Chapter 122

Chapter 121: Extra Chapter: The Door Affair 2

Upon hearing this, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji exchanged a glance, while Lan Sizhui became alert.

Wei Wuxian said, "Please, tell us more."

After pondering for a moment, Master Qin slowly replied, "There isn't much to tell. I didn't know this person very well. When I was young, I grew up in a remote mountain village at my grandmother's house. This person was one of the household servants there. Since we were close in age, we grew up playing together."

Wei Wuxian said, "That's what we call a childhood buddy. How could you not know him well?"

Master Qin replied, "As we got older, we grew apart."

Wei Wuxian asked, "Think hard, did you ever do anything to offend this servant?"

Master Qin said, "There was one thing, but I'm not sure how serious it was."

Lan Wangji said, "Go on."

Master Qin continued, "This servant had been serving my grandmother for many years, always by her side. Because he was nimble and smart, and close in age to her grandchildren, my grandmother liked him very much and often praised him for his intelligence. This gave him an arrogant attitude, and he would often follow around the young lords of our clan, not knowing his place. Later, my grandmother even allowed him to join our lessons."

"One day, the teacher assigned a really tough homework problem. During the discussion, someone figured out an answer, and everyone was praising it. But suddenly, the servant said, 'That's wrong.'"

Master Qin explained, "At that time, the servant had only been attending lessons for a month or two, while the rest of us had been studying for two or three years. Of course, we didn't need to argue about who was right or wrong. Someone shot him down right away. But he was very stubborn and kept insisting that the previous answer was wrong, wanting to show us his solution. Eventually, he got on everyone's nerves, and we all ended up kicking him out."

Hearing this, Lan Sizhui couldn't help but say, "Master Qin, even if he got on your nerves, he didn't do anything that bad... Why kick him out like that?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Master Qin, this sounds like a situation where your group of young lords provoked him. Did you have a special role in this? Otherwise, he wouldn't have just targeted you; he would have gone after all of you."

Master Qin replied, "At the time, I only said it offhand. I was the first to tell him to leave, but everyone else had already grown tired of him, and things got out of hand. This guy had a real temper. After that, he went back to my grandmother and said he wouldn't attend lessons anymore, and he never did."

Wei Wuxian said, "I have two more questions, Master Qin. You must answer them truthfully."

Master Qin said, "Ask."

"The first question," Wei Wuxian said, his eyes shining brightly, "Earlier, you said 'someone figured out the first answer.' Was that 'someone' you?"

After a pause, Master Qin said, "Is that important?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Then, the second question—who was actually right and who was wrong about the homework solution?"

Master Qin's expression darkened. He straightened his sleeves and said indifferently, "This is an old matter from years ago. I can't recall every little detail. But to be fair, who hasn't done some weird things or met some strange people when they were young? Please don't dwell on this. Right now, I just want to resolve this matter as quickly and thoroughly as possible."

Wei Wuxian smiled and said, "Alright. I understand, I understand."

Lan Wangji asked, "When did this person pass away?"

Master Qin replied, "About two years ago."

Wei Wuxian said, "Two years? That's not too long ago, but it's not recent either. How did he die? Was it suicide?"

"No. I heard he was drinking late at night, running around carelessly, and didn't watch his step. He fell and died."

"If it wasn't suicide, then the situation is slightly better. Master Qin, is there anything else?"

"No, that's all."

"Then please return home for now. We'll send a talisman to your place soon. If you remember anything else, please let us know at any time."

After returning to the small bamboo pavilion, Lan Sizhui closed the door, turned around, and let out a sigh. He said, "This Master Qin... he's really... something else."

Lan Wangji suddenly said, "Two years."

Wei Wuxian replied, "Yes, two years is a bit odd."

Lan Sizhui asked, "Odd?"

Wei Wuxian pulled out a blank talisman paper from his sleeve and said, "If it's a deep-seated resentment from an evil spirit, it usually starts causing trouble on the seventh night after death. For longer cases, it's common for them to act within a year. Since it has already turned into a fierce corpse, why did it take two years to come knocking?"

Lan Sizhui speculated, "Could it be that it couldn't find Master Qin's new address after he moved?"

He imagined the corpse knocking on doors every night, peeking inside to see if it was Master Qin, and felt a chill run down his back.

Wei Wuxian, however, said, "No. This corpse had a past connection with Master Qin, so tracking him down by his aura wouldn't be difficult. Moreover, if it were as you said, it would have made mistakes in its search, and similar incidents of corpses knocking on doors would have been reported more than once. Lan Zhan, you've read more records than I have, do you remember any similar cases in the past two years?"

He entered the study, and Lan Wangji said, "There are none."

Wei Wuxian said, "Exactly... Lan Zhan, I can't find the cinnabar." He took out a brush and said, "I used it just last night! Has anyone seen the cinnabar?"

Lan Wangji also entered the study and found the cinnabar. Wei Wuxian dipped the brush tip into the delicate little cup twice, poured himself a cup of tea, and sat down at the table. He held the tea in his left hand and the brush in his right, scribbling wildly on the talisman paper without even looking, while saying to Lan Wangji, "If you don't remember, then there definitely aren't any. So, the fact that it didn't act against Master Qin for two years must have another reason. Alright, it's done."

He lifted the still-wet talisman from the table and handed it to Lan Sizhui, saying, "Take it to him."

Lan Sizhui took it and looked at it from all angles, completely baffled. He had never seen such a chaotic and unconventional talisman pattern in any book. He couldn't help but ask, "Senior Wei, this... isn't just something you scribbled randomly, is it?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Of course it is."

"..."

"I never use my eyes when drawing talismans."

"..."

Wei Wuxian laughed, "Don't worry, it will definitely work. By the way, Sizhui, do you not like this Master Qin very much?"

Lan Sizhui thought for a moment and said, "I'm not sure." He honestly replied, "He hasn't done anything particularly evil, but I might find it difficult to get along with someone of his temperament. I don't like the way he talks about 'household servants'..."

He paused there. Wei Wuxian, completely oblivious, said, "It's common. Most people in this world look down on household servants. Sometimes even the servants themselves look down on themselves... Why are you looking at me like that?"

Halfway through his sentence, he laughed helplessly and said, "Stop, what are you misunderstanding? How can you compare? Lotus Pier isn't an ordinary household. When I was young, I hit Jiang Cheng more times than he hit me!"

Lan Wangji didn't say anything, just silently hugged him. Wei Wuxian couldn't help but laugh, hugging him back and stroking his back a few times. Lan Sizhui coughed lightly, seeing that Wei Wuxian was completely unfazed by the term "household servants," and felt reassured.

Wei Wuxian added, "However, he will probably come again."

Lan Sizhui was startled, "Can't we resolve it today?"

Lan Wangji said, "He hasn't told us everything."

Wei Wuxian said, "Exactly. It's not the first time we've dealt with someone like this. There's no other way; we have to extract information bit by bit. Let's see if he'll tell us everything tomorrow after tonight."

As expected, the next morning, while Lan Sizhui was practicing his sword in the courtyard of the small bamboo house, Master Qin returned.

He stormed in and blurted out, "I don't care!"

Lan Sizhui quickly said, "Master Qin, please wait! My two seniors are still sleeping... meditating! They are at a critical point in their cultivation and must not be disturbed!"

Hearing this, Master Qin didn't force his way into the courtyard, but he still poured all his grievances onto Lan Sizhui, "I don't want to hear about temporary fixes! I want this thing to never come after me again!!!"

That second night, Master Qin, as usual, couldn't sleep and was reading by the lamp in the main hall. Before long, the corpse—the household servant—came again, as usual.

It still couldn’t enter the house, jumping around outside, occasionally bumping into the door, yet the wooden frame and paper covering held firm. Before long, the noise grew distant. Master Qin, who hadn’t slept properly in days, finally gave in to exhaustion. Before he knew it, drowsiness overtook him, and he slumped into a deep sleep right where he sat.

After what felt like an eternity, he was jolted awake by three sharp knocks on the door. His body stiffened, his spine shot upright, and he snapped awake.

A woman’s voice came from outside: "Husband."

Master Qin, groggy and disoriented, heard his wife’s voice and stumbled toward the door. But after a few steps, it hit him: his wife had been weeping and quarreling with him for days, declaring life unbearable, and just yesterday she’d packed up and left for her parents’ home. If she’d fled home out of fear, why would she dare return alone in the dead of night?

A woman’s silhouette, slender and familiar, was cast on the paper window—eerily like his wife’s. But Master Qin wasn’t taking any chances. He silently drew his sword and called out, "Wife, why have you returned? Have you forgiven me?"

The woman’s voice was unnervingly flat: "I’m back. I’m not angry. Open the door."

Master Qin hesitated, sword aimed at the door. "Wife, it’s safer at your father’s. What if it’s still out there, prowling around the house?"

Silence stretched outside.

Sweat slicked Master Qin’s grip on the sword.

Suddenly, the woman shrieked, "Open the door! There’s a ghost out here! Let me in!"

The figure outside, real or not, clawed at the paper window, screaming. Master Qin’s scalp prickled. Clutching the talisman Wei Wuxian had given him, he mustered his courage and burst through the door, sword in hand—

Master Qin said, "Then something came flying at me and knocked me out cold."

Wei Wuxian asked, "What hit you?"

Master Qin gestured to the table. Wei Wuxian took one look and burst out laughing, "Fruits? Really?"

Master Qin snapped, "How should I know!"

Wei Wuxian said, "You’d know better than anyone. Spirits hold grudges. Did you ever pelt him with fruit?"

Master Qin’s face darkened, but he stayed silent. Wei Wuxian could tell he’d hit the mark, but he didn’t push. When Master Qin spoke again, he changed the subject: "I sent someone to check with my father-in-law this morning. My wife never left their house last night."

Wei Wuxian said, "That thing’s designed to break through yang dwelling barriers. It’s rarely mentioned in ancient texts. It doesn’t harm people directly, but it can mimic the voice and form of someone close to you. It often teams up with spirits that can’t enter, helping them trick you into opening the door yourself. That corpse found a good helper."

Master Qin said, "What good is knowing now? The second door’s breached, and that thing’s in my main hall. Are you going to tell me there’s nothing we can do?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Let’s be fair—you opened that door yourself. Without my talisman, who knows what shape you’d be in now."

Master Qin spluttered, "If this keeps up, I’ll wake up to that thing looming over my bed!"

Wei Wuxian said, "If you want a peaceful night’s sleep, Master Qin, you’d better think hard about anything else you might’ve left out. Don’t hold back this time. Tonight—ha, I’m not trying to scare you—it’ll be at your bedroom door."

Under pressure, Master Qin had no choice but to reveal another thing.

"The last time I saw this person was two years ago when I returned home to pay respects to my parents and ancestors. At the time, I wore a jade pendant to my family’s old residence for the ceremony."

Master Qin said, "He recognized it as something my grandmother had worn during her lifetime and asked to borrow it. I thought he wanted to reminisce about her, so I handed it over. But not long after, the pendant went missing."

Wei Wuxian asked, "Missing as in? Did he lose it or sell it?"

Master Qin hesitated. "I don’t know. I thought he might’ve sold it and lied about losing it. But..."

Wei Wuxian pressed, "But what?"

Lan Wangji, who had remained expressionless throughout, said, "Speak freely."

Master Qin said, "But now that I think about it, he probably wouldn’t have sold something of my grandmother’s."

"Later, I heard that this man loved to drink, and probably lost it while indulging in wine at night, or it was stolen by someone. In any case, I was so angry at the time that I gave him a severe scolding."

Wei Wuxian said, "Wait. Master Qin, matters of life and death should not be left vague. The word 'scolded' can range from light to severe, with a significant difference. Exactly how did you 'scold' him?"

Master Qin's eyebrow twitched, and he added, "I remember giving him a bit of a beating."

Wei Wuxian blinked and said, "This... his lame leg, could it have been broken by you, perhaps?"

Chapter 122: Extra Chapter: Seizing the Door 3

"..." Master Qin pretended to be nonchalant and said, "I'm not entirely clear about that. I don't know how rough the household servants were, but after all, they were old servants of the family, and I didn't really want to do anything to him. If he harbored resentment towards me but didn't dare to speak out, there's nothing I can do about it."

Lan Sizhui, who had been listening nearby, couldn't help but say, "Master Qin, this... this is quite different from what you said earlier. When the two seniors asked you to be clear, why did you hide so much?"

Master Qin said, "I thought that with talismans and a sword, I could restore peace to my home. How could I know that I had to bring up these old, trivial matters?"

Wei Wuxian said with a fluctuating tone, "No, no, no, these are far from trivial matters. The situation is quite serious, Master Qin! Think about it, you scolded and beat this man while he was alive, and you might have even broken his leg. What if he never actually sold the jade pendant? Then he died with a grievance, and who else would he seek out but you?"

Master Qin immediately said, "He wasn't killed by me! Nor did he commit suicide! Why would he come after me?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Huh? How do you know it wasn't suicide? Maybe he really killed himself in a fit of anger, but it was mistaken for an accident. That would be even worse."

Master Qin said, "A grown man wouldn't kill himself over something so trivial, would he?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Master Qin, in our line of work, we must never take things for granted. Everyone's temperament is different. Whether a grown man would kill himself over 'something so trivial' is hard to say. You must know that the reasons for a corpse to turn into a fierce ghost could range from the hatred of a stolen wife or a murdered child to something as trivial as not being included in a childhood mud fight."

Master Qin stubbornly said, "It absolutely wasn't suicide! If someone wants to kill themselves, they can hang themselves or take poison. Why would they choose to roll down a hillside? Whether they die or not is anyone's guess. It definitely wasn't suicide."

Wei Wuxian said, "What you're saying makes sense. But Master Qin, have you considered that it might be because you broke his leg, making it hard for him to walk, and that's why he fell down the hill and died? If that's the case, then it's practically as if you killed him, which would be even worse."

Master Qin angrily said, "What do you mean it's practically as if I killed him? If that's the case, then it was an accident!"

Wei Wuxian said, "Are you sure you can convince someone who died so tragically that their death was just an 'accident'? Since he's come back, it means someone must be held accountable for this 'accident.'"

Every time Master Qin spoke, Wei Wuxian countered him, leaving Master Qin breaking into a cold sweat and turning pale. Wei Wuxian then said, "But don't despair just yet. I'll tell you one last life-saving method. You must do this."

Master Qin said, "Do what?!"

Lan Wangji glanced at Wei Wuxian and knew he was about to talk nonsense again, shaking his head.

Wei Wuxian said, "Listen carefully. You must leave the already broken doors of your house and hall wide open, ensuring they are unobstructed. After all, even if you don't, you can't stop that thing anymore."

Master Qin said, "Alright!"

Wei Wuxian said, "Clear out all other unnecessary people from your house to avoid harming the innocent."

Master Qin said, "They've almost all left!"

Wei Wuxian said, "Good. Then find a young boy with strong yang energy, and at midnight, place a long bench in front of your bedroom for him to guard, ready to face whatever comes."

"Is that all?"

Wei Wuxian said, "That's all. The boy is already here. As for the rest, Master Qin, you can ignore everything else and wait peacefully until dawn."

He was referring to Lan Sizhui. When Master Qin heard the last sentence, his mouth twitched, and he glanced at the seemingly gentle and delicate young man, saying, "He guards the outside, but what about you two?"

Wei Wuxian said, "We, of course, will guard the inside, accompanying you, Master Qin. If the outside guard fails and the fierce corpse breaks in, we'll make plans then."

Master Qin couldn't help but say, "Can't we just ask this young master to help guard the outer door directly?"

He was referring to Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian was stunned and said, "Who are you talking about? Him?"

He nearly doubled over with laughter, saying, "Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

Lan Wangji held Wei Wuxian's shoulder to prevent him from actually falling to the ground and said, "No, it cannot be done."

Master Qin, having been bluntly refused, felt quite displeased: "Why not?"

Wei Wuxian solemnly said, "Didn’t you hear what I just said? It must be a virgin."

"..." Master Qin didn't believe it, "What, isn't he?!"

Even after Lan Sizhui had escorted Master Qin out of the small bamboo pavilion for a long time, Wei Wuxian was still holding his stomach, unable to stop laughing.

Lan Wangji glanced at him and suddenly pulled Wei Wuxian over, pressing him onto his lap, and said calmly, "Have you laughed enough?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Not yet!"

Sitting on Lan Wangji's lap, he said, "Hanguang Jun, your face is so misleading. Everyone thinks you're a pure, virtuous, and celibate person. I feel so wronged."

Lan Wangji lifted him slightly, making Wei Wuxian sit higher, bringing the two closer, and said, "Wronged?"

Wei Wuxian said, "It's absolutely ridiculous. Tell me, you're clearly not a virgin anymore, but people see your face and just assume you are. In my past life, I never even touched a girl's hand except to save someone, but no one believed I was still a virgin." He counted off, "Going night hunting! Everyone spread rumors that I was a playboy; going to the Burial Mounds! Everyone spread rumors that I was a lecherous demon. It's really hard to air my grievances, with no one to listen."

Lan Wangji subtly covered Wei Wuxian's hand, a faint ripple of amusement spreading in his eyes.

Wei Wuxian said, "You're still laughing? You have no sympathy, you cold-hearted man. I was at least ranked fourth among the noble young masters, but in that lifetime, I only kissed someone once. I always thought it was some beautiful fairy who had a secret crush on me, thinking that I, Wei Ying, hadn’t lived in vain, but who knew it was actually you..."

Hearing this, Lan Wangji finally couldn’t sit still anymore.

He pressed Wei Wuxian down onto the bed and said, "Am I not good enough for you?!"

"Why are you so nervous? Hahahahahahahaha..."

When the time came, Lan Sizhui stood in the courtyard with Little Apple, waiting for a while before Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji finally emerged from the house.

He wanted to remind them, Senior Wei, you’ve put on Hanguang Jun’s clothes wrong again, but after thinking about it, he silently swallowed his words.

After all, it happens every two or three days, and reminding him every time would be exhausting.

Moreover, Senior Wei always just goes along with it because it’s too much trouble, so it feels like reminding him is pointless. It's better to just pretend not to see it.

Wei Wuxian mounted Little Apple, took an apple from the saddlebag, and took a crisp bite. Lan Sizhui looked at the apple and felt it was very familiar. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Senior Wei, isn't that the fruit Master Qin brought?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Yes."

Lan Sizhui said, "...The fruit brought by the corpse?"

Wei Wuxian: "Exactly."

Lan Sizhui: "Is it safe to eat this?"

Wei Wuxian: "It's safe. It just fell on the ground, it's fine after washing."

Lan Sizhui: "Could the apple from the corpse be poisonous..."

Wei Wuxian: "I can answer that: no."

Lan Sizhui: "How did you know, Senior?"

Wei Wuxian: "Because I’ve already fed Little Apple five or six of these... Little Apple, stop! Don’t kick!!! Lan Zhan, help me!!!"

Lan Wangji, with one hand gripping the reins of the furious Little Apple and the other taking the apple from Wei Wuxian’s mouth, said, "Stop eating. We’ll get more tomorrow."

Wei Wuxian, leaning on his shoulder, finally steadied himself and said, "I was just trying to save Hanguang Jun some money."

Lan Wangji: "No need, ever."

Wei Wuxian scratched his chin, smiling. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he casually asked, "Oh, by the way, Sizhui, are you still pure?"

He asked so casually, but Lan Sizhui immediately choked and spat out.

This reaction was very unlike the Gusu Lan Family’s usual demeanor. Lan Sizhui noticed Lan Wangji glancing at him and quickly composed himself. Wei Wuxian said, "Don’t worry. I was just joking earlier with Master Qin. Sometimes, certain rituals do require purity, but since you use a sword to slay corpses, it doesn’t really matter. But if you’re not, I’d be shocked..."

Before he could finish, Lan Sizhui, blushing furiously, stammered, "I-I-I am!!!"

In the dead of night, the Qin residence stood wide open, and Master Qin had been waiting for some time.

Lan Sizhui stood at Master Qin’s door, unarmored but looking calm and dependable. Seeing his youthful confidence, Master Qin’s frown softened slightly, but he remained uneasy. After entering the bedroom, he closed the door and turned around, saying, "Is it really safe to have this young man guard the door? What if the exorcism fails and another life is lost in my household..."

The two of them were already sitting calmly at the table. Wei Wuxian said, "No one will die. Master Qin, think about it—how many days has the corpse been causing trouble? Has anyone in your household actually died?"

Master Qin also sat down. Wei Wuxian placed a pear from the corpse on the table and said, "Have some fruit to settle your nerves."

Under the constant stress, Master Qin was already a bit dazed. He picked it up and brought it to his mouth, about to speak, when he heard "thud," "thud," strange sounds coming.

Suddenly, a cold, eerie breeze swept into the room, and the candlelight flickered.

Master Qin dropped the pear, and it rolled away as his hand instinctively went to his sword hilt.

"Thud," "thud," "thud."

The strange sounds grew louder and closer, and with each one, the candlelight trembled as if afraid.

Outside, the clear sound of a sword being drawn echoed, and a faint shadow flickered across the paper window. The strange sounds suddenly ceased, replaced by the sounds of something leaping and flapping, and the loud crash of wooden furniture breaking.

Master Qin’s face paled. "What’s going on outside?!"

Wei Wuxian: "They’re just fighting. Don’t stress over it."

Lan Wangji listened for a moment and said, "Too excessive."

Wei Wuxian understood. He meant that, judging from the sword and footwork, Lan Sizhui’s swordplay was fast and fierce but lacked composure and steadiness. It wasn’t that it wasn’t powerful, but it didn’t align with the principles of the Gusu Lan Family’s sword techniques. If one’s spirit and energy aren’t unified, or if the techniques are too mixed, it could lead to divergence at higher levels, making it difficult to progress.

He said, "He’s doing well. Sizhui is still young and hasn’t fully mastered his strikes. As he grows older and spars more, he’ll understand."

Lan Wangji shook his head, listened for a while longer, and suddenly looked at Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian was also slightly surprised. He had also noticed that, just now, a few of Lan Sizhui’s sword moves weren’t from the Gusu Lan Family’s techniques but from the Yunmeng Jiang Family’s.

But he hadn’t taught the younger generation of the Gusu Lan Family these moves. He speculated, "Sizhui and the others often go night hunting with Jin Ling. They probably picked them up unintentionally during sparring."

Lan Wangji: "Inappropriate."

Wei Wuxian: "Will you punish him when we return?"

Lan Wangji: "Punish."

Master Qin asked, "What are you two discussing?"

Wei Wuxian picked up the pear from the ground and placed it back by his hand, saying, "Nothing. Have a bite to calm your nerves; no need to be so tense." Then he smiled at Lan Wangji, "But Hanguang Jun, you're truly remarkable. I can understand recognizing the Yunmeng Jiang family's sword style, but how did you recognize it too?"

After a slight pause, Lan Wangji replied, "After crossing swords with you a few times, I remembered."

Wei Wuxian said, "That's exactly why I say you're impressive. I used the Yunmeng Jiang family's sword style against you only a few times over a decade ago, and you still remember it, recognizing it immediately. Isn't that impressive?"

As he spoke, he nudged the candle toward Lan Wangji, trying to catch a glimpse of whether his earlobes had reddened. Lan Wangji, however, saw through his mischievous intent and firmly covered Wei Wuxian's hand holding the candlestick, pushing it back. The candlelight swayed back and forth, casting a flickering light that illuminated Wei Wuxian's smiling eyes and the corners of his mouth, which curved upwards, making Lan Wangji's Adam's apple move slightly.

At that moment, both of them were startled, and Wei Wuxian let out a surprised "Huh?" Master Qin, feeling as if facing a great enemy, asked, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the candle?"

After a moment of silence, Wei Wuxian said, "No, the candle is fine. It would be even better if it were a bit brighter."

He turned to Lan Wangji and said, "Lan Sizhui's swordplay was the most elegant just now. But it doesn't sound like your family's sword style, nor mine."

After a moment, Lan Wangji frowned and said, "Perhaps it's the Wen family's sword style."

Wei Wuxian understood and said, "Most likely, Wen Ning taught him. That's a good thing."

As they spoke, the loud noises outside continued, growing louder and louder, and Master Qin's face turned increasingly pale. Wei Wuxian also felt that things were getting out of hand and shouted outside, "Sizhui, we've been talking inside for more than ten sentences now. Even if you're tearing down the house, you should be done by now!"

Lan Sizhui responded from outside, "Senior Wei, this fierce corpse is incredibly fast and keeps evading me!"

Wei Wuxian asked, "Is it afraid of you?"

Lan Sizhui said, "No, it can fight, but it seems like it doesn't want to fight me!"

Wei Wuxian said curiously, "It doesn't want to harm unrelated people?"

He turned to Lan Wangji and said, "This is intriguing. I haven't encountered such a rational fierce corpse in a long time."

Master Qin, however, was anxious and said, "Is he capable? Why hasn't he taken it down yet?"

Before Wei Wuxian could speak, Lan Sizhui added, "Hanguang Jun, Senior Wei, this fierce corpse has its left hand in a claw, but its right hand is clenched, as if gripping something!"

Hearing this, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji exchanged glances inside the room. Wei Wuxian nodded slightly, and Lan Wangji said, "Sizhui, sheathe your sword."

Lan Sizhui was stunned and said, "Hanguang Jun? The thing in its hand, I haven't..."

Wei Wuxian stood up and said, "It's alright! Sheathe your sword; there's no need to continue fighting."

Master Qin said, "No need to fight anymore?"

Outside, Lan Sizhui said, "Yes!" and indeed, with a "clang," he sheathed his sword and leaped away. Inside, Master Qin said, "What's going on? That thing is still outside and hasn't left!"

Wei Wuxian stood up and said, "No need to fight anymore; the situation is nearly resolved, with only the final step left."

Master Qin asked, "What step?"

Wei Wuxian kicked open the door and said, "This is my step!"

The two wooden doors slammed open, revealing a dark, rigid figure standing at the threshold, disheveled and filthy, with only a pair of white, upturned eyes that looked particularly menacing.

Upon seeing this face, Master Qin's expression shifted dramatically. He drew his sword and hastily retreated, but the fierce corpse surged forward like a dark gust, its left hand clamping around his neck.

Lan Sizhui entered from outside and, upon seeing the scene, was startled and prepared to intervene, but Wei Wuxian halted him. Lan Sizhui reasoned that, despite Master Qin's obstinate and disagreeable nature, he surely didn't merit death, and the two seniors wouldn't idly allow the fierce corpse to end his life, so he composed himself somewhat.

The deceased household servant's fingers were like iron bands, and Master Qin, being strangled by him, turned purple, his veins protruding. He had already thrust his sword into the fierce corpse numerous times, but it was as if he were striking a blank sheet of paper, eliciting no response whatsoever.

The fierce corpse slowly raised its right fist and moved it towards Master Qin's face, as if it was about to smash his head into a colorful mess with brains splattering. The other three in the room were all intently watching this scene, and Lan Sizhui was almost unable to restrain his hand from drawing the sword.

Just as he thought Master Qin was about to have his head exploded the next moment, he saw the fierce corpse's right hand loosen its grip, and a flat, round object slipped out from between its fingers.

This object was connected at the end by a black thread, and the fierce corpse was trying to loop it around Master Qin's neck.

Master Qin: "..."

Lan Sizhui: "..."

It took three attempts before it barely managed to loop it around Master Qin's head, a series of difficult, clumsy, and stiff movements that made it hard to feel threatened.

Seeing that it wasn't going for the kill or attempting to strangle Master Qin with the thin thread, the two of them simultaneously sighed in relief.

However, before they could fully relax, the fierce corpse struck again with a swift and heavy punch, causing Master Qin to scream, blood gushing from his nose and mouth, and he fell to the ground unconscious.

After hitting Master Qin, the fierce corpse turned around, seemingly about to leave. Lan Sizhui was dumbfounded and, seeing this, he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword again, but felt that the situation was inexplicably comical, and taking it too seriously seemed even more ridiculous, so he didn't know whether to act or not. Wei Wuxian, however, was already laughing uncontrollably, waving his hand at Lan Sizhui, "Let it go, let it be."

The fierce corpse turned its head to look at him, nodded, and then, dragging a broken leg, limped and hopped out the door.

Watching its fleeing figure, Lan Sizhui was stunned for a moment before saying, "Senior Wei, is it really okay to just let it go like this?"

Lan Wangji bent down to check on Master Qin, who was covered in blood, and said, "It's fine."

Lan Sizhui's gaze returned to Master Qin, and only then did he have the mind to carefully look at the object hanging around his neck, which turned out to be a jade pendant.

The red string tied to the jade pendant seemed to have been in the dirt for many years, extremely dirty, so it looked black, but the jade itself was still moist and white.

"This is..."

Wei Wuxian said, "Returning the item to its rightful owner."

After Lan Wangji confirmed that Master Qin was only unconscious and not in mortal danger, the two of them left the Qin residence with Lan Sizhui.

Before leaving, Wei Wuxian thoughtfully closed all three doors for Master Qin.

Lan Sizhui said, "It's not easy."

Wei Wuxian mounted Little Apple and said, "What? You mean Master Qin? Getting punched by that fierce corpse completely settled this matter, it's easy, okay!"

Lan Sizhui said, "I'm not talking about Master Qin, I'm talking about the fierce corpse. In the past, I've seen records of fierce ghosts and fierce corpses seeking revenge, often due to grudges formed in life over trivial matters, seeking lives after death, and acting maniacally when causing trouble. This fierce corpse, however..."

Standing in front of the door that was scratched beyond recognition, Lan Sizhui took one last look back, still feeling a bit incredulous, and said, "For two years after its transformation, it was searching the mountains for a jade pendant it had lost in life. This is the first time I've seen a fierce corpse transform not to kill for revenge, but to do something like this."

Wei Wuxian took out another apple and said, "That's why I said it's been many years since I've seen such a reasonable evil spirit. If it were a slightly more vengeful one, it wouldn't be unusual for it to lightly cut off one of Master Qin's legs or heavily kill his entire family, leaving no chickens or dogs behind."

Lan Sizhui thought for a moment and said, "Senior, Sizhui still has doubts. Was its leg really broken by Master Qin? Was that why it fell to its death?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Whether it was or not, it didn't hold this account against Master Qin anyway."

Lan Sizhui said, "Hmm, then, was it really satisfied with just one punch?"

Lan Wangji said, "It seems so."

Wei Wuxian took a loud bite of the apple and said, "Right. As the saying goes, people fight for a breath, and the dead are restless because that breath is stuck in their chest. He smashed the fruit, returned the jade pendant, and punched the man, that breath was released, so it's no longer stuck."

Lan Sizhui said, "If every evil spirit were so reasonable, that would be great."

Hearing this, Wei Wuxian laughed and said, "What silly talk are you saying, kid. Even people, once they hold a grudge, are unreasonable, and you still expect evil spirits to be reasonable with you? You should know, everyone in this world feels very wronged."

Lan Wangji tightened the reins of Little Apple and said calmly, "Very lucky."

Wei Wuxian agreed, "Indeed. Master Qin is truly very lucky."

After holding back for a while, Lan Sizhui finally blurted out sincerely, "But I still feel like one punch might be a bit too little..."

"Hahaha..."

Whether it was because he hadn't recovered from the punch by the corpse or because he had completely given up on Wei Wuxian, Master Qin didn't come looking for them in the following days.

However, seven days later, news about him reached them in the city.

It was said that one morning, a young corpse dressed in tattered burial clothes was suddenly found by the roadside, half-decayed and reeking of rot. As people debated whether to wrap the body in a mat and bury it somewhere, Master Qin generously offered money to help collect the remains and properly bury them, earning him praise all around.

When Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian left the city, they passed by Master Qin's residence. The Qin residence had already replaced its doors with two new, gleaming and grand ones. People were coming and going, and the earlier gloom was gone, replaced by a lively and bustling atmosphere.