TFOD Chapter 78

Golden Carp Tower.

Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji walked side by side, slowly through the sea of ​​flowers of gold star snow waves.

Lan Xichen casually brushed past a full, snow-white gold star snow wave, his movements so gentle that he didn’t even shake off a single drop of dew. He said, “Wangji, is there something on your mind? Why have you been so worried?” Although this worry, in the eyes of others, probably had no difference from Lan Wangji’s other expressions.

Lan Wangji’s brow was furrowed, and he shook his head. After a while, he whispered, “Brother, I… I want to bring someone back to Cloud Recesses.”

Lan Xichen was surprised and said, “Bring someone back to Cloud Recesses?”

Lan Wangji nodded, his heart heavy. After a pause, he added, “Bring them back… and hide them.”

Lan Xichen immediately widened his eyes.

Since their mother passed away, his younger brother had gradually become more and more taciturn. Except for going out on night hunts, he spent all day in his room reading, meditating, writing, playing the guqin, and cultivating. He didn’t like to talk to anyone, except for a few more words with him. But, for such words to come out of his mouth, it was also the first time.

Lan Xichen said, “Hide them?”

Lan Wangji frowned slightly and said, “But he’s unwilling.”

At this moment, there was a commotion in front of them. One person scolded, “Is this a path you can walk on? Who allowed you to wander around!”

Another younger voice said, “I apologize. I…”

Hearing this voice, Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji looked up at the same time. Beside the screen wall, there were two people standing. The person who had just spoken was Jin Zixun. Behind him were several family servants and cultivators. The person being scolded was a young man in white. When the man saw Lan Xichen and the two, his face turned pale in an instant, and the following words wouldn’t come out of his mouth. Just as Jin Zixun was glaring at him, Jin Guangyao appeared at the right time to defuse the situation.

He said to the white-clothed man, “The paths on Golden Carp Tower are complicated. It’s no wonder that Young Master Su got lost. Please, come with me.”

Jin Zixun snorted when he saw him appear, and walked past them. The man in white was stunned, and said, “You recognize me?”

Jin Guangyao smiled and said, “Of course I remember, why wouldn’t I? Didn’t we meet once before? Young Master Su Minshan, your swordsmanship is very good. At the last Hundred Phoenix Mountain siege, I was always thinking that it would be a pity for such a talented young man not to join our family. Later, you actually came to our family, which made me so happy. Please, this way?”

There were countless sword cultivators like Su She who came to Lanling Jin Sect. He originally thought that no one would recognize him, but who knew that Jin Guangyao had only met him once briefly, yet he remembered him clearly and even praised him. Su She’s expression relaxed a lot, no longer looking at the Lan brothers, and went with Jin Guangyao, seemingly afraid that they would step forward to ridicule or point fingers.

Inside the Dou Yan Hall, Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji took their seats in turn. During the banquet, it was inconvenient to continue discussing the topic just now. Lan Wangji returned to his cold and aloof usual state. The Gusu Lan Sect’s dislike of drinking was well known. After Jin Guangyao’s arrangement, there were no wine cups in front of the two of them, only teacups and a few light and refreshing side dishes. No one came forward to offer them wine, and it was peaceful. Who knew that before long, a man wearing a gold star snow wave robe suddenly came over, holding a wine cup in each hand, and loudly said, “Sect Leader Lan, Hanguang-Jun, I’ll toast you two a cup!”

This person was Jin Zixun, who had been toasting everyone since just now. Knowing that both Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji did not like drinking, Jin Guangyao quickly came over and said, “Zixun, Ze Wu-Jun and Hanguang-Jun are both from Cloud Recesses. There are three thousand family rules carved on the discipline stone. If you ask them to drink alcohol, it’s like…”

Jin Zixun disliked Jin Guangyao very much. He felt that this person had a lowly birth and was ashamed to be of the same clan as him. He interrupted directly, “We, the Jin and Lan families, are one family. We’re all our own people. If the two Lan brothers don’t drink, it means they look down on me!”

His supporters beside him applauded, “That’s real generosity!”

“A famous person should be like this!”

Jin Guangyao kept his smile unchanged, but silently sighed and rubbed his temples. Lan Xichen got up to politely decline, but Jin Zixun kept pestering him, saying to Lan Xichen, “Don’t say anything. Sect Leader Lan, our two families are different from outsiders. Don’t use that approach on me! In a word, will you drink or not!”

The corners of Jin Guangyao’s smile were about to twitch. He looked at Lan Xichen with an apologetic gaze and said softly, “Sect Leader Lan and the others still have to return by sword later. Drinking alcohol might affect their sword riding…”

Jin Zixun disagreed, “How could drinking two cups make them fall? I can still fly to the sky even after drinking eight large bowls!”

There were praises and cheers all around. Lan Wangji was still sitting, coldly staring at the glass of wine that Jin Zixun had forced in front of him, as if he was about to speak. Suddenly, a hand took the glass of wine.

Lan Wangji was slightly startled. His furrowed brow suddenly relaxed, and he looked up.

What first came into view was a figure in black clothes, with a flute at his waist, the end of the flute hanging with a blood-red tassel. The newcomer stood with his hands behind his back, raised his head, and drank it all down. He showed the empty wine cup to Jin Zixun, saying, “I’ll drink it for him. Are you satisfied?”

His eyes were smiling, and the end of his sentence had a slight lift. He was tall and jade-like, with a handsome bearing.

Lan Xichen said, “Young Master Wei?”

Someone whispered in shock, “When did he arrive?!”

Wei Wuxian put down the wine cup, straightened his collar with one hand, and said, “Just now.”

Just now? But just now, clearly no one had announced or greeted him. No one had noticed when he had come to the Dou Yan Hall without anyone knowing. Everyone couldn’t help but feel a chill. Jin Guangyao reacted quickly, still being incredibly enthusiastic, and said, “I didn’t know Young Master Wei was visiting the Golden Carp Tower. We have been negligent in not welcoming you sooner. Do you need a seat? Oh, that’s right, do you have an invitation?”

Wei Wuxian didn’t exchange pleasantries either and said straight to the point, “No, I don’t.” He nodded slightly to Jin Zixun, and said, “Young Master Jin, please speak with me in private.”

Jin Zixun said, “If there is anything to say, wait until our family’s banquet is over.”

In fact, he did not plan to talk to Wei Wuxian at all. Wei Wuxian also saw it and said, “How long do I have to wait?”

Jin Zixun said, “Three or four hours maybe. Maybe even five or six hours. Or maybe tomorrow.”

Wei Wuxian said, “I’m afraid I can’t wait that long.”

Jin Zixun said arrogantly, “If you can’t wait, you have to wait.”

Jin Guangyao said, “I wonder what important matter Young Master Wei has to discuss with Zixun. Is it very urgent?”

Wei Wuxian said, “It’s imminent, and there’s no time to lose.”

Jin Zixun turned to Lan Xichen, raised another glass and said, “Sect Leader Lan, come, come, you haven’t drunk this cup yet!”

Seeing that he was deliberately delaying, a dark aura flashed between Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows. He narrowed his eyes, the corner of his mouth curved up, and said, “Alright, then I’ll just say it here directly. May I ask, Young Master Jin, do you know of a person named Wen Ning?”

Jin Zixun said, “Wen Ning? I don’t know.”

Wei Wuxian said, “You must remember this person. Last month, you were on a night hunt in the Ganquan area, chasing an eight-winged bat king to the settlement of the remnants of the Qishan Wen Sect, or rather, their place of confinement. You took away a group of Wen sect disciples, and the leader of them was him.”

After the Sunshot Campaign, the Qishan Wen Sect was destroyed, and the land that they had expanded everywhere was divided up by other families. The Ganquan area was assigned to the Lanling Jin Sect. As for the remnants of the Wen family, they were all driven into a corner of Qishan. Their occupied land was less than one-thousandth of what they had before. They lived there in hiding, barely surviving. Jin Zixun said, “If I don’t remember, I don’t remember. I don’t have that much free time to bother remembering the name of a Wen dog.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Alright, I don’t mind being more detailed. You couldn’t catch that bat king. You happened to meet several Wen disciples who had come to investigate the strange phenomenon, so you forced them to carry the Summoning Flag and use them as bait. They didn’t dare. One person came out and stammered to argue with you. This person is the Wen Ning I’m talking about. In the drag, the bat king escaped, so you beat these Wen cultivators and forcibly took them away. These people disappeared without a trace. Do I need to say more details? They haven’t returned to this day. Other than asking you, I really don’t know who else I can ask.”

Jin Zixun said, “Wei Wuxian, what do you mean? You’re asking me for people? Are you trying to stand up for the Wen dogs?”

Wei Wuxian said with a smile, “Whether I want to stand up for them or chop their heads off, does it matter? Just hand them over!”

The last sentence had the smile on his face suddenly disappear. His tone turned cold and icy, clearly losing patience. Many people in Dou Yan Hall couldn’t help but shiver. Jin Zixun also felt a tingle in his scalp. However, his anger surged up at once, and he shouted, “Wei Wuxian, you’re too arrogant! Did my Lanling Jin Sect invite you today? You dare to stand here and be so presumptuous. Do you really think that you are invincible and that no one dares to offend you? Do you want to cause chaos?”

Wei Wuxian laughed, “Are you comparing yourself to the heavens? I have to be frank, that’s a bit thick-skinned.”

Although Jin Zixun had indeed already regarded the Lanling Jin Sect as the new heavens, he also knew that he had misspoke. His face flushed slightly. Just as he was about to raise his voice to retort, Jin Guangshan, who was seated at the head table, spoke up.

He chuckled and said, “This isn’t really a big deal. Why do young people have to get so angry? But Young Master Wei, let me say something fair. It is really inappropriate for you to break in on my Lanling Jin Sect’s private banquet.”

It was impossible for Jin Guangshan not to mind the events of the Hundred Phoenix Mountain siege. This was also why he had been watching Jin Zixun directly confront Wei Wuxian and hadn’t tried to dissuade him until Jin Zixun was at a disadvantage. Wei Wuxian nodded, “Sect Leader Jin, I had no intention of disturbing the private banquet. I apologize. However, the lives of the people that Young Master Jin took away are now unknown, and if I’m late, it may be too late to save them. One of them once saved my life, so I cannot stand by and watch. Please excuse me, and I will apologize another day.”

Jin Guangshan said, “Why can’t things be put off? Come, sit down first, and we can talk about it slowly.”

Jin Guangyao had already quietly and silently set up a new table. Wei Wuxian said, “Sect Leader Jin, you’re too kind. I won’t sit down. This matter can’t be delayed any longer. Please resolve it as soon as possible.”

Jin Guangshan said, “There’s no rush. If you add it up, there are also some matters that we haven’t settled yet. We can’t delay it any further. Since you’ve come now, why don’t we take this opportunity to resolve it all at once?”

Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow, “Settle what?”

Jin Guangshan said, “Young Master Wei, we have mentioned this matter to you a few times before. You haven’t forgotten it, have you?… During the Sunshot Campaign, you used a certain item.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Oh, you did mention it. The Yin Tiger Seal. What about it?”

Jin Guangshan said, “It’s said that this Yin Tiger Seal was forged from the iron essence of an iron sword that you obtained from the bottom of the Xuanwu Slaughter Cave. You used it once on the battlefield and its power was terrifying, causing some fellow cultivators to be affected by its aftershocks…”

Wei Wuxian interrupted, “Please get to the point.”

Jin Guangshan said, “That is the point. In that great battle, not only the Wen Clan, but our side also suffered some losses. I believe that such a magical weapon is difficult to control, and if only one person is in charge of it, I’m afraid…”

Before he finished speaking, Wei Wuxian suddenly laughed.

After laughing a few times, he said, “Sect Leader Jin, allow me to ask one more question. Do you think that with the Qishan Wen Sect gone, the Lanling Jin Sect should naturally take their place?”

The hall was instantly silent.

Wei Wuxian said again, “You want everything handed over to you, and everyone to listen to you? Looking at the Lanling Jin Sect’s style, I almost thought that we were still in the glorious days of the Wen Clan.”

Hearing this, a flash of anger and embarrassment crossed Jin Guangshan’s square face. After the Sunshot Campaign, the major families had gradually been expressing their dissatisfaction with Wei Wuxian’s demonic cultivation. The reason he brought up the Yin Tiger Seal here was to threaten Wei Wuxian, reminding him that he still had a weakness that everyone was watching. Don’t be too arrogant, and don’t think about riding over their heads. Who knew that Wei Wuxian’s words would be so direct and bloody. Although he had secretly had the idea of ​​taking over the Wen Clan’s position, no one had ever dared to expose it so clearly and then make fun of it. A guest on his right shouted, “Wei Wuxian! How dare you speak like that!”

Wei Wuxian said, “Did I say something wrong? Forcing living people to act as bait, and suppressing them in all ways if they are slightly disobedient, is there any difference between that and the Qishan Wen Sect?”

Another guest stood up and said, “Of course there’s a difference. The Wen dogs were evil and deserved their fate. We are only retaliating, making them taste the bitterness of their own actions. What is there to criticize?”

Wei Wuxian said, “Whoever bit you, you should let them repay it. Wen Ning’s branch didn’t shed any blood. Don’t tell me you still want to impose collective responsibility?”

One person said, “Young Master Wei, are you saying that they haven’t shed any blood just because you say so? That is only your biased view. Where is the evidence?”

Wei Wuxian said, “You think they committed indiscriminate killings, isn’t that also just your biased view? Shouldn’t you be the one who produces the evidence first? Why are you asking me?”

That person shook his head repeatedly, looking like “This person is unreasonable”. Another person sneered, “When the Wen Clan massacred our people back then, it was a thousand times more cruel than this! They didn’t talk to us about morality, so why should we talk to them about morality?”

Wei Wuxian laughed, “Oh. The Wen dogs were evil, so everyone with the surname Wen can be killed? That’s not right. Many of the defectors from Qishan are now thriving. Aren’t there a few of them in this hall, who were originally the heads of the Wen’s affiliated families?”

The few family heads’ expressions changed instantly when they were recognized by him. Wei Wuxian continued, “Since anyone with the surname Wen can be used as a punching bag, regardless of whether they are guilty or not, does that mean it’s okay for me to kill them all right now?”

Before he finished speaking, he pressed his hand down on the Chenqing at his waist. In an instant, everyone in the banquet hall was reminded of certain memories, as if they had returned to that dark and chaotic battlefield of corpses and blood. In that instant, people around him stood up abruptly. Lan Wangji said in a deep voice, “Wei Ying!”

Jin Guangyao was closest to Wei Wuxian, but his expression remained unchanged. He said in a gentle voice, “Young Master Wei, please don’t do anything rash. Everything can be discussed.”

Jin Guangshan also stood up, his face full of shock, anger, and fear, “Wei Wuxian! Since Jiang… Sect Leader Jiang isn’t here, you’re this reckless!”

Wei Wuxian said sharply, “Do you think that if he were here, I wouldn’t be reckless? If I want to kill someone, who can stop me, and who would dare to stop me?!”

Lan Wangji said word by word, “Wei Ying, put down Chenqing.”

Wei Wuxian looked at him. In those light-colored eyes, as clear as glass, he saw his own almost hideous reflection. He suddenly turned his head and shouted, “Jin Zixun!”

Jin Guangshan said hurriedly, “Zixun!”

Wei Wuxian said, “Enough nonsense. I believe you all know that I have limited patience. Where are the people? After wasting so much time with you, I’ll only give you three counts. Three!”

Jin Zixun originally wanted to grit his teeth and resist, but glancing at Jin Guangshan’s expression, his heart grew cold. Wei Wuxian said again, “Two!”

Jin Zixun shouted, “…Enough! Enough! They’re just a few Wen dogs. If you want them, take them. I don’t want to bother with you today! Just go to Qiongqi Path and look for them yourself!”

Wei Wuxian sneered, “You could have said so earlier.”

He came like the wind, and left like the wind. As soon as his figure disappeared, the dark clouds in many people’s hearts finally dissipated. In the banquet hall, the people who had been unable to sit still were now sitting down in twos and threes. At least eight out of ten had broken out in a cold sweat. Jin Guangshan stood blankly in his place. After a long while, he suddenly flew into a rage and kicked over the small table in front of him. The gold wine cups and silver dishes on the table rolled down the steps. Seeing his discomposure, Jin Guangyao had the intention of smoothing things over, “Father…”

Before he finished speaking, Jin Guangshan had already stormed off. Jin Zixun also deeply felt that he had lost face by giving in in front of everyone just now, so he was both angry and resentful, and wanted to leave as well. Jin Guangyao hurriedly said, “Zixun…”

Jin Zixun was in a fit of anger. Without even thinking, he flung the wine cup that he had not yet passed out, smashing it into Jin Guangyao’s chest. The gold star snow waves blooming on his snow-white robe instantly opened up another flower of splashed wine. It looked terrible. But the scene was too chaotic, and no one paid attention to this inappropriate breach of etiquette. Only Lan Xichen said, “Third brother!”

Jin Guangyao said hurriedly, “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. Second Brother, please sit down.”

Lan Xichen found it inappropriate to comment on Jin Zixun. He only took out a snow-white handkerchief and handed it to him, saying, “Go change your clothes.”

Jin Guangyao took the handkerchief, wiping himself while smiling bitterly, “I can’t leave.”

He was the only one left in the hall to clean up this mess. How could he leave? While he was pacifying the whole hall, he was also terribly flustered. “Sigh, this Young Master Wei is too impulsive. How could he say such things in front of so many families?”

Lan Wangji coldly said, “Did he say something wrong?”

Jin Guangyao paused slightly, then smiled, “Haha. Right. It’s right. But it’s precisely because it’s right that you can’t say it to their faces.”

Lan Xichen was thoughtful and said, “This Young Master Wei, his nature has truly changed greatly.”

Hearing this, beneath Lan Wangji’s tightly furrowed brow, a hint of pain flashed in his light-colored eyes.

After leaving the Golden Carp Tower, Wei Wuxian turned seven or eight times in Lanling City and entered a small alley, saying, “Found it, let’s go.”

Wen Qing had been restless in the alley for a long time. When she heard this, she immediately rushed out. She was weak at the moment and felt a little dizzy. She stumbled and Wei Wuxian caught her with one hand and suggested, “Do you want me to find a place for you to rest? It’s enough for me to go alone. I will definitely bring Wen Ning back.”

Wen Qing hurriedly grabbed him and said, “No! No! I have to go! I must go!”

After Wen Ning disappeared, she had almost run all the way from Qishan to Yunmeng, not closing her eyes for days. When she saw Wei Wuxian, she had been urging him like mad. At the moment, her lips were pale, and her eyes were staring straight ahead. She was almost not human. Wei Wuxian saw that she was almost at her limit and there was no time to feed her slowly. He bought a few white steamed buns on the side of the street and told her to eat them. Wen Qing also knew that she was reaching her limit. She had to eat. With a mess of hair, red eyes, and gritted teeth, she gnawed on the steamed buns. This appearance reminded Wei Wuxian of the time when he and Jiang Cheng were fleeing on the road. He reassured her once again, “It’s alright. I will definitely bring Wen Ning back.”

Wen Qing choked and said, “I knew that I shouldn’t have left… but there was no way. They forcibly transferred me to another city. When I came back, Wen Ning and the whole family were gone! I knew it wasn’t right to leave him alone!”

Wei Wuxian said, “He’s capable.”

Wen Qing broke down and said, “He’s not capable! A-Ning has always been timid and afraid of things since he was young. He didn’t dare to provoke even his own people with bad tempers. They were all just as submissive as him! He doesn’t know what to do without me!”

When Wei Wuxian said goodbye to her carrying Jiang Cheng, Wen Qing had said, “No matter the outcome of this battle, from now on, we won’t owe each other anything. It’s over.” Her expression was arrogant, which was still vivid in his mind. However, last night, she had tightly grabbed Wei Wuxian’s hand, and she was almost kneeling in front of him, begging, “Wei Wuxian, Wei Wuxian, Young Master Wei, please help me. I really can’t find anyone to help me. You must help me save A-Ning! I really have no way other than to ask you!”

Her original pride was gone.

Qiongqi Path was an ancient path in a mountain valley. It was said that this path was where Wen Mao, the ancestor of the Qishan Wen clan, had become famous. Hundreds of years ago, he had battled with an ancient beast here for eighty-one days, and finally killed it. This ancient beast was Qiongqi, a divine beast that punished the good and rewarded evil, and liked to eat the righteous and honest people and give them to those who committed evil. Of course, it was impossible to determine whether this legend was true, or if it was exaggerated by the later family heads of Qishan Wen clan to mythologize their ancestor.

After hundreds of years, this valley had changed from a dangerous road to a place for praising virtue, sightseeing, and touring. After the Sunshot Campaign, the families divided up the original territory of Qishan Wen clan, and Qiongqi Path was also taken by the Lanling Jin clan. The high mountain walls on both sides of the mountain path used to be carved with the life stories of the great sage Wen Mao. After the Lanling Jin clan took over, naturally, they could not allow these glorious past events of Qishan Wen clan to continue to exist. They were working on reconstruction. The meaning of reconstruction was to have the entire mountain wall carved clean, and carve new totems. Of course, in the end, they must also change it to a new name that could highlight the valor of the Lanling Jin clan.

Such a large project naturally required a lot of labor. And these laborers, naturally, no one was more suitable than the Wen war prisoners who had become stray dogs after the Sunshot Campaign.

When the two arrived at Qiongqi Path, it was already night, and fine cold rain was falling in the dark sky. Wen Qing followed closely behind Wei Wuxian, her steps unsteady. She was trembling, as if her whole body was cold from the inside out. Wei Wuxian had to help her from time to time. In front of the mountain valley, there was a row of temporary sheds, which were used by the war prisoners to rest at night. Wei Wuxian, with Wen Qing, saw a hunched figure in the distance, wearing the rain, and slowly moving while carrying a large flag. As they got closer, the person carrying the flag turned out to be a trembling old woman, with a confused young child on her back, tied to the old woman’s back with cloth strips, seriously sucking on his fingers. The old woman and the child walked back and forth on the road. The old woman was very tired from carrying the tall flag. She would stop every two steps to rest and put the flag down. Seeing this, Wen Qing called out with red eyes, “Granny! It’s me!”

The old woman probably had bad eyesight and hearing. She didn’t see or hear clearly who the person was. She only knew that someone was approaching and calling something. She hurriedly picked up the flag again, her face full of fear, as if she was afraid of being found and scolded. Wen Qing rushed forward, snatched the flag and said, “What is this? What are you doing?!”

On the large flag was painted a huge sun family crest of the Qishan Wen clan. However, at this moment, it was painted with a blood-red cross, and the flag surface was also torn to pieces. Since the end of the Sunshot Campaign, countless people had been branded as “Wen dog remnants”. There were also countless ways to torment them, and it was also called “self-reflection”. Wei Wuxian knew that it must be that the old woman was too old to do hard labor like the others. So, the person in charge came up with such a way to torment her, to have her carry the Wen’s tattered flag and walk around, in order to humiliate herself.

The old woman was first frightened and shrank back. When she barely recognized the person, she opened her mouth wide. Wen Qing said, “Granny, where is A-Ning? Where are Uncle Four and the others? Where is A-Ning?!” The old woman looked at Wei Wuxian behind her and didn’t dare to speak. She only looked towards the mountain valley. Wen Qing didn’t care about anything else and rushed away.

Torches were placed on both sides of the wide mountain valley. The flames flickered slightly in the fine rain, but they still burned brightly, illuminating the hundreds of figures carrying heavy loads on the mountain path.

These war prisoners were all pale, with faltering and dragging footsteps. They were not allowed to use spiritual power or rely on external force, not only because the Lanling Jin clan was wary of them, but also because there was a punitive meaning behind it. More than a dozen foremen held black umbrellas, riding their horses back and forth in the rain and shouting orders. Wen Qing rushed into the rain. Her sight crazily swept across each of the tired faces covered in dust. A foreman noticed her, raised his hand and shouted, “Where did you come from? Who allowed you to wander around here!”

Wen Qing said anxiously, “I’m looking for someone, I’m looking for someone!”

The foreman drove his horse closer and pulled out something from his waist, waving it and said, “I don’t care if you’re looking for someone or someone’s looking for you, go away! If you don’t leave…”

At this moment, he saw a black-clothed young man coming up behind the young woman. It was as if he had a knot in his tongue and he stopped speaking abruptly.

This young man had a bright and handsome face, but his eyes were rather cold. He stared at him so hard that he couldn’t help but shiver. Soon, he realized that the young man was not staring at him, but at the iron brand that he was waving in his hand.

The iron brands in the hands of these foremen were exactly the same as the ones that the Qishan Wen clan’s slaves used to use, except that the shape of the brand at the top had been changed from a sun pattern to a peony pattern.

Wei Wuxian noticed this and a cold glint appeared in his eyes. Many of the foremen recognized his face and couldn’t help but secretly rein in their horses and whisper to their colleagues. No one dared to stop Wen Qing. She was searching and calling, “A-Ning! A-Ning!”

Her cries were shrill, but no one answered. She searched the entire valley, but she couldn’t find her younger brother. If Wen Ning were here, he would have rushed out himself long ago. Those foremen quietly dismounted. The group of them were all trying hard to stare at Wei Wuxian, seemingly hesitating whether or not they should go up to greet him. Wen Qing rushed over to ask, “Where are the Wen cultivators who were newly sent here in the past few days?”

Several people looked at each other. After a moment of hesitation, a foreman who looked very honest and gentle said, “All the war prisoners here are Wen cultivators. New ones are sent every day.”

Wen Qing said, “It’s my younger brother. Jin Zixun brought him! He… he’s about this tall. He doesn’t talk much. When he does talk, he stutters…”

The foreman said, “Hey, girl, look, there are so many people here. How would we remember if one or two people stutter?”

Wen Qing stomped her feet in anger, “I know he must be here!”

The foreman who was chubby and round, said with a smile, “Girl, don’t worry. Actually, people from other families often come here to get cultivators. Maybe they were taken away in the past few days? Sometimes when they call names, they also find that people have run away…”

Wen Qing said, “He won’t run! Granny and them are all here. My younger brother won’t run away alone.”

The foreman said, “Otherwise, you can slowly look? Everyone is here. If you can’t find him in this valley, then we can’t help it.”

Suddenly, Wei Wuxian said, “Everyone is here?”

When he spoke, the faces of those people stiffened. The foreman turned to him and said, “Yes.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Alright. I’ll just assume that everyone who is alive is here. Then, what about the others?”

Wen Qing’s body swayed.

The “others” opposite “alive” naturally only referred to “dead”.

The foreman hurriedly said, “You can’t say that, Young Master. Although everyone here is a Wen cultivator, no one dares to kill anyone…”

Wei Wuxian acted as if he didn’t hear him. He took down the flute from his waist. A few war prisoners who were struggling to move forward suddenly cried out, threw down the heavy objects on their backs, and fled. In the mountain valley, a large empty space suddenly appeared, quickly centered around him.

In fact, these war prisoners did not recognize Wei Wuxian’s face. Because as long as any Wen cultivator encountered Wei Wuxian on the battlefield of the Sunshot Campaign, there was only one outcome – complete annihilation. Therefore, most of the Wen cultivators who recognized his face had become fierce corpses, manipulated and controlled by him, and became his subordinates. But this black wooden flute with a bright red tassel and the black-clothed young man who controlled it had long become their nightmare. All around, people exclaimed, “The Ghost Flute Chenqing!”

Wei Wuxian brought Chenqing to his lips. The shrill and sharp sound of the flute was like a cloud-piercing arrow tearing through the night sky, cutting through the night rain. Then, the lingering sound echoed throughout the entire mountain valley. With just one note, Wei Wuxian retracted Chenqing. He stood with his hands at his sides and a cold smile on his lips. He allowed the raindrops to wet his black hair and clothes.

Soon, someone suddenly said, “What sound is that?”

There were bursts of screams coming from outside the crowd. People were scrambling to break open a space in the circle. In the space they had cleared out, in the light drizzle of rain, a dozen tattered figures were standing crookedly. Some were tall, some were short, some were male, and some were female. Some of them were giving off a stench of decay. Standing at the front was Wen Ning, whose eyes were still open.

His face was as pale as wax, his pupils were dilated, and the blood stains on the corners of his mouth had congealed into a dark brown. Although his chest was completely still, it was obvious that his ribs had been half-crushed. Anyone who saw such a form would not think that this person was still alive, but Wen Qing still didn’t give up. She trembled as she tried to feel his pulse.

After grabbing it tightly for a long time, she finally cried out in a loud wail.

These days, she had been frightened and scared. She had run almost crazy, but she was still late. She had not even seen her younger brother’s last moments.

As she cried, Wen Qing touched Wen Ning’s ribs, as if she wanted to put them back together, foolishly fantasizing about being able to grasp a glimmer of hope. Her originally sweet face was twisted and ugly. But when a person is truly sad to the core, there is absolutely no way to cry beautifully.

In front of her only brother’s stiff body, all of her arrogant pride was completely destroyed.

Wen Qing’s emotional shock was too great, and she finally couldn’t hold on any longer and passed out. Wei Wuxian stood behind her, silently catching her. He let her lean against his chest. He closed his eyes and then opened them after a moment. “Who killed this person?” he asked.

His tone was neither hot nor cold, as if he was not angry but thinking about something. The foreman took a chance and said stubbornly, “Young Master Wei, you can’t say that. No one here dares to kill people. He accidentally fell off the mountain wall while working and died.”

Wei Wuxian said, “No one dares to kill people randomly? Really?”

Several foremen said together, confidently, “It’s absolutely true!”

“There’s absolutely no falsehood!”

Wei Wuxian smiled slightly and said, “Oh. I understand.”

Immediately after, he slowly continued, “Because they’re Wen dogs, and Wen dogs aren’t human. So saying that killing them isn’t killing them, that’s what you mean, right?”

The foreman had just thought this sentence in his heart. When he suddenly had his thoughts exposed, his face turned pale. Wei Wuxian said again, “Or do you really think that I wouldn’t know how a person dies?”

The foremen were speechless and finally began to realize that something was wrong. There was a hint of retreat