Chapter 41 Grass—Part Nine

Senyum Xiao XingChen membeku.

The words “Xue Yang” were too shocking for her. Her complexion was already deathly pale. Upon hearing that name, all the blood drained from her face. Her lips were almost a reddish white.

As if in doubt, Xiao XingChen asked in a low voice, “…Xue Yang?” He was suddenly shocked, “A-Qing, how do you know this name?”

A-Qing, “Xue Yang is our man! He’s that bastard!”

Xiao XingChen stammered in confusion, “The person who was with us? … The person who was with us…” He shook his head, as if he felt a little dizzy, “How do you know?”

A-Qing, “I heard he killed someone!”

Xiao XingChen, “He killed someone? Who did he kill?”

A-Qing, “A woman! She’s very young. I think she’s carrying a sword. Xue Yang also has a sword hidden on him. That’s because I heard them fighting. They were so noisy. That woman kept calling him ‘Xue Yang’, and saying that he ‘destroyed the temple’, that he ‘killed many people’, and that he should be ‘punished accordingly’. Oh my God, she’s gone crazy! She’s been hiding beside us all this time, and I don’t even know what she’s trying to do!”

A-Qing stayed up all night, fabricating lies in her heart. Firstly, she definitely couldn’t let Daozhang know that she killed a living human, mistaking them for the undead. She also couldn’t let Daozhang know that she personally killed Song Lan. So, even though it was unfair to Daozhang, she couldn’t tell Daozhang about Song Lan’s death no matter what. It was best for Xiao XingChen to run away as far as possible after he found out who Xue Yang was!

However, the news was too hard for him to accept. And, it also sounded a bit absurd. Xiao XingChen couldn’t believe it at all. “But the voice is different. And…”

A-Qing was so frustrated that she kept banging her cane on the ground, “He made it so his voice was different on purpose! He was afraid you would recognize him!” Suddenly, an idea struck her, “Oh right! Right, right! He has nine fingers. Daozhang, you know? Does Xue Yang have nine fingers too? You must have seen him, right?”

Xiao XingChen staggered, almost falling to the ground.

A-Qing quickly helped him to the table, and the two of them sat down slowly. After a while, Xiao XingChen spoke again, “But, A-Qing, how do you know he has nine fingers? Have you ever touched his hand before? If he really was Xue Yang, how could he let you touch his left hand until you found him?”

A-Qing gritted her teeth, “… Daozhang! Honestly! I’m not blind. I can see! I didn’t touch his hand, but I saw it!”

Each shock was more violent than the last. Xiao XingChen was almost at a loss for words, “What did you say? Can you see?”

Although A-Qing was afraid, she couldn’t hide the truth any longer. She apologized and apologized, “I’m sorry, Daozhang! I didn’t mean to lie to you! I was afraid that if you found out I wasn’t blind, you would kick me out! But please don’t blame me for now. Let’s run away together. He’ll be back after he’s done shopping for food!”

Suddenly, he covered his mouth.

The bandages wrapped around Xiao XingChen’s eyes were originally white. However, now, two red spots were seeping from them. The blood was growing and eventually seeping through the bandages, dripping from where his eyes once were.

A-Qing shouted, “Daozhang, you’re bleeding!”

Xiao XingChen seemed to have just realized what was happening. With a soft exclamation, he reached out to touch his face. When he pulled it away, it was covered in blood. With trembling hands, A-Qing helped him wipe away some of the blood. However, the harder she tried, the more blood came out. Xiao XingChen raised his hand, “I’m fine… I’m fine.”

Initially, the wound in his eye would bleed whenever he had an intense thought or emotion, but it hadn’t recurred for a long time. Wei WuXian even thought it had healed. However, today, it started bleeding again.

Xiao XingChen muttered, “But… But if he really is Xue Yang, why did it turn out like this? Why didn’t he kill me in the first place, and instead stayed by my side all these years? Why is this Xue Yang?”

A-Qing, “Of course he wanted to kill you from the start! I’ve seen his eyes before. His gaze is sharper than sharp and scarier than scary! But since he’s injured and can’t move, he needs someone to take care of him! I don’t know him. If I knew him and knew he was a killing machine, I would have stabbed him to death while he was still in the bushes! Daozhang, let’s run! Okay?”

However, in his heart, Wei WuXian sighed, “  That’s impossible. If he didn’t tell Xiao XingChen, he would definitely continue living like this with Xue Yang. Now that he’s told Xiao XingChen, he won’t just run away either. He’ll definitely ask Xue Yang directly. There’s no solution to this.”

As expected, after Xiao XingChen managed to calm down, he said to A-Qing, “A-Qing, run.”

Her voice was a little hoarse. A-Qing sounded a little scared, “Me? Daozhang, let’s run away together!”

Xiao XingChen shook his head, “I can’t leave. I have to find out what exactly he’s trying to do. He definitely has a goal, and he’s been trying to achieve it for the past few years by pretending to be someone else and staying by my side. If I leave him here alone, I’m afraid the people of Yi City will fall into his hands. Xue Yang has always been like this.”

This time, A-Qing’s sobs were no longer fake. She threw the bamboo stick aside and hugged Xiao XingChen’s leg tightly, “Me? Daozhang, how can I go alone? I want to stay with you. If you don’t want to go, I don’t want to go either. If things get worse, we might be killed by him. I’ll be so lonely I’ll die if I wander outside alone. I know you don’t want this to happen, so I, let’s run away together!”

Unfortunately, after the secret that he wasn’t blind was revealed, his tactic of gaining sympathy no longer worked. Xiao XingChen replied, “A-Qing, you can see and you’re very smart. I believe you’ll be able to live a good life. You don’t know how terrifying Xue Yang is. You shouldn’t stay here. You shouldn’t go near him anymore, either.”

Wei WuXian could even hear A-Qing shouting silently, “  I know! I know how scary he is!”

But he couldn’t open his mouth and say the truth.

Suddenly, a series of rapid footsteps came from outside.

Xue Yang is back!

Xiao XingChen looked up anxiously, his excitement returning to him from his night hunting spree. He quickly pulled A-Qing aside and whispered, “When he comes in, I’ll deal with him while you take the opportunity to escape. Listen to me!”

A-Qing was so frightened that she could only nod, tears still welling in her eyes. Xue Yang kicked the door. “What are you guys doing? I’m back, and you haven’t left yet? If you’re still in there, open the door and let me in. I’m so tired.”

From his tone and voice alone, one might think he was just a neighborhood kid, a cheerful shidi. However, who would have thought the person standing outside was a depraved criminal, a demon in human guise!

Although the door wasn’t locked, it had been bolted from the inside. If they didn’t open it soon, Xue Yang would definitely be suspicious. Then, when he entered, he would definitely be a little wary. A-Qing wiped her face, “Why are you tired?! It’s only this short distance from here to the market, and you’re already tired?! I was a bit slow because I was looking at which clothes looked better. What’s your business?!”

Xue Yang sneered, “How many clothes do you have? No matter how often you change them, your appearance will always be the same. Come on, come on, open the door.”

Even as A-Qing’s legs trembled, she still spat out loudly, “Hmph! I won’t open it for you. Kick as much as you like.”

Xue Yang laughed, “Mark your words. Daozhang, fix the door later. Don’t blame me.”

After speaking, he kicked open the wooden door. He stepped over the high threshold and entered. He held a basket of vegetables in one hand and a red apple in the other. As he took a bite, he looked down and saw the Shuanghua that had entered his stomach.

The basket fell to the ground, and cabbage, carrots, apples, and steamed buns rolled onto the floor.

Xiao XingChen shouted in a low voice, “A-Qing, run!”

As quickly as she could, A-Qing broke through the coffin house’s door. Immediately after, she took another path and crept back. She climbed into her usual hiding place, the one she used most often and was most familiar with, and even stuck her head out to see what was going on inside.

Xiao XingChen asked coldly, “Is it fun?”

Xue Yang took another bite of the apple still in his hand. After chewing briefly and swallowing quietly, he replied, “Yes. Of course it’s fun.”

He used his real voice again.

Xiao XingChen, “What do you want to do after living with me for so many years?”

Xue Yang, “I don’t know. Maybe I’m bored.”

Xiao XingChen took out Shuanghua and prepared to attack again. Xue Yang added, “Daozhang Xiao XingChen, do you still want to hear the second part of the story that I haven’t finished?”

Xiao XingChen, “Tidak.”

Despite his refusal, his head tilted slightly forward and his sword stopped. Xue Yang replied, “Fine, I’ll say it anyway. After you hear it, if you still think it’s my fault, you can do whatever you want.”

He casually wiped the wound on his stomach, pressing it to prevent it from bleeding excessively. “The child saw the person who tricked him into taking the letter. He felt both frustrated and happy. He rushed to the person crying, and said to him, ‘I brought the letter there, but the cookies are gone and I was beaten. Can you give me another plate?’”

The man looked like he’d been grabbed by a stronger man and beaten. His face was bruised. Seeing the dirty little boy clinging to his leg, he couldn’t contain his anger and kicked him.

He climbed onto the oxcart and ordered the driver to leave immediately. The boy got up from the ground and continued chasing the cart, eager to finish the plate of sweet cakes. When he finally caught up to it, he waved his hand in front of the cart, urging them to stop. The man was so upset by his crying that he grabbed the driver’s whip, hit him on the head, and threw him to the ground.

He said word by word, “Then, the stroller wheel rubbed the child’s hand, one finger by one.”

Xiao XingChen couldn’t see, but Xue Yang still raised his left hand towards him, “He’s seven years old! The bones in his left hand were shattered, while one of his fingers was shattered on the spot! This man is Chang Ping’s father.”

“Daozhang Xiao XingChen, you were so fair and decisive when you brought me to  Koi Tower  ! You cursed me and asked me why I would wipe out the entire sect just because of a suspicion. Is it because those fingers weren’t yours that you couldn’t feel the pain?! Don’t you know how terrible the screams that came out of your own mouths were? Why don’t you ask him why he decided to have fun with me for no reason?! The current Xue Yang is a gift from the past Chang CiAn! The YueyangChang Clan is simply reaping what they have sown!”

Xiao XingChen spoke as if he couldn’t believe Xue Yang’s words, “Chang CiAn broke one of your fingers once. If you wanted revenge, you could have broken one of his fingers too. If you were serious, you could have broken two, or even all ten of his fingers! Even if you cut off his entire arm, things wouldn’t have turned out like this. Why did you have to kill his entire clan? Don’t tell me just one finger of yours is worth over fifty human lives!”

Xue Yang actually pondered this, as if he found Xiao XingChen’s question strange, “Of course. My finger is mine, while those lives belong to others. They won’t be the same no matter how many lives I kill. There are only about fifty of them. How could they possibly be equal to one finger of mine?”

Xiao XingChen’s face paled even further at Xue Yang’s confident tone. He shouted, “Then what about the others?! Then why did you destroy Baixue Temple? Why did you blind Daozhang Song ZiChen?!”

Xue Yang asked back, “Then why are you stopping me? Why are you obstructing what I want to do? Why are you defending those scum of the Chang Clan? Do you want to help Chang CiAn? Or Chang Ping? Hahahaha, how did Chang Ping first cry tears of gratitude? And how did she then beg you not to help her? Daozhang Xiao XingChen, this matter was your fault from the start. You shouldn’t have interfered with other people’s rights and wrongs. Who is right, who is wrong; would outsiders understand? Or, perhaps you shouldn’t have left the mountain in the first place. Your master, BaoShan SanRen, is indeed intelligent. Why didn’t you listen to him and obediently cultivate on the mountain? If you can’t understand the happenings of this world, then you shouldn’t have come!”

It was more than Xiao XingChen could bear, “…Xue Yang, you are really… too disgusting…”

Hearing this, the killing intent that had not been evident in Xue Yang’s eyes for a long time now appeared again.

He laughed bitterly, “Xiao XingChen, this is why I hate you. The people I hate the most are people like you who claim to be righteous, who think they are virtuous, but are actually stupid, naive, and foolish like you who think the world is better just because you do good! You think I’m disgusting? Fine. Do I care if anyone finds me disgusting? But, on the other hand, do you deserve to feel disgusted by me?”

Xiao XingChen paused for a moment, “What do you mean?”

A-Qing and Wei WuXian’s hearts seemed to jump out of their chests!

Xue Yang spoke affectionately, “Lately, we haven’t been going out at night to kill walking corpses, have we? But, a few years ago, didn’t we go out and kill a lot of corpses every few days?”

Xiao XingChen’s lips twitched, as if he was feeling a little uneasy, “Why are you bringing this up now?”

Xue Yang, “It’s nothing, really. It’s a shame you’re blind. You gouged out both your eyes, so you couldn’t see the ‘walking corpses’ you killed. They were terrified, in so much pain when you stabbed their hearts. Some even knelt down, crying, and kowtowing to you, begging you to spare their children and elderly. If it weren’t for me cutting off all their tongues, I’m sure they would have been wailing and shouting, ‘Daozhang, have mercy on us!’”

Xiao XingChen’s entire body started to tremble.

After a long time, he managed to say, “You tricked me. You wanted to trick me.”

Xue Yang, “Yes, I deceived you. I’ve been deceiving you all this time. Who would have thought that you believed me when I deceived you, but now you don’t believe me when I tell you the truth?”

Xiao XingChen staggered and swung his words at Xue Yang, shouting, “Shut up! Shut up!”

Xue Yang pressed his stomach. Snarling with his left hand, he calmly retreated. His facial expression was no longer human. Green light radiated from his eyes. Along with the fangs that were exposed when he smiled, he looked like a living monster. He shouted, “Fine! I’ll keep quiet! If you still don’t believe me, then exchange a few moves with the person standing behind you. Have him tell you whether I’m deceiving you or not!”

A sword brought a gust of wind towards him. Xiao Xingchen blocked it with Shuanghua. As the two swords clashed, his face went blank.

Or it could be said that his entire body suddenly turned into a stone statue depicting a withered human. 

Xiao XingChen asked very carefully, “…Is that you, ZiChen?”

No answer.

Song Lan’s corpse stood behind him. He seemed to be staring at Xiao Xingchen, but there were no pupils in his eyes. He was holding a sword that clashed with Shuanghua.

The two had clearly learned from each other frequently by exchanging blows. Even though their swords had only just clashed, Xiao XingChen should have been able to tell who the other was just from the power of the attack. However, Xiao XingChen seemed hesitant. He turned slowly and reached out a trembling hand, feeling the blade of Song Lan’s sword.

Song Lan didn’t move. Xiao XingChen moved his hand up from the tip of the sword. Finally, stroke by stroke, he traced the character “Fuxue” engraved on the sword.

Xiao XingChen’s face grew paler.

Almost dumbfounded, he touched the Fuxue blade, not even realizing that his palm had been scratched. He was shaking so hard that his voice sounded like it was falling to the ground, “… ZiChen… Daozhang Song… Daozhang Song… Is that you…?”

Song Lan stared at him speechlessly.

Two horrific holes had stained the bandages wrapped around Xiao XingChen’s eyes with seemingly endless blood. He wanted to reach out and touch the person holding the sword, but he was too afraid to reach out, then pull his hand back. A wave of pain ripped through A-Qing’s chest. Both Wei WuXian and A-Qing struggled to breathe. Unable to breathe, tears flowed freely from her eyes.

Xiao XingChen stood where he was, at a loss for what to do, “… What happened…? Say something…”

He was completely devastated, “Can anyone say something?!”

As he wished, Xue Yang said, “Do I still need to tell you who the walking corpse you killed yesterday really was?”

A  clang  .

Shuanghua fell to the ground.

Xue Yang laughed out loud.

Xiao Xingchen stood frozen in front of Song Lan. He placed his hands on his head, wailing as if his chest were being torn apart.

Xue Yang laughed so hard that tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. He scowled, “What’s wrong?! You’re so touched to see your old friend again that you’re crying! Do you want to hug him?!”

A-Qing covered her mouth with all her might, preventing herself from letting out a single, whimpering cry. Inside the coffin house, Xue Yang paced back and forth, cursing in a terrifying tone, filled with both anger and joy, “Saving the world! What a joke. You can’t even save yourself!”

A sharp pain pierced Wei WuXian’s head. This time, the pain didn’t come from A-Qing’s soul.

Desperately, Xiao XingChen knelt on the ground beside Song Lan’s feet. He curled his body into a ball, as if he had shrunk into a tiny, weak mass, almost wishing he would disappear from this world. His snow-white robes were covered in dust and blood. Xue Yang shouted at him, “You couldn’t do anything, you’ve failed miserably, you’re the only one to blame—you asked for all this!”

At this moment, Wei WuXian saw himself in Xiao XingChen.

He, who had failed miserably as he stood covered in blood, who could do nothing but silently acknowledge the criticism and accusations, who had truly given up hope, who could only cry in despair!

The white bandages were completely stained red. Xiao XingChen’s face was covered in blood. Without eyes to cry, he could only shed tears. After being deceived for so many years, he had treated his enemies as friends, and all his kindness had been trampled upon. He thought he was exorcising a ghost, but his hands were stained with the blood of innocent people. He had even killed his own best friend!

He could only groan in pain, “Please. Let me go.”

Xue Yang, “Didn’t you want to stab me to death with your sword just a moment ago? Why are you begging me to let you go now?”

He clearly knew that, with Song Lan’s corpse protecting him, Xiao XingChen would not be able to lift his sword again.

He won again. An incredible victory.

Suddenly, Xiao Xingchen grabbed Shuanghua, who was lying on the ground. Turning the sword, he pressed its sharp edge against Xue Yang’s neck. A dazzling silver sword light flashed across Xue Yang’s dark, lightless eyes. Xiao Xingchen loosened his grip. Crimson blood dripped from Shuanghua’s blade.

Following the clear echo of the sword falling to the ground, Xue Yang’s movements and laughter stopped.

After a moment of silence, he walked over to Xiao Xingchen’s motionless body. He looked down with bloodshot eyes, the curve of his crooked lips slowly turning down. Wei Wuxian didn’t know if he was seeing things, but it seemed like the corners of Xue Yang’s eyes were tinged with red.

Immediately after, he glared while gritting his teeth, “You forced me to do this!”

Then he laughed grimly and said to himself, “Better off dead! Only dead people listen.”

Xue Yang felt Xiao XingChen’s breathing and squeezed his wrist, as if he thought Xiao XingChen wasn’t dead enough, not stiff enough. He stood up, went into the side bedroom, and fetched a basin of water. With a clean towel, he wiped away all the blood on Xiao XingChen’s face. He even replaced the old bandage with a new one, carefully wrapping it up.

He drew a pattern on the ground, prepared the necessary materials, and placed Xiao XingChen properly inside. He only remembered to treat his own stomach wound after so much work.

Perhaps because he thought they would meet again soon, his mood improved. He picked up all the fruits and vegetables scattered on the ground and put them back in the basket. With incredible diligence, he even cleaned the house and put a new straw in A-Qing’s coffin. Finally, he took out the candy Xiao XingChen had given him last night.

Just as he was about to put it in his mouth, he thought for a moment. Resisting the urge, he put it back in. With one hand resting on his chin in boredom, he waited for Xiao XingChen to sit down.

But that never happened.

The sky was starting to darken, and so was Xue Yang’s expression. He drummed his fingers on the table in annoyance.

As dusk fell, he kicked the table and cursed. He stood, half-kneeling in front of Xiao XingChen’s corpse, inspecting the array and incantations he had drawn. After checking repeatedly, he found nothing wrong. However, after frowning for a moment, he still erased everything and redrawn it.

This time, Xue Yang immediately sat on the ground, staring patiently at Xiao Xingchen. He waited a little longer. A-Qing’s feet had already gone numb three times. Now, both of her feet felt itchy and painful, as if being bitten by thousands of ants. Her eyes were also swollen from crying, and her vision was a little blurry.

After another two hours, Xue Yang finally realized that the situation had gotten out of control.

He placed his hand on Xiao XingChen’s forehead, closing his eyes to be detected. A moment later, his eyes flew open.

Wei WuXian knew that what he could still detect was probably just a few fragmented strands of soul.

And, the soul is damaged to such an extent that it can no longer be used to create a ferocious corpse.

Xue Yang seemed to have never expected something like this to happen. For the first time, a look of emptiness appeared on his always grinning face.

Without thinking, even though it was too late, he pressed his hand to the wound on Xiao XingChen’s neck. However, all the blood had already drained. Xiao XingChen’s face was as white as paper. A large patch of dark red blood had dried on his neck. Closing the wound now would be pointless.

Xiao Xingchen is dead. He is completely dead.

Even his soul was destroyed.

The child in Xue Yang’s story who cried because he couldn’t eat cookies was so different from the person he is now. It was almost impossible to connect the two. However, at this moment, Wei WuXian could finally see some traces of that foolish and confused child in Xue Yang’s face.

Instantly, red veins bulged in Xue Yang’s eyes. He abruptly stood up. Clenching his fists, he rampaged around the coffin house. He kicked and struggled, noisily destroying the house he had just cleaned seconds ago.

At this point, his expression, the sounds he was making were closer to the word “crazy” than all of his past behavior combined.

After destroying everything in the house, he regained his composure. He crouched down in his original position and called out softly, “Xiao XingChen.”

He continued, “If you don’t wake up, I will have your good friend Song Lan kill someone.

“I’m going to kill everyone in Yi City and turn them into living corpses. You’ve lived here for so long. Are you really okay with not caring?”

“I will strangle that blind little A-Qing and leave her body in the fields for the wild dogs to devour.”

A-Qing shivered silently.

Not getting an answer, Xue Yang suddenly shouted angrily, “Xiao XingChen!”

He grabbed Xiao XingChen’s collar, even though nothing had happened, and shook him a few times while staring at the lifeless face in his hands.

Suddenly, he grabbed Xiao XingChen’s arm and lifted him onto his back.

Xue Yang carried the corpse to the door. As if he had lost his mind, he muttered under his breath, “Spirit Trapping Pouch, Spirit Trapping Pouch. That’s right, Spirit Trapping Pouch. I need Spirit Trapping Pouch, Spirit Trapping Pouch, Spirit Trapping Pouch…”

Only after he was far away did A-Qing dare to move slightly.

Unable to balance himself, he fell to the ground, then crawled back up after writhing for a moment. He managed to walk a few more steps. His muscles stretched, he walked faster, and began to run.

After running so far that Yi City was left far behind, he finally let out the cry he had been holding in his heart, “Daozhang! Daozhang! Aaah, Daozhang!…”

The scenario suddenly changes and shifts to another place.

By then, A-Qing had probably been on the run for several days. She walked through the unfamiliar city, holding a bamboo stick, and pretending to be blind again. She asked anyone who came her way, “Excuse me, is there a large sect around here?”

“Excuse me, are there any truly powerful people around here? Powerful people who cultivate.”

Wei WuXian thought to himself,  He was looking for someone who could help him take revenge for Xiao XingChen.

Unfortunately, no one took her questions seriously. They often left after a few half-hearted sentences. A-Qing wasn’t discouraged. She continued asking tirelessly, despite being repeatedly chased away. Realizing she wasn’t getting any answers, she left, taking a narrower path.

She had been walking and begging all day. Tired, she dragged her heavy feet to the stream. She cupped her hands and took a few sips of water, soothing her dry throat. Through the water, she saw the wooden hairpin in her hair and reached for it.

Seeing the hairpin, A-Qing pursed her lips, wanting to cry again. Her stomach growled, and she pulled out a small white money pouch from her collar. This was the pouch she had stolen from Xiao XingChen. She then took a small candy from it and carefully licked it. After the tip of her tongue tasted its sweetness, she returned the candy.

This was the last candy Xiao XingChen gave her.

A-Qing lowered her head and packed the bag again. Suddenly, she noticed another person’s reflection in the water.

Standing in the reflection, Xue Yang was smiling at him.

With a cry of surprise, A-Qing immediately rushed away.

Xue Yang had been standing behind her all along. With Shuanghua in his arms, he opened his arms and gestured for a hug. He said cheerfully, “A-Qing, why did you run away? We haven’t seen each other in a long time. Don’t you miss me?”

A-Qing screamed, “Help me!”

However, this was already a hidden mountain path. No one would come to help him.

Xue Yang raised his eyebrows. “I happened to run into you while you were wandering around town after I finished my business in Yueyang. What a wonderful coincidence. By the way, your acting was amazing. You even managed to fool me for so long. Well done.”

A-Qing knew there was no chance of escaping death this time. After being shaken, she thought to herself that she was going to die anyway, why couldn’t she just die after cursing to her heart’s content? Becoming even bolder, she jumped up and spat, “Beast! You ingrate! You lowly bastard! Your parents must have had sex in a pigsty for a bastard like you to exist! You’re just a germ that grew up eating shit!”

Being used to hanging around the market, he had heard more than his fair share of swearing and arguing. He would throw out whatever curses came to mind. Xue Yang just grinned and listened, “You’re pretty good at this, aren’t you? How come I’ve never heard you act so rudely in front of Xiao XingChen? Do you still have more curses?”

A-Qing continued, “Fuck you, you shameless piece of trash! How dare you call Daozhang and hold Daozhang’s sword! Are you worthy of holding it? You’re dirtying his property!”

Xue Yang lifted Shuanghua with his left hand, “Oh, you mean this? It’s mine now. Do you think your daozhang is any cleaner? After this, it will be mine too…”

A-Qing, “You bastard! Just dream! You don’t deserve to call Daozhang filthy. You’re just a puddle of spit! Daozhang must be the unluckiest person in the world to ever meet you! You’re the only one who’s filthy! It’s just a puddle of disgusting spit like you!”

Xue Yang’s expression finally darkened.

After being in anxiety for so long, now that the time has come, A-Qing feels very relieved.

Xue Yang spoke coldly, “Since you like pretending to be blind so much, why don’t you actually be blind?”

With a wave of his hand, a kind of gunpowder hit his face and entered his eyes. Instantly, everything he saw turned blood red, then dark.

Stung by the searing pain in her eyes, A-Qing screamed as loud as she could. Xue Yang’s voice rang out again, “You talk too much. You won’t need your tongue anymore.”

The tinkling of the silver bells sounded as if it were right beside Wei WuXian, but he was still lost in A-Qing’s emotions, unable to regain his senses. His head was spinning. 

Lan JingYi waved his hand in front of him, “No reaction? What if he’s lost his mind?!”

Jin Ling, “I told you that Empathy is very dangerous!”

Lan JingYi, “Yes, that’s because your head was in the clouds and didn’t ring the bell in time.”

Jin Ling’s face froze, “I…”

Fortunately, Wei WuXian finally regained consciousness. He stood beside the coffin. A-Qing, who had already left his body, was also leaning against the coffin. The boys crowded around him as if they were piglets and all spoke in unison, “He’s awake, he’s awake!” 

“Wow, he hasn’t lost his mind.” 

“Didn’t he lose his mind from the start?”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

With the noise ringing in his ears, Wei WuXian spoke, “Don’t be so loud. My head hurts so bad.”

They immediately fell silent. Wei WuXian bent down, reached for the coffin, and slightly opened Xiao XingChen’s collar. As he had expected, there was a thin but fatal wound on his neck.

Wei WuXian sighed silently and turned to A-Qing, “Thank you for all the trouble.”

The reason why A-Qing’s ghost is blind, but not as slow or as careful as other blind people, is because she only became completely blind shortly before her death. Before that, she had always been a lively and agile girl.

For years, he hid alone in the mists of Yi City, secretly opposing Xue Yang by frightening the humans who had entered the city, warning them, and directing them out. How much courage and dedication did he have to do this?

At the edge of the coffin, A-Qing clasped her palms and saluted Wei WuXian several times. Then, using her bamboo stick as a sword, she made her usual “kill, kill, kill” gesture. 

Wei WuXian replied, “Don’t worry.” He turned to the disciples, “All of you, stay here. The walking corpses in this city won’t be able to come here. I’ll be back soon.”

Lan JingYi couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly did you see during Empathy?”

Wei WuXian, “It’s too long a story. I’ll tell you later.”

Jin Ling, “Can’t you just conclude? Don’t leave us stuck in a suspenseful plot!”

Wei WuXian, “In short: Xue Yang must die.”

Amidst the thick fog that stretched as far as the eye could see, the sound of A-Qing’s pole opened the way for him. The two of them moved quickly and soon returned to where the battle had taken place.

Lan WangJi and Xue Yang had already come out. Bichen and Jiangzai’s sharp gazes clashed—the fight was at a critical juncture. Bichen was calm and relaxed, taking the upper hand, while Jiangzai attacked fiercely like a mad dog, somehow managing to keep up. However, amidst the terrifying white fog, Lan WangJi had difficulty seeing, but since Xue Yang had lived in the city for years like A-Qing, he could tell where he was even with his eyes closed. Thus, the fight was at a stalemate. The sound of the guqin occasionally boomed through the fog, deterring the horde of walking corpses from approaching. Just as Wei WuXian was about to take out his flute, two black figures suddenly appeared before him as if they were two iron pagodas. Wen Ning pressed Song Lan to the ground. The two corpses held each other’s necks with their hands, their knuckles cracking loudly.

Wei WuXian gave the order, “Hold him!”

He bent down and quickly found the tips of the two nails that had pierced Song Lan’s head. He was instantly relieved. The nails were much thinner than the ones in Wen Ning’s head, and the material used was also different. It shouldn’t be too difficult to revive Song Lan. He quickly clamped the two ends of the nails together and began to slowly pull them out. Feeling a foreign object moving inside his head, Song Lan widened his eyes and let out a low growl. Wen Ning only managed to stop him from breaking free after exerting more force. When the nails were pulled out, instantly, as if he were a puppet whose strings had been cut, he collapsed to the ground and became motionless.

Suddenly a roar was heard from where the other two fighters were fighting, “Give it back!”

Translator’s Notes

Koi Tower  : Thanks to suggestions from various readers in the comments, Jinlin Tower will be changed to Koi Tower (so you no longer have to memorize the difference between Jin Ling, LanlingJin, and Jinlin).