Chapter 77 Seventy-Seven
Chapter Summary: [Lan Wangji slowly straightened his body, adjusted his clothes and hair, lowered his eyes, and remained silent, utterly calm, as if he had just been cursing and…]
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Lan Wangji slowly straightened up, tidied his clothes and hair, lowered his eyes, and remained silent, completely calm, as if the person who had just been cursing, pushing, and biting him had nothing to do with him. Wei Wuxian looked at the teeth marks on his arm, still shaken, and squatted down, shrinking into a corner to continue plucking firewood, utterly bewildered: "Why is Lan Zhan like this? Although he saved me, I also saved him, right? It's not that I want him to thank me or anything, but why, even after all this, can't we be friends? Could it be... that I'm really as annoying as Jiang Cheng said?!"
Hearing Wei Wuxian's thoughts, Jiang Cheng chuckled, "You do have some self-awareness after all."
Wei Wuxian glared at Jiang Cheng, then turned to Lan Wangji for comfort, his face full of tears.
Lan Wangji patted his head: "Hmm, I don't dislike you."
Jiang Cheng: ...
Just spoil him.
Just as he was wondering, Lan Wangji suddenly said, "Thank you."
Wei Wuxian thought he had misheard, but when he looked at Lan Wangji, who was also looking at him, he solemnly repeated, "Thank you."
Seeing him bow slightly, Wei Wuxian was afraid that he was about to bow to him, so he quickly stepped aside and said, "No need, no need. I have a problem; I can't stand it when people thank me, especially when they thank me so formally like you. It gives me goosebumps. There's no need for you to bow to me."
Lan Wangji said calmly, "You're overthinking it. Even if I wanted to worship you, I couldn't."
Seeing that he seemed to have finally returned to normal and even thanked him twice, Wei Wuxian was so happy that he couldn't help but want to move closer to him again.
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes again: "Are you a narcissist with ADHD?" Why does he always like to hang around Lan Zhan?
"I've been narcissistic since I was a child, it's not like this is the first time you've seen it."
Wei Wuxian raised his head, looking a little smug.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng turned his face away, his expression one of utter dismay. Whoever wants this guy can have him.
Lan Jingyi, who was standing to the side, whispered to Lan Sizhui, "Why does this sound so much like Sect Leader Jiang is jealous?"
Lan Sizhui: ...
You'd better be careful; you can't say things like that.
He just liked to rub against people, but the slight pain from the teeth marks on his arm reminded him that Lan Zhan had just gone berserk, and might go berserk again soon. He quickly restrained himself, looked at the dark cave ceiling, and said seriously, "Jiang Cheng and the others have run away. It will take them a day or two to get down the mountain. After they get down, they will definitely go back to their own homes and will never report back to the Wen family. But the sword has been confiscated, and we don't know how long it will take to find help. I think we will probably have to stay underground for a while. We need to think of a way to solve some problems."
He paused, then added, "Fortunately, the monster has remained in the dark pool and hasn't chased us out. But the problem is that it won't come out and is blocking the entrance to the cave at the bottom of the pool, so we can't get out either."
Lan Wangji said, "Perhaps it's not a monster. Look at it, what does it resemble?"
Wei Wuxian exclaimed, "Turtle!"
Everyone: ...
turtle...
While there's some truth to that, it is, after all, a mythical beast. Considering it has lived for hundreds of years, even if we don't show it our respect, we can at least give it a more prestigious title.
Lan Wangji: "There is a divine object that takes this form."
Wei Wuxian asked, "The Xuanwu divine beast?"
Xuanwu, also known as Xuanming, is a combination of a tortoise and a snake, and is the god of water, residing in the North Sea. The underworld is also in the north, hence he is the god of the north.
Lan Wangji nodded. Wei Wuxian flashed his teeth and said, "A divine beast looks like this, with a mouthful of fangs, and it eats human flesh. It's quite different from the legends, isn't it?"
Lan Wangji said, "Naturally, it is not a proper Xuanwu divine beast. Rather, it is a half-finished product that failed in the competition for godhood and was demonized. Or, to put it another way, it is a deformed Xuanwu divine beast."
Wei Wuxian asked, "Deformed?"
Lan Wangji said, "I have read about this in ancient books. Four hundred years ago, a 'fake Xuanwu' caused chaos in Qishan. It was huge and had a craving for living people. Some cultivators named it the 'Slaughtering Xuanwu'."
Wei Wuxian asked, "Wen Chao led us to hunt this over four-hundred-year-old Slaughtering Xuanwu Beast?"
Lan Wangji said, "Its size is larger than described in ancient books, but it should be good."
Wei Wuxian said, "Four hundred years have passed; it should have grown a bit by now. Wasn't this Slaughtering Xuanwu killed back then?"
Lan Wangji said, "No. There was once an alliance of cultivators who planned to kill it, but that winter, there happened to be a heavy snowfall and the cold was exceptionally severe. The Slaughtering Xuanwu disappeared and has not appeared since."
Wei Wuxian said, "They're hibernating."
Everyone: ...
Hibernation is acceptable.
Well, now that everyone's seen this, they've come to understand: with Wei Wuxian around, even serious conversations can be turned into wildly imaginative and quirky thought processes.
Hearing Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian discussing the Slaughtering Xuanwu, many elders behind them started poking their children's heads: "Look at how many ancient books they read when they were teenagers, and look at what you're doing now..."
The younger generation: ...
I feel wronged.
Comparing yourself to Hanguang-jun and Yiling Laozu is just asking for trouble.
He's about the same as the current head of the Nie family.
Nie Huaisang: ? ? ?
After a pause, Wei Wuxian said, "But even if it's hibernation, it doesn't need to sleep for four hundred years, does it? You said this Slaughtering Xuanwu, which eats living people, just how many have it actually consumed?"
Lan Wangji said, "According to the records, each time it appeared, it ate at least two or three hundred people, and sometimes an entire city or village. During its several rampages, it ate at least five thousand people alive."
Wei Wuxian said, "Oh. That's because you're stuffed."
This monster seems to enjoy carrying people whole into its shell, perhaps to store them for later consumption. Maybe it stockpiled too much food four hundred years ago and hasn't digested it yet.
Everyone: ...
I'm so full...
Wei Wuxian's way of speaking is so... uh... vivid.
Lan Wangji ignored him, and Wei Wuxian continued, "Speaking of food, have you ever practiced fasting? People like us can probably survive for three or four days without food or water. But if no one comes to rescue us after three or four days, our physical strength, energy, and spiritual power will all begin to weaken."
If Wen Chao and his group simply flee in disarray and stand idly by, that would be fine; perhaps in three or four days, reinforcements from other families would arrive. The real fear is that the Wen family will not only fail to offer assistance but will also take advantage of the situation. These "other families" only include the Gusu Lan Clan and the Yunmeng Jiang Clan; if the Wen family obstructs or interferes, that "three or four days" period could easily double.
Wei Wuxian retracted the branch, roughly drew a map on the ground, and connected a few lines. He said, "It's a bit closer from Muxi Mountain to Gusu than from Muxi Mountain to Yunmeng. Your family should arrive first. Just wait patiently. Even if they don't come, it will only take a day or two at most for Jiang Cheng to get back to Lotus Pier. Jiang Cheng is clever; the Wen family can't stop him. There's nothing to worry about."
Lan Wangji lowered his eyes, looking listless, and said in a low voice, "I can't wait any longer."
Wei Wuxian said, "Hmm?"
Lan Wangji said, "Cloud Recesses has already been burned down."
Wei Wuxian tentatively asked, "...Are they still alive? Your uncle, your brother?"
He had assumed that even if the Lan family head, Lan Wangji's father, was seriously injured, Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen would still be able to manage the situation. Lan Wangji, however, said blankly, "Father is dying. My brother is missing."
The tree branch that Wei Wuxian had been scribbling on the ground froze in place.
The young master from the aristocratic family had mentioned on the way up the mountain that the Lan family patriarch was seriously injured. But he hadn't expected it to be to the point of being "on the verge of death." Perhaps Lan Wangji had just received the latest news in the last two days that his father was dying.
Although the Lan Clan Head is in seclusion year-round, oblivious to worldly affairs, a father is still a father. Add to that Lan Xichen's disappearance, and it's no wonder Lan Wangji is unusually gloomy and irritable today. Wei Wuxian was immediately somewhat embarrassed, unsure what to say.
To his surprise, he turned around in a daze and froze completely.
The firelight made Lan Wangji's face look like warm jade, and it also clearly showed the tear stain on his cheek.
Wei Wuxian froze, thinking to himself, "This is terrible!"
The topic suddenly shifted to themselves, but it became so heavy.
The space fell silent instantly, as everyone listened attentively to Lan Wangji's seemingly calm account of the tragic state of Cloud Recesses.
Until they saw the glistening tear tracks on Lan Wangji's jade-like face in the firelight.
Everyone was taken aback, but it was also understandable.
People usually say that Lan Wangji is aloof and calm in the face of adversity, but they forget that he, like Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, was just a teenager. The experience of having his home destroyed and his loved ones killed was far too cruel for him.
Lan Xichen also knew that this matter had always been a thorn in Lan Wangji's heart, and would hurt even if touched slightly.
He looked up and saw his younger brother and Wei Wuxian's hands clasped tightly. A look of relief appeared in his eyes. Fortunately, there was still someone to accompany him and give him some comfort.
As Madam Lan watched this scene, she unconsciously lowered her head and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Sensing the overly oppressive atmosphere in the space, she couldn't help but speak up: "Once we get through this Heavenly Realm, we'll all be fine."
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