Chapter 23 Hatred—Part One

At this moment, the unconscious Jin Ling suddenly sat up.

In front of the two of them, he stood awkwardly with his eyes closed. Wei WuXian wanted to see what he would do, so he did nothing as Jin Ling slowly walked around him, took a step, and retreated to the wall where he had been standing just moments ago. He placed his arms flat at his sides. Even his position was the same as before.

Wei WuXian pulled him out of the wall again, finding the situation both amusing and strange. Just as he was about to tell Lan WangJi that he shouldn’t stay there for long, he suddenly trembled in fear, hearing several barks from afar. Ever since they entered, the black-haired spiritual dog had been well-behaved, wagging its tail as it sat in front of the entrance. It waited anxiously yet pitifully for them to bring its master back, without barking again. However, now, its barking was even more ferocious than before.

Lan WangJi said, “There is something wrong outside the palace.”

As he reached out to help Jin Ling up, Wei WuXian got ahead of him and carried Jin Ling on his back, “Let’s go out and take a look!”

The two of them quickly returned the same way they came. Bending down to exit, they saw the spirit dog with its back to them, growling in a choked voice in a certain direction. Although Wei WuXian had gotten close, he couldn’t stand the sound and subconsciously took a few steps back. When the dog turned around and saw Jin Ling on its back, it immediately ran over, making Wei WuXian scream. Lan WangJi shifted in front of him just as he was about to knock Jin Ling over.

The spiritual dog immediately stopped, its tail tucked back between its legs. The reason it didn’t stick out its tongue was because it had something in its mouth. Lan WangJi stepped forward, bent down, took a piece of cloth from between its teeth, and handed it to Wei WuXian. It seemed to be part of a piece of clothing. There must have been someone wandering or spying around the area earlier, and they must have seemed suspicious, otherwise the dog’s bark wouldn’t have been filled with hostility. Wei WuXian called out, “They haven’t gone far. Let’s chase them!”

However, Lan WangJi replied, “That’s not necessary. I know who they are.”

Wei WuXian, “I know that too. It must be the same group of people who spread rumors about Xinglu Ridge, released walking corpses, installed the maze, and built the stone palace. And those swords. But, if we don’t catch them now, it’ll be a hassle to find them later.”

Lan WangJi, “I’ll go after them. What about you and Jin Ling?”

Wei WuXian, “I’ll take him to the Xinglu Mountains and settle him somewhere in Qinghe, around where we met the impostor. Let’s meet there.”

The conversation was moving at a rapid pace. Lan WangJi paused for only a moment, and Wei WuXian added, “Go. Any later, and that person will probably run away. I’ll be back!”

Hearing the words “I’ll be back,” Lan WangJi stared at him intently and then left without another word. The spiritual dog wanted to fall down again. Wei WuXian immediately shouted, “W-w-wait! Take the dog away! Take him!!!”

Lan WangJi had to go back again. He stared at the black-haired spiritual dog. Too afraid to fight, the dog barked as it followed behind Lan WangJi, occasionally turning to look at Jin Ling. Wei WuXian wiped a few drops of sweat from his forehead. After taking one more look at the rows of white castles, he carried Jin Ling again and descended Xinglu Hill.

At that time, it was almost dusk. With a boy on his back and both of them covered in dirt, they attracted the attention of many passersby. Wei WuXian returned to the street where Jin Ling had chased him with his dog and found an inn. With the money he had collected from Lan WangJi, he bought two new clothes and rented a room. First, he took off his Jin Ling sect robe that was wrinkled after being buried in the ground, then took off his boots. Suddenly, his movements stopped.

There seemed to be a shadow on Jin Ling’s lower leg. Crouching down and rolling up the boy’s pants, Wei WuXian discovered that it wasn’t a shadow, but a black bruise. Moreover, it wasn’t a bruise from an injury, but a Curse Mark.

A Curse Mark is a mark made by an evil being on its prey. If it appears, it means the person has offended something very evil. If it leaves a mark, it will find you no matter what, perhaps after a long time, and perhaps even tonight. Consequences range from having the marked body part removed or even death.

Jin Ling’s entire leg was black, and the bruises were still extending upwards. Wei WuXian had never seen a Curse Mark so pitch-black and covering such a large area. The longer he looked, the more determined his expression became. He lowered Jin Ling’s leg and removed his underwear. He only felt relief when he saw that his chest and abdomen were clean, unaffected by the Curse Mark.

At this moment, Jin Ling opened his eyes.

He was confused for a long time. His naked, cold body suddenly came to him. He immediately stood up and roared, his face flushed red, “Wha-what are you doing?!”

Wei WuXian grinned, “Oh hey, you’re awake.”

Looking like he had just suffered a major shock, Jin Ling covered the front of his underwear and shrank into the corner of the bed, “What do you want?! Where are my clothes?! Where is my sword?! Where is my dog?!”

Wei WuXian said, “I was just about to put some clothes on for you.”

Her expression and tone were as kind as a grandmother putting a jacket on her grandson. Jin Ling leaned against the wall, her hair a mess. “I’m not a short-sleeved person!”

Wei WuXian smiled widely, “What a coincidence—me!!!”

Jin Ling grabbed the sword lying beside the bed with such boldness that it seemed as if if Wei WuXian took another step forward, he would kill him and then commit suicide to prove his innocence. Wei WuXian finally managed to stop laughing, “Why are you so scared? It was just a joke! I went to so much trouble to dig you out of the wall, and you didn’t even thank me.”

Amidst the commotion, Jin Ling combed his messy hair with his hands to look a little more decent, and continued to rage, “If it weren’t for this, the fact that kk…

Wei WuXian, “Please don’t. Dying once is painful enough. Okay, okay. Put down your sword.”

With a confused expression, Jin Ling did as he was told and put down his sword.

While they were playing Inquiry, even though Jin Ling’s soul had left his body and he couldn’t remember much, amidst the fog, he knew that the person in front of him was the one who dug him up and carried him down the mountain. After being buried in the wall, he briefly regained consciousness, the fear and despair in his heart peaking. However, he didn’t expect that the person who freed him from that fear and despair would be the person he had hated since the first time they met. His face shifted between white and red. He was both dizzy and embarrassed, his thoughts still wandering. Suddenly, his eyes glanced toward the window and were surprised to see that the sky had already darkened, with a few stars scattered here and there. Coincidentally, Wei WuXian was bending down to pick up the new clothes that had fallen to the ground. Jin Ling jumped out of bed, put on his boots, grabbed his jacket, and ran out of the room.

Wei WuXian initially thought that after going through so much, he might remain listless for a while. Who would have thought that the young man would be so energetic, disappearing into the distance like a gust of wind. Remembering the Curse Mark on his leg, which was no small matter, he immediately shouted, “Why did you run away?! Come back!”

Jin Ling ran, wearing his dirty and crumpled sect robes, “Don’t follow me!” He walked lightly and left the inn in a few long strides. After chasing for a few blocks, Wei WuXian completely lost track of him.

After searching for a while, dusk fell, and there were fewer people on the streets. Wei WuXian felt extremely annoyed, “Damn it. How could this kid do something like that?!”

Just as she was about to give up, a young man’s angry voice rang out from in front of her, down the street, “I just said a few things about you, and you disappear somewhere. Are you a mistress? Your anger is getting worse!”

Jiang Cheng!

Wei WuXian immediately slipped into an alley. A second later, Jin Ling’s voice rang out, “I’m back without a hitch, right? Stop nagging!”

It turned out that Jin Ling hadn’t come to Qinghe alone. Well, that wasn’t surprising. Last time, at Dafan Mountain, Jiang Cheng had already been there to help him, so why hadn’t he come this time? However, looking at the situation now, it seemed like the two had gotten into a fight in Qinghe City, which was why Jin Ling had gone to Xinglu Hill alone. The reason he had fled in such a hurry was probably because Jiang Cheng had threatened to do something to him if he didn’t return before dark or something.

Jiang Cheng, “Are you okay? You look like you just rolled around in a muddy ditch, and you say there’s nothing wrong with you! Don’t you think it’s embarrassing to wear your sect uniform? Hurry back and change! Speak. What did you encounter today?”

Jin Ling replied impatiently, “I told you I didn’t bump into anything. I tripped, and it was a waste of time. Ouch!” he cried, “Don’t pull me like that! I’m not a three-year-old!”

Jiang Cheng spoke harshly, “You think I can’t discipline you anymore? Let me tell you, even if you’re thirty, I can still pull you out. Next time, if you dare to wander around without telling anyone again, the whip will be waiting for you!”

Jin Ling, “I went alone because I didn’t want anyone to help or discipline me.”

Wei WuXian thought, I don’t know about the rest, but Jiang Cheng was right when he scolded Jin Ling for having the attitude of a young mistress.

Jiang Cheng, “So, what now? What did you catch? Where is the spiritual dog your uncle gave you?”

He was chased to a random corner by Lan Zhan. Just as Wei WuXian was thinking, two familiar barks sounded from across the alley.

Wei WuXian’s demeanor changed immediately. His feet moved on their own, and he rushed out as if chased by a poisoned arrow. The black-haired spiritual dog dashed from the other end, past Wei WuXian, and rushed to Jin Ling’s feet, petting him affectionately with its tail.

With the dog’s appearance, Lan WangJi must have caught anyone spying near the stone palace and gone to the rendezvous point they had previously set. However, right now, Wei WuXian didn’t have time to think about these things.

As he ran, he happened to end up right in front of Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling, and a group of other Jiang Sect disciples.

After both sides were silent for a moment, Wei WuXian silently turned around and fled.

After only a short walk, he heard a hissing sound, and a purple electric current coiled around his lower leg like a snake. Numbness and pain spread throughout his body from the bottom up, and he immediately fell down after being pulled from behind. Then, someone lifted him up by the back of his collar. Wei WuXian immediately tried to find the Spirit-Locking Bag, but the others snatched it away first.

Jiang Cheng walked a few steps while carrying her, entered a nearby shop, and kicked a half-locked wooden bolt.

The shopkeeper was preparing to close up shop for the night. Suddenly, seeing a dark-faced, luxuriously dressed young man break down the door and enter holding a person, looking as if he was about to disembowel the victim right there, the shopkeeper was so frightened he couldn’t speak. A disciple approached him and whispered a few words in his ear. With a small amount of silver in hand, he immediately fled to the back of the hall and never came out again. Without further instructions, the Jiang Sect disciples immediately spread out from the inside, making the place inaccessible or inaccessible.

Jin Ling stood to the side, looking like he wanted to say something, but was too shocked to do so. Jiang Cheng glared at him, “I’ll deal with you later. Just stay here!”

From the beginning of his memory until now, Jin Ling had never seen such an expression on Jiang Cheng’s face before. This uncle of his, who had led the renowned YunmengJiang Sect since he was young, had always been cold and dark. When he spoke, he showed neither mercy nor kindness. However, at this moment, even though he was trying hard to suppress any unnecessary expressions, his gaze was incredibly sharp.

Although his face was always grim, tinged with arrogance and sarcasm, it seemed as if every corner of his face was alive. It was hard to tell whether it was burning anger, unbridled hatred, or overflowing joy.

Translator’s Notes

Sabres  : This was translated as “swords” in the last chapter, but, thanks to some commentators, it has now been changed to saber, a more accurate phrase.

Curse Mark  : The literal translation is “mark/scar of an evil curse”.

Underwear  : In ancient Chinese clothing, a set of undergarments could be a shirt and trousers, a shirt and skirt, or a long robe. All undergarments were white and loose. The shirt was worn around the waist, like a bathrobe. Although called undergarments, they were more like sleepwear, but were worn both for sleeping and under regular clothing. Yes, people still wore “undergarments” under these undergarments, so, technically, Wei WuXian wasn’t undressing Jin Ling, unlike most of your fujo brains are thinking right now (e.g., “oh no, WWX is looking at someone else’s *****!”)