After Lan WangJi finished applying the ointment, somebody knocked three times at the door. Lan SiZhui’s voice came through, “HanGuang-Jun, everyone is up. Will we be leaving?”
Lan WangJi, “Wait downstairs.”
The group left the city and was parting ways before the city’s tower. Originally, the disciples weren’t as familiar with one another. They had only visited the others during discussion conferences at their respective sects. However, during these past few days, they’d been through both the cat corpse’s incidents and a thrilling day at a haunted city with the others. They’d even burnt paper money, snuck liquor, argued, and cursed other people together. In summary, they already knew one another quite well. Before the departures, all of them were reluctant to leave, taking their time in front of the city gates to discuss when to visit one’s discussion conference and when to night-hunt at another’s place. Lan WangJi didn’t hurry them, either. He let them chatter on as he himself stood silently under a tree. Under Lan WangJi’s eyes, Fairy didn’t at all dare to bark or run around. Crouching under the tree as well, it stared anxiously at Jin Ling, wagging its tail at him.
Taking the chance that Fairy was being watched by Lan WangJi, Wei WuXian grabbed Jin Ling’s shoulder and walked for some time.
Mo XuanYu was one of Jin GuangShan’s illegitimate sons, which made him a half brother of Jin ZiXuan and Jin GuangYao. In terms of the generations, he could be considered Jin Ling’s uncle as well. Thus, he walked as he righteously talked to Jin Ling in a patronizing tone, “When you go back, don’t keep on arguing with your uncle. Listen to him. Be careful from now on. Don’t run around trying to night-hunt alone again.”
Although Jin Ling was from a prominent sect, rumors didn’t let anyone off. With both of his parents gone, it was only natural for him to want to prove himself to others as soon as possible. Wei WuXian continued, “What are you? Fifteen? Most of the disciples around your age haven’t hunted any amazing beasts either, so why should you be so eager and strive for such a first?”
Jin Ling sulked, “My uncles were also fifteen-or-so when they became famous.”
Wei WuXian commented in silence, That’s not the same! Back then, the QishanWen Sect was still on top and everyone had to watch out. If they didn’t fight and cultivate as much as possible, who knew if they’d be the next one to run out of luck? During the Sunshot Campaign, you’d be hauled to the battlefields no matter if you were fifteen or any other age. Now, since the situations is stable and the sects are at peace, of course the atmosphere isn’t as tense and people don’t cultivate like they’re crazy. There’s no need anymore.
Jin Ling added, “Even when the dog Wei Ying was around fifteen when he killed the Tortoise of Slaughter. If he could even do it, why can’t I?”
Hearing his name come right after the word before it, Wei WuXian blood run cold. He somehow managed to shake off the goosebumps on his back, “He was the one who killed it? Wasn’t it killed by HanGuang-Jun?”
After the mention of Lan WangJi, Jin Ling looked to Wei WuXian in a strange way. He wanted to say something, but held it back, “You and HanGuang-Jun… Nevermind. It’s your own business. Anyways, I don’t care about you guys at all. Have fun being cut-sleeve. The disease is incurable.”
Wei WuXian grinned, “Hey, how is it a disease?”
He was laughing in silence, He’s still thinking that I’m shamelessly nagging Lan Zhan?!
Jin Ling continued, “I already know the meaning behind the GusuLan Sect’s forehead ribbon. Now that it’s already like this, then stay by HanGuang-Jun’s side properly. Even if you’re a cut-sleeve, you should be a modest one. Don’t go about messing with other men, especially people from our sect! Or else, don’t blame the results on me.”
The “our sect” that he said included both the LanlingJin and the YunmengJiang Sect. It seemed that his ability to tolerate cut-sleeves had increased, that as long as it wasn’t anyone from the two sects, he could turn a blind eye to it.
Wei WuXian disagreed, “You little brat! What do you mean ‘messing with other men’? I’m not that terrible of a person. Forehead ribbon? There’s a meaning behind the GusuLan Sect’s forehead ribbon?”
Jin Ling, “Come on! You know what it means. Stop getting so carried away. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Are you Wei Ying?”
At the end of his reply, he suddenly tossed out the straightforward question, taking Wei WuXian by surprise. Wei WuXian responded calmly, “Do you think we’re similar?”
Jin Ling was silent for a while. Then, he suddenly whistled and called out, “Fairy!”
Having been called by its owner, with its tongue sticking out, Fairy sprinted over. Wei WuXian broke into a run at once, “Be nice! What are you sending out the dog for?!”
Jin Ling, “Hmph! Goodbye!”
After he said goodbye, he proudly marched in the direction of Lanling, probably still afraid to see Jiang Cheng in Yunmeng’s Lotus Pier. The disciples from the other sects went off in different directions as well. In the end, Wei WuXian, Lan WangJi, and the juniors of the Lan Sect were the only ones left.
As they walked, the juniors couldn’t hold themselves from turning around and looking back. Although Lan JingYi didn’t say anything, the reluctance to leave was written all over his face. He asked, “Where are we going next?”
Lan SiZhui, “ZeWu-Jun is currently night-hunting in the Tanzhou area. Are we going to directly return to the Cloud Recesses, or go over there to meet up with him?”
Lan WangJi, “Go to Tanzhou.”
Wei WuXian, “Great. Maybe we can even help him. We don’t know where next to search for our dear friend’s head, anyways.”
The two walked in the front while the rest of the boys followed some distance behind them. After walking for a while, Lan WangJi spoke up, “Jiang Cheng knows who you are.”
Wei WuXian was sitting on the donkey as it slowly trotted forward, “Yeah, he knows. What can he do, though? He doesn’t have any evidence.”
Unlike the possession of bodies, there was no evidence to the sacrifice of bodies. Jiang Cheng only determined the fact through how he looked when facing a dog, anyway. First, Jiang Cheng had never told anyone that Wei WuXian was afraid of dogs; second, only those familiar with him would be able to judge things based on reactions and expressions, since there couldn’t be any conclusive proof. Even if Jiang Cheng finally chose to stick flyers that said the YiLing Patriarch Wei WuXian was scared of dogs everywhere he could, everyone would probably still believe that the SanDu ShengShou had finally become crazy after searching for the YiLing Patriarch for so many times and failing every attempt.
Wei WuXian, “So, I’m actually really curious. Just how did you recognize me?”
Lan WangJi replied in a calm voice, “I am also really curious as to why your memory is so bad.”
They arrived at Tanzhou within a day. Before they met up with Lan XiChen, they passed a garden along the way. Seeing how the garden was big and majestic yet had no-one to care for it, all of the disciples went inside out of curiosity. As long as it wasn’t anything against the sect rules, Lan WangJi never stopped them, which was why he let them inside. In the garden, there was a pavilion and a few fences, a table and a few stools, all made of stone, for people to enjoy the scenery. However, through years of wind and rain, one corner had fallen off the pavilion and two of the stools had toppled over. There were no plants or flowers in the garden, only brittle branches and withered leaves. This garden had been abandoned since a long time ago.