Chapter 101: Hatred (Part Four)

Jin Ling immediately sat up and shouted, “Uncle!”

Jiang Cheng’s gaze swept over, replying coldly, “You wish! Now you call me uncle—why did you run so fast just now?!”

After finishing, he turned his gaze, whether intentionally or not, toward Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi. Before their eyes met, Su She had already balanced himself on his Nanping sword and lunged at Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng hadn’t even attacked when a series of dog barks rang out. The fairy charged into the temple like a flying fish and lunged at Su She. 

Hearing the dog’s voice, Wei WuXian felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He retreated into Lan WangJi’s arms, half-frightened, “Lan Zhan!”

Lan WangJi had already hugged her without needing to be reminded, and replied, “I’m here!”

Wei WuXian, “Hug me!”

Lan WangJi, “I hug you!”

Wei WuXian, again, “Hug me tightly!”

Lan WangJi too, “I hug you tightly!”

Even without sight, just hearing those voices was enough to make Jiang Cheng’s facial muscles twitch. He had originally intended to look like that, but now he had complete control of his neck. Just then, from behind the palace rushed several monks and cultivators, attacking with their swords. Jiang Cheng laughed coldly before raising his right hand, painting a brilliant purple streak across the center of the Guanyin Temple. Anyone struck by the purple streak was sent flying backward, but he still held the umbrella firmly in his hand. Only when everyone in the palace lay in a mess on the ground, convulsing and trembling as if still in shock, did Jiang Cheng finally close his umbrella. On the other side, Su She bellowed in anger, trying to lunge at the dog.

 Jin Ling shouted from the side, “Fairy! Watch out! Fairy, bite him! Bite his hand!”

Lan XiChen exclaimed, “Sect Leader Jiang, be careful of the guqin!”

Before he could finish, the notes of a guqin could be heard from behind Guanyin Temple. However, back at the Burial Mound, Jiang Cheng had already suffered enough from the somber melody. He was certainly more than a little wary. As the first notes echoed, he kicked the ground, using the tip of his foot to pick up a sword dropped by a cultivator. With his left hand, he threw a paper umbrella and grabbed the sword, while with his right, he drew the Sandu from his waist. With a sword in each hand, he slashed them down forcefully.

The two swords clashed, emitting a loud sound that overpowered Jin GuangYao’s guqin.

The method was quite effective! But there was just one drawback—the sound was too painful to listen to! It was so painful, it felt like your ears were about to be pierced by the horrific sound. And for Lan XiChen and Lan WangJi, who had grown up in the GusuLan Sect, it was even more unbearable. Both of them frowned slightly. However, Lan WangJi was busy hugging Wei WuXian, and couldn’t cover his ears. So, as Wei WuXian trembled at the sound of the dog’s barking, he reached out and covered Lan WangJi’s ears.

With a hardened face, Jiang Cheng continued making annoying noises with his two swords as he approached the back of the palace. However, before he could reach it, Jin GuangYao walked out alone, covering his ears. “Sect Leader Jiang, I must admit defeat against such a powerful technique.”

Jiang Cheng swung Zidian at Jin GuangYao, who dodged, “Sect Leader Jiang! How did you get here?”

Jiang Cheng refused to speak to him. Jin GuangYao’s spiritual energy wasn’t as high as his, so he didn’t dare to confront him directly. He could only dodge nimbly, repeatedly, remaining calm as his subordinates attacked Jiang Cheng. “Did you chase after A-Ling when she was running around? The fairy must have also shown you the way. Well, after all, I was the one who gave it to her, but that doesn’t embarrass me or anything.”

Hugged tightly by Lan WangJi, Wei WuXian no longer felt afraid, even when he heard the dog bark. He even had the energy to reflect, remembering someone as he watched Jin GuangYao smile and wink during the fight. He whispered, “He really is the same as Xue Yang.”

However, Lan WangJi didn’t say anything. Receiving no response, Wei WuXian looked up and realized he was still covering Lan WangJi’s ears. Lan WangJi hadn’t heard him at all, and that was probably why he didn’t respond. He immediately let go. 

At this point, Jin GuangYao’s tone suddenly changed, smiling, “Sect Leader Jiang, what’s wrong? Since we started, your eyes have been restless, as if you’re afraid to look in that direction. Is something there?”

Jiang Cheng, “Besides, you’re the head cultivator. Just fight me if you can—why are you chatting?”

Jin GuangYao, “You’re still avoiding him? There’s nothing there except your shixiong. Did you really come here after A-Ling?”

Jiang Cheng, “What do you think?! Who else would I look for?!”

Lan XiChen, “Don’t answer him!”

Jin GuangYao had always been a man of words. As soon as Jiang Cheng started talking to him, his attention would be diverted, and his emotions would be unwittingly affected. Jin GuangYao, “Okay. Master Wei, see? Your junior didn’t come looking for you. He didn’t even bother to spare you a glance.”

Wei WuXian smiled, “Those are strange words. This isn’t the first time Sect Leader Jiang has treated me like this. Do you need to keep reminding me?”

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng’s lips curled up slightly. Veins popped out on the back of his hand holding Zidian. Jin GuangYao turned to him again, sighing, “Sect Leader Jiang, look—being your shixiong is really hard, isn’t it?”

Noticing Jin GuangYao constantly redirecting the topic to him, Wei WuXian began to worry. Jiang Cheng retorted sarcastically, “Sect Leader Jin, isn’t it more difficult being your sworn brother?”

Jin GuangYao didn’t care at all whether Jiang Cheng was listening to him or not, “Sect Leader Jiang, I heard that yesterday you went on a rampage at Lotus Pier for no reason, running around holding the YiLing Patriarch’s sword, telling everyone you met to draw it.”

Jiang Cheng’s expression was enough to send shivers down one’s spine.

Wei WuXian suddenly jumped out of Lan WangJi’s embrace. His heart was pounding. In his mind, a voice murmured, ”  My sword? You mean Suibian? Didn’t I entrust Suibian to Wen Ning? No, when I saw him yesterday, I really didn’t see him carrying it… How did the sword end up in Jiang Cheng’s hands?! Why did Jiang Cheng have someone else draw it?! Has he tried drawing it himself?”

Just as his mind was reeling, Lan WangJi reached out and stroked Wei WuXian’s back. Wei WuXian finally calmed down a bit. And when he saw Jiang Cheng suddenly fall silent, Jin GuangYao’s eyes lit up, “I heard that no one could unsheathe that sword, but you managed to unsheathe it yourself. How strange. The sword sealed itself over thirteen years ago, when I first took it. Besides the YiLing Patriarch himself, no one would ever be able to unsheathe it…”

Jiang Cheng attacked Zidian and Sandu while raging, “Shut up!”

However, Jin GuangYao continued his story with a grin, “And that reminds me. Back then, Young Master Wei was very stubborn. He never carried his sword with him, and he always found different excuses. I always found this strange—what about you?”

Jiang Cheng roared, “What do you want to say?!”

Jin GuangYao raised his voice, “Sect Leader Jiang, you are truly extraordinary, the youngest sect leader who rebuilt the YunmengJiang Sect single-handedly. But I remember you were never able to beat Master Wei in anything back then. Can you tell me how you managed to surpass him after the Sunshot Campaign? Did you perhaps drink the golden elixir?”

When he pronounced the words ‘golden elixir’, his pronunciation was clear and sharp. Jiang Cheng’s expression almost became distorted. Zidian also bloomed with a dangerous white light. Amidst the chaos, a weakness appeared in his movements.

What Jin GuangYao had been waiting for was precisely this moment of weakness. He flung out the guqin string he had been hiding. Jiang Cheng quickly balanced himself to block the attack, while Zidian became entangled in the string. Feeling a numbness in the center of his hand, Jin GuangYao immediately retreated. However, a moment later, he chuckled. With his left hand, he drew out another string and struck Wei WuXian!

Jiang Cheng’s pupils shrank to a single pinpoint. With a flick of his hand, he turned toward Zidian to defend against the guqin strings. However, Jin Ling called out, “Uncle, watch out!”

Taking this opportunity, Jin GuangYao drew the sword that was wrapped around his waist and stabbed it into the center of Jiang Cheng’s chest!

Jiang Cheng’s face darkened as he clutched his chest. Blood oozed from between his fingers, and the cloth instantly turned a dark purple. Right Zidian stopped the guqin strings, and the strings reverted to silver rings and returned to his hand. When its owner suffered heavy bleeding or serious injuries, the spiritual weapon would automatically revert to its lowest form. Seizing the opportunity, Jin GuangYao rushed over and sealed the spiritual flow. He took a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe the sword clean and wrapped it around his waist.

Jin Ling had long since rushed over to help Jiang Cheng up. Lan XiChen sighed, “Don’t move rashly. Help him sit up slowly.”