Chapter Text
Soon, the pair finally arrived at the Coffin House, which was as silent as the wind. Just as they reached the door, however, Song Lan hesitated.
“He’s in there,” said A-Qing, looking up at Song Lan. “What’s wrong? Are you not going inside?”
Wei Wuxian, too, was perplexed. ‘Is it because they haven’t seen each other in so long?’
“How curious,” chuckled Xue Yang, not sounding at all affronted. “Song-Daozhang, I never knew you had such patience! I wasn’t aware you knew I was there before I saw you in the town. Good thing I chose to leave in the end, haha!”
“Is this really a laughing situation?” said Lan Jingyi, staring at Xue Yang in unconcealed disgust. “Hey, where’s your conscience? I don’t expect you to have one, of course, but one would think that after all of the suffering you’ve put them through, you’d at least feel a bit of remorse!”
“Well said, Jingyi,” said Ouyang Zizhen. “I was just wondering what kind of psycho would pat themselves on the back even after witnessing the aftermath of the destruction he’s caused. And then I happened to remember that he was Xue Yang, and I thought, he’s the kind of psycho to do that, isn’t he? Honestly, I've met demons with more humanity than him."
Song Lan held the silence in the following few moments — to which A-Qing nervously grasped at her cane — but as he intensely stared at the doors separating them from the building, there was a trace of acceptance in his eyes.
“No,” he said softly. “...Let’s go.”
“If I was quicker,” said Song Lan slowly. “If I hadn’t hesitated… Then maybe… Maybe I could have prevented your death, Xingchen.”
Xiao Xingchen looked at him, and knew without a doubt that the best response would be silence — something Song Lan cherished in moments like these. And perhaps a brief brush of their hands, to remind him that they were in it together.
In a matter of seconds, however, a figure sped past him and rushed into the Coffin House. Song Lan double-took in surprise, before his eyes hardened in hatred. ‘ That person!’
“Hmph, how annoying,” said A-Qing, making a sound of displeasure. “He’s back.”
“Who is he? Why is he here?”
“He’s a rotten guy. He refuses to tell us his name. Who knows who he is?” said A-Qing. “Daozhang saved him, but he keeps clinging to Daozhang, it’s so annoying!”
“Annoying?” Xue Yang looked positively offended. “Hey! Do you really think you are qualified to say that, huh, Little Liar? If anything, you were more annoying, especially when Xiao-Daozhang was around! Oh, Daozhang this, Daozhang that! You might as well say he’s your parent! But what parent would actually tolerate such an annoying child?!”
For some reason, the statement felt very personal and Lan Jingyi felt a rush of coldness in his heart. He pressed a hand to his chest and slowly rubbed the area, like he had seen Wei Wuxian do when Lan Wangji said something very cheesy to him.
Song Lan’s face tightened as he watched Xue Yang through the open doors, laughing and happily rattling on to Xiao Xingchen as though they were old friends. “Who’s turn is it to buy groceries today?” he glanced down at his hand curiously. “Hey, I have two sticks here. Whoever picks the long one doesn’t have to go and whoever picks the short one goes. How about it?”
Xiao Xingchen tentatively plucked one of the sticks from his grasp. “Yours is shorter, I win, so you go!” said Xue Yang excitedly.
“It’s so disgusting, seeing Xue Yang treat Xiao-Daozhang like that. He’s really shameless!”
“I’m just eagerly waiting for the moment Wei Wuxian beats him until he’s blind!”
“Alright,” murmured Xiao Xingchen softly, not sounding at all as though he was even slightly displeased. “I’ll go.”
“Great!” said Li Daiyu quickly. “Hurry and come out! Then as soon as he comes out, Song Lan can grab him and run!”
But all of a sudden, Xue Yang grasped his white sleeve. “Come back, I’ll go.”
Xiao Xingchen chuckled. “How come you want to go now?”
Xue Yang looked at him before bursting into uncontrollable laughter, and his eyes teared up in amusement. “Are you an idiot? I was playing a trick on you! The stick I got was shorter, but I kept another longer stick on me. No matter which one you picked, I could always get a longer one. I’m just using your blindness to prank you!”
“That really wasn’t appropriate,” said A-Qing disgruntledly. “Making fun of blind people really isn’t funny!”
‘Yes, young lady, I’m sure you found that comment to be very personal,’ the crowd thought, laughing at the irony.
When Xue Yang eventually headed out, Song Lan and A-Qing were made to discreetly hide behind a wall. “This man…” murmured Song Lan, “When did the Daozhang save him?”
A-Qing tilted her head thoughtfully. “Hm… it’s been quite a few years.”
“And the Daozhang never found out who he is?”
“No,” said A-Qing quickly.
“It’s a bit silly, you know. How can you live with someone for many years and not know their name? What if you’re telling them they’re a disappointment when they’re not face to face? Or telling a friend, ‘That child is such a disappointment’ . Aiyoh, won’t that sweet girl misunderstand, thinking he’s speaking about her?”
‘Hey, who at home are you calling a disappointment, woman?’ Was a thought widely shared.
“While he’s been staying with the Daozhang, what has he done?” asked Song Lan coolly.
A-Qing looked immensely pleased, as though she had never thought that someone would ask her such a flattering question. “Joking around, trying to get me kicked out, following Daozhang around like an annoying rotten bug, being mean to me all the time, speaking with bad language, bullying me, scaring me, and… Oh! He also goes out night-hunting with Daozhang!”
Song Lan double took. “Night-hunting?! Night-hunting what? Do you know?”
“Sometime ago they often Night-hunted walking corpses,”A-Qing explained. She looked slightly disgruntled at the lack of attention to her woes she spoke of. “Now it’s all ghosts, beasts, and all that.”
Song Lan’s brows furrowed. ‘ Something feels strange, but there’s no proof.’
“Almost there, Song-Daozhang!” said a young female cultivator from within the crowd. “You just need to punish Xue Yang and then save Xiao-Daozhang!”
“Is the Daozhang on good terms with him?” he asked.
A-Qing pouted. “I feel like Daozhang wasn’t too happy all alone… He finally found someone who did the same thing as him… So, I think he rather enjoys listening to that rotten guy spouting out nonsense…”
‘I cannot let Xiao Xingchen know of this, no matter what!’
“Don’t tell Daozhang anything about this!” Song Lan said, before swiftly turning around and rushing away, in the same direction Xue Yang had just left.
“They were truly best friends, through and through…” said Nie Huaisang dreamily. “To be honest, I would have just told him and quietly left without Xue Yang knowing… You know, it makes me wonder… I’ve heard of the term ‘soulmates’; people willing to go through any hardship for one another… Maybe this is what it’s like?”
“Daozhang, are you going to beat up that rotten guy?” A-Qing called after him, looking far too pleased at the idea.
“Beat up?” said Jiang Wanyin. “He’s going to tear that fiend Xue Yang apart!”
A-Qing was silent for a few moments before her face lit up, as though someone had just promised her the world. “No, I have to go and see too!”
“I really love this child,” said an older woman. “So filled with youth. That’s rarely seen these days.”
“Evidently,” said Ouyang Zizhen, staring pointedly at the wheezing Lan Qiren, before, of course, his father once again intervened with a swift slap of the head.
The screen swiftly switched to Xue Yang who was leisurely walking through the empty streets, holding a basket of vegetables in one hand and yawning deeply into the other. His pace was a saunter, although it soon came to a stop when a cold, loathing voice called out to him.
“Xue Yang.”
It was no question to the audience who this person was.
A hidden understanding befell them, then, at the site of red hatred inside Song Lan’s eyes, seething with desired carnage — the gait in which he walked, the steady grip on his sword, and even the murderous intent in his thin, pursed lips was clearly accounted for. Not a single person voiced a comment, as though the respectful silence holding the room up by a thread could not be broken, not even by the soft laughter of Xue Yang.
“Oh?” said Xue Yang, scoffing. “Isn’t this Daozhang Song? What a rare guest. You here for a free meal?”
Not even bothering to respond, Song Lan leapt forward, thrusting his sword in the cold, frigid air in hopes of injuring Xue Yang. Despite his efforts, Xue Yang remained unscathed, for he had blocked the blow quickly, as though familiar with the attacks of the furious man.
“You insolent cultivator,” he hissed, placing down the basket as he leapt into the fight. “For once, I was in the mood to buy food, and you had to be a killjoy!”
“Why’d he put the basket down?” said Jin Ling. “Isn’t he in the middle of a fight?”
“He needs to keep up the facade in front of Xiao-Daozhang, remember,” said Lan Xichen, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “I suppose… he plans to quickly win this fight as though nothing happened…” moments later, he went silent and contemplative. Wei Wuxian felt a rush of sympathy.
“Tell me!” Song Lan roared. “Why would a piece of scum like you be so kind as to help him night-hunt?!”
The question evidently caught Xue Yang off guard, for in the moment of surprise, he avoided the attack too late and it grazed the side of his cheek, smearing it in thick red blood.
“I can’t believe you know me so well, Song-Daozhang,” he chuckled.
“TELL ME!” Song Lan roared.
The fierceness and desperation in his shout touched the hearts of many in the crowd, including Xiao Xingchen, whose eyes were peeled open, entranced by the sight on the screen. His hands were gripping his pale sleeves so tightly, it looked as though they would tear from the sheer force.
“You really wanna hear it? You might go mad,” said Xue Yang playfully. “There are some things you’d be better off not knowing.”
Song Lan’s eyes hardened as he jumped forward to attack once more. “Xue Yang, I have limited patience toward you!”
After blocking yet another strike, Xue Yang smirked. “Fine. You’re the one who asked to hear this. Do you know what that dear cultivator friend of yours did?” the crazed look in his eyes intensified, and it could only be deciphered by the audience as mad amusement. “He killed many walking corpses, conducting exorcism without even asking for compensation. How moving.”
Ignoring Song Lan’s rapidly paling face, he carelessly continued, “He dug out his eyes for you and became blind, but luckily Shuanghua could point him towards the direction of corpse energy.”
“Oh my word,” Jiang Yanli gasped, tears coming to her eyes. “Those poor, poor boys…”
“However, even though Shuanghua can tell where corpse energy is, it can’t tell apart living and dead corpses,” Xue Yang continued wickedly. “I just had to make those people get corpse poisoning and cut off their tongues… For Shuanghua to direct him towards eradicating those ‘Walking Corpses’.”
A-Qing, who had hidden herself behind a wall, felt her knees go weak and she slowly fell to the floor. ‘What…?’
Nie Mingjue was outraged. He leapt to his feet in a burst of anger, and he looked so furious you could see the bulging veins in his head. “SCUM!” he roared. “How dare that criminal do such a despicable thing?! Where is he? Where is Xue Yang?!”
“Poor Xiao-Daozhang,” said Nie Huaisang, slowly wiping dramatically-induced tears. “If only I had known, I would have tried to help with the situation.”
“The moment you saw Xue Yang, you would have run away,” said Li Daiyu as matter-of-factly. Nie Huaisang did not respond.
“You animal…” Song Lan murmured. “You lowliest scum!”
“Song-Daozhang, sometimes I feel that you educated folks really have it tough when cursing others,” said Xue Yang, cackling. “Over and over, it’s just those few words. There’s absolutely no novelty, no damage done.”
Many eyes shifted to Lan Wangji, who was none the wiser.
“I stopped using those terms since I was seven,” as Xue Yang spoke, A-Qing seemed to fall deeper into the depths of disparity — for she had learned half of her colourful language from Xue Yang, and had even thought the same things as him.
“You imposed upon his blindness and fooled him!” Song Lan roared, striking once more. Xue Yang side stepped out of the way, but once again, Song Lan’s words had made him falter and he was once again injured. Yet Song Lan remained unscathed.
“His blindness?” he said, smiling once more at the other’s pale face. “Daozhang, please don’t forget… Who he gave his eyes to for him to become blind in the first place.”
Although his sword had pierced Xue Yang in the chest, Song Lan looked as though he was the one being torn apart. Xue Yang cackled and took a slow, tentative step forward. “After I wiped out Baixue Temple, what did you say to Xiao Xingchen? ‘ From now on, we won’t need to meet again .’ He listened to you and he disappeared after he dug out his eyes for you.”
Lan Xichen sighed deeply into his hands. All he could think of as Xue Yang spoke was the unfortunate parallels with his brother. Wangji, who suffered for Wei Wuxian; Wangji, who was pushed away by the very same man; and Wangji, who, even after Wei Wuxian told him to get lost, still went against his elders and tried to save him, getting himself deeply hurt as a result.
“So why are you here now? Aren’t you making things a bit too difficult for him?”
Song Lan just narrowly avoided yet another strike, when Xue Yang suddenly smiled. “Isn’t that right, Daozhang Xiao Xingchen?”
Song Lan’s eyes widened and he turned around, but in that moment of disconnect, Xue Yang leapt forward and struck.
“How come Song Lan is falling for such a cheap trick?” murmured Luo Qingqing. “I suppose his mind and movements are really disrupted by Xue Yang’s words, huh?
Xue Yang rummaged inside his robes, grabbed a handful of ominous purple powder before throwing it squarely in Song Lan’s face.
“Isn’t that corpse poisoning powder?” said Lan Jingyi, startled. “He could have just killed him there and then… Don’t tell me he plans to make Song Lan appear like a walking corpse… And get Xiao Xingchen to kill him?!”
“What a despicable man!”
“If someone had previously told me the Yiling Patriarch had done this, I wouldn’t have questioned it. Now, there is someone just as bad as the image painted over Wei Wuxian!”
“Who knew such a demon existed?”
“He deserves to die!”
Instantly, Song Lan went pale in the face and stark purple veins bled through his neck, besmirching the pale skin it rested aside. He broke into a violent explosion of coughs, and it sounded so horrendous it was almost as though his throat was being torn from the inside out. A-Qing had just managed to find her footing, and watched, horror-struck as Xue Yang proceeded to cut out Song Lan’s tongue.
‘So this was when Song Lan’s tongue was cut off,’ Wei Wuxian thought dispiritedly.
Song Lan fell to his knees and the sight of him was incredibly pitiful; A-Qing could only cover her eyes, sobbing, while pretending that everything was a nightmare she would soon wake up from.
“That poor girl,” said Jiang Yanli, glancing around as though to see if A-Qing was in the room. Her motherly-instincts kicked in and she wanted to hold this child tight, and coddle her as though she were her own.
In a fit of fury, Song Lan clenched his sword tightly and dashed forward, aiming to strike Xue Yang’s heart. But the delinquent only grinned, and he skipped to the side, revealing the tall white-robed figure standing behind him.
“That’s… Xiao Xingchen?”
“Why is he there?”
“Don’t tell me Xue Yang anticipated this, and deliberately made Song Lan look like a fierce corpse before he got there?”
Song Lan dropped his sword, his eyes glassy in shock, when all of a sudden Xiao Xingchen raised his hand and pierced Song Lan’s chest with his sword. The shine in Song Lan’s eyes seemed to diminish then, and he looked up at Xiao Xingchen with betrayal.
Xiao Xingchen felt his guts churn in disgust and he was unable to process the sight on the screen. Noticing his shift in demeanour, Song Lan held up his palm in front of Xiao Xingchen’s eyes, shielding him from both the scene and the world around them.
“Are you there?” said Xiao Xingchen, ignorant to the weak trembling of the man who was impaled by his sword.
“I am,” said Xue Yang cheerfully. “Why are you here?”
“How can someone act so cheerful after doing what they just did?” said Li Daiyu, and her delicate almond-shaped eyes were glassy. “And to think not only did he condemn Song Lan to such a fate, but he also deliberately made Xiao Xingchen do it himself, just to be more cruel. That is just so heartbreaking.”
Xiao Xingchen wrenched his sword out of Song Lan’s chest and let him fall to the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut. “Shuanghua behaved strangely. I followed its guidance and came to see.”
Song Lan weakly clutched his bleeding chest and fell to his knees as he continued, “We haven’t seen any walking corpses in this area for quite a while, not to mention one that roamed alone. Did it come here from elsewhere?”
“I guess,” said Xue Yang nonchalantly. “It’s making awful noises.”
If Song Lan passed his sword to Xiao Xingchen’s hand, Xiao Xingchen would immediately know who he is.
“Let’s go. It’s time to cook,” said Xue Yang. “I’m hungry already.”
“Have you bought the vegetables?” asked Xiao Xingchen.
But he didn’t do so.
“Yep. What a bad day to have run into this thing on my way back.”
Xue Yang was only so bold because he knew this.
Xue Yang stood before Song Lan, holding the basket of vegetables as he leant forward to whisper into his ear, “No food for you.”
“What a mean person! How could he be so cruel to a dying man?”
“I just hope Xiao Xingchen realises what Xue Yang has been doing soon…”
“But Song Lan clearly didn’t want him to,” said Li Daiyu to Nie Huaisang more than anyone. “Why is that?”
“It’s most likely because of how Xiao Xingchen would react,” said Nie Huaisang softly. “What would you think, if you had just parted ways with your best friend after saying something so negative to him? And then you kill him unknowingly, while you are still on bad terms. I’m sure Song Lan knew it would drive Xiao Xingchen mad, so he deliberately kept quiet.”
“Let’s go!” said Xue Yang, and he and Xiao Xingchen left the streets, the latter unaware of the events that had just transpired. Song Lan watched them leave, weakly shaking like a delicate leaf in the wind, silently crying before his limbs lost all strength and he passed away lonely, surrounded by silence.
Song Lan held Xiao Xingchen’s hand like a lifeline, and though the cruel words had cut deeply, both now and at the time, he didn’t give Xue Yang the satisfaction of showing how affected he truly was.
Others in the crowd, however, did not share the same views. They were all actively looking around for Xue Yang, and they certainly were not happy when they realised he was in the same room as them.
“Hey! Who allowed this delinquent to resurrect! He deserves to die!”
“Let me do the honours,” said a particularly bold disciple of the Nie sect, before he realised they were unable to unsheathe their sword nor activate their golden core.
“Who cares if we can’t use our swords?! We’ll just have to fight like barbarians then!”
Xue Yang, contrary to the anxiety in Lan Jingyi’s chest, started to laugh extremely loudly. It was as though a switch had been flipped, and everyone went silent at once the moment he opened his mouth. He looked truly insane, then, with his wild, matted hair, and malicious, cruel grin accompanied by maniacal laughter.
“Bring it on,” he said in a crazed, high-pitched voice. “You think I deserve to die? Then, young disciple, take your sword,” he manoeuvred an arm out of the binding robes and reached out for the boy’s sword, shoving it into his chest. “Kill me. Why don’t we see how long it takes?”
The boy started to violently tremble, and he slowly stepped back, hand withdrawing his sword. Xue Yang, however, persisted and his grasp on the sword was so strong that the young disciple was forced to let go.
“What’s wrong?” he said, still laughing loudly. “Never killed someone before?”
“Hey! Xue Yang, that’s enough!” Lan Jingyi exclaimed, stepping forward. He reached for the sword but Xue Yang was faster — in a matter of seconds, the ropes binding him fell to his feet and he grasped Lan Jingyi by the collar, unsheathed the sword and held it to his neck.
“Hey, would you look at this,” said Xue Yang cheerfully as copious amounts of blood was spat on his dirty robes. “Even without my golden core, a blade is still a blade. And without a golden core, wounds will not heal.”
“Xue Yang, you dare?!” Song Lan exclaimed furiously.
A large crowd had formed around them, now, and there were many enraged shouts echoed from mouth to mouth as the higher-ranking cultivators attempted to diffuse the situation.
“Song-Daozhang, what a surprise,” Xue Yang chuckled. “Didn’t I just watch you die again? That’s the second time now. What is it they say… Third time's the charm?”
“Xue Yang, that disciple is innocent and has done nothing wrong,” said Xiao Xingchen coolly. “Let him go. What you are doing will only get you in trouble and make you more enemies.”
“Xiao Xingchen, how come we spent many years together, but you still don’t know the kind of person I am?” Xue Yang replied. “When have I been one to spare innocents? Besides, what benefit is there if I don’t end this child’s life right here?”
“Unhand him! ” came a cold voice.
A pathway was made amongst the bystanders, and the temperature instantly seemed to drop by tens of degrees. Lan Wangji made his way through the crowd, Wei Wuxian in tow, and they looked down right murderous.
“Hey, it’s Hanguang-Jun! And the Yiling Patriarch!”
“Of course, since he’s one of the Lan Clan’s disciples, Hanguang-Jun would come. He really is noble.”
“Hanguang-Jun…” Lan Jingyi murmured, and he was very quiet as though he believed that if he was any louder, then the blade digging into his neck would cut deeper. “Senior Wei…”
“Aiya, Yiling Patriarch, I am quite disappointed,” said Xue Yang, tutting. “You should have known this would happen when you left an impudent young child to watch me.”
“Xue Yang, I spared you out of mercy. If any harm comes to that child, don’t think you will be let off easy.”
“Ah, so scary, Senior Yiling Patriarch,” Xue Yang laughed. He pushed the blade deeper into Lan Jingyi’s neck, as though testing the waters. “But… Oh dear, what should I do? He’s bleeding.”
“Xue Yang! You’re really testing my patience ,” said Wei Wuxian, raising his hand. A small amount of resentful energy started to gather at his fingertips, not quite as much as he would like, but it was enough to bring some harm to Xue Yang. Meanwhile, Lan Wangji had one hand on Bichen, and he was prepared to suffer the consequences for wielding his scarce spiritual energy.
“Okay, okay,” said Xue Yang cheerfully, dropping the sword and raising both palms in the air. Lan Jingyi leapt forward and rushed to Lan Wangji, who immediately made sure he was protected behind them. “Well, only since it was you who asked me to, Yiling Patriarch. I, after all, am one of your most devout followers.”
Just as everyone was starting to relax, Xue Yang suddenly whipped out something hidden inside his palm. It was a long guqin string, thin and sharp, which was clearly a result of the GusuLan Clan’s chord assassination technique. He smirked, and leapt towards Lan Wangji, but just before he struck, his body froze like ice and he slumped to the floor. When he fell, all people saw was initially red. And then some dark hair, followed by the flow of a dress.
Wen Qing was standing behind Xue Yang’s unconscious body, and she did not look impressed.