Morning Dew

Entering the city, the two walked side by side through the bustling crowd. Suddenly, Lan Wangji asked, 'How is the Curse Mark?'

Wei Wuxian said, 'Jin Ling was buried too close to Good Brother at the time, caught a fair amount of resentful energy. It has faded a little, but not completely. Most likely we need to find the whole corpse, or at least the head, before we can think of a way to remove it entirely. It's no great matter.'

'Good Brother' was this unfortunate fellow who had been torn apart by five horses. Since they didn't know who he really was, Wei Wuxian had suggested using 'Good Brother' as a substitute. After hearing it, Lan Wangji said nothing, but neither did he object, tacitly accepting the name. Of course, he himself would never use that term.

Lan Wangji said, 'How much is a little?'

Wei Wuxian indicated a distance with his fingers and said, 'A little is just a little. What, shall I take it off and show you?'

Lan Wangji's brow twitched slightly, as if genuinely worried he might strip in the street, and he said flatly, 'Take it off when we get back.'

Wei Wuxian laughed heartily, spun around, and walked backwards a couple of steps. Before, in order to escape as quickly as possible, he had gone to great lengths to make himself detestible, doing plenty of madcap, shameless things. Now that his identity had been exposed, anyone else remembering such past misdeeds would have been mortified beyond endurance, but a person like Wei Wuxian, whose skin had always been exceptionally thick, still acted as if nothing had happened. And speaking of which, anyone else with even a shred of face would never have been capable of such bizarre antics as crawling into bed in the middle of the night, squeezing into someone else's bathtub, or putting on makeup and asking if he looked pretty. He pretended to remember none of it, and of course Lan Wangji would not bring it up either, so both acted as if nothing were amiss. Today was the first time since then that they had joked like this again. After laughing, Wei Wuxian immediately turned serious: 'Hanguang-Jun, do you think the one who threw Good Brother's hand into Mo Village and made it attack your juniors, and the one who sewed his legs onto another corpse and hid them inside the wall, were the same group of people?'

Although both before and now, in his heart he always called Lan Wangji by name, during the recent days he had addressed him by his honorific every day and developed a habit. Moreover, when he used that form of address, it carried a forced solemnity, an inexplicably comical flavor, so he continued to use it half-seriously, half-jokingly when they were outside.

Lan Wangji said, 'Two different groups.'

Wei Wuxian said, 'Something about great minds thinking alike. Going to such lengths to sew the legs onto another corpse and hide them inside a wall clearly shows they did not want the limbs to be found. In that case, they wouldn't deliberately fling a left hand out to attack people of the Gusu Lan Sect, because that would certainly attract attention and investigation. One group exhausted all means to conceal, while the other rashly acted, afraid of not being discovered. It shouldn't be the same batch of people.'

He had already said everything there was to say; Lan Wangji seemed to have nothing to add, but still gave a hum of acknowledgment.

Wei Wuxian turned back around and said as he walked, 'The one who hid the legs knew about the Qinghe Nie Sect's tradition of the Saber Hall, while the one who threw the left hand understood the movements of the Gusu Lan Sect. I fear neither origin is simple. There are more and more secrets.'

Lan Wangji said, 'One step at a time.'

Wei Wuxian said, 'How did you recognize me?'

Lan Wangji said, 'Think for yourself.'

They asked and answered in turn, without stopping for a moment. Wei Wuxian had intended to catch Lan Wangji off guard and trick him into blurting out the answer to this last question, but still failed. Not discouraged, he jumped subjects very quickly: 'I've never been to Liyang. Before, it was always me who asked around for information. This time I'll be lazy and trouble you to do the asking. Would Hanguang-Jun mind?'

Lan Wangji turned and started walking. Wei Wuxian immediately said, 'Wait. Hanguang-Jun, may I ask where you are heading?'

Lan Wangji looked back and said, 'To find the cultivation clan stationed here.'

Wei Wuxian grabbed his sword tassel and pulled him back. 'What for? This is their territory. Even if they know something, they won't tell you. Either they couldn't handle it and are too ashamed to let it out, or they're stubbornly refusing to let outsiders interfere. Esteemed Hanguang-Jun, it's not that I, Wei, am trying to smear you, but when it comes to doing things outside, you really can't do without me. If you ask around like this and actually learn something, that would be the real oddity.'

He had spoken rather heedlessly, but the look in Lan Wangji's eyes beneath his lashes was gentle. Still, he only said softly, 'Mm.'

Wei Wuxian laughed. 'What's with all that “mm”? You say “mm” even to something like that.' But inside he was grumbling merrily: 'All he ever says is “mm.” He really is as dull as ever!'

Lan Wangji said, 'Then how should we ask around?'

Wei Wuxian pointed to one side. 'Of course, to go over there.'

What he pointed to was a broad, long street. On both sides, shop signs hung high and low, fluttering with bright red cloths, dazzling to the eye. Every shop had its front wide open, with round, dark wine jars set out from inside to outside, and servers holding trays of small wine cups, thumping their chests in self-recommendation to passersby.

The strong fragrance of wine wafted all along the street. No wonder Wei Wuxian had been walking slower and slower; when he reached the street entrance, he came to a complete stop and even held Lan Wangji back.

Wei Wuxian said solemnly, 'The servers in a place like this are generally young and sharp, diligent, and with so many customers every day and so many mouths talking, any strange rumors going around nearby definitely won't escape their ears.'

Lan Wangji gave a noncommittal 'Mm,' but his face was already filled with 'you obviously just want to drink.'

Wei Wuxian pretended not to understand his expression, and just like that, dragging him by the sword tassel, he stepped into the wine street with golden light practically shooting from his eyes. Immediately, five or six servers from different wine shops surrounded them, each more enthusiastic than the last: 'A taste? The famous He family brew of this area!'

'Young master, try this one. Just a taste, no charge. If you like it, then come and grace our humble shop with your business.'

'This wine doesn't smell strong, but once it's down it packs a punch!'

'If you can still stand after drinking it, I'll take your surname!'

Hearing this, Wei Wuxian immediately said, 'Deal!' He took the cup of wine that server offered, tilted his head back and drained it, then smilingly showed him the empty cup bottom and said, 'Take my surname?'

The server was not cowed at all; he lifted his head even higher and said with even greater boldness, 'I was talking about finishing a whole jar!'

Wei Wuxian said, 'Then give me — three jars.'

The server was overjoyed and dashed back to the shop. Wei Wuxian said to Lan Wangji, 'Business first. Do business, then talk about other things. Once the business is done, it'll be easier to open their mouths.'

Lan Wangji took out money to pay the bill.

The two entered the shop. Inside, there were wooden tables and chairs for wine customers to rest and chat. Another server inside took one look at Lan Wangji's clothes and bearing and was stunned as if beholding a celestial being. Not daring to be negligent, he mustered all his strength to wipe the table and benches for quite a while before he dared to show them to their seats. Two jars were placed at Wei Wuxian's feet, and he held one in his hand. After exchanging a couple of warm words with the server, he got straight to the point, still asking about strange events in the area. The server was also a talkative one, rubbing his hands together as he asked, 'What sort of strange things?'

'Haunted houses, desolate graves, dismembered corpses, things like that.'

The server's eyes darted around. 'Oh... what do you two do? You and him.'

Wei Wuxian said, 'Haven't you already guessed?'

The server said knowingly, 'Right. It's easy to guess. You two must be from one of those cultivation clans that fly around on clouds. Especially this gentleman beside you — among ordinary folks, I have never seen someone so... so...'

Wei Wuxian laughed. 'So exquisite.'

The server laughed. 'Ah, you say that, but this young master might not be pleased. Strange things, you said? Yes, there are. But not recent, from ten years ago. You go this way, out of the city, walk another two or three li, and you'll see a rather beautifully built residence. I don't know if their signboard is still there. That place is the Chang Residence.'

Wei Wuxian said, 'What happened to that residence?'

'A massacre exterminating the whole family!' the server said. 'You asked about strange things, so of course I picked the strangest of the strange. The entire family died, every last one, and I heard they were all scared to death!'

Hearing this, Lan Wangji looked thoughtful, as if remembering something. But Wei Wuxian, not noticing, said, 'Is there any cultivation clan stationed in this area?' To be able to scare an entire family to death — that would be an extremely cruel and terrifying wrathful ghost or malignant spirit. Not every family had unavoidable troubles like the Qinghe Nie Sect; the typical cultivation clan would not tolerate such a thing appearing in their territory. The server said, 'There is. Why wouldn't there be?'

Wei Wuxian said, 'Then how did they deal with it at the time?'

'Deal with it?' The server tossed his wiping cloth over his shoulder, also sat down, and with great solemnity delivered the punchline he'd been holding back: 'Young master, do you know what the cultivation clan previously stationed in Liyang was called? They were surnamed Chang. The family that died — it was their own family! Everyone died out, so who was left to deal with it?'

The massacred Chang family — it was the cultivation clan stationed in this area?!

Although Wei Wuxian had never heard of any Liyang Chang Sect — it was certainly no illustrious cultivation clan — the extinction of an entire family was absolutely a shocking and monumental event. He pressed on immediately: 'How was the Chang family wiped out?'

The server said, 'This is just hearsay, mind you. The Chang family, one night, suddenly the sound of banging on the gate came from their place.'

Wei Wuxian: 'Banging on the gate?'

'Yes! The banging on the gate shook the heavens. Inside, there was shouting and crying, as if everyone was trapped inside and couldn't get out. That's strange, isn't it? The bolt was latched from the inside. If people inside wanted to leave, they could just open it directly. What was the point of banging on the gate? Banging on the gate, people outside can't do anything about it. And if the gate wouldn't open, couldn't they just climb over the wall?'

'The people outside were very uneasy. Everyone in this area knew that the Chang family was the local great family, cultivators. Their clan leader, named Chang Ping I think, had a sword he could fly on — stand on it and fly! If something really happened inside and even they themselves couldn't handle it, then ordinary folks sticking their noses in would just be courting death. So no one set up a ladder or climbed the wall to look inside. Just like that, the whole night passed, and the wailing sounds inside grew fainter and fainter. The next day, as soon as the sun rose, the main gate of the Chang family opened by itself.'

'In the entire residence, a dozen or so masters, men and women, and over fifty household servants, some sitting, some lying face down, foaming bile at the mouth, all had been scared to death.'

The wine shop owner turned around and scolded, 'Are you courting death?! Not working, and yapping on about dead, dead, dead old stories.'

Wei Wuxian said, 'Bring five more jars.'

Lan Wangji paid for ten jars, and the owner turned back around with a beaming smile, instructing the server, 'Take good care of the guests, and don't go running off everywhere!'

Wei Wuxian said, 'Go on.'

With no more worries, the server gave it everything he had, speaking with cadence and emphasis: 'After that, for quite a long time, if someone walked the night road near the Chang Residence, at night they could hear the sound of banging on the gate coming from inside!'

'Think about it — these people, who ride clouds and cultivate immortality and fight monsters, have seen plenty of ghosts and monsters. And yet they were all scared to death? How terrifying must that have been! Walk the night road enough and you'll always meet ghosts. Even after they were buried, you could still hear the sound of banging on the coffin! Although their clan leader Chang Ping was away from home and didn't return, escaping the catastrophe...'

Wei Wuxian said, 'Didn't you say the whole family died?'