Chapter 34 Grass—Part Two
A strange sound suddenly emerged from a bamboo pole being hit on the ground, sounding loud then soft, far then near, making it impossible to determine where or what exactly was making the sound.
Wei WuXian, “All of you, come over here. Gather around tightly. Don’t move and don’t attack.”
In the mist, if all the juniors drew their swords and tried to attack, they would likely injure themselves instead of the enemy. After a while, the sound stopped. After waiting silently for a few seconds, a disciple whispered, “That again … How long is he going to follow us?!”
Wei WuXian, “He followed you?”
Lan SiZhui: “After we entered the city, because the fog was too thick and it would be easy to escape, we decided to walk close together. Then, we suddenly heard that voice. At that time, the voice wasn’t that fast. It was rather slow, one beat after another. Amidst the fog, we also saw a short shadow walking right in front of us. However, when we chased after it, the shadow disappeared. The voice has been following us ever since.”
Wei WuXian, “How short?”
Lan SiZhui pointed to his chest, “So short. So small.”
Wei WuXian, “How long have you been here?”
Lan SiZhui, “About fifteen minutes.”
“Fifteen minutes?” Wei WuXian asked, “HanGuang-Jun, how long have we been here?”
Lan WangJi’s voice came from behind the thin mist, “About thirty minutes.”
“Look,” Wei WuXian continued, “We’ve been here longer than you. How could you end up in front of us, only to bump into us after you turned around?”
Jin Ling couldn’t help but reply, “We never turn back. We always move forward, following this path.”
If both of them were walking forward, could it be that someone had brought bad luck to the path and made it into a circular maze?
Wei WuXian asked again, “Have you tried using your sword to fly and see?”
Lan SiZhui, “Yes. I thought I was flying high up, but it wasn’t that high. There were also some faint shadows darting around. I didn’t know what they were and was afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle them, so I came down.”
Hearing this, everyone fell silent for a moment. Since the Shudong area was naturally foggy, they hadn’t given much thought to the fog in the city. Now, it seemed like the fog wasn’t naturally formed and was actually a ghostly mist.
Lan JingYi was shocked, “The mist isn’t poisonous, right?!”
Wei WuXian, “Maybe not. We’ve been here a long time, and we’re still alive.”
Jin Ling, “I should have brought Fairy with me. This is all because of your damn donkey.”
Hearing the dog’s name, Wei WuXian shuddered. He then heard Lan JingYi shout, “We haven’t even blamed your dog yet! It opened its mouth to bite first, and then it ended up on Lil’ Apple’s hoof. Whose fault is it? Besides, they’re both immobile right now.”
Wei WuXian, “What?! My Little Apple was bitten by a dog?!”
Jin Ling, “How could that donkey be more important than my spirit dog? That fairy was a gift from my uncle. If anything were to happen to her, even ten thousand donkeys wouldn’t be able to pay for it!”
Wei WuXian replied in a very absurd tone, “Don’t use LianFang-Zun’s name to scare people. Besides, my Little Apple was a gift from HanGuang-Jun. How could you take Little Apple hunting at night? Even let her get hurt?!”
The juniors of the Lan Sect answered in unison, “Liar!” They would never believe that someone like HanGuang-Jun would choose such a gift for someone. Even if Lan WangJi hadn’t spoken, they would have firmly refused to believe it. Lan SiZhui clarified, “Uhh… Sorry, Young Master Mo. Your Little Apple… That donkey of yours has been making noise every day in the Cloud Recesses, and the seniors have long complained, ordering us to get rid of it during tonight’s hunt. So, we…”
Jin Ling also couldn’t believe that the donkey was a gift from Lan WangJi, “I can’t even stand looking at that donkey. It’s even called ‘Lil’ Apple’. What a fool!”
Lan JingYi thought, if it really was from HanGuang-Jun, they were in trouble. He immediately spoke up, “What’s wrong with ‘Lil’ Apple’? She likes eating apples, so she’s called Lil’ Apple. How down-to-earth. It’s ten times better than calling your fat dog ‘Fairy’!”
Jin Ling, “How can a fairy be fat?! Try to find me a spiritual dog that is in better condition than…”
Suddenly all the chatter stopped.
A few seconds later, Wei WuXian asked, “Is there still anyone there?”
A series of “oomph-s” and “mmn-s” sounds rang out from around him, indicating that everyone was already there. Lan WangJi said coldly, “Shut up.”
…How could he possibly silence everyone at once? Wei WuXian couldn’t help but touch his lips, feeling quite fortunate.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps was heard in the fog on the front left side.
The footsteps staggered in an incredibly unsettling manner. Immediately afterward, the same sound came from the front, front right, side, and back. Although the fog was too thick to see any figures, a foul odor was already in the air.
Of course, Wei WuXian wouldn’t worry about a few walking corpses. He whistled softly, ending with an upward-curving note, signaling for them to retreat. As expected, after the corpses in the mist heard the whistle, they paused for a moment.
But a moment later, they charged!
Wei WuXian hadn’t expected this at all. Not only had the command failed, it had actually provoked them. He would never have mixed up two different commands: “retreat” and “be stimulated”!
However, at that moment, he didn’t have time to think. Seven or eight slanted figures had appeared within the white fog. Judging by the dense fog in Yi City, the fact that they could see the corpses meant that they were very close!
Bichen’s icy-blue sword glare tore through the mist. Surrounding the group, the sword traced a circle in the air, slicing all the walking corpses in half, then returning to its sheath. Wei WuXian breathed a sigh of relief, while Lan WangJi lowered his voice, “Why?”
Wei WuXian also wondered, why couldn’t the commandos control these corpses? With their slow tempo and putrid odor, they definitely weren’t high-level corpses. I should have been able to scare them off with just a few claps. It was impossible for my whistle to suddenly stop working, since it didn’t use spiritual power. This kind of situation had never happened before…
Suddenly, he remembered something. A thin layer of sweat seeped down his back.
No. It’s not that “this kind of situation has never happened before.” In fact, it has happened before, and not just once. There was some kind of corpse or spirit that he couldn’t control—
A corpse or spirit that is already under the control of the Stygian Tiger Seal!
Lan WangJi lifted the silence spell, and Lan SiZhui was able to speak again, “HanGuang-Jun, is the situation really that dangerous? Should we leave the city immediately?”
“But the fog is so thick. We can’t use the trail or fly out…”
A student exclaimed, “I think more bodies are coming!”
“Where? I didn’t hear any footsteps.”
“I think I heard a strange breathing sound…” The boy only realized how ridiculous he had sounded after he had said it, covering his mouth in embarrassment. The other boy replied, “You’re really good, aren’t you? Breathing sounds. The body is dead—how could there be breathing sounds?”
Before he could finish, another large figure fell. As Bichen drew his sword again, the shadow’s head separated from its body. At the same time, a strange splashing sound rang out. The disciples nearby screamed in terror. Afraid of being injured, Wei WuXian immediately shouted, “What’s going on?”
Lan JingYi, “Something gushed out of the corpse. I think it was some kind of powder. It tasted bitter and sweet at the same time. And it was rotten!” How unlucky for him. Just as he was about to speak, he opened his mouth, and the powder gushed in. Without caring about his appearance, he immediately spat a few times. The things that gushed out of corpses were definitely not trivial. The powder was still floating in the air. If it accidentally got into his lungs, it would be even more difficult to deal with than if it got into his mouth. Wei WuXian instructed, “All of you, get out of the area! Come here quickly. Let me take a look.”
Lan JingYi, “Okay. But I can’t see you. Where are you?”
One couldn’t even see their hand if it was right in front of them, let alone walking through this mist. Wei WuXian remembered that, every time Bichen was unsheathed, its swordlight could penetrate the white mist. He turned to Lan WangJi, who was standing beside him, “HanGuang-Jun, unsheathe your sword for a moment so he can walk over.”
Lan WangJi stood right beside him, but didn’t answer or move.
Suddenly, a clear blue sword flash illuminated the area about seven steps away.
… Lan WangJi is there?
Then who is the person who has been standing silently beside him all this time?!
Suddenly, a shadow flashed before Wei WuXian’s eyes. A dark face approached from before him.
It was dark because above his face was a thick layer of black fog!
The foggy-faced man reached for the Qiankun Pouch hanging by his side. However, as soon as he took it, the Qiankun Pouch suddenly swelled. The ropes that held it snapped in two, and three furious spirits shot forward. They formed a tangled mess, then charged towards him!
Wei WuXian laughed, “You want the Qiankun Bag? Then your eyesight must be bad. Why did you take my Spirit Trap Bag instead ?”
Ever since they snatched the newly exhumed body from the gravedigger at the YueyangChang Sect cemetery and forced him to retreat in frustration, Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi had been on high alert. They anticipated that he wouldn’t give up and would instead look for an opportunity to snatch it back. As they expected, after they entered Yi City, the gravedigger attacked, intending to take advantage of the dense fog and the bustling crowd. His attack was successful, but Wei WuXian had long since swapped the Qiankun Pouch holding his left arm for the Spirit-Trapping Pouch.
With a clang , the opponent leaped back and drew his sword. Instantly, the spirits’ hateful screams rang out, as if the attack had pushed them to the brink of collapse. Wei WuXian thought to himself, So he really is someone with a high cultivation level . He immediately shouted, “HanGuang-Jun, the gravediggers are coming!”
Without needing a reminder, Lan WangJi knew something had happened just by listening. He remained silent. Bichen’s swift and fierce swipe was the response.
The current situation was far from optimistic. The black mist shrouded the gravedigger’s sword, preventing the swordlight from penetrating it, allowing it to hide perfectly within the white mist. On the other hand, Lan WangJi’s Bichen swordlight couldn’t be concealed at all. He was out in the open, while the enemy hid in the darkness. Furthermore, the enemy was not only highly skilled in cultivation, but also familiar with the GusuLan Sect’s sword techniques. And, although the two were fighting furiously in the mist, he could do whatever he wanted, but Lan WangJi had to be careful not to injure anyone on his own side. Seeing all this, Lan WangJi was at a complete disadvantage. Upon hearing the clashing of swords, Wei WuXian’s heart suddenly tightened. He exclaimed, “Lan Zhan? Are you hurt?!”
From a distance, a muffled groan could be heard, as if someone had suffered a critical injury. However, it was clearly not Lan WangJi’s voice.
Lan WangJi, “Of course not.”
Wei WuXian grinned, “I guess so!”
It sounded as if the man was laughing bitterly. He attacked again. The clashing sounds of Bichen’s gaze and the other’s swords grew distant. Wei WuXian knew that Lan WangJi didn’t want to accidentally injure them and had deliberately diverted the battle to face the gravedigger alone. Of course, the rest was up to Wei WuXian. He turned around, “How are those who inhaled the powder?”
Lan SiZhui, “They are starting to have difficulty standing!”
Wei WuXian, “Come to the middle and give me your numbers.”
Fortunately, after eliminating a group of walking corpses and taking away a gravedigger, no one bothered them anymore. The sound of bamboo poles didn’t even bother them. The remaining students gathered and counted down. No one was missing. Wei WuXian grabbed Lan JingYi and felt his forehead. It felt slightly warm. He then felt the foreheads of the other children who had inhaled the powder from the corpses. They were the same. He lifted Lan JingYi’s eyelids, “Show me your tongue. Ahh.”
Lan JingYi, “Ahh.”
Wei WuXian, “Yep. Congratulations. You were poisoned by a corpse.”
Jin Ling, “What’s the point of congratulating someone?!”
Wei WuXian, “This is a different life experience. It can be something to talk about when you grow up.”
Corpse poisoning was mostly caused by wounds inflicted by corpses being turned upside down or wounds that came into contact with their necrotic blood. Cultivators typically didn’t allow corpses to get too close to harm them, so no one was in the habit of carrying herbs that could cure corpse poisoning. Lan SiZhui worried, “Young Master Mo, will something happen to them?”
Wei WuXian, “There’s nothing right now. Once it enters the bloodstream, spreads throughout the body, and reaches the heart, there’s no way anything can help.”
Lan SiZhui, “W-what will happen?”
Wei WuXian, “Whatever happens to a corpse will happen to you. If you’re lucky, you’ll just rot. If not, you’ll probably become a long-haired zombie and be left to jump around for the rest of your life.”
All the poisoned students gasped.
Wei WuXian, “So you want to cure him?”
Everyone nodded. Wei WuXian continued, “If you want to get better, listen carefully. From now on, all of you must behave properly and listen to everything I say. All of you.”
Although many of the boys still didn’t know him, considering that he could call HanGuang-Jun by his birth name so intimately as if they were of the same generation, standing in the middle of a foggy and menacing haunted city, and both poisoned and feverish, they felt incredibly anxious, instinctively wanting to rely on someone. And, because whatever came out of Wei WuXian’s mouth somehow had a confident tone that dispelled all worries, they couldn’t help but listen to his words, answering in unison, “Yes!”
Wei WuXian urged further, “You must do whatever I command. Obey. Understand?”
“Yes!”
Wei WuXian clapped his hands, “Stand up. Those who aren’t poisoned can carry those who are, preferably on their shoulders. If you can only carry them face down, remember to keep their head and heart higher than the rest of their body.”
Lan JingYi, “But I can walk. Why do we need to be carried?”
Wei WuXian, “Brother, if you jump around, your blood will circulate faster, and it will reach your heart faster. So, don’t move around too much. It’s best if you don’t move at all.”
The boys immediately stood as still as boards, allowing their friends to lift them up. Slung over another’s shoulder, one boy muttered, “The corpse that sprinkled the poison powder is actually breathing.”
The boy holding her complained breathlessly, “I told you. If she knows how to breathe, then she’s alive.”
Lan SiZhui, “Young Master Mo, everyone has been carried. Where are we going?”
Lan SiZhui was the kindest, most obedient, and least likely to worry. Wei WuXian replied, “Right now, we definitely won’t be able to leave the city. Let’s go knock on some doors.”
Jin Ling, “Knock on what door?”
Wei WuXian thought for a moment, “Is there anything else that has doors besides houses?”
Jin Ling, “You want us to break into these houses? It’s already this dangerous outside. Who knows what things are hidden in these rooms, watching and waiting for us.”
After he spoke, everyone felt as if there were truly a pair of eyes hidden behind the fog and the houses, closely watching their every move and word. They couldn’t help but shiver in fear. Wei WuXian replied, “That’s right. It’s hard to say whether it’s more dangerous outside or inside. But since it’s already like this outside, it must be even worse inside. Let’s go. There’s no time to waste. We still have to cure the poisoning.”
The group had to do as they were told. Following Wei WuXian’s instructions, everyone held their sword sheaths in front of them to prevent them from wandering around in the thick fog. They went from house to house, knocking on the doors. Jin Ling banged for a while, but heard no response from inside. “It seems like no one’s inside. Let’s go in.”
Wei WuXian’s voice rang out, “Who told you to come in if there’s no one inside? Keep knocking. We have to go into a house where there are people.”
Jin Ling, “You want to find the one with people inside?”
Wei WuXian, “Yes. Knock well. Your knock is too hard. Quite rough.”
Jin Ling was so annoyed that he nearly kicked the wooden door. In the end, he just… stomped angrily on the ground.
Every house along the street had their doors tightly shut, refusing to open them no matter how hard they knocked. The harder Jin Ling knocked, the more irritated he became, but the less energy he exerted was evidently lacking. Lan SiZhui, on the other hand, remained calm. At the thirteenth shop, he repeated the phrase he had already repeated countless times, “Excuse me. Is anyone in there?”
Suddenly, the door slid open, revealing a thin, black gap.
Behind the door, it was so dark that no one could see what was behind the crack. The person who opened the door didn’t make a sound. The boys standing nearby couldn’t help but take a step back.
Lan SiZhui regained his composure, “Excuse me, but are you the manager of this store?”
A moment later, an old and strange voice came out from the crack, “Yes.”
Wei WuXian walked over and patted Lan SiZhui on the shoulder, motioning for him to step back as well. He then said, “Manager, this is our first time here. The fog is so thick that we got lost. We’ve been walking for quite some time, and we’re a bit tired. Could you lend us your shop so we can rest for a while?”
The strange voice replied, “My shop is not a resting place for travelers.”
Wei WuXian looked as if he didn’t find anything strange at all, and spoke with a casual expression, “But, in this area, there aren’t any other shops occupied. Manager, are you really unwilling to help us? We’re willing to pay.”
Jin Ling immediately said, “How are you going to get the money to pay? Let me be clear— I will not lend you any money.”
Wei WuXian shook the small bag in front of his eyes, “Look what this is.” Lan SiZhui was shocked, “How dare you?! This belongs to HanGuang-Jun!”
As they argued, the gap opened slightly wider. Although they still couldn’t see the furnishings in the room, they could see an expressionless, gray-haired woman standing behind the door.
Although the old woman was hunched over and appeared somewhat elderly at first glance, she didn’t actually have many wrinkles or age spots. In fact, she could be considered middle-aged. She then opened the door and stepped aside, seemingly willing to let them in.
Jin Ling was stunned. He whispered, “He actually let us in?”
Wei WuXian also whispered, “Of course. One of my legs was in the gap, so he couldn’t close the door even if he wanted to. If he still wouldn’t let me in, I would have broken the door down.”
Jin Ling, “…”
Yi City was already eerie and strange; the people who lived here were definitely not ordinary. Seeing how suspicious the old woman was, the disciples whispered quietly. Although they didn’t want to go in at all, there was no other choice. They could only carry their friends, who were too frightened to move due to the intoxication, and enter the door one by one. The old woman stood waiting by the side, staring at them coldly. Once everyone was inside, she immediately closed the door. The room fell back into darkness. Wei WuXian asked, “Manager, why don’t you turn on the lights?”
The old woman said, “The lamp is on the table. Turn it on yourself.”
Lan SiZhui happened to be standing near the table. Slowly feeling around, he found an oil lamp covered in thick dust. He took out a fire talisman and lit it. As he moved it toward the lamp’s wick, he inadvertently glanced around the room, a gush of cold air rushing from his feet to his head. His scalp tingled with fear.
Inside the center of the shop, everyone was packed together, shoulder to shoulder and heels pressed together. Their eyes were wide open, staring at each other without blinking!
Translator’s Notes
Spirit Trapping Pouch : Formerly called Spirit Locking Pouch.