Chapter 28 Dew—Part One

After entering the city, the two walked side by side through the bustling crowd. Suddenly, Lan WangJi asked, “What about the Curse Mark?”

Wei WuXian, “Jin Ling was buried too close to our friend and is tainted with a considerable amount of resentment energy. It’s faded a bit, but it’s not completely gone yet. We’ll probably only be able to find a way to remove it after we find his entire corpse, or at least his head. Besides, it’s not that much trouble.”

That “friend of mine” was none other than the man who had been dismembered. Since they didn’t know who he was, Wei WuXian suggested they call him “friend of mine.” Lan WangJi didn’t say anything after hearing this, but he didn’t object either, which could be interpreted as tacit agreement. Of course, he himself would never use that word.

Lan WangJi, “How much is a little?”

Wei WuXian gestured with his hands, “Just a little bit. How should I explain it? Should I take off my clothes and show you?”

Lan WangJi’s eyebrows raised slightly, as if he were truly worried that Wei WuXian would take them off right now. He replied indifferently, “Take them off after we get back.”

Wei WuXian laughed, turned around, and walked a few steps away, facing backwards. Previously, in order to escape as quickly as possible, he had desperately tried to disgust others, from pretending to be crazy to deliberately losing face. Now that his identity had been revealed, if he were anyone else, he would definitely feel incredibly embarrassed remembering everything he had done. Only someone as thin-faced as Wei WuXian would act as if he hadn’t been involved in anything. Speaking of which, if he were anyone else with at least some face, he would never do such ridiculous things as climbing into someone’s bed at night, insisting on sharing a bath  ,  and asking if he looked pretty after putting on makeup. Since he pretended not to remember anything, Lan WangJi naturally refrained from bringing it up, both of them acting as if nothing had happened. Today was the first time he had made such a joke again after his identity was no longer a secret. After he finished laughing, Wei WuXian immediately put on a serious face, “HanGuang-Jun, do you think the people who stabbed our friend’s hand in Mo Village and had him attack your juniors, and the people who sewed his leg onto another corpse and buried it in the wall, are the same group of people?”

Both then and now, in his mind, he always called Lan WangJi by his first name, but he had gotten used to his nickname these past few days  .  Furthermore, his calling him by this name created an overly serious tone, sounding quite comical. Therefore, when they were outside, he continued to call him in a half-serious tone.

Lan WangJi, “There are two groups.”

Wei WuXian, “Alright, I agree. Taking the trouble to sew up another corpse’s leg and hide it in the wall clearly means they didn’t want the limb to be discovered. If so, they wouldn’t have deliberately used their left hand to attack the GusuLan Sect people, as that would have definitely attracted attention and investigation. One tried so hard to hide everything, while the other attacked recklessly, as if wanting to be discovered. They probably aren’t the same group of people.”

All that needed to be said had been said. Lan WangJi seemed to have nothing more to say, but still replied with an “  mnn  ” in agreement. 

Wei WuXian turned around, speaking as he walked, “Those who hid their legs knew about the traditions of the QingheNie Sect’s Sword Hall, while those who removed their left arms knew about the GusuLan Sect’s plans. I don’t think either of them had simple intentions. There are more and more secrets hidden.”

Lan WangJi, “One step at a time.”

Wei WuXian, “How did you recognize me?”

Lan WangJi, “Think about it yourself.”

The questions and answers flowed quickly between them, without a single pause. Wei WuXian had originally wanted to wait until Lan WangJi was off guard and get him to blurt out the answer to the last question. Although he still hadn’t succeeded, he wasn’t discouraged at all and continued to quickly change the topic, “I’ve never been to Yueyang. Before, I always asked others to ask questions for me. This time, I’ll take a break and you can ask around. Do you mind, HanGuang-Jun?”

Lan WangJi turned around and left straight away. Wei WuXian immediately interrupted, “Wait. HanGuang-Jun, may I ask where you are going?”

Lan WangJi looked back, “To find a cultivation sect in this area.”

Wei WuXian tugged at  the tassel of his sword  and dragged it in the opposite direction, “Why are you looking for them? This is their territory; even if they knew, they wouldn’t tell you. They’re either unable to face it and are hiding it to avoid losing face, or they’re trying their hardest to avoid others interfering. Dear HanGuang-Jun, it’s not that I want to embarrass you, but you simply can’t live without me when handling matters outside. If you’re wondering like that, I’d be surprised if you actually succeed.”

Although these words were somewhat harsh, a gentleness shone in Lan WangJi’s eyes. Once again, he said in a low voice, “Mnn.”

Wei WuXian laughed, “Why did you say ‘mnn’? You shouldn’t have answered like that.” Meanwhile, in his mind, he commented cheerfully,  “Mnn” was the only thing he knew how to say. He was still so awkward!

Lan WangJi, “Then, how should I ask?”

Wei WuXian pointed to the side, “That way, of course.”

He pointed down the wide street. Bright red banners of various shapes and sizes hung on both sides of the road, flapping in the breeze. Every shop had its doors wide open, with round black jars lined up from inside to outside the entrance. Waiters carried trays filled with  small bowls of liquor  , promoting their shops to passersby.

The strong scent of liquor wafted throughout the street. It was no wonder Wei WuXian’s pace slowed down. He came to a complete stop when they reached the next street corner, and even dragged Lan WangJi to a stop.

Wei WuXian put on a serious face, “The waiters here are usually young and hardworking. With so many customers every day and so many mouths spreading gossip, nothing strange happening around here would escape their ears and eyes.”

Lan WangJi replied with a “mnn”, but his face seemed to say, “You just want a little drink, right?”

Wei WuXian pretended not to understand Lan WangJi’s expression. He continued to tug on Lan WangJi’s sword tassel and entered a row of liquor stores, his eyes sparkling. Immediately, waiters from five or six different stores came over, each one growing more enthusiastic, “Want to try some? The He family’s liquor is famous throughout the area!”

“Young Master, please try this. You don’t have to pay. If you like the drink, please come to our shop.”

“This one doesn’t smell strong, but wait until you drink it!”

“If you can still stand after finishing this, I will adopt your surname!”

Hearing this, Wei WuXian replied, “Alright!” He took the liquor bowl the servant was holding, drank from it, and showed the empty bowl to him with a grin, “Adopt my surname?”

Surprisingly, the waiter wasn’t afraid. Lifting his chin, he seemed increasingly confident, “I mean, if you drink a whole jar!”

Wei WuXian, “Then, give me… three jars.”

The waiter was overjoyed and hurried back into the shop. Wei WuXian turned to Lan WangJi, “We’re doing business here, aren’t we? Let’s help them with their business first, then we can talk about other things. After we pay them, it’ll be easy to get them to talk.”

Lan WangJi took out money to pay.

The two walked into the shop. Inside, there were wooden tables and chairs for customers to rest and chat. One of the shop assistants saw Lan WangJi’s appearance and realized he wasn’t ordinary. Not daring to underestimate him, she simply led them to a table after wiping down the table and chairs for a while. With two jars by his feet and another in his hand, Wei WuXian chatted with the assistant for a while, then got straight to the point, asking again about the strange things that had happened around there. The assistant was also a talkative person. He rubbed his hands together, “What strange things?”

“Haunted houses, abandoned cemeteries, dismembered corpses, and so on.”

The waiter’s eyes darted back and forth between them, “Hmm… What are your occupations? You and him.”

Wei WuXian, “Didn’t you already guess?”

The servant understood, “Of course. It’s easy to guess. You two must be cultivators who soar through the clouds and the heavens. Especially the one next to you. Among ordinary people, I’ve never seen one like… like…”

Wei WuXian grinned, “What a beautiful person.”

The servant laughed, “If you say that, the young master next to you will definitely be upset. Strange, huh? It did happen. Not now, but ten years ago. Walk this way. After you leave the city, walk about three kilometers, and you will see a rather beautiful house. I don’t know if the signboard is still there or not. That’s the Chang Clan’s house.”

Wei WuXian, “What’s wrong with his residence?”

“The whole clan died!” said the servant, “You asked for strange things, so of course I told you the strangest things. The whole clan was wiped out, and I heard they were scared to death!”

Hearing this, Lan WangJi sank into deep thought, as if remembering something. Wei WuXian, on the other hand, was oblivious to the situation. “Is there a cultivation sect based around here?” The creature must be extremely vicious if it could scare an entire clan to death. Not all sects were like the QingheNie Sect, having unspeakable difficulties. Most sects would never tolerate something like this appearing in their area. The servant replied, “Yes. Of course there is.”

Wei WuXian, “Then how did they handle the situation?”

“Handle this situation?” The servant swung a rag over his shoulder and sat down, revealing a long-held secret, “Young Master, do you know the name of the cultivation sect in Yueyang? It’s called Chang. The clan that died was  their clan  ! If everyone dies, who will handle this situation?”

The annihilated Chang Clan was a cultivation sect stationed in this area?!

Wei WuXian had never heard of the YueyangChang Sect before, which meant it wasn’t a prominent sect. However, the fact that the entire clan had been wiped out was definitely a significant event. He immediately asked, “How was the Chang Clan wiped out?”

The servant said, “That’s what I heard. One night, the sound of a door slamming suddenly came from the Chang Clan residence.”

Wei WuXian, “The sound of a door slamming?”

That’s right! The slamming sound was so loud it almost reached the heavens. Inside, screams and cries could be heard as if everyone was locked inside, unable to get out. Strange, huh? The door was bolted from the inside, so if you were inside and wanted to leave, you could just open it. Why did you slam the door? Even if you did, the people outside wouldn’t be able to get you out. Besides, if you couldn’t get out the door, couldn’t you just climb over the wall? 

The people outside were quite confused. Everyone knew that the Chang Clan was very powerful in the area because the people there cultivated. Their clan head, Chang Ping, I believe, had a flying sword and allowed him to stand on it as it flew! Say, something really happened inside that even his own clan couldn’t handle it. If ordinary people went there, wouldn’t they be seeking their own death? This was why no one built ladders or climbed over the walls to peek inside. And so, the night passed, and the wailing inside grew quieter. The next day, as the sun rose, the doors of the Chang Clan opened by themselves.

Inside the house, among the men and women, about ten masters, and several dozen servants, some sitting, some lying, vomiting their guts out. They were all scared to death.

The liquor store owner turned around and scolded, “  You  ’re going to die! Why don’t you go to work and tell old stories about people dying?”

Wei WuXian, “Five more jars, please.”

Lan WangJi paid for ten jars. The owner immediately smiled broadly and warned the waiter, “Take good care of the customers. Don’t wander off!”

Wei WuXian, “You can continue.”

Without any further worries, the servant tried his best and continued his story in an excited voice, “After that, for a long time, anyone who walked past the Chang Residence at night could hear sounds like walls being slammed from inside!

Just think about it. People like them flying in the sky had seen countless ghosts and monsters before, but they were scared witless. How terrifying would that be? If you often went out at night, you would definitely encounter some ghosts. Even after they were buried, you could hear them slamming their coffins! Even though their clan head, Chang Ping, was away from home and was safe…”

Wei WuXian, “Didn’t you say the entire clan died?”

Translator’s Notes

Bathtub  : The term “bathtub” here refers to a large wooden bucket used in ancient China for bathing. A bathtub can feel quite cramped if shared.

Title  : Previously called “alternative name.” It will now be changed to “title” as it feels more appropriate.

Sword tassel  : A sword tassel is a tassel that hangs from the hilt of a sword, usually for decorative purposes. These tassels come in a variety of colors, but Lan WangJi’s tassel is most likely white.

Mnn  : When reading aloud silently, don’t imagine a groaning sound. It functions the same as “mhm/uh-huh.” 

Liquor bowl  : This bowl looks flatter and shallower than a typical cup. This image shows the common dimensions of a liquor bowl: