Chapter 57 Poison—Part Two

Wei WuXian paused for a moment, “He died.”

Suddenly, Lan WangJi’s tear-streaked face, reflecting the firelight, flashed across his mind. He called out, “How is Lan Zhan?”

Jiang Cheng, “How is that possible? He’s already back. Father originally wanted to ask people to take him to Gusu. He refused. Judging by his attitude, he should have known long ago that this day would come. After all, with the current situation, no sect is better than another.”

The two of them sat down on the wooden fence again. Wei WuXian, “Then what happened to Lan XiChen?”

Jiang Cheng, “The Wen Sect is going to burn down their Library Pavilion, right? Tens of thousands of ancient books and musical scores. The Lan Sect people saved some. They probably gave them to Lan XiChen and told him to escape. They’re protecting everything they can, otherwise everything will be lost. This is what everyone is guessing.”

Looking at the sky, Wei WuXian said, “How disgusting.”

Jiang Cheng, “Yes. The Wen Sect is too disgusting.”

Wei WuXian, “How long are they going to keep jumping around like this? We have so many sects. Can’t we just unite and…”

Suddenly, a series of footsteps could be heard. A group of boys in tracksuits jumped across the hallway like monkeys, shouting, “Shixiong!!!”

The youngest Shidi beamed, “Shixiong!!! You’re alive now!!!”

Wei WuXian, “What do you mean I’m alive now? I’ve never been dead in the first place!”

“Shixiong, I heard you killed a four-hundred-year-old beast?! Is that true? You killed it?!”

“Compared to this, what I really want to know is, Shixiong, did you really not eat for seven days?!”

“You really never practice inedia secretly behind our backs?!”

“How big is the Xuanwu of Slaughter exactly? Can it fit inside the Lotus Lake?!”

“Xuanwu of Slaughter is just a turtle, right?!”

“Shixiong, you spent seven whole days with Lan WangJi of Gusu? And he didn’t beat you to death?!”

The atmosphere, which had been solemn, suddenly turned into a storm.

Wei WuXian’s injuries weren’t particularly serious at first. He had only applied the medicine late and suffered from exhaustion and hunger. However, his physical condition was quite good. After the medicine was applied to the brand mark on his chest, his fever quickly subsided. He recovered after just a few days of rest. After the chaos of the Xuanwu Massacre at Dusk Creek Mountain, the “Indoctrination Sector” established by the Wen Sect in Qishan had been completely destroyed. All the disciples had returned to their respective sects. On the other hand, Wen Chao hadn’t immediately responded. Seizing the opportunity, Madam Yu severely reprimanded Wei WuXian and ordered him not to step outside the gates of Lotus Pier, not even to play in the lake. Thus, he could only fly kites with the Jiang Sect disciples, day after day.

No matter how fun a game is, playing it every day will eventually get boring. So, about half a month later, the children’s interest waned. Wei WuXian was also in a low mood. He played carefree and even let Jiang Cheng win first place several times.

One day, after the last bullet was fired, Wei WuXian used his right hand to form a shadow between his eyebrows and looked at the setting sun, “Let’s get this over with and stop messing around. Food is waiting at home.”

Jiang Cheng, “So this morning?”

Wei WuXian threw his bow aside and sat down on the ground in disappointment, “Boring. Never mind. Where’s the last one from the round we just had? Let’s crush them with our sixth shidi.”

A boy said, “Shixiong, you’re so cunning. You always get people tricked. You’re shameless.”

Wei WuXian waved his hand, “I have no choice either. Madam Yu won’t let me out. She’s at home right now. JinZhu and YinZhu are probably watching from the corner, ready to chase me out at any moment. If I go out, Madam Yu will rip my skin off.”

The worst-performing junior brother joked and laughed as they set off to retrieve the kite. Jiang Cheng stood, while Wei WuXian sat on the ground. The two chatted. Wei WuXian asked, “Uncle Jiang left so early in the morning—why isn’t he back yet? Will he make it in time for dinner?”

The next morning, Jiang FengMian and Madam Yu argued again. It wasn’t quite right to call it a fight. Madam Yu was losing her temper, while Jiang FengMian’s attitude was still evident throughout the argument. Jiang Cheng replied, “He’s back at the Wen Sect to fight over our swords, right? Every time I think about my Sandu being held by the Wen dog, I…”

His face showed disgust. Wei WuXian, “It’s a shame our swords don’t have that much spiritual energy. If they could sheathe themselves, no one would be able to use them.”

Jiang Cheng, “If you cultivate for another eighty years, then maybe it could happen.”

Suddenly, several boys rushed into the Lotus Pier training field, shouting excitedly, “Something’s happened! Shixiong, Shixiong, something’s happened!!!”

They were the Shidi who went to get the kite. Wei WuXian jumped up, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Cheng, “Where’s the youngest? Why is someone missing?”

That’s right. It was the youngest Shidi who had run ahead of everyone when they left, and now he was nowhere to be seen. One of the boys gasped, “Our Shidi was taken away!”

“Taken?!”

Wei WuXian also picked up his bow. Weapon in hand, he asked, “Who took him? Why was he taken away?!”

The boy replied, “We don’t know! We don’t know why they took him!” Jiang Cheng was also anxious, “What do you mean you don’t know?”

Wei WuXian, “Don’t worry. Just tell us clearly.”

The boy said, “While we were picking up the kite, it flew over there, very far away. When we got there, we saw dozens of people, all from the Wen Sect, dressed in their uniforms. There were disciples and servants. The one leading them was a young woman. She was holding a kite in her hand and had an arrow attached to it. She asked us whose kite it was when she saw us.”

Another boy continued, “The kite belonged to our youngest brother, so he said it was his. Then the woman suddenly became angry and shouted, ‘How dare you,’ and then she ordered her men to take it away!”

Wei WuXian, “Just like that?”

The boys nodded, “We asked why they took her away, and the woman kept saying that she committed treason and had ulterior motives, and she ordered her men to detain her. We couldn’t do anything, so we ran back.”

Jiang Cheng cursed, “They didn’t even have a reason to take him away! What exactly does the Wen Sect want to do?!”

“Yes! No reason!”

Wei WuXian, “Don’t talk. The Wen Sect’s people could be knocking on our door any second from now on. Don’t let them hear anything that could be used against us. Let me ask you, that woman, doesn’t she have a sword? Does she look pretty, with that mole above her lip?”

Shidi, “Yes! That’s it!”

Jiang Cheng said with hatred, “Wang LingJiao! That…”

Suddenly, a woman’s cold voice rang out, “Why all the noise? Can’t I just enjoy a day of peace and quiet?!”

Madam Yu stepped closer with her purple robes fluttering. JinZhu and YinZhu, still wearing armor, followed behind her, one on the left and one on the right. Jiang Cheng called out, “Madam, the Wen Sect people are here. Our youngest Shidi has been taken away by them!”

Madam Yu, “You were all shouting so loudly that I heard everything from inside. So what? He was taken away, not killed, and you’re already so angry. Are you still the kind of people a future sect leader should be? Calm down!”

After finishing, he turned to face the gate in front of the training grounds. About a dozen Wen Sect cultivators, dressed in sun-patterned robes, entered one after another. Behind them, a woman in bright attire stepped in cautiously.

The woman’s figure was graceful. Her face was also captivating. With her eyes full of love, her lips fiery, and a small black mole above her lip, her beauty was truly extraordinary. However, covered in rings and jewelry, she seemed to want to wear an entire jewelry store and all the passion her lover had given her; it actually diminished her charm. This was Wang LingJiao, whom Wei WuXian had beaten so hard that she vomited blood back at Qishan.

Wang LingJiao smiled, “Mrs. Yu, I’m here again.”

Madam Yu showed no expression, as if she felt that saying anything more to her would dirty her mouth. Wang LingJiao descended the steps of the main gate. Only then did Madam Yu ask, “Why did you take a disciple from my YunmengJiang Sect?”

Wang LingJiao, “Brought? You mean the one I brought out? It’s a long story. How about we talk about it after we sit down inside?”

A servant, without any notice or request, walked through the gates of another sect and unhesitatingly asked to come in and ‘discuss’ after they were seated. Madam Yu’s face grew colder. The finger on her right hand, which wore the silver Zidian ring, twitched a few times. On the back of her hand, veins slightly popped out of her fair skin.

He asked, “Talk about it after we sit down inside?”

Wang LingJiao, “Of course. I didn’t have time to go inside the last time I gave the order. Please go ahead.”

Hearing the word ‘order,’ Jiang Cheng snorted coldly. JinZhu and YinZhu’s expressions also turned angry. However, Wang LingJiao was still Wen Chao’s favorite. At this time, they couldn’t afford to offend her. So, even though Madam Yu’s face was filled with mockery and her tone was filled with sarcasm, she still replied, “Alright, then why don’t you go in?”

Wang LingJiao smiled at him. He really did go inside.

However, even though he said he wanted to sit down, he didn’t sit down right away. Instead, he wandered curiously around Lotus Pier, forming a circle, expressing his opinions everywhere:

Lotus Pier is indeed beautiful. It’s huge. It’s just that all the houses are a bit old.

“All the wood is black. The color is terrible. It’s not bright enough.”

“Mrs. Yu, you’re not a good hostess at all. Don’t you know how to decorate this place a little? Next time, put up more red curtains. It’ll be prettier that way.”

Walking along the path, she pointed around as if it were her own backyard. Madam Yu’s eyebrows twitched so fiercely that Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng thought she could kill someone at any moment.

After the tour was over, Wang LingJiao finally arrived at the main hall. Uninvited, she sat down at the main table. She sat for a while. Seeing no one would serve her, she slammed the table and frowned, “Where’s the tea?”

Despite her gleaming figure, her demeanor was anything but polite. She acted like a clown. After spending the entire journey with her, everyone was used to this. Madam Yu sat a seat lower. The hem of her robe and wide sleeves flared out, making her figure appear even slimmer and her posture even more graceful. JinZhu and YinZhu stood behind her, both grinning faintly. 

YinZhu replied, “There’s no tea. Just help yourself if you want some.”

Wang LingJiao widened her eyes, shocked, “Have the Jiang Sect servants never done anything?”

JinZhu, “The servants of the Jiang Sect have more important things to do. No one needs anyone else to do things like pour tea. They are not disabled.”

Wang LingJiao examined them, “Who are you?”

Mrs. Yu, “My personal maid.”

Wang LingJiao said disdainfully, “Lady Yu, your Jiang Sect is truly outrageous. This is simply unacceptable. Even a servant dares to interrupt a conversation in the main hall. A servant like this is a slap in the face in the Wen Sect.”

Wei WuXian,  As the person who said this, you are also a servant, right?

Mrs. Yu answered without hesitation, “JinZhu and YinZhu are no ordinary servants. They have lived with me since I was little. They have never served anyone but me, and no one can slap them. They can’t, and they don’t dare.”

Wang LingJiao, “Lady Yu, what are you talking about? In a reputable sect, there must be a clear distinction between superiors and inferiors to prevent chaos. Servants should be as they should be.”

However, Madam Yu seemed to understand the phrase ‘a servant should do what a servant should do’ very well. Glancing at Wei WuXian, she happened to agree and replied haughtily, “That’s right.”

Immediately after, he asked, “Why did you take a disciple from my YunmengJiang Sect?”

Wang LingJiao, “Mrs. Yu, you should draw a clear line between yourself and that boy. He had ulterior motives, but he was caught red-handed by me and transferred to wherever he will be cared for.”

Mrs. Yu raised her eyebrows, “Ultimate intentions?”

Jiang Cheng said without thinking, “What hidden intentions could our youngest shidi possibly have?”

Wang LingJiao, “I have the proof. Bring me the proof!”

One of the Wen Sect disciples handed over a kite. Wang LingJiao waved it, “Here’s the proof.”

Wei WuXian laughed, “That kite is just an ordinary one-eyed monster. What proof do you have?”

Wang LingJiao sneered, “You think I’m blind? Take a good look.”

Her index fingernail, painted red with nutmeg mace, pointed back and forth at the kite, analyzing cheekily, “What color is this kite? Gold. What shape is that one-eyed monster? Round.”

Mrs. Yu, “And then?”

Wang LingJiao, “So? Mrs. Yu, haven’t you noticed yet? Golden and round—what does it look like? …The sun!”

Amidst everyone’s gaping mouths, he continued triumphantly, “Of all the designs, why did he make it a one-eyed monster? Why did he paint it gold? Couldn’t he have made it another shape? Why not another color? Are you saying this is a coincidence? Of course not. He must have done it on purpose. Shooting down a kite like that is actually implying ‘shooting down the sun’! He wants to shoot down the sun! This is extremely disrespectful to the Wen Sect. Isn’t there an ulterior motive?”

Seeing how he was presenting such a far-fetched theory, so confidently, Jiang Cheng finally couldn’t take it anymore, “Although the kite is golden and round, it is completely different from the sun. What’s the similarity? They are not similar at all!”

Wei WuXian, “Then you think you can’t eat tangerines either. Aren’t tangerines golden and round? But I’ve seen you eat them many times, haven’t I?”

Wang LingJiao glared at her. Mrs. Yu said coldly, “So, that’s the kind of kite you’re looking for today?”

Wang LingJiao, “Of course not. Today, I represent the Wen Sect and Young Master Wen, here to punish someone.”

Wei WuXian felt his heart pounding.

As he had expected, a moment later, Wang LingJiao pointed at him, “On Dusk River Mountain, this brat spouted vulgarities while Young Master Wen was fighting against the Xuanwu of Slaughter, causing quite a commotion. He exhausted Young Master Wen, nearly losing to the beast—he even lost his sword!”

Hearing how he had made up a black-and-white story and made it up, Jiang Cheng was so angry that he laughed. Wei WuXian remembered Jiang FengMian, who had gone out earlier, and thought, “  They came here on purpose at a time like this. Or, more accurately, they took Uncle Jiang out of here on purpose!”

Wang LingJiao, “How fortunate! Heaven has blessed Young Master Wen. Despite losing his sword, he managed to defeat the Xuanwu of Slaughter safely. But this brat, we absolutely cannot tolerate him any longer! Today, I am here on Young Master Wen’s orders. Lady Yu, please punish him severely and make an example of him for the entire YunmengJiang Sect!”

Jiang Cheng, “Bu…”

Mrs. Yu, “Shut your mouth!”

Seeing Madam Yu’s reaction, Wang LingJiao was quite pleased, “Wei Ying, if I remember correctly, he’s a servant of the YunmengJiang Sect, right? Right now, without Sect Leader Jiang around, I’m sure, Madam Yu, you know what’s best. Otherwise, if the YunmengJiang Sect insists on defending him, it will make people suspicious… if those rumors… are really true… Hehe.”

Sitting in the front seat where Jiang FengMian always sat, she giggled, covering her mouth. Madam Yu averted her gaze, her face grim. Jiang Cheng heard her words hint at something. He growled, “What rumors?!”

Wang LingJiao continued to giggle, “What rumors are you asking? It must be about Sect Leader Jiang’s old love affair…”

Seeing such a woman dare to make up stories about Jiang FengMian in front of them, a fire burned within Wei WuXian, “You…”

However, pain suddenly radiated from his back. His knees couldn’t stop themselves from buckling. Madam Yu suddenly struck him with her whip.

Jiang Cheng berteriak, “Bu!”

Madam Yu had already stood up. Zidian had transformed into her whip form, hissing between her cold jade hands. She shouted, “Jiang Cheng, move aside, or you too will kneel!”

Wei WuXian tried to get up, pushing off the ground, “Jiang Cheng, move! Don’t worry about me!”

Madam Yu lashed her whip again, forcing him to the ground. She gritted her teeth, “… I told you long ago, you… you unbridled bastard! Sooner or later, you’ll bring trouble to the Jiang Sect!”

Wei WuXian pushed Jiang Cheng away. He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, neither speaking nor moving. In the past, although Madam Yu had always verbally abused him, she had never been truly cruel to him. The most he had ever suffered was two or three blows and punishment. He would also be released by Jiang FengMian shortly after. However, this time, he had received dozens of heavy blows. His back was burning, and his entire body was numb with pain. He couldn’t bear it, but he had to. Today, if this punishment didn’t satisfy Wang LingJiao, this matter would never end!

Wang LingJiao watched with a smile on her face. After Madam Yu finished, she immediately pulled Zidian up. Kneeling on the ground, Wei WuXian’s body swayed forward, as if he were about to collapse. Jiang Cheng wanted to help him, but Madam Yu ordered, “Move aside. Don’t help him!”

Jiang Cheng was held firmly by JinZhu and YinZhu. Wei WuXian managed to hold on for a few moments before finally collapsing, motionless.

Wang LingJiao was shocked, “It’s over?”

Mrs. Yu snorted, “What are you thinking?”

Wang LingJiao, “Hanya itu?”

Madam Yu raised her eyebrows, “What do you mean, ‘that’s all’? What level of spiritual weapon do you think Zidian is at? After being beaten, he won’t recover even after a month. That’s enough for him to enjoy!”

Wang LingJiao, “But he will get better someday, right?”

Jiang Cheng raged, “What else do you want?!”

Wang LingJiao complained, “Mrs. Yu, since it’s a punishment, you should make him remember it for the rest of his life, regret it for the rest of his life, and never dare to repeat the same mistake. If he only gets a few lashes, he’ll just jump around again after a while. What kind of punishment is that? Boys his age tend to forget the pain most easily once their wounds heal. It’s completely pointless.”

Mrs. Yu, “Then what do you think? Cut off both of his legs so he can’t jump anymore?”

Wang LingJiao, “Young Master Wen is kind-hearted. He wouldn’t do something as cruel as cutting off his legs. If his right hand were cut off, he wouldn’t care anymore.”

This woman is just flaunting her connections. With Wen Chao’s support, she wants revenge for Wei WuXian’s attack on Dusk Creek Mountain!

Madam Yu glanced at Wei WuXian through the corner of her eye, “Cut off his right hand?”

Wang LingJiao, “Benar sekali.”

Yu ZiYuan stood up. He circled around Wei WuXian and began walking, as if considering the idea. Wei WuXian was in so much pain that he couldn’t even lift his head. Jiang Cheng struggled to free himself from JinZhu and YinZhu’s embrace. He knelt down, hovering over Wei WuXian. “Mom, Mom, please don’t… It’s not what he said…”

Wang LingJiao raised her voice, “Young Master Jiang, are you saying that I made up stories?”

On the ground, Wei WuXian couldn’t even turn around.  “Fabrication?” What was “fabrication?”  And suddenly, he realized, ”  It’s fabrication!” The woman used to be Wen Chao’s wife’s maid. She was uneducated and didn’t know many words, but she deliberately wanted to pretend to have a vocabulary. She used an unfamiliar word, pretended to know it, and then misspoke!

The current situation was clearly more pressing than ever, but the more pressing the situation, the more likely it was that people would experience mental distractions, unable to focus on the tasks at hand due to too many scattered thoughts. Thinking about this, Wei WuXian felt compelled to laugh. 

Wang LingJiao had no idea that she had embarrassed herself. “Lady Yu, think carefully. The Wen Sect will definitely expose this matter. With her severed hand for me to bring back, that explanation is enough, and the YunmengJiang Sect will be fine. Otherwise, the next time Young Master Wen asks, things won’t be so simple!”

A cold light flashed across Madam Yu’s eyes. Her voice was eerie, “JinZhu, YinZhu, quickly, close the door. Don’t let anyone see the blood.”

During Madam Yu’s orders, JinZhu and YinZhu obeyed them all. They both knelt on the ground and answered, “Yes!” They closed the main hall door tightly.

As Wei WuXian heard the door close, the light on the ground disappeared. Wei WuXian felt terrified.  Don’t tell me he’s really going to cut off one of my arms?

Jiang Cheng was scared to death. He hugged his mother’s legs, “Mom? Mom! What are you doing? Please don’t cut off her hand!”

After the fear passed, Wei WuXian gritted his teeth, his heart moved,  …Alright! If it’s for the sake of the sect’s peace… a hand is just a hand. Damn it, even if the worst happens, I’ll practice left-handed swordsmanship from now on!!!

Wang LingJiao clapped her hands, “Lady Yu, I knew you must be the most obedient subordinate of the QishanWen Sect! Someone, please restrain this brat!”

Mrs. Yu, “No need.”

JinZhu and YinZhu walked over. Wang LingJiao, “Oh, so you had your servant hold him? That works too.”

Jiang Cheng, “Mom! Mom, listen to me! Please! Don’t cut off his hand! If Dad finds out…”

Everything was fine until she mentioned Jiang FengMian. As soon as she mentioned Jiang FengMian, Madam Yu’s expression changed, and she shouted, “Don’t talk to me about your father! What would happen if he found out? Would he kill me?!”

Wang LingJiao smiled broadly, “Mrs. Yu, I really admire you! It seems like from now on, in the supervisor’s office, we will also get along well!”

Madam Yu withdrew her leg and the hem of her purple dress, which Jiang Cheng had been holding onto. She turned around, her eyebrows raised, “The Supervisory Office?”

Wang LingJiao smiled, “Yes, a supervisory office. This is my second visit to the YunmengJiang Sect. A new supervisory order from our QishanWen Sect, which mandates the construction of a supervisory office in every city. From now on, I declare that Lotus Pier is the Wen Sect’s supervisory office in Yunmeng.”

So that’s why he kept wandering around Lotus Pier, as if treating it as his own residence. So, he had truly made Lotus Pier his office in Yunmeng!

Jiang Cheng’s eyes were red, “What supervisor’s office?! This is my sect!!!”

Wang LingJiao frowned, “Lady Yu, you must properly discipline your son. For hundreds of years, all sects have been under the Wen Sect. In front of the Wen Sect’s envoy, how could he say things like your sect and my sect? I was hesitant at first. Lotus Pier is so old and has given birth to many dissidents, so can it really shoulder the heavy responsibility of being a supervisory office? But seeing how obediently you follow my orders and how your personality suits my taste, I still decided to bestow this great honor upon you…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Mrs. Yu gave him a hard slap.

The slap was incredibly hard, both in sound and force. Wang LingJiao was slapped so hard that she spun around several times before finally falling to the ground. Blood gushed from her nose, and her eyes widened.

Several Wen Sect disciples in the main hall were immediately shocked. They all drew their swords. With a wave of Madam Yu’s hand, a brilliant purple ring of light shot out from Zidian. Most of the disciples instantly fell.

Lady Yu gracefully walked up to Wang LingJiao and looked down at her. Suddenly, she bent down and grabbed Wang LingJiao’s hair. Pulling her away, she slapped her again in anger, “How dare you?!”

She had been holding this in for too long. Her face was now contorted into a grimace as she advanced toward Wang LingJiao. Her face swollen, Wang LingJiao began to scream. Unable to restrain herself, Madam Yu slapped her again, stopping her ear-piercing screams. She shouted, “Look at its owner before hitting a dog! You barged into my sect, and you want to punish my people in front of me? You bastard, how dare you be so undisciplined?!”

After finishing, he tossed Wang LingJiao’s head aside. As if considering it dirty, he took out his handkerchief and wiped his hands. JinZhu and YinZhu stood behind him, wearing the same disdainful smiles he had. Wang LingJiao covered her face with trembling hands, her cheeks streaked with tears, “How dare you do such a thing… Neither the QishanWen Sect nor the YingchuanWang Sect will let you off!”

Madam Yu threw her handkerchief to the ground before kicking him, cursing, “Shut up! You trash servant—my MeishanYu Sect has roamed the cultivation world for hundreds of years, and I’ve never heard of the YingchuanWang Sect! From what gutter did this lowly sect emerge?! What are people like you made of? You’re calling out superior and inferior before me? Then let me teach you what superior and inferior mean! I’m superior, you’re inferior!”

Beside him, Jiang Cheng had already helped Wei WuXian up. Seeing this, both of them were shocked and speechless.