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Chapter Three
Wen Qing parted the curtain of the carriage with her slender hand, revealing an empty and ghostly street. Empty of living, but not of the undead.
No one noticed when it started. It was so sudden and before they knew it, Yiling was already shrouded with thick miasma of resentful energy, invaded by large amount of corpses, and plagued with evil spirits. Reports proved that this all started from the Burial Mounds. Actually, it wasn't a surprise.
As a result, non-cultivators were forced to stay inside their houses to avoid being haunted. Even they, cultivators, only came out today because it's urgent. They needed to restock some of the herbs that are commonly used in concocting medicine. It just so happened that Wen Qing also needed a medicinal herb that only grew in specific areas and delicate enough that she had to personally pick it, so she came out with them.
"Is it him?" Wen Qing mumbled, surprising even herself.
Thinking that the superior was asking for something, the disciple outside asked, "Office Leader?"
Wen Qing, "Nothing."
She also didn't know why she said that. Why did she even entertained that thought?
Wen Qing had heard that the head disciple of Yunmeng Jiang was caught by Wen Chao and was thrown in the Burial Mounds; he must be dead, but she doubted. It might not be a coincidence that the strange phenomena in Yiling started on the very same day Wei Wuxian was reportedly thrown in the Burial Mounds.
She knew that no one had ever came out alive from that place, but what if? Impossible as it might seem, but the determination and courage within those silvery eyes as he gave up everything for his shidi was something that she wouldn't forget. Someone with that kind of spirit would do everything for his loved ones. Undead or not, she felt that he would come back to support, if not take revenge for his family.
Wen Qing wanted to laugh at herself for caring about someone she's not so familiar with. They studied in the Cloud Recesses in the same year before, but she really had no clear impression of him. There were many times they had encountered each other in the back mountain of the Gusu Lan, but they hadn't really talked. Their true acquaintance was when her brother saved him with the Jiang heir and that also was just a patient to doctor relationship.
She sighed. Though unfamiliar, she genuinely wished him well. Perhaps it's a sentiment. She and Wei Wuxian are the same; they would do anything for their family.
Wen Qing was about to withdraw her hand when an eerie sound of a flute scattered to the wind. The disciples outside started to panic, stopping their carriage, and unsheathing their swords.
Hand left parting the curtain of the carriage, Wen Qing witnessed how the mass of black clouds danced with the tune sounding from faraway. Her eyes widened. How could this happen? How could someone gain a great control towards resentful energy? Nevertheless, the scene in front of her was the evidence that it's indeed happening. Someone was controlling these resentful energy, drawing it to somewhere.
Wen Qing raised her head, staring at the distant mountain surrounded with thicker miasma of resentful energy. The Burial Mounds, that person was calling back the resentful energy to the Burial Mounds.
The dark energy in the mountain was becoming thicker and thicker; consequently, the mass of black clouds covering the town was thinning visibly. Like things under a spell, the corpses also started walking back towards the mountain where they were originally shackled.
"Quick, go back!" Wen Qing ordered hurriedly. This should be a good omen, but she didn't think so. Someone so powerful enough to manipulate resentful energy, and command legions of evil spirits and corpses was in the town; she wouldn't be at peace until she saw her brother unharmed.
She deeply hoped that her hunch was wrong, and so when they arrived at the supervision office, it was as if all her calm melted down.
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The formerly extravagant and busy residence, seized by the Wens to be their supervision office in Yiling, was now deafeningly silent. Its vermillion gate was tightly closed with no presence of the disciples usually standing on guard beside each of its pillars. One look, and it would make one feel a strange feeling of oppression and suffocation, even comparable to the fortress of Qinghe Nie.
If it was Cloud Recesses or the town outside, Wen Qing wouldn't be surprised, but her hold had never been silent since Wen Chao had decided to temporarily stay here.
Wen Qing skeptically stepped out of her carriage, timely being assaulted by a bone-chilling wind like some kind of bad omen.
On her signal, one of the disciples knocked the vermillion gate using the energy of his sword while the others stood back. The door swung open, unceremoniously hitting Wen Qing's entourage with a surge of dark energy, and slamming some unfortunate ones to a few paces away.
Wen Qing stilled. In her dark ink-colored eyes reflected the equally dark miasma of resentful energy ominously hovering and fluctuating in the entire residence like stormy clouds. This aside, the courtyard was also suspiciously deserted. She just remembered that she left this yard earlier with much displeasure, seeing the other disciples running around, doing chores for Wen Chao and his bitch, and now there's not even a single presence of those boot-licking disciples.
She surveyed the surroundings for any abnormalities, but what she discovered had made her even more suspicious. The yellow, red-painted talismans stuck in every corner of the supervision office were still present. These repelling talismans should ward off the evils, but it had somehow failed to work this time. More so, the town outside was already cleared of resentful energy; it's a mystery that the supervision office became the opposite.
Wen Qing's brows knitted in a frown as her mouth turned grim for the foreboding feeling that spread within her heart. This isn't simple. She had to find Wen Ning, she had to find her brother. She didn't care for what had exactly happened here, as long as she could see that her brother is safe. After confirming that no one was seriously injured, she rushed inside with the others.
They had just stepped inside the courtyard when a familiar sound of flute suddenly echoed throughout the residence, exactly what they had heard on their way here, an eerie lull piercing through the miasma of resentful energy, manipulating and commanding it.
Wen Qing's eyes darted in search for the master behind this anomaly. At the same moment, she heard an ear-piercing shrill coming from the main hall of the residence, the place that Wen Chao personally appointed as his own office.
"Ahhhhh!!!" The cry was so thin and so sharp, making the hair in the back of one's neck stand.
Wen Qing wasted no time and immediately run towards the sound of the commotion. It might not be where her brother was staying; howbeit, since the intruder must be in there, she had to see.
Heart pounding with her every step, Wen Qing with the others finally reached the main hall. Contrary to the deserted and clean courtyard, this one wasn't. In fact, it's too much crowded.
Wen Qing couldn't believe her eyes. Words were stuck in her throat, witnessing the scene in front of her. The main hall...it was filled with piles and piles of lifeless disciples wearing sun-and-flame robes. Crimson gushing below this mountain of corpses, emitting a thick smell of death.
She immediately noticed the three familiar figures in the center of hall. Standing was Wen Zhuliu who despite looking strong was now tied with formless dark energy. In front of him was Wen Chao, kneeling on the ground, or precisely, his body was cut from the knees. Now, firmly attached to it was a pale child, chewing the remaining flesh with much enthusiasm. Blood continuously spewed from his wound, creating a gory scene that would make one's stomach to revolt.
Beside Wen Chao was a woman. Her features were all distorted, as though they had been smashed and then pieced together again. The woman was holding a piece of meat, frantically stuffing it into her mouth while laughing hysterically. Wen Qing had managed to recognize her from her rather revealing clothes. Wang Lingjiao! What she was eating was a human leg. One need not to think, it's Wen Chao's leg!
A needle fell on the ground, creating a cling that was easily drowned in the waves of wails from Wen Chao and maddened laughs from Wang Lingjiao. Still, the man behind a screen of dark clouds and was languidly sitting at the foremost seat lowered his eyes to scrutinize the needle before raising his head to stare at Wen Qing, as if he had heard it.
The man smiled regretfully, "Ah Wen Qing, I contained the scene here for you but you just have to come back right now!"
Wen Qing snapped her head towards the source of the voice. Her eyes widened as it crossed with a familiar pair of silvery eyes smiling at her. No, it wasn't familiar at all. Though it was the same bright features, there's seemed to be a shadow shrouding it, like an icy mist in a cold silvery river.
Wen Qing, "Wei Wuxian?!"
The man requited it with a friendly smile, "Wen Qing, it's been a while."
It was indeed Wei Wuxian! Even though Wen Qing could not understand why Wei Wuxian was speaking with her like an old friend and why he would treat days of separation like a lifelong parting, she still had to focus on what was important.
She had hoped the best for the man, but not at the expense of her brother's safety. Needing to know where her brother was, she shouted, "What do you want? Where is my brother?"
Wei Wuxian scratched the back of his head and pouted. This had somehow thinned the cold air surrounding him, "Ayo! Wen Qing! Do you really think that I would repay my benefactors' kindness with ill?"
Wen Qing squeezed her palm into a fist until her knuckles turned white, as she impatiently forced for an answer, "I'm asking you, where is he?"
"Wen Qing, Wen Qing, still hot-tempered!" Wei Wuxian chuckled amusedly, but funnily surrendered when she glared at him, "I promise, I would never harm Wen Ning. See!"
Wen Qing raised her head on a relatively clean corner where Wei Wuxian had pointed his black dizi. There she saw her unconsciousness brother, hugging an unfamiliar black dog. The dog raised its head, revealing a crimson pair of eyes. It was as if she was looking into a pool of blood yet also into the depths of hell.
Wen Qing unconsciously staggered backward as though she was pushed by an invisible power, a pressure from a being who no one would dare to provoke.
"Wei Wuxian! What have you done?!" Wen Qing panicked, seeing her vulnerable brother in the presence of an unknown demonic beast. She frantically ran towards Wen Ning despite the possible danger. She didn't even have time to confirm if her mind was playing tricks on her when she seemingly heard the beast sneered the moment she snatched the arm of her brother hugging it.
Only when she checked the pulse of Wen Ning that she finally heaved a sigh of relief and had time to think. Just in time for her to notice that the disciples following behind her were now all lying on the floor, unconscious.
Wei Wuxian immediately explained, "No worries, they just fainted." The man then shifted his angry glare to the beast, "Old black, do you really have to do that?"
"Brat, you already fell into the pit once, quite deep at that, but there's still no gain in your wit! I must remind you, we don't need them to tell on you," the black beast scoffed in disdain.
Wei Wuxian only rolled his eyes in unwilling defeat. While on the side was Wen Qing, horrified yet amazed, "This beast could talk?"
The black beast glared at her, as though it was terrified of her stupidity, "Obviously?"
Wen Qing was flabbergasted. She didn't know whether she should feel insulted or to straight away fear her distance from the powerful being, which she just noticed was nonexistent. Thankfully, an ear-piercing call had distracted her from her dilemma.
"Wen Qing, Wen Qing help me!" Wen Chao deliriously pleaded.
Wen Qing could finally take a better look of the man, and she was more than horrified. She had witnessed more painful torture while being under Wen Rouhan, but this was something that not many would be able to stomach. If Wen Rouhan's ways was frightening, this one was nauseating!
The child eating Wen Chao's knee had now reached his waist, leaving the parts below with only bones and few left over flesh. Wang Lingjiao had, at some point, also devoured his leg and moved on to his own body. On his cheeks, on his arms, on his exposed chest, chunks and chunks of flesh were eaten away. Wen Chao was akin to a helpless prey being gnawed by the wolves.
Wei Wuxian who was seemingly unaffected by this sight spat, "Hey, Wen Zhuliu couldn't even help you and you dare to ask others?"
Wen Chao had lost it, "Wen Qing, my father will surely kill you if I die here!"
Wei Wuxian agreed, "That's true."
Wen Qing stared at Wei Wuxian in disbelief. Though it was indeed the truth, but to hear him easily agreeing to Wen Chao after acting so familiar with her was really...making her speechless.
"Wen Qing, tell me, are you going to help him?" Wei Wuxian turned to her in all seriousness.
"Will you let me and my brother go?" Wen Qing instead asked.
Her every way out had been cut-offed. If Wei Wuxian really wanted to eliminate every single soul in this supervision office, he could really do so. How could she think of helping others if she couldn't even guarantee her and her brother's life? Not to mention that Wen Rouhan would definitely kill her no matter if Wen Chao came out alive or not, given that everything had happened under her watch.
Her last hope of survival was if Wei Wuxian was really going to stick on treating them as the benefactors he was indebted with.
"After I discuss you some things," Wei Wuxian replied in understanding, much to Wen Qing's relief.
Wen Qing lowered her eyes with a sigh, "Very well then." How to hide from Wen Rouhan's wrath would be a later problem.
Wen Chao, "Wen Qing you!"
Wei Wuxian coldly laughed as he shifted his cold glare towards Wen Chao, "Wen Chao, Wen Chao, accept your end here. I truly want to keep on torturing you, but seeing your sorry face is last in my priorities."
Wen Qing frowned in confusion. Wei Wuxian's gaze and tone wasn't maniacal, was but not overly blood-thirsty, wasn't like Wen Rouhan's sadism, nor of someone taking pleasure from torturing others altogether. This should be a revenge, she knew. However, she could not see any mirth in the other's eyes. It was as if he was just removing some thorns on his road, and less of avenging.
But she wouldn't doubt that he was truly going to end Wen Chao's life in the next moment.
"No, don't kill me!" Wen Chao panicked the moment he saw Wei Wuxian raised the black dizi on his hand and playfully twirled it between his fingers.
Wen Chao desperately crawled on the floor with his fleshless lower body, leaving a bloody trail, as he pleaded for Wen Qing's help with his shrill voice. Wen Qing as a doctor was aware that some part must have been removed for his voice to become like this.
She couldn't even look at the man, let alone want to hear his pleads. She looked away, firmly deciding to cut ties with the main family.
Wen Chao wasn't aware that she had already abandoned him, so he still continued, "Wen Qing! If you can take me back to my dad, I'll let him recognize you into the main clan! From now on, you'll be my elder sister! You can even include Wen Qionglin!"
Wen Qing would never want that, and Wen Rouhan would never reward the office leader who let his son to become like this under her watch. It seemed that even Wei Wuxian knew it, seeing that he was laughing amusedly.
Wei Wuxian waved his hand, ominously brandishing the black dizi with it, as to dismiss her curious stare before speaking in riddles, "Don't mind me. It's just that he also said the same words before, but it was spoken for Wen Zhuliu. I understand that he won't do that now, given that the core-melting hand is also as hopeless as him."
Wen Zhuliu squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. The dark energy restraining him was visibly tightening, but he could not even curse at his misfortune. Wen Qing had not noticed it before, but it was now obvious that an invisible hand was preventing the man from uttering a word.
"Don't waste any more time!" the demonic beast on Wen Ning's lap interjected with clear annoyance, startling Wen Qing who was sitting on the floor with her brother.
"Alright! Alright!" Wei Wuxian laughed exasperatedly, placing the dizi in front of his lips, and gently caressing it with calm demeanor.
The sound of his flute started to circle the miasma of black energy, calling for something unknown. A strong cold wind blew over, causing the candles to flicker, as though to welcome a dark being who had finally grace their little gathering.
Wei Wuxian smiled unsmilingly at Wen Chao before cupping his hand to bow towards the unknown hiding in the shadow. His voice was the only one that could be heard as he enunciated an order, "Finish it quickly."
A slender figure of a female ghost in red unceremoniously came out from the shadow, launching herself towards Wen Chao in an inhuman speed, grabbing his neck with her pale hand, and dragging him outside the hall in quick succession. Sound of miserable shrills accompanied the two figures, numbing Wen Qing's mind with an unexplainable feeling of terror. She knew that Wei Wuxian was being considerate in not letting her see the actual seen, but she really didn't appreciate the sound much. This torture continued for some time before it stopped, indicating the end of Wen Chao's life. Consequently, Wen Qing sighed in relief. But she shouldn't have had, because it wasn't the end.
The female ghost returned to Wei Wuxian's side, waiting for another command. Wen Qing lamented that the ghost must have been a goddess among the folks when she was still with the living, however, the dripping blood from the palm of her hands to the tip of her knife-like nails made Wen Qing to immediately reconsider it.
"Wen Zhuliu, you said that you cannot fail to repay the debt you owe their generosity, right? You wanted to protect Wen Chao's dog life? Now now now, see how your master had died under your watch? Don't worry it will be your turn now..." Wei Wuxian spoke too calmly for someone who was doing a killing spree, and it made him even more terrifying.
Wei Wuxian didn't asked for the female ghost to torture Wen Zhuliu. With a twirl of his dizi, he called upon his dark energy. A thread of black shadow, akin to a long piece of black silk, wrapped around Wen Zhuliu's neck, lifting him into the air, and slowly depriving him of the ability to breathe.
Wen Zhuliu struggled arduously, veins popping on his temple, and sweat soaking his sun-and-flame robe. But to no avail, it's the first time that the core-melting hand felt powerless. The man who in most of his life had witnessed other's pleading for his mercy could only helplessly watch how the sword like resentful energy mercilessly stabbed into his lower dantian, feel the unbearable pain when it pulled his gleaming golden core, and finally pulverized it in front of his very own eyes.
Robbed with the right for his last cry, Wen Zhuliu's lifeless body fell on the ground with a thump, and Wei Wuxian didn't even glanced at it.
"Take care of that bitch," he gave the female ghost a sideways glance before turning to Wen Qing, "Let's go to somewhere clean to talk, shall we?"
Wen Qing nodded with much appreciation. Who would have thought that the indifferent and arrogant Qihuang healer, the dexterous Wen Qing, would someday face a situation where she would be terrified?
A short moment after recovering from shock, Wen Qing supported her brother by the arm and stood up. The demonic beast, which was currently misleadingly looking harmless, mindfully jump out of Wen Ning's embrace. Wei Wuxian descended from the foremost seat to offer a help. Wen Qing knew better that it would be more convenient for Wei Wuxian to support her brother, and she indeed let him to do so.
One skill she learned from staying beside Wen Rouhan was how to calmly act in the face of great power. They could kill you with just a snap of their fingers; you should be careful but need not to be paranoid. Again, they should've had killed you sooner if they really wanted your life.
Wei Wuxian sincerely smiled at her, as if to assure her that he didn't have a plan to harm them. Wen Qing stared back at him, only to be taken a back as their eyes crossed. Seeing those silver pools closely made her rethink of her earlier assumptions. It wasn't at all cold, it's withered. There's a mysterious sadness in the depths of the other's eyes. Though, what's more evident was how Wei Wuxian's subtle actions screamed exhaustion. What could have made a bright spirit like Wei Wuxian like this? Was it the Burial Mounds?
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