Chapter 68

Chapter 68: Indecision Fourteen 6

Wei Wuxian left the spotted donkey at the foot of the mountain, stepped over the ruins of the stone wall, and walked up the mountain path. Before long, he saw a headless guardian stone beast. This stone beast weighed over a thousand pounds and had guarded the mountain path for many years, its body covered in vines and moss. The beast's head had been cleaved off with a heavy axe and tossed nearby, shattered into pieces as a grim warning. The fresh cut revealed the snow-white stone core. Further along, another stone beast had been split in half from head to toe.

Wei Wuxian immediately guessed that these were the guardian stone beasts placed by various families on the feng shui points of the Burial Mounds after his death. These stone beasts had the power to suppress yin energies and repel malevolent spirits, requiring extremely high craftsmanship and being very expensive. Now, they had all been destroyed, a tragic squandering of such valuable artifacts.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji walked side by side for a few steps, and when Wei Wuxian turned around, he saw that Wen Ning had already appeared.

He stood beside the stone beast, motionless, and asked, "Wen Ning? What are you looking at?"

Wen Ning pointed to the base of the stone beast.

The stone beast was resting on a thick, round tree stump. Beside the stump, there were three smaller, shorter stumps, seemingly burned by fire, all charred black.

Wen Ning knelt on the ground, his fingers digging deep into the soil, grabbing a handful of black earth, and holding it in his palm, he whispered, "...Sister."

Wei Wuxian, at a loss for words, stepped forward and gave Wen Ning's shoulder a firm pat.

In Wei Wuxian's life, there were two extremely difficult periods, both spent in this place. He hadn't planned to revisit this place.

For Wen Ning, the Burial Mounds were an even more unforgettable place.

A chill wind swept through, stirring the sea of trees into a whispering rustle, as if thousands of tiny voices were murmuring. Wei Wuxian listened intently, knelt on one knee, leaned down, and whispered something to the ground beneath him. Suddenly, a patch of soil slightly bulged.

Like a pale flower blooming from the black soil, a skeletal arm slowly clawed its way out of the earth.

The small skeletal arm waved weakly, and Wei Wuxian reached out to grasp it, leaning even lower, his long hair falling from his shoulders, covering half of his face.

He leaned close to the skeletal hand, whispered softly, then paused, as if listening. After a while, he nodded slightly, and the hand curled back into a bud, retreating into the ground.

Wei Wuxian stood up, brushing off the soil from his body, and said, "Over the past few days, over a hundred people have been captured and brought up here, to the top of the mound. They're still alive. But the people who captured them have already gone down the mountain. I don't know what they're planning, but we should be careful."

The three of them continued upward, encountering some dilapidated shacks standing by the mountain path.

Most of these houses were small, with simple, even crude structures, clearly hastily built. Some had been burned down to just a frame, others had collapsed to one side, and the least damaged ones still bore gaping holes where walls had been smashed apart. After more than a decade of exposure to wind and rain, without any care, they looked like ragged, lingering ghosts, silently watching the newcomers from above.

Since coming up the mountain, Wen Ning's steps had been unusually heavy. Now, standing in front of one of the houses, he couldn't move.

This was a house he had built with his own hands. Before he left, the house had been intact. Though simple, it had been a decent shelter from the wind and rain, housing people he knew and cherished.

The saying goes, "The objects endure, but the faces have vanished." At least the "objects" endure, but in this scene, even the act of reminiscing through objects was impossible.

Wei Wuxian said, "Don't look."

Wen Ning replied, "...I already expected this. I just wanted to see if anything was left..."

Before he could finish, a humanoid figure suddenly rose unsteadily from the ruins.

The figure staggered out of the house, its half-rotted face exposed to the thin sunlight. Wei Wuxian clapped his hands, but the walking corpse showed no reaction, continuing to approach them. Wei Wuxian calmly took two steps back and said, "It's controlled by the Yin Tiger Tally."

Corpse puppets already under his control would no longer be influenced by the Yin Tiger Tally. Similarly, corpse puppets already controlled by the Yin Tiger Tally would no longer obey his commands. The rule was simple and brutal: first to claim, first to control.

Wen Ning stepped forward, roaring as he tore off the corpse's head. Then, low growls came from all directions, and from the black forest, forty or fifty walking corpses slowly emerged. These corpses varied in age and gender, most of them fresh, dressed in burial clothes, likely the missing bodies from various places recently. Lan Wangji took out his guqin and plucked the strings, the sound rippling out like waves, instantly causing the surrounding corpses to kneel in a circle. Wen Ning lifted a particularly tall male corpse and threw it several meters away, its chest pierced by a sharp branch, struggling on the branch. Wei Wuxian said, "Don't waste time with them, head straight up the mountain!"

It was unclear how many walking corpses Jin Guangyao had summoned with the Yin Tiger Tally over the past few days, wave after wave. The three of them fought off the corpses while retreating up the mountain, the closer they got to the top of the Burial Mounds, the denser the corpses became. Above the towering black forest, the guqin's notes soared into the sky, scattering crows in disarray. After nearly an hour, they finally got a moment to rest.

Wei Wuxian perched on a ruined stone beast, sighed, and quipped with self-mockery, "In the past, I used this thing to deal with others. Now, it's finally my turn to be on the receiving end. I now understand how despicable the Yin Tiger Tally is. If I were in their shoes, I'd want to kill the person who made this thing too."

Lan Wangji put away his guqin, took out a long sword from his sleeve, and handed it to Wei Wuxian, saying, "For self-defense."

Wei Wuxian took it and saw that it was Suibian. After slicing the melon that day, he casually threw the sword away, and Lan Wangji had picked it up again. He drew the sword from its sheath, gazed at the snow-white blade for a moment, then decisively sheathed it again, smiling as he said, "Thank you." He casually strapped it to his waist, with no intention of using it. Seeing Lan Wangji staring at him, Wei Wuxian scratched his head and explained, "It's been too many years since I last used a sword; I'm not used to it anymore." He sighed and added, "Well, the real reason is that my current body has very low spiritual power. Even with a top-grade sword, I can't unleash its full potential. So, I'll have to rely on Hanguang Jun to protect this fragile man."

Lan Wangji: "..."

After sitting for a while, the "fragile man" finally stood up, leaning on his knees. The three of them walked further up and eventually reached the end of the mountain path, where they saw a dark, gaping cave entrance.

The entrance was over 50 feet in both height and width. Even from a distance, a chilling wind swept toward them, carrying faint, indistinct moans and whispers.

This was the legendary lair of the Yiling Patriarch, infamous for his dark deeds—the Demon-Subduing Cave.

The cave's ceiling was high and vast. The three of them held their breath and stealthily crept inside, making no sound. However, the voices from deep within the cave grew louder and more chaotic.

Wei Wuxian, who was intimately familiar with the cave's layout, led the way. At one point, he gestured for them to stop.

The main chamber was just a wall away. Through a gap in the stone wall, they could see a cavern large enough to hold a thousand people. In the center sat over a hundred individuals, their hands and feet tightly bound with immortal-binding ropes. Judging by their attire and swords, these youths were either high-ranking disciples or scions of noble families.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji exchanged a glance, but before they could whisper to each other, a young man sitting on the ground suddenly spoke, "I mean, you shouldn't have just stabbed him. Why didn't you slit his throat?"

His voice wasn't particularly loud, but the Demon-Subduing Cave was so vast that his words echoed clearly, making eavesdropping unnecessary. As soon as he spoke, Wei Wuxian felt a vague sense of familiarity. After a moment, he realized it was Jin Chan, the boy who had fought with Jin Ling that day.

Looking closer, the cold-faced youth sitting next to Jin Chan was none other than Jin Ling himself.

Jin Ling didn't even glance at him, remaining silent. Beside him, another young man's stomach growled loudly, and he said, "They've been gone for days. What do they want? If they're going to kill us, just get it over with. I'd rather die hunting monsters at night than starve to death here!"

This chattering youth was none other than Lan Jingyi. Jin Chan said, "What else could they want? They're probably planning to do to us what they did to the Wen dogs during the Sunshot Campaign—turn us into their corpse puppets, then use us to fight our own families, forcing them to kill each other." He gritted his teeth and added, "That despicable Wei dog is heartless!"

Suddenly, Jin Ling coldly said, "Shut up."

Jin Chan was stunned. "You're telling me to shut up? What do you mean?"

Jin Ling replied, "What do I mean? Are you deaf or stupid? Shut up means stop talking!"

Having been tied up for so long, Jin Chan was already on edge. He snapped, "Who do you think you are to tell me to shut up?!"

Jin Ling said, "What's the point of your nonsense? Will the ropes break if you keep yapping? It's annoying."

"You!!!"

Another young voice chimed in, "We're trapped here, and there are so many walking corpses outside. Who knows when they'll rush in? Is this really the time to argue?"

This calm voice belonged to Lan Sizhui. Jin Chan retorted, "He's the one who started it! What, you can curse, but I can't? Jin Ling, hey, who do you think you are? Do you think just because the Concealing Fragrance Duke is the Supervisor of Cultivators, you'll be next? I won't shut up, and I'll see what you..."

With a loud "thud," Jin Ling suddenly headbutted him. Jin Chan cried out in pain and shouted, "You want to fight? Bring it on! I'm already pissed off. You motherless wretch!"

Hearing this, Jin Ling became even more furious. Though his hands were tied, he used his elbows and knees to repeatedly strike Jin Chan, who howled in pain. However, Jin Chan wasn't alone; he usually had a group of followers. Seeing him at a disadvantage, several youths immediately shouted, "I'll help you!" and rushed forward. Lan Sizhui, sitting nearby, was inadvertently dragged into the brawl. At first, he tried to calm them down, saying, "Everyone, calm down!" But after taking a few accidental hits, he winced in pain, his expression darkening. Finally, he let out a shout and joined the chaos.

The three observers couldn't bear to watch any longer. Wei Wuxian was the first to leap onto the stone steps in front of the Demon-Subduing Cave and shouted, "Hey! Look over here!"

His voice echoed deafeningly through the cave. The youths, tangled in their fight, looked up. Lan Sizhui saw the familiar figure beside Wei Wuxian and exclaimed joyfully, "Hanguang Jun!"

Lan Jingyi shouted even louder, "Hanguang Junnnnnnnnnn!"

Jin Chan cried out in terror, "Why are you so happy? They... they're working together!"

Wei Wuxian stepped into the Demon-Subduing Cave, drew Suibian from its sheath, and casually tossed it behind him. A figure flashed out and caught the sword—it was Wen Ning. The young nobles screamed in unison, "Ghost General!!!"

Wen Ning raised Suibian and slashed toward Jin Ling. Jin Ling clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, but instead of harm, he felt the immortal-binding ropes around him loosen and fall away. Wen Ning then moved through the chamber, cutting the ropes binding the others. The freed young nobles were torn between fleeing and staying. With the Yiling Patriarch, the Ghost General, and the traitor Hanguang Jun inside, and countless hungry walking corpses outside, they were trapped. They huddled in a corner of the cave, their eyes fixed on the expressionless Wen Ning as he moved about. Lan Sizhui, however, was beaming. He said, "Mo... Senior Wei. You're here to save us, right? You didn't send people to capture us, did you?"

Though it was a question, his face was filled with complete trust and joy. Wei Wuxian felt a warmth in his heart. He crouched down, ruffled Lan Sizhui's hair—still neatly kept despite days of hardship—and said, "Me? You know how broke I am. Where would I even get the money to hire people?"

Lan Sizhui nodded repeatedly, "Yes. I knew it all along! I knew you were really broke, Senior Wei!"

"..."

Wei Wuxian said, "Well done. How many people are there on the other side? Are there any ambushes nearby?"

Lan Jingyi, throwing off the ropes on his body, rushed to say, "There are many people on the other side! Their faces were covered in black mist, so we couldn’t see who they were. They tied us up and left us here, as if they wanted us to rot here. Oh, and there are many walking corpses outside! They've been constantly screeching!"

Bichen was drawn with a clang, cutting through the spirit-binding ropes that bound them. Lan Wangji sheathed his sword and said to Lan Sizhui, "Well done."

Lan Wangji was praising Lan Sizhui for staying calm and trusting them. Lan Sizhui quickly stood up, standing straight and proper in front of Lan Wangji, but before he could even smile, Wei Wuxian chuckled, "Yes, very well done, Sizhui. You've even learned to fight now."

Lan Sizhui's face turned red instantly, "That... that was just a moment of impulse..."

Suddenly, Wei Wuxian sensed someone approaching and turned around to see Jin Ling standing stiffly behind them.

Lan Wangji immediately stepped in front of Wei Wuxian, and Lan Sizhui stepped in front of Lan Wangji, cautiously saying, "Young Master Jin."

Wei Wuxian walked out from behind the two of them, "What are you all doing? Stacking yourselves like a tower of people?"

Jin Ling's expression was strange, his fists clenching and unclenching, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to speak. He just stared at the scar on Wei Wuxian’s abdomen where he had stabbed him. Lan Jingyi, horrified, exclaimed, "You... you! You're not planning to stab him again, are you?"

Jin Ling's face stiffened, and Lan Sizhui hurriedly said, "Jingyi!"

Wei Wuxian, with Lan Jingyi on his left and Lan Sizhui on his right, wrapped his arms around their necks, "Alright, let's all get out of here quickly."

Lan Sizhui said, "Yes!"

The other youths in the corner were still huddled together, not daring to move. Lan Jingyi said, "Let's go? Do you still want to stay here?"

One of the youths retorted, "There are so many walking corpses outside, and you want us to go out... to our deaths?"

Wen Ning said, "Young Master, I'll go out and drive them away."

Wei Wuxian nodded, and Wen Ning immediately rushed out like a gust of wind. Lan Sizhui said, "The spirit-binding ropes have been cut. If it comes to it, we can work together to fight our way out. If you don't leave, what if the corpse horde rushes in after we leave? Given the terrain of this cave, wouldn't we be like sitting ducks?"

After saying this, he grabbed Lan Jingyi, and the two of them, along with a few other juniors from the Lan family, followed Wen Ning out. The group of youths looked at each other.

After a moment, one of them said, "Brother Sizhui, wait for me!" and followed, joining the group.

This youth was the same sentimental guy who had burned paper money and shed tears for Ah Qing in Yi Cheng. Others called him Zizhen, and he seemed to be the only son of the Ouyang family from Baling. Following him were several other familiar faces from Yi Cheng. The remaining youths, initially hesitant, saw Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji staring at them. Being stared down by either of them was enough to make them nervous, so they reluctantly followed. The last one to leave was Jin Ling.

Just as the large group was dragging their feet toward the cave entrance, suddenly a figure was thrown in, crashing into the cave wall and leaving a deep human-shaped dent.

Dust and rubble rained down as the juniors ahead exclaimed, "Ghost General!"

Wei Wuxian said, "Wen Ning? What happened!"

Wen Ning struggled to say, "...It's nothing."

He fell out of the dent, stood up, and roughly reattached his broken arm. Wei Wuxian looked closely and saw a young man in purple standing at the entrance of the Demon-Subduing Cave, with Purple Lightning crackling with spiritual energy in his hand. It was this whip that had sent Wen Ning flying into the cave.

Jiang Cheng.

No wonder Wen Ning hadn't even tried to fight back.

Jin Ling said, "Uncle!"

Jiang Cheng coldly said, "Jin Ling, come here."

From the dark forest behind him, cultivators from various families dressed in different attire slowly emerged, gathering in increasing numbers. A rough estimate suggested there were one to two thousand of them, forming a dense, dark mass that tightly surrounded the Burial Mounds. These cultivators, including Jiang Cheng, were all bloodied and bore expressions of exhaustion. The group of young nobles rushed out of the Burial Mounds, shouting, "Father!" "Mother!" "Brother!" as they merged into the crowd.

Jin Ling looked left and right, still hesitating and unable to make a decision. Jiang Cheng barked sharply, "Jin Ling, what are you dawdling for? Come over here! Do you want to die?"

Lan Qiren stood at the front of the crowd, looking much older, with streaks of gray appearing at his temples. He said, "Wangji."

Lan Wangji replied softly, "Uncle."

Yet he still did not step back to his side.

Lan Qiren understood all too well—this was Lan Wangji's unshakable, resolute answer. His expression filled with deep disappointment, and he shook his head, no longer attempting to persuade.

A cultivator in flowing white robes stepped forward, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, "Hanguang Jun, what has happened to you? You... you are no longer yourself. In the past, you were completely at odds with him, like fire and water. What method did the Yiling Patriarch use to bewitch you, to make you stand on the opposite side from us?"

Lan Wangji ignored her. Receiving no response, the cultivator could only sigh regretfully, "What a waste of a noble reputation!"

Wei Wuxian said, "You've come again."

Jiang Cheng replied coldly, "Of course we have."

Su She, carrying his seven-stringed guqin, also stood at the front of the crowd and said leisurely, "If the Yiling Patriarch hadn't made such a spectacle of exhuming corpses and capturing people as soon as he returned, perhaps we wouldn't have come back to visit your den so quickly."

Wei Wuxian said, "I clearly saved these young nobles. Why aren't you grateful to me? Instead, you're accusing me?"

Many people sneered, muttering, "The thief cries 'thief.'" Knowing that arguing was futile, Wei Wuxian wasn't in a hurry. He smiled faintly and said, "However, the scale of your arrival this time seems rather lacking. Two major figures are missing. May I ask, where are Lianfang Zun and Zewu Jun for such a grand occasion?"

Su She sneered, "Hmph, the day before yesterday, Lianfang Zun was assassinated by unknown assailants at Jin Lingtai and is severely injured. Zewu Jun is currently doing everything he can to save him. Why are you pretending not to know?"

Hearing that Jin Guangyao was "severely injured," Wei Wuxian suddenly recalled the dramatic stance Jin Guangyao had taken when he feigned suicide after ambushing Nie Mingjue. Unable to help himself, he let out a "pfft" of laughter. Su She's brows furrowed slightly, and he said, "What are you laughing at?"

Wei Wuxian replied, "Nothing. I just think Lianfang Zun gets injured quite often."

At that moment, a small voice suddenly spoke up, "Father, I think... maybe it really wasn't him. Last time in Yi Cheng, he saved us. This time, it seems like he came to save us again..."

Following the voice, Wei Wuxian saw that it was Ouyang Zizhen speaking again. However, his father immediately scolded his son, "Child, don't speak nonsense! Do you know what kind of occasion this is? Do you know who that person is?"

Withdrawing his gaze, Wei Wuxian said calmly, "I understand."

From the very beginning, he had known that no matter what he said, no one would believe him. What he denied could be forced upon him; what he admitted could be twisted.

The former Lan Wangji's words had carried weight, but after getting involved with him, he had likely become a target as well. Wei Wuxian had thought that with Lan Xichen present on the side of the noble families, there might still be room for negotiation. But Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao were both absent.

During the first siege of the Burial Mounds, Jin Guangshan led the Jin family of Lanling, and Jiang Cheng led the Yunmeng Jiang family. Lan Qiren led the Gusu Lan Family, and Nie Mingjue led the Nie family of Qinghe. The first two were the main forces, while the latter two were more or less irrelevant. Now, the head of the Jin family of Lanling had not come, only sending subordinates to follow the Lan family's command. The Gusu Lan Family was still under Lan Qiren's direction. Nie Huaisang had taken his elder brother's place, hiding in the crowd, still wearing an expression of "I know nothing," "I want to do nothing," and "I'm just here to make up the numbers."

Only Jiang Cheng remained the same—full of hostility, his face dark and menacing, his gaze fixed firmly on Wei Wuxian.

But.

Wei Wuxian tilted his head slightly and saw Lan Wangji standing beside him, showing no hesitation or intention to retreat.

But this time, he was no longer alone.

Amid the watchful eyes of thousands of cultivators, a middle-aged man could no longer restrain himself and leaped forward, shouting, "Wei Wuxian! Do you remember me?"

Wei Wuxian answered honestly, "No, I don't."

The middle-aged cultivator sneered, "You don't remember, but my leg does!"

He lifted the hem of his robe, revealing a wooden prosthetic leg, and said, "This leg was ruined by you that night in the Nightless City. I'm showing it to you so you know that among those besieging you today, I, Yi Weichun, am also contributing. The wheel of heaven turns, and retribution is swift!"

Seemingly inspired by him, another young cultivator stepped forward. He declared loudly, "Wei Wuxian, I won't ask if you remember. Both my parents were killed by you. You owe too much blood debt; surely you don't remember my parents. But I, Fang Mengchen, will never forget! Nor will I forgive!"

Immediately after, a third person stepped forward, a tall, thin, middle-aged scholar with sharp eyes and an air of purity. This time, Wei Wuxian took the initiative to ask, "Did I cripple you?"

The man shook his head. Wei Wuxian asked again, "Did I kill your parents or wipe out your entire family?"

The man shook his head again. Wei Wuxian, puzzled, asked, "Then may I ask why you are here?"

The man replied, "I have no personal grudge against you. I am here to fight to show you: those who defy the world and are condemned by all, no matter what despicable means they use, no matter how many times they crawl out of the grave, we will send you back. Not for any other reason, but for the sake of justice!"

Hearing this, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause, "Well said, Sect Leader Yao!"

Sect Leader Yao smiled and stepped back, while others, greatly encouraged, stepped forward one after another, loudly declaring their intent to fight.

"My son was killed by your henchman Wen Ning, his throat slit during the ambush at Qiongqi Path!"

"My senior brother died from your vicious curse, his body rotting away and succumbing to poison!"

"Not for any other reason, but to prove that there is still justice in the world, and evil cannot be tolerated!"

"There is still justice in the world, and evil cannot be tolerated!"

Every face was filled with burning passion, every word was filled with righteousness, every person was noble, impassioned, indignant, and filled with heroic determination.

No one doubted that what they were doing at this moment was a glorious and righteous deed.

A campaign of justice against evil that would be remembered for generations and praised by thousands!