Chapter 91 Ninety One
Chapter Summary: [Like a madman, Wei Wuxian took off running in the direction he had come from.]
He was carrying a...
-------------------------------------
Like a madman, Wei Wuxian took off running in the direction he had come from.
He was carrying a heavy bag of food he had just bought, which dragged him down. After running for a while, he left it behind. But after running for some distance, he began to feel dizzy and weak. Coupled with a feeling of panic, his knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground.
The slap covered his face with dirt and grime, and he tasted the dust in his mouth.
A wave of overwhelming powerlessness and hatred surged through Wei Wuxian's chest. He slammed his fist heavily on the ground, yelled, and then got to his feet. He went back to pick up the steamed buns he had thrown on the ground, wiped them on his chest, and swallowed one in two bites. He chewed them fiercely, as if tearing flesh, swallowing them down his throat, his chest aching slightly. He picked up a few more and stuffed them into his clothes, then ran while eating a bun, hoping to intercept Jiang Cheng on the way.
"Oh my god!"
"Ptooey! What's that taste?!"
...
The people in the space were hit hard by Wei Wuxian's fall, causing pain in both their hands and legs, and they couldn't help but cry out.
Unexpectedly, this tackle made them taste the dirt beneath their feet.
This is really... novel.
Jiang Fengmian, Jiang Yanli, and the others didn't even have time to feel the pain. Their hearts were filled with Wei Wuxian's helplessness and hatred, and his hands and feet, which were already as heavy as iron.
The two boys could support each other, but now that Jiang Cheng is in trouble, only Wei Wuxian is left.
However, by the time he ran back to Lotus Pier, the night sky was already bright and the stars were few, and he still hadn't seen Jiang Cheng on the road.
Wei Wuxian gazed at the brightly lit Lotus Pier from afar, his hands supporting his knees as he panted heavily. A bloody smell, characteristic of someone who had been running for a long time, filled his chest and throat, his mouth tasted of rust, and his vision blurred.
He thought to himself, "Why didn't I catch up with Jiang Cheng? I've eaten, and I can only run this fast. He's more tired and has suffered more than me. How could he possibly run faster than me? Has he really come back to Lotus Pier? But if he didn't come back here, where else would he go? Did he go to Meishan alone without me?"
After a moment of respite, he decided to go to Lotus Pier to confirm things. Sneaking along the wall, a voice inside Wei Wuxian prayed almost desperately: "Please, please, no one should talk about Jiang Cheng's corpse on the training ground again. Otherwise, otherwise I..."
otherwise?
What else can he do?
There was nothing he could do. He was powerless. Lotus Pier was destroyed, Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu were gone, and Jiang Cheng was nowhere to be found. He was all alone, without even a sword, knowing nothing and unable to do anything!
For the first time, he realized how insignificant his own power was. Before the colossal Qishan Wen clan, he was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
Yes, he's all alone. What can he do?
As everyone present watched this scene and listened to Wei Wuxian's inner thoughts, many couldn't help but ask themselves the same questions.
If we were in each other's shoes, who among us could have done more or better than Wei Wuxian?
Of course not.
Because if it were them, let alone shoulder the burden of rebuilding Lotus Pier by themselves, they might not even be able to run back to the Wen family's territory to search for people who may never return.
Wei Wuxian's eyes were so hot that tears were about to well up again. He turned a corner and suddenly, a figure dressed in a robe blazing with the flames of the blazing sun walked towards him.
In the blink of an eye, Wei Wuxian captured the man.
He held the man's hands firmly with his left hand, gripped his neck with his right, and threatened in the most vicious and venomous tone he could muster, "Don't make a sound! Or I'll snap your throat in one go!"
The man was firmly restrained by him and hurriedly said, "Young Master Wei, it's me, it's me!"
It was a young boy's voice. Wei Wuxian's first reaction was, "Could it be someone I know, someone who's infiltrated undercover while wearing a Wen family robe?"
But the voice was completely unfamiliar, and he immediately dismissed the idea. He tightened his grip and said, "Don't try anything funny!"
The young man said, "I...I won't do anything tricks. Young Master Wei, you...you can look at my face."
Wei Wuxian thought to himself, "Judging from his face? Could it be that he's hiding something in his mouth that he's about to spit out?"
He turned the man's face around warily. The young man was handsome with delicate features and a youthful charm. He was the same young master of the Qishan Wen family that they had seen peeking inside yesterday.
Wei Wuxian replied indifferently, "I don't know him."
He turned the boy's face back, continued to choke him, and hissed, "Who are you!"
The young man seemed a little disappointed and said, "I...I am Wen Ning."
Wei Wuxian frowned and asked, "Who is Wen Ning?" But in his heart he thought, "Who cares who he is? Anyway, he's a person of rank. Maybe I can get him back by capturing him!"
Wen Ning stammered, "I... a few years ago, at the Hundred Schools of Thought Forum in Qishan, I... I... practiced archery..."
Hearing his stammering, a surge of anxiety welled up in Wei Wuxian's heart. He snapped, "What do you mean, 'you'?! Are you stuttering?!"
Wen Ning shrank back in fright in his hands, seemingly wanting to cover her head and squat down, whispering, "Yes...yes."
Wei Wuxian: "..."
Seeing his timid, pitiful, and stammering appearance, Wei Wuxian suddenly remembered something: "The Qishan Hundred Schools Discussion Conference two years ago... the Hundred Schools Discussion Conference... archery... ah, it seems there was such a person!"
Wei Wuxian tentatively asked, "Are you that... Wen... Wen something, the one who's good at archery?"
Wen Ning nodded vigorously, delighted, "Yes, it's me! Yesterday... I saw you and Young Master Jiang, and I thought you might come again..."
Wei Wuxian asked, "You saw me yesterday?"
Wen Ning said, "Yes, I saw it."
Wei Wuxian said, "You saw me but didn't tell anyone?"
Wen Ning said, "No! I won't tell anyone!"
His words were unusually fluent and unwavering, almost like a vow. Wei Wuxian was filled with doubt and surprise. Wen Ning then asked, "Young Master Wei, you've come to see Young Master Jiang, haven't you?"
Wei Wuxian asked, "Is Jiang Cheng inside?!"
Wen Ning answered honestly, "Yes. I was brought back yesterday."
Seeing her younger brother's cowardly appearance, Wen Qing slapped Wen Ning on the back of the neck in exasperation.
"Tell me, why are you stuttering in front of Wei Wuxian?!"
Wen Ning shrank back and didn't dare to speak.
Wen Qing then turned to Wei Wuxian:
"You usually have a good memory, so why are you imagining so many random things now?"
Wei Wuxian awkwardly touched his nose, about to speak, but the gentle scolding was not yet over.
“If I hadn’t failed to see when Aning slipped out, I would have told him that if you were rude to him, then…”
Wenqing suddenly stopped talking.
So what? He had Wen Ning summon the Wen family cultivators to capture Wei Wuxian?
No, even if they were joking, they shouldn't say that, let alone actually doing it.
Wei Wuxian was waiting for Wen Qing to continue, but unexpectedly, Wen Qing remained silent for a long time.
He looked up and saw a hint of reluctance and apology in Wen Qing's eyes, and couldn't help but smile.
Sister Qing is still the same as always, stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside.
Upon hearing this, Wei Wuxian's mind raced: "Jiang Cheng is inside; I absolutely must enter Lotus Pier. Using Wen Ning as a hostage? That won't work. Wen Chao probably doesn't like Wen Ning; using him as a hostage is pointless! And is he lying? Isn't he a member of the Wen family? But he didn't report us yesterday. If I release him, will he betray me? Would there be such a kind person among the Wen dogs? To ensure everything goes smoothly, I can only…"
A murderous glint flashed in Wei Wuxian's heart.
He wasn't originally a bloodthirsty person, but the upheaval in his family had filled him with resentment, and the dire situation left him no room for mercy. With a single twist of his right hand, he could snap Wen Ning's neck!
Upon seeing this scene, Wen Qing, who had just felt that she had inadvertently touched a sore spot on Wei Wuxian, suddenly widened her eyes.
"Wei Wuxian—!"
"What do you want to do to Aning?!"
Wen Ning quickly pressed her older sister down.
Wei Wuxian looked at the silver needle in Wen Qing's hand with lingering fear, then breathed a sigh of relief:
"I wasn't familiar with Wen Ning back then, so even if it were you who came, I would still think the same way."
Wenqing knows all this, but she still feels so angry.
Just as his thoughts were in turmoil, Wen Ning asked, "Young Master Wei, are you here to save Young Master Jiang?"
Wei Wuxian's knuckles curled slightly as he coldly replied, "Otherwise what?"
Wen Ning actually smiled nervously and said, "I knew it. I... I can help you get him out."
For a moment, Wei Wuxian thought he had misheard. He exclaimed in astonishment, "...You? You'll help me save you?!"
Wen Ning said, "Yes. Right now, I can bring him out immediately. Just in time, Wen Chao and the others have all gone out!"
Wei Wuxian grabbed him tightly: "You really can?!"
Wen Ning said, "Yes! I am also a member of the Wen family, a prominent clan, and I have a group of obedient disciples under my command."
Wei Wuxian said sternly, "Obey me? Do you mean I'll kill someone if I obey you?"
Wen Ning hurriedly said, "No, no, that's not it! My disciples never kill indiscriminately! I haven't killed anyone from the Jiang family either. I only came after I heard that something had happened at Lotus Pier. It's true!"
Wei Wuxian glared at him, thinking, "What's he up to? Lying? Playing coy? But this lie is too absurd! Does he think I'm a fool?!"
What's terrifying is that he actually felt a surge of ecstatic joy at being saved from a desperate situation.
He mentally berated himself, calling himself stupid, useless, absurd, ridiculous, and delusional. However, he was all alone, without a magic sword or treasure, while hundreds or even thousands of Wen family cultivators were stationed inside the walls, and perhaps Wen Zhuliu as well.
He wasn't afraid of death; his only fear was dying without being able to rescue Jiang Cheng, thus betraying the trust Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu had placed in him. In this situation, the only person he could truly pin his hopes on was this member of the Wen family, whom he had only met three times in total!
This is empathy; everyone can understand Wei Wuxian's inner thoughts immediately.
He wasn't afraid of dying, but he was afraid that even if he died, he wouldn't be able to save Jiang Cheng, and that he would let down Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan's trust.
Such a mindset cannot be faked.
A few of the younger generation couldn't help but think about how, from childhood to adulthood, they had heard their elders criticize the Yiling Patriarch for killing their adoptive parents, killing their senior sister, and causing havoc in the cultivation world.
Is it true or false?
Wei Wuxian licked his dry lips and said in a hoarse voice, "Then... could you... could you help me... help me retrieve the remains of Sect Leader Jiang and Madam Jiang..."
Without realizing it, he started stammering too. Halfway through his sentence, he remembered that he was still holding Wen Ning in a threatening position, so he quickly let go of him, but he still had a backup plan. If Wen Ning ran away or shouted as soon as he let go, he would immediately smash Wen Ning's head through. However, Wen Ning simply turned around and said seriously, "I...I will definitely do my best."
Wei Wuxian waited in a daze. He paced back and forth, thinking to himself, "What's wrong with me? Am I crazy? Why did Wen Ning help me? Why did I believe him? What if he's lying to me, and Jiang Cheng isn't even in there? No, it's better if Jiang Cheng isn't in there!"
Before an incense stick had burned, Wen Ning actually came out silently, carrying someone on his back.
The man was covered in blood, his face was deathly pale, his eyes were closed, and he lay motionless on Wen Ning's back. It was Jiang Cheng.
Wei Wuxian whispered, "Jiang Cheng?! Jiang Cheng?!"
He reached out and checked; there was still breathing. Wen Ning extended a hand to Wei Wuxian, placed something in his palm, and said, "Young Master Jiang's Zidian. I've taken it."
Wei Wuxian didn't know what else to say. Remembering that he had just considered killing Wen Ning, he stammered, "...Thank you!"
Wen Ning said, "You're welcome... I've already had Mr. and Mrs. Jiang's bodies moved out, and they'll be handed over later. This...this place isn't safe to stay any longer, so I'll be leaving now..."
Without him saying anything more, Wei Wuxian took Jiang Cheng and was about to carry him on his back when he immediately saw a bloody whip mark across Jiang Cheng's chest.
Wei Wuxian said, "Discipline whip?!"
Wen Ning said, "Yes. Wen Chao, you got the Jiang family's discipline whip... Young Master Jiang should have other injuries as well."
Wei Wuxian only touched him twice, and Jiang Cheng had at least three broken ribs, not to mention countless other injuries he hadn't seen. Wen Ning added, "Once Wen Chao returns and finds out, he'll definitely be searching for you all over Yunmeng... Young Master Wei, if you trust me, I can take you somewhere to hide first."
Seeing Jiang Cheng in such a miserable state, Jiang Yanli's eyes reddened once again.
When Jiang Yanli saw Wen Ning carrying him, her gaze was as gentle as when she brought him a bowl of lotus root and pork rib soup in Yiling, but now it was filled with gratitude.
She vaguely understood why Wei Wuxian took such good care of Wen Ning and Wen Qing.
Jiang Fengmian stood up and bowed to Wen Ning: "Thank you for saving Acheng, Young Master Wen."
Wen Ning was flattered and stood up unsteadily, helping Jiang Fengmian to return the greeting.
The others in the space didn't dare say anything more after seeing this.
Because this is what Wen Ning deserves.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com