As he arrived, the repressed anger of both people immediately found a target to settle on. Just as Jin GuangYao landed, Madam Jin scolded, “Still smiling? Such a big thing happened, and you’re still smiling! Just look at the hunt you organized, you good-for-nothing!”
Jin GuangYao always had the same smile plastered over his face. Not at all expecting to be scolded as soon as he arrived, he retracted his smile at once and replied earnestly, “Mother, what in the world is going on?”
Madam Jin narrowed her eyes, “What in the world is going on—can’t you see for yourself? Aren’t you supposed to be good at reading the atmosphere?”
Jin GuangYao stayed quiet as Jin ZiXun spoke, “One-third of all of the prey in the entire Phoenix Mountain is gone. What are the five thousand people here going to hunt for?!” He used the chance to muddle through the matter of apologizing to Wei WuXian.
As he was about to continue, Lan XiChen spoke up, “LianFang-Zun has already set about expanding the range of the hunting grounds. Please calm down, everyone.”
Now that ZeWu-Jun had spoken, Jin ZiXun knew that it wasn’t suitable for him to say anything more. He couldn’t keep on venting off to Jin GuangYao either. Throwing his arrow onto the ground, he laughed bitterly, “The hunt this time is like a farce! Nevermind. It’s fine if I don’t participate. I quit.”
Jin GuangYao paused in surprise, “ZiXun, it’ll soon be arranged. At most you’d have to wait a hour longer…”
Sect Leader Yao called out as well, “Young Master Jin, that’s really not necessary!”
Jin ZiXun replied, “The hunt has already lost all fairness. Why should I wait? Please excuse my absence!” With this, he was about to lead his cultivators onto their swords. Jin GuangYao hurried toward him to try and persuade him. Some wanted to follow Jin ZiXun and leave as well, others were hesitating and didn’t want to give up just yet. The situation was immediately a mess.
Jiang YanLi shook her head and turned to Madam Jin, “Madam Jin, I really did make trouble for you.”
Madam Jin waved her hand, “You’ll never make trouble for your mother-in-law here. Scold that dumb brat however you want to. It’s not like I care about him. If you’re still mad, I can help you beat him up.”
Jiang YanLi, “There’s no need, there’s no need… Then, I’ll go back first?”
Madam Jin hurried, “To the Watching Towers? I’ll get ZiXuan to walk us back.”
As she spoke, she tried her hardest in eyeing Jin ZiXuan, who was standing some distance away. Jiang YanLi whispered, “That’s not necessary. I’d like to have a few words with A-Xian. He can walk me back.”
Madam Jin raised her brows, looking Wei WuXian up and down. Her gaze was somewhat cautious, as if she was feeling displeased, “A young man and a young woman—you two can’t stick together all the time if nobody else is present.”
Jiang YanLi, “A-Xian is my younger brother.”
Madam Jin, “A-Li, please don’t be angry. Tell me what stupid thing that stubborn brat of mine did to you this time. I’ll tell him to make it up to you properly.”
Jiang YanLi shook her head, “That’s really not necessary. Madam Jin, don’t force him.”
Madam Jin urged, “How could I force him? It’s not forced at all.”
Wei WuXian lowered his head, “Excuse my absence, Madam Jin.”
He and Jiang YanLi bowed at the same time. As they turned around to leave, Madam Jin grabbed Jiang YanLi’s hand and refused to let her leave. Between the pushes and the pulls, Jin ZiXuan ran over and shouted loudly, “Maiden Jiang!!!”
Wei WuXian pretended as though he heard nothing. He tugged at Jiang YanLi, “Shijie, quickly, let’s go.”
Jin ZiXuan shouted again, “That’s not it, Maiden Jiang!!!”
This time, he couldn’t pretend that he heard nothing no matter what. Wei WuXian could only turn around, along with Jiang YanLi. Even Jin ZiXun’s group, who was making a fuss on the other side, had their attention brought over. Everyone was wondering what Jin ZiXuan meant by ‘that’s not it’. Jin ZiXuan ran a few steps forward, as if he wanted to catch up, but then he stopped. Standing afar, he took in a few long breaths, the veins on his forehead protruding.
A moment later, he suddenly yelled, “That’s not it, Maiden Jiang! It wasn’t my mother! It wasn’t her intentions! I’m not forced, I’m not being forced at all!!” Holding it back for a few seconds, he finally roared, “It was me! It was myself! I was the one who wanted you to come!!!”
Jiang YanLi, “…”
Wei WuXian, “…”
Madam Jin, “…”
Jin ZiXun, “…”
After his roars, Jin ZiXuan’s fair cheeks suddenly turned into the color of blood.
He staggered back a few steps, only managing to steady himself with the support of a tree. As he looked up, he froze. As if he finally recalled that many people were still present and remembered what he said in front of all those people, he stood blankly for a long time before suddenly realizing what had happened. With a shout, he sprinted away.
With a few moments of dead silence, Madam Jin broke out, “You idiot! Why are you running away?!”
She pulled Jiang YanLi toward her, “A-Li, let’s continue our talk later on the Watching Tower! First I have to go catch him!” She left before she finished, rising up on her sword with a handful of other cultivators. She shouted as she chased in the direction in which Jin ZiXuan had fled.
Wei WuXian didn’t at all expect things to turn out this way either. After the frenzy of events, he didn’t even know what to make of things, “The hell is he doing? Shijie, let’s go.”
Jiang YanLi paused shortly before nodding. Wei WuXian waved at Lan WangJi, “Lan Zhan, I’m going.”
Lan WangJi nodded, saying nothing. In silence, he watched his and Jiang YanLi’s silhouettes slowly disappear into the woods. On the other hand, Jin GuangYao couldn’t stop Jin ZiXun and the others any longer. The group mounted their swords and left, all talking at once. The large cloud of people who had gathered was at once half of its original size. Seeing that there was no more show to watch, the rest of the people began to scatter as well.
Jin GuangYao wiped the sweat on his forehead, forcing a smile, “This really is…”
Lan XiChen patted his shoulder, “Today’s matter was not your fault.”
Jin GuangYao sighed and massaged the center of his brows, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it even in two hours.”
Lan XiChen, “Why is that?”
Jin GuangYao, “In reality, not only did Young Master Wei keep a third of the prey to himself, our eldest brother has eliminated over half of the fays and the monsters as well.”
Hearing this, Lan XiChen laughed, “That is how Brother is like, after all.”
Lan WangJi, on the other hand, seemed to be thinking. Jin GuangYao spoke as though he had a terrible headache, “And so, the range of the hunting grounds might have to be expanded even more.”
Lan XiChen, “Then, let us set about it as soon as we can.”
Jin GuangYao apologized, “Sorry, Brother. You’re here to participate in the hunt, and I had to have you come over to help me last minute.”