The rank was extremely high, the same level as Wen Chao!
The three stood still for a few seconds. A series of hurried footsteps came from outside. Wei WuXian mustered up courage. Just as he was about to attack, the maiden moved before he could and, with a boom, she slammed the door shut.
A voice asked from outside the door, “Office Leader Wen, what’s wrong?”
The maiden spoke with indifference, “Nothing’s wrong. My brother is back. He’s feeling down again. Don’t wake him up. Let’s go. We can talk on our way.”
The people outside answered and followed her away. Wen Ning let out a breath of relief, explaining to Wei WuXian, “My… My elder sister.”
Wei WuXian, “Wen Qing is your elder sister?”
Wen Ning nodded, somewhat embarrassed, “My sister. She’s really powerful.”
She was indeed powerful.
Wen Qing could be considered a famous cultivator of the QishanWen Sect. She wasn’t a daughter of the QishanWen Sect’s leader, Wen RuoHan, but instead the daughter of one of Wen RuoHan’s cousins. Although they were far cousins, Wen RuoHan had always had a close relationship to this cousin of his. On top of that, Wen Qing was exceptional in the liberal arts and studied medicine as well. She was a talent, and thus she was rather favored by Wen RuoHan. She often followed Wen RuoHan to the banquets of the QishanWen Sect, which was why Wei WuXian found her face familiar. She was a beauty, after all. He had also heard from somewhere that she had an elder or younger brother. But, perhaps because he wasn’t as talented as Wen Qing, not many people talked about him.
Wei WuXian exclaimed, “You really are the younger brother of Wen Qing?”
Wen Ning thought that what he was surprised at about was how such an excellent, well-known sister could have such an average brother. He admitted, “Yeah. My sister is really good. I… I’m not.”
Wei WuXian, “No, no. You’re really good as well. What I find surprising is that your sister is Wen Qing, the Office Leader, and you dared take us…”
Suddenly, Jiang Cheng shifted on the bed. He scrunched his eyebrows lightly. Wei WuXian immediately turned around to check on him, “Jiang Cheng?!”
Wen Ning hurried, “He’s awake. He needs medicine. I’ll go get some.”
After he walked out, he closed the door behind him. Having been passed out for so long, Jiang Cheng finally woke up. Wei WuXian had originally been ecstatic. But, soon afterward, he knew that something was wrong.
Jiang Cheng’s expression was rather strange. It was calm, almost too calm.
He stared at the ceiling, as though he wasn’t at all interested in the situation that he was in, as though he didn’t care about where he was either.
Wei WuXian didn’t expect him to react in such a way. Sadness, happiness, anger, shock—he had none of these. His heart skipped a beat, “Jiang Cheng, can you see me? Can you hear me? Do you know who I am?”
Jiang Cheng glanced at him. He didn’t say anything. Wei WuXian asked him a few more questions. Arm supporting himself, he finally sat upright. He looked down at the mark of the discipline whip on his chest before laughing bitterly.
If the discipline whip struck, it’d be impossible to wipe away the mark of shame. Wei WuXian comforted him despite this, “Stop looking at it. There has to be a way to get it off.”
Jiang Cheng slapped him. His strike was so weak, so powerless that Wei WuXian didn’t even flinch, “Hit me. As long as you’ll feel better.”
Jiang Cheng, “Did you feel it?”
Wei WuXian paused, “What? Feel what?”
Jiang Cheng, “Did you feel my spiritual power?”
Wei WuXian, “What spiritual power? You didn’t use any spiritual power at all.”
Jiang Cheng, “I did.”
Wei WuXian, “Just what… are you talking about?”
Jiang Cheng repeated, biting down on each word, “I said, I did. When I hit you, I used all of my spiritual power. I’m asking you. Did you feel it?”
Wei WuXian looked at him. After a while of silence, he spoke, “Hit me once more?”
Jiang Cheng, “There’s no need. No matter how many more times I hit you, it’ll be the same. Wei WuXian, do you know why the Core-Melting Hand is called the Core-Melting Hand?”
The heart had completely sunk.
Jiang Cheng continued on his own, “Because his pair of hands can melt away the golden core, so that you can’t ever form a new core again, you’re spiritual power will disperse, and you’ll become an average person.
“And an average person who descended from a cultivating sect is no different from a good-for-nothing. Your whole life will be spent doing worldly business. You aren’t allowed to dream about being at the top ever again.
“Mom and Father had their golden cores melted away by Wen ZhuLiu first and lost the ability to resist before they were killed by him.”
Wei WuXian’s head was in a complete mess. He didn’t know what to do, murmuring, “… The Core-Melting Hand… The Core-Melting Hand…”
Jiang Cheng laughed, “Wen ZhuLiu, Wen ZhuLiu. I want revenge, I want revenge, but how could I? I don’t even have my core anymore. I won’t ever be able to form a core again. How can I seek revenge? Hahahahahaha, hahahahahahahahahaha…”
Wei WuXian collapsed onto the ground. Watching how crazed Jiang Cheng seemed to be, he couldn’t say anything.
Nobody knew more than him how much of an ambitious person Jiang Cheng was, what high regard he held his cultivation and spiritual power in. But now, with the strike of the Core-Melting Hand, his cultivation, his self-esteem, his hope of revenge had all been smashed to dust!
Like a lunatic, Jiang Cheng laughed for a while. He lay down onto the bed again and opened his arms, speaking as though he had given up on everything, “Wei WuXian, why did you save me? What’s the use of saving me? Let me live in this world, watch the Wen-dogs go rampant, see how I can’t do anything?”
At this point in time, Wen Ning entered through the door. On his face was a smile that almost looked fawning. He walked with bowl of medicine in his hand toward the bed. Before he could say anything, those sun robes reflected against Jiang Cheng’s eyes. His pupils suddenly shrunk.
Jiang Cheng kicked Wen Ning, toppling over the bowl of medicine. The black liquid all spilled onto Wen Ning. Wei WuXian wanted to take the bowl of medicine. He pulled up Wen Ning as well, who had been shocked speechless. Jiang Cheng roared at him, “What’s wrong with you?!”
Wen Ning was so scared that he stepped back a couple of times. Jiang Cheng grabbed Wei WuXian by the collar and shouted, “You see a Wen-dog and you don’t kill him?! And you wanted to pull him up? Do you want to die?!”
Although he used as much strength as he could, his arms were still weak. Wei WuXian struggled out of them quickly. Jiang Cheng finally noticed where he was. He glanced around and asked in alarm, “Where is this?”
Wen Ning answered from far away, “The supervision office at Yiling. But it’s very safe…”
Jiang Cheng spun toward Wei WuXian, “Supervision office?! You walked yourself into their trap?”
Wei WuXian, “No!”
Jiang Cheng spoke in a harsh voice, “No? Then what are you doing in a supervision office? How did you get here? Don’t tell me that you went to the Wen-dogs for help?!”