Chapter 104: Hatred (Part Seven)

Su She finally realized what was wrong and quickly covered his chest with his collar. However, the people facing him had already clearly seen the exposed part of his chest. The skin closest to his heart was riddled with over a dozen horrific holes of varying sizes.

The Curse of the Hundred Holes!

And these were definitely not curse marks left behind by a curse. If so, judging by the extent of these holes, Su She’s organs or even his golden core would be riddled with holes right now. He definitely wouldn’t be able to use his spiritual power. However, he could still use transportation talismans repeatedly, which drained spiritual energy. In that case, there was only one explanation for the origin of these marks—they must have been left behind after he cursed someone else and suffered a backlash!

Back then, it wasn’t that Wei WuXian hadn’t tried his best to find the culprit to clear his name, but there were simply too many people. Furthermore, finding the culprit wouldn’t solve the problems that followed, so he’d given up hope. But tonight, after so many years of fruitless searching, that hope had finally arrived!

Jin Ling didn’t understand. Nie HuaiSang probably didn’t either. However, Lan XiChen was already looking at Jin GuangYao, “Sect Leader Jin, is this also part of the plan to attack Qiongqi Pass?”

Jin GuangYao, “Why do you think that?”

Jiang Cheng’s gaze was cold, “Do you even need to ask? If Jin ZiXun hadn’t been cursed, nothing would have happened afterward! That attack helped you eliminate Jin ZiXuan and Jin ZiXun, both of your generation. It cleared away all who stood in your way to the LanlingJin Sect and the position of Chief Cultivator. Su She was the mastermind behind the curse, and he was your trusted subordinate. Do you need to ask whose orders he was following?!”

Jin GuangYao refused to answer, as if he were deep in meditation. Wei WuXian burst out laughing, staring at Su She, “Have I done anything wrong to you? I have no grudge against you—I don’t even know you!”

Jin GuangYao, “Young Master Wei, shouldn’t you be the one who knows best? Can you survive just because you don’t hold a grudge? How is that possible? In this world, everyone starts out without a grudge. Someone will eventually strike with the first stab.”

Jiang Cheng’s voice was filled with hatred, “You dangerous piece of trash!!!”

However, Su She smiled coldly, “Don’t be too proud of yourself. Who said I cursed Jin ZiXun to frame you? Back then, I wasn’t working for the Sect Leader at all. I cursed him simply because I wanted to!”

Wei WuXian, “Then, are you hostile towards Jin ZiXun?”

Su She, “Arrogant people like him—I will kill anyone who gets in my way!”

Wei WuXian knew that the ‘arrogant’ person he hated the most was definitely Lan WangJi. He couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly happened between HanGuang-Jun and you? Which part of him is arrogant?”

Su She, “Which part isn’t right? If Lan WangJi wasn’t born from such a good background, what right does he have to be so arrogant? Why do they always say I’m imitating him?! Everyone praises him for being so noble and pure—a person like HanGuang-Jun could fool around and do such dirty things with the YiLing Patriarch whose immorality is condemned by the entire world? What a joke!”

Just as Wei WuXian was about to speak, he suddenly felt that the grim yet angry expression was somewhat familiar. He seemed to have seen it somewhere before.

Suddenly he remembered, “It’s you!”

Caiyi Town, Biling Lake, the abyss born in the water, the sword that disappeared in the water, and the Xuanwu of Slaughter, the disciple who pushed MianMian out—Su She!

Wei WuXian suddenly burst out laughing.

He said, “I understand now.”

Lan WangJi, “Understand what?”

Wei WuXian shook his head.

He knew what Jin ZiXun was like. In the past, he often looked down on the people from the affiliated sects, treating them as nothing more than servants. He even thought that attending banquets with them would be beneath his dignity. And as part of one of the LanlingJin Sect’s affiliated sects, Su She had to go to Koi Tower to attend banquets every now and then, and it was impossible for him not to encounter Jin ZiXun. Jin ZiXun was intolerant and unforgiving, while the other Jin ZiXun was arrogant and proud—if something bad happened between the two, it was only natural that Su She would hold a grudge against Jin ZiXun.

If that were the case, the reason Jin Zixun was cursed with the Hundred Holes had nothing to do with him. However, in the end, he was the one who suffered the consequences.

The cause of the attack on Qiongqi Path was the Hundred Holes curse that had befallen Jin Zixun. If this cause hadn’t existed, the LanlingJin Sect wouldn’t have had a reason to attack him, Wen Ning wouldn’t have lost control and gone on a rampage, Wei WuXian wouldn’t have been responsible for Jin ZiXuan’s life, and the things that happened later wouldn’t have happened.

But now, he finally realized that the reason behind the perpetrator’s curse wasn’t to trap him. It even had nothing to do with him!

Such facts are really hard to accept.

Laughing, Wei WuXian’s eyes turned red. He mocked, either to himself or to others, “I can’t believe this is because of someone like you… for such a ridiculous reason!”

But Jin GuangYao seemed to know what he was thinking, “Young Master Wei, you shouldn’t think like this.”

Wei WuXian, “Oh? You know what I’m thinking?”

Jin GuangYao, “Of course. It’s that simple. You must be thinking about how unfortunate you are. In reality, you’re not. Even if Su She hadn’t cursed Jin ZiXun, Lord Wei, you would have been surrounded sooner or later, for some reason or another.” He smiled, “Because that’s just how you are. At best, you’re an unrestrained hero; at worst, you offend people wherever you are. Unless everyone you offend lives their lives safely, once something happens to them or someone does something to them, the first person they suspect is you and the first person they seek revenge on is also you. And this is something you can’t control.”

For some reason, Wei WuXian smiled, “What should I do? For some reason, I think you make a lot of sense.”

Jin GuangYao, “And even if you don’t lose control on the Qiongqi Path, can you guarantee that you won’t lose control for the rest of your life? So, people like you are destined to live a short life. Do you understand? Doesn’t it feel much better if you think about it this way?”

Jiang Cheng raged, “You are the one whose life is so short!”

Ignoring his severe injuries, he grabbed Sandu and prepared to strike. Blood gushed out instantly. Jin Ling quickly pressed him back down. Unable to move, Jiang Cheng was filled with hatred and cursed, “You son of a bitch, shameless as long as you can get up! You didn’t tell Su She to do it?! Who are you trying to fool?!”

Hearing the words ‘son of a whore’, Jin GuangYao’s smile froze for a moment.

He looked at Jiang Cheng. After a moment of thought, he began in a flat tone, “Sect Leader Jiang, calm down a bit, will you? I understand how you feel right now. Your mood is so bad only because you know the truth behind your golden core. When you think back to what you’ve done all these years, your proud heart feels a pang of guilt, so you desperately want to find the culprit for what happened to Young Master Wei in the past, a villain you can pin all the responsibility on. Then, you’ll attack him, both to avenge Young Master Wei and to lighten your own burden.

If believing that everything, from the curse of the Hundred Holes to the attack on the Qiongqi Path, was part of my own plan, would ease your burden, feel free to think as you wish. However, what you must understand is that for what happened to Young Master Wei in the end, you are also responsible, and in fact, you are deeply responsible. Why are so many people fighting against the YiLing Patriarch? Why are they shouting their support, regardless of whether they are involved or not? Why is he being condemned unilaterally by so many? Is it truly their sense of justice? Of course not. Part of the reason is you.

Jiang Cheng laughed coldly. Lan XiChen knew Jin GuangYao was about to start calling white black again. He shouted softly, “Sect Leader Jin!”

Jin GuangYao was unfazed, continuing with a smile, “…Back then, the LanlingJin Sect, the QingheNie Sect, and the GusuLan Sect had already finished fighting over the lion’s share. The rest could only get a few small fry. On the other hand, you had just rebuilt Lotus Pier, and behind you was the YiLing Patriarch, Wei WuXian, whose danger was immeasurable. Do you think the other sects would want to see such a young sect leader profiting? Fortunately, you don’t seem to be on good terms with your shixiong, and since everyone thinks there’s a chance, of course they’ll add fuel to your fire if they can. After all, weakening the YunmengJiang Sect means strengthening themselves. Sect Leader Jiang, if only your attitude toward your shixiong had been a little better, showing everyone that your bond is too strong to break so they could have a chance, or if you had shown a little more tolerance after what happened, things wouldn’t have turned out the way they are now. Oh, by the way, you were also the main force in the siege at Burial Mound…”

Wei WuXian, “It seems like being called the son of a whore is Sect Leader Jin’s weakness. No wonder you killed ChiFeng-Zun.”

Hearing Nie Mingjue’s name, Lan Xichen’s expression changed. Jin Guangyao’s smile also faltered. Immediately after, he stood up.

After finishing his meditation, he tried moving his left hand and found that it finally moved properly. He immediately said, “Get ready to go.”

Su She, “Ya!”

Two monks held Lan XiChen, one on each side. Just as they were about to open the door, Jin GuangYao suddenly said, “I almost forgot.” He turned to Lan XiChen, “Come to think of it, ZeWu-Jun’s sealed spiritual path should be restored soon.”

Lan XiChen’s cultivation was far higher than his. In order for Jin GuangYao to seal his spiritual pathways, he had to seal them every two hours, or Lan XiChen would have to struggle out of the seal on his own. He walked over to Lan XiChen, “Excuse me.”

Just as he was about to reach out, something white and heavy suddenly fell to the ground in front of him. Jin GuangYao cautiously glanced over at it. When his eyes focused, he saw that it was a pale body!

A completely naked woman crawled on the ground, face down, twisting her body and limbs as if trying to rush at Jin GuangYao. Su She lunged with his sword. The woman screamed, and flames erupted around her. She stood up, staggering as she reached out toward Jin GuangYao again. Both her body and face were burned black by the flames, but the deep hatred in her eyes remained. With another lunge, Su She slashed at her body, vaporizing her. Before Jin GuangYao could take a few steps back, he tripped over something, turning around only to find two bodies tangled together. One of them was clutching his ankle. At this moment, a whistle came from behind. Su She seethed, “Wei WuXian!”

Without anyone realizing it, the Guanyin statue in the temple was painted with a jumble of bloody talismans.

The eye of the formation was located right inside the Guanyin Temple. And now, because it had been destroyed by Wei WuXian without anyone’s knowledge, those sealed within were pouring out endlessly!

Suddenly Jin Ling shouted, “What is this?”

Jiang Cheng continuously slapped Jin Ling’s robes. The corners of his clothes were already starting to catch fire. Jin Ling was relatively fine. Several monks were already surrounded by flames, rolling on the ground, screaming. Su She and Jin GuangYao knew they had to clean up the blood Wei WuXian had painted on the Guanyin statue, but they were hindered by the cultivators rolling on the ground and the naked ghouls that kept appearing. Under Wei WuXian’s command, the ghouls didn’t attack Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling, and the others, but Jin Ling still crossed the Suihua before him, “What the hell is this? I’ve never seen anything like it…”

What a naked and shameless ghost!

Anger exploded from Jin GuangYao’s eyes. With a single strike, flames erupted. He finally reached the Guanyin Statue. Just as he was about to erase the talisman Wei WuXian had painted, he suddenly felt something cold behind his waist.

Lan XiChen’s voice was low, “Don’t move.”

Jin GuangYao was about to counter the attack when Lan XiChen struck him once in the back. Jin GuangYao, “ZeWu-Jun… your spiritual power has returned.”

Before Lan XiChen could reply, Su She’s Nanping sword had already been thrust towards Wei WuXian. However, it collided with a sword that had a similar luster, but its light was much clearer.

Books!

As the two swords clashed, Nanping split in two!

In that instant, Su She’s palm ripped open. Blood dripped everywhere. All the joints in his arm were fractured. His sword fell to the ground, and he held his right arm with his left, his face as pale as ash. On the other side, Lan WangJi gripped Bichen with one hand while the other gripped Wei WuXian’s waist, pushing Wei WuXian behind him for better protection. Actually, Wei WuXian didn’t need his protection, but he still leaned against him comfortably and obediently.

All of this happened in just a few seconds. After a few blinks, the LanlingJin Sect cultivators finally realized what had happened. However, Su She was still clutching his bleeding right arm. The wound on his chest had already opened. The Bichen sword had struck Jin GuangYao’s neck.

Now that their main pillar was restricted, none of them dared to do anything rash.

Just as Lan XiChen was about to speak, everyone in the Guanyin Temple’s expression changed. Lan XiChen said, “Young Master Wei, please… put these things away first.”

These ghosts weren’t just naked and dirty, they were even letting out shameful moans, making it clear what they were doing. No one had ever seen such indecent ghosts before. Lan XiChen glanced to the side, Jiang Cheng’s face grim, while Jin Ling looked pale and flushed. Wei WuXian glanced at Lan WangJi, who was standing beside him. He thought it a bit too unreasonable to make someone who had responded to pornography with such anger when he was young feel so ashamed at seeing such a thing. He protested, “I only wanted to release the ghosts he sealed in the Guanyin Temple so we could delay them as long as possible. I never thought I’d release these creatures…”

Like Lan XiChen, Lan WangJi averted his gaze after just a glance at the ghosts. Turning away, he uttered two words, “Fire.”

Wei WuXian nodded immediately, continuing seriously, “Yes. All these ghouls were burned to the ground. It seems like a huge fire once broke out here, burning many people to death. And afterward, to hide everything and seal away the ghouls that had formed from their deaths, Sect Leader Jin decided to build the Guanyin Temple here.”

Lan XiChen, “Sect Leader Jin, does that fire have anything to do with you?”

Jiang Cheng’s voice was cold, “The ghosts hate him. Could it not be true?”