During one night, the winter winds howled outside. The three of them were crammed inside the smaller room, warming up by the old furnace. Xiao XingChen was mending a basket that had a broken strip of bamboo. A-Qing was draped in the only cotton quilt. Wrapping herself as though she was a zongzi, she sat by his shoulder. Xue Yang held his chin with one hand and had nothing to do. Listening to A-Qing pester Xiao XingChen about telling her a story, he was rather annoyed, “Stop being so noisy. I’ll tie your tongue into a knot if you keep on yapping.”

"If I'm the one he was saying that to, I would have cower in fear already." said a female cultivator.

"Did Xiao Xingchen didn't even get suspicious on how he talk? A normal person will not say such thing." said Nie Huaisang.

"It's very normal." said Wei Wuxian.

A-Qing didn’t listen to him at all and demanded, “Daozhang, I wanna hear a story!”

Xiao XingChen, “When I was young, nobody told me stories. How would I know how to tell one?”

A-Qing continued the tantrum, and was about to start rolling on the ground when Xiao XingChen finally agreed, “Alright. I’ll tell you a story that happened on a mountain.”

"Oh, is that what I think it is?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"Who knows, no one knows what you're thinking inside that brain of yours." said Jiang Cheng.

A-Qing, “Once upon a time there was a mountain and on the mountain there was a temple?”

Xiao XingChen, “No. Once upon a time, there was a celestial mountain that nobody knew of. On the mountain, there was an Immortal who reached enlightenment. The Immortal accepted a lot of disciples, but she didn’t let them leave the mountain.”

After hearing the beginning, Wei WuXian understood at once, She’s BaoShan SanRen.

"Oh, he's going to tell about his master. I wonder what life they have there." said Nie Huaisang.

"If she didn't let them leave the mountain then why did they still leave?" asked Jin Zixuan.

"Maybe that's the reason why none of them stayed alive." said Jin Guangshan.

A-Qing, “Why not?”

Xiao XingChen, “The Immortal only hid in the mountain because she couldn’t understand the world outside it. She told her disciples, ‘If you are going to leave the mountain, then there’s no need for you to come back. Don’t bring the disputes of the outside world into the mountain.’”

A-Qing, “Then how can you withstand the boredom? There’d definitely be disciples who want to go outside and play.”

"So they didn't came back to her for help except him." said Meng Yao.

"I wonder what happened to the others." said MianMian.

Xiao XingChen, “You’re right. The first disciple who left was very outstanding. When he first left the mountain, due to his mastery over his skills, everyone praised and admired him, and he became a famous cultivator of the righteous path. But afterwards, people don’t know what he went through, but his personality changed drastically, and he suddenly became a villain who killed people without blinking twice. In the end, he died under thousands of swords.”

This was the first disciple of BaoShan SanRen who “didn’t die a peaceful death”—YanLing DaoRen.

"Why? What really happened to him?" asked Jin Zixuan.

"No one knows. Maybe it's a curse for them to leave their master." said Jiang Cheng.

"It's because this world is cruel that's why their master warned them." said Wei Wuxian.

"I wonder what happened to my a-niang." he added.

What this shibo of Wei WuXian’s went through after leaving the mountain that caused his personality to change so much remained a mystery. It was likely that nobody would ever find out. After Xiao XingChen finished mending the basket, he felt it a few times. He made sure that it wouldn’t hurt the hand, put it down, and continued, “The second disciple was a girl and also very outstanding.”

"My a-niang!" exclaimed Wei Wuxian with a smile.

Wei WuXian’s chest felt warm.

She was ZangSe SanRen.

A-Qing, “Is she pretty?”

Xiao XingChen, “I don’t know. She was said to be really pretty.”

"Of course she is. She's the prettiest girl I ever saw." said Wei Wuxian.

"How can you say that?" asked Su She.

"She is my mother. Even though I don't remember anything about them but my there is still a fragment of her in my memory." said Wei Wuxian in a low voice.

A-Qing, “Then, I know! There must’ve been a lot of people who liked her and wanted to marry her after she left the mountain. And then, she must’ve married a high-ranking official or the leader of a big sect! Heehee.”

"No, she didn't." mumbled Wei Wuxian.

Yu Ziyuan gave Jiang Fengmian a look.

Xiao XingChen laughed, “You guessed wrong. She married the servant of the leader of a big sect, and the two lived happily ever after.”

A-Qing, “I don’t like this. How would an outstanding and beautiful cultivator settle on a servant. This story’s so cliche. It’s probably made up by some poor scholar. And then what happened? How was their life like after they lived happily ever after?”

"What's wrong with marrying a servant? My a-die is one of the best." said Wei Wuxian.

"Not all beautiful girls end up with rich guys. What's so cliche about that? It depends on them who they want to be with and who their heart have captured." he added.

"They're one of the best couple." said Wen Rouhan.

"They're the only who didn't argue even if how difficult the situation is." said Qingheng-jun.

"And they're the most shameless couple. I wonder how Zangse Sanren made Wei Changze, a cold man into a shameless one." said Lan Qiren.

Xiao XingChen, “And then the two of them accidentally lost their lives during a night-hunt.”

A-Qing spat, “What sort of story is this?! She not only married a servant, but they died together! I’m not listening anymore!”

"What's wrong with dying together? It seems romantic for me." said Wei Wuxian with a smile.

"Do you want to experience that?" asked Jin Zixuan.

"Then I can do that. I will make you and Lan Wangji have the most memorable death." said Jiang Cheng.

Wei WuXian thought to himself, Good thing that Xiao XingChen didn’t go on and tell her that the two of them gave birth to another big villain that everyone wanted to beat up. Or else, she might be spitting about me.

Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang laughed.

"Scared to be spat by a maiden." teased Nie Huaisang.

"Oh shut up." said Wei Wuxian.

Xiao XingChen sighed, “This was why I said in the beginning that I don’t know how to tell stories.”

A-Qing, “Then, Daozhang, you must remember the night-hunts you’ve been on, right? I like to hear those! Tell me, what sort of monsters have you fought?”

"Please not that. I don't want to be reminded of what I did." said Xiao Xingchen.

Xue Yang had been unfocused on the story, listening with his eyes shut. Now, though, his expression grew a bit more serious. His pupils shrunk, and he glanced at Xiao XingChen.

Xiao XingChen, “There really are too many.”

Xue Yang suddenly asked, “Really? Then, Daozhang, did you used to night-hunt alone as well?”

The corners of his lips curled up, indicating that he was up to no good, yet his voice was filled with simple curiosity. After a pause, Xiao XingChen smiled slightly, “No.”

This got A-Qing interested, “Then who else were with you?”

"My best friend." said Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan smiled.

"Is he going to tell about his best friend? I also want to know their story." said Nie Huaisang.

This time, Xiao XingChen’s pause was longer. After a few moments, he answered, “A very good friend of mine.”

An eerie light flashed inside Xue Yang’s eyes and his smile grew larger. It seemed that peeling off Xiao XingChen’s scabs gave him quite a lot of pleasure. A-Qing, on the other hand, was actually curious, “Daozhang, who’s this friend of yours? What sort of person are they?”

Xue Yang gave Song Lan a smile.

"Looks like he is planning something." said Jin Zixuan.

"Of course he is. These two are his greatest enemies." said Nie Huaisang.

Xiao XingChen replied calmly, “A sincere man of noble nature.”

Hearing this, Xue Yang rolled his eyes in contempt. His lips moved faintly, as though he cursed at him. However, he purposely pretended that he was confused, “Then, Daozhang, where’s this friend of yours right now? Why hasn’t he come to find you when you’re already like this?

Wei WuXian, What an insidious knife.

"They might have some misunderstandings." said Nie Huaisang.

"Maybe because of the eye he gave or maybe because of the wiped out of Song Lan's childhood clan." said Jiang Cheng.

"It might be both." said Wei Wuxian.

This time, Xiao XingChen didn’t reply. Although A-Qing didn’t know what was going on, she looked as if she also sensed something. Holding her breath, she glared at Xue Yang. She clenched her teeth, as though she wanted to take a bite out of him. After a while of spacing out, Xiao XingChen broke the silence, “Where he is right now, I don’t know either. But, I hope that…”

Before he finished his sentence, he patted A-Qing’s head, “Alright. That’s it for tonight. I really don’t know how to tell stories. It’s quite embarrassing.”

A-Qing replied obediently, “Oh. Okay!”

"It's quite good for me." said Wei Wuxian.

"I got to hear about my parents." he added.

"You know, I really hope that Song Lan will look for him and take him away from Xue Yang." said Nie Huaisang.

"Lets just watch more further." said Jiang Cheng.

Yet, Xue Yang suddenly spoke up, “Then how about I tell one?”

A-Qing was just about to feel disappointed. She immediately agreed, “Yes, yes. You tell one.”

Unhurried, Xue Yang began, “Once upon a time, there was a child.”

"Who could it be?" asked MianMian.

"Why don't we take a bet?" asked Jingyi.

They immediately shook their heads. No one wants to lose a lot of money just because of betting.

"Betting is against the rules of Gusu Lan Sect." said Jiang Cheng and Jingyi pouted.

“The child really liked eating sweet things. But because he had no parents or money, he could rarely eat them. One day, the same as any other day, he was sitting zoned-out on a flight of stairs. Opposite to the stairs, there was a liquor shop. A man sat on a table inside of the shop. As he saw the child, he gestured for him to go over.”

Although this story’s beginning wasn’t that great either, it was definitely a lot better than Xiao XingChen’s cliche one. If A-Qing had a pair of rabbit ears, they must’ve perked up already.

"Any idea of who he is?" asked Nie Huaisang to the juniors.

"Why tell? You must find it out on your own." said Jin Ling.

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian looked at one another then looked at Xue Yang.

Xue Yang continued, “Being naive and puzzled, the child had nothing to do anyways. He saw someone wave at him, and immediately ran over. The man pointed at a plate of pastries on the table and asked him, ‘Do you want this?’”

“Of course he wanted it. He nodded as fast as he could. So, the man gave the child a piece of paper and said, ‘If you want it, take this to a certain room in a certain place. I’ll give it to you after you take the paper.

“The child was really happy. He could have a plate of pastries if he ran the errand, and he earned the plate of pastries himself.

“He didn’t know how to read, so he just took the paper and went to the place. After he opened the door, a huge, brawny man came out. He took over the paper and looked at it, and he gave the child a slap so hard that his nose started bleeding. The man pulled the child’s hair and asked, ‘Who told you to take such a thing over?’”

The child must’ve been Xue Yang himself.

"What?" everyone asked in disbelief.

"Is that man by any chance, the leader of Chang Sect?" asked Jin Zixuan.

"So that's why he annihilated them." said Nie Huaisang.

"But why the whole sect?" asked Jiang Cheng.

Wei WuXian could never have imagined that a crafty person like Xue Yang was so honest, so dim-witted when he was young, doing whatever a stranger asked him to do. The things written on the piece of paper definitely wasn’t nice. Most likely, the person at the liquor shop and the brawny man had some conflicts. The former didn’t dare curse at the latter in front of his face, so he told a child on the streets to bring over a humiliating letter instead. Such an act could even be described as perverse.

"If the man didn't do such thing, Xue Yang might not have end up like that." said Wei Wuxian.

"He ruined the kids childhood and brought trauma to him for a kid to end up like that. People should really watch their actions to not end up ruining someone's life." said Qingheng-jun

Xue Yang, “He felt scared and pointed the direction. The man went to the liquor shop, carrying the child by pulling his hair. The other man had long been gone. The leftover pastries on the table had been taken away by the waiters as well. The man was so angry that he threw over quite a few tables before storming out.”

“The child was really frustrated. He ran an errand for someone, got beaten up, and was held by his hair on the way back. His scalp was almost pulled off. Of course he wouldn’t settle without the pastries. So, he asked a waiter with tears in his eyes, ‘Where are my pastries? Where are the pastries that he said will be mine?”

Xue Yang continued as he grinned, “The store was in a mess and the waiter was feeling quite cross. He slapped the child a few times, so hard that his ears were even buzzing, and chased him out the door. He crawled up and walked for a while. Guess what? Coincidentally, he ran into the man that made him take the letter again.”

"Why would they do that to a kid?" asked Nie Huaisang.

"So disgusting. People are really." said Lan Qiren while shaking his head.

"That man needs to learn a lesson. That's just a kid, not mention an innocent one." said Wei Wuxian.

"He deserve what happened to them." saod Jiang Cheng.

"But others who are part of the sect might be innocent and knew nothing about this." said Jin Zixuan.

"He should've known that. That kid is also innocent." said Jiang Cheng.

He stopped at this point. A-Qing was just getting engrossed in the story. She hurried him, “And then? What happened?”

Xue Yang, “What do you think happened? Just a few more slaps and a few more kicks.”

A-Qing, “This was you, right? He liked sweets—it definitely was you! Why were you like this when you were young? If I were you, I would’ve been like ptew, ptew, ptew and spat in his food, and then I’d hit him, and I’d hit him, and I’d hit him…” She danced around, almost hitting Xiao XingChen, who sat by her side.

"That's impossible. The kid seems defenceless." said Lan Xichen.

"A kid can't think like that since he was only a kid and a kid can't fight big guys." said Nie Huaisang.

Xiao XingChen quickly spoke, “Alright, alright. You finished listening to the story. It’s time to sleep.”

Even as A-Qing was carried by him to the coffin, she was still angrily complaining, “Ugh! Your stories make me so mad! One is so boring that it makes me mad, and the other is so annoying that it makes me mad! Jeez, that guy who made him take the letter was so annoying! I’m so frustrated!”

"We feel the same thing." laughed Wei Wuxian.

"This maiden seemed to not understand how cruel other people are." said Su She.

"But she is more better than you." said Jingyi.

After Xiao XingChen tucked her, he walked a few steps, then asked, “What happened afterward?”

Xue Yang, “Guess. There was no afterward. You didn’t continue telling your story either, did you?”

Xiao XingChen, “No matter what happened afterward, since right now your life is fairly adequate, there’s no need for you to dwell too much on the past.”

"Why wouldn't I? That revenge isn't enough yet." said Xue Yang.

"There's no need for revenge. A punishment is the one who he should get." said Qingheng-jun

"I don't trust your punishments." said Xue Yang.

"I want him to get the most painful revenge he'll ever receive in his life that will make him wish that he was never been born." he added with a dark expression.

Xue Yang, “I’m not dwelling on the past. It’s just that the Little Blind keeps on stealing my candy and even finished them, so now I can’t help but remember the days when I couldn’t have any.”

A-Qing kicked the coffin hard and protested, “Daozhang, don’t listen to him! I didn’t really eat that much!”

"Do you really like sweets that much?" asked Xiao Xingchen.

Xue Yang just raised his brow at him.

"If you want some, I can give you a lot." said Xiao Xingchen with a smile.

"Don't forget what he did to you." said Song Lan.

"We can change him." Xiao Xingchen only said with a smile.

Xiao XingChen laughed softly, “Let’s all rest.” That night, Xue Yang didn’t follow him. Xiao XingChen went out to night-hunt alone. A-Qing lay motionless inside the coffin, but she couldn’t fall asleep.

"Good thing that he didn't come or else it will be more miserable for him." said Wei Wuxian.

When the sky began to brighten, Xiao XingChen came back, not making a sound as he entered.

As he passed the coffin, he put his hand inside. A-Qing pretended as if she were asleep, and only opened her eyes again after Xiao XingChen left the coffin home. She saw a small piece of candy beside her straw pillow.

"Oh! He bought them candies." said Nie Huaisang with a smile.

"He might have treasured the two of them." said MianMian.

She stuck her head out and looked into the bedroom. Xue Yang wasn’t asleep either. He sat at the table, appearing as if he was thinking about something.

A piece of candy lay silently on the edge of the table.

"He should be happy." said Jiang Cheng.

"He might have second thought on harming Xiao Xingchen." said Wei Wuxian.

"Then why did the man still died?" asked Nie Huaisang.

"We will find out." said Wei Wuxian.