Chapter 85

Chapter 85: Danxin Chapter 19, Part 7

Before stepping through the gates of Lotus Pier, Wei Wuxian took a deep breath to steady himself. However, once inside, he didn't feel as agitated as he had imagined.

Perhaps it was because so much had been renovated. The training grounds had doubled in size, and the new buildings with their soaring eaves and intricate angles were more imposing and majestic than before. Yet, compared to the Lotus Pier in his memories, it was almost unrecognizable.

Wei Wuxian felt a sense of loss. The old buildings from his memories were either hidden behind these grand new structures or had been demolished entirely.

After all, they were truly ancient.

On the training grounds, disciples from various families began forming square formations, sitting cross-legged to meditate and restore their spiritual energy. After nearly a full day and night of turmoil, everyone was utterly exhausted and needed a moment to catch their breath. Jiang Cheng led the family heads and other important figures into the main hall, the Sword Testing Hall, to continue discussing the day's events. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji followed them in. Some felt it was inappropriate, but no one could say anything.

As soon as they entered the hall and before they could take their seats, a man who appeared to be a retainer approached and said, "Sect Leader."

He leaned in and whispered something into Jiang Cheng's ear. Jiang Cheng frowned and said, "No. Whatever it is, it can wait. Don't you see the situation we're in?"

The retainer replied, "I told them that, but the two women said... they came specifically for today's matter."

Jiang Cheng asked, "Who are they? Which family's female cultivators?"

The retainer said, "They don't belong to any family, and they're not cultivators. I can confirm they are ordinary women with no spiritual power. They arrived today and brought a batch of valuable medicinal herbs, but they didn't say which family head sent them. They only said they had important information for you. I thought their words were significant and didn't dare to neglect them, so I've placed them in the guest quarters for now. The herbs haven't been stored yet, but I've checked them, and there are no harmful curses."

It wasn't unusual for someone to seek an audience with the head of the Yunmeng Jiang family, but these two women refused to reveal their origins and were ordinary women without spiritual power or family background. However, they had brought a batch of valuable medicinal herbs, so the retainer in charge of reception didn't dare to treat them lightly. Even if it wasn't for the sake of the gifts, the peculiarity of the situation alone demanded attention. Jiang Cheng said, "Everyone, please take a seat. I must excuse myself for a moment. I'll be back shortly."

The crowd responded, "Sect Leader Jiang, you're too kind."

However, Jiang Cheng did not return shortly. Instead, he was gone for quite some time. It was already impolite to leave guests unattended, especially under such critical circumstances when everyone was waiting to discuss important matters. After nearly half an hour, Jiang Cheng still hadn't returned, and many began to feel uneasy or displeased. Just then, Jiang Cheng finally reappeared. He had left with a calm expression but returned with a stern face, walking briskly. He brought two women with him, presumably the ones who had come to visit. Everyone had assumed that even if they were ordinary women, they must be extraordinary to bring such valuable gifts. However, these two women were no longer young, with visible signs of aging in the corners of their eyes and mouths. One looked meek and anxious, while the other was covered in dust and had five or six old knife scars on her face, making her appearance horrifying. The sight was enough to make people lose their appetite and feel uneasy. They began to wonder why Jiang Cheng had brought such women into the Sword Testing Hall and even seated them in the center of the room.

Jiang Cheng, with a dark expression, said to the two trembling women, "Speak here."

Sect Leader Yao asked, "Sect Leader Jiang, what is this about?"

Jiang Cheng replied, "This matter is too shocking. I didn't dare to act rashly and took some time to question them thoroughly. Please, everyone, remain quiet and listen to what these two have to say." He turned to the women and said, "Which of you will speak first?"

The two women exchanged glances, and the one with the more weathered appearance, who seemed bolder, stood up and said, "I'll go first."

She gave a casual bow and said, "What I'm about to tell you is something that happened about eleven years ago."

From Jiang Cheng's tone, everyone knew this woman wasn't going to share something trivial, and they began to wonder what had happened eleven years ago. The woman continued, "My name is Sisi. I used to be in prostitution and was quite popular for a time. Over a decade ago, I found a wealthy merchant and wanted to marry him, but his wife was a formidable woman. She hired a group of men who slashed my face with knives, and I ended up like this."

The woman spoke without any shame or hesitation, causing some female cultivators to cover their mouths with their sleeves and some male cultivators to frown repeatedly. Sisi continued, "After my face was ruined, my life changed completely. No one wanted to look at me, let alone do business with me. The brothel I worked at kicked me out. I didn't know how to do anything else, and I couldn't find work anywhere. So, I teamed up with some older sisters in the same line of work. Their clients weren't picky, and they included me in their jobs. I covered my face and managed to get by."

At this point, some people couldn't take it anymore, and their disdain became blatantly obvious. Some couldn't understand why Jiang Cheng would make everyone listen to such a sordid and shameful story. The family heads, however, remained composed and waited for her to continue. Sure enough, she soon reached the crucial part. Sisi said, "One day, the sisters in our alley suddenly received a job offer. They hired over twenty of us and took us by carriage to a place. My older sisters were thrilled because they had agreed on a good payment. But I felt something was off. To put it bluntly, we were all either old and faded or disfigured like me. Why would someone pay so much upfront for us? And the people who came to get us were secretive and suspicious. They took us straight to the carriage without letting anyone else know. It didn't seem like they had good intentions!"

Others thought the same, and their initial disdain was replaced by curiosity. Sisi continued, "The carriage took us to a place and brought us into a courtyard. None of us had ever seen such a tall, grand, and opulent house before. We were all dazzled and didn't dare to breathe. A young man was leaning against the doorway playing with a dagger. When he saw us, he told us to come inside. He closed the door, and we entered the house. Inside the large room, there were only two people. A man in his thirties or forties was lying on a large bed, covered in brocade quilts. He looked half-dead from illness, and when he saw us enter, only his eyes could move."

"Ah!"

Someone in the Sword Testing Hall suddenly exclaimed in realization, "Eleven years ago?! This is... this is...!!!"

Sisi said, "We had been instructed beforehand on what to do. We were to use our best skills to attend to the man lying on the bed, one after another, without stopping. I thought he would be a strong and vigorous man, but he turned out to be a sickly wretch. How could someone like that withstand such service? He would probably die after just a couple of rounds. And with all their wealth, why didn't they hire young and beautiful women instead of us old and ugly ones? I was still thinking this as I climbed onto him, when suddenly I heard a young man laugh. I was startled and only then noticed a curtain by the bed. Behind it, there was someone sitting!"

Everyone's hearts were in their throats as Sisi continued, "I realized this person had been sitting behind the curtain the whole time. When he laughed, the man on the bed suddenly struggled and pushed me off, rolling off the bed. The person behind the curtain laughed even harder and said, 'Father, I've brought you your favorite women. There are many of them. Are you happy?'"

Although these words came from Sisi's mouth, everyone felt a chill run down their spine, and a smiling face appeared in their minds.

Jin Guangyao!

And the half-dead man on the bed must have been Jin Guangshan!

The death of Jin Guangshan has always been an open secret among the various families. Jin Guangshan was a man of almost lecherous behavior, leaving behind both his mark and offspring wherever he went. His death was related to this; even in his weakened state, the Jin family head of Lanling insisted on seeking pleasure with women, ultimately dying from a stroke during intercourse. This was hardly a dignified end. After losing her only son and daughter-in-law, Madam Jin had already been in a state of melancholy for several years. Upon learning that her husband had continued his philandering even up to his death, ultimately losing his life in the process, she was so enraged that it made her ill, leading to her passing soon after. The Jin family of Lanling tried to cover up the rumors, but the other families had long tacitly understood the situation. While they outwardly expressed sorrow and lament, inwardly they felt he deserved such a death. However, today, they heard an even more unspeakable and hideous truth. Gasps of shock rippled through the Sword Testing Hall.

Sisi said, "The middle-aged man wanted to shout and struggle, but he had no strength. The young man who had earlier led us in returned, laughing as he dragged him back onto the bed. He took a rope, stepped on his head, and tied him up tightly, then told us to continue, even if he died. None of us had ever witnessed anything like this before. We were terrified, but we didn't dare disobey, so we kept going. By the time it was the twelfth or eleventh sister, she suddenly screamed, saying he was really dead. I went up to look, and sure enough, he had no breath left. But the figure behind the curtain said, 'Didn't you hear? Don't stop even if he's dead!'"

The Ouyang family head couldn't help but say, "No matter what, Jin Guangshan was his biological father. If this is true... this is just too... too..."

Sisi said, "When I saw that the man was dead, I knew it was over. We were definitely not going to escape. Sure enough, after it was over, all twenty-something of my fellow sisters were killed, not a single one left..."

Wei Wuxian asked, "Then why were you the only one left?"

Sisi replied, "I don't know! I begged and pleaded, saying I no longer wanted the money and that I would never tell anyone. But for some reason, they really didn't kill me. They took me to a residence and locked me up, and I was imprisoned for eleven years. Only recently did I manage to escape after being rescued by someone."

Wei Wuxian asked, "Who rescued you?"

Sisi said, "I don't know. I never directly met the person who saved me. But after hearing my story, that benefactor resolved not to let this hypocritical, morally bankrupt scoundrel continue to deceive everyone. Even if he now holds immense power, they wanted to expose what he had done, to seek justice for those he had harmed, and to let my twenty-something poor sisters rest in peace."