Chapter 27, Twenty-Seven
Chapter Summary: After Nie Huaisang left with countless words of advice and pleading, Wei Wuxian was lost in thought for a while. Suddenly, he noticed Lan Wangji had come over again, kneeling down on one knee before him, earnestly…
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After Nie Huaisang left with countless instructions, pleas, and longings, Wei Wuxian was in a daze for a while. Suddenly, he noticed that Lan Wangji had come over again, knelt down on one knee in front of him, and carefully rolled up his trouser leg. He hurriedly said, "Wait, not again?"
Lan Wangji said, "Let's remove the evil curse first."
Wei Wuxian quickly rolled up his trouser legs and said, "I'll do it myself!" Hanguang-jun had knelt in front of him in this manner three times in one day. Although the other party remained serious and even somewhat solemn, he couldn't bear to see this scene.
Curse marks covered his entire calf, crawled over his knee, and spread up his thigh. Wei Wuxian looked at them and said, "They've reached the base of my thigh."
Lan Wangji turned his head away without answering. Wei Wuxian spoke again, but still received no response. He asked curiously, "Lan Zhan?"
Lan Wangji turned around, seemingly unsure what to say. Seeing this, Wei Wuxian, a mischievous thought forming in his mind, blinked, about to make a teasing remark to turn the tables, when suddenly, a cracking sound came from the table.
Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue: "You're really ruining the atmosphere."
Everyone: ...
Lan Wangji has already ruined his image, what more do you want?
They both stood up and looked around. There, they saw teacups and teapots shattered on the floor, and a sealed Qiankun bag lying amidst the white porcelain shards and spilled tea.
The bag was bulging incessantly, as if something was trapped inside and desperately wanted to get out.
Although this sealing bag was only the size of a palm, it could be used for storage, and both the inner and outer layers were embroidered with intricate incantations, reinforced with several layers of seals. Lan Wangji had sealed the arm in the bag before pressing it under the teacup on the table. Now, the restlessness caused the teacup to be knocked over, and only then did the two remember that they should play "Peace" together.
Without their nightly soothing song, even the most powerful sealing bag couldn't contain that arm. Wei Wuxian reached for the bamboo flute, but found nothing. Turning around, he saw Lan Wangji holding it.
He reached out and stroked Bichen, miraculously brushing away three inches of sword light. He held it like a dagger in his right hand and then focused intently on carving on the bamboo flute in his left hand for a short while before handing it back. Wei Wuxian took it and examined it; the bamboo flute he had repaired had become much more refined in details such as the holes.
Lan Wangji said, "Blow it well."
Everyone: ...
No, let's not think about that wailing flute music.
Recalling his earlier, horribly awful flute playing, Wei Wuxian almost collapsed with laughter. It was truly remarkable that Lan Wangji had tolerated him for so long. With the east wind blowing, the duet was about to begin.
Previously, every night when they began playing "Peaceful Rest" together, the sealing bag would immediately quiet down, with almost immediate effect. Tonight, Wei Wuxian didn't intentionally do anything evil, but after only two notes, the sealing bag suddenly swelled several times its original size due to the contents inside, and stood up!
Wei Wuxian blew a broken note with a "poof," and said, "What, you're used to hearing ugly tunes, so you don't like it when I play something nice?"
Everyone: Pfft
Nie Mingjue: ...
Why do I, with my severed limbs and remains, have such peculiar tastes?
As if in response to his question, the Sealed Evil Qiankun Bag suddenly flew towards him.
Lan Wangji's fingers suddenly shifted the melody, and with a single pluck, all seven strings of the zither vibrated simultaneously, emitting a furious roar like a mountain collapsing. The sealing bag, rebuked by the angry sound, fell back to its original position. Wei Wuxian seized the opportunity and continued playing, while Lan Wangji, following the tune of "Peaceful Rest," returned to a state of tranquility and peace, gently harmonizing with it.
After the music ended, the sealed evil Qiankun Bag finally shrank back to its original size and lay still.
This ghostly hand hadn't acted like this before, but today it was unusually agitated. Wei Wuxian put the flute back in and said, "Its reaction is so strong, it's like it's been stimulated by something."
Lan Wangji said, "Moreover, it's something that's on your body."
Wei Wuxian looked down at himself. The only thing he had on him today was the curse mark transferred from Jin Ling. And the curse mark on Jin Ling's body was left at the stone fortress on Xinglu Ridge.
Wei Wuxian said, "Does this mean that the rest of its body is buried in the wall of the Nie family's sacrificial hall?"
The next morning, the two set off together and returned to the Sacrifice Hall at Xinglu Ridge.
Having been caught red-handed yesterday, Nie Huaisang had revealed his entire secrets. Today, he summoned his trusted disciples to clean up the mess left by the intruders. When Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji arrived, he had just instructed his men to fill in the wall where Wei Wuxian had dug out Jin Ling, and to bury a freshly found corpse inside. Watching the white bricks being neatly laid layer by layer, he wiped away sweat and let out a long sigh of relief. But as he turned around, his legs went weak, and he said with a forced smile, "Hanguang-jun… and this one…"
He still didn't know how to address Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian waved his hand and laughed, "Sect Leader Nie, are you building a wall?"
Nie Huaisang wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, almost rubbing off a layer of skin from his forehead: "Yes, yes, yes..."
Wei Wuxian said with great sympathy and shyness, "I'm sorry. I might have to trouble you to build it again later."
Nie Huaisang said, "Yes, yes, yes... Ah?! Wait!"
Before he finished speaking, Bichen was drawn from its sheath.
Nie Huaisang watched helplessly as the stone bricks he had just repaired cracked.
Everyone: ...We feel very sorry for Sect Leader Nie.
Nie Huaisang: ...
No, brother, don't look at me. I was forced into this situation.
Destruction is always easier than construction. Wei Wuxian dismantled the bricks at lightning speed, many times faster than they could lay them. Nie Huaisang trembled, clutching his folding fan, filled with grievance. Lan Wangji spoke to him succinctly, and his expression immediately changed drastically. He pointed to the sky and swore, "No! Absolutely not! The corpses used in our family's sacrificial hall are all intact; there are absolutely no missing-arm male corpses. I don't know anything about any blood-sucking left hand. This really has nothing to do with me; I know absolutely nothing! If you don't believe me, I'll dismantle the bricks with you to prove my innocence, but you absolutely must put them back in immediately afterward. We can't delay any longer; this is my family's ancestral grave..."
Several disciples of the Nie family joined in, and Wei Wuxian withdrew to wait and see the outcome. Half an hour later, most of the bricks of the wall that Jin Ling had buried had been removed.
From the black mud, occasionally a pale hand, or a foot with bulging veins, would peek out, along with tangled, filthy black hair. All the male corpses had been roughly cleaned and laid flat in rows on the ground. Some of those present pulled up masks, while others swallowed specially prepared red pills to prevent breathing and human presence from triggering a reanimation.
Some of the corpses had already turned to bones, some were in the process of decomposition, and some were still very fresh. They were in various positions, yet all had all four limbs intact. No male corpse missing its left arm was found.
Nie Huaisang said cautiously, "Is it enough to just tear down this wall? Do we need to tear down anything else? No need."
That's certainly enough. The curse marks on Jin Ling's body were extremely dark; whatever left them must have been buried very close to him, certainly not beyond this wall. Wei Wuxian squatted down beside a row of corpses, pondering for a moment. Lan Wangji said, "Take the Sealing Evil Qiankun Bag?"
Taking the left hand out of the sealed Qiankun bag and letting it identify itself here wouldn't be a bad idea. However, if it gets too close to other parts of its corpse, it might arouse its excitement and cause a more dangerous situation. And this location is quite special, multiplying the danger, which is why they cautiously chose to come during the day. Wei Wuxian shook his head, pondering, "Could this arm not be a man's? No, I can tell a man's hand from a woman's at a glance… Then could its owner have three arms?!"
He chuckled at his own thought. Suddenly, Lan Wangji said, "Legs."
Upon hearing this, Wei Wuxian realized that he had overlooked the fact that the curse mark only extended to his legs!
Wei Wuxian hurriedly said, "Take off your pants! Take off your pants!"
Nie Huaisang exclaimed in horror, "Why would you say such shameful things in front of Hanguang-jun!"
Wei Wuxian said, "Quickly help me out, take off all the corpses' pants. Don't take off the female corpses' pants, only the male corpses'!"
Poor Nie Huaisang never expected that after revealing his past yesterday, he would have to remove the pants of a male corpse in the ancestral sacrificial hall today. He felt that after being laid to rest, each of his ancestors would slap him, ensuring that he would be reborn with a disability. He couldn't help but burst into tears.
Nie Mingjue: No need for the next life, I want to slap you back into your mother's womb right now.
Lan Qiren stared at the two people entwined together, his face darkening. Though he remained silent, he inwardly roared: "Taking off their pants?! This is utterly indecent! It's an affront to public morals! They're bringing shame upon everyone!"
Wei Wuxian had already reached out towards the waistband of the corpse on the ground, but Lan Wangji stopped him.
He said, "...I'll do it."
Everyone: ...!!!
Lan Wangji! Please let your soul return to the Pure Land quickly!!
I thought Lan Wangji would just watch Wei Wuxian take off his pants and not stop him, but I didn't expect Lan Wangji to actually do it himself.
Lan Qiren almost couldn't catch his breath, and Wen Qing, who had been staring at him, suddenly pulled out a silver needle.
Wei Wuxian said, "You really want to come? You really want to do this?"
Lan Wangji's eyebrows seemed to twitch slightly, as if he was suppressing something, and he said, "...Stand still. Don't move."
Of all the shocks Nie Huaisang had experienced today, this moment was the most severe. Before he could even believe that Lan Wangji had actually done this for him, Lan Wangji had already stood up and said, "Found it."
Everyone hurriedly looked down at the ground. Of course, they were disappointed. Hanguang-jun hadn't actually removed the corpses' clothes; he had merely made a shallow cut at the base of each corpse's leg, lightly tearing the clothing to reveal the skin underneath. Some of the clothing didn't even need a cut; it was already tattered.
The corpse beside his white boots had a faint coil on each of its thighs, a dense network of flesh-colored lines. The skin tone above and below the coils was subtly different.
Clearly, the legs and the upper body of this corpse do not belong to the same person.
These two legs were actually sewn on with needle and thread!
While Nie Huaisang was still dumbfounded, Wei Wuxian asked, "Who selected the corpses used by the Nie family to sacrifice to the sword?"
Nie Huaisang said, "Generally, the heads of the family would select and stockpile these corpses during their lifetime. My eldest brother passed away early, and he didn't have enough, so I helped him select some... I kept any corpses with intact facial features and limbs. I don't know anything about the rest! I really don't know!"
Who exactly sewed up the legs and secretly buried the body? Asking Nie Huaisang would be pointless, and Wei Wuxian promptly interrupted his evasive answers. From the person who provided the body to Nie Mingjue himself, everyone was a suspect, countless in number. It seemed the only way to find out the truth was to continue the investigation until all the limbs were recovered, piecing together the body and soul.
Wei Wuxian said, "This fellow looks like he was torn apart by five horses... I hope the rest of his body wasn't cut into pieces."
Upon careful comparison and examination, the skin color of the male corpse's legs and the severed left hand matches. Moreover, if placed close together, they exhibit a strong reaction, as if trying to connect, yet always missing the central part of the torso. However, it can be basically confirmed that they belong to the same person.
This person may be a renowned immortal or a recluse in the mountains. Apart from being a tall, strong man with long limbs and remarkable cultivation, nothing else is known about him.
The left hand pointed southwest. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji followed the hand's guidance all the way to Liyang, where the index finger finally retracted once more.
There must be other body parts nearby.
Liyang!
Xue Yang sat up abruptly, then realized he had moved too much and sat back down.
Song Lan opened her eyes, which had been slightly closed, and gripped the Snow-Sweeping Sword tightly in her hand. A-Qing pursed her lips, watching the scene unfold with a serious expression.
As for Xiao Xingchen, the candy he had been holding since the beginning of Tianying had already begun to melt.
Before his identity was revealed, Wei Wuxian had done many embarrassing things by feigning madness. Now that both sides were open and honest, he, with his thick skin, remained completely unperturbed. He kept quiet about it, and Lan Wangji naturally didn't either. Just like in the past few days, they understood each other without saying a word.
Upon entering the city, amidst the bustling crowds, Lan Wangji asked, "How is the Curse Mark?"
Wei Wuxian said, "Jin Ling was buried too close to his good brother, so he was tainted with a lot of resentment, and the color was too deep. It has faded a little, but it hasn't completely disappeared. We'll probably have to find the whole body, or at least find the head, before we can find a way to completely remove it. It's alright."
The "good brother" was this man who was torn apart by five horses. Since they didn't know who he was or what his name was, Wei Wuxian suggested using "good brother" as a substitute. Lan Wangji remained silent for a while after hearing this, which was considered his tacit approval. Of course, he himself would never use that term.
Lan Wangji: "How much is one point?"
Wei Wuxian: "A little bit is a little bit. How about I say it, do you want me to take it off and show it to you?"
Lan Wangji's brow twitched slightly, seemingly genuinely worried that he would undress in the street, and he said, "Take it off when we get back."
Xue Yang: ...
Song Lan: ……
A-Qing: ...
Xiao Xingchen: ...
The emotions I had just built up...
We must be crazy to be watching these two flirting.
Wei Wuxian laughed heartily, then became serious: "Hanguang-jun, do you think the people who put their good brother's hand in Mo Village and let it attack Lan Sizhui and the others, and those who sewed his legs onto another corpse and buried it in the wall, were the same people?"
Although he had always called Lan Wangji by his given name in his heart, both then and now, he had been using the honorific title every day for a while, and it had become a habit. Moreover, the way he addressed him carried a comical air of feigned seriousness. So, when he was outside, he continued to call him that, half-jokingly and half-seriously.
Lan Wangji said, "Two batches."
Wei Wuxian said, "That 'great minds think alike' thing. They went to great lengths to sew their legs onto another corpse and hide them in the wall, clearly not wanting their limbs to be discovered. If that's the case, they wouldn't deliberately throw their left hand to attack the Gusu Lan Clan, as that would definitely attract attention and lead to an investigation. One went to great lengths to hide, while the other acted recklessly, afraid of not being discovered. They shouldn't be the same group of people."
He had said everything he needed to say, so Lan Wangji seemed to have nothing more to say, but he still hummed in response.
As Wei Wuxian walked, he said, "The person who hid his leg knew that the Nie Clan of Qinghe had a tradition of building a sacrificial sword hall; while the person who threw his left hand was very familiar with the movements of the Lan Clan of Gusu. I'm afraid their backgrounds are not simple. There are more and more things to figure out."
Lan Wangji said, "Let's take it one step at a time."
Wei Wuxian asked, "How did you recognize me?"
Lan Wangji said, "Think for yourself."
They took turns asking questions and answering, without stopping for a moment. Wei Wuxian had hoped to take this opportunity to catch Lan Wangji off guard and trick him into blurting out the answer to the last question, but he failed again. He gave up for the time being and decided to try again next time. He changed the subject and said, "I've never been to Liyang before. I've been asking around before. This time I'll take a break and you can go and ask around."
Lan Wangji turned to leave, but Wei Wuxian said, "Wait, wait. Hanguang-jun, may I ask where you are going?"
Lan Wangji turned around and said, "Let's go to the immortal sects stationed here."
Wei Wuxian grabbed his sword tassel and pulled him back: "Why are you looking for them? This is their territory. Even if they knew, they wouldn't tell you. They either feel ashamed or don't want outsiders to get involved. Your Excellency Hanguang-jun, it's not that I'm trying to smear you, but when you're out on business, you really can't do without me. It would be strange if you could find out anything by asking around like this."
These words were a bit too blunt, but Lan Wangji's gaze remained gentle as he replied, "Mm."
Wei Wuxian laughed: "What 'hmm'? You call this 'hmm'?" But inwardly he was secretly thinking: "All you can say is 'hmm,' you're really boring!"
Lan Wangji asked, "Then how should we inquire?"
Wei Wuxian pointed to one side: "Of course, we'll go there."
He was referring to a wide, long street. Both sides of the street were adorned with flamboyant banners, some high, some low, wrapped in bright red cloth—a truly eye-catching sight. Every shop had its storefront wide open, with round, dark jars displayed from inside to outside, and shop assistants holding trays of small wine bowls, patting their chests and recommending themselves to passersby.
The strong aroma of liquor filled the street, no wonder Wei Wuxian had been walking slower and slower, and by the time he reached the street corner, he was completely unable to walk any further.
Wei Wuxian said seriously, "The waiters in places like this are usually young, clever, and hardworking. And with so many customers every day, there's a lot of gossip going around, so any strange things circulating in the neighborhood will definitely not escape their notice."
Lan Wangji hummed in agreement, but his face clearly said, "You just want to drink."
Jiang Cheng slapped his forehead. He shouldn't have believed this person's serious inquiry.
Lan Jingyi exclaimed, "Wow! You can do that?"
Lan Sizhui laughed and said, "As expected, Senior Wei has more experience in night hunting."
A group of younger people nearby nodded in agreement.
Lan Qiren's face darkened: Is it impossible to change Wei Wuxian's image of being experienced in the eyes of these younger generation?
Everyone: ...
Compared to this, why does it seem like Lan Wangji is not very useful?
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