Chapter 104 One Hundred and Four
Chapter Summary: [Wen Chao's shrill cry echoed through the empty inn, but Wei Wuxian seemed oblivious, lightly lifting his robes...]
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Wen Chao's shrill scream echoed through the empty post station, but Wei Wuxian seemed not to hear it. He lightly lifted his robe and sat down at another table.
The second oil lamp flickered to life, its bright yellow flame casting a shadow of half Wei Wuxian's face in the light. He lowered his hand, and a deathly pale face emerged from the darkness beneath the table. From under that table came the crunching sound of chewing.
A small white child squatted at his feet, like a small carnivorous beast, gnawing on something Wei Wuxian had fed him.
Wei Wuxian withdrew his hand and gently patted the white ghost child's sparse head twice. The ghost child, with the food he fed it in its mouth, turned around, sat at his feet, hugged his leg, and continued to chew viciously while glaring at Wen Zhuliu with its cold, gleaming eyes.
What he was chewing were two human fingers.
Needless to say, it must be Wen Chao's fingers!
Lan Wangji stared at the eerie ghost child and the equally eerie Wei Wuxian, gripping the hilt of his sword, Bichen.
It's that ghost child again!
If Wei Wuxian weren't still asleep, everyone would definitely have asked him if the ghost child was still with him.
The thought of a ghostly child possibly wandering around my bed at night gives me goosebumps.
Wen Zhuliu remained standing in front of Wen Chao. Wei Wuxian, his head bowed, obscuring his expression, said, "Wen Zhuliu, do you really think you can save his dog's life under my watch?"
Wen Zhuliu said, "Let's try it with our lives on the line."
Wei Wuxian sneered and said, "What a loyal Wen dog."
Wen Zhuliu said, "I cannot fail to repay the kindness shown to me."
Wei Wuxian's tone and expression suddenly turned sinister, and he said sharply, "What a joke! Why should others pay the price for your kindness in recognizing my talent!"
These words are written in blood and tears.
This price is too high.
Whose head does this unexpected calamity fall upon? It's the explanation for a nightmare.
However, the source of the nightmare was someone else repaying a debt of gratitude, which no one could accept.
While gratitude is commendable, using it as a reason to harm others or as an excuse to act as an accomplice to evil is an insult to loyalty and righteousness.
Before the words were even finished, Wen Chao's piercing screams echoed from behind Wen Zhuliu. Wen Chao scrambled to the corner of the wall, desperately squeezing into the wooden planks, as if hoping to squeeze himself out through the gaps. Suddenly, a red blur crashed down from the ceiling—a long-haired woman in red, her face ashen, slammed heavily onto him. The woman's sallow face, vibrant red dress, and jet-black hair created a horrifying contrast. She grabbed the bandage on Wen Chao's head and ripped it off with all her might!
The bandage was reapplied by Wen Zhuliu after he finished applying the medicine to Wen Chao. The ointment, skin, and bandage were stuck together. The skin, which was already very fragile after being burned, was torn off so violently that the scars and the extremely thin skin were ripped off in an instant. Even the lips were torn off, and a bumpy bald head instantly became a bloody mess.
Wen Chao fainted on the spot. Hearing his scream, Wen Zhuliu immediately turned to help. Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng on the rooftop also gripped their swords, ready to attack, but then a scream rang out, and the ghost child at Wei Wuxian's feet pounced. Wen Zhuliu struck out with his right palm, hitting the ghost child squarely on the forehead, but felt a sharp pain in his hand as the ghost child opened its two rows of sharp teeth and bit him. Unable to shake it off, Wen Zhuliu ignored it and went to save Wen Chao. The ghost child, however, bit off a large chunk of flesh from his palm and spat it out, continuing to devour his hand. Wen Zhuliu grabbed the ghost child's head with his left hand, seemingly wanting to crush the cold, small skull with his bare hands. The woman with the ashen face threw the bloody bandages to the ground, and like a four-legged creature, instantly crawled to Wen Zhuliu's side, leaving ten bloody furrows with a single wave of her hand. Two sinister creatures, one large and one small, relentlessly tore and entangled around him. Wen Zhuliu was overwhelmed and in a chaotic mess, unable to attend to both sides. Turning his head, he saw Wei Wuxian watching with a cold smile, and suddenly pounced on him.
Both men on the rooftop tensed. Lan Wangji slammed his palm down, shattering the tiles and collapsing the roof. He landed on the second floor of the inn, standing between Wen Zhuliu and Wei Wuxian. Wen Zhuliu was startled. At that moment, a long whip, shimmering with purple light, suddenly struck, wrapping around his neck three times before being violently pulled up. Wen Zhuliu's tall, heavy body was hoisted into the air by the electric whip, and a cracking sound of his neck bones breaking echoed. At the same time, Wei Wuxian's pupils contracted. He drew a flute from his waist, spun around, and stood up. The ghost child and the blue-faced woman, who had been tearing at Wen Zhuliu, quickly retreated to his side, warily watching the two strangers.
Behind them, Wen Zhuliu wasn't immediately dead. His face was flushed, his body convulsing, and he struggled incessantly, his eyes wide open, almost bulging out of their sockets. The ghost child bared its fangs at Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng, its hostility blatant. Wei Wuxian slightly raised his hand, causing it to retract its fangs. His gaze swept back and forth between Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng; none of the three spoke first.
The battle between humans and evil spirits captivated the younger generation, who occasionally gasped in amazement, prompting their elders to want to smack them on the head to bring them back to their senses.
That's an evil spirit, yet it looks at you with such worship!
The younger generation doesn't hate Wei Wuxian as much as the older generation. Most of them just listen to his stories for fun. Now that they see how powerful he is at controlling evil spirits, their admiration for him has grown.
After Wen Zhuliu lost his fighting ability, the inexplicable cold atmosphere between the three people in Tianying, who had not seen each other for a long time, made the space suddenly silent.
Everyone: ...It's one thing for Sect Leader Jiang, but why do the two Hanguang-jun's expressions look so terrifying!
After a moment, Jiang Cheng tossed something over. Wei Wuxian caught it without hesitation. Jiang Cheng said, "Your sword!"
Wei Wuxian's hand slowly fell.
He looked down at Suibian, paused for a moment, and then said, "...Thank you."
After a long silence, Jiang Cheng suddenly stepped forward, slapped him on the shoulder, and said, "You brat! Where have you been for the past three months!"
Though it was a scolding, the tone was filled with ecstatic joy. Lan Wangji didn't step forward, but his gaze remained fixed on Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian was startled by Jiang Cheng's slap, and after a moment, he returned the blow, saying, "Haha, it's a long story, a long story!"
The chilling aura emanating from him had been significantly diminished by those two palm strikes. Jiang Cheng was both pleased and furious. He hugged him tightly, then shoved him away violently, roaring, "Didn't we agree to meet in that lousy town at the foot of the mountain? I've waited five or six days and haven't even seen a shadow of you! If you're going to die, at least do it in front of me! I've been so busy these past three months, my head is spinning!"
Wei Wuxian lifted his robe and sat down at the table again, waving his hand and saying, "It's a long story. A bunch of Wen dogs were searching high and low for me, and they caught me red-handed and threw me into some godforsaken place to torment me."
As he spoke, the blue-faced woman crawled towards him on all fours. Just moments before, her face had been contorted in a ferocious struggle, but now, nestled beside Wei Wuxian, her blue face pressed against his thigh, she resembled a charming concubine obediently trying to please her master, giggling softly. Wei Wuxian sat casually at the table, his right hand gently stroking her long, smooth hair. Lan Wangji watched his actions, his expression growing increasingly cold. While the scene made Jiang Cheng somewhat uncomfortable, he was now even more astonished, exclaiming, "What kind of place is this? I've thoroughly questioned everyone in town, and they all say they've never seen you before?!"
Wei Wuxian said, "You're asking the people in that town? They're all country bumpkins who've never seen the world. They'd be afraid of causing trouble, so who would dare tell you the truth? Besides, the Wen dogs must have used some means to silence them, so of course they all say they've never seen me."
Jiang Cheng cursed, "A bunch of old bastards!" He then pressed, "What kind of place is this? Qishan? Nightless City? How did you get out? And why are you like this? And what are these two things? They actually listen to you. Before, Lan Wangji and I accepted the mission to raid and kill Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu, but someone beat us to it. I didn't expect it to be you! Did you modify those talismans too?"
Wei Wuxian noticed Lan Wangji watching them out of the corner of his eye, smiled slightly, and said, "Pretty much. I told you I discovered a mysterious cave somewhere, with mysterious scriptures left behind by a mysterious master, and then I came out like this and started wreaking havoc. Do you believe me?"
Jiang Cheng spat, "Wake up! You've been reading too many legendary tales. There aren't that many masters in the world, nor are there secret caves and manuals everywhere!"
Wei Wuxian shrugged and said, "See, you won't believe me even if I tell you. I'll tell you slowly another time."
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but lower his head and laugh self-deprecatingly.
I was so overjoyed that I couldn't see that Wei Wuxian, who usually made conversation even when there was nothing to say, had changed the subject so many times, and I kept asking him questions.
Back then, I was young and impetuous, and I was often less rational in my actions in front of those close to me.
In retrospect, Wei Wuxian suffered because of him, and he even rubbed salt into the wound.
Jiang Cheng glanced at Lan Wangji, knowing that these were probably things that couldn't be said in front of the outsiders, so he suppressed his joy and said, "Alright. We'll talk about it later. It's good that you're back."
Wei Wuxian said, "Yes. It's good that you're back."
Jiang Cheng murmured "It's good that you're back" several times, then suddenly slapped him: "You really are...! You managed to survive being caught by the Wen dogs!"
Wei Wuxian said smugly, "That's right. Who am I?"
Jiang Cheng couldn't help but curse, "What are you so smug about! If you weren't dead, why didn't you come back sooner!"
Wei Wuxian said, "I just came out, didn't I? I heard that you and your sister are doing well, and that you are working on rebuilding the Yunmeng Jiang Clan and forming an alliance to participate in the war. So I went to kill a few Wen dogs to lighten your burden and make a contribution. These past three months have been tough for you."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Jiang Cheng seemed to recall the arduous journey and sleepless nights of the past three months, and was slightly moved. Then, he composed himself and said in a harsh voice, "Put away your broken sword! I'm waiting for you to come back and take it away. I don't want to carry two swords around every day and be constantly questioned!"
Lan Wangji suddenly said, "Wei Ying."
Hearing his own voice, Lan Wangji recalled how he had coldly questioned Wei Wuxian about his cultivation of demonic arts, and he couldn't help but clench his hands again, which had just relaxed a moment ago.
The others also noticed that the atmosphere of the Jiang brothers' long-awaited reunion was shattered by Lan Wangji's cold "Wei Ying".
The atmosphere, which had just eased, became tense again.
He had been standing quietly to the side, but suddenly spoke, causing Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng to turn to him. Wei Wuxian seemed to only then remember to greet him, and turned his head slightly, saying, "Hanguang-jun."
Lan Wangji said, "Was it you who killed Wen Clan disciples along the way?"
Wei Wuxian said, "Of course."
Jiang Cheng said, "I knew it was you. Why did you only kill one at a time, going through so much trouble?"
Wei Wuxian said, "It'll be fun, we'll torture them to death. Wiping them all outright would be too easy on them. We'll kill them one by one, slowly cutting them apart, slice by slice. Wen Chao goes without saying, I haven't tormented him enough yet. As for this Wen Zhuliu, he received Wen Ruohan's favor, changed his surname to join the Wen family, and was ordered to protect Wen Ruohan's precious son." He sneered, "He wants to protect him? I'll make him watch Wen Chao in his hands, little by little, become unrecognizable, neither human nor ghost."
The smile was three parts cold, three parts cruel, and three parts pleased. Lan Wangji saw his expression clearly, took a step forward, and asked, "What method do you use to control these Yin and evil things?"
Wei Wuxian's smile faded, and he glanced at him sideways. Jiang Cheng also sensed the discord and asked, "Second Young Master Lan, what do you mean by asking that?"
Lan Wangji stared intently at Wei Wuxian and said, "Answer."
The ghost child and the blue-faced woman became restless. Wei Wuxian glanced back at them, and they reluctantly retreated slowly, disappearing into the darkness. Only then did Wei Wuxian turn to Lan Wangji, raising an eyebrow and asking, "Excuse me... what will happen if I don't answer?"
Suddenly, he dodged Lan Wangji's unexpected grab, took three steps back, and said, "Lan Zhan, we've just reunited after a long separation, and you're already trying to capture someone? Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
Lan Wangji acted without speaking, while Wei Wuxian countered each move with lightning speed; both were incredibly agile. After pushing Lan Wangji's hand away for the third time, Wei Wuxian said, "I thought we were at least acquaintances. Isn't it a bit heartless of you to resort to violence so easily?"
Lan Wangji said, "Answer!"
Jiang Cheng stepped between the two of them and said, "Second Young Master Lan!"
Wei Wuxian said, "Second Young Master Lan, what you asked is really hard to explain in a short time. And it's very strange. If I were to press you about the secret techniques of the Gusu Lan Clan, would you answer me?"
Lan Wangji bypassed Jiang Cheng and went straight for him. Wei Wuxian held the flute horizontally in front of him and said, "Isn't this going too far? Why be so ruthless? Lan Zhan, what exactly do you want?"
Lan Wangji said, word by word, "Come back to Gusu with me."
Upon hearing this, both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng were taken aback.
Everyone: ...
After hearing this, everyone should have felt fear. The two men were evenly matched, locked in a fierce confrontation, neither willing to back down.
But... everyone turned to look at the two people huddled together.
I really can't feel any fear.
The ghost child and the blue-faced woman on the side were more terrifying.
Madam Lan raised her hand and slapped her forehead.
As a mother, although she didn't accompany her child as he grew up, the unspoken understanding between them allowed her to see that her son was worried that Wei Wuxian was going astray and wanted him to return to the way of the sword, which was why he wanted to take him back to Gusu.
but……
Couldn't they have said something nicer?!
They had to keep a straight face, making it look like they were going to take someone back and imprison them.
He looks exactly like his father.
Qinghengjun:......
He expressed his innocence.
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