TFOD Chapter 66

“Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh!”

Wang Lingjiao screamed as she sat up in bed. Wen Chao, who was reading a letter at the table, slammed his hand down and roared, “What the hell are you yelling about in the middle of the night?!”

Wang Lingjiao gasped, still in shock. “I… I dreamed about that Wei guy again. I dreamed about him again!”

Wen Chao said, “He’s been in the Burial Mounds for over three months. Why are you still dreaming about him? How many times have you dreamed about him now?!”

Wang Lingjiao said, “I… I don’t know why either. I keep dreaming about him lately.”

Wen Chao was already annoyed by the letter he was reading and didn’t have time to deal with her. He also didn’t feel like comforting her like he used to. He said impatiently, “Then just don’t sleep!”

She got out of bed and went over to Wen Chao’s table, saying, “Young Master Wen, I… the more I think about it, the more scared I get. I think… did we make a big mistake back then? … He was thrown into the Burial Mounds. What if he didn’t die? What if he…”

Wen Chao’s temples throbbed. “How is that possible? How many cultivators from our clan have we sent to clear out the Burial Mounds? Has anyone ever returned? He was thrown in there. His corpse is probably rotten to the bone by now.”

Wang Lingjiao said, “Even if he’s dead, it’s still scary! What if he really does turn into a vengeful ghost like he said he would and comes back to find us…”

As she spoke, both of them recalled Wei Wuxian’s face when he fell, that expression, and they shivered involuntarily.

Wen Chao immediately retorted, “That’s impossible! People who die in the Burial Mounds, their souls are trapped there. Stop scaring yourself. Can’t you see I’m already annoyed?!”

He crumpled the letter in his hand, threw it out, and said angrily, “What Sun-Shooting Campaign? That’s bullshit! They think they can shoot down the sun? They’re dreaming!”

Wang Lingjiao stood up and carefully poured him a cup of tea. After considering some flattering words, she said in a seductive voice, “Young Master Wen, those families are just going to be arrogant for a little while. Sect Leader Wen will surely…”

Wen Chao yelled, “Shut up! What do you know? Get out of here, stop bothering me!”

Wang Lingjiao felt wronged and resentful. She put down the teacup, adjusted her hair and gauze dress, put on a smile, and walked out.

As soon as she stepped out the door, the smile on her face dropped. She opened a crumpled piece of paper in her hand. When she came out, she had secretly picked up the letter Wen Chao threw away, wanting to see what message had made him so angry. She didn’t know many characters, but after looking at it for a long time, she finally figured out that the letter said that Sect Leader Wen’s eldest son, Wen Xu, Wen Chao’s older brother, had been beheaded by one of the family leaders who had started the rebellion, and even displayed his head on the front lines!

Wang Lingjiao was stunned.

The Gusu Lan Sect was burned down, the Yunmeng Jiang Sect was destroyed, and countless other families, large and small, were suppressed. There were rebellions, but the resistance was always quickly suppressed by the Qishan Wen Sect. Therefore, three months ago, when the Jin, Nie, Lan, and Jiang families formed an alliance and raised the banner of the “Sun-Shooting Campaign,” they didn’t take it seriously.

Sect Leader Wen had spoken at the time. Among these four families, the Lanling Jin Sect was just a fence-sitter. Now that they saw everyone was filled with righteous indignation and launching an attack, they joined in. But if they started to lose, they would quickly realize that they had brought trouble on themselves. They might even come back to cry for help from the Wen family; the Qinghe Nie Sect leader was too rigid and would not last long. Without anyone else interfering, he would die at the hands of his own people; the Gusu Lan Sect had been burned to ruins. Lan Xichen had transferred the library back to be the new Sect Leader, but he was just a young man who couldn’t handle big things; the most laughable of them was the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. The entire family had been slaughtered, and they were scattered. Only Jiang Cheng, who was even younger than Lan Xichen, a kid who hadn’t even lost all his baby fat, was daring to call himself the Sect Leader, raising a banner to launch an attack and recruiting new disciples at the same time.

In short, they were: Ineffectual and overestimating themselves!

Everyone on the Wen family’s side thought of the Sun-Shooting Campaign as a joke. Who would have thought that, three months later, the situation wouldn’t be going as they had planned!

Key locations like Hejian and Yunmeng were lost, but that was fine. Now, even Sect Leader Wen’s eldest son was beheaded.

Wang Lingjiao was restless in the hallway for a while, her heart uneasy, and she returned to her room, her eyelids twitching non-stop. She rubbed her eyelids with one hand and pressed down on her chest with the other, thinking about her escape route.

She had been by Wen Chao’s side for almost half a year. Six months was the limit of the time it would take for Wen Chao’s fondness for a woman to turn to boredom. She had thought that she was special, the one that would last until the end. But lately, Wen Chao’s increasing impatience had already told her that she was no different from the other women.

Wang Lingjiao bit her lip. She thought for a moment, then squatted down, and pulled a small chest out from under the bed.

This small chest contained the valuables and treasures she had painstakingly collected during her half-year with Wen Chao. The valuables could be used for expenses and the treasures could be used for self-defense. Although she was unwilling, this day had finally come.

She wanted to check her inventory. She pulled a small key from her waistband, and as she opened the lock, she muttered, “You bastard, you oily toad spirit is going to die sooner or later, I’ll be happy not to have to serve you anymore… ah!”

She fell to the ground.

The moment she had opened the chest, she saw what was inside.

There were none of her precious treasures, just a small child with pale skin curled up inside the chest!

Wang Lingjiao screamed in terror and scrambled backwards. She always kept this chest locked, and she was the only one who carried the key. How could there be a child inside? She wouldn’t open it even once a month, and if there was a child hidden inside, how could she not know? How could this child still be alive?!

The small chest was knocked over, its opening facing downwards, and its bottom towards her. There was no movement for a long while.

Wang Lingjiao stood up from the ground with shaky legs. She wanted to get closer for a better look, but didn’t dare. She thought, “There’s a ghost! There’s a ghost!”

Her cultivation was terrible, and there was nothing she could do against ghosts. But suddenly, she thought that this was the supervisory office, and there were talismans pasted on the outside of the gate and outside of every room. If there was a ghost, the talismans would protect her. She immediately rushed out and tore off the talisman outside of her room and pressed it against her chest.

With the talisman in front of her, she felt more confident. She tiptoed back into the room and found a clothes fork. With it, she carefully turned the chest over from a distance. Inside were all her treasures, neatly stacked. There was no child.

Wang Lingjiao sighed in relief. She squatted down, holding the clothes fork, and was just about to start counting when she suddenly saw two points of white light under the bed.

They were a pair of eyes.

A small, white child was lying on the ground under the bed, looking directly at her.

This was the third time Wen Chao had heard Wang Lingjiao scream tonight. He was even angrier, roaring, “You stupid bitch! Always making a fuss, can’t you let me have some peace?!”

If it weren’t for all these annoying messages coming in lately, he wouldn’t have time to look for new beauties. He was also worried about attracting female assassins sent by those random families, so he needed someone reliable and clean, and he did need someone to warm his bed, or else he would have told this woman to get as far away as possible long ago. Wen Chao shouted, “Someone! Shut her up for me!”

No one responded. Wen Chao kicked a stool, his rage growing higher. “Where the hell are the people?!”

Suddenly, the door flew open. Wen Chao said, “I told you to go shut up that bitch, not come in…”

He turned his head, and the rest of his words got stuck in his throat. He saw a woman standing at his door.

This woman’s nose was crooked and her eyes were slanted. Her facial features seemed to have been smashed and then pieced together again. Her two eyeballs were looking in different directions, the left one staring diagonally upwards and the right one staring diagonally downwards, making her face twisted and deformed.

Wen Chao had to struggle to recognize her by her rather revealing gauze dress. It was Wang Lingjiao!

Wang Lingjiao’s throat gurgled as she took a few steps closer to him, extending a hand. “…Help…help…save me…”

Wen Chao cried out and drew his new sword, slashing at her. “Get out! Get away!”

Wang Lingjiao’s shoulder was cut open by the sword. Her facial features became even more twisted, and she screamed, “Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh… It hurts, ahhh, ahhh… it hurts, ahhh, ahhh!”

Wen Chao didn’t dare pull out his sword. He picked up a stool and threw it at her. The stool shattered after it hit her. Wang Lingjiao wobbled and fell to her knees. She was lying on the ground, seemingly kowtowing to someone, and said unclearly, “…I’m sorry… I’m sorry… Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, wuwuwu…”

As she kowtowed, blood flowed from all seven of her orifices. The doorway was blocked by her, and Wen Chao couldn’t escape. He had to push open the window and yell with all his might, “Wen Zhuliu! Wen Zhuliu!!!”

Wang Lingjiao on the ground had already picked up a broken stool leg. She stuffed it into her mouth like a madwoman, laughing as she did so. “Good, good, I’ll eat it! I’ll eat it! Haha, I’ll eat it!”

She actually stuffed a section of the stool leg down her throat!

Wen Chao was terrified. He was just about to jump out the window when he suddenly saw a black figure standing in the moonlight in the courtyard.

At the same time.

Jiang Cheng stood before a forest, sensing someone approaching. He turned his head slightly. The newcomer was dressed in white, wearing a forehead ribbon, the ribbons swaying behind him with his hair. His face was white and jade-like, handsome and refined. In the moonlight, his whole body seemed to be shrouded in a faint halo of light.

Jiang Cheng said coldly, “Young Master Lan.”

Lan Wangji looked solemn and nodded. “Sect Leader Jiang.”

After exchanging greetings, they had nothing more to say. They led their respective cultivators, and they flew silently on their swords.

Two months ago, the Lan siblings, along with Jiang Cheng, launched a surprise attack on Wen Chao’s “Education Office,” retrieving the confiscated swords from the various families and returning them to their original owners. Sandu and Bichen were finally back in their respective hands.

Lan Wangji’s pale eyes scanned the other sword at Jiang Cheng’s waist, then he looked away.

After a long pause, he said, looking ahead, “Wei Ying still hasn’t appeared?”

Jiang Cheng glanced at him, seemingly wondering why he suddenly asked about Wei Ying. He answered, “No.”

He looked at the Suibian at his waist. “My people haven’t found any news about him. But if he comes back, he’ll surely find me. When he appears, I will return the sword to him.”

Before long, the two of them led a group of cultivators to the supervisory office where Wen Chao was hiding, preparing for a night attack. Before they entered, Lan Wangji’s gaze sharpened, and Jiang Cheng frowned.

Yin energy was overflowing, and resentment was rampant.

However, the talismans on both sides of the gate were completely intact. Jiang Cheng made a gesture, and the cultivators he brought with him scattered and crouched beneath the walls. He then brandished Sandu, and his sword energy crashed open the gate.

Before entering, Lan Wangji’s eyes scanned the talismans on both sides of the gate.

The scene inside the supervisory office was gruesome.

The courtyard was littered with corpses. And not just the courtyard, corpses were piled up in the flower beds, along the corridors, on the wooden railings, and even on the roof.

These corpses were all wearing the Flame Sun robes, the disciples of the Wen family. Jiang Cheng flipped over a corpse with Sandu and saw that the pale face was covered with messy bloodstains. “Bleeding from all seven orifices.”

Lan Wangji stood on the other side. “This one isn’t.”

Jiang Cheng walked over and found that this corpse’s eyes were rolled back, its face was mangled, and yellow bile was flowing from the corner of its mouth. It had been scared to death.

One of his disciples said, “Sect Leader, we’ve checked. They’re all dead, and every corpse has a different cause of death.”

Strangled, burned, drowned, poisoned, frozen, throats slit, sharp objects through the brain… After listening, Jiang Cheng said in a grim voice, “It seems something else completed our task tonight.”

Lan Wangji remained silent and entered the house first.

Wen Chao’s room door was wide open, and only a female corpse remained in the room. This female corpse was wearing thin clothes, and half a stool leg was stuffed in her mouth. She had actually stabbed herself to death by trying to swallow the leg.

Jiang Cheng rolled over the distorted face of the corpse. He stared at it for a while, sneered, grabbed the stool leg, and shoved it into her mouth, forcefully pushing the half that remained outside inside.

His eyes were red as he stood up. He was about to speak when he saw Lan Wangji standing by the door, his brows furrowed in thought. He walked over and followed Lan Wangji’s gaze, seeing a talisman with red writing on a yellow background posted at the entrance.

At first glance, there seemed to be nothing wrong with this talisman. But if one looked closer, it would become apparent that there were some subtle but extremely uncomfortable details.

Lan Wangji said, “There are too many.”

Jiang Cheng’s brow furrowed. “Indeed.”

The method of drawing these talismans for repelling evil spirits was already something they had memorized by heart when they were fifteen or sixteen. However, on this talisman, there were a few extra strokes in the flamboyant vermilion. And it was these few strokes that changed the entire pattern of the talisman. Now, the talisman posted at the door looked like a human face, smiling eerily.

Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu’s corpses were not found in the supervisory office. Jiang Cheng guessed that they must have fled toward Qishan, and immediately led his people out of the abandoned supervisory office, pursuing them on their swords. But Lan Wangji went back to Gusu first.

The next day, Lan Wangji caught up with Jiang Cheng, and took out the talisman from last time, saying, “This talisman was reversed.”

Jiang Cheng said, “Reversed? What do you mean by reversed?”

Lan Wangji said, “Ordinary talismans drive away evil. This talisman attracts it.”

Jiang Cheng was shocked. “Talismans… can also attract evil? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Lan Wangji said, “Indeed, it’s unheard of. But, after testing, it does indeed have the power to summon Yin energy.”

Jiang Cheng took the talisman and carefully examined it. “Just adding a few strokes turned the entire talisman’s function? Was this done on purpose?”

Lan Wangji said, “A total of four strokes were added, and they were drawn with human blood. The talismans repelling evil spirits in the entire supervisory office were all changed. The strokes are from the same person.”

Jiang Cheng said, “Then who could this person be? Among the famous figures of all the sects, I’ve never heard of anyone being able to do such a thing.” Then, he added, “But no matter who it is, their goal is the same as ours–to slaughter all the Wen dogs!”

The two of them followed the leads northwards. With every place they passed, they heard about local people who had died gruesome deaths and had become strange corpses. Every single one of these corpses wore the Flame Sun robes, the Wen clan’s cultivators. They all had high ranks and formidable cultivation. However, they all died horribly, and in a multitude of ways. Their bodies were displayed in busy public areas. Jiang Cheng said, “Do you think these people were also killed by that person?”

Lan Wangji said, “The evil energy is very strong. It must be the work of one person.”

Jiang Cheng snorted, “Evil? In this world, could there be anything more evil than the Wen dogs?!”

Late in the night of the fourth day of their pursuit, the two of them finally caught sight of Wen Zhuliu’s tracks near a remote mountain city’s post station.

The post station was two stories high with stables next to it. When Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng arrived, they just happened to see a tall figure rush into the building and bolt the doors. The two of them were wary of Wen Zhuliu’s “Core-Melting Hand” technique, so they didn’t want to be reckless. They didn’t enter through the doors, but rather went up to the roof. Jiang Cheng, barely containing his overwhelming hatred, gritted his teeth, and stared down through the cracks in the roof tiles.

Wen Zhuliu, covered in dust, carried a figure in his arms. He wearily climbed to the second floor and placed that person beside a table. Then, he rushed to the window and pulled down all the curtains, covering every crack and making sure there was no light. Finally, he went back to the table and lit an oil lamp.

The dim light illuminated his face, still pale and cold, but there were thick black circles under his eyes. The other person by the table was wrapped tightly from head to toe, and even their face was covered by a cloak, like a fragile cocoon, huddled up and shivering, panting. They suddenly said, “Don’t light the lamp! What if he finds us?!”

Lan Wangji raised his head and looked at Jiang Cheng. They both saw the same confusion in each other’s eyes.

This person must be Wen Chao. But why did Wen Chao’s voice change so much? It was high-pitched and thin, not at all like Wen Chao.

Wen Zhuliu looked down, searching for something in his sleeve. “If he didn’t find us without a light, do you think he would find us with a light?”

Wen Chao said, panting, “We… we ran so far, for so long… he… he shouldn’t be able to catch us anymore!”

Wen Zhuliu said indifferently, “Maybe.”

Wen Chao said angrily, “What do you mean, maybe?! If we didn’t escape, then you should hurry and run!”

Wen Zhuliu said, “You need medicine. Otherwise, you’ll die.”

As he spoke, he suddenly pulled off Wen Chao’s cloak. This pull made both people on the roof freeze.

Under the cloak, it wasn’t Wen Chao’s arrogant, overbearing, handsome, and slightly greasy face. Instead, it was a bald head covered in bandages!

Wen Zhuliu peeled off the bandages like he was peeling off layers of skin. The skin of this bald person was exposed. This face was covered with uneven burns and scars, making him look like he had been boiled. He was grotesque and ugly, not showing even a trace of the person he once was!

Wen Zhuliu took out a medicine bottle, first giving him a few pills, and then took out some ointment, applying it to the burns on his face. Wen Chao whimpered in pain. However, Wen Zhuliu said, “Don’t cry. Otherwise, the tears will make the wound fester and it’ll hurt even more.”

Wen Chao had to forcefully hold back his tears. He couldn’t even cry. In the light of the flickering lamp, a bald man with a face covered in burns was baring his teeth, making indistinct, strange sounds. The light was about to go out. This scene was truly terrifying.

Just then, Wen Chao screamed, “Flute! Flute! Is it a flute?! I heard him playing the flute again!”

Wen Zhuliu said, “It’s not! It’s the wind.”

However, Wen Chao was already so terrified that he fell to the ground and started wailing. Wen Zhuliu picked him up again. It seemed that there was something wrong with Wen Chao’s legs. He was unable to move on his own.

Wen Zhuliu finished applying the medicine and took out a few buns from his chest, handing them to him. “Eat. After you finish eating, we’ll continue on our way.”

Wen Chao trembled and took a bite. Upon seeing this, Jiang Cheng recalled his and Wei Wuxian’s pitiful state when they were fleeing. They couldn’t even get a bite of dry food. This scene, truly, was karmic retribution!

His heart was filled with joy, his lips curled up, and he began to laugh silently.

Suddenly, Wen Chao seemed to have bitten into something. His expression became extremely terrifying. He threw away the bun, screaming, “I don’t eat meat! I don’t eat it! I don’t eat it! Don’t eat meat!”

Wen Zhuliu handed him another bun. “This one doesn’t have meat.”

Wen Chao said, “I won’t eat it! Take it away! Get away! I want to find my dad, when will I be able to return to my dad’s side!”

Wen Zhuliu said, “At this rate, in two days.”

He spoke truthfully. He never exaggerated or lied. This honesty made Wen Chao extremely miserable, as he said in a hoarse voice, “Two days? Two days?! Look at me now, what do I look like? If I wait another two days, what will I look like?! Useless thing!”

Wen Zhuliu suddenly stood up. Wen Chao shivered, thinking that he was going to run away by himself. He suddenly knew fear. All of his guards had died tragically in front of his eyes. Only this Wen Zhuliu was his strongest support, his last support. He quickly changed his tone. “No, no, no, Wen Zhuliu, Big Brother Wen! Don’t go, you can’t leave me! As long as you take me back to my dad’s side, I’ll have him promote you to the highest-ranked guest. No, no, no, you saved me, so you are my big brother. I’ll have him recognize you as part of the sect! From now on, you’re my big brother!”

Wen Zhuliu stared at the direction of the stairs. “There’s no need.”

Not only he heard it, but Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng also heard it. From the stairs of the post station, the sound of footsteps could be heard. One step at a time.

Someone was stepping up the stairs, walking up the building.

Wen Chao’s face, covered in burns, instantly lost the excess blood it had. He trembled as he extended his hands from under the cloak, covering his face, as if, in his extreme fear, he was trying to protect himself by covering his eyes like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand. And these palms were actually bare, without a single finger!

Thump, thump, thump.

That person slowly walked up the stairs, dressed in black robes, his figure slender. He had a flute at his waist, and he walked with his hands clasped behind his back.

Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng on the roof both pressed their hands on the hilts of their swords.

However, when that person leisurely walked up the stairs, smiled, and turned his head, Lan Wangji saw his familiar handsome face, and his eyes widened in disbelief.