Chapter 89 Eighteen Nine

Chapter Summary: [The small boat drifts downstream.]

After an unknown amount of time, the purple lightning finally relaxed and transformed into a...

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

The small boat drifted downstream.

After an unknown amount of time, Zidian finally relaxed and transformed into a silver ring, which was then placed on Jiang Cheng's hand.

The two men had been shouting all the way, their voices already hoarse. After being untied, they didn't say a word and headed back. Without oars, they used their hands to paddle against the current.

Madam Yu said that the beating he received would keep him from recovering for a month, but Wei Wuxian felt that apart from the burning, tingling pain where he had been whipped, he could move around without much difficulty. They rowed with all their might, as if they were on the verge of death. More than an hour later, they finally rowed the boat back to Lotus Pier by hand.

Seeing Wei Wuxian move so freely, and considering his inner thoughts, Jiang Cheng rubbed his red eyes and said to Wei Wuxian without holding back, "I knew my mother couldn't have been so cruel to you."

Wei Wuxian wanted to laugh when he saw Jiang Cheng like that, so he quickly pursed his lips and pretended to be serious: "Yes, yes, Madam Yu is very good to me."

This earned him a glare from Jiang Cheng and Yu Ziyuan, whose ear had been smacked.

It was already late at night.

The gates of Lotus Dock were tightly shut, but outside, the city was brightly lit. Scattered moonlight danced on the shimmering water, and dozens of large lanterns shaped like nine-petaled lotuses floated silently along the dock.

Everything is the same as before. But it is precisely because everything is the same as before that it makes people feel even more uneasy and pained.

The two rowed far to the center of the lake and stopped, anchoring in the water. Their hearts were pounding, and neither dared to approach the dock or rush ashore to see what was going on inside.

Jiang Cheng's eyes were filled with tears, and his hands and legs were trembling. After a long while, Wei Wuxian said, "...Don't go in through the door yet."

Jiang Cheng nodded haphazardly. The two silently rowed the boat to the other side of the lake. There stood an old willow tree, its roots embedded in the mud of the shore, its thick trunk growing at an angle across the lake, its branches drooping into the water. In the past, the young men of Lotus Pier often walked along the trunk of this willow tree to its top and sat there to fish.

The two moored their boat behind the drooping tendrils of the old willow tree and, under the cover of night and willow branches, went ashore. Wei Wuxian, who was used to scaling walls, grabbed Jiang Cheng and whispered, "This way."

Jiang Cheng was now filled with fear and trepidation, almost completely disoriented. He followed him, clinging to the wall, and after a while, quietly climbed onto a section of it. This section of the wall was adorned with a row of animal heads, providing an excellent vantage point for observation. Previously, it was the outsiders who secretly climbed the walls to watch them from the inside; now, it was they who were secretly watching from the inside.

Wei Wuxian peeked inside, and his heart sank immediately.

The training ground at Lotus Pier was filled with rows and rows of people.

As Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian secretly entered Lotus Pier, everyone's hearts were in their throats. They didn't know what kind of scene awaited them, or the two young men.

Jin Zixuan subconsciously tried to block Jiang Yanli's view, but Jiang Yanli stubbornly avoided him.

She survived when she received the devastating news back then, and now that her parents and brother are by her side, what else is there that she can't accept?

Jin Zixuan looked at his wife with heartache, feeling Jiang Yanli's grip on his hand tighten, even causing him some pain.

These people were all dressed in robes of blazing sun and flames, the flame patterns on the collars, lapels and cuffs of which were as red as blood.

Besides those standing, there were also those lying down. All the fallen people had been moved to the northwest corner of the drill ground and piled up haphazardly. One person stood with his back to them, head bowed, seemingly examining the Jiang family members, whose fate was unknown.

Jiang Cheng was still frantically searching for Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian with his eyes, but Wei Wuxian's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Among these people, he saw many familiar figures.

His throat was dry and sore, his temples felt like they'd been hit by a hammer, and he felt cold all over. He dared not think about Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan any further. Just as he was about to take a closer look to see if the thin boy lying on top was his sixth junior brother, suddenly, the person standing in the northwest corner with his back to them seemed to sense something and turned around.

Wei Wuxian immediately pressed Jiang Cheng down and made him lower his head.

Although he managed to dodge in time, he still got a clear look at the person's appearance.

It was a boy about their age, tall and thin, with delicate features, dark eyes, and a pale face. Although he wore a robe emblazoned with the flames of the sun, he lacked any imposing aura; he was rather too refined and scholarly. Judging from the rank of the sun emblem, he was probably one of the young masters of the Wen family.

That is...

Wen Ning?!

A group of people turned to look at them all at once, and Wen Ning quickly shrank back.

Everyone: ...

They had initially thought that the Ghost General was also involved in the destruction of Lotus Pier, but now, looking at the handsome young master in the Heavenly Shadow and then at Wen Ning in the Heavenly Realm, who was covered in fierce corpse markings but cowering behind his sister, they were starting to believe that he didn't have the guts to harm anyone.

Seeing that Wen Ning was hiding behind her again, Wen Qing pulled him out without any hesitation.

"Why are you hiding! You didn't do anything wrong, what's there to hide from! Look at you, you really know how to pick your time to turn around."

Wei Wuxian: ...

Jiang Cheng: ...

Wen Ning: ...Sister, why don't you praise me for being alert?

Wei Wuxian's heart pounded: "Were we seen? Should we run away now? Or not?"

Just then, a soft sobbing sound came from inside the wall. Amidst the sound of footsteps, a man said gently, "Don't cry, your face is all stained."

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng recognized the voice immediately; it was Wen Chao!

Immediately afterwards, Wang Lingjiao whimpered, "Does this mean you don't like me anymore just because my face is smudged?"

Wen Chao said, "How could that be? No matter what, I love Jiaojiao."

Wang Lingjiao said emotionally, "I was so scared, so scared... Today I really... almost thought I was going to be killed by that bitch and never see you again... Young Master Wen... I..."

Wen Chao seemed to hug her and comforted her, "Don't say anything, Jiaojiao, it's alright now. Fortunately, Wen Zhuliu protected you."

Wang Ling said coquettishly, "You still bring him up! That Wen Zhuliu, I hate him. If he hadn't been late today, I wouldn't have suffered so much. My face still hurts, it hurts so much..."

She was the one who rebuked Wen Zhuliu and kept him out of her sight, which led to her getting beaten up, yet now she's twisting the truth. Wen Chao loved hearing her whine and act coquettishly, saying, "It doesn't hurt, come here, let me rub it... It's okay if you hate him, but don't provoke him. This person's cultivation is quite remarkable. My father has mentioned it many times; he's a rare talent, and I'm counting on him for many more years to come."

Wang Lingjiao retorted indignantly, "Talented...so what if he's talented? Sect Leader Wen has so many famous scholars and talented individuals under his command, thousands upon thousands. Does he mean we can't do without him?"

Everyone: ...Ugh!

That despicable couple's conversation is absolutely disgusting.

She was subtly suggesting to Wen Chao that he punish Wen Zhuliu to avenge her. Wen Chao chuckled twice. Although he doted on Wang Lingjiao, he wasn't so fond of her as to punish his personal bodyguard for a woman. After all, Wen Zhuliu had shielded him from countless assassination attempts, was taciturn, and tight-lipped; he would never betray his father, which meant he would never betray him. Such a loyal and powerful bodyguard was invaluable. Seeing his indifference, Wang Lingjiao continued, "Look at him. He's clearly just a lowly pawn under your command, yet he's so arrogant. Just now, when I wanted to slap that bitch Yu, he wouldn't let me. She's dead, just a corpse! To treat me like this is to treat you like this!"

Jiang Cheng lost his grip and slid off the wall. Wei Wuxian reacted quickly and grabbed him by the back of his collar.

Both of them were in tears, tears streaming down their cheeks and onto their hands and the ground.

Wei Wuxian recalled that Jiang Fengmian had argued with Madam Yu when he left home that morning, and their last words to each other were anything but kind. He wondered if they had seen each other one last time, and if Jiang Fengmian had had the chance to say one more word to Madam Yu.

Wen Chao disagreed, saying, "That's just his temperament. He's strange. He talks about how a scholar can be killed but not humiliated, but he's the one who killed people. Why is he still talking about these things?"

Wang Lingjiao chimed in, "Exactly. Hypocritical!"

Wen Chao loved hearing her agree with him and laughed heartily. Wang Lingjiao then gloated, "That bitch Yu deserved it. Back then, she used her family's power to force men to marry her, but what was the use of marriage? They still didn't like her. She was a discarded wife for over ten years, and everyone laughed at her behind her back. She still didn't know how to restrain herself and remained arrogant. This is her retribution."

Wen Chao said, "Really? That woman is quite attractive. Why doesn't Jiang Fengmian like her?"

In his mind, as long as a woman is good-looking, there's no reason for a man not to like her. The only women who should be despised are those who are plain-looking and those who refuse to sleep with him. Wang Lingjiao said, "Think about it, it makes sense. That bitch Yu is so domineering. She's clearly a woman, yet she's always whipping and slapping people. She has no manners at all. Jiang Fengmian married such a wife and is still dragged down by her. He's really unlucky."

Wen Chao said, "That's right! Women should be like my Jiaojiao, obedient, gentle, lovely, and devoted to me."

Wang Lingjiao chuckled. Hearing these vulgar and offensive words, Wei Wuxian was filled with grief and anger, trembling all over. He worried that Jiang Cheng would explode, but Jiang Cheng, perhaps overwhelmed with grief, seemed to have fainted, remaining motionless. Wang Lingjiao said softly, "Of course, I can only be devoted to you... Who else can I be devoted to?"

At this moment, another voice interrupted, saying, "Young Master Wen! All the rooms have been searched, and more than 2,400 magical treasures have been found and are being categorized."

Those belong to Lotus Pier, those belong to the Jiang family!

Wen Chao laughed heartily and said, "Good, good! This is the perfect time for a grand celebration. I think we should hold a banquet here tonight. Let's make the most of everything!"

Wang Lingjiao said sweetly, "Congratulations, young master, on taking over Lotus Pier."

Wen Chao said, "What Lotus Pier? Change that name! Tear down all the doors with the nine-petaled lotus symbol and replace them with the sun symbol of the Qishan Wen Clan! Jiaojiao, come and perform your best song and dance for me!"

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng couldn't listen any longer. They jumped over the wall, stumbling and falling as they left Lotus Pier. They ran a long way, but the laughter and chatter of the rabble in the training ground still lingered. A woman's alluring singing voice floated merrily above Lotus Pier, like a poisoned knife, slowly cutting into their ears and hearts.

The person is dead, just a corpse...

Every word was like a sharp blade, piercing the hearts of everyone in the Jiang family present.

Looking into the sky, the bodies of Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian lay at the feet of Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao, their robes stained with blood, and even in death, they held long swords in their hands.

"Father...Mother..."

The pain spread from her heart to every part of her body. Jiang Yanli gripped the front of her clothes tightly with her right hand and lowered her head, panting heavily.

She wanted to cry, but she found that when the heartache was unbearable, she couldn't cry.

At the time, she had only heard the bad news, but A-Xian and A-Cheng were so unprepared to accept the shock of this scene. This pain was enough to break through all reason.

Listening to Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao's vile words, not to mention the Jiang family, even the people from other families in the space wished they could whip these two shameless, smug-faced dogs in Tianying to death.

The elders all sighed. Such scenes had played out in countless families back then.

After running for several miles, Jiang Cheng suddenly stopped.

Wei Wuxian stopped as well. Jiang Cheng turned to go back, but Wei Wuxian grabbed him and said, "Jiang Cheng, what are you doing! Don't go back!"

Jiang Cheng waved his hand and said, "Don't go back? Are you even speaking human language? You're telling me not to go back? My parents' bodies are still in Lotus Pier, how can I just leave like that? Where else can I go if I don't go back!"

Wei Wuxian gripped him even tighter: "What can you do if you go back now? They've even killed Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu. If you go back, you'll only face death!"

Jiang Cheng yelled, "So be it! If you're afraid of dying, get lost, don't block my way!"

Wei Wuxian seized the body, saying, "A gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years. The body must be retrieved, but not now!"

Jiang Cheng dodged the attack and retorted, "If it's not now, what is it? I've had enough of you, get out of here!"

Seeing this, Lan Qiren, Lan Xichen, and the others shook their heads helplessly and sighed.

They had watched these two boys grow up, and now they understood why Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan had entrusted Jiang Cheng to Wei Wuxian. Without Wei Wuxian's rationality back then, how could there be the spirited Jiang Sect Leader he is today? He would probably have been killed by the Wen family long ago.