TFOD Chapter 84

In the past, others would come to ask him what to do. Now, it was him asking others what he should do. And, no one could give him an answer.

Suddenly, Wei Wuxian felt a slight prick on the side of his neck, as if he had been stabbed by an extremely thin needle, and his whole body went numb. He had been distracted just now and had lost his vigilance. After the sensation arrived, it took him a while to realize something was wrong, but his body had already uncontrollably slumped onto the stone bed. At first, he could still raise his arm, but soon even his arm fell onto the bed, and he couldn’t move his entire body.

Wen Qing, with red-rimmed eyes, slowly retracted her right hand and said, “…I’m sorry.”

Originally, with her speed, she would definitely not have been able to stab Wei Wuxian, but the Wei Wuxian from just now had absolutely no defenses. This needle was stabbed deeply, and it made Wei Wuxian’s mind slightly calmer. His Adam’s apple bobbed once, and he opened his mouth, “What are you doing?”

Wen Qing and Wen Ning exchanged a look, then together stood in front of him, and facing him, solemnly gave him a salute.

Seeing this scene, a manic unease rose in Wei Wuxian’s heart, and he said, “What are you going to do? What exactly do you want to do?”

Wen Qing said, “Just now when you woke up, we happened to be discussing. We’ve almost finished discussing it.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Discussing what? Stop talking nonsense, pull out the needle, and let me go!”

Wen Ning slowly stood up from the ground, still lowering his head, and said, “My sister and I, we’ve discussed it. We’re going to the Golden Carp Tower, to confess our crimes.”

“Confess our crimes?” Wei Wuxian said in astonishment, “What crimes are you confessing? Carrying thorns and pleading guilty? Turning yourselves in?”

Wen Qing rubbed her eyes, her expression seemingly calm as she said, “Well, pretty much. These few days while you were lying down, the Lanling Jin Sect sent people to shout messages down below the Burial Mounds.”

Wei Wuxian said, “What did they shout? Don’t just say one sentence at a time, make it clear! Finish it!”

Wen Qing said, “The Lanling Jin Sect wants you to give an explanation. This explanation is to hand over the two leaders of the Wen clan remnants. Especially the Ghost General.”

“…” Wei Wuxian said, “I’m warning you two, quickly pull this needle out.”

Wen Qing continued to talk to herself, “The leaders of the Wen clan remnants, that’s us. From what they mean, as long as you hand us over, this matter will be temporarily over. Then you can just lie down for a few more days. The effect of this needle on you will wear off in three days. I’ve told Fourth Uncle and the others to take good care of you. If there’s any emergency within these three days, then we’ll release you.”

Wei Wuxian said angrily, “You shut your damn mouth! It’s already chaotic enough! You two stop causing trouble. Confess my ass, did I tell you to do this? Pull it out!”

Wen Qing and Wen Ning stood with their hands hanging by their sides, their silence was exactly the same. Wei Wuxian’s body was weak, his struggles were fruitless, and no one would listen to him. Suddenly, his heart also went weak.

He couldn’t shout, couldn’t move, and with a hoarse voice, he said, “What are you going to the Golden Carp Tower for? I’m not the one who cast the Illusory Corpse Pox Curse…”

Wen Qing said, “But they’ve already decided that it was you.”

Wei Wuxian tried hard to think of a way to deal with it, and suddenly an idea sparked in his mind, “Then, find the one who really cast the curse! Jin Zixuan definitely looked for a curse master, the usual method for dealing with this kind of evil curse is to rebound it, reflect it onto the caster. Even if it can’t reflect all of it, it can still reflect a part of it. As long as we find someone with the same evil curse marks on them!”

Wen Qing said, “It’s useless.”

Wei Wuxian said, “How is it useless?”

Wen Qing said, “The sea of people is vast, where would we go to find them? Are we going to set up checkpoints on every road in every city and make everyone take off their clothes to be inspected?”

Wei Wuxian said haphazardly, “Why can’t we??”

Wen Qing said, “Who’s going to help you set up these checkpoints? And how long would it take you to find them? Maybe ten or eight years, but are they willing to wait?”

Wei Wuxian said, “But I don’t have any signs of the evil curse being rebounded on me!”

Wen Qing said, “When they ambushed you today, did they ask you?”

Wei Wuxian said, “No.”

Wen Qing said, “That’s right. They didn’t ask you, they went straight for the kill. Do you understand? They don’t need any evidence, they don’t need you to find out the truth. Whether or not you have evil curse marks on your body is not important at all. You’re the Yi Ling Patriarch, you’re the king of the demonic path, you’re proficient in evil and unorthodox arts, it wouldn’t be strange even if there were no rebound marks. And, you don’t need to do it yourself, you could have sent your Wen clan dogs and lackeys to do it. Anyway, it’s you, you can’t deny it.”

Wei Wuxian cursed.

Wen Qing quietly listened to him finish cursing, and then said, “So, you see. It’s useless. And now, it’s not important anymore who cast the Illusory Corpse Pox Curse. What’s important is that the three hundred plus people at Qiongqi Path, and… Jin Zixuan, were indeed killed by A-Ning.”

Wei Wuxian said, “…But, but…”

But what? He himself couldn’t think of “but” what. Couldn’t think of a reason to refuse, an excuse to get out of it.

He said, “…But if anyone should go, it should be me. It was me who caused the corpses to kill people. Why should the knife go, but not the killer?”

Wen Qing said, “Wouldn’t that be better?”

Wei Wuxian said, “Better how?!”

Wen Qing said in a calm voice, “Wei Ying, we all know. Wen Ning is a knife, a knife that they fear, but it’s also a knife that they use as an excuse to attack you. If we go, you’ll be without this knife, and they won’t have an excuse anymore. Maybe then, this matter will be over.”

Wei Wuxian stared blankly at her, then suddenly let out a meaningless roar of anger.

He finally understood why Jiang Cheng always showed extreme anger towards some of the things he did, why he always called him a hero and wanted to beat him up to wake him up. Because this feeling of watching others insist on taking responsibility on themselves, insist on bearing the bad consequences, and being unable to be persuaded no matter how hard you tried, was really hateful to the extreme, abominable to the extreme!

Wei Wuxian said, “Do you even understand? Going to the Golden Carp Tower to confess your crimes, what will happen to you two, especially Wen Ning? Aren’t you the most heartbroken for your brother?”

Wen Qing said, “Whatever happens to him, he deserves it.”

No. It wasn’t what Wen Ning deserved. It was what he deserved.

Wen Qing said, “Anyway, to be honest, we should have died long ago. These days, they were our bonus.”

Wen Ning nodded.

He was always like this, nodding and agreeing with whatever others said, never objecting. Wei Wuxian had never hated this action and this submissiveness of his so much.

Wen Qing squatted down by the bed, looking at his face, suddenly reached out, and flicked Wei Wuxian’s forehead.

This flick was very hard, and the pain made Wei Wuxian frown. Seeing this, Wen Qing’s mood seemed to have improved a lot, and she said, “That’s all I had to say, everything is clear, and we’ve said our goodbyes. Then, see you later.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Don’t…” Wen Qing interrupted, “I haven’t said these words to you many times, but today, there are some things that I have to say. There won’t be another chance in the future.”

Wei Wuxian murmured, “…Shut up… let me go…”

Wen Qing said, “I’m sorry. And, thank you.”

Wei Wuxian laid there for a full three days.

Wen Qing’s calculations were indeed correct. For a whole three days, not a moment more, not a moment less, once the three days had passed, he was able to move.

First, it was his fingers, then his limbs, and then his neck… When the blood that had been almost completely stagnant had flowed once again, Wei Wuxian leaped up from the steps and rushed out of the Demon-Subduing Cave.

The group of Wen clan people also seemed not to have closed their eyes these past three days. They sat in silence inside that big shed, surrounding the table. Wei Wuxian didn’t even look at them once, and he ran all the way down the Burial Mounds.

After running down the mountain in one breath, he stood in the wilderness, panting heavily, bent over with his hands on his knees, and with great effort, he straightened up. However, when looking at the several mountain paths overgrown with weeds, he didn’t know where to go.

The Burial Mounds, he had just come down from there.

Lotus Pier, he hadn’t returned in a year.

Golden Carp Tower?

Three days had passed, and if he went there now, what he would probably see would only be Wen Qing’s corpse and Wen Ning’s ashes.

He stood there blankly, suddenly feeling that the world was so vast, and yet there was nowhere for him to go.

Even more, he didn’t know what to do.

Suddenly, a terrifying thought sprung up in his mind.

This thought had been repeatedly rejected by him for three days, but it still repeatedly appeared, haunting him.

Wen Qing and Wen Ning had left on their own, perhaps, deep down, he was actually relieved by this.

Because in that case, he didn’t have to struggle over what choice he should make. Because they had already taken the initiative to make a choice for him, and solved this trouble.

Wei Wuxian raised his hand and slapped himself, shouting in a low voice to himself, “What are you thinking?!”

His face burned, and he finally suppressed this terrifying thought. Instead, he changed his mind and decided that no matter what, he had to at least retrieve the bodies and ashes of the Wen siblings.

Thus, he ultimately ran toward the direction of the Golden Carp Tower.

If Wei Wuxian wanted to sneak into a place silently, it wasn’t difficult. The Golden Carp Tower was surprisingly quiet, without the heavy guard he had imagined. He searched all around for a long time, not finding anything suspicious.

Like a ghost, he wandered among the palaces of the Golden Carp Tower, hiding whenever he saw someone, walking whenever there was no one. He didn’t know what exactly he was looking for, or how he should look for it, but when the cry of an infant reached his ears, his steps froze, and an inner voice urged his body toward the source of the sound.

The crying was coming from a large hall that was dark and without any light.

Wei Wuxian silently sneaked to the door, and peeked inside through the cracks in the intricately carved wooden window.

In the hall was a dark, heavy coffin. Before the coffin, two women dressed in white were kneeling.

The woman on the left had a frail build, a back that he would never mistake. From a young age, he had been carried countless times by the owner of this back.

It was Jiang Yanli.

Jiang Yanli was kneeling on a prayer mat, staring blankly at the dark, shiny coffin in front of her. The infant was in her arms, still crying softly.

The woman on the right said in a low voice, “…A-Li, don’t sit anymore. Go and get some rest.”

Jiang Yanli shook her head. Madam Jin sighed.

This was a woman whose temperament was somewhat similar to her friend, Madam Yu. She was very strong, and her tone was always loud. But the words she had just said were low and hoarse, making her sound extremely old.

Madam Jin said again, “I’ll stay here and watch it, you shouldn’t sit anymore, you won’t be able to take it.”

Jiang Yanli said softly, “Mother, I’m fine. I want to sit a while longer.”

After a long while, Madam Jin slowly stood up and said, “You can’t keep doing this. I’ll go and get you something to eat.”

She must have been kneeling here for a long time as well, her legs were numb, her body swayed slightly after standing up, but she quickly steadied herself. She turned around, and as expected, it was that somewhat harsh-looking woman’s face.

In Wei Wuxian’s memory, Madam Jin was decisive and efficient, arrogant, exuding noble air, and dazzlingly golden. Her looks were very well-maintained, and she looked very young. One could believe her to be around twenty years old. But at this moment, what Wei Wuxian saw was an ordinary middle-aged woman dressed in plain mourning clothes with some gray hairs appearing at her temples. She had no makeup on, her face was pale, and her lips were covered with a layer of dead skin.

She walked over, intending to push the door open and leave. Wei Wuxian immediately dodged, lightly stepping on the roof brackets on the corridor. Madam Jin then stepped out, and she closed the door behind her. Her face was cold as she took a deep breath, adjusting the muscles in her face, seeming to try and make her expression as dignified as usual.

However, before she could finish her breath, her eyes turned red first.

When she was in front of Jiang Yanli, she didn’t show any hint of sadness. But as soon as she came out, her mouth drooped, her facial features wrinkled, and her whole body started to tremble.

This was the second time that Wei Wuxian had seen such an ugly and heartbreaking expression on a woman’s face.

He really didn’t want to see that kind of expression ever again.

Wei Wuxian inadvertently clenched his fist, and unexpectedly, his knuckles emitted a crisp “crack” sound. Hearing this sound, Madam Jin immediately raised her eyebrows, shouting, “Who’s there!”

She looked up and saw Wei Wuxian hiding by the roof bracket. Madam Jin’s eyesight was excellent. She clearly saw the face hidden in the dark. Her face twisted for a moment, and she shouted shrilly, “Someone! Get someone over here! Wei Ying—he’s here! He’s sneaked into the Golden Carp Tower!”

Wei Wuxian leaped down the corridor. Suddenly, he heard a rush of footsteps. Someone rushed out of the hall, and he couldn’t help but flee in panic.

At this time, he didn’t dare to look at Jiang Yanli, not even for a moment, nor did he dare to listen to her say even a word to him!

After fleeing the Golden Carp Tower, and leaving Lanling City, Wei Wuxian lost his direction once again and started wandering around aimlessly. His mind was hazy, and he didn’t stop for a moment. He didn’t know how many cities he had passed, when he suddenly saw a group of people gathered in front of a city wall, discussing something animatedly. The atmosphere was heated, and the emotions were high.

Wei Wuxian was originally ignoring these people, but as he walked past, he suddenly heard the faint words “Ghost General” coming from the crowd. He immediately stopped and listened carefully.

“That Ghost General is really brutal… they said they were coming to confess their crimes, but then he suddenly went mad, and went on a killing spree again at the Golden Carp Tower!”

“I’m glad I didn’t go that day!”

“No wonder he’s a dog that Wei Wuxian trained, he bites anyone he sees.”

“This Wei Ying is also something. If you can’t control it, then don’t refine it. If you refine a mad dog, you better chain it up properly. He’ll get backlashed one day. Seeing this trend, I think that day is not far away.”

Wei Wuxian listened quietly, the knuckles on his hands and the muscles on his face twitched slightly.

“The Lanling Jin Sect is really unlucky.”

“The Gusu Lan Sect is even more unlucky! Most of the thirty-plus people who were killed were from their sect, and they were clearly only there to help quell the situation.”

“It’s good that they finally incinerated the Ghost General, otherwise, the thought of having such a thing wandering outside all day, going mad from time to time, it would be uneasy to even sleep.”

Someone spat, “The Wen dogs deserve this fate!”

“The Ghost General has already been burnt to ashes, now Wei Wuxian should know how powerful we are, right? I heard that many clan leaders who are preparing to attend this oath-taking assembly have already said so. How satisfying!”

The more Wei Wuxian listened, the more indifferent his expression became.

He should have understood this long ago. No matter what he did, these people would never have a good word to say. If he was triumphant, others would be afraid; if he was frustrated, others would feel happy.

Either way, he was evil and unorthodox, so what did his insistence all along count for? And what was it for?

But the more bone-chilling the coldness in his eyes was, the more intensely the fire of rage burned in his heart.

One person looked smug, as if he had made a great contribution in this, and said, “Yes, how satisfying! If he honestly shrinks back to that broken mountain and behaves like a person with his tail between his legs, that would be fine. But if he dares to show his face again? Hey, as soon as he comes out…”

“As soon as he comes out, what?”

The people who were discussing so excitedly were stunned by the voice. They all turned their heads.

They saw a black-clad youth, with a pale face and dark circles under his eyes, standing behind them, saying coldly, “As soon as he dares to come out, what will happen?”

Those with sharp eyes saw the flute with bright red tassels tied to this person’s waist, and immediately became frightened, and blurted out, “Chenqing. It’s Chenqing!”

The Yi Ling Patriarch, Wei Wuxian, had really appeared!

In an instant, the crowd formed a wide circle around Wei Wuxian, and scattered in all directions. Wei Wuxian let out a sharp and piercing whistle, and everyone suddenly felt a heaviness in their bodies, and fell to the ground. Trembling as they looked back, they discovered that everyone, including themselves, had several Yin spirits in different forms with blood dripping from their mouths pressing down on them!

Among the crowd of people lying on the ground, unable to move, Wei Wuxian walked unhurriedly, saying as he walked, “Oh, what happened to you all? Weren’t you very arrogant when you were talking about me behind my back just now? How come when you’re in front of me, you’re all kneeling with your faces on the ground?”

He walked up to the person who had said the most vicious things just now, and suddenly stomped on his face, laughing loudly, “Speak up? Why aren’t you talking anymore?–Chivalrous one, what exactly are you going to do to me?!”

The person’s nose bridge had been broken from the kick, and blood was spurting out of his nose, he was screaming miserably. Several cultivators were watching from the top of the city wall, they wanted to help but didn’t dare to come forward, and they yelled at a distance, “Wei…Wei Ying! If you really are capable, why don’t you go look for those big families and big clan leaders of the oath-taking assembly? What kind of skill is it to come and bully us low-level cultivators who can’t fight back?”

Wei Wuxian let out another short whistle, and the cultivator who was speaking suddenly felt a hand grab him and yank him down from the top of the city wall, breaking both of his legs. He screamed miserably for a long time.

Amidst the screams of anguish, Wei Wuxian said without changing his expression, “Low-level cultivators? Because you’re low-level cultivators, I must tolerate you? Since you dare to say these things, you have to dare to bear the consequences. Since you know that you’re insignificant, cheap, and like ants, how can you not learn to control your mouth!”

Everyone was ashen-faced, and silent as cicadas in winter. After a long while, Wei Wuxian didn’t hear any more gossip, and said in satisfaction, “That’s right, just like that.”

After finishing speaking, he stomped again and kicked out half the teeth of the one who had been the most enthusiastic in his slandering!

Blood splattered everywhere. Everyone was trembling and changing colors, and that person had already fainted from the pain. Wei Wuxian lowered his head and smeared the bloodstains from the bottom of his boots on the ground, leaving a few bloody footprints. After looking at it for a while, he said indifferently, “However, you trash actually said one thing right. Wasting time with people like you, it’s meaningless. You want me to go find those big families? Very good, I will go now and settle my scores with them.”

He raised his head and saw the huge notice posted on the city wall. Just now, this group of people were discussing around this notice.

At the top of the notice, the four words “Oath-Taking Assembly” were written. The content was that the four major families, the Lanling Jin Sect, the Qinghe Nie Sect, the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, and the Gusu Lan Sect, were going to scatter the ashes of the Wen clan remnants on the ruins of the Qishan Wen Sect’s abandoned immortal mansion, Nightless City. At the same time, they would take an oath to stand in opposition to the Yi Ling Patriarch, who occupied the Burial Mounds.

Nightless City, oath-taking assembly?