Chapter 113 One Hundred and Thirty
Chapter Summary: [The three outside couldn't bear to watch any longer. Wei Wuxian jumped onto the stone steps in front of the Demon-Subduing Cave first and shouted: ...]
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The three outside couldn't stand it any longer. Wei Wuxian jumped onto the stone steps in front of the Demon-Subduing Cave first and shouted, "Hey! Look here!"
His roar echoed through the Demon-Subduing Cave, almost deafening. The boys, who were wrestling together, looked up, and Lan Sizhui saw the familiar figure beside him, exclaiming joyfully, "Hanguang-jun!"
Lan Jingyi shouted even louder: "Hanguang-jun! Ahh ...
Jin Chan exclaimed in horror, "What are you all so happy about? They...they're in cahoots!"
Everyone: ...
Look at this, even a child knows that Lan Wangji is following you around and helping you without any principles or reason.
Why can't you get it?
Wei Wuxian stepped into the Demon-Subduing Cave, drew his sword, Suibian, from its sheath, and casually tossed it behind him. A figure flashed out and caught the sword—it was Wen Ning. The group of aristocratic youths erupted in another round of screams and shouts: "Ghost! Ghost! Ghost! General!"
Wen Ning raised his sword, Suibian, and slashed down at Jin Ling. Jin Ling gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, but unexpectedly, his body relaxed, and the Binding Immortal Ropes were severed by Suibian's sharp edge. Next, Wen Ning walked around the hall, cutting the Binding Immortal Ropes. The aristocratic scions he had freed were caught between a rock and a hard place. Inside were the Yiling Patriarch, the Ghost General, and the traitorous Hanguang-jun; outside were countless hungry walking corpses. They were trapped, forced to huddle in a corner of the cave, their eyes fixed on the expressionless Wen Ning pacing back and forth. Lan Sizhui, however, was beaming. He said, "Mo... Senior Wei, you've come to save us, haven't you? You didn't send people to capture us, did you?"
Although it was a question, his face was full of trust and joy. Wei Wuxian felt a warmth in his heart, squatted down and rubbed his head, messing up his hair that had been meticulously styled even after several days of hardship, and said, "Me? You know how poor I am, where would I get so much money to hire people?"
Lan Sizhui nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes. I knew that all along! I knew that you were really poor, senior!"
"..."
Wei Wuxian asked, "Good boy. How many people are there? Are there any ambushes around here?"
Lan Jingyi yanked off the ropes binding him and blurted out, "There are so many of them! Their faces are all covered by black mist, so we can't see their features. They tied us up and left us here, like they're just going to let us fend for ourselves. Oh, oh, oh, there are so many walking corpses outside! They keep yelling!"
Bichen was drawn with a clang, severing the Immortal-Binding Ropes that bound them. Lan Wangji sheathed his sword and said to Lan Sizhui, "Well done."
This means that Lan Sizhui was able to remain calm and trust them, which was commendable. Lan Sizhui quickly stood up and stood upright in front of Lan Wangji. Before he could even smile, Wei Wuxian chuckled and said, "Yes, you did a really good job, Sizhui. You can even fight now."
Lan Sizhui's face flushed red instantly, and he said, "That...that was...a moment of impulse..."
Everyone: ...
When I met him in person, how did I go from stuttering to being a timid baby?
From now on, when people see the Yiling Patriarch, instead of seeing a fierce and menacing figure with blue faces and fangs, they'll see him as afraid of dogs and poor.
Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui watched Lan Qiren's slightly trembling beard from behind, and then shrank further behind Lan Xichen.
Oh dear, Mr. Lan is so angry he's trembling, it's terrifying.
Suddenly, Wei Wuxian noticed someone approaching. He turned around and saw Jin Ling standing stiffly behind them.
Lan Wangji immediately stepped in front of Wei Wuxian, and Lan Sizhui then stood in front of Lan Wangji, cautiously saying, "Young Master Jin."
Wei Wuxian stepped out from behind them and said, "What are you doing? You're all stacked up like a human pyramid."
Jin Ling's expression was very strange. His fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't utter a word. He just stared at the spot in Wei Wuxian's abdomen where he had stabbed him. Lan Jingyi was shocked and exclaimed, "You! You! You wouldn't be thinking of stabbing him again, would you?!"
Jin Ling's expression froze, and Lan Sizhui quickly said, "Jingyi!"
Wei Wuxian, with Jingyi on his left and Sizhui on his right, put his arms around the necks of the two children and said, "Alright, hurry up and get out."
Lan Sizhui replied, "Yes!"
The other teenagers were still huddled together in the corner, too afraid to move. Lan Jingyi said, "Let's go? Do you want to stay here?"
A boy, his neck stiff, retorted, "There are so many walking corpses outside, you want us to go out... to our deaths!"
Wen Ning said, "Young Master, I'll go out and chase them away."
Wei Wuxian nodded, and Wen Ning immediately dashed out like a gust of wind. Lan Sizhui said, "The Immortal Binding Rope has been untied. At worst, we can work together to fight our way out. If you don't leave, what if the horde of corpses floods in after we leave? Given the terrain of this cave, wouldn't we be trapped like turtles in a jar?"
After speaking, he pulled Lan Jingyi along, and the two of them, along with several younger members of the Lan family, followed Wen Ning out. The group of teenagers exchanged bewildered glances.
Jiang Yanli glanced at Jin Ling's stiff expression in the sky, then at the flushed Jin Ling beside her, and couldn't help but laugh and pat his head: "You are just like your little uncle, stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside."
Jin Ling: "...Mother."
"But Ah Ling, you must remember, your uncle would never harm you. Things have changed so much in the past, so you must treat him well from now on," Jiang Yanli said with a smile.
Jin Ling nodded thoughtfully. Having experienced so much, he understood, but...
It's all because Wei Wuxian keeps teasing them!
At this moment, Wei Wuxian must be thinking: These kids are so cute. They clearly want to listen to me, but they still stubbornly insist on doing things the other way around.
A moment later, someone said, "Brother Sizhui, wait for me!" and followed him, and they all left together.
This young man was none other than the sentimental boy who had burned paper money and shed tears for A-Qing in Yicheng. Others called him Zizhen, and he seemed to be the only son of the Baling Ouyang clan. Several more people followed, all familiar faces from Yicheng. The remaining boys hesitated at first, but seeing Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji staring at them—any one of them looking at them made them uneasy—so they reluctantly walked past. Last but not least was Jin Ling.
Just as a large group of people were slowly making their way to the cave entrance, a figure was suddenly thrown in, smashing into the cave wall and creating a deep, human-shaped crater.
The gray stones fell with a soft rustling sound, and from ahead came the exclamations of several juniors: "Ghost General!"
Wei Wuxian asked, "Wen Ning? What happened!"
Wen Ning forced a smile and said, "...It's nothing."
He fell from the pit, stood up, and silently and roughly reattached his severed arm. Wei Wuxian looked closely and saw a young man in purple robes standing with his hands hanging down in front of the Demon-Subduing Cave, purple lightning crackling and flowing in his hand. It was this very whip that had just lashed Wen Ning into the hall.
Jiang Cheng.
No wonder Wen Ning showed no intention of retaliating.
Seeing this, Wen Qing touched Wen Ning's arm with heartache, but they were in the wrong back then, and she had no right to say anything to Jiang Cheng.
Jin Ling said, "Uncle!"
Jiang Cheng said coldly, "Jin Ling, come here."
From the dark forest behind him, cultivators from various families, dressed in different attire, slowly emerged. Their numbers grew rapidly, eventually reaching a rough count of one or two thousand, a vast, dark mass that completely surrounded the Demon-Subduing Cave. These cultivators, including Jiang Cheng, were all covered in blood and looked utterly exhausted. The young noble families rushed out of the Demon-Subduing Cave, calling out, "Father!" "Mother!" "Brother!" and joining the crowd.
Jin Ling looked left and right, still hesitant and unable to make up his mind. Jiang Cheng shouted sternly, "Jin Ling, what are you dawdling for? Come here now! Do you want to die?!"
Lan Qiren stood before the crowd, looking considerably older, with strands of gray hair appearing at his temples. He said, "Wangji."
Lan Wangji said in a low voice, "Uncle."
But she still didn't stand back by his side.
Lan Qiren understood perfectly well that this was Lan Wangji's unwavering answer. He shook his head in utter disappointment and offered no further words of advice.
A fairy in flowing white robes stepped forward, her eyes filled with tears, and said, "Hanguang-jun, what has happened to you? You...you are no longer yourself. You used to be his sworn enemy, irreconcilable. What method did the Yiling Patriarch use to bewitch you and make you stand on the opposite side?"
Lan Wangji ignored her. Receiving no reply, the fairy could only say regretfully, "If that's the case, then you're unworthy of being a renowned scholar!"
Wei Wuxian said, "You're here again."
Jiang Cheng said coldly, "Of course I'll come."
Su She, carrying his seven-stringed zither, also stood in front of the crowd and said leisurely, "If it weren't for the fact that the Yiling Patriarch had just returned and was so afraid that the world wouldn't know, so he went around digging up corpses and arresting people, I'm sure we wouldn't have come to visit your esteemed residence so soon."
Wei Wuxian said, "I clearly saved these young masters from noble families, so why aren't you grateful to me? Instead, you're accusing me?"
Now, stepping back from that time, many people, as bystanders, can sense that Wei Wuxian viewed them as if they were just passersby on the street, leaving them to their own judgment. He was merely stating the facts; whether they believed it or not was none of his business.
Xue Yang stroked his chin, looking at the self-righteous faces in the sky, and sneered, "They all care about which side others are on every day. If someone isn't on their side, they call them immoral. It's really funny."
Hearing this petty thug make such sarcastic remarks in front of them, they all lost face.
He straightened his neck, wanting to retort, but found that Xue Yang was right.
Many people sneered, muttering, "The thief cries 'Stop thief!'" Wei Wuxian knew that arguing was futile and wasn't in a hurry. He smiled slightly and said, "However, your entourage this time seems rather meager, as two important figures are missing. May I ask, for such a grand event, why aren't Lianfang-zun and Zewu-jun here?"
Su She sneered, "Hmph, the other day, Lord Lianfang was assassinated by an unknown person at Jinlintai and was seriously injured. Lord Zewu is still doing his best to treat him. Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?"
Upon hearing that Jin Guangyao was "seriously injured," Wei Wuxian was immediately reminded of his heroic feigned suicide when he ambushed Nie Mingjue, and couldn't help but burst out laughing. Su She frowned slightly and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Wei Wuxian said, "It's nothing. I just feel that Lianfang-zun is often injured."
Jin Guangyao: ...The Yiling Patriarch's mouth is indeed sharp.
Suddenly, a small voice said, "Father, I think it might not really be him. He saved us in Yicheng last time. It seems like he's here to save us again this time..."
He looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Ouyang Zizhen speaking again. However, his father immediately scolded his son: "Children shouldn't talk nonsense! Do you know what kind of occasion this is? Do you know who that person is!"
Withdrawing his gaze, Wei Wuxian calmly said, "I understand."
He understood from the beginning that no matter what he said, no one would believe him. What he denied could be imposed upon him; what he admitted could be distorted.
Lan Wangji used to carry a lot of weight, but after getting involved with him, he's likely become the target of everyone's criticism. It was thought that with Lan Xichen on the aristocratic side, they could at least mediate, but neither Lan Xichen nor Jin Guangyao showed up.
During the first siege of Burial Mound, Jin Guangshan led the Lanling Jin Clan, Jiang Cheng led the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, Lan Qiren led the Gusu Lan Clan, and Nie Mingjue led the Qinghe Nie Clan. The first two were the main forces, while the latter two were dispensable. Now, the Lanling Jin Clan's patriarch has not arrived, only sending men to be under the Lan Clan's command; the Gusu Lan Clan is still under Lan Qiren's command; Nie Huaisang has taken his elder brother's place, hiding in the crowd, still with a face full of "I don't know anything," "I don't want to do anything," and "I'm just here to make up the numbers."
Only Jiang Cheng remained the same Jiang Cheng, exuding a fierce aura, with a sinister expression, and staring intently at him.
But.
Wei Wuxian turned his head slightly and saw Lan Wangji standing beside him, showing no hesitation or intention to back down.
But this time, he wasn't alone.
Lan Jingyi secretly gave Ouyang Zizhen, who was sitting in the back row, a thumbs up from afar.
He wouldn't dare say that to Old Master Lan; it would be better if it were Zewu-jun.
Everyone could hear Wei Wuxian's inner thoughts, and everyone's face turned red and then black.
Admittedly, he was right. With the reputation of the Yiling Patriarch in front of everyone, no matter what he said, people would only think that he wanted to do something to harm the Hundred Families. Even if it was a good thing, people would suspect his motives.
Lan Wangji tenderly brushed Wei Wuxian's hair from his forehead. He knew that although Wei Wuxian did not understand his feelings at that time, as a friend, he was afraid of tarnishing his reputation.
But he felt the same way. Whenever he saw Wei Wuxian becoming more and more silent in the crowd, and the light in his eyes gradually dimming, he felt a pang of pain in his heart.
The boy he admired had shed his youthful carefree spirit due to prejudice, carrying a heavy burden that shouldn't belong to him. Life is unpredictable and things don't always go as planned. Wei Ying had already suffered enough; now that he was by his side, even if he couldn't change others' opinions, he hoped to protect him from further harm.
And Jiang Cheng.
What Wei Wuxian was thinking was like a knife piercing his heart.
He exuded a menacing aura and had a sinister look on his face.
What was he thinking at that time?
Upon hearing Jin Guangyao and the others say that Wei Wuxian had come to the Burial Mound after being injured at Jinlingtai, intending to cause trouble again, the tragic scenes of his home being destroyed and his relatives dying replayed in his mind all the way.
So much so that during the confrontation, she was unaware of how terrifying her own face looked.
He now understood. He was afraid—afraid that Wei Wuxian would become the demon he imagined, a demon who had returned from hell, and afraid that everything that had happened before would repeat itself.
The wound that hadn't healed in thirteen years was about to be torn open again, exposing the festering wound inside.
Both he and Wei Wuxian had hoped for the Yunmeng Duo.
At this moment, the only one who dared to stand beside him was Lan Wangji.
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