Lan WangJi's sword had slashed across Xue Yang's chest. Not only did he bleed, the Spirit-trapping Pouch that he hid in his lapels had been taken out by the Bichen's tip as well. Wei WuXian, though, couldn't see what was happening, "Xue Yang! What do you want him to give back to you? Shuanghua? It's not like Shuanghua is your sword to begin with, so why do you say 'give it back'? Do you know no shame?"
Xue Yang laughed loudly, "Senior Wei, you really don't want to show me any mercy, do you?"
Wei WuXian, "Laugh. Go on. Even if you die laughing, you won't be able to piece together Xiao XingChen's soul. He was so disgusted by you, yet you still want to bring him back to play games."
Abruptly, Xue Yang shouted, "Who wants to play games with him?!"
Wei WuXian, "Then why did you kneel and beg me so that I can help you mend his soul?"
Of course, someone as sharp as Xue Yang knew that Wei WuXian was purposely diverting him, first to distract him with anger, second to make him raise his voice so that Lan WangJi could tell where he was and attack. Even so, he replied in spite of himself. He spoke in a cruel voice, "Why did I do so? Hah! How can you not know? I want to make him into a fierce corpse, an evil spirit, so that I can control him! Didn't he want to be a virtuous person? Then, I'll make it so that he never stops killing, so that he'll never be at peace!"
Wei WuXian, "Hmm? You hate him that much? Then why did you kill Chang Ping?"
Xue Yang sneered, "Why did I kill Chang Ping? Did you really need to ask, Patriarch YiLing?! Haven't I told you? I said that I was going to wipe out the entire YueyangChang Clan, so I won't even leave a dog behind!"
Whenever he talked, it was as though he was announcing his location. The sounds of a blade piercing through flesh kept coming, but Xue Yang's tolerance for pain was much higher than those of normal people. Wei WuXian had seen during Empathy that even if he was pierced through the stomach, he could laugh as if nothing had happened.
Wei WuXian continued, "That's a great reason you came up with. Unfortunately, the years don't add up. Someone like you who seeks revenge for the smallest things and murders in such ruthless ways wouldn't have waited so many years to finish off one clan, would you? You know the reason why you killed Chang Ping."
Xue Yang, "Then, tell me. What do I know? What do I know?!"
He shouted the last sentence. Wei WuXian asked again, "You didn't just kill him. Why did you choose to use lingchi, the torture that represents 'punishment'? If you were avenging for yourself, why did you use Shuanghua, instead of your own Jiangzai? Why did you dig out his eyes and make it so that he was just like Xiao XingChen?"
Xue Yang shouted himself hoarse, "Nonsense! That's all nonsense! It's revenge—why in the world would I have let him die comfortably?"
Wei WuXian, "You were indeed seeking revenge, but whose revenge were you actually seeking? What a joke. If you wanted to seek revenge, the one you should've executed lingchi on is yourself!"
With two whooshes, the sharp noises of something slicing the air came right at him. Wei WuXian didn't even flinch. Wen Ning darted in front of him and intercepted two nails that shone a cruel, black light. Xue Yang let off a series of horrifying laughter, as though he was a screeching owl. The laughter died down at once, and he quieted. He ceased to pay heed to Wei WuXian and went back to fighting with Lan WangJi amid the fog.
Wei WuXian thought in silence, The little delinquent has got such a high vitality. It's as if he can't feel pain at all and will be fine no matter where he's injured. If only he talks a bit more and Lan Zhan stabs him a few more times. I'm sure that he won't be able to jump around anymore after his arms and legs are chopped off. Well, unfortunately, he's no longer taking the bait!
Suddenly, a series of crisp knocks came from within the fog.
Thinking quick, Wei WuXian shouted, "Lan Zhan, attack where the pole knocks!"
Lan WangJi lunged at once. Xue Yang let out a suppressed moan. A moment later, the bamboo pole sounded again, at a place a few meters away!
Lan WangJi continued to attack where the noise came from. Xue Yang threatened, "Little Blind, aren't you scared that I'll break you into pieces, following me around like that?"
Ever since she was killed by Xue Yang, A-Qing had always been hiding so that he didn't find her. However, for some reason, Xue Yang didn't really care about such a ghost either, as though he felt that she was too weak to be cautious of. Now, though, A-Qing followed behind Xue Yang as if she was his shadow. Knocking her bamboo pole and revealing his location, she pointed out to Lan WangJi where he should attack!
Xue Yang's movements were extremely quick. He immediately appeared somewhere else. When she lived, A-Qing had also been a fast runner. Now that she was a ghost, she stuck closely to him as though she was a curse. She knocked her pole on the ground as quickly as she could. The crisp taps sounded near and far, left and right, in front and behind. They were impossible to avoid. As soon as they sounded, Bichen's sword glare followed immediately!
In the beginning, Xue Yang moved through the fog as though a fish amid water. He could both hide and sneak attacks however he wanted to. Yet, now, he had to spare attention to deal with A-Qing. With a curse, he quickly threw a talisman behind him. Immediately after the split second of distraction, following A-Qing's bone-chilling screech, Bichen pierced through his chest!
Although A-Qing's ghost had already been destroyed by Xue Yang's talisman and there ceased to be any noise that revealed where he was, the attack was vital. Xue Yang couldn't continue to be as unpredictable as before!
From amid the fog came the noises of someone coughing up blood. Wei WuXian tossed out a Spirit-trapping Pouch for it to save A-Qing's soul. With heavy steps, Xue Yang walked for a while, then suddenly launched forward. With his hands extended, he roared, "Give me it!"
Bichen's blue light split through the air. Lan WangJi cleanly severed off one of his arms.
Blood spurted out at once. In front of Wei WuXian, a large area of white fog had been stained red. The scent of blood was so overwhelming that even a single breath brought in a moist, rusty odor. However, he didn't care about it at all. He concentrated on solely searching and absorbing the soul of A-Qing that had been scattered. On the other hand, although Xue Yang didn't make a single noise, there came the heavy sound of knees dropping onto the ground. It seemed that he had lost so much blood that he finally collapsed, unable to walk any further.
Lan WangJi summoned Bichen again. The next attack would cut off Xue Yang's head!
Yet, suddenly, blue flames shot from the fog-covered earth to the sky.
It was fire from a transportation talisman!
Wei WuXian knew that the situation wasn't bright. Not caring for the dangers within the fog, he rushed over. Immediately afterward, he had almost slipped on the ground. Where the bloody scent was strongest, the ground was covered in wet, still-fresh blood, all from Xue Yang's severed arm.
However, Xue Yang was gone.
Lan WangJi walked over. Wei WuXian asked, "The gravedigger?"
Xue Yang's most vital organ had been injured by Bichen, and he lost an arm as well. Judging from the amount of blood loss, he'd die for sure. It'd have been impossible for him to still have enough energy and spiritual powers to use a transportation talisman.
Lan WangJi nodded slightly, "I gave the gravedigger three blows. As he was close to being captured, a group of walking corpses attacked and allowed him the opportunity to escape."
Wei WuXian spoke with a serious expression, "Although he was injured, the gravedigger still brought away Xue Yang's corpse, even though it cost him extensive spiritual powers. He probably knew who Xue Yang was and what he could do. Bringing away Xue Yang's corpse… was to search if he carried the Stygian Tiger Seal with him."
It was rumored that, after Xue Yang had been "eliminated" by Jin GuangYao, the Stygian Tiger Seal was lost. But, seeing from the current situation, it was very likely that he carried the seal with him. Tens of thousands of walking corpses, even fierce corpses, had been gathered in Yi City. They would've been extremely difficult to control with only corpse-poisoning powder and nails through the skull. Only the Stygian Tiger Seal could explain how Xue Yang commanded them at his wish, ordering them to obey him and attack for him. Somebody as crafty and mistrustful as him definitely wouldn't put the Tiger Seal somewhere they couldn't see. Only keeping it on him at all times would've made him feel a sense of security. When the gravedigger brought away his corpse, he brought away the Stygian Tiger Seal as well.
This was no trivial matter at all. Wei WuXian's voice was stern, "Now that the situation is already like this, we can only hope that there's a limit to the powers of the Tiger Seal that Xue Yang restored."
Suddenly, with a light toss, Lan WangJi passed something to him.
Wei WuXian caught it perfectly, "What is it?"
Lan WangJi, "The right hand."
He had tossed over a new Qiankun Pouch. Having finally remembered why they had came to Yi City at the first place, Wei WuXian brightened up, "The right hand of our dear friend?"
Lan WangJi, "Mnn."
Under the obstructions of the gravedigger, the groups of walking corpses, and the thick fog, Lan WangJi still managed to successfully find the right hand of the corpse. Wei WuXian was more than pleased. He praised, "I expected no less from HanGuang-Jun! Now, we're one step ahead of them again. What a pity that it's not the head. I wanted to see what our dear friend looks like. Well, I guess it'd happen soon enough… Where's Song Lan?"
After Xue Yang's corpse disappeared, the circulation of the fog quickened. It seemed to have thinned and the surroundings became somewhat easier to see. Because of this, Wei WuXian suddenly noticed that Song Lan was gone. At where he had originally lay, only Wen Ning still squatted on the ground, staring at them blankly.
Lan WangJi put his hand back to Bichen, which he had already unsheathed. Wei WuXian stopped him, "It's fine. There's no need to be alarmed. Song Lan, or the fierce corpse back there, probably doesn't have killing intentions anymore, or else Wen Ning would've alerted us. It's likely that he regained consciousness and left on his own."
He whistled lightly. Wen Ning stood up and proceeded to leave, his figure disappearing into the fog. The noises of chains dragging on the ground gradually faded into the distance. Lan WangJi didn't say anything more. He calmly turned to Wei WuXian, "Let us go."
Just as they were about to leave, suddenly, Wei WuXian stopped, "Wait."
He saw something lying alone in the blood.
It was a severed left arm. Four of the fingers were closed tightly. The little finger was missing.
The fist of the arm was firmly clenched. Wei WuXian squatted down. Only by using most of his strength did he succeed in prying the fingers open one by one. After the fist had been opened, he found that it held a small piece of candy.
The piece of candy was tinted slightly black. It was definitely not edible anymore.
It had been clenched so tightly that it was almost crushed.
Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi returned to the coffin home together. The doors were open. As they had expected, Song Lan was standing beside the coffin that Xiao XingChen lay in, looking inside with his head hanging low.
All of the disciples unsheathed their swords. They huddled on the side, staring cautiously at the fierce corpse that had just attacked them. Seeing that Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi returned, they looked as if their lives had been saved, yet they were too scared to make any noise, afraid of alarming or infuriating Song Lan.
Wei WuXian walked into the coffin home and introduced to Lan WangJi, "This is Song Lan, Daozhang Song ZiChen."
Standing by the coffin, Song Lan raised his head and turned to them. Lifting up the hem of his robes, Lan WangJi stepped over the high threshold in an elegant manner, then nodded.
Since Song Lan had regained his consciousness, his pupils returned as well. A pair of clear, black eyes stared back at them.
Amid the eyes that had originally been Xiao XingChen's, a deep, indescribable sorrow brimmed.
Thus, there was no need to ask any questions. Wei WuXian knew already. During the period that Xue Yang made him into a fierce corpse and commanded him, he saw and remembered everything.
No matter how much more they inquired, how much more they talked, it'd only lay more emphasis on the pain and hopelessness.
After a moment of silence, Wei WuXian took out two Spirit-trapping Pouches of the same small size. He handed them to Song Lan, "Daozhang Xiao XingChen and Maiden A-Qing."
Even though A-Qing was extremely scared of Xue Yang, a while ago, she still followed closely behind the one who killed her, refusing to let him dodge or escape until, finally, he was pierced through the heart by Bichen and got what he deserved. From a slap of the talisman, she had almost disappeared. Wei WuXian only brought back a few fragments by searching and piecing as hard as he could. However, now, it was also rather scattered, the same as Xiao XingChen.
Of the two lumps of weak souls, each was curled up in its Spirit-trapping Pouch. It was as if just a slight bump would cause them to dissipate within the pouch. With shaking hands, Song Lan took them over and rested them on top of his palm. He didn't even dare to carry them by the strings, afraid that they'd sway too much.
Wei WuXian asked, "Daozhang Song, what do you intend on doing with Daozhang Xiao XingChen's corpse?"
With one hand carefully cupping the two pouches, he pulled out Fuxue with his other hand and wrote two lines on the ground, "Incinerate the corpse. Look after the soul."
Now that Xiao XingChen's soul was so shattered, it definitely couldn't return to its body, so incinerating the corpse wouldn't be a bad idea. With the body gone and only a pure soul left, after being diligently looked after, maybe the day would come when it returned again.
Wei WuXian nodded, "What do you intend on doing afterwards?"
Song Lan wrote, "Roam this world with Shuanghua. Exorcise evil beings alongside XingChen." After a pause, he continued, "When he wakes, say I'm sorry, it wasn't your fault."
This was what he couldn't tell Xiao XingChen before he died.
The fog of Yi City was gradually melting away. One could already manage to see the roads and intersections. Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian led the group of disciples out of the deserted city. In front of the city gates, Song Lan parted with them.
He still wore the dark cultivation robes. Standing alone, he carried two swords, Shuanghua and Fuxue, he brought two souls, Xiao XingChen and A-Qing, and walked another path.
Not the one that led them to Yi City.
Lan SiZhui stared at his leaving figure, "'Xiao XingChen, the bright moon, the gentle breeze; Song ZiChen, the distant snow, the bitter frost'… I wonder if the two of them would be able to meet each other again."
Wei WuXian walked over the road covered in weeds. Suddenly, he saw a patch of grass and thought to himself, Back then, this was where Xiao XingChen and A-Qing took Xue Yang back.
Lan JingYi, "Now you should tell us what you really saw during Empathy, right? Why would the person be Xue Yang? Why did he pretend to be Xiao XingChen?"
"And, also, was that the Ghost General? Where did the Ghost General go? Why do we not see him anymore? Is he still in Yi City? Why did he appear so suddenly?"
Wei WuXian pretended as though he didn't hear the second series of questions, "Well, this is a very complicated story…"
As they walked, after he finished telling the story, everyone was so depressed that nobody still remembered the Ghost General.
Lan JingYi was the first one to cry, "Why would something like this exist?!"
Jin Ling raged, "That Xue Yang is such a filthy scumbag! Death was letting him off too lightly! If Fairy were here, I would've made her chomp him to death!"
Wei WuXian was terrified. If Fairy had been here, before Xue Yang died, he himself would've been scared to death.
The boy who had complimented A-Qing through the door slit stomped his feet, "Maiden A-Qing, oh, Maiden A-Qing!"
Lan JingYi cried the loudest. He looked awful, but this time, nobody reminded him to keep his voice low, since Lan SiZhui's eyes were red as well. It was fortunate that Lan WangJi didn't silence him. Lan JingYi suggested through snot and tears, "We should go burn some paper money for Daozhang Xiao XingChen and Maiden A-Qing. There is a village in front of the road fork over there, right? Let us buy some things and pray for them."
Everyone agreed, "Sure, sure!"
As they talked, they arrived at the village. Lan JingYi and Lan SiZhui impatiently scurried inside and carried out a few random incense sticks, candles, and paper money. Walking over to the side, they built something that resembled a stove using bricks and rocks. The boys then squatted around it and started to burn paper money, muttering as they fanned the fire. Wei WuXian wasn't in a great mood either. On the way here, he didn't even tell many jokes. Seeing this, though, he finally couldn't bear it any longer. He turned to Lan WangJi, "HanGuang-Jun, look at what they're doing right in front of other people's doors. You're not even stopping them."
Lan WangJi replied in an indifferent tone, "You can stop them."
Wei WuXian, "Fine. I'll discipline them for you."
And he went over, "Am I seeing things? All of you are disciples of prominent sects. Your parents and relatives must've taught you that dead people can't receive paper money, right? Why would dead people want money? They can't receive those. And, you're in front of somebody's doors. If you burn them here…"
Lan JingYi waved at him, "Shoo, shoo. You are blocking the wind. It will not be able to burn anymore. And, it is not like you have died, so how do you know that dead people do not receive paper money?"
With a face covered in tears and ashes, another boy turned to him and agreed, "That's right. How do you know? What if they can actually receive them?"
Wei WuXian murmured, "How do I know?"
Of course he knew!
During the ten-or-so years when he had been dead, he hadn't even received one single piece of paper money!
Lan JingYi stabbed another knife into his heart, "Even if you could not receive them, it was probably because nobody burned them for you."
Wei WuXian asked himself in silence, How come? Was I really that much of a failure? Was there not a single person who burned paper money for me? Was it really because nobody burned them that I didn't receive any?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was impossible. He turned around and whispered to Lan WangJi, "HanGuang-Jun, have you burnt paper money for me? At least you've burnt paper money for me, right?"
Lan WangJi glanced at him. He looked down, dusting away the ashes that stuck to the bottom of his sleeve, then stared quietly into the distance, giving not a single word in reply.
Looking at his calm face, Wei WuXian thought to himself, Really?
Had he really not burnt anything?!
Suddenly, a villager walked over with a bow on his back. He seemed rather annoyed, "Why are you burning these here? It's in front of my house. How ominous!"
These boys hadn't done anything like this before and didn't know that it was ominous to burn paper money in front of someone's house. All of them apologized. Lan SiZhui hurried to wipe his face, "Is that your house over there?"
The villager, "Hey, brat, look at what you're saying. My family's been here for three generations. How can it possibly be anything but my house?"
Hearing his tone, Jin Ling grew unhappy at once and was about to stand up, "How dare you talk to us like this?"
Wei WuXian pressed his head and held him down again. Lan SiZhui continued, "I understand now. Sorry, I did not mean anything else with the question I asked. It was just that, the last time we passed this house, we saw another hunter, which was why we were confused."
The villager was puzzled, "Another hunter? What do you mean another hunter?"
He made a "three" with his fingers, "This house was passed straight down through the three generations. There's only me, no other brothers! My dad passed away long ago and I haven't even married much less had a child. Where on Earth would there be another hunter?"
Lan JingYi, "There really was!"
He stood up as well, "He wore a lot of clothes and had a big cap on, sitting right in your yard repairing his bow and arrows, as though he was going to hunt soon. When we arrived, we even asked him for the directions. He was the one who pointed us to Yi City!"
The villager spat, "Nonsense! You really saw him in my yard? Nobody like him exists in my household! Even ghosts could beat up humans in a place like Yi City. He directed you there? More like he wanted to kill you! The thing you saw was definitely a ghost!"
He spat a couple of times, venting out his anger, then shook his head and turned around to leave. The boys were left staring at one another. Lan JingYi was still protesting, "But he really was sitting in this yard. I remember really clearly that…"
Wei WuXian said a few things to Lan WangJi. He then turned around, "You understand now? Somebody led you to Yi City. The hunter who directed you there wasn't a villager here at all. He was disguised by someone with ill intentions."
Jin Ling, "Was it that somebody had been leading us here ever since the corpses of the cats? Was the fake hunter the one who did all those things?"
Wei WuXian, "Most likely so."
Lan SiZhui wondered, "Why did he spend so much effort leading us to Yi City?"
Wei WuXian, "We still don't know. But, after this, please be careful. If you run into such strange things again, don't go tracking them down alone. First contact your sects and work together with a large group of people. If not for how HanGuang-Jun also happened to be at Yi City, you might've even died."
Imagining what would've happened if they were stuck in Yi City, a lot of the disciples felt their hair standing up. No matter if they ended up surrounded by groups of corpses or facing the living demon Xue Yang, the situation would've been absolutely terrifying.
Walking with the disciples, after a while, when the sky had almost darkened, Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian finally arrived at the city where the dog and donkey had been placed.
The city was not only brightly lit, but also filled with the chatter of people. The disciples all exclaimed that this finally seemed like a place where humans lived.
Wei WuXian extended his arms toward the donkey and shouted, "Lil' Apple!"
Lil' Apple brayed as though it was mad. Immediately, Wei WuXian heard the barks of a dog. He darted behind Lan WangJi at once. Fairy had also rushed over. The dog and the donkey stood on opposite sides and snarled at each other.
Lan WangJi, "Leash it. It is time to eat."
Dragging Wei WuXian, who was almost glued to his back, he walked toward the second floor, following the tea servant. Jin Ling and the rest wanted to follow, yet Lan WangJi turned around and gave them an obscure glance. Lan SiZhui immediately told the others, "The elders' and the juniors' rooms should be separated. We can stay on the first floor."
Lan WangJi nodded and continued to walk up, his face as detached as always. Jin Ling stood on the stairs hesitantly, unsure of whether to go up or down. Wei WuXian turned around and grinned, "The adults and the children should be separated. It's best if you don't see some of the things that happen."
Jin Ling's lips twitched, "Who'd want to see that!"
Lan WangJi told a servant to prepare one table downstairs for the group of disciples and a private room upstairs for Wei WuXian and him. The two sat across from each other.
Wei WuXian, "HanGuang-Jun, listen to me. Please don't have your sect handle all of the aftermath of Yi City alone. It's such a big city. If you really want to tidy the place up, it'd cost you a lot in terms of many aspects. It'll be quite difficult. Shuzhong isn't under the administration of the GusuLan Sect anyways. Count the disciples downstairs and see which sects they came from. Add their sects up as well. Those sects should also help you."
Lan WangJi, "I will consider it."
Wei WuXian, "Yes, please do. Everyone likes to fight for the preys and push around the responsibilities. Now, if your sect is taken advantage of, even if it's for the good of them, they might not feel grateful or understand why you did it. If this repeats too much, they'd take it as granted that your sect always takes care of such things. That's how things are in this world."
After a pause, he continued, "But, speaking of it, they really are unlucky. Yi City is too remote and there aren't any lookout towers around it. Or else, Jin Ling, SiZhui, and the rest wouldn't have accidentally barged in. Maiden A-Qing and Daozhang Xiao XingChen's souls wouldn't have stayed hidden for all these years either."
No matter how big or how small, there were as many cultivational sects as stars in a night sky. Most were situated at flourishing cities that could be conveniently accessed or spiritual grounds with beautiful scenery. The sects, however, were unwilling to be stationed at certain remote areas. Rogue cultivators rarely travelled to those places either. Thus, when evil beings haunted, the dwellers there usually suffered in silence, unable to find help anywhere.
When the previous leader of the LanlingJin Sect, Jin GuangShan, was still alive, Jin GuangYao had brought the matter up before. However, it would have cost a great deal and Jin GuangShan wasn't overly enthusiastic about the idea either. Also since, back then, the LanlingJin Sect's leadership wasn't as powerful, the matter wasn't seen as important, and nothing ended up happening.
After Jin GuangYao officially succeeded the position of Sect Leader and became the Chief Cultivator, he immediately gathered people and resources from the sects, and started to carry out his past goals. In the beginning, the voices of opposition were deafening. A lot of people suspected that the LanlingJin Sect used it to gain personal benefits and stuff its own pockets. With a smiling face, Jin GuangYao persisted for five years. During the years, he allied but also fell out with countless people. Using both gentle and forceful methods, he did all that he could and what he wished for was finally completed. More than twelve hundred "lookout towers" had been built.
These "lookout towers" were scattered around the more remote places. Every one of them were assigned disciples from certain sects. If anything strange happened, they'd take action at once. When they couldn't deal with the matter, they'd send out messages to other sects or rogue cultivators for help. Even if the cultivators who came wanted something in return while the locals were too poor to give them any, the money that the LanlingJin Sect gathered throughout each year would be enough to support them.
All of these happened after the death of the YiLing Patriarch. Wei WuXian only heard the ins and outs from Lan WangJi after they passed a few lookout towers during their journey. Rumors had it that Koi Tower was preparing to build the next batch of lookout towers, increasing them to three thousand in number so that they covered a greater area. Although after the first lookout towers were built, they received widespread approvals due to their notable effects, the voices of suspicion and ridicule had never died either. When the time came, the cultivation world would definitely be thrown into chaos again.
Not long later, both the food and the liquor arrived. Wei WuXian glanced over the table, pretending as if he didn't mean it. Almost all of the dishes were covered in red. Paying attention to Lan WangJi's chopsticks, he notes that he ate mostly from the milder dishes, rarely the bright-red ones. Even when he did, his expression remained the exact same. Wei WuXian felt something tug at his heart.
Having noticed his gaze, Lan WangJi asked, "What is wrong?"
Wei WuXian slowly poured himself a cup of liquor, "I want somebody to drink with me."