding was quite large, and he said that he wanted to be charitable from now on and settle down.

On the night of the wedding, he was completely drunk, having never woken up since he lay in bed. The bride didn’t receive an answer as she called him. Only when she pushed him over did she realize that the groom had dreary eyes and a cold body. Aside from being able to breathe, he was no different to a dead person.

After a few days of lying on the bed, not eating or drinking anything, he was finally buried.

Many pitied the bride. Just after she married, she immediately became a widow.

The second one was A-Yan, the daughter of Blacksmith Zheng. The young girl had just received an engagement when her future husband was killed by a wolf on the second day while he was hunting in the mountains. After she got the news, she also became like the sluggard.  Luckily, after some time, her soul-losing disease was cured on its own. However, after this, she went crazy, cheerfully dancing to other people when she was outside.

The third one was Blacksmith Zheng. Until now, this had happened to seven people.

Wei Wuxian considered the situation, and figured that it was most likely a soul-consuming spirit, not a soul-consuming beast.

Jin Ling was starting to think of ways to avoid his uncle's fury...

Nevermind, there was nothing he could do! He should hide behind Uncle Wei for protection the moment his uncle started fuming in anger because of his mindless actions.

To go up the mountain, one had to hike up a trail that started in the town. Wei Wuxian sat on his donkey and rode up the hill slowly. After a while, a few people walked down with ominous expressions on their faces.

Some of them had scars on their faces, and they were talking all at once. With the darkening sky, they all jumped as they saw a person looking like a hanged ghost approaching them. After cursing, they walked around him quickly.

Wei Wuxian turned his head around and thought, ‘Maybe they were frustrated because it was a strong prey?’

He didn’t think too much about it and slapped the donkey’s buttocks, making it jog faster up the mountain.

Coincidentally, he missed the group’s whining, which happened shortly after.

“I haven’t seen anyone like this!”

“Would the leader of a big sect like that need to fight over a soul-consuming spirit with us? He probably killed tons of them when he was young,”

“What can we do? He’s a sect leader. No matter which sect you offend, you shouldn’t offend the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, and no matter which person you choose to offend, you shouldn’t offend Jiang Cheng. Let’s just pack up, leave, and feel sorry for ourselves!”

Jiang Yanli heard this and frowned, turning her head to her brother. She knew that her brother was short-tempered and had a foul mouth when he’s angry, but it couldn’t be that he was always so angry in the future that many learned to fear and never offend him and the Yunmeng Jiang Sect?

Meanwhile, Jiang Wanyin gritted his teeth. Do these people not know how to address me properly? I’m not close with any of them, and yet they still dare to call me by my birth name!

His expression was dark, and he glared at the cultivators in the room. Those who secretly called Jiang Wanyin his birth name behind his back internally panicked, looking at anything but the furious Jiang sect leader.

Jiang Yanli sighed and turned her head to watch the orb. A-Cheng probably won’t answer her truthfully about this matter, and she could only watch the orb to get the answers she wanted. It wasn’t that her brother lied to her often, but her guts just told her so. And with the expression of her brother and the murderous aura around him, Jiang Yanli didn’t think that it was a good time to even ask him about what the cultivators on the orb meant.

If it was darker, then one would need a torch to move freely in the mountain’s forest. Wei Wuxian walked for a while, but he didn’t meet any cultivators. He was quite surprised.

Suddenly, cries for help came from in front of him.

Jin Ling knew that this was it. He was going to face his parents’ disappointment while he gets judged by everyone else in the room. He could already feel the annoyance of being called a ‘young mistress’ by Lan Jingyi.

“Is anyone there?”

“Help us!”

Jin Zixuan’s eyebrows furrowed. What could have possibly happened to these cultivators?

Both male and female voices could be heard, and all sounded panicked, probably not faked. Cries for help from desolate mountains were usually the works of evil creatures, to lure ignorant people into traps. Yet, Wei Wuxian was happy.

The more evil the creature was, the better it was for him!

He directed the donkey towards the direction of the voices, but couldn’t find anything around him. As he looked upward, instead of spirits or monsters, it was the rural clan he met by the field earlier on, hung on the trees by a huge, golden web.

Jin Ling bit the bottom of his lip. His heart was beating fast, and his ears were red from embarrassment.

The middle-aged man was originally patrolling and scouting in the forest with a few others. However, rather than meeting the prey that they had hoped for, they stepped into a net trap, probably set up by some wealthy sect, which was why they were hanging on the tree, complaining and calling for help.

After seeing that someone approached, they immediately brightened up, but the hope faded as they saw that it was the lunatic who came. Although the threads of the deity binding were thin, the material was fine in quality, making them difficult to break. The lunatic probably didn’t even know what it was, much less how to get them out of it.

He was about to call others to come help him when the crisp sounds of parting branches and stepping on leaves approached. A boy wearing a light-colored robe emerged from within the dark forest.

Jiang Yanli brightened to see her son, but she noticed his anxious expression.

Did something bad happen in Dafan Mountain? Was that why he was nervous?

Lan Jingyi, who just remembered what had happened there, glanced at Jin Ling and snickered. The young mistress was probably going to get scolded for his arrogance and rudeness, which he deserved. He should be reprimanded for being an arrogant jerk!

The boy had a vermillion mark in between his eyebrows, his features delicate yet sharp. He was quite young, around the same age as Lan Sizhui- still in his adolescence. Wei Wuxian saw the boy’s face and thought that he looked familiar for some reason.

The boy carried a bamboo canister of feathered arrows and a luminous sword on his back, holding a longbow in his hand. The embroidery on his clothes was extremely delicate, forming a magnificent white peony in front of his chest.

Wei Wuxian silently exclaimed, “How wealthy!”

“He’s from the Lanling Jin Sect, not to mention the heir at that time. Of course he’s wealthy!”

Jin Zixuan straightened his posture, and his lips curved upwards into a small smile. There was an aura of pride around him.

This must have been a young master studying in the Lanling Jin Sect, since the sect was the only one with a white peony as the sect pattern, using the king of all flowers to suggest that they were the king of all cultivators. The vermillion mark implied the meaning of “opening the door towards wisdom and aspiration; illuminating the world with the vermillion light”.

The young master already had an arrow on his bow and was preparing to shoot it, when he realized that the deity-binding nets only caught humans. After an initial moment of disappointment, he quickly became annoyed. “I find you idiots every single time. There are more than four hundred deity-binding nets in the mountain, but you guys have already broken ten or so, and I haven’t seen the prey yet!”

“A-Ling!” Jiang Yanli scolded. Jin Ling’s gaze remained downwards, too ashamed to say anything or even look at his parents.

Jin Zixuan gently patted his son’s shoulder. “I was once an arrogant and spoiled young master like you, A-Ling. Don’t be ashamed. I’m sure that Jiang Wanyin had a big role in your actions in the past, as well as the Lanling Jin Sect.”

Jiang Wanyin’s eyebrows twitched when he heard his name being mentioned by Jin Zixuan, and he scowled. “A-Ling was a big brat, and he still is. I’m sure his father’s bratty personality somehow passed onto him.”

Jin Zixuan scowled as well, glaring at Jiang Wanyin.

“A-Cheng, A-Xuan, stop fighting.” Jiang Yanli’s tone was stern and the two immediately obeyed. They still glared at each other, but they didn’t speak anymore.

“Shijie is just the best. Right, Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian spoke to his husband as he watched Jiang Wanyin and Jin Zixuan with amusement.

“Mn.”

Wei Wuxian thought again, ‘How wealthy!’

“Is that all you thought about? Were you so poor back then that all you could think of when you encountered me was ‘how wealthy’?!” Jin Ling was irritated after hearing ‘how wealthy’ once again. Didn’t he at least recognize him as his nephew? His father’s sword was with him! And he even said it himself that he looked familiar!

Wei Wuxian pouted. “What else should I have thought then?”

“Didn’t you recognize me?”

Wei Wuxian let out a silent ‘ah’. He did recognize Jin Ling there, but only when Jiang Cheng appeared.

Wei Wuxian smiled sheepishly and didn’t answer.

A single deity-binding net was already expensive, yet he had set up four hundred all at once. A smaller clan would’ve become bankrupt after buying so many, but of course, this was Lanling Jin Sect. Wasting deity-binding webs like this and not caring what they caught shouldn’t be considered night-hunting at all.

In fact, it was almost as if they were chasing people away, not allowing others the chance of contributing to the process. It seemed that the cultivators who retreated earlier didn’t do it because the prey was difficult, but rather because this sect shouldn’t be angered.

The middle-aged man spoke with tolerance, “Please, young master, do us a small favor and let us down.”

The boy was restless with the anxiety of his prey still not arriving, and it was convenient for him to direct his anger towards the country bumpkins. He crossed his arms and scoffed, “You guys should just stay here, in case you mess around and get in my way again! I’ll let you guys down after I catch the spirit-consuming beast, that is, if I still remember you.”

Jiang Yanli sighed, and she placed a hand on Jin Ling’s shoulder. “A-Ling, your behavior there was extremely rude. Even if the Lanling Jin Sect is superior than the sect of these cultivators, you must not treat them disrespectfully. They are still older than you, and they are also human. You must treat them with respect.”

Jin Ling swallowed a lump of saliva and silently nodded his head. Being scolded like this by his mother…

It was a new experience. Jin Ling knew that this would eventually end, and when they got out, his parents would be gone again. There would only be his uncle who would scold him and threaten to break his legs.

He would miss this. Why can’t it be forever? Life was too unfair.

Jiang Yanli smiled and tenderly caressed Jin Ling’s back.

The round-faced girl who gave Wei Wuxian an apple felt scared and started crying. Wei Wuxian was originally cross-legged on the donkey, but as it heard the sob, his long ears quivered, and it suddenly leaped forward.

Following the leap came a long bray. Unprepared for this, Wei Wuxian was thrown off its back, almost injuring his head as he fell. The donkey ran head-first into the boy as if it believed that it could knock him off his feet with its head.

The boy’s arrow was still poised on the bow, conveniently drawing the bow towards its direction. Wei Wuxian didn’t want to find a new mount so soon, so he quietly yanked on its reins. The boy took a look at him, and a look of shock suddenly appeared on his face.

After a second, the shock turned into disdain. His mouth twitched. “So, it’s you.”

Jin Zixuan raised an eyebrow. It seems that his son detested Mo Xuanyu. But why? Did Mo Xuanyu really harass A-Yao?

But then again, earlier, when reminded of Mo Xuanyu getting kicked out, the Lanling Jin disciples all reacted with shame. Jin Zixuan guessed that everyone in the Lanling Jin Sect hated Mo Xuanyu.

The tone was made of twenty-percent surprise and eighty-percent disgust. The boy spoke again, “Did you lose your marbles after you were thrown back to your village? How could they let you outside when you looked as freaky as this?”

Wei Wuxian suddenly had a realization. ‘Could it be that Mo Xuanyu’s father isn’t the head of some small sect, but the famous Jin Guangshan?’

Jin Guangshan was a famous lecher. After he grew tired of a woman, he would forget about her completely. Jin Guangshan didn’t die honorably. He believed that he was old but vigorous, and wanted to challenge himself, fooling around with a group of women. Unfortunately, he failed and passed away during the act.

Jin Zixuan choked. Coughing, his expression looked disturbed. Some stared at Jin Zixuan with sympathy. He was probably shocked after finding out how his father died, and in all honesty, the reaction of Jin Zixuan was to be expected. After all, finding out that your father died during the act…

“What the fuck?” Jin Zixuan rasped.

Jiang Yanli was patting his back, but there was a look of surprise on her face. Jin Guangshan was her father-in-law, after all. Finding out the cause of his death was too shocking.

Wei Wuxian stared at the two, and shook his head. Jin Zixuan was probably gonna be even more shocked the moment the orb reveals that Jin Guangyao was the mastermind behind Jin Guangshan’s death.

The Lanling Jin disciples’ faces were red, and they all refused to look at anyone.

This was too humiliating, and so, the Lanling Jin Sect told the public that the old sect leader died from overworking himself.

During the siege in Burial Mounds, aside from Jiang Wanyin, Jin Guangshan was the second-greatest contributor. And now, Wei Wuxian had taken the body of one of his illegitimate children.

Jiang Yanli’s eyes widened. She knew that A-Cheng and A-Xian’s relationship after the war was distant and cold, but for A-Cheng to be one of the greatest contributors to A-Xian’s demise?

She had never imagined that things would turn this way.

“A-Cheng…” Jiang Wanyin had a grimace on his face, and he refused to look at Jiang Yanli. He was circling Zidian on his finger, and there was shame on his eyes.

“Don’t worry, Shijie. It’s fine.” Wei Wuxian chimed in with a small smile, sensing the somber atmosphere around Jiang Yanli and Jiang Wanyin.

Seeing that he was spacing out, the boy grew even more annoyed. “Get out of here! It’s disgusting just by looking at you, you damn cut-sleeve!”

Lan Qiren frowned at the offensive comment of Jin Ling.

“A-Ling.” Jiang Yanli spoke with a stern tone once again. Jin Ling bowed his head while fiddling with his fingers.

“I’m sorry, A-Niang…” Jiang Yanli sighed, and held Jin Ling’s hands.

“You shouldn’t apologize to me. You should apologize to your uncle.”

Jin Ling bit the bottom of his lip, and he finally raised his head. He went to Wei Wuxian, who was fiddling with Lan Wangji’s forehead ribbon. With a clenched fist, Jin Ling spoke with a barely audible voice, “Uncle Wei…”

Wei Wuxian turned his head around to see a very tense Jin Ling. His gaze then turned to Jiang Yanli, and he chuckled, immediately understanding the purpose of his nephew. He smiled and placed a hand on Jin Ling’s shoulder. “Aiyah, don’t worry! At that time, you thought I was Mo Xuanyu, so you should apologize to him instead.”

“...How do I even apologize to him?”

“Hm, after this, you can go to Mo Village and go to the donkey shed he lived in.” Wei Wuxian replied.

Jin Ling crossed his arms together and looked to his right side. Then, he spoke in a small voice, “Still, I’m sorry…” There was guilt in his voice. In Wei Wuxian’s opinion, Jin Ling and Jiang Wanyin are just too similar to each other. Jiang Wanyin raised Jin Ling and pampered him, after all.

Wei Wuxian guessed that one of the actions that Jin Ling did in the past that he was apologizing for was stabbing him. He ruffled Jin Ling’s hair. “Mn, I accept your apology.”

Jin Ling looked at him hesitantly, but Wei Wuxian could see the small smile on his face.

‘This nephew of mine is too cute!’

In terms of his generation, it was highly possible for Mo Xuanyu to be much older than the boy. After being humiliated by a junior like this, Wei Wuxian thought that even if not for his own sake, he needed to return the humiliation for Mo Xuanyu’s body. “What an attitude! I suppose that you didn’t have a mother to teach you?”

Jiang Wanyin facepalmed. Wei Wuxian just had to dig a grave for himself, huh?

“Tsk. The Yiling Patriarch sure had the nerve to say that when he was the one who killed his own Shijie!”

“But he didn’t know that Sect Leader Jin was his Shijie’s son at that time…”

Wei Wuxian grimaced at his own words. He turned to look at Jin Ling and opened his mouth, but the young sect leader spoke first, “Don’t apologize! You already apologized to me, and you didn’t even know who I was.”

Jiang Yanli smiled. Her son has grown up to be mature.

Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows furrowed. He still wanted to apologize for his hurtful words, but this nephew of his was stubborn. He would probably get cut off before he could even mutter a word.

Hearing his words, two raging flames sparked in the eyes of the boy. He unsheathed the sword on his back and threatened, “What did you say?”

The blade of the sword shone a golden light. It was a rare sword of high-quality. Wei Wuxian examined it attentively, somehow thinking that the sword seemed familiar to him. Then again, he had seen many gold, top-notch swords. He didn’t think too much about it and began to spin a tiny cloth bag that he held in his hand.

“How can you not recognize Suihua?” Jin Zixuan asked, exasperated.

Wei Wuxian crossed his arms together. “It has been a long time since I saw Suihua! My memory is bad, so I didn’t recognize it.” He defended.

Jin Zixuan rolled his eyes. ‘He’s really a genius and an idiot at the same time.’

As the boy wielded his sword and came towards him, he fished a piece of human-shaped paper out of the spirit-locking bag. He shifted to the side, avoiding the attack, and slapped the paper onto the boy’s back.

The boy’s movements were fast, but Wei Wuxian had done a lot of “tripping someone while slapping a talisman onto their back”, which meant that he was faster. The boy suddenly felt his torso go numb, his back weakening, and he unwillingly collapsed onto the ground. He couldn’t get up no matter how hard he tried, as if a mountain was on top of him. On his back, there was a ghost who died from gluttony, crushing him to the point that he couldn’t breathe.

Wei Wuxian picked up his sword, weighed it in his hands, and swung towards the direction of the deity-binding net, splitting it in half.

The cultivators fell to the ground in an awkward way, but they sprinted off without saying anything. The boy on the ground was fuming. “You damn cut-sleeve! Good for you, taking this sort of wrong path because you didn’t have enough spiritual powers to do anything. Watch out for your life! Do you know who came today? Today, I…”

The boy presumed that, after being kicked out of Lanling Jin Sect, Mo Xuanyu had chosen the dishonorable path, which was a reasonable conclusion to draw, saving Wei Wuxian a lot of trouble.

The boy pushed on the ground, but couldn’t get up even after a few tries. His face was scarlet and he gritted his teeth. “If you don’t stop, I’m gonna tell my uncle, and you’re gonna wait for your death!”

“Why is it your uncle, not your dad? Who’s your uncle again?”

A voice suddenly came from behind him, a mixture of bitter and cold. “I am his uncle, any last words?”

Wei Wuxian was truly unlucky. He insulted his nephew, and now he encountered Sandu Shengshou, who absolutely hated him with every fiber of his body! Were they watching a dramatic family reunion?

Chapter Text

Jiang Wanyin sighed and glanced at Jiang Yanli. Unlike Wei Wuxian, his memory wasn’t terrible, so he could vaguely remember what he had said during that encounter.

A-Jie would be disappointed in him…

Hearing the voice, all of the blood on Wei Wuxian’s face drained away. His hands trembled, and his mouth slightly open.

A violet-clothed youth approached with confident steps, his robes flowing smoothly and his hand pressing on the hilt of his sword. A silver bell hung by his waist, although it made no sound as he walked. The violet-clothed youth was none other than his former shidi, the sect leader of Yunmeng Jiang Sect, Jiang Wanyin!

Jiang Wanyin stood ten steps away from Wei Wuxian. His posture emitted an air of arrogance and overconfidence.

He frowned. “Jin Ling, why did you linger for so long? Do you really need me to come and pick you up? Look at what a terrible situation you’re in right now, get up!”

“Sect Leader Jiang is really scary…” a disciple whispered to their friend.

The friend of the disciple slapped the back of the disciple and covered the latter’s mouth. He hissed, “Shut up! Sect Leader Jiang is near, if he hears you, you’re dead!”

The disciple went pale and timidly glanced at Jiang Wanyin for one second. His face grew pale after seeing the face of the sect leader, and he didn’t speak any more.

After the initial number of his head, Wei Wuxian quickly realized what was happening. He curled a finger inside his sleeve and made the piece of paper disappear. Jin Ling felt his back lighten and immediately rolled up, grabbing his sword in the process. He shifted near Jiang Wanyin and pointed at Wei Wuxian accusingly. “I’m gonna break your legs!”

Jiang Yanli chuckled. It seems that A-Ling had grown to have the same naming sense and catch phrase as her brother. She could also see the temper of A-Cheng in her son.

Jiang Wanyin moved his finger, and the paper doll swiftly flew out of Wei Wuxian’s hand and into his own. After taking one look at it, hostility came over his face. He pressured his fingers, and the paper ignited, burning to dust with the screams of dark spirits.

Jiang Wanyin spoke grimly, “Break his legs? Haven’t I told you? If you see this sort of evil and crooked practice, kill the cultivator and feed him to your dogs!”

Many cultivators in the room shivered at the words of Jiang Wanyin. This sect leader was really too scary! Was it in the bones of the former shixiong and shidi duo to have the ability to make anyone piss their pants in fear?

Jiang Yanli stared at Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin, and she sighed. Just what happened between them, that A-Cheng was one of the greatest contributors to A-Xian’s demise?

Jiang Yanli knew that there were probably many demonic cultivators who are wicked at heart, but with the hostility that her brother had towards the crooked path…

That hate was probably pointed towards A-Xian, and since he had died, A-Cheng directed his hate towards demonic cultivators.

Jiang Yanli thought hard, and gasped. Was it… her death? Was it her death that had caused A-Cheng to hate A-Xian so much?

Lan Wangji’s hold on Wei Wuxian’s waist tightened.

Wei Wuxian couldn’t even attempt to grab his donkey, backing away at a rapid speed. He thought that, after so many years, no matter how much hatred Jiang Wanyin had held for him, it would have disappeared long ago. He didn’t expect that not only did it not disappear, it became richer, as if it was a jar of aged wine. At the present time, his hatred has grown to affect people who cultivated like him!

With someone backing him up, Jin Ling’s attacks became more aggressive. Wei Wuxian slid two fingers in the spirit-locking bags to take something out, when all of a sudden, the blue glare of a sword slashed out like lightning. It collided with Jin Ling’s sword, breaking the powerful sword’s golden rays in an instant.

It wasn’t because of the quality of the swords, but rather the great disparity in the strengths of the persons using the swords. Wei Wuxian had originally calculated the timing, but his movements were suddenly interrupted by the sword’s glare, causing him to trip. He fell onto the ground, right on top of a pair of snow-white boots. After pausing for a moment, he lifted his head.

What first came into his sight was a long, slender blade, crystalline and translucent, as if it was made of ice.

“Ah, the husband comes in to save his wife!” Ouyang Zizhen excitedly exclaimed. Of course, his voice wasn’t loud, and only his friends and father heard him.

Sect Leader Ouyang glared at his son. ‘My son… Saying such things now… Damn that Wei Wuxian for passing his shamelessness onto my son!’

It was Bichen.

The blade turned, and the clank of the sword being inserted back into its scabbard sounded from above Wei Wuxian. At the same time, Jiang Wanyin spoke, “And I was wondering who it was. So, it is you, Second Master Lan.”

The pair of white boots passed around Wei Wuxian and calmly walked three steps forward. Wei Wuxian raised his head and got up. As he walked past the former, slightly brushing their shoulders, he made eye contact with him for a moment, pretending that it was unintentional.

It was Lan Wangji, one of the people that Wei Wuxian had wanted to avoid the most.

Lan Wangji knew that the vision that the orb was showing was the past, yet hearing that Wei Ying wanted to avoid him…

It hurt him. Hearing that his beloved had wanted to avoid him in the past.

Lan Wangji took a deep breath, and he stared at the orb with a frown.

Lan Wangji had the aura of smooth moonlight. His skin was fair, features both refined and elegant, as if he was a polished jade. The color of his eyes was especially light, like they were made of colored glass, causing his gaze to be overly distant. His expression held the traces of frost and snow, stern to the degree of being stiff, unwavering even as he saw Wei Wuxian’s ridiculous face.

Lan Wangji’s frown disappeared, and his ears became red. Wei Wuxian laughed, “Lan-er-gege~ Are you flustered?”

“Wei Ying…”

Meanwhile, Jiang Wanyin’s eyebrows twitched, and he moved away from Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. He bitterly thought, ‘I didn’t need to watch Wei Wuxian admire Lan Wangji’s face!’

There wasn’t a single spec of dust or wrinkled spot on Lan Wangji’s robes, from his head to his feet. It was impossible to find any fault in his appearance. Even so, two capitalized words jumped into Wei Wuxian, ‘Mourning Clothes!’

Lan Qiren still hated hearing the words ‘mourning clothes’ used to describe the Gusu Lan Sect’s robe. It was ridiculous! Does Wei Wuxian not have any shame or respect?

Although all the sects in the cultivation world used extravagant words to describe the Gusu Lan Sect’s uniform as the best-looking uniform and Lan Wangji as an incomparable beauty who only appeared once in a blue moon, nothing could help the bitter facial expression that made him look as though his wife had passed away.

Some turned their heads to discreetly stare at Lan Wangji, and wondered, ‘Could it be that the Second Young Master Lan was already in love with Wei Wuxian even before his death? But… they quarreled all of the time before, and many had witnessed their fights…”

Lan Wangji was silent, staring straight ahead, standing motionlessly in front of Jiang Wanyin. Jiang Wanyin was already exceptionally handsome, but as they stood face to face with each other, he still seemed a few degrees inferior.

Jiang Wanyin glared at Wei Wuxian. ‘We get it, your Lan Wangji is the most handsome in the world, and no one can compare to him!’

He raised an eyebrow and said, “Hanguang-jun, you sure live up to your reputation of ‘being wherever chaos is’. So, you had time to come to this remote area?”

Lan Jingyi spoke, “Isn’t Sect Leader Jiang here as well?”

“That Lan disciple sure has a backbone to speak in such a way to a sect leader.” Said a rogue cultivator.

Lan Jingyi cried out internally, ‘I didn’t even know why I did that! I was really digging my own grave back then…’

Jiang Wanyin replied, “Tsk, do you really think that you should butt in when your seniors are conversing? The Gusu Lan Sect has always been known for its respectful conduct. Is this really how it teaches its disciples?”

Lan Qiren tried to calm himself. From what had been shown up until now, it seems that Gusu Lan Sect would not escape slander. It was atrocious! But, however ridiculous and outrageous it was, Lan Qiren must always have a serene head. He must expect the slander, lest he qi deviate from anger.

Though, he would be soon watching his nephew pine over that troublemaker, Wei Wuxian. No matter how much Lan Qiren pacifies himself, he doesn’t think he can watch Wangji break the rules and do ridiculous acts, all for that demonic cultivator.

However, he makes his nephew happy. It was only for Wangji’s sake that he tolerates Wei Wuxian.

Meanwhile, the Gusu Lan elders all looked red. How dare Jiang Wanyin insult Gusu Lan Sect? He is too disrespectful, even daring to slander them! Just because of that disciple named Lan Jingyi and his loud nature, which is very unlikely of a Lan, he questions how Gusu Lan teaches their disciples? Utterly disrespectful!

Lan Wangji seemed as if he didn’t want to engage in conversation, throwing Lan Sizhui a look. The youth understood and told the juniors to speak among themselves. Afterwards, he spoke to Jin Ling. “Young Master Jin, night-hunts have always been fair competitions amongst the different clans and sects. However, to set up nets all over Dafan Mountain is clearly hindering the cultivators, causing them to fall into traps. Is this or is this not against the rules of night-hunting?”

Jin Ling’s grim expression was exactly the same as his uncle’s. “What can I do? It was their own fault for stepping into the flags. I’ll solve everything after I capture the prey.”

Lan Wangji frowned. Jin Ling was about to speak again, but he suddenly realized that he could neither open his mouth or make any sounds. Seeing that Jin Ling’s upper and lower lips became inseparable, as if they were glued together, Jiang Wanyin yelled at Lan Wangji, “You, with the surname Lan! What do you mean by this? It’s not your turn to discipline Jin Ling yet, so release the spell, now!”

“Do you think that Sect Leader Jiang will pick a fight with Hanguang-jun?”

“Be quiet! You’ll see if Sect Leader Jiang will pick a fight with Hanguang-jun anyways, so shh! You’ll get in trouble if Sect Leader Jiang hears you.”

“...”

Lan Sizhui spoke, “Sect Leader Jiang, there is no need for anger. As long as he does not break the spell forcefully, it would release on its own, only after thirty minutes.”

Before Jiang Wanyin could open his mouth to speak, a Yunmeng Jiang Sect disciple ran towards them from within the forest. He shouted, “Sect Leader!”

However, after seeing Lan Wangji’s appearance, he hesitated. Jiang Wanyin spoke satirically, “Talk. Is there more bad news?”

The disciple spoke in a low voice, “Not long ago, a blue sword flew over and destroyed the deity-binding nets that you had set up.”

Jiang Wanyin glanced at Lan Wangji, displeasure plastered all over his face. “How many were broken?”

The disciple replied, “All of them…”

All of them!

Truly, Lan Wangji is a prodigy. He was able to destroy more than four hundred deity-binding nets at Danfan Mountain with just a swipe of his sword!

Jiang Wanyin seethed in anger.

He didn’t expect the journey to be this unlucky. Originally, he came to help Jin Ling out. Jin Ling would be turning fifteen this year, the age of which he should be making his debut and starting to compete with the juniors of the other sects. Jiang Wanyin considered the decision carefully before choosing Dafan Mountain as the location of the hunt. He also set up nets everywhere and threatened the cultivators of other sects and clans, showing them the consequences so that they would retreat in order to let Jin Ling take the top prize without anyone fighting against him.

“A-Cheng, I know that you only want everything to be great for A-Ling, but this is too much…” Jiang Yanli sighed. Her arms were crossed together, and there was a look of disappointment in her eyes.

Jiang Wanyin avoided his sister’s gaze, and spoke in a whisper-like tone, “Sorry, A-Jie…”

Jin Zixuan shook his head. “Tsk, you’re calling me spoiled, and yet here you are, spoiling A-Ling to the point that he had become arrogant.”

Jiang Wanyin’s guilty expression immediately disappeared, and his signature scowl appeared yet again. He glared at Jin Zixuan. “Shut up.”

“You know, I feel that whenever Sect Leader Jiang, Senior Wei, and Young Master Jin fight, their attitudes are similar to a teenager that’s yet to experience the world.” Ouyang Zizhen whispered to his friends.

Lan Jingyi nodded in agreement. Jin Ling scowled and refuted, “Those are my uncles and father that you’re calling childish! They’re not childish! You’re just spouting nonsense.”

Ouyang Zizhen, “I’m not sprouting nonsense! As much as I respect them, I can’t deny that they’re acting like children when they fight, and your mother is like their mother, reprimanding them!”

Jin Ling glanced at his Uncle Jiang and parents, ‘Well… That’s not a bad thing at all! Even adults can sometimes be childish!’

Staring at Jiang Wanyin and Jin Zixuan, Lan Sizhui said, “It isn’t strange. They were just teenagers when they were thrown into war and were forced to become very mature like adults so quickly…”

Lan Jingyi, Ouyang Zizhen, and Jin Ling stared at Lan Sizhui, and didn’t say any more.

Losing the nets was a small matter, but losing face was not. With Lan Wangji’s actions, Jiang Wanyin felt a whirlpool of anger at the bottom of his heart, rising higher by every second. He narrowed his eyes, his left hand casually stroking Zidian on his right-hand’s index finger.

The cultivators who were conversing earlier whether Jiang Wanyin would pick a fight with Lan Wangji stared at the orb with excitement. Whenever the Sandu Shengshou started touching Zidian, it meant that he had the intent to kill.

Were they really going to watch Sect Leader Jiang and Hanguang-jun fight? The cultivators became excited at the thought. It would be entertaining!

But… If the two did fight at Dafan Mountain, wouldn’t there be gossip about it? Unless Sect Leader Jiang threatened everyone that watched them fight to not say a word about their fight, wouldn’t that mean that Hanguang-jun and Sect Leader Jiang didn’t actually have a fight?

The excitement of the cultivators died down.

However, after stroking Zidian for a while, Jiang Wanyin compelled himself to restrain his hostility.

Jiang Wanyin slowly took away his left hand, ceasing to stroke his ring. It seemed as if Lan Wangji was determined to take part in this matter, so it wouldn’t help if he continued to play the antagonist. Jiang Wanyin made the decision to, for the first time being, owe him a favor, and turned around to see Jin Ling still covering his mouth. “Hanguang-jun wants to punish you, so just let him do it for this one time. It’s not easy for him either, to discipline juniors from other sects.”

His tone was sarcastic. Lan Wangji never fought to win his way with words, and looked as if he didn’t hear anything. Jiang Wanyin turned again, his words covered with thorns, “Why are you still standing there? Waiting for the prey to come and throw itself onto your sword? If today, you don’t catch the creature hunting Dafan Mountain, don’t come to me ever again!”

Some stared at Jin Ling with slight admiration. ‘How Sect Leader Jin managed with Sect Leader Jiang’s temper, no one would know! If my uncle was like Jiang Cheng, I would’ve pissed my pants and would never come near him ever again!’

But, then they thought, ‘Ah, right. Sect Leader’s Jin’s parents are dead, and his temper is just the same as his uncle…’

Jin Ling threw Wei Wuxian a tough look, but was too scared to look at Lan Wangji. He put his sword back into its scabbard, saluted the two seniors, and retreated with the bow in hand. Lan Sizhui spoke, “Sect Leader Jiang, the Gusu Lan Sect will return the exact number of spirit-binding nets that had been destroyed.”

Jiang Wanyin sneered, “No need.”

He chose the opposite direction and walked down. The disciple who had come from the forest followed behind him, pulling a long face.

After their figures disappeared, Lan Jingyi spoke, “How could Sect Leader Jiang act like this?” Only afterwards did he remember the Gusu Lan Sect’s rule to not talk about others behind their backs. He looked meekly at Lan Wangji and shut his mouth.

Lan Qiren wondered what had happened to this disciple named Lan Jingyi, for him to always break the rules, intentionally or unintentionally. He reminded him of Wei Wuxian way too much, though the only difference between them was that Lan Jingyi actually feared punishment.

Lan Sizhui smiled towards Wei Wuxian. “Young Master Mo, we met again.”

As Wei Wuxian pulled the corners of his mouth, Lan Wangji spoke, “Do your tasks.”

The command was simplistic and clear, without any fancy vocabulary for decoration. The juniors finally remembered the reason why they came to Dafan Mountain. They gathered their thoughts and waited for further instructions. After a moment, Lan Wangji spoke again, “Do what you can. Don’t force anything.”

The juniors replied mannerly, afraid to linger for long, and walked into the depths of the forest. Wei Wuxian thought that, undeniably, Jiang Wanyin and Lan Wangji were extremely different from each other. Even their advice for the juniors was the complete opposite.

While thinking, he suddenly saw Lan Wangji give an almost unnoticeable nod at him. He was quite surprised.

“What’s shocking about a nod?” Lan Jingyi muttered under his breath.

Ever since a young age, Lan Wangji has been so proper and prim that it was painful to watch. He had always been so solemn and stiff, as if he had never been lively before. He couldn’t let a single grain of sand appear in his eyes, which was why he had never approved of Wei Wuxian cultivating the dark path.

Who wouldn’t? The dark path was wicked, and cultivating it instead of the righteous path would taint the heart. Not to mention, Wei Wuxian during his youth was a prodigy, and his golden core was strong. Yet, one day, he had started cultivating the dark path and had never carried his sword ever again.

Who wouldn’t disagree with cultivating the dark path?

Lan Sizhui had probably informed Lan Wangji of his suspicious behaviour in Mo Village. Even so, he had nodded in acknowledgement, probably thanking him for helping out the juniors from the Gusu Lan Sect.

Without thinking, Wei Wuxian immediately returned a salute. When he looked up, Lan Wangji had already disappeared.

After pausing for a second, he turned around to travel down the mountain.

No matter what prey haunted Dafan Mountain, he couldn’t take it. Wei Wuxian could fight for it against anyone, except for Jin Ling.

‘Why did it turn out to be Jin Ling?’

Wen Qionglin frowned. He had heard that solemn tone of his master many times, and from where this was going, he didn’t like it.

With his master’s tendency to blame himself, he would probably start to blame himself. Again.

If A-Jie was here, she would scold Master Wei for always blaming himself, even when he’s not at fault. If only she was here…

Wen Qionglin doesn’t feel jealous. He doesn’t. But…

Seeing Young Master Jin and Second Madam Jin here, why can’t his A-Jie be here as well? Even for just a moment?

With so many disciples in the Lanling Jin Sect, he really didn’t expect that the person he met happened to be Jin Ling. If he knew, he definitely wouldn’t mock Jin Ling for “having no mother to teach him a lesson”. If someone else had said it to Jin Ling, he would teach them about what it means to bring misfortune upon oneself with careless talk. Yet, the person who had said so was himself.

After standing still for a moment, Wei Wuxian raised a hand and gave himself a slap on the face.

“Wei Ying…” Lan Wangji’s eyebrows furrowed.

Wei Wuxian fiddled with Lan Wangji’s forehead ribbon, gazing downward. He raised his head, and sighed, “Lan Zhan, it’s the past that we are watching! Plus, it didn’t even hurt! Why would I hurt myself?”

The words of Wei Wuxian did not ease Lan Wangji. The latter sighed, and he raised a hand to caress Wei Wuxian’s cheeks, “Still, Wei Ying. You must not slap yourself, or hurt yourself in any way.”

Wei Wuxian nodded, looking like a kid that was scolded by his parents. He lowered his head again, staring at his hands.

“A-Xian…” Jiang Yanli spoke, her lips pursed into a thin line. She didn’t like seeing her brother hurt himself, but she was sure that this would not be the first time that she would watch him hurt himself, or get himself hurt.

 Wei Wuxian didn’t look at Jiang Yanli, nor at anyone that was staring at him.

Jin Ling crossed his arms together, scoffing, “Stupid! Who beats themselves for an unintentional mistake? Hmph! You didn’t even know my identity before uncle came!” Although his words were harsh, his tone was full of concern.

‘Seeing the Yiling Patriarch hurt himself because of his careless words… It is unimaginable.’

Wei Wuxian raised his head and spoke, “Stop looking at me like that! I never slapped myself after that, so don’t worry, okay?”

The slap was both loud and hard, causing his right cheek to sting.

Lan Wangji’s eyes narrowed. He stared at Wei Wuxian, and the latter sheepishly smiled at him.

Why did this orb have to describe the slap? It was unnecessary! He had already said to Lan Zhan that the slap didn’t hurt, and yet this orb just had to describe it as hard!

Suddenly, shuffling sounds came from a thicket on the side, and Wei Wuxian saw the donkey emerge from within. As he dropped his hand, the donkey actually approached on its own. Wei Wuxian forced a smile. “You wanted to save the damsel in distress, but asked me to be the hero on the rescue.”

The donkey whined, just as a wave of cultivators approached from the bottom of the hill. After the four-hundred-or-so spirit-binding nets were destroyed by Lan Wangji’s sword, the hesitant cultivators in Buddha’s Feet all rushed up again. Wei Wuxian considered for a moment, about whether or not to make them retreat again with force. But, after thinking about it, he ended up silently walking out of the way, letting them pass.

The disciples from different sects complained as they walked, “Both the Lanling Jin Sect and Yunmeng Jiang Sect spoil Young Master Jin too much. He’s still so young, but he’s already this arrogant and rude. If they let him have the Lanling Jin Sect, who knows what chaos would happen? I don’t think we’d even survive.”

Ouyang Zizhen scoffed, “At least he isn’t a mass murderer!”

Lan Sizhui sent a warning look towards Ouyang Zizhen. The latter shut his mouth, scowling.

Jin Ling’s expression was thunderous. While he knows that many bad-mouth him behind his back, it was still unpleasant to personally hear their words. His uncle, Jiang Wanyin, had the same expression as him. He subconsciously circled Zidian, glaring at everyone in the room.

‘Do they not have anything better to do but to talk about A-Ling behind his back?’ Jin Zixuan thought, scowling. During his youth, he knew that he was probably insulted when he wasn’t around, especially by Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian. His son wouldn’t escape this either, and he knew this. However, hearing the words of the cultivators in the orb was irking. That was his son that they were talking negatively about!

Jiang Yanli wasn’t feeling happy about this either, but she was glad that her son wasn’t there at that time to hear the cultivators.

However, now…

“A-Ling, are you okay?”

Jin Ling nodded his head. Jiang Yanli didn’t look convinced, and held the young sect leader’s hand. She smiled at him, just like how she always smiled at Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian when comforting them.

Wei Wuxian slowed his pace.

A soft-hearted female cultivator sighed, “How can they not spoil him? He lost both his parents at a young age.”

“Shimei, that’s not how it works. So what if both his parents died? There are tons who lost their parents. If everyone acted like him, then what would happen?”

“I’m surprised that Wei Wuxian was cruel enough to harm Jiang Yanli. Jin Ling’s mother is Jiang Cheng’s elder sister from birth- the shijie who brought him up.”

“It really was too bad for Jiang Yanli, bringing up a wolf that bites the owner’s hand. Jin Zixuan had it even worse. Just because he had something to do with Wei Wuxian, he ended up like that.”

“Why does Wei Wuxian have something to do with everyone…”

Jiang Yanli could not hold her anger any longer, and she shakily yelled, “Do they have no shame?! A-Xian wasn’t at fault for my death! I died to save him, because I’m his shijie, and I consider him as a brother!” She turned her head to glare at everyone else in the room. Lan Qiren could see the resemblance of Yu Ziyuan that Jiang Yanli had, especially now that she was fuming in anger.

“Slandering my brother, especially when all the rumors you heard about him is all hearsay, and none of you have even met him before- absolutely shameful!”

Sect Leader Yao’s face turned red, and he glared at Jiang Yanli. “You’re just a mere woman who knows no cultivation. The power you have is all thanks to your brother and husband, yet here you are, scolding us as if you are our superior?!”

Jin Zixuan coldly stared at Sect Leader Yao, and he moved in front of Jiang Yanli. “Sect Leader Yao, my wife has a right to release her anger. She sees Wei Wuxian as her brother. How could she not defend him? My death was an incident; Zixun provoked Wei Wuxian because of his baseless claims, and he lost control. Sect Leader Yao, from my observations, the juniors here are more mature than you. How can you insult my wife, while her son, brothers, and me, her husband, are here, listening? Not to mention, we are all a part of the Lanling Jin Sect, Yunmeng Jiang Sect, and Gusu Lan Sect, who are much more powerful than your sect.”

Jin Ling wished that Fairy was here. If she was here, he would’ve ordered her to bite that annoying Sect Leader Yao. How dare he insult his mother? He has no shame at all!

The disciples from the Yao Sect were all anxious. Couldn’t their sect leader just stay quiet?!

They took a glance at Jiang Wanyin, and saw him circling Zidian again. He was glaring at Sect Leader Yao, and opened his mouth. Fuck, was their sect leader going to receive another lengthy speech over how bold and disrespectful he was? Their sect is nothing but ants to these people! Their sect leader should’ve known better than to provoke Jin Zixuan, the Sandu Shengshou, Yiling Patriarch, and Sect Leader Jin!

“Sect Leader Yao, please do visit Yunmeng after this. It seems that we have... some things to talk about.” Jiang Wanyin’s tone was cold, and it was clear that he was done with the constant yapping of Sect Leader Yao towards his brother, and now his sister.

Sect Leader Yao trembled from where he stood. He briefly made eye contact with Wei Wuxian’s red eyes.

‘Wait, red?!’

Wei Wuxian didn’t need a golden core to use demonic cultivation. Sect Leader Yao became pale, and he remembered that the Ghost General was in the room with them, watching silently. A disciple finally took their sect leader away from the sight of everyone else.

‘Jiang Yanli is a powerful woman. Although she has a weak golden core and didn’t cultivate, she has the Sandu Shengshou, Yiling Patriarch, Jin Zixuan, and Sect Leader of the Lanling Jin Sect. If you insult her, you might as well face the wrath of these protective brothers, husband, and son!’

“Indeed. Have you heard him being close to anyone other than the mad dogs that he raised. His enemies were everywhere, and he did wrong to everyone. Even with Hanguang-jun, they were like water and fire, hating each other.”

“Speaking of it, today, if it wasn’t for Hanguang-jun…”

After walking for a while, the gurgling sounds of a running stream came into Wei Wuxian’s ears.

He didn’t hear this when he came up. Wei Wuxian finally realized that he walked the wrong path down the mountain, and onto another one that forked off.

Holding the reins of the donkey, he stood beside the running water. In the reflection, Wei Wuxian saw a face, ever-changing from the flow of the water.

He slammed his hand into the water, dissolving the ridiculous features. He lifted his dripping wet palms and wiped away the powder on his face.

Now that Wei Wuxian had taken off the ridiculous makeup, everyone could see the resemblance that Mo Xuanyu had with his father, Jin Guangshan, and his brothers, Jin Zixuan and Jin Guangyao.

It was easy to tell who Mo Xuanyu’s father was at just a glance with his face having no makeup.

After taking a few looks at Mo Xuanyu’s face, Wei Wuxian wiped his face again and rubbed his eyes. He sat beside the stream.

It wasn’t as if he couldn’t withstand the words of attack. After all, back when he made the decision, he fully understood the situations that he had to face. Ever since then, he had reminded himself of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect motto- attempt the impossible.

However, although he thought that his heart was like a stone, in the end, he was still human, not some emotionless grass or plant.

Wei Ying never showed his vulnerability with anyone. He only allows himself to be vulnerable with someone he is close with and trusts.

Lan Wangji frowned. He didn’t like that his husband being vulnerable was being shown to the public, who hated and slandered him so much. Lan Wangji stared at his husband, and spoke in a low voice, “Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian’s mood was dampened because of Sect Leader Yao. He forced a smile and chuckled, “I’m okay, Lan Zhan. It’s just… Can’t this orb be more considerate?”

The donkey seemed as if it knew that he wasn’t in a great mood, and for once, it wasn’t being loud. A moment of silence passed, and it turned around to leave. Wei Wuxian sat by the stream, not responding. It turned around to look, throwing its hooves onto the ground, but Wei Wuxian still did not pay any attention to it. The donkey had to come back sulkily, biting and tugging on the corner of Wei Wuxian’s collar.

Seeing that the donkey had gone as far as to use its mouth, Wei Wuxian decided to follow it. The donkey took him to a few trees and circled around an area of grass. In the grass, there lay a qiankun bag. It probably fell off as an unlucky cultivator struggled their way out.

A cultivator stared at the qiankun bag with squinted eyes, and then gasped. ‘Who knew that the qiankun bag that I lost was found by Wei Wuxian?’

Wei Wuxian picked up the bag and opened it. There were quite a few items in it, such as gourds of medicine liquor, talismans, miniature demon-reflecting mirrors, and so on. He fished around for some time and happened to pull out a talisman. Immediately, a ball of fire appeared in his hand.

The burning item was a gloom-burning talisman, which, like its name, uses dark energy as fuel. It lit up as soon as it was taken out, meaning that there was a spirit not far away from Wei Wuxian.

Seeing the light of the fire, Wei Wuxian held it to detect the spirit’s direction. When he turned to the east, the fire weakened; when he turned to the west, the fire intensified. He walked a few steps towards the direction, and saw a white, stooping figure appear under the tree.

The talisman had finished burning , and the ashes fell from his fingertips. An old man was sitting with his back to him, speaking faintly.

Wei Wuxian approached closer, and the words of the old man became more clear.

“It hurts. It hurts.”

“Don’t you think this old man is quite weird?”

“There’s probably something wrong with him…”

Wei Wuxian asked, “Where does it hurt?”

“Head. My head.” The old man answered.

Wei Wuxian replied, “Let me have a look.”

He walked a few steps to the side of the old man, and saw a bloodied, large hole on his forehead.

Lan Jingyi choked. The hole on the man’s forehead startled the Lan disciple, and because of his fear of ghosts, he looked away from the orb.

The old man was a ghost, probably killed with a weapon that was smashed onto his head. He was dressed in a burial robe with fine materials and craftsmanship, meaning that he had already been coffined and buried properly.

Ghosts like this shouldn’t appear on Dafan Mountain.

Wei Wuxian did not find an explanation to this implausible scenario. Feeling quite worried, he jumped onto the donkey’s back, slapped it with a shout, and rode towards the direction where Jin Ling came up the mountain.

Lan Xichen smiled. ‘Sect Leader Jin is really loved by his uncle.’

Although he had lost both of his parents at a young age, not even having the chance to see their faces in person, he still has his uncles who are willing to protect him at any cost. If he didn’t have his uncles, then he would be too lonely. A young man like him shouldn’t be alone in this cruel world without any friends or family.

The Lan sect leader glanced at his brother, and wondered, ‘If father and mother were there to watch us grow up and take care of us, would Wangji have been less lonely?’

His brother had always been alone in the past. He tried to accompany him, but Lan Xichen, as the sect heir at that time, had a lot of duties that he had to attend to. He tried to encourage his brother to make friends, but Wangji was terrible at communicating with others. He wasn’t good with words, and was always misunderstood as a cold young master.

Lan Xichen was glad that his brother has Wei Wuxian now. He was happier.

Around the area of the ancient tombs, there were a lot of cultivators who wandered around. Somebody dared to hold a spirit-attracting flag, but only attracted a bunch of dark spirits who wept despairingly. Wei Wuxian pulled on the reins, scanned around, and asked with a loud, clear voice, “Excuse me and sorry for the interruption, but where did the young masters from Lanling Jin Sect and Gusu Lan Sect go?”

Sure enough, after washing his face, people actually acknowledge him. One cultivator answered, “They left here for the Goddess Temple.”

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Goddess Temple?”

Jin Ling gulped. He’ll receive another scolding, and this time, not just from his mother. There’s going to be his father, mother, and uncle…

Jin Ling was dreading Jiang Wanyin’s ire. His mother had the amazing ability to calm her younger brother with just her words. Should he hide behind her, or Uncle Wei, who isn’t afraid of getting cursed out by uncle?

Well, he could always hide behind the two of them.

The rural clan from back then had sneaked up the mountain again and joined the group of night-hunters after hearing that the all deity-binding nets were destroyed. The middle-aged man recognized his clothing and the donkey, realizing that he was the lunatic that saved them from earlier.

He felt quite awkward, and pretended that nothing happened. The round-faced girl showed him the path, “Over there. It’s a divine temple in a cave on the mountain.”

Wei Wuxian inquired again, “Which deity is the temple built for?”

The round-faced girl spoke, “I think it’s a natural stone statue of a goddess.”

After the conversation, he immediately ran towards the direction of the Goddess Temple.

Jin Ling started moving away from Jiang Wanyin, and moved closer to his mother. Jiang Yanli noticed him, and asked, “Is there something wrong, A-Ling?”

Jin Ling shook his head. He stared intently at the orb, and wondered if this orb would expose him to the point that his uncle is gonna get so mad that he’s gonna manage to unlock his sealed golden core and actually whip him with Zidian.

He had never been whipped by Zidian, and he wished for it to stay that way.

On the other hand, Lan Sizhui and the other disciples did not find anything in the area of the ancient tombs and had moved to search for clues in the Goddess Temple.

The inside of the cave was spacious, with the statue of the goddess set in the center. At first sight, it indeed looked like a human.

Lan Jingyi lifted and lowered the compass of evil, but its pointer still didn’t move. A thick layer of incense ashes covered the table for offerings, and discorded candles lay on there as well. A sickly sweet scent came from the plates for holding fruits.

Lan Jingyi fanned at the air in front of him and spoke, “The locals said that it is quite effective to pray at the Goddess Temple, but how can it be this ruined? They should at least come and clean once in a while.”

The Gusu Lan disciples watched with pity for Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi. It must have been terrible to stand there in the Goddess Temple, enduring the awful smell.

Lan Sizhui spoke, “There had already been seven people who lost their souls. Everyone is saying that the lightning has let out a fierce creature from the ancient graves of Buddha’s Feet, so would anybody dare to come up the mountain? There is no attendance at the temple, so, naturally, there is nobody to clean this place.

A disdainful voice came from outside the cave, “It’s only a stupid rock, given the title of a goddess by who-knows-who, and people dare to put it here, accepting incense and worship!”

Jin Ling came inside, with his arms crossed behind his back. He looked at the goddess statue and huffed, “These rural villagers don’t work hard when they face difficulties and instead pray to the Buddha and other things everyday. There are millions of people in the world, but gods and Buddhas are already hands-full with their own matters, so who cares about them? Let alone a powerless goddess without statues, like this one. If it’s really that effective, then I’m gonna pray for the soul-consuming creature to appear in front of me right now. Can the statue do it?”

A rogue cultivator shook her head, and muttered to herself, “This sect leader is really rude…”

A few cultivators from smaller clans came in behind him, and everyone laughed right after hearing Jin Ling, agreeing with him. The originally quiet temple became bustling with noise after people had rushed forth, and the space seemed more cramped.

Lan Sizhui silently shook his head, turning around and glancing without any aim. His gaze landed on the head of the goddess statue; the features of a compassionately smiling face could be vaguely seen.

He felt a strange sense of familiarity towards the smile, as if he had seen it somewhere before this.

Lan Sizhui thought that it must be a very important matter, and couldn’t help but to approach the statue, wanting to examine the goddess statue’s face properly. At the same time, someone bumped into him.

A cultivator who was originally standing behind Lan Sizhui had fallen down without any noise. The others were alert with surprise. Jin Ling spoke in a vigilant tone, “What happened to him?”

“Is that cultivator sick? To pass out all of a sudden like that, it feels ominous…”

Lan Sizhui held his sword and bent down to examine the cultivator. There was nothing wrong with the cultivator’s breathing, like he had just suddenly fallen asleep. Yet, no matter how much he pushed or called, he would not wake up. Lan Sizhui stood up. “He seems as if…”

Before he finished his sentence, the dark cave abruptly lit up. The cave was suddenly covered in a red light, as if a waterfall of blood was rolling off its walls. The candles on the platform for offerings and in the corner of the cave seem to have ignited on their own.

Everyone in the cave has either drawn their swords or taken out their talismans. At the same time, a person burst in from outside the temple, holding a gourd of medicinal alcohol. He threw it at the goddess statue, and raging flames spouted from it.

Wei Wuxian used up all the items he found in the qiankun bag. He threw it away and shouted, “Everyone, go back outside! Be cautious of the soul-consuming goddess on the inside!”

A disciple from a small sect straightened their posture, and was in a daze for a moment. Then, his eyes widened. “Right! Weren’t there gossips about this goddess statue before? I heard that the Ghost General showed up!”

“The Yiiling Patriarch is present. Of course it’s only a matter of time before the Ghost General appears.”

Someone yelled in surprise, “The statue’s pose had changed!”

Before, the statue clearly had one foot lifted and both of its arms raised upwards, of which one was pointing directly at the sky. However, amid the crimson and yellow flames, it had lowered its arms and its foot.

The next moment, the statue lifted one foot again, and stepped out of the fire!

Jiang Wanyin wasn’t stupid. He recalled the “prayer” that Jin Ling had created earlier, and connected it with the statue suddenly moving. He took a deep breath, and glared at Jin Ling. He yelled, “Jin Ling! You brat! Did you really have no plan on reporting to me that you were the one that woke up the statue? You careless brat!”

Jin Ling hid behind Jiang Yanli and crossed his arms together, defending himself, “I… forgot about it! Plus, you would be mad!”

A vein on Jiang Wanyin’s forehead, and his hands started to tremble from anger. This kid! Does he have no regard for his safety? Why did this brat have to be influenced with Wei Wuxian’s disregard for his own-being, when he wasn’t even raised or taught by his idiot brother?

For fucks sake! Does it run into the family to be so self-sacrificing? Absolutely ridiculous!

Chapter Text

Jin Zixuan sighed, “Our son seems to be quite a troublemaker himself.”

Jin Zixuan hoped that this would be the only time that he would have to watch his son be in a life-threatening situation. It was a good thing that Wei Wuxian was there, because if he wasn’t, then what could have been the fate of his son in that Goddess Temple? However, with how anything can easily change and become chaotic, he doubts that this would be the only time Jin Ling would be shown being in danger.

It was displeasing to think about, but his son was here. Safe and alive.

Wei Wuxian shouted, “Run, run, run! Stop slashing around! It won’t work!”

Most of the cultivators ignored him. The soul-consuming monster that they had tried so hard to find had finally appeared, so why would they miss out the chance? However, even with so many talismans and magical tools being thrown at it, the statue’s advance didn’t stop at all.

The statue picked up two cultivators and lifted them in front of its face. The stone mouth of the statue seemed like it opened and closed, and the swords in the cultivators’ hands dropped to the ground. Their heads drooped.

Their souls were sucked away.

Jiang Yanli clasped her hands together. It was a good thing that A-Xian was there. If he wasn’t, then what would’ve happened to her son? To the other cultivators there? Their souls could’ve been sucked away!

“Jin Ling, you brat, always getting into trouble.” Jiang Wanyin hissed. He’ll seriously die from qi deviation because of Jin Ling.

Lan Qiren gazed at Jin Ling, and thought, ‘He has Jiang Wanyin’s temper and Wei Wuxian’s tendency to get himself into trouble.’

They finally listened to Wei Wuxian. Everyone gushed outside, scattering in all directions as fast as they could. Wei Wuxian rode on the donkey and ran into the bamboo forest, encountering the juniors from the Gusu Lan Sect.

Wei Wuxian called for them, “Children!”

Lan Jingyi replied, “Who are your children? Do you know which sect we are from? Did you really think that you would be considered a senior just because you washed your face?”

Lan Jingyi lowered his head, ashamed. “I’m sorry, Senior Wei… I was rude to you…”

Wei Wuxian smiled. He didn’t mind Lan Jingyi’s words, really. People have said much more hurtful words to him. He was the Yiling Patriarch, after all.

“It’s fine, Jingyi. As long as you refrain from repeating your behaviour in the past, it’s all good.”

Lan Jingyi bit the bottom of his lip with a guilty look on his face. His behaviour to Senior Wei before… It wasn’t any better than Jin Ling’s! He was simply being rude and acted like he was much better than he was. He should really learn from Sizhui, who treats everyone with kindness. He treated Senior Wei with respect despite thinking that he was still the ‘lunatic’ Mo Xuanyu that was kicked out of Lanling Jin Sect because he harassed his brother.

Lan Wangji spoke, “Learning from the past and apologizing when it is needed is the best course of action to do now,” He turned to the Gusu Lan disciples, “Heed my words and rethink your actions in the past.”

All of the Gusu Lan disciples nodded.

Lan Xichen gazed at his disciples, and said, “What Wangji said is true. All of those who are shown, or are going to be shown breaking rules and acting arrogant, which is against the rules of Gusu Lan Sect, will be punished. I hope that you all will learn from your mistakes."

The Gusu Lan disciples nodded again. They didn’t expect to be lectured by their sect leader and Hanguang-jun throughout this whole orb viewing situation, but seeing their actions, it was understandable. They had broken many rules, and they didn’t get punished because Hanguang-jun was busy. Now, however, they will be getting their long overdue punishment.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Okay, okay, gege-s. Send a signal and get your sect’s… Hanguang-jun here!”

The juniors nodded, and ran around while searching for signals. Lan Sizhui scratched the back of his neck, and said, “The signal fireworks… were all used up during the night at Mo Village.”

Wei Wuxian was shocked. “You didn’t restock afterwards?”

Lan Sizhui replied bashfully, “We forgot.”

“How could they possibly forget to restock signal fireworks? These juniors are really courting death!”

Lan Qiren’s eyebrow twitched, and he could no longer hold his anger. He glared at the Gusu Lan disciples, “How could you all forget to bring signal fireworks?! They are one of the most important things that you should bring when going on a night-hunt! What if you all encounter a dangerous situation during a night-hunt, and your abilities are not enough to solve or defeat it? How are you gonna ask for aid then?!”

The Gusu Lan disciples were all silent. Indeed, they were in the wrong for forgetting such an important thing. Grandmaster Lan losing his temper was understandable.

Lan Xichen frowned, and he spoke, “Gusu Lan Sect will be stricter when it comes to bringing signal fireworks, and many more. When we get back, all of Gusu Lan disciples are required to keep a signal firework with them. Wangji and I will monitor all of the disciples.”

Lan Wangji nodded his head. “Mn.”

‘Perhaps we should also be stricter when it comes to this. Who knows, maybe our disciples will forget to bring signal fireworks, just like these Gusu Lan disciples!’

Wei Wuxian tried to scare them. “Is this a matter that you should forget about? If Hanguang-jun knew about this, he’s going to make you sorry!”

Lan Jingyi’s face went pale. “It’s over. This time, we are gonna be punished to death by Hanguang-jun…”

‘I wonder how much were these Lan disciples were punished by Hanguang-jun. To forget bringing something as important as a signal firework, their punishment must’ve been severe.’’

Wei Wuxian, “Indeed, he should punish you! Without punishment, you wouldn’t remember next time.”

Lan Sizhui frowned, and he spoke, “Young Master Mo, how did you know that it was not a spirit-consuming spirit or beast, but the goddess statue instead?”

Wei Wuxian searched for Jin Ling as he ran. “How did I know? I saw.”

Lan Jingyi also caught up. They ran on one side of Wei Wuxian. “What did you see? We also saw lots of things.”

“You saw, so what happens next? What things were in the area of the ancient tombs?”

“What else could there be? There were only dead souls.”

Wei Wuxian, “Correct, there were dead souls. This is why it can’t be a soul-consuming spirit or beast. It’s simple. If it was either of these two,  with so many dead spirits in the area, would it have chosen to not eat them? No, it wouldn’t have.”

This time, there was one more person who asked, “Why?”

Many cultivators who immediately understood Wei Wuxian’s words were speechless. The answer was simple- if it was a spirit-consuming spirit or beast, then it would’ve eaten the dead souls at the ancient tombs. Yet, these dead souls were not eaten, and only the souls of the alive were eaten.

Shouldn’t these disciples be much more perceptive? They won’t make it far, and they will stay irrelevant if they continue acting like this. Their names won't get famous in public at all!

“Just what can I say about your Gusu Lan Sect…" Wei Wuxian could not tolerate it anymore. “Why can’t your sect teach less annoying, lengthy nonsense like cultivation etiquette, family trees, and history which requires memorization, and teach more practical things? How is this hard to understand? Dead souls are a lot easier to absorb than living souls. The physical body of a living person is like a shield, and if it wants to eat a living soul, it would have to break the shield. For example…”

Wei Wuxian looked at the donkey, which panted while running, rolling its eyes. “For example, if an apple is in front of you, and another one is put in a locked box, which one would you choose to eat? Of course, it would be the one in front of you. This creature only eats living souls, and knows of a way to obtain them. It is both powerful and selective in terms of food.”

Lan Qiren wasn’t listening to the orb any longer, calming himself. How dare Wei Wuxian call the teachings of Gusu Lan Sect annoying, when he didn’t even bother to listen to his lectures? Utterly shameless!

He wondered what exactly Wei Wuxian did to make his nephew fall in love with him. Was it his appearance? Was it his intelligence? Although Wei Wuxian was a big troublemaker and a headache, Lan Qiren can’t deny that the former is a smart boy.

But then Lan Qiren remembered his brother, who his nephews resembled way too much. Wangji disobeyed his own elders, and had even fought them just to protect Wei Wuxian, who is a villain to the entire world. Xichen, just after Jin Guangyao demise, had fallen into depression, and soon after went into seclusion.

Lan Qiren sighed, and watched the orb with tired eyes. He doesn’t think that he would even have the energy to conduct a lecture about proper etiquette to all Gusu Lan disciples after they get back to Cloud Recesses.

Lan Jingyi was astonished. “So that’s how it works? It makes lots of sense! Wait, so you’re really not a lunatic?”

Lan Sizhui explained as he ran, “We all thought that, because the landslide and lightning led to the series of events, it must be a soul-consuming spirit.”

Jin Zixuan watched with a frown. He turned to Wei Wuxian, and asked, ”A-Ling didn’t get hurt, did he? Where is he? Why hasn’t he appeared again?”

Jin Ling answered his father, “Don’t worry, A-Die! I didn’t get hurt!”

“Yeah. He didn’t get hurt. He was almost hurt.” Jiang Wanyin scoffed with a scowl. The orb had made him recall some memories that he had forgotten that happened in the past. These memories included the events that happened in Dafan Mountain, where Jin Ling was too reckless and didn’t send the signal firework that he had.

Jiang Yanli sighed. Her son was too much like his Uncle Wei, not thinking about their own well-being. She didn’t like how much A-Xian ignored his own safety, and seeing how A-Ling was the same, she felt as though she was going to get a heart attack from worry. Not that she would actually get a heart attack.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Wrong.”

“What is wrong?”

“The order and correlation is wrong. Let me ask you- for the landslide and the soul-consuming events, which ones were the first and second, the cause and effect?”

Lan Sizhui answered without thinking twice, “The landslide was the cause, and the soul-consumption was the effect.”

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Completely wrong. The soul-consumption was first, and the landslide was second. During the night of the landslide, a storm suddenly started, and a streak of lightning broke a coffin. This first person to lose their soul, the sluggard, was trapped in the mountains for the whole night, and married a few days later.”

Lan Jingyi asked, “Where is it wrong?”

Wei Wuxian replied, “It’s all wrong! Where would a good-for-nothing and penniless person obtain the money to form such a grand wedding?”

“Wei Wuxian does have a point…”

“The sluggard could’ve stolen from a wealthy family.”

“Then the orb would’ve mentioned that there was news about a robbery that happened in Buddha’s Feet.”

“I guess so…”

The boys were rendered speechless. But, it couldn’t be helped, since the Gusu Lan Sect was a sect that did not need to worry about matters of wealth. Wei Wuxian spoke again, “Did you take a look at all of the dead souls floating in Dafan Mountain? There was an old man who died from a hit in the head, wearing burial clothes that were made with fine craftsmanship and fabric. With such extravagant burial clothes, his coffin couldn’t have been empty, and there must have been a few burial items to protect it. The coffin that was broken by the lightning was most like his. Yet, the people who came to collect his corpse did not find any burial items, which meant that they were definitely taken by the sluggard. The sluggard suddenly decided to marry someone after the night of the landslide, and he took cover in the mountains. Where in Dafan Mountain is it possible to take cover from the rain? The Goddess Temple. And, when most people go into a temple, there is one thing that they would do.”

Lan Sizhui asked, “Pray?”

“That’s right. For example, he would pray for himself to be lucky, to become wealthy, to have enough money to marry, and so on. The goddess fulfilled his wish with the lightning that split open the grave, letting him see the treasures in the coffin. His prayers came true and, as the sacrifice, the goddess came to him and took his soul on the night of his marriage.”

“How disrespectful.”

It was indeed disrespectful to steal from a coffin. However, this has always been a problem, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon.

Lan Jingyi, “All these are just your guesses, right?”

Wei Wuxian, “Yes, they are guesses. But, following this train of logic, all of the things that happened afterwards could be explained.”

“How can this explain what happened with the girl, A-Yan?”

“Great question. You guys probably asked around before you came up the mountain. A-Yan had just got engaged during those days. All recently-engaged girls will certainly have the same wish.” Wei Wuxian replied.

Lan Jingyi was befuddled. “What wish?”

“The wish is obviously for their husband to be devoted to them for all their life.” a rogue cultivator muttered.

“I suppose you wished the same thing when you were just recently-engaged?”

The rogue cultivator replied, “Of course I did.”

Wei Wuxian replied, “None other than something that goes like, “I wish my husband would love and care for me for his whole life.”

The boys were at loss. “Would a wish like this really be able to be granted?”

Wei Wuxian held his palms out. “It’s simple. If her husband’s ‘whole life’ immediately ended, wouldn’t it count as ‘loving only one person his entire life?”

Lan Jingyi finally understood and shouted, “Oh, oh! So, the reason behind her husband being eaten by wolves the day after the engagement was that it was highly possible for A-Yan to have been to the Goddess Temple to pray!”

“Why are you acting like a child that was given sweets for the first time?” Jin Ling snorted.

Lan Jingyi scowled, and crossed his arms together. He huffed, “So what? I was just excited!”

Jin Ling raised an eyebrow. “There’s nothing exciting about what the orb was showing…” He muttered under his breath.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “It was hard to say whether he was attacked by a wolf or something else. There is another unique factor to A-Yan: why is that, out of all the victims, only A-Yan’s soul was returned? How is she different from everyone else? The difference is that she has a relative who also lost his soul. Or, in other words, the relative replaced her! Blacksmith Zheng loved his daughter a lot. So, when he saw that his daughter lost her soul, and there was no way to deal with it, what was the only thing he could do?”

Lan Sizhui was quick to reply, “He could only entrust his hope to the heavens. Therefore, he also went to the Goddess Temple to pray, the wish being ‘I wish my daughter A-Yan’s soul can be found’!”

‘Wei-xiong looks like a teacher, while the young boys were his students.’ Nie Huaisang thought, fanning himself with his fan.

Wei Wuxian could be a great teacher if he wanted to be one. He was smart and quick-witted. But, if the subject that he would be teaching was on how to identify if someone has romantic feelings for you, Nie Huaisang doesn’t think that Wei Wuxian would be the teacher needed.

Nie Huaisang’s gaze traveled to Wei Wuxian’s figure.

However…

A person can’t be so oblivious like how oblivious Wei Wuxian was. He simply believed that he was not someone to be loved, especially with his reputation. He didn’t believe that someone could still love him, especially not Lan Wangji. He was the Yiling Patriarch, enemy of the whole cultivation world, the ungrateful rat who “killed” the husband of his shijie and shijie. Nie Huaisang knew that Wei Wuxian blamed himself for the deaths of Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli, just like the entire world.

It was sad to think about. Nie Huaisang sighed, and thought, ‘Hanguang-jun and Wei-xiong’s love story is really too tragic.’

Wei Wuxian spoke with appraise, “This is why only A-Yan’s soul came back, and also the reason behind Blacksmith Zheng losing his soul. However, although A-Yan’s soul was returned, it was slightly fractured. She had started to unconsciously imitate the goddess statue’s dance and smile after her soul returned.”

Lan Jingyi shouted, “Wait! Before this, in the temple, someone’s soul was also taken away, but we didn’t hear him make a wish!”

Lan Jingyi wondered why he had to shout so many times in the past. It wasn’t like Senior Wei and everybody that he had interacted with in the past was deaf. There was no need for him to shout at all! Yet…

Lan Jingyi was already resigned to his faith when he got back to Cloud Recesses. He even might be able to write the rules with his eyes closed after his punishment.

Wei Wuxian’s heart jumped. He stopped his footsteps. “Someone’s soul was taken in the temple? Describe to me everything that happened earlier, without missing a single word.”

Lan Sizhui repeated the scenario clearly and quickly. When he heard Jin Ling’s talk of ‘if it’s really that effective, then I’m gonna pray for that soul-consuming creature in Dafan Mountain to appear in front of me right now. Can the statue do it?’ Wei Wuxian spoke, “How is this not wishing? It’s most definitely a wish!”

The boys looked at each other. Then, suddenly, the donkey halted, and ran towards the opposite direction. Wei Wuxian was again swung off unprepared, but grabbed onto the rope no matter what.

In the bushes in front of him, there came a noise of chewing, complete with crunches and slurps. An immense figure was crawling in the bush, its huge head on the ground and moving using its stomach. Hearing the noise, it immediately lifted its head.

“How creepy…”

“You better prepare yourself then. I bet we’ll be seeing much more creepy creatures!”

The features of the soul-consuming goddess were vague in the beginning. After eating the souls of a few cultivators all at once, it formed clear features. It had the face of a smiling woman, with blood dripping down the corners of its mouth, munching on an arm that had been cut off.

Everyone, following the donkey, ran the other direction.

Lan Sizhui was breaking down. “That is not supposed to happen! The Yiling Patriarch had said before that high-level ones eat souls, and only low-level ones eat flesh!”

Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but to comment, “Why are you blindly worshipping him? Even his own inventions were a mess! No rules stay the same in all situations. You can think of it as an infant- when it lacks teeth, it can only eat congee and soup, but when it grows up, it would, of course, also want to eat meat using its teeth. Its powers had just risen greatly, so naturally it would want to taste something new!”

It was a surprise to hear the Yiling Patriarch oppose his own words. He even called his inventions a mess!

Many thought that the Yiling Patriarch regarded himself as someone with high-authority; someone who is worthy to be worshipped. He was married to Hanguang-jun and was the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. A person with that much power like Wei Wuxian would at least have an ego, right?

However, it seems that the Yiling Patriarch thinks of himself the complete opposite of what the public thought he would regard himself as.

Wen Qionglin frowned. In his opinion, his master insults himself just as much as the cultivation world. He didn’t like that at all, because how could he? His master was selfless and kind-hearted, yet even he talks bad about himself.

The soul-consuming goddess stood up from the ground. Its body was tall. It used its arms and legs to dance with uncontrollable excitement, seeming like it was extremely pleased. Out of the blue, an arrow came and pierced the soul-consuming goddess’ forehead.

Hearing the sound of the bow’s release, Wei Wuxian looked towards its direction. Jin Ling stood atop a hill, not far away, and already had his second feathered arrow on the bow. He pulled to the maximum, and another head-penetrating arrow was released. The strength of the arrow caused the soul-consuming goddess to stagger a few steps backwards.

Jiang Yanli’s eyebrows were furrowed, and her hands tightly clenched on her robes. Despite knowing that her son was safe, just beside her, she couldn’t help but worry. She was watching her son who was just a teenager fight this dangerous soul-consuming goddess, after all.

A-Xian was there, though, and A-Cheng was probably nearby. They would make sure that nothing harms A-Ling.

Lan Sizhui yelled, “Young Master Jin! Send off the signal on you!”

Jin Ling turned a deaf ear to his words.

“A-Ling! You should’ve listened to the Lan disciple.” Jin Zixuan scolded.

Jin Ling didn’t dare to look at his father’s face, and mumbled, “I know, A-Die. I’m sorry…”

With a solemn face, he set three arrows onto the bow at once. Although the soul-consuming goddess was shot in the head twice, it was not angered, and advanced towards Jin Ling with a smile still plastered on its face. Although it danced while walking, the speed of the soul-consuming goddess was fast. A few cultivators appeared from the side and fought with it, hindering its strides.

“I must say, Sect Leader Jin’s archery is quite exceptional.” a disciple praised.

The friend of the disciple whispered, “His uncles and father were great at archery. It would be an embarrassment if he was not.”

Jin Ling shot each arrow as the goddess took each step, probably intending to use up all of the feathered arrow first, before fighting in a closer range with the soul-consuming goddess. His arms were quite steady, and his shots were accurate. However, all magical weapons were useless against it!

 The scene quickly changed to Jiang Wanyin and Lan Wangji at Buddha’s Feet, waiting for any news. They were both sitting in silence, thick tension between them.

Lan Wangji took a sip from the cup of tea in front of him, while Jiang Wanyin was circling Zidian on his fingers. The scene then changed back to the soul-consuming goddess.

Hanguang-jun and Sandu Shengshou truly cannot be in the same room as each other. Just watching them briefly was already suffocating to the watchers!

Wei Wuxian unsheathed the sword on Lan Sizhui’s waist and chopped off a piece of a thin bamboo, swiftly making it into a flute. He lifted it up into his lips and took a deep breath.

Many covered their ears and grimaced. The sound of the flute was just as worse as the earlier displeasing sound that the corpses at Mo Village heard! Weren’t the flute skills of the Yiling Patriarch exceptional?

“Wei Wuxian, what the fuck?!” Jiang Wanyin yelled.

Wei Wuxian crossed his arms together, and huffed, “In the orb, I died and came back thirteen years later! Of course my skills have gone a little rusty. Plus, I made the flute with a sword and didn’t make any effort with it!”

Lan Sizhui was shocked to the point that he couldn’t even move, while Lan Jingyi covered his ears. “Look at what situation we are in, and you are still playing the flute? It sounds horrible!”

In the battle, three or four cultivators who were fighting the soul-consuming goddess lost their souls. Jin Ling pulled out his sword, and his heart thumped like crazy. ‘If I can’t slice off her head with this blow, I will die here- death it is, then!’

“Jin Ling!” Jiang Wanyin yelled. Veins were popping from his forehead again, and he was glaring at the Jin sect leader. “What is seriously wrong with you?! ‘Death is it then’?! Do you not care about your well-being at all?!”

Ouyang Zizhen grimaced at Jiang Wanyin’s loud voice. The sect leader might as well lose his voice from yelling so much. Not that his anger was irrational.

Jiang Yanli held Jin Ling’s shoulders, and spoke, “A-Ling! Why would you think that? Just because you are determined to kill the soul-consuming goddess doesn’t mean that you should be willing to let yourself get killed!”

Jin Ling knew that he had no argument. He was also in the wrong here, so he could only mutter apologies to his parents and uncle.

“You brat… Seriously…” Jiang Wanyin sighed. He didn’t have the energy to yell more, but that doesn’t mean that his temper had calmed down.

At the same time, from within the forests of Dafan Mountain, a tinkling sound appeared.

It was sometimes faster, sometimes slower; sometimes pausing, sometimes continuing. It echoed in the silent woods, resembling the sound of iron chains colliding and being dragged on the ground. It came closer, and became louder.

Wen Qionglin continued watching blankly. The sound coming closer was probably him, because who else could it be? He didn’t particularly care about his appearance, though. He was not of any significance.

For some reason, the sound gave the people an uneasy sense of threat. Even the soul-consuming goddess stopped dancing. It raised its arms, blankly staring into the dark from where the sound came from.

Wei Wuxian put his flute away and carefully looked into the direction of the sound.

The ominous feeling that he felt became stronger, but because it was willing to come due to the summoning, it would be at least something that listened to him.

All of a sudden, the noise stopped. A figure emerged from within the darkness. After having a clear view of the figure and the face, the cultivators’ expressions became twisted.

“...The Ghost General, it’s the Ghost General, Wen Ning!”

Of course, if Wei Wuxian was present, then the Ghost General was also bound to show up soon.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened. What was Wen Ning doing here? Hadn’t he been turned into ashes?

Wen Ning’s head was slightly lowered and his arm slung down, as if he was a marionette waiting for the orders of his master.

It was a fitting description of the Ghost General, a loyal dog to his master, the Yiling Patriarch, always obeying his commands.

Hearing the others call Wen Ning’s name, Jin Ling’s blade, which was originally pointed towards the soul-consuming goddess, turned towards Wen Ning instead. Seeing that he was distracted, the soul-consuming goddess extended her arm and picked him up.

If the Yiling Patriarch wasn’t present, would Jin Ling be alive right now? Probably not. No magical tools worked against the goddess statue, and these juniors didn’t know what to do. By the time Hanguang-jun and Sandu Shengshou arrived, they would’ve been met with the corpses of their disciples and nephew.

Jiang Wanyin gritted his teeth. This stupid nephew of his…Really…

As Wei Wuxian saw her open mouth approaching Jin Ling, he raised the wooden flute again, hands slightly shaking, and therefore, the notes that he played also trembled. With two notes, Wen Ning started to move.

Many cultivators leaned forward with bright eyes. They were going to witness the Ghost General in action! The strength of the Ghost General is undeniably amazing, and now, they were going to watch the right-hand man of the Yiling Patriarch fight the soul-consuming goddess!

Within the blink of an eye, Wen Ning had already shifted in front of the soul-consuming goddess. He used the side of his palm and gave a blow. The soul-consuming goddess’ neck cracked, and although her body didn’t move, her head was twisted around because of the force.

Wen Ning gave another blow with his hand, and the soul-consuming goddess’ right hand, which was holding Jin Ling, was cut off.

“...How fast and strong…” a disciple from a minor sect said in awe.

If one tries to challenge Wen Ning, then they are just simply courting death. To have such a strong right-hand man, the Yiling Patriarch was really lucky! Wen Ning was just as feared as Wei Wuxian was, and the fear of the cultivation world was not unreasonable.

Wei Wuxian’s demonic cultivation and intelligence, paired with the strength of Wen Ning, was a terrifying combo. The two of them could dominate the whole cultivation world if they desired to!

The soul-consuming goddess bowed down its head to look at the wrist which was broken off sharply. Instead of turning its head towards the correct direction, its entire body turned around, so that it was facing Wen Ning with its back and face.

Wei Wuxian took a deep breath and commanded Wen Ning to fight. However, not long had passed, and he became even more shocked.

At this moment, Wen Ning wasn’t conscious at all!

Wei Wuxian frowned. He didn’t like to be reminded of the nails that were placed on Wen Ning’s head by Jin Guangshan. It was a good thing that Wen Ning didn’t listen to anyone at all, because if he did, then who knows what atrocious deeds Jin Guangshan would’ve ordered Wen Ning to do?

He was both shocked and doubtful as a few cries of alarm came threshing in the crowd. Using both his arms and legs, Wen Ning had secured the soul-consuming goddess on the ground. He picked up a rock which lay on the side, taller than the height of humans, and lifted it above the soul-consuming goddess. He started to slam it onto the soul-consuming goddess with great force.

Each strike sounded as loud as thunder, continuing until the stone body of the soul-consuming goddess was pounded to pieces.

Many were speechless at the scene that they were watching. There was no pity for the soul-consuming goddess, however, since it most definitely deserved it…

The blades which were aimed at the soul-consuming goddess all turned towards Wen Ning.

One cultivator shouted at the top of his lungs, “Close in on him!”

“Idiot.” Jiang Wanyin scoffed.

Hadn’t this cultivator seen the strength of Wen Ning? Did this cultivator really think he could defeat the fierce corpse? Even if Wen Ning was alone, he was still no match to the corpse.

Sure, there were other cultivators around, but didn’t they see what Wen Ning did to the soul-consuming goddess? Didn’t they hear the rumors about the Ghost General who aided the crimes of the Yiling Patriarch? The cultivator was simply stupid for even attempting to attack Wen Ning.

Some people replied hesitantly, but more people were indecisive, walking backwards slowly. The cultivator shouted again, “Fellow cultivators, we have to block him so that he doesn’t escape! This is Wen Ning we’re facing!”

These words convinced the crowd. What was a mere soul-consuming monster compared to the Ghost General? Although the reason to his appearance was unknown, it was obvious that killing one thousand soul-consuming spirits couldn’t even compare  to capturing one single Wen Ning.

With the shouts, it was certain that some people were interested. Yet, the older cultivators who saw with their own eyes how wild Wen Ning was when he broke out were still cautious to make a move. The cultivator shouted once more, “What are you afraid of? It’s not like the Yiling Patriarch is here right now.”

“Right! What is there to be afraid of? His master was already cut into pieces!”

Lan Wangji hated hearing about his husband’s death. His eyes narrowed, and he stared at the orb with eyes that are as cold as the winter.

With these remarks, the ring of swords which encircled around Wen Ning decreased in size. Wen Ning waved his arm, and the black iron chains swept past heavily, hitting the swords so that the directions of their blades slanted off to the side. Right afterwards, he took a stride forward and gripped the neck of the person closest to him, which was Lan Jingyi.

With a light pull, Lan Jingyi was lifted off the ground.

“My apologies, young master, I didn’t mean to choke you…” Wen Qionglin spoke. He was bowing down to Lan Jingyi, who jumped in surprise at the sudden voice behind him. The Lan disciple turned his head around and waved his hands in the air.

“It’s fine, Senior Wen! It hurt, yeah, but you weren’t conscious at all!” Lan Jingyi assured Wen Qionglin. The latter continued to bow at the former. Lan Jingyi turned to Wei Wuxian’s direction and sent him a hopeless look. He mouthed, ‘Senior Wei, what am I supposed to do?’

Wei Wuxian chuckled and went over to the two. He patted Wen Qionglin’s back and said, “Don’t worry, Wen Ning. Jingyi has already accepted your apology, so you don’t need to continue bowing.”

Wen Qionglin was hesitant, but he obeyed Wei Wuxian’s words nonetheless.

Wei Wuxian hummed a tune under his breath, and went back to where he was beside Lan Wangji.

Seeing the situation, Wei Wuxian knew that the flute notes were too abrupt and caused Wen Ning to have a killing intent. To stifle it, Wei Wuxian calmed his feelings and played another melody.

Lan Wangji frowned. He disliked the fact that their song was being played to the whole cultivation world.

Wei Wuxian held Lan Wangji’s hand and whispered with a smile, “Don’t worry, Lan-er-gege. Others wouldn’t know the special thing about our song.”

Lan Wangji returned Wei Wuxian’s smile, and tenderly held the latter’s hands back.

“The melody sounds pleasant.” Jin Zixuan commented.

Hearing the sound, Wen Ning froze, and slowly turned towards the direction of where the melody came from. Wei Wuxian stood in the same spot, staring into his pupil-less eyes.

After a moment, Wen Ning released his hand, throwing Lan Jingyi on the ground. He let down his arms and walked towards Wei Wuxian at a slow pace.

His head was lowered  and he dragged a large amount of iron chains, even seeming as if he looked dejected. Wei Wuxian retreated while he played the flute, guiding Wen Ning to follow. Walking like this for a short distance, they walked into the forest, when suddenly, Wei Wuxian caught the scent of sandalwood.

Immediately after, his back bumped into someone. With an abrupt pain on his wrist, the flute melody stopped. Wei Wuxian thought, ‘Oh no.’, and turned around. His sight collided with Lan Wangji’s eyes.

“Hanguang-jun is back!” Lan Jingyi exclaimed excitedly.

Jin Ling rolled his eyes, and muttered, “You’ll probably see him for half of the time anyways.”

Ouyang Zizhen was deep in thought, and tugged at Lan Sizhui’s sleeves. He asked, “Do you think that Hanguang-jun figured out Senior Wei’s identity here?”

Lan Sizhui frowned, and nodded. Perhaps, he did. After all, if Hanguang-jun didn’t know Senior Wei’s identity at this point in the orb, he wouldn’t have brought the latter back to Gusu, ordering them to take him to the Jingshi.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian wondered what was the point of this orb. Everyone finally knows the truth. Jin Guangyao is dead, and the crimes that the Lanling Jin Sect had committed were all exposed. What was the point of showing what everyone already knew?

It didn’t make sense at all.

Lan Wangji used one hand to steadily grip Wei Wuxian. Wen Ning stood still, slowly looking around as if he was searching for the flute melody that had suddenly disappeared.

From far into the forest, the light of flames and the sound of human voices were spreading. Wei Wuxian thought quickly and made his decision at once- so what if Lan Wangji had seen him do this before? There were tens of thousands of people who knew how to play the flute, and the number of people who imitated the Yiling Patriarch. He wouldn’t confess no matter what!

Wei Wuxian watched himself, and shook his head. With just WangXian, his husband had already recognized him!

His memory was really bad…

“Are you an idiot? So what if people imitated you? Do you think that they can summon the Ghost General?” Jin Zixuan scoffed. Wei Wuxian had already blown off his cover as Mo Xuanyu the moment he summoned Wen Ning. Lan Wangji had probably recognized him because of Wen Ning.

Wei Wuxian scowled, but didn’t refute Jin Zixuan’s words. He also doesn’t think that anyone can just summon Wen Ning with a makeshift flute, and he was known as Mo Xuanyu during that time. Mo Xuanyu might have dabbled in demonic cultivation or talismans, but he couldn’t possibly have the ability to summon Wen Ning.

“How did no one else recognize him already? He literally summoned the Ghost General!”

Wei Wuxian decisively ignored the hand that gripped him and raised his hand to continue playing. This time, the tempo was faster, as if urging or scolding. His air was not steady and each note cracked at the end, sounding shrill and harsh.

Suddenly, Lan Wangji's hand tightened, almost causing his wrist to break. Wei Wuxian’s fingers loosened from the pain and the wooden flute dropped to the ground.

Lan Wangji lowered his head, and whispered, “My apologies, Wei Ying… I hurt you…”

Wei Wuxian chuckled, and leaned at Lan Wangji’s shoulder. He laughed, “It’s fine, Lan Zhan! It’s in the past, so don’t worry too much about it!”

Lan Wangji frowned. He took Wei Wuxian’s wrist and held it up to his lips, tenderly kissing it. Wei Wuxian spluttered, his ears and cheeks as red as a tomato. He stuttered, “L-Lan Zhan! You-”

Lan Wangji caressed the wrist that he kissed. “Mn.”

Jiang Wanyin moved farther away from Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.

Fortunately, his orders were clear enough. Wen Ning retreated quickly, disappearing into the dark and gloomy forest without a sound. Wei Wuxian feared that Lan Wangji would chase after Wen Ning, so he grabbed him. However, Lan Wangji never even looked at Wen Ning, and stared at Wei Wuxian the whole time.

“They look oddly intimate…”

“Of course they do, they’re husbands!”

Lan Xichen smiled. He could see the joy and disbelief in his brother’s eyes, although it wasn’t visible to everyone else. Although he looked calm on the outside, Wangji’s mind must’ve been chaotic as he stared at Wei Wuxian.

He had mourned for his beloved for thirteen years, and suddenly, his beloved came back. Lan Xichen could see the determination of his brother to protect Wei Wuxian from any danger.

At the same time, Jiang Wanyin arrived.

He shouted, “A-Ling!”

Jin Ling almost had his soul taken away a moment ago, but he was fine now, and stood on the ground properly. “Uncle!”

Seeing that Jin Ling was safe, Jiang Wanyin finally calmed down. Quickly afterwards, he scolded, “Didn’t you bring signal fireworks with you? Don’t you know how to use them when you meet something like this? What are you pretending to be strong for? Scram over here!”

Jiang Yanli softly smiled. Her brother’s way of showing his concern was the same as it was in the past. It reminded her of the time when they were teenagers, where A-Cheng would scold A-Xian every time he got himself into trouble.

Jin Ling was also angry for not capturing the soul-consuming goddess. “Weren’t you the one who told me that I have to catch it? And, if I don’t catch it, I shouldn’t go see you?”

Jiang Wanyin seriously wanted to slap the rotten brat so hard that he went back inside his mother’s womb. He turned to the cultivators who laid on the ground, speaking with satire, “What on earth could it be, beating you up in such a dignified way?”

Among the cultivators who wore differently-colored clothing, a bunch were disguised disciples of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, ordered by Jiang Wanyin to assist Jin Ling in case he couldn’t overcome the challenge.

Jin Ling’s eyes widened in surprise. He didn’t realise that his uncle had secretly ordered Yunmeng Jiang disciples to assist him.

One cultivator still hadn’t overcome the shock. “Sect, Sect Leader… It’s… It’s Wen Ning…”

Jiang Wanyin thought that he had misheard. “What did you say?”

The person replied, “Wen Ning is back!”

In an instant, shock, disgust, anger, and disbelief flashed through Jiang Wanyin’s face.

The reaction of Jiang Wanyin after hearing the words of the cultivator was not unexpected. The Jiang sect leader hated the Wens with all of his heart, and just hearing the surname was enough to rile up the sect leader.

Jiang Wanyin must’ve been so angry after hearing that Wen Ning had returned.

After a long while, he spoke bitterly, “The thing was ground to dust in front of everyone long ago, so how can it come back?”

The disciple spoke, “It really is Wen Ning! There’s no way for it to be wrong! I couldn’t have mislooked!” He pointed to the side, “...He was the one who summoned him!”

The Sandu Shengshou must’ve recognized Wei Wuxian because of Wen Ning as well. The disciple had exposed that Wei Wuxian was the person who summoned Wen Ning; Jiang Wanyin must’ve wanted to take Wei Wuxian back to Lotus Pier to torture him!

However, there was no gossip about Jiang Wanyin bringing Mo Xuanyu to Lotus Pier. Could it be that Wei Wuxian managed to escape?

Wei Wuxian was still in a stalemate with Lan Wangji. Instantly, they were the center of everyone’s attention. Jiang Wanyin’s lightning-like gaze moved towards where Wei Wuxian stood.

The corners of Jiang Wanyin’s lips pulled into a twisted smile. His left hand started to unconsciously stroke Zidian again. He spoke softly, “...Well, well. So you’re back?”

He let go of his left hand, and Zidian turned into a whip.

‘Did A-Cheng whip A-Xian?’ Jiang Yanli worriedly wondered with furrowed eyebrows. Wei Wuxian had been whipped by Zidian a lot of times in the past by Yu Ziyuan. Mo Xuanyu’s golden core wasn't as strong as Wei Wuxian’s, and his body was more frail than her brother’s original body. She wasn’t sure if Mo Xuanyu’s body could handle Zidian’s strength.

A-Cheng didn’t actually whip A-Xian, did he? Jiang Yanli didn’t want to watch her brother harshly whip A-Xian, just like their mother. She never liked watching A-Xian get whipped by Zidian in the first place.

Wei Wuxian unconsciously shivered at the sight of Zidian. It really hurts getting whipped by the spiritual weapon.

Before Wei Wuxian could move, Lan Wangji had already placed his guqin in front of him. The sound of the guqin created countless ripples in the air, colliding with Zidian.

Jiang Wanyin’s considerations of “not rashly fighting with him” and “not displeasing the Gusu Lan Sect” were as if they were eaten by dogs. The night sky above Dafan Mountain’s forest was sometimes surging with purple light, and sometimes as bright as day time; there were sometimes deafening roars of thunder, and sometimes waves of the guqin notes.

The rest of the cultivators retreated into a safe distance from the fight, standing on the side and watching. They were both frightened to death and starting with awe.

How come there was barely any gossip about this? Only a few in the room had heard about the fight that the Sandu Shengshou and Hanguang-jun had, and this was unexpected to many!

However, the news of the Ghost General’s return dominated all of the rumors and gossips. After all, the Ghost General who was supposedly turned into ashes returned. Everyone would obviously be talking about it more than a fight between Jiang Wanyin and Lan Wangji, which isn’t even violent and intense.

Wei Wuxian waited for his chance, and suddenly sprinted off.

“Is he an idiot?” Many murmured. Lan Wangji was already protecting Wei Wuxian from Jiang Wanyin’s wrath. He was simply courting death by suddenly sprinting off!

The crowd was extremely surprised. He hadn’t been hit by Zidian yet because Lan Wangji acted as a barricade in front of him. For him, running away like this was the same as seeking death!

Sure enough, as if eyes grew on his back, Jiang Wanyin saw that Wei Wuxian went outside Lan Wangji’s area of protection. With a slanting crack of his whip, Zidian slashed out with the semblance of a poisonous dragon, precisely landing on the center of Wei Wuxian’s back!

“That must’ve hurt…” Ouyang Zizhen grimaced. Zidian was a powerful spiritual weapon, and with the frail body of Mo Xuanyu, Senior Wei must’ve been hurt terribly after getting hit by Zidian!

Jiang Yanli sighed, and looked away. There was nothing she could do with something that had already happened in the past. As unpleasant as it was to watch, there was nothing she could do.

“A-Cheng…” Jiang Yanli solemnly spoke with a frown.

Wei Wuxian was almost sent flying away by the attack. If not for the donkey blocking him, he would’ve directly crashed into a tree. However, after the blow, both Lan Wangji and Jiang Wanyin stopped, looking quite stunned.

Everyone in the room was also stunned. With just one whip of Zidian, a soul possessing a body not their own would immediately be separate from the body.

Yet, Wei Wuxian was hit by Zidian, and his soul had not been separated from Mo Xuanyu’s body! Was it the power of the Yiling Patriarch?

But then they remembered that Wei Wuxian was currently with them in room with Mo Xuanyu's body. What were they expecting, when he clearly wasn't affected by Zidian if he was watching the orb with everyone else?

Wei Wuxian massaged the back of his waist, and crawled up with the support of the donkey. He hid behind it and yelled angrily, “How amazing! You really can do anything when you’re from a powerful sect, can you? You can even beat up anyone you want! Tsk tsk tsk.”

Lan Wangji, “...”

Jiang Wanyin, “...”

Wei Wuxian thought, ‘Of course Zidian couldn’t whip out my soul. I didn’t seize anybody’s body, but was forcibly given one!’

That logic… it made sense. How can Zidian whip out Wei Wuxian’s soul when he didn’t seize it? Zidian only separated souls from the bodies that they seized, but since Wei Wuxian was forcibly given one, he was unaffected by Zidian.

“Well, that’s a good way to remove suspicions from himself.” Jin Zixuan muttered after having an idea of Wei Wuxian's purpose for going outside of Lan Wangji’s protection.

Bewilderment could be seen on Jiang Wanyin’s face as he prepared to whip Wei Wuxian again, but he was interrupted as Lan Jingyi shouted, “Sect Leader Jiang, this should be enough, right? It was Zidian!”

The shout made Jiang Wanyin unable to make another move.

However, if it wasn’t Wei Wuxian, who else could’ve summoned and controlled Wen Ning?

Even after thinking it over multiple times, Jiang Wanyin still couldn’t accept this fact. He pointed at Wei Wuxian and scowled. “Who the hell are you?”

Jiang Wanyin’s confusion was understandable. Really, no one else but Wei Wuxian could have possibly controlled and summoned Wen Ning. If there was someone else who could control the Ghost General, they might as well become the next Yiling Patriarch!

Finally, a meddlesome bystander added a word to the conversation. He coughed, “Sect Leader Jiang, you might not have paid attention to these things so you didn’t know. Mo Xuanyu was the Lanling Jin Sect’s… Ahem, he used to be a foreign disciple of the Jin Sect. But, because his spiritual powers were low and he didn’t work hard on his studies, he also had that… He harassed a peer and was thrown out of the Lanling Jin Sect. I’ve also heard that he lost his marbles? In my opinion, he was probably bitter from being unable to cultivate using the correct method, so he ventured off into the wrong path. It might not be… the Yiling Patriarch seizing his body.”

“I can’t believe that Mo Xuanyu, being a lunatic and cut-sleeve, saved Wei Wuxian.” a rogue cultivator muttered.

Jiang Wanyin asked, “That? Which?”

“That… As in that… ”

Someone couldn’t help but to comment, “The cut-sleeve penchant!”

Jiang Wanyin turned his head to look at Wei Wuxian, and snickered. Mo Xuanyu’s body is certainly the most suited body for Wei Wuxian. Not only do they have the same style in clothing, they’re both cut-sleeves as well.

Jiang Wanyin’s eyebrow twitched. His eyes which stared at Wei Wuxian seemed more disgusted than before. There were more comments on the matter, but no one dared to say them in front of Jiang Wanyin.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a cut-sleeve, A-Cheng.” Jiang Yanli spoke.

Jiang Wanyin coughed and looked away from his sister. Jiang Yanli sighed, and crossed her arms together. Although many people view cut-sleeves with disgust, Jiang Yanli didn’t think that there was anything wrong with being one. Why should she find cut-sleeves disgusting if they aren't doing anything wrong?

Jiang Wanyin spoke in a low voice, “I know that, A-Jie. I was just…”

He can’t really find any reason for his previous disgust towards cut-sleeves. He didn’t mind them now, used to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s shenanigans, although it annoyed him whenever he encountered the two kissing, or being  sexually intimate with each other when they thought that no one was watching.

Someone muttered, “It’s not him no matter how you look at it… The flute was also played horribly… This is definitely a case of blind imitation, hearing how inferior it sounded.”

Wei Wuxian felt somewhat offended, ‘Why don’t you try playing a few notes after ten-or-so years of not practising, using a lousy flute made with just a few slices and cuts? If it sounds pleasant, I’ll kneel in front of you!’

A moment ago, Jiang Wanyin was convinced that this person was Wei Wuxian. Yet, now, Zidian was telling him that he wasn’t. Zidian definitely wouldn’t deceive him or make a mistake, so he calmed himself and thought, ‘This doesn’t mean anything. I should first find an excuse to take him back and use every possible method to get information out of him. It’s impossible for him to not confess anything or give himself away. I’ve done things like this in the past anyways.’

‘We really have a lot to talk about…’ Jiang Yanli thought, staring at Jiang Wanyin, then at Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian hurriedly jumped behind Lan Wangji with the donkey, and exclaimed while holding a hand on his chest, “Ah!  What are you going to do to me?”

Lan Wangji gave him a look, putting up with his extremely discourteous, noisy, and exaggerated behaviour.

Lan Qiren watched the orb, and sighed. Wei Wuxian changed his nephew so much.

If the Lan Wangji in the orb was still the Lan Wangji in his teens, he would’ve immediately distanced himself from Wei Wuxian. Maybe he would even cast the silencing spell on Wei Wuxian. However, Wangji had changed, and he no longer followed the rules when Wei Wuxian was involved.

Love can really change a person.

Seeing that he had no means to move over, Jiang Wanyin spoke, “Second Young Master Lan, are you purposely making it difficult for me?”

Lan Sizhui spoke, “Sect Leader Jiang, the evidence is clear- Mo Xuanyu’s body is not taken over by anyone. If so, why should you want to trouble an unimportant person such as him?”

Jiang Wanyin replied, “Then, why is Second Young Master Lan going to such great lengths to protect an unimportant person such as him?”

Out of the blue, Wei Wuxian made a few sounds of suppressed laughter.

“You can’t deny that Wei Wuxian is a great actor.”

“You’re not wrong…”

He said, “Sect Leader Jiang, um, I’ll feel very troubled if you keep bothering me like this.”

Jiang Wanyin’s eyebrows twitched again. His instincts told him that this person would definitely not say anything that would please him.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Thank you for being so enthusiastic. However, your thoughts are quite off. Even if I am attracted to men, I don’t like just any type of men, much less follow anyone who waves at me. For example, I’m not interested in men like you.”

Wei Wuxian was purposely trying to disgust him. Jiang Wanyin had always hated being defeated while compared with others, no matter how pointless the comparison was. As expected, Jiang Wanyin’s face darkened. “Oh, really?  Then, may I ask which type you’re interested in?”

Jiang Wanyin’s face turned red after seeing how he fell for Wei Wuxian’s trap. He cursed inside his head, teeth gritted. Hearing the quiet laughter of others in the room further humiliated him.

No one could escape humiliation from this orb. No one at all!

Wei Wuxian replied, “Which type? Well, I am very much attracted to people like Hanguang-jun.”

Lan Wangji could not tolerate this sort of frivolous and foolish joke at all. Disgusting two people at once- this was killing two birds with one stone!

However, as Lan Wangji heard this, he turned around. His face was emotionless. “Mark your words.”

Wei Wuxian, “Hm?”

Lan Wangji turned back, speaking in a mannerly yet resolute way, “I will take this person back to the Gusu Lan Sect.”

Wei Wuxian, “...”

“Huh?”

Ouyang Zizhen smiled. He’d finally watch Hanguang-jun and Senior Wei’s love story! Well, kinda love story. He still wanted to witness the first meeting of Hanguang-jun and Senior Wei, and how they interacted when they were teenagers.

In Ouyang Zizhen's opinion, the teenage years of Senior Wei and Hanguang-jun is the start of their love story!

The scene then changed to the Cloud Recesses. It was tranquil, and only the echoes of the bell tower could be heard vibrating in the air.

The ambience was suddenly shattered by a long wail, giving a few shudders down the backs of the disciples who were training or doing their morning readings. They couldn’t help but glance at the direction of the main entrance, where the sound came from.

Wei Wuxian was crying in front of the entrance, clinging onto his donkey. Lan Jingyi spoke, “Stop crying! You said that you liked Hanguang-jun yourself, so what are you wailing for, now that he has taken you?”

Wei Wuxian pulled a long face.

Jin Zixuan shook his head, and snickered, “You’re like a child. What are you, six? You’ve been to Cloud Recesses before.”

Wei Wuxian glared at Jin Zixuan. Cloud Recesses had so many rules, and the Gusu Lan Sect was very strict. He never wanted to even go back there!

However, now, he is living in Cloud Recesses with his husband and son. He’s content with his life.

“So what? Cloud Recesses has so many rules! And they added even more. How could I possibly have fun there? Well, I like living there now, but Wei Wuxian of the past was foolish, thinking he’ll be punished! So, I obviously didn’t want to go to Cloud Recesses.” Wei Wuxian replied.

Lan Qiren flashed through Jin Zixuan's mind, and he thought, ‘Lan Qiren was definitely not happy with Lan Wangji bringing such a noisy person in Cloud Recesses.’

As he was tugged up the mountain, he passed by the rock wall of rules, and saw that a thousand more were carved on it. Now, there are more than four thousand. Four thousand!

Lan Jingyi said, “There, there! Stop making a ruckus. Noise is prohibited in Cloud Recesses.”

He was making loud noises exactly because he didn’t want to enter Cloud Recesses!

Wei Wuxian was truly desperate to escape Lan Wangji. He looked quite pathetic and foolish.

If he was dragged inside, it would be extremely difficult to come outside again.

Lan Wangji stood still in front of the entrance, turning a deaf ear on him, and watched the scene with an indifferent look. When Wei Wuxian’s voice had somewhat quieted, he spoke, “Let him cry. When he becomes tired, drag him inside.”

Lan Qiren took a deep breath.

Wei Wuxian hugged the donkey and cried even harder, bumping his head against it.

How misfortunate! He thought that after a whip from Zidian, all doubts on him would be cleared. He felt satisfied with himself, and along with a mouthful of teasing words, he offhandedly gave Lan Wangji a few repulsive comments. Yet, who knew that Lan Wangji didn’t follow his routine before? Was it possible that, after so many years, his level of cultivation had increased, and he became more tolerant?

Wei Wuxian spoke, “I’m attracted to men, so with so many beautiful young men in your sect,  I’m afraid that I won’t be able to control myself.”

Jiang Wanyin subconsciously facepalmed. Really, how shameless can Wei Wuxian be? Does he not get embarrassed with the way he is acting?

Many Gusu Lan disciples became flustered with the words of Wei Wuxian. They had never heard of such a shameless remark before!

Lan Sizhui tried to reason with him. “Young Master Mo, it was for your sake that Hanguang-jun brought you here. If you do not follow us, Sect Leader Jiang will not be able to let the matter go. During these years, there were countless people whom he had caught and took back to Lotus Pier, and none of those people were ever let out.”

Lan Jingyi said, “That is right. You have seen Sect Leader Jiang’s methods, have you not? They are quite cruel…” He paused, remembering the rule which stated that talking behind other people’s back was prohibited, and secretly glanced at Lan Wangji.

Seeing that Hanguang-jun didn’t show any means to chastise him, he was bold enough to mumble, “It’s all because of the unhealthy trend that the Yiling Patriarch started. There are so many people who copy him and cultivate the wrong path. With Sect Leader Jiang being so suspicious of everyone, is it even possible for him to catch all of them? Just look at you and your flute skills… Heh.”

Many agreed with Lan Jingyi. It was because of the trend that Wei Wuxian started. He suddenly started to cultivate the wrong method, and many people started imitating him. If he didn’t go down the crooked path at all, these people wouldn’t even think about demonic cultivation.

“I don’t think that the Yiling Patriarch is at fault here. It’s not his responsibility to stop these people who chose to imitate him. He already died! What was he supposed to do? Famous figures would always leave an influence on everyone.” a disciple huffed. It wasn’t like Wei Wuxian begged these people to cultivate demonic cultivation, so why was he at fault here?

The sect leader of the disciple scolded, “Be careful about what you say, kid. If Wei Wuxian didn’t throw away his sword and continued to cultivate the right method, then these people wouldn’t even have the courage to think about the crooked path. Because he dared to dabble with the demonic arts, many people started to follow him!”

The disciple frowned and stayed silent.

Wei Wuxian felt like he needed to defend himself. “Well, actually, you might not believe me, but I usually play the flute quite well…”

Before he could finish speaking, a few white-clothed cultivators walked through the door. 

Lan Xichen appeared, standing with a graceful aura. As Lan Wangji saw them, he slightly bowed his head to show respect, and Lan Xichen did the same. He looked at Wei Wuxian and smiled. “Wangji never brings guests home. This is?”

“Ah, the twin jades of Gusu are truly beautiful…”

“Of course they are. No one in the Gusu Lan Sect looks bad at all!”

Wei Wuxian let go of the donkey with a beaming smile on his face. The Gusu Lan Sect placed a lot of regard on the order of superiority. If he talked nonsense to Lan Xichen, he would most definitely be chased off the Cloud Recesses. However, when he got ready to show his capabilities, Lan Wangji looked at him. Immediately, his lips were sealed.

Lan Wangji turned around and asked, “Brother, are you going to visit Lianfang-zun again?”

Lan Xichen froze at the mention of Jin Guangyao.

It was fine. It was fine. How can it not be fine? The past is long gone, and Jin Guangyao is dead. This was merely a memory, and he could forget about it when they get out. Jin Guangyao’s appearance will surely make many annoyed, but it was unavoidable.

Nie Huaisang scowled. He just remembered that he revealed Qinghe Nie’s secret to Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, and the mention of Jin Guangyao made his mood worse.

The universe really hates him. Really, just how much did he offend the heavens to be met with so many predicaments?

Lan Xichen nodded. “To negotiate about the next Discussion Conference at Koi Tower.”

Wei Wuxian was unable to open his mouth, so he sourly walked back at the donkey.

Lan Xichen spoke, “Uncle has taken and examined what you brought back from Mo Village.”

Hearing the words “Mo Village”, Wei Wuxian started paying attention. Unexpectedly, he felt his lips part. Lan Xichen had released the silencing spell and spoke to Lan Wangji, “It is not often you bring somebody home, being in such good spirits. You need to treat your guest with courtesy, unlike this.”

Good Spirits? Lan Wangji?

Lan Wangji looked indifferent in the orb, just as he always looked. What good spirits? Was there something that only Zewu-jun could see, and everyone else could not? Was it a thing between the twin jades?

‘Good spirits?’ Wei Wuxian carefully looked at Lan Wangji’s face.

‘How could he tell that he was in good spirits?!’

After watching Lan Xichen leave, Lan Wangji said, “Drag him inside.”

Then, Wei Wuxian was, indeed, dragged into a place which he swore not to step into again.

The juniors all crowded around him, interested by this new turn of events. If not for the sect rules being so strict, there would definitely be bouts of laughter along the journey. Lan Jingyi asked, “Hanguang-jun, where should we drag him to?”

Lan Wangji replied, “The jingshi.”

“The jingshi?!”

The Gusu Lan disciples that were there did not understand why Lan Wangji had ordered them to bring Wei Wuxian to the jingshi. Now, however, they understood why.

Of course Hanguang-jun would only take Senior Wei to the jingshi, and no one else. He was the love of his life, after all. Hanguang-jun must’ve been in love with Senior Wei for a long time!

Wei Wuxian didn’t know what was going on. The rest stared among themselves, afraid to make any sound.

Lan Wangji went to see his uncle to discuss important matters, while Wei Wuxian was pushed into the room. Right after Lan Wangji left, Wei Wuxian went outside. He strolled around Cloud Recesses, and found that, as he had expected, without the jade token for passage, even if he climbed up the walls, he would be flung off by the barrier.

Wei Wuxian could only go back to the jingshi.

He walked around the jingshi with his arms behind his back, firmly believing that, sooner or  later, there would be a solution. The refreshing scent of the sandalwood was cold and clear.

With nothing to do, he started to think random thoughts, ‘Lan Zhan happened to smell like this scent. His clothes were probably tinged with the fragrance when he was practising his guqin or meditating here.’

Perhaps, deep down, Wei Wuxian was already in love with Lan Wangji. Even before his death. He just didn’t notice them, just like how he never noticed Lan Wangji’s feelings.

Nie Huaisang nodded his head absentmindedly. That was probably the case here.

After these thoughts, he couldn’t help but to shift closer to the incense stand at the corner. With this shift, he became aware that, beneath his foot, one piece of wood was significantly different from others. Wei Wuxian bent down and started to knock. After a moment, he turned a piece of board up.

Finding a secretive space in Lan Wangji’s room was already a surprise. However, after he saw what was hidden inside, he was even more surprised.

“Lan Wangji!” Lan Qiren yelled, unable to contain his anger. Since when did his nephew start hiding liquor in his room?! Since when did he start drinking liquor secretly?!

Lan Wangji bowed at Lan Qiren. “My apologies, Uncle. Rest assured, I did not drink any of the alcohol.” His tone was indifferent and monotone that many thought that Lan Wangji’s apology wasn’t sincere in the slightest.

“Who knew that Hanguang-jun was secretly hiding liquor in his room?”

“I thought he was the perfect Lan; always following the rules, noble and proper. Who knew that those were all false?”

Lan Wangji’s expression remained unchanged. He didn’t care about what others were thinking at the moment. He simply watched the orb while his fingertips slightly touched the back of Wei Wuxian’s hand.

After flipping the board open, a mellow aroma filled the air, unnoticeable when it was mixed with the sandalwood scent. Seven or eight black jars packed into a small, square cellar.

Sure enough, Lan Wangji had changed- he even started hiding liquor!

As Wei Wuxian exclaimed upon the matter, he had finished one jar already.

“You drunkard. You really can’t live without drinking, huh?” Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes. Of course, after finding Lan Wangji’s secret stash of alcohol, Wei Wuxian immediately took one jar and drank.

The jar reminded Jiang Wanyin of the days they were sent to study in Gusu. He, Wei Wuxian, and Nie Huaisang would sneak liquor and drink them inside their quarters while reading the Nie sect leader’s pornography books.

Time had really passed.

After coming to the conclusion that Lan Wangji still owed him a jar of Emperor’s Smile and it was time to collect his interest, he drank another jar. Just as he was getting tipsy, a thought suddenly passed through his mind.

In Cloud Recesses, there was a cold spring with a lot of miraculous effects for the male cultivators to use. When the male cultivator goes into the cold spring, he is bound to take off his clothing. Then, with his clothing off, there would be nowhere to put his jade token.

Jiang Yanli had an idea of what Wei Wuxian was planning, and coughed. Surely, she was wrong and A-Xian wasn’t actually thinking about stealing the jade token of a Lan disciple who’s bathing in the cold springs?

Wei Wuxian clapped his hands together and finished the last gulp in the jar. After searching, he found that there were no places to throw it away, so he filled the empty jars with clear water and placed them inside the cellar again. With this done, he ventured out to find a jade token.

Wei Wuxian walked through the winding paths from memory, and soon found the cold springs.

Lan Wangji’s ears turned red. The thought of his naked body getting shown to the cultivation world made him embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Wei Wuxian also remembered this, and his eyes hardened. As much as he would want to see his husband’s very sexy body, he wasn’t comfortable at it being shown to so many people. Lan Zhan probably felt uncomfortable as well.

Well, people aren’t shameless enough to willingly watch someone bathe. Many would probably cover their eyes, but what about those who wouldn’t?

Wei Wuxian sighed, “Lan Zhan, it’s really unavoidable…”

Lan Wangji moved closer to Wei Wuxian’s back. “It is fine…”

It was most definitely not fine.

The disciple on duty for watching over the cold spring was quite a distance away. The security wasn’t strict at all and it was extremely easy to overcome, making it easy for Wei Wuxian to go and shame himself. And, coincidentally, there was a set of white robes on top of the white rocks behind the crisscrossed eupatorium grasses.

“Don’t tell me we’re going to be watching someone bathe?!” Jiang Wanyin yelled, flustered. After realising what was happening, his face became red, and he could no longer watch the orb.

Nie Huaisang nervously laughed, and also looked away from the orb. “I’m sure the person who brought us here is decent enough to not show us the person bathing?”

Many were not convinced, and started to look away from the orb. They didn’t need to watch someone bathe, especially not someone from the Gusu Lan Sect!

Lan Sizhui remembered the identity of the person bathing, and spluttered. The person bathing was Hanguang-jun! Hanguang-jun!

The set of white robes was folded extremely neatly. It looked like a snow-white piece of tofu- even the forehead ribbon was folded without any creases. As Wei Wuxian put his hand in and searched for the jade token, he was almost reluctant to mess it up.

Stepping over the bushes, his gaze passed over the spring, and suddenly halted.

Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling squeaked, and covered their eyes with their hands.

The person in the spring was quite tall. His skin was fair and his hair was black, wet and gathered to the side. However, Wei Wuxian was definitely not stunned and unable to avert his gaze because he was looking at a bathing beauty. It was the things on the person’s back that made him unable to avert his gaze.

There were a dozen intersecting scars.

Lan Qiren took a brief glimpse at the back of the person bathing, and immediately knew the identity of the person. Who else could have a back that’s been whipped by the discipline whip for so many times, if not his nephew, Lan Wangji?

Lan Qiren’s eyebrows twitched. Not only was the orb showing a disciple of Gusu Lan Sect bathing, they were showing Wangji!

It was simply humiliating to the Gusu Lan Sect. Even Lan Xichen looked awkward, unsure what to feel about his brother’s naked body being shown to so many people.

“How could there be a person in the Gusu Lan Sect with so many discipline whip scars? How could they have possibly survived?” Many murmured. It was a surprise, as Gusu Lan Sect is known for their strict teachings. Therefore, their disciples are extremely standoffish, always abiding with the sect rules.

The amount of scars on this person’s back accumulated thirty at least. Just what sort of monstrous crime did this person commit for him to have been whipped so many times?

At that moment, the person in the spring turned around. It was Lan Wangji, and beneath his collarbone and near the heart, there was a clear sear. Seeing Lan Wangji and the sear, Wei Wuxian’s shock instantly reached its highest peak.

“Hanguang-jun?! What could Hanguang-jun possibly have done for him to be whipped many times?!”

Many were shocked at the identity of the person. Jin Zixuan remembered Lan Wangji to be cold and law-abiding; what could he have possibly done to be whipped so many times? He also didn’t remember Lan Wangji getting seared by the Qishan Wen Sect’s branding iron. It was Wei Wuxian who was seared, not Lan Wangji.

Even Jiang Wanyin was shocked. Was this why Lan Wangji was absent for three years after Wei Wuxian died? Because he was whipped?

Suddenly, a flash of white appeared before his eyes, as if snow had fallen on him.

Wei Wuxian was quite adept at running away and dodging swords. With a roll on the ground, he closely avoided Bichen. He even had the time to pull off a leaf that was stuck on his hair when he rushed out of the cold spring.

He ran like a headless fly, right into people who were passing by from nightwatching. They grabbed him and scolded, “What are you running around for? Running is prohibited in Cloud Recesses!”

Wei Wuxian, seeing that it was Lan Jingyi and the others, was ecstatic, thinking that he could finally be chased down the mountain. He presented himself at once. “I didn’t see! I didn’t see anything! I'm definitely not here to peep at Hanguang-jun bathing!”

There were some who had already recovered from the shock about Lan Wangji’s back. They felt pity for the Gusu Lan disciples who experienced the shamelessness of Wei Wuxian.

The juniors were shocked speechless by his impudence. Lan Sizhui was frightened to the point that his voice changed. “What? Hanguang-jun? Hanguang-jun is inside?!”

Lan Jingyi seized him furiously. “You damn cut-sleeve! I-i-is he someone you could peek at?!”

Wei Wuxian struck the iron while it was still hot and confirmed his conviction, “I didn’t see a single peek of how Hanguang-jun looks without his clothes!”

Lan Jingyi fumed, “Well, if you did not, why are you sneaking around? Look at you- you have no face to see anyone!”

Lan Qiren couldn’t even scold Lan Jingyi for breaking the rules at this point. Who wouldn’t fume when faced with such impudence? He would’ve kicked Wei Wuxian out of Cloud Recesses the moment he uttered those shameless words!

Wei Wuxian covered his face with his hands. “Don’t be loud… Noise is prohibited in Cloud Recesses.”

He! He even had the audacity to say that?! As if he wasn’t making noise himself?!

The Gusu Lan elders were so enraged that they almost collapsed. Wei Wuxian is certainly going to send them to their graves!

Amid the ruckus, Lan Wangji walked out from behind the eupatorium grasses with his hair down, wearing a white robe. The conversation hadn’t even finished yet, and he was already dressed in an orderly fashion, Bichen still unsheathed.

The juniors hurried to greet him. Lan Jingyi rushed to speak, “Hanguang-jun, Mo Xuanyu really is awful. You only brought him back seeing that he assisted us in Mo Village, yet he…. He…”

Wei Wuxian thought that it would be beyond Lan Wangji’s endurance and he would kick him out. However, the latter only glimpsed at him. After a moment of silence, he sheathed Bichen and said, “You are dismissed.”

The crowd dispersed immediately, while Lan Wangji calmly held Wei Wuxian by the back of his collar and dragged him towards the jingshi.

“I didn’t know that Hanguang-jun could be so… rough.”

“Shh, what are you even saying! Don’t make us lose face here!”

While being held in his hand, he couldn’t even struggle against Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian staggered, wanting to shout, but Lan Wangji spoke coldly, “Those who make noise will be silenced.”

Wei Wuxian couldn’t understand at all- since when did the Gusu Lan Sect tolerate something as shameless as peeking at one of the sect’s most distinguished cultivators bathing?!

Jiang Wanyin was actually feeling joy at seeing Wei Wuxian getting destroyed by Lan Wangji. He was bound to get karma for all the shameless remarks and actions that he did.

Lan Wangji carried him to the jingshi, walked straight towards the inner room, and threw him down onto the bed. Wei Wuxian yelped in pain.

Lan Wangji felt guilty seeing how he had hurt his husband so many times. He wrapped his arms around Wei Wuxian’s waist and leaned his head on his husband’s shoulder. He whispered, “I’m sorry, Wei Ying…”

Wei Wuxian leaned towards Lan Wangji’s forehead and held the hands of the latter. “Don’t worry about it, Lan Zhan. It’s not anything big at all!”

He couldn’t get up at that moment, wriggling upright after a while. He originally wanted to whine a few times in a flirtatious manner. However, as he raised his head, he saw that Lan Wangji was holding Bichen with one hand, looking down on him commandingly.

Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but glance a few times. After the effort of carrying and throwing him on the bed, Lan Wangji’s collar, which was closed in the beginning, came slightly apart, showing his collarbones and the red seas under them.

The scene felt like something that they shouldn’t be seeing, so some looked away from the orb.

As he saw the sear, Wei Wuxian’s attraction was captured again. He also had a sear like this on his original body. The sear on Lan Wangji’s body was exactly the same as the one on his original body, no matter the position and shape.

Lan Xichen had a solemn expression on his face, and he sighed.

Following his gaze, Lan Wangji lowered his eyes. He pulled his collar so that it covered his collarbones, becoming the indifferent Hanguang-jun once again. At that moment, the deep toll of the bell came from far away.

Lan Wangji listened attentively to the tolls, and spoke to Wei Wuxian, “You will be sleeping here.”

Without giving Wei Wuxian a chance to reply, he turned to another compartment of the jingshi. Wei Wuxian was left alone, confused.

He did doubt that Lan Wangji might’ve guessed who he was. However, the doubt was lacking in both sense and reason. Mo Xuanyu only summoned Wei Wuxian by looking at a secret scroll. Lan Wangji couldn’t have recognized him just from the awful flute melodies he played.

Watching himself and his own train of thoughts, Wei Wuxian concluded that he really was making a fool out of himself.

After a while of staring at nothing, Wei Wuxian turned around and went off the bed. He lightly moved to the other chamber.

‘What is he going to do now?’ Jiang Wanyin wondered.

Nie Huaisang had a feeling that what was going to happen next was something extremely embarrassing, so he prepared himself.

Lan Wangji laid sideways on the bed, appearing to be already asleep. Without making a sound, Wei Wuxian approached him. 

He was still not giving up, hoping to fish out the jade token on him. However, just as he extended his hand, Lan Wangji’s long lashes fluttered, and his eyes opened.

Jin Zixuan covered his whole face with his hands, feeling second-hand embarrassment. Really, just when will Wei Wuxian give up? It was clear that he wouldn't be able to escape!

Wei Wuxian quickly made up his mind, and threw himself onto the bed.

What was Wei Wuxian doing now? He was hoping to escape from Lan Wangji, yet now, he threw himself at the man. How could he have changed his mind so quickly?

He remembered that Lan Wangji hated physical contact with other people. If even like this, he endured it, then this person was definitely not Lan Wangji! He would even think that Lan Wangji’s body was taken!

Wei Wuxian’s entire body was above Lan Wangji’s, with legs separated. His hands were against the wooden bed, trapping Lan Wangji between his arms. He gradually lowered his head. The distance between the two faces became closer and closer, to the point that it became hard for Wei Wuxian to breathe.

Lan Xichen could see the panic in his flustered brother’s eyes. Who wouldn’t, when the love of his life was so close with him?

Jiang Wanyin shrieked, “What are they doing?! No, seriously, what the fuck?!” Did these two sleep with each other when they weren’t even together yet?

Wei Wuxian crossed his arms and huffed, “We didn’t do anything! Your mind is so dirty, Jiang Cheng.”

With the close proximity between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, some thought that the two had sexual intercourse with each other. Surely, if they actually did have sex with each other all of a sudden, the orb wouldn’t show them that?

Wait, no! It was too illogical to think that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji had sex with each other. Lan Wangji probably dragged Wei Wuxian back to his bed and slept.

Lan Wangji spoke, “Get off.”

Wei Wuxian thickened his face. “No.”

Lan Wangji stared at him fixedly, and repeated, “...Get off.”

“No. If you allowed me to sleep here, you should have known that something like this would happen.” Wei Wuxian replied.

Lan Wangji, “Are you sure that this is what you want?”

“...” For some reason, Wei Wuxian felt that he should carefully consider his reply.

As he was about to curl his lips into a smile, a numbness suddenly came from his waist, and his legs gave out. He fell onto Lan Wangji’s body.

“...”

The curvature of a half-smile was frozen on his lips. His head was at the right side of Lan Wangji’s chest and he couldn’t move at all. Lan Wangji’s voice came from above. “Then stay like this for the whole night.”

Wei Wuxian didn’t expect it to end up like this at all. He shifted around, wanting to get up, but his waist continued to ache and felt limp.

‘Just what in the world happened to Lan Zhan in the past few years, turning him into a person like this?’

After seeing the earlier actions of Lan Wangji, no one was surprised by the sudden turn of events. Some were flustered, however, seeing Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji be so intimately close with each other.

“It must’ve been quite uncomfortable to sleep in that position.” Jiang Yanli chuckled.

Wei Wuxian pouted. “Shijie!”

Chapter Text

At a later time, Wei Wuxian pondered upon the reason why his relationship with Lan Wangji wasn’t good.

The scene changed to the entrance of Cloud Recesses once again. However, the surroundings of the entrance looked different, almost as if there was a big change overnight.

Many disciples were gathered, wearing the guest robes of the  Gusu Lan Sect. Among these disciples, three young boys stood out the most from the crowd.

“That…!” Lan Qiren’s voice trailed off, too baffled with the change of events.

Those boys are Wei Wuxian, Jiang Wanyin, and Nie Huaisang! In the orb, the trio were in their teens.

Just how powerful could this person be, to be able to show a memory that’s so far back in the past? This had happened so many years ago that, even he, Lan Qiren, was not sure how far back this was.

Jin Ling’s eyes widened upon seeing his uncle’s youthful appearance. “Uncle! You look so young!” He exclaimed, watching the orb with his mouth wide open.

Jin Ling was not the only one who was gaping at the orb, as his friends were doing the same. Lan Sizhui’s gaze stayed on the familiar boy wearing a red ribbon, looking carefree and cheerful as ever. That…

Who else could the boy be, if not Senior Wei?

Lan Wangji was staring at the orb, his thoughts in disarray. Seeing Wei Ying’s original body again after a long time… It caught Lan Wangji off guard. And not only was Lan Wangji surprised, but Wei Wuxian as well. He was staring at his own body, then at Jiang Wanyin and Nie Huaisang.

“Lan Zhan, this-” Wei Wuxian halted, suddenly remembering the events that had happened when he was a teenager.

Would they watch the Sunshot Campaign? The massacre at Lotus Pier? The three months that he spent in the Burial Mounds?

He-

He can’t watch everything that happened in the past. Especially not the massacre at Lotus Pier.

Jiang Wanyin finally recovered from his stupor and whispered, “How…?”

The timeline that the orb was showing changed too abruptly. Was it because Wei Wuxian was thinking about his relationship with Lan Wangji, so the the orb changed to their first meeting? Was that why? So, if Wei Wuxian ever thinks about the Sunshot Campaign, the orb would show just that?

Lan Xichen cleared his throat and spoke, “We do not know the identity of the person that brought us here, nor do we know the extent of their abilities. What we do know, however, is that they’re very powerful. We should continue watching while staying cautious.”

Everyone in the room gradually calmed down, but there was still confusion and surprise among the crowd.

Nie Huaisang watched the orb and wondered, ‘Will I be able to see Da-ge alive again?’

The disciples spoke about Lan Qiren’s teachings. No matter how unruly a student was, they would at least seem decent after the elder taught them.

To this, Wei Wuxian spoke, “Do I not seem decent enough?”

Lan Jingyi stared at the young man in the orb with wide eyes. Who else could this young man wearing a red ribbon be, conversing with teenagers Sect Leader Jiang and Sect Leader Nie, if not Wei Wuxian? He was also carrying Suibian.

“Senior Wei, is that your body? You look so handsome!” Ouyang Zizhen exclaimed.

Wei Wuxian chuckled and held his head up. “Of course I do! You didn’t actually believe those rumors about me having a horrendous appearance, did you?”

Ouyang Zizhen shook his head. Every rumour about Senior Wei was either false, or had some truth in them. He learned to always doubt something before seeing evidence due to the rumors about Senior Wei.

Jiang Wanyin replied, “You’d definitely be a mark of shame in his entire teaching career.”

Jin Ling watched as both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin interacted with each other casually. There was no awkwardness between them, and they looked comfortable. It was the opposite of how his uncles interacted whenever they encountered each other.

The events of the past really changed his uncles.

Nie Huaisang asked, “The Lotus Pier of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect is much more fun than here, right?”

Wei Wuxian laughed, “Fun or not fun depends on how you make it fun. There’s definitely less rules in Lotus Pier than here, and no need to wake up so early.”

Nie Huaisang, “When do you guys wake up? What do you do during the day?”

Jiang Wanyin humphed, “Him? He wakes up at nine in the morning and sleeps at one in the night. When he wakes up, he doesn’t practice his sword or meditate; he goes boating, swims around, picks lotus seed pods, and hunts for pheasants.”

“No matter how many pheasants I hunt, I’m still number one.” Wei Wuxian replied.

Nie Huaisang said, “Next year, I’m going to Yunmeng to study! Nobody can hold me back!”

These sect leaders looked much calmer and carefree when they were teenagers. Unlike at present, where Jiang Wanyin is always fuming, and Nie Huaisang being the Headshaker. Although now that he is the chief cultivator, he has become more responsible.

The past truly defines what you are in the future. It shapes your mentality and actions. Someone cheerful could easily become the coldest person in the world, all because of an event that changed them for the worse or for the best.

Wei Wuxian, who still played around at present, also looked much more carefree. His aura today had a solemn air at times, unlike the teenager Wei Wuxian who is still full of innocence.

A youth chuckled, “Nobody would hold you back. Your older brother would just break your legs.”

Nie Huaisang smiled bitterly. He would study at Cloud Recesses until his death if that was what it took to see his brother again. He missed Nie Mingjue terribly, and he was lonely leading his sect alone.

This was what Jiang Wanyin probably felt, leading the Yunmeng Jiang Sect by himself while taking care of his orphaned nephew.

Nie Huaisang drooped.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “To be honest, Gusu is quite fun as well.”

It was ironic to hear those words from someone who wailed so loudly because he was being taken to Gusu.

Nie Huaisang spoke, “Wei-xiong, listen to this sincere advice of mine. The Cloud Recesses is nothing like Lotus Pier. On this trip to Gusu, remember that there’s one person who you shouldn’t provoke.”

“Who? Lan Qiren?” Wei Wuxian asked.

Nie Huaisang replied, “Not that old man. The one you need to be careful of is his proudest disciple, Lan Zhan.”

Nie Huaisang quickly bowed to Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji. “My apologies, Master Lan, Hanguang-jun! I was immature when I was a teen, please forgive me for my words!”

Lan Qiren scowled. The generation of Wei Wuxian must be the worst generation that he had taught in his teaching career.

Lan Wangji only nodded. He didn’t like that others used his birth name other than Wei Ying, but this had already passed long ago. It wasn’t a big matter to be angry or annoyed at.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “The Lan Zhan from the Twin Jades of Lan? Lan Wangji?”

“What other Lan Zhan is there? Yes, it’s that one. He’s the same age as you and I, but he had none of the energy of a teen. He’s stiff and strict, even worse than his uncle.” Nie Huaisang spoke.

Nie Huaisang when he was a teenager was truly careless and immature. How could he blatantly talk about Lan Wangji and Lan Qiren behind their backs, not to mention in their own home, Cloud Recesses?

The words of Nie Huaisang weren’t wrong, however. Lan Wangji was too standoffish; it was no wonder that no one dares to come close to him!

Wei Wuxian made the sound of an ‘oh’ and asked, “Does he look quite pretty?”

Jiang Wanyin sneered, “Is there anyone who looks ugly in the Gusu Lan Sect? His sect doesn’t even accept disciples with unclean features. If you can, find me one who has an average face.”

Lan Jingyi thought of Su She. The latter was still a disciple of Gusu Lan when Senior Wei was studying at Gusu. He wasn’t ugly, if Lan Jingyi was being honest, but his face was nothing memorable. He can’t compare to Hanguang-jun at all! Especially with his personality!

Wei Wuxian emphasised, “Very pretty.” He pointed at his head, “White from top to bottom, wearing a forehead ribbon, and carrying a silver sword. He looked rather handsome, but with a straight face, he looked like he was mourning.”

“...”

“That’s him!” Nie Huaisang spoke assuredly. After a pause, he spoke again, “But he had been in secluded meditation for the past few days. You just came yesterday; when did you have the chance to see him?”

“Yesterday night.”

“Yesterday… Yesterday night?!” Jiang Wanyin was stunned. He continued, “There’s a curfew in Cloud Recesses. Where did you see him? Why don’t I know this?”

Ouyang Zizhen chuckled. Senior Wei had not changed at all with his tendencies to break the rules; it was the first thing he did when he entered Cloud Recesses!

But, if Senior Wei met Hanguang-jun while he broke the rules, doesn’t that mean that he was punished? Hanguang-jun was known to be strict, even during his youth. Unless… Hanguang-jun had fallen in love with Senior Wei at first sight, and spared him!

Wei Wuxian pointed at the top of a very tall wall. “There.”

The others were speechless. Jiang Wanyin felt his head growing bigger and clenched his teeth. “We just came and you got into trouble! What’s the matter about?”

Wei Wuxian replied with a grin, “There really isn’t much. When we came, we passed that liquor shop called 'Emperor's Smile’, right? Yesterday at night, I was tossing and turning, and couldn’t stand it any longer, so I went down the mountain, into the city, and brought back two jars.”

Jiang Cheng, “Then, where’s the liquor?”

Many had expected Jiang Wanyin to scold Wei Wuxian for buying liquor and sneaking them into Cloud Recesses. They hadn’t expected him to ask Wei Wuxian about the liquor instead.

The scene then changed to Wei Wuxian climbing up a wall with two jars of Emperor's Smile. It was dark and serene, as everyone had already retired to their rooms.

Lan Wangji, who looked younger, was blankly staring at Wei Wuxian. He said, “You are not allowed in until seven am tomorrow. Get out.”

Wei Wuxian held out a jar of liquor, and spoke, “Emperor’s Smile! I’ll give you a jar, so can you pretend not to see me?”

How shameless! Not only did Wei Wuxian break the curfew and sneak liquor in, he also tried to bribe Lan Wangji! It was only a matter of time before he offended someone!

“How can Wei Wuxian ignore the cold aura of Lan Wangji? I would cower in fear immediately the moment I get caught breaking the rules by him!”

“Shh! Lower your voice, will you?”

Lan Wangji did not move an inch, and replied, “Drinking is forbidden in Cloud Recesses.”

Wei Wuxian lowered his hand, and whined, “Is there anything we can do here?”

Lan Wangji, “The Wall of Discipline have listed them all. Go see for yourself.”

Wei Wuxian sighed, “Your rules have more than three thousand lines. Who’ll look at them?”

Lan Qiren’s eyebrow twitched. Just what was he thinking, making his nephew spend time with Wei Wuxian when he was being punished by copying the rules? He had underestimated how impudent Wei Wuxian was in the past!

Lan Wangji glared at Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Alright, alright. I’m not going in.” He then opened a jar of liquor, and continued, “I’m not inside, so I can drink here, right?”

He raised the jar onto his lips, and drank under the moonlight. A little spilled on Wei Wuxian’s chin, all the way to his collar. It looked oddly seductive.

Some female cultivators couldn’t help but blush. No matter how wicked Wei Wuxian was, one cannot deny his alluring beauty! It was no wonder that he ranked fourth in the list of top cultivator gentlemen in his generation!

Lan Wangji’s ears turned red. He remembered seeing Wei Ying that night, and his heart had never beaten so fast before.

Wei Wuxian laughed when he caught a glimpse of Lan Wangji’s face. “Lan-er-gege, why are you flustered? Am I so handsome?”

Lan Wangji, “Mn. The most handsome of all.”

Lan Wangji’s glare hardened, and he unsheathed Bichen.

Lan Wangji struck Bichen towards Wei Wuxian, who immediately dodged. The former slashed his sword, while Wei Wuxian dodged with the footsteps taught by the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. Lan Wangji waved Bichen with elegance, as expected from the fighting style of the Gusu Lan Sect.

“Wei Wuxian was a promising young master who excels in the six arts, and his swordsmanship is equal to Lan Wangji. Just why did such a talented young man like him go to the dark path? He ruined his own future.” a sect leader from a minor clan spoke. He wasn’t wrong. Just why did Wei Wuxian ruin his bright future by abandoning his sword and going to the crooked path?

“Who would’ve expected that the two young masters who fought just after they met would marry each other?” Jin Zixuan snorted. No one would, especially because it was Lan Wangji that they were talking about here. He was cold and distant, and Wei Wuxian was the opposite of him.

Well, as they say, opposites attract.

Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes, and targeted the jar of Emperor’s Smile on Wei Wuxian’s arms. The jar went flung away from Wei Wuxian, and shattered as it fell onto the ground.

The scene changed to Nie Huaisang, who looked astonished at Wei Wuxian. He blurted out, “Wei-xiong, you’re so smug!”

Wei Wuxian lifted his brows. “Lan Zhan’s skills were quite good.”

“You’re gonna die, Wei-xiong! Lan Zhan had never been at such a loss before. He’s probably after you! You should be careful. Although Lan Zhan doesn’t go to classes with us, he’s in charge of punishments in the Lan Sect!”

If someone else had heard Nie Huaisang’s words, they would be pissing and trembling in fear. However, Wei Wuxian was confident, as it was evident that he didn’t fear Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian waved his hand. “What’s there to be afraid of? Didn’t everyone say that Lan Zhan had been a prodigy since he was very young? If he’s so smart from such an early age, then he probably finished learning everything his uncle taught and does secluded meditation all the time. How would he have time to come after me? I…”

Before Wei Wuxian could finish what he was saying, they saw Lan Wangji coldly looking at them.

Jiang Wanyin patted Wei Wuxian’s shoulder and whispered, “He’s after you. Good luck.”

Clearly, Wei Wuxian didn’t need Jiang Wanyin’s good luck. He even looks like he wants to befriend Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian turned his head, and stared at Lan Wangji. Just as he was thinking of starting a conversation with the latter, Lan Qiren entered the room.

He entered with a scroll in his hand. The long scroll of paper rolled over the ground as soon as Lan Qiren opened it, and he started to recite the rules of the Gusu Lan Sect. The faces of everyone in the room started to grow dark.

Just like the faces of everyone in the orb, those who studied in Gusu looked at the orb with a helpless look on their faces. It had been hell when they were listening to Lan Qiren recite the rules of the Lan Sect, resisting the urge to fall asleep. Just hearing the three thousand rules of the Lan Sect was enough to make many get chills.

Wei Wuxian’s gaze flew everywhere, and landed on Lan Wangji. He was shocked as he saw concentration and seriousness that were nothing like a facade. ‘How can he listen so attentively to something so boring?’

“What, did he have a crush on Hanguang-jun just after meeting him? He won’t stop looking at him." Jin Ling spoke with one of his eyebrows raised.

Lan Sizhui agreed with Jin Ling’s words. It did seem like Senior Wei had fallen in love with Hanguang-jun after their first meeting.

Jiang Wanyin heard Jin Ling, and wondered what could have happened differently if Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian got together way earlier. ‘Who knows, maybe Wei Wuxian would immediately go to Gusu the moment Lan Wangji asked him to.’

Lan Qiren slammed the scroll onto the ground. “I am only repeating the rules one by one because no one reads it, even though it was carved on the wall of discipline. Hence, nobody will be able to violate them by using ignorance as an excuse again. Yet, even if I do this, there are still people who do not pay attention. Very well, I will proceed to talk about something else.”

‘Is he talking about me?’ Wei Wuxian thought.

Lan Qiren called out, “Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian answered, “Here.”

“Let me ask you. Are yao, demons, ghosts, and monsters the same things?”

Wei Wuxian smiled, “No.”

“Why not? How are they different?”

“That’s easy.” Wei Wuxian pointed at the tree outside of the room and replied, “For example, a living tree was tainted with energy of books, cultivated into a conscious being, and ensues mischief, it would be a yao. If I took an axe and cut it in the middle so that only a dead tree-stump was left, and then cultivated it into a being, it would be a monster.”

If Wei Wuxian had actually listened to class and followed the rules, he would be called a ‘perfect student’ like Lan Wangji. It was too bad that he was a mischievous teen, and didn’t care about etiquette.

Nie Huaisang’s mind drifted to Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. They really complement each other; they were both intelligent, strong, and good-looking. No one dominated one, except maybe in sex. They were also both popular, although Wei Wuxian’s reputation isn’t as clean as Lan Wangji’s.

They were really made for each other. It was destiny for them to get together eventually. If they weren’t reunited in this life, then maybe they would’ve been a couple in another.

“What was the profession of the progenitor of the Qinghe Nie Sect?”

“A butcher.”

“The heraldry of the Lanling Jin Sect is a white peony. Which type of white peony is it?“

“Sparks Amidst Snow.”

“Who was the first in the cultivation world to focus on the rise of his clan rather than his sect?”

“The progenitor of the Qishan Wen Sect, Wen Mao.”

After hearing the Qishan Wen Sect, the faces of many turned sour.

Those damned Wen-dogs had really shamed their progenitor. Wen Mao was probably disappointed at his descendants, who tainted the name of the Qishan Wen Sect with no shame. And because of his wicked descendants, the sect that he had built with great effort had perished.

His answers made everyone’s hearts skip a few beats. Although they felt lucky, they all prayed for Wei Wuxian to not be stumped by the questions, so Lan Qiren wouldn’t have the opportunity to pick other people.

Lan Qiren spoke, “As a disciple of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, you should have been very familiar with these and known them by heart since long ago, so there is nothing to be proud of even if you answered correctly. Let me ask you again- there is an executioner with parents, a wife, and children, but before he died, he executed more than one hundred people. He suddenly died in public, and, to punish him for his deeds, he was left on the streets for seven days. With the repressed resentful energy, what should be done?”

This time, Wei Wuxian didn’t answer immediately. The others thought that he was confused, and were all feeling restless. Lan Qiren scolded, “Why are you all looking at him? Think about this as well. Don’t open your books!”

The disciples took their hands away from their books. After a few moments, seeing that Wei Wuxian didn’t answer, Lan Qiren seemed like he was thinking, and spoke again, “Wangji, you can tell him what should be done.”

The answer to Lan Qiren’s question was hard. Having died in the public and left on the streets for seven days, it was definitely a fierce ghost and a ferocious corpse. Even Wei Wuxian didn’t know the answer.

Lan Wangji didn’t look at Wei Wuxian. He nodded and spoke in a monotonous tone, “First, liberate; second, suppress; third, eliminate. The initial approach is to utilise the gratitude of his relatives and grant his dying wish, set free what he could not let go off. If it fails, suppress it. If the crimes were extremely wrongful, and its resentful energy does not dissipate, exterminate it completely.

Lan Qiren nodded with satisfaction. “Not a single mistake was made.” With a pause, he spoke again, “No matter in terms of cultivation or as a person, one needs to be as solid as this. If one becomes complacent and proud just because they defeated a few simple mountain beings in their home and hold some empty reputation, one would definitely bring disgrace upon themselves, sooner or later.”

Wei Wuxian raised his eyebrows and looked at Lan Wangji. He thought, ‘Apparently, this old man meant it for me. He called his best pupil to listen with us in order for me to watch.’

“Why does it seem that Lan Qiren hated Wei Wuxian from the beginning?”

“Wei Wuxian had already broken at least three rules when he arrived at Gusu. Master Lan hates troublemakers the most. Obviously, he would dislike Wei Wuxian.”

“Huh…”

Wei Wuxian spoke, “I have a question.”

“Speak.” Lan Qiren replied.

Wei Wuxian, “Although liberation comes first, it is often impossible. ``To grant his dying wish'' sounds simple- it would be easy, if the wish was a new piece of clothing, but what if the wish was to kill lots of people for revenge?”

Lan Wangji spoke, “Then, suppression assists liberation. If necessary, elimination would follow.”

Wei Wuxian smiled. “Such a waste.”

“How can it be a waste? What other methods could there be?” Ouyang Zizhen wondered. The words of Hanguang-jun made sense, and most would probably do this exact method if they knew of its existence.

Jin Ling spoke, “He’s Wei Wuxian. His brain works in different ways than everyone else’s.”

He paused, and continued, “It wasn’t that I didn’t know of this answer. I was only thinking of a fourth path.”

“Fourth path? What other fourth path could there be?”

A disciple from the Qinghe Nie Sect stared at Wei Wuxian, and muttered, “Unless he was already thinking of demonic cultivation?”

Lan Qiren spoke, “I have never heard of any fourth paths.”

“Because the executioner died in such a way, it is only natural that he turned into a ferocious corpse. Since he executed more than one hundred people before he died, why not dig up the graves of these people, arouse their resentful energy, collect the heads of those hundred of people, and use them to fight the ferocious corpse…”

“Tsk, so the Yiling Patriarch has been thinking about the crooked path since the beginning. Someone should’ve put him in his place before his atrocious thoughts went too far.” Sect eader Ouyang muttered under his breath.

Jiang Wanyin had heard Wei Wuxian when he said those words, so he should’ve at least taught him a lesson for even thinking of such things! He was the heir of Yunmeng Jiang Sect, and Wei Wuxian was the head disciple. He had more power and authority than his former shixiong, so he should’ve at least slapped Wei Wuxian with some sense.

“Wei Wuxian seems to be a stubborn fellow. Seeing that he was thinking of demonic cultivation since he was a teenager, nothing could’ve changed his mind.”

Nie Huaisang was deep in thought. Now that he thought of the past, there was a lot of foreshadowing to Wei Wuxian cultivating resentful energy in the future. They had even talked about it if his memory serves him right.

“Seriously, why can’t everyone just shut up? They hate Wei Wuxian, sure, but is it necessary to broadcast it every time?” Jin Zixuan scoffed. He was tired of hearing the repetitive insults towards Wei Wuxian.

Lan Wangji finally turned around to look at him. His eyebrows were knit, face still expressionless. Lan Qiren yelled, “How dare you!”

Everyone in the room was stunned. Lan Qiren was sharply glaring at Wei Wuxian. “The essence of exorcising demons and annihilated ghosts is to liberate! You do not study the methods of liberation, and even think about increasing their resentful energy! You reverse the natural order, and ignore ethics and morals!”

Wei Wuxian replied, “There are some things that have no use for liberation, so why not find a way to make use of them? When Yu the Great tamed the flood, obstruction was the inferior method, and redirection was the superior. Suppression is the same as obstruction, so isn’t it inferior…”

Lan Qiren hurled a book towards him, but he moved to the side and avoided it. The book hit Nie Huaisang instead, who failed to dodge it. His expression remained unchanged, and he continued, “Spiritual energy is energy; resentful energy is energy as well. Spiritual energy is stored in the dantian. It can split mountains and fill oceans, available for human use. If so, why can’t resentful energy also be used by humans?”

Wei Wuxian’s ability to anger the Lans was truly magnificent. First, the perfect Lan, Lan Wangji, had broken the rules and fought him in their first meeting; second, it was Lan Qiren, who succumbed to rage and proceeded to yell at him, even hurling a book towards him afterwards. Was it a natural skill?

Lan Qiren spoke harshly, “Then, let me ask you again! How do you make sure that the resentful energy only listens to you and does not harm others?”

Wei Wuxian ducked his head while speaking, “I haven’t thought of it yet!”

“If you thought of it, the cultivation world would not allow your existence! Get out!” Lan Qiren raged.

Wei Wuxian couldn’t be more glad, and quickly went out.

It must’ve been exciting to be classmates with Wei Wuxian. No one had ever seen Lan Qiren be so angry.

He wandered around Cloud Recesses, picking flowers and playing with the grasses. After everyone finished the lesson, they found him on the roof of a tall wall. Wei Wuxian was sitting on the grey tiles of the ledge, holding a piece of grass on his mouth. His right hand was under his cheek, and one of his legs was propped up and the other hanging down. 

The disciples pointed at him. “Wei-xiong! How admirable of you! He told you to get out, and you really went outside! Haha!”

“After you went out, a long while passed before he understood what happened. His face was so purple!”

Wei Wuxian chewed on the grass and shouted towards the disciples below him, “He asked, I answered. He told me to get out, so I went out. What else does he want me to do?”

Many felt pity for Lan Qiren. He had to teach such a big troublemaker, and now, he had to see him everyday.

Nie Huaisang spoke, “Why does it seem like old man Lan is especially strict towards you? He always directs his scoldings towards you.”

“Now that Sect Leader Nie mentioned it, Master Lan is really strict with Senior Wei… Sure, he broke three rules, but it’s a bit too much to immediately hate him, right?” Lan Jingyi whispered so that Lan Qiren wouldn’t hear him.

Lan Sizhui replied, “We just have to continue watching to know the reason.”

Jiang Wanyin humphed, “It serves him right. What sort of answer is that? It’s fine if he spouts nonsense like this at home, but he dared to say this in front of Lan Qiren. He’s seeking his own death!”

“No matter how I answered, he wouldn’t like me, so I might as well just say what I wanted to say. Anyways, I didn’t try to offend him. I was just answering properly.”

“How was his answer proper? It isn’t the right way!”

“Wei Wuxian cultivates the demonic path. Of course, he would think that his answer was proper.”

After thinking for a few moments, Nie Huaisang spoke, “To be honest, Wei-xiong’s words were quite interesting. Spiritual energy can only be obtained through cultivation and taking great pains to form a golden core. It would take I-don’t-know-how-many years to do, especially for someone like me, whose talent seems as if it was gnawed by a dog when I was in my mother’s womb. But resentful energy is from fierce ghosts. If they can be easily taken and used, it would be beyond wonderful.”

The disciples of Qinghe Nie Sect were speechless. They didn’t expect that their sect leader had a thought like this. The elders of the Nie Sect weren’t doing any better.

“Sect Leader Nie!” An elder reprimanded.

Nie Huaisang hid half of his face behind his fan. “I was a teen! Obviously, I don’t think the same thing now!”

“If Chifeng-zun heard the Hedshaker, he would’ve exploded in anger!”

“How can he not? His brother just said that using resentful energy would be beyond wonderful.”

Nie Huaisang sighed. ‘This orb is really ruthless. It won’t spare anyone at all… All secrets will probably be revealed by this orb!’

Wei Wuxian laughed, “I know, right? No harm comes from using it.”

Wei Wuxian shook his head. He was wrong. There was so much harm that comes from using resentful energy, and he would not recommend cultivating it to anyone.

“Ah, Lan Zhan. I was really ignorant before, right?” Wei Wuxian spoke, leaning at Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji replied, “Wei Ying was young and didn’t know much about resentful energy.”

Wei Wuxian hummed. They didn’t know any better in the past, and had made a lot of mistakes. They were simply human, after all.

“That’s enough. It’s fine if you talk about it, but don’t actually go down the crooked path.” Jiang Wanyin warned.

Wei Wuxian smiled. “Why would I leave the nice, broad road and walk on a single-plank bridge on a dark, narrow river instead? If it really is that easy, people would have already walked on it. Don’t worry, Nie-xiong was just asking and I was just answering. Hey, are you guys coming? Since it’s not curfew yet, hunt for pheasants with me.”

It was ironic, for those words to come from the mouth of the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. He had assured Jiang Wanyin that he would not walk the crooked path, and yet, he did in the end.

Wei Wuxian bitterly laughed. It wasn’t easy to cultivate demonic cultivation. The only reason people haven’t walked down the crooked path was because they had never thought of it, and they still had their golden cores. What other reason could there be for him to walk down the dark path, but to fight the Wens without a golden core?

Jiang Wanyin’s eyebrows furrowed. If, in the past, he had asked Wei Wuxian why he cultivated resentful energy, and pursued his question until he was honestly answered, would things have gone differently? Wei Wuxian had already told him that he won’t go down the crooked path, so he should’ve at least investigated why he did so after the war was over.

Perhaps, life would’ve been happier if he did. If he knew the truth earlier, maybe things wouldn’t be what they came to be. Maybe, tragedies that happened in the past wouldn’t have happened.

“Yet, he still became a demonic cultivator. Wei Wuxian isn’t good at keeping promises, is he?”

Chapter Text

Jiang Yanli felt nostalgia upon seeing her brothers as teenagers again. Time had passed way too quickly.

Jiang Yanli was happy at seeing her brothers talk to each other more and more as they watched the orb. In their hearts, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin still saw each other as brothers. Jiang Yanli is sure of this.

Jiang Yanli watched the orb with a small smile on her face, amused at the antics of Nie Huaisang, Jiang Wanyin, and Wei Wuxian.

“What do you mean ‘hunt for pheasants’? Why would there be pheasants here? First, go copy Righteousness. Lan Qiren asked me to tell you to copy the virtue section of Righteousness three times, so that you can learn what natural law and morality is.”

Wei Wuxian spat out the grass and dusted his boots. “Three times?! I’d fly up the Heavens if I just copied them once. I’m not from the Lan Sect, and don’t intend to marry from the Lan Sect, so why should I copy the sect rules of this sect? I’m not gonna copy.”

Wei Wuxian in his teens would’ve spat blood and qi deviated if someone ever told him that, in the future, he would be a part of the Gusu Lan Sect through marriage.. It wasn’t a bad thing to marry a Lan, but in the perspective of the young Wei Wuxian, it was, considering the amount of rules the sect has, not to mention the bland food that he hated.

“I look like an idiot! It’s quite ironic to hear that from someone who married the second young master, and died in his twenties.” Wei Wuxian chuckled. At this point, he was just watching himself be a clown.

“Even now that he’s married to Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian doesn’t need to copy the rules. Lan Wangji spoils him too much anyways.” Jiang Wanyin muttered. Lan Wangji is too in love with Wei Wuxian to punish him.

Nie Huaisang spoke, loud enough for Jiang Wanyin to hear, “Well, if Hanguang-jun punishes Wei-xiong, it probably wouldn’t be through copying the rules.” He had a smirk as he spoke.

The Jiang sect leader choked. He glared at Nie Huaisang. “Fuck you! Why are you so dirty-minded? I didn’t need that image at all!”

Nie Huaisang quickly spoke, “I’ll copy for you! I’ll copy for you!”

Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow. “No good person does favours for others out of the blue. Tell me, what do you want?”

“It’s like this, Wei-xiong. Old man Lan has a bad habit. He…”

In the middle of his sentence, Nie Huaisang paused and coughed, opening his fan and shifting to the side. Wei Wuxian turned around, where Lan Wangji stood under a tree, gazing at their direction.

Wei Wuxian jumped down and gravitated towards him. “Wangji-xiong!”

Lan Wangji turned around and immediately walked away. Wei Wuxian cheerfully went after him and yelled, “Wangji-xiong, wait for me!”

“It’s actually so strange seeing Hanguang-jun ignore Wei Wuxian.” Jin Ling spoke. He had never seen Lan Wangji ignore and sharply glare at Wei Wuxian before. Usually, although his facial expression looked blank, Jin Ling could sense how smitten he was.

Well, he doesn’t expect Wei Wuxian and Hanguang-jun to fall in love so quickly. He wonders what triggered the romantic feelings to grow, though.

Lan Wangji zoomed behind the tree, suddenly disappearing without a trace. Wei Wuxian turned around and complained, “He ignored me.”

“It looks like he really hates you, Wei-xiong. Lan Wangji usually… No, he never does something so impolite.``

Lan Wangji clenched his hands into a fist. It was because of his actions that Wei Ying thought he hated him. He never hated Wei Ying. He was just being too complicated in the past; if Lan Wangji had the chance to time travel, he would slap the young Lan Wangji with sense, because how could he ignore Wei Ying?

If only he talked about his feelings honestly, Wei Ying wouldn’t have thought that he hated him. Except he couldn’t, because he was never good at using words.

“Lan Zhan, stop thinking so much.” Wei Wuxian spoke as he soothed Lan Wangji’s furrowed eyebrows. He gave his husband a smile.

“Mn.” Lan Wangji nodded. He didn’t want to worry Wei Ying.

Wei Wuxian, “He hates me already? I wanted to apologise.”

“Apologise now? Too late! Like his uncle, he surely thinks that you are evil and unruly to the core, and didn’t bother to pay you any attention.” Jiang Wanyin sneered.

Wei Wuxian thought otherwise. He chuckled, “Who cares if he ignores me? Does he look pretty?” After a thought, he realised that Lan Wangji did look pretty.

“It must’ve been Wei Wuxian who fell in love first.”

“I agree. It’s so obvious!”

The scene blackened.

After three days, Wei Wuxian finally learned of Lan Qiren’s bad habit.

Nie Huaisang worked extremely hard when the date of the test finally approached. He copied Virtue two times for Wei Wuxian, and begged before the test, “Please, Wei-xiong! If my grade is low, my brother would really break my legs! Stuff like telling apart direct lineage, collateral lineage, main clan, clan branches… For us disciples from big sects, we can’t even distinguish our relationship with our relatives, randomly calling everyone who are more than two tiers away from us aunts and uncles. Does anyone have the capacity in their brain to remember those of others?!”

Elders from the Qinghe Nie sect looked disappointed. They were older than Nie Huaisang, and they watched the sect leader grow up. They knew that he wasn’t great at his studies in Gusu, but to step so low and get someone to help him cheat? It was disappointing. If Nie Mingjue was here, he would be scolding Nie Huaisang.

However, they knew their sect leader, and this isn’t much of a surprise to them. Sadly.

Meanwhile, many agreed with Nie Huaisang. It’s not as if they would use this kind of knowledge when they cultivate or go on a night-hunt, so why should they suffer trying to memorise these? Their brains would’ve become dry with just memorising the family tree of the Lanling Jin Sect with just Jin Guangshan’s children, including all of his illegitimate children if they could.

On the day of the exam, the cheating notes went flying everywhere in the air after Lan Wangji suddenly attacked, catching a few initiators. Lan Qiren exploded with anger, writing letters to the prominent sects to tell them. 

Jiang Fengmian replied, ‘Wei Ying has always been like this. Please take care to discipline him, Master Lan.’

And so, Wei Wuxian was punished again.

Jiang Wanyin, Jiang Yanli, and Wei Wuxian stared at the handwriting of Jiang Fengmian. It had been a long time since they had seen the previous Jiang sect leader’s handwriting, and it looked unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time.

“Wei-xiong, even if I want to help you, I can’t anymore. You’d have to endure it on your own.” Nie Huaisang spoke.

“What happened?” Wei Wuxian asked.

Nie Huaisang replied, “Um, Master Lan said that you have to copy both Virtue and Conduct.” The Qinghe Nie sect heir added, “He also said that, during the time of the punishment, nobody is allowed to fool around with you or copy them for you.”

“How would he know if someone copied them for me or not? Surely it doesn’t mean that he’s making someone watch me.”

“That’s exactly the case.” Jiang Wanyin spoke.

“What did you say?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“He told you that you’re not allowed to go outside and have to go to the library pavilion to study, and also face the wall and reflect upon yourself. Of course, there will be someone to watch you. I don’t need to tell you who he is, right?” Jiang Wanyin replied.

“The person who’s gonna watch Wei Wuxian is probably Hanguang-jun.” 

“I agree with you! Then, would this be the time where their relationship gets deeper?”

“Who knows?”

The scene abruptly changed inside the library pavilion. Lan Wangji sat in a proper position. Wei Wuxian had already copied Conduct for more than ten pages. His head felt dizzy and he felt bored, so he dropped his pen to take a deep breath and looked across the room.

The cultivator who had spoken before excitedly exclaimed, “I knew it!”

He had read a lot of romance novels, and most of the time, the main couple in the novels would always be together in a room with no one else. He may have never been in a relationship before, but he has enough knowledge about romance because of the novels he often reads.

“Why are you so excited? They’re teenagers. What could teenagers possibly do?” The friend of the cultivator shook his head.

“You never know! Everyone is unpredictable when it comes to love!” The cultivator spoke.

Seeing how Lan Wangji acted after taking Wei Wuxian back to Gusu, the friend agreed with the cultivator for once.

Lan Wangji was recopying ancient books. His brushstrokes were slow and steady, and his handwriting was neat and sharply vigorous. Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but to compliment him sincerely, “Those are some great characters! They’re at the top level.”

Lan Wangji remained indifferent.

Wei Wuxian pouted. ‘I have to sit in front of such a stuffy person for so many hours each day for a month. Would I even survive?’ He thought.

Since there was nothing he could do, Wei Wuxian could only play with Lan Wangji. He called, “Wangji-xiong.”

Lan Wangji remained motionless.

“Wangji.”

“Lan Wangji.”

“Lan Zhan!”

“He doesn’t stop, does he?”

“Who knew that the Yiling Patriarch was this annoying?”

Lan Wangji finally stopped writing and looked at him with a cold gaze. Wei Wuxian shifted backwards, raising his hands as if he was defending himself. “Don’t look at me like that. I only called your name because you didn’t answer when I called you Wangji. You can also call me back with my name.”

“Put your legs down.” Lan Wangji spoke.

Seeing that he finally teased Lan Wangji to the point that he talked, Wei Wuxian chuckled at himself.

Listening to Lan Wangji’s words, he put his legs down, but his upper body inched closer, and he pressed his arms on the desk. He asked in a serious tone, “Lan Zhan, let me ask you a question. Do you… really hate me that much?”

Lan Wangji looked down. Wei Wuxian hurriedly added, “Hey, don’t be like this, ignoring me again after saying a few words. I want to admit my fault and apologise to you.”

After a pause, he spoke again, “You don’t want to look at me? Sure, then. I’ll just start talking. It was my fault during that night. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have climbed the wall, I shouldn’t have drank alcohol, and I shouldn’t have fought with you. But, I swear I didn’t provoke you on purpose! I really didn’t look at the sect rules. The sect rules of the Jiang Sect are told verbally; none of them are written. Or else, I definitely wouldn’t have done that.” At the same time, he thought, ‘ I definitely wouldn’t have finished the jar of Emperor’s Smile in front of you. I would have tucked it away and carried it back into my room.’

“Who apologises like that? I’m seriously wondering how they fell in love with each other.” Jin Ling snickered. Upon watching the interactions between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in their teens, Jin Ling wondered how they became so smitten with each other. From the looks of it, Hanguang-jun detested Wei Wuxian.

Lan Jingyi lightly smacked Jin Ling’s shoulder. “You don’t know how romance works. That’s why you’re wondering! Haven’t you read novels? In novels, the couple dislikes each other at first before they slowly fall in love with each other! That’s probably how Hanguang-jun feels for Senior Wei; he disliked him first, then fell in love!”

Lan Sizhui chuckled at his friends. In his opinion, falling in love is a natural process that cannot be forced. The feelings of Hanguang-jun and Senior Wei must’ve developed the longer they spent time together.

“You’re talking as if you’ve been in a relationship before! Those novels are all fiction!” Jin Ling replied to Lan Jingyi.

“Boys, how about we all just watch the orb? Then, you’ll know how A-Xian and Second Young Master Lan fell in love with each other.” Jiang Yanli intervened with a smile.

Wei Wuxian continued, “And, let’s be reasonable here– who was the one that attacked first? It was you. If you didn’t attack, we could’ve communicated nicely and cleared everything up. However, if someone hits me, I’d have to hit them back. This isn’t all my fault. Lan Zhan, are you listening? Look at me. Young Master Lan?” He snapped his fingers. “Why don’t you do me a favour and look at me?”

Lan Wangji didn’t even lift his eyes, “Copy it one additional time.”

“Don’t be like this. It’s my fault, alright?” Wei Wuxian’s body was slightly slanted.

“You do not feel any remorse.” Lan Wangji replied.

With how insincere Wei Wuxian’s “apology” sounded, even the dumbest person in the world would’ve known that he felt no regret with his actions.

Wei Wuxian spoke as if he didn’t have any dignity, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I can repeat it however many times you want me to. I can even say it while kneeling down.”

Lan Wangji put his brush down. Wei Wuxian thought that the other couldn’t endure it any longer and wanted to beat him up. Just as he got ready to put on a goofy grin, his upper and lower lips seemed like they were glued together.

His face quickly changed. “Mmph? Mmph mmph mmph!”

“He deserved that. How did Hanguang-jun endure Wei Wuxian for so long before finally shutting him up?”

“That’s because he has patience.”

“Mm, that’s true.”

Lan Wangji closed his eyes and let out a faint breath. When he opened his eyes, his face had a calm expression again. He picked up the brush, as if nothing happened.

Wei Wuxian had been aware of Gusu Lan’s silencing spell since long ago, and he refused to believe it. Yet, after making every effort, scratching the corners of his lips, he still couldn’t open his mouth.

He grabbed a piece of paper, and threw the paper over at Lan Wangji after he finished writing. Lan Wangji glanced at it. “Pathetic.” He responded, crumpling it into a ball and tossing it away.

“I’ve never seen Hanguang-jun do that to Senior Wei before…” Ouyang Zizhen said. It was weird, seeing Hanguang-jun glare at Senior Wei, and even tossing away something that the latter gave him. He was also curious as to what Senior Wei wrote in the paper.

The same thing happened on the third day.

He was silenced time after time. However, on the last day, Lan Wangji noticed that Wei Wuxian seemed somewhat different.

During his stay at Gusu, Wei Wuxian left his sword all around the place, and was never seen carrying it properly. Yet, he took it with him today, loudly slamming it onto the desk. He started to write without a word, so obedient that it was strange.

“”I have a feeling that he’s planning something.” Jin Zixuan muttered under his breath. He will never believe that Wei Wuxian would ever be obedient, especially to the Lans.

Wei Wuxian watched the orb and wondered what he exactly did that day. This happened a long time ago, so he had forgotten about it. With furrowed eyebrows, Wei Wuxian asked Lan Wangji, “Lan Zhan, do you remember what I did that day?”

“Mn. You drew me.” Lan Wangji replied with a smile.

Oh! Right! He started to remember the events that day clearly now. Didn’t he also show his husband pornography from Nie Huaisang?

At that thought, Wei Wuxian chuckled. If his memory served him right, then the Lan elders who would see that might qi deviate.

Lan Wangji took a few glances at Wei Wuxian. After a short while of sitting down, Wei Wuxian repeated his past conduct again, giving Lan Wangji a piece of paper for him to see.

Lan Wangji thought that it was going to be a mess of lame phrases again, but after a glimpse, he was surprised to find a drawing of himself, sitting upright and reading a book by the window.

“Woah, Senior Wei is really good at drawing!” Lan Jingyi praised. The drawing looked very vivid. He wonders where it is now. Has it been thrown away? If it was, then that would be very unfortunate.

Seeing that he didn’t avert his gaze, Wei Wuxian’s lips curled into a smile, and raised his eyebrows with a wink. There were no words needed, since the meaning was clear- Does it look like you? Is it good?

Lan Wangji spoke, “You have spare time, yet you scribble instead of copying. In my opinion, the day of your release from this punishment will never come.”

Wei Wuxian blew the ink that hadn’t dried yet and nonchalantly spoke, “I already finished copying, so I won’t be coming tomorrow!”

Lan Wangji’s fingers seemed to have paused before flipping over the next page. Wei Wuxian lightly threw the drawing. “It’s yours.”

The drawing was thrown onto the mat, but Lan Wangji didn’t seem  to have any intention of picking it up.

“That drawing is not bad. Although Wei Wuxian has been nothing but an annoyance, shouldn’t Hanguang-jun at least show some appreciation?” A rogue cultivator whispered.

“You know how the Lans are like. They are aloof people.” Another rogue cultivator replied. Excluding Lan Xichen, Lan Jingyi, and a few lively Gusu Lan cultivators, everyone else in the Lan Sect are frigid. That is exactly why so many wonder how Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian fell in love with each other, especially after seeing their interactions when they were studying in Gusu.

Lan Wangji, who barely talked, always glared at Wei Wuxian, who liked to tease the former. He didn’t even show any appreciation for the drawing that Wei Wuxian made for him.

The two were the polar opposites of each other, yet, they somehow became husbands.

“I forgot. I need to add something else.” Wei Wuxian said. He picked up the paper and added a few strokes. He glanced at the drawing, then at Lan Wangji, and fell toward the ground in laughter. Lan Wangji put down the book, and saw that Wei Wuxian added a flower onto the drawing, where the side of his head was.

“The flower made Hanguang-jun look cute!”

“It would look cuter if he was smiling…”

The corners of his lips seemed to have twitched. Wei Wuxian crawled up before him and spoke, “Pathetic, right? I just know you’re gonna say pathetic. Can’t you switch to something else? Or add another word to it?”

Lan Wangji coldly replied, “Extremely pathetic.”

Wei Wuxian clapped his hands. “You really added another word to it! Thank you!”

Lan Wangji turned his gaze away, picked up the book which he put on the desk, and opened it. He took one look at the book and hurled it away, as if he was burnt by fire.

“What’s wrong? Wasn’t Hanguang-jun just reading that book before?” Lan Jingyi asked.

Jiang Wanyin had a feeling that he knew what was wrong with the book. Nie Huaisang had a secret stash of pornography book at Cloud Recesses in the past. He, Nie Huaisang, and Wei Wuxian would sometimes read them secretly(No, he didn’t read them willingly. He was forced.). The book was likely replaced with one of Nie Huaisang’s books.

Jiang Wanyin silently chuckled. It was actually ridiculous how violently Lan Wangji reacted if the book was indeed porn. He was a teenager! Not seven!

The book, which was originally about Buddhist text, instead had naked, intertwining figures. 

The elders of Gusu Lan Sect silently seethed. Just how many forbidden things did Wei Wuxian sneak into Cloud Recesses? They should’ve expelled him earlier!

Lan Qiren only sighed. He wasn’t even angry anymore. Knowing Wei Wuxian, this isn’t surprising at all. He turned to the Gusu Lan disciples, who were watching the orb, and glared at them. The disciples quickly looked away from the orb.

“What the fuck.” Jin Zixuan choked, caught off-guard by the images. He never liked reading romance and pornography novels, thus his inability to properly confess to his wife without embarrassing himself. In his defence, those novels were too cringy.

Nie Huaisang noticed Jin Zixuan’s reaction and said, “Jin-xiong, why are you surprised? You’ve done it with Lady Jiang-” He was cut off with a glare from Jin Zixuan, whose ears had turned red.

“Nie-xiong, can you not talk about Shijie’s sex life?” The shameless man surnamed Wei said.

Jiang Yanli smiled. Her cheeks turned light pink.

Wei Wuxian slapped the table as he laughed hysterically. Lan Wangji threw the book on the ground as he fell back in the corner of the Library Pavilion. He roared with rage, “Wei Ying-!”

Wei Wuxian almost rolled under the desk from laughter, raising a hand with much difficulty. “Here, I’m here!”

Lan Wangji swiftly drew Bichen. Ever since they had met, Wei Wuxian had never seen him appear so discomposed. He hastily grabbed Suibian. He drew his sword so that the blade was half exposed. He reminded Lan Wangji, “Manners! Second Young Master Lan! Watch your manners! I brought my sword as well. If we start fighting, would your Library Pavilion be fine?”

Jiang Wanyin disregarded any hesitation on his assumption that Lan Wangji was no longer the perfect Lan after meeting Wei Wuxian. The man had broken so many rules already because of Wei Wuxian, and he would break even more in the future. That was no perfect Lan at all.

Also, how did he even have hesitations that Lan Wangji no longer held the title of being the perfect Lan when he and Wei Wuxian met? They literally fought when they first met, which was against the rules.

“I can’t believe Wei Wuxian is talking about manners.”

The blade of Bichen pointed at Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji asked with rage, “What sort of person are you?!”

“What sort of person could I be? A man!” Wei Wuxian responded.

Lan Wangji lashed out. “You have no shame!”

“Do I need to be ashamed about this? Don’t tell me you’ve never seen something like this before. I don’t believe you.”

As a Lan, Lan Wangji probably had never seen anything like that before in his youth. The Gusu Lan Sect would never allow it.

After a moment of silently holding back, Lan Wangji spoke with a frigid face, “You, go outside. We have fought before.”

Wei Wuxian shook his head a few times, pretending to be docile. “Nope, nope. Don’t you know, Second Young Master Lan? Fighting without permission is prohibited in Cloud Recesses.”

He proceeded to pick up the book which was thrown away, but Lan Wangji snatched it in his hands. Wei Wuxian quickly guessed that he was going to use it as evidence to report him. He deliberately spoke, “Why are you grabbing it? I thought that you didn’t want to read it. Now you do? Actually, even if you read it, you don’t have to fight for it. I borrowed it exclusively for you, anyways. Now that you’ve seen my porn, you’ve become my friend. We can continue to exchange opinions, and…”

Jin Ling wondered how Hanguang-jun hadn't deviated yet. He looked so enraged that it made him shiver. Wei Wuxian truly knows no limits when it comes to making someone angry.

Lan Wangji’s whole face turned white. “I. Will. Not. Read. It.”

Wei Wuxian continued to distort the facts. “If you won’t read it, why did you grab it? Secretly keeping it? You can’t do that. I borrowed this from someone else, so I’d have to return it after you read it… Hey, hey, hey, don’t come here. You’re too close, I feel nervous. Let’s talk nicely. You’re not gonna hand this in, are you? Hand it in to whom? Old… Your uncle? Second Young Master Lan, do you think that you can let the elders see this? He’d definitely think that you already read it. With a face as thin as yours, you’d be so ashamed you’d die.”

Lan Wangji filled his right hand with spiritual energy, and the book ripped into thousands of pieces. Wei Wuxian spoke with fake regret, “What a waste!”

He picked up a piece of paper which had fallen on his hair, raising it up to show to the fuming Lan Wangji. “Lan Zhan, everything about you is great, except that you like to throw things everywhere. Tell me, how many wads of paper have you thrown onto the ground in the past few days? Today, you aren’t even satisfied with throwing paper wads anymore, and instead ripped the paper. You ripped it, so you clean it yourself. I’m not gonna help.”

Lan Wangji thundered, “Get lost!”

Despite the smile of his husband that lightened his mood, Lan Wangji hated watching himself be so cold to Wei Ying, and he once again was in a bad mood. His eyes darkened, and he glared at himself in the orb.

He hated hearing himself say ‘Get lost’ to Wei Ying. His glare hardened, and his hands around Wei Wuxian’s waist tightened. Wei Wuxian looked up at him and saw his expression. He held Lan Wangji's hand and gently squeezed it.

Lan Wangji lowered his head and quietly replied, “The way I acted towards you… I'm sorry.”

Wei Wuxian chuckled and cupped Lan Wangji’s cheeks. He smiled at the latter.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian gently called out, “I'll say it again. Stop thinking too much, okay? That’s my job.” he continued.

Lan Wangji tenderly flicked his husband’s forehead. “It isn’t Wei Ying’s job to think too much. He shouldn’t do that either.”

“Mn.” Wei Wuxian chuckled.

“Well, well, look at you, Lan Zhan. Everyone says that you are a gentleman, of excellence, a bright pearl in the world, carrying yourself with incomparable courtesy, so it seems that this is all there is. Didn’t you know that causing noise is prohibited in Cloud Recesses? And, you actually told me to “get lost”. Is this the first time that you used this phrase on somebody…” Lan Wangji drew his sword and went at him. Wei Wuxian hurriedly hopped onto the windowsill.

“Get lost it is, then. Getting lost is my best skill. It’s not necessary for you to see me out!”

He jumped down the Library Pavilion, laughing like a maniac. There was already a group of people waiting for him. Nie Huaisang asked, “How did it go? Did he read it? What was he like?”

“What was he like? Ha! Didn’t you guys hear that loud shout he gave?” Wei Wuxian replied.

Nie Huaisang was full of admiration. “I heard it. He told you to get lost! Wei-xiong, it was my first time hearing Lan Wangji tell someone to ‘get lost’! How did you do it?”

The elders of Qinghe Nie Sect had unimpressed expressions on their faces. Nie Huaisang hid behind his fan.

Jin Ling stared at the young Jiang Wanyin with curiosity. His uncle now probably will  never engage in these kinds of jokes, but how about his young uncle? From what he saw, his uncle would tag along with Sect Leader Nie and Wei Wuxian’s shenanigans, no matter how much he scolded his former shixiong for causing trouble.

He wanted to know more about his uncle when he was at his age.

Satisfaction was plastered all over Wei Wuxian’s face. “Good thing that I helped him achieve this first. You all saw it, didn’t you? The self-restraint and etiquette that Second Young Master Lan was strongly praised for were all weak and useless against me.”

“What are you proud of?! What's there to be proud of with this? Do you think that it’s a glorious thing to be told by someone to get lost? You bring so much shame upon our sect!” Jiang Wanyin scolded with a darkened expression.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “I really wanted to apologise to him, but he never paid attention to me. He silenced me for so many days, so what’s wrong with me having a little fun with him? I presented the book with nice intentions. Nie-xiong, what happened to your treasured porn was really a pity. I didn’t even get to finish it. It was so good! Lan Zhan definitely doesn’t understand proper relationships. I gave it to him, yet he was still unhappy.”

Nie Huaisang waved his hand. “It’s not a pity at all! You can have as many as you want!”

Watching the young Nie Huaisang, many cultivators could understand why he had to repeat studying at Gusu. He played around instead of studying, so how can his grades improve?

“You’ve seriously offended Lan Wangji and Lan Qiren. Just wait for your death tomorrow! Nobody’s gonna bury your corpse.”

The words of Jiang Wanyin foreshadowed the future. Indeed, nobody buried Wei Wuxian’s corpse when he died, because how can someone do so when he had no corpse to begin with? Not to mention that no one would be willing to do so.

Wei Wuxian waved his hands, putting his hands around Jiang Wanyin’s shoulders. “Who cares, as long as I tease him first? You’ve already buried my corpse so many times, so what’s wrong with once more?”

Jiang Wanyin responded with a kick, “Shoo, shoo! Next time, if you do such a thing, don’t let me know! Don’t ask me to watch, either!”

Ouyang Zizhen stared at his friends and spoke. “You know, the three of you remind me of Sect Leader Nie, Senior Wei, and Sect Leader Jiang. Sect Leader Nie is Sizhui, Jingyi is Senior Wei, and Jin Ling is Sect Leader Jiang.”

Lan Sizhui raised his eyebrows, surprised. He personally doesn’t think that he’s similar to Sect Leader Nie.

“How can Sizhui be Sect Leader Nie?” Lan Jingyi asked.

Ouyang Zizhen responded, “It’s because he’s the calm one among you three! Sect Leader Nie is also the calm one among them.”

‘That actually makes sense.’ Jin Ling thought.  Lan Jingyi was the boisterous one like Wei Wuxian, and Lan Sizhui was calm like Sect Leader Nie.

And, well, fine. He has some similarities with his uncle. His uncle was the person who raised him, after all.

In order to defend himself if the old fuddy-duddy and little fuddy-duddy come dragging him out of his bed in the middle of the night, Wei Wuxian slept while clinging onto his sword. Yet, the night came smoothly. One the second day, Nie Huaisang came to him with an overjoyed expression. “Wei-xiong, you really struck it lucky. The old man went to our sect’s discussion conference last night, so we don’t have classes for a few days!”

Wei Wuxian quickly climbed up, beaming as he put on his shoes. “A lucky strike, indeed, almost as if heaven is blessing me with its clouds.”

Jiang Wanyin stood one the side, carefully cleaning his sword, and threw cold water on this notion. “When he comes back, you’re still gonna get punished.”

“Why would a living person worry about what happens after they die? I’ll just live freely as long as possible. Let’s go. I refuse to believe that I can't find pheasants on this mountain.”

Was it because he would die young that Wei Wuxian kept talking about death? Perhaps.

The three walked together, passing through the reception room of the Cloud Recesses. Suddenly, Wei Wuxian stopped his tracks and exclaimed, “There are… two Lan Zhans?”

“Zewu-jun and Hanguang-jun look similar, but surely they don’t look so identical that Wei Wuxian actually thought that there were two Hanguang-juns?” A cultivator spoke.

“I’m pretty sure Wei Wuxian is not that stupid.” Another cultivator replied.

Lan Xichen chuckled. At that time, it was his and Wei Wuxian’s first meeting, so it must’ve been startling to see two similar looking Lans standing beside each other.

Chapter Text

As Lan Wangji saw Wei Wuxian, he scrunched his nose, giving him a glare. As if he would be tainted if he looked any longer, he moved his gaze away and stared at the distance. On the other hand, Lan Xichen smiled. “And you are…?”

Jiang Wanyin showed his respect with a salute. “Jiang Wanyin of Yunmeng.”

“Wei Wuxian of Yunmeng.” Wei Wuxian followed.

Lan Xichen returned the salute.

Although Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen are identical in terms of appearance, their personalities was extremely different from each other’s, so even if they are beside each other, it actually wouldn’t be hard to differentiate who is who.

Lan Xichen’s eyes are gentler than his brother’s, and he always has a smile on his face.

“Brother Xichen.” Nie Huaisang spoke.

Lan Xichen turned to him. “Huaisang, a while ago, as I returned from Qinghe, your brother asked about your studies. This year, will you be able to pass?”

“Generally speaking, yes…” Nie Huaisang replied. He seemed like a wilted cucumber, looking at Wei Wuxian in a helpless way. Wei Wuxian grinned.

“Zewu-jun, what are you two going out for?” He asked,

“To exterminate a water ghoul. We were short of hands, so I came back to find Wangji.” Lan Xichen responded.

“Ah, isn’t this the waterborne abyss that happened years ago? I already forgot most of the details that Master Lan taught us…” Lan Jingyi said, his voice turning into a whisper at the last sentence.

What they were taught probably didn’t have all the details about what truly happened. Now, they’ll be able to see it personally!

Lan Wangji spoke coldly, “Brother, we do not need to engage in small talk. This matter permits no delay; it is time for us to depart.”

Wei Wuxian spoke hurriedly. “Wait, wait, wait. I know how to catch water ghouls. Zewu-jun, why don’t you take us along?”

Lan Xichen smiled without words. Lan Wangji declared, “It is against the rules.”

“Hanguang-jun really wants to get away from Wei Wuxian.”

“He had endured enough of Wei Wuxian teasing. His patience had probably reached its limits.”

“How is it against the rules? We used to catch water ghouls all the time in Yunmeng. Besides, we don’t have classes these days anyways.” Wei Wuxian replied.

Jiang Wanyin wanted to make up for the loss of face of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect during their stay at Gusu. “That’s right. Zewu-jun, we’d definitely be of help.”

"It is not necessary. The Gusu Lan Sect is also…” Before Lan Wangji could finish speaking, Lan Xichen interrupted, “Sure, then. Many thanks for your help. Do some preparations, and we can depart together. Huaisang, are you coming as well?”

Nie Huaisang also wanted to join, but he had been reminded of Nie Mingjue when he met Lan Xichen. Cringing silently, he didn’t dare to have fun. “I’ll pass so that I can go and review…”

“I wonder how scary Chifeng-zun was that Sect Leader Nie fears him so much..”

“Didn’t you hear the rumors? Chifeng-zun was an extremely fierce man. Sect Leader Nie’s fear of his brother is understandable.”

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin went back to their rooms to prepare. Lan Wangji looked at them from behind, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. “Brother, why did you decide to bring them? Exterminating ghouls is not suited for joking around.”

“The head disciple and only son of Sect Leader Jiang is quite well-known in Yunmeng. It is likely that they know more than joking around.” Lan Xichen answered, “Also, you wish for him to go as well, do you not?” he continued.

Lan Wangji was stunned.

Everyone in the room was stunned as well, except for a few. If not Wei Wuxian, who else was Zewu-jun talking about? Jiang Wanyin and Lan Wangji barely interacted with each other.

Lan Wangji doesn't seem like he wants Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin to come. How did Lan Xichen come to that conclusion?

Then again, earlier, he had said that Lan Wangji was in good spirits when he was taking Wei Wuxian to Cloud Recesses. They both lived with each other for their whole life; if there was anyone who had mastered reading Lan Wangji with ease, it would be his brother.

It was still surprising nonetheless.

“I only agreed because you looked as if you wanted the head disciple of Sect Leader Jiang to come with you.” Lan Xichen stated.

Silence fell upon them. Only after a while did Lan Wangji respond, “There was no such thing.”

He wanted to defend himself further, but Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin already grabbed their swords and headed over, so Lan Wangji had to shut his mouth. The group mounted their swords and set off.

Wei Wuxian bought two jars and gave one to Jiang Wanyin. “Gusu people talk in such a sugary way. How is this arguing? If they see how Yunmeng people argue, they might be scared to death… Why are you looking at me, Lan Zhan? It’s not that I’m too stingy to buy you any. Aren’t people from your sect prohibited from drinking alcohol?"

Having only stayed for a short time, the group boarded ten-or-so narrow boats, and rowed towards where the water ghouls gathered. Gradually, the number of houses on the banks decreased, and the river path became quieter as well. Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian were competing who could row faster while listening to the events in the area that concerned water ghouls.

The water path led to Biling Lake. A few days ago, Lan Xichen casted a few nets over this area. He expected to catch one or two water ghouls, but got about a dozen instead. He cleaned the corpses and carried them to a nearby part of the town, only to find that some corpses were unfamiliar to any of the local people, and remained unclaimed. Yesterday, he set up the net formation again, and caught a few.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “It doesn't seem like the corpses drowned somewhere and floated here. Water ghouls are picky about their area. Most of the time, the only place they settle on is the place they drowned at, and they usually don’t leave there.”

Lan Xichen sighed. This incident is just one of the signs of the Qishan Wen Sect’s arrogance and tyranny that would eventually lead to war. It was like a discreet foreshadowing of the bloody future.

Lan Xichen nodded. “That is correct. This is why I thought that it was no trivial matter, and asked Wangji to come along, in case something happens.”

“Zewu-jun, water ghouls are really clever. If we use the boat and take our time like this, isn’t it possible that they’ll hide underwater and not come out? Won’t we have to keep searching forever?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“We will wait until we find them. After all, we do what we must.” Lan Wangji replied.

“If the spirit-attraction flags or the compass of evil were invented at that time, do you think that it would be easier to track these water ghouls?” Ouyang Zizhen wondered.

“Of course! The compass of evil shows the direction of evil beings, while spirit-attraction flags attract them.” Jin Ling replied. Unfortunately, Wei Wuxian hadn’t invented the two yet.

“Just by using nets?”

“That is right. Does the Yunmeng Jiang Sect have other methods?’ Lan Xichen asked.

Wei Wuxian smiled but didn’t respond. The Yunmeng Jiang Sect used nets as well, but because he was a good swimmer, he would jump into the rivers and drag the water ghouls out. This method was too dangerous; he couldn't do it in front of Gusu Lan’s people. If he did so, he would definitely receive another lecture from Lan Qiren. He switched the topic. “It’d be great if there’s something that can attract the water ghouls, or something that can point out their direction, like a compass.”

“So, Wei Wuxian had already thought of the spirit-attraction flags and compass of evil… But why did he not create them earlier?” A disciple from the Yunmeng Jiang Sect quietly wondered.

“He probably didn’t have enough knowledge or materials. Plus, his inventions were created with demonic cultivation, right?” The disciple’s friend replied.

Jiang Wanyin spoke, “Look down at the water and concentrate on finding them. You’re letting your imagination run again.”

“Cultivation and riding on swords also used to be imaginations!” Wei Wuxian responded.

As he looked down, he happened to see the bottom of the boat of Lan Wangji. He shouted, “Lan Zhan, look at me!”

“He’s definitely the first one to fall in love.” Jin Ling muttered. Seriously, how come it took so long for Hanguang-jun and Wei Wuxian to get together when the latter kept bothering Hanguang-jun for his attention? If it isn’t love, then he doesn’t know what it is then.

“I think Senior Wei saw something under Hanguang-jun’s boat.” Lan Sizhui said. Lan Jingyi tilted his head, confused.

“Is it a water ghoul?” Lan Jingyi asked.

At the moment, Lan Wangji was keeping a sharp lookout. He looked up as he heard Wei Wuxian, and saw that the Yunmeng Jiang head disciple’s bamboo paddle sweeped up a splash of water and striked it towards him.

“What the fuck is he doing?”

With a tap of his foot, Lan Wangji lightly hopped onto another boat, dodging the spray. He was quite angered. “Pathetic!”

Wei Wuxian kicked the side of the boat which he  was standing on, and tipped it over using the bamboo paddle. On the bottom of the boat, there were three water ghouls with swelling faces and ashen skin, clinging onto the wooden boat.

A disciple nearby immediately suppressed the water ghouls. Lan Xichen smiled. “Young Master Wei, how did you know that they were below the boats?”

“Simple! The displacement of water was wrong. He was the only person who stood on the boat, yet the displacement was greater than those boats that carried two people. There must have been something on the bottom.” Wei Wuxian replied.

“Wei Wuxian is really an easily misunderstood person… He should start saying the context of his actions. If he doesn’t, his good intentions would be painted as bad.”

“He’s the Yiling Patriarch. No matter what he does, he’ll be seen as wicked.”

“Right..."

Lan Xichen praised, “You are experienced indeed.”

Wei Wuxian’s paddle lightly glided through the water, and the boat’s speed quickened, so that he was next to Lan Wangji’s boat. He said, “Lan Zhan, I didn’t splash water on you on purpose. Water ghouls are really clever. If I said it out loud, they would’ve heard it and got away. Hey, don’t ignore me. Why don’t you look at me, Second Young Master Lan?”

Lan Wangji finally glanced at him. “Why did you come?”

“I’m here to apologise to you. Last night was my fault. I was wrong.” Wei Wuxian replied with sincerity, “Why do you look so gloomy? Don’t worry. Today, I’m really here to help.” he said.

Jiang Wanyin couldn’t watch the scene any longer. “If you want to help, then stop chattering and come here!”

“The net moved!” A disciple yelled.

Sure enough, the ropes of the net started to wobble. Wei Wuxian beamed. “It’s here, it’s here!”

Many people  in the room leaned forward with anticipation. They were finally going to see action!

Thick, long hair formed veils of black satin, surging and swelling around the boats. Amid them, pairs of ghastly hands gripped onto the sides. Lan Wangji drew his sword and severed ten-or-so wrists on the left of the boat, leaving only palms with fingers digging deep into the wood. As he was about to cut the ones on the right, a red light flashed past him, and Wei Wuxian’s sword was already in its sheath.

The strange shifts of the water had ceased, and the net also became still once more.

“What’s the name of your sword?” Lan Wangji asked.

“Suibian.” Wei Wuxian answered.

Lan Wangji stared at him. Wei Wuxian thought that he didn’t hear him properly, so he repeated, “Suibian.”

“Senior Wei and Jin Ling are really uncle and nephew. They both think of ridiculous names!” Lan Jingyi stated.

Jin Ling scowled. “I don’t think of ridiculous names!” He argued with his arms crossed.

“Oh yeah? Then how about your dog? It has a very ridiculous name!”

“Fairy isn’t a ridiculous name!”

Lan Wangji frowned. “The sword has a spirit. Calling it as one pleases is disrespectful.”

Wei Wuxian sighed. “Think outside the box, won’t you? I wasn’t asking you to call it whatever you wanted to, but the name of my sword just happens to be Suibian. Here, look.” He said, passing the sword over for Lan Wangji to see the characters on the sword.

For a few moments, Lan Wangji was at a loss for words.

“You don’t need to talk. I know that you want to ask me why it’s called this name. Everyone asks if it has some special meaning to it. Actually, there’s no special meaning at all. It was just that, when Uncle Jiang gave me the sword and asked what I wanted to call it, I came up with more than twenty names, but wasn’t satisfied with any of them. I thought that I could let Uncle Jiang give it a name, so I answered ‘Whatever!’. But, who knew that after the sword had been forged and taken out, these two characters were on it. Uncle Jiang said, ‘If this is the case, then why not let this sword be named Suibian?’ To be honest, this name isn’t bad either, right?”

“Who could have known that it was the former sect leader of the Jiang Sect who named the sword of Wei Wuxian? It’s unthinkable!” A rogue cultivator exclaimed.

The friend of the cultivator responded, “Every person has a hidden side that no one knows. Just look at Hanguang-jun; he’s married to Wei Wuxian, who everyone thought he hated.”

“That’s right…”

Nie Huaisang chuckled. The story behind the name of Wei-xiong’s sword was actually funny. He must’ve fooled a lot of people who asked the name of Suibian.

Lan Wangji spoke through his gritted teeth, “Ridiculous!”

Wei Wuxian carried the sword on his shoulder. “You’re such a boring person. Don’t you see how fun this name is? It’s especially good at tricking serious ones like you, and it works every single time! Haha!”

At the same time, from the lake, a long shadow darted around the small boat. After Jiang Wanyin finished the water ghouls on his side, he was still watching out for any that they missed. Seeing the shadow, he immediately yelled, “It’s coming again!”

A few disciples paddled and used nets to chase after the underwater shadow. Someone shouted from the other side, “There are some here as well!”

On the other side, a mass of black shadows also whooshed past. A number of narrow boats dragged nets and went over, but they didn’t seem to catch anything. Wei Wuxian said, “That’s strange. The shape of this shadow doesn’t seem like a human. It’s also sometimes long and sometimes short, sometimes large and sometimes small…” He turned towards Lan Wangji’s direction, and he shouted as soon as he noticed the shadow beside the Lan, “Lan Zhan, beside your boat!’

“They seem like they’re in trouble.” Ouyang Zizhen muttered with knitted eyebrows. No one got seriously hurt, right?

“They were just teenagers and already faced a waterborne abyss… So I’m not sure about that.” Lan Jingyi replied. He hoped that none of the seniors got hurt, but this was a waterborne abyss that they were facing! It might be a piece of cake if they faced it right now as adults, but they’re just fifteen or sixteen at the orb!

“It wasn’t mentioned that someone died, so I’m sure if someone got hurt, it’s a minor injury.” Lan Sizhui said with uncertainty. The history books aren’t always accurate, so he isn’t confident with his statement.

Ouyang Zizhen nodded. “Also, this is the past we’re watching! It happened a long time ago, so we shouldn’t be overly worried.”

Instantly, Lan Wangji unsheathed Bichen and stabbed into the water. After a moment, it flew out of the river  with a sharp resonance, taking with it a crescent of water. Yet, it didn’t pierce anything.

He held his sword with a stern expression. As he was about to speak, a disciple on the other side also drew out his sword, thrusting it toward a dark shadow which swiftly swam by in the water.

“...Isn’t that Su She?!” Lan Jingyi exclaimed. He expected to see him, but he didn’t expect to see him this early. Then again, he was a former disciple of Gusu Lan.

Lan Wangji’s gaze turned cold as he saw Su She

However, after his sword went underwater, it  never came back up. He chanted the sword incantations a few more times, but nothing was retrieved from the water. With his sword, his face became paler and paler. An older disciple spoke beside him, “Su She, right now, we still haven’t determined what the thing inside the water is. Why did you act on your own and make your sword go underwater?”

Su She seemed like he was somewhat flustered, but his expression was relatively calm. “I saw that Second Young Master Lan also…”

“He’s really obsessed with Hanguang-jun!” A disciple from the Gusu Lan Sect quietly scoffed. Su She tried too hard to be like Lan Wangji, but in the end, he was not even close to being similar to the latter. Hanguang-jun was someone that deserves the respect he receives, and Su She was not honourable in the slightest.

He was jealous and full of hatred. He was also an accomplice of Jin Guangyao, the sly fox who fooled everyone.

“Keep quiet. The elders and seniors might hear you.” Another Lan disciple hissed.

Su She realised before he even finished speaking how unsuitable this sentence was. An embarrassed shade of red seeped through his pale complexion. He glanced at Lan Wangji, but the man didn’t look at him, and instead attentively observed the water. In an instant, Bichen was unsheathed again.

The tip of the sword jolted, and whisked up a piece of shadow from within the water. A pile of wet, black mess fell onto the floor of the boat. Wei Wuxian went on his knees to have a look. To his surprise, it  was a piece of clothing.

Wei Wuxian laughed. “Lan Zhan, you’re so impressive! This is my first time seeing someone remove a water ghoul’s clothing when they’re catching water ghouls.”

Lan Wangji simply examined Bichen’s tip to see if there was anything strange.

“You should shut up. The thing that swam underwater really wasn’t a water ghoul. There was only a piece of clothing!” Jiang Wanyin said.

Of course, Wei Wuxian also saw it clearly. He just didn’t feel satisfied without teasing Lan Wangji.

“Truly, no one would expect that such a mischievous boy would be the cold and cruel Yiling Patriarch.” Sect Leader Yao muttered under his breath, “Two-faced people are really good at deceiving others.” he continued.

He didn’t dare to utter these words aloud, lest he gets threatened yet again. He also doesn’t want Lan Wangji’s glare directed at him... again.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “So, the thing that was sneaking around was just this piece of clothing? Now that’s why the nets couldn’t catch it and swords couldn’t pierce it. Its shape was always different. However, a piece of clothing couldn’t have swallowed up a whole sword. There must be something else inside.”

At the moment, the boats already floated towards the center of Biling Lake. The color of the lake was an extremely dark shade of green. Suddenly, Lan Wangji slightly lifted his head. “Go back immediately.”

“Why?” Lan Xichen asked.

“The underwater beings led the boats to the center of Biling Lake on purpose.” Lan Wangji answered.

Just as he finished his words, everyone felt their boats sinking.

The group was extremely lucky. If they were none the wiser and merely panicked, they would’ve been killed.

Water immediately started to spread into the boats. Wei Wuxian noticed that the color of Biling Lake wasn’t dark green anymore, but almost black. Surrounding the area close to the center, a large whirlpool had formed. The ten-or-so boats circled around, following the currents of the whirlpool. and they sank as they spun.

The sound of drawing swords chorused in the air. One after another, everyone mounted their swords and flew upward. Wei Wuxian already hovered above. He looked downward, only to see that Su She was already knee-deep inside the water, the board of his boat already engulfed in Biling Lake.

Although his face was full of panic, he didn’t call for help, possibly frozen from fear. Without hesitation, Wei Wuxian bent down and stretched his arm out, grabbing Su She’s wrist and pulling him up.

Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes and tsked. ‘Typical Wei Wuxian… endangering himself to save others.’ He thought rather bitterly.

“Having added another person, the sword under his feet dipped abruptly, but it continued to ascend. However, not long after, a strong force suddenly came from Su She, almost pulling Wei Wuxian off his sword.

The lower part of Su She was submerged inside the black whirlpool in the lake. The whirlpool spun faster and faster, and his body sank deeper and deeper. Jiang Wanyin stood on Sandu and calmly ascended to about seventy meters above the surface of the lake. As he looked down, he dashed toward them with an annoyed expression. “What are you doing now?!”

The sucking force of the lake became stronger and stronger. Wei Wuxian was almost weighed dow0n to the point of hovering right above the surface of the lake. He steadied himself while using both hands to haul Su She, and shouted, “Can somebody come here to help?! If I still can’t pull him up, I’m gonna let go!”

“Senior Wei saved his life, yet from his attitude, Su She doesn’t seem grateful in the slightest.” Lan Jingyi said with a scowl. If Senior Wei hadn’t lifted him up with him, Su She might’ve lost his life if no one bothered to save him.

“Jingyi, don’t talk about the dead like that.” Lan Sizhui scolded. While he also disliked Su She, the man was dead. There was no point in talking bad about him.

Suddenly, Wei Wuxian felt his collar tighten, and he was lifted into the air. Lan Wangji was holding his collar with one hand. Jiang Wanyin was rather shocked. ‘If I went down to pull Wei Wuxian before him using Sandu, I probably wouldn’t have ascended so quickly and steadily. Lan Wangji is only around my age…’

Jiang Wanyin scowled. He gave anyone who glanced at him a glare.

‘Stupid orb that doesn’t know privacy…’ He thought with his hands clenched into a fist. At this point, he and the Yunmeng Jiang Sect no longer have a face to preserve! 

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Lan Zhan, your sword is quite strong, isn’t it?  Thank you, thank you. But why did you pull my collar? Can’t you hold on to me? I don’t feel comfortable if you do this. Why don’t I stretch my hand to you and you can grab it?”

“I don’t touch strangers.” Lan Wangji coldly replied.

Ah, it made sense that Wei Wuxian thought Lan Wangji would kick him out if he go too close to him. The latter himself had stated that he disliked touching others. He probably still dislikes doing so, only that Wei Wuxian is an exception. He was his husband, after all.

“We’re already familiar with each other, so how am I a stranger?”

“We are not.” Lan Wangji said.

Wei Wuxian pretended to be hurt. “You can’t do this…”

Jiang Wanyin couldn’t hold it any more. He scolded, “ You can’t do this! Can’t you speak a few sentences less while you’re being held by your collar mid-air?!”

“You know, I can’t help but notice that Sect Leader Jiang is like the characters who are always between the couple in novels.” Ouyang Zizhen whispered to his friends. Then, he briefly glanced at Jiang Wanyin to see if his words were heard by the sect leader. Thankfully, the sect leader didn’t seem to have heard him.

Lan Jingyi nodded in agreement. Wen Qionglin’s and Jiang Wanyin’s personality differ with each other, but if there’s something similar about them, it’s that they always seem to be the single character who’s always in the background while the couple does sappy things in novels.

The group travelled on their swords and evacuated Biling Lake as fast as they could. When they landed, Lan Wangji let go of Wei Wuxian’s collar and calmly turned to Lan Xichen. “It is a waterborne abyss.”

Lan Wangji shook his head. ”Then, this is going to be difficult.”

As soon as they heard the waterborne abyss, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin understood immediately.

“Recently, has there been any place which suffered from a waterborne abyss?” Lan Wangji asked.

Lan Xichen pointed at the sky.

The Qishan Wen Sect.

Disciples who weren’t born yet at the time when the Qishan Wen Sect still existed were curious about the sect. They have heard about the crimes of the sect and the tyranny of Wen Ruohan, but they have never seen it in real life.

Not that they would want to. They are content with the peaceful world they are currently living in. However, the Qishan Wen Sect is hated by every single soul in the world, so it’s inevitable to be curious.

Everyone grew silent.

One disciple complained, “Caiyi Town will be seriously harmed with that sect having chased the waterborne abyss here. If the waterborne abyss grows larger and expands into the river paths, the people’s lives would be up to the monster. This is so…”

Lan Xichen sighed. “Let it down, let it down. Let us go back to the town.”

They boarded new boats and paddled towards an area where a lot of people gathered.

After passing the arch bridge and entering the river path, Wei Wuxian started to go at it again.

Abandoning his paddle, he put one foot on the side of his boat and looked at his reflection in the water, examining if his hair was messed up. Wei Wuxian confidently threw a series of charming winks at both sides of the path. “Sisters, how much for half a kilogram of loquats?”

Lan Wangji humphed and watched the orb with narrowed eyes. He leaned closer to Wei Wuxian, who laughed at his husband.

“Er-gege~ Are you jealous?” Wei Wuxian teased. Lan Wangji scowled and turned his head to the side. His ears were red and Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but laugh some more.

‘Lan Zhan is so cute!’ He thought while grinning.

One woman lifted her bamboo hat, smiling. “Young beau, you needn’t pay. How ‘bout I give you one for free?”

“Senior Wei had totally mesmerised the lady with his handsomeness! I bet Hanguang-jun is currently drinking vinegar!” Ouyang Zizhen whispered.

Lan Sizhui shook his head with a smile. He stared at Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji and immediately chuckled. ‘From how tight Hanguang-jun’s hands are around Senior Wei’s waist, he’s definitely jealous.’

Wei Wuxian cupped his hands together. “If it’s given to me by Sister, then I definitely want it!”

The woman put her hand into the basket, and threw him a round, golden loquat. “You needn’t be polite. It’s for how handsome you look!”

The boats moved at a fast speed. As the two boats met, they immediately passed each other. Wei Wuxian turned around, perfectly catching it with a grin. “Sister looks even prettier!”

While he was flirting on the side, Lan Wangji was staring straight ahead, appearing quite virtuous. Wei Wuxian smugly tossed the loquat on his hand, and suddenly pointed at him. “Sisters, do you think he looks handsome?”

Lan Wangji didn’t expect Wei Wuxian to suddenly talk about him. The women on the river spoke in harmony, “Even more handsome!”

A lot of people agreed with the women. Lan Wangji wasn’t ranked as the second most-handsome gentleman in his generation for no reason. He and Lan Xichen are like gods from the Heavens; their beauty is simply out of this world!

Wei Wuxian had truly hit the jackpot by marrying Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Then, does anyone want to give him any? If you only give me and not him, I’m afraid he might be jealous when we go back!”

Chirp-like laughter echoed through the whole river. Another woman came in front of them, standing on her boat. “Okay, okay, you get two. Heads up, young beau, catch!”

After he catched the second one, Wei Wuxian shouted, “Sister, not only are you pretty, but you’re nice as well. The next time I’m gonna come here, I’m gonna buy a whole basket!”

The woman pointed at Lan Wangji, and said with a vibrant voice, “Get him to come as well. You all can come here and get them!”

“It’s as if Wei Wuxian didn’t just face a waterborne abyss. He’s so cheerful!”

Wei Wuxian held the loquat in front of Lan Wangji. The latter didn’t move his gaze. “Move.”

And, so, Wei Wuxian moved it away. “I knew that you wouldn’t accept it, so I never intended to give it to you. Jiang Cheng, catch!”

The boat Jiang Wanyin was on whirred past. He caught the loquat with one hand, a slight smile appearing on his face. He snorted, “You’re being all flirty again?”

Wei Wuxian smirked. “Get lost!”

He turned to Lan Wangji and asked, “Lan Zhan, you’re from Gusu, so you know how to speak in this dialect, right? Teach me. How do you swear in the Gusu dialect?”

“As if the rule-abiding Lan Wangji would tell him that. Why bother asking?”

“This is Wei Wuxian we’re watching. He’s probably just teasing Hanguang-jun.”

“Pathetic.” Lan Wangji said, and got on another boat. After raising his head to swallow another gulp of the rice wine, he carried the jar in one hand, picked up the paddle, and charged over to Jiang Wanyin.

On the other hand, Lan Wangji stood beside Lan Xichen. An extremely heavy boat came from in front of them, filled with buckets of large, golden loquats. Lan Wangji took one glance at it and continued to stare straight ahead.

Lan Xichen spoke, “If you want to eat loquats, should we buy one basket?”

“...”

“I do not!”

Lan Wangji went to stand in another boat.

“Not gonna lie, I’m envious of Hanguang-jun for having Zewu-jun as his older brother. My brother is a good-for-nothing trash who likes to pick up fights with me, while Zewu-jun understands his brother so much!” A female cultivator lamented.

“I understand you. I also envy Hanguang-jun.” Her friend said, patting the shoulders of the female cultivator.

The scene blackened, and changed to Lan Wangji sitting alone while writing something. Outside the window beside Lan Wangji, a figure ran past.

Wei Wuxian was sneaking in two jars of alcohol once again. He had a mischievous smile on his face as he quickly walked towards his room.

“Stop there!” Lan Wangji said, halting Wei Wuxian’s fast-paced steps.

Lan Wangji stood in the middle of the rain with an umbrella. Wei Wuxian stared at Lan Wangji with wide eyes. He looked at the jars that were in his hands and quickly hid them behind him.

 Awkwardly smiling, Wei Wuxian spoke, “Lan Zhan, what a coincidence!”

“He’s really still sneaking in alcohol at Cloud Recesses…”

Lan Wangji lifted his umbrella. “Prepare to face your punishment.”

“Seriously? I thought we were friends.” Wei Wuxian complained, “Can you spare me this time?” he continued with his arms crossed.

Lan Wangji drew Bichen.

“Why does Lan Wangji always unsheathe his sword whenever he caughts Wei Wuxian breaking the rules?” Jin Zixuan muttered under his breath. While he understood the times that Lan Wangji drew his sword out of anger due to Wei Wuxian, because he would do the same if he was being honest, the latter hadn’t done anything annoying and was simply sneaking in two jars of Emperor’s Smile. Neither had he teased Lan Wangji, nor did he bribe him like before.

Was it a natural reaction to fight Wei Wuxian whenever he was breaking the rules? From his observation, the Lans become violent when speaking with Wei Wuxian. First, it was the Lan disciple and his threat to hit Wei Wuxian; then, Lan Qiren, who hurled a book at the boy.

Wei Wuxian jolted. “Hey, why are you doing this? Only you and I are here. If we both stay quiet, no one else has to know, right?”

Lan Wangji didn’t seem like he was going to sheathe Bichen back on its scabbard, so Wei Wuxian hurriedly said, “It won’t happen again, I promise.”

Lan Wangji glared at Wei Wuxian, and charged towards him. Wei Wuxian let out a sound of surprise as he moved away. He immediately started running away.

Lan Wangji chased after him, and was faster than Wei Wuxian, He pointed his blade near the head disciple of the Jiang Sect to stop him, “I don’t believe you.”

Wei Wuxian gulped. “Alright, alright, alright. You’re the one with a sword, so what you say goes. As you wish.”

Lan Wangji stared at Wei Wuxian, then moved his sword away from Wei Wuxian’s neck.

Lan Sizhui still felt weirded out upon seeing Bichen pointed at Wei Wuxian, despite the many times that he had seen it from the orb. Hanguang-jun of the present would never do that, but Hanguang-jun in his youth? He had no hesitation in doing so.

In all honesty, Lan Sizhui was interested to see the progress between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian’s relationship.

Wei Wuxian smirked as soon as Lan Wangji moved his sword away. Then, he started running again.

Lan Wangji turned in surprise. “You!”

Wei Wuxian easily climbed up the roof with a satisfied smile on his face. However, the smile immediately faded as he saw Lan Wangji suddenly in front of him. The latter glared at the former.

Lan Wangji chased Wei Wuxian and tried to take the jars in the latter’s hands. Wei Wuxian dodged Lan Wangji while holding the jars tightly. “I already promised you that it won’t happen again. Why are you being so stubborn?”

Lan Wangji swung his feet while Wei Wuxian avoided him by going sideways. With a wide swing of his feet, water splashed onto Lan Wangji’s robes. He narrowed his eyes, and used the ground as a support to kick one jar. The jar that was kicked flew outside the wall.

“What a waste of good liquor!”

“Lan Zhan, don’t be so harsh. We’re friends. If you let me go this time, I’ll return the favour next time.” Wei Wuxian said.

Seeing that Lan Wangji had no intentions to say a word, Wei Wuxian spoke again in a rather exasperated tone, “You…”

The corner of Wei Wuxian’s lips turned upwards into a smirk. “Alright.” Then, he threw the jar of alcohol he was holding and charged towards Lan Wangji. 

Jin Zixuan spoke, “Again? Are they gonna fight all night or what?”

Swish- Swish-

Wei Wuxian was trying to take the umbrella from Lan Wangji, but the latter kept dodging Wei Wuxian’s attacks. The movements of the two were sharp and agile despite the slippery roof.

Lan Wangji gasped when the umbrella he was holding was knocked from his hand. His eyebrows knitted, and he thrust his hand toward Wei Wuxian. The latter leaned backwards to avoid Lan Wangji’s hand and crouched, hugging the Lan's waist.

“What is he planning to do?”

“I’ve never seen someone hug their opponent in a fight before…”

Wei Wuxian tightly hugged Lan Wangji’s waist. The two of them swayed, and plummeted on the ground outside the wall.

Wei Wuxian rubbed his head, robes wet and wrinkled. “Hey, Lan Zhan, you’re out too. We’ve both broken the curfew. We should both be punished.”

Lan Wangji stared at Wei Wuxian before turning around. The latter continued, “But don’t worry, I won’t tell a single soul. The only ones that know are me and you.” He smiled.

The scene slowly changed to Jiang Wanyin, Wei Wuxian, and Nie Huaisang drinking inside Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin’s room. 

Jin Ling’s mouth was agape in shock. His uncle scolded Wei Wuxian for breaking the rules, yet he did the same! “Uncle! You’re drinking-!”

Jiang Wanyin scowled, his ears slightly red. “Shut up! No need to point out the obvious!” He crossed his arms and looked away from the orb. He can’t handle watching himself act like a fool.

The elders of Gusu Lan scowled at the sight. Did no one teach Jiang Wanyin and Nie Huaisang courtesy? They actually dared to join Wei Wuxian’s shenanigans and break the rules with him? They should have been punished with that troublemaker so that they would  learn their lesson!

Wei Wuxian had a nostalgic smile on his face. ‘It would be nice to have a drink with Jiang Cheng and Nie-xiong like the good old days.’

The three of them clinked their cup and drank. Nie Huaisang said, “Wei-xiong, the liquor is really good.” He laughed.

“Of course. Here in Gusu, we shall drink the Emperor’s Smile, fragrant and mellow, refreshing but not aggressive, smooth and powerful.” He said with a smile, then drank again.

Jiang Wanyin spoke, “Just drink the liquor. You make it sound like you’re describing a person.”

“Jiang-xiong, I think Wei-xiong is making an excellent point. As a wise man said, fine beauty is just like a great wine,” Nie Huaisang said. He and Wei Wuxian clinked their glasses together with goofy smiles on their faces.

Jiang Wanyin’s expression was calmer than his usually angry and exasperated face. His words were slightly slurring. “If that is true, you shall find your partners by following the fragrance of alcohol.”

“They sound like true alcoholics…”

Unlike the Sandu Shengshou that everyone dared not to offend, Jiang Wanyin in his youth had a much friendlier aura. His glares aren’t as intimidating as the Sect Leader Jiang of the present has. In fact, he looked rather cute.

The disciples of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect wondered how their young sect leader acted in Lotus Pier of the past. He was so different, yet similar at the same time from the sect leader they knew.

He and Wei Wuxian's brotherhood was also interesting. The two were very close in the past, and it seemed like nothing could ever tear them apart.

Wei Wuxian snickered. “I will be fine as long as I have wine.”

“I don’t know how the Lans can put up with you.” Jiang Wanyin teased.

“Hey, I’m adorable.” Wei Wuxian replied.

Lan Wangji wholeheartedly agreed with that statement.

He continued, “It is you. No one can match your standards.”

“Wei-xiong, what standards?” Nie Huaisang asked.

Wei Wuxian smirked.

“Wei Wuxian, I dare you!” Jiang Wanyin threatened. Wei Wuxian didn’t look threatened in the slightest, as he started to speak, “Beauty, natural beauty.”

“Hey! Wei Wuxian!”

“Virtuous and caring.” Jiang Wanyin  chased Wei Wuxian around the room. “Comes from a good family.”

Nie Huaisang tried to stop Jiang Wanyin. Wei Wuxian continued to cite, “She should not be too chatty and should have a gentle voice.”

“Wei Wuxian!”

“But not too capable. Should not burn through money.”

Jiang Wanyin refused to look at anyone. When they get out of here, he’ll go into seclusion and stay there until the day he dies. Seriously, this has no importance at all. Why is it being shown?!

Jin Ling broke into laughter. It was no wonder that his uncle is still single till’ this day. His standards are ridiculously too much!

While many were chuckling at the ridiculous scene they were watching, Jiang Yanli had a melancholy smile on her face. She felt that the reason her brother wanted to have a wife who’s completely different from their mother was because of the constant arguments their parents had. He didn’t want a fierce wife, like their mother, lest she also starts arguments with him.

Perhaps she was overthinking. She shouldn’t be so heavy-hearted when they’re watching a very lighthearted scene. It was best to think about the good memories instead of the bad ones.

The scene changed to the moon. The voices of the three faded as the moon slowly changed into the sun.

When Lan Wangji entered their room, Wei Wuxian, Jiang Wanyin, and Nie Huaiang were scattered on the floor. Nie Huaisang was startled awake and saw the Lan through his sleepy eyes. He instantly woke up, and furiously pushed Wei Wuxian, who ended up in a position with his legs at the top and head on the bottom. “Wei-xiong! Wei-xiong!”

Having been shoved for a few times, Wei Wuxian spoke drowsily, “Who? Jiang Cheng? The fight is on- like I’m scared of you!”

Jiang Wanyin drank too much last night, and his head still ached as he laid on the ground with his eyes closed. He randomly grabbed a book and hurled it at Wei Wuxian. “Shut up!”

The book landed on Wei Wuxian’s chest. Its pages flipped open, revealing a man and a woman naked together. Nie Huaisang eyed it, then looked up and saw Lan Wangji’s frigid gaze. He almost died on the spot.

Who could have known that these three were prominent young masters of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect and Qinghe Nie Sect? Lan Qiren of the past would certainly have a heart attack if he ever saw this.

Jiang Wanyin still refused to watch the orb. Earlier, he was scolding Wei Wuxian in the orb for making their sect lose face. Now, he was also making Yunmeng Jiang Sect lose face. He was definitely getting mocked by people right now.

Lan Xichen briefly glanced at his sect’s elders. As expected, they looked pissed.

Wei Wuxian mumbled a few sentences, hugging the book to his chest, and went to sleep again. Lan Wangji moved closer and used one hand to grip Wei Wuxian’s collar. He lifted him up and dragged him outside.

After a few puzzled moments as he was carried by Lan Wangji, he was finally half-awake. Wei Wuxian spoke, “Lan Zhan, what are you doing?”

Lan Wangji turned his head, speaking one word at a time, “To receive. His. Punishment.”

Jiang Wanyin had a slow reaction from his sleep and drinking too much. Recalling that they broke a countless number of rules, his face immediately froze.

Lan Wangji dragged Wei Wuxian to the front of the Lan Sect’s ancestral hall. There were a few older disciples of the Lan Sect waiting there, eight in total. Four carried discipline rulers. As Lan Wangji dragged Wei Wuxian over, two of the disciples immediately came up, firmly holding the head disciple of the Jiang Sect in place.

Wei Wuxian half-knelt on the ground. “Lan Zhan, are you going to punish me?”

Lan Wangji stared at him coldly, remaining silent.

Wei Wuxian said, “I won’t accept this.”

After seeing the discipline rulers, was Wei Wuxian finally scared? Getting struck in the back was different from copying the rules. Copying the rules wouldn’t give you pain, but getting hit does. While his golden core would slightly ease the pain and make the scars from the discipline ruler quickly heal, it would still hurt to the point that he probably won’t be able to properly walk nonetheless.

Jiang Yanli watched with furrowed eyebrows. This scene reminded her of A-Xian getting punished by her mother.

At this point, Jiang Wanyin and Nie Huaisang had rushed over, but they were blocked outside the ancestral hall.

Lan Wangji lifted the bottom of his white clothes, and knelt beside Wei Wuxian.

“Hanguang-jun is gonna punish himself as well?” Ouyang Zizhen said in surprise.

Lan Sizhui said, “Hanguang-jun broke the rules as well since he fought Senior Wei, then they both fell outside the wall, breaking the curfew…”

Seeing this, Wei Wuxian turned pale with fear. He tried to get up, but Lan Wangji commanded, “Strike!”

Wei Wuxian gaped with astonishment. He hurriedly spoke, “Wait, wait. I accept this, Lan Zhan. I was wrong… Gah!”

Lan Wangji’s hand subconsciously carassed Wei Wuxian’s back. He frowned.

Their palms and legs received about a hundred strikes. Lan Wangji’s back was upright and his kneeling position stayed proper for the whole duration. Wei Wuxian, on the other hand, wailed and howled without holding back at all. After the beating finished, Lan Wangji silently stood up and walked outside aftering saluting the disciples in the ancestral hall.

Wei Wuxian was being carried on Jiang Wanyin’s back. The three chatted as they walked.

“It’s understandable for Lan Zhan to punish you, but why did  he also get the beating?” Nie Huaisang wondered.

Wei Wuxian sighed, leaning on Jiang Wanyin’s back. “It’s a long story.”

“Cut the crap! What on earth did you do?” Jiang Wanyin said.

Wei Wuxian answered, “I didn’t do anything! Last night, didn’t I go down to buy some Emperor’s Smile?”

“...Don’t tell me you met him again.”

“That’s actually it. When I carried the jars of Emperor’s Smile and came up here, he stopped right in front of me again. Maybe he really watches me every single day.” said Wei Wuxian.

Ouyang Zizhen leaned closer to his friends. “Do you guys think that Hanguang-jun is always watching Senior Wei because he thinks he’s beautiful?”

“How would we know? Hanguang-jun’s so stoic, and we’re not like Zewu-jun who can read Hanguang-jun like an open book.” Jin Ling replied.

Jiang Wanyin spoke, “Not everyone has so much time in their hands. What happened next?”

Wei Wuxian explained the events that happened last night in full detail. Nie Huaisang was dumbstruck, looking at Wei Wuxian with admiration. ‘Wei-xiong is really something else.’

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Jiang Cheng, walk slower. You’re almost shaking me off.”

“Is simply carrying you not up to your standards?!”

Wei Wuxian replied, “I never asked you to carry.”

Jiang Wanyin was enraged. “If I don’t carry you, you’d probably stay in their ancestral hall and roll on the ground. All day long. I don’t have that thick of a face to lose! Lan Wangji had fifty more strikes than you, and he walked by himself. Yet, you have the nerve to pretend that you’re crippled. I don’t want to carry you anymore. Get off, now!”

Wei Wuxian tightened his hold on Jiang Wanyin. “No, I’m wounded.”

Wei Wuxian quietly chuckled. He turned his head and looked at his husband, who was… pouting?

Wei Wuxian fondly laughed. “Lan-er-gege, are you jealous again?” He said with a smirk.

The ears of Lan Wangji were red yet again. He slightly lowered his head, and mumbled, “...I am not…”

The three continued to walk towards their room. They encountered Lan Xichen, who was holding books as he passed by.

Lan Xichen stopped with wonder and smiled. “What is going on here?”

Jiang Wanyin felt extremely awkward, not knowing how to reply. Nie Huaisang answered, “Xichen-ge, Wei-xiong was punished with more than a hundred strikes of the discipline ruler. Is there any medicine?”

“Was this done by Wangji? Is Young Master Wei still able to walk? What in the world happened?” Lan Xichen asked.

Jiang Wanyin didn’t dare to say Wei Wuxin was at fault. Thinking back, it was them who urged Wei Wuxian to buy liquor. They should’ve been punished as well.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s not that serious! He can walk. Wei Wuxian, why are you still up there?!” He said.

Lan Qiren was unimpressed.

Wei Wuxian was always the person punished, despite the fact that he wasn’t the only one at fault. It was like this at Lotus Pier as well. When they would get into trouble, mother would only punish Wei Wuxian most of the time.

He was acting like an asshole in the past, Jiang Wanyin grudgingly admits. It was embarrassing to watch himself act this way.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “I can’t walk.”

He raised his swollen, red palms, and complained to Lan Xichen, “Zewu-jun, your brother is so cruel.”

Lan Xichen examined his palms. “Yes, the punishment is quite severe. It is likely that the swelling will not subside until three or four days.”

Jiang Wanyin exclaimed, “What? Not after three or four days? His legs and his back were also hit by the discipline ruler. How can Lan Wangji do this?!” He spoke the last sentence with resentment in spite of himself, and only realized it after Wei Wuxian secretly smacked him.

Jin Zixuan wondered what his life would’ve been like as he watched the interactions between the twin jades and his brother-in-laws if he was closer with his half-siblings…

He wasn’t that close with A-Yao. He didn’t hate his half-brother, but he didn't know him very well to consider himself close with him. It seemed fun having siblings who you can playfully bicker and confide with.

Would he have a best friend who he can be comfortable to share his problems and secrets with if he was closer to A-Yao?

Lan Xichen smiled. “Nevertheless, it is not severe enough to require medication. Young Master Wei, let me tell you a way for your injuries to be healed in just a few hours.”

The scene changed.

It was nighttime in the cold spring.

Lan Wangji’s eyes were closed as he relaxed in the ice-cold water. Suddenly, a voice rang beside his ears. “Lan Zhan!”

“...”

Why did the orb have to show this?! No one, except weirdos, would want to watch people bathing!

Chapter Text

Lan Wangji’s eyes sprang open. He blurted out, “How did you come in?!”

Wei Wuxian slowly crawled up, and spoke as he took off his sash belt, “Zewu-jun told me to come in.”

Lan Qiren’s eyebrow twitched. Now that he thought about it, he and Xichen played a rather big role in making Wei Wuxian and Wangji get closer with each other…

“What are you doing?” Lan Wangji asked.

Wei Wuxian kicked off his boots while leaving piles of clothing all over the ground. “I already stripped, so what do you think I’m here for? I heard that your sect’s cold spring can cure injuries aside from helping with one’s cultivation. So, your brother told me to come here and bathe with you. Except, it’s really not nice of you to come here to heal alone.” He said as his feet touched the water. “Eep! It really is cold…”

He went into the water, rolling about due to the freezing water of the spring. Lan Wangji quickly distanced himself a few meters away from Wei Wuxian. “I came here for cultivation purposes, not to heal… Do not leap around!”

“But it’s so cold..” said Wei Wuxian.

“Do not move!” Lan Wangji exclaimed. As he spoke, he extended an arm, and placed his hand on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder.

Wei Wuxian instantly felt a surge of warmth coming from where their bodies connected. Feeling better, he couldn’t help but shift closer to Lan Wangji.

‘’Ah, the tension… I can sense the intense tension between them!’ Nie Huaisang thought. He turned his head and stared at the female cultivators in the room, and sure enough, some of them were staring at Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji with flustered faces. Even some male cultivators were flustered as well!

He turned his gaze to Lan Wangji, whose face was as emotionless as ever. However, as he looked closer, Lan Wangji seems to be… pouting? Frowning?

Nie Huaisang chuckled. He must not like the fact that others are seeing his husband naked.

“What?” Lan Wangji asked.

Wei Wuxian replied, “Nothing. It seems like your side is warmer.”

Lan Wangji firmly kept his arm between them, maintaining the distance. He sternly declared, “It is not.”

Wei Wuxian glanced at Lan Wangji’s palms and shoulder. The bruises were still there. Wei Wuxian spoke sincerely, “Lan Zhan, I admire you so much. You really did punish yourself as well, without treating yourself any better. I don’t have anything else to say.”’

Lan Wangji shut his eyes again without any words.

“Really, I’ve never seen someone as prim and proper as you. It’d be impossible for me to do something like this. You’re so cool.” Wei Wuxian said.

Jin Zixuan spoke, “Why do we need to watch this when it’s just Wei Wuxian gushing about Lan Wangji?”

Fine, Wei Wuxian is in love with Lan Wangji, but do they really need to watch the two be disgustingly in love without them even knowing it?

Jiang Yanli chuckled. “I think it’s cute.” She said with a smile.

Lan Wangji still paid him no attention. After Wei Wuxian stopped feeling cold, he started to swim around the cold springs. He swam for a while, but still went near Lan Wangji. “Lan Zhan, didn’t you notice what I was doing when I talked to you?”

“I do not know.” Lan Wangji replied.

“You don’t even know about this?  I was complimenting you, trying to become more casual with you.”

Lan Wangji glanced at him. “What do you want to do?”

“Lan Zhan, why don’t we become friends? We’re already so familiar.”

“We are not.”

Wei Wuxian slapped the surface of the water. “Now, you’re being boring again. Really, there are lots of benefits if you become friends with me.”

“I’d rather be Wei Ying’s husband. There’s more benefits.” Lan Wangji said with a smug smile.

He gets the privilege of sleeping with Wei Ying in his arms. Waking up to Wei Ying's beautiful face. Getting unlimited amount of kisses. Only he gets these privileges.

Wei Wuxian choked, face turning red. This- This husband of his! Seriously!

Wei Wuxian pouted and dramatically collapsed in Lan Wangji’s arms. “Lan Zhan! My poor heart is gonna explode if you keep doing this!” He laughed as he spoke.

Lan Wangji caressed Wei Wuxian’s hair. “Mn. Will not let Wei Ying’s heart explode. I will take care of it.”

“For example?”

Wei Wuxian swam near the edge of the spring and leaned back with his arms on the rocks. “I’m always loyal to my friends. For example, I’d definitely let you be the first person to look at new porn that I get hold of…”

Wei Wuxian wasn’t done speaking when Lan Wangji moved to leave. The former said, “Hey, hey, come back! It’s fine if you don’t look at them. Have you been to Yunmeng? Yunmeng is really fun. Yunmeng’s food is also good. I don’t know if it's Gusu’s or Cloud Recesses’ problem, but the food in your sect is so bad. If you come to Lotus Pier, you can eat lots of delicious food. I can take you to pick lotus seed pods and water chestnuts. Lan Zhan, do you wanna come?”

Lan Wangji replied, “No.”

Lan Wangji of the past was a fool. How could he decline the invitation of Wei Ying? Lan Wangji frowned and slightly shook his head in disappointment.

“Don’t answer everything with negative words. You sound so uncaring; girls won’t like it. Let me tell you- the girls in Yunmeng are very pretty, different from the sort of pretty in Gusu.” Wei Wuxian winked at Lan Wangji. “You sure you don’t want to come?”

Lan Wangji hesitated, but still replied ‘no’.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Rejecting me without giving me any respect- aren’t you afraid that I’d conveniently take away your clothes when I leave?”

“Get Lost!”

A rogue cultivator snorted. “I bet that if you tell Lan Wangji in his youth he would marry Wei Wuxian in the future, he would qi deviate.”

Their friend nodded. He could see it happen!

After Lan Qiren left Qinghe and returned to Gusu, he didn’t make Wei Wuxian go to the library pavilion to copy the sect rules again, but simply gave him a harsh scolding in front of everyone. Without the parts he quoted ancient scripts, it all boiled down to how he had never seen someone so unruly and shameless before, so please get lost, as soon and as far as possible. Please don’t go near the other pupils, and especially refrain from tainting his favourite one, Lan Wangji.

As he scolded, Wei Wuxian only grinned while listening. Immediately after Lan Qiren left, Wei Wuxian sat down and spoke to Jiang Wanyin, “Don’t you think that it’s a bit too late, telling me to get lost now? He only told me to get lost after I finished tainting Lan Wangji. It’s too late!”

Lan Xichen chuckled. Upon seeing his teenager brother-in-law, Lan Xichen realized just how much Wei Wuxian changed during the Sunshot Campaign, all the way to his demise. It was as if he was possessed; his cheery smiles turned into sharp and hateful smirks, his bright gaze turned into cold glares.

The big change made sense, unfortunately. The product of the hatred and desire for revenge of Wei Wuxian, mixed with the influence of resentful energy, was the cold and feared Yiling Patriarch. 

Lessons became shorter and shorter because Lan Qiren was busy with the matter of the waterborne abyss. Thus, the time Wei Wuxian and his friends spent in the mountains became longer.

Today, Wei Wuxian intended to go outside with Jiang Wanyin and Nie Huaisang again. As they passed the Lan sect’s library pavilion, he looked through the drape of Mongolia branches, and he could see Lan Wangji sitting alone by the window.

 Nie Huaisang spoke with a puzzled expression, “Is he looking at us? That’s strange. We didn’t make too much noise, so why does he still look at us like that?”

“He’s probably thinking of how to find faults with us.” said Wei Wuxian.

In Lan Sizhui’s opinion, it seemed like Hanguang-jun wanted to join them. Of course, this was just his opinion, and he could be wrong. He’s not like Zewu-jun, who could read his brother like an open book.

Jiang Wanyin interrupted, “Wrong. Not us, but ‘me’. I think the only person he’s watching is you.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Heh. Just let him wait. I’ll deal with him after I get back.”

“Don’t you dislike how he’s boring and how he’s not fun? Then, you should stop teasing him. Stop looking for your own death.”

“No, It’s exceptionally fun, because how can a person be so boring?” Wei Wuxian replied.

Jin Zixuan briefly glanced at Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, then snorted. “I guess Wei Wuxian’s type is a boring person, then?”

The three returned to Cloud Recesses when it was almost noon. The scene changed to Lan Wangji sitting before a desk, organizing the stack of paper in front of him when he heard a creaking noise from the window. He looked up and saw Wei Wuxian hop inside. His face was beaming. “Lan Zhan, I’m back! Did you miss me?”

Lan Wangji ignored Wei Wuxian and continued to organize the pile of books. Wei Wuxian deliberately misinterpreted his silence. “I know, even if you don’t say it, that you definitely missed me. Or else, earlier, why did you look at me through the window?”

Lan Wangji shot a glance at him. Wei Wuxian sat atop the windowsill. “Look at you, rising to the bait after a few sentences. You’re so easy to catch. This way, you won’t be able to maintain your composure.”

“You, leave.” Lan Wangji ordered.

Wei Wuxian grinned. “If I don’t leave, will you throw me down?”

With how Wei Wuxian acted in the past, he was bound to offend everyone. He was stubborn and provocative; he was too thoughtless with his words. The Jiangs should’ve taught him where his place was in the beginning. If they did, maybe he would know better than to be too overconfident.

“I still can’t see how their romance bloomed… It seems impossible to me! Look at how they interact. Hanguang-jun is always pissed at Wei Wuxian.” A rogue cultivator commented.

The friend of the cultivator rolled her eyes and replied, “Alright, alright. It’s impossible for you. Now shut up, will you? It’s annoying to hear you say that over and over again.”

Looking at Lan Wangji’s face, Wei Wuxian suspected that if he spoke one more sentence, the former would really abandon his self-restraint and nail him onto the window at once. Wei Wuxian said, “Don’t be so scary! I’m here to apologize by giving you a present.”

Lan Wangji immediately refused. “No.”

“Are you sure?” Wei Wuxian fished out two rabbits from his arms. One was colored black and the other was colored white. As he held them, it seemed like he was holding two round, chubby snowballs. He lifted them in front of Lan Wangji’s eyes. “It’s actually quite strange here. There aren’t many pheasants, but there are lots of wild rabbits. They aren’t even scared of people. What do you think? Aren’t they fat? Do you want them?”

Lan Wangji stared at him indifferently.

Wei Wuxian sighed. “Fine. If you don’t want them, I’m gonna give them to other people. We aren’t having many flavors in our mouths anyway.”

Lan Jingyi looked at Wei Wuxian with a scandalized expression. “Senior Wei! How could you say that?”

Wei Wuxian laughed. “Relax! I didn’t actually eat the rabbits. I was just joking!”

After he heard the last sentence, Lan Wangji said, “Stop.”

“I bet Hanguang-jun was shocked after hearing that! How could Senior Wei say such cruel words?” A Lan disciple whispered to their friend.

The disciple’s friend, another disciple from the Lan sect, nodded in agreement. If the bunnies understood Senior Wei, they would immediately run away!

“I’m not going anywhere.” replied Wei Wuxian.

Lan Wangji asked, “Who are you going to give them to?”

“I’m going to give them to whoever is good at roasting rabbit meat.”

“Killing is forbidden in Cloud Recesses. It is the third rule.”

“Fine, then. I’ll go down the mountain, kill it outside, and then bring it back to roast it. You don’t want it, so why do you care so much about it?” Wei Wuxian said.

Wei Wuxian is truly creative. If he was disciplined more by the Jiangs, the Yunmeng Jiang Sect would have more power than how much they currently have.

Lan Wangji gritted his teeth. “Give. It. To. Me.”

Wei Wuxian grinned. “Now you want it? Look at you - you’re always like this.” 

The black rabbit had bleary eyes, laying on its stomach, motionless even after a long time. The white one seemed as if it was a cricket, hopping up and down. It played with its companion, wriggling and leaping nonstop.

Wei Wuxian called out, “Lan Zhan!”

The white rabbit had stepped on Lan Wangji’s inkstone and left a line of black footsteps on the desk. Lan Wangji was unsure of what to do, holding a piece of paper and considering different ways to wipe it off. He asked, “What?”

“Look at how one is on top of the other… Are they…?” Wei Wuxian said.

Lan Wangji stared at the rabbits. After a moment, his eyes widened. “Both of these are males!”

“The rabbits remind me of Wei-xiong and Hanguang-jun.” Nie Huaisang laughed.

If the black rabbit was the energetic one while the white rabbit was the calm one, he’d think that Wei-xiong and Hanguang-jun were the rabbits!

Wen Qionglin agreed with Nie Huaisang. The colors of the rabbits were like his master and Hanguang-jun. When Lan Wangji in the orb said that the rabbits were both males, the fierce corpse immediately thought of how the rabbits represented his master and Hanguang-jun’s current relationship.

“I guess it’s foreshadowing their relationship…?” Jin Zixuan muttered. There's really a lot of foreshadowing here. Huh.

Jiang Yanli chuckled. “I guess it is. The rabbits are so cute, just like A-Xian and Hanguang-jun.”

“Males? How weird.” Wei Wuxian lifted the rabbits by their ears and examined them.

He grinned and said, “They really are male. What were you thinking of? I was the one who caught them, and I didn’t even notice whether they were female or male, but you looked at their…”

Lan Wangji threw him down the library.

Wei Wuxian broke into a fit of laughter. Lan Wangji slammed the window close with a bang and stumbled back to the desk.

As he swept a look at the messy pile of rice paper and ink pawprints on the ground, as well at the two rabbits, he closed his eyes and covered his ears.

The clusters of quivering magnolia branches were shut outside the window. Yet, no matter how hard he resisted, he couldn’t shut out Wei Wuxian’s vibrant, unrestrained laughter.

“Is my laugh so awful that you don’t want to hear it, Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian pouted, turning his head to his husband.

Lan Wangji shook his head. “Wei Ying’s laugh isn’t awful. He has a wonderful laugh. I like hearing Wei Ying’s laugh.” He said with a smile.

Wei Wuxian’s pout turned into a smile as he said, “I’ll laugh more often for Lan Zhan then.”

Lan Wangji hummed, but his smile disappeared and his eyebrows furrowed. “Wei Ying shouldn’t force himself to laugh if he doesn’t feel like it, though.”

Wei Wuxian chuckled and nodded his head.

Meanwhile, Lan Xichen smiled as he stared at the orb. He felt proud, seeing how much his brother improved when it comes to emotions and feelings. He was thankful to Wei Wuxian for making his brother happy.

The scene changed. The orb showed Lan Qiren’s classroom, and the old man seemed to be in the middle of a lesson.

“Lan An was born in a temple. He grew up listening to the chanting of sutras, and thus became a famous monk at a young age. At the age of twenty, he used the “Lan” from “qielan” as his last name and resumed worldly life, becoming a musician. During his path of cultivation, he met the “fated person” he searched for in Gusu, became cultivation partners with her, and founded Lan Sect. After his partner passed away, he returned to the temple and ended his life there.”

“What a romantic the Lan Sect founder was!”

“The partner of Lan An was really lucky to have met him!”

While many were swooning at the romance of Lan An and his partner, Jin Zixuan stared at the orb with a grimace. He remembered every detail of what happened here. How could he not? This was when he was punched by Wei Wuxian and  his engagement with his wife was broken.

Ah, what would his son say? He would be disappointed when he sees how he treated A-Li. He was sure that his son only heard a perfect love story whenever he asked about his parents.

His and A-Li’s love story was nowhere near “perfect”.

The scene then changed again to a group of students chattering. Wei Wuxian, Jiang Wanyin, and Nie Huaisang were among the students.

Wei Wuxian laughed. “So, the founder of the Lan Sect was a monk- no wonder! He ventured into the mortal world to meet one person, and, as she went, he went as well, leaving nothing behind this world. But why would a person like him produce such unromantic descendants?”

Since nobody expected the Lan Sect to have such a founder, they chatted among themselves. As they chatted, the center of the conversation tipped toward the direction of cultivation partners.

A disciple asked, “Zixuan-xiong, who do you think is the best girl?”

As Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin heard this, they looked at Jin Zixuan who was in the front row.

Jin Ling stared at his father in the orb. He didn’t look much different from his father who was sitting beside him.

Another person spoke, “It’s best for you to not ask Zixuan-xiong about this. He already has a fiance, so his answer would definitely be his fiance.”

Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian rolled their eyes.

Jin Zixuan scowled. The disciple who asked Jin Zixuan asked with a cheerful smile, “Really? Which sect is she from?  She must be extremely talented!”

“Forget it.” Jin Zixuan said.

Jin Zixuan gulped and looked away.

“A-Die…?” Jin Ling said slowly.

What?

His father… He looked displeased upon hearing the word “fiance”. Why? Why did he say ‘Forget it’? Didn’t- didn’t he love his mother? So why? Why?

“A-Ling…” Jiang Yanli sighed and patted her son’s hair. Her son would definitely hate watching her and A-Xuan’s thorny love story…

Wei Wuxian spoke with hostility, “What do you mean by ‘forget it’?”

Everyone in the room was surprised. Wei Wuxian was always carefree and smiling, they had never seen him be so hostile before.

Jin Zixuan spoke in an arrogant tone, “Is the phrase ‘forget it’ too difficult to understand?”

Wei Wuxian smiled sardonically. “The phrase isn’t hard to understand. Instead, it’s hard to understand how on earth you are unsatisfied with my shijie.”

Jin Zixuan replied, “Why don’t you ask me how I can be satisfied with her?”

Jiang Wanyin glared at Jin Zixuan.

“A-Die…” Jin Ling said in disbelief. Then, he quietly laughed either bitterness.

Of course, everything told to him about his parents' love story was a lie. Hah. A perfect love story? Absolute bullshit.

What did he expect? Everyone lied to him. About his parents. About his uncles. He's been eating lies that he's been told his whole life. What did he fucking expect? There was no such thing as perfect.

“A-Ling…” Jin Zixuan took a big breath. How was he supposed to explain this to his son?

Jin Ling looked up and stared at his father. “Why? Why?” His lips trembled as he asked.

Jiang Yanli looked at Jin Zixuan with knitted eyebrows and pursed lips as she caressed Jin Ling’s back. Hearing her husband’s words… It hurt. However, this was the past they were watching. Her husband was no longer the same man as he was before; he loved her and treated her with care and understanding. With love.

“I… I… I didn’t fall in love with your mother until the Sunshot Campaign. I admit that I was rude here and crossed the line. I… I didn’t like that my mother decided on my fiance for me.” Jin Zixuan quietly said. He looked down as he spoke.

Jin Ling took a deep breath. Right.

He looked away from his father. “I see…”

Jiang Yanli held Jin Zixuan’s hand and whispered, “Let’s give him some space.”

The latter nodded. He should let his son think.

Meanwhile, Ouyang Zizhen stared at Jin Ling with a frown. “Do you guys think Jin Ling is alright?” He said with concern.

Lan Sizhui sighed. “I don’t think so… But Jin Ling is mature enough, and I’m sure he needs some space with his parents.”

A cultivation whispered, “Ah, another case of ‘how did this person fall in love with their partner’? Jin Zixuan in the orb personally said he was unsatisfied with Jiang Yanli. Yet, he’s so in love with her now. How peculiar.”

“People’s minds change all the time. Just because he wasn’t in love with his wife doesn’t mean that he won’t ever love her.”

Wei Wuxian sneered, “You sure think that you’re pretty satisfying, don’t you? Where did you get the guts to be all choosy here?”

“If she’s unsatisfied, then tell her to get rid of this engagement! I don’t care for your shijie. If you care for her, ask her father about it! Doesn’t he treat you better than his own child or something?”

Upon hearing the last sentence, Jiang Wanyin’s eyes stiffened.

Jiang Wanyin scoffed. The orb would clearly show everything. Their family problems would not be spared, and will be exposed as well.

Ah, how exciting. How fucking exciting , Jiang Wanyin seethed.

Wei Wuxian gritted his teeth and glared at Jin Zixuan. He grabbed the latter’s collar and quickly punched him in the face. Jin Zixuan stumbled backwards, glaring at Wei Wuxian while holding his cheek that was punched. “You-!”

Of course, Jin Zixuan wouldn’t let himself get punched without fighting back. He punched Wei Wuxian as well, who seemed to be ready to hit Jin Zixuan again. The two were stopped from having a brawl by everyone in the room.

‘I really deserved that punch…’ Jin Zixuan thought.

Jin Ling quietly watched the orb. He didn’t say a word.

On the same day, Jiang Fengmian and Jin Guangshan hurried to Gusu.

Wei Wuxian stared at Jiang Fengmian, hands starting to tremble. He looked down.

He can’t. He can’t look at him, despite his strong desire to do so.

The image of Jiang Fengmian’s lifeless body flashed on his mind. God, was he going to cry again?

“Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji called out with furrowed eyebrows and a frown, worried.

“I- I’m fine, Lan Zhan. Don’t worry.” Wei Wuxian replied with a trembling voice. Something wet dropped on his hand, and another followed. Wei Wuxian touched his cheeks and-

Oh . He was crying.

Lan Wangji quietly embraced Wei Wuxian, tucking his head at the crook of his neck. “You can cry.” He whispered after he kissed his husband’s hair.

Wei Wuxian’s whole body trembled. He quietly sobbed in Lan Wangji’s arms.

Wei Wuxian wasn’t the only one crying. Jiang Wanyin stared at his father with clenched hands. It had been decades since he last saw his father… Sometimes, he feared that he would one day forget how he looked. How his mother looked.

He didn’t even get to say a proper goodbye to his father. Jiang Wanyin rubbed his eyes before the tears fell. That would be embarrassing. He didn’t want to lose any more face than he already had.

“A-Li, are you okay?” Jin Zixuan asked. He tenderly drew circles at the back of Jiang Yanlu’s hand.

The latter nodded. She was crying, but her tears were tears of happiness. She was sad that her parents weren’t here with them, but she was happy to see her father’s face again. Even if it was just a moving picture from an orb.

She’ll see her mother’s face as well, won't she?. She should prepare herself so that she won’t cry again. It wasn’t good to cry too much.

Jiang Yanli wiled her tears away endlessly, but they just kept coming… Jin Zixuan took the hand of Jiang Yanli that she was wiping her tears away with.

He smiled at her. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you should cry your heart out. It’ll help you feel better rather than bottling your emotions.”

Jiang Yanli chuckled. “You should follow your own advice, A-Xuan."

Jin Zixuan only smiled awkwardly. Jin Ling held his mother’s hand tightly, staring at her with concern. He wasn’t the best at comforting others… Was this enough? Fuck. He isn’t the best person when it comes to dealing with emotions. Does his mother feel better with him just holding his hand? Jin Ling doesn’t know.

Jiang Fengmian took a sip of his tea. “I think we should cancel the engagement. A-Li’s mother was the one who insisted on having this engagement in the first place, and I didn’t agree. Looking at it now, as neither of them are keen, it’s best if we don’t force it.”

Jin Guangshan was shocked. He was a bit hesitant, as it was never a good thing to end an engagement with another prominent sect. He responded, “What do the children know? They can play around however they want to. Fengmian-xiong, you and I don’t need to pay them any attention.”

“Jin-xiong, although we can set the engagement for them, we can’t carry out the marriage in place for them. After all, they are the ones who will be spending the rest of their lives together.” said Jiang Fengmian.

After some consideration, Jin Guangshan agreed. He didn’t care much about the engagement, and he knew about Jin Zixuan’s resentfulness to Jiang Yanli’s status as his fiancee.

Well, that’s a good thing, right? His father said they fell in love during the war. If their engagement was never broken, they would continue to be unhappy, wouldn’t they?

Ah, Jin Ling shouldn’t be too gloomy. This was the past! His parents are now happily married, no longer stuck in an unhappy engagement. Not to mention, his father would be an asshole towards his mother if they get married without falling in love with each other. His mother doesn’t deserve that.

Still, Jin Long couldn't bring himself to talk to his father at the moment.

The scene changed to Wei Wuxian kneeling on a stone path. From a distance, Jiang Wanyin approached with a sneer. “Look at how well-behaved you are, kneeling so properly.”

Wei Wuxian responded, “Of course, I kneel all the time, but Jin Zixuan is a spoiled brat, so he’s definitely never knelt before. If I don’t make him kneel to the point that he cries for his parents, my last name won’t be Wei anymore.”

Jiang Wanyin lowered his head, paused for a few moments, then said in a soft tone, “A-Die came.”

“Shijie didn’t come, did she?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“Why would she come? To see how you lost face for her? If she did come, would she not come to your side and bring medicine for you?” replied Jiang Wanyin.

The head disciple of the Jiang Sect sighed. “It’d be nice if shijie came… It’s fortunate you didn’t hit him.”

“I was going to. If you didn’t push me, the other side of Jin Zixuan’s face would also be ruined.”

Jin Zixuan scowled. Was it necessary to show Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian talking shit about him?

Jiang Yanli chuckled and sighed. She was no longer crying, and she felt better with the presence of her son and husband. Their mother would be angrier than she already was if A-Cheng did hit her husband. She would’ve scolded him for acting so ‘immature’ and ‘childish’.

It was really fortunate that he didn’t get to hit A-Xuan.

Wei Wuxian snickered. “Nah. He looks uglier right now, with an asymmetrical face. I heard he values his face a lot, like a peacock. I wonder what he’d think after he looked into a mirror! Hahaha!” After breaking into a fit of laughter, he continued, “Actually, I should have let you hit him, and I should have watched on the side. This way, maybe Uncle Jiang wouldn’t have come, but there was no choice. I couldn’t help it!”

Jiang Wanyin humphed lightly. “You wish.”

Although it was only Wei Wuxian’s casual words, he held mixed feelings, because he knew that his shixiong’s statement wasn’t a lie.

His father had never hurried to another sect in one day for anything related to him, no matter if the issue was good or bad, large or small.

Never.

“Uncle…” Jin Ling’s lips curled into a frown.

Ah, his stupid mouth. Wei Wuxian’s gaze turned to Jiang Wanyin as he silently berated himself. He just can’t stop running his mouth and upsetting everyone, huh? Him and his stupid fucking mouth.

Why didn’t he notice? He was proud of his close brotherhood with Jiang Cheng in the past, yet he failed to notice that his shidi felt upset because of his words.

Jiang Wanyin grunted and turned to Wei Wuxian. He scowled. “Don’t overthink too much about it. We’re watching irrelevant events that already happened anyway.”

As he spoke, he looked away from Wei Wuxian. He doesn’t need to see his pity. He doesn’t .

Jiang Yanli looked at her brothers with a worried look. She sighed. What type of sister is she, when she can’t even properly comfort her distraught brothers? All she could do was say comforting and sweet words, but were they enough?

As Wei Wuxian saw his melancholy face, he thought that he was still annoyed by Jin Zixuan’s words. “You should go. You don’t need to stay with me. If Lan Wangji comes again, you’d get caught. If you have time, go visit Jin Zixuan and look at how idiotic he looks kneeling down.”

Jiang Wanyin was somewhat surprised. “Lan Wangji? Why did he come to see you?”

Wei Wuxian replied, “He was probably told by his uncle to check if I was kneeling properly.”

“And were you kneeling properly?”

Wei Wuxian answered, “I was kneeling properly. After he was some distance away, I found a stick and started to dig in the dirt. The pile beside your foot. There’s an ant hole there that I went through a lot of trouble to find. When he turned his head, he saw that my shoulders were shaking, and he definitely thought that I was crying. He even asked me. You should have seen his face when he saw the ant hole!”

“...” Jiang Wanyin stared at Wei Wuxian for a few moments, then said, “You should get lost and go back to Yunmeng as soon as possible! I don’t think that he wants to see you ever again.”

That night, Wei Wuxian packed his things and returned to Yunmeng with Jiang Fengmian.

His mother, the old Lotus Pier, and the disciples he grew up with… Jiang Wanyin doesn’t think he’s ready to see them again. Fuck, will he cry? He better fucking not.

He’s also not ready for the world to see their family issues. It was too embarrassing. But alas, he had no choice. Everyone will see how fucking depressing their parents’ marriage was. How fucking broken it was.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian laid on his stomach the whole night. When he opened his eyes the next morning, Lan Wangji was gone.

Wait, what?

“What?” Jiang Wanyin muttered in surprise. Weren’t they just watching their teenage years?

Wei Wuxian frowned. “Maybe it will show the rest of our teenage years later?”

If that was the case, why?

“What if it won’t fully show the events that happened during our youth?” Jin Zixuan suggested. Maybe that’s why they were back to watching the newly resurrected Wei Wuxian.

Lan Qiren nodded. “That could be a possibility.” He turned to Lan Xichen, who was deep in his thoughts. “What do you think, Xichen?”

Lan Xichen sighed. “I don’t have much thoughts about it, since it is unclear what we will be shown. We can only sit and watch.”

Jiang Wanyin frowned. Well, if Wei Wuxian’s words were true, then it’ll be a long time until everyone sees their stupid family issues. That’s great. He’ll lose face later, but not now. And that’s fucking great, because he finally gets a break from humiliation.

(He hates the interruption. He was about to see his family. The disciples he grew up with. The old lotus pier. Why can't the universe be kind for one second? It's unfair. Why can't he fucking see his family? He missed them)

Wei Wuxian laid on the bed properly with his arms placed on the sides of his body. He immediately took off the blanket that covered him.

At the same time, two knocks came from the Jingshi’s door. Lan Sizhui said from outside, “Young Master Mo? Have you awakened?”

“Why are you calling me so early in the morning?!” Wei Wuxian whined.

“E-early? It’s already nine…” Lan Sizhui replied.

Some things just never change.

Because he laid on his front for half of the night, his waist and back were both aching. Wei Wuxian said, “I can’t get up.”

“Uhm, what is wrong this time?”

“What is wrong? I got done by your sect’s Hanguang-jun.” The demonic cultivator responded.

“If you continue to speak nonsense like this, you will pay for it. Come out!” Lan Jingyi said with an angry tone.

Jin Ling snorted. “Tsk. You’re a Lan, aren’t you? Why is your mind so dirty?” He teased.

Lan Jingyi huffed as his face turned red. He- he wasn’t thinking of anything dirty! He was only angry because Hanguang-jun was being falsely accused! He crossed his arms together and scowled. “Shut up! You’re the one with the dirty mind!"

Wei Wuxian spoke as if he had been wronged, “Really! He did me for the whole night! I can’t go out. I don’t have the face to see anyone.”

A few juniors stared at each other dumbfoundedly outside the door. Lan Jingyi raged. “You have no shame at all! Hanguang-jun is not a cut-sleeve! He did you?! I would be more than grateful if you tell me that you did not do him. Get up! Take away that donkey of yours and train it properly! It makes so much noise!”

Lan Wangji sighed. He spoke with a stern tone, “Jingyi.”

Lan Jingyi bowed his head with pursed lips. He mumbled, “My apologies, Hanguang-jun, Senior Wei…”

How could he act so brutish when he was in Cloud Recesses? Master Lan was in Cloud Recesses during that time, wasn’t he? If he had heard Jingyi…

And, he was indeed acting rude. He could've defended Hanguang-jun in a better way...

“What did you do to my Lil’ Apple?! Don’t touch it, it’s gonna kick you.” Wei Wuxian said as he stood up.

Lan Jingyi asked, “What’s a Lil’ Apple?”

Hah! As if he was better at naming things. Wei Wuxian made fun of Jiang Wanyin because of how he named his dogs, yet he named his donkey “Lil’ Apple”? The name was terrible! Wei Wuxian had no right to judge him and his naming sense.

“My donkey!” Wei Wuxian answered.

He told the juniors to take him to his donkey after exiting the Jingshi. He was led to a field of grass, where Lil’ Apple was crying nonstop. Lil’ Apple wasn’t the only one in the field; there were also a few dozen rabbits gathered in the field.

At this point, Lan Qiren was no longer surprised. These rabbits were likely from the two rabbits Wei Wuxian gave his nephew.

Wei Wuxian was delighted. “So many rabbits! Let’s put them on a stick and start roasting!”

The Gusu Lan disciples were unimpressed. Thirteen years later, and Senior Wei was still talking about roasting cute rabbits…

Lan Jingyi fumed with anger. “Killing is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses! Also, make your donkey shut up right now! The disciples doing early readings are getting distracted. If this keeps up, we will be scolded to death!”

Wei Wuxian fed Lil’ Apple the apple he was given for his breakfast. As expected, the donkey stopped making noises as it chewed on the apple. Wei Wuxian stroked the back of its neck as he thought about the passage of tokens on these juniors and pointed at the rabbits on the ground. “I really can’t roast them? If I roast them, would I be chased off the mountain?”

Lan Jingyi quickly blocked the rabbits in the front of Wei Wuxian. “No! These rabbits are Hanguang-jun’s. We occasionally help him look after them. You cannot roast them!”

As Wei Wuxian heard this, he laughed so hard he almost fell on the ground. ‘What an interesting person Lan Zhan is! In the past, he didn’t even accept them when I gave them out for free, but now, he secretly raised a whole bunch, and he said he didn’t want them. Who was he kidding? Oh please, I bet he actually likes them a lot. Hanguang-jun, holding a rabbit while keeping a straight face…

....My gosh, I’m gonna die…”

“I will never look at rabbits the same way ever again! My mind will immediately go to Senior Wei and Hanguang-jun- Ah! They’re so cute!” Ouyang Zizhen squealed. Of course, it wasn’t loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, but it was loud enough for  Sect Leader Ouyang to hear his son.

Sect Leader Ouyang pinched the bridge of his nose and scowled. ‘Does my son have no sense of shame? He’s humiliating our sect…’

However, as he thought of his situation of lying on top of Lan Wangji last night, his laughter stopped.

Suddenly, rings of a bell came from the western side of Cloud Recesses. The rings were hurried and violent, as if a madman was striking it. Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui stopped joking around with him, dashing towards the bell at once. Wei Wuxian knew something was wrong and quickly followed after them.

The sound came from the Mingshi. Lan disciples gathered outside the watchtower, but nobody dared to go in without careful consideration. The wooden door of the Mingshi was tightly locked, and can only be opened from the inside.

“It must be the hand of Chifeng-zun that caused this.” A disciple from a minor sect loudly stated.

Their friend rolled their eyes. “What else could have caused this?”

Meanwhile, Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli stared at each other with wide eyes. They were startled upon hearing the statement of the disciple.

Chifeng-zun’s… hand?

What. What.

Jin Ling noticed his parents’ reaction and said, “Don’t worry, everything will be explained soon.”

He could've just explained it to them, but everything was so complicated. He wasn't sure if his parents would even understand a word he would say.

Seeing that Lan Wangji hadn’t appeared yet, Wei Wuxian had a foreboding feeling. If Lan Wangji was still in Cloud Recesses, he would have hurried over immediately as soon as he heard the bells…

Suddenly, the door of the Mingshi bursted open! A disciple rushed outside, staggering and stumbling.

As his legs weren’t steady, the disciple rolled down the stairs as soon as he came out. The door instantly closed again, as if someone angrily slammed it shut.

The bystanders quickly helped the disciple up. As soon as he stood up, he fell again, his eyes filled with tears. The disciple held onto his peers. “We should have… We shouldn’t have summoned…”

The face of the  Lan disciple on the orb turned red as he looked away from the memory. How humiliating! To be seen like this by others…

He no longer have any dignity!

Wei Wuxian grabbed his hand and said in a low voice, “Which being’s spirit did you summon? Who else is inside? Where’s Hanguang-jun?”

“Hanguang-jun told me to run away-” The disciple hoarsely replied. Before he finished speaking, blood gushed out of his nose and mouth. Wei Wuxian pushed the disciple in Lan Sizhui’s arms.

With the hastily created bamboo flute he created by his waist, Wei Wuxian went up the stairs. He kicked the Mingshi’s door and commanded, “Open!”

The Mingshi’s door abruptly opened, shocking the Gusu Lan disciples. Wei Wuxian entered in a flash, and the door closed once again.

“Wasn’t it mentioned that the door cannot be opened from the outside…?” Ouyang Zizhen slowly said with confusion. Was it opened by Senior Wei’s resentful energy?

Jin Ling piped up, “Maybe Hanguang-jun heard him and opened the door.”

“Jin Ling’s statement makes sense… But it doesn’t really matter. Senior Wei and Hanguang-jun dealt with the situation before it escalated, and that’s all that matters.” Lan Sizhui said.

A few disciples followed Wei Wuxian, but the door couldn’t be opened again. A guest disciple blurted out, “Who on earth was that person?!”

Lan Sizhui held the injured disciple and spoke through clenched teeth, “Come help me first. His qiqiao is bleeding!”

Meanwhile, inside the Mingshi, Wei Wuxian felt a dark energy coming over him as soon as he entered. A few people laid motionless on the ground. The object of this summoning was set in the array on the ground.

It was the arm from Mo Village!

The disciples from Qinghe Nie Sect felt awkward upon seeing their former sect leader’s hand. Watching it wreak havoc in Mo Village made them feel uncomfortable, especially since that hand was once used to bring justice. Now, watching it create destruction, this time in the Lan Sect…

All they felt was discomfort. This was the hand of their former sect leader, after all.

Four of its fingers were clenched, while its index finger pointed at the sky.

Lan Wangji was the only one seated at the east side. A guqin laid on his side. Although his hands didn’t touch it, the instrument vibrated on its own. Lan Qiren, who was originally responsible for one section in the Mingshi, was unconscious on the side, his qiqiao bleeding like the injured disciple earlier.

Wei Wuxian to the far west, directly across Lan Wangji. He pulled out his bamboo flute and lifted it to his lips. Lan Wangji met his gaze, a look of understanding on his face. As he raised his right hand, a melody poured out from the guqin. Wei Wuxian quickly joined with his flute.

The two played “Evocation”. The arm seemed like it was angered, its veins twitching visibly. The sense of suppression in the air felt heavier. Wei Wuxian was secretly shocked. It was almost impossible that the spirit couldn’t be summoned with Lan Wangji and him playing “Evocation”. Unless… the dead person’s soul was cut apart alongside his body!

Nie Huaisang scowled and looked away from the orb. His hold on his fan tightened, almost breaking it. Yes, it had been years since the death of his brother, but it still hurt whenever he heard about the way his brother died.

‘Jin Guangyao…’ Nie Huaisang thought bitterly. His hand that didn’t hold his fan tightened into a fist.

‘Da-ge…’ Lan Xichen thought as he stared at the orb with melancholy. His gaze turned towards the ground. Da-ge… what sin did he do in his past life for him to have such an awful death? He was a righteous man. A good brother. A good friend.

What did he do to deserve this?

Lan Xichen glanced at Nie Huaisang.

It appears that this fellow’s death was a bit worse than his. Although his body was chomped into pieces, at least his soul was complete.

Since “Evocation” didn’t work, Lan Wangji’s fingers shifted, and he played “Rest” this time. Wei Wuxian followed. He purposely played it with many mistakes and short breaths of air, to the point that it was heartbreaking to hear.

Many winced at the sound.

Jin Ling scowled. “This is as worse as the screeching sound from earlier at the Mo Village!”

Wei Wuxian chuckled. “I was trying to protect my identity, okay? Plus, the flute I used was hastily made with a sword. Of course it won’t sound good! If I had Chenqing, maybe it would sound as bad.”

‘Fucking hell.’ Jiang Wanyin thought as he gritted his teeth upon hearing Wei Wuxian play. It was absolutely horrendous! Surely, Lan Wangji didn’t let him play like that? Even if he was an extremely patient man, surely his ears suffered from hearing that, and he at least gave Wei Wuxian a better flute?

Actually, why wonder? Lan Wangji definitely gave Wei Wuxian a better flute. He wouldn’t let his beloved use such an awful flute.

After a while, Lan Wangji raised his head to look at Wei Wuxian with an expressionless face. Wei Wuxian thickened his face and pretended he didn’t see anything, his tune venturing off even more.

Lan Qiren, who was unconscious, sat upright. He pointed at Wei Wuxian with a trembling hand and shouted with a hoarse voice, “Stop playing! Get out! Get out! Stop…”

Before he finished speaking, he spat out a mouthful of blood and fell unconcious again.

Lan Wangji, “..."

The people in the room refrained themselves from laughing. It was disrespectful, and they would certainly get in trouble with Lan Qiren. But…

The scene was just too hilarious!

Lan Qiren scowled and looked away. His ears were quite red, and his hands trembled in rage. How humiliating! How ridiculous!

Wei Wuxian broke into a laughing fit. “Hahaha! I remember this! I remember this! It’s so hilarious!”

“Mn.” Lan Wangji hummed. His lips were curled into a small smile. Wei Wuxian grinned upon seeing his husband’s face.

“Lan Zhan, you find it hilarious too, right? Don’t worry, I won’t say a thing so that you won’t get in trouble with your uncle!” Wei Wuxian said.

Lan Qiren, who heard Wei Wuxian’s statement, glared at the two. Even his own nephew…

Outrageous! 

Wei Wuxian gaped. 

Their duet actually angered Lan Qiren so much that he woke up! He likely wanted to say ‘Stop! Stop playing! Stop tainting his favorite disciple’s guqin notes!’

Despite the horrible sounding duet, the hand drooped gradually. Wei Wuxian thought, ‘Although it sounds bad, it doesn’t matter as long as it works.’

After the last echo of the guqin, the door opened. All of the disciples that surrounded the Mingshi rushed inside. “Hanguang-jun!”

Lan Wangji walked over to Lan Qiren and checked his pulse. The disciples began to calm down with him leading. The older seniors laid the bleeding ones on the ground and started to treat them. As they used needles and medicine, another group of disciples carried a large bell over, intending to cage the arm inside.

“Hanguang-jun, neither elixirs nor acupuncture work. What should we do?” A few disciples asked, worried.

“Gusu Lan people are really orderly. Now, if only my disciples are like that...” A sect leader quietly lamented. His disciples always panicked and never used their brains during problems. He has to dictate their every move!

With three fingers still on Lan Qiren’s wrist, Lan Wangji remained silent.

Wei Wuxian kept the bamboo flute beside his waist. He squatted down besides the bronze bell and gently stroked the inscriptions on it. As he was thinking, he suddenly saw a downcast expression on Lan Sizhui’s face. He asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lan Sizhui hesitated. He knew that this Young Master Mo was no ordinary man. Otherwise, how could he have opened the tightly shut door of the Mingshi, when they, cultivators with strong golden cores, could not?

He sighed and replied in a low voice. “It’s just that I feel slightly guilty.”

“Why are you feeling guilty? You didn’t do anything!” Lan Jingyi said as he turned to face Lan Sizhui.

Lan Sizhui smiled awkwardly and looked at his side. What should he say? He doesn’t know what to say to Jingyi…

“Jingyi is right. There’s no reason for you to feel guilty! You didn’t do anything wrong.” Ouyang Zizhen chimed in, agreeing with Lan Jingyi.

“I know, I know… Let’s all move on, yeah? I was just being silly.” Lan Sizhui said.

Jin Ling looked at him with an unimpressed gaze.

As Lan Sizhui conversed with his friends, Wen Qionglin stared at him with pursed lips. A-Yuan was really similar to Hanguang-jun and his master. It was almost as if he was their child.

He could almost see his master in A-Yuan during this conversation. Feeling guilt despite not being the person at fault… Wasn’t that how his master is like?

A-jie would definitely agree with him if she was here.

If only she was…

Wei Wuxian asked, “Guilty for what?”

“The hand was coming for us.” Lan Sizhui replied.

“How do you know?”

“Spirit-attraction flags of different levels are drawn in different ways and have different amounts of power. The spirit-attraction flags we drew at Mo Village had a range of only twenty-five hundred meters in circumstances. Yet, this ghost hand has a strong killing intent, feeding on human flesh and bones. If it had been within that range in the beginning, Mo Village would have been a river of blood since long ago. However, it appeared after we arrived… Which means that someone intentionally put it there.” said Lan Sizhui as he looked down on the ground.

Wei Wuxian responded, “Your academics are quite strong. That was a good analysis.” 

Lan Sizhui hands clenched into a fist. “If so, for the lives lost at Mo Village, we should also be responsible… We also involved Master Lan and others in this matter…” He said in a low tone.

“You did not do anything wrong.” Lan Xichen said. “You did a good job, actually. You knew that this matter was something that you can’t handle on your own, and you did the right thing to seek help from the more experienced seniors." He continued with a smile.

Lan Sizhui’s cheeks and ears turned red as he awkwardly smiled. “I-i see… Thank you, Zewu-jun…”

Jiang Yanli smiled at the two Lans. It was nice to see the worries of these juniors addressed and not pushed aside as nothing. If only it was like this in other sects.

After a moment of silence, Wei Wuxian patted Lan Sizhui’s shoulders. “The one responsible should be the person who brought the ghost hand. In this world, there’s just many things that are impossible to control.”

‘You should listen to me, kid. This advice is coming from someone who has experienced it.’

Wei Wuxian chuckled with a bitter smile. Ah, he sounded like an old man. How embarrassing!

On the other side, Lan Wangji removed his hand on Lan Qiren’s wrist. Disciples from the Lan Sect asked, “Hanguang-jun, how is it?”

“Trace its source.” The Second Jade of Lan replied.

Wei Wuxian chimed in, “That’s right. If we trace its source, find the full corpse of the ghost hand, we’d be able to solve this problem.”

Lan Jingyi spoke in a criticising tone, “You make it sound so simple. The spirit-summoning did not work, and it resulted in this mess. How can we possibly find it?”

“The northwest.” Lan Wangji stated.

“The northwest? How could it be in the northwest?” Lan Sizhui asked.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “It already showed the way.”

Lan Jingyi tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. “Who showed it? Hanguang-jun didn’t show anything.”

Wei Wuxian pointed at the hand. “It.”

The disciples thought for a moment. Their eyes widened and they turned their heads toward the hand. Sure enough, it was pointing northwest. One disciple tried to turn the hand away, but it only went back to pointing northwest. Lan Jingyi stammered, “What… What is it pointing at?”

Wei Wuxian replied, “What else could it be pointing at? Either the murderer or the other parts of its corpse.”

“If it’s pointing toward Jin Guangyao, or the other parts of Chifeng-zun’s corpse, then why is it that it won’t go there itself?” A rogue cultivator wondered.

Their friend replied, “Are you seriously wondering that? It doesn’t have a brain. It’s a ghost hand! How can it think that?"

The rogue cultivator thought for a moment, then nodded. Right, it doesn’t have a brain. Wei Wuxian and Hanguang-jun'e shenanigans must have been stupefying him.

The boys standing in the northwest immediately moved away. Lan Wangji spoke to the disciples, “Take care of uncle.”

The disciples nodded. “Hanguang-jun, are you traveling down the mountain?”

Lan Wangji nodded. Wei Wuxian shifted behind him and said in a cheerful, loud voice, “Yes, yes, we can finally get off this mountain and elope together!”

Lan Wangji chuckled at his husband. Wei Ying really foreshadows the future a lot, doesn’t he? The Second Jade of Lan patted Wei Wuxian’s hair gently, which startled the latter.

“Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian said with an eyebrow raised. He nuzzled his head to Lan Wangji’s hand that was on top of his head. Lan Wangji’s lips curled into a small smile, and he continued patting Wei Wuxian’s head.

Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes at the public display of affection. He was used to it at this point.

The disciples’ eyebrows furrowed as they frowned. How shameless! Is he not scared of Hanguang-jun?

Lan Qiren’s eyebrows twitched from where he lay.

‘Those poor disciples…’ Nie Huaisang thought with pity. Wei-xiong really is merciless. He didn’t spare those poor juniors from his shamelessness!

The scene faded to black.

A distorted voice spoke, “Lan Wangji didn’t bring any disciples down the mountain. He only took Wei Wuxian, watching him as closely as he could. Wei Wuxian, on the other hand, was delighted, thinking that this was a chance to slip away.”

Wei Wuxian blinked. Who? This voice…

“Does anyone recognize this voice?” Lan Qiren asked loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Perhaps the owner of this voice was the one responsible for locking them in this room.

No one answered. Everyone’s heads turned to Wei Wuxian, who shrugged. “I don’t recognize this voice either.”

Lan Xichen sighed. If only they could access their golden cores…

The voice continued, “However, his attempts were futile. Whenever he tried to escape, it ended with Lan Wangji carrying him back. Thus, Wei Wuxian changed his strategy. Instead of running away from Lan Wangji, he clung to the Lan. At night, he would persistently climb onto Lan Wangji’s bed and sleep beside him. He hoped that his actions would disgust Lan Wangji and he would be shooed away, but to his surprise, the Lan was unbothered.

The orb faded from black to Wei Wuxian’s defeated face. The demonic cultivator thought, ‘Now that he’s an adult, he’s less fun than before. In the past, he would become shy whenever I teased him. However, now, not only does he seem unbothered, he also learned how to counterattack?!’

Lan Wangji raised an eyebrow. “Less fun”? Hm.

“Aiyah, Lan Zhan, don’t look at me like that! I didn’t know what I was saying back then!” Wei Wuxian said as soon as he saw Lan Wangji’s gaze. He smirked. “But… We’ve been sitting here for so long that my poor memory is forgetting how fun you are. Would you mind showing me after we get out of here?” He teased, whispering the last sentence so that Lan Wangji would be the only one to hear him.

“Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji reprimanded, his ears turning red. His hands twitched.

Just how long would they stay here?

The distorted voice returned and stated, “The two went northwest. They played Rest everyday to calm the ghost hand.” As the voice said this, the orb showed Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian walking in the streets of Qinghe.

“When they arrived at Qinghe, the hand curled into a fist, which meant the thing the hand was pointing at was just around the area.”

Wei Wuxian was walking behind Lan Wangji. He was looking around when he was assaulted with the overwhelming scent of cosmetics. He turned to the charlatan where the fragrance came from and asked, “What are you smelling? How does it smell like this?”

Jin Zixuan frowned. “Why are we being shown this? It doesn’t seem to be important.”

“I don’t think there is someone controlling the memories the orb is showing. Thus, even the most irrelevant events are being shown to us.” said Jiang Yanli.

Wasn’t that a good thing? They won’t be overwhelmed with too much information. Everybody in the room with them  probably doesn't care if these little moments aren’t shown since they already knew everything, but her and A-Xuan? They were missing a lot.

The charlatan beamed. “I sell everything! The rogue and powder here are both cheap and fine! Young Master, why don’t you take a look?”

“Sure, I’ll take a look.”

“Are you buying for your wife?”

“For myself.” Wei Wuxian replied with a grin.

“...”

Who knew the Yiling Patriarch was interested in cosmetics? The more they watched him, the more they felt that Wei Wuxian and the feared Yiling Patriarch were completely different individuals.

The charlatan’s smile froze. ‘Are you messing with me?’

“Do not bother others if you are not gonna buy it.” chided Lan Wangji.

The charlatan looked at Lan Wangji. The charlatan immediately knew which sect Lan Wangji came from and ran away. Wei Wuxian yelled, “Where are you going? I really wanted to buy it!”

Lan Wangji asked, “Do you have the money?”

“I don’t, so you have to give me money!” Wei Wuxian joked with a grin. Then, he extended his arms, expecting Lan Wangji to ignore him. However, to his surprise, he felt something heavy placed on his hand. He looked at his extended hand, and sure enough, there was a pouch filled with money placed on it.

A female cultivator sighed. “If only my husband was like this…”

The husband of said cultivator turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. “I can hear you, you know?”

“Of course I know, I’m not stupid.” The female cultivator mumbled as she crossed her arms together. The husband scowled.

“Hanguang-jun is rich, so he obviously has the ability to spoil Wei Wuxian. Our financial status is too different, so don’t compare me to him!” The husband scoffed. Seriously, they would be living in the streets if he acted like Hanguang-jun. He barely has any money at all!

The female cultivator huffed, “I was only joking! Stop being so serious.”

If Wei Wuxian didn’t know about Lan Wangji’s integrity, he would’ve thought that he and Mo Xuanyu knew each other before. Or else, why would Lan Wangji endure his shameless behavior?

Lan Xichen chuckled silently. Ah, the things love does to you. Whether you like it or not, it will change something in you, whether it’s minor or major, good or bad.

After walking some distance, Wei Wuxian turned around and saw that Lan Wangji was still standing at the same place, staring at him. Wei Wuxian slowed his pace.

“The Yiling Patriarch, five coins for one, ten coins for three!”

Wei Wuxian turned his head to the vendor. He hurried over to the vendor, who was the charlatan selling cosmetics earlier.

“Five coins for one, ten coins for three- such a low price wouldn’t cost you anything! I recommend three. One for the door, one for the hall, and stick the last on your bedroom wall. Its strong evil energy will ward off evil beings!”

Wei Wuxian complained, “That’s some shameless boasting! If it’s really effective, would you still be selling one for five coins?!”

“I guess that’s why he ran away after seeing Lan Wangji.” Jin Zixuan muttered. Of course, the scammer would get scared of getting into trouble after seeing the mighty and righteous Hanguang-jun. Though, he might have only recognised the sect Lan Wangji came from.

Jiang Wanyin scoffed, “The faces of these scammers are too thick.”

“Why is it you again?!” The charlatan glared at Wei Wuxian.

The demonic cultivator looked at the portraits in the hands of the charlatan and saw a fierce corpse looking middle-aged man with disheveled hair, sharp, uneven teeth, flat nose, and a beard. The man in the portrait had a crazed look in his eyes and a sinister grin.

Wei Wuxian couldn’t accept that this was how people pictured him. How insulting!

“I- Wei Wuxian was a famous man for his good-looks and charm. He was ranked fourth in the list of top cultivator gentlemen in his generation! This is nothing of how he looked! If you haven’t seen him personally, then don’t draw him. You’re misleading the younger generation!”

Wei Wuxian still felt bitter. Who wouldn’t be, when they were drawn like that?!

He scowled. “I can tolerate those false rumours, but not this! Almost everyone knew that I was known for my charm, right? So why was I drawn like that?! Even if the artist hated me, they shouldn’t be misleading other people like this!” He whined.

Lan Wangji hummed in agreement, his eyebrows furrowed. He clearly didn’t like how his husband was depicted as well. “Mn, they should have done research first before drawing Wei Ying”

The charlatan opened his mouth, about to reply, when Wei Wuxian felt a gust of wind behind him. Wei Wuxian looked behind him and the sound of footsteps grew closer. He saw a figure clad in yellow quickly approaching, and he dodged to the side before he was attacked.

The charlatan was thrown off, crashing into a pinwheel beside the street. Some people helped him up while others retrieved the fallen things on the ground. Jin Ling stood with a scowl, and the charlatan restrained himself from cursing when he recognized which sect the boy belonged. Instead, the charlatan asked, “Why did you kick me?”

“Jin Ling! This isn’t the correct way to behave! You can’t just attack someone!” Jiang Yanli scolded with a stern and loud voice. Does her son not know any manners?

Jin Zixuan looked at Jin Ling with knitted eyebrows. “Your mother is correct, A-Ling. Just because you’re a part of a prestigious sect doesn’t mean you can just do this. You should’ve already known this.”

The young sect leader fiddled with his fingers as he mumbled, “I… I know my actions were unacceptable…”

Every time he shows up, he just keeps humiliating himself. His parents must be so disappointed. He was acting like a brute, unfitting for a sect heir of a prestigious sect. It was no wonder people gossiped and badmouthed him behind his back. He was so arrogant and rude back then, how could they not?

The Lanling Jin Sect has lost so much face because of his childish behavior in the past. Everyone in the room must be mocking him in their minds.

“A-Cheng, don’t tell me you tolerated this behavior and never scolded him for it?” Jiang Yanli turned to her brother with knitted eyebrows with the same stern tone she had earlier.

Ah… While he does scold Jin Ling regularly, he has never seriously scolded him for these types of shenanigans he did…

Jiang Yanli seemed to have read his thoughts, as she said with an exasperated tone, “A-Cheng, this behavior of A-Ling is extremely unacceptable. Have you ever called him out for it?!”

“I’m sorry, A-Jie… I…”

Jiang Yanli immediately knew the answer to her question. “Jiang Wanyin! You- Was your heart so full of hatred that you failed to see how this behavior could get A-Ling in trouble one day? How this behavior hurt other people?! You should be a good role model for A-Ling! Yet you-”

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji looked at each other. It would be bad if an argument starts, but Jiang Yanli’s anger was understandable. Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure if he should meddle. Jin Zixuan patted Jiang Yanli’s back and tried to calm her down. She opened her mouth and was about to continue rebuking her brother and her son, but Lan Xichen interrupted.

“Second Madam Jin, please calm down. I’m sure we can resolve our concerns later on. Please, take a deep breath.”

Jin Ling held his mother’s hand and patted it. Jiang Yanli took a deep breath and said, “Later, we’re going to talk about it.” As she spoke, she glared at Jiang Wanyin and Jin Ling.

Wei Wuxian cleared his throat. Ah… He has a feeling he’ll be pulled into this talk…

Jin Ling crossed his arms. “Kick you? Anyone who mentions Wei Wuxian in front of me should be kneeling in gratitude that I didn’t kill them.” He said coldly.

Wei Wuxian watched the scene and thought, ‘That’s not good. This child inherited his father and uncle’s bad qualities and none of his mother’s strengths. If I don’t do something, this child will definitely suffer in the future.’

Although Jin Zixuan and Jiang Wanyin felt offended, they didn’t say anything. They simply scowled.

As much as they hate to admit it, Wei Wuxian’s statement was true.

“Jin Ling!” Wei Wuxian called out.

Jin Ling turned to Wei Wuxian, face full of disdain. “You still haven’t ran away? You sure have a lot of guts. Don’t blame me if you get hurt”

Wei Wuxian laughed. “Hah, who was the one forced down onto the ground by me, unable to get up?”

Normally, Jin Ling would feel embarrassed at the reminder. However, his mind was elsewhere. He simply stared at the orb with a blank look.

‘A-Niang and A-Die… They must be disappointed in me. Extremely so. Do they regret meeting me now? Now that they found out their son was so arrogant? So brutish? I…’

Jin Zixuan glanced at Jin Ling and frowned. He placed his right hand on Jin Ling’s shoulder, snapping the young sect leader out of his thoughts. He smiled at his son. As if he read his thoughts, Jin Zixuan said, “Don’t worry, A-Ling. Your A-Niang and I still love you.”

“A-Die…” Jin Ling whispered, his lips trembling. Ah, why was his sight blurring? They felt wet…

Was he tearing up? How childish.

Jin Ling quietly sniffed and roughly wiped his tears away before they spilled. He was a sect leader now! He shouldn’t be crying like this in front of so many people. He’d be seen as a joke if people saw him be vulnerable.

Jin Zixuan patted Jin Ling’s shoulder. “Don’t wipe your eyes too hard. You'll hurt your eyes."

As he spoke, he gently wiped away tears from Jin Ling's cheeks.

Jin Ling scowled at the reminder of his humiliating situation when they met at Dafan Mountain. He whistled, confusing Wei Wuxian.

Oh. Oh no. There it is. Wei Wuxian knew who was going to show up. Fuck.

Lan Wangji glanced at his husband and raised his hand. Wei Wuxian clutched Lan Wangji’s sleeves and hid behind it. He does not want to see that monster, even if it isn’t actually with them in the room.

The heavy huffs and puffs of some sort of beast grew closer. Wei Wuxian turned around and saw Fairy dashing straight at him.

“A mad dog is on the loose!”

“Why is Wei Wuxian cowering behind Hanguang-jun?” A rogue cultivator asked the cultivator beside her.

The cultivator shrugged. “Why are you asking me that? Maybe he’s afraid of the dog in the orb, who knows?”

“Why would he be afraid of a dog? He can easily kill them… Plus, dogs are so cute!”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened and his expression became fearful. He quickly fled, as if he was a defenseless man being hunted by millions of murderous cultivators calling for his blood.

“Wei Wuxian is afraid of dogs…?”

“We should’ve brought some during the siege!”

“Lan Zhan, save me!” Wei Wuxian yelled as he ran toward Lan Wangji.

Jin Ling was shocked. ‘Why is this lunatic showing up with him?’

Fairy was given to him by his uncle. No one dared to offend his dog whenever they heard it was a present from Lianfang-zun. However, Hanguang-jun was different. He wouldn’t be afraid to discipline him and Fairy.

‘It’s all over. He’d definitely kill the spiritual dog I spent a long time training, and then give me a harsh beating!’

Hanguang-jun was not cruel!

The Lan disciples glared at the orb. Hanguang-jun would never do that! Sect Leader Jin was overreacting!

Lan Qiren stared at his disciples with an unimpressed look. He disliked the comments of Jin Rulan and he appreciates the fact that they want to defend Wangji’s honor. However, glaring at the orb menacingly, as if the person they were glaring at wasn’t a sect leader they should respect?

Were his teachings all in vain?

Wei Wuxin ducked under Lan Wangji’s arm and went behind him. Lan Wangji froze in an instant. Taking this opportunity, Jin Ling blew two whistles and ran off with Fairy.

In the side, the charlatan struggled to get up. He said, “The moral degeneration of the world is getting worse day by day. How terrifying are the disciples from prominent sects nowadays! Are they not taught any manners?”

Wei Wuxian relaxed and emerged from behind Lan Wangji as he heard the barks fade away. He agreed with the charlatan. “That’s right, it’s getting worse day by day. Men were not the way they were in the past.”

“Brother, thank you so much for what happened earlier! This is a gift for you. If you cut the price and sell them for three coins, you’d end up earning three hundred!” The charlatan said with a smile as he shoved the Yiling Patriarch portraits onto Wei Wuxian’s hands.

Lan Wangji stared at the portraits.

Jiang Wanyin shook his head at the monstrous portraits. He sighed and looked down, glancing at Jiang Yanli briefly.

Wei Wuxian frowned. “This is to thank me? If you really want to thank me, you should draw him in a prettier way”

The charlatan raised an eyebrow. He ignored Wei Wuxian and turned around to leave. Wei Wuxian hastily said, “Stop! Don’t go yet. There’s something I want to ask you. Doing your business here, have you heard of any strange events? Or seen any odd things?”

Nie Huaisang sighed. He bit his bottom lip and fiddled with his fingers. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck .

His sect’s secret would be known to everyone! Oh, how should he deal with this? If only his da-ge was here… Alas, this was up to Nie Huaisang to solve.

The elders of the Qinghe Nie Sect gulped. They didn’t know why, but as they watched, they had a foreboding feeling.

Hopefully, they were simply being paranoid. After all, it had been quite a long time since they’ve been stuck in this room.

The charlatan replied, “Strange events? Good thing you asked me. I stay here for most of the year, known as the know-it-all of Qinghe. What sort of strange events are you looking for?”

“Hmm, like evil spirits running around, cases of dismembered corpses, incidents in which whole clans were destroyed…” said Wei Wuxian.

“There isn’t any here, but if you go a bit less than two miles ahead, there’s a mountain ridge named Xinglu Ridge. I suggest you don’t go there.”

Xinglu Ridge… Xinglu Ridge?!

Frantically, the elder of the Nie Sect turned their heads to look at their sect leader. Their eyebrows were furrowed, lips curled into a frown, and eye full of panic.

What should they do?! If, by chance, the orb reveals their secret…

It’s over!

Much to the elders’ dismay, their sect leader only sighed and shook his head with a resigned look on his face.

It was absolutely over!

Wei Wuxian asked, “Why is that?”

“The Xinglu Ridge is also called the Man-eating Ridge. Why do you think that is?”

“Huh, so there’s an evil being eating humans here?”

The charlatan nodded. “That’s right! It is said that, in the ridge’s forest, there is a ‘man-eating castle’ with monsters that feed on the humans living inside it. The monster will devour anyone who ventures inside it without leaving a single trace behind. No corpses could be found– there wasn’t a single exception! It’s scary, isn’t it?”

Wei Wuxian exclaimed, “Scary indeed! But, if nothing was left behind and no corpses could be found, how can it be known that they were eaten?”

“Ah… that makes sense…”

“The rumors of a man-eating monster inside the Xinglu Ridge must be false, then”

The Qinghe Nie elders gulped. Of course they were false! These were just rumors their sect leader spread so that no one would dare go to their ancestral hall. Just how unlucky were they that Wei Wuxian and Hanguang-jun caught wind of this while they were investigating the arm of Chifeng-zun?

After a pause, the charlatan answered, “Someone saw it.”

“But, did you say that anyone who ventures inside will be devoured? How powerful was this person that they managed to escape Xinglu Ridge without getting eaten?”

“..."

“That’s how the legend goes. How am I supposed to know?” The charlatan said.

“Then, do you know how many people were eaten? When they were eaten? Their ages? Their genders? What were their names? Where did they live?”

“Of course I don’t know that!”

Wei Wuxian snorted. “Qinghe’s know-it-all huh?”

“The legends didn’t have this kind of information!” The charlatan said as he picked up his basket in fury.

Wei Wuxian laughed. “No, no, don’t go yet. Let me ask you something else, is the Xinglu Ridge a part of the Qinghe Region? Isn’t Qinghe the Nie Sect’s area? If there really are monsters roaming around Xinglu Ridge, why are they ignoring it?”

“Hm, that is true. Perhaps the real reason the Qinghe Nie Sect didn’t do anything was because they knew that the rumors were all false?”

Lan Qiren looked at the orb with narrowed eyes. If the Qinghe Nie Sect knew that the rumors were false, why did they not disperse them? They didn’t gain any benefit from this. All it did was make Nie Huaisang seem incompetent and stupid.

There was something wrong here.

The charlatan rolled his eyes. “The Nie Sect?  If it were the Nie Sect from back then, it definitely wouldn’t be ignored. However, isn’t the head of the Nie Sect now the Head Shaker?”

“Why is he called the Head Shaker?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“Don’t you know the story behind it? No matter what people ask Sect Leader Nie, if he doesn’t know it, he doesn’t say anything. If he knows it, he’s too scared to say anything. If you ask too harshly and force him, he’d shake his head again and again, saying as he cries ‘I don’t know, I don’t know’. Isn’t it obvious why he’s called the Head Shaker?”

Ah…

Well, that was in the past now! Their sect leader has become more competent, and he was no longer the same anxious,… erm, shy Nie Huaisang as before!

Wei Wuxian sighed. ‘ Ah, Nie-xiong… How are you doing now?’

“Thank you for answering my questions, good sir.” Wei Wuxian said. He bought two compacts of rouge before the charlatan left.

The two headed over the Xinglu Ridge.

The Xinglu Ridge… Jin Ling’s eyes widened.

Fuck.

He meekly glanced at his uncle, then at his parents.

Fuck, he’s going to be in so much trouble. Fuck .

Stupid, stupid Jin Ling! Why did he have to always get himself involved in these life-threatening situations? Stupid! Stupid!

There was a cedarwood forest on the Xinglu Ridge with a wide trail amidst the trees. After walking for a while, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji didn’t encounter anything unusual.

‘We didn’t have any high hopes anyway… It’s very unlikely that the legend was true.’ Wei Wuxian thought.

After a bit less than an hour, they finally met a setback. There was a group of low level walking corpses ahead of them.

Seeing them walk over, Wei Wuxian ducked behind Lan Wangji.

“Huh? Why did Senior Wei hide?” Ouyang Zizhen whispered.

“Maybe he’s scared that the corpses would recognize him?” said Lan Jingyi.

The two looked at each other, then shrugged.

When the walking corpses were about twenty meters ahead of them, as soon as they saw Wei Wuxian, they were so terrified that they immediately turned around and retreated, their speed faster than when they were walking earlier.

Wei Wuxian rubbed his temple, then said, “Wow, Hanguang-jun, you’re so cool! They were so scared when they saw you! Haha…”

Lan Wangji, “...”

“...”

So even the undead were terrified of Wei Wuxian?

Well… it was understandable. The Yiling Patriarch Wei Wuxian was so different from the Wei Wuxian they’ve seen so far. He was ruthless and cold. He killed hundreds, possibly even thousands . Who wouldn’t fear him? Who wouldn’t abhor him?

Wei Wuxian pushed him while awkwardly laughing. “Let’s go, let’s go! Let’s get off this ridge. I don’t think there’s any monsters here. People love to gossip so much that a few walking corpses became man-eating monsters. The man-eating castle must be fabricated as well. We only wasted time going here, don’t you think?”

Lan Wangji only started moving after a few pushes. They didn’t walk far when a series of wild barks echoed from the forest.

Wei Wuxian’s face blanched, and he immediately hid behind Lan Wangji, tightly hugging the latter’s waist.

“Is it still far away, what are you hiding for?” Lan Wangji said.

Wei Wuxian’s voice trembled as he spoke, “I-i-i-i’m gonna hide f-first. Where is it? Where is it?!”

Lan Wangji listened for a moment then said, “It is Jin Ling’s spiritual dog.”

Jin Zixuan’s and Jiang Yanli’s eyebrows furrowed. Jin Ling wasn’t harmed, was he? Their son has a knack of getting into dangerous situations.

‘He’s too much like his uncles… And I don’t think that’s quite a good thing…’ Jiang Yanli thought. She glanced at Wei Wuxian. ‘He’s just like A-Xian, always getting into dangerous situations and worrying everyone…’ She sighed.

Wei Wuxian raised his head upon hearing Jin Ling’s name. However, he lowered his head again and tightened his clutch on Lan Wangji after hearing a few more barks. Lan Wangji said, “If it’s a spiritual dog barking in such a way, something must’ve happened.”

“T-t-t-t-then let’s go and see!” Wei Wuxian said. He loosened his hold on Lan Wangji and stood up, his legs trembling. “Hanguang-jun, who won’t you move? Move! If you don’t move, what will I do?!”

Jiang Wanyin glared at the orb. For fucks sake! Jin Ling could be in serious trouble, and they're still not moving? What the hell was Lan Wangji doing?!

After a moment of silence, Lan Wangji spoke, “First… Let go.”

Wei Wuxian immediately let go, coughing awkwardly. The two followed Fairy’s barks, which were sometimes near, sometimes far. Wei Wuxian somewhat grew used to the barks after listening to it for a while. After a while, the two stopped after going around in circles. “There’s a maze array here?”

The two were both capable and strong, so they were quick to figure out a way to exit the maze array. After a while of following the barks, the silhouette of eerie stone castles appeared amidst the forest.

Fairy was outside the cluster of stone castles. Seeing Lan Wangji approach, it backed off slightly out of fear. However, instead of running away, it barked even louder at them. It looked toward the stone castles, front paws relentlessly digging into the ground.

Wei Wuxian hid behind Lan Wangji again and said with a trembling voice, “Why is it still not going away… Where is its owner? Why is its owner gone?!”

Jiang Yanli’s eyebrows furrowed. Nothing bad happened to Jin Ling, right…?

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian watched the orb with a grimace. Jin Ling will definitely be in serious trouble. He almost died! Wei Wuxian could clearly remember the events that transpired here. How could he not?

First, his nephew almost died. Then, he was captured by Jiang Cheng, and his husband revealed that he knew who he was from the start. Then they found out the secret of the Nie Sect.

So many things happened, how could he forget?

“Let’s go inside.” Lan Wangji said.

Ah, the inevitable questions will come soon.

If only Nie Huaisang could break this orb…

Chapter Text

Hello! After reading your comments, I've decided to not delete this version. Instead, I've created a separate work for the revised version. Here's the link:)

https://archiveofourown.to/works/64388152/chapters/165304807