Wen Ning slightly bowed his head. Both of his hands hung down, as if he was a marionette waiting for the commands of a puppeteer.
His face was pale and delicate. In addition, he gave off a somewhat melancholy aura.
However, because his eyes didn’t have pupils, only a sheet of dead white, and on top of that, climbing up his cheeks from his neck were a number of black cracks. This made this melancholy transform into something dreadfully gloomy. The hem and cuffs of the robe he was wearing were tattered and ragged. His exposed wrists and face were both a deathly pale color. Pitch black iron rings with iron chains were fastened on his ankles as well. That clanking sound was produced the dragging of these iron chains.
When he was stationary, everything once again became deathly still.
It was not difficult to imagine why the present cultivators were scared senseless.
Unlike the rest, Wei Wuxian was calm. In his heart the perilous situation had already pa.s.sed.
Wen Ning shouldn’t have shown up in this place. Rather he shouldn’t have appeared on this earth. Previously in the confusion of the burial ground encirclement and annihilation, he already should have become scattered bone and ashes!
Hearing the bystanders shouting Wen Ning’s name, Jin Ling, with the point of this sword originally facing the soul eating celestial maiden, couldn’t help but to turn around.
The soul eating celestial maiden happily took advantage of his distraction and with a long arm she picked him up into the air.
Seeing her then open her large mouth as she approached Jin Ling’s face, Wei Wuxian, not allowing his heart to waver, once more lifted the bamboo flute. His hands trembling a little, he played a wavering melody. The bamboo flute was roughly made, the sound was soft and almost harsh to the ear. Two notes. Wen Ning followed the sound and moved.
This move happened in the blink of an eye leaving him in front of the soul eating maiden. Wen Ning’s hand moved like lightning. The neck of the soul eating celestial maiden made a ‘ka ka‘ sound. Her body didn’t move, but her head with just that one hand had become twisted around. Her face now pointed in the same direction as her spine, yet still she smiled. Wen Ning chopped down with a bare hand and neatly cut off the right hand of the soul eating celestial maiden which had captured Jin Ling.
She looked down at her neatly cut wrist, her head still facing the wrong direction. She then turned her body around to face Wen Ning, her face and back still simultaneously pointing in the same direction. Wei Wuxian didn’t dare slack off. Drawing in a breath he bent his head, manipulating Wen Ning to meet the enemy head on. However, after a short time, he became more and more apprehensive.
Low level zous.h.i.+ cannot think for themselves, they need his commands and guidance. An ominous corpse with a relatively high destructive power also frequently has a muddled awareness and lacks consciousness. Wen Ning’s situation was different. He had been refined by Wei Wuxian. To say that he was the current strongest ominous corpse was not an exaggeration. He was one of a kind. He could think and question, and in addition he did not fear injury. Unafraid of fire, unafraid of cold, unafraid of poison, unafraid of anything a living person would fear, he was no different than a living person.
However the Wen Ning of this moment clearly lacked any kind of awareness.
First bewildered then unsettled, from the middle of the field came the occasional cry of alarm and shock. The source was Wen Ning’s successive attacks. The soul eating celestial maiden was being thoroughly suppressed. Picking up the side of an outstandingly tall boulder and lifting it above the soul eating celestial maiden, one after another he began to pound her body. With bangs like thunder again and again it fell, until the stone body of the soul eating celestial maiden had been smashed into pieces.
s.h.i.+ning white within the rocks, tumbled out a small bead giving off halos of snow white light. That soul eating celestial maiden had swallowed a dozen or more souls of living people later completely condensing them into a danyuan (1). Taking it with careful handling, the souls of recently eaten people possibly could be restored. However at that moment, not a single person bothered to pick up the bead, they all had their swords pointed at the remains of the soul eating celestial maiden.
A cultivator hoa.r.s.ely shouted: “Surround him!”
Some people slowly responded, still many others however were hesitant and undecided and slowly backed away. The cultivator yelled once again: “Fellow dao (2) friends, by all means stop him don’t let him to get away. This is Wen Ning!”
This sentence sobered everyone up. How could a ghost general be compared to an insignificant soul eating monster? Even if it wasn’t known why he had appeared, but killing a thousand soul eating fiends couldn’t compare with capturing a single Wen Ning. After all, this indeed was Ancestor Yi Ling’s most obedient, biting without needing orders mad dog. From now on among the families they will rocket to fame! Originally they had rushed to Dafan Mountain to night hunt exactly for the purpose of fighting over demons, beasts, and vicious fiends to increase their qualifications. So this shout could only arouse their emotions. However those senior cultivators who had in those days personally witnessed Wen Ning’s violence in action still did not dare to rush forward. Upon seeing this, that person shouted again: “What are you afraid of? Ancestor Yi Ling is not here!”
Rethinking the situation, ah that’s right, what’s there to be afraid of? His master was already torn to shreds!
With just a few words, the circle of swords around Wen Ning suddenly narrowed. Wen Ning waved an arm. The heavy black iron chain swept across and struck the flying swords knocking them back. Immediately after, he stepped out and grabbed the neck of the nearest person. Gently lifting, he raised him off the ground. Wei Wuxian was aware that the situation just now was because the sound of his flute had been too urgent and fierce, causing him to display vicious qualities. Therefore he must suppress him. With a steady mood, note by note he played a new melody.
This melody automatically emerged from his heart. Gentle and serene, the strange ear piercing sound that had come before from the flute was now substantially different.
Wen Ning heard the sound and turned rigid, slowly changing direction towards the sound of the flute. Wei Wuxian stood in the place of origin, together with the pupil-less eyes they looked at each other face to face.
A short while later, Wen Ning relinquished his grip, allowing that cultivator to fall to the ground. Arms hanging down, step by step he walked towards Wei Wuxian.
His head bowed, chains dragging on the ground, unexpectedly he looked somewhat dejected. Wei Wuxian simultaneously playing and retreating, drew him over. Walking this way, he retreated into the mountain woods. Suddenly there was a gust of cold air smelling distinctly of sandalwood.
Soon after his back knocked against a person. His wrist suddenly felt sharp pain and the sound of his flute abruptly stopped. Wei Wuxian had a bad feeling inside. Turning around to look, he came to face with Lan w.a.n.gji’s pale ice cold eyes.
This was bad. Lan w.a.n.gji in the past had seen him play his flute to command the dead.
Lan w.a.n.gji’s hand firmly grabbed Wei Wuxian. Wen Ning blankly stood still less than twenty feet away. Very slowly he looked around, as if searching for the suddenly stopped sound of the flute. In the distant mountain woods, firelight and the sound of voices began to spread. Wei Wuxian’s thoughts whirled. He made a snap decision. This is what he considered. Innumerable people can play the flute. In addition, learning Ancestor Yi Ling’s melodies to command human corpses naturally were many more schools There was no way he could be recognized!
Decisively and unconcerned with that hand, he lifted his arm to continue to play the flute. This next sound became more urgent, as if urging and reproving. Breath unsteady, the final sound fractured, mournful and ear piercing. Suddenly feeling Lan w.a.n.gji’s hand exerting more force, with his wrist feeling like it was about to be crushed, Wei Wuxian was finally unable to bear the pain. Fingers loosening, the bamboo flute fell.
Fortunately his instructions here were sufficiently clear. Wen Ning rapidly retreated. In a flash he silently submerged into the gloom of the mountain woods, disappearing without a trace. Wei Wuxian, fearing that Lan w.a.n.gji would attempt to intercept and kill Wen Ning, turned his hand over to grab him. Who would have thought, from beginning to end, Lan w.a.n.gji hadn’t given Wen Ning a single glance, but unwaveringly scrutinized Wei Wuxian. Both people like this, you pulling me and I pulling you, staring at each other face to face.
It was at this time that Jiang Cheng arrived.
At Fujiao Town, he had been making an effort to patiently await the outcome, not even drinking a single cup of tea. When a disciple anxiously descended the mountain, saying something within Dafan Mountain was dreadfully savage, his heart gave a large jolt. Rus.h.i.+ng up he yelled: “A’Ling!”
Jin Ling who had just then narrowly escaped from having his soul eaten, appeared to be in good health, standing there said: “Uncle!”
Seeing Jin Ling safe, Jiang Cheng’s heart settled. Immediately he scolded: “Don’t you carry a signal flare? Running into this kind of thing and not setting it off? Who are you trying to show off for? Get over here!”
Jin Ling having not caught the soul eating celestial maiden, was also angry: “Wasn’t it you who said if I couldn’t capture it, that I shouldn’t bother to see you again?!”
Jiang Cheng really wanted to take this smelly brat and return him to his mother’s stomach, but this indeed was something that he had said. In any case he couldn’t strike his own face. Without any better option he completely changed direction seeing the cultivators leaning this way and that he mocked: “In the end what is this thing? You thoroughly killed it.”
These cultivators were wearing clothing in various colors. Several were disguised as Yunmeng’s Jiang clan disciples. Receiving orders from Jiang Cheng, they secretly a.s.sisted Jin Ling for fear that he wouldn’t be able to apprehend the source. This elder also could be regarded as making a lot of effort. A cultivator still wearing a blank look said: “Clan, clan head, it… … it was Wen Ning… .”
Jiang Cheng thinking he had misheard asked: “What did you say?”
The man said: “Wen Ning has returned!”
In an instant, shock, loathing, anger, and disbelief crossed Jiang Cheng’s face.
After a few moments, he spoke with a cold voice: “This thing was already long ago reduced to bone and scattered ashes, how could it possibly return.”
The disciple said: “It really was Wen Ning! It was indisputable! I absolutely didn’t mistake him for someone else!…. … ” He suddenly pointed to the other side: “…He called him out!”
Wei Wuxian was still deadlocked with Lan w.a.n.gji. In an instant, he suddenly became the focal point of everyone’s attention. Jiang Cheng with cold electric eyes slowly looked in his direction.
After a long time, the corners of Jiang Cheng’s mouth pulled into a twisted smile. His left hand again involuntarily began to stroke the ring on his finger. Quietly he said: “….Oh good. You came back?”
His left hand relaxed, a long whip hung down from his hand.
The whip was extremely slender. Just like its name, it was giving off a ‘zi zi’ sound as violet electric current flowed like lightning crawling across thunderclouds densely covering the horizon. He firmly gripped the end in his hand. When wielded, it was as fast and nimble as a lightning strike!
Wei Wuxian remained motionless, Lan w.a.n.gji, however, had already flipped over the qin in his hands. ‘Xin xin‘ he plucked, like a stone evoking countless waves, the notes of the qin rippled across the air and mutually clashed together with Zi Dian (3) and then vanished together with that length.
Jiang Cheng’s earlier decision to “don’t rashly fight”, and “don’t become enemies with the Lan clan” vanished like it was eaten by a dog. The darkened night sky above the mountain forest in Dafan Mountain, from time to time would sometimes light up with a splendid violet light, sometimes become bright as day, sometimes would hear thunder explode, and sometimes would hear the notes of a qin. The remaining cultivators rapidly pulled back to a safe distance. Observing from the sidelines, they trembled with fear unable to take their eyes away. After all, it was a rare opportunity to witness two members of distinguished aristocratic families crossing swords. Inevitably they all looked forward to the attacks becoming more vicious and more intense. Among them also some had some unspoken expectation. They could only hope both Lan and Jiang clans from now on have an interesting breakdown in relations. Wei Wuxian, also being there, took the opportunity to immediately run away.
Everyone was shocked. The whip was unable to reach him owing to Lan w.a.n.gji obstructing the way in front of him. Running away like this, wasn’t he bringing about his own destruction!
Sure enough, Jiang Cheng, as if having eyes in the back of his head, and seeing him separate himself from Lan w.a.n.gji’s scope of protection, how could he be willing to let this excellent opportunity get away. Brandis.h.i.+ng the whip in his hand, Zi Dian, like a poisonous dragon, lashed out and neatly hit the center of his back!
Wei Wuxian, having been thrashed with the tip of this whip, almost ended up with his entire person knocked flying away. Fortunately that flower donkey got in the way, otherwise he would have directly hit the tree in front of him. Certainly this strike was a success. Lan w.a.n.gji and Jiang Cheng both came to a halt entirely stunned.
Wei Wuxian rubbed his back. With the support of the flower donkey he stood up. Hiding behind its body he snarled: “How extraordinary! Great clans have great power! Hitting random people as you please! Tsk tsk tsk!”
Lan w.a.n.gji: “….”
Jiang Cheng: “….”
Both alarmed and angry he asked: “What’s the matter?!”
Zi Dian had a strange ability. If it was used to strike a person who had been possessed, it would in an instant exorcise the spirit from the body. The spirit would then immediately be seized by Zi Dian with no exceptions. But this person after being whipped had not been exorcised and was still healthy and active. Other than the fact that he really wasn’t someone who’d been possessed, there wasn’t any other explanation.
Wei Wuxian thought to himself: ‘Rubbish, of course Zi Dian can’t exorcise my soul.
I didn’t possess this body, it was offered to me. (4) I was compelled by sacrifice!’
Jiang Cheng wore a bewildered expression, but in the end decided to pull out his whip again. Lan Jingyi blurted out: “Jiang sovereign, enough. That’s Zi Dian!”
Zi Dian, for an immortal tool of this grade to fail on the first attempt was out of the question. If he were to try a second time it might happen for real. Not exorcised was not exorcised, not possessed was not possessed. Otherwise it wouldn’t have the reputation that it did. With this outburst, he forced Jiang Cheng to to begrudgingly give him face as his hand lowered.
However, in that case, if it wasn’t Wei Wuxian, then who summoned Wen Ning?! (5)
Jiang Cheng mulled it over, but was unable to accept it. Pointing a finger at Wei Wuxian, with a calm expression, he asked: “Exactly who are you?!”
At this time, a person who had been observing the excellent fight to one side at last cut into the conversation with a dry cough: “Jiang sovereign, you might not have paid much attention to this, and to some extent would not know, um, that this Mo Xuanyu is that Lanling’s Jin clan’s… *cough* used to be a Jin clan external disciple. However owing to having low spiritual power, also being negligent in his cultivation, and in addition there is the…. □□ hara.s.sment. He ended up being expelled from Lanling’s Jin clan. Rumor has it he is insane? In my opinion, most likely as he was unable to cultivate in a proper manner, with an angry heart, he took to evil methods. Actually it’s not certain that that person… Ancestor Yi Ling possessed his body.” (6)
Jiang Cheng asked: “Then? What?”
“It … it could be, well…”
Unable to help themselves, someone said: “Cut sleeve!” (7)
Jiang Cheng’s eyebrows twitched. He looked towards Wei Wuxian with even more revulsion. In addition, there were several more things that other people didn’t dare say to Jiang Cheng’s face.
Even though his reputation was bad. You had to admit Ancestor Yi Ling Wei Wuxian, before betraying Yunmeng’s Jiang clan, back then was famous far and wide for his male beauty, was a complete gentleman well versed in the six arts (8), placing fourth in ranking for behavior and appearance among the n.o.ble family’s sons. Others would say about him “lively and attractive” (9) — this very above average angry natured Jiang sovereign was just ranked fifth. He was oppressed to the end. Therefore other people didn’t dare mention this issue. Wei Ying conducted himself in a light manner. Being very fond of a.s.sociating with beautiful women, not settling and not singling out. It was unclear how many fairies had met with disaster because of this wicked peach blossom. However at no time has anyone ever said that he liked men. Even if he was to possess someone, to return in order to kill… according to Wei Ying’s preferences, it was extremely unlikely he would pick this kind of fruit eating donkey to ride. And even further still he wouldn’t use a person with the appearance of a hanged madman with h.o.m.os.e.xual tendencies!
Again someone muttered: “I don’t see it either… not only that but the way he played the bamboo flute was very disagreeable… his imitation is much more inferior, he only ended up making a fool of himself.”
Back then, “On the day he launched his attack”, Ancestor Yi Ling stood above the battlefield, playing a transverse flute throughout the long dark night, releasing ghost soldiers and commanding a magnificent display of power, sweeping everything before him, attacking whatever hindered him, man or Buddha (10). The sound of the flute was like it belonged to a celestial being. Anyway how could this abandoned son of the Jin clan just now with that little bit of ‘wu wu yan yan‘ ghost playing be comparable? Even if you allowed that Wei Wuxian’s character was strangely different, you shouldn’t also ignore the contrasting methods. It would be a huge insult.
Wei Wuxian felt rather depressed: ‘… can you after more than a dozen years of not practicing, three cuts two chops to make a mere lousy bamboo flute, come over and have me listen to you play? If you can produce a pleasing sound I’ll kneel down to you!’
Previously Jiang Cheng had firmly believed that this man was Wei Wuxian. The cold blood throughout his whole body was flaring up. However with Zi Dian unreactive in hand it was clear to him that he was not. Zi Dian would never deceive him, and it was even more impossible that it would make a mistake. He very quickly calmed down, inwardly thinking: ‘this is nothing serious, first I must find an excuse to bring this person back with me. Then I’ll use every means to beat him. No need to worry about him not confessing something. I don’t believe he won’t eventually give himself away.’ In any case the resemblance wasn’t strong enough yet. He became convinced of this, and made a gesture with his hands. His wish was clear to all the disciples, they moved to approach and encircle. Wei Wuxian hurriedly pulled in the donkey and hopped behind Lan w.a.n.gji, clutching his chest with alarm; “Ah, what are you trying to do!”
Lan w.a.n.gji glanced at him, enduring this extremely rude and noisy exaggerated behavior.
Jiang Cheng seeing he didn’t show an interest in getting out of the way, said: “Second young master Lan, are you deliberately making things difficult for the Jiang people?”
It was well known that this Jiang clan’s young clan master was obsessed with guarding against Wei Wuxian to the point of madness. He would rather s.n.a.t.c.h by mistake than to risk letting someone slip by. Seeing someone suspected to be possessed by Wei Wuxian he would bring them back to Yunmeng’s Jiang clan to be tortured. If he was allowed to kidnap this man back with him, he undoubtedly would coerce him to confess until he was barely alive. Lan Sizhui said: “Jiang sovereign, the fact is, young master Mo is not possessed, there is no need for you to make things difficult for a nameless disciple?”
Jiang Cheng coldly replied: “I don’t know why second young master Lan has from the beginning protected this noisy nameless disciple?”
Wei Wuxian suddenly laughed a couple of times.
He said: “Jiang sovereign, ah, that, for you to be so obsessed with me, it’s rather embarra.s.sing.”
Jiang Cheng’s eyebrows twitched twice, instinctively having a premonition that this person would absolutely not have anything good to say to him.
Wei Wuxian said: “You’re very pa.s.sionate, thank you. However you want too much. Even if I like men, I don’t like all men, even further I won’t come running just because a man has beckoned to me. You’re not my type.”
Wei Wuxian was deliberately antagonizing him. The thing that Jiang Cheng hated the most was to be inferior to another person. No matter how senseless the comparison, as long as someone said he wasn’t as good as some other person, he right away would become angry, disregarding food and drink, he would absolutely be set on overcoming this failure. Sure enough, Jiang Cheng’s face turned blue: “Oh? Then may I ask, what kind of individual do you like?”
Wei Wuxian said: “What kind? Well, I’m very fond of types like Hanguang jun.”
In contrast, the thing that Lan w.a.n.gji hated the most was this kind of frivolous senseless joking. After being disgusted, he would absolutely immediately draw a clear boundary and maintain his distance. For the first time he could upset two people at once, killing two birds with one stone!
Who would have thought, after Lan w.a.n.gji heard this sentence, he would instead turn around.
With an expressionless face he said: “These are your own words.”
Wei Wuxian: “Huh?”
Lan w.a.n.gji turned back around, not lacking in manners, but not permitting any further discussion, he said: “This person, I’ll bring him back to the Lan clan.”
Wei Wuxian: “….”
Wei Wuxian: “…what?”
1. 丹元 – A concentrated form of power. Power over time gathers together and forms a Danyuan inside the body.
2. See Tao. Essentially, he’s reminding them that they’re all following the same principles of cultivation.
3. 紫电 Violet Electricity = jiang cheng’s whip
4. In the original text he’s making a distinction between possession types. The words being used for possess are 夺舍, which means ‘seize residence’ and, ‘献舍’ which means ‘offer residence’. Both types are possesion, but Zi Dian only seems to work with the unwilling type.
5. For clarity it should probably say ‘if Mo Xuanyu wasn’t possessed by Wei Wuxian’ but I’ll leave it how the author originally wrote it.
6. Yes, this really was redacted, obviously he’s saying s.e.xual hara.s.sment.
7. poetic description of a h.o.m.os.e.xual person
8. etiquette, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy/literacy, and mathematics
9.
10. 人挡杀人佛挡杀佛 – Not literally, just means he took everyone out regardless of who they were.
Ok, so I received some clarification regarding names. This is the most maddening thing about this story. If you look at the last post, a commenter laid out the three name issue for clarification.
So first, it’s Hanguang jun, not Han Guangjun. Hanguang is the t.i.tle and jun means lord. So fully translated it would be Lord Contained Light. (omg). I could treat it like I do with Ancestor Yi Ling (Yi Ling laozu) or like it is now. I haven’t made a decision yet. I want to avoid having too much pinyin since I know when I’m reading elsewhere my brain just can’t keep up with all the terminology. Those palace stories (h.e.l.lo Chu w.a.n.g Fei) really kill me. Going along with that, Lan w.a.n.gji’s brother would be Zewu jun, same issue applies. For clans, it’s (place of origin) (clan surname). So Lanling’s Jin clan, Yunmeng’s Jiang clan, Gusu’s Lan clan, etc. Like Atlanta’s Anderson clan. I don’t know how big their places are, city or province-wise, I just picked a city name for an example. If you see anything that needs correction, let me know. I may not always reply, but I read all my emails. I updated the previous posts for the clan and t.i.tle’s, I may or may not have missed anything so if anything looks wonky i’ll check it out.