He'll be fine?
Bullshit.
Xue Yang instantly regrets everything the moment he steps foot in the bustling streets of Yueyang. Despite covering his face with a bamboo hat, he still couldn't forget the memories and the events that transpired in this very place.
Despite him being a corpse now, his body still jolts every now and then as if his defense mechanism is a second away from activation whenever a random villager brushes shoulders with him.
Years of abuse from numerous strangers is nothing to brush off, and Xue Yang found it quite hard to believe that his lunatic past self is able to run around in Yueyang with no care in the world.
He even fooled around with the blind Xiao Xingchen back then.
"Let's go rest in a nearby inn."
Thankfully, Xiao Xingchen managed to cut him off from his trance by speaking.
Xue Yang nods before walking away first, the older simply following the latter suit since he's the one who knows the place better.
"Welcome sirs! Table for two or checking in for the day?"
Xue Yang let Xiao Xingchen do all the talking as he sat on the most inconspicuous table of the inn.
Xiao Xingchen soon arrived, sitting at the seat across Xue Yang as another person came to them, smiling professionally.
"What order would you like to have, dear cultivators?"
"Two of your best teas, please."
Before the worker could leave with Xiao Xingchen's order, Xue Yang spoke in a hasty manner.
"Add a plate of lotus flower crisps."
There was silence after that before a continuing, "...please."
When the two of them were left alone, Xue Yang sighs to himself.
No one spoke, even Xiao Xingchen who will do so if given the chance to be alone with the younger.
Perhaps it's his way to offer at least a bit of consideration with how the younger is acting ever since they arrived in Yueyang.
"Here are your orders, daozhangs. Please enjoy your stay."
Maybe the worker noticed the awkward tension hanging around them, considering she left immediately right after placing the snacks on their table.
It was Xiao Xingchen who first picked a piece of the sweet pastry, humming to himself before drinking the tea that was served along with it.
"This is delicious. You have good taste, Xue Yang."
Xue Yang couldn't help but huff before picking one of the lotus flower crisps, placing it in his mouth before munching it.
"Gege's lotus flower crisps are still the best."
Xue Yang nibbled on the flavorless pastry in his mouth, frowning from time to time since every food he consumes are still tasteless in his stiff tongue.
There was no sweet aftertaste to savor in the pastry, nor the bitter tea to wash down the remnants of it.
Concious fierce corpses like him have no need for food. But still, even if eating feels like a chore to him, Xue Yang continues to eat.
It was only one of the way to remind himself that he was once a human like those around him, living their mundane life.
He is dead, and he is trying his best to live half the human he was.
Xiao Xingchen didn't spoke, only giving him a look one akin to pity making Xue Yang scorn the older.
He does not need any of that useless pity.
Xue Yang stands up abruptly, his half-filled cup tumbling from his movement as he didn't even flinch from the steering hot tea that was poured in his arm.
Before Xiao Xingchen could stop the younger, Xue Yang spoke.
"I'll be back before dinner. Don't follow me."
At this moment, Xue Yang doesn't have an ounce of care if Xiao Xingchen gets lost or get mugged, the younger is sure that the latter can take care of himself since he's already an old fossil.
"Xue Yang!"
The younger ignored all of Xiao Xingchen's calls, making the other customers turn to look at the commotion as some of them gasp.
"Xue Yang? As in that brat taken in by Yunmeng Jiang?"
It was only one of the many whispers that could be heard from the crowd, and Xue Yang had ignored them all.
"If he's here, then he must be the one who murdered the entire clan."
"Bless their souls. Let's report him and stay away from him as far as possible."
"What is a monster doing back here?!"
Monster, huh.
When does exactly a man become a monster? Appearance-wise? Or the results of the bad choices you made?
Xue Yang could only sigh at their accusations, the thought of fleeing crossed his mind as he fixed his bamboo hat.
But then again, why would he escape when he's not even guilty of the crime he's being charged of?
Xue Yang wonders when did Wei Wuxian's martyrdom rubbed on him.
"Hey! You!"
He could only shake his head on how the authorities move so fast when it comes to pinning innocent being guilty.
Xue Yang stills, crossing his arms as he looked at the cultivators.
'From Ouyang...' Xue Yang thought.
"What?" He says rather rudely, irking the cultivators.
"We heard that you may be the one who murdered the Chang Clan. Come with us peacefully or we will eliminate you here right now."
Xue Yang forcefully raised his stiff eyebrow, "Why would I? Do you have any concrete evidence that I was the one who killed them all?"
The cultivators were speechless, making Xue Yang scoff loudly.
"Evidence? The only evidence these daozhangs need is your heavy resentment towards the Chang Clan! You are an ungrateful dog who kills its master who only fed a monster like you diligently!"
Dog? What bullshit is this now?!
"And now you became the dog of that dastardly Yunmeng Jiang! I guess those in the same kind always flock together!"
Earlier he's a dog, and now he's a bird?!
"You must be forgetting that Yueyang is still a piece of land protected by Yunmeng Jiang. And now you dare bark at your protectors just because of a one-sided rumor you've heard from the filthy streets?"
Xue Yang didn't let the woman cut him off before speaking again, "Tell me you fucking idiot, who is the bitch between us two?"
Yueyang Chang and Yunmeng Jiang is far too different from each other. Yueyang gave him nothing but pain and abuse, while Yunmeng gave him respect and a place he can call home.
So how dare this old hag belittle the Sect he belongs?
"So this is what that demonic Sect teaches an ungrateful brat like you?! Yunmeng Jiang has fell so low that there's no chance in atonement anymore!"
This time, it was a cultivator of Ouyang who said those words.
Before Xue Yang could lunge at the people who kept badmouthing his Sect, a girl who is quite smaller than him intervened and raised her bamboo stick in attempt to stop what bloodbath is about to happen.
"I'm sure Daozhangs can talk in a more peaceful way."
The Ouyangs visibly frowned at the sight of a girl stopping them, seemingly a blind beggar from the streets who have no business being this nosy.
Xue Yang became silently still, staring at the girl in front of him who looked like she noticed his look.
Before he could tell her to leave them alone, the girl spoke once more.
"For starters, this young kid you are blaming is not the suspect. He's far from it even."
Never in Xue Yang's both lives that he would expect A-Qing to take his side.
Well, he also didn't expect to meet her so soon.
"How'd you even know what the murderer looks like when you're blind?! Stop shitting with us and scram!"
A-Qing shuts her mouth as if she realized what she said, seemingly forgetting her blind act for a moment.
Xue Yang pushes her away from him, not wanting her to get caught in the impending fight.
"And how would you even know that it is this young lad who murdered the entire Chang Clan and it's not some baseless accusations?"
The cultivators from Ouyang, already seething in anger glared at the newly arrived man clad in dark shades of clothes.
"And who the hell are you?!"
He frowned, making Xue Yang snort as he looks at the hand that is clinging on the hem of his sleeve.
"Hey stop! Let's just leave."
"Why should Iㅡ"
The other cultivator slapped his hand against his companion's runny mouth, bowing in respect as he apologized.
"I apologize for our brazeness, Song-gongzi. Please forgive us."
Song Lan simply nods.
When the two Ouyang cultivators are far enough from them, the other pushed his friend's hand forcefully away from him and demanded an answer.
"Who the hell is that man for you to run away with your tails tucked between your legs?!"
The other, the sane one, simply sighs as he explains it to his idiotic friend.
"That was Song Lan, courtesy name, Song Zichen. If he says that it's not Xue Chengmei who murdered Yueyang Chang Clan then it's not him."
Before the idiotic one could ask another barrage of questions, his friend spoke once more.
"It is Song Zichen who we are talking about. He was the sole survivor of the massacre in Baixue Temple and the one who saw the silhouette of the murderer. Baixue and Chang have the same bloodbath that occurred. Missing limbs, drained qi and life force. Both cases only have one perpetrator."
The sane one pats the other's back, "So if Song Zichen is the one who claims that it's not Xue Yang, then it's not Xue Yang. It'll be better to return back to our Sect and report it to the higher ups."
Imma finish this work as soon as possible so that I can continuously start writing my Debut or die x Kim Rok Soo fanfiction *cracks neck*
Anyways shameless promotion, the mentioned fic from above has already been published in 2 chapters, please do give it a read if you have the time ^^
The title is "Catch Me If You Can"