Chapter 112

Chapter 112: WangXian Chapter 23-2

Three months later. Guangling.

On a mountain, a group of villagers, armed with torches and farming tools for protection, slowly surrounded a patch of forest on the mountain.

This mountain had a stretch of unmarked graves, which had been causing trouble for the past few months. The villagers at the foot of the mountain had been harassed by the restless spirits from these graves and could no longer endure it. They invited a few cultivators passing by to join them in going up the mountain to eliminate the source of the trouble.

As dusk fell, the chirping of insects was distinct, and the waist-high wild grass rustled from time to time, as if something was lurking within, waiting to strike at any moment. However, when they nervously parted the grass and shone their torches, it was often a false alarm.

The cultivators, holding long swords, led the villagers carefully through the grassland and into the forest.

Inside the forest lay the unmarked graveyard, with damaged tombstones made of stone or wood, some tilted, some fallen, and a cold wind blowing. The cultivators exchanged glances, took out talismans, and prepared to cleanse the evil spirits. Seeing their calm expressions, the situation didn't seem too serious, and several villagers breathed a sigh of relief.

But before they could fully relax, a loud "thud" was heard, and a bloody, mangled corpse fell onto a grave in front of them.

The villager closest to the grave let out a scream, dropped his torch, and fled in panic. Immediately after, a second, third, and fourth bloody corpse fell, as if corpses were raining from the sky, crashing down incessantly. The forest was instantly filled with screams. The cultivators, who had never seen such a scene before, were shocked but not scared. The leader shouted, "Don't run! Don't panic! It's just a minor spirit..."

Before he could finish, it was as if he was choked, and his voice abruptly stopped.

He saw a tree.

On the tree sat a person, with a black robe draped down and a slender black boot gently swaying, looking completely relaxed and carefree.

At this person's waist hung a dark, eerie flute, with a tassel as red as blood dangling below it, swaying gently with the movement of his leg.

The cultivators' faces turned pale.

The villagers, who had already lost their composure, felt a bit reassured upon hearing his shout. However, when they saw the cultivators' faces turn white and watched them turn and flee, rushing out of the forest and down the mountain like a gust of wind, abandoning them, they realized that there must be some formidable evil spirit on this mountain that even the cultivators couldn't handle. In an instant, they were terrified and scattered in all directions, fleeing in all directions. One villager, slower to escape, fell behind and tripped, his mouth filled with mud. Thinking he was done for, he suddenly saw a young man in white standing ahead, and his eyes involuntarily lit up.

This man wore a long sword at his waist and seemed to be enveloped in a faint white light, giving him a mystical, otherworldly appearance in the dim forest. The villager immediately cried for help, "Young master! This young master! Save me, there's a ghost! Quickly, deal with this demon..."

Before he could finish, another corpse fell in front of him. The face, with blood streaming from all seven orifices, happened to meet his gaze.

Just as the villager was about to faint from fear, the man said one word to him, "Go."

Though it was just one word, the villager felt an inexplicable sense of relief, as if he had been granted a pardon. Suddenly, a burst of strength came over him, and he scrambled to his feet and fled without looking back.

The man in white glanced at the bloodied corpses crawling all over the forest, seemingly unsure of how to react. He looked up, and the black-clad figure who had been sitting in the tree earlier gracefully jumped down, instantly appearing in front of him. The black-clad figure pressed him against a tree and said softly, "Oh, isn't this the pure and noble Hanguang Jun, Lan Wangji? What brings you to my territory?"

Surrounded by bloodied corpses crawling around in confusion or ferocity, the black-clad figure placed one hand on the tree trunk, trapping Lan Wangji between his body and the tree. Lan Wangji remained expressionless.

The black-clad figure continued, "Since you've delivered yourself to me, then I'll... oh, oh, oh!"

Lan Wangji grabbed both of his wrists with one hand.

The situation reversed, and the black-clad figure, now restrained, exclaimed in surprise, "Heavens, Hanguang Jun, you're amazing! Unbelievable, astonishing, mind-blowing! You actually subdued me with just one hand! I can't resist at all! What a terrifying man!"

Lan Wangji: "..."

His grip involuntarily tightened. The black-clad figure's surprise turned to fear, "Ah, it hurts! Let me go, Hanguang Jun, I won't dare do it again. Don't grab me like this anymore, and definitely don't tie me up or pin me to the ground..."

Seeing his words and actions becoming increasingly exaggerated, Lan Wangji's brow twitched, and he finally interrupted, "...Stop playing around."

Wei Wuxian, who had been enjoying his act of pleading for mercy, said in surprise, "Why? I haven't finished begging yet."

"..." Lan Wangji said, "You beg for mercy every day. Stop playing."

Wei Wuxian leaned closer to him and whispered, "Isn't this what you asked for... every day means every day."

His face was extremely close, as if he was about to kiss Lan Wangji, but he hesitated to fully close the distance. Their lips remained tantalizingly close, separated by the thinnest of margins, like a flirtatious and mischievous butterfly fluttering delicately on a dignified petal, neither landing nor kissing. After teasing him like this for a while, Lan Wangji's light-colored eyes flickered slightly, as if the petal, unable to restrain itself, was about to actively touch the butterfly's wing. Wei Wuxian suddenly tilted his face up, avoiding his lips.

He raised an eyebrow and said, "Call me 'brother.'"

Lan Wangji: "..."

Wei Wuxian said, "Call me 'brother.' Call me 'brother,' and I'll let you kiss me."

"..." Lan Wangji's lips moved slightly.

He had never used such a tender and affectionate term to address anyone in his life, not even Lan Xichen, whom he always called "elder brother" in a formal manner. Wei Wuxian coaxed, "Just call me once. I've called you so many times. After you call me that, we can do more than just kiss."

Even if Lan Wangji was about to say it, Wei Wuxian's words defeated him, and he couldn't bring himself to say it. After holding back for a while, he only managed to say, "You're shameless!"

Wei Wuxian said, "Isn't it tiring to hold me with one hand? It's so inconvenient to do things with just one hand."

Regaining his composure, Lan Wangji said politely, "Then, may I ask, what should I do?"

Wei Wuxian said, "I'll teach you. Just take off your forehead ribbon and tie my hands with it, wouldn't that be more convenient?"

Lan Wangji quietly looked at him, grinning, for a while, then slowly took off his forehead ribbon and showed it to Wei Wuxian.

Then, with lightning speed, he tied a knot around Wei Wuxian's hands and firmly pressed them above his head, burying his face in Wei Wuxian's neck. At that moment, a sudden scream came from the grass.

The two of them instantly separated. Lan Wangji placed his hand on the hilt of Bichen but did not rashly draw his sword, as the scream was quite clear and delicate, clearly from a child. If they accidentally injured a passerby, it would be disastrous. The half-person-high grass rustled, and the movement within it grew farther away, indicating that the child had run off. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji chased a few steps, and from the slope below came a woman's joyful voice, "Mianmian, are you okay! How could you run around in such a place? You nearly scared me to death!"

Wei Wuxian was startled, "Mianmian?"

Just as he felt that the name was very familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before, another man's voice scolded, "I told you not to run around during night hunting, yet you charged ahead alone. If a ghost ate you, what would your mother and I do! ...Mianmian? What's wrong? Why do you look like this?" The last sentence was likely directed at the woman, "Qingyang, take a look, is Mianmian okay? Why does she look like this? Did she see something she shouldn't have up there?"

...Indeed, she had seen... something she shouldn't have seen.

Lan Wangji glanced at Wei Wuxian, who innocently looked back at him, mouthing, "What a scandal."

He clearly had no remorse for corrupting a child. Lan Wangji shook his head, and the two of them left the graveyard and went down the slope. The three people below immediately looked at them with surprise and suspicion. A man and a woman, clearly a couple, were squatting on the ground, with a little girl with double buns standing between them, about ten years old. The woman was a strikingly beautiful young lady with a sword at her waist. The moment she saw Wei Wuxian, she drew her sword and pointed it at him, shouting, "Who are you!"

Wei Wuxian said, "No matter who I am, I'm definitely human, not something else."

The woman was about to speak but then saw Lan Wangji behind Wei Wuxian. She was momentarily stunned and said, "Hanguang Jun? Is that you?"

Lan Wangji was not wearing his forehead ribbon, so for a moment, she couldn't be sure. If it weren't for his unforgettable face, she might have hesitated longer. She shifted her gaze back to Wei Wuxian, momentarily dazed, and said, "Then, you are, you are..."

The news of the Yiling Patriarch's return had already spread far and wide, and now that he was with Lan Wangji, it was no surprise that he was recognized. Wei Wuxian noticed her faint excitement and found her somewhat familiar. He thought, "Does this Lady Yuan know me? Do I have a grudge against her? Did I provoke her? No, I don't know a girl named Qingyang... Ah, Mianmian!"

Wei Wuxian suddenly realized, "You're Mianmian?"

The man glared, "Why are you calling my daughter?"

It turned out that the little girl who had accidentally stumbled upon them earlier was Mianmian's daughter, also named Mianmian. Wei Wuxian found it quite amusing: "A big Mianmian and a little Mianmian."

Lan Wangji nodded to the woman in greeting, "Miss Luo."

The woman brushed the slightly disheveled hair by her cheek behind her ear and returned the greeting, "Hanguang Jun." Then she looked at Wei Wuxian and said, "Wei gongzi."

Wei Wuxian smiled at the woman, "Miss Luo. Oh, now I know your name."

Luo Qingyang smiled slightly shyly, as if recalling old memories, feeling quite embarrassed. She pulled the man up and said, "This is my husband."

The man, sensing that they were not malicious, relaxed and exchanged a few pleasantries. Wei Wuxian casually asked, "May I ask which family or sect this gentleman belongs to?"

The man replied straightforwardly, "I don't belong to any sect."

Luo Qingyang looked at her husband with a smile and said, "My husband is not from the cultivation community; he used to be a merchant. However, he is willing to join me in night hunting..."

An ordinary man, no less, willing to give up a stable life, unafraid of wandering and danger, daring to travel and endure hardships with his wife—this was an extremely rare and commendable thing. Wei Wuxian couldn't help but feel deep respect.

He asked, "Are you here for night hunting as well?"

Luo Qingyang nodded, "Exactly. I heard that there are malevolent spirits haunting this mountain, causing great distress to the locals, so we came to see if we could help. Have you two already handled it?"

If Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji had already handled it, there would be no need for others to intervene. However, Wei Wuxian said, "You've been misled by those villagers."

Luo Qingyang was startled, "What do you mean?"

Wei Wuxian explained, "They claim the spirits are causing trouble unprovoked, but in reality, it was the villagers themselves who first dug up graves and carelessly discarded the remains, provoking the spirits to seek revenge."

Luo Qingyang's husband asked doubtfully, "Is that so? But even if they retaliated, they didn't need to kill several people, did they?"

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji exchanged a glance, and Wei Wuxian said, "That's also a lie. There were no deaths. We found that only a few grave-robbers were scared by the spirits and bedridden briefly. One of them broke his leg while fleeing in a panic. Other than that, there were no casualties. The claim of deaths was just made up to scare people."

Luo Qingyang's husband exclaimed, "Is that so? That's completely shameless!"

Luo Qingyang sighed, "Ah, these people..." She seemed to recall something from the past, shook her head, and said, "It's like this everywhere."

Wei Wuxian said, "I gave them a good scare earlier. After this, they probably won't dare to come up and rob graves again, so the spirits naturally won't trouble them. Issue resolved."

Luo Qingyang asked, "But what if they hire other cultivators to suppress the spirits?"

Wei Wuxian smiled and said, "I've already made my presence known."

Luo Qingyang understood. The Yiling Patriarch had already made himself known. After being seen by those cultivators, the news would surely spread far and wide. Others would think he had claimed this area as his own. What cultivator would dare cross him now?

Luo Qingyang smiled and said, "I see. Earlier, when I saw Mianmian so frightened, I thought she had encountered some evil spirit. If we were rude in any way, please don't mind."

Wei Wuxian thought to himself, "No, no, it's probably us who were being rude." Outwardly, he maintained a serious expression and said, "Not at all. We scared Mianmian, so please don't mind."

Luo Qingyang's husband picked up their daughter. Mianmian sat on her father's arm, puffing her cheeks and glaring at Wei Wuxian, looking both angry and embarrassed, as if she couldn't bring herself to speak. Wei Wuxian noticed she was wearing a light pink dress, her face as delicate as jade, her eyes like dark purple grapes. He really wanted to pinch her cheeks, but with her father watching closely, he settled for tugging on her little braid. With his hands behind his back, he smiled and said, "Mianmian looks just like you did as a child, Miss Luo."

Lan Wangji glanced at him but said nothing. Luo Qingyang chuckled, covering her mouth with a smile, and said, "Wei gongzi, aren't you feeling guilty saying that? Do you really remember how I looked as a child?"

Her smile, with her mouth slightly covered, vaguely overlapped with the image of the young girl in the pink gauze dress from years ago. Wei Wuxian didn't feel the slightest bit ashamed and said, "Of course I remember! You haven't changed a bit. By the way, how old is she? I'll give her some money to keep the spirits at bay."

Luo Qingyang and her husband quickly declined, "No need, no need."

Wei Wuxian laughed, "It's a must, it's a must. Anyway, it's not coming out of my pocket, haha."

The couple was slightly puzzled, but before they could fully grasp his meaning, Lan Wangji had already placed something in Wei Wuxian's hand. Wei Wuxian took the heavy coins meant to ward off evil spirits and insisted on giving them to Mianmian. Seeing that they couldn't refuse, Luo Qingyang said to her daughter, "Mianmian, thank Hanguang Jun and Wei gongzi quickly."

Mianmian said, "Thank you, Hanguang Jun."

Wei Wuxian said, "Mianmian, I'm the one giving this to you. Why aren't you thanking me?"

Mianmian glared at him angrily, and no matter how he teased her, she refused to speak to him. She just lowered her head and pulled on a red string around her neck, revealing a delicate little pouch. She carefully placed the coins inside. Soon after, they descended the mountain, and Wei Wuxian had to bid them farewell with some regret, taking another path with Lan Wangji.

After their figures disappeared, Luo Qingyang scolded her daughter, "Mianmian, how could you be so rude? That man once saved your mother's life."

Her husband was shocked, "Really?! Mianmian, did you hear that? See how rude you were!"

Mianmian muttered, "I... I don't like him."

Luo Qingyang said, "If you really disliked him, you would have thrown away the evil-repelling coin long ago, child."

Mianmian, her little face flushed, buried herself in her father's chest, mumbling, "He did bad things!"

Luo Qingyang was torn between amusement and exasperation, about to speak when her husband curiously asked, "Qingyang, I remember you mentioning Hanguang Jun before, recalling that he is a prominent figure from a noble family. Why would he appear in such a small place, hunting such insignificant spirits?"

Luo Qingyang patiently explained to her husband, "Hanguang Jun is different from other famous scholars. He always shows up wherever there's trouble. As long as there are evil spirits causing harm, regardless of the rank of the night hunting target or the size of the merit, he will go to assist."

Her husband nodded, saying, "He is indeed a true gentleman." He then nervously and curiously pressed on, "And what about Wei Wuxian? You said he saved your life, but I don't recall you mentioning him much before? When did you ever encounter a life-threatening situation?!"

Luo Qingyang took Mianmian into her arms, a peculiar glint flickering in her eyes, and smiled, "As for Wei Wuxian..."

On another path, Wei Wuxian said to Lan Wangji, "I didn't expect that a little girl from back then now has a daughter who is also a little girl!"

Lan Wangji replied, "Hmm."

Wei Wuxian said, "But this isn't fair. She should have seen you being mean to me back then, why does she dislike me more?"

Before Lan Wangji could answer, Wei Wuxian turned around, facing Lan Wangji, walking backward, and said, "Oh, I get it. She must actually like me, just like someone else did back then."

Lan Wangji brushed imaginary dust from his sleeve, calmly saying, "Please pass me the forehead ribbon, Wei Yuandao."

Hearing this unfamiliar name, Wei Wuxian was stunned for a moment before reacting, chuckling, "I told you, Lan Wangji, you're jealous, aren't you?"

Lan Wangji lowered his eyelashes, Wei Wuxian stood in front of him, one hand around his waist, the other lifting his chin, seriously saying, "Honestly, how many years have you been drinking this vinegar? How have you hidden it so well, I haven't even smelled the sourness."

Lan Wangji, accustomed to this, tilted his face up to cooperate, suddenly feeling a mischievous hand slip into his chest. Looking down, Wei Wuxian's hand had already pulled out, holding something, pretending to be surprised, "What's this?"

It was Lan Wangji's money pouch.

Wei Wuxian spun the delicate little pouch in his right hand, pointing at it with his left, "Hanguang Jun, Hanguang Jun, taking without permission is theft. What did they say about you back then? A scion of a noble family? A model for young nobles? What a model, secretly drinking strong vinegar, stealing the sachet a little girl gave me, using it as your own money pouch, no wonder I couldn't find it anywhere after I woke up. If it weren't for the little sachet hanging on Mianmian's chest being exactly the same as this one, I wouldn't have remembered. You, tsk tsk. Tell me, how did you take it from me while I was unconscious? How long did you touch it?"

A faint ripple of emotion crossed Lan Wangji's face, he reached out to grab it, but Wei Wuxian tossed the pouch, dodging his hand, stepping back, "Can't argue so you resort to grabbing? What's there to be shy about? If even this embarrasses you, I finally understand why I feel no shame, we're truly a match made in heaven, it must be because all my shame is stored with you, you're keeping it for me."

Lan Wangji's earlobes were tinged with a faint pink, but his face remained tightly composed, his hands moving swiftly, but Wei Wuxian's feet were faster, always just out of reach, "You used to willingly give me your money pouch, so why not now? Look at you, not just a thief of objects, but of hearts too, breaking promises, utterly incorrigible."

Lan Wangji pounced, finally catching him, holding him tightly in his arms, defending, "We have bowed three times, we are already... husband and wife, it's not stealing affection."

Wei Wuxian said, "Even between husband and wife, you can't always force me like this, always making me beg you, and you don't stop even when I beg. You've become like this, the ancestors of the Gusu Lan Family would be rolling in their graves..."

Unable to bear it any longer, Lan Wangji fiercely silenced his mouth.