Chapter 131 One Hundred and Thirty-One

Chapter Summary: Three days later, Jiang Cheng, the head of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, challenged Wei Wuxian to a duel, which escalated into a sensational battle in Yiling…

-------------------------------------

Three days later, Jiang Cheng, the head of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, challenged Wei Wuxian to a duel, which resulted in a sensational battle in Yiling.

Negotiations failed, and the two men came to blows. Wei Wuxian unleashed the fierce corpse Wen Ning, striking Jiang Cheng with a palm strike and breaking his arm. Jiang Cheng then stabbed Wei Wuxian with his sword. Both were severely injured, spitting blood, cursing each other as they left, completely severing their ties.

Following this battle, Jiang Cheng publicly declared: Wei Wuxian has betrayed his clan and openly become an enemy of all other clans. The Yunmeng Jiang Clan has expelled him, severing all ties and drawing a clear line between them. From now on, whatever actions Wei Wuxian takes will be entirely unrelated to the Yunmeng Jiang Clan!

Upon hearing this, the Jiang family members couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Amidst this chaos, the brotherhood between the two young men ultimately could not withstand the treacherous nature of the world and the survival and honor of the Jiang family; everything was beyond their control.

After this fight, Wen Ning, due to his ferocious and manic behavior, gradually earned a less-than-pleasant nickname—but that's another story. Although Jiang Cheng stabbed him in the abdomen, Wei Wuxian didn't seem to care. He stuffed his intestines back into his stomach and nonchalantly ordered Wen Ning to hunt some evil spirits and buy several large bags of potatoes.

Everyone: ...Wh-what the hell?

Put the intestines back into the stomach?

Who is this person...?

Jiang Yanli suddenly turned her head and scanned Wei Wuxian up and down, almost reaching out to pull off his clothes to examine him. Fortunately, she remembered that they were in the Heavenly Realm and that Niangui had restored him to his former state, with most of his old scars no longer present.

"A Cheng..."

At that time, she knew that Jiang Cheng had lost a hand because of this and had been recuperating for two months, but she didn't know that Wei Wuxian was so badly injured, even though he had said he was fine...

"I don't know either, he said it's nothing serious..." Jiang Cheng's voice gradually weakened as he looked at the hideous wounds that Wei Wuxian had no longer been able to cover.

He always does this, using his shoulders and body to block external attacks, thinking that if he blocks them, no one will get hurt, but what about himself?

After returning to the mass grave, Wenqing bandaged his wounds and then gave him a severe scolding because he had asked her to buy radish seeds.

After that, they lived a peaceful and uneventful life for a while. Wei Wuxian led fifty Wen Clan cultivators to do some farming, repair houses, refine corpses, and make props at the Burial Mound. In their spare time, they would play with Wen Qing's cousin Wen Yuan, who was only one or two years old. They would hang him on trees or bury him in the ground with only his head sticking out, coaxing him that he would grow faster if he got some sun and water. Then they would get a scolding from Wen Qing.

Several months passed, and apart from the increasingly negative public opinion of Wei Wuxian, nothing further progressed.

Wei Wuxian didn't have many opportunities to go down the mountain, because he was responsible for suppressing all the evil spirits in the entire Burial Mound. He couldn't stray too far or stay away for too long. Being a restless person who couldn't stay in one place, he often went to the nearest town under the guise of shopping to wander around. Since Wen Yuan had been in the Burial Mound for too long, Wei Wuxian felt that he couldn't let a two-year-old child be confined to such a place playing in the mud forever. So, one day when he went down the mountain to shop, he took him along as well.

Having been to this town countless times, Wei Wuxian knew his way around. He walked up to the vegetable stall, rummaged through the produce, and suddenly picked up a potato, angrily saying, "Your potato has sprouted!"

The vegetable vendor, as if facing a formidable enemy, shouted: "What are you going to do?!"

Wei Wuxian said, "Make it cheaper."

Everyone: ...

I never imagined that in my lifetime I would see the Yiling Patriarch haggling with people at a vegetable stall like a rogue.

Watching Wei Wuxian act like this is like seeing the boy who used to play among the various stalls and vendors in Lotus Pier when he was a child.

Jiang Yanli's initial worry about his injury was somewhat alleviated by these comical words.

At first, Wen Yuan clung to Wei Wuxian's leg as he walked around picking out potatoes and haggling over prices. Wen Yuan, however, couldn't hold on any longer; his short arms ached. He let go to rest for a moment, but in that short time, the crowds on the street swept him off his feet, leaving him disoriented. His vision was low, and as he wandered around, he couldn't find Wei Wuxian's long legs and black boots. All he saw were a bunch of gray, dirty, muddy legs and black trousers, and he grew increasingly lost and confused. Just as he was becoming disoriented, he suddenly bumped into someone's leg.

The man was wearing a pair of spotless white boots and was already walking slowly. He stopped immediately when bumped into.

Wen Yuan cautiously raised her head, first seeing the jade pendant hanging at her waist, then the belt embroidered with cloud patterns, then the meticulously neat collar, and finally, a pair of eyes as white as glass and as cold as ice.

The stranger was looking down at him with a cold expression, and Wen Yuan suddenly felt a chill.

Wei Wuxian rummaged around for a long time, but finally decided not to buy the sprouted potatoes. He worried about potential food poisoning, and the vendor refused to lower the price, earning him a sneer. Then, when he turned around, Wen Yuan was gone. He was horrified and frantically searched the streets for the child. Suddenly, he heard a child crying loudly and rushed over. Not far away, a group of curious passersby had formed a small circle, whispering and pointing. He pushed through the crowd, and his eyes lit up instantly.

Dressed in white and carrying the Bichen sword, Lan Wangji stood stiffly amidst the crowd, surprisingly at a loss for what to do. Then, Wei Wuxian nearly burst out laughing. A little boy had fallen to his feet, sobbing uncontrollably. Lan Wangji was caught in a dilemma: to leave, to stay, to reach out, to speak. His expression was serious, as if he were pondering what to do.

A passerby, cracking sunflower seeds, said, "What's going on here? A tiny little kid is screaming so loudly it's terrifying."

Someone confidently stated, "He must have been scolded by his father."

Upon hearing "his father," Wei Wuxian, hiding in the crowd, choked out. Lan Wangji immediately looked up and denied it, saying, "I'm not."

Wen Yuan, unaware of what others were talking about, knew that children call for their loved ones when they are scared, so he also cried out, "Father! Father, waah..."

A passerby immediately said, "Listen to that! I already told you, it's his father!"

Some people, who thought they had a sharp eye, said: "It must be Dad. Their noses are cut from the same mold. There's no doubt about it!"

Some expressed sympathy: "How pitiful, crying so hard, did his father scold him?"

Some, unaware of the situation, asked: "What's going on up ahead? Can you let me through? My car can't get through."

Some angrily rebuked: "Didn't you even pick up the child and comfort him! You just let your son sit on the ground crying? What kind of father are you!"

Some expressed understanding: "So young, this must be your first time being a father. I was like that back then, I didn't know anything. My wife had a few more children and I learned a lot. It's all about learning gradually..."

Some people try to soothe a child by saying, "Don't cry, sweetie, what's wrong with your mother?"

"Yes, where is Mother? Father doesn't care. Where is Mother?"

Amidst the clamor of the waves, Lan Wangji's expression grew increasingly strange.

"Hahaha..." Madam Lan immediately covered her mouth and laughed.

Qingheng-jun, Lan Xichen, and the others couldn't help but chuckle. It had been a long time since they had seen Wangji so helpless. It was quite a sight to see such a cold and aloof person being taught how to be a father in the street.

Lan Jingyi watched with amusement as his beloved Hanguang-jun made a fool of himself.

As for Lan Sizhui, he awkwardly touched his nose and silently apologized to Lan Wangji in the celestial shadow.

Sizhui was young and ignorant, causing Hanguang-jun to be misunderstood by everyone. What a sin...

“Wangji, what they said is right. Children need to be coaxed. I just heard from Ahuan that some of the clan’s children are now being sent to you for upbringing. Don’t always have a stern face. You need to coax them when necessary.”

After laughing enough, Madam Lan turned to Lan Wangji and said...

"...Yes, Wangji knows."

Lan Wangji paused, glanced at Wei Wuxian in his arms, and responded to Madam Lan.

In fact, most of the young disciples sent here are raised by him, while Wei Wuxian takes care of their playtime.

So there's no need to worry about him not knowing how to comfort children; there's already someone around who's very good at it.

Poor thing, he had been a chosen one since birth, every word and action of his was the epitome of elegance and propriety, the model among models. He had never encountered such a situation where everyone was pointing fingers at him. Wei Wuxian laughed so hard he almost died, but seeing that Wen Yuan was crying so hard he was about to stop, he had no choice but to step forward and pretend that he had just noticed the two of them. He asked in surprise, "Huh? Lan Zhan?"

Lan Wangji suddenly looked up, their eyes met, and for some unknown reason, Wei Wuxian looked away. Upon hearing his voice, Wen Yuan immediately jumped up, tears streaming down his face, and ran towards him, clinging to his lap again. A passerby shouted, "Who is this again? Where's Mother? Where is Mother? Who is Father?"

Wei Wuxian waved his hand and said, "Everyone, disperse!"

Seeing that there was no more drama to watch, the onlookers slowly dispersed. Wei Wuxian turned around, smiled slightly, and said, "What a coincidence. Lan Zhan, what brings you to Yiling?"

Lan Wangji said, "Night hunt. Just passing by."

Hearing that his tone was no different from usual, without any sign of disgust, hatred, or irreconcilable enmity, Wei Wuxian suddenly felt a sense of relief. Suddenly, he heard Lan Wangji slowly say, "...This child?"

Once Wei Wuxian relaxed, he couldn't keep his mouth shut and blurted out, "I gave birth to him."

Lan Wangji's brow twitched, and Wei Wuxian laughed, "Of course it was a joke. It's someone else's son, I brought him out to play. What did you do just now? Why did you make him cry?"

Lan Wangji said calmly, "I didn't do anything."

Wen Yuan clung to Wei Wuxian's leg, still sobbing. Wei Wuxian understood. Although Lan Wangji's face was handsome, most young children couldn't distinguish between beauty and ugliness; they could only see that he was anything but kind, cold and stern. Being frightened by that bitter, resentful expression, it was understandable that he was afraid.

As expected, Wei Wuxian was the only one in the world who dared to tease Lan Wangji. Fortunately, Lan Wangji had already regarded him as a close friend or something else at that time, so he indulged him and did not hold it against him.

Looking at the few moments of secret joy that had passed during that time, and hearing Wei Wuxian's last smile in front of him, Lan Wangji felt a pang of emotion.

He gazed down at the person in his arms for a long time, then raised his hand and pinched Wei Wuxian's straight nose, but in the end he couldn't bear to use force, he just pinched it lightly, like an intimate gesture after a night of tenderness.

The people behind them: ...

One of you has an icy expression and doesn't know how to comfort people, while the other is watching the show with amusement. Have you ever considered the feelings of the crying baby?