Chapter 3 : Aggression
Part 1
Wei WuXian wanted to wash his face to look at the face of the owner of the body he occupied after death, but there was no water in the room, not even for drinking or washing.
The only basin-like container possible, he suspected, was for toilet purposes, not cleaning.
He pushed the door, but it was locked with a deadbolt, probably to prevent him from wandering outside.
None of these things made him feel the joy of reincarnation at all!
He realized he should sit in the Lotus position* and start getting used to his new home. Time passed, and the day had passed. When he opened his eyes, sunlight was seeping in through the cracks in the doors and windows. Although he could stand and walk around, he still felt dizzy.
* Lotus position: a cross-legged sitting position for meditation
Wei WuXian was confused. Mo XuanYu’s spiritual power wasn’t significant enough to be ignored, so there shouldn’t be any reason why I couldn’t control this body properly. Why wasn’t it working?
Then, a rumbling noise came from his stomach, and he realized that this had nothing to do with his spiritual powers. It turned out that this body hadn’t practiced inedia yet and was hungry. If he didn’t scavenge for food, he would probably be the first evil ghost to starve to death upon arrival. (pffftt… puk puk puk, be patient, WWX)
Wei WuXian raised his foot and was about to kick the door open, when suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps appeared. Someone kicked the door open and snorted, “It’s time to eat!”
However, there was no indication that the door had been opened. Wei WuXian lowered his head and saw that a small door at the bottom of the door was open, with a small bowl placed in front of it.
The waiter outside shouted again, “Chop-chop! What are you waiting for? Put the bowl out when you’re done!”
The door was a little smaller than the kind a dog could fit through – it wouldn’t allow a human to walk through, but the bowls could easily be carried in. There were two plates and a serving of rice, which looked pretty awful.
Wei WuXian played with the pair of chopsticks stuck in the rice, feeling extremely bitter.
The YiLing Patriarch had just returned to the mortal world, but the first thing he encountered was a kick and a scolding, not to mention the leftovers served as a welcome appetizer. Where was the blood and gore? The brutal slaughter? The utter destruction? Who would believe it? He was like a tiger on level ground, a dragon in shallow water, a phoenix without feathers, bereft of any advantage and belittled by those weaker than him.
Then, the waiter outside spoke again, but with a loud laugh, “ A* -Ding! Come here!”
* The prefix “A” (pronounced “ah”) is often found in front of waiters’ names.
A girl’s sweet voice answered from a distance, “A-Tong, are you delivering food to the one over there again?”
A-Tong clicked his tongue, “Why else would I come to this unpleasant courtyard?”
A-Ding’s voice sounded closer, as if he were at the door, “You only deliver one meal a day, and no one cares if you’re lazy. It’s a pointless task, yet you think it’s no fun. Look at me. I’m so busy that I can’t even play outside.”
A-Tong complained, “Delivering food isn’t the only job I do! How do you dare go out these days? With so many walking corpses out there, everyone’s locked up in their homes.”
Wu WuXian crouched by the door and listened while eating.
It seemed that Mo Village had not been peaceful since ancient times. Walking corpses, as the name suggested, were dead people who could move, a type of low-level altered corpse . Unless the deceased had a strong grudge, they were usually very dazed and listless. They weren’t particularly dangerous, but they were quite frightening to ordinary people, especially the stench that caused vomiting.
* Altered corpse: a corpse that has come to life, usually due to human intervention.
However, to Wei WuXian, they were the most obedient of puppets. When he heard them mentioned, he even felt a sense of familiarity.
A-Tong seemed to be making a face (seeking attention?), “If you want to go outside, you have to bring me so I can protect you…”
A-Ding replied, “You? Protect me? Stop bragging. Are you sure you can defeat those things?”
A-Tong said bitterly, “If I can’t beat them, no one else can either.”
A-Ding laughed, “How do you know that others can’t defeat them? Let me tell you—today, several cultivators came to Mo Village. I heard they’re from a very famous clan! Madam is talking to them in the main hall, and everyone in town is watching. Can’t you hear her voice? I don’t have time to play around with you; they’ll probably give me more work afterward.”
Wei WuXian listened attentively. Sure enough, faint voices came from the east. He pondered for a moment, stood up, and kicked the door. It cracked with a * clank *.
At this moment, the two maids, A-Ding and A-Tong, were teasing each other, and screamed when the door suddenly opened. Wei WuXian threw away his bowl and walked out, wincing from the glare of the sun. He rubbed his hand over the tips of his brows and closed his eyes for a moment. Just now, A-Tong had screamed even louder than A-Ding, but when he looked closer and realized it was Mo XuanYu, a person everyone could insult, his courage returned to him. He guessed that he had probably lost face in front of A-Ding, and wanted to make up for it, so he jumped up and waved his hands like he was scolding a dog, “Shoo! Shoo! Go away! Why did you come out?”
A-Tong treated him worse than a beggar or a fly. Most of the time, all the Mo family servants treated Mo XuanYu this way because he never rejected them. Wei WuXian gave A-Tong a light kick, knocking him down, and laughed, “How bold of an errand boy to humiliate others like this.”
With that, he headed towards the commotion to the east. Quite a few people had gathered in and around the East Hall. As Wei WuXian stepped into the courtyard, a woman spoke in a voice several tones louder than the others, “A member of our family’s younger generation was also once a cultivator…”
It must be Madam Mo trying to make connections with the cultivation families again. Wei WuXian didn’t wait for her to finish, and quickly rushed through the crowd, into the greeting hall, and grinned, “I’m coming, I’m coming. Here!”
A middle-aged woman sat in the hall, well-groomed and dressed in luxurious attire. She was Madam Mo. Her husband sat below her, and on the opposite side sat several young men* in white robes. Because of how unkempt a strange person had appeared from within the society, all the chatter had ceased, but Wei WuXian spoke shamelessly, as if he hadn’t noticed the stagnant atmosphere at all, “Who called me just now? I’m the only one who’s ever been a cultivator!”
*Here, the word “boy” refers to an older youth in his teens.
There was too much powder on her face, and when she smiled, it scattered. A younger cultivator was on the verge of laughing, letting out a loud squawk. His face became serious again as the other, who appeared to be the leader of the group, gave him a disapproving look.
Wei WuXian followed the voice and looked around. He thought the servants were being foolish and exaggerating the situation, but he was surprised to see that they were actually disciples of a “prominent clan.”
The boys wore robes with flowing sleeves and loosely hanging belts, looking like ikemen and certainly a sight to behold. Judging by their uniforms, it was clear that they were from the GusuLan clan. They must also be the younger generation related to the Lan family, as they all wore white forehead ribbons the width of a finger, with cloud patterns sewn into them.
The GusuLan clan’s motto was “righteousness.” The forehead ribbon implied “behavior,” and the cloud pattern was the official Lan family pattern, which cultivators from other families had no right to wear. Wei WuXian got a toothache every time he saw someone from the Lan clan. In the past, he had always considered the clan uniform to be “mourning clothes,” which was why he would never mistake it.
Lady Mo hadn’t seen her niece for some time, and only managed to overcome her disappointment after a long time, when she realized who the person wearing the heavy makeup was. She was furious, but she didn’t want to lose her temper and calm herself down, so she lowered her voice to her husband, “Who let her out? Take her back there!”
Her husband immediately smiled to reassure her and walked over with a scornful look, ready to drag her out of there. However, Wei WuXian suddenly fell to the ground, his limbs pinned to the floor. No one could catch him, even after more servants were called to help. As Lady Mo’s face darkened little by little, her husband also broke out in sweat. He scolded, “…You… Damn lunatic! If you don’t come back now, wait and see how I’ll punish you!”
Although everyone in Mo Village knew that the Mo family had a young master who had lost his marbles, Mo XuanYu had been hiding in that dark room for several years, afraid to come out. After seeing how his face and actions resembled those of a monster, people whispered among themselves, waiting for a good show to watch. Wei WuXian said, “I can come back if you want,” he pointed at Mo ZiYuan, “But tell him to return the things he stole from me earlier.”
Mo ZiYuan didn’t expect that useless lunatic to have the audacity to cause trouble here, even after disciplining him yesterday. His face turned pale, “That’s nonsense! When have I ever stolen anything from you? What, did I want to steal anything from you?”
Wei WuXian said, “Yes, yes. You didn’t steal, you robbed!”
Madam Mo hadn’t said anything yet, but Mo ZiYuan was furious, raising his leg to kick him. However, a white-robed boy carrying a sword slightly moved his finger, and Mo ZiYuan’s foot slipped, falling to the ground with his foot only scraping it. Even so, Wei WuXian still rolled on the ground, as if he had really been kicked, and opened the front of his robe, revealing the mark Mo ZiYuan had made yesterday.
Others thought that, obviously, Mo XuanYu couldn’t have kicked himself. Coupled with the fact that Mo ZiYuan had always been reckless and arrogant, who else could it be? No matter what, the Mo family was too cruel to their own relatives. Clearly, when he first returned, he wasn’t a madman, so he must have been aggravated by someone in this family. Still, it was all good as long as there was a good show to watch. This one was much more interesting than the cultivators!
Previously, Madam Mo had ignored him, as she didn’t bother arguing with a sick person. She had ordered others to carry him out. Now she knew—Mo XuanYu must have come prepared. He was completely clear-headed and deliberately embarrassing them. She felt both shock and hatred, “You made a big scene on purpose, didn’t you?”
Wei WuXian replied without thinking, “He stole my things, and I’m here to take them back. Does that also mean making a big scene?”
With so many eyes staring, Madam Mo couldn’t hit him or throw him out. The anger subsided deep within her, and she could only force a compromise with both parties, “Stealing? Robbing? That’s a bit rude, if you ask me. We’re all part of one family, and he just wanted to see him. A -Yuan* is your younger brother, so is there a problem with taking some of your things? As an older brother, you shouldn’t hesitate to lend him a toy or two, right? It’s not like he won’t return them.”
*The prefix “A” can also be used to refer to someone close to you. A-Yuan refers to Mo ZiYuan.
The boys of the Lan clan exchanged glances. These young men had grown up in a cultivation clan, exposed to nothing but pomp and circumstance. They had probably never seen words like these, or even heard such logic. Wei WuXian laughed hysterically in his mind, and reached out, “Then, give them back.”
Of course, it was impossible for Mo ZiYuan to return them, having thrown them away or dismantled them. Even if he could, his pride wouldn’t allow it. His face turned purple with anger and he shouted, “… Mom !” His gaze was furious, are you really letting him treat you like this?
Lady Mo glared at him, signaling him not to escalate the situation. However, Wei WuXian spoke again, “Not only should he not have stolen my things, he shouldn’t have stolen them in the middle of the night. Everyone knows that I like men. Even if he’s shameless, I know not to look suspicious.”
Lady Mo gasped and shouted, “What are you talking about, in front of the villagers? How shameless…A-Yuan is your cousin!”
When it came to being wild, Wei WuXian was definitely a master. In the past, if he wanted to be wild, he had to keep it in mind, but now, he was a madman, which meant he could do whatever he wanted, however he wanted. He stiffened his neck and argued defiantly, “Even though he knows that I’m his cousin, he chooses not to avoid me, so who is more shameless? I don’t care about your reputation, but don’t ruin my innocence! I still want to find a good man!”
Mo ZiYuan shouted loudly and began swinging a chair at him. As soon as Wei WuXian saw that his anger was finally out of control, he rolled and climbed up, dodging so that the chair only shattered on the ground, shattering in the process. The crowd in the East Hall was initially contemplating themselves with pleasure at the Mo family’s disgrace, but once the fight started, they would all flee. Wei WuXian ran toward the group of boys from the Lan clan, who were all gaping at the scene, and shouted, “Did everyone see that? Did you see? A thief assaulted someone too! How heartless!”
Mo ZiYuan chased after him, and was about to pounce on him, when the boy leader hurriedly stopped him, “Please calm down. Words are more powerful than weapons.”
Madam Mo saw that the boy was deliberately protecting the madman, and put on a knowing smile, “This is my little sister’s son. He’s not very sane here; everyone from Mo Village knows that he’s a madman, and often says strange words that shouldn’t be taken seriously. Cultivator, please…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Wei WuXian’s head peeked out from behind the child’s back and glared, “Who says my words can’t be taken seriously? Next time, try stealing anything from me again. You steal once, and I’ll chop off one of your hands!”
Mo ZiYuan was originally being held back by his father, but, after hearing this, he almost lost his temper again. Wei WuXian quickly snuck outside, and the boy immediately blocked the entrance, switching to another topic in a serious tone, “Then, we’ll borrow the West Courtyard for tonight. Please remember the things I’ve said—after nightfall, close all the windows, don’t go out, or worse, wander into the courtyard.”
Madam Mo was trembling with anger, “Yes, yes, please…” Mo ZiYuan found it beyond belief, “ Mom ! A madman insulted me in front of so many people, and that’s it? You’ve said it before; you told me that he was just a…”
Madam Mo ordered, “Be quiet. Can’t you wait until we get back?”
Mo ZiYuan had never suffered such a loss or been humiliated like this before, and his mother’s warning only made things worse. He was filled with hatred, thinking, this madman is going to be destroyed tonight!
After Wei WuXian finished flipping out, he walked out of the Mo family compound and showed his face around Mo Village. Although he shocked many people, he actually loved every second of it, and finally realized the joys of being a madman. He even started to approve of the hanged ghost makeup, almost refusing to wash it off. He fixed his hair and looked at his wrist. The scratch didn’t look like it was healing at all, which meant that this kind of revenge wouldn’t be approved by the forbidden technique.
Did he really have to eliminate the Mo family?
Honestly, it wouldn’t be that hard of a task.
Wei WuXian walked back to the Mo family’s West Courtyard. The Lan clan disciples stood on the roof and walls, discussing with serious looks.
Although the GusuLan clan had contributed greatly during the siege, at that time, these juniors were still children and unborn. He shouldn’t direct his hatred towards them, so Wei WuXian decided to linger and observe what they would do. After a while, he sensed something was wrong.
Why did the black flags flying over the rooftops and walls look so familiar to him?
This type of flag is called a “Phantom Attraction Flag.” If placed on a living person, it will attract all spirits, vengeful ghosts, moving corpses, or evil creatures in a certain area, causing them to attack only that person. Because the person carrying the flag becomes a living target, it is also called a “Target Flag.” It can also be placed in a house, but the house must have a living person inside. Then, the attack range will expand to include everyone inside. Because there is always a terrifying energy surrounding the area where the flag is placed, as if a black wind is swirling, they are also called “Black Wind Flags.” Setting up the flag formation in the West Courtyard and not allowing people to approach it must mean they want to lead the walking corpses here and capture them in one go.
As for why they look familiar… How could they not find it familiar? The creator of the Phantom Attraction Flags is none other than the YiLing Patriarch!
It felt like that, even though the cultivation world hated him on the surface, they still used the inventions he discovered.
A disciple standing on the roof saw him lingering, and said, “Please go back. This is not a place where someone like you should come.”
Even though he was being chased out, it was for the sake of kindness, and his tone was also different from the voices of the servants in the Mo family. Wei WuXian caught him off guard and quickly jumped up, grabbing one of the flags.
The student was startled and jumped to chase him, “Don’t move. That’s not something you can take.”
Wei WuXian screamed as he ran away, looking like a complete madman with his hair disheveled and his limbs flashing, “I’m not giving it back, I’m not giving it back! I want this thing! I want this!”
The student caught up with him in a few steps and grabbed his arm, “If you don’t give it back, I’ll hit you!”
Wei WuXian held onto the flag, refusing to let go. The leader of the boys was setting up a flag formation and lightly jumped off the roof when he heard the commotion. “JingYi, forget it. Don’t make a fuss about it and just take the flag.”
Lan JingYi spoke, “SiZhui, I didn’t really hit him! Look at him, messing up the flag formation!”
During the tug-of-war, Wei WuXian had inspected the Phantom Attraction Flag in his hand. The pattern was drawn correctly and the incantation was complete. There were no mistakes, so nothing would go wrong when using it. However, the person who drew the flag was inexperienced, so it only attracted evil creatures and moved corpses from five li * away. That was enough. There shouldn’t be any evil creatures in a place as small as Mo Village.
*li : one li = 500 meters or 1/3 mile
Lan SiZhui smiled at him, “Young Master Mo, the sky is getting dark, and we’ll start capturing the walking corpses soon. It’ll be dangerous at night, so you’d better return to your room.”
Wei WuXian looked at him. He was fair and refined, with a dignified appearance and a faint smile. Wei WuXian silently approved of him. The flag formation was arranged in an orderly manner, and his manners were respectful, making him a disciple with astonishing potential. He didn’t know that, in a conservative clan like the Lan clan, who would raise such a junior?
Lan SiZhui spoke again, “This flag…” Before he could finish, Wei WuXian threw the Phantom Attraction Flag to the ground and swooped in, “It’s just a flag, so what’s the big deal? I can draw it in a better way than this!”
He ran away the moment he threw the flag. The boys standing on the rooftop watching the commotion nearly fell over laughing after hearing his ridiculous words. Lan JingYi also chuckled in anger and picked up the Phantom Attraction Flag, “You maniac!”
Wei WuXian continued to wander around, doing nothing, and eventually returned to Mo XuanYu’s small courtyard.
He ignored the broken bolts and the mess on the ground, picked a relatively clean spot, and sat down in the lotus position again.
However, before daylight came, he was pulled out of his meditation by some noise from outside.
A series of chaotic footsteps quickly approached, accompanied by cries and screams. Wei WuXian heard several phrases repeated over and over, “…Capture him and drag him out!” “Notify the officers!” “What do you mean ‘notify the officers?’ Beat him to death!”
He opened his eyes to see that some servants had already entered.
The entire courtyard was engulfed in flames. Someone shouted, “Drag that mad murderer to the Main Hall and make him pay with his life!”