Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Grass and Trees Part 8

Lan Jingyi peeked through the door crack, then immediately blocked it with his body, wide-eyed. "T-there's so many!"

Wei Wuxian asked, "Walking corpses? How many are we talking about?"

Lan Jingyi replied, "I don't know! The entire street is filled with them, several hundred at least! And they're increasing! I don't think those paper figures can hold on much longer!"

If the pair of paper figures guarding the door fell, the walking corpses filling the street outside would pour into the shop. If they fought, they'd be poisoned by corpse poison powder, and if they didn't fight, they'd be torn to pieces. Xiao Xingchen gripped his sword, seemingly preparing to push the door open and hold off the corpses for as long as he could, but his face flushed a faint purple, and he stumbled back, falling to the ground. Wei Wuxian said, "Just sit tight. This will be solved soon."

He casually scratched his right index finger on Lan Jingyi's sword, letting a drop of blood fall. Lan Jingyi asked, "Are you going to use the Pointing the Eyes Summoning Technique again? How many times are you going to dot those paper figures' eyes? How much blood will you lose? Should I give you some of mine?"

The other young nobles quickly rolled up their sleeves. "I can share some too..."

Wei Wuxian, both amused and embarrassed, said, "No need. Do you have any blank talismans?"

These young nobles were still too inexperienced to draw talismans on the spot, so they carried pre-drawn ones. Lan Sizhui shook his head. "We don't." Wei Wuxian didn't mind. "Used ones are fine."

Lan Sizhui took out a stack of yellow talismans from his Qiankun Bag. Wei Wuxian only took one, quickly glanced over it, then raised his right hand, using his index and middle fingers to swiftly draw along the cinnabar lines, blending fresh blood with the red ink to create a new talisman. With a flip of his wrist, the yellow talisman ignited, the red characters burning in the air. Wei Wuxian caught the falling ash with his left hand, closed his fingers, slightly bowed his head, and blew the black ash gently toward the row of paper figures. In a low voice, he said, "Wildfire burns endlessly, spring wind blows it back to life."

The ash hit the faces of the figures.

A yin soldier standing at the front suddenly lifted the large blade hanging by his side and slung it over his shoulder. Beside him, a paper lady with high, cloud-like hair and luxurious clothing slowly raised her right hand, her slender fingers twirling gracefully, like a languid noblewoman casually admiring her bright red nails. By her feet, a pair of golden boy and jade girl stood. The golden boy mischievously tugged the jade girl’s braid, and she stuck out her tongue, a nearly nine-inch-long tongue darting out from her small mouth like a venomous snake, stabbing a large hole in the boy’s chest before retracting, vicious and deadly. The golden boy opened his mouth wide, revealing two rows of white teeth, and bit down on her arm. The two paper figures began fighting each other fiercely.

One by one, the twenty to thirty paper figures started swaying, as if stretching their limbs. They whispered among themselves, rustling sounds filling the air. Though not alive, they moved more like living beings than actual people.

Wei Wuxian said, "Hold your breath."

He then shifted his body, making way toward the door, and gestured politely.

The wooden door burst open again, and the pungent, sweet rot of corpse poison powder rushed in. Everyone immediately covered their mouths and raised their sleeves to block it. The yin soldier roared and charged out first, followed by the other paper figures in an orderly line.

The door closed again behind the last paper figure. Wei Wuxian asked, "Did anyone breathe it in?"

Everyone shook their heads. Wei Wuxian then helped Xiao Xingchen to his feet, looking for a place to sit him down, only to find nowhere clean enough. He had to sit on the cold, dusty floor. Xiao Xingchen still tightly gripped his Frostmist sword. After coughing a few times as he regained consciousness, he weakly asked, "Earlier, was that... the Pointing the Eyes Summoning Technique?"

Wei Wuxian replied, "I have some knowledge of it."

Xiao Xingchen thought for a moment, then smiled. "Well... it's indeed the best method to deal with these walking corpses."

After a pause, he continued, "However, practicing this technique makes you highly susceptible to backlash from fierce ghosts and evil spirits under your command. Even the Yiling Patriarch, Wei Wuxian, the founder of this path, could not escape such backlash. My personal suggestion is that you should be more cautious, use it sparingly unless absolutely necessary, and cultivate other techniques more..."

Wei Wuxian sighed inwardly. "Thank you for the advice."

Most renowned cultivators would firmly take a stand, distancing themselves from certain practices to show their opposition. Yet, this junior uncle of his, despite being in a dire state, still kindly advised him to be cautious of backlash. This showed how kind-hearted and gentle Xiao Xingchen was. Looking at the thick bandages over Xiao Xingchen's eyes and thinking of his experiences, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sorrow.

Usually, only young nobles who hadn't seen much of the world would be more curious than repulsed by such unorthodox methods. Except for Jin Ling, who looked quite upset, the others crowded around the door crack, watching the battle. "Help! That female paper figure's nails are terrifying. One scratch from her and you'll get five gouges!" "Why is that little girl's tongue so long and hard? Is she a hanged spirit?" "The male figure is so strong! He can lift so many walking corpses at once! He's going to throw them down! Look! He's throwing them! They're cracking!"

After speaking gently to Xiao Xingchen, Wei Wuxian picked up the last bowl of leftover glutinous rice porridge from the table. "You're deeply poisoned. This might help a little, or it might do nothing and be very hard to eat. Do you want to try it? If you don't feel like trying, that's okay too."

Xiao Xingchen accepted the bowl with both hands. "Of course, I want to live. If I can live, I will."

But after taking a sip, his mouth twitched, and he barely managed to keep from spitting it out. After a long moment, he politely said, "Thank you."

Wei Wuxian turned to the others. "See? See? What did he say? You guys are always so picky, complaining about the porridge I made."

Jin Ling retorted, "Did you even cook it? All you did was toss a bunch of weird stuff into the pot at the end!"

Xiao Xingchen said, "But after thinking about it just now, if I had to eat this every day, I'd choose death."

Jin Ling burst into merciless laughter, and even Lan Sizhui couldn't hold back, letting out a small snort. Wei Wuxian looked at them wordlessly. Lan Sizhui quickly composed himself, adopting a serious expression. At this moment, Lan Jingyi happily said, "Alright, we've finished killing them all. We won!"

Xiao Xingchen hurriedly put down his bowl and said, "Don't open the door yet. Be careful, there might be more coming..."

Wei Wuxian said, "Don't put the bowl down, finish drinking it." He then moved closer to the wooden door and peered out through the crack. After the inhuman slaughter, a thin white fog and purple-red dust filled the streets. The corpse poison powder was gradually dissipating, and the group of paper people were strolling slowly on the streets, patrolling. They stomped on any remaining moving corpse pieces until they were completely crushed into a pile of flesh.

Other than that, there was complete silence. No new walking corpses had arrived yet.

Just as Wei Wuxian was about to relax, an extremely faint and strange movement came from above his head.

The sound was so difficult to detect, as if someone was swiftly running on the tiles, but this person's movement was exceptionally light and eerie, leaving almost no footprints. Wei Wuxian, with his keen senses, managed to catch the subtle sound of tiles colliding. This movement didn't escape Xiao Xingchen, the blind man, who warned, "Above!"

Wei Wuxian shouted, "Scatter!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the roof above the main hall collapsed, and tiles, accumulated dust, and grass leaves fell like rain. Fortunately, the young people had quickly scattered, so no one was injured. A black figure dropped down from the opening in the roof.

This person wore a black Taoist robe, tall and straight, standing like a tall pine. With a horsetail whisk strapped to his back and holding a longsword, his appearance was handsome and slightly arrogant, holding his head high.

However, his eyes had no pupils, just a dead white.

A fierce corpse!

As soon as everyone realized this, he thrust his sword forward.

He aimed at Jin Ling, who was closest, and Jin Ling blocked the attack with his sword. The force transmitted through the sword made Jin Ling's arm go numb. If not for the extraordinary power of his enchanted sword 'Suihua,' both the sword and Jin Ling would have been destroyed. The black-clad fierce corpse, not succeeding with the first strike, attacked again, his movements flowing like water, vicious as if driven by deep hatred. This time, he aimed to sever Jin Ling's arm with brutal precision. In a critical moment, Xiao Xingchen stepped in with his sword, blocking the strike, but possibly due to the corpse poison, he finally collapsed and became unmoving. Lan Jingyi exclaimed in horror, "Is he dead or alive?! I've never seen a fierce corpse with such agile movements and exquisite swordsmanship!"

He didn't finish his sentence because he suddenly remembered. He had seen such a thing before.

The Ghost General was like this too!

Wei Wuxian locked eyes with the Taoist, his mind racing with possibilities. He pulled out the bamboo flute from his waist and began playing a sharp, ear-piercing tune, causing everyone present to cover their ears. The Taoist, hearing the flute, staggered, his sword-holding hand trembling, but he still thrust forward.

Uncontrollable. This fierce corpse had a master!

Wei Wuxian dodged the lightning-fast strike and calmly played another tune. In no time, the paper people patrolling outside climbed onto the roof and jumped down through the hole. The Taoist fierce corpse sensed the threat and swiftly countered, slicing two paper people into four pieces. With his left hand, he drew his horsetail whisk. The thousands of soft white threads hardened into steel whips and venomous spikes. A casual flick could decapitate or dismember. If accidentally brushed, one might be turned into a bloody sieve. Amidst the chaos, Wei Wuxian took a moment to say, "Don't come near, stay in the corners!" He continued to play the flute, the tune sometimes playful and light, sometimes high-pitched and angry. Although the Taoist fought fiercely with both hands, more and more paper people kept dropping from above, attacking him. He dealt with one side, only for the other to attack. He killed what came from the front, only for more to come from behind, eventually becoming overwhelmed. Suddenly, a yin soldier descended from the sky, crashing onto him, stepping on his shoulder, pinning him to the ground.

Following that, three more yin soldiers jumped down from the hole above, one after another, landing on him.

Legends said that yin soldiers possessed immense strength. When craftsmen made them, they added certain things to increase their weight. When lonely ghosts possessed them, they became even heavier, each one deadlier than the last. Having one pressing down was like having Mount Tai on top of you. With four yin soldiers pressing down on him all at once, the black-clad fierce corpse was completely immobilized.

Wei Wuxian approached and noticed a tear in the Taoist's robe, revealing a thin, narrow wound near the left shoulder blade. He said, "Flip him over."

The four yin soldiers turned the Taoist over, face-up, for Wei Wuxian to examine. Wei Wuxian, using his wounded finger, smeared it across their lips as a reward. The yin soldiers extended their bright red paper tongues, slowly and cherishingly licking the blood, as if savoring it. Wei Wuxian then continued his inspection. This Taoist also had a similar narrow wound near his heart on the left chest, as if killed by a sword thrust through the heart.

This fierce corpse had been struggling, a low growl coming from his throat, and black blood flowing from the corners of his mouth. Wei Wuxian forced his mouth open and peered inside. His tongue had been completely removed.

Blinded and tongueless—these features kept appearing.

Wei Wuxian observed for a while and felt that this fierce corpse resembled Wen Ning when he was controlled by the black control nails. A thought struck him, and he carefully probed the Taoist's temples. To his surprise, he found two small metal points!

These black control nails were used to control high-level fierce corpses, robbing them of their sanity and ability to think independently. Wei Wuxian, not knowing this corpse's identity or background, couldn't rashly remove the nails and felt it necessary to interrogate him properly. But since the tongue had been removed, even if this fierce corpse regained consciousness, he wouldn't be able to speak. Wei Wuxian turned to the Lan family's younger generation and asked, "Has anyone here studied Soul Summoning?"

Lan Sizhui raised his hand and said, "I have. I've studied it."

Wei Wuxian said, "Did you bring the instrument?"

Lan Sizhui replied, "I did." He immediately took out a simple, glossy wooden guqin from his Qiankun Bag. Wei Wuxian saw that the guqin looked quite new and asked, "How’s your skill with the guqin? Have you used it in battle? Can the spirits you summon tell lies?"

Lan Jingyi interjected, "Lan Sizhui's guqin skills were said to be acceptable by Hanguang Jun."

If Lan Wangji said they were acceptable, then they truly were—neither exaggerated nor understated—which reassured Wei Wuxian. Lan Sizhui said, "Hanguang Jun told me to focus on precision rather than quantity. The spirits I summon can choose not to answer, but they absolutely cannot lie. So, if they do answer, it must be the truth."

Wei Wuxian said, "Then let’s begin."

The guqin was placed in front of the head of the corpse. Lan Sizhui sat on the ground, his robes neatly spread out, played a couple of test notes, and nodded. Wei Wuxian said, "The first question: ask him who he is."

Lan Sizhui thought for a moment, silently recited the incantation, and then carefully plucked out a phrase.

After a while, the strings trembled and produced two notes that sounded like the cracking of metal and stone.

Lan Sizhui's eyes widened. Lan Jingyi urged, "What did he say?"

Lan Sizhui replied, "Song Lan!"

……Song Lan, Xiao Xingchen's close friend and fellow cultivator?!

Everyone turned their gaze to the unconscious Xiao Xingchen. Lan Sizhui whispered, "I wonder if he knows it’s Song Lan here..."

Jin Ling also lowered his voice and said, "Most likely not. He’s blind, and Song Lan can’t speak. Besides, he's become an irrational corpse now... Better he doesn’t know."

Wei Wuxian said, "The second question: ask him who killed him."

Lan Sizhui seriously plucked out a phrase.

This time, the silence lasted three times longer than before.

Just as they were beginning to think that Song Lan's spirit was unwilling to answer, the strings trembled and painfully sounded three times.

Lan Sizhui blurted out, "Impossible!"

Wei Wuxian asked, "What did he say?"

Lan Sizhui said in disbelief, "He said... Xiao Xingchen."

Xiao Xingchen killed him?!

They had only asked two questions, and each answer was more shocking than the last. Jin Ling doubted, "Did you mess up the 'Ask the Spirit'?"

Lan Sizhui replied, "But the questions 'Who are you?' and 'Who killed you?' are the simplest and most commonly asked in 'Ask the Spirit.' Everyone learns these first, practicing them no less than a million times. I even double-checked just now; there's no mistake."

Jin Ling said, "Either you messed up the 'Ask the Spirit,' or you misunderstood the response."

Lan Sizhui shook his head. "If I didn’t play it wrong, there’s no way I misinterpreted it. The name 'Xiao Xingchen' isn’t something you hear often from summoned spirits. If I had made a mistake, it’s unlikely it would just happen to be that name."

Lan Jingyi murmured, "...Song Lan went to find the missing Xiao Xingchen, only to be killed by him... Why would he kill his best friend? He doesn’t seem like the type to do that."

Wei Wuxian said, "Never mind that for now, Sizhui. Ask the third question: Who controls him?"

Lan Sizhui, with a solemn expression and not daring to breathe too heavily, plucked out the third phrase. Many pairs of eyes were fixed on the strings, waiting for Song Lan's response.

Lan Sizhui interpreted word by word, "The... person... behind... you."

Everyone whipped their heads around. They saw that the previously unconscious Xiao Xingchen had now sat up. With one hand supporting his cheek, he smiled faintly at them and raised his left hand, which was covered by a black glove, snapping his fingers.

The crisp sound reached Song Lan, who was lying on the ground, as if an explosion had suddenly gone off beside him. Song Lan abruptly threw the four yin soldiers who had been pinning him down off of him!

He leaped to his feet, once again wielding both his long sword and whisk, using both hands in tandem to slice and shred the four yin soldiers into colorful confetti. The long sword was pressed against Wei Wuxian's neck, while the whisk threatened the young nobles.

The atmosphere in the small shop changed instantly.

Jin Ling placed his hand on his sword, and Wei Wuxian, catching the movement from the corner of his eye, quickly said, "Don't move. Don't make things worse. When it comes to swordsmanship, none of the people here, combined, are a match for this... Song Lan."

His current body had low spiritual power, and his sword was not by his side. Not to mention, there was Xiao Xingchen, whose intentions were unclear, standing by.

Xiao Xingchen said, "The adults are speaking. Kids, go outside."

He gestured to Song Lan, who silently obeyed, driving the young nobles out. Wei Wuxian said to the youths, "Go outside first. You can't help here. The corpse poison powder outside should have settled by now. Don't run around or stir up the dust when you go out, and breathe slowly."

Jin Ling bristled at being told he couldn’t help, feeling both annoyed and frustrated. Reluctant to stand by idly but knowing he was indeed powerless, he stomped out in a huff. Before leaving, Lan Sizhui hesitated to speak. Wei Wuxian said, "Sizhui, you're the most sensible. Take care of the others. Can you do it?"

Lan Sizhui nodded. Wei Wuxian added, "Don't be afraid."

Lan Sizhui said, "Not afraid."

"Really?"

"Really." Lan Sizhui even smiled. "You and Hanguang Jun are so similar, Senior."

Wei Wuxian asked in surprise, "Similar? How are we alike?" They were clearly two completely different people. Lan Sizhui smiled but did not answer, leading the others out.

He silently thought to himself, "I don't know either, but it just feels like as long as either of these two seniors is around, there's nothing to fear."

Xiao Xingchen mysteriously took out a small red pill and swallowed it, saying, "How touching."

After swallowing it, the purple-red aura on his face quickly dissipated. Wei Wuxian said, "Corpse poison antidote?"

Xiao Xingchen said, "Correct. It's much more effective than that horrible porridge you made, and it's sweet."

Wei Wuxian said, "Your theatrics are truly something. From the brave fight against the corpses outside, exhausting yourself, to later blocking the sword for Jin Ling and losing consciousness, all of it was just a performance for us?"

Xiao Xingchen raised a finger, shook it in front of him, and said, "It wasn't a performance for 'you all.' It was for 'you.' I've long admired the great reputation of the Yiling Patriarch, and seeing you is truly worth the tales."

Wei Wuxian remained unmoved and expressionless. Xiao Xingchen continued, "I guess you haven't told anyone who you really are yet? So I didn't expose you, and I sent them out so we could talk privately behind closed doors. How about it? Am I not considerate?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Were the walking corpses in Yi City under your control?"

Xiao Xingchen said, "Of course. From the moment you all entered and played that flute, I found you a bit strange. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and test you. Indeed, the fact that a low-level technique like 'Pointing and Summoning the General' could exhibit such power means only the founder could do it."

They followed the same twisted path, and it couldn’t deceive a fellow practitioner. Wei Wuxian said, "So, you took these kids hostage. What exactly do you want me to do?"

Xiao Xingchen smiled. "I need your help, Senior, with something."

That his mother's junior brother was calling him Senior made the hierarchy quite confusing. Wei Wuxian thought to himself amusedly. Xiao Xingchen took out a lock spirit bag and placed it on the table, saying, "Please."

Wei Wuxian placed his hand on the lock spirit bag, feeling it for a while, and said, "Whose soul is this? Shattered like this, not even paste could hold it together, just barely hanging on."

Xiao Xingchen said, "If this person's soul could be easily pieced together, why would I ask for your help?"

Wei Wuxian withdrew his hand and said, "If a soul lacks the will to survive, it’s nearly impossible to save. This one has likely been forcibly pieced together and could disintegrate as soon as it leaves the pouch. You must be aware of all this."

Xiao Xingchen said, "I'm not aware. I don't care. Whether you help or not, you have to. Senior, don't forget, the kids you brought are outside, eagerly waiting for you to lead them to safety."

His tone was unsettling—sweet and friendly on the surface, but with a hidden edge of menace. As if one moment he could be calling you brother and Senior, and the next, he could turn on you. Wei Wuxian laughed. "You’re quite the performer. Xue Yang, why is a thug like you playing at being a Taoist priest?"

Xiao Xingchen raised his hand and removed the bandages from his eyes.

The bandages fell away layer by layer, revealing a pair of bright, star-like eyes that gleamed brilliantly.

Perfect eyes.

It was a young and likable face, arguably handsome. But the pair of tiger fangs that appeared when he smiled made him look almost childishly cute, inadvertently hiding the cruelty and savagery in his eyes.

Xue Yang tossed the bandages aside and said, “Oh no, you’ve discovered me.”

Wei Wuxian said, “You were pretending to be in pain, making others hesitate to remove your bandages out of guilt; deliberately letting a bit of Frostmist show; and pretending to be a wandering Taoist. Not only do you know how to play the victim, but you also know how to exploit people’s sympathy, acting all noble and righteous. If you didn’t know or do things you shouldn’t, I would have believed you were Xiao Xingchen.”

Moreover, during the *Ask the Spirit* ritual, the last two answers given by Song Lan were “Xiao Xingchen” and “the person behind you.”

If “the person behind you” was also Xiao Xingchen, there would be no reason for Song Lan to phrase it differently.

Unless, of course, “Xiao Xingchen” and “the person behind you” were not the same person. Song Lan wanted to warn them that this person was dangerous but couldn’t say it outright, so he used different phrasing.

Xue Yang grinned and said, “My reputation is bad, while his was good. Of course, I had to pretend to be him to gain people’s trust more easily.”

Wei Wuxian: “Nice acting.”

Xue Yang: “Not at all. I have a very famous friend whose acting puts mine to shame. I’m not as good as him. Anyway, enough talk, Wei senior, you have to help me with this.”

Wei Wuxian said, “The black skull-piercing nails controlling Song Lan and Wen Ning were made by you, right? You were able to restore half of the Yin Tiger Tally, so why do you need my help to repair a soul?”

Xue Yang said, “It’s different. You’re the founder. If you hadn’t created the first half of the Yin Tiger Tally, I couldn’t have made the second half. You’re certainly more capable than me. So, if I can’t do something, you definitely can.”

Wei Wuxian touched his chin, wondering if he should return the compliment out of politeness. He said, “You’re too modest.”

Xue Yang said, “It’s not modesty; it’s a fact. I don’t like to exaggerate when I speak. If I say I’m going to kill someone’s entire family, then it’s the entire family—even the dog won’t be left alive.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Like the Chang family of Liyang?”

Before Xue Yang could answer, the door was suddenly slammed open, and a black figure flew in.

Both Wei Wuxian and Xue Yang stepped back from the square table. Xue Yang swiftly snatched the lock spirit bag, while Song Lan lightly placed his hand on the table, flipped in the air, landed on the table, neutralizing the force, and immediately looked up, glaring at the door. Dark blood veins began to crawl up his face.

Wen Ning, dragging iron chains and enveloped in a fog of black wind, smashed through the door.

Earlier, when Wei Wuxian played the first tune on his flute, he had already summoned Wen Ning. He instructed Wen Ning, “Fight outside, but don’t destroy anything. Watch over the living and keep other walking corpses away.”

Wen Ning raised his right hand, and a chain swung over. Song Lan met it with his flying dust, and the two weapons entangled, clashing. Wen Ning dragged the chain backward, and Song Lan didn’t let go, allowing himself to be pulled out of the room. The young nobles had already hidden in a shop next door, craning their necks to watch intently. Flying dust, iron chains, and long swords clashed with a shower of sparks, the sound of metal ringing in the air. The two fierce corpses fought brutally, each strike landing with full force. Only fierce corpses could fight with such violence; if two living persons fought like that, they would have lost limbs and had their brains splattered long ago!

Xue Yang said, “Who do you think will win?”

Wei Wuxian: “No need to guess. Wen Ning’s going to win.”

Xue Yang said, “Too bad I’ve stabbed him with so many skull-piercing nails, and he still won’t obey. Some things are too loyal to their master, which can be quite troublesome.”

Wei Wuxian said flatly, “Wen Ning is not a thing.”

Xue Yang laughed and said, “Did you catch the double meaning?” As he said the word “caught,” he suddenly lunged forward with a sword strike. Wei Wuxian dodged, saying, “Do you always interrupt conversations with a sneak attack?”

Xue Yang said in surprise, “Of course. I’m a ruffian. You didn’t know that? I don’t want to kill you; I just want to incapacitate you so you can come back with me and help me repair this soul slowly.”

Wei Wuxian said, “I’ve already said I can’t help.”

Xue Yang said, “Don’t refuse so quickly. If one person can’t figure it out, the two of us can discuss and explore together.” Before he finished speaking, he struck again with his sword. Wei Wuxian dodged repeatedly amidst the shredded paper figures on the ground, thinking, “This little ruffian is really quite skilled.” Seeing Xue Yang’s strikes becoming faster and more vicious, Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but say, “Are you taking advantage of my current body’s low spiritual power?”

Xue Yang said, “Yes, I am!”

Wei Wuxian finally met someone even more shameless than himself and grinned back, saying, “It’s better to offend a hero than a thug. You’re exactly that person. I’m not fighting you anymore; let someone else handle you.”

Xue Yang said with a smile, “Like Hanguang Jun? I sent over three hundred walking corpses to surround him, and he…”

Before he could finish, a white figure descended from the sky. The cold, clear blue light of Bichen, Hanguang Jun’s sword, struck toward him.