The person was dressed in black. As if he had been injured, he staggered as he ran. A sword hung by his waist, which was also enveloped in black cloth. Lan JingYi whispered, “Is he the mist-faced man?”

"It's not him. The mist-faced man has different moves." said Wei Wuxian.

"Then, who could it be?" asked Nie Huaisang.

Lan SiZhui whispered back, “Probably not. The mist-faced man had entirely different moves from this person.”

A group of walking corpses followed the person. Moving quickly, they soon caught up to him. The person faced the attacks by unsheathing his sword. Its bright, limpid sword glare sliced the fog open. Wei WuXian silently cheered, What a good move!

"What?" asked Song Lan while looking at Xiao Xingchen.

"That-" said Xiao Xingchen.

However, after the attack, the strange yet familiar spurts sounded again. The black-red powder shot out from the corpses’ severed limbs. The person was surrounded by them. With nowhere to hide, he stood where he was, and was immediately engulfed by the powder. Lan SiZhui was shocked by the scene. He urged in a hushed voice, “Senior Mo, this man, we…”

"Please, help him." said Song Lan making Wei Wuxian curious.

"Do you know that person?" asked Wei Wuxian.

Song Lan was silent.

Another group of walking corpses went over and surrounded the person. The circle shrank smaller and smaller. His sword slashed out again, and more corpse-poisoning powder bursted out. He breathed in more of the powder as well, appearing as though he was already beginning to lose his balance. Wei WuXian spoke up, “We need to help him.”

Jin Ling, “How do you intend on helping him? We can’t go over there now. The corpse-poisoning powder is everywhere. You’re gonna get poisoned if you go near.”

"Is my nephew worried about me?" asked Wei Wuxian with a chuckle.

"I will never. I don't care if you died there." said Jin Ling with an eye roll.

"Like ChengCheng, never admitted that he is worried about me." said Wei Wuxian with a pout.

After a moment of thinking, Wei WuXian left the window and walked inside the central chamber. The boys couldn’t help but follow him with their eyes. Differently-postured paper mannequins stood silently between the two wreaths. Wei WuXian strode in front of them, and stopped in front of a pair of female mannequins.

Each of the paper mannequins looked different. Yet, this pair seemed as if they were purposely made to be two twin sisters. Their makeup, clothes, and features were all the exact same. With curved brows and smiling expressions, one could almost hear their “hee-hee” laughter. They wore double-buns, red earrings, gold bracelets, and embroidered shoes, closely resembling a pair of maids from a wealthy family.

Wei WuXian, “How about these two?”

"How can a paper mannequins help you in saving that man?" asked Su She.

"Why don't you just watch to find out." said Jingyi with irritation.

"Because it's a paper, so how could a paper kill or destroyed a corpse?" Su She asked again.

"Do you want me to kill you with paper mannequins?" asked Jingyi.

"Un-lan, he is just curious. Let him ask some questions and if you don't want to answer then keep quiet." said Jing Cheng.

"But his voice is irritating me, a-niang." said Jingyi making Jiang Cheng glare at him.

He lightly brushed his hand against a boy’s unsheathed sword, producing a cut on his thumb. Turning around, he smeared two pairs of eyes, four pupils, onto the mannequins.

Then, he took a step backward. With a faint smile, he chanted, “Eyes behind thy long lashes, lips parted, smiling in tease. Mind not the good or evil, with smeared eyes I summon thee.”

Out of the blue, a chilly breeze drifted across the entire shop. The boys couldn’t help but tightly grip their swords.

All of a sudden, the twin mannequin sisters suddenly trembled.

"What the f*ck is that?!" asked Jin Zixuan.

"That's so immoral." said Jin Guangshan.

"Interesting." said Wen Rouhan.

"He's going to harm the juniors!" exclaimed Sect Leader Yao.

"Are you dead? Which part did it say that he is going to harm us?" asked Jingyi in anger.

"Focus first before you say something. Don't come into conclusion without understanding everything." said Lan Xichen.

Sect Leader Yao was embarrassed and scared when he saw the glares that was sent to him.

The next moment, giggles of “hee-hee” really came out of their brightly tinted lips!

It was the Summoning of Painted Eyes!

"How did you even know about that?" asked Jiang Cheng.

"It's because he is the grandmaster of it." said Jin Guangshan.

"And you're the grandmaster of being unloyal, power hungry and whore." said Sizhui in anger.

"Go for it, brother." cheered Jingyi with a laugh.

"And there's still more to that." added Sizhui with his coldest glare.

As if they saw or heard something hilarious, the pair of paper mannequins giggled incessantly. At the same time, the eyes painted with human blood spun rapidly inside their sockets. The sight was truly stunning, but also truly frightening. Standing before them, Wei WuXian lowered his head in salutation.

With respect, the pair of paper mannequins also bowed slightly, returning salutations of a higher level. Wei WuXian pointed outside the door, “Take the living person back inside. Other than him, eliminate everything.”

"Can they really do that?" asked Nie Huaisang.

"Watch and see." said Wei Wuxian with a smirk.

Shrill laughter emerged from the mouths of the paper mannequins. An eerie gust of wind threw the doors open! Side by side, the two mannequins swept outside and into the circle of walking corpses. It was beyond belief how, although they were mannequins made from pieces of paper, they had such strong powers. With dainty shoes and drifting sleeves, they severed the arm of a corpse with one swish of their hands, then severed half of a head with another—it was as if the paper sleeves had been turned into keen blades. The flirtatious giggles continued to echo through the entire length of the street, bringing about both horror and allure.

Not long afterward, the fifteen or sixteen walking corpses had been chopped into broken chunks that lay limply on the ground!

"Wow! That's cool!" exclaimed Nie Huaisang.

"Teach me how to do that, Wei-xiong." he added.

"I don't want to die yet, Nie-xiong." said Wei Wuxian when he saw the deadliest glare that Nie Mingjue was giving them.

The two paper maids gained a complete victory. Obeying the command, they carried the weakened escapee inside. Then, as they jumped outside again, the doors closed on their own. Each of them guarded each side of the entrance as if they were lion statues that guarded estates, and finally quieted down.

The disciples inside the room were shocked speechless.

"Who wouldn't?" asked a younger disciple.

"They are lucky to be there." said another younger disciple.

"But it's deadly dangerous." said Zizhen.

They had only seen and heard the descriptions of improper cultivation methods from books and their own seniors. At the time, they couldn’t understand it, If they were improper methods, then why would so many people still want to learn them? Why would the YiLing Patriarch still have so many imitators? And, now, after they had seen it with their own eyes, they finally realized the fascination around these sorts of practices. Moreover, this was only the tip of the iceberg—the “Summoning of Painted Eyes”. Thus, after the boys got over the initial shock, there were no signs of repulsion on their faces, but instead excitement that couldn’t be concealed. They felt that it enriched their experiences, allowing for more conversations between their juniors and them. Jin Ling was the only one who didn’t look too well.

"You guys really learned a lot that time, do you not?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"We do and it was the best." said Jin Ling.

"Really?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"You seemed to dislike it." he added.

"That time, I did. But I always thought to myself that time that out of all the uncles I have only Mo Xuanyu who let me be myself." said Jin Ling.

"Why?" asked Jiang Yanli.

"Xiao-shushu always tell me to resoect everyone even if they disrespect me first while jiujiu is always strict in every actions I will make." answered Jin Ling.

"It is already to given that Jiang Cheng is strict to you because he is always strict." said Wei Wuxian.

"I know." Jin Ling mumbled.

Lan SiZhui went over to help Wei WuXian with the stranger. Wei WuXian spoke, “Nobody come near. Be careful not to touch the corpse-poisoning powder. It’s possible that even physical contact would poison you.”

When the person was carried inside by the paper mannequins, he was already in a state of only half-consciousness, appearing as if there was only little energy left of him. Now, though, his mind had become clearer. He coughed a few times, covering his mouth with his hand as though to prevent any powder that he had coughed up from affecting other people. He spoke in a low tone, “Who are you?”

The voice sounded extremely tired. He asked the question not only because he didn’t know who the people in the room were, but also because he couldn’t see anything.

"It's strange." said Song Lan.

"What strange?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"Do you have any idea of who he is?" asked Jiang Cheng.

Song Lan just gave them a look while secretly glanced at Xiao Xingchen.

A thick layer of white bandages wrapped around the man’s eyes. He was probably blind.

And, not to mention, he was both blind and relatively good-looking. With a high nose bridge and thin lips that had the hue of a soft red, he could almost be described as handsome. He looked quite young as well, somewhere between a boy and a man, naturally gaining the sympathy of anyone who came across him. Wei WuXian wondered to himself, Why have I been meeting so many blind people in the past few days? Both heard and seen; both alive and dead.

"Maybe it will help solve the mystery of Yi City." said a younger disciple.

"His stature is kinda familiar." muttered Wei Wuxian while glancing at Jiang Cheng.

"What?" asked Jiang Cheng when he felt that the man looked at him.

Wei Wuxian only shook his head while giving a secret glance at the boy in the back in which Jiang Cheng understand immediately and nodded his head.

Suddenly, Jin Ling called out, “Hey. We still don’t know who he is, whether he’s friend or foe. Why should we save him without taking any considerations? If he’s a bad guy, then wouldn’t we be letting a snake in?”

"You were right that time." Jingyi whispered.

"And you guys refused to listen to me." said Jin Ling.

Although this was indeed the case, it sounded rather awkward when spoken in such a frank tone right in front of the person himself. Strangely, the person wasn’t angered and didn’t appear to be worried that he’d be thrown out at all. He smiled, revealing the small tips of two canine teeth, “Young Master, you’re very right. It would be best if I leave.”

"He doesn't have that." said Song Lan.

"Doesn't have what?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"A canine teeth." answered Song Lan.

"So my suspicion is right." muttered Wei Wuxian.

Not expecting this sort of reaction at all, Jin Ling paused for a second. With no idea what to say, he hastily snorted. Lan SiZhui hurried to mediate between the two, “But it is also possible that he is not a bad person. No matter what, not helping a dying person is against our sect’s rules.”

"Because of that f*cking rules, we put ourselves in more danger." muttered Jin Ling.

"Why?" asked Jin Zixuan.

"You'll know it in any moment." answered Jin Ling.

Jin Ling stubbornly continued, “Fine. You’re the good guys. If someone dies, it’s not my fault.”

"Stubborn as a-cheng." said Jiang Yanli.

"He has a point though. They don't know that man and in that place you can never trust anyone." said Jiang Cheng.

"But even if how dangerous it is, we must help other people." said Jingyi.

"And what did that man gave to you?" asked Jiang Cheng.

Jingyi was silent.

Lan JingYi fumed, “You…” Before he could finish his sentence, it was as if the cat got his tongue.

It was because he saw the sword that the man propped up against the table. The black cloth wrapped around it had somewhat fallen off, and the body of the sword could be seen.

The sword was forged with unequaled skill. The sheath was in the color of bronze, with intricate patterns of frost hollowed out. Through the patterns, the body of the sword shone through as if it was made of silver stars, glistening with snowflake-shaped flecks of luminescence. There was a pure yet bright sense of beauty to it.

"That-" said Xiao Xingchen.

"Is that really me?" he mumbled.

"That sword seemed familiar." said Jin Zixuan and everyone looked at Xiao Xingchen.

Lan JingYi widened his eyes, as if he was about to blurt something out. Even though Wei WuXian didn’t know what he wanted to say, since the man covered his sword with black cloth, he clearly didn’t want it to be seen. Instinctively not wanting to alert the stranger, he covered Lan JingYi’s mouth with one hand and put the index finger of his other hand to his lips, signalling for the similarly astonished boys to make no sounds.

Jin Ling mouthed two characters at him, then used his hand to write the two characters on the dust-covered table:

“Shuanghua”

"It's really mine." said Xiao Xingchen.

"So the person is you?" asked Nie Huaisang.

"I guess." asnwered Xiao Xingchen with uncertainty.

… The Shuanghua sword?

Wei WuXian mouthed his question, Xiao XingChen’s sword— Shuanghua?

Jin Ling and the rest nodded in confirmation.

"The one and only." said Song Lan.

He still have doubts on who the person really is because he knew his best friend more that anyone.

The boys had never seen Xiao XingChen himself, but “Shuanghua” was both rare and well-known. It was not only strong in spiritual power, but also looked stunningly intricate. It had been illustrated as part of countless versions of sword catalogues, which was why everyone knew of it. Wei WuXian pondered, If the sword is Shuanghua, and the person is blind…

"Is that sword made by your immortal master?" asked Nie Huaisang.

"Yes, it was a gift when I started to cultivate." answered Xiao Xingchen.

"That sword has a resemblance to Cangse Sanren's sword." said Wen Rouhan.

"The swords that was made by my master always have resemblance to all the swords of all her disciples but it differ in power and strength." said Xiao Xingchen.

One of the boys thought of this as well. He couldn’t help but reach out toward the bandages wrapped around person’s eyes, in hope of taking them off so that he could see if his eyes were still there or not. Yet, just as his hand touched the bandages, a pained expression appeared on the person’s face. He inched backward slightly, as though he was scared of his eyes being touched.

Noticing his own rudeness, the boy immediately took his hand away, “Sorry, sorry… It wasn’t on purpose.

"It was clearly on purpose." laughed Jingyi.

"Of course he is afraid to be touched." mumbled Jin Ling.

The person raised his left hand, which wore a thin, black glove. He wanted to cover his eyes, but was afraid to do so. It was probably that even a light touch brought about unbearable pain—a thin layer of sweat had already appeared on his forehead. He managed with difficulty, “It’s fine…”

"Proof that it was not Xingchen." saod Song Lan.

"But, it's clearly him." said Meng Yao.

"I know that what I said is right, that's not Xingchen." said Song Lan.

His voice, though, trembled faintly.

With such behavior, one could almost ascertain that this person was Xiao XingChen, who had disappeared after the case of the YueyangChang Clan. Xiao XingChen didn’t know that his identity had been exposed yet. After the pain had passed, he felt around for Shuanghua. Wei WuXian quickly pulled the black cloth that had fallen off back on. With Shuanghua in his hand, Xiao XingChen nodded, “Thanks for the help. I’ll take my leave.”

"Someone is clearly acting as him." said Song Lan.

"We will find out, Zichen." said Xiao Xingchen.

Wei WuXian, “Stay here for now. You’re under corpse poisoning.”

Xiao XingChen, “Is it severe?”

Wei WuXian, “Quite so.”

Xiao XingChen, “If it’s severe, then what is the point of staying? It’s long past hope, anyways. Why not kill a few more corpses before I become one as well?”

"Does he have no care about his life?" asked Jin Guangshan.

"Because you're the only selfish one." said Jingyi.

"Always thinking about yourself." Jin Ling added.

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng tried their best to laugh out loud, agreeing to the two.

Hearing how he didn’t care for his own life, the boys felt their blood burn with indignation. Lan JingYi bursted out, “Who said that you are long past hope? Stay here! He will cure you!”

Wei WuXian, “Me? Sorry, but were you talking about me?” He really couldn’t speak the truth—Xiao XingChen had already breathed in too much of the corpse-poisoning powder. With a dark red hue to his complexion, he was most likely too ill for rice congee to work.

"He will die for sure." said Jiang Cheng.

"You even suggested that." laughed Jin Ling.

"Because it really cured me that time." said Jingyi with a pout because his mother was laughing at him.

Xiao XingChen, “I have already killed a number of corpses in this city. They kept on following me and new ones would join shortly after old ones died. If I stay, you’ll be drowned in an ocean of corpses, either sooner or later.”

"So it's really dangerous." said Wei Wuxian.

"Yes, it is. The moment you entered that place, you will easily discover that it was not a safe place." said Jin Zixuan.

"The more dangerous it is, the more fun it become." said Wei Wuxian while wriggling his eyebrows.

Wei WuXian, “Do you know why Yi City became this way?”

Xiao XingChen shook his head, “No. I’m only a roaming cul… roaming around the area. I heard about the strange events here and decided to night hunt in the city. You haven’t seen how many, how powerful the living and walking corpses here are. Some move too quickly to take precautions against. Others, when killed, release corpse-poisoning powder that poisons people upon touch. However, if you don’t kill them, they would pounce on you and attack. Both result in poisoning, which makes it truly difficult to deal with. Judging from your voices, there are quite a few young masters in your group, right? It’s best if you leave as soon as possible.”

"The way he said that, it is a proof that it was really Young Master Xiao Xingchen." said Meng Yao.

"Then, that person acted so well." said Song Lan while glaring at the screen.

"Why do you insist that it was not him?" asked Meng Yao.

"Because it's not him." said Song Lan.

"You both shut up. Why don't you watch to prove who's right between the two of you?" asked Wen Rouhan in irritation in which silenced the two.

Just as he finished his sentence, the sinister giggles of the mannequin sisters came from outside the door. This time, the laughter was sharper than ever.

Lan JingYi looked out through the door slit, then immediately blocked it with his body, “Th-th-there are so many of them!”

Wei WuXian, “Walking corpses? How many is so many?”

Lan JingYi, “I do not know! They fill the entire street—possibly hundreds! And more are coming! I do not think the mannequins can hold them off any longer!”

"Oh My God! It's getting more dangerous." said MianMian.

"Wei-daijiu is with us. You guys have nothing to worry about." said Jingyi.

"And being with him will only bring you danger." said Jiang Cheng making Wei Wuxian pout at him.

If the mannequins outside failed to guard the doors, all of the corpses on the street would rush into the shop. If they were killed, one would be under corpse poisoning and, when struggling to fight, the poison would circulate quickly; if they were not killed, one would be ripped and bitten to death. Holding his sword, Xiao XingChen got ready to leave, most likely in the hopes of doing as best as he could with all that was left of his strength. However, his face suddenly flushed purple, and he stumbled to the ground.

Wei WuXian spoke, “You can just sit back and relax. It’s going to be over soon.”

"But how?" asked Jin Zixuan.

"Watch." said Wei Wuxian like he knows what his future self is going to do.

"It's giving me a creely vibes." said Nie Huaisang.

Again, he cut the index finger of his right hand on Lan JingYi’s sword. Droplets of blood trickled down.

Lan JingYi volunteered, “Are you going to use the Summoning again? If you dot twice in each mannequin’s eyes, how much blood are you going to use? Do you need me to give you some?”

Immediately, a few other boys rolled up their sleeves, “I can also spare some…”

"They are willing to help you." said MianMian.

"Oh my sweet little juniors." said Wei Wuxian.

"We're not little!" exclaimed the four.

Wei Wuxian only laughed at them.

Wei WuXian couldn’t decide whether to laugh or sigh, “It’s okay. Are there any blank talismans?”

The disciples were still fairly young, not yet at a level of cultivation that allowed them to write runes on-spot. Thus, all of the talismans that they carried with them had already been written with runes.

Lan SiZhui shook his head, “No.”

Wei WuXian wasn’t too concerned, “Already-written ones are fine as well.”

"What are you going to do with it?" asked Jin Zixuan.

"Something exciting." said Wei Wuxian.

"If it is exciting, teach me Wei-xiong." said Nie Huaisang.

"As I said, I don't want to die yet." said Wei Wuxian making Nie Huaisang pout at him and gave his brother a glare.

Lan SiZhui took out a stack of yellow talismans from a Qiankun Pouch, yet Wei WuXian only grabbed one of them. After taking a rough look at it, with the middle and forefinger of his right hand put together, he scrawled from top to bottom, above the cinnabar runes that were already there. The crimson blood and the vermilion cinnabar formed a new set of runes. With a flick of Wei WuXian’s wrist, the yellow talisman and the red runes hovered in the air and ignited on their own. Wei WuXian reached out his left hand to catch the sprinkling ashes. Then, he closed his fingers into a fist and lowered his head slightly. As he opened his hand again, he softly blew the black ashes toward the row of paper mannequins. He breathed, “With prairie fires it fails to die, when spring winds blow it regains life.”

The ashes whirled around the room.

"Nice and interesting." said Wen Rouhan.

"You better stop whatever you are planning." said Lan Qiren.

"Is my Lan Qiren worried about me?" asked Wen Rouhan in amusement.

Lan Qiren glared at him while Wen Xu gave his father a look.

Everyone was speechless while Qingheng-jun, Jiang Fengmian, Yu Ziyuan, and Madam Jin only raised their brows at them.

The Nether Brawler who stood in front of all others suddenly picked up the hacking saber by his feet and carried it over his shoulder.

"He looked like da-ge." said Nie Huaisang.

"Did you just compared me to a paper mannequin?" asked Nie Mingjue in disbelief.

Nie Huaisang only chuckled at him.

A lady, wearing a tall bun and fine robes, slowly raised her right hand. Her slender fingers twirled nimbly, as though she was a languid noblewoman, insouciantly appreciating her long, blood-red nails. By the lady’s side, there stood a golden boy and a jade girl—a pair of child servants. The boy playfully tugged at the girl’s braid, while the girl stuck out her tongue at him. A tongue almost nine inches long rapidly stretched out from within her mouth, stabbing a large hole in the boy’s chest as if it were a snake. After the violent attack, it shrunk back at once. The boy opened his mouth wide, revealing two rows of ghastly, white teeth, and bit into her arm. With this, the two paper children started a fight of their own.

"Damn, that seemed scary." said Nie Huaisang while covering the lower part of his face with his fan.

"It looks thrilling." said Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng.

"It is." agreed the juniors.

One by one, the dozens of paper mannequins started to teeter. As if they were stretching their limbs, they jolted as they whispered to one another. The rustling noises rose and fell all around them. They were not human, but better than humans.

Wei WuXian, “Hold your breaths.”

After his words, he moved away, leaving the path to the door open. With a slight bow, he made a gesture of invitation.

The wooden doors sprang open again. The sickeningly sweet stench of the corpse-poisoning powder poured into the room, and the disciples immediately covered their faces with their sleeves. With a booming shout, the Nether Brawler charged outside. The rest of the mannequins followed.

"Oh My God! It's getting exciting." exclaimed Jingyi.

"You guys should watch at how powerful they are." he added.

"Yeah, yeah. Take a seat." said Jin Ling as Jingyi was already standing in his excitement.

The doors shut itself behind the last paper mannequin. Wei WuXian asked, “Nobody breathed it in, right?”

Everyone replied negative. Wei WuXian helped Xiao XingChen up, intending to find a place for him to lie down. However, since there wasn’t any, he could only sit on the cold, dust-covered ground. Xiao XingChen was still gripping Shuanghua tightly. Finally waking up from the semicoma, he coughed a few times, then spoke in a weak manner, “Was that… the Summoning of Painted Eyes?”

Wei WuXian, “I know a thing or two.”

"Really?" asked Jiang Cheng.

"You should let that pass beside what if I only a thing or two?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"Impossible! You're the founder of it." said Nie Huaisang with a gleam in his eyes.

After some thought, Xiao XingChen smiled, “Yes… To eliminate these walking corpses, it was indeed the best method.”

With a pause, he continued, “However, this path of cultivation can easily lead to the backfiring of one’s ghosts and spirits. Even the founder of the path, the YiLing Patriarch, couldn’t avoid such an end. I suggest for you to be more careful and refrain from using this unless you’re in dire situations. You can cultivate some other paths…”

Wei WuXian sighed silently, “Thank you for your advice.”

"See, it was Xiao Xingchen." said Meng Yao.

Song Lan could only glare at him because Xiao Xingchen stopped him before he could say anything.

"What the man said is right though." said Su She.

"Yeah, yeah. No one is asking." said Jingyi while glaring at the man.

Most famous cultivators would take clear-cut stands on the matter, drawing distinct lines that showed their absolute hatred toward the certain someone. Yet, his youngest shishu still tried to persuade him, even when he himself was only half-alive, and warned him of the backfire. He truly was a tender-hearted person, both gentle and kind. Seeing the thick layer of bandages wrapped around Xiao XingChen’s eyes and thinking of the things he had been through, Wei WuXian couldn’t help but sympathize with him.

Wei Wuxian smiles at Xiao Xingchen who only smiled back at him.

'Wangji, you should stop drinking vinegar. That is his uncle, no need to get jealous'. Lan Xichen gave a look at his brother whose face is a little bit dark while looking at Lan Xichen.

Usually, only young, relatively inexperienced disciples would feel a greater sense of curiosity than loathing toward these sorts of improper paths. Aside from Jin Ling, who kept up an expression of contempt, all others were crammed in front of the door slit as they watched the fight, “Oh my… The mannequin woman’s nails are so scary! One scratch and there are five lines.”

“Why is the little girl’s tongue so long and so hard? Is she a hanged ghost?”

“The man is so strong! How can he lift up so many corpses at once? He’s gonna drop them on the ground! Look, look! He dropped them! They broke!”

"Gosh! Those mannequins are so powerful." said MianMian.

"I can't believe that." said Jin Zixuan.

"Those corpses are nothing against the paper mannequins." said Nie Huaisang.

"It looks fun to watch." said Wei Wuxian.

"They seemed to enjoy it." said Jiang Cheng referring to the juniors on the screen.

"They did." agreed Wei Wuxian.

After he finished listening to Xiao XingChen’s good-natured words, Wei WuXian picked up the last bowl of leftover rice congee, “The poison has already worked its way around. The things in this bowl may slow it down, but may also not work at all, not to mention that it tastes really bad. Do you want to try? If you don’t want to live, then nevermind what I said.”

"You finally accepted that it tasted bad." said Jiang Cheng with a laugh.

"You don't want to kill your uncle eh." said Jin Zixuan.

"I hate you both." said Wei Wuxian with a pout.

Xiao XingChen took over the bowl with both hands, “Of course I do. If I can live, there’s no reason not to.”

Yet, after he had just one mouthful, the corners of his mouth started to twitch. He only stopped himself from spitting it out by tightly pursing his lips together. A moment later, he replied with respect, “Thank you.”

Jiang Cheng, Nie Huaisang, and Jin Zixuan was laughing out loud while Wei Wuxian pouted.

"Shishu." whined Wei Wuxian.

"I'm sorry, a-xian." said Xiao Xingchen with a laugh.

"Even if how hard you tried to cook, it will always taste like that." said Jiang Cheng.

"Just because you know how to cook in the future, you have no right to down me." said Wei Wuxian with a fake anger.

"I can teach you, a-xian." said Jiang Yanli making Wei Wuxian beamed all at once.

Wei WuXian turned around, “Did you see that? Did you see that? What did he say? You guys are the only ones who have such high standards, so full of complaints even after eating my congee.”

Jin Ling, “Your congee? What else did you do, apart from adding a bunch of weird things into the pot?”

"It's not weird, it's spices." said Wei Wuxian.

"Poisonous one." said Jin Ling.

"What a dramatic kid." said Wei Wuxian.

"You're more dramatic." said Jin Ling.

"Jin ling is right." said Jiang Cheng.

"You're betraying me." Wei Wuxian pouted.

"I'm just telling the truth." said Jiang Cheng while shrugging his shoulders making Wei Wuxian pout more.

Xiao XingChen, “But, now that I think about it, if I had to eat this every single day, I’d rather die.”

"Pfft." laughed Jiang Cheng before bursting into a loud laughter.

Wei Wuxian glared at him while others are just amused watching them.

Lan Xichen is blushing hearing Jiang Cheng's laughter like it is a song to his ears.

"I've noticed that Jiang-xiong laughed a lot ever since we are here." said Nue Huaisang.

"Like ChengCheng's soul is free that he can be what he truly is." said Wei Wuxian making Jiang Cheng stop laughing and glare at them.

Jin Ling laughed at him without holding back at all. Even Lan SiZhui couldn’t stop himself from bursting with a “pfft”. Speechless, Wei WuXian turned to look at them, and Lan SiZhui put on a straight face at once. Lan JingYi spoke up, his voice full of delight, “Finished. All of them have been killed. We won!”

"See, even your son is laughing at you." said Jiang Cheng.

"A-yuan." whined Wei Wuxian.

"I'm sorry, a-niang." Sizhui said with a smile.

"Only Jingyi who seemed to enjoy the fight outside." said Nie Huaisang.

"Because that's nore interesting." said Jingyi.

Xiao XingChen put his bowl down right away, “Don’t open the door just yet. Be careful. More might still come…”

Wei WuXian, “Don’t put down the bowl. Pick it up and drink everything.” With that, he approached the wooden doors and peeked through the slit. After the inhuman battle, thin fog and powder in the color of a purplish red pervaded the entire street. The corpse-poisoning powder was beginning to dissipate and the group of paper mannequins calmly inspected the path. Among the corpse pieces that covered the ground, when there was any that could still move, they would step on it mercilessly, until pools of muddied flesh were all that was left.

"Damn, they are so cruel." said Jin Zixuan.

"Scared?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"No, I'm not." said Jin Zixuan.

"Lets see then." said Wei Wuxian while smirking at him making him shiver.

Aside from this, all was silent. At the moment, no new corpses came.

Just as Wei WuXian was about to relax, a series of almost imperceptible noises came from above him.

"Don't tell me there's another one." said Nie Huaisang.

"Danger really doesn't leave us alone." said Jingyi.

"It will be more complicated in the next scenes." said Sizhui.

"Why?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"We're going to find out." said Jiang Cheng.