TFOD Chapter 92

Before stepping into the gates of Lotus Pier, Wei Wuxian took a deep breath, using it to calm his emotions. However, after entering, he wasn’t as agitated as he had imagined.

Perhaps it was because so many places had been renovated. The training grounds had doubled in size, and new buildings with flying eaves and intricate corners were built one after another, staggered in height, looking more imposing and glorious than before. But compared to the Lotus Pier he remembered, it was almost unrecognizable.

A sense of loss washed over Wei Wuxian. He wondered if the old houses of the past were hidden behind these magnificent new structures, or if they had already been torn down.

After all, they were truly too old.

On the training grounds, disciples from various sects began to form arrays, sitting cross-legged to meditate, continue cultivating, and restore their spiritual energy. After nearly a full day and night of turmoil, these people were utterly exhausted and needed to catch their breath. Jiang Cheng led the various sect leaders and important figures into the inner hall, the Sword Testing Hall, to further discuss the day’s events. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji followed suit. Some people felt it was inappropriate, but they couldn’t say anything.

As soon as they entered the inner hall, before they could even sit down, a guest official-like figure immediately approached and said, “Sect Leader.”

He leaned close to Jiang Cheng’s ear and whispered a few words. Jiang Cheng frowned and said, “I won’t see them. Whatever it is, we can talk about it later. Can’t you see what situation we are in now?”

The guest official said, “I’ve told them that, but those two women said… they came specifically for today’s matter.”

Jiang Cheng asked, “What’s their background? Which sect do they belong to?”

The guest official said, “They don’t belong to any sect, and they’re not female cultivators. I’m certain, they’re just ordinary women with no spiritual power. They arrived today, and they also brought a batch of valuable medicinal herbs, but didn’t say which sect leader sent them. They only said they had important matters to tell the sect leader. I heard them say the matter was extraordinary, fearing any neglect, so they were placed in the guest quarters. The herbs have not been inventoried yet. I’ve verified them, and there are no suspicious curses.”

They weren’t here to see the Yunmeng Jiang sect leader and refused to reveal their origins. Moreover, they were two ordinary women with no spiritual power or family background. However, they had brought a batch of valuable medicinal herbs, which made the guest official in charge of reception , even without valuing the gifts, they could not ignore the strangeness of the situation. Jiang Cheng said, “Everyone, please sit wherever you like. Excuse me for a moment, I’ll be back shortly.”

The others said, “Sect Leader Jiang, you’re too polite.”

However, Jiang Cheng did not return shortly. Instead, he was gone for quite some time. It was already impolite to leave the guests unattended, let alone during this critical situation, with everyone waiting to discuss important matters. After almost half an hour, Jiang Cheng still hadn’t appeared, and many people began to feel uneasy or dissatisfied. Just then, Jiang Cheng finally returned. When he left, his expression was normal, but when he came back, his expression was cold and stern, and his steps were quick. He also brought two people with him, two women, who must have been the two who had come to visit. Everyone had initially thought that even if they were two ordinary women, they must be extraordinary to carry such valuable gifts. However, they found that these two women were not young at all; the details of their eyes and mouths revealed their age. One lowered her eyes, looking meek and terrified, while the other was not only covered in dust but also had five or six old knife scars on her face, making her look gruesome. They were so disappointing that people began to whisper, wondering why Jiang Cheng brought such women to the Sword Testing Hall and why he had even indicated that they should sit in the center of the hall.

Jiang Cheng’s face was somber, and he said to the two women, who were now trembling as they sat down, “Speak here.”

Sect Leader Yao said, “Sect Leader Jiang, what is this?”

Jiang Cheng said, “This matter is too shocking. I dare not act rashly and took some time to investigate in detail, hence the delay. Please be quiet, everyone, and listen to what these two have to say.” He turned to them and said, “Which one of you will speak first?”

The two women exchanged glances. The one who seemed more battered and weather-worn was a bit bolder. She stood up and said, “I’ll go first.”

She casually bowed and said, “What I’m about to say is an old story from about eleven years ago.”

Hearing Jiang Cheng’s tone, everyone knew that what this woman was about to say was not trivial. They began to wonder what had happened eleven years ago. The woman said, “My name is Sisi. I used to be a prostitute. I was considered quite popular back then. Over a decade ago, I wanted to marry a rich merchant, but who knew his wife was formidable. She hired a bunch of thugs with knives and cut my face, leaving me like this.”

This woman spoke without shame or pretense, causing some of the female cultivators to cover their mouths with their sleeves, while some of the male cultivators repeatedly frowned. Sisi said, “After my face became like this, things were not the same as before. No one wanted to look at me, let alone do business with me. The brothel kicked me out. I didn’t know how to do anything else, and I couldn’t find work anywhere. So, I teamed up with some older sisters. Their clients weren’t demanding, and they’d give me a share if they had work. I could still manage as long as I covered my face.”

At this point, some people couldn’t stand it anymore, and their disdain was blatant. Some did not understand why Jiang Cheng would have everyone listen to this woman publicly talk about such filthy and ugly things. The sect leaders, however, kept their composure, waiting for her to continue. As expected, she soon got to the main point. Sisi said, “One day, my sisters in the same alley suddenly got a big order. They hired about twenty of us and picked us up in carriages. My old sisters were so happy on the way, talking about the great rewards. I, however, felt something was off. To be frank, we were all either older and past our prime, or like me. Why would someone pay so much money, in advance? There’s no such thing as a free lunch! And the people who came to find us were mysterious and secretive, picking us up directly and not letting anyone else know. It didn’t seem like they had good intentions!”

The others thought so too. Their earlier disdain was replaced with curiosity. Sisi said, “The carriages arrived at a place and took us directly to a courtyard. None of us had ever seen such tall, huge, golden, and magnificent houses before, we were all blinded by its brilliance and didn’t dare make a sound. A young man was leaning against the door playing with a dagger. When he saw us, he told us to go in. He closed the door and led us into the house. In the huge room, there were only two people. A man was lying under a silk blanket on a big bed. He looked to be in his thirties or forties, and he seemed half-dead, with only his eyeballs still moving when he saw us come in.”

“Ah!”

In the Sword Testing Hall, someone suddenly exclaimed in realization, “Eleven years ago?! This is… this is…!!!”

Sisi said, “Someone had told us beforehand what to do. We were to each use our best skills to serve the man in the bed, without stopping for a moment. I thought he would be a strong, vigorous man, but he was a sickly ghost. How could a person endure such service? I thought he would die from it, and why would he be so desperate? Moreover, with so much money, they could definitely afford younger and more beautiful girls, so why did they have to hire us, the old and ugly ones? I was on top of him, still pondering this when I suddenly heard a young man laugh. I was startled and realized there was a curtain by the bed. And someone was sitting behind it!”

Everyone’s hearts were on the edge of their seats. Sisi continued, “I realized this person had been sitting behind the curtain all along. When he laughed, the man on the bed suddenly struggled, throwing me off and rolling onto the floor. That person laughed even louder and started speaking. He said, ‘Father, I brought you the women you love the most. There are many. Are you happy?’”

Although these words came from Sisi’s mouth, everyone felt their hair stand on end, and an image of a smiling face appeared in their minds.

Jin Guangyao!

And the half-dead man on the bed must be Jin Guangshan!

Jin Guangshan’s death had always been an open secret among the various sects. Jin Guangshan was known for his scandalous, lecherous behavior, leaving a trail of illegitimate children everywhere. His death was also related to this. The dignified sect leader of the Lanling Jin Sect had insisted on indulging in pleasure even when his body was weak, ultimately dying of “exhaustion”. This was not an honorable way to die. After losing her only son and daughter-in-law, Madam Jin had already been depressed for several years. She was further infuriated that her husband would still be carousing before his death, and then died of it. She was so enraged she fell ill and passed away shortly after. The Lanling Jin Sect tried to cover up the news, but everyone had already been aware of it. On the surface, they were mourning and sighing, but in reality, they all thought he deserved it and that he got exactly the death he had coming. However, today, they heard an even more scandalous, uglier truth. Gasps of shock echoed throughout the Sword Testing Hall.

Sisi said, “The middle-aged man wanted to scream and struggle but had no strength. The young man who had led us in earlier came in again, laughing, and dragged him back onto the bed, bound him with a rope, and stepped on his head. He said to us, ‘Continue, even if he dies, don’t stop.’ Who among us had seen such a scene? We were scared to death, but we didn’t dare disobey, so we had to continue. When it was the twelfth or eleventh person, one of the sisters suddenly screamed, saying he really died. I went up to look, and he was indeed dead. But the person behind the curtain said, ‘Didn’t you hear? Even if he dies, don’t stop!’”

Sect Leader Ouyang couldn’t help but say, “Even if Jin Guangshan was… his biological father, if this is true… this is too… too…”

Sisi said, “When I saw this man was dead, I knew it was over; we would definitely not escape. Sure enough, after it was over, my twenty or so old sisters were all killed, without leaving one alive…”

Wei Wuxian said, “Then why were you the only one left?”

Sisi said, “I don’t know! I was begging for mercy at the time, saying I didn’t want money, and I would never tell anyone. Who knew, they really didn’t kill me. They took me to a residence and locked me up. I’ve been locked up for eleven years. Recently, I was accidentally rescued and escaped.”

Wei Wuxian asked, “Who rescued you?”

Sisi said, “I don’t know. I never directly met the person who rescued me. But after my savior heard of my experience, they decided they didn’t want this hypocritical and immoral person to continue deceiving the public. Even if he was now all-powerful, they would expose what he had done and seek justice for those he had harmed, and bring peace to the souls of my twenty or so poor sisters.”