Chapter 76

Chapter 76 Night Run Part 18

Inside the largest spiritual treasure hall in Lanling.

Amidst the dazzling, well-organized multi-tiered shelves, countless high-quality spiritual jades and superior weapons were displayed. Numerous cultivators were browsing, carefully comparing and considering prices, and those with free time engaged in casual conversations.

One person said, "The cultivator leader? It seems like the major families have been arguing about this matter recently. Has it been settled?"

"What's there to argue about? We can't stay leaderless and scattered forever. Establishing a cultivator leader to oversee all families, I think it's a good idea."

"Not so good. What if another Wen family of Qishan emerges..."

"How can it be the same? The cultivator leader is elected by all families. It's different, different."

"Hey, they say it's an election, but everyone knows it's just those few competing. Who else would get a chance?"

"The Crimson Frost Duke has been strongly opposed, rejecting Jin Guangshan's hints and overtures many times. I think there's still a long way to go."

"Moreover, the position of cultivator leader can only be held by one person. If it really gets approved, who should take the seat? I think they can argue for a few more years."

"Anyway, it's for those at the top to worry about. It's none of our business. Small players like us can't do anything about it."

Someone changed the topic, "Last month, who among those present attended the completion ceremony of the library at Cloud Recesses? I went, and standing there, I saw that it was rebuilt exactly the same as before. Truly remarkable."

"Yes, it's not easy. Such a large immortal residence, a century-old paradise, how could it be rebuilt in a short time?"

"Speaking of which, there have been quite a few happy events recently."

"Are you talking about Jin Zixuan's son's first-month ceremony? That child, amidst a pile of colorful items, grabbed his father's Suihua. His parents were so delighted, saying he will surely become a great sword immortal in the future."

Not far away, a man in white was carefully examining a jade pendant with tassels in his hand and smiled upon hearing this.

A female cultivator's voice came, "Lady Jin is so fortunate... She must have renounced ascension in a past life to have such good fortune."

Her companion said, "No matter how good everything else is, nothing beats being born into the right family. People are just like that..."

The man in white frowned slightly. Fortunately, the slightly bitter comments were quickly overshadowed by louder voices, "The Jin family of Lanling is indeed the Jin family of Lanling. Even a baby's first-month ceremony is such a grand event."

"Have you seen who the baby's parents are? Can they be careless? Not only would Lady Jin's husband not allow any carelessness, but if the event were slightly less grand, her mother-in-law or her brother wouldn't stand for it. When the full moon ceremony comes in a few days, it will probably be even more extravagant."

"Speaking of which, do you know that this full moon ceremony... has invited someone."

"Who?"

"Wei Wuxian!"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Someone said incredulously, "This... I thought it was just a rumor. Could it really be true?!"

"It's true! It's been confirmed these past few days. Wei Wuxian will attend."

Someone else said incredulously, "What is the Jin family of Lanling thinking? Have they forgotten Wei Wuxian's indiscriminate killings at Qiongqi Path?"

"Inviting such a person to Jin Ling's full moon ceremony, who would dare to attend? Certainly not me."

Upon hearing this, many secretly mocked in their hearts: You don't even have the qualifications to receive an invitation, why worry about whether to go or not?

The man in white raised an eyebrow, finished picking out his items, and walked out of the spiritual treasure hall.

After walking a few steps, they turned into a small alley, where a figure in black emerged and said, "Young Master, have you finished your shopping?"

Wei Wuxian tossed the exquisite sandalwood box in his hand to Wen Ning, who caught it and opened it to find a white jade tassel pendant inside. The jade was translucent, with a soft glow that seemed to flow as if it had a life of its own.

He exclaimed, "It's so beautiful!"

Wei Wuxian said, "Such a pretty little thing isn't cheap. After buying a new dress for your sister, there was almost not enough money left for this. Anyway, we're completely broke now, so get ready to be scolded when we get back."

Wen Ning hurriedly said, "No, no. Young Master, you're giving a gift to Miss Jiang's child. My sister won't scold you."

Wei Wuxian replied, "That's what you say. If she scolds me later, remember to cover for me."

Wen Ning nodded and added, "Jin Ling will definitely love this gift."

Wei Wuxian, however, said, "This isn't the gift I'm planning to give. It's just a small accessory. Those things in the Lingbao Pavilion, aside from being pretty, what good are they really?"

Wen Ning was taken aback and asked, "Then what gift have you prepared, Young Master?"

Wei Wuxian said, "That's for me to know and you to find out."

Wen Ning replied, "Oh."

He really didn't ask further. After a while, Wei Wuxian couldn't hold back and said, "Wen Ning, shouldn't you be curious and keep bugging me for an answer? How can you just say 'oh' and not ask anymore? Don't you want to know what the gift is???"

Wen Ning stared at him blankly, finally realizing, and said, "...I do! Young Master, what gift have you prepared?"

Wei Wuxian then took out a small wooden box from his sleeve, waved it in front of Wen Ning, and smiled. Wen Ning took it, opened it, and exclaimed, "What a powerful silver bell!"

This "powerful" wasn't referring to its exquisite craftsmanship, although the pure silver and the lifelike nine-petaled lotus on the bell were indeed masterful. What amazed Wen Ning was the immense energy contained within this small silver bell.

Wen Ning asked, "Young Master, have you been holed up in the Burial Mounds day and night for the past half month, making this?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Exactly. Once my nephew wears this silver bell, any low-level demons or ghosts won't be able to get near him. You can't touch it either; if you do, you'll probably have a hard time."

Wen Ning nodded and said, "I can feel it."

Wei Wuxian took out the tassel pendant and attached it to the silver bell. The two items matched beautifully, and he was quite satisfied. Wen Ning said, "However, since you're attending Jin Ling's full moon celebration, Young Master, when you see Miss Jiang's husband, you must hold back and not start a conflict with him..."

Wei Wuxian waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about that. I know my limits. Considering Jin Zixuan invited me this time, I won't badmouth him for a year."

Wen Ning scratched his head and said sheepishly, "When Jin Zixuan sent someone to the Burial Mounds to deliver the invitation, I thought there must be some trick. It turns out it was a misunderstanding, and I really owe him one. I didn't realize that Jin Zixuan is actually a good person..."

At noon, the two passed through Qiongqi Path.

After its reconstruction, Qiongqi Path had long been renamed, but Wei Wuxian didn't know what it was called now. It seemed others often forgot as well, so most people still referred to it as Qiongqi Path. At first, nothing seemed unusual, but as they reached the center of the valley, Wei Wuxian felt increasingly uneasy.

There shouldn't be so few people around.

Wei Wuxian asked, "Is something wrong?"

Wen Ning rolled his eyes, and after a moment, his pupils returned to normal as he said, "No. It's eerily quiet."

Wei Wuxian said, "It is a bit too quiet."

He couldn't even catch a trace of the usual non-human noises that often filled his ears.

Wei Wuxian grew cautious and whispered, "Let's go!"

Just as he turned around, Wen Ning suddenly raised his hand and caught something in mid-air.

It was an arrow aimed straight at Wei Wuxian's heart!

Wei Wuxian suddenly looked up and saw many people emerging from all directions—on both sides of the valley, on the cliffs, and from every corner. There were about three hundred of them, most wearing the Jin Clan's golden-starred snow-wave robes, though some wore other colors. All were armed with longbows and swords, their faces alert, fully prepared for battle. Using the terrain and each other as cover, their sword tips and arrowheads were all aimed at him. The arrow that had been shot at Wei Wuxian was fired by the leader. Upon closer inspection, the man was tall, with slightly dark skin and a handsome face—very familiar.

Wei Wuxian said, "Who are you?"

The man, who had just shot the arrow and had something to say, was so taken aback by the question that he forgot his words and angrily shouted, "You’re seriously asking who I am? I am—Jin Zixun!"

Wei Wuxian immediately remembered. This was Jin Zixuan's cousin. He had met him twice before.

His heart sank. The joy he’d felt at the thought of attending Jiang Yanli’s son’s full-month celebration vanished, replaced by a shadow. However, he was still unwilling to think too deeply or speculate on why these people were ambushing him here.

Jin Zixun shouted, "Wei Wuxian, I warn you, undo the curse you placed on me immediately, and I won’t pursue the matter."

Wei Wuxian was stunned. Even though he knew he’d be accused of lying, he couldn’t help but blurt out, "What curse?"

Sure enough, Jin Zixun thought he was feigning ignorance and said, "You’re still pretending you don’t know?"

He suddenly tore open his collar and roared, "Fine, I'll show you what kind of curse you placed on me!"

Jin Zixun's chest was densely covered with holes of various sizes!

The holes were as small as sesame seeds and as large as soybeans, evenly spread across his body, making one's skin crawl.

Wei Wuxian took one look and said, "'The Thousand Holes Curse'?"

Jin Zixun said, "Exactly! It's The Thousand Holes Curse!"

"The Thousand Holes Curse" was an extremely sinister and vicious curse.

Back when Wei Wuxian was copying books in the Gusu Lan Family's library, he had come across an ancient book that mentioned this curse. It had an illustration accompanying the description, showing a person with a calm expression, seemingly without pain, but their body was covered with coin-sized black holes.

At first, the victim would feel nothing, likely thinking their pores had just become rougher. However, soon those small holes would grow to the size of sesame seeds, and as time went on, the holes would grow larger and more numerous until the entire body was covered with black holes of various sizes, like a living sieve—utterly horrifying. Once the skin was covered with these holes, the curse would begin to spread to the internal organs, causing unbearable abdominal pain in mild cases and complete organ decay in severe cases!

Jin Zixun had actually been afflicted with this disgusting and difficult-to-lift curse. Wei Wuxian couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy. However, even with that sympathy, he still thought Jin Zixun was utterly brainless and said, "You've been cursed with The Thousand Holes Curse, so why are you intercepting me? What does this have to do with me?"

Jin Zixun, seemingly disgusted by the sight of his own chest, closed his robe and said, "Who else but you, a habitual user of evil and unorthodox methods, would place such a vile and malicious curse on me?"

Wei Wuxian thought to himself, there were plenty of people who could have done it. Did Jin Zixun really think he had such good relationships with others?

But he didn't want to say it outright and provoke Jin Zixun, worsening the situation. Instead, he said, "Jin Zixun, I don't play these underhanded games. If I wanted to kill someone, I would make sure everyone knew that person died by my hand. And if I wanted you dead, you'd look a thousand times worse than you do now."

Jin Zixun said, "Aren’t you the cocky one? Daring to do it but not daring to admit it?"

Wei Wuxian said, "If I didn't do it, why should I admit it?"

Jin Zixun's eyes gleamed with malice as he said, "I tried to reason with you first, but since you refuse to repent, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Wei Wuxian paused and said, "Oh?"

The meaning of "being ruthless" was clear.

There were two ways to lift The Thousand Holes Curse. One was for the caster to damage their own cultivation and withdraw the curse voluntarily. The other, more definitive solution, was:

Kill the caster!

Wei Wuxian sneered, "Being ruthless? You? With just these few hundred people?"

Jin Zixun swung his arm, and all the cultivation disciples nocked their arrows, aiming at Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning at the lowest point of the valley. Wei Wuxian raised Chenqing, his infamous flute, and the piercing notes shattered the valley’s silence.

However, after waiting for a moment, there was no response. Jin Zixun said, "We've already cleared this entire area, just waiting for you to arrive. No matter how much you play, you won't summon many allies. This place has been meticulously prepared to be your grave!"

Wei Wuxian sneered, "You're asking for death yourself!"

After he finished speaking, Wen Ning raised his hand and snapped a red string adorned with a protective talisman hanging around his neck.

After the red string broke, his body swayed, and the muscles on his face began to contort gradually, with several black cracks creeping up from his neck to his cheeks. Suddenly, he threw his head back and unleashed a long, bone-chilling roar!

Among the more than three hundred people in ambush, there were many cultivators skilled in night hunting, but they had never heard a corpse make such a terrifying sound. They all felt their legs turn to jelly. Jin Zixun also felt a chill down his spine and raised his arm, ordering, "Fire the arrows!"

The arrows poured down like a torrential rainstorm!

Wen Ning cleaved a boulder with his bare hands, hoisted it high, and deflected the barrage of arrows. After the rain of arrows ended, more than a hundred skilled cultivators leaped down from the cliff walls and charged towards the two in the valley. Wei Wuxian took a few steps back, then swiftly dodged, narrowly evading a sneak attack from a sword.

Jin Zixun had already taken advantage of Wen Ning dealing with the hundred or so people to attack. Seeing that Wei Wuxian had no sword, only a flute that was temporarily useless, he laughed, "This is the cost of your arrogance. Without a sword at your side, how can you possibly fight back?"

Wei Wuxian flicked his wrist, unleashing a barrage of talismans ablaze with eerie green flames, dimming Jin Zixun's sword light. Jin Zixun, who had just finished laughing, was startled and quickly focused on dealing with them. The two fought closely for a while, and suddenly, something flew out of Wei Wuxian's sleeve. His gaze sharpened, and he thought, "This is bad."

That thing was a gift prepared for Jin Ling. Because he valued it so much, fearing it would get crushed if thrown around, and often wanted to take it out to admire, he had only lightly tucked it into his sleeve. Now, in the heat of battle, it accidentally flew out, straight towards Jin Zixun. Jin Zixun thought it was some kind of hidden weapon or poison and initially wanted to dodge, but seeing Wei Wuxian's drastic change in expression, he changed his mind and grabbed it. Seeing it was a delicate small wooden box, with a line of small characters carved on it, bearing Jin Ling's name and birth date, Jin Zixun was first stunned, then understood and burst into laughter.

Wei Wuxian's face darkened, and he said word by word, "Give it back."

Jin Zixun raised the small wooden box and mocked, "Is this a gift for A-Ling?"

Wen Ning, not far ahead, was fighting against a hundred, killing fiercely. Jin Zixun said, "You don't really think you can attend A-Ling's full moon banquet, do you?"

This sentence made Wei Wuxian's hand tremble slightly.

At that moment, a voice shouted, "Stop!"

A white figure lightly leaped down into the valley, standing between Wei Wuxian and Jin Zixun. Jin Zixun, seeing the person, exclaimed, "Zixuan? Why are you here?!"

Jin Zixuan, with one hand on the hilt of his sword, angrily said, "What do you think I'm here for!"

Jin Zixun asked, "Where's A-Yao?"

Jin Guangyao was supposed to be here to assist him. Last year, he had looked down on Jin Guangyao, treating him with disdain, but now their relationship had improved, and he called him affectionately. Jin Zixuan said, "I detained him at Jin Lingtai. If I hadn't noticed something was off and confronted him, were you planning to act so recklessly? You're afflicted with the Thousand Holes and Hundred Sores, why didn't you tell me at all, and just silently decided to do such a thing!"

Jin Zixun found it hard to speak about being afflicted with the Thousand Holes and Hundred Sores curse. Firstly, he had always been proud of his handsome appearance and physique, and couldn't bear the thought of people knowing he had such a disgusting and ugly curse; secondly, being cursed indicated his cultivation was insufficient, and his spiritual defenses were weak, which was even more inconvenient to disclose. Therefore, he only told Jin Guangshan about the curse, asking him to find the best curse masters and physicians. Unexpectedly, both the physicians and curse masters were at a loss. Coincidentally, Jin Ling's full moon banquet was approaching, and Jin Zixuan had actually invited Wei Wuxian. Jin Guangshan was not very pleased, so he suggested Jin Zixun take advantage of the situation and ambush Wei Wuxian on his way to the banquet, thus preventing him from reaching Jin Lingtai. Wei Wuxian was Jiang Yanli's junior brother, and Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli were deeply in love, with Jin Zixuan almost always confiding in his wife about everything. They were worried he might leak the news, and Wei Wuxian wouldn't come, so they kept it from Jin Zixuan. Now that the plan was exposed, Jin Zixun felt somewhat guilty, but ultimately, his life was more important. He said, "Zixuan, please keep this from your wife for now. Once I get rid of these things on me, I'll come and apologize to you all!"

The last time Wei Wuxian saw Jin Zixuan, he still had the arrogance of a youth, but now, after getting married, he seemed much more composed, speaking with authority, and said with a stern face, "There's still room for negotiation here. All of you, stop for now."

Jin Zixun, both angry and anxious, said, "What's there to negotiate at this point? Haven't you seen these things on me?!"

Seeing that he seemed about to lift his clothes and reveal his pitted chest, Jin Zixuan quickly said, "No need! I've already heard about it from Jin Guangyao!"

Jin Zixun said, "Since you've heard it from him, you should know I can't wait. Could it be that because he's your wife's junior brother, you're disregarding your brother's life for her sake?!"

Jin Zixuan said, "You know very well I'm not that kind of person! The Thousand Holes and Hundred Sores on you aren't necessarily his doing, why are you so hasty! Wei Wuxian was invited by me to attend A-Ling's full moon banquet. What kind of position does this put me in? What kind of position does it put my wife in?"

Jin Zixun raised his voice, "It's best if he doesn't attend! What kind of person is Wei Wuxian, that he deserves to attend our family banquet? Whoever associates with him gets tainted! Zixuan, by inviting him, aren't you afraid that you, your wife, and A-Ling will have an indelible stain for the rest of your lives?!"

Jin Zixuan shouted, "Shut up!"

Jin Zixun, filled with anger, clenched his hand, and the small wooden box containing the silver bell and jade tassel was instantly crushed into powder!

Wei Wuxian watched as the item in his palm turned to dust, his pupils contracting sharply, and he struck out at Jin Zixun. Jin Zixuan, still unaware of what was in the box, raised his hand to block the strike and shouted, "Wei Wuxian! Have you had enough!"

Wei Wuxian's chest heaved violently, his eyes red. Jin Zixuan and Jin Zixun were, after all, cousins who had known each other since childhood, with a friendship spanning over a decade. At this moment, it was indeed difficult for him to side with an outsider, and he really didn't like Wei Wuxian. Collecting himself, he said, "First, make this Wen Ning stop, tell him not to go crazy, and don't let things escalate further."

Wei Wuxian said hoarsely, "...Why don’t you tell them to stop first?"

All around, there was relentless clamor and fighting. Jin Zixuan shouted angrily, "Why are you still being so stubborn at a time like this? Everyone, calm down! Come with me to Jinlin Tower first. Let’s discuss this honestly and confront the matter directly. If it wasn’t you who did it, naturally, you’ll be fine!"

Wei Wuxian retorted, "Stop? If I tell Wen Ning to stop now, I’ll be instantly riddled with arrows and swords, leaving no trace of me intact! And you still want me to go to Jinlin Tower to discuss this?"

Jin Zixuan insisted, "That won’t happen!"

Wei Wuxian sneered, "It won’t? What assurance do you have? Jin Zixuan, I have a question for you. When you first invited me, did you really not know about their plan to ambush me?!"

Jin Zixuan was stunned, then shouted furiously, "You! Wei Wuxian, you—you’ve lost your mind!"

Wei Wuxian, suppressing a surge of overwhelming hatred, said coldly, "Jin Zixuan, get out of my way. I won’t touch you, but don’t provoke me."

Seeing his stubborn refusal to yield, Jin Zixuan suddenly moved as if to seize him, saying, "Why can’t you just yield a little? A-Li, she—"

Just as he reached out toward Wei Wuxian, a dull, strange sound echoed.

The sound was too close, too close. Jin Zixuan froze. Looking down, he saw the hand that had pierced through his chest.

At some point, Wen Ning had appeared beside them, his expressionless face splattered with a few drops of hot, glaring blood.

Jin Zixuan’s lips moved, his expression dazed. But he still managed to finish the sentence he had started:

"...She’s still expecting you to come to Jinlin Tower for A-Ling’s full moon celebration..."

Wei Wuxian’s face mirrored the same dazed expression. For a moment, he couldn’t process what had just happened.

What happened?

How did things turn into this in an instant?

No.

This shouldn’t be.

Something must have gone wrong.

Wen Ning withdrew his right hand from Jin Zixuan’s chest, leaving behind a gaping hole.

Jin Zixuan’s face twitched in pain, as if he believed the injury was minor and he could still stand. But eventually, his knees gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

Terrified screams echoed all around.

"The Ghost General... the Ghost General has gone mad!"

"He murdered him! Wei Wuxian made the Ghost General kill Jin Zixuan!"

Jin Zixun roared, "Fire the arrows! What are you waiting for? Fire now!"

But as he turned, a shadowy figure approached him like a ghost, and his throat tightened as a pale hand gripped him.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh——————!!!"

Wei Wuxian stood there, stunned and motionless.

No.

This can’t be happening.

He had clearly been controlling Wen Ning just moments ago.

Even if Wen Ning had been driven into a frenzied state, Wei Wuxian should have been able to control him.

He had always been able to control him perfectly—until now.

He never intended to kill Jin Zixuan.

He had absolutely no intention of killing Jin Zixuan! It was just that in that moment, for some reason, he suddenly lost control... suddenly lost control!

Jin Zixuan's body finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed forward heavily, hitting the ground with a thud.

He had always been arrogant and proud, extremely concerned with his appearance and demeanor, and had a slight obsession with cleanliness. Yet now, he lay face down in the dirt, utterly disheveled. The specks of blood on his face and the vermilion mark between his brows were the same deep red color.

Staring into Jin Zixuan's gradually dimming eyes, Wei Wuxian's mind was in chaos. The surroundings had turned into a sea of blood, screams rising all around, but he could no longer hear anything.

The only thing he could hear was a voice in his heart, frantically demanding:

Didn't you say you had it under control?

Didn't you say you could control it?

Didn't you say there would be absolutely no problems, absolutely no mistakes!!!

Wei Wuxian's mind went utterly blank. He didn't know how much time had passed before he suddenly opened his eyes.

What he saw before him was the dark dome of the Demon-Subduing Cave.

Wen Qing and Wen Ning were both inside the Demon-Subduing Cave.

Wen Ning's pupils had returned to normal, and he had come out of his frenzied state. He seemed to be whispering to Wen Qing, but when he saw Wei Wuxian open his eyes, he silently knelt on the ground. Wen Qing, with red eyes, said nothing.

Wei Wuxian sat up.

After a long silence, a surge of overwhelming hatred suddenly boiled up in his heart.

He kicked Wen Ning in the chest, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Wen Qing shrank back in fear, clenching her fists, but she only lowered her head and pursed her lips.

Wei Wuxian roared, "Who did you kill? Do you know who you killed?!"

At that moment, Wen Yuan ran into the hall from outside, a grass-woven butterfly perched on his head, beaming, "Brother Xian..."

He had wanted to show Wei Wuxian the newly colored butterfly, but upon entering, he saw a demon-like Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning curled up on the ground. He was instantly stunned. Wei Wuxian suddenly turned his head, his emotions still unchecked, his gaze terrifying. Wen Yuan was so frightened that he jumped, the butterfly slipping from his head and falling to the ground. He immediately burst into tears. Fourth Uncle quickly hunched over and came in, picking him up and carrying him out.

After being kicked over by Wei Wuxian, Wen Ning got up and knelt again, not daring to speak. Wei Wuxian grabbed his collar, lifting him up, and shouted, "You could kill anyone, but why did you have to kill Jin Zixuan?!"

Wen Qing watched from the side, wanting to step forward to protect her brother, but she forced herself to hold back, tears streaming down her face in sorrow and fear.

Wei Wuxian said, "You killed him, what will happen to Shijie? What will happen to Shijie's son?! What will happen to me? What will I do?!"

His roars echoed through the Demon-Subduing Cave, reaching outside, where Wen Yuan cried even harder.

Listening to the distant cries of the child and seeing the panicked siblings who didn't know what to do with their hands and feet, Wei Wuxian's heart grew darker and darker. He asked himself, "Why have I been trapping myself on this Burial Mounds all these years? Why do I have to suffer all this? Why did I choose this cursed path from the start? Why did I make myself like this? How do others see me? What have I gained? Am I crazy? Am I crazy? Am I crazy?!"

If only he hadn't chosen this cursed path from the start.

Suddenly, Wen Ning whispered, "...I'm... sorry."

This is a dead person, with no expression, unable to show emotion in their eyes, and even less able to shed tears. Yet, at this moment, the dead person's face showed genuine pain.

He repeated, "I'm sorry...

"It's... it's all my fault...

"I'm sorry..."

Listening to his stuttering, repeated apologies, Wei Wuxian suddenly found it completely absurd.

It wasn't Wen Ning's fault at all.

It was his own fault.

In his frenzied state, Wen Ning was merely a weapon. The creator of this weapon was him. It was his orders that were followed.

At that time, the atmosphere was charged with tension, and the air was thick with killing intent. Moreover, he had never hesitated to show his hostility towards Jin Zixuan in front of Wen Ning. Thus, when Jin Zixuan made a move, Wen Ning, in his unconscious state, recognized him as an "enemy" and carried out the "kill order" without hesitation.

He had failed to control this weapon. He had been too confident in his own abilities. And he had ignored all the ominous signs, believing he could suppress any signs of losing control.

Wen Ning was a weapon, but was it by choice?

A person who was naturally timid and stuttering—had he ever enjoyed killing under Wei Wuxian's command?

Back then, when he received a bowl of lotus root soup from Jiang Yanli, he carried it all the way from the foot of the mountain to the Burial Mounds without spilling a drop. Although he couldn't drink it himself, he was happy to watch others finish it, asking what it tasted like, imagining the flavor. Now, having personally killed Jiang Yanli's husband, was he feeling good about it?

While shouldering all the blame, he still had to apologize.

Wei Wuxian grabbed Wen Ning by the collar, looking at his pale, ghostly face, and suddenly, the image of Jin Zixuan's face, covered in dust and blood, dirty and pale, lifeless, appeared before his eyes.

He also remembered Jiang Yanli, who had finally married the love of her life after much hardship, and Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli's son, A-Ling, the child he had named, who was still so small, who had just grabbed his father's sword at the grabbing ceremony, making his parents overjoyed. In two more days, it would be his full moon celebration.

Lost in thought, Wei Wuxian suddenly cried.

He said blankly, "...Who will tell me... what should I do now?"