TFOD Chapter 81
by VolareChapter 75: Han Guang Seventeenth 2 (1)
The three of them immediately sped towards the Burial Mounds. As the black mountain peak emerged from the clouds, Wei Wuxian’s heart tightened.
From afar, howls of fierce corpses came from the black forest, and not just one or two, but a horde. Lan Wangji made a hand seal, and Bichen suddenly sped up a bit, yet remained extremely stable.
As soon as they landed, they saw a black shadow leap out of the forest, screaming as it pounced towards one person. Bichen sliced it in half with one strike. The person on the ground, pale-faced, saw Wei Wuxian and shouted, “Young Master Wei!”
Wei Wuxian flicked his hand, sending out a talisman, and asked, “Fourth Uncle, what happened?!”
Fourth Uncle said, “The Demon Subduing Cave… the fierce corpses in the Demon Subduing Cave have all come out!”
Wei Wuxian said, “Didn’t I set up a barrier? Who moved it?!”
Fourth Uncle said, “No one moved it! It’s… it’s…”
At this moment, a clear shout came from the front, a female voice said, “A-Ning!”
In the black forest, more than a dozen Wen Clan cultivators were confronting a figure. That figure was Wen Ning, his eyes rolled back, looking extremely ferocious. The talismans that were previously densely plastered on him were mostly gone. He was dragging two fierce corpses in his hands, which he had torn to pieces with his bare hands. Black blood dripped down, and only bone frames remained. Wen Ning was still violently flinging them, as if he wouldn’t stop until he ground them to dust. The person holding a sword at the forefront was Wen Qing. Wei Wuxian said, “Didn’t I tell you not to touch the talismans on him?!”
Wen Qing didn’t even have time to be surprised that Lan Wangji was there. She said, “No one touched them! No one even entered the Demon Subduing Cave! He went berserk and tore them off himself. Not only did he tear off the ones on himself, he also destroyed the blood pool and the barrier of the Demon Subduing Cave. All the fierce corpses in the blood pool have climbed out. Wei Wuxian, you go quickly and save Granny and the others. They can’t hold on over there!!!”
While she was speaking, a strange hissing came from above. The few looked up, and saw a few fierce corpses had climbed to the treetops, coiling around the branches like snakes, baring their teeth below, with unknown viscous fluids dripping from their teeth. Wen Ning also looked up and saw them, and threw away the shredded remains in his hands. With a leap, he jumped directly to the treetops!
This tree was at least five zhang tall, and with one leap, he was able to reach such a height, his explosive power was shocking. After Wen Ning got on the tree, he tore the few fierce corpses to pieces with both his palms. A shower of blood rained down from the sky. He was not satisfied and landed on the other side. Wei Wuxian drew out Chenqing and said, “Lan…!” He originally wanted to ask Lan Wangji to save the others first, while he dealt with Wen Ning, but when he turned around, Lan Wangji was gone. Just as he was burning with anxiety, he heard the resonant sound of the guqin that shook the sky and startled the crows in the black forest. It turned out that without him even asking, Lan Wangji had already gone ahead. Wei Wuxian’s heart eased a little, and he brought Chenqing to his lips and let out a long cry. Wen Ning’s landing form slightly paused. Wei Wuxian seized the opportunity and said, “Wen Ning! Do you recognize me?”
The sound of the guqin played three times and then stopped, indicating that Lan Wangji had completely restrained all the out-of-control fierce corpses within three notes. Wen Ning lowered his body slightly, and a low hiss came from his throat. He looked like an alert and uneasy beast about to pounce. Wei Wuxian was about to play again when he suddenly realized that Wen Yuan was still tightly hugging his leg, not daring to breathe. He had actually forgotten him all along!
He quickly picked up Wen Yuan and threw him towards Wen Qing, saying, “Take him and hide far away!”
At this moment, Wen Ning suddenly pounced.
It was as if a boulder was pressing down. Wei Wuxian was sent flying backward and crashed heavily into a tree. His throat felt hot, and he cursed under his breath. Lan Wangji had just turned back and saw this scene, his expression changing drastically. He seized Wei Wuxian in front of him. Wen Qing had just pushed Wen Yuan into someone else’s arms, and wanted to check Wei Wuxian’s injuries, but he had grabbed him first, which stunned her. Lan Wangji was practically holding Wei Wuxian in his arms, gripping his hand directly pouring spiritual energy. Wen Qing quickly said, “You let go of him first, no need! Let me do it! I am Wen Qing!”
Qishan Wen Qing was a first-class physician, so Lan Wangji stopped his flow of spiritual energy and allowed Wen Qing to check on Wei Wuxian’s condition, but he still wouldn’t let go of his hand. Wei Wuxian, however, pushed him away and said, “Don’t let him pass!”
After injuring him, Wen Ning was walking downhill with his arms hanging down. That was where the other Wen Clan cultivators were hiding from the fierce corpses. Wen Qing shouted to them below, “Run! All of you run! He’s going towards your direction!”
Wei Wuxian struggled out of Lan Wangji’s grasp and chased after him with a breath of air. Lan Wangji caught up again and said, “Where is your sword?”
Wei Wuxian waved out twelve talismans, saying, “I don’t know where I threw it long ago!”
The twelve yellow talismans arranged themselves in a row in the air and started burning, hitting Wen Ning’s body like a chain of fire, locking him in place instantly. Lan Wangji played a chord on his guqin, and Wen Ning’s steps seemed to be held back by an invisible thread, paused for a moment, and then continued moving forward with some difficulty. Wei Wuxian brought Chenqing to his lips. Because he had just suffered a blow, some blood spattered out when he played. His brow furrowed, but he still endured the churning blood and pain in his chest, blowing the notes without trembling even a bit.
With their combined effort, Wen Ning knelt down, howling towards the sky, and the leaves in the black forest trembled. Wei Wuxian finally couldn’t hold back and coughed out a mouthful of blood.
The sound of Wangji’s guqin suddenly turned sharp, and Wen Ning held his head and roared, curling up on the ground. Wen Qing cried out sadly, “A-Ning! A-Ning!” She wanted to rush forward, but Wei Wuxian said, “Be careful!”
Seeing her brother in great pain because of the guqin music, even though she knew that if they didn’t take harsh measures, he would be in danger, she still couldn’t help but feel sorry for Wen Ning. She said, “Hanguang-Jun, please be merciful!”
Wei Wuxian said, “Lan Zhan! Be gen…”
“…Young… Master…”
Wei Wuxian suddenly froze and said, “Wait?”
He said, “Lan Zhan, stop first?!”
This voice came from Wen Ning’s side.
Lan Wangji pressed his five fingers on the guqin strings, stopping the trembling reverberation. Wei Wuxian said, “Wen Ning?!”
Wen Ning laboriously raised his head.
In his eye sockets, there was no longer a ferocious dead white, but… a pair of black pupils!
Wen Ning opened his mouth and continued, “…Wei… Young Master…?”
It was as if he was squeezing out every single word, as if he was about to bite his tongue. But it was indeed human speech, not a meaningless roar.
Wen Qing was completely stunned.
After a while, she suddenly yelled, and rushed forward while rolling and crawling, and roared, “A-Ning!”
The two were knocked down to the ground by the rush, and Wen Ning said, “Sis… Sis…”
Wen Qing hugged her brother tightly, crying and laughing, burying herself in his chest, saying, “It’s me! It’s your sister, it’s your sister! A-Ning, ah!”
She kept calling out Wen Ning’s name, and the other cultivators looked like they wanted to rush over as well, but they didn’t dare. They simply shouted and laughed while hugging each other in a chaotic manner. Fourth Uncle ran wildly down the mountain, shouting, “It’s okay! It’s done! It’s done! A-Ning is awake!…”
Wei Wuxian walked over and squatted next to Wen Ning, saying, “How do you feel now?”
Wen Ning was lying on his back on the ground, and his limbs and neck were still a bit stiff. He said, “I… I…”
He stuttered for a long time and finally said, “…I really want to cry, but I can’t cry, what’s going on…”
After a moment of silence, Wei Wuxian patted his shoulder and said, “You remember, right? You’re already dead.”
After confirming that Wen Ning was truly awake, Wei Wuxian let out a long sigh of relief in his heart.
He had succeeded.
Back then, because of his impulsive anger, he had pushed Wen Ning into becoming a low-level fierce corpse. Although he had allowed Wen Ning to personally identify and tear to pieces the foremen who had abused him, after Wen Qing woke up, she was in even more pain facing her brother who didn’t recognize her at all, who would only growl and tear at everything like a mad dog, wanting to eat meat and drink blood.
After calming down, Wei Wuxian had vowed to her that he had a way to make Wen Ning regain his consciousness. But who knew that he was merely bragging to reassure Wen Qing. In reality, he had no confidence at all, and could only put on a brave face and do it.
After racking his brains and neglecting sleep and food for days, he had actually fulfilled his promise.
Wen Qing held Wen Ning’s pale face, large tear drops sliding down her face. In the end, she still couldn’t help it and cried out loud like she did on the night she saw Wen Ning’s corpse.
Wen Ning’s hands and feet were stiff as he patted her back. More and more Wen family members walked up from the foot of the mountain, either rushing over to join in the crying, or looking at Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji with respect and gratitude.
Wei Wuxian knew that the siblings must have a lot to say, and that Wen Qing would certainly not want outsiders to see her crying. He said, “Lan Zhan.”
Lan Wangji looked at him, and Wei Wuxian said, “Now that we’re here, do you want to go in and have a seat?”
The two walked towards the entrance of a cave on the mountain, where the wind was howling.
Lan Wangji said, “The Demon Subduing Cave?”
Wei Wuxian said, “That’s right. I chose the name, what do you think?”
Lan Wangji was silent.
Wei Wuxian said, “I know, you must be thinking in your heart, ‘Not good’. After it spread, I also heard some people discussing it, saying that I’m a demonic cultivator myself, already a big demon, so how could I have the nerve to name my lair the Demon Subduing Cave?”
Lan Wangji was noncommittal. The two had already stepped into the cave. Wei Wuxian’s laughter echoed endlessly within the empty cave, “But actually, they are all wrong. The reason I chose this name has nothing to do with what they understand.”
Lan Wangji said, “What is it then?”
Wei Wuxian said, “Simple. It’s just because I often sleep here. A cave where a demon is lying on the ground sleeping, isn’t that a Demon Subduing Cave?”
Lan Wangji: “…”
The two entered the main cave, and Lan Wangji said, “What about the blood pool?”
Wei Wuxian pointed to a pool of dark water in the cave, saying, “The blood pool is this.”
The light in the cave was dim. The water was hard to tell whether it was black or red, and it emitted a mild bloody smell.
A circle of barrier lines was originally set up around the pool, but they had been destroyed by Wen Ning. Wei Wuxian pulled them up again, knotted and reinforced them.
Lan Wangji said, “The yin energy is heavy.”
Wei Wuxian said, “That’s right, the yin energy is very heavy, suitable for nurturing evil. I use this place to ‘nurture’ some of the fierce corpses that I haven’t finished refining. Guess how many are submerged at the bottom?”
He smiled and said, “To be honest, I don’t know how many there are. However, the water in the pool smells more and more like blood.”
Whether it was due to the light, Wei Wuxian’s face looked unusually pale, and his smile also carried a faint hint of grimness. Lan Wangji looked at him quietly, and said, “Wei Ying.”
Wei Wuxian said, “What?”
Lan Wangji said, “Can you really control it?”
Wei Wuxian said, “Control what? You mean Wen Ning? Of course, there’s no problem. Look, he has already regained his consciousness.” Wei Wuxian said triumphantly, “An unprecedented fierce corpse.”
Lan Wangji said, “What if he goes berserk again, what should we do then?”
Wei Wuxian said, “I already have experience dealing with him when he goes berserk. He is controlled by me, so as long as I have no problems, he won’t have problems.”
After a moment of silence, Lan Wangji said, “Then what if you have problems?”
Wei Wuxian said, “That won’t happen.”
Lan Wangji said, “How can you guarantee it?”
Wei Wuxian said firmly, “It won’t. And it can’t.”
Lan Wangji said, “Are you planning to continue like this from now on?”
Wei Wuxian said, “What’s wrong with continuing like this? Are you looking down on my territory? This mountain is bigger than your Cloud Recesses, and the food is better than yours, too.”
“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said, “You understand what I mean.”
“…”
Wei Wuxian said helplessly, “Lan Zhan, you… you’re really something. I was already changing the subject, but you pulled it back.”
At this moment, his throat felt slightly itchy, and a sudden surge of blood rushed up. Wei Wuxian suppressed a cough a few times. Seeing that Lan Wangji was about to grab his hand, Wei Wuxian dodged and said, “What are you doing?”
Lan Wangji said, “Your injuries.”
Wei Wuxian said, “Forget it. Why waste spiritual energy on such a small injury? I’ll be fine after sitting for a while.”
Lan Wangji didn’t waste words with him, and went to grab his hand again. Just then, two people walked in from outside the cave. Wen Qing’s voice said, “Sit for a while and you’ll be fine? Do you think I’m dead?”
Behind her was Wen Ning, who was carrying a tea tray. Wen Ning’s skin was deathly pale, and the talismans that hadn’t been wiped off could still be seen on his neck. The one hugging Wen Ning’s legs was Wen Yuan. As soon as he came in, he stomped over to Wei Wuxian, and changed to hanging onto his leg. Seeing Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji looking at him at the same time, Wen Ning’s lips twitched as if he wanted to smile, but the muscles on his face were stiff and couldn’t move, so he could only greet them, “Young Master Wei… Young Master Lan.”
Wei Wuxian lifted one leg and swung Wen Yuan in the air, saying, “How did you guys get in? Are you done crying already?”
Wen Qing said fiercely, “See how I’ll make you cry later!” Although she said that, her voice still had a strong nasal tone. Wei Wuxian said, “That’s a joke, how could you possibly make me… Ah!!!”
Wen Qing walked over and slapped him on the back, and Wei Wuxian coughed out a mouthful of blood, looking incredibly shocked, and said, “You… you’re so vicious…”
He closed his eyes and passed out. Lan Wangji’s face turned pale, catching him, saying, “Wei Ying!”
Wen Qing held up three bright silver needles, scolding, “I have even more vicious things that you haven’t seen. Get up!”
Wei Wuxian got up again as if nothing had happened from Lan Wangji’s arms, wiping the blood from his mouth, and said, “Forget it, the most poisonous heart is that of a woman. I don’t want to experience it.”
It turned out that Wen Qing’s slap just now had only knocked out the stagnant blood stuck in his chest. How could Qishan’s top physician, renowned by all the sects, have really been unaware of the severity? Lan Wangji, seeing that it was another prank, flicked his sleeves and turned his back, seeming like he didn’t want to deal with such a boring person anymore. Wen Ning had just woken up, so his reactions were a bit slow. When he saw Wei Wuxian spitting blood just now, he was stunned. At this moment, he remembered that he had injured Wei Wuxian when he was unconscious, and felt guilty, saying, “Young Master, I’m sorry…”
Wei Wuxian waved his hand and said, “Alright, alright, you think I’d be done for with just that one punch of yours?”
Wen Qing’s dark eyes glanced at Lan Wangji’s expression and said, “Hanguang-Jun, please have a seat?”
Wei Wuxian suddenly realized. He was wondering why he had forgotten something. It turned out that Lan Zhan had been standing for so long since he came in. But the only places to sit in the cave were a few stone beds, and each one was covered with strange things, flags, knives, boxes, as well as blood-stained bandages, and unfinished fruit, it was unbearable.
Wei Wuxian said, “But there’s no place to sit here, right?”
Wen Qing said indifferently, “Of course, there is.” After saying that, she swept all the items on one stone bed to the ground without any mercy, saying, “Look, now there is.”
Wei Wuxian was shocked, “Hey!”
Wen Ning also said, “Yes, Young Master Lan, sit, drink tea…” He said, as he brought the tray closer to Lan Wangji. There were two tea cups on the tray, which were washed very clean. However, after taking a look, Wei Wuxian said, “So shabby, serving plain water to guests, without even any tea leaves!”
Wen Ning said, “I asked if there were any just now, and Fourth Uncle said that there are no tea leaves in stock…”
Wei Wuxian picked up a cup of water and took a sip, saying, “That’s really not good. Next time, when guests come, you need to prepare some.” After he said that, he realized how comical he was being. Where would there be a next time, and where would the guests come from?
Wen Qing then said, “You have the nerve to say that. How many times have I told you to go down the mountain and buy things, but what kind of messy things did you buy? Where are the turnip seeds that I asked you to buy today?”
Wei Wuxian said, “I didn’t buy any messy things! I bought fun things for A-Yuan, right, A-Yuan.”
Wen Yuan didn’t cooperate at all and said, “You’re lying, brother Xian. This brother bought them for me.”
Wei Wuxian was furious, “How outrageous!”
Inside the Demon Subduing Cave was filled with laughter. Who knew, Lan Wangji suddenly turned around and walked towards the cave exit without saying a word.
Wen Qing and Wen Ning were both stunned. Wei Wuxian said, “Lan Zhan?”
Lan Wangji paused his footsteps. His voice had no emotion, and he said, “I should go back.”
He left the Demon Subduing Cave without turning his head. Wen Ning started to feel anxious again, as if he thought it was his fault. Wen Yuan quickly said, “Brother!”
He dragged his two short legs and wanted to chase after him. Wei Wuxian picked him up and tucked him under his arm, saying, “You guys wait for me here.”
He took three steps at once and caught up to Lan Wangji, saying, “You’re leaving? I’ll see you off.”
Lan Wangji remained silent.
Wen Yuan was under Wei Wuxian’s arm, looking up at him, saying, “Isn’t the brother going to eat with us?”
Lan Wangji glanced at him, extended a hand, and gently touched his head.
Wen Yuan thought that he was going to stay, and his face lit up with joy. He said quietly, “A-Yuan overheard a secret. They said that there’s a lot of delicious food today…”
Wei Wuxian said, “This brother has food at home, so he’s not staying.”
Wen Yuan “oh”-ed and lowered his head, disappointment evident in his expression, and stopped talking.
The two of them, with a child tucked between them, walked in silence all the way until they reached the foot of the Burial Mounds, where they stopped in unison without a word.
After a long while, Wei Wuxian said, “Lan Zhan, you asked me just now, am I really going to continue like this? Actually, I also want to ask someone else. If I don’t continue like this, what else can I do?”
He said, “Give up demonic cultivation? What would happen to the people on this mountain then?”
“Give up on them? I can’t do it. I believe that if it were you, you wouldn’t be able to do it either.”
He said, “Is there anyone who can give me a bright path, a path where even without demonic cultivation, I can still protect the people I want to protect?”
Lan Wangji looked at him without answering, but they both knew the answer in their hearts.
There was no such path.
There was no solution.
Wei Wuxian said slowly, “Thank you for keeping me company today, and thank you for telling me about my sister’s wedding. However, right and wrong are within oneself, praise and blame come from others, gains and losses are irrelevant. I know what I should do, and I also believe that I can control myself.”
As if he had already expected his attitude, Lan Wangji turned his head slightly and closed his eyes.
And so they parted.
On the way back up the mountain, Wei Wuxian realized that he had said that he was going to treat Lan Wangji to a meal, but in the end, the two had parted in a not-so-pleasant atmosphere. He also took it for granted that he had forgotten to pay the bill.
Wei Wuxian thought, “Sigh, anyway, Lan Zhan is so rich. It wouldn’t hurt for him to pay another bill. Speaking of which, he should still have some money left on him, right? He couldn’t have spent it all by buying those kids’ toys. At most, I’ll treat him next time… what next time?”
Thinking about it, almost every time he met Lan Wangji, they would end up parting unhappily because of one reason or another. Perhaps they were really not meant to be friends.
However, there wouldn’t be any more opportunities to try in the future.
Wen Yuan held his left hand, holding a small wooden sword in his right hand, and wore a grass-woven butterfly on his head, saying, “Brother Xian, will the rich brother come again?”
Wei Wuxian burst out laughing and asked, “What’s a ‘rich brother’?”
Wen Yuan said seriously, “The rich brother, is the rich brother.”
Wei Wuxian said, “Then what am I?”
As expected, Wen Yuan said, “You’re Brother Xian. Not a rich brother.”
Wei Wuxian glanced at him, suddenly snatching the butterfly, saying, “What, you like him just because he’s rich?”
Wen Yuan stretched on his tiptoes to grab it back, saying anxiously, “Give it back to me… that was bought for me!”
Wei Wuxian, who was bored, also got excited when he was teasing a child. He put the butterfly on his own head and said, “I won’t give it back. Why do you call him ‘father’ and me only ‘brother’? You’re one generation lower than him for no reason!”
Wen Yuan jumped, saying, “I didn’t call him father!”
Wei Wuxian said, “I heard you calling him that. I don’t care, I want to be a higher generation than both ‘brother’ and ‘father’. What should you call me?”
Wen Yuan said aggrievedly, “But… but A-Yuan… doesn’t want to call you mother… It’s so weird…”
Wei Wuxian was speechless, “Who told you to call me mother? The generation higher than both ‘brother’ and ‘father’ is ‘grandpa’, don’t you even know that? You really like him that much, you should’ve said so earlier, and I would’ve just had him take you away. Although he’s rich, he’s terrifying. If he took you back home, he’d lock you in a room and make you copy books from morning to night, aren’t you scared!”
Wen Yuan quickly shook his head and said quietly, “…I don’t want to go… I still want Granny.”
Wei Wuxian pressed, “You want Granny, and not me?”
Wen Yuan said appeasingly, “I want you too. I also want the rich brother, and Sister Qing, and Brother Ning, and Fourth Uncle, and Sixth Uncle…”
Wei Wuxian threw the butterfly back on top of his head and said, “Enough, enough. You’ve buried me in the crowd of people.”
Wen Yuan quickly put the grass-woven butterfly into his pocket, afraid that he would snatch it again, and asked, “Will the rich brother really come back?”
Wei Wuxian was smiling all the while.
After a while, he said, “He probably won’t come back.”
Wen Yuan said in disappointment, “Why?”
Wei Wuxian said, “For no reason. Everyone in this world has their own things to do, their own paths to walk. Their own homes are busy enough, they don’t have time to always revolve around others, right?”
After all, they were not on the same path.
Wen Yuan “oh”-ed as if he understood, looking forlorn.
Wei Wuxian picked him up and tucked him under his arm, humming, “…Let them have their bustling, sunlit path, I’ll take that single-plank bridge and walk it until it turns dark… walk! Until… walk until dark?”
When he hummed the word “dark,” he suddenly realized that it wasn’t dark at all.
The mountain top which was always dark before, was very different tonight when he returned.
The small shacks were all swept clean. Even many weeds had been pulled out. Several red lanterns were hanging in the surrounding forest. The lanterns were all handmade, hanging on the branches. They were round and simple, but they emitted a warm light, illuminating the dark forest.
Usually at this time, the fifty people had already finished their meals and were resting inside their own broken wooden houses with the lights off, but today they were all gathered in the widest shack. This shack was just a roof supported by eight wooden stakes. It could accommodate everyone. The small house next to it was the “kitchen”, and therefore it became the dining hall.
Wei Wuxian felt strange and walked over with Wen Yuan tucked under his arm, saying, “Why are you all here today? Not sleeping? There are so many lights, it’s so bright.”
Wen Qing came out of the kitchen with a plate, saying, “I hung them for you, old man. Tomorrow, we will make a few more to hang on the mountain road. You walk in the dark so haphazardly, you might slip and break a bone one day.”
Wei Wuxian said, “If I break a bone, you’re still here, aren’t you?”
Wen Qing said, “I don’t want to do more work, and there’s no money in it. If you break a bone, don’t blame me for reattaching it improperly.”
Wei Wuxian shuddered and quickly left. He walked into the shack, and everyone quickly made space for him. There were three tables, each with seven or eight plates, with steaming hot dishes on them. Wei Wuxian said, “What, you guys haven’t eaten yet?”
Wen Qing said, “Not yet. We’re all waiting for you.”
Wei Wuxian said, “Why are you waiting for me? I ate outside.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized he had messed up. As expected, Wen Qing placed the plate heavily on the table, and even the red peppers on the dishes jumped in unison. She said angrily, “No wonder you didn’t buy anything. You went out to eat and used up all the money, right? I only had that little bit of money, and I gave it all to you, and you spent it so lavishly!”
Wei Wuxian said, “No! I didn’t…” At this time, Granny Wen also came out of the kitchen, holding a plate with one hand and a crutch with the other, looking shaky. Wen Yuan twisted around and wriggled out from under his armpit and ran over, saying, “Granny!”
Wen Qing turned to help, grumbling, “I told you not to carry it, you don’t need to help, just sit down. The smoke inside is too heavy, and your legs are bad and your hands are not steady. If you fall, there would be so few plates left. It’s not easy to transport these ceramics up the mountain…”
The other Wen Clan cultivators were setting out chopsticks and pouring tea, clearing the head seat for him. Wei Wuxian felt somewhat uneasy to accept it.
In the past, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t noticed that these people from the Wen Clan were actually a little afraid of him.
These people had all heard of his fierce reputation in the Sunshot Campaign. They had heard of his widely spread, cruel and evil methods of venting his anger. They had also seen with their own eyes how he controlled corpses to injure and kill people. In the beginning, Old Lady Wen would tremble when she saw his legs, and Wen Yuan would hide behind her. It was only after a while that he dared to slowly approach him.
However, at this moment, more than fifty pairs of eyes were looking at him. Although there was still fear in those gazes, it was respectful fear, and it also had some appeasement, and a little cautiousness. More than anything else, there was gratitude and goodwill, just like in the eyes of the Wen siblings.
Wen Qing said softly, “You’ve worked hard these days.”
Wei Wuxian said, “You… suddenly talking to me so kindly, I’m a little shocked?”
Wen Qing’s knuckles seemed to crack. Wei Wuxian immediately shut his mouth.
However, Wen Qing continued in a low voice.
“…Actually, they always wanted to have a meal with you, and say thank you to you. But you’re either running around all over the place or you’re locked in the Demon Subduing Cave for days and nights without coming out, and you don’t let anyone disturb you. They’re afraid of delaying your work, and annoying you. They also thought that you didn’t like interacting with people, and didn’t want to talk to them, so they were too embarrassed to say anything to you. Today, A-Ning is awake, and Fourth Uncle said that they have to sit at the table with you… Even if you ate yourself full outside today, you should still sit down. It’s okay if you don’t eat, just sit and chat, have some wine.”
Wei Wuxian was stunned, his eyes lit up, “Wine? There’s wine on this mountain?”
The older Wen family members were looking at him anxiously, and when they heard this, one of them immediately said, “Yes, yes. There’s wine, there’s wine.” He picked up a few sealed bottles from the side of the table and handed them to him, saying, “Fruit wine. Wild fruits picked on the mountain, brewed from them, it’s very fragrant!”
Wen Ning squatted next to the table, saying, “Fourth Uncle also loves to drink. He knows how to brew it himself. It’s specially brewed by him. He tried it for many days.”
Because he spoke one word at a time, he spoke very slowly, but he didn’t stutter. Fourth Uncle smiled a little shyly, still staring at Wei Wuxian, feeling a little nervous. Wei Wuxian said, “Is that so? Then I must try it!”
He sat at the table, and Fourth Uncle quickly opened the bottle and handed it to him with both hands. Wei Wuxian smelled it and laughed, saying, “It really is fragrant!”
The others also sat down with him. After hearing his praise, everyone seemed like they had received great praise. They were all smiling from ear to ear and started eating.
For the first time, Wei Wuxian couldn’t taste what kind of wine it was.
He was thinking in his heart, “Walk this path until it turns dark…?”
It wasn’t really that dark.
Suddenly, his whole body felt refreshed.
Fifty people were crowded around three tables. Chopsticks were stretching in and out, and Wen Yuan was sitting on his grandmother’s lap, showing her his new treasures, showing her how he was fighting with his small wooden sword and knife. The old woman was smiling, her toothless mouth wide open. Wei Wuxian and Fourth Uncle were discussing the wine they had drunk, in a lively manner. They finally agreed that the Gusu famous wine, Emperor’s Smile, was an indisputable masterpiece. Wen Qing went around pouring fruit wine for the elders and their subordinates. After pouring a few rounds, the bottles were empty. Wei Wuxian said, “Why is it gone already? I haven’t drunk much yet??”
Wen Qing said, “There are still a few bottles, we’ll save them to drink slowly. You shouldn’t drink anymore today.”
Wei Wuxian said, “How can that do? As the saying goes, ‘It’s better to have a cup of wine now, rather than to leave behind only a reputation.’ Don’t say anymore, fill it up, thank you.”
Today was special, so Wen Qing filled it up for him, saying, “This is the only exception. I really think you should stop drinking, you drink too much.”
Wei Wuxian said, “This isn’t Cloud Recesses, why should I stop drinking?”
When Cloud Recesses was mentioned, Wen Qing looked at Wei Wuxian, and said casually, “I forgot to ask you, you’ve never brought anyone to the Burial Mounds before. What happened today?”
Wei Wuxian said, “You’re talking about Lan Zhan? We ran into each other on the road.”
Wen Qing said, “Ran into each other? How did you run into each other? Another chance encounter?”
Wei Wuxian said, “Yeah.”
Wen Qing said, “How coincidental. I remember you two had a chance encounter in Yunmeng before as well.”
Wei Wuxian said, “That’s not unusual, there are often cultivators from other sects coming and going in both Yunmeng and Yiling.”
Wen Qing said, “Just now, I heard you call him by his name directly, you’re very bold.”
Wei Wuxian said, “He also calls me by my name directly. It’s nothing, I’m used to calling him that since we were young, and we don’t mind.”
Wen Qing said, “Oh? Aren’t you two not on good terms? It sounded like you were like fire and water, fighting every time you met.”
Wei Wuxian said, “You’ve been listening to those crazy rumors. Our relationship wasn’t good before, and during the Sunshot Campaign, we did fight a few times when our tempers were high, but afterwards, it wasn’t as bad as the rumors say. It’s alright, I guess.”
Wen Qing didn’t say anything more.
The dishes in the plates were quickly swept clean. Someone knocked on their bowl,