Chapter 22
Chapter Summary: [It was nearly dusk. He carried an unconscious boy on his back; both were covered in mud and looked quite disheveled, attracting frequent stares from passersby. Wei Wuxian returned…]
-------------------------------------
It was nearly dusk. He was carrying an unconscious boy on his back, both of them covered in mud and looking quite disheveled, attracting frequent stares from passersby. Wei Wuxian returned to the street where Jin Ling had chased him with his dog during the day, found an inn, used the money he had taken from Lan Wangji to buy two new sets of clothes, and booked a room. He first stripped Jin Ling's wrinkled robe with the gold star and snow wave family crest that had been buried in the dirt, then tore off his boots, before suddenly stopping.
There seemed to be a shadow on Jin Ling's calf. Wei Wuxian squatted down and rolled up his trouser leg, only to find that it wasn't a shadow, but a dark bruise. And not the bruise of an injury, but a curse mark.
A curse mark is a mark left by an evil spirit on its prey. Once it appears, it indicates that the person has offended something extremely malevolent. It leaves a mark and will definitely come back for you. Perhaps it will come a long time later, perhaps it will come tonight. At best, it will take away the limb bearing the mark; at worst, it will simply take your life.
Jin Ling's entire leg had turned black, and the curse mark was still extending upwards. Wei Wuxian had never seen such a dense and widespread black curse mark before. The more he looked, the more solemn his expression became. He lowered Jin Ling's trouser leg, unbuttoned Jin Ling's inner garment, and saw that his chest and abdomen were completely clean, and the curse mark had not spread there. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Just then, Jin Ling opened his eyes.
He was stunned for a while, his naked body exposed to the cold wind. Suddenly he came to his senses, jumped up, and roared with a flushed face, "What are you doing?!"
Wei Wuxian laughed and said, "Oh, you're awake."
Jin Ling seemed greatly frightened, pulling his undergarment tighter and shrinking into the corner of the bed, saying, "What do you want to do! Where are my clothes?! Where is my sword?! Where is my dog?!"
Wei Wuxian said, "I was just about to put it on you."
His expression and tone were as kind as an old grandmother adding warm clothes for her grandson. Jin Ling, his hair disheveled, pressed himself against the wall and said, "I'm not gay!!!"
Wei Wuxian exclaimed with delight, "What a coincidence! It's me!!!"
Everyone: ...
Is this how you tease a child?
Jin Zixuan was furious when he saw this: "Wei Wuxian, who gave you the right to tease my son like that?"
Upon hearing this, everyone exclaimed: "Something seems off."
Wei Wuxian thought to himself, speechless: I was just helping your son remove the curse mark, and instead of thanking me, you're scolding me. Besides, aren't you just admitting your son is... stupid?
Jin Ling didn't care about his father's inexplicable surge of protectiveness; he was covering his face with his hands: Thank goodness Miss Niangui blurred Tianying's face, otherwise it wouldn't just be a matter of losing face, but of being seen naked...
Jin Ling grabbed his sword from the bedside, displaying a fierce determination to kill him and then commit suicide to preserve his innocence if he took another step forward. Wei Wuxian finally managed to stop laughing and said, "Why are you so scared? It was just a joke! I went through all the trouble of digging you out of the wall, and you didn't even say thank you."
In the midst of his busy schedule, Jin Ling raised his hand to smooth his messy hair, making it look a little more presentable, and said angrily, "If it weren't for this reason, if you dared to take off my clothes, I...I would have made you die ten thousand times over!"
Wei Wuxian said, "No. Dying once is painful enough. Alright, alright, put the sword down."
In a daze, Jin Ling did as he was told and put down his sword.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng, Jiang Yanli, and the others, who had just been watching Wei Wuxian and Jin Zixuan bickering with smiles on their faces, immediately lost their smiles.
Even Jiang Cheng, who witnessed Wei Wuxian's disappearance from the world, would never know how much pain Wei Wuxian endured or how much despair he felt.
The bitterness in his heart may be even greater than that of others, but who can truly understand the pain in his body?
During the spirit summoning, although his soul had left his body and he couldn't remember anything clearly, he vaguely knew that the person in front of him had dug him out and carried him all the way down the mountain. After being buried in the wall, he was still conscious for a while, his heart filled with unbearable fear and despair. He never expected that the one who broke through that wall, who broke through this fear and despair, would be this person he hated so much at first sight. His face turned pale and red, he was dizzy and embarrassed, his thoughts were still floating and couldn't settle down, when he suddenly glanced at the sky outside the window and saw that it was already dark with a few stars, and he was immediately startled. Just then, Wei Wuxian bent down to pick up the new clothes scattered on the ground, Jin Ling jumped off the bed, put on his boots, grabbed his outer robe and rushed out of the room.
Wei Wuxian had thought that after suffering so much, he would be listless for a while, but to his surprise, young people are full of energy. In the blink of an eye, he was jumping around again and disappeared like a gust of wind. Thinking of the terrible curse mark on his leg, he hurriedly shouted, "Why are you running! Come back!"
Jin Ling, while running, put on his muddy and wrinkled family crested robe and shouted, "Don't follow me!" He was agile and had long legs, and in a few strides he rushed downstairs and out of the inn. Wei Wuxian chased him for several streets, but was left far behind.
After searching for a while, dusk fell, and the streets gradually became deserted. Wei Wuxian gritted his teeth: "Outrageous! This child is truly outrageous!"
Just as they were about to give up in desperation, an angry voice of a young man came from the end of the long street ahead: "You run away after I said a few words to you, are you some kind of rich girl? Your temper is getting worse and worse!"
Jiang Cheng!
Wei Wuxian quickly slipped into the alley. Immediately afterward, Jin Ling's voice rang out: "Didn't I already come back safe and sound? Stop worrying about me!"
So Jin Ling didn't come to Qinghe alone. No wonder, Jiang Cheng helped him at Dafan Mountain last time, so why wouldn't he come this time? It seems the uncle and nephew had a fight in Qinghe Town, which is why Jin Ling went up Xinglu Ridge alone. He must have rushed off earlier because Jiang Cheng threatened him that if he didn't return before dark, he'd be in trouble.
Jiang Cheng said, "Nothing wrong? You look like you rolled in a muddy ditch and you call that nothing wrong? Aren't you ashamed to wear your school uniform? Go back and change your clothes right now! Tell me, what happened today?"
Jin Ling said impatiently, "I told you, I didn't encounter anything. I tripped and fell, and it was all for nothing. Ouch!" He yelled, "Don't pull me like that! I'm not three years old!"
Jiang Cheng said sternly, "I can't control you anymore! Let me tell you, even if you're thirty, I can still drag you away. If you dare to run off alone without saying goodbye again, I'll whip you!"
Jin Ling said, "I went alone because I didn't want anyone to help me or take care of me."
Wei Wuxian thought to himself, "Putting everything else aside, Jiang Cheng's criticism of him for having a spoiled princess attitude is indeed true."
Jiang Cheng asked, "So what now? What have you caught? What about the black-maned spirit dog your uncle gave you?"
He had been chased away by Lan Zhan to who-knows-where. Just as Wei Wuxian thought this, two familiar barks came from the other end of the alley.
Wei Wuxian's expression changed drastically, and his legs moved on their own, charging out like a poisoned arrow after a tail. The black-maned spirit dog came from the other end of the alley, skipped over Wei Wuxian, and pounced at Jin Ling's legs, affectionately stroking him with its tail.
It must be said that the conversation between the uncle and nephew was quite ingenious, and everyone watching found it very interesting.
But just as a dog barked, Wei Gongzi, who was leaning against Lan Wangji and watching the sky with great interest, suddenly jumped up with a start.
Oh my god! It's a dog again?!
Miss Niangui, can't you just block dogs?!
The fact that this dog is here means that Lan Wangji has most likely already caught the spy near the stone fortress and gone to meet them at the designated location. However, Wei Wuxian doesn't have time to think about these things at the moment.
His charge landed right in front of Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling, and a large group of Jiang family disciples.
After a brief standoff, Wei Wuxian silently turned and fled.
He hadn't run more than a few steps when he heard a crackling sound, and a purple current, like a venomous snake, coiled around his calf. A tingling, itchy sensation coursed through his body from his calves upwards, and then he was pulled backward, immediately collapsing to the ground. Then, a tightness gripped his chest as someone grabbed him by the back of his shirt and lifted him up. Wei Wuxian reacted swiftly to reach for the Soul-Locking Pouch, but it was snatched away first.
Jiang Cheng carried him a few steps to the nearest shop and kicked open the door, which was already half-stuck.
The shop was almost closing when a handsome young man, dressed in fine clothes and with a hostile expression, suddenly kicked open the door and entered, carrying a person in his hand. He looked as if he intended to disembowel the person right there on the spot. The shopkeeper was so frightened he dared not utter a sound. A disciple came forward, whispered a few words to him, and slipped him some silver. The young man quickly hid in the back room and didn't come out again. Without needing further instructions, several Jiang family disciples quickly dispersed, surrounding the shop completely.
Jin Ling stood to the side, his eyes filled with hesitation and uncertainty. Jiang Cheng said to him fiercely, "I'll deal with you later. Stay here!"
Since he could remember, Jin Ling had never seen such an expression on Jiang Cheng's face. His uncle, who had taken charge of the prestigious Yunmeng Jiang Clan at a young age, was usually cold and gloomy, never sparing his words or showing any kindness. But at this moment, although he was trying his best to suppress any extraneous expressions, his eyes were terrifyingly bright.
That face, forever etched with arrogance and mockery, and perpetually gloomy, suddenly seemed vividly clear, making it difficult to discern whether it was gritted teeth, bone-deep hatred, or ecstatic joy.
My emotions, which had just calmed down, became complicated again.
"Jiang Cheng, that day was the first time I'd ever seen so many expressions on your grumpy face. It just goes to show how much you love your senior brother!"
Seeing that the dog was gone, Wei Wuxian became energetic again and started teasing Jiang Cheng, since Jiang Cheng couldn't hit him here anyway.
"roll!"
Jiang Cheng roared angrily. This bastard had ruined all his complicated feelings.
Jiang Yanli's worried expression gradually faded. It was so nice to see that they could still joke around like this.
Jiang Cheng then said, "Let me borrow your dog."
Jin Ling snapped out of his daze, hesitated for a moment, and then, seeing Jiang Cheng's two sharp, lightning-like gazes sweep over him, he blew a whistle. The black-maned spirit dog darted over in three steps, while Wei Wuxian's body stiffened like an iron plate, and he could only let the dog drag him step by step with one hand.
Jiang Cheng found an empty room and threw Wei Wuxian inside. The door closed behind him, and the black-maned spirit dog followed, sitting by the door. Wei Wuxian kept his eyes fixed on it, wary of it pouncing at any moment. Recalling how he had been subdued in such a short time, he thought to himself that Jiang Cheng truly knew exactly how to deal with him.
Jiang Cheng slowly sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of tea.
For a long while, both sides remained silent. The cup of tea was steaming hot, and before he had even taken a sip, he suddenly smashed it to the ground.
Jiang Cheng slightly tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, "You—don't you have anything to say to me?"
From childhood to adulthood, Jiang Cheng had witnessed Wei Wuxian's ferocious behavior of running wildly towards the jaws of a dog countless times. He could be stubborn with others, but he couldn't argue with someone he knew so well. This was an even more difficult ordeal than the Zidian physical examination.
Wei Wuxian said sincerely, "I don't know what to say to you."
Jiang Cheng said softly, "You really are unrepentant."
In their past conversations, they often undermined each other and exchanged sarcastic remarks. Wei Wuxian retorted without hesitation, "You're just as unimproving as I am."
Jiang Cheng laughed angrily: "Fine, then let's see who has made absolutely no progress."
He remained seated at the table, then gave a shout, and the black-maned hound immediately stood up!
Being in the same room had already sent chills down Wei Wuxian's spine. Now, with the vicious dog, nearly half a man's height, baring fangs, and sharp ears and eyes, almost within reach, its low growls filling his ears, a shiver ran down his spine. He couldn't remember many things from his childhood as a stray, but the one thing he did remember was the terror of being chased and the excruciating pain of its sharp teeth and claws digging into his flesh. That fear, buried deep within him, was something he could neither overcome nor diminish.
Suddenly, Jiang Cheng turned his head and asked, "Who are you calling?"
Wei Wuxian was completely disoriented, unable to recall calling anyone, until Jiang Cheng dismissed the black-maned spirit dog. He barely regained his senses, staring blankly for a moment before abruptly turning his head away. Jiang Cheng, meanwhile, rose from his seat. A riding whip was tucked diagonally at his waist; he placed his hand on it and leaned down to look at Wei Wuxian's face. After a pause, he straightened up and said, "Speaking of which, I forgot to ask you, when did you and Lan Wangji become so close?"
Wei Wuxian immediately realized whose name he had unintentionally blurted out.
Jiang Cheng smiled coldly, "Last time at Dafan Mountain, he went to such lengths to protect you. It really makes one curious why."
After a moment, he changed his mind: "No. Lan Wangji might not be protecting you. After all, the Gusu Lan Clan wouldn't forget what good things you and your loyal dog did. How could someone as upright and dignified as him, praised by everyone, tolerate you? Maybe he has some connection with the body you stole."
His words were harsh and malicious, each sentence seemingly praising but actually criticizing, with hidden meanings. Wei Wuxian couldn't bear to listen anymore and said, "Watch your words."
"A Cheng."
Jiang Fengmian suddenly shouted.
"Qingheng-jun, Mr. Lan, Jiang Cheng's words were inappropriate at the time. I hope Hanguang-jun will not take offense."
Jiang Cheng naturally knew what his father meant by calling him. The apology he couldn't say back then, now that so much time has passed, he should have let go of what he should let go of. What is there that he can't say?
"It's alright."
Lan Wangji answered simply with two words. He didn't care what Jiang Cheng had said back then; the important thing was that Wei Ying had unintentionally called out his name.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
