Xiao Xingchen''s smile froze on his face.


    The name "Xue Yang" struck him like a physical blow. What little color remained in his already pale face drained away completely, leaving his lips a ghostly white.


    Struggling to maintain his composure, Xiao Xingchen whispered, "...Xue Yang?"


    Suddenly, as if jolted awake, he turned to A-Qing. "A-Qing, how do you know that name?"


    A-Qing, her heart racing, replied, "This Xue Yang, he''s the person who''s been with us all along! He''s that evil creature!"


    Xiao Xingchen mumbled, confusion evident in his voice, "The person with us?... The person with us..."


    He shook his head, as if trying to clear it, and asked again, "How did you find out?"


    A-Qing, her mind racing to construct a believable lie, blurted out, "I heard him kill someone!"


    Xiao Xingchen''s face paled even further. "He killed someone? Who?"


    A-Qing, drawing upon her night of sleepless fabrication, continued, "A woman! She sounded young, and I think she had a sword. Xue Yang had a sword too because I heard them fighting. The clash of blades was so loud! The woman called him ''Xue Yang'' and accused him of ''slaughtering the Guanyin Temple'' and ''committing arson and murder''. She said he deserved to die for his crimes. Oh heavens, this man is a bloodthirsty monster! He''s been hiding among us all this time, who knows what he''s planning!"


    A-Qing had spent the entire night concocting this story. She knew she couldn''t let the Daoist know that he had mistaken a living person for a walking corpse, nor could she reveal that he had personally killed Song Lan. As much as it pained her to dishonor Song Lan''s memory, she couldn''t disclose his death. Her primary goal was to make Xiao Xingchen discover Xue Yang''s true identity and flee immediately, as far away as possible!


    But the news was too shocking, too absurd to accept easily. Xiao Xingchen, his voice laced with disbelief, said, "But the voice doesn''t match. And..."


    A-Qing, growing desperate, interrupted him, jabbing her bamboo pole in emphasis, "He disguised his voice on purpose! He didn''t want you to recognize him!" Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her. She jumped up excitedly, "Ah, that''s right! That''s it! He has nine fingers! Daoist, did you know? Doesn''t Xue Yang have nine fingers? You must have seen it before, right?"


    Xiao Xingchen staggered, nearly losing his balance.


    A-Qing quickly steadied him, guiding him to sit at the table. After a long moment of silence, Xiao Xingchen finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, "But A-Qing, how do you know he has nine fingers? Did you touch his hand? If he truly is Xue Yang, how could he have allowed you to discover his deformity so easily?"


    A-Qing, biting her lip, made a split-second decision. "Daoist... I''ll tell you the truth. I''m not blind. I can see! I didn''t touch his hand, I saw it!"


    The revelation hit Xiao Xingchen like a series of thunderbolts, each more devastating than the last. "What did you say? You can see?"


    A-Qing, fear gripping her heart but unable to retreat now, apologized profusely, "I''m so sorry, Daoist. I didn''t mean to deceive you! I was afraid you''d send me away if you knew I could see. But please, don''t be angry with me now. We need to run away. He''ll be back soon with the groceries!"


    Suddenly, she fell silent.


    The white bandages covering Xiao Xingchen''s eyes, once pristine, were now stained with two slowly spreading patches of red. Blood seeped through the fabric, trickling down from his eye sockets.


    A-Qing let out a horrified scream, "Daoist, you''re bleeding!"


    Xiao Xingchen, as if only just noticing, let out a soft "Ah" and raised his hand to his face, feeling the warm wetness of blood. A-Qing''s trembling hands tried to wipe it away, but the flow only increased. Xiao Xingchen raised his hand to stop her, saying softly, "I''m alright... I''m alright."


    In the past, his eye wounds would bleed when he experienced intense emotions or overthinking, but it hadn''t happened for a long time. Wei Wuxian had thought the wounds had healed. Who could have known they would bleed again today?


    Xiao Xingchen murmured, his voice filled with confusion and pain, "But... but if it really is Xue Yang, why? Why didn''t he kill me from the start? Why stay by my side for years? How could this be Xue Yang?"


    A-Qing, her voice trembling with fear and desperation, replied, "He wanted to kill you at first! I saw the look in his eyes, it was fierce and terrifying! But he was injured and couldn''t move, he needed someone to take care of him! If I had known who he was, if I had known he was a murderous monster, I would have stabbed him with my bamboo pole when we found him lying in the bushes! Daoist, please, let''s run away! Please?"


    Wei Wuxian, observing silently, sighed inwardly, "It''s impossible now. If Xiao Xingchen isn''t told, he''ll continue living with Xue Yang like this. If he is told, he won''t simply run away; he''ll confront Xue Yang directly. There''s no solution to this dilemma."


    Sure enough, after Xiao Xingchen had composed himself as best he could, he said, "A-Qing, you should go."


    His voice was slightly hoarse. A-Qing, fear evident in her tone, asked, "I should go? Daoist, shouldn''t we leave together?"


    Xiao Xingchen shook his head, "I can''t leave. I need to find out what he''s planning. He must have a purpose for disguising himself and staying by my side all these years. If I leave him here alone, I fear for the lives of everyone in Yi City. This is typical of Xue Yang."


    This time, A-Qing''s tears and sobs were no longer an act. She threw her bamboo pole aside and clung to Xiao Xingchen''s legs, crying, "You want me to go? Daoist, how can I leave alone? I want to stay with you. If you won''t leave, then I won''t either. We can die together if we must. I''ll die alone and miserable out there anyway. If you don''t want that to happen, then let''s escape together!"


    Unfortunately, now that her secret of not being blind was exposed, her attempts at evoking pity were no longer effective. Xiao Xingchen said firmly, "A-Qing, you can see, and you''re clever. I believe you can live well on your own. You don''t understand how dangerous Xue Yang truly is. You can''t stay here, and you absolutely must not go near him again."


    A-Qing''s inner scream was so loud that even Wei Wuxian could hear it: "I know! I know how terrifying he is!"


    But she couldn''t bring herself to reveal the whole truth!


    Suddenly, the sound of light footsteps approached from the distance.


    Xue Yang had returned!


    Xiao Xingchen''s head snapped up, his senses sharpening to the state of alertness he maintained during night-hunts. He quickly pulled A-Qing close and whispered urgently, "When he comes in, I''ll deal with him. You run away immediately. Do you understand?"


    A-Qing, terrified, nodded frantically through her tears. Xue Yang kicked the door lightly and called out, "What are you two up to? I''m back already. Aren''t you leaving? If you''re still here, unlock the door and let me in. I''m exhausted."


    Just by his voice and tone, one would think he was a cheerful neighborhood boy, a lively little disciple. Who could have imagined that standing outside the door at this moment was a ruthless, inhuman demon – a devil wearing the skin of a handsome youth, walking like a human, speaking human words?


    The door wasn''t locked, but it was barred from the inside. If they didn''t open it soon, Xue Yang would surely become suspicious. If he entered then, he would certainly be on guard. A-Qing wiped her face and shouted back, trying to sound normal, "Tired my foot! How far did you have to go to buy groceries? A little walk and you''re tired? So what if your sister takes a moment to change clothes? Did it cost you an arm and a leg?"


    Xue Yang sneered, "How many clothes do you even have? They all look the same anyway. Open the door already."


    A-Qing''s calves were shaking, but her voice remained strong and defiant, "Hah! I won''t open it for you. If you''re so capable, why don''t you kick it down?"


    Xue Yang laughed, "You asked for it. Daoist, you''ll have to fix the door later. Don''t blame me."


    With that, he kicked the wooden door open, stepping over the high threshold. He entered the room with one hand holding a basket full of groceries and the other clutching a bright red apple, which he had just taken a bite from. As he lowered his head, he saw the blade of Shuanghua piercing his abdomen.


    The grocery basket fell to the ground, spilling vegetables, radishes, apples, and steamed buns across the floor.


    Xiao Xingchen commanded in a low voice, "A-Qing, run!"


    A-Qing bolted, rushing out of the Yi Zhuang gates. After sprinting for a while, she quickly changed course and stealthily circled back to the Yi Zhuang. She climbed to her most familiar hiding spot, the one she often used for eavesdropping, and this time, she poked out half her head to peer inside.


    Xiao Xingchen spoke coldly, "Are you enjoying yourself?"


    Xue Yang took another bite of the apple still in his hand, chewing slowly and deliberately before swallowing. Only then did he reply, "Yes, I am. How could I not?"


    He had reverted to his true voice.


    Xiao Xingchen asked, "What was your purpose for staying by my side all these years?"


    Xue Yang replied nonchalantly, "Who knows? Perhaps I was bored."


    Xiao Xingchen withdrew Shuanghua and was about to strike again when Xue Yang spoke, "Daoist Xiao Xingchen, remember that unfinished story of mine? I suppose you don''t want to hear the rest now, do you?"


    Xiao Xingchen replied curtly, "No, I don''t."


    Despite his refusal, he tilted his head slightly, his sword pausing mid-strike. Xue Yang continued, "But I insist on telling it. After I finish, if you still think I''m in the wrong, you can do whatever you want."


    He casually wiped the wound on his abdomen, applying pressure to stem the blood flow, and began, "That little boy, upon seeing the man who had tricked him into delivering the message, felt both hurt and happy. He ran to him, crying loudly, and told him: ''I delivered the message, but the pastries are gone, and I was beaten. Can you give me another plate?''


    "The man, who seemed to have just been caught and beaten by that burly fellow, had injuries on his face. Seeing this dirty child clinging to his leg only irritated him further, and he kicked the boy away.


    "He got onto an ox cart and told the driver to leave immediately. The boy got up from the ground and chased after the cart. He wanted those sweet pastries so badly that he finally caught up and waved his hands in front of the cart, trying to make them stop. The man, annoyed by the boy''s cries, snatched the whip from the driver''s hand and lashed it across the boy''s head, knocking him to the ground."


    Xue Yang enunciated each word clearly, "Then, the cart''s wheels rolled over the child''s hand, crushing it finger by finger!"


    Regardless of whether Xiao Xingchen could see or not, Xue Yang raised his left hand towards him, "I was seven years old! The bones in my left hand were completely shattered, and one finger was immediately crushed into a pulp! This man was Chang Ping''s father.


    "Daoist Xiao Xingchen, you were so righteous when you captured me and took me to Jin Ling Tower! You condemned me for exterminating an entire family over a small grudge. Is it because the fingers don''t grow on your hands that you don''t know the pain? You don''t know what it''s like to hear heart-wrenching screams coming from your own mouth! Why did I kill his entire family? Why don''t you ask him why he chose to toy with me and mock me for no reason? The Xue Yang of today is the result of Chang Ci''an''s actions back then! The Chang clan of Liyang merely reaped what they sowed!"


    Xiao Xingchen, his voice filled with disbelief, exclaimed, "Chang Ci''an took one of your fingers back then. If you wanted revenge, you could have cut off one of his fingers in return. If you truly couldn''t let go of your hatred, you could have taken two, or even all ten! Or you could have cut off his entire arm! Why did you have to kill his entire family? Are you saying that your one finger is worth more than fifty lives?"


    Xue Yang pondered for a moment, as if he found Xiao Xingchen''s question strange. He replied matter-of-factly, "Of course. The finger is mine, but those lives belong to others. No matter how many you kill, it can''t compare. Fifty-odd people? How could that possibly make up for my finger?"


    Xiao Xingchen''s face grew even paler with anger at Xue Yang''s brazen attitude. He demanded, "What about the others?! Why did you massacre the Bai Xue Temple? Why did you blind Daoist Song Zichen?!"


    Xue Yang countered, "And why did you interfere with me? Why did you get in my way? Why did you stand up for that worthless Chang family? Were you helping Chang Ci''an? Or Chang Ping? Hahaha! Remember how grateful Chang Ping was at first? And later, how he begged you to stop helping him? Daoist Xiao Xingchen, from the very beginning, you were wrong to meddle in others'' affairs. Who''s right and who''s wrong, who owes more gratitude or grudges - how can an outsider judge? Perhaps you should never have come down from the mountain. Your master, Baoshan Sanren, was so wise. Why didn''t you listen to her and stay on the mountain to cultivate and seek the Dao? If you can''t understand the ways of this world, you shouldn''t enter it!"


    Xiao Xingchen, unable to contain his disgust any longer, spat out, "...Xue Yang, you truly are... revolting..."


    Upon hearing these words, that fierce glint that had been absent from Xue Yang''s eyes for so long reappeared.


    He let out a cold laugh and said, "Xiao Xingchen, this is why I despise you. What I hate most are self-proclaimed righteous people like you, those who think they''re morally superior, you big fools who believe doing a few good deeds will make the world a better place. Idiots, naive, stupid! I disgust you? Good. Do you think I fear being disgusting? But do you even have the right to be disgusted by me?"


    Xiao Xingchen flinched slightly, asking, "What do you mean?"


    A-Qing and Wei Wuxian''s hearts were pounding so hard they felt like they might burst from their chests!Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Xue Yang spoke with feigned intimacy, "We haven''t been going out to kill walking corpses lately, have we? But for the past couple of years, didn''t we go out every few days to kill a bunch?"


    Xiao Xingchen''s lips trembled, a hint of unease in his voice as he asked, "Why are you bringing this up now?"


    Xue Yang replied, "No particular reason. It''s just a shame that you''re blind now, with both your eyeballs gouged out by your own hand. You can''t see those ''walking corpses'' you killed, how terrified and agonized they were when your sword pierced their hearts. And those who knelt down, crying and kowtowing, begging you to spare their families - if I hadn''t cut out their tongues, they would have surely wailed loudly, crying ''Daoist, please spare our lives.''"


    Xiao Xingchen''s entire body began to tremble.


    After a long while, he finally managed to say with great difficulty, "You''re lying. You''re trying to deceive me."


    Xue Yang responded, "Yes, I''m lying. I''ve been lying to you all along. Who would have thought that you''d believe all my lies, but now you don''t believe the truth?"


    Xiao Xingchen staggered forward, swinging his sword at Xue Yang, shouting, "Shut up! Shut up!"


    Xue Yang, clutching his abdomen, snapped his fingers with his left hand and stepped back gracefully. The expression on his face was no longer human-like, with an eerie green glow in his eyes. His small fangs, visible when he smiled, made him look like a living demon. He cried out, "Fine! I''ll shut up! If you don''t believe me, why don''t you ask the one behind you? Let him tell you if I''m lying or not!"


    As the sword wind approached, Xiao Xingchen instinctively raised Shuanghua to block. The moment the two swords clashed, he froze.


    He didn''t just freeze; he turned into a withered stone statue in an instant.


    Xiao Xingchen asked very carefully, very cautiously, "...Is that you, Zichen?"


    There was no answer.


    Song Lan''s corpse stood behind him, appearing to gaze at Xiao Xingchen, but with no pupils in his eyes. He held a long sword that was crossed with Shuanghua.


    The two of them must have often practiced swordsmanship together in the past, as the mere contact of their swords and the force behind them was enough for Xiao Xingchen to recognize his opponent. But he seemed uncertain, slowly turning around, his hand trembling as he reached out to touch the blade of Song Lan''s sword.


    Song Lan didn''t move. Xiao Xingchen''s hand moved up along the blade, finally tracing the characters "Fu Xue" engraved on the hilt.


    Xiao Xingchen''s face grew paler and paler.


    He frantically felt the blade of Fuxue, not even noticing when the sharp edge cut his palm. His entire body shook so violently that his voice seemed to scatter on the ground: "...Zichen... Daoist Song... Daoist Song... is it really you..."


    Song Lan stared at him silently, saying nothing.


    The bandages covering Xiao Xingchen''s eyes were now soaked with an endless flow of blood, creating two horrifying red holes. He wanted to reach out and touch the person holding the sword, but he didn''t dare. His hand extended and then retracted. A-Qing felt a searing pain in her chest, so intense that both she and Wei Wuxian found it hard to breathe. Tears burst forth from their eyes like springs.


    Xiao Xingchen stood there, at a complete loss: "...What''s happening... Someone say something..."


    He completely broke down: "Will someone please say something?!"


    Xue Yang obliged: "Do you need me to tell you who that walking corpse was that you killed yesterday?"


    With a clang, Shuanghua fell to the ground.


    Xue Yang erupted into uproarious laughter.


    Xiao Xingchen knelt before the motionless Song Lan, clutching his head and wailing in heart-wrenching sobs.


    Xue Yang laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes, snarling, "What''s wrong?! Two good friends meeting again, both moved to tears! Do you want to hug each other?!"


    A-Qing covered her mouth tightly, suppressing her sobs. Inside the Yi Zhuang, Xue Yang paced back and forth, cursing in a terrifying tone that was both furious and ecstatic: "Save the world?! You''re killing me with laughter, you can''t even save yourself!"


    Sharp pains shot through Wei Wuxian''s mind. These pains, however, were not coming from A-Qing''s soul.


    Xiao Xingchen knelt on the ground in a wretched state, prostrate at Song Lan''s feet. He curled up into a tiny ball, as if trying to become as weak and small as possible, wishing he could disappear from this world. His once immaculate white Daoist robe was now stained with blood and dirt. Xue Yang shouted at him: "You''ve accomplished nothing! You''re a complete failure! This is your own doing, you brought this upon yourself!"


    In that moment, Wei Wuxian saw himself in Xiao Xingchen.


    A complete failure, covered in blood, having achieved nothing, blamed and cursed by others, powerless to change anything, only able to wail in despair!


    The white bandages were now completely red. Xiao Xingchen''s face was covered in blood; with no eyeballs, he couldn''t shed tears, only blood. Deceived for years, treating his enemy as a friend, his kindness trampled upon, believing he was vanquishing evil spirits while his hands were stained with the blood of innocents, having killed his own best friend with his own hands!


    He could only whimper in agony: "Please, spare me."


    Xue Yang sneered, "Weren''t you just trying to stab me with your sword? How quickly you''ve turned to begging for mercy."


    He clearly knew that Song Lan''s fierce corpse was protecting him, and Xiao Xingchen could no longer wield a sword.


    He had won again. A complete victory.


    Suddenly, Xiao Xingchen grabbed Shuanghua from the ground, turned the blade around, and placed its edge against his neck. A pure silver light flashed across Xue Yang''s pitch-black eyes, which seemed to be devoid of any hope. Xiao Xingchen let go of the sword, and crimson blood flowed down Shuanghua''s blade.


    With the clear sound of the long sword falling to the ground, Xue Yang''s laughter and movements came to an abrupt halt.


    After a moment of silence, he walked to Xiao Xingchen''s motionless body and lowered his head. The twisted smile at the corners of his mouth slowly faded, and his eyes filled with a web of bloodshot veins. Unless it was a trick of the light, Xue Yang''s eyes seemed to have reddened slightly.


    Then, he gritted his teeth and snarled, "You forced me to do this!"


    After saying this, he let out a cold laugh and muttered to himself, "It''s better this way! The dead are more obedient."


    Xue Yang checked Xiao Xingchen''s breath and felt his wrist. Apparently not satisfied that he was dead enough or stiff enough, he stood up and went into the adjacent sleeping quarters. He returned with a basin of water and a clean cloth, and meticulously wiped the blood from Xiao Xingchen''s face until it was spotless. He even replaced the bloodied bandage with a new one, carefully wrapping it around Xiao Xingchen''s eyes.


    He drew an array on the ground, placed the necessary materials, and carefully positioned Xiao Xingchen''s body within it. Only after completing all of this did he remember to tend to his own abdominal wound.


    He seemed to believe that in a short while, the two of them would meet again. His mood improved steadily as he picked up the scattered vegetables and fruits from the floor, arranging them neatly back in the basket. He even went on a cleaning spree, tidying up the entire room, and laid a thick layer of fresh straw in the coffin where A-Qing slept. Finally, he took out the candy that Xiao Xingchen had given him the night before from his sleeve.


    Just as he was about to put it in his mouth, he hesitated and put it back. He sat down at the table, resting his chin on one hand, waiting impatiently for Xiao Xingchen to sit up.


    But Xiao Xingchen never did.


    As the sky grew darker, Xue Yang''s face became increasingly gloomy. His fingers tapped impatiently on the table.


    When dusk had fully settled, he kicked the table, cursed, and stood up, lifting his robe. He knelt beside Xiao Xingchen''s body to check the array and incantations he had drawn earlier. After repeated confirmations that there were no mistakes, he frowned in thought, then wiped everything clean and redrew it all.


    This time, Xue Yang sat directly on the ground, staring at Xiao Xingchen with great patience, waiting for a long while. A-Qing''s feet had gone numb three times over, both painful and itchy, as if millions of ants were gnawing at them. Her eyes were swollen from crying, making her vision blurry.


    After waiting for another hour, Xue Yang finally realized that the situation was out of control.


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    Xue Yang placed his hand on Xiao Xingchen''s forehead, closing his eyes to probe. After a moment, his eyes suddenly snapped open.


    Wei Wuxian knew that what Xue Yang had detected were likely only a few weak, scattered fragments of soul.


    A soul shattered to this extent was impossible to use in creating a fierce corpse.


    Xue Yang seemed completely unprepared for this unexpected turn of events. For the first time, his face, usually full of smiles, was blank with shock.


    Without thinking, he belatedly tried to cover the wound on Xiao Xingchen''s neck with his hand. However, the blood had long since drained away, leaving Xiao Xingchen''s face as white as paper, with large patches of dark, dried blood around his neck. Trying to stop the bleeding now was utterly useless.


    Xiao Xingchen was dead, completely and irrevocably dead.


    Even his soul had shattered.


    In Xue Yang''s story, the crying child who couldn''t get his pastries seemed worlds apart from the person he had become, making it difficult to connect the two. But at this moment, Wei Wuxian finally saw a glimpse of that bewildered child in Xue Yang''s face.


    Xue Yang''s eyes suddenly filled with bloodshot veins. He abruptly stood up, his hands clenched into tight fists, and began to rampage through the Yi Zhuang, smashing and throwing things. The room he had just tidied up was soon in shambles, filled with the sounds of destruction.


    At this moment, his expression and the sounds he made were closer to the definition of insanity than all his previous evil acts combined.


    After destroying the room, he calmed down and crouched back down in his original spot, calling out softly, "Xiao Xingchen."


    He continued, "If you don''t get up soon, I''m going to make your good friend Song Lan start killing people.


    "I''ll kill everyone in this entire Yi City and turn them all into walking corpses. You''ve lived here for so long, can you really be okay with that?


    "I''m going to strangle that little blind girl A-Qing to death and leave her body in the wilderness for wild dogs to tear apart."


    A-Qing silently shuddered.


    With no response, Xue Yang suddenly roared in fury, "Xiao Xingchen!"


    He futilely grabbed the collar of Xiao Xingchen''s Daoist robe, shaking him a few times, staring at the face of the dead man in his hands.


    Suddenly, he grabbed Xiao Xingchen''s arm and hoisted him onto his back.


    Xue Yang carried Xiao Xingchen''s corpse out the door, muttering like a madman, "Soul-locking pouch, soul-locking pouch. That''s it, a soul-locking pouch, I need a soul-locking pouch, soul-locking pouch, soul-locking pouch..."


    Only after he had walked far away did A-Qing dare to move slightly.


    She couldn''t stand steadily and rolled onto the ground, wriggling for a while before managing to get up. She took a few difficult steps, gradually loosening her stiff muscles and joints. She walked faster and faster until she finally broke into a run.


    After running for a long time, leaving Yi City far behind, she finally dared to release the sobs she had been holding back: "Daoist! Daoist! Wuwuwu, Daoist!..."


    The scene suddenly shifted to another location.


    By this time, A-Qing had been on the run for several days. She was walking in an unfamiliar town, carrying her bamboo pole and once again pretending to be blind. She asked everyone she met, "Excuse me, are there any great clans nearby?" "Excuse me, are there any powerful cultivators around here? Immortal cultivators."


    Wei Wuxian thought to himself, "She''s looking for someone who can help avenge Xiao Xingchen."


    Unfortunately, no one took her inquiries seriously, often brushing her off with vague answers before walking away. A-Qing didn''t get discouraged, tirelessly continuing to ask despite being repeatedly shooed away. Seeing that she couldn''t get any useful information here, she left and set off on a small path.


    She walked and asked questions all day, growing exhausted. Dragging her heavy steps, she came to a small stream. She cupped some water in her hands and drank a few mouthfuls, soothing her parched throat. Looking at her reflection in the water, she noticed the wooden hairpin in her hair and reached up to take it out.


    The hairpin had originally been quite crude, like an uneven chopstick. Xiao Xingchen had helped her smooth and refine the body of the pin, even carving a small fox at the end. The little fox had a pointed face and large eyes, and was smiling. When A-Qing first received the hairpin, she had felt it and said happily, "Ah! It''s like me!"


    Looking at the hairpin now, A-Qing''s lips trembled, and she felt like crying again. Her stomach growled, and she reached into her clothes to pull out a small white money pouch—the one she had stolen from Xiao Xingchen. From the pouch, she carefully extracted a small piece of candy, licked it gently, tasting the sweetness on her tongue before putting it back.


    This was the last piece of candy Xiao Xingchen had left her.


    A-Qing lowered her head to put away the money pouch. As she glanced down, she suddenly noticed another person''s reflection behind hers in the water.


    Xue Yang was smiling at her in the reflection.


    A-Qing screamed in terror, scrambling away.


    Xue Yang had somehow appeared behind her without her noticing. He was holding Shuanghua and opened his arms in an embracing gesture, saying cheerfully, "A-Qing, why are you running? It''s been so long since we''ve seen each other, haven''t you missed me?"


    A-Qing screamed, "Help!"


    But they were on a remote mountain path, and there was no one around to save her.


    Xue Yang raised an eyebrow and said, "I just returned from some business in Liyang, and by chance, I run into you asking questions all over the city. What an unavoidable fate, isn''t it? By the way, you''re quite the actress, fooling even me for so long. Impressive."


    A-Qing knew she couldn''t escape and that her death was certain. After the initial panic, she thought that since she was going to die anyway, she might as well curse him to her heart''s content before dying. A surge of defiance rose within her, and she sprang up, spitting out, "You beast! You ungrateful dog! You''re lower than pigs and dogs, you worthless trash! Were your parents in a pigsty when they conceived you, you mongrel? You piece of filth raised on dung!"


    Having grown up on the streets, she had heard plenty of vulgar insults and now unleashed a torrent of the foulest language she knew. Xue Yang listened with a smile, saying, "You really can curse. Why didn''t I ever hear you talk like this in front of Xiao Xingchen? Got any more?"


    A-Qing cursed, "You shameless bastard! How dare you mention the Daoist! That''s his sword! How dare you touch it? You''re defiling his possessions!"


    Xue Yang raised Shuanghua in his left hand and said, "Oh, you mean this? It''s mine now. Do you think your Daoist was so pure? From now on, he''ll be my..."


    A-Qing interrupted, "Bullshit! Keep dreaming! How dare you talk about the Daoist''s purity, you''re nothing but a glob of spit! The Daoist must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to be tainted by you! You''re the only filthy thing here, you disgusting piece of phlegm!"


    Xue Yang''s face finally darkened.


    A-Qing had been living in fear for so long, waiting for this moment, and suddenly her heart felt lighter.


    Xue Yang said ominously, "Since you enjoy pretending to be blind so much, why don''t you become truly blind?"


    He waved his hand, scattering some unknown powder that flew into A-Qing''s eyes. Her vision immediately turned blood-red, then black.


    A searing pain spread through her eyeballs, and A-Qing screamed in agony. Xue Yang''s voice came again, "You talk too much. You won''t be needing your tongue either."


    A cold, sharp object entered A-Qing''s mouth. Just as Wei Wuxian felt the stabbing pain at the root of her tongue, he was suddenly pulled out of the vision.


    The crisp sound of silver bells jingling "ding ding" was close by. Wei Wuxian was still immersed in A-Qing''s emotions, unable to come back to his senses, his vision spinning. Lan Jingyi waved his hand in front of Wei Wuxian''s face, saying, "No response? He hasn''t gone stupid, has he?!"


    Jin Ling said, "I told you, empathy is dangerous!"


    Lan Jingyi retorted, "It''s all because you were lost in thought earlier and didn''t ring the bell in time!"


    Jin Ling''s face stiffened, "I..."


    Fortunately, at this moment, Wei Wuxian finally regained his composure and stood up, leaning on the coffin for support. A-Qing had already separated from his body and was also clinging to the edge of the coffin. The group of young disciples crowded around like a litter of piglets, forming a circle and chattering, "He''s up, he''s up!" "Thank goodness, he''s not stupid." "Wasn''t he already stupid to begin with?" "Don''t talk nonsense!"


    With all the noise around him, Wei Wuxian said, "Be quiet, my head is spinning."


    They immediately fell silent. Wei Wuxian lowered his head and reached into the coffin, gently parting the neat collar of Xiao Xingchen''s Daoist robe. Sure enough, he saw a thin scar at the fatal spot on his neck.


    Wei Wuxian sighed inwardly and said to A-Qing, "Thank you for your efforts."


    The reason A-Qing''s ghost was blind but didn''t move with the caution typical of blind people was that she had only become truly blind in the moment before her death. Before that, she had always been a lively, agile girl who moved like the wind.


    For all these years, she had been hiding alone in the mist-filled Yi City, appearing and disappearing mysteriously to oppose Xue Yang, scaring away living people who entered the city, guiding them out, and warning them. It must have taken immense courage and determination.


    A-Qing lay on the edge of the coffin, clasping her hands together and bowing repeatedly to Wei Wuxian. Then she used her bamboo pole as a sword, making the "kill kill kill" gesture she often used when playing around before. Wei Wuxian said, "Don''t worry."


    He turned to the young disciples from various clans and said, "Stay here. The walking corpses in the city won''t come to this funeral parlor. I''ll be back soon."


    Lan Jingyi couldn''t help but ask, "What exactly did you see during the empathy?"


    Wei Wuxian replied, "It''s too long to explain now, I''ll tell you later."


    Jin Ling said, "Can''t you give us a short version? Don''t keep us in suspense!"


    Wei Wuxian said, "Alright, here''s the short version: Xue Yang must die."


    In the blinding demonic mist, A-Qing''s bamboo pole tapped the way forward for him. The man and the ghost moved quickly, swiftly returning to the scene of the fierce battle.


    Lan Wangji and Xue Yang had already taken their fight outside, with the sword lights of Bichen and Jiangzai clashing intensely. Bichen was calm and composed, clearly having the upper hand, while Jiangzai was as wild as a mad dog, barely managing to hold its ground. However, the white mist was terrifying, and while Lan Wangji''s vision was impaired, Xue Yang had lived in Yi City for many years and, like A-Qing, knew the roads like the back of his hand even with his eyes closed. As a result, they were at a stalemate. Occasionally, the furious sound of a guqin would resound through the sky, driving back the approaching horde of walking corpses.


    Just as Wei Wuxian was about to pull out his flute, two black figures crashed heavily to the ground in front of him like iron towers. Wen Ning had pinned Song Lan to the ground, and both fierce corpses were choking each other, their joints creaking loudly. Wei Wuxian said, "Hold him down!"


    He quickly bent down and felt for the ends of the two soul-piercing nails in Song Lan''s hair, his heart easing when he found them. These two nails were much thinner than the ones in Wen Ning''s head and made of a different material. It shouldn''t be difficult for Song Lan to regain his original nature. He immediately grasped the pointed ends and slowly began to pull them out. As the foreign objects stirred in his brain, Song Lan''s eyes suddenly widened, and he let out a low growl. Wen Ning increased his grip, barely managing to keep him pinned down. As the soul-piercing nails were removed, Song Lan suddenly went limp like a puppet whose strings had been cut, lying motionless on the ground.


    At that moment, a furious roar echoed across the battlefield: "Give it back to me!"