Chapter 38

Chapter Summary: [Wei Wuxian took the last bowl of unfinished glutinous rice porridge from the table and said, "Your poisoning is severe. Here's something that might help you recover, or maybe..."]

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Wei Wuxian picked up the last bowl of unfinished glutinous rice porridge from the table and said, "Your poisoning is severe. Here's something that might help you recover, or it might do nothing and taste terrible. Do you want to try it? If you don't want to live, then forget it."

Xiao Xingchen said, "Of course I want to live. I'll try my best to live if I can." He took the bowl with both hands, lowered his head and took a sip. His lips twitched, and he had to clench his teeth tightly to keep from spitting it out. After a while, he politely said, "Thank you."

Wei Wuxian turned his head and said, "Did you see that? Did you see that? What did they say? You're all so delicate. You ate the porridge I cooked and still complained so much."

Jin Ling said, "Did you cook that? Besides adding a bunch of weird stuff to the pot, what else did you do?"

Xiao Xingchen said, "But I just thought about it. If I had to eat this every day, I would choose death."

Everyone: ...Hahahaha!!!

The entire space erupted in laughter.

Wei Wuxian: ...

Jiang Cheng looked at Wei Wuxian with a gloating expression: "I didn't expect Xue Yang to say something so true. What you made is probably comparable to a whole host of other people's tortures!"

Wei Wuxian glared at Jiang Cheng fiercely: "I'll make it for you when we get back!"

Jiang Cheng: ...

No, no need.

Jin Ling laughed loudly and mercilessly, even Lan Sizhui couldn't help but chuckle. Wei Wuxian looked at them speechlessly, and Lan Sizhui quickly straightened up. At this moment, Lan Jingyi exclaimed happily, "Alright, they're all done killing them. We won!"

Xiao Xingchen hurriedly said, "Don't open the door yet. Don't let your guard down. We'll definitely come back again."

Wei Wuxian approached the wooden door and peered through the crack. A gruesome battle had just taken place, and the streets were filled with a thin mist of white fog and purplish-red dust. The corpse poison powder was gradually dissipating. The group of paper figures strolled leisurely through the streets, patrolling the piles of corpses. If they encountered anything still movable, they would stomp on it relentlessly until it was completely rotten into a pile of minced meat.

Apart from that, all was silent. No new walking corpses had arrived yet.

Just then, a very faint movement came from above Wei Wuxian's head.

The sound was incredibly subtle, seemingly someone rapidly walking across the tiles, but the person's movements were exceptionally light and elusive, the footsteps almost imperceptible. However, Wei Wuxian's keen senses allowed him to detect the faint clattering of the tiles. Even more surprising was the blind Xiao Xingchen, who alerted, "Up there!"

Wei Wuxian shouted, "Scatter!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a large hole appeared in the roof above the main room, and broken tiles, dust, and grass fell like rain. Fortunately, the many teenagers had already scattered nimbly, and the debris didn't hit anyone. A black figure fell through the hole in the roof.

The man was dressed in a black Taoist robe, tall and slender, with a straight back like an ancient pine tree. He had a whisk tucked into his back, held a long sword, and had a handsome face. He held his head slightly higher, giving him an air of aloofness.

However, his eyes had no pupils; they were a deathly white.

A walking corpse.

"Zi, Zichen..."

Xiao Xingchen's voice trembled slightly when he saw the familiar face.

"It's alright."

Song Lan didn't know how to comfort him, so she could only pat Xiao Xingchen on the shoulder.

Just as everyone had confirmed this in their minds, they saw him thrust his sword forward.

He stabbed Jin Ling, who was closest to him. Jin Ling parried with his sword, feeling immense force from the blade, which numbed his arm. One strike failed, then another, flowing smoothly like clouds and water, ruthless as a deep-seated hatred. In desperation, Xiao Xingchen drew his sword to block for him. Perhaps due to the surge of corpse poison, he managed to draw his sword, but then collapsed and lay motionless.

Lan Jingyi exclaimed in shock, "Is he dead or alive?! I've never seen anything like this before..."

Such agile walking corpses with such exquisite swordsmanship!

He didn't finish his sentence, not because the evaluation was difficult, but because he remembered that he had seen it before.

Isn't the Ghost General like that too?

Wei Wuxian blinked and suddenly said, "No, no, no, this is still different. Wen Ning doesn't use a sword."

Everyone: ...

Your focus is way off!

Wei Wuxian stared intently at the Taoist priest, his thoughts racing: "Could it be that someone else besides me has also created this kind of fierce corpse?" He drew his bamboo flute from his waist and immediately unleashed a long, piercing melody that caused everyone present to cover their ears. Upon hearing the flute, the Taoist priest swayed, his sword-wielding hand trembling, but he still thrust his sword forward!

Uncontrollable. This ferocious corpse definitely has an owner!

Wei Wuxian dodged the sword strike that came like lightning in an instant, and as he turned, he calmly played another tune. Moments later, the paper figures patrolling outside leaped onto the roof and jumped down through the hole. The Taoist corpse sensed the approaching anomaly, and with a swift movement of his right hand, he thrust back with two sword strikes, cleaving two paper figures in four from head to toe. His left hand drew his whisk, and thousands of soft white threads seemed to transform into steel whips and poisonous thorns, each flick resulting in exploding heads and severed limbs. Wei Wuxian, taking a moment from his busy work, said, "Don't come any closer! Stay in the corner!" He then continued to play, the flute's melody sometimes light and frivolous, sometimes high-pitched and furious. Although the Taoist used both hands and was extremely ferocious, a continuous stream of paper figures fell from above, attacking him from all sides. He attacked one side, only to have another appear, killing those in front and attacking those behind. Suddenly, a Yin Force warrior descended from the sky, striking him, stepping on his shoulder, and pinning him to the ground.

Immediately afterward, three more Yin Warriors leaped down from the cave entrance, slamming into him one after another. Yin Warriors were said to possess immense strength; the craftsmen would add substances to increase their weight when crafting them, and after being possessed by summoned wandering ghosts, each one was even more monstrous than the last. Each slam was like a mountain crashing down on him. To have four slammed down on him in one go without him vomiting his internal organs was already a remarkable feat. The fierce corpse dressed in a Taoist robe was completely pinned down by the four Yin Warriors, unable to move.

Wei Wuxian walked over and noticed a tear in his clothes on his back. He smoothed it out and examined it. Underneath the tear, he could see a thin, narrow wound near his left shoulder blade. He said, "Turn it over."

The four Yin Warriors then turned the Taoist priest over, so he could examine him more easily. Wei Wuxian extended his cut fingers and wiped them across their lips as a reward. The Yin Warriors stuck out their thin tongues and slowly and carefully licked the blood from their mouths, seemingly enjoying it. Only then did Wei Wuxian lower his head to continue his examination. The Taoist priest also had the same wound on his left chest near his heart, the same narrow cut. It looked as if he had been killed by a single sword piercing his heart.

The ferocious corpse struggled desperately, letting out low growls, and nearly black blood trickled from the corner of its mouth. Wei Wuxian pinched its cheeks, forcing it to open its mouth, and looked inside. He saw that its tongue had also been ripped out by the root.

Blindness, tongue-pulling. Blindness, tongue-pulling.

Why do these two characteristics appear so frequently?

Observing his expression, Wei Wuxian felt that he resembled Wen Ning when he was controlled by the black nails. A thought struck him, and he reached out to feel around Wen Ning's temples. To his surprise, he actually felt two small metallic dots!

The younger generation stared intently at Tianying, cheering her on.

Wow, that's amazing!

"Go up! Go up and beat him up!!"

Wow, so cool!

...

A group of elders were around: ...

Are you here to watch martial arts movies?

Although... that was a really beautiful play.

A-Qing gasped behind Xiao Xingchen, shivering as she recalled the excruciating pain of having her tongue pulled out.

Xiao Xingchen didn't notice A-Qing's expression and fell into deep thought when he heard the words "blindness".

These black nails are used to control high-level fierce corpses, causing them to lose their minds and the ability to think independently. Wei Wuxian didn't know the corpse's identity or character, so he couldn't rashly remove the nails and stopped for the time being. He felt it was necessary to interrogate it properly. But since its tongue had been removed, even if the fierce corpse regained consciousness, it wouldn't be able to speak. He asked the younger members of the Lan family, "Among you, who has practiced spirit summoning?"

Lan Sizhui said, "I... I've repaired it."

Wei Wuxian asked, "Did you bring your zither?"

Lan Sizhui said, "I brought it." He took out a simple-looking, glossy wooden guqin from his Qiankun bag. Wei Wuxian noticed that the guqin seemed quite new and asked, "How is your guqin language cultivation? Have you ever used it in actual combat? Could the spirit you summon be lying?"

Lan Jingyi interjected, "Hanguang-jun said that Sizhui's zither music was quite good."

Lan Wangji said "It's alright," so it must be alright; he wouldn't exaggerate or belittle it. Wei Wuxian was relieved. Lan Sizhui said, "Hanguang-jun said that I should cultivate refinement rather than quantity. The spirits I summon can choose not to answer, but they must not lie. So as long as it answers, it must be telling the truth."

Wei Wuxian said, "Let's begin."

The guqin was placed across the Taoist's head. Lan Sizhui sat on the ground, his robe neatly spread out, and tested two notes. Wei Wuxian said, "The first question is, who is he?"

Lan Sizhui thought for a moment, silently recited the incantation, and then dared to strike out a sentence before letting go.

After a long pause, the strings vibrated, producing two notes that sounded like metal shattering. Lan Sizhui's eyes widened. Lan Jingyi urged, "What did he say?"

Lan Sizhui whispered, "Song Lan!"

...Xiao Xingchen's close friend, Song Lan?!

Everyone turned to look at Xiao Xingchen, who lay unconscious on the ground. Lan Sizhui said, "I wonder if he knows that Song Lan has come..."

Jin Ling also lowered his voice and said, "Most likely they don't know. He's blind, Song Lan is mute, and she's become a mad corpse without any reason. It's best if they don't know."

Wei Wuxian said, "The second question is to ask him who killed him."

Lan Sizhui played a sentence earnestly.

This time, the silence lasted three times longer than last time.

Just when they all thought that Song Lan's spirit was unwilling to answer the question, the zither strings trembled and rang three times in a sorrowful tone.

Lan Sizhui blurted out, "Impossible!"

Wei Wuxian asked, "What did he say?"

Lan Sizhui, his face filled with disbelief, said with difficulty, "He said... Xiao Xingchen."

What? ! ! !

Everyone was shocked and stared in disbelief at Song Xiao and the other person who were sitting upright.

A younger member who wasn't present that day asked, "Sizhui, did you play it wrong?"

"This is the simplest way to ask the spirit, it can't be wrong." Lan Sizhui shook his head, turned to look at Xiao Xingchen who had his lips tightly pursed, and sighed softly.

Another stir arose among the crowd, accompanied by a constant stream of murmurs:

"I never imagined that Xiao Xingchen, who is as pure and upright as a gentle breeze, would do such a thing."

"The two became enemies back then, maybe Xiao Xingchen wants to take revenge on Song Lan?"

...

Seeing Xiao Xingchen's seated body begin to tremble and his hands clench into fists, Song Lan frowned, reached out and grabbed his wrist, turned her head and said coldly, "Enough!"

The discussion abruptly ceased.

"Since you are Tianying, you will naturally tell you the truth."

The one who killed Song Lan was Xiao Xingchen?!

They had only asked two questions, but the answer to each one was more shocking than the last. Jin Ling asked suspiciously, "You played it wrong, didn't you?"

Lan Sizhui said, “But, ‘Who are you?’ and ‘Who killed you?’ are the two simplest and most frequently asked questions in ‘Inquiry of Spirits’. Everyone who starts learning ‘Inquiry of Spirits’ learns these two sentences as their first and second sentence. They practice them countless times. I just checked repeatedly and there are absolutely no mistakes.”

Jin Ling said, "Either you played 'Inquiry into the Spirits' wrong, or you interpreted the language of the zither incorrectly."

Lan Sizhui shook his head and said, "If it's impossible to play the wrong note, it's even more impossible to answer it wrong. The name 'Xiao Xingchen' is not commonly seen in Lai Ling's answers. If he answered with a different name and I answered incorrectly, it's impossible that I just happened to use this name."

Lan Jingyi murmured, "If this is true... then how much of what we heard is true... Song Lan went to find the missing Xiao Xingchen, but Xiao Xingchen killed him... Why would he kill his good friend? He doesn't seem like that kind of person."

Wei Wuxian said, "Never mind that for now, Sizhui, ask the third question: Who controls you?"

Many eyes were fixed on the strings, waiting for Song Lan's answer.

Lan Sizhui explained, word by word, "You, etc., behind, the, people."

Everyone: ...

A chill ran down their spine for no apparent reason. Many people looked up at the unruly Xue Yang and shuddered.

Thankfully, it's not behind us.

Why does it feel like I'm watching a horror movie?

As for Lan Sizhui: Is my ability to summon spirits really that questionable?

Everyone turned around abruptly. They saw that Xiao Xingchen, who had been lying unconscious on the ground, had sat up, resting his chin on his hand, smiling slightly at them, and then snapping his fingers with his left hand, which was wearing a black glove.

The crisp sound reached Song Lan's ears on the ground as if it had suddenly exploded next to him. Song Lan suddenly sent the four Yin Warriors who were holding him down flying!

He leaped up, throwing his longsword and whisk again, using both hands to slice and twist the four Yin Warriors into countless colorful pieces of paper. The longsword was pressed against Wei Wuxian's neck, while the whisk was menacingly pointed at the aristocratic youths.

Within this small space of the shop, the situation can change in an instant.

Jin Ling placed his hand on the sword. Wei Wuxian glanced at him and quickly said, "Don't move around, don't cause trouble. In terms of swordsmanship, all of us combined are no match for Song Lan."

His body possessed weak spiritual power, and his sword was not with him. Besides, there was Xiao Xingchen.

Xiao Xingchen said, "Adults should talk to adults, children, please go out."

He gestured to Song Lan, who silently obeyed and led the group of aristocratic youths out. Wei Wuxian said, "Go out first. You can't help here. The corpse poison powder should have settled outside. Don't run around or stir up the dust. Slow down your breathing."

Jin Ling, hearing the words "We can't help here either," was both unconvinced and frustrated, and stormed out in a huff. Lan Sizhui hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back. Wei Wuxian said, "Sizhui, you're the most sensible one. Take care of them. Can you do it well?"

Lan Sizhui nodded. Wei Wuxian said, "Don't be afraid."

Lan Sizhui said, "I'm not afraid."

"real?"

"Really." Lan Sizhui actually smiled. "Senior, you and Hanguang-jun are so alike."

Wei Wuxian asked in surprise, "Similar? How are we similar?" We're worlds apart, like two completely opposite people. Lan Sizhui didn't answer and led the rest of the group out.

He thought to himself, "I don't know either, but it just feels so similar. It's like as long as either of these two seniors is around, I don't have to worry or be afraid of anything."

Xiao Xingchen produced a small red pill from somewhere and swallowed it, saying, "This is truly touching."

Wei Wuxian chuckled: "Sizhui is truly my little angel. I'm just as reliable as Lan Zhan!"

Jiang Cheng: "Narcissist."

Lan Wangji: "Yes, Wei Ying is right."

Jiang Cheng: ...

Wei Wuxian: "Jiang Cheng, and that little hooligan, are you jealous or envious?"