Chapter 23

Chapter 23 - Sinister Spirit Part 6

At that very moment, Jin Ling, who had been unconscious, suddenly sat up.

In front of the two of them, he stumbled to his feet, still half-asleep. Wei Wuxian was curious to see what Jin Ling would do, so he stayed put. Jin Ling slowly bypassed Wei Wuxian and stepped back into the wall, returning to the spot where he had just been buried. His hands were placed flat at his sides, in exactly the same position as before.

Wei Wuxian pulled Jin Ling out of the wall again, feeling both amused and strange. He was just about to say to Lan Wangji that this place wasn’t safe to stay in when a sudden, distant furious bark made him jump. The black-maned hound had been sitting obediently at the cave entrance, wagging its tail anxiously and pitifully waiting for its master to be brought out. It hadn’t made a sound again, but now it was growling more fiercely than ever.

Lan Wangji said, "There is something unusual outside the castle."

He reached out to help Jin Ling, but Wei Wuxian beat him to it and threw Jin Ling over his back, saying, "Let's go take a look!"

The two of them quickly retraced their steps, and as soon as they ducked out of the cave, they saw the black-maned hound with its back to them, growling low in its throat. Wei Wuxian, despite bracing himself, couldn’t bear the sound and involuntarily took several steps back. But just as he did, the dog turned its head, and upon seeing Wei Wuxian carrying Jin Ling, it sprinted towards them. Wei Wuxian screamed, about to throw Jin Ling away, when Lan Wangji stepped forward and blocked him.

The hound immediately stopped, its tail tucking between its legs in submission. It didn’t have its tongue hanging out because it had something clenched in its mouth. Lan Wangji walked over, bent down, and retrieved a piece of cloth from its teeth. He returned and handed the cloth to Wei Wuxian. It appeared to be a piece of a robe. Someone must have been lurking or spying nearby, and their suspicious behavior set the dog off. Wei Wuxian said, "They haven’t gone far. We need to chase them!"

Lan Wangji, however, said, "No need. I know who it is."

Wei Wuxian said, "I agree. The same group must be behind the rumors in Traveler's Ridge, the walking corpses, the confusion array, and the stone castle. But if we don’t catch them now, it’ll be harder to catch them later."

Lan Wangji said, "I’ll go after them. What about you and Jin Ling?"

Wei Wuxian said, "I’ll take him down Traveler's Ridge and find a place in Qinghe to settle him. We’ll regroup at the place where we met that doctor earlier."

The conversation was hurried. After a brief pause, Wei Wuxian added, "Go, if we wait any longer, the person will be gone. I’ll be there!"

Hearing "I’ll be there," Lan Wangji gave him a deep look and said no more, turning to leave. The black-maned hound tried to rush over again, and Wei Wuxian hastily shouted, "Wait, wait, wait! Take the dog with you! Take the dog!!!"

Lan Wangji had no choice but to return and, looking down at the black-maned hound, it didn’t dare to disobey. It followed behind Lan Wangji with a whimper, occasionally looking back at Jin Ling. Wei Wuxian wiped his sweat and glanced back at the white, eerie stone castle. He then hoisted Jin Ling onto his back and headed down Traveler's Ridge.

By now, it was nearly dusk. Carrying an unconscious youth, both covered in dirt and looking quite disheveled, they attracted many curious glances from passersby. Wei Wuxian returned to the street where Jin Ling had set his dog on him earlier in the day. He found an inn, used the money he had taken from Lan Wangji to buy two new sets of clothes, and got a room. He first peeled off Jin Ling’s wrinkled robe, which had been buried in the dirt, and yanked off his boots. But then his actions paused.

There seemed to be a shadow on Jin Ling’s calf. Wei Wuxian knelt down, rolled up Jin Ling’s trousers, and discovered it wasn’t a shadow but a bruise. And not just any bruise, but a curse mark.

A curse mark was a sign left by an evil spirit on its prey. Once it appeared, it meant the person had encountered something extremely sinister. The mark meant the spirit would come back for them. It might take a long time, or it might come that very night. In the best case, it would take only the marked body part. In the worst case, it would take your life.

Jin Ling’s entire leg was black, and the mark was still spreading upwards. Wei Wuxian had never seen a curse mark so dark and so widespread. The more he looked, the more serious his expression became. He rolled Jin Ling’s trousers back down, undid Jin Ling’s robe, and saw that his chest and abdomen were still clean. The curse mark hadn’t spread that far, which finally allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

Just then, Jin Ling opened his eyes.

He was disoriented for a moment, feeling the cool air on his bare skin, and suddenly snapped awake. Flushed red, he scrambled up and roared, "Wha-wha-what are you doing?!"

Wei Wuxian smirked, "Well, look who’s finally awake."

Jin Ling, clearly terrified, clutched his robe and backed into the wall, saying, "I’m not into men!"

Wei Wuxian chuckled, "Funny, because I am!"

Jin Ling grabbed the sword by his side, ready to attack and defend his honor, threatening to kill himself if Wei Wuxian came any closer. Wei Wuxian barely managed to stop laughing, clutching his stomach as he said, "Relax, I was just joking! I worked hard to dig you out of that wall. The least you could do is say thank you."

In his fury, Jin Ling ran a hand through his messy hair, trying to look more presentable. He glared and said, "If it weren’t for that, I’d have killed you a thousand times over for undressing me!"

Wei Wuxian said, "No need. Dying once is painful enough. Alright, alright, put the sword down."

In his confusion, Jin Ling obediently lowered his sword.

When Wei Wuxian performed the soul-summoning ritual, his soul had left his body, and his memories were hazy. Yet, he vaguely remembered that it was the person in front of him who had dug him out and carried him down the mountain. After being buried in the wall, he had remained conscious for a time, his heart filled with unbearable fear and despair. And yet, it was this person—whom he had disliked upon first sight—who broke through that wall, along with his fear and despair. Jin Ling’s face flushed red and pale, and he felt dizzy and embarrassed, his thoughts drifting without settling on anything concrete. Suddenly, he caught sight of the darkening sky outside the window, with a few scattered stars, and was startled. Just as Wei Wuxian bent down to pick up the new clothes scattered on the floor, Jin Ling jumped off the bed, pulled on his boots, grabbed his outer robe, and rushed out of the room.

Wei Wuxian had thought that after everything Jin Ling had been through, the younger man would be subdued for a while. But young people had boundless energy and could recover quickly. In the blink of an eye, Jin Ling had disappeared like the wind. Remembering the seriousness of the curse mark on Jin Ling’s leg, Wei Wuxian shouted, “Why are you running! Come back!”

Jin Ling, while running, threw on his muddy and wrinkled family robe and shouted back, “Don’t follow me!” With his nimble figure and long legs, he dashed down the stairs and out of the inn in just a few steps. Wei Wuxian chased him for several streets but lost him.

After searching for a while, as dusk fell and the streets grew sparse, Wei Wuxian ground his teeth in frustration. “What is this kid’s problem? He’s really something else!”

Just when he was about to give up, an angry young man’s voice came from the far end of the street ahead. “You ran off after just a few words? Are you a missy? Your temper is getting worse and worse!”

It was Jiang Cheng!

Wei Wuxian quickly darted into an alley. Soon after, Jin Ling’s voice was heard. “I’m already back safely, aren’t I? Stop nagging!”

It turned out Jin Ling hadn’t come to Qinghe alone. It wasn’t surprising—since Jiang Cheng had supported him at Dafan Mountain last time, it was only natural he would be there again. However, it seemed the nephew and uncle had quarreled in Qinghe Town, which was why Jin Ling had gone up Traveler’s Ridge alone. He had rushed off because Jiang Cheng had likely threatened to punish him if he didn’t return before dark.

Jiang Cheng said, “You’re fine? You look like you’ve rolled in a mud ditch. Aren’t you embarrassed to be seen in that muddy uniform? Go back and change your clothes immediately! Now, tell me, what did you encounter today?”

Jin Ling said impatiently, “I told you, I didn’t encounter anything. I just tripped and made a wasted trip. Ow!” He yelled, “Don’t pull me like that! I’m not three years old!”

Jiang Cheng said sternly, “You think I can’t handle you? I’ll drag you back even when you’re thirty!”

Jin Ling said, “I went alone because I didn’t want anyone’s help or interference.”

Wei Wuxian thought, “Setting aside other things, Jiang Cheng scolding him for having a missy temper is quite accurate.”

Jiang Cheng said, “So, what did you catch? Where’s the black-maned spirit dog your uncle gave you?”

Wei Wuxian thought, “Lan Zhan probably chased it off to some hidden corner.” Just as he thought this, familiar barks came from the other end of the alley.

Wei Wuxian’s expression changed, and he instinctively bolted out of the alley. The black-maned spirit dog ran in from the other end of the alley, past Wei Wuxian, and affectionately wagged its tail at Jin Ling.

The dog’s appearance here indicated that Lan Wangji had likely caught the spy near the stone castle and had gone to the designated location to meet up. However, Wei Wuxian didn’t have time to think about that now.

He ran straight into Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling, and a group of Jiang family disciples.

There was a moment of standoff, and then Wei Wuxian silently turned to escape.

After a few steps, a crackling sound was heard, and a purple electric current snaked up his calf like a venomous snake. A numbing itch spread from the bottom up, and he was yanked back, falling to the ground. Then his chest tightened as someone grabbed the back of his clothes and lifted him up. Wei Wuxian swiftly reached for the soul-locking pouch but was beaten to it.

Jiang Cheng grabbed him and walked a few steps to the nearest shop, kicking open the half-inserted door.

The shopkeeper, nearly ready to close, was shocked when a sharply dressed, visibly angry young man kicked the door open, carrying someone as if he was about to disembowel the person right there. Too scared to make a sound, the shopkeeper quickly hid in the back and didn’t come out again. A disciple came up and whispered a few instructions, handing him some silver. Without needing further instructions, several Jiang family disciples dispersed, surrounding the shop inside and out, sealing it off completely.

Jin Ling stood by, his eyes filled with hesitation and doubt. Jiang Cheng fiercely said to him, “I’ll deal with you later—stay put!”

Since he could remember, Jin Ling had never seen this expression on Jiang Cheng’s face. His uncle, who had taken charge of the prestigious Yunmeng Jiang family at a young age, was usually cold and stern, never sparing words or kindness. At this moment, although Jiang Cheng was trying to suppress any extra emotion, his eyes were terrifyingly bright.

That face, usually marked by arrogance and sarcasm, now seemed sharper, as if every feature was etched with intensity. It was impossible to tell if it was through gritted teeth, bone-deep hatred, or overwhelming joy.