Grasses and Trees

Aqing seemed to freeze for a moment, then said, 'Y-yes!'

Xiao Xingchen said, 'Then go slower. Don't walk so fast. It wouldn't be good if you bump into someone again.'

He didn't mention at all that he himself also couldn't see. Holding Aqing's hand, he guided her to the side of the road, saying, 'Walk this way. Fewer people.'

His words and actions were gentle and careful. Aqing's hand reached out, hesitated, and finally, without anyone noticing, she swiftly snatched the money pouch at his waist, saying, 'Aqing thanks you, big brother!'

Xiao Xingchen said, 'Not brother, it's Daoist.'

Aqing blinked and said, 'You're a Daoist but also a brother.'

Xiao Xingchen laughed. 'Since you called me brother, then return brother's money pouch.'

A street urchin like Aqing, even if her hands were ten times faster, could never deceive the five senses of a cultivator. Realizing trouble, she grabbed her cane and bolted, but hadn't run two steps before Xiao Xingchen caught her by the collar with one hand and lifted her back. 'I told you not to run so fast. What if you bump into someone again?'

Aqing twisted and struggled, her lips moving, upper teeth biting her lower lip. Wei Wuxian thought, 'Not good, she's going to scream “molestation”!' Just then, a middle-aged man hurried out from the corner. Seeing Aqing, his eyes lit up, and he came over cursing: 'You little tramp, caught you! Give me back my money!'

Cursing wasn't enough; he swung a slap at her face, scaring Aqing into quickly ducking her neck and shutting her eyes. But the slap never landed on her cheek; it was intercepted halfway.

Xiao Xingchen said, 'Sir, please calm down. Treating a young girl like this isn't very good.'

Aqing secretly peeked open her eyes to look. The middle-aged man had obviously used great force, but his hand was held by Xiao Xingchen seemingly effortlessly, unable to advance a fraction. He felt intimidated but still spoke toughly: 'You blind man who popped out of nowhere, trying to play hero! This wild little slut is your lover? Don't you know she's a thief! She picked my pocket, and you're protecting her—you're a thief too!'

Xiao Xingchen held the man with one hand and Aqing with the other, turned back, and said, 'Return the money to him.'

Aqing quickly pulled out the small amount of money from her bosom and handed it over. Xiao Xingchen released the middle-aged man, who counted it, found it all there, eyed the blind man, saw he wasn't to be trifled with, and could only slink away.

Xiao Xingchen said, 'You're too bold. Unable to see, yet you dare to steal.'

Aqing jumped three feet high: 'He touched me! Pinched my backside, it hurt! What's wrong with taking a little money? Such a big pouch with so little inside, and he still had the nerve to be fierce and hit someone. Stingy ghost!'

Wei Wuxian thought, 'Clearly you bumped into him first to make a move, but now it's turned into him being in the wrong first. What a clever trick—stealing the beams and swapping the pillars.'

Xiao Xingchen shook his head and said, 'If that's the case, you should be even less inclined to provoke. If no one is present today, a slap won't settle this matter. Young lady, take care of yourself.'

He finished speaking and turned to walk in another direction. Wei Wuxian thought, 'He didn't get his own money pouch back. My martial uncle is also a tender-hearted soul toward women.'

Aqing clutched the little money pouch she had stolen, stood in a daze for a moment, then suddenly stuffed it into her clothes, tapped her bamboo cane, and chased after him, throwing herself onto Xiao Xingchen's back. Xiao Xingchen had to steady her again, saying, 'Is there something else?'

Aqing said, 'Your money pouch is still with me!'

Xiao Xingchen said, 'I give it to you. There isn't much money. Until you spend it all, don't go stealing anymore.'

Aqing said, 'Just now when that stinky ghost was cursing, I heard that you're also blind?'

At the latter half, Xiao Xingchen's expression instantly dimmed, and his smile vanished.

Innocent and unguarded child words are the most lethal. Children know nothing, and precisely because they don't understand, they wound people most directly.

Under Xiao Xingchen's eye bandage, a thread of bloodstain grew thicker, almost seeping through the cloth. He raised a hand to cover it, his arm trembling slightly. The pain and injury from having eyes gouged out were not easy to heal. Aqing, however, thought he was just dizzy, and said cheerfully, 'Then I'll follow you!'

Xiao Xingchen smiled stiffly. 'Follow me for what? Do you want to become a Daoist nun?'

Aqing said, 'You're a big blind, I'm a little blind. Let's go together, we'll look after each other. I have no father, no mother, nowhere to go. Following whoever is the same, going wherever is the same.' She was very clever, afraid Xiao Xingchen wouldn't agree, and seeing he was a good person, she threatened, 'If you don't take me with you, if you don't agree, I spend money fast, I'll run through it all, and then I'll have to steal and cheat again, and get slapped so hard I can't tell east from west. How pitiful I would be.'

Xiao Xingchen laughed. 'You're so cunning and sly, only you would cheat people so they can't tell east from west; who could slap you so you can't tell east from west?'

After watching all this, Wei Wuxian discovered something remarkable.

With the real Xiao Xingchen as contrast, he realized that the fake version Xue Yang played was truly uncannily alike! Aside from appearance, every detail was vividly lifelike; you could say that at that time, Xue Yang had been possessed by Xiao Xingchen, and he would believe it.

Aqing pestered and clung, pretending blindness and pitifulness, sticking to him all the way. Xiao Xingchen told her many times that following him was dangerous, but Aqing wouldn't listen. Even when Xiao Xingchen passed through a village to slay an old ox that had become a spirit over many years, it didn't scare her off. She still called him Daoist with every other word, sticking to him like toffee within ten feet. Following like this, perhaps because he saw Aqing was clever and charming, bold, not a hindrance, and a blind young girl alone in the world, Xiao Xingchen silently allowed her to stay by his side.

Wei Wuxian had thought Xiao Xingchen might have a destination, but after skipping through several memories, judging by the local customs and accents, the places they went didn't form any line at all, completely random. It didn't seem like they were heading anywhere; more like random Night Hunts, going wherever they heard of strange happenings. He thought, 'Perhaps the Massacre of the Liyang Chang Sect dealt him such a blow that he no longer wanted to mingle among cultivation clans, yet couldn't let go of his ideals, so he chose to wander and Night Hunt, doing what he could, one thing at a time.'

At this time, Xiao Xingchen and Aqing were walking along a flat, long road, with waist-high weeds on both sides. Suddenly, Aqing let out an 'Ah.' Xiao Xingchen immediately asked, 'What's wrong?'

Aqing said, 'Ah, nothing, I twisted my ankle.'

Wei Wuxian saw clearly that her cry wasn't because of a twisted ankle at all; she was walking perfectly fine. If she weren't pretending to be blind in front of Xiao Xingchen so he wouldn't send her away, she could have jumped sky-high. Aqing cried out because she had casually glanced over and spotted a dark figure lying in the thick weeds.

Though she didn't know if it was dead or alive, likely feeling either would be troublesome, Aqing clearly didn't want Xiao Xingchen to discover this person, and urged, 'Let's go, let's go, find some town ahead to rest, I'm exhausted!'

Xiao Xingchen said, 'Didn't you twist your ankle? Do you want me to carry you?'

Aqing was overjoyed, beating her bamboo cane loudly: 'Yes, yes, yes!' Xiao Xingchen smiled and turned his back, kneeling on one knee. Just as Aqing was about to throw herself on, Xiao Xingchen held her back, stood up, and said gravely, 'There's the smell of blood.'

Aqing also smelled a faint, elusive trace of blood in her nose, but the night wind blew, now weak, now present. She played dumb: 'Is there? Why don't I smell it? Is someone near here slaughtering a pig or something?'

As soon as she finished speaking, as if the heavens were against her, the person in the weeds coughed once.

Though it was an extremely faint sound, it didn't escape Xiao Xingchen's ears. He immediately discerned the direction, stepped into the weeds, and crouched down beside the person.

Seeing he had still discovered it, Aqing stamped her foot, pretended to grope her way over, and said, 'What's going on?'

Xiao Xingchen was feeling the person's pulse, and said, 'There's a person lying here.'

Aqing said, 'No wonder there's such a strong smell of blood. Is he dead? Should we dig a hole and bury him?'

A dead person naturally caused less trouble than a live one, so Aqing couldn't wait for this person to be dead. Xiao Xingchen, however, said, 'Not dead yet, just very badly injured.'

After a moment's thought, he gently and carefully lifted the person up onto his back.

Aqing saw that her spot had been taken by a stinking man covered in blood, and the promised carry into town was off. She pouted and stabbed her cane fiercely into the ground, making deep holes. But she knew Xiao Xingchen was determined to save him, so she couldn't complain. The two returned to the road and continued along. As they walked, Wei Wuxian felt more and more familiar, and suddenly remembered: 'Isn't this the road Lan Zhan and I traveled when we came to Yi City?'

Sure enough, at the end of the road, Yi City stood towering there.

At that time, the city gate wasn't so dilapidated; the watchtowers were intact, and the walls bore no graffiti. Entering through the gate, the fog was thicker than outside, but compared to the heavy demonic fog that would come later, it was negligible. Lights shone from the windows of houses on both sides, and the sound of voices could be heard. Though somewhat desolate, at least there was still some human presence.

Xiao Xingchen, carrying a heavily injured person soaked in blood, knew that no inn would take such a guest, so he didn't seek lodging. Instead, he directly asked a night watchman walking toward them if there was an idle mortuary in the city. The watchman told him, 'There's one over there. The old man who kept it passed away just last month, and now nobody tends it.' Seeing that Xiao Xingchen was blind and would have trouble finding his way, he kindly led them there.

It was exactly the mortuary where, after Xiao Xingchen's death, his corpse would be laid.

After thanking the watchman, Xiao Xingchen carried the injured person into the right-side lodging room. The room was neither large nor small; against the wall was a small, low bed, and all the pots, pans, and utensils were there. He carefully laid the person flat, took out a pill from his Qiankun pouch, and pushed it through the tightly clenched teeth. Aqing felt around the room for a while, then happily said, 'There's so much stuff here! There's a basin!'

Xiao Xingchen asked, 'Is there a stove?'

'Yes!'

Xiao Xingchen said, 'Aqing, try to boil some water. Be careful not to burn yourself.'

Aqing pursed her lips and started working. Xiao Xingchen felt the person's forehead, took out another pill, and fed it to him. Wei Wuxian wanted to take a good look at this person's face, but Aqing was clearly uninterested, very irritable, and wouldn't spare him another glance. After the water was boiled, Xiao Xingchen slowly wiped the blood off his face. Aqing, curious, glanced over and silently 'yi'-ed.

What she 'yi'-ed about was that, once his face was clean, he was actually rather good-looking.

Seeing this face, Wei Wuxian's heart sank.

Just as expected, it was Xue Yang.

He thought, 'How narrow the paths of enemies! Xiao Xingchen, you really are… luckless to the extreme.'

At this time, Xue Yang looked entirely like a youth: seven parts handsome, three parts childish. But who knew that a youth whose smile would reveal a pair of tiger teeth could be a crazed maniac who wiped out entire clans.

Calculating the time, this was likely after Jin Guangyao assumed the position of Chief Cultivator. Xue Yang, in such a sorry state, must have just barely escaped death from Jin Guangyao's 'cleaning.' Jin Guangyao hadn't killed him outright, so naturally he wouldn't publicize it, or perhaps he believed Xue Yang couldn't survive, and thus declared to the outside world that he had been dealt with. But a scourge lasts a thousand years; as Xue Yang lay dying, he was saved by his old adversary, Xiao Xingchen. Poor Xiao Xingchen would never think to carefully feel this person's face, and through a twist of fate, saved the very enemy who had brought him to such a state. Although Aqing could see, she wasn't from the cultivation world, didn't recognize Xue Yang, and even less knew of the deep hatred between them, she didn't even know Xiao Xingchen's name...

Wei Wuxian sighed again internally. It really couldn't be more unlucky. It was as if all the bad luck in the world had attached itself to Xiao Xingchen alone.

At this moment, Xue Yang furrowed his brows. Xiao Xingchen was examining and bandaging his wounds, sensed he might be waking, and said, 'Don't move.'

A person like Xue Yang, who had done many evil deeds, naturally had extraordinary alertness. Hearing this voice, he suddenly opened his eyes, immediately sat up, rolled to the wall corner, and warily stared at Xiao Xingchen with a vicious glare. This look was like a trapped ferocious beast, hiding none of its cruelty and malice, making Aqing's scalp tingle. The feeling transmitted to Wei Wuxian's scalp too, and he shouted inwardly, 'Speak! Xue Yang's voice—Xiao Xingchen definitely won't forget it!'

Xue Yang said, 'You...'

With that one word, Wei Wuxian knew it was over; even once he spoke, Xiao Xingchen wouldn't recognize him.

Xue Yang's throat was also injured at this time; after coughing up a lot of blood, his voice was hoarse, completely unidentifiable as the same person!

Xiao Xingchen sat by the bed and said, 'I told you not to move, your wounds will reopen. Don't worry, I saved you and brought you back, of course I won't harm you.'

Xue Yang was extremely quick to adapt. He instantly guessed that Xiao Xingchen almost certainly hadn't recognized him. He rolled his eyes, coughed a few times, and probed, 'Who are you?'

Aqing interjected, 'You have eyes, can't you see for yourself? He's a wandering Daoist. He worked hard to carry you back and save your life, gave you spirit pills, and you're still so fierce!'

Xue Yang's gaze immediately shifted to her, his tone cold: 'Blind?'

Wei Wuxian exclaimed inwardly: Not good.

This little scoundrel was sharp and cunning, and extremely vigilant. Even though Aqing had white pupils, he wouldn't take it for granted and let down his guard. He wouldn't overlook any suspicious point; in a moment of carelessness, he'd caught a loose end. Just now, Xue Yang had only spoken four words total, and by the tone of those four words alone, it was difficult to assert whether he was fierce or not, unless one saw his expression and look.

Fortunately, Aqing had been lying all her life, and immediately retorted, 'You look down on the blind? It was a blind person who saved you, otherwise you'd stink by the roadside and no one would care! Your first words upon waking aren't to thank the Daoist—so rude! And you call me blind, humph... so what if I'm blind...'

She successfully shifted the topic and diverted the focus, putting on an indignant and wronged look, muttering incessantly. Xiao Xingchen hurried to comfort her. Xue Yang leaned against the wall and rolled his eyes. Xiao Xingchen turned back to him and said, 'Don't lean against the wall; the wounds on your leg haven't been fully wrapped. Come here.'

Xue Yang's expression was cold, still pondering. Xiao Xingchen added, 'If treatment is delayed further, your leg might be ruined.'

Hearing this, Xue Yang decisively made his choice.

Wei Wuxian could guess his reasoning: he was now severely injured and unable to move; without someone treating him, he absolutely couldn't manage. Since Xiao Xingchen was foolish enough to deliver himself to be this scapegoat, why not accept it peacefully.

Thus, he suddenly changed his expression and said with gratitude, 'Then I'll trouble you, Daoist.'

Having witnessed Xue Yang's skill at turning his face so heartlessly, first fierce then smiling, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but break a sweat for the two blind persons in the room, one real, one fake. Especially Aqing, the fake blind one. She could see everything; if Xue Yang discovered this fact, to prevent leaking secrets, she would undoubtedly die. Although he knew that Aqing was most likely killed by Xue Yang in the end, having to experience this process still made him anxious.

Suddenly, he noticed that Xue Yang was imperceptibly preventing Xiao Xingchen from touching his left hand. Looking closely, it turned out that Xue Yang was missing a little finger on his left hand. The stump was old, not a recent wound; Xiao Xingchen must have known that Xue Yang had only nine fingers back then. No wonder when Xue Yang played the impostor, he wore a black glove on his left hand.

Xiao Xingchen treated and helped people with utmost care. He lowered his head, applied medicine to Xue Yang, bandaged him beautifully, and said, 'Done. But you'd better not move. Otherwise the bone might misalign again.'

Xue Yang was now certain that Xiao Xingchen truly hadn't recognized him. Although he was covered in blood and a complete mess, that lazy, smug smile returned to his face. He said, 'Daoist, aren't you asking who I am? Why I'm so badly injured?'

Anyone else in his position would have carefully avoided such topics to prevent any traces of their identity from leaking, but he deliberately did the opposite and brought it up on his own. Xiao Xingchen lowered his head to pack up the medicine box and bandages, and gently said, 'Since you don't say, why should I ask? We meet by chance, I lend a hand to help; it's no trouble for me. Once your injuries heal, we'll each go our separate ways. If it were me, there are many things I wouldn't want others to ask about either.'

Wei Wuxian thought: Even if Xiao Xingchen had asked, this little scoundrel would certainly have fabricated an airtight story and fooled him completely. People inevitably have messy pasts; Xiao Xingchen not probing was originally a sign of respect. Little did he know, Xue Yang would precisely exploit that respect. Wei Wuxian was certain that not only would he trick Xiao Xingchen into healing him, but after recovering, he would definitely not docilely 'go their separate ways'!

Xue Yang rested in the watchman's lodging room, while Xiao Xingchen went to the main hall of the mortuary. He opened an empty coffin, gathered a lot of straw from the ground, and spread a thick layer across the bottom of the coffin. He said to Aqing, 'The person inside is injured, so I gave him the bed. I must trouble you to sleep here. I've laid straw; it shouldn't be cold.'

Aqing had been wandering since childhood, sleeping in the open, and had slept everywhere. She said carelessly, 'What's to feel wronged about? Having a place to sleep is good enough. It's not cold, don't take off your outer robe for me again.'

Xiao Xingchen patted the top of her head, adjusted his horsetail whisk, strapped his sword, and stepped out the door. For safety, Xiao Xingchen never allowed her to follow on Night Hunts. Aqing burrowed into the coffin and lay for a while, when suddenly she heard Xue Yang calling her from next door: 'Little blind, come here.'

Aqing poked her head out: 'What for?'

Xue Yang said, 'Give you candy.'

Aqing's mouth watered, as if she really wanted candy, but she refused, 'Not eating. Not coming!'

Xue Yang threatened sweetly, 'You really not eating? Not coming 'cause you're scared? But do you think, if you don't come, I really can't move and can't come to you?'

Hearing his strange tone, Aqing shivered. Imagining that malicious smiling face suddenly appearing above the coffin was even more terrifying. After hesitating, she finally picked up her cane and tapped her way slowly to the lodging room door. Before she could speak, a small object flew at her face.

Wei Wuxian instinctively wanted to dodge, worried it was a hidden weapon, but of course he couldn't control this body. Then he suddenly jolted and realized: 'A trap!'

Xue Yang was testing Aqing; if she were truly blind, she couldn't dodge this thing!

Aqing, a seasoned pro at pretending blindness and quick-witted, saw the object flying but didn't dodge or blink, letting it hit her chest. Only then did she jump back and angrily shout, 'Hey! What did you throw at me!'

Xue Yang, having failed, said, 'Candy, for you. I forgot you're blind and couldn't catch it; it fell at your feet.'

Aqing snorted, crouched down, and felt around realistically until she found a piece of candy. She had never eaten this kind of thing before; she swallowed hard, wiped it off, and popped it into her mouth, crunching happily. Xue Yang lay on his side on the bed, chin propped on one hand, and said, 'Tasty, little blind?'

Aqing said, 'I have a name, I'm not called little blind.'

Xue Yang said, 'You didn't tell me your name, so of course I had to call you that.'

Aqing only ever told her name to people who were good to her, but she didn't like Xue Yang calling her such an unpleasant name, so she had to say, 'Listen carefully, my name is Aqing. Don't you dare call me little blind again!' After speaking, she felt her tone was too strong and feared angering him, so she quickly changed the subject: 'You're really strange, covered in blood with such heavy injuries, yet you carry candy with you.'

Xue Yang giggled: 'I loved candy when I was little, but I could never have any; watching others eat made me drool. So I always thought, if one day I made it, I'd carry candy on me every day that I could never finish.'

Just then Aqing finished the candy in her mouth, licked her lips, still wanting more. Her desire for candy overcame her dislike of this person, and she said, 'Do you have any more?'

Xue Yang smiled: 'Of course. Come here, and I'll give you some.'

Aqing stood up and tapped her cane toward him. Who knew, halfway there, Xue Yang's smile unchanged, a strange light in his eyes, he silently drew a long sword from his sleeve, its sharp edge cold.

Jiangzai.

He aimed the sword tip at Aqing; if she took a few more steps forward, she'd be run through by Jiangzai. But if Aqing hesitated even a step, the fact she wasn't blind would be exposed!

Wei Wuxian, sharing Aqing's senses, also felt the real tingling at the back of her head. Yet this little girl was incredibly brave and calm; she still groped forward as if nothing was wrong. Sure enough, when the sword tip was about half an inch from her belly, Xue Yang withdrew his hand, put Jiangzai back in his sleeve, and replaced it with two candies—one for Aqing, one tossed into his own mouth.

He asked, 'Aqing, where did your Daoist go in the middle of the night?'

Aqing crunched and licked the candy: 'Seems like he went hunting.'

Xue Yang scoffed: 'What hunting, it's Night Hunting.'

Aqing said, 'Really? Those two words are pretty much the same, what's the difference. Just helping people beat ghosts and monsters, and not taking money.'

Wei Wuxian, however, thought: Too shrewd.

Aqing hadn't forgotten at all; she remembered everything Xiao Xingchen said more clearly than anyone. She deliberately said 'Night Hunt' wrong, and when Xue Yang corrected her, it was as good as admitting he was also a cultivator. Xue Yang's probe had failed, and she'd turned it around on him. This young girl, at such a tender age, had so many schemes.

Xue Yang showed a contemptuous look, but his tone was puzzled: 'He's blind, and he can still Night Hunt?'

Aqing angrily retorted, 'Here you go again. So what if he's blind? The Daoist is still really powerful even blind. That sword goes whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh, in one word: fast!' As she gestured wildly, Xue Yang suddenly said, 'You can't see, so how do you know his sword is fast?'

The move was fast, and her counter even faster. Aqing immediately said obstinately, 'I say it's fast so it's fast, the Daoist's sword is definitely fast! Even if I can't see, can't I hear it! What exactly do you mean, looking down on us blind people like this!' It sounded exactly like a naive girl casually singing praises of her idol, entirely natural.

At this point, all three probes had failed, and Xue Yang's expression finally relaxed; he likely believed Aqing was truly blind.

However, Aqing had become greatly wary of Xue Yang. The next day, when Xiao Xingchen returned with some wood, thatch, and tiles to repair the roof, she quietly pulled him outside as soon as he entered and muttered for a long time, saying this person was suspicious, clearly a fellow cultivator but hiding things, definitely not a good person. Unfortunately, she probably thought the missing little finger was unimportant, and didn't mention this most crucial detail. Xiao Xingchen calmed her down, saying, 'You already ate his candy, so don't try to chase him off. He'll leave when his injuries are healed. No one would want to stay with us in this mortuary.'

This was true; this lousy place only had one bed. Thank goodness it hadn't been windy or rainy, otherwise the roof would have given them trouble. No one would want to stay. Aqing was about to speak ill of Xue Yang again, when that voice suddenly came from behind: 'Are you talking about me?'

He had actually gotten up from the bed again. Aqing, not the least bit guilty, said, 'Who's talking about you? Conceited!' She grabbed her cane, tapped her way inside, and stealthily hid under the window to continue eavesdropping.

Outside the mortuary, Xiao Xingchen said, 'Your injury isn't healed yet, and you keep disobediently walking around. Is that okay?'

Xue Yang said, 'Moving more helps me heal faster, and besides, both legs aren't broken. I'm used to this level of injury—I grew up being beaten.'

Xiao Xingchen seemed unsure of what to say, whether to comfort him or treat it as a joke. He paused, then said, 'Oh...'

Xue Yang continued, 'Daoist, I see you brought those things back. Are you going to fix the roof?'

Xiao Xingchen said, 'Mn. I plan to rest here for a while. With the roof broken, it's not good for Aqing and you to recover.'

Xue Yang asked, 'Need my help?'

Xiao Xingchen thanked him and said, 'No need to trouble yourself.'

Xue Yang said, 'Do you know how, Daoist?'

Xiao Xingchen smiled and admitted, shaking his head, 'This I truly haven't tried.'

So the two began repairing the roof together, one doing the work, the other instructing. Xue Yang was an eloquent speaker, very good at witty remarks, humorous with a touch of rowdy street style. Xiao Xingchen likely hadn't dealt much with his type before and was easily teased, laughing after a few words. Aqing listened to them chatting happily, silently moving her lips. Listening carefully, she seemed to be saying through gritted teeth, 'I'll beat you to death, you bad thing.'

Wei Wuxian felt the same as Aqing.

Xue Yang was severely injured, nearly lost his life, and Xiao Xingchen had an old score in it. The two sides were irreconcilable. Now, in his heart, Xue Yang probably wished Xiao Xingchen would die a brutal death, but on the surface he could still chat and laugh with him. If the one hiding under the window were the real Wei Wuxian, he would have killed Xue Yang first and asked questions later, to eliminate future trouble. But this wasn't his body, and Aqing had the will but no power.

About a month later, under Xiao Xingchen's attentive care, Xue Yang's injuries were mostly healed. Aside from a slight limp when walking, there were no major problems. Yet he never mentioned leaving, and still squeezed in this mortuary with the two of them, plotting who knew what.

That day, after Xiao Xingchen tucked Aqing in to sleep and was about to go out for Night Hunting, Xue Yang's voice suddenly came: 'Daoist, how about taking me along tonight?'

His throat should have healed long ago, but he deliberately never used his real voice, disguising it with a different tone. Xiao Xingchen laughed: 'That won't do. As soon as you speak, I laugh. When I laugh, my sword becomes unsteady.'

Xue Yang said pitifully, 'Then I won't talk. I'll carry your sword for you, assist you. Don't disdain me.'

He was adept at acting cute and playful, speaking to older people like a younger brother. Having likely looked after junior sisters and brothers under Baoshan Sanren, Xiao Xingchen naturally regarded him as a junior. Knowing he was also a cultivator, he gladly agreed. Wei Wuxian thought, 'Xue Yang certainly isn't that kind-hearted to go help Xiao Xingchen with Night Hunting. If Aqing doesn't follow, she'll miss something important.'

But Aqing was indeed clever, and also understood that Xue Yang likely had bad intentions. After the two went out, she also jumped out of her coffin and followed from a distance. Afraid of being discovered, she kept far away. The two were fast, and she lost them after not long. Fortunately, when Xiao Xingchen was washing vegetables earlier, he mentioned a small village nearby being harassed by Walking Corpses, and told them not to wander outside. Aqing remembered that place and headed straight there. Soon she arrived, crawled through a dog hole under the fence at the village entrance, hid behind a house, and furtively peeked out.

At that peek, whether Aqing understood what she saw, Wei Wuxian's heart suddenly went cold.

Xue Yang stood by the roadside, arms folded, head tilted in a smile. Opposite him, Xiao Xingchen calmly drew his sword; Shuanghua's silver light swept across, piercing a villager's heart with one stroke.

That villager was a living person.