Chapter 73: 桀骜第十六 2

That very night, a massive storm of controversy swept in.

At the hour of Zi, nearly fifty clan leaders of varying ranks sat in their designated seats within the Point Gold Pavilion on Jinlin Pavilion. Jin Guangshan occupied the chief seat. Jin Zixuan was away on business, and Jin Zixun lacked sufficient seniority, leaving only Jin Guangyao standing respectfully at his side. The front row held figures like Nie Mingjue, Jiang Cheng, Lan Xichen, and Lan Wangji—clan leaders and renowned gentlemen, their expressions grave. The rear rows held lesser clan leaders and cultivators, all looking as if facing a formidable enemy, occasionally whispering to each other: 'I knew it,' 'It was bound to happen,' 'Let's see how this ends.'

Jiang Cheng was the focal point of everyone's gaze. Sitting in the front row, his face dark with clouds, he listened along with the others as Jin Guangyao, standing by the seat, spoke in a deferential, gentle tone:

'...Four overseers were killed in this incident. Approximately fifty Wen Clan remnants escaped. After Wei Wuxian led them into the Wasteland Cemetery, he summoned several hundred Malevolent Corpses to patrol and block the foot of the mountain. Our people haven't been able to take a single step up there to this day.'

After hearing this, silence fell over the Point Gold Pavilion.

After a long pause, Jiang Cheng finally said, 'This matter was indeed handled most improperly. I apologize to Sect Leader Jin on his behalf. If there is any way to make amends, please speak freely. I will certainly do my utmost to compensate.'

But Jin Guangshan didn't want his apology or compensation. 'Sect Leader Jiang,' he said, 'ordinarily, out of respect for you, my Lanling Jin Sect would never say a word. But these overseers weren't all from the Jin Family. Several were from other clans. This is...'

Jiang Cheng's brow furrowed tightly. He rubbed the throbbing vein at his temple, silently drew a breath, and said, '...I apologize to all the sect leaders. What you may not know is that the Wen-named cultivator Wei Wuxian wanted to save is called Wen Clan. He and his sister Wen Xu once showed kindness to the two of us during the Sun-Striking Campaign. Therefore...'

Nie Mingjue said, 'What kind of kindness? Wasn't the Qishan Wen Sect the perpetrator of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan's massacre?'

For years now, Jiang Cheng had insisted on working late into the night every day. Tonight, just as he was preparing to rest early, this thunderbolt of news had blasted him into rushing to Jinlin Pavilion overnight. Already exhausted and suppressing three parts of anger, and coupled with his inherently proud nature being forced to bow his head and apologize publicly, he was irritable. Hearing Nie Mingjue bring up the massacre again, a wave of hatred welled up in his heart.

This hatred wasn't just indiscriminately directed at everyone present. It was also directed at Wei Wuxian.

Lan Xichen pondered and said, 'I know a little of this Wen Xu's reputation. It seems I haven't heard of her participating in any atrocities during the Sun-Striking Campaign.'

Nie Mingjue said, 'But she didn't stop them either.'

Lan Xichen said, 'Wen Xu was one of Wen Ruohan's confidants. How could she have stopped them?'

Nie Mingjue said coldly, 'If she merely remained silent and did not oppose while the Wen Clan committed evil, then it's tantamount to standing by and watching. One cannot possibly wish to enjoy preferential treatment only when the Wen Clan stirred up trouble, yet refuse to bear the bitter consequences and pay the price when the Wen Clan falls.'

Lan Xichen knew that due to family vengeance, Nie Mingjue hated Wen Dogs the most, and his temperament was utterly intolerant of the slightest flaw. So he stopped speaking. A clan leader said, 'Sect Leader Nie speaks rightly. Moreover, since Wen Xu was Wen Ruohan's confidant, to say she didn't participate? I don't believe it. Which Wen Dog doesn't have a few lives on their hands? Perhaps it just hasn't been discovered yet!'

The mention of the Qishan Wen Sect's past atrocities stirred up the crowd, their emotions boiling, noise swelling. Jin Guangshan, who had intended to speak, was displeased by the sight. Jin Guangyao, observing his expression, quickly raised his voice: 'Gentlemen, please calm down a moment. The focus of today's discussion is not here.' As he spoke, he had servants bring forth chilled fruit slices to divert attention. Only then did the Point Gold Pavilion gradually quiet down. Jin Guangshan seized the opportunity: 'Sect Leader Jiang, originally this is your family affair, and I shouldn't interfere. But given the current situation, regarding this Wei Ying, I must remind you.'

Jiang Cheng said, 'Please speak, Sect Leader Jin.'

Jin Guangshan said, 'Sect Leader Jiang, Wei Ying is your right-hand man. You value him highly—we all know that. But conversely, whether he respects you as his clan leader is hard to say. After all, in my many years as a clan leader, I've never seen any subordinate dare to be so arrogant and presumptuous, resting on his laurels. Have you heard what they're saying outside? That the Yunmeng Jiang Clan's achievements in the Sun-Striking Campaign relied entirely on Wei Wuxian alone. Utter nonsense!'

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng's face had already turned quite unpleasant. Jin Guangshan shook his head. 'At the grand occasion of the Hundred Flowers Banquet, right in front of you, he dared to show a sour face and leave just like that. Yesterday, behind your back, he was even more unrestrained. He even dared to say, 'I don't put Clan Leader Jiang Wanyin in my eyes at all!' Everyone present heard it with their own ears...'

Suddenly, a cool voice said, 'No.'

Jin Guangshan, right in the middle of his enthusiastic fabrication, was taken aback. Like everyone else, he followed the sound.

They saw Lan Wangji sitting upright, unperturbed, saying, 'I did not hear Wei Ying say those words. Nor did I hear him express the slightest disrespect toward Sect Leader Jiang.'

Lan Wangji spoke very little in public. Even during discussion forums debating doctrines and principles, he only answered succinctly when others questioned or challenged him, his words precious and direct, striking the point and utterly defeating others' endless, gushing eloquence. Beyond that, he almost never initiated speech. Therefore, Jin Guangshan, interrupted by him, felt far more surprise than displeasure. But after all, having his embellished and exaggerated version publicly contradicted was slightly awkward. Fortunately, his embarrassment didn't last long. Jin Guangyao immediately came to his rescue, expressing surprise: 'Is that so? Ah, that day Lord Wei stormed onto Jinlin Pavilion, said too many things, each sentence more earth-shattering than the last. Perhaps he said something with a similar meaning. I can't remember either.'

His memory was no worse than Lan Wangji's, if not better. Nie Mingjue knew at once he was deliberately playing dumb and frowned slightly. Jin Guangshan, meanwhile, took the offered step down. 'Exactly. Anyway, he's always been arrogant and insolent.'

A clan leader said, 'Actually, I've wanted to say this for a long time. Although Wei Wuxian had some merit in the Sun-Striking Campaign, there are many more guest cultivators with greater merit than him. I've never seen any of them act so self-important. To speak bluntly, he is, after all, a Servant's Son. How can a Servant's Son be so arrogant?'

When he said 'Servant's Son,' naturally some people thought of the 'Whore's Son' also standing in the hall. Jin Guangyao clearly noticed these ill-intentioned glances but maintained his perfect smile, not letting it falter in the slightest. The crowd began to follow the trend, expressing dissatisfaction:

'Sect Leader Jin asking Wei Ying to hand over the Yin Tiger Talisman was originally out of goodwill, fearing he couldn't control it and it would lead to disaster. But he measured a gentleman's heart with his own mean standards, thinking everyone coveted his magical tool? Ridiculous. As for magical tools, which clan doesn't have a few family treasures?'

'I thought from the start that cultivating the Ghost Divine Art would inevitably lead to problems. See! His murderous nature is starting to show. Killing our people indiscriminately for a few Wen Dogs...'

At this moment, a cautious voice interjected: 'Was it indiscriminate killing?'

Lan Wangji, who had seemingly entered a state of empty meditation, hearing nothing, stirred. He lifted his gaze to look. The speaker was a young woman of lovely appearance, attending beside a clan leader. This jarringly out-of-place statement immediately provoked a collective attack from nearby cultivators: 'What do you mean by that?'

The woman seemed frightened and spoke even more cautiously. 'N-no... I don't mean anything else. There's no need to be so agitated. I just feel the term 'indiscriminate killing' isn't quite appropriate.'

Another person spat, 'What's inappropriate about it? Wei Wuxian has been indiscriminately killing since the Sun-Striking Campaign. Can you deny that?'

The woman tried to explain: 'The Sun-Striking Campaign was a battlefield. On the battlefield, doesn't everyone count as killing indiscriminately? We're discussing the matter at hand now. Calling it indiscriminate killing—I really don't think it counts. After all, there was a cause. If those overseers truly abused prisoners and killed Wen Clan, then this isn't called indiscriminate killing. It's called revenge...'

One person said indignantly, 'You're absurd! Are you saying he was justified in killing our people? Are you going to praise this as a righteous act?'

Another person sneered, 'Whether those overseers did those things or not is still unknown. No one saw it with their own eyes.'

'Yes, the surviving overseers all say they absolutely did not abuse prisoners of war. Wen Clan accidentally fell off a cliff and died. They even kindly collected his bones and buried him. Who knew they'd suffer such retaliation instead. Truly disheartening!'

The woman said, 'The other overseers, afraid of being held accountable for abusing prisoners and killing, would of course insist he fell by himself...'

Suddenly, someone laughed coldly. 'No need to quibble further. We don't care to listen to the excuses of someone with a guilty conscience.'

The woman flushed red and raised her voice. 'Explain clearly. What do you mean by a guilty conscience?'

That person said, 'No need to say. You know in your heart, and we all know. Back then in the Butcher of Xuanwu Cave, he flirted with you a bit and you became devoted? Still arguing stubbornly for him now, twisting right and wrong. Tsk, women will be women.'

In years past, Wei Wuxian's rescue of a beauty in the Butcher of Xuanwu Cave had served as romantic gossip for a time. So many immediately realized—this young woman was that 'Mianmian.'

Immediately someone muttered, 'I knew it. No wonder she's so eager to speak up for Wei Wuxian...'

Mianmian said angrily, 'What stubborn arguing, twisting right and wrong? I'm just discussing the matter on its merits. What does it have to do with me being a woman? Can't win the argument on logic, so you attack me with something else?'

Someone mocked, 'Tsk tsk tsk, spoken so purely and innocently. Your heart is biased. What's there to discuss on merits?'

'Don't waste words on her. That such a person belongs to our clan, and even managed to get into the Point Gold Pavilion—I feel ashamed standing with her.'

Many of those verbally attacking her were fellow cultivators from the same clan faction. Mianmian's eyes reddened with anger, tears welling up. After a moment, she said loudly, 'Fine! Your voices are louder! Okay! You're right!'

She gritted her teeth, abruptly tore off her clan-crested robe, and slammed it heavily onto the table with a bang. The sound attracted the attention of several clan leaders in the front row who hadn't been paying attention to the commotion. Others were shocked by her action, because this gesture represented 'leaving the clan.'

Mianmian said nothing further, turned, and walked out. After a while, someone laughed mockingly, 'Dare to take it off, then have the guts not to put it back on!'

'Who does she think she is... Leaving is leaving. Who cares? Who's this tantrum for?'

Sparsely, others began to chime in: 'Women will be women. Can't take a few words. She'll definitely come back on her own in a couple of days.'

'Definitely. After all, she worked so hard to go from a servant's daughter to a disciple. Heh heh...'

Lan Wangji let these demonic voices dance behind him, also stood up, and walked out. Lan Xichen inquired about the cause of this small disturbance. Hearing their talk take an increasingly unsavory turn, he said solemnly, 'Gentlemen, she has left. Quiet down.'

Since Lord ZeWu spoke, others naturally had to give some face. The Point Gold Pavilion resumed its piecemeal chatter, vehemently denouncing Wen Dogs and Wei Wuxian. A fanatical hatred, indiscriminate and allowing no rebuttal, surged in the air. Seizing this atmosphere, Jin Guangshan said to Jiang Cheng, 'I suspect his move to the Wasteland Cemetery was long premeditated. Given his capabilities, establishing his own sect wouldn't be difficult. So he took this opportunity to leave the Jiang Clan, planning to soar freely in the vast skies outside. You rebuilt the Yunmeng Jiang Clan through immense hardship. His controversial aspects were already numerous, yet he still doesn't know restraint, causing you so much trouble. He simply didn't consider you at all.'

Jiang Cheng forced composure. 'That wouldn't happen. Wei Wuxian has been like this since childhood. Even my father couldn't do anything with him.'

Jin Guangshan said, 'Was Fengmian unable to do anything with him?' He chuckled twice. 'Fengmian—that was favoritism.'

Hearing the word 'favoritism,' the muscles at the corner of Jiang Cheng's mouth twitched.

Jin Guangshan continued, 'Sect Leader Jiang, you are different from your father. The Yunmeng Jiang Clan has only been rebuilt for a few years. This is precisely the time for you to establish authority. He doesn't know to avoid suspicion. What will the Jiang Clan's new disciples think seeing this? Should they all take him as an example, not putting you in their eyes?'

Sentence by sentence, he pressed step by step, striking while the iron was hot. Jiang Cheng said slowly, 'Sect Leader Jin, no need to say more. I will go to the Wasteland Cemetery and resolve this matter.'

Jin Guangshan, satisfied, said earnestly, 'That's right. Sect Leader Jiang, some people and some matters cannot be indulged.'

After the gathering concluded, the various clan leaders all felt they had gained remarkable gossip material today. Walking briskly, they discussed fervently, their indignation undiminished. Behind the sea of Golden Star Snowwave, the Three Venerables gathered. Lan Xichen said, 'Third Brother, you've worked hard.'

Jin Guangyao smiled. 'I'm not the one who worked hard. The table Sect Leader Jiang was at worked hard. Several spots were crushed to powder by him. Seems he was truly furious.'

Nie Mingjue walked over. 'Eloquent and ingratiating—indeed hard work.'

Hearing this, Lan Xichen merely smiled without speaking. Jin Guangyao knew Nie Mingjue had seized an opportunity to lecture him on being a proper person again. Feeling quite helpless, he quickly changed the subject. 'Ah, Second Brother, where's Wangji? I saw him leave early just now.'

Lan Xichen gestured ahead. Jin Guangyao and Nie Mingjue turned to look. Amidst the flower sea of Golden Star Snowwave, Lan Wangji and the woman who had left her clan in the Point Gold Pavilion stood facing each other. The woman's eyes still glistened with tears, while Lan Wangji's expression was solemn. They were speaking.

After a moment, Lan Wangji slightly bowed his head, saluting her.

This salute held respect and also solemnity. The woman returned an even more solemn salute to him. Wearing that gauze robe without a clan crest, she drifted down from Jinlin Pavilion.

Nie Mingjue said, 'This woman certainly has far more backbone than that rabble in her clan.'

Jin Guangyao said with a beaming smile, 'Indeed.'

Two days later, Jiang Cheng took thirty disciples to Yiling.

At the foot of the Wasteland Cemetery, before the toppled curse wall, several hundred Malevolent Corpses indeed roamed. Jiang Cheng approached; they remained indifferent. But if the disciples behind him drew too close, they emitted low, warning growls. Jiang Cheng ordered the disciples to wait at the foot of the mountain and ascended alone. Passing through the dark, oppressive forest, he walked a long stretch before human voices sounded ahead.

Beside the mountain path were several round tree stumps—one large, like a table, three small, like stools. A woman in red and Wei Wuxian sat on two of the stumps. Several men who looked honest and simple-minded were strenuously turning soil in a nearby plot of land.

Wei Wuxian shook his leg. 'Let's plant potatoes.'

The woman said firmly, 'Plant radishes. Radishes are easy to grow, not prone to dying. Potatoes are finicky.'

'Radishes taste terrible.'

Jiang Cheng snorted. Only then did Wei Wuxian and Wen Xu turn around, unsurprised to see him. Wei Wuxian stood up, came over without a word, put his hands behind his back, and continued walking up the mountain. Jiang Cheng didn't ask, just followed him.

Soon, another group of men appeared beside the mountain path, busy in front of a frame made from a few logs. They were probably all cultivators under the Wen Clan Master, but having shed their Inferno Flame Robe and put on coarse cloth garments, they held hammers and saws, carried timber and straw on their shoulders, climbed up and down, and bustled about—indistinguishable from ordinary farmers and hunters. When they saw Jiang Cheng, they could tell from his clothes and sword that he was a major clan leader, and as if still shaken with fear, they all stopped their work, looking over hesitantly, not daring to even breathe. Wei Wuxian waved a hand. 'Carry on.'

As soon as he spoke, the group felt at ease, like Anxin, and continued. Jiang Cheng said, 'What's this for?'

'Can't you tell? Building a house.'

'Building a house? Then what were those guys turning soil for when we came up? Don't tell me you're really planning to farm.'

'Didn't you hear? Yeah, we're farming.'

'You're farming on a mountain of corpses? Can anything grown here even be eaten?'

'Believe me, when people are truly starving, they'll eat anything.'

'You really plan to settle here long-term? Can people even live in this godforsaken place?'

'I lived here for three months.'

After a moment of silence, Jiang Cheng said, 'Not going back to Lotus Pavilion?'

Wei Wuxian said lightly, 'Yunmeng and Yiling are so close. I'll sneak back whenever I feel like it.'

Jiang Cheng scoffed. 'You think it'll be that easy.'

He was about to say more when he suddenly felt a weight on his leg. Looking down, he saw a one- or two-year-old child had, at some point, snuck over and was hugging his leg, lifting a round face to stare at him with big, dark eyes.

It was a jade-snow-cute child, but unfortunately, Jiang Cheng had no fondness for children. He said to Wei Wuxian, 'Where'd this kid come from? Get it off.'

Wei Wuxian bent down, picked the child up, and sat him on his arm. 'Get it off? Learn some better words. A-Yuan, why do you hug everyone's leg? Go on! Don't bite your nails after playing in the mud. Do you know what kind of mud this is? Hands off! And don't touch my face either. Where's your grandma?'

An old woman with sparse white hair hurried over unsteadily, leaning on a wooden staff. Seeing Jiang Cheng and recognizing him as an important person, she seemed afraid, her hunched figure shrinking further. Wei Wuxian placed the child called A-Yuan by her leg. 'Go play over there.'

The old woman hastily limped away, leading her little grandson. The child toddled unsteadily, looking back as he went. Jiang Cheng mocked, 'Those clan leaders probably thought you'd gathered some rebel remnants to wave a banner and claim the mountain as your king. Turns out it's just a bunch of old, weak, women, and children—the dregs.'

Wei Wuxian gave a self-deprecating smile. Jiang Cheng added, 'Where's Wen Clan?'

'Why are you suddenly asking about him?'

Jiang Cheng said coldly, 'Countless people have been asking me about him these past few days. Who am I supposed to ask? Figured I could only ask you.'

Wei Wuxian pointed ahead. The two walked side by side, a chilling air greeting them as a tall, broad cave appeared. After walking straight in for a stretch, Jiang Cheng kicked something. Looking down, it was half a compass. Wei Wuxian hurriedly said, 'Don't kick that! It's not finished yet, it's useful.'

He picked it up. Jiang Cheng stepped on something else—a crumpled flag. Wei Wuxian said again, 'Watch you don't crush it! That's useful too, almost done.'

'You're the one throwing things around. If they get stepped on, you've got no one to blame.'

'This is where I live alone. What's wrong with leaving a few things lying around?'

Further in, talismans lined the path—stuck to walls, thrown on the ground, crumpled into balls, torn to pieces—as if someone had gone mad scattering them. The deeper they went, the messier it got, making Jiang Cheng feel suffocated. 'If you dared make such a mess in Lotus Pavilion, I'd burn all your things to ash!'

Entering the main cavern, a person lay on the ground, covered head to toe in talismans so densely only the whites of his eyes showed. It was Wen Clan. Jiang Cheng swept a glance over him. 'You live here? Where do you sleep?'

Wei Wuxian tossed the things he'd picked up into a corner, pointing at a crumpled pile of blankets in another. 'Wrap up, sleep anywhere.'

Jiang Cheng didn't want to discuss that any further. Looking down at the motionless Wen Clan, he said, 'What's wrong with him?'

'He's a bit fierce. I was afraid of problems, so I sealed him first, made him stay still for now.'

'Wasn't he a timid stutterer when he was alive? How can he be so fierce dead?'

The tone wasn't exactly friendly. Wei Wuxian glanced at him. 'Wen Clan was indeed a rather timid person in life. Precisely because of that, all sorts of emotions were buried in his heart—resentment, anger, fear, anxiety, pain. Too much of that piled up, and after death it all erupted. The force is unimaginable. It's like how usually gentle people are scariest when they finally snap. The more that type, the fiercer they are after death.'

Jiang Cheng said, 'Haven't you always said the fiercer the better? The heavier the Malevolent Qi, the greater the hatred, the stronger the killing power.'

'That's true. But I don't plan to refine Wen Clan into that kind of corpse.'

'Then what kind do you want?'

'I want to awaken his consciousness.'

Jiang Cheng scoffed. 'You're dreaming again. Awaken his consciousness? What's the difference between a Malevolent Corpse like that and a person? If you could really do it, no one would need to be human or seek immortality anymore. They'd just beg you to refine them into a Malevolent Corpse.'

Wei Wuxian laughed. 'Yeah, I've realized it's fucking hard. But I've already bragged a dozen times to his sister. Now they all believe I can definitely do it. I have to refine him, or where would I put my face…'

Before he finished, Jiang Cheng suddenly drew Triple Toxin and slashed straight at Wen Clan's throat, as if to sever his head with one stroke. Wei Wuxian reacted with uncanny speed, striking his arm to deflect the blade. 'What are you doing?!'

His shout echoed endlessly in the empty Fumo Cave, buzzing. Jiang Cheng didn't sheathe his sword. 'What am I doing? I should be asking you. Wei Wuxian, you've been quite impressive lately, haven't you?!'

Long before Jiang Cheng came up to the Wasteland Cemetery, Wei Wuxian had anticipated that this visit wouldn't be a peaceful chat. All the way up, a string had been pulled taut in both their hearts. Having chatted casually until now, feigning calm and suppressing it for so long, that string finally snapped.

'If Wen Xu and the others hadn't been pushed to the brink, you think I wanted to be this impressive?'

'They were pushed to the brink? Now I'm being pushed to the brink by you! A few days ago at Jinlin Pavilion, a whole crowd of large and small clans surrounded me, demanding I give an account for this matter. So here I am!'

'What account is left? This matter is settled. Those overseers beat Wen Clan to death. Wen Clan, as a corpse, killed them. A life for a life, a debt repaid. It ends here.'

'Ends here? Impossible! Do you have any idea how many eyes are on you, on that Yin Tiger Talisman of yours? Given this chance, even if you're right, they'll make you wrong!'

'You said it yourself—even if I'm right, they'll make me wrong. Besides drawing a circle and imprisoning myself, what else can I do?'

'A solution? Of course there is.'

He pointed Triple Toxin at Wen Clan on the ground. 'The only way to fix this now is to make a clean break ourselves, before they take further action!'

'What kind of break?'

'You burn this corpse immediately, hand over this bunch of Wen Clan remnants. Only then will you leave them no handle!' As he spoke, he raised his sword to stab again. But Wei Wuxian grabbed his wrist firmly. 'Are you joking? Hand Wen Xu and the others over now, and being wiped out is the only outcome!'

'Whether you can even cleanly extricate yourself is a question, and you're worried about their outcome? Wiped out is wiped out, what's it to you!'

Wei Wuxian flared up. 'Jiang Cheng! You—take that back before I slap you! Don't forget who helped us cremate Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu's bodies! Who brought the ashes now buried in Lotus Pavilion! Who took us in when we were being chased by Wen Chao!'

'I'm the one who wants to slap you to death! Yes, they helped us. But don't you get it? The Wen Clan remnants are the target of everyone's hatred now. Anyone surnamed Wen is guilty of heinous crimes! And anyone protecting those surnamed Wen is defying the whole world! Everyone hates the Wen Dogs, wishes they'd die as horribly as possible. Whoever shields them is opposing everyone. No one will speak for them, and no one will speak for you!'

'I don't need anyone to speak for me.'

Jiang Cheng raged, 'What the hell are you so stubborn about? If you can't do it, step aside. I'll do it!'

Wei Wuxian gripped him tighter, fingers like iron bands. 'Jiang Wanyin!'

'Wei Wuxian! Do you understand or not? When you stand on their side, you're an eccentric genius, a strange hero, a formidable leader, a singular talent. But the moment your voice differs from theirs, you're a madman, a violator of human ethics, a demonic heretic. You think you can stay aloof, detached from the world, free and unfettered? There's no precedent!'

Wei Wuxian shouted, 'If there's no precedent, I'll be the precedent!'

The two faced off, neither willing to yield. After a long moment, Jiang Cheng said, 'Wei Wuxian, can't you see the situation clearly? Do I have to spell it out? If you insist on protecting them, I can't protect you.'

'No need to protect me. Abandon me.'

Jiang Cheng's face twisted.

'Abandon me. Announce to the world that I've defected. From now on, whatever Wei Wuxian does has nothing to do with the Yunmeng Jiang Clan.'

Jiang Cheng said, '…Just for this bunch of Wen Clan people…?'

'Wei Wuxian, do you have a hero complex? Will you die if you don't stick your neck out and cause trouble?'

Wei Wuxian was silent.

After a moment, he said, 'So it's better to sever ties now, to avoid bringing disaster to the Yunmeng Jiang Clan later.'

Otherwise, he really couldn't guarantee what else he might do in the future.

'…' Jiang Cheng murmured, 'My mother said you were nothing but trouble for our family. She was right.'

He gave a cold laugh, muttering to himself, '…"To attempt the impossible"? Fine. You understand the Yunmeng Jiang Clan's precept. You understand it better than I do. You all do.'

Withdrawing Triple Toxin, the long sword slid into its sheath with a *zheng*. Jiang Cheng said indifferently, 'Then let's have a duel.'

Three days later, Yunmeng Jiang Clan leader Jiang Cheng dueled Wei Wuxian in a wildly sensational, talk-of-the-realm fight in Yiling.

Negotiations failed. The two fought fiercely. Wei Wuxian commanded the Malevolent Corpse Wen Clan to strike Jiang Cheng with a palm blow, breaking one of his arms. Jiang Cheng stabbed Wei Wuxian with his sword. Both were wounded, each spitting blood, cursing the other as they parted, completely tearing up any pretense.

After this battle, Jiang Cheng publicly declared: Wei Wuxian had betrayed the clan and openly opposed all the major families. The Yunmeng Jiang Clan had expelled him, severing all ties and drawing a clear line. Henceforth, whatever this person did had nothing to do with the Yunmeng Jiang Clan!