TFOD Chapter 109

Although struck by a sword to the chest, Jiang Cheng wasn’t on the verge of death; it was just that he shouldn’t move around for the time being, nor should he force his spiritual power. He didn’t like being helped, and said to Jin Ling, “Get lost.”

Jin Ling knew he was still angry at him for running around recklessly, and feeling guilty, he didn’t dare talk back. The black-maned spirit dog’s furious barking traveled from afar, suddenly turning into a miserable yelp. Jin Ling, with a start, remembered what Jin Guangyao had said earlier, and shouted, “Fairy, run, they’re going to kill you!”

In a short while, Su She rushed back through the heavy rain, seething with anger. Jin Guangyao asked, “Why didn’t you kill it?”

Su She’s expression was filled with resentment. “Your subordinate is incompetent. That dog is completely spineless; when someone is backing it, it’s incomparably fierce, but when it sees that the situation is bad and it can’t win, it immediately runs away, and faster than anyone else!”

Jin Guangyao shook his head, saying, “I’m afraid it will lead more people here. We must finish this quickly.”

Su She said, “This bunch of trash! I’ll go in and urge them on.”

Jin Ling, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Jiang Cheng sitting on the ground with a livid face, he hesitated for a moment, then asked Lan Wangji, “Hanguang-Jun, are there any more futons?”

The four futons they were sitting on were all found by Lan Wangji, but that was all they could find in the Guanyin Temple. After a moment of silence, Lan Wangji stood up and pushed his own futon over. Jin Ling hastily said, “Thank you! No need, I’ll just use my own…”

Lan Wangji said, “No need.”

Having spoken, he sat down next to Wei Wuxian. The two of them sat properly on the same futon, and strangely, they didn’t feel cramped. Seeing that they had made space for him, Jin Ling scratched his head and dragged Jiang Cheng over to sit. Having stopped the bleeding by pressing on the acupoints on his chest, Jiang Cheng raised his eyes and glanced at Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji before quickly lowering his gaze again, his face somber as if deep in thought.

Just then, a cry of overjoyed excitement came from behind the hall: “Sect Leader! We’ve dug it out! A corner is showing!”

Jin Guangyao’s face visibly relaxed, and he quickly walked back behind the hall, saying, “Keep going! Be very careful. We don’t have much time.”

Seven or eight pale flashes of lightning twisted across the sky, followed by a series of thunderclaps. Over there, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji sat together, Jiang Cheng sat to one side, and Jin Ling had dragged his own futon over as well. In the midst of the rushing rain, there was an awkward silence, with no one taking the initiative to speak.

However, for some unknown reason, Jin Ling seemed eager for them to engage in conversation. After looking back and forth, he suddenly said, “Uncle, it’s thanks to you that you intercepted that zither string just now; otherwise, we would have been in trouble.”

Jiang Cheng’s face darkened, and he said, “Shut your mouth!”

If it hadn’t been for his unstable emotions, not being able to keep Jin Guangyao in check, and letting him exploit the gap to attack, he wouldn’t have fallen into enemy hands. Moreover, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji could have avoided that zither string by themselves. Even though Lan Wangji was now without spiritual power, and Wei Wuxian’s was low, their skills were still there. Even if they couldn’t attack, they could still dodge. Jin Ling was awkwardly trying to speak on his uncle’s behalf, making it all the more obvious and awkward.

After being reprimanded, Jin Ling awkwardly shut his mouth. Jiang Cheng pursed his lips and didn’t say anything more. Wei Wuxian also didn’t say anything.

If it were in the past, he would have mocked Jiang Cheng for letting himself get provoked and falling into a trap, but now, remembering what Jin Guangyao had said, there was nothing he couldn’t understand.

Jiang Cheng already knew the truth.

At this moment, Lan Wangji stroked his back twice, and Wei Wuxian raised his eyes to see that he was not surprised, his gaze was almost gentle. Feeling a pang in his heart, he couldn’t help but whisper, “…You know?”

Lan Wangji slowly nodded.

Wei Wuxian softly let out a breath. “…Wen Ning.”

Chenqing was originally held by Wen Ning, but now it was in Jiang Cheng’s hands. And on the way out of Lotus Pier, Wen Ning hadn’t mentioned this matter at all.

Wei Wuxian said, “When did he say it?”

Lan Wangji said, “When you were unconscious.”

Wei Wuxian said, “We left Lotus Pier like that?!”

If Wen Ning hadn’t been found yet, Wei Wuxian would have glared at him at that very moment.

Lan Wangji said, “He feels very apologetic.”

Wei Wuxian said with a hint of annoyance, “…I told him over and over again, not to say it!”

Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng spoke, “Not to say what?”

Wei Wuxian was stunned, and he and Lan Wangji looked over. They saw Jiang Cheng, with one hand covering his wound, coldly saying, “Wei Wuxian, you’re truly selfless, truly great. You do all these good deeds, and you even bear the humiliation without letting anyone know. It’s truly touching. Should I kneel down and thank you while crying?”

Hearing his impolite words, with a tone full of sarcasm, Lan Wangji’s expression turned cold. Jin Ling, seeing his unfriendly expression, quickly stood in front of Jiang Cheng, afraid that Lan Wangji would kill him with one palm strike, and said urgently, “Uncle!”

Wei Wuxian’s face also darkened a bit.

He never expected that Jiang Cheng would resolve their past grievances after knowing the truth, but he didn’t expect that he would still speak so harshly. After a moment of silence, he said in a muffled voice, “I didn’t ask you to thank me.”

Jiang Cheng gave a “ha” sound and said, “That’s right, doing good deeds without seeking reward, what a high level of integrity. Of course, I’m different from you. No wonder my father often said when he was alive that you were the one who truly understood the Jiang Clan’s teachings and had the Jiang Clan’s spirit.”

Wei Wuxian couldn’t listen to anymore and interrupted, “Alright.”

Jiang Cheng said sharply, “What alright? You say alright and it’s alright? You know everything! You’re better than me in everything! Talent, cultivation, spirituality, character, you all understand, my level is low—so what am I?!?!”

He suddenly reached out, as if to grab Wei Wuxian’s collar. Lan Wangji wrapped an arm around Wei Wuxian’s shoulder, protecting him behind him, and with the other hand forcefully pushed Jiang Cheng’s hand away. His eyes were faintly filled with anger. Although his strike didn’t contain any spiritual power, it had immense force, causing Jiang Cheng’s chest wound to break open again, and fresh blood gushed out. Jin Ling cried out in alarm, “Uncle, your wound! Hanguang-Jun, please have mercy!”

Lan Wangji said coldly, “Jiang WanYin, watch your words!”

Lan Xichen took off his outer robe and covered the shivering Nie Huaisang, saying, “Sect Leader Jiang, please don’t get agitated. If you shout a few more times, your injuries will worsen.”

Jiang Cheng pushed away the helpless Jin Ling who was supporting him. Although he was losing blood, the blood was still rushing to his head. His face turned from white to red, and he said, “By what right? Wei Wuxian, what right do you have?”

Wei Wuxian, standing stiffly behind Lan Wangji, said, “What do you mean by what right?”

Jiang Cheng said, “How much did our Jiang family give you? Clearly, I’m his son, I’m the heir of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, and yet, all these years, I’ve always been overshadowed by you. The grace of raising me, even our lives! My father, my mother, my sister, and even Jin Zixuan’s life! Because of you, Jin Ling is left without a father or mother!”

Jin Ling’s whole body shook, and his shoulders slumped down, his expression listless. Wei Wuxian moved his lips, but in the end, he couldn’t say anything. Lan Wangji turned around and grasped his hand. Over there, Jiang Cheng was still unwilling to let it go, shouting, “Wei Wuxian, who was the one who broke their oath first, betrayed our Jiang family? Tell me, in the future, when I become the Sect Leader, you would be my subordinate, supporting me for the rest of our lives. The Gusu Lan Clan has twin jades, and our Yunmeng Jiang Clan will have the twin heroes. We’d never betray me, never betray the Jiang Clan. Who said these words?! I’m asking you, who said these words?! Did you eat them all?!”

He became more agitated as he spoke, “And what was the result? You went to protect outsiders, hah! And they were still people from the Wen Clan. How much rice did they feed you?! You deserted without any hesitation! What did you treat our family as?! You take all the credit for good deeds, but when you do bad things, you’re always forced to! It’s unavoidable! What kind of unspoken suffering is that?! Suffering?! You don’t tell me anything, treating me like a fool!!!”

“How much do you owe our Jiang family? Shouldn’t I hate you? Can’t I hate you?! Why is it that now, I seem to be the one who has wronged you?! Why do I have to feel like I’ve been a clown all these years?! What am I? Am I supposed to just live in the shadows of your glory, so bright that I can’t open my eyes?! Shouldn’t I hate you?!”

Lan Wangji stood up abruptly. Jin Ling, in a panic, blocked Jiang Cheng, saying, “Hanguang-Jun! My uncle is injured…”

Jiang Cheng slapped him to the ground, saying, “Let him come! Am I afraid of Lan the Second?”

However, after receiving this slap, Jin Ling was stunned.

Not only him, but Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, and Lan Xichen, all froze.

Jiang Cheng was crying.

As he cried, tears streaming down his face, he gritted his teeth and said, “…Why…why didn’t you tell me!”

Jiang Cheng clenched his fist, as if he wanted to hit someone, as if he wanted to hit himself. In the end, he hit the ground.

He should have been able to hate Wei Wuxian without any reservations. But right now, the golden core that was circulating spiritual energy within his body was preventing him from hating with a clear conscience.

Wei Wuxian didn’t know how to respond.

In the beginning, it was because he didn’t want to see Jiang Cheng like this that he decided not to tell him.

He remembered clearly what he had promised Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu: to take good care of and support Jiang Cheng. Such a competitive person who was close to the extreme, if he had known about this matter, he would spend his life in misery, pain, and unable to face himself. There would always be an obstacle he couldn’t overcome, always thinking about how he was only able to achieve what he had because of another’s sacrifice. This was not his own cultivation or achievement. He would be a loser even if he won, and wouldn’t have the right to be competitive.

Later, it was because Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli died because of him that he couldn’t face anyone. Telling Jiang Cheng after that would be like shirking responsibility, eager to show that he had made contributions, telling Jiang Cheng you shouldn’t hate me, see, I have also sacrificed for the Yunmeng Jiang Clan.

Jiang Cheng cried silently, tears streaming haphazardly across his face.

Crying so miserably in front of others was something that was absolutely impossible for the Jiang Cheng of the past. However, from now on, every moment, as long as this golden core remained within his body and was still able to circulate spiritual energy, he would forever remember this feeling.

He choked out, “…You said, in the future, when I become the Sect Leader, you would be my subordinate, supporting me for the rest of our lives, never betraying the Yunmeng Jiang Clan… You said that yourself.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Wei Wuxian said, “I’m sorry. I broke my promise.”

Jiang Cheng shook his head, deeply burying his face in his palms. After a long while, he suddenly “choked” out a laugh.

He said in a muffled, mocking tone, “Even at a time like this, it has to be you apologizing to me. How important am I?”