Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Hate Born Chapter 21 (7)

Su She finally realized the gravity of the situation and immediately covered his chest with his clothes. However, those facing him had already seen clearly the exposed part of his chest. Near his heart, there were densely clustered, grotesque, blackened holes of varying sizes.

The marks of the Thousand Holes Curse!

Moreover, these were definitely not the remnants of a curse cast upon him. If that were the case, judging by the extent of the holes' spread, Su She's internal organs and even his golden core should have been riddled with black holes by now, rendering him completely unable to use spiritual energy. Yet, he could repeatedly use teleportation talismans, which consume a significant amount of spiritual energy. Therefore, there was only one explanation for the origin of these marks—they must be the result of him casting a curse on someone else and having it rebound back onto him!

Back then, Wei Wuxian had indeed tried hard to find out who the curse caster was, attempting to clear his name, but ultimately, it was like finding a needle in a haystack. Moreover, the events that followed had far surpassed what could be resolved by merely finding the curse caster, so he had given up hope. Who would have thought that tonight, after searching high and low, the answer would come without any effort!

Jin Ling didn't understand, and Nie Huaisang probably didn't either, but Lan Xichen had already turned to Jin Guangyao and said, "Family Head Jin, is this also part of the ambush at Qiongqi Path?"

Jin Guangyao replied, "Why do you think so?"

Jiang Cheng said coldly, "Why bother asking? If Jin Zixun hadn't been cursed, none of what followed would have happened! A single ambush helped you eliminate both Jin Zixuan and Jin Zixun, two peers, clearing all obstacles for you to inherit the Jin family of Lanling and ascend to the position of Supervisor of Cultivators. Su She cast the curse—he's your trusted subordinate. Who else could have ordered him to do it?!"

Jin Guangyao neither confirmed nor denied, seemingly focused on regulating his breathing. Wei Wuxian, furious to the point of laughter, stared at Su She and said, "Have I ever wronged you? I have no grudge against you, and I'm not even familiar with you!"

Jin Guangyao said, "Wei gongzi, shouldn't you understand this best? Can people really coexist peacefully just because they have no grudges? How is that possible? Everyone in this world starts off without grudges, but someone always has to make the first move."

Jiang Cheng said bitterly, "Vicious scoundrel!!!"

However, Su She sneered, "Don't kid yourself. Who said I cursed Jin Zixun to frame you? At that time, I wasn't even under the family head's command. I cast the curse simply because I wanted to!"

Wei Wuxian asked, "So you had a grudge against Jin Zixun?"

Su She replied, "I kill every arrogant person I come across!"

Wei Wuxian could guess that the "arrogant person" Su She hated the most was undoubtedly Lan Wangji. He couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is your issue with Hanguang Jun? How is he arrogant?"

Su She retorted, "Isn't it clear? If Lan Wangji hadn't been born into a good family with a prestigious background, what right would he have to be so arrogant? Why does everyone always say I'm imitating him?! The world praises him for his noble character, but what kind of noble character is it when he mingles with the Yiling Patriarch, a man condemned by all, and engages in disgraceful acts? What a farce!"

Just as Wei Wuxian was about to speak, he suddenly felt that this gloomy and resentful expression looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

He suddenly remembered: "It's you!"

Caiyi Town, Biling Lake, the water demon, the sword that fell into the water, the Tortoise of Slaughter, the disciple who pushed Mianmian out—Su She!

Wei Wuxian suddenly burst into laughter.

He said, "I understand now."

Lan Wangji asked, "Understand what?"

Wei Wuxian shook his head.

He knew Jin Zixun's character well. Jin Zixun often looked down on members of affiliated families, considering them no different from household servants, and even felt it beneath him to dine with them. As a member of an affiliated family of the Jin family of Lanling, Su She inevitably had to attend banquets at Jin Lingtai, where he would frequently cross paths with Jin Zixun. One was narrow-minded and petty, while the other was arrogant and domineering. If these two had ever had any conflicts, it wouldn't be surprising for Su She to hold a grudge against Jin Zixun.

If that were the case, then the entire incident of Jin Zixun being cursed with the Thousand Holes Curse had nothing to do with Wei Wuxian. Yet, in the end, it was Wei Wuxian who bore the blame.

The ambush at Qiongqi Path was triggered by Jin Zixun being cursed. Without this initial event, the Jin family of Lanling would have had no justification to ambush Wei Wuxian, Wen Ning wouldn't have lost control and gone on a killing spree, Wei Wuxian wouldn't have been burdened with the heavy guilt of Jin Zixuan's death, and none of the subsequent events would have occurred.

Yet, it was only now that Wei Wuxian learned that the curse caster's motive might not have been to frame him, and that the root cause had nothing to do with him!

—This was truly even harder to accept.

As he laughed, Wei Wuxian's eyes turned red, filled with both sarcasm and self-mockery. He said, "To think it was because of someone like you... because of such a trivial reason!"

Jin Guangyao, however, seemed to see through his thoughts and said, "Wei gongzi, you mustn't think that way."

Wei Wuxian said, "Oh? You think you know what I'm thinking?"

Jin Guangyao replied, "Of course, it's pretty obvious. You're probably thinking, 'This is so unfair,' huh? But honestly, it's not unfair. Even if Su She hadn't cursed Jin Zixun, you, Mr. Wei, would have been hunted down sooner or later for some other reason."

He smiled and continued, "Because that's just the kind of person you are, plain and simple. To put it nicely, you're bold and free-spirited; to put it bluntly, you piss people off wherever you go. Unless everyone you've offended lives peacefully forever, as soon as something goes wrong or someone sets a trap for them, the first suspect will always be you, and the first target of revenge will also be you. And there's nothing you can do about it."

Wei Wuxian actually laughed and said, "What can I say? You might actually have a point."

Jin Guangyao said, "And even if you hadn't lost control at Qiongqi Path that time, could you guarantee that you would never lose control in the future? So, people like you are just doomed to die young. See, doesn't thinking this way make you feel better?"

Jiang Cheng angrily shouted, "You're the one who's gonna die young, you bastard!"

Ignoring his critical wound, he grabbed Three Poisons and tried to charge forward, causing blood to gush out. Jin Ling hurriedly pressed him back down. Unable to move, Jiang Cheng was filled with hatred and cursed, "You son of a bitch, you'd sell your soul to get ahead! Wasn't it you who ordered Su She to do it?! Who are you trying to fool!"

Upon hearing the words "son of a whore," Jin Guangyao's smile froze for a moment.

He looked at Jiang Cheng, pondered for a moment, and then calmly said, "Jiang Cheng, calm down. I understand how you feel right now. You're furious because you found out the truth about the golden core. Looking back at all you've done, your proud heart feels a bit of guilt, so you're eager to find a scapegoat to pin all the blame on, and then whip and denounce him, as if that would avenge Wei Wuxian and ease your own burden.

"If you think blaming me for everything—from the Thousand Holes Curse to the ambush at Qiongqi Path—will make you feel better, then go ahead and think that way, feel free. But you must understand that Wei Wuxian's downfall was also partly your responsibility, and a significant one at that. Why did so many people vehemently denounce the Yiling Patriarch? Why did everyone, even those who had nothing to do with it, join in? Why was he universally condemned? Was it really just a sense of justice? Of course not. You're partly to blame."

Jiang Cheng sneered, and Lan Xichen, knowing Jin Guangyao was about to stir up trouble again, softly warned, "Jin Guangyao!"

Jin Guangyao remained unmoved and continued with a smile, "...Back then, the Jin, Nie, and Lan families were already fighting over the biggest slice of the pie, leaving only scraps for others. And you, having just rebuilt Lotus Pier, with the dangerously unpredictable Yiling Patriarch Wei Wuxian behind you, do you think other families would just sit back and let a young leader like you rise so high? Fortunately, you and your senior brother didn't seem to get along well, so everyone thought there was an opportunity to exploit, and of course, they did everything they could to drive a wedge between you. In any case, preventing your Yunmeng Jiang family from growing stronger was a way to strengthen themselves. Jiang Cheng, if only you'd treated your senior brother better back then, making your alliance seem unbreakable and deterring others from trying to sow discord, or if you had shown a bit more tolerance after the incident, things wouldn't have turned out the way they did. Ah, speaking of which, you were right there leading the charge at the siege of the Burial Mounds..."

Wei Wuxian said, "Seems like 'son of a whore' really hits a nerve, huh, Jin Guangyao? No wonder you offed Nie Mingjue."

At the mention of Nie Mingjue, Lan Xichen's expression changed. Jin Guangyao's smile also froze for a moment, and then he stood up.

After catching his breath, he tested the movement of his left hand's fingers, which were finally able to move freely, and immediately said, "Let's go."

Su She replied, "Yes!"

Two monks stood on either side of Lan Xichen, ready to open the door, when Jin Guangyao suddenly said, "I almost forgot."

He turned to Lan Xichen and said, "Come to think of it, Lord Ze Wu's sealed spiritual veins should be about to break free."

Lan Xichen's cultivation was far superior to his, so Jin Guangyao had to reseal his spiritual veins every hour, or else Lan Xichen would break free on his own. He walked up to Lan Xichen and said, "My apologies."

Just as he was about to reach out, something white and heavy suddenly crashed down in front of him. Jin Guangyao alertly leaped back and saw that it was a naked woman!

The woman, completely naked, lay face down on the ground, her body and limbs twisted as if trying to crawl toward Jin Guangyao. Su She thrust his sword, and the woman screamed, suddenly bursting into flames. She stood up, staggering, and continued to reach out toward Jin Guangyao. Her body and face were scorched black in the flames, but the extreme malice in her eyes was unmistakable. Su She slashed at her again, causing her to dissipate into smoke. Jin Guangyao hadn't retreated far when he tripped over something. Looking back, he saw two entangled bodies, one of which had grabbed his ankle. At that moment, a whistle sounded from behind, and Su She angrily shouted, "Wei Wuxian!"

At some point, someone had drawn several chaotic blood talismans on the Guanyin statue in the Guanyin Hall.

The core of the formation in this Guanyin Temple was located within this Guanyin Hall. And now, the core had been broken by Wei Wuxian while no one was paying attention, and the things sealed within were pouring out endlessly!

Suddenly, Jin Ling screamed, "What's going on?"

Jiang Cheng slapped at his clothes repeatedly, as the hem of his robe had spontaneously caught fire. Jin Ling was relatively lucky; several monks were already engulfed in flames, rolling on the ground and screaming. Su She and Jin Guangyao knew they had to wipe away the blood talismans Wei Wuxian had drawn on the Guanyin statue, but they were hindered by the cultivators rolling on the ground and the continuous appearance of naked evil spirits. These naked men and women, under Wei Wuxian's command, did not attack Jiang Cheng or Jin Ling, but Jin Ling still held Suihua in front of him, saying, "What the hell are these things? I've never seen anything so..."

Such disgusting, shameless monsters!

Jin Guangyao's eyes blazed with anger as he unleashed a palm strike, causing an explosion of flames. He finally managed to reach the Guanyin statue and was about to wipe away the talismans Wei Wuxian had drawn when he suddenly felt a chill at his waist.

Lan Xichen's low voice came from behind, "Don't move."

Jin Guangyao was about to counterattack, but Lan Xichen struck him on the back. Jin Guangyao said, "Lord Ze Wu... you've regained your spiritual power."

Before Lan Xichen could respond, Su She's sword, Nanping, thrust toward Wei Wuxian, only to be met by another sword with a similar blade but a brighter, clearer spiritual light.

Bichen!

The two swords clashed, and Nanping was actually snapped in two!

In an instant, Su She's hand split open, blood flowed freely, and even an arm's joints creaked. The sword hilt fell to the ground, and he clutched his right arm with his left hand, his face ashen. Lan Wangji, holding Bichen with one hand, wrapped his other arm around Wei Wuxian's waist, turning him behind to protect him. Wei Wuxian didn't really need his protection, but he still quite enjoyed it and leaned against him cooperatively.

A series of changes happened in the blink of an eye, and in just a few moments, the cultivators of the Jin family of Lanling finally reacted. However, Su She, clutching his bleeding right hand, with the wound on his chest reopened, had Bichen's sharp edge pressed against Jin Guangyao's throat.

With their leader restrained, none of them dared to act rashly.

Lan Xichen was about to speak when suddenly everyone in the Guanyin Temple changed their expressions. Lan Xichen said, "Wei gongzi, you... you should take these things back first."

These evil spirits were not only naked and indecent but also let out extremely embarrassing moans, clearly indicating what they were doing. No one had ever seen such obscene and disgraceful evil spirits before. Lan Xichen turned his face away, Jiang Cheng's face was livid, and Jin Ling's face alternated between red and white. Wei Wuxian looked at Lan Wangji beside him, thinking it was too inappropriate for someone who would be embarrassed and angry when seeing erotic pictures in his youth to see such things, and explained, "My original intention was just to release the evil spirits he had suppressed in the Guanyin Temple, to buy some time, I had no idea it would release such things..."

At this moment, Lan Wangji, after just one glance at the resentful spirits, averted his gaze, much like Lan Xichen, looking elsewhere and said two words: "Big fire."

Wei Wuxian immediately nodded, saying seriously, "Yes. These resentful spirits were all burned to death. It seems that there was once a big fire here, which killed many people, and then Jin Guangyao, to cover up and suppress these evil spirits that became fierce due to being burned to death, personally built a Guanyin Temple here."

Lan Xichen said, "Jin Guangyao, is this fire related to you?"

Jiang Cheng coldly said, "Those resentful spirits hate him to the bone; how could it possibly be unrelated!"