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Chapter Text

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“Ah… if only we could just write off this whole killing intent to the saber spirit being carnivorous.”

“That’s an interesting concept, Wei-xiong! Imagine, if only we could feed the saber with animal corpses!”

Wei Wuxian paused, as if giving it serious consideration, “I haven’t thought of it that way...”

Nie Huaisang giggled, “Except Wei-xiong must have known that rarely do animals cause hauntings.”

It almost seems that the only creatures in the world desperate enough to hold onto their wishes and despair beyond death are humans.

Wei Wuxian smiled, but then he noticed Lan Wangji’s presence. He hadn’t spoken ever since the three of them gathered inside the Demon-Butchering Cave (Wei Wuxian and his excellent naming sense). It was the smaller cave they had been using to house the saber and its entourage of coffins. He had simply been observing the coffins and listening in to what he and Nie Huaisang discussed.

Hence, he did not expect it when Lan Wangji spoke, “What if they simply intend to fulfill their purpose? Swords and sabers are created to fight. And by extension, to kill.”

Wei Wuxian’s response was immediate, “Even spiritual swords rust. They go unused. Perhaps in that way, the weapons find rest. Yet the Nie Sect’s sabers are vehemently seeking fights. Besides, Lan Zhan, don’t you think these sabers have fulfilled their purpose while their masters were alive?”

Lan Wangji was silent, contemplative, before he nodded 

No more words were uttered. Wei Wuxian, for once, seemed considerably at ease now that Lan Wangji didn’t try to hinder them.

The stone coffin that housed the blade was surrounded by wooden coffins containing the resentful corpses that were said to balance the saber; resentful spirits to sate its killing intent.

Trapped in an eternal fight.

“The nature of killing emerged out of necessity,” Wei Wuxian said, “to hunt. To eat. To protect oneself.”

Nie Huaisang remarked, “To survive.”

Wei Wuxian nodded, “Obviously, only humans seemed to be the exception to this. Only humans kill beyond the purpose of keeping oneself alive.”

Lan Wangji spoke, “So to call it killing intent when there was no necessity to maintain the saber spirit’s survival was imprecise.”

Wei Wuxian hummed in agreement. His gaze fixated on the coffins.

“Perhaps it wasn’t killing intent. Maybe we’re looking at it wrong from the start. Perhaps—”

Nie Huaisang’s soft voice was echoed by the cave’s walls, “Then why don’t we prove it?”

“What do you mean?” It was Lan Wangji who responded.

Wei Wuxian eyed Nie Huaisang, who met his gaze.

“The killing intent of the saber spirits. Why don’t we prove it?”

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Jin Zixuan was looking forward to finally being able to spend time with Jiang Yanli again.

The past weeks, he had been assigned quite a few sect business and diplomacy visits. One of his tasks was to deliver sealed message scrolls to their allies, with an explicit order not to open them. Not that he could, for the scrolls were clearly secured by qi.

The tasks he was assigned to were simple enough, but they were varied and some of them had taken a lot of time. He had an inkling earlier on that he was sent to all these assignments simply to keep himself out of the way from inquiring what his father deemed unnecessary things, such as bringing up the Qiongqi detention camp and the Wen remnants.

It was frustrating. But for now, Jin Zixuan could not do much but to continue his duties as the future sect heir.

Coming home was a relief. His father was still unwilling to talk about certain things but no matter; he would get to it eventually. Jin Zixuan’s priority now was spending time with Jiang Yanli.

But it was his third day at the Koi Tower and his precious wife was nowhere in sight.

To answer the Young Master, Xiao-Furen had been with the Madame on a leisure visit to a nearby town, a servant informed him.

So that was why he hadn’t seen his mother either.

He had worked relentlessly so he would be able to come home soon and spend time with his wife. But it turned out it was his wife’s turn to be away. Jin Zixuan was nothing short of devastated.

The Koi Tower staff told him, they did not inform us when exactly they will be back but judging by their supplies and preparations it should only be a few days' trip.

But Jin Zixuan had not seen Jiang Yanli for almost three weeks. That few days’ trip would make their separation last for almost a month!

To make his mood even more sour, his Mother had even written to him not to disturb their leisure lady time.

AAARRGH!

Jin Zixuan did not know whether he should rejoice for the distraction when his father assigned him yet another urgent task—a much shorter one this time, another delivery he needed to make to an ally based in Hubei Province—or fall further into devastation as that would mean he might miss the day when his wife did finally come home.

And Jin Zixuan did miss it. When he came back to the Koi Tower, he was met with the news that his wife had returned the day before yesterday.

Frustrating. But no matter! His wife had returned and he couldn’t wait to spend time with her!

Except he didn’t meet Jiang Yanli until after dinner that night.

They didn’t get to catch up much, so Jin Zixuan had made sure to make some time for her the next day, but the same thing happened.

The third day this went on, Jin Zixuan was beginning to think it was getting difficult for him to find his wife in his own house.

Jin Zixuan tried his best to be understanding; Jiang Yanli did tell him she was going to be quite busy with helping out with the staff shortage. His mother had even scolded Jiang Yanli (lovingly, Jin Zixuan noted, it couldn’t even be called a scolding) to not overexert herself.

After a meeting with the Jin Sect elders he had concluded with ruthless efficiency, Jin Zixuan sought his wife.

Except, “The Madame is in the North courtyard’s kitchens.” A servant answered him.

“Again?”

“To answer Jin-Gongzi, this might be the first time today Xiao Furen went to the North courtyard’s kitchens. Earlier today she helped in the inner yard’s kitchens.”

Jin Zixuan shot the servant an annoyed look. He actually didn’t mean to ask again out loud.

He shouldn’t have been surprised Jiang Yanli went to the kitchens to help yet again – but still, she is the wife of the sect’s heir!

They did bring in replacements and temporary helpers due to the purge. Many of the new staff were supplied by Madame Jin from her home sect, however currently the ones dismissed were larger in number than the replacements.

The Purge had almost crippled basic operations of the Golden Koi Tower.

New staff recruitment was strict on potential female servants. Young maidens with prior contact with the Sect Leader or indications that could trace back to the entertainment house were filtered out. The background examination took a while. Essential positions weren’t filled soon enough.

Jin Guangshan’s many conquests were old news. But the purge this time had revealed just how many people in his own house Jin Guangshan messed with.

And training new staff took time.

Newcomers needed to shadow senior staff – and taking into account their disrupted routines, senior servants had to work longer to accommodate both the new servants and their existing tasks.

Jin Zixuan knew that if they had a lot of choice, they would only hire seniors with years of experience under their belt rather than young servants – both for efficiency and for preventing JIn Guangshan from taking advantage of inexperienced maidservants. However, they didn’t have a lot of choice if they wanted things to run as usual. Guards needed to be fed, silks needed to be washed, and grounds swept.

Jin Zixuan understood that in Jiang Yanli’s eyes, it was simply natural to lend a hand.

But still. Jin Zixuan sighed.

He finally found her after hurried steps and asking another servant if his wife was still in the direction he was going.

There she was!

Jiang Yanli fit right in with her simple robes, rolled up sleeves, and smudges of charcoal on her person, talking with four maidservants who appeared to help her the most with the tasks she’d assigned herself to.

“A-Xuan! What brought you here? Ah– yes, Jun-er, please put that over there. I am almost done here, didn’t Ming-er inform you what time I’ll be back?”

Jin Zixuan nodded, “Yes, A-Li. I have been informed.” Then, he tried to remember which one was Ming-er.

He knew who his staff were, and he remembered notable senior servants. He knew his way around, but he was clearly not a match for Jiang Yanli, who seemed to remember nearly every servant in their household despite being a recent addition to the residence.

When Jin Zixuan noticed that his wife seemed to refer to all servants by their names, he had asked out of curiosity, if she knew the name of a servant down the corridor.

She had answered him with a name he sometimes did hear.

He then asked the name of a maidservant whom his mother had just dismissed, simply because he had heard of her in passing.

Her answer was correct.

Then he asked again about each one in a group of servants who had just arrived, bringing in orders of century eggs from chicken farms in the neighboring towns. Jin Zixuan recalled that they weren’t commissioned as full-time servants within the residence; he only remembered one of the two.

Jiang Yanli answered the name of the person he knew correctly, then told him the name of the other one.

“Of course I’d remember them.” Jiang Yanli smiled at his question. “It is more efficient to help them work if we know them better.”

Growing up, Jin Zixuan was surrounded by trained servants and the best of tutors while his parents tended to political matters.

Before he could read and write, his mother had drilled into him that he needed to remember the people around him, so he was aware which servants were unnecessarily mean to him in the name of discipline.

He didn’t really understand back then, but his mother told him to report anything, if he ever felt mistreated or uncomfortable.

Young Jin Zixuan used to report the maidservants who were particularly strict with him about pastries. Hence, his mother rolled her eyes more often than not whenever he went to report.

However, Jin Zixuan did remember something peculiar from when he was a child. A couple of wait staff and a guard disappeared after he mentioned to his mother that they were particularly rough with him.

When he asked his mother about it out of curiosity, she merely said, “I returned those people to their places. They were the people of one of your uncles.”

After that, his mother had a proper talk with young Jin Zixuan. She told him to report to her if First Uncle ever came to him for anything.

It was only years later, when he was of age to assist his father in sect matters, that he understood that First Uncle was his father’s greatest rival within the chaotic internal politics of the Jin Clan.

Jin Zixuan had asked, why was First Uncle like this? Has he always been cruel?

His mother had answered him, no they weren’t cruel, in power play any measure could be taken. Servants were common pawns. If any incidents were to happen to the sect’s heir, what's the life of a few servants? They were both an efficient pawn and a disposable tool. His mother reminded him he needed to be particularly cautious of senior servants. The man whom his mother kicked out was a senior guard.

The matters of the servants were always complex, he learned time and again.

When they married and Jiang Yanli moved to live in the Golden Koi Towers with him, Jin Zixuan had told her the same thing his mother taught him when he was a child. Although he knew Jiang Yanli hardly needed any protection, it was still something Jin Zixuan kept in mind.

Who knew that not only had Jiang Yanli not become a target of any funny schemes his political rivals could think of, she had integrated herself seamlessly, almost as if she grew up here. It helped that she was always respectful to anyone she met, regardless of their occupation in the Koi Towers. She had very likely earned their respect.

Jin Zixuan stared at her, clearly in awe.

There was nothing that his wife couldn’t do, was there?

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While Nie Huaisang and Lan Wangji mostly inhabited the Demon-Slaughtering Cave, Wei Wuxian had been holing himself up within the smaller cave that currently housed the saber and the corpses that came with it.

Xue Yang was still mighty curious; what had the adults so occupied?

But he did no more than try taking the occasional peek to both caves, not wanting to trigger Wen Qing’s wrath if he stepped out of line. He also had Wen Yuan to babysit now that the child’s Xian-Gege and Pretty-Gege and Rich-Gege were unable to entertain him.

Wen Qing was watching both Xue Yang and Wen Yuan closely when the three men emerged at the same time for once, only for all of them to go inside one of the caves again; to the smaller one this time.

Xue Yang’s curiosity was piqued again and he was tempted to leave Wen Yuan in Wen Ning’s care. Although Wen Ning looked scary, unlike his sister, he was meek and would unlikely say no to him.

As if on cue, Wen Qing turned to Xue Yang to remind him, deadpanned, “Remember not to bother the cavemen.”

Wen Yuan chirped, “Cave-men!”

Xue Yang’s shoulders slumped, “... alright.”

Wen Qing handed him several packs of medicinal herbs, “Please help me deliver these to the apothecary. I will be away for a few days. You can take A-Yuan into town with you. Remember to be back before the sun starts to set.” She also took Xue Yang’s hand and put a coin pouch onto his palm.

Xue Yang visibly lit up.

It was difficult to suppress his grin; so he bowed down to Wen Qing and promised to be back before Uncle Four finished dinner preparations.

Xue Yang was elated.

He was going to town without an adult’s supervision - best of all, he had money with him!

Xue Yang was required to babysit this little shit still, but with the prospect of all the treats he could stuff himself with, he would gladly do it. Perhaps he might even buy Wen Yuan sweets if he was feeling generous.

For a fleeting moment, he wondered, was this how it would have felt if his parents had been alive and able to give him allowances every now and then?

The thought quickly dissipated.

Spending someone else’s money was always good. Especially if you don’t have to return it!

With Wen Yuan in tow, he went to the feet of the Burial Mounds and departed into the heart of Yiling. Now, who cares about cavemen and their mysterious business?

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“Lianfang-zun, I have made sure the letters were received well.”

Jin Guangyao nodded, “How about the scouting preparations?”

“All is according to plan. Except for… Sect Leader Jin’s nephew. He has not been responding to us. Begging Lianfang-zun’s advice, what should we do?”

Jin Guangyao sighed. “Let him be. He won’t be neglecting his uncle's request.”

“Understood.”

Jin Guangshan had invited the allies of the Lanling Jin Sect to an informal gathering, one he dubbed as the feast of reminiscence. For several days now, despite the shortage of staff, the kitchens and the procurement staff had been busy preparing the most delectable of dishes made from the finest ingredients. Even though that meant endless complaints from the servants as they had to put in a lot of extra work.

Words began to surface; a feast of this scale! Truly nothing for the wealthy Jin Sect to casually throw at short notice.

That short notice being when Madame Jin announced she was going on a leisurely trip together with the Young Furen.

Jin Guangshan had sent an express dispatch post haste. He invited old friends and new comrades alike to a banquet at the Golden Koi Tower and a nighthunt; all to rekindle friendships and foster camaraderie.

The nighthunt was planned in the name of reminiscing youth. The area chosen was Dusk-Creek Mountain of Qishan, for there had been restlessness in the vicinity, which might very well be attributed to the remnants of a slain beast, yet to be purified. A mess the Wens had not bothered to clean up when they were at the pinnacle of their power, Jin Guangshan had nonchalantly exclaimed.

Nevermind that purification equipment wasn't among the spiritual tools prepared.

Jin Guangyao applauded his father for the story he came up with, seemingly in a span of a heartbeat, when he first learned Madame Jin was to leave the Koi Towers for a trip.

His wife leaving home meant that Jin Guangshan was free to do what he wanted.

His father would be enraged if anyone brought up even the slightest hint of him being a henpecked husband, but Jin Guangyao listened to the whispers of the servants — particularly how they complained of the sudden increase in workload due to the feast, and how this would not have happened if the lady of the Koi Tower was around.

Unfortunately for their plans, the Madame had apparently changed her mind mid-trip, attributing it to her daughter-in-law who missed Chang-Momo’s cooking.

Chang-Momo was an old loyal servant of Madame Jin who had served the Koi Towers for well over a decade; the one who was known for her bold-flavoured dishes, her loyalty, and her tenacity, despite her age.

But despite the news of Madame Jin coming back, the feast, assumed to be put on hold, had instead returned its preparations two-fold.

Jin Guangshan even had all his four favourite women—his only women, really, for the others had all been driven away by Madame Jin’s Purge—help with the preparations.

Even if it meant not being in their company for a couple of days; Jin Guangshan said he had strengthened his resolve to endure the lack of feminine presence by his side.

Jin Guangshan…

If the tales of the Four Divine Beasts were anything to go by, and the Xuanwu of Slaughter turned out to be more than what it truly seemed…

They had little reliable knowledge at hand. About the Xuanwu. About the yin metal. About what they were even looking for.

Could his father possibly be keeping something from him?

Jin Guangyao did not know what would await them.

.

Wen Yuan wiggled in Xue Yang’s hold, a wordless demand to be put down. Xue Yang frowned but acquiesced, calling out, “Brat. Do you know why Physician Wen is not going to be home for a few days?”

Wen Yuan shot him a look, “Not a brat! And I don’t know.”

They had just left the apothecary shop after delivering the items Physician Wen asked them to. He met two of Wen Qing’s cousins who usually ran the clinic and apothecary. He had to stay a bit so they could match the list of herbs and medications he brought with him with the ones they had on hand. Xue Yang couldn't read or write, so he mostly just stared at them fussing over pieces of paper. He noticed Wen Yuan had yawned but he was well-behaved regardless.

When one of Physician Wen’s cousins, whom Xue Yang forgot the name of, told them to be careful on the way back, he didn’t think much of it. He replied with his usual indifference; who dared mess with him anyway.

But when he looked back and saw that she was still looking at them from afar, Xue Yang couldn’t help but wonder.

It was unusual for Physician Wen to go on a prolonged trip. Even when she had a patient in a different town, she always made sure the trip lasted no more than overnight. Xue Yang pondered some more but abruptly stopped when Wen Yuan soon dashed ahead of him with all the might his tiny figure could muster. Xue Yang hurried to catch up.

They soon arrived at the bustling part of town, Xue Yang’s eyes were immediately drawn onto the richly vibrant gleam of haw candy sticks at the far corner of the street.

But as his steps quickened to the candy stalls, the smell of freshly steamed meat buns halted his sprint. As if hypnotized, his feet brought him to the source of the mouthwatering scent.

He was in front of the baozi stall and almost stumbled into a tall, green-clad adult who had just finished receiving his order. He didn't pay him any heed, fixated on the plumpness of the steamed buns.

The subtle wisps of spices from the baozi were mouthwatering. Hot steam puffed like clouds from the bamboo containers. One of them contained steamed buns without fillings. Xue Yang wondered if he should get the mantou instead. It would be cheaper. He didn’t even know if he had some money left—

When he felt for his pocket, he sighed in relief. The weight was grounding. It wasn’t full or heavy, but Xue Yang had enough, more than enough not to starve.

Come to think of it… before today, had he ever paid for his own food like this?

It wasn't too long ago that he lurked near street vendors for scraps of leftovers, but the memories felt distant. He could still remember his pangs of hunger back then; but the overwhelming need to devour, which used to be a constant for him, was absent.

They became intangible. Faraway.

“Xue Yang-gege, hungry?”

He looked down at Wen Yuan whom he almost forgot in favour of the candy stalls.

“What a pair of cute siblings!” A man’s voice—the seller, Xue Yang realized—called out.

“He’s not my—”

“The pork buns with salted egg fillings have run out. But there are still plenty of our regular soy-seasoned pork buns! Do you want two?”

Xue Yang gulped.

Earlier, he ate.

Xue Yang reminded himself he had eaten already!

He wasn’t hungry, no, but he could certainly chug down a meatbun or four without difficulty.

Xue Yang asked how much a baozi cost.

Mentally calculating his spending, he then said, “One— one baozi, please.”

“Ahh? Alright, one moment.”

Xue Yang looked down, saw Wen Yuan looking up at him wordlessly, and felt guilty for only ordering one. But he also felt stingy over his allowance. To reach a middle ground, he finally acquiesced, “...and— and one mantou, please.”

“Got it!”

Wen Yuan had tugged his sleeves to get his attention. Xue Yang was met with a pouty glare.

“I want the ones with fillings too!”

Xue Yang’s eyebrow twitched. “I’ll… share mine with you.”

“No! You eat a lot!”

“Well, too bad, I am the one with money here.” He shot Wen Yuan a smug grin.

“I have money too.”

“You mean your so-called children’s money?”

“It’s money money. Look!” Wen Yuan, with some difficulty, had managed to pull out something out of his robes.

Xue Yang stared in disbelief.

On top of Wen Yuan’s tiny hands, sat what looked like a woman’s fragrant pouch, bulging, with what Xue Yang suspected to be more money than his own.

“Wh— when did you get that, brat? Where did you get it from?” No way. No way.

Did Wen Yuan—

“Did you steal it?!”

The child looked at him with stinky eyes.

“Rich-gege gave me!” He beamed all too brightly.

What.

“Xue Yang-gege, I want the one with fillings, just like you!”

Xue Yang was still processing what just happened when the seller tapped his shoulder. “So. Two baozi, then?”

He moved to snatch the sachet from Wen Yuan, who frowned disapprovingly at Xue Yang. He felt a slight vibration when drawing open the strings, but dismissed it. Peering inside, Xue Yang was even more astounded. Within the pouch lay shiny metals with denominations bigger than what he owned.

He stared at Wen Yuan, then with an accusatory tone, he pointed out, “That Wei Wuxian did not have this much money!”

“No! Not Xian-gege. It was Rich-gege!”

Right.

The guy with the dead fish eyes who stuck with Wei Wuxian as if orbiting him.

“So… kids… one or two baozi? And do you still want the mantou?”

Xue Yang was about to respond but Wen Yuan beat him to it, “Three baozi for A-Yuan! Wanna give Granny and Fourth Uncle!”

“... Alright, four baozi in total, then.”

Xue Yang was silently staring at Wen Yuan who was eating baozi with one hand, and holding the packaged meat buns in his other hand. He was struggling a bit with it, but Xue Yang was not about to be an errand boy who carried the shopping bag of a toddler!

… a toddler who had a lot more money than him.

Who in their right mind gave a toddler that much money anyway!

“Rich-gege said for protections!” Wen Yuan answered him when he couldn’t keep his burning questions to himself.

Ahh. So that might be what was causing the subtle vibrations when he drew the strings open. Xue Yang was wondering what it actually did.

“Rich-gege also said for m’gencies.”

Such as?!

Xue Yang shook his head, remembering how Wen Yuan nodded sagely at him, as if he was telling Xue Yang something really important.

He doubted Wen Yuan even knew what emergencies meant, and why he would need money for it.

Glaring at the child with no small amount of envy, Xue Yang ate his baozi with a grumble.

Wen Yuan, as it turned out, couldn’t finish all of his meatbun and asked very politely if Xue Yang-gege could help carry his half-eaten bun. Xue Yang agreed, but not before threatening him to eat his remaining bun when Wen Yuan was not looking.

They were nearing the candy stalls, and Xue Yang jogged faster. “Brat, follow me closely, don’t fall behind!”

Wen Yuan puffed his cheeks. “Yang-gege!”

Out of sheer spite, Xue Yang bought four sticks of candied haws and made a show of eating two at once with both hands. Wen Yuan sent him a strong look of disapproval, but he stared for too long, Xue Yang was certain the brat wanted a taste.

With his mouth full, he asked, “Want one?”

“Xue Yang-gege, I want one, please!”

Grinning at the brat’s good behaviour—he asked so sweetly—he pulled out his purse again and wiggled it in front of Wen Yuan’s face before paying.

Wen Yuan exclaimed, “Isn’t that Qing-jiejie’s pouch!”

Xue Yang caught how Wen Yuan’s eyes were fixed on the small scarlet jade, shape resembling a tiny fireball, dangling with the red tassel.

He made a noncommittal sound as a response, handing the candy seller his payment. Wen Yuan’s eyes only stopped following the sway of the tassel when he handed him the tanghulu. “She gave it to me this morning.”

To his surprise, Wen Yuan raised his voice. “That’s unfair! Why! You weren’t from the Nightless City!”

Xue Yang knitted his brows, “What are you talking about? It’s just a pouch.”

“A-Yuan is supposed to have that,” Wen Yuan pointed to the dangling tassel, “when A-Yuan is older. Grandma said only those who trained in the Nightless City could have it.”

He shrugged. “I heard the Nightless City is no more. Also, Physician Wen gave it to me. So it’s mine now.” But now that he thought about it, Xue Yang didn’t know if he was supposed to return the pouch, or perhaps even return any of the remaining money he might have with him after the trip. Was she testing him — did she want to see how much money he would spend? Will she ever give him anymore if he were to spend it all? Ahh!

He was surprised to see Wen Yuan stomping away from him, hands full with his packet of baozi and two sticks of tanghulu, to the crowded streets ahead.

“Hey! Brat! Where are you going?!”

Wen Yuan looked back and gave him another one of his stink eye, then quickened his steps.

Xue Yang had no choice but follow him. He was genuinely concerned now.

He had been envious of Wen Yuan and the amount of money he received from his esteemed Rich-gege. He… didn’t expect Wen Yuan would be getting envious of him, over such a small trinket.

There were a few people dressed in rich green robes in his peripheral vision, but he ignored them in favour of catching up to Wen Yuan.

“Hey.” He called out. This kid could be so stubborn!

“Hey!” He tried again, “Slow down, hey. There’s— A-Yuan!”

The candy sticks fell from Wen Yuan’s hand, so did the packed baozi. But the buns were at least safely wrapped. The candies were unsalvageable, dirt sticking to the sugar coating. One of the fruits had rolled away from the sticks.

“A-Yuan! A-Yuan, are you alright?”

The child was on his way to a stumble from the force of bumping into a large, towering man wearing rich green robes. The man held Wen Yuan to get him to stand up. Xue Yang was ready to weaponize the dirt-coated tanghulu on the ground if his man tried anything—

“Ah! Scary-gege!” He heard Wen Yuan exclaim. Does that excitement he heard?”

Xue Yang was appalled to see Wen Yuan point his finger right in front of the man’s face.

The imposing man—no, the cultivator, Xue Yang realized from his attire and the large, intimidating scabbard strapped onto the man’s back—looked closely at Wen Yuan and frowned.

He then shifted his gaze to Xue Yang. “You need to watch over your younger brother closely.”

Xue Yang didn’t waste his time correcting the striking, tall, and intimidating cultivator and grabbed Wen Yuan’s hand, made vague jerking motions with his head which probably didn’t resemble bowing, and brisk-walking away.

He made the mistake of not picking up the fallen baozi!

Xue Yang was about to turn back, braving himself to reclaim their food, when he saw the green-clad cultivator had effortlessly caught up with them, the wrapped meat buns on his palm.

Beside him, Wen Yuan waved, keeping to his enthusiastic call of “Scary-gege!” with a beaming, toothy smile.

.

“The saber spirits harbour killing intent. These sabers seek fights indiscriminately. They don’t care whether it’s resentful corpses or living humans.”

“Living humans…” Lan Wangji repeated. Across from him, Wei Wuxian was silent.

“All this time, the Nie Sect have used corpses that are about to turn; they were unmoving, but they harbour enough resentment, enough potential to become fierce corpses. Those are what the sabers fight. But what if we replace such corpses with humans?”

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Huaisang, you’ve mentioned that these sabers have caused troubles for the Nie Sect in the past when the balance in the saber hall is disrupted. And this trouble you spoke of…”

“It is precisely what it is. Unfortunately, not many are willing to spell it out plainly. They use words like seeking evil to slay. But I’ve long suspected, if the balance is disrupted, the saber spirits will go on a rampage. Resentful corpses or humans, it makes no difference to them.”

Lan Wangji nodded, “All this time, it was easy to associate their thirst to kill for righteousness, as long as they seek to eliminate what the cultivation world condemns as evil. But if they attack living humans…”

Without preamble, Wei Wuxian stated, “I’ll do it.”

“Wei-xiong, what do you—”

“Proving the killing intent.” Wei Wuxian said airily.

“Wei Ying—”

“We’re removing all of the corpses around the saber and replacing them with living humans. There’s only one way to do this without endangering the people living in the Burial Mounds; isolation. We’ll have to create a target. A living human will be locked up with the saber in an observable environment. We’ll see if the saber eventually strikes. And according to you, Nie-xiong, it’s only a matter of when.”

Wei Wuxian walked in the direction of the largest coffin, the one that housed the saber. It was as if the blade slept peacefully. Despite the wisps of resentful energy, there were no signs of the violence that occurred with the corpses around them.

The Nie Sect’s blades were given great coffins and castles as their resting place. But it wasn’t rest they found, was it?

He turned to Nie Huaisang and pointed a finger at him, “Nie-xiong, you’re so helpless in combat you’ll be cut in two if you’re the one who gets locked up. And I’ll be the next one Chifeng-zun sacrifices to his saber. So I’ll do it.”

Predictably, Lan Wangji spoke up, “Wei Ying—”

“Yes, I know it’s dangerous. But Lan Zhan, I might ask you to leave if—”

“No. Wei Ying, I will be the one confined with the saber. This way—”

Nie Huaisang observed as Wei Wuxian clenched his fist, his voice rising with a mix of stubbornness and irritation that promised an imminent explosion.

He took a determined step closer to Lan Wangji, his words sharp, “Lan Zhan, I’ve changed track because of you and it has already hindered our progress. I’m the only one who has any chance of controlling the saber spirit in the very likely possibility it attacks humans. If the righteous Hanguang-jun is so bothered by this non-orthodox cultivation, why don’t you save yourself the headache and—”

“Wei Ying, that wasn’t what I meant. Listen—”

“Why must I always listen to you?!”

Like a jagged crack forming on a polished jade, Lan Wangji’s flawless composure crumbled as he too, finally raised his voice, “Wei Ying! Why must you always put yourself in danger? Why must you always insist on doing things alone?”

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were locked in a stalemate, neither were willing to back down.

Nie Huaisang had been meekly calling out to both of them but was effectively ignored. This wasn’t even about the saber anymore.

With great reluctance and no small amount of trepidation, Nie Huaisang physically inserted himself between the two, hoping not to get struck by either Bichen or Chenqing. He spoke to Lan Wangji first.

“Wangji-xiong, it was entirely out of his goodwill to help me that Wei-xiong is doing this. Please… don’t fight with him…”

Lan Wangji didn’t even spare him a glance.

Nie Huaisang sighed and turned to Wei Wuxian, “Wei-xiong.”

A growl was his answer.

“Wei-xiong… Xian-xiong!”

“What!”

“Wangji-xiong was right.”

Wei Wuxian finally turned to look at him, if only to glare.

Huaisang braved himself to speak, “You shouldn’t be the one who gets isolated with the saber. Let Wangji-xiong do it.”

When no reply came, Nie Huaisang continued, “Wei-xiong, you have an affinity towards resentful energy. Have you ever considered, perhaps, that even if we keep the corpses, the saber might still attack you? That would nullify the whole purpose of this trial.”

That captured Wei Wuxian’s attention.

“If there is anyone entirely not associated with evil, so to say, it will be Hanguang-jun.”

The embodiment of righteousness itself, people have whispered in awe. They said the sabers fought evil, did they not? But if the saber attacked Lan Wangji, then all would be plain and clear. Resentful spirits or living humans, the saber sought fights indiscriminately, proving its killing intent.

“Wei Ying… please allow me to help.”

Lan Wangji’s composure seemed to have been entirely rebuilt and perfectly polished. His expression flawless, posture no longer tense. But the plea in his voice was unmistakable.

Wei Wuxian was silent. But he held Lan Wangji’s gaze.

The three of them eventually came to an agreement. Wei Wuxian set out to create all of the necessary preparations.

Wei Wuxian devised an array to contain the saber and the human target. The array was modeled after the Shield Formation, a spiritual tool the Great Sects owned and could activate to protect their sect residences. But instead of deflecting attacks from the outside, Wei Wuxian built the array to keep things inside.

It created a void in its shield-like structure, where the occupants would be entirely trapped. Just like the Shield Formation, it could be deactivated at will.

And if, when, the saber spirit did strike the human that was trapped together with it, a restriction array inside could be activated. The saber spirit would be restrained, albeit temporarily.

Once the preparation was completed, the three of them set out as planned.

.

The first day that Lan Wangji was contained with the saber, nothing happened.

Both Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang were tense, the weight of expecting something to happen looming above them. But otherwise, it had been uneventful. Lan Wangji whiled away the time meditating.

Eventually, the saber did grow restless. The heavy stone coffin that contained it rattled. The clang soon grew violent.

The coffin itself was sealed and the array was whole and undamaged in the decades the saber had been inside it. But the blade physically broke out of it seemingly without effort.

So it was true.

Without the corpses keeping the sabers occupied, it grew restless.

Wei Wuxian had imagined how the saber spirit would emerge. Perhaps they would see a manifestation of the spirit. What form would it take? How fierce could a spirit of a weapon without a wielder be?

What appeared before them, however, was entirely physical. The saber had broken the seal, effortlessly opened the coffin it was resting inside, and unsurprisingly, the blade moved to attack Lan Wangji.

It was as if the blade was untouched by age and neglect; decades of disuse invisible as the sharp edges gleamed. Poised, dignified, terrifying.

Lan Wangji unsheathed Bichen and deflected the first strike. He followed Wei Wuxian’s instruction of activating the restriction array once he could get the saber back near the coffin.

Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang watched with bated breath. Wen Ning was with them; Wei Wuxian had hastily summoned him when the clank of Bichen against the saber grew heated.

Eventually, Lan Wangji came out with a slightly torn sleeve, but he was otherwise unscathed.

It was a hasty retreat. The restriction spell could only hold the blade temporarily. The corpses that were originally in place to balance the saber spirit were restored as soon as Lan Wangji was removed. Once again, the lid of the stone coffin was shut and sealed, the saber laid inside, as if docile.

Before Lan Wangji emerged, Nie Huaisang had told him, “This was the best thing I could think of to stall time. Wangji-xiong did inform me he was to go on a nighthunt. I assumed it would be tomorrow, if not the day after. Wei-xiong, we’ll hopefully continue with our original plan of conducting the Empathy ritual soon.”

.

Feasts were often a tool to achieve certain diplomatic objectives. In times of war, however, they were used to boost collective morale.

This one that Jin Guangshan was going to hold was intended to achieve both.

Jin Guangyao had been tasked with organizing a feast.

Or rather, he was tasked to gather a few dozen cultivators from the sects allied to the Jins. The group would set off to the Xuanwu cave of Dusk-Creek Mountain. Before they set out, he was to ensure they were fed well.

It was not unlike feeding an army before a conquest.

His father had not assigned him to send out the invitations, which was a common assignment for him. But Jin Guangyao figured he might have personally done that himself, considering the gravity of their objective.

Jin Guangyao had warned his father; although Madame Jin was currently in a pleasant mood after her recent trip with her daughter-in-law, they could not afford to draw too much attention to themselves. “The Madame came back earlier than expected. Father, are you certain the feast is to commence?”

This was the second time Jin Guangyao raised this concern to his father.

It earned him an assignment. Which clearly meant his father had not been pleased with the reminder.

He was to bring a scouting cadre to the Dusk-Creek Mountain ahead of the Lanling Jin Sect’s allies of cultivators. He was to report immediately of anything he might find there.

Several skilled cultivators would come along with him, his father had generously allowed.

Jin Guangyao was uncertain. They had not originally planned to send a scout prior to this masquerade of a nighthunt.

Assembling an army-like group, Jin Guangshan invited many cultivators because he had to.

The unknown dangers went unspoken. Jin Guangshan was planning to combat great power with great numbers.

That was, should anything happen at all.

If the Xuanwu still… lingered.

Jin Guangshan was a very cautious man who would not put his own reputation on the line. Any chance he might have been traced back to showing any interest in, or cultivating, the unorthodox path, must be concealed. Aside from Jin Guangyao, nobody in the army-like group that would march the Dusk-Creek Mountain had known it was to investigate the yin metal, a key to harnessing resentful energy at scale.

All they were aware of was that the Jin Sect would lead them to investigate reports of hauntings that might have been caused by remnants of a slain beast, yet to be purified.

The feast, or rather—the Xuanwu cave expedition—was to commence immediately no matter what.

And Jin Guangyao knew this assignment was to commence at the same time as the feast, effectively excluding him from joining.

With hesitant steps, mind filled with unanswered questions, Jin Guangyao summoned the cultivators he would set off with.

.

Jiang Yanli had told him he didn’t need to wait for her, for she knew he had a meeting with one of his troublesome relatives. But Jin Zixuan had successfully adjourned the meeting early just to spend time with his wife–of course, he’d wait!

So wait he did, right outside of the kitchens, where he sat awkwardly, clearly out of place amongst the bustle of the ever-moving workers around him.

Soon enough, Jin Zixuan felt like a useless rock when he saw Jiang Yanli haul a large basin of water, with a couple of servants assisting her. Jin Zixuan stood, deciding he’d lend a hand when a young servant boy tripped and fell. Some of the red dates flew and hit Jin Zixuan on the eyebrow, whilst the plate barely missed it.

He hurried to help the boy up–but not before his eyes flickered over to where he last saw Jiang Yanli.

She wasn’t there anymore, probably going to fetch more water. Great, she didn’t see that embarrassing scene!

Jin Zixuan heard quiet footsteps before someone spoke, “Wang Yu, this was not the first time you dropped food today,” a maidservant chided, voice gentle despite the clear, stern command she spoke to get the boy to clean up the mess and get the physician to check on the Young Master.

Jin Zixuan, recognizing the maidservant as one among the four who were with Jiang Yanli, said it was fine and there was no need. He asked for the maidservant’s name.

“To answer Jin-Gongzi, the Lady often calls me Xiao-Shi.” Then, the servant answered his other question, if there was anything that they needed help with–particularly tasks not requiring much skill.

Yes there is, was her answer, followed by, is the young master sure? when he said he’d help with them.

A dozen basins of water for cleaning and two trips delivering chopped dried wood later, Jin Zixuan was stopped by several senior servants, thanking him.

They thanked him, but they also begged him it was enough for today – they didn’t want to be beheaded by the Sect Leader if word got out that they had let the sect heir do menial labour.

Jin Zixuan said it was his pleasure, but he let them take away the tools in his hands away.

He had enjoyed his exercise and was even more delighted to have been able to spend some time with A-Li. Earlier she had shown him the process of making the red bean fillings of the pastries he liked–and had managed to sneak in some that had been cooked, warm, and fresh before they were folded into pastries or served on dinner tables. Jin Zixuan still wanted to help. But eventually, he agreed to their request, mostly because it might indeed cause them unnecessary trouble.

He waited outside, feeling a little bit like a useless rock again.

Fortunately, he didn’t need to wait for long. Jiang Yanli had finished her tasks as well and finally took her husband’s hand as they walked together.

Jin Zixuan told her to rest after this, for it was not going to be long before the sun’s rays turned golden.

Jiang Yanli grinned, “I would have been more tired if I sat indoors all day, unmoving.”

Jin Zixuan held Jiang Yanli’s hand tighter. “I’ll– see what I could do to speed things up so the shortage of servants would no longer be a burden to you.”

Jiang Yanli hummed, then asked, “A-Xuan, do you want to hear stories from long ago?”

“Of course! Are they from your childhood?”

She looked at him for a moment, before refocusing on the path ahead.

“I learned the recipe for lotus root soup from a maidservant who’s worked at the pier since she was young, even before my father was born.” A tender smile touched her lips, eyes far away.

Jin Zixuan asked her where the servant was now.

Jiang Yanli answered that she was healthy, now happily working at a big residence much nearer to her hometown, which was actually quite far from Yunmeng.

Jin Zixuan was fascinated that Jiang Yanli kept in touch with an old servant from her childhood.

She has passed down valuable treasures, after all, Jin Zixuan could attest, for he had gulped down mouthfuls of the beloved soup whenever his wife graced him with her divine cooking.

“When we were children, every summer, A-Xian would come to the kitchens to ask for watermelons. He would still come even though Mother’s servants, Jinzhu and Yinzhu, were often there as well. Ironically, Jinzhu and Yinzhu never told on him whenever he was found there. Soon, A-Cheng joined the kitchens too for watermelons. Then during the Mid-Autumn, for a lick of lotus seed paste. They tried to get a taste even though they’d get the pastries later.”

“The most interesting place in any residence is the kitchen. From high to low-ranking, senior to new servants. It is where they have their meals without eyes on them, where they can be a little less restrained.”

Jin Zixuan paused–halted his steps–and was about to ask if she’d missed Yunmeng.

They could arrange a visit soon, he almost said, when he felt her squeeze his hand and tell him, “Actually, I heard a story or two, about our young sect heir who defied his father to play with ducks outside and tried to catch the koi fish in the garden ponds to grill them for dinner.”

Jin Zixuan sputtered, cheeks heated.

Jiang Yanli had let go of his hand and quickly jogged, now a good few steps away from him.

“The servants said back then, the little young master was inspired by a recent trip to the faraway lakes and rivers in Hubei province, that he couldn’t sit indoors for two minutes and gave his father a headache by running around and neglecting his studies.”

Embarrassing! Too embarrassing!

Jin Zixuan wanted to utter a comeback, some form of retaliation.

But the melody of Jiang Yanli’s laughter had captured all his attention, his feet in the clouds as he gave chase.

.

Nie Huaisang’s words were proven to be true. That night, when Uncle Four brought them dinner—”The three of you have been shutting yourselves up in that small cave! It isn’t good to skip meals regardless of your cultivation levels, or how important your work is!”—Lan Wangji told him that the day before tomorrow he was departing for a nighthunt, hence there was no need to cook for him.

Uncle Four had lamented, “Aiyoo, Lan Er-gongzi, take these stir-fried mushrooms with you! Healthy young men like you get hungry fast, must eat often!”

Lan Wangji finally acquiesced when Uncle Four insisted that the dish was a specialty of his wife. He’s lucky he could get his hands on it! Although Lan Wangji had to get up and stop Uncle Four before he went to pack pickled vegetables for him—side dishes are important!—saying that he would be happier if the food were reserved for A-Yuan so he could grow a little bit taller the next time Lan Wangji sees him.

Uncle Four seemed to want to tell them something, but the rattle of the saber from within the cave had Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji on high alert, and he hurriedly dismissed Uncle Four, strengthening the cave’s barrier.

Nie Huaisang, Wei Wuxian, and Lan Wangji continued their work. Wei Wuxian seemed to be a bit distracted by the sounds he heard outside. It sounded like Uncle Four, but why would he be here again?

Wei Wuxian strengthened the sound barrier and decided to focus on the task at hand. Before they knew it, it was morning. Wei Wuxian examined the barrier locking the saber—last night there had been signs of it deteriorating; probably due to their experiment, or perhaps the saber spirit was just that formidable.

Just as he was done fortifying the shield, he heard heavy footsteps.

“Huaisang.” A deep voice cut in. All was suddenly silent.

Wei Wuxian’s shoulders went rigid. He looked at where Nie Huaisang stood, entirely still.

.

“Undertaking an assignment tasked by Uncle is a great honor, but why must he—” Jin Zixun gestured towards a white-clad cultivator with open disdain, “—come along? Don’t we have better cultivators to deploy?”

Su She stayed silent and pointedly maintained a distance from Jin Zixun.

“The command was issued on short notice and what we’re doing is confidential; we couldn’t simply take anyone with us. Zixun, you know this…” Jin Guangyao repeated for what must have been countless times that day,

He had pointed out several times that Su Minshan was among the cultivators Wen Chao once led here to the Dusk-Creek Mountain, thus, he would be familiar with the area and would prove to be a valuable asset for them.

Jin Guangyao had explained this repeatedly.

“There are not many better suited than him. It is clear Sect Leader Su has proven his loyalty to us.”

Snorting, Jin Zixun pointed, “You mean his loyalty to you.”

Jin Guangyao spoke as if Jin Zixun hadn’t made that remark, “At any rate, we should focus on the task at hand. The Xuanwu is a beast aged many centuries, possibly older. We don’t know what dangers lie ahead.”

The Dusk-Creek Mountain of Qishan was a peaceful scenic area. This belied the fact a vicious, gigantic beast once resided deep in the crevices of its hidden cave. Or what his father would like to believe, still lingered there in some form.

Initially, Jin Guangshan had ordered to bring as many cultivators as they could deploy; almost one hundred cultivators had gathered at the Golden Koi Tower for the feast before departing for Qishan.

At the last moment, however, Jin Guangshan had deemed it necessary for the Dusk-Creek Mountain to be scouted first for any potential dangers.

Jin Guangyao knew that this was merely his father lashing out at him; Madame Jin had always been a sore spot that his father loathed to be reminded of. It was probably also a warning to Jin Guangyao that he was… disposable.

He wondered if his father had other… pawns he made use of; ones Jin Guangyao wasn’t aware of. Perhaps those invitations to the feast were sent out by these pawns.

“Lianfang-zun, we couldn’t find the entrance here. Shall we check over there?”

Jin Guangyao nodded, “Sect Leader Su, lead us.”

They were deep within the wilderness of the mountain, trying to find the entrance to the underground cave that housed the beast.

That was, they were trying to.

He was only allowed a handful of cultivators due to the secrecy of their objective. Su Minshan had brought two Moling Su Sect cultivators with him, and Jin Zixun was the same. There were only seven of them in total, going on a mission Jin Guangyao deemed uncertain and precarious.

He had initially planned to divide their small group into even smaller units but thought better of it. If the Xuanwu, in some form, had indeed lingered, they would need as much manpower as they had to face it. And right now they did not have even a fragment of the strength needed if they were to confront such a beast.

He regretted this decision.

If they had been divided into groups, he wouldn’t have had to sit through this.

“You’re a third-rate cultivator who lost your sword during the waterborne abyss incident. How humiliating. How could someone like you become a sect leader anyway?”

“Hey, the two disciples you brought, did you also poach them from the Gusu Lan Sect?”

This was the kind of nonsense Jin Zixun had spouted almost non-stop since they stepped foot in Qishan. Jin Guangyao was aware that Su Minshan had barely retaliated because he held Jin Guangyao in high regard; hence would not let himself stoop so low as to rise to such bait. But Jin Guangyao could tell he was slowly losing it.

The twitching of Su Minshan’s fingers had now become a fist as he clutched the hilt of his sword tightly.

Su Minshan was the only one in their group who had been in the Dusk-Creek Mountain and had actually set eyes on the Xuanwu of Slaughter, years back when Wen Chao led them here against their will. He was the one who knew how to enter the cave and Jin Guangyao let him lead the way.

Previously, Su She had shown them the river that was supposed to lead to the underground lake within the cave, connected to an underwater passage Jiang Wanyin had discovered. If they were to take this route, they would supposedly emerge within the cave where the Xuanwu once hibernated.

Two Moling Su Sect cultivators had swam to search for the underwater passage, only to emerge with nothing.

Su She reported; the passage from the river had been blocked by falling rocks and debris, effectively obscuring it. Destroying the obstruction underwater was at best messy and ineffective, so they decided to look for the entrance elsewhere. In the past, while they did escape through the lake, they entered through an opening of an actual cave.

With such knowledge of the Dusk-Creek Mountain, during their exploration, Su Minshan was the one leading the group.

Jin Zixun clearly didn’t like it; he’d made it known loud and clear. Having been in charge of the Qiongqi detention camp, his uncle had entrusted him with this mission because of his familiarity with several areas of Qishan. And yet this cultivator from some small sect acted as if he owned the place, prattling about some directions like he knew everything.

Jin Zixun thought, if he did know so much, why haven’t they found the entrance of the cave already?

“We’re going to slay a divine beast, and yet a third-rate cultivator is among our ranks.”

“Not to slay, Zixun. Not now. We were sent here merely to scout and report back to the bigger group waiting at the Koi Tower. Please, focus on the task at hand.” Jin Guangyao pointedly decided to ignore his latter statement.

The one-sided argument continued. Jin Zixun, clearly not getting much reaction from Su Minshan, had merely turned to the disciple next to him, the one who did nothing but nod at everything he said. “Some sect leader he is. Does he think he was the most skilled, daring to walk in front of all of us?”

“Zixun, please. Arguments would not lead us to discover what we’re looking for.” It was clearly insults and not arguments, but Jin Guangyao wasn’t going to add fuel to the fire, “At the moment, let’s focus on finding the cave’s entrance.”

Jin Zixun turned to fully face Jin Guangyao, “Are you saying I’m not contributing enough? Did you not know your place? You’re not even a legitimate son of—”

Something flew past Jin Zixun and effectively cut him off.

“You can insult me all you want, but don’t you ever dare belittle Lianfang-zun!”

It was apparently Su She’s sheathed sword that flew. The sword immediately flew back to his hold.

Jin Zixun was outraged.

Two Moling Su Sect disciples Su Minshan brought along began to speak up, defending their sect leader. Jin Guangyao wisely stepped aside without acknowledging that a sword had flown past him. He busied himself scanning the vicinity for any signs of the cave’s entrance or for a distinct presence of spiritual energy.

One of the Lanling Jin Sect disciples Jin Zixun brought along had voiced his agreement to Jin Guangyao’s earlier suggestion that they needed to find the entrance to the cave, first and foremost.

So they did. Jin Zixun obviously did not cease his tongue-lashing, but at least he didn’t rise up to Su Minshan’s unexpected move involving the sword and get into an actual brawl. Jin Guangyao was relieved of that, at least.

“It’s clear who possesses the skill here. Between a third-rate cultivator and Lanling Jin Sect’s disciples, we would surely be the one who’d slay the beast.” Jin Zixun said flippantly.

Surprisingly, this time, Su She responded, “You’re several years too late for that.”

“What did you just say?!” Jin Zixun growled.

Jin Guangyao, who walked in front of Su Minshan, was equally surprised to hear him respond.

“That Wei Wuxian, along with Lan Wangji, had slain the beast. Years ago. I was here on this very mountain.” Well, he didn’t exactly see how the two had managed it because he had escaped, but Su She had indeed been here, “So you are several years too late.”

Jin Zixun snorted, “Wasn’t it Wen Chao who killed the beast?”

“So, you believe in what the Wens said?” Su Minshan taunted.

Jin Zixun was taken aback by the tone of Su She’s exclamation.

Jin Zixun’s ability to run his mouth was greater than his sense of self-preservation, and he was still irritated because of the sword earlier. Without thinking, he raised his voice, “Oh, right, you were here supposedly because you were familiar with the area, and had even encountered the creature. If you were really here, why haven’t we found the entrance yet? And why aren’t you the one who defeated the beast?”

“We evacuated. We didn’t have our swords because the Wens confiscated them. Everyone, even you, knew this.” Su She reminded him.

“You ran.” Jin Zixun taunted.

“As if you wouldn’t!”

Jin Guangyao felt the beginnings of a headache and fought the urge to massage his temple.

“An incarnation of the Xuanwu was likely the beast Hanguang-jun killed in the past,” Jin Zixun waved his hand, pointedly omitting Wei Wuxian, “it was obviously weaker than the real one. The Xuanwu is, after all, a divine beast, not some lowly monster.” He said, loud and theatrical.

Despite keeping a physical distance, Su Minshan rose up to the provocation, “Weak? Wait until you see the remnants of it. Or hopefully, the real one, that you’re so eager to slay.”

Jin Guangyao knew Su She was at his limits and couldn’t care to hold himself back anymore, not when Jin Zixun was actively provoking him. But they were in the middle of a dangerous mission. Jin Guangyao was about to coax him into silence but Jin Zixun beat him to it.

“And you ran away just because the beast was formidable.”

Su She gritted his teeth, “You weren’t even here. You were hiding in that golden tower. Probably pretending to be ill so your cousin Jin Zixuan was sent here instead!”

“What did you just say?!” Jin Zixun roared.

Jin Guangyao had faced many people who proved to be a test to his vast patience and impeccable facade; among them were Wen Ruohan and his own father. He was surprised to find that when put next to each other, these bickering manchildren were high on the list.

Jin Guangyao did not think he would be coming out here, all the way to Qishan, just to babysit these two.

.

“Huaisang.”

Nie Huaisang would recognize that deep timbre anywhere.

For a moment, he felt as if he was in a trance – He would recognize how those broad shoulders moved, even at a distance within a dimly-lit cave.

From the corner of his eye, Nie Huaisang saw how Wei Wuxian rubbed the hilt of Chenqing.

As if in tandem, Lan Wangji moved to a stance similar to Wei Wuxian, and there was the slightest of twitches to his brow on his otherwise neutral countenance.

Movements from Lan Wangji, then Wei Wuxian’s “Chifeng-zun,” pulled Nie Huaisang back to reality. He breathed out, “Da-Ge…”

Nie Mingjue stood in silence.

Nie Huaisang’s thoughts were a mess of how did he get here undetected, why is Da-Ge here, and how did he find out.

Tension blanketed the cave like a heavy, stifling fog.

Despite the tremors on the hand he used to hold his fan, despite his whirlwind of thoughts, despite everything – Nie Huaisang was the one who sliced the blanket of silence when he spoke, steady, “What brought you to this place, Da-Ge?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?” was spoken right at the tail end of Nie Huaisang’s question. Nie Mingjue’s tone was light and conversational, as if he came for tea.

Nie Huaisang gripped the bamboo hilt of his fan. He took a deep breath—or at least, had tried to.

Then resolutely, he moved forward. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were now several steps behind him.

“Da-Ge…”

Nie Mingjue regarded him calmly, his eyes never straying from Huaisang’s figure. But he did not speak.

Nie Huaisang felt as if he stood at the edge of a precipice. Beads of sweat formed at the edge of his brow, the suffocating blanket of tension was back. Nie Huaisang kept his gaze fixated on Nie Mingjue—as if waiting for something.

As if waiting for the familiar scolding.

Or his anger. The anger that often shook the grounds of the Unclean Realm with all the gravity his elder brother constantly, effortlessly commanded.

None came.

And Nie Huaisang felt an inexplicable fury. Like a rebellious child, he shot a defiant look at his brother.

Nie Mingjue met that gaze head on, and held it.

It felt as if they were in a stalemate. Both unwilling to give up their stances.

But Nie Mingjue allowed exhaustion to take over, cloud his irises, and shape his brows lax with fatigue. Then came what Nie Huaisang dreaded the most; the disappointment he breathed out, lingering on the heavy slump of his shoulders.

Nie Mingjue turned his back and walked away.

Huaisang stood rooted at his spot, watching his brother's back.

He noticed, a breath too late, his painted fan had fallen to the cave’s floor.

Nie Huaisang almost didn’t hear his brother when he said, “Let’s go back to Qinghe.”

.

Nie Huaisang had left soon after reminding Wei Wuxian of the scrolls and documents in case he needed any information on the Nie Sect’s saber.

Wei Wuxian, after the adrenaline wore off, realized that the saber had been left in the Burial Mounds.

But there wasn’t much he could do now as the entourage of Nie Sect’s disciples had all gone back to Qinghe.

Lan Wangji’s “Wei Ying…” brought him back from a daze. Wei Wuxian exited the cave to inspect the state of their settlement outside.

Then, he inquired who had let an outsider without informing him.

The barriers surrounding the Burial Mounds were meant to keep people out, not trap someone in. Chifeng-zun being able to enter without as much as a sign meant that someone from the inside must have let him in.

Someone who clearly wasn't the Nie Sect’s disciple because the barriers would not have recognized them as dwellers.

“Wei-Gongzi, that’s… Granny let him in.” Uncle Four answered him, after recovering from his initial reaction upon hearing Wei Wuxian’s raised voice. “I… was the one who noticed him near the borders. He asked for the Nie Sect’s young master who was with you."

"He was clearly a powerful one, that older Nie. I didn’t know what to do–Qing-er had been away for days, and you had made it clear that no one was to go near that forest cave... So I, uh, told him to wait.”

Lan Wangji tugged Wei Wuxian’s sleeve lightly, and told him he’d check the barriers. Wei Wuxian nodded his silent gratitude.

Uncle Four saw fit to emphasize, “I told him sternly–that he was not to cross the barrier! If he—if he doesn’t want to incur the wrath of the Yiling Pa… ahem, Wei-Gongzi, I thought you were going to come out sooner or later that day, but you didn’t.” Uncle Four knew that letting an unknown outsider in could endanger their entire clan, his whole family–the guilt on him was palpable—but Wei Wuxian realized that this was in part his own miscalculations.

“Wei-Gongzi, I should have found a way to tell you.”

Wei Wuxian shook his head, apologizing too. His mind had started thinking up ways to rectify this and create a method of emergency communication.

Uncle Four, having sensed that Wei Wuxian had calmed down, brought up another point, “To my surprise, there were no disruptions at all to the barrier when I left after threatening him. I thought he’d left. But when I went to pluck the weeds around Qing-er’s herb plots, I heard him call out again. Judging from the smoke of the fire he’d just put out, he’s been there all night!”

Wei Wuxian raised his eyebrows. Chifeng-zun had… camped… in the Burial Mounds…

“The sun was high overhead but the Nie Young Master, you, and Master Lan had not emerged. So I… told him to wait again. But I wasn’t sure if he’ll actually stay put the second time around. I sought Granny’s advice. To my surprise, she chose to go to the barriers and see him herself.”

Granny was putting Wen Yuan to his nap after he spent the entire morning playing chase with another brat, Xue Yang.

Wei Wuxian found the two kids sprawled on top of a straw mat with muddy feet and dirt under their nails.

Granny nursed a clay cup before greeting him, and without prompting, said, “That older Nie was too soft towards his younger brother.”

The quiet sound of the first wash of tea trickled at the same time as her chuckle. “It is rather funny that he still attempted to appear intimidating.”

Wei Wuxian sat down on the ground beside the raised wooden plank she sat on.

Putting down her tea–the second brew–she took one of Wei Wuxian’s hands and gave it a pat, “There are some things they needed to settle between themselves first. We outsiders best wait for news from the Young Master Nie. It will come.”

Wei Wuxian let go of a breath, and nodded.

He reminded himself that ultimately, it was Nie Huaisang’s affection for his brother that brought him to this mountain of corpses.

.

“That Nie-Gongzi… he had his brother pick him up! What a pampered life!” Wei Wuxian exhaled, long suffering.

After talking to Granny Wen, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji journeyed to the town on foot. Wei Wuxian had suggested a leisurely walk, if Hanguang-jun is not in too much of a hurry to leave.

He assured Wei Ying he had plenty of time.

The dense vegetation at the foot of the hills gently filtered the afternoon sun, softening the rays–they shared a walk in relative quiet, until the melody of Wei Wuxian’s voice shifted Lan Wangji’s sense of gravity. “I am still perplexed as to why Nie-xiong brought you along.”

Lan Wangji contemplated his answer for a while, before settling for, “He asked me to accompany him.” It went unsaid that even without Nie Huaisang asking him, Lan Wangji had planned yet another visit.

Wei Wuxian shook his head, “Hanguang-jun, that much was obvious.”

Lan Wangji took in the sight of dark sleeves swaying up and down as Wei Wuxian stretched his upper body, not unlike a wild feline who just woke up from a lazy slumber.

“Mn, Wei Ying must have already guessed the reason.”

“But my guess could be wrong.”

Lan Wangji doubted it.

Wei Wuxian suddenly waved at the direction they were heading to. Lan Wangji saw a woman carrying a basket of laundered clothes, probably going back from a nearby river.

Lan Wangji listened as Wei Wuxian greeted the lady, who had apparently benefitted from a spiritual tool Wei Wuxian had created. The lady told him her late husband no longer stubbornly clung to her, thanking Wei Wuxian how effective his talismans were.

Lan Wangji was surprised when she asked about the son whom Wei Wuxian bought grass butterflies for. She said that her nephew who was born a month ago had just gotten blessings from the temple. Once he’s older, they might be able to play together.

Later, Wei Wuxian told him it was lady Zhao, and that she had an aunt who owned a mulberry farm and a small silk shop at the heart of town. Wei Wuxian also filled Lan Wangji in that she had an annoying relative who sold kids toys that had good craftsmanship – but Lan Zhan, he was way too stingy!

Lan Wangji smiled at Wei Wuxian’s chatter, and their conversation drifted back to Nie Huaisang. “It was unusual for him to be away from the Unclean Realm so often. His older brother must have his own assumptions. Xiongzhang and Chifeng-zun are close, so he thought bringing me along might help cease his brother’s worry.”

“Hmm, in that case, why bring Hanguang-jun, instead of Zewu-jun along?”

Lan Wangji frowned, but Wei Wuxian answered his own question, “Of course Nie-xiong couldn’t just drag a sect leader around anywhere he wishes. Nobody would just blindly indulge him.” Wei Wuxian shook his head. “Aside from Chifeng-zun, that is.”

“Wei Ying is correct.”

Lan Wangji was rewarded with a sound somewhere between a snort and a laughter.

“Ahh, now we have no choice but to wait. I wonder how long the saber could hold still, taken out of the Nie ancestral tombs like this.”

Lan Wangji stilled, recalling the first method Wei Wuxian had wanted to attempt on the saber. Empathy.

"Wei Ying, were you not aware of the full extent of the damage that could be caused by Empathy?"

On spirits and fierce corpses, it could result in complete possession, and eventually a risk of annihilation of the mind of the possessed. It went unsaid, with something as unprecedented as the renowned Nie Sect’s saber, what damage it could deal.

Wei Wuxian silently looked at him.

Lan Wangji realized then, he had said the wrong thing.

Another mistake he had so effortlessly made. Every time he tried using his words.

I worry about you.

But that wasn’t what he ended up saying, wasn’t it?

“Wei Ying, I–”

Wei Wuxian sighed, ready to interrupt him, “Lan Zhan—”

“—I worry.” The words came out in a rush of a breath.

I worry. Lan Wangji said, this time out loud.

Wei Wuxian’s entire body seemed to be shaken awake. Whatever he’d intended to say earlier had evaporated.

“I know Wei Ying is capable but I… worry.”

“... Lan Zhan.”

Reciting three thousand rules was as effortless as breathing. But stringing words together to give his yearning a voice made his chest ache.

He recalled the flame in Wei Wuxian’s eyes on that battlefield when he had callously said come back to Gusu with me.

“Wei Ying, I never once meant to stand in your way.” Stringing words together to give his yearning a voice did make him ache, but once he started, words tumbled out of him like a torrent...

Wei Wuxian was entirely still at this point, eyes never straying from Lan Wangji’s.

“Whatever potential Nie Er-Gongzi sees, I regret that I see bigger looming dangers. But whether it is this or another matter, it was never my intention to disapprove of your chosen path. Wei Ying…”

Lan Wangji’s chest thundered, his mouth felt dry, but Wei Wuxian’s attention on him was enough to allow words to pour out.

... as if an unbreakable dam had crumbled. It freed the flow of a river that was never meant to be contained.

“... Wei Ying, if you do decide on going forward with this method, please allow me to help you.”

Wei Wuxian was silent for the rest of their walk.

“I’ll be by Wei Ying’s side.”

Earlier Lan Wangji had seen fit to emphasize when there was no immediate response. Wei Wuxian had nodded after a beat.

Lan Wangji felt his chest grow lighter, his breath come easier, the world in his perception become clearer. He had set free a piece of himself that was never meant to be suppressed.

They journeyed together, their steps in tandem, and despite his clumsy attempts of conveying his thoughts, he felt that they shared an unspoken agreement not to disrupt the companionable silence.

They arrived at the intersection where they meant to go their separate ways.

Lan Wangji to leave for a nighthunt, Wei Wuxian to the town to visit the temple.

“Wei Ying, I… I’ll come back in a few days. I’ll bring you Emperor’s Smile.”

Lan Wangji was rewarded with a laughter so bright and carefree—one that belonged to the youth he’d thought was gone.

He finally caught a glimpse of that Wei Ying he met a lifetime ago; the one who held two jars of liquor under the bright moon within the depths of the Cloud Recesses.

.

“Wei Ying, I’ll bring you Emperor’s Smile.”

“Gongzi, we aren’t exactly adept at reading and writing, so it didn’t occur to us at first, but the notes left by our elder might be of use to you.”

“I’ll be by Wei Ying’s side.”

“Gongzi!”

“Wei Ying, I’ll bring you Emperor’s Smile.”

“Gongzi!”

“Wei Ying.”

The voice—no, voices?—now seemed to be right beside his ear, “Gongzi, I think you’re the one who’s cursed! Who possessed you?”

Wei Ying, I’ll bring you—

Wei Wuxian was shaken awake.

Lan Wangji… Lan Zhan…

Wei Wuxian squinted his eyes, expecting—

Two stupefied youths stood in front of him. Wei Wuxian blinked, and stared.

The caretakers of the temple—two kids whose names sometimes escaped Wei Wuxian—stared back at him.

Wei Wuxian cleared his throat.

“So. The notes left by your elder.” He straightened his back, continuing the conversation as if he hadn’t just spaced out right in the middle of it.

The two youths in front of him pulled a face. Then, as if he wasn’t there, they whispered amongst themselves. Wei Wuxian caught them questioning whether he was sane, muttering nonsensical things like the Emperor's Smile! What Emperor? Why is the emperor smiling?!

Wei Wuxian cleared his throat again.

With his shredded dignity, he straightened his back, stepped towards them, and used his full height to tower over the two.

“Right! Right, J—jiang-gongzi, we’ll… forget your muttering about some emperor smiling,” the girl, Xiao Yanzi, elbowed him, “Our elder’s notes! Alright, please wait here for a moment.”

Pleased, Wei Wuxian smiled and nodded.

When the boy, Yongqi, left to retrieve the notes, he heard loud voices from the outside. He inclined his head to look; a group of people had swarmed the courtyard of the temple.

“—end up being cursed! Why!”

The voice shouting outside sounded familiar. Wei Wuxian was sure he must have heard it somewhere.

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have come here to ask for blessings!”

Rushing past Wei Wuxian, Xiao Yanzi charged into the commotion. “What happened? Why are all of you here?” She yelled.

Curiosity piqued, Wei Wuxian followed her. As he got closer to the crowd, amongst the voices, he heard, “Another victim of the curse! It’s Mr. Zhao’s newborn!”

“The one who’s about to have his one-month celebration?”

“Oh, no… will the child survive?”

“What have we done wrong! Why did the curses befall our town?!”

“Healer Wei had given us notice she’s out of town right now! Are we doomed?”

“Don’t say such inauspicious things! Healer Wei has capable staff. I heard the child has been treated at her clinic…”

“But he’s still unconscious. This is why Mister Zhao came to the temple!”

“Well, shouting and making a commotion wouldn't change a thing, would it? His child had gotten the treatment; what he needed to do was stand by his bedside and help his wife care for their baby, instead of shouting like a madman!”

“You have a point.”

“You didn’t see! My cousin helped around Mister Zhao’s residence, she said the child had been unconscious and barely breathing. This never happened to any of the curses’ victims!”

“It was a newborn baby, after all. It couldn’t be compared to the condition of a teenage boy or a grown man.”

“I probably wouldn’t make a scene. But I wouldn’t know what to do but scream if I were in Old Man Zhao’s position…”

Disturbed by the commotion, Yongqi, who brought a stack of notes out, traced his steps back to put them away before joining Xiao Yanzi’s side.

Yongqi asked with his voice raised, “Must you all follow Mister Zhao here? It isn’t some show!”

The murmurs died down, if only for a heartbeat. Then, it started with a renewed spirit.

“Old man Zhao did bring his child to the temple to ask for blessings. I heard the child was big and heavy when he was born. He was a loud, healthy child before the curse got to him!”

“But how is Old Man Zhao sure it’s because he brought his child to the temple?”

“Didn’t you know? Even the Guan Sect had investigated the temple back when their young master was inflicted. They did not find anything, though!”

“Oh, the Young Master Guan Liang! I remember how his face sported burn wounds at a public banquet! He’d been the talk of the town before Healer Wei came. It felt like ages ago.”

“Eh? The young man over there… he has also been visiting the temple quite a few times now, right?”

All of a sudden, Wei Wuxian found that their attention had been directed at him.

“Do you have any idea about this, mister…”

“Mister Jiang, isn’t it? You were with Healer Wei the other day?”

“Hey! Who elbowed me?!”

“Could you tell us if what Old Man Zhao said was true?”

Wei Wuxian was startled at the speed at which the crowd’s focus shifted onto him.

“Mister, did you find anything amiss in the temple?”

“Stop pushing! Who is this young woman!”

“Mister, how did you know Healer Wei?”

All of a sudden, the person who had ignited this commotion ran up to him. “Y-you were with the Healer Wei.” The man grabbed both Wei Wuxian’s sleeves.

Wei Wuxian took a good look at the person, surprised to find that it was the toy vendor from the marketplace. He remembered that he did meet this man at the temple along with his wife and children.

He remembered him as a stingy middle-aged man who had a sharp wit and sharper tongue; loud even amidst a bustling marketplace. But the man in front of him now, whilst just as loud, seemed to have lost the sharpness Wei Wuxian had associated him with.

“Do you have any idea when she will come back?” He heard desperation in the man’s voice, “I have asked her staff at the clinic, but—”

Wei Wuxian did not get to answer because a woman who had been running and scattering the crowd caught up to them, “Brother! What were you thinking, coming here shouting like a monkey!” It was Zhao Furen—Lady Zhao—whom Wei Wuxian had met in passing earlier today.

“All these people—” She cast a sharp look at the crowd, “Sister-in-law was looking for you!”

Wei Wuxian recalled that she mentioned her nephew and celebrations in passing.

Lady Zhao had a severe air about her and the toy vendor, Mister Zhao, looked like he was shaken awake.

He gripped both her arms and sobbed; for all his loud screams, his weeping was surprisingly silent. His sister allowed it, she heaved a long exhale and supported his weight.

To Wei Wuxian’s surprise, the crowd had not bothered them, and some even retreated to give them space.

Soon, Lady Zhao ushered him back to the clinic. Wei Wuxian decided to follow them.

He was certain that Wen Qing must have trained her cousins to treat the victims of the curses should anything happen in her absence. Most of the Wen remnants, including a few elderlies Wei Wuxian lived with were highly skilled in cultivation medicine and the arts of healing. The crowd had also mentioned staff; they must have referred to either Wen Rong or Wen Mingzhu, two skilled physicians who assisted Wen Qing from the very beginning.

Up until now, the curses had not claimed a single life. But it did not mean it couldn’t.

The high fever that often came with the appearance of the curses’ signature burn wounds could be enough to kill a newborn baby.

When they arrived, Wen Rong was seen transferring spiritual energy to the child to stimulate his qi; her fatigue was apparent from her pallor and the slump of her shoulder.

The toy vendor’s wife, Xia Yuhe, had a defeated look on her face and told the physicians to rest.

Wen Mingzhu came in hurried steps from the apothecary adjacent to the clinic, bringing two bowls and a pot of boiled medicinal soup. It was for the mother and for Wen Rong.

When they saw Wei Wuxian, the three of them shared a look. Wen Mingzhu took him aside and told him in greater detail what had transpired, including the treatment they had administered.

Although Wei Wuxian had understood the nature of the curse, it was useful to be able to discuss and confirm his speculations.

The history of curses was as old as the existence of cultivation practice; to get rid of it, some required the victim to find the caster, some required a certain condition or requirements to be fulfilled, or an antidote to be taken.

This mysterious curse in particular would disperse on its own with the right care. This was because it was not something that was cast to harm a specific individual, delivered under malicious intent, such as the famed Ten Thousand Holes Curse. This was also partly why there was no discernable pattern in choosing victims. Or rather, as if the victims weren’t chosen, but inadvertently caught.

When curses affect the human body, the body will work to fix it. Wen Mingzhu had cited. The body heals itself — this was ancient wisdom the cultivation healers had based their entire practice on. Medicine, healing techniques, and interference, exist for the purpose to aid the existing process that had in truth been started from the moment the ailment was inflicted.

It went unsaid that ailments could be greater than the body’s ability to mend itself.

“If Qing-jie were here, she would be able to utilize a rare technique to speed up the healing process and contain the curse using a redirection method. This was not something Wen Rong and I were trained in.”

Wei Wuxian nodded. He paced.

The clinic room they left was silent, but he knew it was far from peaceful.

He asked again, disconcerted, if the transferring of spiritual powers they had been conducting was of any help. Wen Mingzhu’s response was negative. They did it to maintain a steady flow of the child’s vital qi, for the curse had almost entirely congested the flow.

The more he wracked his brain for a solution, the more he hit a dead end.

Nothing came to mind. Wei Wuxian asked distractedly, “This method. You mentioned it might contain a redirection process; what does it entail?”

“To answer Wei-gongzi, if redirection was necessary upon assessing the severity of the condition, then it could entail moving and isolating the energy of the curse into a part that wasn’t vital to the flow of qi.”

Wei Wuxian’s pacing came to a stop.

“Say, hypothetically, it is possible to move this curse to an external vessel. Would that work to remove it entirely from the child’s body?”

She furrowed her brow, “An… external vessel?”

“Yes. Rather than moving and isolating the energy to a non-vital part of the victim’s body, what if it is possible to move it to an external vessel? Will that significantly improve the child’s condition?”

Frowning, she answered, “Wei-gongzi, theoretically speaking, yes, that would. But what exactly are— Wei-gongzi! What are you going to do? Wei-gongzi!”

Wei Wuxian’s legs swiftly took him to the room where the Zhao family were in.

How had he not thought of this earlier?

The answer should have been obvious from the start.

Wei Wuxian was resolved; he would transfer the curse to himself.

.

“Liangfang-zun, we found the entrance!”

The opening to the cave was surprisingly wide; three adults could go in at once without much issue. The roof, however, was somewhat low, and when they stepped inside, some of them had to duck along the way where the ceilings almost touched their heads.

They passed by the remnants of hastily built barricades that lay scattered around, broken planks with spiritual inscriptions that might have prevented escape. As Su Minshan had recounted, these were likely evidence of Wen Chao’s attempt at trapping all the disciples back then.

As they went deeper, they readied their weapons. Wisps of resentful energy could be sensed from within. Jin Guangyao was aware that the Xuanwu had consumed many lives—it hibernated for a long time, likely because its stomach had been full. But just… how full was it? The beast had supposedly been slain, but the remnants of spiritual and resentful energy lingered long after.

Su Minshan was leading them into the cave. Jin Zixun, unsurprisingly, had taken very slow steps. He was at the back of their small group; shielded by the two disciples he brought with him.

Surprisingly, he still had no sense of self-preservation, and he remained vocal about his misplaced disdain towards Su Minshan.

“You! Are you sure this is the right path? The beast was a large creature but this cave has such a narrow, winded passage. How could such a beast even enter in the first place?!”

Jin Guangyao was about to say something that would hopefully prevent brawling and save them all, like how it was best if a reliable cultivator would stay behind to aid them in guarding the cave’s entrance.

However, not too far ahead, Jin Guangyao saw Su Minshan stop in his tracks and lowered his sword.

“S— Sect Leader Jiang— and, ah. Young Master Jin!”

Jin Guangyao almost stumbled.

Who?

Sect Leader Jiang and Jin Zixuan?

What… were they—

No. Why were they here?

.

When Wei Wuxian woke up, a new day had arrived.

As he tried to get up, he faintly remembered Wen Mingzhu’s frantic calling, Wen Rong’s lethargic hand trying to stop what he was doing, and both Mister Zhao and his wife’s stupefied silence. But the process of transferring the curse had been swift and quite simple. Wei Wuxian was immediately out cold when the heat from the curse overwhelmed his senses.

He felt for his limbs, getting a sense of where the sweltering heat was most potent. The effects of the curse had significantly been reduced due to the medication formulated by the Wen Sect cultivation healers. With his own understanding of curses and resentful energy, even Wei Wuxian was impressed by its efficacy.

But the curse had stayed in his body long enough for him to realize what it was.

The weight of reality grew more tangible as he further regained his consciousness.

Wei Wuxian let the understanding sink in that he was, in a way… responsible… for what had transpired all these months

Those unexplainable curses.

He had something urgent to do.

His entire body smelled entirely like medicinal herbs, but unlike before, he now felt alive.

As he got up to leave, he was surprised to find the toy vendor from yesterday waiting outside of his room. Wei Wuxian almost stumbled when the man started to kowtow in front of him like he was some deity.

“Gongzi! Gongzi you woke up, thank goodness! How could I ever repay you! Gongzi, the healers said you were recovering well but I—”

The man spoke some more, but his brain had probably blocked most of what the man was saying. He was just too much!

This man was dramatic; vocal in his aversion, and even more so in his gratitude.

Wei Wuxian still had a hard time sending him off after accepting his offer of a lifetime’s free of charge—of any children’s toys he might want to procure. As if Wei Wuxian was going to produce children his entire life!

When he did manage to send Zhao Yunqing off (after his incessant pestering, Wei Wuxian’s brain finally caught onto the name he kept on forgetting), he suddenly recalled, “Mister Zhao, please refrain from visiting the Huangling temple for now. I will issue further notice when it’s… safer. But for now, please advise as many people as you can.”

“So it is indeed the temple! What perverted deities could have lived there!”

Wei Wuxian flinched at the toy seller’s loud voice, multiplying in volume in his outrage. Feeling the burn marks on his neck, he was silent for a breath before he spoke, “I… am afraid it isn’t a very simple matter of who’s at fault.”

“Gongzi, what do you mean?”

“Wei Gongzi! Qing-jie will soon come back, meanwhile, she asked you to—” It was Wen Rong; she still didn’t look like she'd gotten much sleep. When she noticed another person was with Wei Wuxian, she corrected herself, “Ahh, Jiang-gongzi, please find me once you are done. I have a message to deliver.”

Wei Wuxian nodded, “It’s alright, we are done here.”

Mister Zhao hurried to ask him, “Wait, Gongzi! Should we inform the local sects of this? The Guan Sect or the Qiao Sect might be of help.”

Wei Wuxian had a conflicting thought on this, for good reasons.

He’d wanted to say, as long as they don’t become a hindrance. But he settled for, “Deploy what protective measures you feel necessary. I am not familiar with the two sects you mentioned. But feel free to do what needs to be done. As long as the townsfolk are safely keeping their distance from the temple’s vicinity.”

Once he listened to Wen Qing’s message passed to him, he thanked Wen Rong, and set off.

Wei Wuxian’s steps were certain when he retrieved the Stygian Tiger Seal.

The curses, no matter how he looked at it, were ignited because of him.

He was the one who could, and must, put an end to this.

When the Xuanwu of Slaughter was taken down, it had taken both Lan Wangji and himself, sparing no effort. The days were cloaked by the roof of the cave, the nights had stretched on, and Wei Wuxian had not been certain the beast had truly been gone. He had been unconscious by the time Lan Wangji’s final blow put an end to their struggle.

This time, he only had himself, his little trinket, and a vague idea of what he was truly up against.

Clutching the black piece of iron, Wei Wuxian let the thrum of its powers wash over him.

If the Stygian Tiger Seal—the black iron from the Xuanwu—flooded him with defiant tidal waves, then the energy of the curse that ran through him tasted like ashes of wildfire. It reminded Wei Wuxian of seared flesh in the midst of the Sunshot Campaign.

Had he not decided to transfer the curse into himself, and as a consequence, experience the true essence of the energy as it ran through his veins, he wouldn’t have realized how familiar its powers had been.

The appearance of the curse corresponded to the lunar cycle; either the new moon when the stars were at their brightest—or the full moon where it eclipsed any other celestial entity. Both had meant a tidal bulge transpired where water was at its highest.

This fact was the only element that didn’t match the energy currently running in his system, and who, or what, it belonged to.

This gave away he had been the cause of all this.

Wei Wuxian should have caught on to it. He recounted the obvious signs evidenced by the curses; The apparent scorching of flesh. The burn marks that were found on each of the curses’ victims.

He recalled the small, terrified spirit inside the temple screaming fire… flies! It flies! And screams of more fire!

The statues found at the temple had easily been mistaken as Fenghuang.

Barely a fragment of it had lived inside him, but Wei Wuxian knew it sang promises of an inferno.

Zhuque.

It was the vermillion bird among the four divine beasts.

It wasn’t difficult to decipher all four of them would have an affinity with each other.

This had been a natural conclusion to arrive at; the once-peaceful towns, subjected to this misfortune at the same time Wei Wuxian had settled in it.

The elder of the temple had fallen ill over half a year prior to his death. To date, there were a total of six victims of the curses. Each corresponded to the lunar cycle.

At the same time, Wei Wuxian had settled in Yiling for a little over a year.

Wei Wuxian did not know how. But the black piece of iron he obtained from the Xuanwu had managed to awaken the Zhuque.

He took a deep, shuddering breath.

He thought he had found a semblance of… home, here in Yiling. The lively towns in daylight, the vibrant market lights at night, the warmth of the people that reminded him of Yunmeng…

… he never thought that he would ruin it just by being here.

He could only hope that the Xuanwu’s flood of unstoppable currents could withstand molten lava.

He would try.

Although he knew, past a certain point, water would disappear into vapour.

He recalled Wen Qing’s message relayed to him, don’t do anything reckless.

Wei Wuxian fondly smiled.

If he survived this, he hoped Wen Qing wouldn’t be too mad at him.

He vaguely recalled the particular way Wen Qing referred to the tiger seal; the yin metal. Where had she learned of it?

If… if he came out of this in one piece, he would tell Wen Qing it wasn’t a reckless thing if he was doing it to take responsibility for his own doing.

And—

“I’ll be by Wei Ying’s side.”

—Lan Zhan.

Wei Wuxian remembered his own bitter objections over Lan Wangji’s criticism, no, his concern, over his choices and the dangers of losing control.

Heh. Perhaps he had indeed been losing control. He had not even realized the extent of the powers he thought he could keep under his command.

“I’ll be by Wei Ying’s side.” Wei Wuxian revisited the memory in his head, and steeled his resolve.

Lan Wangji had promised him Emperor’s Smile.

He would be loathe to break that promise.

.