Chapter 45, Section 45
Chapter Summary: [Song Lan's brow furrowed, realizing Xue Yang couldn't possibly be so kind: "Night-hunting what? Do you even know?"]
Aqing dared not lay down
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Song Lan's brow furrowed, sensing that Xue Yang was unlikely to be so kind: "Night hunting what? Do you know?"
Ah Qing dared not be careless and said, "There used to be a time when we often hunted walking corpses, but not anymore. Now we hunt some ghosts, livestock, and the like."
Song Lan questioned him carefully, seemingly sensing something was amiss, but unable to pinpoint the cause. He asked, "Is that Taoist priest on good terms with him?"
Although Aqing was very reluctant to admit it, she still confessed, "I felt that the Taoist priest wasn't very happy... It's not easy to find a fellow practitioner... So, it seems that he quite enjoys listening to that rascal's witty remarks..."
A dark cloud hung over Song Lan's face, a mixture of anger and reluctance. Only one message was clear:
We must never let Xiao Xingchen know about this!
He said, "Don't tell him anything unnecessary."
Having said that, he turned and chased after Xue Yang in the direction he had gone, his face grim. A-Qing asked, "Daoist Master, are you going to fight that bad guy?"
Song Lan had already chased after them for quite some distance. Wei Wuxian thought to himself, "He's not just going to fight, he's going to skin Xue Yang alive!"
Xue Yang started talking again: "Master Song cares so much about my life, yet he wants to skin me alive. It really breaks my heart."
Song Lan's eye twitched. She suddenly felt that this little hooligan might have some mental issues, and that she herself, who had been entangled with him back then, might also... have some problems.
Xue Yang had gone out carrying a vegetable basket. A-Qing knew which route he would take to buy groceries, so she took a shortcut, running through a grove of trees, her heart pounding. After chasing him for a while, she spotted Xue Yang ahead. He was carrying a basket in one hand, stuffed full of vegetables, radishes, steamed buns, and other produce. He was walking along lazily, yawning as he went; it seemed he was returning from buying groceries.
Aqing, skilled at hiding and eavesdropping, crept furtively into the bushes beside the woods, following him. Suddenly, Song Lan's cold voice came from ahead: "Xue Yang."
It was as if someone had doused him with a bucket of cold water, or slapped him awake from his sleep; Xue Yang's face instantly turned extremely ugly.
Wei Wuxian looked at Xue Yang's face, which changed color instantly in the shadow of the sky, and murmured to himself, "The dream is over."
Actually, disregarding Xue Yang's actions of turning the villagers into walking corpses, his treatment of Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing was genuinely warm, like that of a friend.
However, things are unpredictable.
Song Lan emerged from behind a tree, his long sword already drawn and held in his hand, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground.
Xue Yang feigned surprise: "Oh my, isn't this Master Song? What a rare guest! Here to freeload a meal?"
Song Lan thrust his sword forward, but Xue Yang flicked out a calamity-repelling weapon from his sleeve, blocked the attack, and took a few steps back. He placed his vegetable basket next to a tree and said, "You stinky Taoist priest, I just decided to go out and buy some vegetables on a whim, and you fucking spoil the fun!"
Song Lan's swordsmanship was superior to Xue Yang's, and fueled by a raging rage, his attacks were deadly. He roared, "Speak! What kind of underhanded tricks are you playing! What have you been trying to do by getting close to Xiao Xingchen for so long!"
Xue Yang laughed and said, "So that's why Master Song was holding back. He wanted to ask about this."
Song Lan roared, "Speak! You scum, would you really be so kind as to help him with a night hunt?!"
The sword energy grazed his face, leaving a cut. He wasn't surprised and said, "Master Song knows me so well!"
One of them followed the orthodox path of Taoism, while the other honed his skills through murder and arson. Song Lan's swordsmanship was clearly superior to Xue Yang's, and he pierced Xue Yang's arm with a single thrust: "Speak!"
If this matter hadn't been so unsettling that he absolutely had to get to the bottom of it, he probably would have stabbed his neck instead of his arm. Despite being stabbed, Xue Yang remained unfazed and said, "You really want to hear it? I'm afraid you'll go crazy. Some things are better left unknown."
Song Lan said coldly, "Xue Yang, my patience with you is running out!"
With a clang, Xue Yang parried the sword aimed at his eyes, saying, "Alright, you insisted on hearing this. Do you know what your good friend, your close confidant, did? He killed many walking corpses. Slaying demons and monsters, asking for nothing in return, it's truly moving. Although he gouged out his eyes and became blind, fortunately, Shuanghua will automatically guide him with the corpse energy. Even more wonderfully, I discovered that as long as the tongues of those infected with corpse poison are cut off, rendering them unable to speak, Shuanghua cannot distinguish between living corpses and walking corpses, so..."
He explained in incredible detail, and Song Lan trembled from her hands to her sword: "You beast... a beast worse than an animal..."
Xue Yang said, "Master Song, sometimes I feel that you cultured people are at a disadvantage when you curse, because you use the same few words over and over again, without any originality or harm. I stopped using those two words to curse when I was seven years old."
Enraged, Song Lan thrust her sword again towards his throat: "You took advantage of his blindness, deceiving him so cruelly!"
Even now, hearing it again, Song Lan still felt a surge of grief and indignation, and almost drew her sword to kill Xue Yang on the spot: "You beast, I should have just killed you!"
Xue Yang concealed the complex expression in his eyes and shrugged indifferently.
Xue Yang, a man who constantly walks the line between life and death, would seize any opening to launch a counterattack. Song Lan, a disciple of the orthodox Daoist school, relies more heavily on his martial arts and swordsmanship—a strength, but also a weakness.
The sword strike was swift and ruthless; Xue Yang barely dodged it, but was still pierced through the shoulder blade. He seemed oblivious, not even flinching, and said, "He's blind? Master Song, don't forget, he went blind because he gave his eyes to someone!"
Upon hearing this, Song Lan's expression and movements both froze.
Xue Yang continued, "On what grounds are you condemning me? Friend? How dare you call yourself Xiao Xingchen's friend? Hahahaha, Master Song, do I need to remind you, after I slaughtered your Taoist temple, what did you say to Xiao Xingchen? He was worried that you would come to help him, what was your expression when you faced him?"
Song Lan was in a state of panic and said, "I! I was..."
Xue Yang shut him down: "Were you feeling indignant? Heartbroken? Looking for someone to vent your anger on? So you took it out on him? To be fair, I did slaughter your temple because of him. It's understandable that you took your anger out on him, and it's exactly what I wanted."
Every sentence hits the nail on the head!
Xue Yang's swordplay grew increasingly composed, yet also increasingly ruthless and cunning, subtly gaining the upper hand, while Song Lan remained completely oblivious. Xue Yang pressed on relentlessly, both physically and verbally, saying, "Alas! You yourself clearly said 'We need not meet again,' so why have you come here now? Daoist Xiao Xingchen, don't you agree?"
Upon hearing this, Song Lan was taken aback. To fall for such a low-level trick meant he was truly and completely disoriented by Xue Yang. Xue Yang, of course, wouldn't let such a golden opportunity slip by; with a wave of his hand, corpse poison powder rained down.
Song Lan had never seen this kind of refined corpse poison powder before. He inhaled several mouthfuls after sprinkling it on, immediately realizing his mistake and coughing incessantly. Xue Yang's calamity, which had been waiting for a long time, flashed with a cold light at the tip of his sword and suddenly plunged into Song Lan's mouth!
In an instant, Wei Wuxian's vision went dark. It was A-Qing who had closed her eyes in fright.
But he understood that Song Lan's tongue was severed by the calamity at that moment.
That sound was terrifying.
"Zichen..."
Xiao Xingchen grabbed Song Lan's hand immediately. He had never experienced the pain of having his tongue pulled out, but he had experienced the suffering of blindness.
They thought that getting an eye transplant would relieve Song Lan of that pain, but it turned out it still didn't work...
Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue: "Back then, even my 'Thousand Methods of Tragic Death' didn't use such cruel methods as blinding and tongue-pulling. You've surpassed me."
Xue Yang rolled his eyes: "You've even been subjected to the death by a thousand cuts back in the day, what's this?"
Wei Wuxian: ...Huh? ? ?
When have I ever been subjected to the death by a thousand cuts?! Where did this rumor come from?! It's utterly outrageous to ruin my reputation!
Suddenly, Song Lan gripped Xiao Xingchen's hand tightly, signaling A-Qing to cover Xiao Xingchen's eyes with her hands. A-Qing realized what was happening and immediately complied.
A-Qing's eyes welled up with tears, but she clenched her teeth tightly, making no sound, and then opened her eyes again, trembling. Song Lan used her sword to barely support her body, and covered her mouth with her other hand, blood gushing out from between her fingers.
Suddenly ambushed by Xue Yang and having his tongue cut out, Song Lan was in so much pain he could barely walk. Nevertheless, he pulled his sword from the ground and staggered towards Xue Yang. Xue Yang easily dodged, a sinister smile on his face.
The next moment, Wei Wuxian understood why he had that smile.
The silver light of the frost pierced Song Lan's chest and emanated from his back.
Song Lan looked down at the sword that had pierced her heart, then slowly looked up and saw Xiao Xingchen holding the sword, his face serene.
Pfft
The sound of the longsword piercing the body was exceptionally jarring.
"Zichen!!!" Xiao Xingchen struggled to break free from Song Lan, trying to remove A-Qing's hand that was blocking his way.
He knew; he knew what Tianying was playing right now.
It was he who killed his best friend with his own hands.
“Stardust! Stardust! This isn’t your fault, it’s all in the past, all in the past…” Song Lan held Xiao Xingchen’s hand tightly. A-Qing felt warm liquid dripping into her palm. She clenched her teeth. She had felt fear and terror when she saw this scene before, but now she only felt bitterness and sorrow.
Being deceived to this extent by so-called friends with whom you've known for years is a hurdle no one can easily overcome.
"Master Song, Miss Aqing, let Junior Uncle see the truth of what happened back then with his own eyes. Otherwise, he will never be able to overcome this inner demon."
Wei Wuxian suddenly spoke up.
Upon hearing this, A-Qing glanced at Song Lan and saw that his cold eyes were filled with reluctance. She slowly lowered her hand, hugged Xiao Xingchen's arm, and gave him strength.
Xiao Xingchen, completely unaware, asked, "Are you there?"
Song Lan moved her lips silently.
Xue Yang smiled and said, "I'm here. What brings you here?"
Xiao Xingchen drew his sword, Shuanghua, and sheathed it, saying, "Shuanghua is strange; I'll follow your directions to investigate." He asked curiously, "It's been a long time since I've seen a walking corpse around here. And this one is all alone. Did it come from somewhere else?"
Song Lan slowly knelt down in front of Xiao Xingchen.
Xue Yang looked down at him and said, "Yes, right? You were yelling really loudly."
At this moment, if Song Lan were to hand his sword to Xiao Xingchen, Xiao Xingchen would know who he was. He could recognize the sword of a close friend just by touching it.
But Song Lan could no longer do that. He handed the sword to Xiao Xingchen and told him who he had personally killed.
Xue Yang had anticipated this, and therefore felt emboldened. He said, "Let's go back and cook. I'm hungry."
Xiao Xingchen asked, "Have you bought the groceries?"
Xue Yang said, "I've bought it. It's really bad luck to run into this thing on the way back."
Xiao Xingchen went ahead, and Xue Yang casually patted the wounds on his shoulder and arm, picked up the basket again, passed by Song Lan, smiled slightly, lowered his head, and said to him, "There's none for you."
After Xue Yang had walked quite a distance, presumably back to the Yizhuang with Xiao Xingchen, A-Qing finally stood up from behind the bushes.
She had been squatting for too long, and her legs were numb. Leaning on her bamboo cane, she limped and walked timidly to Song Lan's kneeling, stiff body.
Song Lan died with his eyes wide open, startling A-Qing. Then she saw blood gushing from his mouth, flowing down his chin and covering his clothes and the ground. Large tears slid down her cheeks.
A-Qing fearfully reached out and closed Song Lan's eyes, then knelt before him, clasping her hands together and saying, "Master, please don't blame me or that other master. I would have died anyway if I had come out, so I could only hide and couldn't save you. That other master was deceived by that evil thing; he didn't do it on purpose. He didn't know he was killing you!"
She sobbed, "I'm going back. In heaven, please bless me so I can rescue Daoist Xiao Xingchen, bless us to escape from that demon's clutches, and make that living monster Xue Yang suffer a terrible death, be torn to pieces, and never be reincarnated!"
Xiao Xingchen didn't make a sound, but tears kept flowing down his face.
He felt a deep pain in his heart. His close friend had been implicated and his entire family had been wiped out because of him. This kind of pain could not be forgiven by simply saying "I don't blame you".
After saying this, he bowed several times, kowtowed three times, vigorously wiped his face, stood up, encouraged himself, and walked towards Yicheng.
When she returned to the mortuary, it was already late. Xue Yang was sitting at the table peeling apples, shaping them into rabbits, and seemed to be in a very good mood. Anyone who saw him would think he was just a mischievous young man, and would never guess what he had just done. Xiao Xingchen brought out a plate of vegetables and asked, "A-Qing, where did you go to play today? You're back so late."
Xue Yang glanced at her, then suddenly a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he said, "What happened? Her eyes are swollen."
Xiao Xingchen walked over and asked, "What's wrong? Who bullied you?"
Xue Yang said, "Bully her? Who can bully her?"
Although he was all smiles, he was clearly suspicious. Suddenly, Ah-Qing threw down the bamboo pole and burst into tears.
She cried uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face, and threw herself into Xiao Xingchen's arms, sobbing, "Waaah, am I ugly? Am I ugly? Daoist, tell me, am I really that ugly?"
Xiao Xingchen patted her head and said, "No, A-Qing is so beautiful. Who said you're ugly?"
Xue Yang said disdainfully, "It's so ugly, it's even uglier when it cries."
Xiao Xingchen scolded him: "Don't do that."
A-Qing cried even harder, stamping her feet and saying, "Daoist Master, you can't see me! What's the use of you saying I'm beautiful? You're definitely lying to me! He can see me, but he says I'm ugly, so it seems I really am ugly! Ugly and blind!"
Her outburst led both of them to assume that she had been insulted by some child outside, who called her "ugly" or "blind," and that she was upset. Xue Yang scoffed, "You come back crying because someone said you're ugly? Where did your usual bravado go?"
Ah Qing said, "You're the one who's splashing! Taoist priest, do you still have any money?"
After a pause, Xiao Xingchen said somewhat awkwardly, "Um... I think there are still some."
Xue Yang interjected, "I have some, you can borrow it."
Ah Qing spat, "You've been eating and living with us for so long, and you still have to borrow money from us when we spend a little! You bastard! Taoist priest, I want to buy something to make myself more beautiful. Will you come with me?"
Wei Wuxian thought to himself, "So they wanted to lure Xiao Xingchen out. But what if Xue Yang follows?"
Suppressing the bitterness he felt from what he had just witnessed, Lan Jingyi muttered to himself, "Why is it that Senior Wei can always see through Xue Yang and A-Qing's brainstorming sessions?"
Lan Sizhui, standing to the side: ...Because of your IQ.
Xue Yang opened his lips, wanting to make a teasing remark, but seeing the tears still wet on Xiao Xingchen's face, he suddenly choked up and couldn't say anything.
He had been a habitual killer all his life, whether it was torture or other methods of killing, but none of them had ever made him feel any emotion like this one when he used someone else to kill him.
It cannot be explained clearly, nor does it know how to solve it.
Because it was too late, by the time he wanted to cherish it, he had already returned to being all alone.
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