The child in the front ran as if he flew, holding a long string in his hand. At the end of the string, a kite danced up and down in the air. The children behind him had toy bow and arrows, shouting as they chased and shot at the kite.
Wei WuXian also loved to play this game when he was young. Archery was a required skill for all disciples from prominent sects. However, most of them didn’t enjoy shooting properly at a target. Aside from shooting evil beings during night-hunts, shooting kites was what they loved the most. Everyone had one; whoever flew the highest, furthest, and shot the most accurate was the winner. This game was originally only popular among the younger disciples of cultivational sects. After it became known to the public, the children of ordinary families also loved it, though, of course, the damage from one of their little arrows was nothing compared to those of the skilled disciples’.
Back when Wei WuXian lived in the Lotus Pier and played shooting kites with the Jiang Sect’s disciples, he won a lot of first places. Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, had always been second. His kites were either flown too far away to shoot down or near enough to shoot but not as far as Wei WuXian’s. Their kite was almost twice the other people’s kites, made into the shape of a flying beast. It had bright, exaggerated colors, a large, gaping mouth, and a few sharp tails that flapped in the wind. From a distance, it was exceptionally vibrant and lively, not quite terrifying, but almost a bit silly. The framework had been assembled by Jiang FengMian himself, then given to Jiang YanLi to paint. This was why, whenever they took the kite out to compete, they both felt a sense of pride.
Thinking of this, Wei WuXian’s lips shaped into a smile. He couldn’t help but raised his head to see how the kite that the children were flying looked. It was entirely golden, a round mass of some sort. He pondered to himself, What is this thing? A pancake? Or some beast that I don’t know about?
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew over. The kite wasn’t that high in the first place and it wasn’t in an open space, so it was immediately knocked off. One child cried out, “Oh no, the sun fell!”
Wei WuXian understood at once. These children were probably playing a game in imitation of the Sunshot Campaign.
They were in the area of Yueyang. When the QishanWen Sect was at the peak of its prosperity, it abused its powers everywhere. And, since Yueyang wasn’t far from Qishan, the people here must have suffered greatly, having been either troubled by their unleashed beasts or bullied by their arrogant cultivators. After the Sunshot Campaign ended, the Wen Sect was annihilated by the combined forces of other sects, the hundred-years-old foundation instantly crumbling down. Around the area of Qishan, a lot of places enjoyed activities that celebrated the Wen Sect’s destruction, which almost turned into traditions. This game was probably one of them.
The children stopped the chase and, gathering together in contemplation, started to discuss, “What do we do? We didn’t even shoot the sun, and it fell off by itself. Now who’s the leader?”
Someone raised a hand, “Me, of course! I’m Jin GuangYao. I killed the Wen Sect’s big villain!”
Sitting on the stairs leading to the inn, Wei WuXian watched them with keen interest.
In these types of games, the head of all cultivators, LianFang-Zun, who was currently the most successful of all, was of course the most popular character. Although his family background was a bit disgraceful, the fact that he later climbed to such a rank was precisely why people respected him. During the Sunshot Campaign, he skillfully worked undercover for the QishanWen Sect, deceiving all of the Wen Sect’s people to a point that a tremendous amount of information were disclosed, yet they knew nothing. After the Sunshot Campaign, with flattery, wit, and countless other methods, he finally became the Chief Cultivator, fully deserving of the title. Such a life could even be considered a legend. If he was playing, he’d also want to try being Jin GuangYao. Choosing this boy to be the leader would very reasonable choice!
Someone else protested, “But I’m Nie MingJue! I’ve won the most battles and captured the most people. I should be the leader!”
“Jin GuangYao”, “But I’m the Chief Cultivator!”
“Nie MingJue” raised swung his fist, “So what if you’re the Chief Cultivator. You’re still my youngest brother. You’ll have to run away whenever you see me anyways.”
“Jin GuangYao” did indeed cooperate and maintain his character. Flinching his shoulders, he quickly ran away. Someone else spoke up, “You short-lived idiot.”
Choosing a cultivator to be must have meant that they felt admiration toward the certain cultivator. “Nie MingJue” raged, “Jin ZiXuan, you died even earlier than I did, so you’re more short-lived!”
“Jin ZiXuan” responded defensively, “What’s wrong with being short-lived? I’m ranked third.”
“Even if you’re third, it’s only your face!”
One of the children seemed to be tired from all the running and standing. He also moved to the stairs and sat down beside Wei WuXian. Waving his hands, he mediated between the two, “Okay, okay. Let’s stop fighting. I’m the YiLing Patriarch, so I’m the most powerful. So, if you guys insist so much, I can be the leader.”
Wei WuXian, “…”
He looked down. There really was a small, wooden stick stuck beside the boy’s waist, probably Chenqing.
Only simple-minded children like this would deign to be the YiLing Patriarch, only discussing in terms of power, not whether he was good or evil.
Someone else barged in, “No. I’m the SanDu ShengShou. I’m the most powerful.”
The “YiLing Patriarch” replied as if he understood everything, “Jiang Cheng, how is it possible for you to be better than me? Is there even one time that you didn’t lose against me? How do you dare to say that you’re the most powerful? Aren’t you embarrassed?”
“Jiang Cheng”, “Hmph, I can’t be better than you? Do you remember how you died?”
The light smile on Wei WuXian’s face dissipated at once.
It was as if he had suddenly been pricked by a poisonous needle. A faint, sharp pain came from all around his body.
The “YiLing Patriarch” who sat beside him clapped his hands, “Look at me! Chenqing on my left, the Tiger Seal on my right, along with the Ghost General—I’m invincible! Hahahaha…” Holding a stick on his left hand and a rock on his right, he laughed for quite awhile, “Where’s Wen Ning? Come out!” A child from behind the crowd raised a hand and replied feebly, “I’m here… Uh… I’m just saying… When the Sunshot Campaign happened, I wasn’t dead yet…”
Wei WuXian felt that he really needed to interrupt.
He asked, “Cultivators, may I ask a question?”
When the children played this game, there had never been an adult who stepped in. Not to mention, it wasn’t a scolding, but this sort of serious question. The “YiLing Patriarch” looked at him with both wonder and caution, “What do you want to ask?”
Wei WuXian, “Why isn’t there anyone from the GusuLan Sect?”
“There is.”
“Where are they?”
The “YiLing Patriarch” pointed at a child who never said anything from the beginning to the end, “That’s him.”