Chapter 107 One Hundred and Seven
Chapter Summary: [After a moment's thought, Lan Xichen said, "Come with me."]
Outside the house, Wei Wuxian...
-------------------------------------
After a moment's thought, Lan Xichen said, "Come with me."
Upon exiting the house, Wei Wuxian was slightly taken aback.
This is a secluded little abode, hidden in some obscure corner of the Cloud Recesses. The Lan Clan's Immortal Abode resides deep in the mountains, its grounds covered with towering pines and lush trees, mostly adorned with verdant trees and orchids. While flowers do bloom, they are mostly delicate and elegant varieties like magnolias, gardenias, and white chrysanthemums, appearing only as fleeting, sparse embellishments. But before this house, purple gentians are planted in abundance. Their small, vibrant blossoms are captivating, seemingly emitting a faint glow in the night, a beauty as enchanting as a dream.
Wei Wuxian sensed something was amiss here, but he only had time for a fleeting glance and no time to investigate further. It was past midnight, and most people in Cloud Recesses had already retired for the night, making it extremely quiet. With no one around, Lan Xichen led them directly to the library.
Cloud Recesses had been burned down, and the library was no longer the same as it had been. However, after reconstruction, its layout remained exactly the same, even the magnolia tree outside had been replanted. The three entered the library, and Wei Wuxian asked doubtfully, "Sect Leader Lan, can we find the source of this melody here?"
Lan Xichen said, "This won't work."
He walked to a row of bookshelves, squatted down, lifted a mat covering it, and revealed the wooden board underneath, saying, "This is fine."
Beneath the wooden planks was a hidden door.
Lan Qiren was startled when he saw the familiar route; he remembered that place.
The Blue family's restricted area.
Even the elders of the Lan clan's collateral branches were not allowed to read the books inside. How did Jin Guangyao manage to see them?
Lan Qiren suddenly realized that he seemed to have underestimated the trust that Lan Xichen had placed in Jin Guangyao back then.
Lan Wangji said, "The Forbidden Library."
Beneath the hidden door was a concealed staircase with over fifty steps. The three descended the staircase one by one, and before Wei Wuxian lay a dry and spacious underground stone chamber. Their footsteps echoed hollowly in the basement. Rows of bookshelves stood in the forbidden library, books sparsely arranged and covered in dust, seemingly untouched for many years.
Lan Xichen then led them to a row of bookshelves and said, "This shelf is entirely filled with the Records of Different Genealogies."
In the forbidden library, there was a desk with only a paper lamp on it. Lan Wangji took a pen and paper that had been neglected for years and silently copied the score of that melody three times. The three of them sat around the desk and divided the work, each responsible for dozens of books, comparing them page by page with the scores copied and listed in the forbidden books, looking for the matching parts.
However, after two hours, none of the three had found a musical score that matched that melody. In other words, they had not found its source.
As Wei Wuxian skimmed through the score, he thought to himself, "Could it be that the Lan Clan's forbidden library's 'Record of Extraordinary Musical Instruments' doesn't include this piece? Impossible. If even the Lan Clan doesn't have it, it's even less likely that other places would. Could it be that Jin Guangyao created a divine piece himself? If so, that would be troublesome. To prove that this piece is shrouded in mystery, we'd have to find someone to listen to it for several months and test it out. But although he's clever, he's ultimately a latecomer to music; he can't be clever enough to create something on his own..."
Wei Wuxian stared at the densely packed small characters for a long time, his eyes starting to glaze over. He still had a few books left, so he decided to put them aside for now. Lan Wangji had already finished reading his stack, silently taking the few books Wei Wuxian had set aside and continuing to search through them. Lan Xichen slowly raised his eyes, saw this scene, and hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
Just then, Lan Wangji said, "This one."
He handed over the book, and Wei Wuxian immediately perked up. But after carefully examining the two pages he had opened and comparing them with the incomplete score in his hand, he said, "They're completely different."
Lan Wangji stood up, sat down next to him, and pointed to the pages: "Look at the two pages before and after."
Their heads were close together, and Lan Wangji's voice was right next to his ear, low and magnetic. Wei Wuxian's hand trembled slightly, and the book almost fell. He finally calmed himself down, forcing himself to look away from Lan Wangji's long, slender, white fingers, and carefully examined them, saying, "Ah, the front and back pages."
At first glance, this music book seems to have nothing wrong with it. However, if someone familiar with music pays close attention, they will see that the pieces on the previous page do not connect seamlessly with the pieces on the next page.
Seeing these densely packed musical scores, the members of the aristocratic families were not only dazzled, but some cultivators who considered themselves to have good musical talent also tried to identify the piece of music they had just heard as Lan Xichen and the others in the Heavenly Shadow flipped through it.
However, they were being too naive. How could someone find a piece of music that even Wei Wuxian and his friends found perfectly natural?
Not to mention, they could only find the scores before and after that section of music.
Wei Wuxian took out his flute and played a section according to the score. Sure enough, the two sections of the score were separate. The first half of the score and the second half of the score were not the same piece at all.
There should be another page between these two pages, which was carefully and discreetly torn out.
This person tore the book very carefully, leaving not a single page unnoticed. Wei Wuxian flipped through the book and saw a three-character title written on the dark blue cover.
Wei Wuxian said, "The Chaotic Soul Collection? What kind of book is that? The tunes in the book are a bit strange."
Lan Wangji said, "A collection of secret songs from the Eastern Seas."
Wei Wuxian said, "From Japan? No wonder the tune is different from ours."
Lan Xichen's expression was complicated as he said, "...'The Chaotic Soul Collection' is said to be a collection of evil songs compiled by a cultivator from the Gusu Lan Clan who drifted overseas by ship and wandered in the Eastern Seas for several years. If the songs in this book are imbued with spiritual power when played, they can be used to harm people, causing them to become increasingly emaciated, irritable, have their blood and qi turbulent, or lose their five senses... Those with high spiritual power can take a person's life within seven repetitions."
Wei Wuxian slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "This is it!"
Overjoyed, he slapped the paper lantern on the desk so hard it nearly knocked it over, but Lan Wangji quickly righted it. Wei Wuxian asked, "Sect Leader Lan, is there a melody in this 'Disorderly Soul Collection' that can disturb the mind, agitate the spirit, cause blood surging, and make one irritable and easily angered?"
Lan Xichen said, "...There should be."
Wei Wuxian continued, "Jin Guangyao's spiritual power is insufficient; he cannot take a life within seven strikes. Moreover, such an attack would be too obvious. He certainly wouldn't choose such a powerful and evil melody. However, if he were to play the 'Heart-Clearing Melody' for Chifeng-zun under the pretext of calming his mind, and play it continuously for three months, could this melody act like a slow-acting poison, catalyzing Chifeng-zun's onset?"
Lan Xichen said, "...Yes."
Wei Wuxian said, "Then, the speculation is quite reasonable. That fragment of the score that doesn't belong to 'Xi Hua' comes from a missing page of this 'Luan Po Chao'. The evil Japanese melodies recorded in 'Luan Po Chao' are all quite complex and difficult to learn. He didn't have time to copy them in the forbidden library, so he had to tear them out—no, that's not right. Jin Guangyao has a photographic memory. He tore out this page not because he couldn't remember it, but to ensure that there would be no way to prove it after his death. He wanted to ensure that if the truth came out one day, or if he was caught red-handed, no one would be able to determine the source of this melody."
"He was extremely cautious in everything he did. In front of you, he played the complete version of 'Xi Hua' with composure. Chi Feng Zun is not a person who is obsessed with elegance. He heard you, Sect Leader Lan, play 'Xi Hua' before, so he should have a general impression of the melody. Therefore, Jin Guangyao did not dare to play the evil tune directly for him. Instead, he went through a lot of trouble to blend the two pieces, which are very different in style and have completely opposite effects, together. Surprisingly, he was able to blend them together seamlessly. His musical talent is truly remarkable. I guess he only used a small amount of spiritual power in the 'Xi Hua' section, and only exerted his full power in the 'Luan Po Chaos' section. Chi Feng Zun is not proficient in this art, so he naturally could not tell that a part of it had been altered by Jin Guangyao into a deadly evil tune!"
After a long silence, Lan Xichen said in a low voice, "...Although he frequently visits Cloud Recesses, I never told him about the forbidden library at the bottom of the library."
Everyone: ...Hiss
I involuntarily gasped.
That's terrifying, absolutely terrifying.
Seeing the astonishing consequences of this chaotic soul-searching, fear arose from the depths of everyone's hearts.
Lan Xichen looked around and, as if he could see the concerns and fears of everyone, stood up and said, "Everyone need not worry. The Lan Clan will be even more strict in guarding the forbidden library from now on, and will not allow such evil music to leak out again."
Everyone naturally believed in the upright and honest Zewu-jun, but when their eyes swept over Jin Guangyao beside him, a chill ran down their spines. How could they forget that what was more terrifying than the Chaotic Soul Scroll was none other than the ever-smiling Lianfang-zun?
Upon hearing the last sentence, Lan Qiren didn't know whether he should breathe a sigh of relief or not.
What's reassuring is that his nephew didn't blindly trust Jin Guangyao; what's worrying is how many secrets Jin Guangyao knows about the Lan family, and that Xichen has still let a wolf into the house.
Wei Wuxian said, “Sect Leader Lan, forgive my bluntness, but during the Sunshot Campaign, Lianfang-zun was an undercover agent in the Wen Clan’s Nightless City in Qishan. Moreover, he was an incredibly successful undercover agent. He even found Wen Ruohan’s secret room and sneaked in undetected, memorizing all the maps and documents, and transcribing the intelligence information from memory to send back to Jinlintai. Compared to him, the forbidden library of the Lan Clan’s library… is really nothing.”
Lan Xichen took the paper with the incomplete score written on it in his hand, stared at it for a while, and said, "I'll think of a way to try this incomplete score."
Lan Wangji asked, "Brother?"
Lan Xichen said, "When my elder brother passed away, the siege of Burial Mound had already ended, and Young Master Wei was no longer alive. If tested, this fragment of the score can indeed confuse people's minds; it is not fabricated or made up. I..."
Wei Wuxian said, "Zewu-jun, using a living person to test an evil song is probably contrary to the Gusu Lan Clan's family precepts."
Lan Xichen said, "I will try it myself."
As the head of the Gusu Lan Clan, to utter such absurd words shows how utterly confused he is. Lan Wangji raised his voice slightly: "Brother!"
Lan Xichen rested his hand on his forehead, as if enduring something, and said in a deep voice, "Wangji, the Jin Guangyao I know is completely different from the Jin Guangyao you know, and the Jin Guangyao in the eyes of the world! Over the years, in my eyes, he has always been... a man who endures humiliation and hardship, cares for all living beings, and respects his superiors and pities his inferiors. I have always firmly believed that the world's criticisms of him are due to misunderstandings, and what I know is the most real. You want me to believe right now that everything about this person in front of me is fake, that he plotted to kill one of his sworn brothers, that I was also involved in his plot, and that I even lent him a hand... Can you allow me to be more cautious and make a judgment?"
Lan Xichen originally wanted to reconcile Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao, out of consideration for their lingering resentment. That's why he taught Jin Guangyao the Qingxin Xuanqu (a type of sutra), entrusting him to calm Nie Mingjue's mind and spirit. Little did he know that his good intentions would inadvertently foster Jin Guangyao's malice. How could he possibly cope with this situation?
"Xi Chen, how can you be so ridiculous!"
Lan Qiren rebuked him sternly.
"Yes, Xichen will accept the punishment upon returning."
Lan Xichen bowed his head and admitted his mistake, but he did not regret his decision at the time.
Jin Guangyao was once his most trusted sworn brother. When he heard about another version of himself from Wangji, his shock and fear were beyond what others could imagine.
Looking at Lan Xichen, who was lost in self-doubt in the Heavenly Shadow, and then at Lan Xichen beside him with a gentle smile, Jin Guangyao felt a surge of guilt welling up in his heart again.
Killing his father, brother, wife, son, teacher, and friend—none of these things compare to the fact that he used Lan Xichen to play the Heart-Clearing Melody for Nie Mingjue. This was the most insignificant of the many evils in his life, yet it made him feel uneasy and apologetic.
Whether Lan Xichen and the others believe it or not, he wants to say that he truly cares for his second brother, Lan Xichen.
That year at the Guanyin Temple, the moment Lan Xichen was willing to die with him, he realized that nothing in the world could compare to his family and friends. He had once pushed Lan Xichen away with his own hands, and if leaving the Heavenly Realm could atone for his sins, he wanted to make amends one more time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com