Chapter 42 Grass—Part Ten

Lan WangJi’s sword had already slashed Xue Yang’s chest. Not only was he bleeding, but the Spirit-Trapping Pouch he had hidden under his collar was also ripped out by the tip of the Bichen. Wei WuXian, however, couldn’t see what was happening. “Xue Yang! What do you want her to return to you? Shuanghua? Besides, Shuanghua isn’t your sword, so why did you say ‘return it’? Are you shameless?”

Xue Yang laughed out loud, “Senior Wei, you really don’t want to show me any mercy, do you?”

Wei WuXian, “Just laugh. Keep going. Even if you die laughing, you won’t be able to reconnect Xiao XingChen’s soul. He’s so disgusted with you, yet you still want to bring him back to play games.”

Suddenly, Xue Yang shouted, “Who wants to play with him?!”

Wei WuXian, “Then why did you kneel down and beg me to help you heal his soul?”

Of course, someone as sharp as Xue Yang knew that Wei WuXian was deliberately distracting him, first to distract him with anger, and second to make him raise his voice so Lan WangJi would know where he was and attack. Even so, he answered subconsciously. He spoke in a cruel voice, “Why did I do it? Hah! How could you not know? I wanted to make him into a vicious corpse, an evil spirit, so I could control him! Didn’t he want to be a virtuous person? Then, I’ll make it so that he never stops killing, so that he never has peace!”

Wei WuXian, “Hmm? You hate her that much? Then why did you kill Chang Ping?”

Xue Yang sneered, “Why did I kill Chang Ping? Do you really need to ask, YiLing Patriarch?! Didn’t I already tell you? I said I would wipe out the entire YueyangChang Clan, so I won’t even leave a single dog behind!”

Every time he spoke, it was as if he was announcing his location. The sound of knives piercing flesh continued to ring out, but Xue Yang’s tolerance for pain was far higher than a normal person’s. Wei WuXian had witnessed during Empathy that even though his stomach was stabbed, he could still laugh as if nothing had happened. 

Wei WuXian continued, “Your reasoning is excellent. Unfortunately, the years aren’t right. Someone like you who seeks revenge for trivial matters and kills ruthlessly wouldn’t wait so many years to wipe out a clan, right? You know why you killed Chang Ping.”

Xue Yang, “Then tell me. What do I know? What do I know?!”

He shouted the last sentence. Wei WuXian asked again, “You didn’t kill him immediately. Why did you choose to use lingchi, a torture that symbolizes ‘punishment’? If you wanted revenge for yourself, why did you use Shuanghua, instead of your own Jiangzai? Why did you gouge out his eyes and make him look like Xiao XingChen?”

Xue Yang screamed hoarsely, “Nonsense! It’s all nonsense! This is revenge—why should I let him die so comfortably?”

Wei WuXian, “You do want revenge, but whose revenge are you really seeking? What a joke. If you wanted revenge, the person you should have killed with the Lingchi was yourself!”

With two hisses, the sharp sound of something slicing through the air came straight at him. Wei WuXian didn’t even flinch. Wen Ning darted in front of him and intercepted the two spikes that emitted a cruel black light. Xue Yang laughed out loud, as if he were a screech owl. His laughter immediately died down, and he fell silent. He stopped paying attention to Wei WuXian and returned to his fight with Lan WangJi in the mist. 

Wei WuXian thought to himself,  This little brat has such high vitality. It’s as if he can’t feel pain at all and will be fine no matter where he’s injured. If only he’d talked more and Lan Zhan had stabbed him a few more times. I bet he wouldn’t be able to jump around anymore after his arms and legs were cut off. Well, unfortunately, he’s no longer being provoked!

Suddenly, a series of loud knocks were heard from within the fog.

Thinking quickly, Wei WuXian shouted, “Lan Zhan, attack where the pillar is!”

Lan WangJi immediately charged. Xue Yang let out a muffled groan. A moment later, the bamboo pole rang again, from a distance of several meters away!

Lan WangJi continued to attack from the direction the voice came from. Xue Yang threatened, “Little Blind, aren’t you afraid I’ll tear you to pieces, following me like that?”

Ever since Xue Yang killed her, A-Qing had been hiding to prevent her from being discovered. However, for some reason, Xue Yang didn’t care much for such ghosts, as if he felt she was too weak to be worth worrying about. Now, A-Qing followed Xue Yang like his shadow. Tapping Xue Yang’s bamboo pole and indicating its location, A-Qing showed Lan WangJi where to strike!

Xue Yang’s movements were incredibly fast. He instantly disappeared into thin air. In her lifetime, A-Qing had also been a fast runner. Now that she was a ghost, she clung to him as if he were a curse. She slammed her cane against the ground as fast as she could. The sharp knocks sounded near and far, left and right, front and back. It was impossible to dodge. As soon as they sounded, Bichen’s sharp gaze followed!

Originally, Xue Yang had moved through the fog like a fish in water. He could hide and sneak attacks at will. However, now, he had to be cautious when facing A-Qing. With a curse, he immediately threw a talisman behind him. Immediately after that split-second of confusion, following A-Qing’s bone-chilling scream, Bichen pierced her chest!

Even though A-Qing’s spirit had been destroyed by Xue Yang’s talisman and there was no longer any sound indicating her presence, the attack was crucial. Xue Yang couldn’t continue to be as unpredictable as before!

From the mist came the sound of someone coughing up blood. Wei WuXian threw out a Spirit-Trapping Pouch to save A-Qing’s life. With heavy steps, Xue Yang walked for a while, then suddenly shot forward. With his arms outstretched, he roared, “Give it to me!”

Bichen’s blue light sliced ​​through the air. Lan WangJi decisively severed one of his arms.

Blood immediately gushed out. In front of Wei WuXian, the vast white mist had been stained red. The scent of blood was so strong that even a single breath could smell a damp and rusty scent. However, he didn’t care at all. He fully concentrated on searching for and absorbing A-Qing’s scattered soul. On the other hand, although Xue Yang didn’t make a sound, there was the sound of his knees hitting the ground. It seemed that he had lost so much blood that he finally fainted, unable to walk any further.

Lan Wangji summoned Bichen again. His next attack would behead Xue Yang!

But suddenly, blue flames shot from the mist-covered earth into the sky.

That’s the fire from the transportation talisman!

Wei WuXian knew the situation wasn’t bright. He ignored the danger behind the fog and rushed over. Soon, he nearly slipped on the ground. Where the scent of blood was strongest, the ground was covered in fresh, wet blood, all from Xue Yang’s severed arm.

However, Xue Yang was gone.

Lan WangJi walked closer. Wei WuXian asked, “Grave digger?”

Xue Yang’s most vital organ had been injured by Bichen, and he had also lost an arm. Judging by the amount of blood he had lost, he was certain to die. It was impossible for him to retain enough spiritual energy and power to use the transportation talisman. 

Lan WangJi nodded slowly, “I’ve already hit the gravedigger three times. Just as he was about to be captured, a group of walking corpses attacked, giving him a chance to escape.”

Wei WuXian spoke with a serious expression, “Despite his injuries, the gravedigger still took Xue Yang’s body away, even though he lost a lot of his spiritual power. He probably knew who Xue Yang was and what he could do. Taking Xue Yang’s body away… was to find out if he carried the Stygian Tiger Seal.”

It was said that after Xue Yang was “eliminated” by Jin GuangYao, the Stygian Tiger Seal disappeared. However, judging by the current situation, he most likely took the seal with him. Tens of thousands of walking corpses, even ferocious ones, had gathered in Yi City. They would be extremely difficult to control with just corpse poison powder and skull-piercing spikes. Only the Stygian Tiger Seal could explain how Xue Yang commanded them at will, ordering them to obey him and attack for him. Someone as cunning and distrustful as him would definitely not keep the Tiger Seal somewhere they couldn’t see. Only keeping it with him at all times would give him a sense of security. When the gravedigger carried away his corpse, he also took the Stygian Tiger Seal with him.

This was no small matter at all. Wei WuXian’s voice was firm, “Since the situation has already come to this, we can only hope that there’s a limit to the power of the Tiger Seal Xue Yang restored.”

Suddenly, with a light toss, Lan WangJi gave him something.

Wei WuXian caught it perfectly, “What is it?”

Lan WangJi, “Tangan kanan.”

He had thrown out a new Qiankun Pouch. Finally remembering their original purpose for coming to Yi City, Wei WuXian brightened, “Our friend’s right hand man?”

Lan WangJi, “Mnn.”

Despite the obstacles of the gravediggers, the hordes of walking corpses, and the thick fog, Lan WangJi still managed to find the corpse’s right hand. Wei WuXian was delighted. He praised, “I didn’t expect HanGuang-Jun to be so lacking! Now, we’re one step ahead of them again. Too bad it wasn’t his head. I wanted to see what our good friend looked like. Well, I guess that’ll happen soon… Where’s Song Lan?”

After Xue Yang’s corpse disappeared, the mist’s circulation accelerated. The mist seemed to thin, and the surroundings became easier to see. Because of this, Wei WuXian suddenly realized that Song Lan was gone. Where he had originally been lying, only Wen Ning remained crouched on the ground, staring blankly at them.

Lan WangJi returned his hand to Bichen, which he had already drawn. Wei WuXian stopped him, “It’s fine. There’s no need to worry. Song Lan, or that ferocious corpse over there, probably no longer has any killing intent, otherwise Wen Ning would have warned us. He’s most likely already regained consciousness and left on his own.”

He whistled softly. Wen Ning stood up and was about to leave, his figure disappearing into the mist. The sound of the chain dragging on the ground slowly faded into the distance. Lan WangJi didn’t say anything else. He calmly turned to Wei WuXian, “Let’s go.”

Just as they were about to leave, Wei WuXian suddenly stopped, “Wait.”

He saw something lying alone in the blood.

His left arm was severed. Four of his fingers were clenched. His little finger was missing.

His fists were clenched tightly. Wei WuXian crouched down. Using only his full strength, he managed to pry the fingers open one by one. Once the fists were open, he found a small piece of candy inside.

The candy was a little black. It was definitely no longer edible.

His grip was so tight it almost broke.

Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi returned to the coffin house together. The door was open. As they had expected, Song Lan was standing beside the coffin where Xiao XingChen lay, looking inside with his head bowed.

All the disciples drew their swords. They huddled to the side, staring intently at the ferocious corpse that had just attacked them. Seeing Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi return, they looked as if their lives had been saved, but they were too afraid to make a sound, afraid of alarming or angering Song Lan. 

Wei WuXian walked into the coffin house and introduced to Lan WangJi, “This is Song Lan, Daozhang Song ZiChen.”

Standing beside the coffin, Song Lan raised his head and turned to look at them. Lifting the hem of his robe, Lan WangJi stepped gracefully through the high threshold and nodded.

As Song Lan regained consciousness, her pupils returned to normal. A pair of clear, black eyes stared back at them.

Amidst Xiao XingChen’s previously blank gaze, there was a deep, indescribable sadness.

So, there was no need to ask anything. Wei WuXian already knew. As long as Xue Yang turned him into a violent corpse and ruled over him, he saw and remembered everything.

No matter how much they ask, how much they talk, it only further emphasizes the suffering and despair.

After a moment of silence, Wei WuXian took out two equally small Spirit-Trapping Pouches. He handed them to Song Lan, “Daozhang Xiao XingChen and Miss A-Qing.”

Although A-Qing was extremely afraid of Xue Yang, some time ago, she still followed Xue Yang closely, preventing him from escaping or dodging. Finally, Bichen stabbed her in the heart and received the punishment she deserved. A-Qing nearly disappeared because of a single slap of a talisman. Wei WuXian only brought back a few fragments after searching and assembling them with all his might. However, now, the fragments were scattered, just like Xiao XingChen.

Of the two wisps of weak souls, each curled up inside the Spirit Trapping Pouch. It seemed as if with just a slight bump, they would vanish into nothingness. With trembling hands, Song Lan picked them up and placed them in his palm. He didn’t even dare to hold them by the string, afraid they would shake too much.

Wei WuXian asked, “Daozhang Song, what do you want to do with Daozhang Xiao XingChen’s corpse?”

With one hand tightly gripping the two bags, he took out Fuxue with the other and wrote two lines on the ground, “Burn the body. Preserve the soul.”

Xiao Xingchen’s soul was now shattered, and he would definitely not be able to return to his body, so burning his corpse wasn’t a bad idea. With his body gone and only his pure soul remaining, with diligent care, perhaps one day he would return.

Wei WuXian nodded, “What are your plans after this?”

Song Lan wrote, “Explore this world with Shuanghua. Banish evil creatures with XingChen.” After a pause, she continued, “When he wakes up, say sorry, it wasn’t your fault.”

This was what he couldn’t tell Xiao XingChen before he died.

The fog of Yi City slowly cleared. Roads and intersections became visible. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian led the group of disciples out of the deserted city. At the city gates, Song Lan parted ways with them.

He was still wearing his dark cultivation robe. Standing alone, he carried two swords, Shuanghua and Fuxue, he carried two souls, Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing, and walked on different paths.

Not what brought them to Yi City.

Lan SiZhui watched his departure, “‘Xiao XingChen, bright moon, gentle breeze; Song ZiChen, distant snow, bitter frost’… I wonder if the two of them will ever meet again.”

Wei WuXian walked along a path overgrown with weeds. Suddenly, he saw a patch of grass and thought, “  Back then, this was where Xiao XingChen and A-Qing brought Xue Yang back.”

Lan JingYi, “Now you have to tell me what you really saw in Empathy, right? Why was it Xue Yang? Why was he pretending to be Xiao XingChen?”

“And, also, what is that Ghost General? Where did the Ghost General go? Why don’t we see him anymore? Is he still in Yi City? Why did he appear so suddenly?”

Wei WuXian pretended not to hear the second set of questions, “Well, this is a very complicated story…”

As they walked, after he finished telling the story, everyone became very depressed because no one still remembered the Ghost General.

Lan JingYi was the first to cry, “Why does something like this exist?!”

Jin Ling raged, “That Xue Yang is such a dirty bastard! Death is letting him off the hook too easily! If Fairy were here, I would have her bite him to death!”

Wei WuXian was terrified. If Fairy had been here, before Xue Yang died, he himself would have been scared to death.

The boy who had been praising A-Qing through the crack in the door stomped his feet, “Girl A-Qing, oh, Girl A-Qing!”

Lan Jingyi cried the loudest. He looked terrible, but this time, no one reminded him to keep his voice down, because Lan Sizhui’s eyes were also red. Luckily, Lan Wangji didn’t silence him. Lan Jingyi suggested through tears and snot, “We should burn paper money for Daozhang Xiao Xingchen and Lady A-Qing. There’s a village in front of the crossroads there, right? Let’s buy some things and pray for them.”

Everyone agreed, “Sure, sure!”

While chatting, they arrived at the village. Lan JingYi and Lan SiZhui impatiently rushed in, bringing some incense sticks, candles, and paper money. Walking to the side, they made something resembling a stove out of bricks and stones. The boys then squatted around it and began burning the paper money, muttering as they fanned the flames. Wei WuXian wasn’t in a good mood either. On the way there, he hadn’t even joked around much. However, seeing this, he finally couldn’t stand it any longer. He turned to Lan WangJi, “HanGuang-Jun, look at what they’re doing right in front of someone else’s door. You didn’t even stop them.”

Lan WangJi replied indifferently, “You can stop them.”

Wei WuXian, “Alright. I’ll discipline them for you.”

And he said, “Am I hallucinating? You’re all followers of a prominent cult. Your parents and relatives must have taught you that the dead can’t accept paper money, right? Why would the dead want money? They can’t accept it. And you’re standing at someone’s doorstep. If you burn it here…”

Lan JingYi waved his hand at him, “Shh, shh. You’re blocking the wind. It won’t be able to burn anymore. Besides, you’re not dead yet, so how do you know that dead people don’t accept paper money?”

With a face full of tears and ashes, the other boy turned to him and agreed, “Right. How do you know? What if they really can accept it?”

Wei WuXian muttered, “How should I know?”

Of course he knows!

During the ten years of his death, he did not even receive a single banknote!

Lan JingYi stabbed another knife into his heart, “Even if you can’t accept it, maybe it’s because no one burned it for you.”

Wei WuXian wondered,  How could that be? Am I really such a loser? Did no one burn any paper money for me? Is it because no one burned it that I didn’t receive a single penny?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was impossible. He turned and whispered to Lan WangJi, “HanGuang-Jun, have you burned the paper money for me? You’ve at least burned the paper money for me, right?”

Lan WangJi glanced at him. He lowered his head, brushed the dust off the cuffs of his sleeves, and then stared silently into the distance, not saying a word in response.

Seeing her calm face, Wei WuXian thought to himself,  Really?

Did he really not burn anything?!

Suddenly, a villager walked over, carrying a bow on his back. He looked a little annoyed, “Why are you burning this here? It’s right in front of my house. It’s horrible!”

These boys had never done anything like this before and didn’t know that burning paper money in front of someone’s house was considered bad manners. They all apologized. Lan SiZhui hurriedly wiped his face, “Is that your house over there?”

The villager said, “Hey, you brat, watch what you say. My family has lived here for three generations. How could this not be my house?”

Hearing his tone, Jin Ling immediately felt displeased and was about to stand up, “How dare you talk to us like this?”

Wei WuXian pressed his head down and held it down again. Lan SiZhui continued, “I understand now. Sorry, I didn’t mean anything else by my question. It’s just that the last time we passed by this house, we saw another hunter, which is why we were confused.”

The villager was confused, “Another hunter? What do you mean another hunter?”

He formed the number “three” with his fingers, “This house has been passed down through three generations. There’s only me, no other brothers! My father died a long time ago, and I haven’t even married, let alone had children. How could there be other hunters?”

Lan JingYi, “That’s right!”

He stood up, “He was wearing a lot of clothes and a big hat, sitting in your yard, fixing his bow and arrows, as if he was going hunting soon. When we arrived, we even asked for directions. He was the one who showed us to Yi City!”

The villager spat, “Nonsense! You actually saw him in my yard? There’s nothing like him in my house! Even ghosts can beat people in a place like Yi City. Did he lead you there? More accurately, he wants to kill you! That thing you saw must be a ghost!”

He spat a few times, venting his anger, then shook his head and turned to leave. The children exchanged glances. Lan JingYi continued to protest, “But he really was sitting in this courtyard. I remember it clearly…”

Wei WuXian said a few things to Lan WangJi. He then turned around, “Do you understand now? Someone brought you to Yi City. The hunter who led you there wasn’t a villager at all. He was disguised by someone with malicious intentions.”

Jin Ling, “Did someone bring us here since the cats’ carcasses? Did the fake hunter do all that?”

Wei WuXian, “Most likely so.”

Lan SiZhui wondered, “Why did he spend so much effort bringing us to Yi City?”

Wei WuXian, “We still don’t know. But, after this, please be careful. If you encounter such strange things again, don’t search alone. Contact your sect first and work together with a large group of people. If it weren’t for HanGuang-Jun also being in Yi City, you might already be dead.”

Imagining what would happen if they were trapped in Yi City, many disciples felt their hairs stand on end. Whether they ended up surrounded by a horde of corpses or faced with the living demon Xue Yang, the situation would undoubtedly be extremely dire.

Walking with his followers, after a while, when the sky was almost dark, Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian finally arrived at the town where the dogs and donkeys were stationed.

The city was not only brightly lit, but also filled with the chatter of people. All the students exclaimed that this place finally felt like a human habitation.

Wei WuXian reached out his hand toward the donkey and shouted, “Little Apple!”

Little Apple neighed as if mad. Wei WuXian immediately heard the dog’s barking. He immediately ran behind Lan WangJi. The fairy also rushed over. The dog and the donkey stood opposite each other, growling at each other.

Lan WangJi, “The rope. Time to eat.”

Dragging Wei WuXian, who was almost clinging to his back, he walked to the second floor, following the tea servant. Jin Ling and the others wanted to follow, but Lan WangJi turned around and glanced at them. Lan SiZhui immediately told the others, “The rooms for the elders and juniors should be separated. We can stay on the first floor.”

Lan WangJi nodded and continued walking, his face as indifferent as ever. Jin Ling stood on the stairs hesitantly, wondering whether to go up or down. Wei WuXian turned around and sneered, “Adults and children should be separated. You’d better not see some of the things that happen.”

Jin Ling’s lips twitched, “Who wants to see that!”

Lan Wangji had a servant prepare a table downstairs for the group of students and a private room upstairs for Wei Wuxian and himself. The two sat opposite each other.

Wei WuXian, “HanGuang-Jun, listen to me. Please don’t let your sect handle all the fallout from Yi City alone. This city is huge. If you really want to clean this place up, it will cost a lot of money in many ways. It will be quite difficult. Shuzhong isn’t under the administration of the GusuLan Sect, after all. Count the disciples downstairs and see which sects they come from. Add up their sects as well. Those sects will help you, too.”

Lan WangJi, “I will consider it.”

Wei WuXian, “Yes, go ahead. Everyone loves to fight over prey and shift responsibility. Now, if your sect is being exploited, even if it’s for their own good, they probably won’t be grateful or understand why you’re doing it. If this keeps happening, they’ll start to look down on your sect for always taking care of such things. That’s just the way the world is.”

After a pause, he continued, “But speaking of which, they were truly unlucky. Yi City is too remote and there are no watchtowers nearby. Otherwise, Jin Ling, Si Zhui, and the others wouldn’t have accidentally barged in. Maiden A-Qing and Daozhang Xiao XingChen’s souls wouldn’t have hidden for all these years, either.”

No matter how large or small, the number of cultivation sects is as numerous as the stars in the night sky. Most sects are located in prosperous, easily accessible cities or in spiritual places with beautiful scenery. However, these sects are reluctant to locate in certain remote areas. Rogue cultivators also rarely travel to such places. Therefore, when evil beings plague the area, the inhabitants often suffer in silence, unable to find help anywhere. 

When the previous leader of the LanlingJin Sect, Jin GuangShan, was still alive, Jin GuangYao had once raised this issue. However, the cost was prohibitive, and Jin GuangShan wasn’t particularly enthusiastic. Furthermore, because the LanlingJin Sect’s leadership wasn’t as strong at the time, the matter was considered unimportant, and ultimately, nothing happened.

After Jin GuangYao officially succeeded the Sect Leader and became the Chief Cultivator, he immediately gathered people and resources from various sects and began to realize his past goals. Initially, the opposition was deafening. Many suspected that the LanlingJin Sect was exploiting him for personal gain and enrichment. With a smiling face, Jin GuangYao persevered for five years. Over the years, he made alliances with and clashed with many people. Using both gentle and firm methods, he did everything he could, and his goal was finally achieved. Over 1,200 “watchtowers” were built.

These “watchtowers” were scattered throughout the more remote areas. Each watchtower was assigned to a specific sect’s disciples. If anything unusual occurred, they would immediately take action. When they were unable to resolve the problem, they would send messages to other sects or rogue cultivators for assistance. Even if the cultivators who came sought rewards and the locals were too poor to provide them, the money the LanlingJin Sect collected each year would be enough to sustain them.

All of this happened after the death of the YiLing Patriarch. Wei WuXian only learned the details from Lan WangJi after they passed several watchtowers on their journey. Rumors circulated that Koi Tower was preparing to build another watchtower, increasing the number to three thousand, thus covering a wider area. Although after the first watchtower was built, it received widespread approval for its extraordinary effects, voices of suspicion and ridicule never died down. When the time came, the cultivation world would surely be thrown into chaos once again.

Soon, the food and drinks arrived. Wei WuXian glanced at the table, pretending not to notice. Almost all the dishes were stained red with blood. Paying attention to Lan WangJi’s chopsticks, he noticed that he mostly ate lighter dishes, rarely anything bright red. Even as he ate, his expression remained the same. Wei WuXian felt something tug at his heart. 

Noticing his gaze, Lan WangJi asked, “What’s wrong?”

Wei WuXian slowly poured himself a cup of liquor, “I want someone to drink with me.”