Three Poisons

Madam Yu cast a glance behind her. Jin Zhu and Yinzhu understood at once. Each drew a longsword, walked a circuit of the hall, and struck swiftly and viciously, skewering dozens of Wen disciples to death in mere moments. Wang Lingjiao watched as her turn loomed, and with a dying struggle of threat, she cried, “You… think you can kill me to silence the news? Do you think Young Master Wen doesn’t know where I came today? Do you think he’ll let you off after he finds out?!”

Yinzhu gave a cold laugh. “As if he’s letting us off right now!”

Wang Lingjiao said, “I am Young Master Wen’s person, his closest! If you dare lay a finger on me, he will…”

Madam Yu raised her hand and slapped her again, mocking: “What will he do? Cut off our hands or legs? Burn our residence? Send a Ten-Thousand-Man Formation to raze Lotus Pier to the ground? Set up a Supervisory Office?”

Jin Zhu approached with her longsword raised. Wang Lingjiao’s eyes were filled with terror as she scrabbled backward, thrashing her legs and shrieking: “Someone! Help! Wen Zhuliu! Save me!”

A grim look crossed Madam Yu’s face. She stomped a foot down on Wang Lingjiao’s wrist and drew her own sword. Just as the blade was about to descend, it was deflected with a loud clang.

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng swung their heads around. The hall’s great doors had burst outward with a crash, and a tall man strode through—robed all in black, his face grim. It was none other than Wen Chao’s formidable personal guard, Wen Zhuliu.

Her sword knocked from her grip, Madam Yu swept Zidian across her chest and said, “Core-Melting Hand?”

Wen Zhuliu replied coldly, “Violet Spider?”

Wang Lingjiao’s hand was still pinned firmly beneath Madam Yu’s foot, pain twisting her face out of shape. With tears and snot streaming, she screamed, “Wen Zhuliu! Wen Zhuliu! Why haven’t you saved me yet—save me, quickly!”

Madam Yu snorted. “Wen Zhuliu? Core-Melting Hand, isn’t your real name Zhao Zhuliu? You aren’t surnamed Wen at all, yet you’ve pushed to change your name. One after another, scrambling over each other—is the name ‘Wen dog’ really so precious? Forsaking your ancestors, forgetting your roots—absurd!”

Wen Zhuliu remained unmoved and said impassively, “I serve my own master, nothing more.”

After only a few more words between the two, Wang Lingjiao could bear it no longer and shrieked, “Wen Zhuliu! Can’t you see what state I’m in now?! Why don’t you kill her at once instead of dawdling here spouting nonsense! Young Master Wen ordered you to protect me—is this how you protect me?! Watch yourself—I’ll report you and show you what’s coming!”

Madam Yu ground her foot savagely into Wang Lingjiao’s arm, and Wang Lingjiao howled with tears. Wen Zhuliu frowned. He had been ordered by Wen Ruohan to protect Wen Chao, and he already greatly disliked Wen Chao’s character. Yet it turned out only to grow worse—Wen Chao then assigned him to guard Wang Lingjiao. This woman was affected and pretentious, foolish and showy, and vicious-hearted as well, which disgusted him immensely. But no matter how disgusted he felt, he could not defy Wen Ruohan and Wen Chao’s orders and crush her to death. Fortunately, Wang Lingjiao detested him too, ordering him to follow only from afar and not to loiter before her eyes unless summoned—just as well, out of sight, out of mind. But now this woman’s life was on the verge of being lost. If he stood by and did nothing, Wen Chao would fly into an implacable rage. And if Wen Chao remained implacable, Wen Ruohan too would never let the matter rest.

Wen Zhuliu said, “My apologies.”

Zidian shot forth, and Madam Yu shouted, “Hypocrite!”

Wen Zhuliu swept a large hand out and caught Zidian with utter indifference!

When Zidian transformed into a whip, a flow of spiritual power clung to it. The power could be great or slight, lethal or pleasing, all at its master’s command. Madam Yu had long since resolved to kill, to leave not a single Wen dog alive, and she deeply dreaded Wen Zhuliu, so the spiritual current erupted with twelve-tenths ferocity from the very start—yet he caught it without the slightest strain!

In all the years Zidian had dominated, it had never met such an opponent. The moment it was seized, Madam Yu froze for an instant. Wang Lingjiao seized the chance to scramble free, crawling and tumbling away. She pulled a signal flare from her bosom and shook it twice in her hand. A streak of fire shot from the tube with a piercing shriek, burst through a wooden window, and exploded in the sky outside. Then, fumbling frantically, she pulled out a second and a third, hair disheveled, babbling, “Come… come… all of you come… everyone, come here!”

Wei Wuxian gritted through the pain and shoved Jiang Cheng. “Don’t let her send any more signals!”

Jiang Cheng released Wei Wuxian and struck directly at Wang Lingjiao, but just then Wen Zhuliu rushed in close to Madam Yu, as if about to land a palm strike, and Jiang Cheng cried out, “A-niang!”

He abandoned Wang Lingjiao at once and hurled himself over. Without even turning his head, Wen Zhuliu thrust a palm out and said, “You fall far short!”

The blow struck Jiang Cheng’s shoulder, and blood burst from his mouth. At the same moment, Wang Lingjiao sent all her signal flares flying—a brilliance of piercing shrieks bloomed in the grey-blue night sky.

Seeing Jiang Cheng wounded, Madam Yu roared in fury, and the light of Zidian blazed up, so dazzlingly white it was blinding!

The sudden eruption of Zidian blasted Wen Zhuliu into the air and sent him crashing against a wall. Jin Zhu and Yinzhu each drew from their waists long whips swirling with crackling lightning and engaged Wen Zhuliu together. These two maidservants had been close to Madam Yu since childhood, trained by the same master, and their combined attack was not to be underestimated. Seizing the opening, Madam Yu grabbed the momentarily immobilized Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, one in each hand, and charged out of the hall. Many disciples still remained on the Training Grounds. She ordered sharply, “Arm yourselves at once and fall into formation!”

She rushed onto the dock carrying both of them. There were always seven or eight small boats moored before Lotus Pier’s dock, used by the Jiang family’s young disciples for boating and lotus-picking on the lake. Madam Yu threw them into a boat, jumped in herself, and took Jiang Cheng’s hand to help calm his injury. Jiang Cheng had only coughed up one mouthful of blood; his wound was not too serious. He asked, “A-niang, what should we do now?”

Madam Yu said, “What do you mean what should we do! Can’t you see? They came fully prepared—battle today is unavoidable. A great swarm of Wen dogs will be here soon. Leave, now!”

Wei Wuxian said, “Then what about shijie? She went to Meishan the day before yesterday—if she comes back…”

Madam Yu spat viciously, “Shut your mouth! It’s all because of you, you little…!”

Wei Wuxian could only fall silent. Madam Yu removed the silver Zidian ring from her right finger and slipped it onto Jiang Cheng’s right index finger. Jiang Cheng stared blankly. “…A-niang, why are you giving Zidian to me?”

Madam Yu said, “If I give it to you, from now on it’s yours! Zidian has already acknowledged you as its master.”

Jiang Cheng asked, bewildered, “A-niang, aren’t you coming with us?”

Madam Yu gazed at his face, then suddenly pulled him into her arms, kissed his hair twice, held him close, and murmured, “Good child.”

The embrace was fierce, as if she wished she could shrink Jiang Cheng back into a tiny infant inside her womb, where no one could harm him, no one could part them. Jiang Cheng had never been held like this by his mother, still less kissed like this. His head buried against her chest, eyes wide open, utterly dazed and at a loss.

With one hand cradling Jiang Cheng, she seized Wei Wuxian’s collar with the other, as if she wanted to strangle the life out of him. Gritting her teeth, she said, “…You damned brat! Hateful! Utterly hateful! Look what disaster you’ve brought upon our family!”

Wei Wuxian’s chest heaved, and he had no words to reply. This time it was not forced endurance or silent grumbling—he truly had nothing he could say.

Jiang Cheng pressed frantically, “A-niang, you’re not coming with us???”

Madam Yu let go abruptly, shoving him against Wei Wuxian.

She leaped back onto the dock. The small boat rocked gently on the lake waters. Jiang Cheng understood at last. Jin Zhu and Yinzhu, all the disciples, and all the treasures and heirlooms of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan accumulated through the generations were inside Lotus Pier—they could not be withdrawn in a short time. A great battle was sure to follow. As the matriarch, Madam Yu could not flee alone, yet fearing for her own son, she could only let them escape first—for her own heart.

Knowing what peril lay behind this parting, Jiang Cheng was seized with horror and panic. He stood up, about to follow her off the boat, but Zidian suddenly coursed with lightning and wove a binding of electric ropes around the two of them, fixing them to the boat, unable to move at all. Jiang Cheng cried, “A-niang, what are you doing?!”

Madam Yu said, “Don’t make a fuss. It will loosen on its own once you reach safety. If danger comes along the way, Zidian will protect you automatically. Don’t come back—go straight to Meishan, find your sister!”

Having said this, she turned and pointed at Wei Wuxian, sternly: “Wei Ying! Mark my words carefully! Protect Jiang Cheng well—protect him even if it means your death, do you understand?!”

Wei Wuxian said, “Madam Yu!”

Madam Yu roared, “Did you hear me! Don’t give me any other nonsense—I’m just asking: did you hear!”

Unable to break free of Zidian, Wei Wuxian could only nod heavily. Jiang Cheng shouted, “A-niang, Father hasn’t come back yet. Can’t we bear it together first, whatever it is?!”

When she heard him mention Jiang Fengmian, Madam Yu’s eyes seemed to redden for an instant.

But immediately she cried out in anger, “If he doesn’t come back, let him not come back. Do you think I can’t do without him?!”

With that, she swung her sword and cut the rope mooring the small boat, then kicked the side hard. The river current was swift, the wind strong, and with that kick, the boat drifted several yards at once, spun a few turns, then steadied and swiftly bore downstream toward the center of the current. Jiang Cheng wailed, “Mother!”

He called out dozens of times, but Madam Yu and Lotus Pier grew ever more distant, ever smaller. After the boat drifted far, Madam Yu, longsword in hand and a flash of purple, retreated back through the gates of Lotus Pier.

The two struggled with all their might, Zidian nearly cutting into their flesh and bone, but it did not loosen in the slightest.

A maddened howl tore from Jiang Cheng’s throat, even as he fought and raged, “Still won’t break! Won’t break! Break! Break!”

Wei Wuxian had been lashed by Zidian over a dozen times earlier and his whole body still ached. He knew this struggle was useless—a wasted effort. Remembering Jiang Cheng’s injury, he fought through the pain and said, “Jiang Cheng, calm down first. Madam Yu facing that Core-Melting Hand—it’s not certain she’ll lose. Didn’t she hold Wen Zhuliu off just now…”

Jiang Cheng roared, “How am I supposed to calm down?! How?! Even if they kill Wen Zhuliu, that wretch Wang Lingjiao already sent the signal—what if the Wen dogs see it and send a huge force to besiege our home?!”

Wei Wuxian knew it was impossible to calm down, but one of the two had to stay clear-headed. Just as he was about to speak further, his eyes suddenly lit up and he cried, “Uncle Jiang! Uncle Jiang is back!”

Sure enough, a larger boat was approaching on the river.

Jiang Fengmian stood at the prow, with a dozen disciples attending on board. He was gazing toward Lotus Pier, his robes fluttering in the river wind. Jiang Cheng called out, “Father! Father!”

Jiang Fengmian saw them too, a slight surprise on his face, and as one disciple nudged an oar, his boat drew closer. Jiang Fengmian did not yet know what had happened and asked curiously, “A-Cheng? A-Ying? What’s going on with you two?”

The youths of Lotus Pier often played peculiar games—lying facedown in the water covered in blood to play floating corpses was a common sight—so Jiang Fengmian could not immediately be sure whether they were playing some new game and did not perceive the gravity of the crisis. But Jiang Cheng was so relieved that tears fell, and he hurriedly and flusteredly said, “Father, Father, release us quickly!”

Jiang Fengmian said, “This is your mother’s Zidian. Zidian recognizes its masters—I’m afraid it won’t let me…”

As he spoke, he reached out to touch Zidian, but the instant he did, Zidian meekly retracted, instantly transforming into a ring that slipped onto one of his fingers.

Jiang Fengmian froze.

Zidian was Yu Ziyuan’s first-grade spiritual weapon, with Yu Ziyuan’s will as its paramount command. Zidian could recognize multiple masters, but in a strict hierarchy. Madam Yu was the undisputed first-rank master, and the command she had given was to bind Jiang Cheng until they reached safety; thus, although Jiang Cheng was a master too, he could not break free of its hold.

At some unknown time, Jiang Fengmian had been recognized as its second-in-rank master. Before him, Zidian deemed the situation safe, so it released the binding.

Yet Madam Yu had never said that she had also let Zidian recognize Jiang Fengmian as its master.

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian finally separated, lunging to either side. Jiang Fengmian said, “What in the world happened? Why were you two tied up by Zidian sitting in a boat?”

As if grasping a life-saving straw, Jiang Cheng clutched him and said, “The Wen clan came and attacked our home today. A-niang clashed with them, and she’s fighting that Core-Melting Hand! I’m afraid she’ll suffer; someone already set off signals, and more enemies may come any time now. Father, let’s go back together and help her—quickly!”

Hearing this, all the disciples were deeply stirred. Jiang Fengmian exclaimed, “The Core-Melting Hand?!”

Jiang Cheng said, “Yes, Father! We…”

Before he could finish, a flash of violet—Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian were bound again. They fell back onto the boat in the same posture as before. Jiang Cheng was stunned. “…Father?!”

Jiang Fengmian said, “I’m going back. The two of you, leave. Do not turn around, do not return to Lotus Pier. Once ashore, find a way immediately to go to Meishan and find your sister and grandmother.”

Wei Wuxian cried, “Uncle Jiang!!!”

After the shock, Jiang Cheng kicked wildly at the boat’s side, making the hull rock violently: “Father, let me go! Let me go!”

Jiang Fengmian said, “I’m going back to find Third Lady.”

Jiang Cheng glared at him. “We’ll go back together to find her—can’t we?!”

Jiang Fengmian gazed steadily at him, then reached out, his hand pausing briefly in midair, before slowly stroking his head. “A-Cheng, you must be well.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Uncle Jiang, if anything happens to you, he won’t be well.”

Jiang Fengmian shifted his gaze to him and said, “A-Ying, A-Cheng… you must look after him closely.”

He returned to the larger boat. The two vessels passed each other by, drifting further and further apart, and Jiang Cheng howled in despair, “Dad!!!”

The small boat drifted downstream.

After an unknown stretch of time, Zidian finally relaxed and turned into a silver ring on Jiang Cheng’s finger.

They had shouted the whole way, their voices hoarse by now. Released from their bonds, they said not a word and started heading back. Without oars, they paddled with their hands against the current.

Madam Yu had said that this whipping would keep him from recovering for a month, but now Wei Wuxian felt that except for the stinging, numb pain where he had been struck, his movements were unhindered. They summoned a near-death-like surge of strength and paddled frantically. Over two hours later, they finally rowed the boat back to Lotus Pier with their bare hands.

By then it was deep night.

The main gates of Lotus Pier were tightly shut, and outside the gates, lanterns blazed bright. The shimmering water rippled with shattered moonlight, and dozens of large lanterns shaped like nine-petaled lotuses floated quietly by the dock.

Everything was as it had always been. And precisely because everything was as it had always been, the unease in their hearts cut all the more painfully.

They rowed to the center of the lake from afar and stopped, moored on the water, hearts pounding wildly. Neither dared approach the dock, nor rush ashore to see what was happening, to find out what scene lay within.

Tears brimmed in Jiang Cheng’s eyes; his hands and legs trembled. After a long moment, Wei Wuxian said, “…Don’t go in through the gate yet.”

Jiang Cheng nodded jerkily. Silently they rowed to the other side of the lake. There stood an old willow tree, its roots set in the bank’s earth, its thick trunk growing at a slant and stretching across the water, its branches trailing into the lake. In earlier days, the youths of Lotus Pier often walked along this willow’s trunk all the way to its crown and sat there fishing.

They anchored the boat behind the old willow’s hanging whiskers and stole ashore under cover of night and willow branches. Wei Wuxian was long accustomed to scaling walls; he grabbed Jiang Cheng and whispered, “This way.”

Jiang Cheng, heart struck with fear and dread, could barely tell east from west. He followed close, keeping to the wall, crept a stretch, then stealthily climbed a section of the walltop. This stretch of wall was lined with a row of beast-head ornaments, perfectly suited for spying. Once it had been outsiders who secretly scaled the wall to peek at them inside; now it was they who secretly spied on what lay within.

Wei Wuxian peered over and looked inside, and his heart sank at once.

On the Training Grounds of Lotus Pier stood row upon row of people.

All of them wore Blazing Flame Robes, the flame patterns at collars, lapels, and cuffs red as blood, piercing to the eye.

Besides those standing, there were also those lying down. The fallen had all been moved to the northwest corner of the Training Grounds, piled haphazardly together. One person stood with his back to them, head lowered, as if examining this heap of Jiang family—alive or dead, none could tell.

Jiang Cheng was still frantically searching with his eyes for the figures of Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian, but Wei Wuxian’s eyes grew hot and moist in an instant.

Among these people, he saw many familiar silhouettes.

His throat was dry and aching, his temples pounded as if struck by iron hammers, and his whole body turned cold. He dared not think too much of Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan. Just as he was about to look more carefully—to see whether the thin youth lying on the topmost layer was Sixth Shidi—the person standing in the northwest corner with his back to them seemed to sense something and turned around.

Wei Wuxian immediately pressed Jiang Cheng down and ducked his head.

Although he dodged in time, he had seen that person’s appearance clearly.

It was a youth about their age, tall and slender, with fine, delicate features, pitch-black eyes, and a pale complexion. Though he wore a Blazing Flame Robe, he lacked any imposing presence—he seemed almost too refined and scholarly. Judging by the sun motif’s rank, he should be some young master of the Wen clan.