Chapter 26 Hatred—Part 4

Lan WangJi, “Please explain the details.”

Sitting down, his polite words almost as strong as a threat, Nie HuaiSang finally began his explanation.

He began, “HanGuang-Jun, you know that we, the Nie Sect, are different from other sects. Because our sect founder was a butcher, other sects train with swords, while our sect, on the other hand, trains with sabers.”

This was known to everyone and was by no means a secret. Even the QingheNie Sect’s sect motif was the head of a ferocious beast resembling a dog or a pig. Nie HuaiSang continued, “Because our cultivation method differs from other sects, and our founder was originally a butcher, bloodshed is natural. The swords of our past sect leaders were all imbued with hostile energy and killing intent. Almost every sect leader met an untimely death due to a qi deviation explosion. Their irritable temperaments also played a large role in this.”

Wei WuXian raised his eyebrows, “Now, this is pretty close to demonic cultivation.”

Nie HuaiSang immediately defended himself, “That’s different! Demonic cultivation is simply demonic cultivation because it uses human lives. However, instead of human lives, our sect’s swords use the lives of evil spirits and beasts. They have been killing such creatures all their lives, so if they can’t kill them anymore, they will cause trouble and disrupt the sect. The sword spirit only considers one person as its master, not allowing anyone else to use it. We, the later generations, cannot melt those swords. Firstly, it would be disrespectful to our ancestors; secondly, even melting them might not solve the problem.”

Wei WuXian commented, “They’re too confident, aren’t they?”

Nie HuaiSang, “Indeed. The swordsmen who fought and cultivated alongside our ancestors are indeed in a position to be proud of.”

He continued, “As generations passed, the sect leaders attained higher cultivation levels, and the problem worsened. Finally, the sixth sect leader found a solution.”

Wei WuXian asked, “To build the Man-Eating Castle?”

Nie HuaiSang, “No, no. Although the two are connected, the solution only emerged later. The sixth sect leader did this: he built two coffins for his father and grandfather’s swords, then dug a tomb. Inside the tomb, instead of precious treasures, he placed hundreds of corpses that would  transform  .”

Lan WangJi frowned slightly. Nie HuaiSang immediately said, “HanGuang-Jun, I can explain! They weren’t killed by our sect’s people! We had to gather them from one place to another! We also bought a lot of them at a high price. The sixth sect leader said, if the sword spirits want to fight evil beings, give them evil beings to fight forever. The pre-transformed corpses were buried with the coffins containing the swords, as if they were burial goods for the sword spirits. The sword spirits would suppress the transformation of the corpses and, at the same time, the corpses would calm the sword spirits’ desires and anger. The situation would continue as before, with both sides controlling each other. Only in this way would future generations achieve peace.”

Wei WuXian asked again, “Then why was the stone castle built afterward? Why were the corpses buried within the walls? And, didn’t you say the castle did indeed take some people?”

Nie HuaiSang replied, “These questions are actually the same. I guess… you could say it did eat people. But it wasn’t intentional!!! Our sixth sect leader built the sword tomb in such a way that it looked like a normal tomb, and future generations followed suit. However, about fifty years ago, the tomb was dug up by some grave robbers.”

Wei WuXian muttered “oh”. He exclaimed in his heart, “  What a wake-up call to a sleeping lion.”

Nie HuaiSang, “For an event as grand as the construction of a tomb, no matter how careful and discreet one is, it is impossible for everything to remain hidden. The tomb robbers investigated the matter and were absolutely certain that there was a great tomb from past dynasties in Xinglu Ridge. They planned this for a long time and came prepared. Among that group of unruly people, there were actually one or two who possessed true skill, which allowed the gang to find their bearings, bypass the maze formation, and find our sword tomb. They had seen enough death in their lives, so, after digging a hole and entering the tomb, they weren’t really afraid of the corpses. But they searched everywhere for gold and treasure, breathing beside the corpses, and, what’s worse, they were young men in their prime, brimming with yang energy. Remember, the corpses lying inside are about to change!”

“It wasn’t hard to figure out what happened. About ten bodies instantly changed shape.

However, these grave robbers were no ordinary people. With their complete equipment, they managed to kill the walking corpses once again. After the fight, flesh and blood splattered the ground. They finally realized the danger of the tomb and prepared to leave. However, just as they were about to leave, they were eaten!

The number of corpses placed into the tomb was strictly controlled. No more, no less, just enough to balance out the sword spirits. It would have been better if the tomb robbers had caused the transformation, because after they left, the sword spirits would have suppressed the transformation again. However, due to the chaos they caused, the corpses were dismembered, so the number of corpses suddenly decreased slightly compared to before. In order for the sword tomb to ensure enough corpses and fierce sword spirits to suppress each other, it… it could only… seal itself off and trap them inside the tomb so that the group could make up for the shortfall they caused.

Since the sword tomb was destroyed, the sect leader at that time began to think of a way out. He chose another location on Xinglu Ridge and built a sword hall instead of the sword tomb. If tomb robbers came again, he hid the corpses within the walls, disguised as corpses.

The sword hall was said to be the ‘Man-Eating Castle’. When tomb raiders came to Qinghe, they pretended to be hunters. They never returned after entering Xinglu Ridge and left no corpses behind, so people began to say that they were devoured by monsters on the ridge. Later, after the stone castles were built, before the new maze was installed, a passerby stumbled upon it again. Fortunately, there were no doors built in the castles, so he couldn’t enter. However, after leaving the ridge, he told everyone that there was a group of strange white castles on Xinglu Ridge and that a man-eating monster must have lived there. We thought it would be beneficial to spread the rumor so that no one would dare approach the area, so we exaggerated a bit and created the legend of the ‘Man-Eating Castle’. But it turns out that the castles really could eat people!

Nie Huaisang took out a handkerchief and a white stone the size of a head of garlic from  his sleeve  . He wiped his sweat with the handkerchief, then handed the white stone to them, “You two can look at this.”

Wei WuXian picked up the stone. Upon closer inspection, he discovered something white protruding from it. It looked like… a human finger bone.

He immediately realized what was going on. Nie HuaiSang finished wiping his sweat and continued, “That… Young Master Jin… somehow caused an explosion that created a hole in the wall. Being able to destroy such a thick wall must mean he also brought a lot of spiritual equipment—but wait, that’s not the point… I mean, the area he blew up happened to be the first sword hall we built in Xinglu Ridge. Back then, we didn’t think to use bricks on both sides and fill the center with soil to prevent Yang energy from entering, so they couldn’t easily transform. We simply stuffed the corpses inside. So, when Young Master Jin made the hole, he didn’t realize he was also destroying the skeletons buried inside. Soon after, he was sucked into the castle wall, replacing the corpses he blew up… Every now and then, I go to Xinglu Ridge to check on things. Today, when I left, I found this. Just as I was picking up the stone, a dog chased after me. Ah… That sword hall is practically our ancestral tomb. I really…”

The more Nie HuaiSang spoke, the more dejected he felt, “Most cultivators know this is our territory, so they would never hunt at night around Qinghe. Who would have thought…”

Who would have thought his fate would be so dire? First, the wayward Jin Ling had set his mind on Xinglu Ridge, and then the two people who had been searching for the ghost’s hand, Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian, also arrived. He spoke again, “HanGuang-Jun and you… I told you not to tell anyone about this. Otherwise…”

Otherwise, given the QingheNie Sect’s current predicament, if this were to be revealed to the public, Nie HuaiSang would be a sinner, a disgrace to his ancestors even if he died. It was only natural that he would rather be the secret laughingstock of the entire sect than focus on cultivating or dare sharpen his sword. If his cultivation reached a certain level, he would slowly become more irritable and, ultimately, die in anger like his brothers and ancestors. Even after his death, his sword would haunt the living and disturb the peace of the entire sect. In that case, being worthless would be better.

An unsolvable problem. Since the founding of the Nie Sect, this had always been the case. Wouldn’t that mean future generations would have to abandon the path and foundation laid by the founder? All cultivation sects excelled in various fields. Just as the GusuLan Sect excelled in music, the QingheNie Sect’s violence and sword spirit were what made it stand out from the rest. If they abandoned their founder’s ideals and began anew in their search for a different path, who knew how many more years it would take, or whether they would succeed at all. After all, Nie HuaiSang would never dare betray the Nie Sect and cultivate a different path. Therefore, his only option was to become a useless person.

If he weren’t the sect leader and had spent his entire life the same way he had in the Cloud Recesses, fooling around day in and day out, he would certainly be in a much more comfortable position than he was now. However, with his brother dead, no matter how hard it was for him, he still had to shoulder the responsibility and move forward.

Nie HuaiSang left after repeatedly warning them not to say anything, and Wei WuXian was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, he sensed Lan WangJi walking over. Lan WangJi knelt down on one knee in front of him, then rolled up his pants with a serious expression. He hurriedly said, “Wait, again?”

Lan WangJi, “We will remove the Curse Mark first.”

In one day, HanGuang-Jun had knelt like that countless times before him. Although Lan WangJi looked quite serious, he couldn’t bear to watch the scene. Wei WuXian said, “I’ll do it myself.” Quickly rolling up his pants, he saw the Curse Mark covering the entire bottom of his leg, past his knee, and spreading upwards. Wei WuXian glanced at it, “It’s already past my thigh.”

Lan WangJi turned his face away and did not answer. Wei WuXian felt a bit strange, “Lan Zhan?”

Translator’s Notes

Transformation  : This refers to the transformation of ordinary corpses into “walking corpses” or “vicious corpses.” If anyone calls this process “zombification” or these corpses “zombies” (as translator Daomu Biji does), I will send a knife to their house. 

Sleeves  : In ancient Chinese clothing, there were openings on the inside of the sleeves for storing items.