TFOD Chapter 57

Lan Wangji’s eyes remained fixed ahead, saying, “It’s nothing.”

Wei Wuxian said, “We can be considered acquaintances, right? You’re so cold, not even glancing at me. Is your leg really okay?”

Lan Wangji said, “We’re not acquainted.”

Wei Wuxian turned, walking backward to force him to look at his face, and said, “Don’t push yourself if something is wrong. Is your leg hurt or broken? When did this happen?”

He was about to say, “Do you want me to carry you?” when a fragrant scent wafted over. Wei Wuxian turned his head to the side, and his eyes instantly lit up.

Seeing him suddenly stop talking, Lan Wangji followed his gaze. He saw three or five young ladies walking together, the one in the middle wearing a light pink outer robe covered with a thin gauze garment. The light breeze made the gauze sway, and her figure looked especially elegant from behind.

It was this back view that Wei Wuxian was staring at.

One of the girls laughed and said, “MianMian, your pouch is really amazing. After wearing it, mosquitoes and insects don’t come near, and the smell is so pleasant. It makes me feel exceptionally refreshed.”

The girl called MianMian spoke with a soft, sweet voice, “The pouch is filled with chopped herbs, which have many uses. I have a few more here, who else wants one?”

Wei Wuxian flitted over like a gust of wind, “MianMian, save one for me too.”

The girl was startled, not expecting a strange young man’s voice to suddenly interrupt. When she turned around, she was met with a delicate face. She frowned slightly and asked, “Who are you? Why are you also calling me MianMian?”

Wei Wuxian laughed, “I heard them all call you MianMian, so I thought that was your name. Is it not?”

Lan Wangji watched coldly from the side. Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, seeing him act up again.

MianMian’s face flushed red, and she said, “You’re not allowed to call me that!”

Wei Wuxian said, “Why not? How about this, you tell me your name, and I won’t call you MianMian, how does that sound?”

MianMian said, “Why should I tell you just because you asked? Before asking someone else’s name, you should introduce yourself first.”

Wei Wuxian said, “My name is easy to say. You remember this, I’m called ‘Yuan Dao’.”

MianMian quietly repeated the name “Yuan Dao” to herself twice, unable to recall any noble young master with this name. But judging by his appearance and demeanor, he didn’t seem like an unknown person. Looking at the teasing smile on Wei Wuxian’s lips, she was confused.

Suddenly, Lan Wangji’s cold murmur came from the side, “Playing with words.”

She instantly realized that he was using “MianMian si yuan dao” (MianMian thinks of Yuan Dao) to mock her, and stomped her foot angrily, “Who’s thinking of you? You’re shameless!”

The young ladies burst into laughter, and said, “Wei Wuxian, you’re really shameless!”

“I’ve never seen anyone as annoying as you!”

“I’ll tell you, her name is…”

MianMian grabbed them and left, saying, “Let’s go, let’s go! Don’t tell him.”

Wei Wuxian called out from behind, “You can go, but give me a pouch! Are you ignoring me? Not giving it? If you don’t give it to me, I’ll ask someone else for your name, there will always be someone to tell me…”

Before he could finish, a pouch was thrown from the front, hitting him squarely on the chest. Wei Wuxian acted as if he was in pain, the string of the pouch twirling on his finger. He walked back to Lan Wangji’s side, still smiling as he spun the pouch. Seeing Lan Wangji’s expression become even colder, he asked, “What? You’re looking at me like that again. Oh yeah, where were we? Let’s continue. How about I carry you?”

Lan Wangji looked at him silently, saying, “Do you always act like such a frivolous rogue with everyone?”

Wei Wuxian thought for a moment and said, “I guess so?”

Lan Wangji lowered his gaze. After a long pause, he finally said, “Frivolous!”

These two words sounded like they were forced out through gritted teeth, carrying some inexplicable hatred. He didn’t even bother to give him an angry glare. Lan Wangji forced himself to walk faster. Seeing him continue to push himself, Wei Wuxian quickly said, “Alright, you don’t have to walk so fast, I’ll just walk.” He took three steps in two, catching up with Jiang Cheng.

Who knew that Jiang Cheng wouldn’t give him a good look either, harshly saying, “You’re so boring!”

Wei Wuxian said, “You’re not Lan Zhan, why are you copying his ‘boring’ line? His face is even stinkier than usual today, what’s up with his leg?”

Jiang Cheng said with annoyance, “You have time to worry about him, worry about yourself first! I don’t know what that idiot Wen Chao wants to find in the Muxi Mountain, or what kind of ghosts he is trying to stir up. Don’t let us end up as meat shields like the last time we were killing tree demons.”

A disciple next to them whispered, “His face is naturally not good, the Cloud Recesses was burnt down last month, didn’t you know?”

Wei Wuxian was startled, “Burnt down?!”

Jiang Cheng had heard too much of this kind of news lately, so he wasn’t as surprised, “The Wen family burnt it?”

The disciple said, “You could say that. Or you could say… the Lan family burnt it themselves. The Wen family’s eldest son, Wen Xu, went to Gusu and charged the Lan sect leader with some crime, forcing the people of Gusu Lan to burn their own immortal residence! He called it ‘cleaning house’ and a ‘new beginning’. Most of the Cloud Recesses and the surrounding mountains were burnt down, a hundred years of immortal scenery ruined like this. The Lan family leader was seriously injured, his life hanging in the balance… Sigh…”

Wei Wuxian asked, “Is Lan Zhan’s leg related to this?”

The disciple said, “Of course, it is. Wen Xu first ordered them to burn the library pavilion, threatening to punish anyone who refused. Lan Wangji refused, and was attacked by Wen Xu’s men, breaking one of his legs. It hasn’t healed yet, and now he is being dragged out again, I don’t know what they are up to.”

Wei Wuxian pondered carefully, these past few days, besides being scolded by Wen Chao, Lan Wangji indeed rarely moved. He was always either standing or sitting, never speaking. He is very particular about his demeanor, so of course, he wouldn’t let anyone see the injury on his leg.

Seeing that he seemed to be trying to go towards Lan Wangji again, Jiang Cheng grabbed him, “What’s wrong with you! Still dare to provoke him, are you courting death?”

Wei Wuxian said, “I’m not going to provoke him. Look at his leg, these past few days of running around must have worsened the injury, he could only cover it up until it was found out. If he continues to walk like this, his leg will likely be crippled. I’m going to carry him.”

Jiang Cheng pulled him even tighter, “You’re not acquainted with him! Can’t you see how much he hates you? You want to carry him? He probably doesn’t want you to even come half a step closer.”

Wei Wuxian said, “It doesn’t matter if he hates me, I don’t hate him. I’ll grab him and carry him, he can’t strangle me to death on my back.”

Jiang Cheng warned, “We can barely take care of ourselves, where do you have time to mind other people’s business?”

Wei Wuxian said, “First, this is not a minor issue. Second, these things, someone has to take care of them!”

While the two were quietly arguing, a Wen family servant came over and scolded, “Don’t whisper amongst yourselves, be careful!”

Following behind the servant was a beautiful young lady. This woman was called Wang Lingjiao, and she was one of Wen Chao’s attendants. The details of her ‘attendant’ duties need not be mentioned; everyone knew. She was originally a maid of Wen Chao’s wife. Because of her beauty, she had managed to get into his bed. With her rise in status, even the immortal sects had created a minor ‘Yingchuan Wang clan’.

She was not strong enough to use high-grade immortal swords, so she held a slender iron brand. Every Wen family servant had one of these, which, without being heated over a fire, could cause searing pain when pressed against the human body.

Holding it in her hand, Wang Lingjiao reprimanded haughtily, “The young master Wen told you all to look carefully for the cave entrance, what are you whispering about?”

In this day and age, even a bed-climbing maid could be so arrogant, leaving both of them feeling helpless and amused.

At this moment, someone called out, “Found it!”

Wang Lingjiao immediately lost interest in them and ran over. Looking at it, she shouted joyfully, “Young Master Wen! It’s found! The entrance is found!”

It was a well-hidden cave, concealed beneath the roots of an old banyan tree, wide enough for three people to encircle. The reason they hadn’t found it sooner was that the entrance was small, less than half a zhang in size. Secondly, thick, tangled roots and vines formed a sturdy net over the entrance, covered in a layer of dead leaves, soil, and sand.

After removing the decayed leaves and dirt, and cutting through the roots, a dark, eerie cave was revealed.

The entrance led deep underground, and a cold chill washed over them. Throwing a rock into the cave, it vanished as if into the sea, without a sound.

Wen Chao was overjoyed, “It must be here! Quickly, everyone go down!”

Jin Zixuan couldn’t hold back any longer and said coldly, “You brought us here, saying we were to hunt at night. So, may I ask what kind of monster we are to hunt? Telling us beforehand would allow us to cooperate, so we won’t be as frantic as last time.”

Wen Chao said, “Inform you?”

He straightened up, first pointing at Jin Zixuan, then at himself, “How many times must I tell you before you understand? Don’t make a mistake. You are just cultivators under my command. I am the one who gives the orders. I don’t need suggestions from others. I am the only one who can command the battle and deploy troops. And only I can subdue monsters!”

He emphasized “only I” heavily, his tone arrogant and self-important, making people feel both disgusted and ridiculous. Wang Lingjiao reprimanded, “Didn’t you hear what Young Master Wen said? Hurry up and go down!”

Jin Zixuan, standing at the front, forcefully suppressed his anger. With a flick of his robes, he grabbed a particularly thick vine and jumped into the bottomless pit without hesitation.

This time, Wei Wuxian could deeply understand his feelings. No matter what demons and monsters were in the cave, facing them was definitely better than facing Wen Chao and his like. To continue letting these two scumbags torment his eyes, he was afraid that he really would want to die with them!

The rest followed Jin Zixuan, entering the cave one by one.

These forcibly summoned aristocratic disciples had their swords confiscated, and could only slowly climb down. The vines grew close to the earthen wall, as thick as a young child’s wrist, very sturdy. As Wei Wuxian descended slowly, he calculated how deep they were going.

After sliding down around thirty zhang, his feet finally touched the ground.

Wen Chao shouted a few times from above. After confirming the safety of the underground area, he stepped on his sword, wrapped his arm around Wang Lingjiao’s waist, and leisurely flew down. Soon after, the Wen clan disciples and servants also landed.

Jiang Cheng whispered, “Hopefully, what he’s hunting this time isn’t something too difficult to deal with. I wonder if there is another exit in this place, in case a monster or evil spirit goes berserk. This vine is so long, it might break, making it difficult to escape.”

The others also had similar concerns, involuntarily looking up at the white hole above, which had become very small, their hearts filled with worry and vigilance.

Wen Chao jumped off his sword, and said, “What are you doing standing here? Do you need me to teach you what to do? Move!”

A group of young men was driven forward, walking into the depths of the cave.

To have them explore the way ahead, Wen Chao had his servants give them some torches. The cave ceiling was high and wide, and the light from the torches didn’t reach the top. Wei Wuxian paid attention to the echoes, sensing that the further they went, the more spacious the echo, and that they were likely already hundreds of zhang below ground.

The group at the front, highly vigilant, held up torches and walked for an unknown amount of time. Finally, they arrived at a deep pool.

If this pool were on the surface, it would be a wide lake. The water was dark, with many stone islands rising from the water.

Further ahead, there was no path.

The path had reached its end, but the night hunt target had yet to appear, they didn’t even know what it was. Everyone’s heart was filled with doubt, anxiety and unease.

Not seeing the monster he expected, Wen Chao became impatient. He cursed a few times, then suddenly had a ‘brainwave’ and said, “Find someone, hang them up, spill some blood, and lure it out.”

Monsters are mostly bloodthirsty, and would definitely be lured by large amounts of blood and a living person hanging in the air unable to move!

Wang Lingjiao responded and immediately pointed to a young lady, and said, “It’ll be her!”

This young lady was MianMian, who had just given out pouches on the road. She was completely stunned by being suddenly pointed out. Wang Lingjiao’s pointing seemed random, but it had been brewing for a long time. The majority of the people who were sent by the families were young men, so Wen Chao would pay more attention to the few young ladies, especially MianMian. She looked good and had been groped by Wen Chao several times. She could only endure it, but Wang Lingjiao had seen it all and hated it.

When MianMian finally realized she was really the one who was pointed out, she retreated in terror. Seeing that Wang Lingjiao had pointed to her, Wen Chao remembered that he hadn’t had a chance to get his hands on her and thought it a pity. He said, “Pointed her? Let’s pick another one.”

Wang Lingjiao said aggrievedly, “Why change? I pointed to her, are you reluctant?”

When she acted coquettishly, Wen Chao’s heart fluttered, and he went soft. Looking at MianMian’s dress, she was definitely not from a main family, at most just a disciple, so she would be perfect for bait. Even if she died, he wouldn’t be afraid of a noble family bothering him. He said, “Nonsense, why would I be reluctant? It’s up to you, whatever Jiao Jiao says!”

MianMian knew that if she was hung up, she would most likely die. She fled in panic, but no matter where she hid, everyone would scatter out of her way. Wei Wuxian moved slightly and was immediately grabbed by Jiang Cheng. MianMian suddenly realized that there were two people who hadn’t moved, and quickly hid behind them, trembling.

These two people were Jin Zixuan and Lan Wangji.

The Wen family servants preparing to tie her up saw that they were not moving and shouted, “Get out of the way!”

Lan Wangji ignored them indifferently.

Seeing that things were not right, Wen Chao warned, “What are you doing standing there? Can’t you understand human speech? Or do you want to play the hero and save the damsel?”

Jin Zixuan raised his eyebrows, “Isn’t it enough? Using others as meat shields isn’t enough, now you want to use a living person as bait?”

Wei Wuxian was slightly surprised, “This Jin Zixuan, he actually has some courage.”

Wen Chao pointed at them, “Are you rebelling? I warn you, I have tolerated you for a long time. Now, you must tie that girl up and hang her up! Or else none of the people you brought can return!”

Jin Zixuan scoffed coldly, not moving. Lan Wangji also acted as if he hadn’t heard, staying as still as if in meditation.

However, a disciple from Gusu Lan, having heard Wen Chao’s threats, was shaking slightly. He finally couldn’t help it, rushing over to grab MianMian, ready to tie her up. Lan Wangji’s brows tightened, and he immediately slapped out with a palm, knocking him to the side.

Although he hadn’t said a single word, the look he gave the disciple was imposing and full of silent condemnation: It’s truly shameful that the Gusu Lan sect has a disciple like you!

The disciple’s shoulders trembled, and he slowly retreated, unable to face anyone’s gaze. Wei Wuxian said in a low voice to Jiang Cheng, “Hey, Lan Zhan’s temper, this is going to be bad.”

Jiang Cheng also clenched his fist.

It seemed that they could no longer remain uninvolved, and they couldn’t expect to avoid bloodshed!

Wen Chao flew into a rage, shouting, “Rebellion! Kill!”

Several Wen clan disciples drew their bright swords, charging towards Lan Wangji and Jin Zixuan. The ‘Core Melting Hand’ Wen Zhuliu stood behind Wen Chao with his hands behind his back, not making a move, as if he felt that it was unnecessary. Indeed, the two young men fighting against the many were at a disadvantage, and they were also exhausted from travelling. Lan Wangji was also injured, so he absolutely couldn’t hold out for long. Wen Chao watched his subordinates battling with the two, feeling better. He spat and said, “Trying to fight against me, what do they think they are? These people really should be killed.”

A smiling voice came from the side, “Indeed, those who bully others with family power, who do evil, should be killed. Not only should they be killed, their heads should be chopped off and cursed by everyone, to serve as a warning to future generations.”

Hearing this, Wen Chao turned his head sharply, “What did you say?”

Wei Wuxian feigned surprise, “Do you need me to repeat myself? Alright. Those who bully others with family power, who do evil, should be killed. Not only should they be killed, their heads should be chopped off and cursed by everyone, to serve as a warning to future generations – is that clear?”

Wen Zhuliu looked at Wei Wuxian thoughtfully upon hearing that sentence. Wen Chao roared furiously, “You dare to say such absurd, rebellious nonsense!”

Wei Wuxian first curved the corners of his mouth into a ‘pfft’ smile. Then, he burst into unrestrained laughter.

Amidst everyone’s shocked gazes, he held onto Jiang Cheng’s shoulder, laughing so hard that he could barely breathe, “Absurd? Rebellious? I think you’re the one who is! Wen Chao, do you know who said that sentence just now? You definitely don’t, right? Then let me tell you. That’s exactly what your ancestor, the great, great scholar Wen Mao said. You actually dare to say your ancestor’s famous saying is absurd and rebellious? You deserve to be cursed, well done! Hahahahahaha…”

That previously distributed “Wen Clan Elite Records” even made Wen family’s commonplace remarks seem as if they had some profound meaning. Wei Wuxian felt disgusted after flipping through it a few times, not to mention reading it thoroughly. But he remembered Wen Mao’s sentence because he found it very ironic.

Wen Chao’s face went from red to white. Wei Wuxian continued, “By the way, what is the punishment for insulting a Wen clan’s scholar? What is the penalty? I remember, it’s immediate execution, right? Well, very good, you can go die now.”

Wen Chao couldn’t hold back any longer and stabbed at him with his sword. With this charge, he broke out of Wen Zhuliu’s protection.

Wen Zhuliu had always been on guard against others’ attacks, but he had not been on guard against Wen Chao actively breaking away. He was caught off guard by his sudden attack. And Wei Wuxian had deliberately provoked Wen Chao in order to wait for this moment of rage-induced loss of control. His smile did not falter as he moved like lightning, instantly snatching the sword, turning the attack back onto Wen Chao, and restraining him!

He used one hand to restrain Wen Chao, leaped several times, and jumped onto a stone island above the deep pool, putting distance between him and Wen Zhuliu. With his other hand, he pressed Wen Chao’s sword against his neck, warning, “Don’t move, if you move again, be careful that I let your young master bleed a little!”

Wen Chao called out in a heart-wrenching voice, “Don’t move! Don’t move!”

The disciples who were surrounding Lan Wangji and Jin Zixuan stopped their attacks. Wei Wuxian shouted, “Core Melting Hand, don’t you move either! You know the Wen family leader’s temper. If your master bleeds even a drop of blood in my hands, no one here, including you, will live!”

Wen Zhuliu indeed retracted his hand. Seeing that he had gained control of the situation, Wei Wuxian was about to speak again, when suddenly, he felt the ground shake.

He said vigilantly, “Jiang Cheng! Is there an earthquake?”

They were in an underground cave, if there was an earthquake and the mountain collapsed, whether blocking the entrance or burying them alive, it would be extremely terrifying. Jiang Cheng said, “There isn’t!”

But Wei Wuxian felt that the ground was shaking even more violently, making the sword blade shake and touch Wen Chao’s throat several times, causing him to scream in terror. Jiang Cheng suddenly yelled, “It’s not an earthquake, it’s the thing under your feet that’s moving!!!”

Wei Wuxian also realized, it wasn’t the ground that was shaking, but the stone island he was standing on. Not only was it shaking, it was also constantly rising, and the part floating above the water was increasing.

He finally realized, this was not an island. It was a huge creature that had been submerged in the deep pool—he was now standing on the shell of that monster!