Chapter 5
Chapter Summary: [The young men over there were also inexperienced, each looking nervous, yet they meticulously guarded the Mo residence, carefully following the prescribed positions and covering the main hall and surrounding area with talismans. That famous family...]
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The young men over there were also inexperienced, each looking nervous, yet they still strictly followed the directions to guard the Mo residence, and pasted talismans all over the inside and outside of the main hall. The servant, A-Tong, had already been carried into the hall. Lan Sizhui held his pulse with his left hand and pushed against Madam Mo's back with his right. He was frantic, unable to treat either side in time, when A-Tong suddenly got up from the ground.
A-Ding exclaimed, "A-Tong, you're awake!"
Before she could even show a look of joy, she saw Atong raise her left hand and grab her own neck.
Seeing this, Lan Sizhui slapped several acupoints on A-Tong three times. Wei Wuxian knew that although his family members looked refined, their arm strength was anything but. Such slaps would render anyone immobile, but A-Tong seemed oblivious, his left hand tightening its grip, his expression growing increasingly painful and contorted. Lan Jingyi tried to pry his left hand open, but it was like trying to break a lump of iron; it wouldn't budge. A moment later, with a "crack," A-Tong's head drooped to the side, and his hand finally loosened. But his neck was broken.
He actually strangled himself to death in front of everyone!
Seeing this, A-Ding said in a trembling voice, "...A ghost! There's an unseen ghost here that made A-Tong strangle him to death!"
Her voice was high-pitched and shrill, sending chills down the spines of those around her, who suddenly believed her.
The horrific scene shocked everyone present. A timid woman in the back covered her eyes and stammered, "What...what is that?!"
Nie Mingjue, who had already guessed what the evil spirit was: ...
Nie Huaisang, who released his left hand back then: ...
Most of those present also thought it was a ghost, but they didn't expect that this idea would be ruthlessly rejected by Wei Wuxian in the scene.
Wei Wuxian's judgment was exactly the opposite: it was not a vengeful ghost.
He had seen the talismans chosen by the boys, all of which were spirit-repelling. They covered the entire East Hall so tightly that it was practically impenetrable. If it were a truly vengeful ghost, it would immediately and automatically burn with green flames upon entering the East Hall, instead of remaining completely still as it was now.
It wasn't that these children were slow to react, but rather that the newcomers were truly ferocious. The Xuanmen (Taoist sects) have strict standards for the term "vengeful ghost." Killing one person per month and continuously causing trouble for three months qualifies one as a vengeful ghost. This standard was set by Wei Wuxian and is probably still in use. He is most adept at dealing with such cases; in his view, killing one person every seven days qualifies as a frequently causing vengeful ghost. This thing, however, killed three people in quick succession. Even established cultivators would find it difficult to devise a countermeasure immediately, let alone a group of newly initiated juniors.
Everyone: ...
Even if they didn't want to admit it, they had to admit that Wei Wuxian's mind was truly sharp, though also utterly irrational. Faced with such a powerful evil spirit, even a renowned cultivator would panic; he certainly didn't have time to think about things that were ultimately pointless to exorcise it.
As he was thinking this, the firelight flickered, and a gust of cold wind swept through. All the lanterns and candles in the entire courtyard and the east hall went out at once.
The moment the lights went out, screams erupted as men and women pushed, shoved, and stumbled as they fled. Lan Jingyi shouted, "Stand still! Don't run around! Anyone who runs will be caught!"
This is not an exaggeration. Taking advantage of the chaos and stirring up trouble is the nature of evil spirits. The more they cry, shout, and run, the more likely they are to unknowingly invite disaster upon themselves. Being alone or losing one's composure at such a time is extremely dangerous. However, everyone was so distracted that they couldn't hear or listen clearly. In no time, the east hall fell silent, save for the faint sounds of breathing and soft sobbing. There were probably only a few people left.
In the darkness, a flame suddenly ignited; it was Lan Sizhui who had lit a Bright Flame Talisman.
The flame of the Bright Fire Talisman wouldn't be extinguished by the evil wind. He used the talisman to relight the candle, while the remaining youths went to appease the others. By the firelight, Wei Wuxian glanced at his wrist; another wound had healed.
Upon closer inspection, he suddenly realized that the number of wounds was incorrect.
Originally, he had two scars on each of his wrists. One healed when Mo Ziyuan died; another when Mo Ziyuan's father died; and yet another when his servant Atong died. So, three scars should have healed, leaving only the last one, the deepest and most deeply etched wound.
But now his wrists are completely empty, not a single one left.
Wei Wuxian believed that Madam Mo was definitely among Mo Xuanyu's targets for revenge. The longest and deepest wound was meant for her. And yet, it had vanished.
Did Mo Xuanyu suddenly see the light and give up his resentment? That's impossible. His soul had already been sacrificed as the price for summoning Wei Wuxian. For the wound to heal, Madam Mo would have to die.
His gaze slowly shifted to Madam Mo, who had just woken up and was surrounded by a crowd, her face as pale as paper.
Unless she's already dead.
Wei Wuxian was certain that something had already possessed Madam Mo. If this thing wasn't a soul, then what could it be?
Suddenly, A-Ding cried out, "Hand...hand, A-Tong's left hand!"
Lan Sizhui moved the Bright Flame Talisman above A Tong's corpse. Sure enough, his left hand also disappeared.
Left hand!
In a flash, Wei Wuxian's vision cleared, and the haunting creature and his missing left arm appeared as a single line. He suddenly burst into laughter.
Everyone: ...dumbfounded.jpg
What is he laughing at? What does he understand? What does this have to do with anything?
Some of the more astute among them, prompted by Wei Wuxian's inner thoughts, roughly understood the origin of this evil spirit. However, seeing Wei Wuxian's hanged ghost makeup and his utterly unseemly grin on the screen, they couldn't help but feel a chill.
Lan Jingyi said angrily, "This idiot, he can still laugh at a time like this!" But then he thought, since he is an idiot, why bother arguing with him?
Wei Wuxian grabbed his sleeve and shook his head, saying, "No, no!"
Lan Jingyi, annoyed, tried to pull his sleeve back: "What do you mean, 'not'? Aren't you an idiot? Stop messing around! Nobody has time for you."
Wei Wuxian pointed to the corpses of Mo's father and A-Tong on the ground and said, "These are not them."
Lan Sizhui stopped Lan Jingyi from getting angry and asked, "What do you mean by saying 'this is not them'?"
Wei Wuxian solemnly said, "This is not Mo Ziyuan's father, and that is not A-Tong either."
His heavily made-up face, the more solemn he appeared, the more clearly he seemed ill. Yet, in the dim candlelight, his words were chilling. Lan Sizhui paused, then involuntarily asked, "Why?"
Wei Wuxian said proudly, "Hands? They're not left-handed. They always hit me with their right hand. I know that."
Lan Jingyi, unable to contain himself any longer, spat out, "What are you so proud of! Look how smug you are!"
Lan Sizhui broke out in a cold sweat. He recalled: A-Tong strangled himself with his left hand. Mo Furen's husband also used his left hand when he pushed his wife down.
However, when Mo Xuanyu caused a ruckus in the East Hall during the day, these two were busy grabbing and chasing people, and they were both right-handed. It's unlikely that these two would suddenly become left-handed before they died.
Although the exact reason is unknown, to find out what is causing the trouble, one must start with the "left hand." Lan Sizhui, understanding this, was slightly surprised and suspicious. He glanced at Wei Wuxian and couldn't help but think, "His sudden statement...it really doesn't seem like a coincidence."
Now everyone understood where the evil spirit came from. However, Wei Wuxian's way of giving the hint was unacceptable. Even Lan Sizhui could tell that he was really hiding his identity.
Lan Jingyi, who continued to hide behind Lan Sizhui: ...
Oh my god, I can still feel Hanguang-jun's murderous gaze.
Lord Hanguang, please forgive my youthful ignorance...
Wei Wuxian just grinned, knowing the hint was too deliberate, but there was nothing he could do. Fortunately, Lan Sizhui didn't pursue the matter, thinking to himself, "In any case, since this Young Master Mo was willing to remind me, he probably didn't have any ill intentions." He then shifted his gaze from him, glancing at A Ding who had just fainted from crying, and finally landing on Madam Mo.
My gaze traveled down her face, all the way to her hands. Her arms hung flat at her sides, mostly hidden in her sleeves, with only a few fingers showing. The fingers on her right hand were snow-white and slender, the hands of a pampered woman who did not do any work.
However, the fingers on her left hand were slightly longer and thicker than those on her right hand. The knuckles were curled upwards, conveying a sense of strength.
These don't look like a woman's hands—they're clearly a man's hands!
Lan Sizhui shouted, "Hold her down!"
Several teenagers had already grabbed Madam Mo. Lan Sizhui said "Excuse me" and was about to slap down a talisman when Madam Mo's left hand twisted at an incredible angle and grabbed his throat.
For a living person's arm to be twisted like that, the bones would have to be broken. And she moved with incredible speed, about to grab his neck. At that moment, Lan Jingyi cried out "Ouch!" and lunged in front of Lan Sizhui, blocking the grab for him.
A flash of fire appeared, and the arm that had just grabbed Lan Jingyi's shoulder burst into flames, immediately releasing its grip. Lan Sizhui, having escaped death, was about to thank Lan Jingyi for his selfless rescue when he saw that half of the latter's school uniform had been burned to ashes, leaving him utterly disheveled. As he pulled off the remaining half of the uniform, he turned back, furiously yelling, "Why did you kick me, you lunatic! You wanted to kill me?!"
Wei Wuxian covered his head and ran away, shouting, "I didn't kick it!"
It was him who kicked. The inside of the Lan family school uniform was embroidered with densely packed incantations of the same color, possessing miraculous protective effects. However, against someone as powerful as him, it would be useless after one use. In desperation, he could only kick Lan Jingyi, hoping he would use his body to protect Lan Sizhui's neck.
Lan Jingyi jumped up immediately: "It really was Senior Wei who kicked it!"
"Lan Jingyi!" Lan Qiren roared, startling Lan Jingyi into sitting cross-legged and acting as a good, obedient child.
Lan Xichen was secretly curious when he saw this scene. How did Wei Wuxian know that there were spells and incantations in the Lan Clan's school uniform?
Upon seeing Lan Wangji's slightly absent-minded expression, well, he understood.
Lan Jingyi was about to curse again when Madam Mo collapsed to the ground, her face drained of all flesh, leaving only a layer of skin clinging to a skull. The arm of the man who didn't belong to her had detached from her left shoulder, its five fingers still able to bend and straighten freely, as if stretching their muscles and bones, the veins and bulging veins on it clearly visible.
This thing is an evil entity summoned by the Summoning Banner.
Dismemberment is a classic example of a gruesome death, only slightly more dignified than Wei Wuxian's, but not by much. Unlike being reduced to dust, body parts carry a portion of the deceased's resentment, yearning to return to another body, desiring a complete corpse. Thus, it will try every means to find other parts of the body. If it finds them, it might be content and at peace, or it might cause even more trouble. If it cannot find them, that part of the body can only settle for less.
What's a compromise? Find a living human body to use as a makeshift solution.
Just like this left hand: it eats the left hand of a living person, takes its place, drains the living person's essence, blood, and flesh, then abandons the body and continues to search for the next parasitic container until it has found all the other parts of the corpse.
Once this arm takes hold, the person it parasitizes dies instantly, but before their flesh and blood are completely drained, they can still walk normally under its control, as if they are still alive. The first vessel it sought after was Mo Ziyuan. The second vessel was Mo Ziyuan's father. When Madam Mo told her husband to get out, he unusually pushed her away. Wei Wuxian initially thought it was because he was grieving for his son's death and tired of his wife's tyranny. But now, thinking back, that wasn't how a father who had just lost his son should behave. It wasn't the blankness of despair, but a deathly silence, the silence of the dead.
The third container was A-Tong. The fourth container was Madam Mo. Taking advantage of the chaos when the lights went out, the ghostly hand transferred to her body. And when Madam Mo died, the last scar on Wei Wuxian's wrist also disappeared.
Seeing that the talisman was ineffective, but their clothes were working, the Lan family youths untied their outer garments and flung them over the left hand, layering them like a thick white cocoon. Moments later, the white garment burst into flames, the green flames shooting eerily skyward. Although effective for a time, it wouldn't be long before the uniform burned away, and the hand would reappear from the ashes. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, Wei Wuxian headed straight for the west courtyard.
Seeing Wei Wuxian's actions, everyone had only one thought: he's going to run away. As expected of the Yiling Patriarch, he only cares about himself even after arriving.
Some people are wondering: Who is this person? How could they be dismembered so horribly and so brutally?
Nie Mingjue in such a miserable state: ...What can I say when I see myself like this?
The ten walking corpses, captured by the teenagers, stood silently in the courtyard. Incantations sealing them were drawn on the ground. Wei Wuxian kicked one of the characters, disrupting the formation, and clapped twice. The walking corpses jolted, their eyes rolling back as if awakened by a thunderclap.
Wei Wuxian said, "Get up. Time to work!"
He never needed complicated incantations or summoning phrases to control his corpse puppets; the most ordinary and straightforward commands sufficed. The walking corpse in front trembled and struggled to take a few steps, but as soon as it got close to Wei Wuxian, it seemed to be so frightened that its legs went weak, and it collapsed to the ground like a living person.
Wei Wuxian was both amused and exasperated. He clapped his hands twice more, this time much more gently. But these walking corpses were probably born and died in Mo Village, and had never seen much of the world. They instinctively obeyed the summoner's commands, yet they were inexplicably terrified of the person who issued the commands, lying on the ground whimpering and too afraid to get up.
The more ferocious the evil spirits, the more skillfully Wei Wuxian could control them. These walking corpses hadn't been trained by him and couldn't withstand his direct control. He also lacked the materials to immediately create a mitigating prop, not even a makeshift solution. As the soaring green flames in the East Courtyard gradually dimmed, a sudden thought struck Wei Wuxian.
Why bother looking for a dead person who harbors deep resentment and is vicious and cruel?!
There are more than one in the East Hall!
He flashed back to the East Courtyard. Lan Sizhui, having exhausted his first plan, devised another. They all drew their longswords and planted them in the ground to form a sword guard, within which the ghostly hand was thrashing about. They were already doing their utmost to hold down the hilts to prevent it from breaking free, and had no time to notice who was going in and out. Wei Wuxian stepped into the East Hall, picked up the bodies of Madam Mo and Mo Ziyuan on either side, and whispered, "Still not awake!"
A single call brings him back to life!
A moment later, Madam Mo and Mo Ziyuan's eyes rolled back, and they let out the sharp, piercing howl unique to the returning spirits.
Amidst the high and low shrieks, another corpse trembled and rose to its feet, letting out a weak cry that could barely be heard. It was Madam Mo's husband.
The screams were loud enough, the resentment palpable. Wei Wuxian was quite satisfied and smiled, "Do you recognize that hand outside?"
He commanded, “Tear it up.”
The Mo family of three vanished in an instant, like three streaks of black wind.
Just moments ago, he was thinking that Wei Wuxian was the one who ran away, but now he was glad that he hadn't said it out loud, otherwise he would have been slapped in the face.
There were also people whose eyes lit up when they looked at Wei Wuxian, such as Xue Yang.
Looking at Wei Wuxian's simple command, Xue Yang couldn't help but sigh inwardly: The Yiling Patriarch is indeed the Yiling Patriarch, unlike himself, who still needs to use corpse poison powder and skull-piercing nails, and there are always those who don't obey...
Thinking about it, she unconsciously looked at Wen Ning and Song Lan beside her.
It's a pity... Wen Ning was clueless, while Song Lan glared at him with hostility...
No one understands me...
Old Master Yiling... ugh, Senior Wei, when are you going to show up...?
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