Exorcism
Not long after Wei Wuxian was released, he resumed his comfortable life. Lan Qiren went to the Qinghe Nie Clan's discussion meeting, and these disciples were like birds released from their cages, with no one to discipline them.
It's unclear how Wei Wuxian persuaded Lan Wangji, but they decided to go to a nearby town to exorcise the water spirit. Xie Linyang, who had nothing else to do and was eager to go down the mountain, also went along.
When she saw that Lan Xichen, one of the Twin Jades of the Lan Clan, was also traveling with them, she excitedly clenched his hand. He and Lan Zhan were standing together. Well, Lan Zhan was handsome, but he was too cold. She still preferred the gentle and handsome Lan Xichen.
After Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng greeted Lan Xichen, she smiled and said, "Xie Linyang, the disciple of Baoshan Sanren, and Zewu-jun, how are you?"
Lan Xichen's voice was as gentle as a spring breeze: "Miss Xie has been living in Gusu for over a month now. I wonder if you are getting used to life here?"
"Everything is fine." Xie Linyang's almond-shaped eyes curved into a smile. "Gusu is a beautiful place, and the Lan disciples are very friendly. I love this place very much." She felt that she had been too straightforward, so she secretly glanced at him and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was listening patiently.
"Miss Xie, this is your first time coming down the mountain. If there is any inadequacy in your hospitality along the way, please let me know and I will do my best to make amends."
"In that case, thank you very much, Mr. Zewu."
Their destination was a place called Caiyi Town. The town resembled a water town in Jiangnan, with numerous stalls selling food and miscellaneous goods scattered along the river entrance. Xie Linyang, seeing this, was filled with curiosity. Just then, she saw Wei Wuxian walking towards a wine stall, so she followed closely behind, hoping to find something she liked.
When she turned around carrying a large bag of food, toys, and daily necessities, she found that everyone had already chosen a boat and was waiting on the riverbank.
When they arrived, they found Wei Wuxian teasing Lan Wangji. Jiang Cheng looked at Wei Wuxian with a disgusted expression.
"It seems Brother Jiang is homophobic." She secretly pondered, imagining how interesting Jiang Cheng's expression would be if he knew these two were together.
"Let's share a boat, Brother Wanyin." Xie Linyang found that there were no more small boats available, so he had no choice but to share a boat with Jiang Cheng, whom he was more familiar with.
"Come on up." Jiang Cheng helped her put away the bags and packages she had bought, while continuing to talk to her. Xie Linyang was already used to his contradictory actions.
The so-called water spirit can also be understood as the water ghost commonly referred to in folklore. Lan Xichen had previously come to Caiyi Town to investigate, but without any results. Therefore, today he specially led several of his disciples and invited Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, who are skilled in swimming, to help him deal with the water spirit.
Lan Xichen explained in detail the river conditions of Caiyi Town and some basic knowledge about water spirits. After listening, everyone became extremely vigilant, slowly rowing their small boat while carefully searching the river for any trace of water spirits.
They gradually moved away from the bustling river of Caiyi Town, following the current towards the more secluded Biling Lake. The deeper they went, the quieter it became. The hustle and bustle on both banks was gradually replaced by verdant but silent mountains, and the color of the lake water changed from light to a deep, dark turquoise, unfathomable and faintly exuding a chill.
Xie Linyang pulled her sleeves tighter, her fingertips touching the sugar cake paper she had just bought in Caiyi Town. She had specially saved it for Nie Huaisang, thinking of giving it to him as a snack after the exorcism, but now it felt cold from the lake breeze.
Wei Wuxian stood at the bow of the boat, casually splashing the clear but overly cold lake water, and clicked his tongue: "This place is a little too quiet."
Lan Xichen gazed at the lake, a hint of seriousness barely perceptible in his eyes: "Indeed, when I came to investigate last time, I sensed something unusual about the water spirits here. It wasn't like ordinary water spirits causing trouble; rather... it seemed to be occupied by something much larger."
Jiang Cheng snorted, "Whatever it is, if it's causing trouble, then get rid of it."
Xie Linyan listened to their conversation, but her gaze was involuntarily drawn to a spot in the center of the lake. The water there seemed deeper than the surrounding water, with what appeared to be silent undercurrents flowing beneath the surface. Just as she was becoming wary, she suddenly heard a cry of surprise.
The small boat carrying a Lan clan member named Su She suddenly lurched, as if something was pulling the bottom of the boat hard. The dark water in the center of the lake suddenly began to swirl, forming a huge whirlpool! A powerful suction force came instantly, and Su She lost his balance and was dragged away from the side of the boat with a scream. He was about to be sucked into the center of the whirlpool.
"Watch out!" Almost simultaneously, two figures, one white and one black, darted out.
Lan Wangji moved with incredible speed, his Bichen sword flashing like a bolt of lightning, shooting straight towards the edge of the whirlpool, attempting to sever the suction force. Wei Wuxian, meanwhile, arrived from the other side on his sword, reaching out to grab Su She's arm. Working in perfect coordination, they managed to pull Su She back from the brink of death at the last second, throwing him back onto the safer deck. Su She, still shaken, was deathly pale and gasping for breath.
Lan Xichen did not relax despite successfully rescuing the person. His expression was solemn as he stared intently at the vortex that had not dissipated but instead seemed to be expanding. He said in a deep voice, "No! This is not a vortex that a water spirit can form... This suction force, this scale of resentment... It's the Water Abyss!"
"Water Abyss?" Wei Wuxian landed back on the boat, his brows furrowed. "Isn't this thing usually only formed in dangerous waters where spiritual energy is extremely mixed and resentment has accumulated for thousands of years? How come there's one near Caiyi Town?"
Lan Xichen sighed, his gentle voice heavy: "Most of the Water Abysses are not naturally formed, but rather... caused by human intervention and relocation. Some aristocratic families, if their territory is plagued by intractable evil spirits, will try to drive them to uncontrolled public waters, or... neighboring territories."
Jiang Cheng immediately realized what was happening, looked up at the sky, and said indignantly, "So it was them who brought this hot potato to the territory of the Gusu Lan Clan."
Wei Wuxian sneered: "Who else could it be but them? Now that the Wen Clan is powerful, they are becoming increasingly unscrupulous. How many times have they done such selfish and harmful things?"
Lan Xichen tacitly accepted their guesses and continued to explain: "The Water Abyss is a massive monster formed from the entanglement of the resentment of countless drowned people with the spiritual energy and malevolent energy of the water veins. It is formless and intangible, yet omnipresent and extremely difficult to eradicate. Ordinary magic swords can only slash at it, like trying to cut water with a knife, futile and ineffective. Ancient texts record that the only way to completely eliminate the Water Abyss is... to drain the entire lake, expose the riverbed, and let it bask in the sun for three years, using the intense energy of the blazing sun to gradually wear down the foundation of its resentment."
"Drain Biling Lake? Expose it to the sun for three years?" Jiang Cheng asked incredulously. "How is this possible! This lake has far-reaching implications; how many people downstream depend on it for their livelihood?"
A moment of silence fell over everyone. Indeed, this method was time-consuming and labor-intensive, almost impossible to complete. Faced with this behemoth, even the Lan brothers and the outstanding young talents like Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng felt helpless.
"Let's go back first." Lan Xichen made a decisive decision. "This matter needs to be discussed carefully. We should report to our uncle before making any further plans."
Just as they turned their boat around, preparing to leave the dangerous waters, Xie Linyang and Jiang Cheng's boat suddenly jolted, as if something had violently pushed up the bottom of the boat. The small boat was suddenly caught by an undercurrent several times stronger than before, and the hull tilted instantly.
The two immediately mounted their swords and ascended. Xie Linyang saw his package, which he had placed in the corner of the cabin, rolling "gurgle" toward the side of the ship as it tilted. He felt a pang of heartache.
"You go first!" Jiang Cheng suddenly shouted.
Xie Lin Yang was taken aback. He turned his head and saw Jiang Cheng staring at the falling package, his brows furrowed, as if he were struggling with himself. The next second, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and descended on his sword.
"Jiang Cheng! Don't go!" Xie Linyang's heart stopped. She reached out to grab his robe, but only managed to grasp a corner. The purple figure had already shot off like an arrow towards the direction where the package had fallen. He wanted to retrieve that package? For her things?
But the vortex's suction was more than ten times stronger than before! Just as Jiang Cheng's hand touched the wrapping strap, an even more violent force suddenly exploded from the bottom of the lake. Black resentment coiled around his ankle like a giant python and pulled him down sharply!
"Thump—"
Water splashed and Jiang Cheng, along with his belongings, was instantly swallowed by the whirlpool, without even having time to cry for help.
"Jiang Cheng!" Xie Lin Yang's heart sank. Without any hesitation, amidst everyone's horrified gazes, she leaped into the vortex of churning dark resentment, her azure figure piercing into the vortex without hesitation, like a sharp arrow!
"Thank you, Miss Xie!" Lan Xichen exclaimed.
Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji immediately tried to get closer to help, but an invisible barrier seemed to have formed around the vortex. The resentment surged and formed a violent turbulent current, making it impossible for their boat to get close. Even flying on their swords became extremely difficult, and their spiritual energy was pulverized as soon as it entered!
"Damn it!" Wei Wuxian slammed his fist on the side of the boat, watching helplessly as the two figures disappeared into the dark heart of the lake.
Lan Wangji pursed his thin lips, the tassel of his Bichen sword trembling violently. He tried to use the Qingxin Jue to calm the resentment, but the resentment seemed to have gone mad, frantically crashing against his spiritual energy barrier, even covering his fingertips with a thin layer of frost.
Lan Xichen stood at the bow of the boat, his moon-white robes fluttering in the wind. He gazed at the black water that had swallowed the two of them, his fingertips trembling slightly. He knew Xie Linyang was the holder of the Yang energy, the only direct disciple of Baoshan Sanren, and also... a friend of Wangji and Wei Ying. But at this moment, he could only watch helplessly, unable to even take a single step closer.
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