Chapter 69 Lu Shijiu
Chapter Summary: After sitting for a while, Jiang Fengmian said, "I will count the eighteen people again tonight, and you will all set off together tomorrow."
Jiang Cheng nodded...
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After sitting for a while, Jiang Fengmian said, "I will count the eighteen people again tonight, and you will all set off together tomorrow."
Jiang Cheng nodded, hesitating, unsure what to say next. He had never known how to communicate with his father, but Wei Wuxian was adept at it. After finishing his soup, he asked, "Uncle Jiang, don't you have anything to give us?"
Jiang Fengmian smiled slightly and said, "What I was going to give you, I gave you long ago. The sword is by my side, and the teachings are in my heart."
Wei Wuxian said, "Oh! 'Knowing it's impossible but still doing it,' right?"
Jiang Cheng immediately warned, "This doesn't mean you should knowingly cause trouble and still insist on doing it!"
The atmosphere at the table then became lively.
The next day, before leaving, Jiang Fengmian finished explaining the necessary matters and only said one more thing: "The disciples of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan are not so fragile that they cannot withstand the slightest storm from the outside world."
Jiang Yanli escorted them along the way, stuffing each of them with various kinds of dry rations and food, fearing they wouldn't have enough to eat in Qishan. The twenty youths, dragging their heavy loads of food, set off from Lotus Pier and arrived at the designated educational office in Qishan before the date set by the Wen clan.
To do something knowing it's impossible, and to refrain from doing something, is the only way to achieve something.
Many people didn't understand why the Jiang family motto was such a simple sentence, especially after comparing it with the Lan family's rules and regulations stone, which made the sentence seem particularly weak.
This statement is simple and easy to understand; everyone comprehends it. But how many people can truly put it into practice?
Who would give their all to achieve something unrealistic?
Seeing this part of their conversation from back then, Jiang Cheng unconsciously curled his lips into a smile, but the smile suddenly froze on his lips. He remembered that before pretending to break up, he had used this to mock Wei Wuxian. But now, looking back at what happened then, it seemed that what he said back then was right, and that Wei Wuxian was the one who understood those words.
As for Jiang Cheng himself, he dared not beat Jin Zixuan for his own sister; he dared not repay the kindness of the Wen siblings; he dared not turn against the various sects of the cultivation world for his brother. It was simply because he had too many concerns; behind him was the entire Yunmeng Jiang Clan, and he had to protect the entire Lotus Pier.
Many scions of various powerful families, large and small, had arrived, mostly juniors. Among the hundreds, many were acquaintances or familiar faces. They gathered in small groups of three or five, or in groups of seven or eight, talking in hushed tones, their expressions not very pleasant. It seemed they had all been summoned in a rather impolite manner. After scanning the crowd, Wei Wuxian said, "So, people from Gusu have indeed come as well."
For some reason, the young men sent by the Gusu Lan Clan all looked rather haggard. Lan Wangji's face was especially pale, but he still maintained that icy, aloof expression, carrying the Bichen sword on his back, standing alone in the desolate surroundings. Wei Wuxian wanted to go up and greet him, but Jiang Cheng warned him, "Don't cause trouble!" He had no choice but to give up.
Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue and said to Jiang Cheng, "You're being too cautious."
Then he turned to Lan Wangji and said, "Look, it's this guy who won't let me greet you."
Lan Wangji: "Hmm." He even gave Jiang Cheng a cold look, which was very fitting.
Jiang Cheng: ...
Suddenly, someone shouted orders from ahead, commanding all the disciples to assemble in front of a high platform. Several Wen family disciples walked over and shouted, "Quiet! No talking!"
The man on the stage wasn't much older than them, around eighteen or nineteen years old, arrogant and with a appearance that could barely be described as "handsome." But like his hair, he gave off an inexplicably greasy vibe. This man was none other than Wen Chao, the youngest son of the head of the Qishan Wen clan.
Wen Chao loved to show off and often made a spectacle of himself in front of others, so his appearance was quite familiar to everyone. Two people stood to his left and right. To his left was a beautiful young woman with graceful figure, large eyes, and fiery red lips; her only flaw was a black mole above her lip, its placement so unfortunate it made one want to pick it off. To his right was a man who appeared to be in his twenties or thirties, tall and broad-shouldered, with an indifferent expression and a cold, imposing aura.
Wen Chao stood on the high ground atop the slope, looking down at the crowd with an air of smugness. He waved his hand and said, "Now, one by one, surrender your swords!"
The crowd stirred. Someone protested, "Cultivators never part with their swords, so why should we hand over our immortal swords?"
Wen Chao said, "Who spoke just now? Whose family is it? Step forward!"
The man who had spoken earlier immediately fell silent. The audience quieted down again, and Wen Chao, satisfied, said, "It's precisely because there are still scions of noble families like you who lack manners, obedience, and respect for hierarchy, corrupting the very foundation of society, that I'm determined to educate you. If you remain so ignorant and fearless now, and I don't correct your ways early on, in the future, won't some dare to challenge authority and try to climb over the Wen family's head?"
Knowing that he was up to no good by demanding the sword, but with the Qishan Wen clan at its zenith, every family was walking on thin ice and dared not resist in the slightest, for fear that if they displeased him, they would be accused of some crime that would implicate the entire clan, so they had no choice but to swallow their anger.
Jiang Cheng held Wei Wuxian down, and Wei Wuxian whispered, "Why are you pressing me down?"
Jiang Cheng snorted, "I'm afraid you'll do something reckless."
Wei Wuxian said, "You're overthinking it. Although this guy is greasy and disgusting, even if I wanted to beat him up, I wouldn't choose this time to cause trouble for our family. Don't worry."
Jiang Cheng said, "You want to put a sack over his head and beat him up again? I'm afraid that won't work. Do you see that man next to Wen Chao?"
Wei Wuxian said, "I see. His cultivation is high, but his appearance is not well maintained. It seems he is a late bloomer."
Jiang Cheng said, "That person is called Wen Zhuliu, and he has a nickname, 'The Master of Melting Elixir.' He is Wen Chao's attendant and is specifically there to protect him. Don't mess with him."
Wei Wuxian asked, "'The Core-Melting Hand'?"
Jiang Cheng said, "That's right. His hands are terrifying, and he's an accomplice to evil, having helped Wen before..."
The two men looked straight ahead and spoke in hushed tones. They immediately fell silent when a servant from the Wen clan approached, sheathing his sword. Wei Wuxian casually unsheathed his sword and handed it over, involuntarily glancing towards the Gusu Lan clan. He had expected Lan Wangji to refuse, but surprisingly, although Lan Wangji's expression was frighteningly cold, he still unsheathed his sword.
Madam Yu's earlier mockery had ironically come true; during their "re-education" in Qishan, their daily meals consisted of nothing but bland soup and water. The food Jiang Yanli had initially provided for them, hanging all over their bodies, had long since been confiscated. And none of these young noblemen practiced fasting; their lives were unbearably difficult.
The older generation of the various aristocratic families were not comfortable watching this scene. Although the Wen family had tried to suppress the various aristocratic families at the time, they were no match for the younger generation who were directly facing the Wen family's teachings.
Yu Ziyuan was still so angry when she saw this that she gritted her teeth and turned to glare at Jiang Fengmian: "Look at the place you've sent Acheng!"
Jiang Fengmian: ...Well, I had no choice, did I?
The so-called "education" of the Qishan Wen clan consisted of distributing a "Record of the Essence of the Wen Clan," densely filled with the glorious deeds and famous sayings of the Wen clan's past patriarchs and renowned figures. Each person received a copy and was required to memorize it thoroughly. Wen Chao, standing high above, would deliver a speech to the crowd daily, demanding they cheer for him and emulate his every word and action. During night hunts, he would lead his men, making them run ahead, clearing the way, attracting the attention of demons and monsters, and then fiercely fighting them. He would then emerge at the last moment, easily defeating the weakened beasts, beheading them, and boasting that it was his sole achievement. If anyone was particularly displeasing, he would drag them out, publicly berate them, and condemn them as worse than pigs or dogs.
Two years ago, Wen Chao attended the Qishan Wen Clan's Hundred Schools Discussion Conference. On the day of the archery competition, Wen Chao entered the arena with Wei Wuxian and others. He was confident he would win, naturally assuming everyone else would let him win. However, his first three arrows were disastrous: one hit the target, one missed, and one hit the wrong paper figure. He should have left immediately, but he refused, and no one dared to say anything. In the end, the top four were Wei Wuxian, Lan Xichen, Jin Zixuan, and Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji's score would have been even better if he hadn't left early. Wen Chao felt deeply humiliated and therefore especially hated these four. Since Lan Xichen couldn't attend, he dragged the other three into his life, publicly berating them every day, displaying his considerable power.
Upon seeing this, Wei Wuxian suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! No wonder Wen Chao kept picking on us to make trouble; it was simply unbearable!"
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes at him, annoyed: "You talk as if you didn't fight back. Wen Chao didn't get anything good out of you either."
Wei Wuxian: ...
"How could you expose me at a time like this? Shouldn't you be standing with me against this common enemy?"
Jiang Cheng: ...
Before he could speak, Wei Wuxian added, "No, you're not the one who shares my hatred of the enemy. Lan Zhan is the one who shares my hatred of the enemy, hmph."
Jiang Cheng: ...Dog-like male-male.
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