Chapter 54, Fifty-Four
Chapter Summary: [Since he and Lan Wangji entered Yicheng, there have been constant surprises, and they haven't been able to play "Peace" together for over two days. In the few days they've traveled here…]
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[In retrospect, since he and Lan Wangji entered Yicheng, they had been plagued by constant surprises, and hadn't been able to play "Peace" together for over two days. During their days of wandering here, the two had barely managed to suppress the commotion with all their might. However, the limbs of the corpse had been collected, and the attraction between them had greatly increased. Perhaps sensing each other's resentment, and desperately wanting to merge, they eagerly rolled to one side while Lan Wangji was out on night patrol, breaking free of the sealing bag that bound them, and automatically piecing themselves together into a corpse.]
Unfortunately, the body was still missing one part. And it was the most important part.
The headless man placed his hand on his neck, touching the neatly severed, scarlet gash in his throat. He searched for a while, but couldn't find what he was looking for. As if enraged by this fact, he suddenly struck out with his palm, slamming it against the tree beside him!
The tree trunk split open with a crack. Wei Wuxian thought to himself, "It has quite a temper."
Lan Jingyi held his sword horizontally in front of him, his voice trembling as he said, "What... what kind of monster is this!"
Wei Wuxian said, "It's obvious you haven't done your basic homework. What's a demon? What's a monster? This is clearly a ghost, how can it be a demon?"
The elders of the Lan family all covered their faces in unison: ...
These kids are always showing off their intelligence outside.
As for the others, they were thinking: Tsk tsk tsk, Wei Wuxian is truly a genius. He is not worried about things at all, but instead has time to correct the mistakes in the words of the younger generation.
Lan Sizhui whispered, "Young Master Mo, aren't you afraid he'll find you out by speaking so loudly?"
Wei Wuxian said, "It's nothing. I just realized that it doesn't matter how loud we talk, because he has no head, no eyes, no ears, he can't see or hear anything. If you don't believe me, you can try shouting."
Lan Jingyi asked curiously, "Really? I'll give it a try."
After saying that, he immediately shouted twice. However, as soon as he finished shouting, the headless man suddenly turned around and walked towards the younger members of the Lan family.
The youths were terrified, and Lan Jingyi screamed, "Didn't you say everything was alright?!"
Wei Wuxian cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "It's really nothing! Look! I'm speaking so loudly, but he still hasn't come over, has he? But it's not a matter of how loud you are, it's because there's fire! It's hot! There are so many people, all men! Living people have strong yang energy! He can't see or hear you, but he can still walk towards where he feels there's noise. Hurry up and put out the fire, everyone disperse!"
Lan Sizhui waved his hand, and a gust of wind extinguished the flames. The group of youths scattered across the abandoned garden. Sure enough, once the campfire was out and the people no longer lingered, the headless man lost his bearings.
Nie Mingjue: ...This makes me look really stupid.
Everyone: The way these teenagers are running around in the garden is really... interesting.
He stood still for a while, and just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, he suddenly moved again, and walked accurately toward one of the boys!
Lan Jingyi added, "Didn't you say that everything would be fine once the fire was extinguished and the crowd dispersed?!"
Before Wei Wuxian could answer, he said to the boy, "Don't move!"
He picked up a pebble from beside his feet, flicked his wrist, and threw it at the headless man. The pebble hit his back, and the headless man immediately stopped, turned around, weighed his options, and then walked towards Wei Wuxian.
Wei Wuxian took two very slow steps, just brushing past the headless man who was walking heavily towards him. He said, "I told you to scatter, not to run around. Don't run too fast. This headless ghost is very powerful. If you move too fast, even a slight breeze around you will be detected by him."
Nie Mingjue: ...Wow, how come I didn't know I was this amazing?
Nie Huaisang: Hahaha... um
Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh so loud, hahaha
Lan Sizhui said, "He seems to be looking for something... Is he looking for his... head?"
Wei Wuxian said, "That's right, he's looking for his head. There are so many heads here, and he doesn't know which one is his. So he'll pull a head off everyone's neck and put it on his own to see if it fits. If it fits, he'll keep using it for a while; if not, he'll throw it away. So you have to walk slowly and hide carefully, and whatever you do, don't let him catch you."
Imagining their heads being ripped off by this headless, monstrous corpse and slapped onto its neck, the teenagers felt a chill run down their spines. They instinctively raised their hands to protect their heads and necks, and began to slowly "flee" around the garden. It was as if the group was playing a dangerous game of hide-and-seek with this headless ghost; whoever was caught by the ghost would have to hand over their head.
Wei Wuxian, hands behind his back, moved slowly, observing the headless corpse's movements as he went. He thought to himself, "This good brother's posture is a bit strange. He keeps making a half-clenched fist and waving his arm... this movement..."
Once the headless man spotted a boy, Wei Wuxian would throw a pebble to distract him and draw him towards him. Lan Jingyi asked, "Are we just going to keep walking like this?"
Wei Wuxian thought for a moment and said, "Of course not."
After saying that, he shouted loudly, "Hanguang-jun! Hanguang-jun! Hanguang-jun, have you returned?! Help!"
Seeing this, the others joined in the shouting. Since the fierce corpse had no head and couldn't make a sound, their shouts grew more mournful and higher than the last. A moment later, Lan Wangji's figure appeared at the entrance of the flowerbed.
The younger generation was almost moved to tears: "Hanguang-jun, you're finally back!"
Lan Wangji paused slightly upon seeing the headless figure. Without a word, he drew his sword, Bichen. The headless man sensed a powerful, chilling sword light approaching and raised his arm, swinging it again. Wei Wuxian thought to himself, "That same move again!"
The headless man was also very agile and nimble. He leaped and dodged the sharp edge of Bichen's sword. He grabbed the hilt of Bichen's sword with his backhand!
He held the Bichen sword high in his hand, seemingly wanting to examine what he held, but alas, he had no eyes. Everyone's expression changed drastically, but Lan Wangji remained calm, took out his guqin, and plucked a string with his finger.
The strings vibrated, and the sound seemed to transform into a sharp arrow, whistling and spinning, shooting towards the ferocious corpse.
The headless man swung his sword, shattering the lingering sound of the zither. Lan Wangji plucked the strings, and all seven strings vibrated in unison, producing a stirring and soaring melody, as if a rain of swords and blades were falling from the sky!
At the same time, Wei Wuxian drew his bamboo flute and harmonized with its sharp notes. Under the aggressive combined attack of the zither and flute, the fierce corpse finally collapsed.
To be precise, it didn't just collapse; it fell apart. Hands were hands, legs were legs, and body was body, scattered in pieces across the ground strewn with fallen leaves.
Everyone: Pfft!!! Cough cough cough!!!
Wei Wuxian is really... a coward at heart, and he's even corrupting a bunch of kids.
Only Lan Wangji could accept this guy.
Nie Huaisang watched his headless elder brother fight Lan Wangji to a standstill, his eyes sparkling with excitement. But then, when he saw his elder brother's body torn to pieces and scattered on the ground, his gaze froze, and he glanced at Nie Mingjue's ashen face...
He laughed so wildly.
Then, after being glared at by Nie Mingjue, he shrank back.
Lan Wangji sheathed his guqin and sword, and walked with Wei Wuxian to the severed limbs. He glanced at them, then took out five brand-new sealing bags, seemingly preparing to reseal the bodies. Lan Sizhui appeared to have something to ask, but Lan Wangji said, "Rest."
Although it was not yet the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), since Hanguang-jun had already spoken, Lan Sizhui did not ask any further questions, but respectfully replied, "Yes." He then led the other juniors to another spot in the flower garden to start a fire and rest.
Only two people remained beside the pile of corpses. Wei Wuxian squatted on the ground, taking the left hand and stuffing it into his Qiankun bag. After stuffing it halfway in, he said, "Hanguang-jun, our good brother only has one head left to find. But this time, the left hand is no longer pointing in the direction of the next step."
Lan Wangji said, "Not even my right hand."
The head is the most crucial part, but it's also certainly the hardest to find. Wei Wuxian said, "Without directions, are we just going to let the trail go cold?"
After a moment of silence, Lan Wangji said, "No. I already know who this person is."
Wei Wuxian asked, "You know?"
Lan Wangji nodded slowly, and Wei Wuxian said, "Alright, I know who it is now."
He lowered his voice and said, "Red Edge Venerable, is that right?"
While playing "hide-and-seek," the headless corpse kept repeating the same action: making a fist, swinging its arm, and slashing horizontally and vertically. It looked very much like it was wielding some kind of weapon.
When weapons are mentioned, Wei Wuxian thinks of swords. But he himself is a swordsman and has fought with many famous swordsmen before, yet he has never seen any master wield a sword like this.
The sword is considered the "king of weapons," and those who wield it always strive for a certain elegance or grace. Even an assassin's sword, while ruthless and insidious, must possess a degree of agility, with numerous thrusting motions. However, the headless man's swordplay was far too heavy, exuding an excessive aura of killing and violence, utterly devoid of elegance and grace.
However, if he were holding a knife instead of a sword, and a very heavy knife with a strong killing intent—then that would make perfect sense.
The knife and the sword, their temperament and methods of use are completely different.
The headless man's usual weapon was likely a knife. His swordsmanship was fierce, prioritizing power over elegance. As he searched for his head, he was also searching for his weapon. Therefore, he repeatedly swung the knife, even grabbing the sword Bichen with his other hand, using it as his personal dagger.
Furthermore, when Lan Wangji first saw the headless corpse, he did indeed pause slightly before making his move. It seems he recognized the person based on their physique. Lan Wangji must have seen this person before, and quite a few times, to remember their form. And since Chifeng-zun Nie Mingjue and Zewu-jun Lan Xichen are sworn brothers, they must have interacted frequently in the past, which fits this description.
Previously, his good brother's body had been cut into pieces. He had no special markings like birthmarks, and being cut into such fragments, he was difficult to identify. But just now, the limbs and torso were temporarily glued together by resentment, piecing together a movable corpse. Lan Wangji must have seen through the deception.
Seeing that Lan Wangji acquiesced, Wei Wuxian asked again, "How confident are you?"
Lan Wangji said, "Nine points."
As for the remaining uncertainty due to the head not yet being found, both of them knew how to determine it and from whom to do so.
Everyone: ...
So that's how it is. No wonder Patriarch Nie was laughing like a madman just now.
Unfortunately, Chifeng Zun, a hero of his generation, was left in a state of disarray after his death.
If Nie Huaisang knew what these people were thinking, he would probably say: If you knew that I cut my brother up like this, you would have chopped me up and thrown me into the mass grave, right?
It's better to return at the right time than to return early. After arriving at the mountain gate, they learned that the head of the Nie family of Qinghe had come to visit Yun Shen Bu Zhi Chu.
Chifeng-zun and Zewu-jun were first friends and later sworn brothers. Nie Huaisang often came to Cloud Recesses with his elder brother when they were young. However, the Lan family's rules were complicated and rigid, and he didn't like coming. When he did come, there was hardly anyone to keep him company, and he could only exchange a few words with Lan Xichen. He would only linger there for a few months each year when Lan Qiren was lecturing and many of his peers gathered there.
However, after coming of age, especially after becoming the head of the family, Nie Huaisang was often overwhelmed with unfamiliar matters, constantly seeking help from others, particularly his elder brother's two sworn brothers. One day he would go to Jinlintai to plead with Jin Guangyao, the next day he would come to Cloud Recesses begging for mercy. It was only thanks to the support of the two heads of the Jin and Lan families that he managed to retain his position as head of the family. This time, he came again for some unknown reason, sitting opposite Lan Xichen in the elegant reception room, wiping his sweat with a handkerchief as he poured out his grievances and begged for help. Lan Xichen listened, poured him tea, and said, "You've had a hard time."
Nie Huaisang said wearily, "I'm so tired. I don't know when this will end... If only my elder brother were still here. He used to shoulder all these things, and I didn't have to worry about anything. My elder brother was born to be the leader of the Xuanmen Immortal Sect."
After a moment of silence, Lan Xichen slowly said, "That's right. If my elder brother were still here..."
Nie Huaisang lowered his head and fiddled with his fan for a while, then said self-deprecatingly, "And I... am just someone in Qinghe who knows nothing."
Everyone: ...This is the first time I've ever seen such a foolish person.
Nie Mingjue: ...Who is this person? My brother? No, no, no, he's not him, I don't know him.
Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow, watching this incredible performance, and said jokingly, "Brother Nie, you are wise in your foolishness."
Nie Huaisang: "...Hehe, you flatter me."
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