Hearing the words ‘favors him’, the muscles beside the corners of Jiang Cheng’s mouth twitched.
Jin GuangShan continued, “Sect Leader Jiang, you’re not like your father. It’s just been a couple of years since the reestablishment of the YunmengJiang Sect, precisely when you should be displaying your power. And he doesn’t even know to avoid suspicions. What would the Jiang Sect’s new disciples think if they saw him? Don’t tell me you’d let them see him as their role model and look down on you?”
He spoke one sentence after another, striking the iron while it was still hot. Jiang Cheng spoke slowly, “Sect Leader Jin, that’s enough. I’ll go to Burial Mound and deal with this.”
Jin GuangShan felt satisfied, speaking in a sincere tone, “That’s the spirit. Sect Leader Jiang, there are some things, some people that you shouldn’t put up with.”
After the gathering ended, all of the sect leaders felt that they received a terrific topic for conversation. They walked quickly as they discussed with all their might, their passionate hatred still burning bright.
Behind the sea of Sparks Amidst Snow, the Venerated Trio gathered. Lan XiChen spoke, “Brother, you have worked hard.”
Jin GuangYao grinned, “It wasn’t hard work. Who had to work hard was Sect Leader Jiang’s table. He clenched a few of its parts to crumbles. Looks like he really was angered.”
Nie MingJue walked over, “All clever talk—hard work indeed.”
Hearing this, Lan XiChen smiled but said nothing. Jin GuangYao knew that Nie MingJue would teach him a lesson whenever he found the chance. Quite helpless, he tried to change the subject, “Huh, Brother, where is WangJi? I saw him leave early.”
Lan XiChen gestured to the front. Jin GuangYao and Nie MingJue turned to look. Amid the ocean of Sparks Amidst Snow, Lan WangJi and the woman who left her sect in Golden Pavilion stood facing each other. The woman’s eyes were still tearing up while Lan WangJi’s expression was solemn. The two seemed to be conversing.
A moment later, Lan WangJi bowed slightly, saluting her.
The salute held gravity amid respect. The woman returned him an even graver solute. Wearing the uncrested gauze coat, she drifted down Koi Tower.
Nie MingJue, “The woman has much more backbone than the mob of her sect.”
Jin GuangYao smiled cheerily, “That’s right.”
Two days later, bringing with him around thirty disciples, Jiang Cheng left for Yiling.
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Under Burial Mound, before the walls that were torn down, hundreds of fierce corpses really did roam. Jiang Cheng went forward. They did nothing at all. But if the disciples behind Jiang Cheng approached, they’d make low roars of warning. Jiang Cheng told the disciples to wait down the mountain. He went up alone, walking amid the dark forest. After he walked for a long time, human voices finally came from ahead of him.
A few round stumps were beside the mountain path, a large one, like a table, and a few smaller ones, like chairs. A red-clothed woman sat with Wei WuXian on two of the stumps. A man who seemed to be honest and simple was turning over the soil of the field nearby.
Wei WuXian was shaking his leg, “How about potatoes?”
The woman’s tone was resolute, “Radishes. Radishes are easy to grow. They don’t die as often. Potatoes are hard to look after.”
Wei WuXian, “Radishes are disgusting.”
Jiang Cheng snorted. Wei WuXian and Wen Qing finally turned around. They weren’t surprised when they saw him. Wei WuXian stood up. When he walked over, he said nothing and continued to walk up the mountain, hands behind his back. Jiang Cheng didn’t ask either, he just followed behind him.
Soon later, a group of men appeared beside the path, busying themselves before a rack made of wood. They were probably all cultivators of the Wen Sect. Yet, having taken off their robes of sun and flames and put on clothes made of coarse cloth with hammers and saws in their hands, timber and straws on their shoulders, they climbed up and down, worked inside and out; they were not at all different from ordinary farmers and hunters. When they saw Jiang Cheng, they could tell by his clothes and sword that he was a prominent sect leader. As though they still felt some fear, they all stopped what they were doing, looking over with hesitation, not even daring to let out a breath.
Wei WuXian waved his hand, “Just continue.”
As soon as he spoke, the people all went back to their work, feeling relieved. Jiang Cheng asked, “What are they doing?”
Wei WuXian, “Can’t you tell? Building houses.”
Jiang Cheng, “Building houses? Then what were the ones we saw turning over the dirt when we came up here doing? Don’t tell me you’re really going to start farming.”
Wei WuXian, “Didn’t you hear everything? We are farming.”
Jiang Cheng, “You’re farming on a mountain of corpses? Will the things that grow here be edible?”
Wei WuXian, “Believe me. When people really are hungry, they’ll eat whatever they can.”
Jiang Cheng, “You really intend on stationing yourself here in the long run? Can people even live in such a damned place?”
Wei WuXian, “I lived three months in here.”
After a moment of silence, Jiang Cheng asked, “You’re not coming back to Lotus Pier?”
Wei WuXian replied in a relaxed tone, “Yunmeng is so close to Yiling. I’ll sneak back whenever I feel like it.”
Jiang Cheng snorted, “You wish.”
As he was about to speak again, he felt something heavy on his leg. He looked down. He didn’t know when, but a child about one or two years old crept over and hugged his leg. Raising his chubby chin, he looked up at him with his dark, round eyes.
He was quite a fine, lovable child. Unfortunately, Jiang Cheng had no love in him at all. He turned to Wei WuXian, “Where did the kid come from? Get him away from me.”
Wei WuXian bent down and picked up the child, letting him sit on his arm, “What do you mean get him away? Can’t you talk properly? A-Yuan, why do you hug the leg of everyone you meet? Off you go! Don’t bite your nails right after you play with mud. Do you know what the mud is made of? Move your hand! Don’t touch my face either. Where’s Granny?”
An old woman with sparse, white hair staggered over, holding a wooden walking stick in her hand. When she saw Jiang Cheng, she realized that he was an important character as well. She seemed to be a bit scared, her stooping figure stooped even lower.
Wei WuXian placed the child named A-Yuan by her leg, “Go play on the side.”
Limping, the old woman held her grandson’s hand and left. The little child stumbled as he walked, looking back at them.
Jiang Cheng mocked, “Those sect leaders thought you gathered some leftover forces and crowned yourself king of the hill. So it’s only the old, the weak, the women, and the children.”
Wei WuXian grinned, mocking himself as well. Jiang Cheng continued, “Where’s Wen Ning?”
Wei WuXian, “Why are you asking about him?”
Jiang Cheng replied coldly, “These days countless people have asked me about him, but who could I ask? Seemed like I could only come ask you.”