Chapter 3 Three
Chapter Summary: [He wanted to wash his face and pay his respects to the deceased, but there was no water in the room, nothing to drink or wash with.]
The only basin-shaped object, Wei Wu...
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He wanted to wash his face and pay his respects to the deceased, but there was no water in the room, nothing to drink or wash with.
The only basin-shaped object, Wei Wuxian guessed, was probably for relieving oneself, not for washing.
I pushed the door open, but it was bolted from the outside, probably to prevent him from running around.
Nothing brought him even the slightest bit of joy at being reborn!
He decided to meditate for a while to get used to his new room. He sat there for a whole day. When he opened his eyes, sunlight streamed into the room through the cracks in the door and windows. Although he could get up and walk, he was still dizzy and lightheaded, and there was no improvement. Wei Wuxian wondered, "Mo Xuanyu's cultivation is so low that his spiritual power is negligible. There's no reason why I can't control this body. Why is it so difficult to use?"
It wasn't until he heard a strange noise in his stomach that he realized it had nothing to do with his cultivation or spiritual power; it was simply that his body, which didn't practice abstinence from food, was hungry. If he didn't go find food soon, he might become the first vengeful ghost or evil spirit in history to starve to death immediately after being possessed.
The contractions had just subsided, and now they were starving again. Everyone present was a pampered young master, never before experiencing such extreme hunger. They clutched their stomachs, writhing in agony, silently cursing the Mo family.
Sitting in front, Lan Wangji and Jiang Yanli felt the hunger in their stomachs, and their heartache deepened. They had only been reborn a short while ago, and were already being kicked and starved; they hadn't even had a chance to taste the joy of rebirth.
Wei Wuxian gathered his strength and raised his foot, just about to kick the door open when suddenly footsteps approached. Someone kicked the door and said impatiently, "Dinner's ready!"
He shouted those words, but the door didn't open. Wei Wuxian looked down and saw that a smaller door had opened below the main door, through which he could see a small bowl placed heavily in front of it.
The servant outside called out again, "Hurry up! What are you dawdling for? Bring out your bowl when you're done eating!"
The small door was even smaller than a dog hole, too narrow for a person to pass through, but big enough to bring a bowl in. The two dishes and rice looked terribly unappetizing. Wei Wuxian stirred the two chopsticks stuck in the rice, a touch of sadness in his eyes.
The Yiling Patriarch had barely returned to the mortal realm when he was kicked and cursed. His first meal, meant to welcome him back, was nothing but scraps. Where was the bloodshed? Where was the annihilation of his entire family? Who would believe it? Truly, a tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs, a dragon in shallow waters is mocked by shrimp, and a plucked phoenix is worse than a chicken.
The group, who had initially intended to mock the Yiling Patriarch for falling into such a predicament, suddenly tasted the indescribable food and gagged. These people had probably never experienced anything like it since childhood.
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes again: "Bloodshed, no one left alive, extermination of the whole family, who gave you such a big face!"
At this moment, the servant outside the door spoke again, this time with a smile as if he were a different person: "A-Ding! Come here."
Another sweet, clear female voice called out from afar, "A-Tong, are you here to deliver food to that person inside again?"
Atong spat, "Otherwise, why would I come to this unlucky courtyard!"
A-Ding's voice came closer as he reached the door: "You only bring him food once a day, and no one says anything when you slack off. You're so carefree, yet you complain about it. Look at me, I have so much work that I can't even go out to play."
A-Tong complained, "I don't just deliver food to him! Do you still dare to go out and play these days? With so many walking corpses, everyone keeps their doors tightly shut."
Wei Wuxian squatted down by the door, holding a bowl and picking at two chopsticks of different lengths, eating and listening at the same time.
It seems things haven't been peaceful in Mo Family Village lately. "Walking Corpses," as the name suggests, are walking dead people, a relatively low-level but quite common form of zombie. They generally have vacant eyes, walk slowly, and aren't particularly dangerous, but they're enough to frighten ordinary people; the stench alone is enough to make anyone vomit.
However, to Wei Wuxian, they were the easiest to control and the most obedient puppets, and upon first hearing the name, he even felt a sense of familiarity.
Familiar? Perhaps only Wei Wuxian, the Yiling Patriarch, would find these walking corpses and puppets familiar.
A-Tong seemed to be winking: "If you want to go out, you'll have to take me with you. I'll protect you..." A-Ding said, "You? Protect me? You're bragging. Do you think you can fight off those things?" A-Tong said sullenly, "If I can't fight them off, no one else can either." A-Ding laughed, "How do you know no one else can? Let me tell you, an envoy from a celestial sect has come to our Mo Family Village today. I heard it's a very powerful and illustrious family! The madam is greeting them in the hall, and everyone in town is gathered around watching. Listen, isn't it noisy? I don't have time to mess around with you. They might be ordering me around again later."
Wei Wuxian listened intently and, sure enough, faint sounds of commotion came from the east. After a moment's thought, he stood up and kicked the door, causing the latch to crack with a "crack".
The two servants, who were exchanging glances and chatting, were startled and screamed in unison when the doors suddenly swung open. Wei Wuxian threw down his bowl and chopsticks and walked out. He was so blinded by the sunlight that he couldn't open his eyes for a while, and his skin felt slightly stinging. He raised his hand to his eyebrows and closed his eyes for a moment.
A-Tong had been yelling even louder than A-Ding, but upon regaining his composure and seeing that it was the madman whom everyone dared to bully, his courage swelled again. Feeling the need to salvage his lost face, he jumped over and, like scolding a dog, waved his hands and yelled, "Go, go! Go back! What are you doing out here!"
Even treating a beggar or a fly wouldn't be any worse. These servants had mostly treated Mo Xuanyu this way in the past, and he never resisted, which allowed them to act with such impunity. Wei Wuxian lightly kicked A-Tong, sending him tumbling, and laughed, "Who do you think you're humiliating?"
"Good! Senior Brother kicked well!" The Jiang family's fellow disciples immediately shouted, "That's more like our senior brother!"
"Senior Wei played so well!" Lan Jingyi couldn't help but shout out, instantly receiving a glare from Old Master Lan.
"Jingyi! Read the family rules aloud!"
Lan Jingyi immediately wilted.
After kicking, he walked eastward, following the commotion. A large crowd had gathered inside and outside the east courtyard and east hall. As soon as Wei Wuxian stepped into the courtyard, a woman's voice, louder than the others, rang out: "...We have a junior in our family who also once had a connection to immortality..."
It must be that Madam Mo is trying to set up connections with the cultivation families again. Before she could finish speaking, Wei Wuxian hurriedly pushed through the crowd and entered the hall, waving enthusiastically, "Coming, coming, here, here!"
Seated in the hall was a well-maintained, elegantly dressed middle-aged woman, none other than Madam Mo. Below her sat her husband, who had married into the family. Opposite them sat several white-clad youths carrying swords. Suddenly, a disheveled, strange-looking man appeared from the crowd, and all sound ceased abruptly. Wei Wuxian, however, seemed oblivious to the frozen scene, shamelessly proclaiming, "Who called me just now? The one with a destiny to immortality—that's me!"
Too much powder was applied, and it cracked and fell off as soon as he smiled. One of the boys in white almost burst out laughing, but was given a disapproving look by the boy next to him who seemed to be the leader, and immediately became serious.
Wei Wuxian followed the sound and glanced around, slightly surprised. He had thought it was just an ignorant servant exaggerating, but it turned out to be a disciple from a "distinguished family" of cultivation sects.
These young men, with their light sleeves and flowing ribbons, exuded an ethereal and beautiful aura. Their school uniforms clearly indicated that they came from the Lan Clan of Gusu. Moreover, they were relatives of the Lan Clan, as each of them wore a one-finger-wide white headband with cloud patterns on their foreheads.
The Lan Clan of Gusu's motto is "elegance and uprightness," and this headband symbolizes "self-discipline." The cloud pattern is the Lan Clan's crest. Guest members or disciples, who are outsiders and dependent on the large clan, wear headbands without the clan crest. Wei Wuxian gets a toothache whenever he sees someone from the Lan Clan; in his past life, he often thought their school uniform looked like "mourning clothes," so he would never mistake them.
Wearing mourning clothes, hemp clothing, or mourning attire?
Lan Qiren stared at those four words, gritting his teeth. His school uniform was universally recognized as the best-looking, so how did this brat turn it into something like "wearing mourning clothes"?!
Go back and recite the family rules ten times!
However, Mr. Lan obviously did not expect to have the chance to hear those four words again.
Lan Jingyi, who was hiding behind Lan Sizhui to try to make himself less noticeable, breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, his old master Lan didn't notice that he had laughed out loud.
Just as he was relieved, he felt a cold gaze behind him. Lan Jingyi felt a chill run down his spine and stiffened his neck to turn around, only to meet Lan Wangji's icy eyes.
Oh my god, how could I forget about Lan Wangji...
Lan Wangji, I understand. I will definitely copy the family rules when I get back...
Seeing Wei Wuxian throwing a tantrum, Jiang Yanli and Jiang Fengmian couldn't help but laugh. This was more like Wei Wuxian's personality.
On the contrary, Jiang Cheng and Yu Ziyuan were furious. They really wanted to drag Wei Wuxian out of the scene and whip him a few times to see if he would still dare to embarrass himself in public!
Madam Mo hadn't seen her nephew for a long time, and it took her a while to recover from her shock. She recognized the heavily made-up man and was annoyed, but she didn't want to lose her temper immediately. So she lowered her voice and said to her husband, "Who let him out? Take him back!"
Her husband hurriedly responded with a forced smile, then got up with a sullen expression to grab Wei Wuxian, but Wei Wuxian suddenly lay down on the ground, his limbs firmly rooted to the earth. He couldn't budge him no matter how much he pushed or dragged him. Calling in several servants to pull him was also to no avail. If it weren't for the presence of outsiders, he would have kicked him long ago. Seeing Madam Mo's increasingly grim face, and sweating profusely, he cursed, "You crazy lunatic! If you don't go back, see how I deal with you!"
Although everyone in Mo Family Village knew that the Mo family had a young master who had gone mad, Mo Xuanyu had been hiding in his dark room for several years, afraid to see anyone. Seeing his appearance and behavior, which were like those of a demon or monster, people whispered among themselves, fearing that there would be no good show to watch.
Wei Wuxian said, "I'll go back if you want." He pointed directly at Mo Ziyuan: "Tell him to return what he stole from me first."
Mo Ziyuan never expected this madman to have such audacity. He had just been taught a lesson by him yesterday, and today he dared to come here. His face turned pale as he said, "You're talking nonsense! When have I ever stolen anything from you? Why would I need to steal anything from you?"
Wei Wuxian said, "Yes, yes, yes! You didn't steal, you robbed!"
Now Madam Mo realized that Mo Xuanyu had clearly come prepared, was very clear-headed, and was deliberately trying to embarrass them. She was both shocked and angry: "You came here today to cause trouble, didn't you?!"
Wei Wuxian asked blankly, "He stole my things, and I came to get them back. Is that considered causing trouble?"
Before Madam Mo could answer, Mo Ziyuan grew impatient and lunged forward to kick. A white-clad youth carrying a sword on his back subtly moved his fingers, causing Mo Ziyuan to lose his footing and his kick to miss, before he himself fell. Wei Wuxian, however, rolled over as if he had truly been kicked over, and even tore open his robe, revealing the exact footprint Mo Ziyuan had left on his chest the day before.
The townspeople of Mo Family Village watched the spectacle with great interest and excitement: These footprints couldn't possibly have been made by Mo Xuanyu himself; after all, he was a member of the Mo family. This family was too ruthless. He clearly hadn't gone completely insane when he first returned; he was probably driven to madness by their relentless pressure. Anyway, as long as there was a show to watch, that was enough. They couldn't be harmed anyway; this spectacle was even more entertaining than the arrival of envoys from the immortal sects!
With so many eyes watching, unable to hit or drive them away, Madam Mo had a lot of anger stuck in her throat. She could only force a compromise and said calmly, "What stealing, what robbery? Why make it sound so rude? We're family. It's just that he borrowed some things to take a look. A-Yuan is your brother. What's wrong with him taking a few of your things? As an older brother, are you really that petty? You're making a fool of yourself over such a small thing. It's not like I'm not going to return them to you."
The white-clad youths exchanged bewildered glances, one of them nearly choking on his tea. Having grown up in the Lan Clan of Gusu, their lives were steeped in romance and poetry; they had likely never witnessed such a farce, much less heard of such profound insights. Today, they had certainly broadened their horizons. Wei Wuxian inwardly laughed wildly, extending his hand and saying, "Then you can return it."
Not to mention the juniors from that day, even all the cultivators from the immortal sects present today choked on their own saliva.
What do you mean by "family members can just take things as they please"? When they were hitting and kicking Mo Xuanyu, why didn't they think of him as family? This is the first time they've ever heard of such a theory.
However, despite their thoughts, most people merely glanced at him before lowering their heads in unison under Lan Wangji's cold gaze.
Hanguang-jun, don't look at us like that. This is the clothes that the Yiling Patriarch tore himself. We didn't see anything...
Mo Ziyuan, of course, wouldn't come out. He'd already thrown away or dismantled everything, and even if he could return it, he wouldn't be willing to. His face was ashen as he cried out, "Mother!" He gave her a menacing look: Are you just going to let him humiliate me like this?
Madam Mo glared at him, telling him not to make the situation even more awkward. Unexpectedly, Wei Wuxian continued, "Speaking of which, he shouldn't have stolen my things, and he shouldn't have stolen them in the middle of the night. Everyone knows that I like men. He may not be ashamed, but I am aware of the impropriety involved."
Madam Mo gasped and shouted, "What are you saying in front of our fellow villagers! You're shameless! A-Yuan is your cousin!"
When it comes to throwing a tantrum, Wei Wuxian is a master. Before, he'd at least try to maintain a semblance of decorum, so people wouldn't think he was ill-mannered. But now, being a madman, what's the point of saving face? He'd just throw a fit, doing whatever felt good. With his neck stiff and head held high, he declared defiantly, "He knows he's my cousin and doesn't even try to avoid suspicion! Who's more shameless here?! Fine, you don't care, but don't ruin my reputation! I still want to find a good man!!!"
Looking for a good man?!
This is definitely a fake Yiling Patriarch.
The various sects of the cultivation world choked on their own saliva once again. Then, they all turned to look at Lan Wangji, the Hanguang-jun, who was sitting upright in front of them, and were speechless.
Well, she really did find a... good man.
Jiang Cheng's face darkened: "Concerned about family upbringing? When has this guy ever cared about family upbringing? Does he even have a concept of family upbringing? Absolutely not!"
Mo Ziyuan yelled and swung a chair at Wei Wuxian. Seeing him finally snap, Wei Wuxian scrambled to his feet and dodged. The chair shattered on the ground. The onlookers who had been gloating in the East Hall, now utterly humiliated by the Mo family, scattered like birds, afraid of getting hurt. Wei Wuxian then hid among the Lan family youths who were practically stunned, shouting, "Did you all see that? Did you see that? Stealing and then hitting people! They're utterly heartless!"
Mo Ziyuan was about to chase after him and attack him, but the leading youth quickly stopped him, saying, "This... young master, let's talk this out."
Seeing that the young man seemed intent on protecting the madman, Madam Mo felt a pang of apprehension and forced a smile, saying, "This is my sister's son. Things aren't quite right here. Everyone in Mo Family Village knows he's a madman, often spouting strange things; don't take it seriously. Immortal Master, please..." Before she could finish, Wei Wuxian peeked out from behind the young man: "Who says my words can't be taken seriously? Anyone who tries to steal from me again, I'll chop off one of their hands!"
Mo Ziyuan, who had been restrained by his father, was about to erupt again upon hearing this. Wei Wuxian darted out like a fish. The young man quickly blocked the doorway, changed the subject, and spoke seriously: "Well... then we'll borrow your west courtyard tonight. Please remember what I said earlier: after evening, keep the doors tightly closed, do not come out or wander around, and especially do not approach that courtyard."
Madam Mo was trembling with anger, but unable to push him away since he was blocking her way, she could only say, "Yes, yes, thank you, thank you..."
Mo Ziyuan said in disbelief, "Mom! That madman slandered me like that in front of others, and you're just going to let it go like that?! You said he was just a..."
Madam Mo snapped, "Shut up! Can't you say whatever you want to say back home?"
Mo Ziyuan had never suffered such a loss of face, nor had he ever been scolded by his mother like this. Filled with resentment, he roared, "That madman is dead tonight!"
After his outburst, Wei Wuxian stormed out of the gate and made a grand entrance around Mo Village, startling countless passersby. He, however, reveled in it, beginning to experience the pleasures of being a madman. He even grew somewhat satisfied with his ghostly makeup, reluctant to wash it off, thinking, "There's no water anyway, so I won't wash it." He straightened his hair, glanced at his wrist, and saw that the wounds showed no signs of fading or healing. In other words, this mild revenge against Mo Xuanyu was far from sufficient.
Does he really intend to wipe out the Mo family?
...To be honest, it's not that difficult.
As soon as the last sentence was uttered, the space was filled with curses again:
"See! I knew that the Yiling Patriarch was up to no good!"
"The Yiling Patriarch speaks of wiping out an entire family so lightly; he truly disregards all human ethics!"
"In my opinion, the Mo family must have been wiped out by this devil! He's utterly depraved!"
...
As they were talking, the space suddenly fell silent.
Everyone in the Lan family looked at Lan Wangji, whose body temperature could freeze into ice.
Lan Jingyi couldn't stand it anymore and was about to stand up and rant at the group of nonsensical immortal sects behind him, but Lan Sizhui pressed him firmly back into his seat.
Some truths will be revealed sooner or later, so why waste words here?
After the silencing was lifted, Lan Wangji glanced at Lan Sizhui with a hint of appreciation, not only because he adhered to the Lan Clan's motto: "Do not comment without knowing the whole story," but also because he was protecting Wei Ying.
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