Chapter 60, Lu Shi
Chapter Summary: Although Wei Wuxian had never witnessed Jin Guangyao's first visit to Jinlintai, he had heard detailed accounts of it from rumors.
Jin Guangyao...
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Although Wei Wuxian had never seen Jin Guangyao's first visit to Jinlintai, he had heard a very detailed account of what it was like.
Jin Guangyao's mother, Lady Meng, was a famous courtesan in Yunmeng. She was renowned for her beauty and talent, reportedly skilled in playing the zither, calligraphy, and possessing a refined and cultured nature. While not from a prominent family, she was more refined than many. Of course, no matter how refined she was, in other people's mouths, a prostitute was still a prostitute.
Jin Guangshan happened to pass through Yunmeng and naturally couldn't miss this beautiful and talented courtesan in her prime. He lingered with Meng for several days, leaving her a token of his affection, and departed contentedly. After returning home, he, of course, just as he had done countless times before, completely forgot about this woman who had made so many promises to him.
In comparison, Mo Xuanyu and his mother were quite favored; at least Jin Guangshan remembered him for a time and even brought him into the Jin family for a while. Meng Yao wasn't so lucky. The son of a prostitute is no match for the son of a respectable family.
After giving birth to a son for Jin Guangshan, Meng Nu, like Mo Erniangzi, waited and waited, hoping that the Immortal Master would return to take her and her child away, and diligently teach Meng Yao, preparing him for his future advancement into the immortal realm. However, as her son grew into his teens, there was still no news of his father, and Meng Nu fell critically ill. Before her death, she gave her son the token left behind by Jin Guangshan, instructing him to go to Jinlintai and seek a way out.
Meng Yao packed her bags and traveled through mountains and rivers, setting off from Yunmeng and arriving at Lanling.
Upon arriving at Jinlintai, he was stopped at the gate. He then took out the token and requested to be informed.
Jin Guangshan's token of love was a pearl button. It wasn't a rare item; you could find plenty of them on Jinlintai. Its most common use was as a gift for his mistresses when he was out having affairs. He'd present this worthless little trinket as a priceless treasure, embellishing it with vows of eternal love and promises of future lives. He'd give it away casually, and forget about it immediately afterward.
Meng Yao's arrival was extremely unfortunate; it happened to be Jin Zixuan's birthday. Jin Guangshan, his wife, and their family were celebrating his birthday with a banquet. Three hours later, as night fell, they went out to release lanterns. As they rose to leave, a servant seized the opportunity to announce their arrival. Upon seeing the pearl button, Madam Jin recalled Jin Guangshan's past misdeeds, and her face immediately darkened. Jin Guangshan quickly crushed the pearl into a pile of powder, loudly reprimanded the servant, and then quietly instructed him to find a way to drive away the people outside, so they wouldn't bump into him when they went out to release the lanterns.
So, Meng Yao was kicked off the Golden Scale Platform. She rolled all the way down from the top level to the bottom level.
It is said that after he got up, he said nothing, wiped the blood from his forehead, dusted himself off, and left with his bag.
In truth, given Jin Guangyao's own abilities, erasing his past and establishing himself in this world would be no problem at all. Everyone says that Jin Guangyao first entered the Nie clan and then the Jin clan in order to rise in status, but no one knows that everything Jin Guangyao did was initially just to fulfill his mother's wish.
Jin Zixuan watched in disbelief as Jin Guangyao was kicked off the stage. This was his birthday banquet, yet he knew nothing of what was happening outside. If he had known…
If he knew, what would he do? He didn't know. He didn't know if what he gave Jin Guangyao was sympathy, curiosity, or the same disgust and ridicule as others.
Jin Guangyao turned his head and saw the complexity in Jin Zixuan's eyes. In fact, since he entered the Lanling Jin Clan, everyone else had looked down on him, except for Qin Su. Only this elder brother, although arrogant, was kind-hearted and never treated him coldly. On the contrary, he trusted him in everything.
If it weren't for his life and selfishness, perhaps he would have truly regarded Jin Zixuan as his only family.
Then the war to shoot down the suns began, and Meng Yao joined the Nie family of Qinghe.
Nie Mingjue said, "A real man should walk upright and stand straight, and should not care about these rumors."
Meng Yao nodded and said, "Yes."
Nie Mingjue said, "I've seen you go into battle. You're always at the forefront, and you're always the one left behind to clean up the mess. You've done a great job. Keep it up. If you walk upright and stand firm, why worry about slander and ridicule? You must make those who dare to criticize you behind your back speechless. Your swordsmanship is very agile, but not solid. You need to practice more."
Meng Yao said, "Thank you for your guidance, Sect Master Nie."
Wei Wuxian thought to himself, "No matter how much I practice, I won't be able to solidify it."
Jin Guangyao was unlike ordinary scions of noble families who possessed a solid foundation from childhood training. His foundation was too weak, preventing him from ever reaching a higher level. Therefore, in the path of cultivation, he could only seek breadth and depth, not refinement and profundity. This is why he sought to synthesize the strengths of various schools and delve into their unique techniques. It is also why he was criticized as a "thief of techniques."
Looking at it now, Wei Wuxian felt that the term "thief of skills" was not quite appropriate.
Jin Guangyao is not known for his swordsmanship, but for his resourceful and exceptionally intelligent mind.
With these, what good is high martial arts skill if you can't even fight back? You'll still end up with your head separated from your body.
Because Meng Yao always fought very hard, Nie Mingjue seemed to have a good impression of him, and it kept getting better and better. Soon he transferred him to his side.
Hejian was Nie Mingjue's main battlefield and a key location in the Sunshot Campaign. Several cultivators from other aristocratic families would often come to Hejian to join him. Among the cultivators who came on one occasion was Lan Xichen.
Although Lan Xichen's appearance was almost identical to Lan Wangji's, Wei Wuxian could tell them apart at a glance. However, upon seeing this face, he couldn't help but feel a strange stirring in his heart, wondering, "I wonder how my body is now. Will being forced to empathize cause any problems? Is Lan Zhan still watching over me? What should I say if someone finds out?"
The cultivators had different expressions when they saw Meng Yao standing behind Nie Mingjue.
Jin Guangshan's "romantic escapades" have always been a popular topic of gossip among the major clans. Although Wei Wuxian didn't find them amusing, only ugly, they spread extremely quickly and widely. Meng Yao was a famous laughingstock for a time, and many people recognized him. Perhaps believing that the son of a prostitute might carry something unclean, several cultivators accepted the teacups he offered with both hands, but instead of drinking, they placed them aside. They then took out snow-white handkerchiefs and, seemingly in distress, intentionally or unintentionally wiped their fingers that had just touched the teacups repeatedly.
Only Lan Xichen accepted the teacup, smiled and thanked him, then immediately lowered his head to take a sip, saying with a calm expression, "Brother Mingjue, congratulations. You are truly invincible in Hejian. As long as we hold this place and prevent the Wen clan from moving east, things will be much easier for us."
Nie Mingjue, a stern man who rarely smiled, softened his expression and began to converse with Lan Xichen. The other cultivators, who were eager to join the conversation, tried several times but couldn't get a word in edgewise. Nie Mingjue treated them as if they didn't exist, leaving them feeling awkward and bored. After a while, they got up to take their leave.
After everyone else left, Lan Xichen said to Meng Yao, "What a coincidence, you've ended up under Brother Mingjue's command."
Nie Mingjue asked, "What, have you two met before?"
Meng Yao smiled and said, "Zewu-jun, I have met him before."
Nie Mingjue asked, "Where is it?"
Lan Xichen smiled and shook his head, saying, "I'd be ashamed if I said it. Let's not talk about it. Brother Mingjue, please don't ask anymore. It's a lifelong disgrace, too difficult to utter."
Nie Mingjue said, "What's there to be ashamed of in front of me?"
Meng Yao said, "If Zewu-jun doesn't want to talk about it, then let's not talk about it."
At this moment, I finally understood why Jin Guangyao could be so ruthless towards everyone else, but was exceptionally respectful and protective towards Lan Xichen.
From the very beginning, only Lan Xichen was willing to approach him, understand him, care for him, and trust him without any prejudice.
This sincerity was something Jin Guangyao would cherish for the rest of his life.
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