TFOD Chapter 56

Chapter 51: Absolute Courage, Part Eleven

Yunmeng was known for its many lakes, and the first largest cultivation sect in this area, the Yunmeng Jiang Sect’s immortal residence “Lotus Pier,” was built by a lake.

Starting from the docks of Lotus Pier, it wasn’t long before you’d come across a large lotus pond called Lotus Lake, which stretched for probably several hundred miles. The green leaves were wide and the pink lotuses stood tall, shoulder to shoulder, head to head. The lake breeze would rustle through, causing the flowers to sway and the leaves to tremble, as if they were nodding in greeting. Amidst the fresh, delicate beauty, there was a kind of charming clumsiness.

Lotus Pier wasn’t like other cultivation sects’ immortal residences, which seemed removed from the world. Instead of closed gates, and commoners being forbidden to tread within several miles, the wide dock in front of the gates often had vendors squatting there selling lotus pods, water chestnuts, and various pastries; it was quite lively. Children from nearby homes could also sneak into the training grounds of Lotus Pier with runny noses to steal a look at the sword practice, and even if they were discovered, they wouldn’t be scolded. Sometimes, they could even play with the Jiang Sect disciples.

When Wei Wuxian was young, he often flew kites by the side of Lotus Lake.

Jiang Cheng stared intently at his own kite, occasionally glancing at Wei Wuxian’s. Wei Wuxian’s kite had already flown very high, but he still showed no sign of drawing his bow, his right hand resting on his brow, laughing as he looked up, seemingly thinking it still wasn’t far enough.

Seeing that his kite was about to fly beyond the distance he was sure he could hit, Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth, nocked an arrow, and drew his bow. The white feather shot out with a whoosh. The kite, which was painted to look like a one-eyed monster, was pierced through the eye and fell to the ground. Jiang Cheng’s brow relaxed as he said, “Got it!”

Immediately, he said, “Yours flew so far, can you still hit it?”

Wei Wuxian said, “Guess?”

Only then did he draw an arrow and concentrate on aiming. The bowstring was pulled taut, then released with a snap.

Bullseye!

Jiang Cheng’s brow furrowed again, and he snorted through his nose. A group of teenagers all put away their bows and ran to pick up their kites, ranking the results. The closest one to the start was the worst, and the last place always belonged to the sixth-ranked junior brother. As usual, he was teased with laughter, but his face was thick-skinned and he didn’t care at all. Wei Wuxian’s kite fell the furthest, followed closely by Jiang Cheng’s in second place. Both of them were too lazy to pick them up. A group of teenagers rushed into the winding lotus corridor built on the water, fighting and playing as they ran. Suddenly, two graceful young women stepped out.

Both were dressed as armed maids, each wearing a short sword. The taller of the two maids held a kite and an arrow, blocking their path, and said coldly, “Whose is this?”

When the group of teenagers saw these two women, they all mentally groaned. Wei Wuxian touched his chin and stepped forward, saying, “Mine.”

The other maid scoffed, “You’re quite honest.”

They stepped aside, and a woman in purple robes emerged from behind them.

This woman had fair skin and was quite beautiful, with delicate eyebrows and eyes, yet she had a sharp look. The corner of her lips curled, seemingly naturally mocking, exactly like Jiang Cheng. She was slender-waisted, her purple robes fluttering, and her face and right hand gripping the sword hilt were like cold jade. On the index finger of her right hand, she wore a ring adorned with an amethyst.

When Jiang Cheng saw her, he smiled and called out, “Mother.”

The other teenagers respectfully said, “Madam Yu.”

Madam Yu was Jiang Cheng’s mother, Yu Ziyuan. Of course, she was also Jiang Fengmian’s wife and was once his fellow cultivator. In theory, she should be called Madam Jiang, but for some reason, everyone always called her Madam Yu. Some people guessed that it was because Madam Yu was strong-willed and didn’t like taking her husband’s surname. The couple had no objections to this.

Madam Yu was from the prominent Meishan Yu Clan, ranked third in her family, also known as Yu Third Sister. Within the cultivation world, she had a title, “Purple Spider,” which would frighten many people. In her youth, she was cold and didn’t like interacting with people. She didn’t make herself likable when she did. After marrying Jiang Fengmian, she often went night-hunting and didn’t like to stay at Lotus Pier, the Jiang family residence. Moreover, her residence at Lotus Pier was separate from Jiang Fengmian’s, and only she and her family members from the Yu family lived there. These two young women, Jinzhu and Yinzhu, were her trusted maids and were always by her side.

Madam Yu glanced at Jiang Cheng and said, “Playing around again? Come here and let me see.”

Jiang Cheng went over to her, and Madam Yu’s slender fingers pinched his arm. She then slapped his shoulder with a snap and scolded, “Your cultivation hasn’t improved at all. You’re almost seventeen and still like an ignorant child, all you know how to do is cause trouble with others. Are you the same as others? Who knows where those other people will be floundering in the gutter in the future, but you are going to be the head of the Jiang family!”

Jiang Cheng was swayed by her slap and lowered his head, not daring to argue. Wei Wuxian knew that, without a doubt, she was indirectly scolding him again. A junior brother secretly stuck his tongue out at him, and Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow at him. Madam Yu said, “Wei Ying, what strange thing are you doing now?”

Wei Wuxian was used to it and stepped forward. Madam Yu scolded, “Always with this attitude! If you don’t strive for progress yourself, then don’t drag Jiang Cheng down with you and lead him astray.”

Wei Wuxian was surprised and said, “I’m not striving for progress? Isn’t the most progressive person in Lotus Pier me?”

Young people were not very tolerant, and had to argue back. Upon hearing this, a murderous look appeared between Madam Yu’s eyebrows, and Jiang Cheng hurriedly said, “Wei Wuxian, shut up!”

He turned to Madam Yu and said, “It’s not that we want to stay at Lotus Pier and fly kites, but isn’t it the case that no one can go out right now? The Wen family has designated all the night-hunting areas as their territory. Even if I wanted to go out night-hunting, there’s nowhere to go. Staying at home and not going out to cause trouble, and not fighting over prey with the Wen family, isn’t that what you and Father told us to do?”

Madam Yu sneered, “I’m afraid that this time, even if you don’t want to go out, you will have to.”

Jiang Cheng was confused. Madam Yu ignored them and strode through the corridor. Her two maids glared fiercely at Wei Wuxian and followed their mistress away.

In the evening, they learned what “even if you don’t want to go out, you will have to” meant.

It turned out that the Qishan Wen Sect had sent a special envoy to deliver a message. The Wen family, claiming that other sects were failing to properly educate and nurture their talents, demanded that each sect send at least twenty of their disciples to Qishan within three days, where the Wens would have specialists personally educate them.

Jiang Cheng was stunned and said, “The Wen family actually said such a thing? They’re shameless!”

Wei Wuxian said, “They think they’re the head of all families, the sun in the sky. The Wen family being shameless isn’t new. They’ve been using their power to prohibit other families from night-hunting since last year, and they’ve seized so much prey and territory.”

Jiang Fengmian sat in the head seat and said, “Be careful with your words. Eat.”

There were only five people in the large hall. Each had a small square table in front of them, with several dishes of food on the table. Wei Wuxian lowered his head and moved his chopsticks, when suddenly someone tugged at his sleeve. He turned his head and saw Jiang Yanli handing him a small dish. In the dish were several peeled lotus seeds, plump, white, fresh, and full.

Wei Wuxian whispered, “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

Jiang Yanli smiled slightly, and her usually pale face instantly gained a touch of animation. Yu Ziyuan coldly said, “What’s the point of eating now? In a few days, when you get to Qishan, who knows if there’ll be any food for you to eat. It’s better to start starving yourselves now and get used to it!”

The demand made by the Qishan Wen Sect was one they couldn’t refuse. Countless precedents had shown that if any family dared to disobey their orders, they would be labeled as “cultivation rebels,” “the bane of all families,” and other strange accusations, and based on those accusations, they would be openly and righteously annihilated.

Jiang Fengmian said calmly, “Why are you so agitated? No matter what happens in the future, we still need to eat today’s meal.”

Madam Yu tried her best to restrain herself, but then slammed the table and said, “I’m agitated? I should be agitated! How can you still be so calm? Did you not hear what the people the Wen family sent said? A servant dares to be so arrogant in front of me! Of the twenty disciples sent, there must be direct descendants of the clan. What does ‘direct descendants’ mean? Ah-Cheng and Ah-Li, at least one of them must go! What are they sending them for? Education? How other families teach their own children is none of the Wen family’s business! This is sending people over for them to manipulate, to hold as hostages!”

Jiang Cheng said, “Mother, don’t be angry, I’ll go.”

Madam Yu scolded, “Of course, you’ll go! Are you going to let your sister go instead? Look at her, she’s still happily peeling lotus seeds. Ah-Li, stop peeling, who are you peeling them for? You’re the master, not someone else’s servant!”

Hearing the word “servant,” Wei Wuxian didn’t mind. He ate all the lotus seeds in his dish in one go, chewing on the cool, sweet taste. However, Jiang Fengmian raised his head slightly and said, “Third Sister.”

Madam Yu said, “Did I say anything wrong? Servants? Don’t like hearing that word? Jiang Fengmian, I’m asking you, this time, do you plan to let him go?”

Jiang Fengmian said, “It’s up to him. If he wants to go, then he can go.”

Wei Wuxian raised his hand and said, “I want to go.”

Madam Yu sneered, “That’s great. If you want to go, you go, and if you don’t want to go, you definitely don’t have to go. Why does Ah-Cheng have to go? Jiang Sect Leader, you’ve raised someone else’s son into such a state, you’re truly a great and good person!”

Her heart was filled with resentment, and she wanted to vent her anger without any reason. The others quietly let her vent. Jiang Fengmian said, “Third Madam, you’re tired. Go back and rest.” Jiang Cheng sat in place, looking up at her, and said, “Mother.” Madam Yu stood up and mocked, “What are you calling me for? Like your father, are you going to tell me to say less? You’re an idiot, I told you long ago, you’ll never be better than the one sitting next to you. Your cultivation can’t compare, your night-hunting can’t compare, and even shooting a kite, you can’t compare! There’s no way, who made your mother worse than other people’s mothers? If you can’t compare, you can’t compare. Your mother is upset for you, and I’ve told you so many times not to cause trouble with him, yet you still speak up for him. How did I give birth to a son like you!”

She walked out by herself, leaving Jiang Cheng sitting in his place, his face alternating between green and white. Jiang Yanli quietly put a plate of peeled lotus seeds next to his dinner plate.

After sitting for a while, Jiang Fengmian said, “Tonight, I’ll count out eighteen more people, and tomorrow you’ll all set off together.”

Jiang Cheng nodded, hesitant about what else to say. He never understood how to communicate with his father, but Wei Wuxian was very adept at it. He finished his soup and said, “Uncle Jiang, don’t you have anything you want to give us?”

Jiang Fengmian smiled slightly and said, “The things I want to give you, I’ve already given you. The swords are at your side, and the teachings are in your hearts.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Oh! ‘Knowing it’s impossible, yet still doing it,’ right?”

Jiang Cheng immediately warned him, “That doesn’t mean you should knowingly cause trouble!”

Only then did the atmosphere at the table lighten up.

The next day, before they left, Jiang Fengmian finished explaining the necessary matters and only said one more sentence, “The disciples of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect are not so fragile as to be unable to withstand a little wind and waves from the outside.”

Jiang Yanli, on the other hand, saw them off again and again, stuffing all sorts of dried food into everyone’s arms, afraid that they wouldn’t have enough to eat in Qishan. Twenty teenagers dragged their heavy loads of food and set out from Lotus Pier, arriving at the designated education site in Qishan before the date stipulated by the Wens.

Disciples of various large and small families had arrived in small groups. The disciples were all from the younger generation. Out of several hundred people, many were either familiar or acquaintances. Some formed groups of three or five, others seven or eight, talking in low voices, their expressions all unpleasant. It seemed that they had all been summoned in an impolite manner. After looking around, Wei Wuxian said, “As expected, people from Gusu have also come.”

For some reason, the young disciples sent by Gusu Lan Sect all looked rather haggard. Lan Wangji’s face was especially pale, but he still had that cold, aloof expression that kept people at arm’s length. His sword Sweep Away the Dust was on his back, and he stood alone, a chill surrounding him. Wei Wuxian had wanted to go up and greet him, but Jiang Cheng warned him, “Don’t cause trouble!” so he had no choice but to give up.

Suddenly, someone in front started shouting orders, ordering the disciples of each family to gather in formation in front of a high platform. Several Wen family disciples came and scolded, “Quiet! No talking!”

The person on the platform wasn’t much older than them, about eighteen or nineteen, looking arrogant. He was barely handsome, but, like his hair, he gave people a greasy feeling for some reason. This person was the youngest son of the Qishan Wen Sect’s family head, Wen Chao.

Wen Chao was fond of showing off. He had to make a show of himself in front of everyone at many occasions. Therefore, the crowd was no stranger to his face. Standing behind him on either side were two people. On the left was a graceful, bright young woman with arched eyebrows, large eyes, and fiery red lips. Her only flaw was the black mole above her lip, which was not in a good position, making people want to pick it off. On the right was a man who looked to be in his late twenties, with broad shoulders, an indifferent expression, and a cold aura.

Wen Chao stood on high ground, looking down at the crowd. He seemed very pleased with himself. He waved his hand and said, “Starting now, hand in your swords, one by one!”

The crowd stirred. Someone protested, “Cultivators never leave their swords, why do you want us to hand over our spiritual swords?”

Wen Chao said, “Who was that talking? Which family are you from? Stand up!”

The person who had spoken earlier immediately dared not say anything else. The crowd quieted down again, and only then was Wen Chao satisfied. He said, “It’s because there are still uncultured disciples from families like you who don’t understand etiquette, obedience, or respect that I am determined to educate you. You’re so ignorant and fearless now. If you don’t correct your ways early, in the future, won’t there be someone who attempts to challenge authority and climb on top of the Wen family!”

Although they knew that he wasn’t collecting their swords with good intentions, now that the Qishan Wen Sect was at its zenith, all the families were walking on eggshells, not daring to resist in the slightest. They were afraid that if they made him unhappy, they would be given some kind of label that would affect their entire family, so they had no choice but to swallow their anger.

Jiang Cheng held Wei Wuxian back. Wei Wuxian whispered, “Why are you holding me back?”

Jiang Cheng snorted, “I’m afraid you’ll cause trouble.”

Wei Wuxian said, “You’re thinking too much. Although that guy is greasy and disgusting, even if I were to beat him, I wouldn’t choose this time to cause trouble for our family. Don’t worry.”

Jiang Cheng said, “Are you going to try to put a sack over his head and beat him up again? I’m afraid that won’t work. Did you see the man next to Wen Chao?”

Wei Wuxian said, “I saw him. His cultivation is high, but his appearance isn’t well-maintained. It seems he’s a late bloomer.”

Jiang Cheng said, “That person is called Wen Zhuliu. He has a nickname, ‘Core-Melting Hand.’ He’s Wen Chao’s personal guard and specifically protects him. Don’t provoke him.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Core-Melting Hand?”

Jiang Cheng said, “That’s right. His hands are terrifying, and he helps the evildoers. He previously helped Wen…”

The two looked forward and spoke in low voices. Seeing a Wen family servant approaching to collect the swords, they immediately fell silent. Wei Wuxian casually took off his sword and handed it over, while also involuntarily glancing at the Gusu Lan Sect’s side. He had thought Lan Wangji would definitely refuse to hand over his sword. Unexpectedly, although Lan Wangji’s face was terrifyingly cold, he still took off his sword.

Madam Yu’s mockery had actually come true. While they were receiving “education” in Qishan, their daily meals were indeed just clear soup and plain water. The food that Jiang Yanli had stuffed into them had long been confiscated. None of the young cultivators were able to go without food, so it could be said to be a difficult time.

The Qishan Wen Sect’s so-called “education” was to distribute a “Wen Sect Essence Record,” which was densely filled with the glorious deeds and famous sayings of past Wen family heads and elites. Each person had one copy, and they were required to read and memorize it, keeping it in mind at all times. Wen Chao, on the other hand, would stand high and deliver a speech in front of the crowd every day, demanding that they cheer for him in unison and take him as a role model in all their words and actions. When night-hunting, he would bring the disciples of various families, drive them to run ahead, scout out the road, attract the attention of demons and monsters, and fight hard. Then, at the last moment, he would emerge and easily defeat the monsters that had been weakened by others. He would chop off their heads, and then go out and boast that it was his achievement alone. If there was someone who was particularly unpleasant to him, he would pick them out and scold them in public, calling them worse than pigs and dogs.

Two years prior, when he had participated in the Qishan Wen Sect’s Hundred Clan Conference, on the archery day, Wen Chao also entered the field with Wei Wuxian and the others. He was convinced that he would win first place and naturally assumed that everyone would defer to him. As a result, of his first three arrows, one hit, one missed, and one hit the wrong paper doll. He should have left the field immediately, but he refused to, and no one dared to say anything to him. In the end, the top four scores were Wei Wuxian, Lan Xichen, Jin Zixuan, and Lan Wangji. If Lan Wangji hadn’t left early, his score could have been even better. Wen Chao felt greatly humiliated and therefore especially hated these four. Since Lan Xichen had not come, he took hold of the other three and scolded them publicly every day, feeling quite majestic.

The most frustrated was Jin Zixuan. He had grown up being doted on by his parents and had never been insulted like this before. If the other Lanling Jin Sect disciples hadn’t held him back, and if Wen Zhuliu wasn’t someone to be trifled with, he would have rushed up and died with Wen Chao on the first day. Lan Wangji, on the other hand, was in a state of heart-like water, ignoring everything, as if his soul had already left his body. Wei Wuxian, having been verbally abused by Madam Yu in Lotus Pier for years, would laugh it off after stepping down. He didn’t take Wen Chao’s tricks to heart at all.

That day, the crowd was once again roused by the Wen family servants early in the morning, like a group of poultry, and driven towards a new night-hunting location.

The location for this night-hunt was called Muxi Mountain.

The deeper they went into the mountains, the denser the branches and leaves above their heads, and the more sprawling the shadows under their feet. Apart from the sounds of the sea of trees and their footsteps, no other sounds could be heard, while the cries of birds and insects were particularly jarring amidst the forest’s solemn silence.

After a long time, the group came to a small stream. The stream water gurgled, and fallen maple leaves drifted on the current. The sound of the stream and the sight of the maple leaves diluted the oppressive atmosphere a bit. A soft giggling sound could even be heard from ahead.

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng walked along, grumbling and cursing the Wen dogs in various ways. Unintentionally, Wei Wuxian glanced back and saw a figure in white robes. Lan Wangji was not far behind him.

Because he was walking slower, Lan Wangji had fallen behind the rest of the group. Wei Wuxian had wanted to get close to him and catch up over the past few days, but every time Lan Wangji would turn away upon seeing him, and Jiang Cheng had repeatedly warned him not to mess around. At this time, they were closer, and he couldn’t help but pay a little more attention. Wei Wuxian suddenly noticed that although Lan Wangji was trying his best to walk normally, he could still tell that his right foot landed lighter than his left, as if he couldn’t exert any force.

Seeing this, Wei Wuxian slowed down, fell back to Lan Wangji’s side, and walked alongside him, asking, “What’s wrong with your leg?”