Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Dan Xin Part 19 (5)

Many people held talismans, testing whether they could ignite them with spiritual energy. Gradually, some of the talismans in their hands flickered to life. When someone asked, they answered one after another: "I've recovered two-tenths."

"I'm at one-tenth..."

"The recovery is painfully slow!"

Originally, when they set out, they believed that compared to the first siege of the Burial Mounds thirteen years ago, this battle would undoubtedly surpass it in intensity and tragedy, sure to go down in history. However, the number of people who went up the mountain was roughly the same as those who came down. This second "siege" could indeed be recorded in history, but not for its tragedy or ferocity—rather, it would be remembered as the most absurd and inexplicable action ever taken by the righteous clans.

Some were relieved to have survived the ordeal, while others lamented the unpredictable twists of fate. Dozens of family heads gathered together and, after a brief discussion, unanimously agreed to first find a safe place to rest and recover until their spiritual energy reached at least eighty percent before returning home. This would help avoid any unforeseen complications or dangers along the way.

Wei Wuxian immediately thought that the nearest "safe place" to Yiling would naturally be the territory of the Yunmeng Jiang family. He asked, "So, are you planning to head to Lotus Pier next?"

Lan Qiren, wary, asked, "Why do you ask?"

Wei Wuxian replied, "No reason. Just wondering if I can come along."

Sect Leader Yao, also on guard, said, "Wei Wuxian! Although you did a good deed today, let's be clear: one thing doesn't cancel out another. Don't think we'll be buddy-buddy with you. That's absolutely out of the question."

Wei Wuxian was momentarily speechless. "Don't worry, no one's forcing you to befriend me. But aren't we on the same side now? The powerful figure who orchestrated the ambush today has the Yin Tiger Tally. Can you handle him?"

The family heads exchanged uneasy glances. Indeed, Wei Wuxian's words held truth. If he were willing to join forces, it would be a significant advantage. However, after years of condemning the Yiling Patriarch, it was hard for them to swallow their pride and cooperate with him.

Lan Wangji turned to Lan Qiren and asked, "Uncle, is there any news about my brother?"

After a moment of silence, Lan Qiren replied, "No."

Wei Wuxian said, "Lord Ze Wu might still be under Jin Guangyao's control. Master Lan, the more hands, the better. Even if you don't trust me, at least let Hanguang Jun join your plans. After all, it's his brother we're talking about."

"..." Lan Qiren, looking exhausted, said to Lan Wangji, "You're welcome to come if you wish."

The others immediately turned their attention to Jiang Cheng. Among the three most prominent family heads present, Lan Qiren had already made his stance clear, and Nie Huaisang's opinion didn't matter much. Now, it all depended on Jiang Cheng. At that moment, Jiang Cheng was testing Purple Lightning, his spiritual energy flickering but no longer extinguishing. His face glowed faintly with a purple hue, making his expression inscrutable. Everyone knew that this Jiang family head, who had fallen out with Wei Wuxian, couldn't stand him, and they expected him to reject the idea outright. However, he only let out a cold laugh and said, "You dare return to Lotus Pier?"

After this cryptic remark, he fell silent. The others were baffled, unsure whether he was agreeing or refusing. But when the group set off, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji followed, and Jiang Cheng didn't even glance their way, as if he neither approved nor opposed.

By the time they descended the mountain, it was already night. When they returned to the town, the lights were out, and everything was eerily quiet. Everyone was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and their formation was disheveled and uneven. Fortunately, when they mustered the energy to take a headcount, they found that almost no one was missing. Since most people hadn't recovered enough spiritual energy to fly on their swords, traveling by water was the fastest way to reach Lotus Pier. The group of several thousand people hurriedly made their way to the docks near Yiling. However, due to the hasty decision, there weren't enough boats available at short notice. The family heads had to rent all the boats at the dock, including fishing boats, cramming them full of young nobles and setting off downstream.

A dozen or so young nobles were squeezed onto the same fishing boat. These youths, who had grown up in luxury, had never experienced being crammed into such a dark, old, and dilapidated fishing boat, filled with dirty nets, wooden barrels, and the stench of fish, with creaking planks. The wind was strong at night, and the boat rocked violently. Several northern youths, who were prone to seasickness, endured for a while but eventually couldn't hold it in any longer. They rushed out of the cabin, retching, and collapsed onto the deck, dizzy and disoriented.

One of the youths groaned, "Oh my god, this rocking is making my stomach churn! Hey, Sizhui, are you throwing up too? Aren't you from Gusu? You're not a northerner, so why are you getting seasick worse than me?"

Lan Sizhui waved his hand, his face pale. "I... I don't know why. Ever since I was four or five, I've been like this on boats... Maybe it's just how I am."

As he spoke, another wave of nausea hit him. He leaned against the side of the boat, preparing to vomit again, when suddenly he noticed a dark figure clinging to the side of the boat, half-submerged in the river water, staring directly at him.

In that instant, Lan Sizhui was so frightened that he swallowed back what he was about to vomit. His hand instinctively went to his sword hilt, but upon closer inspection, he whispered, "Ghost..."

Jin Ling, hearing this from inside the cabin, rushed out with his sword drawn. "A ghost? Where? I'll kill it for you!"

Lan Sizhui said, "It's not a ghost. It's the Ghost General!"

The other youths quickly crowded around the deck, following Lan Sizhui's gaze. Sure enough, the dark figure clinging to the side of the boat, looking up from below, was none other than the Ghost General, Wen Ning.

After they had left the Burial Mounds, Wen Ning had disappeared. No one expected him to silently cling to this fishing boat, and no one knew how long he had been there.

Although Wen Ning had fought alongside them on the Burial Mounds, there had been many people around then, including elders. Now, in the dead of night, on the water, with Wen Ning appearing so suddenly and in such a bizarre manner, the youths were still startled. They stared at each other for a while before Ouyang Zizhen finally retreated and sat down on the deck, saying, "Why has the Ghost General come to find us alone?"

Someone muttered, "No wonder the boat's dragging. There's an extra person clinging to it, dragging it down."

"What... what is he doing there?"

"He definitely doesn’t mean us any harm, otherwise he wouldn’t have protected us at the Burial Mounds during the day."

"But there’s no danger now, why is he coming to us again..."

"Pfft!"

"Jingyi, what are you laughing at?"

Lan Jingyi said, "Look at him, lying motionless outside the boat, like a dazed sea turtle!"

As soon as he said that, some people really thought it looked like one, but before they could laugh, Ouyang Zizhen exclaimed, "He’s moving!"

Sure enough, Wen Ning’s body emerged from the water, his hands gripping a thick hemp rope hanging from the deck, and he began to slowly climb up. Several of the disciples scattered in panic, a few timid ones running around the deck in a panic, shouting, "He’s coming up! The Ghost General is coming up!"

Lan Jingyi said, "What’s there to be afraid of? We’ve seen him before!"

"What should we do? Should we call for help?!"

When Wen Ning, dripping wet, climbed over the railing and landed heavily on the deck, the entire fishing boat seemed to sway with his landing. The disciples were extremely nervous, wishing they could all squeeze to the other side of the deck, their hearts pounding, but too embarrassed to draw their swords in defense. Wen Ning stared at Lan Sizhui’s face and walked towards him. Lan Sizhui realized he was coming for him, steadied himself, and Wen Ning asked, "You, what’s your name?"

Lan Sizhui was slightly stunned, standing upright, and replied, "This junior is a disciple of the Gusu Lan Family, named Lan Yuan (Lan Sizhui)."

Wen Ning said, "Lan Yuan?"

Lan Sizhui nodded. Wen Ning asked, "Do you... do you know who gave you this name?"

The dead clearly have no expression or vitality, but Lan Sizhui had the illusion that Wen Ning’s eyes seemed to light up.

He also sensed that Wen Ning was very excited at this moment, so excited that his words came out stuttered, and it made him feel a bit excited too, as if a long-buried secret was about to be revealed.

Lan Sizhui cautiously replied, "The name was naturally given by my parents."

Wen Ning asked, "Are your parents still alive?"

Lan Sizhui said, "My parents passed away when I was very young."

A disciple next to him tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Sizhui, don’t say too much; something might be off."

Wen Ning was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Sizhui? Is Sizhui your courtesy name?"

Lan Sizhui said, "Yes."

Wen Ning asked, "Who gave it to you?"

Lan Sizhui replied, "Hanguang Jun."

Wen Ning lowered his head and silently repeated the name "Sizhui" twice. Seeing that he seemed to have realized something, Lan Sizhui said, "General..." He originally wanted to address him as General, but it felt strange, so he changed it to, "Mr. Wen? Is there something about my name?"

"Oh," Wen Ning looked up, staring at his face, and answered irrelevantly, "You, you look, very much like, a distant relative of mine..."

This sounded like the kind of thing a lower-level cultivator or an outsider disciple might say to try to get close to a family disciple. The disciples were more and more confused, not understanding what was going on. Lan Sizhui didn’t know how to respond either, so he just said, "R-really?"

Wen Ning said, "Really!"

He tried hard to lift the muscles at the corners of his mouth, seemingly trying to force a smile. For some reason, seeing the "Ghost General" like this, Lan Sizhui suddenly felt a surge of deep, bittersweet familiarity, and a vague thought: he seemed to have seen this face somewhere before. A name seemed to be on the verge of breaking through some barrier. As soon as he uttered that name, many other things would immediately come to light, making everything clear.

But just then, Lan Sizhui saw Jin Ling standing nearby.

Jin Ling's face darkened, looking extremely grim, his grip on his sword alternately loosening and tightening, the veins on the back of his hand appearing and disappearing. It suddenly hit him that the seemingly harmless Ghost General, Wen Ning, was his father's killer.

As Jin Ling glared, Wen Ning's "smile" slowly disappeared. He slowly turned to Jin Ling and said, "Young Master Jin Rulan?"

Jin Ling snapped, "Who’s that?"

After a moment of silence, Wen Ning corrected himself, "Young Master Jin Ling."

Jin Ling glared at him, while the other young nobles nervously watched Jin Ling, fearing he might act impulsively. Lan Sizhui said, "Young Master Jin..."

Jin Ling retorted, "Back off, this isn’t your business."

However, Lan Sizhui vaguely felt that this matter was indeed related to him. He stepped forward, blocking Jin Ling, and said, "Jin Ling, please put away your sword first..."

Jin Ling, already tense, yelled without thinking as his view was blocked, "Get out of my way!"

He pushed Lan Sizhui, who, already suffering from seasickness and unsteady on his feet, was shoved against the ship's railing and nearly fell into the dark river. Fortunately, Wen Ning grabbed him and pulled him back. A group of young nobles immediately rushed to support him, "Brother Sizhui!"

"Are you alright, Young Master Lan? Are you still feeling dizzy?"

Seeing Lan Sizhui's pale face, Wen Ning anxiously said, "Young Master Jin, if you have any grievances, direct them at me. Wen Ning will not resist. But Young Master Lan Sizhui..."

Lan Jingyi, furious, scolded, "Jin Ling, what’s wrong with you! What has Brother Sizhui done to you?"

"Brother Sizhui was trying to help you. Even if you don’t appreciate it, why push him?"

Initially, Jin Ling was also shocked by his own forceful action. But seeing his peers rush to support Lan Sizhui and blame him, this scene overlapped with countless past memories. Over the years, being orphaned, everyone said he was spoiled and unruly, with a terrible temper and difficult to get along with. Whether at Jin Lingtai or Lotus Pier, he had no close friends. Despite his noble status, his situation was awkward. As a child, no young nobles liked to play with him, and as he grew older, none were willing to follow him. The more he thought about it, the redder his eyes became. Suddenly, he shouted, "Yes! It's all my fault! I'm just a terrible person! So what?!"

The other young nobles froze at his outburst. After a moment of silence, someone muttered discontentedly, "What’s this? You were the one who started it... Why are you getting angry now?"

Jin Ling snarled, "Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?!"

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were on a nearby boat. Hearing the shout, Wei Wuxian was startled and rushed out, looking across the boats to see Jin Ling holding his sword against the others. He asked, "What's going on?"

Seeing the two of them, Lan Sizhui felt that any difficult situation could be resolved. Overjoyed, he called out, "Hanguang Jun! Senior Wei! Come quickly!"