Chapter 6: No Flares
Not long after the coming-of-age ceremony, a small neighboring family, the Su clan, sent for help, reporting that their ancestral hall was haunted by evil spirits. Women were constantly crying at night, and several members had been frightened to the point of falling seriously ill. Because the Su clan was powerless and unable to appeal to a larger clan, they sought help from the Cloud Recesses.
Lan Wangji had wanted to go himself, but Lan Qiren happened to be unwell and needed to stay in Yunshen to take care of him. Wei Wuxian suggested, "Why not let Sizhui lead the team? He's an adult now, and it's time for him to take charge. With Jingyi and Jin Ling accompanying him, and a few other Lan family members, it should be fine."
Lan Wangji pondered for a moment, then looked at Sizhui: "Do you dare to go?"
Si Zhui straightened his back, his eyes determined: "I am willing to go. I will definitely fulfill my mission."
Before setting off, Lan Wangji repeatedly warned, "Be very careful on this journey. If you encounter any danger, immediately set off a signal flare. Your father and I will rush to your aid." He deliberately stuffed a bag of signal flares into Si Zhui's arms, "Remember, don't be careless."
"I'll remember it, kid." Si Zhui agreed solemnly.
Besides Lan Jingyi, they were accompanied by Jin Ling and several members of the Nie clan, all of whom were familiar friends. The group of teenagers chatted and laughed along the way, as if they were just out for fun.
The Su Family Ancestral Hall, built halfway up the mountain, exuded a gloomy atmosphere. As soon as everyone entered the hall, they felt a chill rushing towards them. The candlelight flickered, and the portraits on the wall seemed to be moving.
"This place looks creepy." Lan Jingyi shrank his neck and gripped his sword tightly.
Jin Ling frowned and said, "Everyone, be careful. This evil spirit has quite a lot of resentment."
Si Zhui took out the talisman and said in a deep voice, "Jingyi, you and the Nie family members guard the door and don't let the evil spirit escape. Jin Ling, follow me inside to investigate."
After making all the arrangements, he and Jin Ling walked into the inner hall one after the other. After just a few steps, they saw a dark shadow flying down from the beam, accompanied by a shrill cry, and countless paper money attacked them!
"It's a vengeful ghost!" Jin Ling drew his sword, a golden light flashed, and the paper money was chopped into pieces.
Si Zhui immediately cast his spell, and the blue spiritual energy tangled with the black energy of the vengeful ghost. This vengeful ghost seemed to have suffered a great injustice in his life, and his resentment was particularly strong, and it was difficult to suppress it for a while.
During the fierce fight, Si Zhui gradually discovered that something was wrong - the power of this vengeful ghost was far beyond his expectations. It did not seem like an ordinary wandering ghost, but rather seemed to have been raised by someone using evil magic.
"Jin Ling, let's tie it up and let Jingyi release a flare!" Si Zhui shouted.
Lan Jingyi heard it at the door and quickly reached for the flare at his waist, but found nothing: "Oh no! I, I think I forgot to bring it!"
Jin Ling was stunned when he heard this. He also lowered his head to look at his Qiankun bag. His expression changed instantly. "I... I didn't bring it either! I was in such a hurry to get here when I left that I forgot to put it on!"
Si Zhui's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly touched the flare in his arms. His heart sank completely - he clearly remembered that his father had stuffed it into his hands, but he didn't know when it fell on the desk in the quiet room!
"How could this happen?" A disciple of the Nie family panicked, "We didn't bring..."
It turned out that these teenagers relied on their familiarity with each other and thought that it was an evil spirit from a small family, so they didn't take the flares seriously. Now they are trapped in the ancestral hall and can't even ask for help.
The vengeful ghost seemed to sense their predicament and its attack intensified. Black energy condensed into a giant hand and slammed towards Si Zhui!
"Be careful!" Jin Ling pushed Si Zhui away, but was swept by the black air. He staggered back a few steps, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
"Jin Ling!" Si Zhui said urgently, turning around quickly to protect him.
As the black aura grew thicker, the crowd began to lose their strength. Sizhui gripped his sword tightly, his mind racing—his father had taught him to stay calm in times of danger; his father had also taught him that even in desperate situations, there was hope.
He suddenly remembered the tracking talisman Wei Wuxian had taught him, and quickly took out one. He bit his fingertip and dripped blood onto the talisman: "Jingyi, throw this out! Towards the Cloud Recesses!"
Lan Jingyi immediately did as he was told, and the talisman turned into a red light, broke through the roof of the ancestral hall, and disappeared into the sky.
"Will this work?" someone asked anxiously.
Si Zhui said solemnly, "This is a tracking talisman specially made by Daddy. As long as we're within a hundred miles, he'll definitely be able to sense it. We just need to hold on until Father and Daddy arrive!"
Even so, he felt uncertain. The dark energy grew heavier, everyone's spiritual energy was rapidly depleting, and Jin Ling's face grew paler and paler.
At this moment, the door of the ancestral hall was suddenly kicked open, and two familiar figures came against the light.
"Lan Zhan!"
"Senior Wei!"
Sizhui and Jin Ling exclaimed at the same time.
Lan Wangji held Bichen in hand, his sword gleaming like frost, instantly splitting the black energy apart. Wei Wuxian flung out several talismans, a golden light flashing, trapping the vengeful ghosts tightly. "You bunch of brats, you're such a pain in the ass!"
In just a few moments, the vengeful ghost was completely purified, and the ancestral hall finally regained its peace and tranquility.
Wei Wuxian stepped forward and pulled Jin Ling up, then checked the injuries of Sizhui and the others. After confirming that no one was seriously injured, he breathed a sigh of relief, then his face darkened. "Where are the flares? Take them out and let me see!"
A group of teenagers lowered their heads and no one dared to speak.
Lan Wangji's gaze swept across the crowd, finally landing on Sizhui. His voice was as cold as ice: "You speak."
Si Zhui bit his lip, took a step forward, and bowed, saying, "Father, it's my fault. I forgot to bring the flare, and I got everyone into trouble."
"Forgot?" Lan Wangji's voice suddenly rose. "What did I tell you before we set out? The flare is a life-saving device, and you were so careless! If your father and I hadn't arrived in time, would you still be standing here alive today?"
Wei Wuxian also shouted angrily, "Sizhui, you're the leader, so you should take responsibility! Look at Jin Ling, if he hadn't blocked that attack for you, the consequences would have been disastrous! You're playing with everyone's lives!"
Si Zhui lowered his head even lower, his voice filled with tears: "I know I'm wrong..."
Jin Ling quickly said, "Senior Wei, don't blame Sizhui, I forgot to bring it myself..."
“Don’t even think about escaping!” Wei WuXian glared at him. “Go talk to your uncle later!”
On the way back, the atmosphere was terribly oppressive. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian walked in front, followed by a group of young men, no one daring to speak.
After returning to the Cloud Recesses, Lan Wangji took Si Zhui directly into the quiet room and closed the door.
"Kneel down."
Si Zhui knelt on the ground with a plop without saying a word.
Lan Wangji took the cane and looked at him: "Do you know what you did wrong? Where did you go wrong?"
"The boy's mistake was that he was careless and forgot to bring the flare; his mistake as the leader was that he failed to warn everyone; his mistake was that he let his companions fall into danger even though he knew it was dangerous..." Si Zhui's voice was choked, and his heart sank with every word he said.
"Your biggest mistake is betraying trust." Lan Wangji interrupted him. "Your father and I trusted you, so we allowed you to lead the team. Your companions trusted you, so they were willing to follow you through thick and thin. But due to a moment of negligence, you threw that trust behind you."
The vines fell, heavier than ever before.
"One. Remember, responsibility is heavier than Mount Tai."
"Second, remember, caution is the key to success."
Sizhui gritted his teeth, letting the pain rip. He knew that no amount of punishment would be enough for this mistake. If his negligence had truly harmed his companions, he would never forgive himself.
After twenty hits, he lay on the ground, his whole body trembling, but he didn't cry out.
Lan Wangji put down the cane, his voice filled with fatigue. "Go to the ancestral hall, kneel down, and copy the two chapters of the Lan Family Rules, 'Trust' and 'Responsibility', fifty times. You are not allowed to get up until you have finished."
"Yes." Si Zhui struggled to get up and walked towards the ancestral hall step by step.
Wei WuXian looked at his back and sighed, "Did you hit him too hard?"
Lan Wangji stared out the window and remained silent for a long time. "Today's pain is to remind him that if he encounters this situation again in the future, he will be able to protect himself and the people around him."
Late at night in the ancestral hall, Sizhui knelt on a mat, copying the family rules by the dim candlelight. The pain in his palms and back intertwined, but it was far less painful than the guilt he felt.
After an unknown amount of time, Wei WuXian came in with a bowl of hot soup and placed it next to him: "Drink some soup to warm yourself up first."
Si Zhui looked up, his eyes red: "Daddy..."
“It’s good that you know you’re wrong.” Wei WuXian patted his head. “Although your father punished you severely, he was also afraid. When he saw the tracking talisman today, his hands were shaking.”
Si Zhui's heart suddenly tightened.
“Remember this lesson.” Wei Wuxian’s voice was gentle but firm. “True responsibility isn’t about playing the hero, but about paying attention to every detail and not letting down those who trust you.”
Sizhui nodded, picked up his pen, and continued copying. Under the candlelight, the boy's profile shone with a seriousness he had never seen before. He knew that the pain and lessons he had learned this time would become the most profound mark on his path to growth—the word "responsibility" weighed a thousand pounds and could not tolerate the slightest negligence.
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