Chapter 118: 外三篇：恶友

Xue Yang sat at a small wooden table by a roadside stall, one leg tucked up on the bench, eating a bowl of sweet rice wine dumplings.

He clattered his spoon against the bowl, perfectly content at first, but towards the end, he suddenly realized: the dumplings were nice and chewy, but the rice wine wasn't sweet enough.

Xue Yang stood up and kicked the stall over.

The stall owner, busy bustling about, was stunned by the kick.

He watched, dumbstruck, as this young man suddenly turned violent, kicked the stall, then turned and walked away without a word, grinning. It took him a good moment to react, chasing after him and shouting furiously, "What are you doing?!"

Xue Yang said, "Wrecking your stall."

The stall owner was furious. "You're sick! You're insane!"

Xue Yang was unmoved. The stall owner kept yelling, pointing a finger in his face. "You little bastard! You eat my food without paying, and you dare wreck my stall?! I'll…"

Xue Yang's right thumb twitched. The sword at his waist slid out with a sharp ring.

The blade gleamed coldly. He tapped the stall owner's cheek with the edge of Desolation, the movement gentle, his voice sweet and sticky. "The dumplings were good. Next time, add more sugar."

With that, he turned and swaggered off.

The stall owner was terrified and furious, but didn't dare speak out. He stared blankly as Xue Yang walked a good distance away, until a surge of humiliation and rage overwhelmed him.

After a long pause, he roared, "…In broad daylight, for no reason at all, what gives you the right?! What gives you the right?!"

Xue Yang waved a hand without looking back. "No reason. Lots of things in this world happen for no reason. That's called a bolt from the blue. See ya!"

He walked briskly for several streets. After a while, someone came up behind him, hands clasped behind his back, matching his pace unhurriedly.

Jin Guangshan sighed. "I just turned my back for a moment, and you stirred up this mess. Originally, I only had to pay for one bowl of dumplings. Now I have to pay for his tables, chairs, benches, pots, bowls, and ladles too."

Xue Yang said, "You're short on cash?"

Jin Guangshan said, "No."

Xue Yang said, "Then why the sigh?"

Jin Guangshan said, "I think you shouldn't be short on cash either. Why not try being a normal customer once in a while?"

Xue Yang said, "Back in Kuizhou, I never paid money for anything I wanted. Just like this."

As he spoke, he casually plucked a candied hawthorn skewer from the pole of a roadside vendor. The vendor was probably seeing such shamelessness for the first time, staring dumbfounded. Xue Yang took a bite and said, "Besides, can't you smooth over a little stall-wrecking?"

Jin Guangshan laughed. "You little hoodlum. Wreck stalls if you want. You could burn down the whole street and I wouldn't care. Just do one thing: don't wear the Golden Star Snowwave robes, cover your face well, don't let anyone know who did it. Don't make things difficult for me."

He tossed money to the vendor. Xue Yang spat out a hawthorn seed, glanced sideways, and saw a patch of purple-green bruising on Jin Guangshan's temple that wasn't quite hidden. He laughed loudly. "What happened to you?"

Jin Guangshan shot him a slightly reproachful look, adjusted his hat to hide the bruise, and said, "It's a long story."

Xue Yang said, "Nie Mingjue hit you?"

Jin Guangshan said, "Do you think, if he had laid a hand on me, I'd still be standing here talking to you?"

Xue Yang found that deeply reasonable.

The two of them left Lanling City and came to a strange complex of buildings in the desolate outskirts.

The complex wasn't ornate. Inside the high walls stood a row of dark, long buildings. In front of them was a square, enclosed by iron railings chest-high, plastered with red and yellow talismans. The square held bizarre equipment: iron cages, guillotines, nail boards, and some tattered-clothed 'people' moving slowly through it.

These 'people' all had iron-gray skin and empty eyes, wandering aimlessly across the open ground, occasionally bumping into each other, making strange, wheezing, wind-leaking noises.

The Corpse Forging Ground.

Back then, Jin Guangshan had been itching for the Yin Tiger Talisman, his heart clawed and his liver twisted. He'd tried every indirect approach, used every trick, but Wei Wuxian was someone who wouldn't yield to either soft or hard tactics, giving him quite a few rebuffs. He thought, if you can make it, can't others? I refuse to believe Wei Ying is the only one in the whole world with this talent. One day, you'll be surpassed, laughed at by later generations under their feet. Let's see how arrogant you are then.

So, Jin Guangshan recruited on a large scale those unconventional scholars who imitated Wei Wuxian's cultivation of the Ghost Divine Art, took them under his wing, poured vast sums of money and resources into this group, and ordered them to secretly study and dissect the structure of the Yin Tiger Talisman, to begin replicating and restoring it. Among them, very few achieved any success. The one who went the farthest was actually Xue Yang, the youngest, personally recommended by Jin Guangshan.

Jin Guangshan was overjoyed, ranking him as a guest official and granting him great authority and freedom. The Corpse Forging Ground was a piece of land Jin Guangshan specially requested and approved for Xue Yang, for his exclusive secret research—or, in other words, for him to mess around recklessly.

When they arrived at the Corpse Forging Ground, two Malevolent Corpses were locked in combat in the center of the field.

These two were completely different from the other walking corpses. They were fully dressed, their eyes rolled back white, holding weapons. Their swords clashed, sparks flying. Two chairs were placed in front of the iron railings. The two men sat down simultaneously. Jin Guangshan straightened his collar, and a trembling walking corpse shuffled over, presenting a tray.

Xue Yang said, "Tea."

Jin Guangshan glanced at it. At the bottom of the teacup lay a strange purple-red object, swollen from soaking, unclear what it was.

He smiled and pushed the teacup over. "Thank you."

Xue Yang pushed the cup back, affectionately saying, "This is my personally secret-brewed tea. Why aren't you drinking it?"

Jin Guangshan pushed the cup back again, kindly saying, "Precisely because it's your personally secret-brewed tea, that's why I don't dare drink it."

Xue Yang raised one eyebrow and turned back to watch the two Malevolent Corpses fight.

The two corpses fought more and more fiercely, now using claws along with swords, flesh and blood flying everywhere. But the look of boredom on his face only deepened. After a while, he suddenly snapped his fingers and made a gesture. The two corpses immediately convulsed all over, reversed their sword blades, and sliced off their own heads. The headless bodies thudded to the ground, still trembling.

Jin Guangshan said, "Weren't they fighting just fine?"

Xue Yang said, "Too slow."

Jin Guangshan said, "Much faster than the two we saw last time."

Xue Yang extended his black-gloved hand, held up one finger, and shook it. 'That depends on what you compare them to. This kind—forget comparing them to Wen Clan, even against an ordinary Malevolent Corpse that Wei Wuxian summons by playing his flute, they wouldn't last long.'

Jin Guangshan laughed. "Why are you in such a hurry? I'm not even in a hurry. Take it slow. Tell me what you need. By the way,"

He took something from his sleeve and handed it to Xue Yang. "Maybe you need this?"

Xue Yang flipped through it, then suddenly sat up straight in his chair. "Wei Wuxian's handwritten manuscripts?"

Jin Guangshan said, "Correct."

Xue Yang lowered his head to look through them, his eyes blazing. After a moment, he looked up. "Are these really his original handwritten manuscripts? Written when he was nineteen?"

Jin Guangshan said, "Naturally. Everyone wanted them, fought tooth and nail for them. Gathering them all cost me quite some effort."

Xue Yang cursed under his breath, the excitement in his eyes growing stronger. After flipping through, he said, "Incomplete."

Jin Guangshan said, "There was a huge fire and battle at the Wasteland Cemetery. Finding these remnants is already good. Use them sparingly."

Xue Yang said, "What about his flute? Can you get Chenqing or not?"

Jin Guangshan spread his hands. "Chenqing is no good. Jiang Cheng took it."

Xue Yang said, "Doesn't he hate Wei Wuxian the most? What does he want Chenqing for? You managed to snatch Wei Wuxian's sword, didn't you? Give him the sword, trade for the flute. Wei Wuxian abandoned his sword long ago, Whatever is sealed and no one can draw it. Keeping it is useless except for looking pretty on your shelf."

Jin Guangshan said, "Young Master Xue is so good at asking the impossible. You think I didn't try? Nothing is ever that simple. That Jiang Cheng has gone mad now. He still thinks Wei Wuxian isn't dead. If Wei Wuxian returns, he might not go for his sword, but he'd definitely go for Chenqing. So, he definitely won't hand over Chenqing. If I say two more words, he'll turn hostile."

Xue Yang snorted a laugh. "Mad dog."

At that moment, two Lanling Jin Sect disciples dragged over a disheveled cultivator.

Jin Guangshan said, 'Didn't you want to refine your Malevolent Corpses anew? Perfect timing—I've brought you the materials.'

The cultivator's eyes were bloodshot, glaring fiercely, still struggling with all his might, his gaze at Jin Guangshan almost spitting fire. Xue Yang said, "Who's this?"

Jin Guangshan said, expression unchanged, "Whoever I send to you here is, of course, a criminal."

Hearing this, the cultivator lunged forward with all his strength, actually spitting out the gag in his mouth along with a mouthful of blood. "Jin Guangshan! You wicked, beastly, treacherous villain! How dare you call me a criminal?! What crime have I committed?!"

Each word was bitten out like spitting sharp nails, wishing each syllable could pierce Jin Guangshan. Xue Yang scoffed. "What's going on?"

The cultivator was yanked back like a dog on a chain by the men behind him. Jin Guangshan waved a hand. "Gag him."

Xue Yang said, "Why gag him? Let me hear. How are you wicked, beastly, and treacherous? He's barking like a dog, I can't make out what he's saying."

Jin Guangshan said, tone slightly reproachful, "Young Master He Su is considered a gentleman of repute. How can you address him so disrespectfully?"

The cultivator sneered. "I'm already in your hands, at your mercy. What's the point of putting on this act?"

Jin Guangshan said amiably, "There's no need to look at me like that. I am also helpless. Electing a Chief Cultivator is the trend of the times. Why stir up trouble and incite conflict everywhere? I warned you repeatedly, but you insisted on not listening. Now things have reached an irreparable point. My heart is also filled with regret and sorrow…"

He Su said, "What trend of the times? What stirring up trouble? Jin Guangshan wants to establish the position of Chief Cultivator, nothing more than wanting to imitate the Qishan Wen Sect's monopoly. Do you think everyone in the world is foolish and unclear? You frame me like this simply because I spoke the truth!"

Jin Guangshan smiled faintly without speaking. He Su continued, "When you truly succeed, the Xuanmen Hundred Sects will see the true face of your Lanling Jin Sect. You think killing me alone will let you rest easy from now on? Dead wrong! My Tingshan He Clan has many capable people. From now on, we will unite and never submit to you, another Wen Dog in disguise!"

Hearing this, Jin Guangshan narrowed his eyes slightly, the corners of his lips curling up, wearing his usual gentle, amiable expression. Seeing this, He Su's heart gave a thump. Just then, a commotion arose outside the Corpse Forging Ground, mixed with the cries and shouts of women and children.

He Su whipped his head around. He saw a group of Lanling Jin Sect cultivators dragging in sixty or seventy people wearing uniform clothing. The group included men and women, old and young, all terrified, some already wailing and crying to the heavens. A young girl and a boy, bound tightly, knelt on the ground and cried out miserably to He Su, "Brother!"

He Su was stunned, his face instantly turning as pale as paper. "Jin Guangshan! What do you think you're doing?! Kill me alone if you must, why involve my entire clan?!"

Jin Guangshan lowered his head to straighten his sleeve cuffs, smiling. "Didn't you just remind me yourself? Killing you alone won't let me rest easy from now on. The Tingshan He Clan has many capable people. From now on, we will unite and never submit—I was quite alarmed. After thinking it over left and right, I had no choice but to do this."

He Su seemed as if a fist had been shoved down his throat, unable to speak. After a long moment, he raged, "You annihilate my clan for no reason, aren't you afraid of being condemned by thousands?! Aren't you afraid of what Chifeng-zun will do when he finds out?!"

Hearing him mention Nie Mingjue, Jin Guangshan's eyebrows lifted. Xue Yang laughed so hard he almost toppled over in his chair. Jin Guangshan glanced at him, then turned back, speaking calmly. "You can't put it that way. Your Tingshan He Clan rebelled and committed treason, mobilizing the entire clan's strength to secretly attempt to assassinate Sect Leader Jin. You were caught on the spot. How is that 'for no reason'?"

Over there, several people cried out, "Brother! He's lying! We didn't, we didn't!"

He Su said, "A pack of lies! Open your dog eyes and look clearly! There are nine-year-old children here! Elderly who can barely walk! How could they rebel and commit treason?! Why on earth would they want to assassinate your father?!"

Jin Guangshan said, "That, of course, is because Young Master He Su committed murder first, was convicted and sentenced by Jinlin Pavilion, and they refused to accept it."

Only then did He Su remember what crime he'd been accused of when dragged to this ghostly, sinister place. "It's all a frame-up! I never killed any Lanling Jin Sect cultivator! I've never even seen the dead man! It's not even certain if he's really your sect's cultivator! I… I…"

He choked for a long moment, breaking down. "I… I don't know what's going on at all, I just don't know!"

However, this place held no one who would listen to his defense. Sitting before him were two utterly vicious men who already saw him as a dead man, enjoying his death throes. Jin Guangshan leaned back with a smile and waved a hand. "Gag him, gag him."

Knowing death was certain, He Su's face was filled with despair. He gritted his teeth savagely and roared, "Jin Guangshan! You'll get your retribution! Your father will rot to death in a pile of whores, and you, Whore's Son, don't think your end will be any better!!!"

Xue Yang had been listening with a giggling, fascinated air. Suddenly, a black shadow flashed, a streak of silver light sliced through the air, and He Su clutched his mouth, letting out a loud, agonized scream.

Blood sprayed across the ground. Over there, He Su's clansmen wept and cursed, the scene descending into chaos. Yet no matter how chaotic it got, they were still firmly restrained. Xue Yang stood before the fallen He Su, tossing a bloody piece of something in his hand, then snapped his fingers at two nearby walking corpses. "Throw him in the cage."

Jin Guangshan said, "You're putting him in alive?"

Xue Yang glanced back, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Wei Wuxian never used live ones. I'd like to give it a try."

Following his command, the two walking corpses dragged He Su—who was still screaming—by the legs and tossed him into the iron cage in the Corpse Forging Ground. Watching their elder brother frantically ram his head against the iron bars, several young men and women threw themselves forward, wailing loudly. The cries were sharp and piercing. Jin Guangshan propped a hand up and rubbed his temple, as if wanting to pick up his tea to calm his nerves. However, looking down, his eyes fell on the swollen, purplish-red thing floating at the bottom of the cup. Then, looking up at the tongue Xue Yang was tossing playfully in his hand, he pondered for a moment before suddenly realizing. "You used this to make the tea?"

Xue Yang said, "I have a whole jar of them. Want some?"

"…"

Jin Guangshan said, "I'll pass. Clean up and come with me to pick someone up. We'll go somewhere else for tea."

As if remembering something, he straightened his hat, inadvertently touching the hidden bruise on his forehead. Xue Yang said with gleeful malice, "What the hell happened to all those bumps on your head?"

Jin Guangshan said, "Like I said, it's a long story."

Jin Guangshan spent his days dumping every matter, large and small, on Jin Guangyao, while he himself caroused and debauched everywhere, never coming home all night. This provoked Madam Jin into furious rages at Jinlin Pavilion. Back when Jin Zixuan was still alive, he could act as mediator between his parents, but now there was no room left for reconciliation between the two. Every time Jin Guangshan went out to fool around with women, he made Jin Guangyao cover for him and invent excuses. Unable to get her hands on him, Madam Jin would seize Jin Guangyao and vent her fury on him instead—smashing an Ancient Incense Burner one day, splashing a cup of tea the next. So, just to buy himself a few more peaceful days at Jinlin Pavilion, Jin Guangyao had to personally go around to the various brothels and pleasure houses and fetch Jin Guangshan back on time.

Having done this many times, Jin Guangshan already knew the quickest places to find Jin Guangshan. Arriving at a lavish little building called Xiaolou, Jin Guangshan strode in with his hands clasped behind his back. The hall manager came forward with an ingratiating smile to greet him, but Jin Guangshan raised a hand to signal it wasn't necessary. Xue Yang casually snatched an apple from a guest's table, followed Jin Guangshan upstairs at a leisurely pace, wiped it on his chest, and crunched into it. Before long, the sounds of Jin Guangshan's laughter mingled with the coquettish giggles of women drifted down from upstairs—and not just one woman. A chorus of sweet, twittering voices: "Patriarch, look, did I paint this flower well? Painted on my body, doesn't it look alive?" "What's so great about painting? Patriarch, look at my calligraphy, how is it?"

Jin Guangshan was long accustomed to this and knew when to appear and when not to. He gestured to Xue Yang and stopped walking. Xue Yang clicked his tongue, his expression extremely impatient. Just as he was about to go downstairs to wait, he suddenly heard Jin Guangshan's coarse, drunken voice: "Girls, just play with flowers and grass, dab on some perfume, make yourselves pretty—isn't that enough? What's with the writing? It's a real mood-killer."

Those women had all been trying to please Jin Guangshan. With this sudden remark, the atmosphere upstairs turned awkward for a moment. Jin Guangshan's figure also stiffened slightly.

After a moment, someone laughed and said, "But I heard that back in Yunmeng, there was a courtesan of great talent famous for her poetry, music, chess, and painting—she captivated everyone!"

Jin Guangshan was clearly dead drunk; you could hear the stumbling, slurring intoxication in his words.

Thick-tongued, he said, "Tha—that's not how you should put it. I've realized now, women are better off with less of that nonsense. Women who've read a bit always think they're a cut above other women, make all sorts of demands, impractical fantasies—they're the most troublesome."

Xue Yang stood by a window, leaning back against it, arm propped on the sill, eating his apple while looking sideways at the scenery outside. And Jin Guangshan's smile seemed plastered on his face—fixed, eyes curved, not moving a muscle.

Up in the pavilion, the women laughed and agreed. Jin Guangshan, as if recalling some old memory, muttered to himself, "If I'd bought her freedom and brought her to Lanling, who knows how she'd have clung and pestered. Staying put where she was, she might've stayed popular a few more years, wouldn't have had to worry about food and clothing for the rest of her life. What was the point of having to bear a son… Whore's Son, getting her hopes up…"

One woman said, "Patriarch Jin, who are you talking about? What son?"

Jin Guangshan said airily, "Son? Ah, let's not talk about it."

"Alright, if you don't want to talk about it, we won't!"

"Since Patriarch Jin doesn't like us writing or painting, we won't write or paint. How about we play something else?"

Jin Guangshan stood on the stair landing for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Xue Yang also watched the scenery for that long. Only then did the sounds of laughter and play upstairs gradually fade.

After a moment, Jin Guangshan turned around, his face calm, and began to slowly descend the stairs. Seeing this, Xue Yang casually tossed his apple core out the window and swayed after him.

The two walked along the street for a while. After a long silence, Xue Yang suddenly laughed out loud, utterly without restraint.

He said, "Hahahahaha holy shit hahahahaha…"

Jin Guangshan stopped and said coldly, "What are you laughing at?"

Xue Yang clutched his stomach. "You should've found a mirror just now and looked at your own face. That smile was so ugly, so fucking fake it was disgusting."

Jin Guangshan snorted. "What do you know, you little thug? No matter how fake or disgusting, you still have to smile."

Xue Yang said lazily, "You brought it on yourself. If anyone dared call me a whore's son, I'd find his mother, fuck her a few hundred times myself, then drag her out and throw her into a brothel for others to fuck a few hundred times. Let's see who's really the whore's son. Simple."

Jin Guangshan also laughed. "I don't have your kind of leisure."

Xue Yang said, "You don't, but I do. I don't mind doing it for you. Just say the word, I'll go fuck her for you, hahahahaha…"

Jin Guangshan said, "No need. Save your energy, Young Master Xue. In a few days, are you free?"

Xue Yang said, "Free or not, I still have to do it, right?"

Jin Guangshan said, "Go to Yunmeng for me. Clean up a place. Do it neatly."

Xue Yang said, "As the saying goes, 'Where Xue Yang strikes, not a chicken or dog is left.' What misunderstanding do you have about how clean my work is?"

Jin Guangshan glanced at him. "I don't think I've ever heard that saying."

By now, night had long since fallen. The surroundings were quiet, with few pedestrians. As the two walked and talked, they passed a roadside stall. The stallkeeper was listlessly clearing a small table. Looking up, he suddenly let out a shout and jumped back.

His shout and jump were so startling that even Jin Guangshan was momentarily taken aback, his hand swiftly moving to the hilt of Hensheng Sword at his waist. Once he saw it was just an ordinary vendor, he immediately ignored it. But Xue Yang, without a word, stepped forward and kicked the stall over.

The stall owner, both shocked and frightened, said, "You again?! Why?!"

Xue Yang grinned. "Didn't I tell you? No reason."

Just as he was about to kick it again, a sharp pain shot through the back of his hand. His pupils contracted, and he swiftly retreated several steps. Raising his hand to look, he saw several bloody welts had been lashed across it. Looking up, a black-robed Daoist was retracting his horsetail whisk, watching him coldly.

This Daoist was tall and slender, with a handsome, cold face. He held a horsetail whisk and carried a long sword on his back, its tassel fluttering slightly in the night breeze. A flash of killing intent passed through Xue Yang's eyes, and he struck out with a palm. The black-robed Daoist swung his whisk, intending to repel him, but Xue Yang's move was bizarre and unpredictable. His palm strike abruptly changed direction, aiming for the Daoist's heart instead.

The black-robed Daoist frowned slightly, sidestepping to avoid it, but was just barely grazed on his left arm. Though the skin wasn't broken, a frosty look suddenly congealed between his brows, as if he found it extremely repulsive and unbearable.

This subtle change in expression didn't escape Xue Yang's notice. He sneered and was about to attack again when suddenly a snow-white figure cut into the fray. It was Jin Guangshan, stepping between them. "For my sake, please stop, Daoist Song Zichen."

The stall owner had long since fled in panic. The black-robed Daoist said, "Lianfang-zun?"

Jin Guangshan said, "Indeed, it is I."

Song Zichen said, "Why is Lianfang-zun shielding this brute?"

Jin Guangshan gave a bitter smile, feigning helplessness. "Daoist Song, this is a guest cultivator of our Lanling Jin Sect."

Song Zichen said, "If he is a guest cultivator, why would he engage in such lowly acts?"

Jin Guangshan coughed. "Daoist Song, you don't understand. He… has a peculiar temper, and he's still young. I beg you not to take it to heart."

At that moment, a clear, gentle voice came through. "He is indeed quite young."

Like a stroke of moonlight in the night, a white-robed Daoist, also with a horsetail whisk over his arm and a long sword on his back, appeared silently beside the three.

This Daoist was tall and graceful, his sleeves and sword tassel fluttering. He walked over slowly, as if treading on clouds. Jin Guangshan saluted him. "Daoist Xiaoxingchen."

Xiaoxingchen returned the salute, smiling gently. "We parted several months ago. I didn't expect Lianfang-zun would still remember me."

Jin Guangshan said, "Daoist Xiaoxingchen's Frosty Splendor sword shook the world. If I didn't remember, that would be strange."

Xiaoxingchen smiled slightly, seeming well aware of Jin Guangshan's habit of speaking with three parts flattery. "Lianfang-zun overpraises me." Then, his gaze turned to Xue Yang. "However, even if he is young, since he holds a seat as a guest cultivator at Jinlin Pavilion, he should still discipline himself and restrain his desires. After all, the Lanling Jin Sect is a renowned noble clan and should set an example in all aspects."

His dark eyes were bright and brilliant, his gaze gentle. When he looked at Xue Yang, there was no condemnation in it, so although his words were admonishing, they weren't offensive. Jin Guangshan immediately took the offered step down with ease. "Naturally."

Xue Yang let out a soft scoff. Hearing his derisive laugh, Xiaoxingchen didn't get angry. He examined him for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "Moreover, I observe that this young man's movements when he strikes are rather…"

Song Zichen said coldly, "Vicious."

Hearing this, Xue Yang laughed loudly. "You say I'm young, but how much older are you? You say my strikes are vicious, but who was it who lashed me with a whisk first? You two lecturing people is just too ridiculous."

As he spoke, he raised and shook his blood-streaked hand. Clearly, he had overturned the stall and committed mischief first, but now he was twisting black and white, speaking with righteous indignation. Jin Guangshan wore an expression of being torn between laughter and tears as he addressed the two Daoists. "You two Daoists, this…"

Xiaoxingchen couldn't help but laugh. "Truly…"

Xue Yang narrowed his eyes. "Truly what? Go on, say it."

Jin Guangshan said gently, "Chengmei, please be quiet."

Hearing that form of address, Xue Yang's face instantly darkened. Jin Guangshan added, "You two Daoists, my apologies for today. For my sake, please don't take offense."

Song Zichen shook his head. Xiaoxingchen patted his shoulder. "Zichen, let's go."

Song Zichen glanced at him, gave a slight nod, and the two bid Jin Guangshan farewell in unison before walking away side by side.

Xue Yang stared at their retreating backs with a sinister gaze, gritting his teeth with a smile. "…Fucking stinking Daoists."

Jin Guangshan said curiously, "They didn't really do anything to you. Why such hatred?"

Xue Yang spat. "I hate these fake, holier-than-thou types who think so highly of themselves. That Xiaoxingchen, he's barely older than me, acting like he loves to meddle—disgusting to look at, and he dares to lecture me. And that guy surnamed Song," he sneered, "just because I grazed him with a palm, what was that look in his eyes? One day, I'll gouge out his eyes and crush his heart. Let's see what he can do then."

Jin Guangshan said, "There you're mistaken. Daoist Song has a slight cleanliness obsession; he dislikes physical contact with others. It wasn't directed at you."

Xue Yang said, "Who are these two stinking Daoists?"

Jin Guangshan said, "After all that, you actually don't know? They're the two most talked-about right now—'The bright moon, the gentle breeze, Xiaoxingchen; the proud snow, the biting frost, Song Zichen.' Haven't you heard?"

Xue Yang said, "Haven't heard. Don't get it. What nonsense."

Jin Guangshan said, "Whether you've heard or not, understand or not, in short, they are gentlemen. Just don't provoke them."

Xue Yang said, "Why?"

Jin Guangshan said, "As the saying goes, 'Better to offend a petty man than a gentleman.'"

Xue Yang looked at him, highly skeptical. "Is there such a saying?"

Jin Guangshan said, "Of course. If you offend a petty man, you can just kill him to cut off future trouble, and others will applaud. If you offend a gentleman, that's troublesome. That kind of person is the most tenacious; they'll chase you down relentlessly, and if you lay a hand on them, you'll be condemned by everyone. So, keep your distance. Luckily today they thought you were just young and reckless, a bit arrogant. They don't know what you do all day. Otherwise, it'd be endless."

Xue Yang scoffed. "All tied up in knots. I'm not afraid of that kind of person."

Jin Guangshan said, "You're not afraid, but I am. Less trouble is better. Let's go."

They couldn't walk much farther anyway. Soon, the two arrived at a fork in the road. To the right was Jinlin Pavilion. To the left was the Corpse Forging Ground.

They exchanged a smile and went their separate ways.