Wei WuXian grabbed him, “Jiang Cheng, calm down first. It’s very safe here! Wake up. It’s not for certain that the Core-Melting Hand can’t…”
Jiang Cheng couldn’t listen to anyone’s words anymore. He was already half-mad. Hands around Wei WuXian’s neck, he laughed, “Wei WuXian, hahahahahahahaha Wei WuXian! You! You…”
Suddenly, a red shadow kicked the door open and darted inside. With a strike of her palm, a silver light flashed by. A needle went into Jiang Cheng’s head, and he lay back down at once. Wen Qing turned around to shut the door before scolding in a low voice, “Wen Ning, how stupid are you? You let him shout and laugh and be so loud?! Do you want him to be discovered?”
As though he saw his savior, he shouted, “Sister!”
Wen Qing, “Calling me your sister now? I haven’t asked you yet. Since when have you been so bold? How dare you hide people! I’ve already snuck a few questions earlier on. So that was why you suddenly wanted to go to Yunmeng! How full of yourself are you? Who gave you so much courage? If Wen Chao knows about this wouldn’t he tear you to apart? If he really is set on killing someone, do you think that I can stop him?”
She spoke quickly and clearly. Her forceful tone allowed for no objections. Wei WuXian couldn’t find anywhere at all to interrupt her. Wen Ning’s face was as pale as snow, “Sister, but Young Master Wei…”
Wen Qing continued, voice stern, “I won’t say anything too much seeing that you did it out of gratitude and that’s an understandable reason. However, these two must not stay here for long! You came suddenly and left suddenly, meanwhile Wen Chao lost the two of them. Do you think Wen Chao is that much of an idiot? Their search will reach here sooner or later. This is the supervision office under my command, and this is your house. What accusation do you think it’ll be if they discover that you’re hiding them? Think carefully!”
She explained so clearly what was at stake for them, so clearly that it was as though she pointed at Wei WuXian’s nose and told him to get lost quickly and not to stay here and burden them. If Wei WuXian were the one injured or if somebody else had saved them, he’d immediately say farewell and leave at once, full of determination. However, right now, Jiang Cheng was the one who had been injured. Not only was he injured, he had lost his core as well. He wasn’t in his right mind. No matter what, Wei WuXian couldn’t find any determination. And the Wen Sect was what caused them to be in such a situation to begin with. It was only natural for him to feel unwilling to give up. He could only clench his teeth and stay quiet.
Wen Ning, “B-But the Wen Sect people…”
Wen Qing cut him off, “What the Wen Sect does doesn’t represent what we do. We don’t need to be responsible for the Wen Sect’s wrongdoing. Wei Ying, there’s no need to look at me like that. There’s a beginning to all debts. I’m the office leader of Yiling, but I was ordered to take the position. I’m a medic, an apothecary, I’ve never killed anyone, much less touched the blood of the Jiang Sect.”
It was true. Nobody had heard of any lives lost by Wen Qing’s hands. There were always many cases that people wanted her to take over. It was because Wen Qing was one of the Wen Sect’s people whose way of doing things was actually normal. At times she could even put in a few good words for people in front of Wen RuoHan. Her reputation had always been good.
All were silent within the room.
A few moments later, Wen Qing spoke again, “Don’t pull out the needle. The brat would start throwing a fit if he wakes up. His shouting voice could be heard from even outside. Pull it out after his injuries have healed. I really don’t want to deal with Wen Chao, especially that woman around him. It disgusts me!”
She went out the door as soon as she finished. Wei WuXian spoke, “She… means that we can’t stay for long, but we can still stay for a few days… right?”
Wen Ning nodded, “Thank you, Sister!”
A pack of medicinal herbs was tossed in from outside the door. Wen Qing spoke from afar, “If you really are grateful then put in some effort! What a hell kind of medicine did you just make? Brew it again!”
Although the pack of herbs smacked right onto Wen Ning, he spoke happily, “The medicine that my sister prepared will definitely turn out good. Hundreds of times better than mine. It’ll be good for sure.”
Wei WuXian finally felt relief, “Thank you.”
He understood the fact that one of these siblings deciding to turn a blind eye to them and the other deciding to outright help them meant that they were placing themselves in extreme danger. Just as Wen Qing said, if Wen Chao truly wanted to kill anyone, it was unlikely for Wen Qing to be able to stop him. Perhaps she’d be affected as well. After all, children of others could never compare to children of one’s own.
With the needle in Jiang Cheng’s head, he slept for three days. Both his bones and the exterior injuries had healed already. All that was left and couldn’t be healed were the eternal marks from the discipline whip and the golden core that he’d never be able to take back.
Wei WuXian had also been thinking for three days.
Three days later, Wei WuXian said goodbye to Wen Ning. Carrying Jiang Cheng on his back, he walked for a while and borrowed a small house from a forest guard.
He closed the door and pulled out the needle in Jiang Cheng’s head. He opened his eyes only after a long time had passed.
He did wake up, but he didn’t move at all. He was so uninterested that he didn’t even turn around or ask ‘where is this’. He didn’t drink any water, he didn’t eat any food. It seemed that all he sought for was death.
Wei WuXian, “Do you really want to die?”
Jiang Cheng, “I can’t seek revenge even when I’m alive. Why shouldn’t I die? Maybe I’ll be able to turn into a ferocious ghost.”
Wei WuXian, “You’ve been undergoing soul-calming ceremonies ever since you were young. You won’t be able to turn into a ferocious ghost even after you die.”
Jiang Cheng, “If I can’t seek revenge no matter if I’m dead or alive, then what’s the difference between the two?”
After he said this, he wouldn’t speak again no matter what.
Wei WuXian sat by the bed. He looked at him for a while. Slapping his knees, he stood up and began to busy himself.
When evening came, he had finally finished making a meal. He placed everything onto the table, “Get up. It’s time for dinner.”
Of course, Jiang Cheng ignored him. Wei WuXian sat in front of the table. He picked up his own chopsticks, “If you don’t replenish your strength, how can we go take back your golden core?”
Hearing the words ‘golden core’, Jiang Cheng finally blinked. Wei WuXian continued, “That’s right. Don’t doubt it. You didn’t hear wrong. What I said is to ‘take back your golden core’.”
Jiang Cheng moved his lips. His throat was dry, “… You know how?”
Wei WuXian spoke in a calm voice, “I do.”
He turned around, “You’ve known since a long time ago that my mother, ZangSe SanRen, was a pupil of BaoShan SanRen, haven’t you?”
The sentence was only a few words long. However, it immediately lit up the lifeless eyes of Jiang Cheng.