Jealous
Wen Chao's gaze, like a sticky maggot, crawled over Meng Yao's pale face. Suddenly, he exclaimed "Huh?" as if he had discovered something new and interesting. He narrowed his eyes sharply and pointed his whip in Jin Zixuan's direction: "Hey? Speaking of which, your face... looks a little familiar?"
He tilted his head, tapped his chin with his finger, and glanced back and forth between Meng Yao and Jin Zixuan. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh and laughed so hard he almost fell over, his voice shrill: "I remember now! They look alike! So alike! Just like Jin Zixuan, they're practically identical!"
The square fell silent instantly upon hearing this. All eyes turned to Meng Yao and Jin Zixuan.
Indeed! Similar eyes, the same nose bridge, even the curve of their lips is seven-tenths similar. However, Jin Zixuan is wearing a golden-sparkled robe, pampered and carrying the noble air of a young master from a prestigious family, while Meng Yao is wearing a faded blue robe, thin and frail, with an inescapable sense of humility hidden between her brows and eyes.
Jin Zixuan's face flushed bright red, as if he had been slapped in public. He was both ashamed and angry, and he took a step back, clenched his fists, and growled, "Wen Chao! What nonsense are you spouting!"
"Nonsense?" Wen Chao laughed even more smugly, took out a wine flask from his pocket, took a sip of wine, and the wine dripped down the corner of his mouth onto the tiger-skin chair. "Wasn't that the servant who was kicked off Jinlintai last year?"
He pointed his whip at Meng Yao, his voice suddenly rising as if to make sure everyone could hear, "Jin Guangshan's child! A bastard child who can't stand the light of day! Does he think he can whitewash himself by changing his clothes and following Baoshan Sanren's disciples? He doesn't even know what kind of person he is!"
"One is a phoenix raised in the golden snow waves, and the other... is nothing but a bastard born from a prostitute's belly, unworthy of being presented to the world! Meng Yao, don't you think so? Does she really think that just because she climbed onto the high branch of Baoshan Sanren, she can turn a pheasant into a phoenix?"
"Bastard child," "illegitimate child," "kick him down like a dog," "prostitute"...
Every word was like a sharp sword, piercing Meng Yao's eardrums and going straight to her heart!
He trembled violently, then abruptly raised his head. His eyes, which always held a gentle smile, were now bloodshot, churning with deep-seated humiliation, overwhelming hatred, and a bloody pain as if his wounds had been ripped open!
He bit his lower lip so hard it almost bled, his nails digging deep into his palms, but the stinging pain was nothing compared to the agony in his heart.
Seeing his reaction, Wen Chao became even more smug, as if he had found the most fun toy, and continued to verbally torture him: "What? You're not convinced? Did I say something wrong? Wasn't your mother a whore who was ridden by a thousand men and trampled by ten thousand? Your father, Jin Guangshan, didn't even acknowledge you! I heard that you crawled to Jinlintai like a dog to recognize your relatives, and what happened? You were kicked off the top and thrown out like trash! Hahaha! That's hilarious!"
With each word he spoke, Meng Yao's face paled further, his body trembled more violently, and his forced composure was on the verge of complete collapse. Those past experiences he had desperately tried to bury, those he considered his lifelong shame, were thus brutally torn open by Wen Chao in front of all the disciples of the various immortal sects, exposed to the light of day, and left to be ridiculed by everyone!
Xie Linyang stood beside Meng Yao, her heart pounding with shock. Looking at Meng Yao's trembling back as she was on the verge of collapse, she was filled with shock and indescribable heartache.
Only now did she realize that this disciple she had taken in out of pity had such a painful and bullied past. No wonder he had been so eager for power and so cautious back then... Wen Chao's words were like knives, cutting into her heart as well.
Jiang Cheng was initially furious because of Wen Chao's insults to Xie Lin Yang. But now, upon hearing Meng Yao's shameful background and seeing his shaky state, his anger was strangely replaced by a complex mix of emotions, including extreme contempt for Wen Chao's actions.
Wei Wuxian also put away his carefree attitude, his brows furrowed, and his gaze toward Wen Chao turned icy.
Meng Yao felt only hatred.
A boundless hatred welled up from his very bones, gnawing at his internal organs like a venomous snake. He hated Wen Chao's sharp tongue, hated Jin Guangshan's abandonment after seducing him, hated the trampling and humiliation by those people at Jinlintai, and hated himself even more... hated why he had to be born this way, why he had to be forever trampled in the mud!
"Heh, why aren't you saying anything?" Wen Chao became even more interested when he saw his expression, pointing the whip at Meng Yao's nose. "Weren't you just trying to stand up for your master? Now you know who you are? A bastard who doesn't even dare to acknowledge his own father, dares to stand here? If I were you, I would have already found a crack in the ground to crawl into and died!"
"Wen Chao!"
Xie Linyang's voice suddenly rang out, filled with an unprecedented coldness and anger. She took a step forward, shielding Meng Yao behind her, her back ramrod straight, like a green bamboo that would never bend in a storm.
"It's not your place to lecture my disciple." Xie Linyang's voice trembled slightly, not from fear, but from anger and heartache.
She could feel Meng Yao's body trembling slightly behind her. It wasn't fear, but extreme repression, like a fully drawn bow that could snap at any moment.
"Your disciple?" Wen Chao sneered. "Xie Linyang, now you know what kind of trash you've taken in, right? The disciple of Baoshan Sanren actually picked up Jin Guangshan's bastard as his apprentice. Aren't you afraid of being laughed out of the house?"
"Shut up!" Xie Linyang interrupted him sharply, her spiritual power almost out of control. "He is my disciple, Xie Linyang. His background is none of your business! Wen Chao, if you dare to insult him again, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Jiang Cheng clenched his fist and subconsciously stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Xie Linyang facing the high platform. Although he didn't speak, his tense profile already showed his attitude.
Wei Wuxian's smile vanished, and he stared intently at Meng Yao. He had seen too many ordinary people oppressed by aristocratic families, but he had never seen anyone like Meng Yao, who suppressed all her pain and whose trembling revealed her restraint. He whispered, "This Wen Chao... he's a real scoundrel."
Lan Wangji stood among the Lan disciples, his usually aloof brows furrowing slightly.
On the other side, Nie Huaisang had long since stopped fanning himself, and his usual playful smile was gone, replaced by a look of fear and pity in his eyes. He knew many secrets of aristocratic families, but he never expected someone to expose someone else's wounds in public like this, especially Meng Yao's current state, which was eerily quiet and made him feel uneasy.
The most embarrassed person was Jin Zixuan.
He stood there, his face flushing red and then pale, like a punctured balloon. Wen Chao's words were like countless needles, pricking him and making him extremely uncomfortable. Jin Guangshan was his father, and Meng Yao was his father's illegitimate son, which meant that he and this "bastard" shared half the same blood! He remembered that when he was at Jinlintai, he had heard servants gossiping about Meng Yao. At the time, he only felt it was bad luck and told the servants to shut up, but he never expected... it was actually true!
"You...you shut up!" Jin Zixuan finally couldn't hold back and retorted sharply, but without much confidence, "Our Jin family's affairs are none of your business, an outsider!"
"The Jin family's affairs?" Wen Chao laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, laughing so hard he almost fell over. "Jin Zixuan, do you dare say he's not your father's son? Do you dare say he wasn't kicked out of Jinlintai like trash? Hahaha! Jin Guangshan is really something, creating such a thing, and he still doesn't dare to admit it!"
Jin Zixuan was speechless, his face turning a deep purplish-red, wishing he could disappear into the ground. He instinctively avoided everyone's gaze, especially Meng Yao's. He didn't even dare to look at the boy who resembled him, as if looking at him even once would be a stain on his identity.
Just then, Meng Yao, who had been silent all along, suddenly moved.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze passing over Xie Linyang's shoulder and looking directly at Wen Chao on the high platform. There were no tears, no anger in those eyes, only a deathly coldness, like a frozen pool that had never thawed.
The corners of his mouth even curved into a very faint smile, like a laugh, but it was more chilling than crying.
"Young Master Wen." His voice was soft, yet it carried clearly throughout the entire square, carrying an eerie calm. "Have you finished speaking?"
Wen Chao felt a sudden jolt in his heart as he was stared at, then became furious and embarrassed: "What? This bastard dares to talk back?"
Meng Yao didn't speak again, but gave Wen Chao a deep look, then slowly swept her gaze over Jin Zixuan, over the sympathetic, disdainful, and curious glances, finally settling on Xie Linyang's back. His master stood before him, like a warm light, but how long could that light protect him?
He lowered his head, concealing all emotions in his eyes, leaving only a bottomless darkness.
The night was cool and still, and only a few flickering lights remained in the guest room area of Qishan Never Sleeps.
When Xie Linyang came out of Meng Yao's room, her fingertips still had a trace of cool ointment on them. She had just treated Meng Yao's palms, which had been scratched by his fingernails during the day. The boy had his eyes downcast, his long eyelashes casting dappled shadows in the candlelight. It wasn't until she softly said, "A-Yao, your background has never been a shackle for you. You are my disciple, and that's enough," that he suddenly looked up, a fleeting glint of moisture in his eyes, but he only murmured, "Thank you, Master."
The door hinges clicked softly. Xie Linyang turned around and closed the door. Just as he was about to walk towards his room, he stopped in his tracks.
Jiang Cheng was standing with his back to her under the eaves not far away.
He didn't light a lamp, only relying on the moonlight from outside the corridor, which cast a long shadow. His purple robe swayed slightly in the night breeze, his arms were crossed over his chest, and his back was straight, yet there was an inexplicable sense of sluggishness in him as if he were "waiting for someone."
Hearing footsteps, he didn't turn around, but spoke calmly, his voice even colder than the night wind: "Finished talking?"
Xie Linyang was stunned for a moment. When she got closer, she found him leaning against the door frame of her room, his gaze fixed on the dark mountain shadows in the distance, his profile looking somewhat cold and hard in the moonlight.
"Jiang Cheng? What are you doing here?" she asked instinctively.
Jiang Cheng then turned to look at her.
His gaze swept across her face, then quickly passed over Meng Yao's tightly closed door behind her, finally landing on her fingertips smeared with ointment.
"Just passing by." Jiang Cheng looked away, his tone casual, as if he had simply bumped into you by chance. "I saw your light was on, so I came to check it out."
Xie Linyang didn't think much of it, assuming it was just his concern. Feeling a warmth in his heart, he leaned closer and said, "I'm fine, it's just... Ayao suffered so much today, I'm worried about him. As his master, I should comfort him. He is a bit sensitive, but he's not a bad person at heart, and he's very hardworking."
"He's aggrieved?" Jiang Cheng suddenly interrupted her, his voice carrying a hint of coldness. "What does his background have to do with you?"
He was stunned for a moment as soon as he said it.
That's not what he meant to say.
Xie Linyang was also taken aback, blinking: "How can it be unrelated? He is my disciple."
She took half a step forward, the moonlight falling into her eyes, shining as if filled with stars. "I told him that no matter whose son he is, he is my disciple, Xie Linyang. As long as he doesn't do anything bad, I will always acknowledge him."
Seeing her completely oblivious, Jiang Cheng felt that inexplicable irritation well up inside him again.
Will she always acknowledge him?
What about yourself?
He recalled how she stood in front of Meng Yao during the day, sternly telling Wen Chao, "It's none of your business to lecture my disciple," and how she frowned and looked at Meng Yao with heartache in her eyes when she mentioned him... These images were like tiny needles, pricking his heart and making him feel suffocated.
He turned his face away, looking at the lanterns swaying in the wind outside the corridor, his voice lowered, with a stiffness he himself was unaware of: "You are... quite protective of him."
“He’s my apprentice,” Xie Linyang replied matter-of-factly, not noticing the odd tone in his voice. Instead, she leaned closer and looked at him with concern. “What’s wrong? You look so pale. Did you stand in the square for too long today and get tired? Or… did Wen Chao make things difficult for you again?” She reached out to touch his forehead to see if he had a fever.
Jiang Cheng, however, reacted as if he had been burned, and abruptly took half a step back.
Her fingertips brushed against his sleeve, stirring a cool breeze. Xie Linyang's hand froze in mid-air, looking at him somewhat blankly: "What's wrong?"
Jiang Cheng's Adam's apple bobbed. Avoiding her gaze, he pulled a small paper packet from his sleeve and placed it in her hand. The packet felt a little rough, like hard candy. "It's nothing," he said in a muffled voice. "Here, take this."
Xie Linyang held the paper package, stunned for a moment: "This is..."
“Sugar.” Jiang Cheng said quickly, as if he would feel uncomfortable if he stayed for even a second longer. “I noticed you didn’t eat much during the day.” He paused, then added in a harsh tone, “Don’t always worry about others, take care of yourself too.”
After saying that, he turned and left. The hem of his purple robe drew a neat arc in the night wind, but when he reached the end of the corridor, he paused almost imperceptibly.
Xie Linyang stood there, clutching the bag of candy that still held his warmth, watching his figure disappear around the corner, somewhat bewildered.
Jiang Cheng is acting really strange today.
She looked down at the candy in her hand, then glanced back at Meng Yao's door and sighed softly.
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