Chapter 72 (1/2)

Chapter 72: Recklessness—Part One

Koi Tower.

Side by side, Lan XiChen and Lan w.a.n.gJi strolled along the endless waves of Sparks Amidst Snow.

With a twist of his wrist, Lan XiChen swept over one of the snow-colored flowers, its petals in full bloom. The motion was so gentle that not even a dewdrop fell. He spoke, ”w.a.n.gJi, is there something on your mind? Why have you been so tense?”

Of course, in most people's eyes, the 'tenseness' probably looked no different than Lan w.a.n.gJi's other expressions.

Lan w.a.n.gJi's brows sunk low as he shook his head. A few moments later, he replied in a low voice, ”Brother, I want to take someone back to the Cloud Recesses.”

Lan XiChen was surprised, ”Take someone back to the Cloud Recesses?”

Lan w.a.n.gJi nodded, his expression pensive. After a pause, he continued, ”Take him back… and hide him somewhere.”

Lan XiChen's eyes immediately widened.

Ever since their mother pa.s.sed away, this brother of his had gradually become more and more withdrawn. Apart from going on night-hunts, he'd shut himself in his room all day long, reading, meditating, practicing calligraphy, playing his guqin, and improving his cultivation. He never talked much to anyone except for him, his elder brother. Yet, this was the first time that such words found their way outside of his lips.

Lan XiChen, ”Hide him somewhere?”

Lan w.a.n.gJi frowned softly. He began again, ”But he is not willing.”

Suddenly, the noise of chatter came from before them. Someone spat, ”Is this a road that someone like you can walk on? Who let you roam around!”

A young voice replied, ”I'm sorry. I…”

Hearing this, Lan XiChen and Lan w.a.n.gJi looked up at the same time. Beside the wall reliefs stood two men. The one who had just scolded someone was Jin ZiXun, with a few servants and cultivators following behind him. The one who had been scolded was a white-clothed young man. When the man saw Lan XiChen and Lan w.a.n.gJi, his face immediately went pale. He couldn't even continue with the things he wanted to say. As Jin ZiXun kept up his haughty guise, Jin GuangYao came to the rescue just in time.

He went to the white-clothed man, ”The paths of Koi Tower are rather intricate. Young Master Su, it's not your fault that you got lost. You can come with me.”

Seeing that he appeared, Jin ZiXun sneered and walked around them. The white-clothed man, however, hesitated, ”You know me?”

Jin GuangYao smiled, ”Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? Haven't we met each other once? Young Master Su, Su MinShan, your swordsmans.h.i.+p is quite good. I've been thinking ever since the hunt at Phoenix Mountain about what a pity it'd be if such a young talent didn't come to our sect. In the end, though, he did come to our sect. I was over the moon with joy. This way, please?”

There were countless cultivators who sought a.s.sistance by going to the LanlingJin Sect like Su She did. He thought that not many people would recognize him, having never expected Jin GuangYao to be able to remember him so clearly, going as far as to praise him, after just one hasty encounter with him. Instantly, Su She seemed to be more relieved. He ceased to look at the Lan brothers and followed Jin GuangYao away, scared that they'd mock or point at him.

Within Glamor Hall, Lan XiChen and Lan w.a.n.gJi were seated one after the other. In the hall, it wasn't appropriate to continue the discussion that they were holding. Lan w.a.n.gJi returned to his norm of ice and frost. The GusuLan Sect was famous for its abstinence from liquor. By Jin GuangYao's arrangements, no liquor cups were placed on either of the two's table. There was only a teacup and a few fresh, dainty dishes. n.o.body had come forth and proposed them any toasts, either, so all was calm.

Unfortunately, just as the calmness settled down, a man wearing a robe of Sparks Amidst Snow suddenly approached them, one liquor cup in each hand, ”Sect Leader Lan, HanGuang-Jun, a toast to each of you!”

This was Jin ZiXun, who had been toasting everyone for the past while. Jin GuangYao knew that neither Lan XiChen nor Lan w.a.n.gJi liked liquor, so he hurried over, ”ZiXuan, both ZeWu-Jun and HanGuang-Jun grew up in Cloud Recesses. There are over three thousand rules on their stone wall. Instead of asking them to drink, why not…”

Jin ZiXun regarded Jin GuangYao with much aversion. He thought that his background was lowly and was ashamed to be of one clan as him. He interrupted, ”The Jin Sect and the Lan Sect have always been like one family. We're all the same. My two Lan brothers, if you don't drink this, you'd be looking down on me!”

On the side, a few of his followers all praised, ”What a bold move!”

”That's just how an esteemed cultivator should act!”

Jin GuangYao continued to smile, though he sighed under his breath, rubbing his temples. Lan XiChen stood up, wanting to decline the offer politely. Jin ZiXun continued to pester, turning to Lan XiChen, ”Don't say anything. Sect Leader Lan, our two sects aren't strangers to each other. Don't deal with me like how you deal with strangers! Just tell me one thing—are you drinking it or not?”

The corners of Jin GuangYao's smile were starting to twitch. He glanced at Lan XiChen, eyes full of apology. He tried to speak gently, ”After this, they'll return on their swords. Drinking would probably affect their…”

Jin ZiXun thought nothing of this, ”It's not like they'd get drunk with just a few cups. Even if I drank eight large bowls, I'd still be able to fly away!”

A wave of cheers came from all around them. Lan w.a.n.gJi was still sitting, staring coldly at the cup of liquor that Jin ZiXun forced into his sight. He looked as if he was about to speak when a hand suddenly took over the cup of liquor.

Lan w.a.n.gJi paused in surprise, his knitted eyebrows unravelling at once. He looked up.

What first reflected against his pupils were black robes. A flute hung at the waist, ta.s.sels in the color of blood dangling off one end. The person who came stood with hands against his back. With a lift of his head, he drank all of the liquor and showed the empty bottom to Jin ZiXun, ”I drank it for him. You satisfied yet?”

Laughter clung to both his eyes and his words. Handsome features accentuated his slender physique.

Lan XiChen, ”Young Master Wei.”

Someone exclaimed in a hushed tone, ”When did he come?!”

Wei WuXian put down the cup. With one hand, he fixed his lapel, ”Just a moment ago.”

Just a moment ago? But, just a moment ago, clearly n.o.body notified the room, much less greeted him. Although surprising, it was true that not a single person noticed when he managed to slip into Glamor Hall. The crowd couldn't help but s.h.i.+ver in disgust at the mere power of his abilities.

Jin GuangYao was quick to react, his enthusiasm still warm, ”I wasn't aware of Young Master Wei's arrival at Koi Tower. The lack of a welcome was my fault. Would you like to be seated? Oh, right—do you have an invitation?”

Wei WuXian didn't make small talk either, getting straight to the point, ”No thanks. I don't.” He nodded slightly at Jin ZiXun, ”Young Master Jin, could I please have a word with you?”

Jin ZiXun, ”If you have anything to say, come after our banquet is over.”

In reality, he didn't want to talk to Wei WuXian at all. Wei WuXian could see this as well, ”How long do I have to wait?”

Jin ZiXun, ”Probably around six to eight hours. Or maybe ten to twelve. Or until tomorrow.”

Wei WuXian, ”I'm afraid I can't wait for that long.”

Jin ZiXun's voice was arrogant, ”You'll have to wait even if you can't.”

Jin GuangYao, ”Young Master Wei, what do you need ZiXun for? Is it a pressing matter?”

Wei WuXian, ”Pressing indeed. It allows for no delay.”

Jin ZiXun turned to Lan XiChen, holding up the other cup, ”Sect Leader Lan, here, here. You haven't drunk this cup yet!”

Seeing him stall purposely, a dark cloud flashed before his face. He narrowed his eyes, the corners of his lips curling up, ”Fine. Then I'll talk about it right here. Young Master Jin, have you heard of someone by the name of Wen Ning?”

Jin ZiXun, ”Wen Ning? I haven't.”

Wei WuXian, ”You definitely remember him. Last month, when you were night-hunting in the area of Ganquan, you chased an eight-winged bat king to the gathering place, or the detention camp, of the Wen Sect's remnants and brought a group of the Wen Sect's disciples. The one in the lead was him.”

After the Sunshot Campaign, the QishanWen Sect was destroyed. The territory that it was expanding was shared among the other sects. The Ganquan area was appointed to the LanlingJin Sect. As for the remnants of the Wen Sect, they were herded into a small corner of Qishan, not even a thousandth the territory it onced owned. They were crammed into the place and struggled to live.

Jin ZiXun, ”I don't remember, which means I don't remember. I'm not so idle as to go out of my way to remember a Wen-dog's name.”

Wei WuXian, ”Fine. I don't mind explaining it in greater detail. You couldn't catch the bat king and happened to run into a few of the Wen Sect's disciples who were there to investigate the same thing. And so, you threatened them to carry spirit-attraction flags to be your bait. They didn't dare do it. One person stepped out and tried to reason with you. That's the Wen Ning I'm talking about. After some delay, the bat king got away. You beat up the Wen cultivators, took them away by force, and the group disappeared. Do I need to say any more details? They still haven't returned yet. Apart from you, I don't know who in the world I could possibly ask.”

Jin ZiXun, ”Wei WuXian, what do you mean? You came for him? You aren't standing up for a Wen-dog, are you?”

Wei WuXian wore a broad grin, ”Since when is it your business whether I'd like to stand up for him or cut his head off? Just give him to me!”

At the last sentence, the grin on his face vanished. His tone turned cold as well. It was clear that he had lost his patience. Many of the people within Glamor Hal s.h.i.+vered in fear. Jin ZiXun felt his scalp tingle as well. Yet, his anger soon soared. He shouted, ”Wei WuXian, you are too bold! Did the LanlingJin Sect invite you today? And you dare run wild here. Do you really think that you're invincible, that n.o.body has the courage to confront you? Do you want to overturn the Heavens?”

Wei WuXian smiled, ”You're comparing yourself to the Heavens? Excuse my language, but your face is a little too thick, isn't it?”

Although in his heart, Jin ZiXun had already begun to think of the LanlingJin Sect as the new Heavens, he too knew that his words were too rash. His cheeks flushed slightly. Just as he was about to rebut, sitting on the foremost seat, Jin GuangShan spoke up.

His voice seemed kind, ”It's not anything too important anyways. You youngsters, why lose your tempers over such a thing? However, Young Master Wei, let me be fair here. Barging in when the LanlingJin Sect is holding a private banquet is indeed inappropriate.”

To say that Jin GuangShan didn't mind what happened at Phoenix Mountain would be impossible. This was also why he only smiled when Jin ZiXun bickered with Wei WuXian but didn't stop them, and only spoke up when Jin ZiXun was at the disadvantage.

Wei WuXian nodded, ”Sect Leader Jin, it was never my intention to disturb your private banquet. My apologies. However, the whereabouts of the people whom Young Master Jin took are still unclear. Just a moment of delay, and it might be too late. One of the group had once saved me before. I will definitely not sit back and watch. Please do not feel pressured. I will make amends for this at a later date.”

Jin GuangShan, ”Whatever it is, it must be able to wait a little longer. Come, come, you can sit down first. Let's talk about this with no rush.”

Soundlessly, Jin GuangYao had already prepared a new seat. Wei WuXian, ”Thank you, Sect Leader Jin, but I won't stay for long. The matter can't be delayed. Please let this be sorted out as soon as possible.”

Jin GuangShan, ”There's no need for hurry. If we break things down, there are indeed a few things between us that haven't been accounted for yet, things that can't be delayed. Now that you're here, how about we use the opportunity to sort those things out as well?”

Wei WuXian raised a brow, ”Account for what?”

Jin GuangShan, ”Young Master Wei, we've brought this up a couple of times with you already. You haven't forgotten, have you? … During the Sunshot Campaign, you had once used a certain object.”

Wei WuXian, ”Oh. You did mention it before. The Tiger Seal?”

Jin GuangShan, ”It is said that the Stygian Tiger Seal was casted from the iron of a sword that you acquired in the cave of the Xuanwu of Slaughter. Back then, you used it on the battlefield once. Its powers were horrifying, causing even a few of our own cultivators to be affected by its residual force…”

Wei WuXian interrupted, ”Please get to the point.”

Jin GuangShan, ”This is the point. In the battle, apart from the Wen Sect, our sides undertook great losses as well. In my opinion, such a weapon is quite difficult to be controlled. For it to be in the hands of just a single person might be…”

Before he even finished his words, Wei WuXian began to laugh.

After a few laughs, he continued, ”Sect Leader Jin, let me ask you something else. Do you think that, because the QishanWen Sect is gone, the LanlingJin Sect has all right to replace it?”

All was silent within Glamor Hall.

Wei WuXian added, ”Everything has to be given to you? Everyone has to listen to you? Looking at how the LanlingJin Sect does things, I almost thought that it was the QishanWen Sect's empire all over again.”

Hearing this, over Jin GuangYao's square-shaped face flashed a hue of embarra.s.sed anger. After the Sunshot Campaign, the criticism of Wei WuXian cultivating the ghoul path that the sects had once veiled began to rise. He mentioned the Stygian Tiger Seal here intending to threaten Wei WuXian, reminding him that there was still something they held against him, that others were still watching him, and thus he shouldn't be so bold as to want to climb above the LanlingJin Sect. n.o.body expected Wei WuXian's words to be so harshly straightforward. Although he'd held the quiet thought of succeeding the Wen Sect's position since a long time ago, n.o.body had ever dared to bring it to the surface so fearlessly, going as far as to mock him.

A guest cultivator on his right shouted, ”Wei WuXian! Watch your words!”

Wei WuXian, ”Did I say something wrong? Forcing living people to be bait and beating them up whenever they refused to obey—is this any different from what the QishanWen Sect does?”

Another guest cultivator stood up, ”Of course it's different. The Wen-dogs did all kinds of evil. To arrive at such an end is only karma for them. We only avenged a tooth for a tooth, letting them taste the fruit that they themselves had sown. What's wrong with this?”

Wei WuXian, ”Take revenge on the ones who bite you. Wen Ning's branch doesn't have much blood on their hands. Don't tell me that you find them guilty by a.s.sociation?”

Another person spoke, ”Young Master Wei, is it that they don't have much blood on their hands just because you say so? These are only your one-sided words. Where's the evidence?”

Wei WuXian, ”You think that they killed the innocent—aren't those your one-sided words as well? Shouldn't you be the first one to show evidence? Why would you instead ask me for evidence?”

The person shook his head, the words 'this man refuses to reason with me' written all over his face. Someone else sneered, ”Back then, when the Wen Sect slaughtered our people, it was thousands of times crueler than this! They didn't treat us with justice and morality, so why should we treat them with such?”

Wei WuXian grinned, ”Oh. The Wen-dogs did all kinds of evil, so anyone whose surname is Wen can be killed? That's not it, is it? Many of the clans who defected from the Wen Sect are quite well-off right now, aren't they? In this hall, isn't there a few sect leaders from clans that used to be under the Wen Sect's wing?”

As the sect leaders saw that he recognized them, their expressions changed at once. Wei WuXian continued, ”Since anyone whose surname is Wen can be used an outlet of anger as one pleases, no matter if they're innocent or not, does it mean that it's fine even if I kill all of them right now?”

Before he even finished his words, he placed his hand on his waist where Chenqing hung. Instantly, it was as if a piece of memory was stirred up in the minds of everyone within the hall, as though they returned to the battlefield where darkness became the sky and corpses became mountains. At once, people stood up from among the crowd.

Lan w.a.n.gJi's lowered his voice, ”Wei Ying!”

Jin GuangYao was the closest to Wei WuXian, but he maintained his composure, speaking in a gentle voice, ”Young Master Wei, please don't overdo things. Things are still open for discussion.”

Jin GuangShan stood up as well, his face a mixture of shock, anger, fear, and hatred, ”Wei WuXian! Just because… Sect Leader Jiang isn't here doesn't mean you can be so reckless!”

Wei WuXian's voice was harsh, ”Do you think that I wouldn't be reckless if he were here? If I wanted to kill someone, who could stop me, and who would dare stop me?!”

Lan w.a.n.gJi spoke, one word at a time, ”Wei Ying, put down Chenqing.”

Wei WuXian looked at him. From against the pair of eyes as mild as gla.s.s, he saw his own hideous reflection. He spun around, shouting, ”Jin ZiXun!”

Jin GuangShan hurried, ”ZiXun!”

Wei WuXian, ”Cut the nonsense. I'm sure everyone knows that my patience is limited. Where is he? With so much time wasted on you, I'll give you three. Three!”

Jin ZiXun wanted to resist, but when he saw Jin GuangShan's face, he felt his heart s.h.i.+ver. Wei WuXian began again, ”Two!”

Jin ZiXun finally yelled, ”… Fine! Fine! It's just a few Wen-dogs. Take them if you want to. I'm not fooling around with you any longer! Go find them at Qiongqi Path on your own!”

Wei WuXian laughed coldly, ”If only you said it sooner.”

He came like wind and went like wind. When his silhouette finally disappeared, the storm over the people's heads finally dissipated. Within Glamor Hall, most of those who stood up sat back down again. Almost all of them had already broken into cold sweats. On the other hand, Jin GuangShan, standing with a blank face where his seat was, finally lost his temper and kicked over the table in front of him. All of the gold dishes and silver platters rolled down the stairs.

Seeing his discomposure, Jin GuangShan wanted to ease the situation, starting, ”F”

Before he could finish, Jin GuangShan had already left. Jin ZiXun also felt that by giving in, he lost face in front of everyone. Out of both anger and hatred, he wanted to leave as well.

Jin GuangYao hurried, ”ZiXun!”

Jin ZiXun was at the peak of his anger. Without a second thought, he flung away the cup of liquor that was turned down, directly towards Jin GuangYao's chest. A splash of liquor immediately sprouted on top of the Sparks Amidst Snow blooming pa.s.sionately over the white robes. It was more than embarra.s.sing, but because of how chaotic the state of the hall was, n.o.body really minded the act of great misconduct.

Lan XiChen was the only one who exclaimed, ”Brother!”

Jin GuangYao, ”I'm fine, I'm fine. Brother, please be seated.”

It was unsuitable for Lan XiChen to comment on Jin ZiXun, so he took out a snow-colored handkerchief and pa.s.sed it to him, ”Go retire and change your clothes.”

Jin GuangYao took the handkerchief, wiping away as he forced a smile, ”I can't leave, can I?”