Chapter 39
Chapter Summary: [After he ate it, the purplish-red color on his face quickly faded. Wei Wuxian asked, "An antidote for corpse poison?"]
Xiao Xingchen said, "That's right. Compared to..."
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After he ate it, the purplish-red color on his face quickly faded. Wei Wuxian asked, "An antidote for corpse poison?"
Xiao Xingchen said, "That's right. It's much more effective than your horrible porridge, isn't it? And it's sweet too."
Wei Wuxian said, "Your acting is really superb. From that scene outside where you bravely fought off the corpses and were exhausted, to later taking a sword for Jin Ling and losing consciousness, was it all an act for us?"
Xiao Xingchen raised a finger, held it up in front of him, and shook it, saying, "I'm not putting on an act for 'you,' but for 'you.' I've long admired the name of the Yiling Patriarch, but seeing is believing."
"I bet you haven't told anyone who you really are yet, right? That's why I didn't expose you. I told them to leave, and we'll talk privately behind closed doors. How thoughtful is that?"
Wei Wuxian asked, "Are all the walking corpses in Yicheng under your control?"
Xiao Xingchen said, "Hmm. From the moment you came in and started playing that flute, I felt that you were a bit strange. So I came to test you myself. Sure enough, even a low-level technique like the Eye-Summoning Technique can exert such strong power. To say that you are not the founder is like telling a joke."
Wei Wuxian said, "You really can't hide anything from your peers. So, what exactly do you want me to do by taking all these kids hostage?"
Xiao Xingchen smiled and said, "I would like to ask you for a favor, senior. Just a small favor."
His mother's junior brother actually called him "senior," the seniority system was so messed up. Wei Wuxian was just thinking to himself with a chuckle when he saw Xiao Xingchen take out a spirit-locking pouch, place it on the table, and say, "Please."
Wei Wuxian placed his hand on the Soul-Locking Pouch and examined it for a while as if taking a pulse. He said, "Whose soul is this? It's shattered like this, so badly that even glue can't piece it back together. It's just a wisp of life left."
Xiao Xingchen said, "If this person's soul could be so easily pieced back together, then why would I need your help?"
Soul? Whose soul? What soul?
Three question marks flashed through everyone's minds.
Could it be Song Lan's?
Wait a minute, didn't he turn into a fierce corpse?
That belongs to the little girl, A-Qing?
That doesn't make sense, didn't this girl just scare people outside the window?
Who is that? Is there anyone else who hasn't appeared yet?
If Wei Wuxian knew what these people behind him were thinking right now, he would definitely call them "idiots" without hesitation!
There are only a few people in Yicheng. If it's not these two, then it's the remaining Daoist Xiao, whose identity was borrowed by Xue Yang.
Wei Wuxian withdrew his hand and said, "You want me to repair this soul? Forgive my bluntness, but the amount of soul inside is far too little. Moreover, this person must have suffered immense torment and extreme pain before death, and may have committed suicide, not wanting to return to this world. If a soul has no will to survive, then it is 90% impossible to save. If I'm not mistaken, this soul was forcibly pieced together, and once it leaves the soul-locking pouch, it could dissipate at any time. You must know all of this."
Xiao Xingchen said, "I don't know. I don't care. You have to help me whether you want to or not. Senior, don't forget that the group of kids you brought are all waiting outside the door, hoping you'll lead them out of danger."
His tone of voice was peculiar; it sounded friendly, even sweet, yet carried an inexplicable ferocity. It was as if one moment he was calling you brother and addressing you as "senior," and the next he could turn on you and kill you. Wei Wuxian laughed, "You've certainly seen it all. Xue Yang, you're a perfectly normal rogue, why are you pretending to be a Taoist?"
After a pause, Xiao Xingchen raised his hand and removed the bandage from his eyes.
The bandages fell away, revealing a pair of bright, star-like, sparkling eyes.
Intact eyes.
It was a young and likable face, one could even say handsome, but the pair of tiger teeth that appeared when he smiled were so cute they were almost childish, subtly concealing the ferocity and wildness in his eyes.
Xue Yang tossed the bandage aside and said, "Oops, you found out."
Wei Wuxian said, "You deliberately pretended to be in pain and scared, making people feel guilty and embarrassed to take off your bandages to check; you deliberately exposed a bit of Shuanghua; you deliberately let slip that you were a wandering Taoist. Not only do you know how to use the self-inflicted injury trick, but you also know how to exploit people's sympathy, and you act so well as a person who is aloof and righteous. If it weren't for the fact that you don't know or know so many things, I would really believe that you are Xiao Xingchen."
Moreover, during the "Inquiry" episode, Song Lan's final two answers were "Xiao Xingchen" and "the people behind you."
If "the person behind you" is also Xiao Xingchen, there's no reason why Song Lan would insist on using a different way of expressing it.
Unless, of course, "Xiao Xingchen" and "the person behind you" are not the same person at all. Song Lan wanted to warn them that this person was dangerous, but if he directly answered Xue Yang, he was afraid they wouldn't recognize him, so he had no choice but to do it this way.
He suffered greatly and committed suicide.
Upon hearing those two words, Song Lan felt a surge of anger. She gripped the Snow-Sweeping Sword tightly, her icy eyes fixed on Xue Yang without a trace of emotion, as if she were about to chop him up at any moment.
However, Xue Yang seemed oblivious to Song Lan's gaze. His handsome eyes met those of his reflection in the sky. The eyes in the sky were bright as stars, shining brilliantly, but these eyes were now as dark as ink, as deep as an abyss.
Extremely painful, with no will to live.
When Wei Wuxian spoke to him that day, he still held onto a sliver of hope, stubbornly refusing to listen to him. But now, those two words pierced his heart like sharp knives.
It turns out he really didn't want to come back.
Xue Yang chuckled and said, "Who told him to have a good reputation while I have a bad one? Of course, I have to pretend to be him to gain other people's trust more easily."
Wei Wuxian said, "His acting skills are superb."
Xue Yang said, "Not at all. I have a very famous friend whose acting skills are truly superb. I am ashamed to admit that I am no match for him. Alright, enough of this nonsense, Senior Wei, you absolutely have to help me with this."
Wei Wuxian said, "You made the black nails that controlled Song Lan and Wen Ning, didn't you? You can restore half of the Yin Tiger Seal and repair a soul, so why do you need my help?"
Xue Yang said, “It’s different. You are the one who started this journey. If you hadn’t made the first half of the Yin Tiger Seal, I wouldn’t have been able to make the second half myself. Of course, you are more capable than me. So what I can’t do, you can definitely do.”
I really don't understand why people I don't even know seem to have this inexplicable confidence on his behalf. Wei Wuxian stroked his chin, unsure whether he should return the compliment, and said, "You're being modest."
Xue Yang said, "This is not modesty, it is the truth. I never like to boast. If I say I will kill someone's whole family, then it will be the whole family, not even a dog will be left."
Wei Wuxian asked, "For example, the Chang family of Liyang?"
Wei Wuxian glanced sideways at Xue Yang, who was clearly absent-minded and whose expression was impossible to read, and sneered: "Since you can't escape the fate of atonement, you might as well think about why you destroyed the Chang Clan in the first place, and why you used such an... extreme method."
Xue Yang did not respond.
Most of the older cultivators around had witnessed or heard about this brutal revenge, and they couldn't help but shudder.
Many people also found Wei Wuxian's words strange. Does a pervert need a reason to do his things?
Before Xue Yang could answer, the door was suddenly smashed open, and a black figure flew in.
Wei Wuxian and Xue Yang retreated simultaneously, leaving the square table. Xue Yang swiftly snatched the spirit-locking pouch. Song Lan lightly supported himself on the table, flipped in the air, and landed on the table, dissipating his force. He then suddenly looked up at the doorway, streaks of black blood creeping up his cheeks.
Wen Ning, dragging his iron chains, burst through the door with a gust of white mist and black wind.
Even before he started playing the first note on his flute, Wei Wuxian had already given the order to summon Wen Ning. He told Wen Ning, "Go out and fight, but don't kill them all. Keep an eye on the living people and don't let the other walking corpses get close."
Wen Ning raised his right hand, and a chain swung out. Song Lan raised his whisk to meet it, and the two objects clashed and became entangled. Wen Ning pulled himself back by the chain, but Song Lan didn't let go, and was dragged out the door. The young masters of the noble families had already taken refuge in another shop next door, craning their necks to watch intently. Whisks, iron chains, and longswords clashed, sparks flying. They felt that the fight between these two fierce corpses was incredibly ferocious, every move ruthless and every punch landing with a visceral impact. Only fierce corpses could fight so brutally; if two living people fought like this, they would have already lost limbs and their brains would have exploded!
Xue Yang asked, "Who do you think will win?"
Wei Wuxian said, "Do we need to guess? Wen Ning will definitely win."
Xue Yang said, "It's a pity that even after I hammered so many spikes into his skull, he still wouldn't listen. Some things are too attached to their masters, which can be quite a headache."
Wei Wuxian said indifferently, "Wen Ning is a scoundrel."
puff
Lan Jingyi couldn't help but laugh, then silently shut his mouth again.
I never expected there would be such a magical conversation back then.
Wen Qing flashed a silver needle: "Wei Wuxian, who are you insulting?!"
Wei Wuxian leaned back, his eyes almost crossed as he stared at the silver needle, and cried out, on the verge of tears, "Hey, hey, hey, Sister Qing, can you be reasonable? Was I scolding Wen Ning? I was speaking up for him!"
Xue Yang, now fully recovered, watched the scene with a grin: "Oh dear, I never expected the famous Yiling Patriarch to be afraid of women."
Before Wei Wuxian could speak, Wenqing's silver needles changed direction.
"So you want to try it too? Maybe you'll become more obedient after I give you a couple of acupuncture needles."
Xue Yang: ...
Indeed, women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with.
Unexpectedly, Wei Wuxian added, "Oh, I'm also afraid of my wife."
Xue Yang: ...
Everyone:...
Cold dog food was slapped haphazardly on my face...
Xue Yang laughed and said, "Didn't you notice the ambiguity in your words?" As he said the word "am," he suddenly drew his sword and thrust it forward. Wei Wuxian dodged, saying, "Do you often attack me halfway through a sentence like this?"
Xue Yang said in surprise, "Of course. You're not a newbie to finding out I'm a rogue. I don't want to kill you, I just want to make sure you can't move. Come back with me first, and I'll slowly help you repair this soul."
Wei Wuxian said, "I've already said I can't do anything about it."
Xue Yang said, "Don't be so quick to refuse. If you're clueless on your own, we can discuss it together." Before he finished speaking, he struck again with his sword. Wei Wuxian dodged and weaved through the scattered paper doll fragments, thinking, "This little rascal is really skilled." Seeing Xue Yang's sword strikes getting faster and faster, and the stabs becoming more and more cunning and vicious, he couldn't help but say, "Are you taking advantage of my body's low spiritual power?"
Xue Yang said, "Yes, that's right!"
Wei Wuxian finally met someone even more shameless than himself, and he chuckled in response, saying, "It's better to offend a hero than a rogue. That's you. I'm not fighting you, let's find someone else."
Xue Yang said with a smile, "Who should we replace him with? That Hanguang-jun? I'll send over three hundred walking corpses to surround him, and he..."
Before he could finish speaking, a figure in white descended from the sky, and a cold, clear blue light emanated from Bichen, rushing towards him.
Wei Wuxian was delighted to see Lan Zhan's dashing entrance: "See? My Lan Zhan is so reliable. He's truly a telepathic friend. He arrived just in time."
Everyone: ...
It's as if there's a Lan Zhan praise machine sitting here, and every three sentences he utters mention Lan Zhan.
Seriously, how many things have you done to offend Lan Wangji?
Such a strong will to survive?
Lan Wangji, enveloped in an aura of icy frost, stood before Wei Wuxian. Xue Yang threw his Frost Flower sword to shield him from a sword strike. The two renowned swords clashed head-on, each flying back to its wielder. Wei Wuxian remarked, "Isn't this a case of 'better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early'?"
Lan Wangji replied, "Mm."
Having said that, he continued his battle with Xue Yang. Just moments ago, Wei Wuxian had been driven east and west by Xue Yang, but now it was Xue Yang who was being forced into retreat by Lan Wangji. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, he rolled his eyes, smiled slightly, and suddenly tossed the Frost Flower in his right hand, catching it with his left. At the same time, he flicked his right hand from his sleeve. Wei Wuxian was wary that he was about to throw out some poisonous powder or hidden weapon from his sleeve, but instead, he saw another long sword emerge from his sleeve, seamlessly switching to a dual-sword attack.
The longsword drawn from it possessed a chilling, sinister edge, seemingly emanating wisps of black energy as it was wielded, a stark contrast to the clear, silvery light of the frost-covered sword. Xue Yang drew both swords simultaneously, his left and right hands moving with fluid grace, instantly becoming powerful. Lan Wangji said, "A calamity?"
Xue Yang said, "Eh? Lord Hanguang actually recognizes this sword? How fortunate you are."
"Disaster Bringer" was Xue Yang's personal sword. Like its name, and its master, it was an ominous sword that brought bloodshed and slaughter. Wei Wuxian interjected, "This name truly suits you perfectly."
As everyone watched the spectacular fight scene with rapt attention, Madam Lan suddenly murmured:
Why is it described as a calamity, and not a natural disaster?
The rustling sounds of the crowd fell silent for a moment, and everyone looked at Xue Yang.
Xue Yang's eyes turned cold. He ignored the stares around him and remained silent.
Lan Wangji said, "Step back. We don't need you here."
Wei Wuxian humbly accepted the advice and stepped back. Reaching the doorway, he glanced outside. Wen Ning, expressionless, was gripping Song Lan's neck, lifting him into the air and slamming him into the wall, creating a large, human-shaped crater. Song Lan, equally expressionless, grabbed Wen Ning's wrist and flipped him over, throwing him to the ground. The two fierce corpses fought expressionlessly, making a series of loud thuds. Neither felt pain or feared injury; unless cleaved into pieces, they could continue fighting even with severed limbs. Wei Wuxian muttered to himself, "It seems I'm not needed here."
Suddenly, he saw Lan Jingyi waving frantically at him from a dark shop across the street, and thought to himself, "Ha, they definitely need me over there."
Lan Jingyi found it quite amusing to watch Wei Wuxian struggle to get involved from either side.
Who knew that when he saw the silly way he was waving, his face immediately darkened.
Who is this? How could this idiot be me? No, this isn't me!
No sooner had he left than Bichen's sword shone brightly, and in that instant, Xue Yang slipped away, sending Shuanghua flying from his grasp. Lan Wangji caught the sword in the process. Seeing Shuanghua in someone else's hands, Jiangzai slashed straight at Lan Wangji's left arm, which was holding the sword. His attack missed, and a flash of cold, angry light crossed Xue Yang's eyes. He said menacingly, "Give me the sword."
Lan Wangji said, "You are not worthy of this sword."
Xue Yang sneered.
Wei Wuxian walked over to the group of young disciples from various aristocratic families and was surrounded by them. He asked, "Are you all alright?"
"No!" "I'll listen to you, I'll hold my breath."
Wei Wuxian said, "That's good. If anyone disobeys me, I'll give them more glutinous rice porridge."
Several boys who had experienced the smell vomited. Just then, footsteps echoed from all directions, and figures began to move at the end of the long street. Lan Wangji also heard the sounds, and with a flick of his sleeve, he produced his Wangji Qin (a type of zither).
He slammed the zither onto the table, tossed the sword-wielding sword into his left hand, and continued his fierce battle with Xue Yang, his sword intent undiminished. At the same time, without turning his head, he flicked his right hand and plucked the strings of the zither.
The clear, resonant sound of the zither carried far to the end of the long street, only to be followed by the familiar, eerie sound of corpses exploding. Lan Wangji continued to fight Xue Yang with one hand while playing the zither with the other. He glanced at Xue Yang with a nonchalant air, then casually plucked the strings. He attacked from both sides simultaneously, his demeanor calm and composed.
Jin Ling couldn't help but blurt out, "Amazing!"
He had watched Jiang Cheng and Jin Guangyao go on night hunts and slay demonic beasts, and felt that his uncle and younger uncle were the two strongest cultivators in the world. He had always been more afraid than respectful of Lan Wangji, fearing only his silencing spell and cold temper. But now, he couldn't help but be captivated by his charm. Lan Jingyi said proudly, "That's right, Hanguang-jun is certainly powerful, but he never likes to show off. He's very low-key, isn't he?"
"Right?" was said to Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian, bewildered, replied, "Are you asking me? Why are you asking me?"
Lan Jingyi became anxious: "Don't you think Hanguang-jun is amazing?!"
Wei Wuxian stroked his chin and said, "Mmm, amazing, of course, incredibly amazing. He's the best." As he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh at himself.
Lan Jingyi glanced at Wei Wuxian expressionlessly, then turned back away expressionlessly.
Lan Sizhui looked at his actions with a puzzled expression.
Lan Jingyi remained expressionless: "I was too young back then, I actually went out of my way to eat dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection). Was I a pig?!"
Lan Sizhui: ...
There's no need for that.
This thrilling and perilous night is coming to an end; dawn is approaching. But this is not good news. Dawn means the demonic fog will thicken. Then, once again, every step will be impossible!
If it were just Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, it wouldn't be difficult. But with so many living people around, once surrounded by a large number of walking corpses, escape would be impossible. Just as Wei Wuxian was racking his brains for a solution, the crisp "crack" and "tap" of the bamboo pole hitting the ground rang out again.
The ghost of that blind, tongueless girl has returned!
Without hesitation, Wei Wuxian said, "Let's go!"
Lan Jingyi asked, "Which way?"
Wei Wuxian said, "Follow the sound of the bamboo poles."
Jin Ling was slightly taken aback: "You want us to follow a ghost? Who knows where she'll lead us!" Wei Wuxian said: "Just follow her. This voice has been following you ever since you came in, right? You were heading into the city, but she led you all the way back to the city gates, where you met us. She was trying to drive you out, she was trying to save you!"
The unpredictable, intermittent sound of the bamboo pole striking the ground was her method of frightening living people entering the city. But the intent to frighten wasn't necessarily bad. The paper head of the Yin Force that Wei Wuxian kicked might have been thrown there by her to warn and frighten them. Wei Wuxian added, "And last night she clearly wanted to tell us something urgent, but she couldn't express it. But as soon as Xue Yang arrived, she disappeared immediately. She was probably avoiding Xue Yang; in any case, she's definitely not with him."
"Xue Yang?! Xue Yang again? Wasn't it Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan?"
"Uh, I'll explain that later. Anyway, the one fighting Hanguang-jun isn't Xiao Xingchen, it's Xue Yang impersonating him."
The sound of the bamboo poles continued, seemingly waiting, seemingly urging them on. Following her might lead them into a trap; not following her meant being surrounded by walking corpses that could spew out corpse poison powder—neither was safe. The youths made a decisive choice, running with Wei Wuxian towards the sound of the bamboo poles. Sure enough, as they moved, the sound moved with them; sometimes they could make out a small, hazy figure in the thin mist ahead, and sometimes they couldn't see anything at all.
After running for a while, Lan Jingyi said, "Are we just going to run like this?"
Wei Wuxian turned around and called out, "Hanguang-jun, I'm leaving you with these. We'll be going now!"
A string snapped, sounding much like someone saying "Hmm," and Wei Wuxian chuckled. Lan Jingyi said, "That's it? Don't you want to say anything else?"
Wei Wuxian said, "What else do you want? What else is there to say?"
Lan Jingyi said, "Why didn't they say 'I'm worried about you, I want to stay!', 'You go!', or 'No! I won't go! We'll go together!'? They should have said those things."
Everyone: ...
This kid has been watching too many romance dramas.
As expected, Lan Jingyi once again received oppressive gazes from both his uncle and Hanguang-jun, leaving him looking like he was about to cry.
Wei Wuxian listened with great interest, and then teased Lan Xichen, "Zewu-jun, you personally raised Jingyi, how did you raise him to have such a personality?"
Lan Xichen: ……
This matter is also related to you. Before Jingyi met you, he would never dare to argue with anyone like this. Even if Wangji were standing next to him, Sizhui could easily suppress him. Otherwise, what do you think is the purpose of copying the family precepts upside down?
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