Xiao XingChen shouted in a low voice, “A-Qing, run!”

"Yeah, run as fast as you can." said Jin Zixuan.

"You seemed to be concerned to her so much." said Jiang Cheng with a glare.

"Don't forget that she's just a young maiden." said Jin Zixuan.

"Whatever. A-jie is already not engaged to you by the way." said Jiang Cheng.

Moving as fast as she could, A-Qing barged through the door of the coffin home. Immediately afterward, she went on another path and crept back again. She climbed to her usual hiding spot, the one she used most often and was most familiar with, and even popped her head out to watch what was going on inside.

"Why did she came back?" asked Jin Zixuan.

"For us to know what really happened." said Nie Huaisang.

Xiao XingChen asked coldly, “Was it fun?”

Xue Yang took another bite into the apple that was still in his hand. He only replied after calmly chewing for a while and swallowing the fruit, “Yes. Of course it was fun.”

He used his original voice again.

"I can feel my hairs stood just by hearing his voice." said a random cultivator.

"I feel the same." said the one sitting next to him.

Xiao XingChen, “Just what do you want to do, having stayed with me for all these years?”

Xue Yang, “Who knows? Maybe I’m bored.”

Xiao XingChen pulled out Shuanghua and got ready to attack again. Xue Yang added, “Daozhang Xiao XingChen, do you still want to hear the second half of the story that I didn’t finish?”

"What about that?" asked MianMian.

"Have you guys forgot? It's his childhood." said Wei Wuxian.

"Now, it took my curiosity." said Nie Huaisang.

Xiao XingChen, “No.”

Although he refused, his head tilted slightly forward and his sword paused as well. Xue Yang replied, “Well, I’m gonna tell it anyways. After you hear it, if you still think it’s my fault, you can do whatever you want.”

He casually wiped the wound on his stomach, suppressing it so that it didn’t bleed excessively, “The child saw the man who fooled him to take the letter. He felt both frustrated and happy. He threw himself to the man as he cried, and said to him, ‘I brought the letter there, but the pastries are gone and I was beaten up. Can you give me another plate?

"He only want some pastries." said MianMian.

"If that's my little brother, I would have spoiled him already." said Nie Huaisang.

"It gives me second thought on a leader of a sect or clan. What if they are all the same?" asked a rouge cultivator.

"They are not." answered Wei Wuxian.

"But Jin Guangshan is." said Jin Ling.

“The man seemed like he had been caught by the brawnier one and had been beaten as well. His face was injured. Seeing the dirty little child clinging onto his leg, he couldn’t help but felt annoyed and kicked him away at once.

“He climbed up the ox cart and told the cart driver to leave at once. The child climbed up from the ground and kept on chasing the cart. He really wanted to eat the plate of sugary pastries. Having finally chased up to it, he waved his arms in front of the cart for them to stop. The man was too irritated by his crying. Snatching the driver’s whip, he lashed at his head and threw him onto the ground.”

"That's is even more cruel than my mother." said Jiang Cheng which is supposed to be his thoughts only.

"What do you mean?" asked Madam Yu.

"I don't do that kind of things to kids." she added.

Jiang Cheng was laughing nervously while trying to avoid his mother's glare.

"This man will have his punishment." said Qingheng-jun.

"One shouldn't do that to a young one." he added.

He spoke one word at a time, “And then, the wheels of the cart ground over the child’s hand, one finger at a time.”

Xiao XingChen couldn’t see, but Xue Yang raised his left hand at him anyway, “He was seven! The bones of his left hand were crushed, while one finger was ground into battered flesh on the spot! This man was Chang Ping’s father.

"The f*ck!" cursed Jiang Cheng.

"So merciless." said MianMian.

Everyone was in state of shock. Xue Yang was glaring at the screen like he will destroy it at any moment.

"That's how he lost his finger." Nie Huaisang muttered.

"Quite reasonable to wipe out a whole clan." said Jiang Cheng.

“Daozhang Xiao XingChen, you were so just, so stern when you brought me to Koi Tower! You condemned me and asked me why I wiped out an entire sect simply because of some suspicion. Is it that, since the fingers weren’t yours, you guys were incapable of feeling the pain?! You guys didn’t know how horrifying screams sounded like out of your own mouths? Why didn’t you ask him why he decided to amuse himself with me without a single reason?! The current Xue Yang was bestowed upon you by the past Chang CiAn! The YueyangChang CLAN was only reaping what it had sown!”

"He was quite reasonable." said Jin Zixuan.

"One shouldn't judge easily before finding the truth behind it." said Qingheng-jun.

Xiao XingChen spoke as though he couldn’t believe Xue Yang’s words, “Chang CiAn broke one of your fingers in the past. If you sought revenge, you could’ve simply broken one of his fingers as well. If you really took the matter to heart, you could’ve broken two, or even all ten! Even if you had cut off an entire arm of his, things wouldn’t have been like this. Why did you have to kill his entire clan? Don’t tell me that a single finger of yours was equal to more than fifty human lives!”

Xue Yang actually pondered upon the matter, as if he found Xiao XingChen’s questions strange, “Of course. My finger was my own, while those lives were other peoples’. They wouldn’t be equal no matter how many lives I killed. It was only around fifty. How could it have possibly been equal to one of my fingers?”

"What?" asked Xiao Xingchen.

"Those people are innocent. He should have just come after the man who hurt him." he added.

"Others have different opinions and thinking so of course he will do that. If there someone to be blamed then it would that f*cker of a sect leader." said Wei Wuxian.

Xiao XingChen’s face grew paler and paler from Xue Yang’s confident tone. He shouted, “Then what about others?! Then why did you wipe out Baixue Temple? Why did you blind Daozhang Song ZiChen’s eyes?!”

Xue Yang asked in reply, “Then why did you stop me? Why did you hinder what I wanted to do? Why did you stand up for those dregs of the Chang Clan? You wanted to help Chang CiAn? Or Chang Ping? Hahahaha, how did Chang Ping first cry tears of gratitude? And how did he later beg you not to help him? Daozhang Xiao XingChen, this matter had been your fault, ever since the beginning. You shouldn’t have meddled with the rights and wrongs of other people. Who was right, who was wrong; would an outsider be able to understand? Or, maybe you shouldn’t have even left the mountain in the first place. Your teacher, BaoShan SanRen, was indeed smart. Why didn’t you listen to her and obediently cultivate in the mountains? If you couldn’t understand the happenings of this world, then you shouldn’t have come!”

"Why does all he said is kinda true." said Nie Huaisang.

"Now I understand, one shouldn't comment to a situation without understanding all of it. But what Xue Yang did is also wrong, if he wants revenge then he should do it to Xiao Xingchen not to Song Lan." said MianMian.

"It's revenge and they are friends. That will be a big blow to him, it make me satisfied." said Xue Yang.

"Wrong. Song Lan has nothing to do with it. Those people in his temple are all innocent. You shouldn't have done that." said Wei Wuxian.

Xue Yang just scoffed but there is something in his eyes.

It was more than Xiao XingChen could bear, “… Xue Yang, you really are… too disgusting…”

Hearing this, the killing intent that hadn’t flashed through Xue Yang’s eyes for quite a long while had appeared again.

"He just needed someone to guide him." said Qingheng-jun.

"I feel sad. Looks like it hurt him hearing that words." said MianMian

"He still have feelings, you know." said Wei Wuxian.

Xiao Xingchen looked at Xue Yang who is is staring blankly at the screen.

He laughed bitterly, “Xiao XingChen, this is why I hate you. The people that I hate the most are ones like you who say they’re righteous, who think they’re virtuous, precisely stupid, naive, dumb idiots like you who think the world’s better just because you did something good! You think I’m disgusting? Very well. Would I care if anybody thinks I’m disgusting? But, on the other hand, are you in a position to be disgusted by me?”

Xiao XingChen paused slightly, “What do you mean?”

A-Qing’s and Wei WuXian’s hearts were about to jump out of their chests!

Xue Yang spoke in an affectionate manner, “Recently, we haven’t went out at night to kill walking corpses, have we? But, a few years ago, didn’t we go outside and kill a bunch every couple of days?”

"Damn, is he going to tell him?" asked Jin Zixuan.

"Can we stop now?" asked Song Lan.

"No, you must watch." said Sizhui.

Xiao is getting pale as the time goes by.

"He can't take it." said a random cultivator.

"Fate is just so cruel to him, to them." said Jiang Yanli.

Xiao XingChen’s lips moved, as though he was feeling somewhat uneasy, “Why are you bringing this up now?”

Xue Yang, “Nothing, really. It’s just really unfortunate that you’re blind. You dug out both of your eyes, so you couldn’t see those ‘walking corpses’ that you killed. They were so scared, so pained when you pierced them through the heart. Some even kneeled down and cried and kowtowed for you to let off the young and elderly of their families. If not for how I cut off all of their tongues, I bet they would’ve been wailing and shouting ‘Daozhang, spare us’.”

Xiao XingChen’s entire body started to tremble.

Xiao Xingchen also trembled on his seat as he is trying to breath normally.

"I don't know what to say anymore." muttered Wei Wuxian.

"Then Wei Ying can stay silent." said Lan Wangji.

"Lan Zhan, I just hope that this kind of things won't happen to me, to us, and especially to my friendship and brotherhood with Jiang Cheng. I don't want to lose my brother." said Wei Wuxian.

"You won't lose him Wei Ying. I will do everything for the two of you to stay the same after all of this." said Lan Wangji.

"Thank you, Lan Zhan. I love you." Wei Wuxian whispered and focused back to the screen.

After a long while, he managed, “You deceived me. You wanted to deceive me.”

Xue Yang, “Yes, I deceived you. I’ve been deceiving you all along. Who would’ve known that you believed me when I was deceiving you, but now you don’t believe me when I’m speaking the truth?”

Xiao XingChen staggered and swung his sword toward Xue Yang, shouting, “Be quiet! Be quiet!”

"It's so cruel." muttered a younger disciple.

"I can't take this anymore." said Xiao Xingchen as tears are running down on his face.

"I just want to go home." said Nie Huaisang.

Most of the people are crying silently.

"Be brave. There are more traumatic situation you're going to watch after this." said Zizhen.

"That's life. Don't expect to leave happily without experiencing sadness and pain." said Sizhui.

"It will help you to be more stronger." said Jin Ling.

"And more understandable of the happenings in life." said Jingyi.

Xue Yang pressed his abdominal area. Snapping with his left hand, he calmly backed away. The expression on his face wasn’t that of a human anymore. Green light shone from his eyes. Along with the canine teeth that showed when he smiled, he looked as though he was a living monster. He shouted, “Alright! I’ll be quiet! If you still don’t believe me, then pass a few moves with the one standing behind you. Make him tell you that if I’m deceiving you or not!”

A sword brought a gust of wind toward him. Xiao XingChen naturally blocked it with Shuanghua. As the two swords clashed, his face immediately grew blank.

Or, one could say that his entire body instantly became a stone statue depicting a withered human.

"He already knows who it is." said Jin Zixuan.

Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen is looking blank.

"It's so devastating. I didn't expect to watch this." said MianMian.

"He won't take it. The death of his dearest friend is hard to accept and to know that he was the one who killed him, I don't think he will let himself live anymore." said Jiang Cheng.

Xiao XingChen asked with utmost cautiousness, “… Is that you, ZiChen?”

There was no answer.

Song Lan’s corpse stood behind him. He appeared as if he was gazing at Xiao XingChen, but there were no pupils within his eyes. He held the sword that clashed with Shuanghua.

The two of them had definitely often learnt from each other by exchanging blows. Even if the two swords had just clashed, Xiao XingChen should be able to tell who the other was from only the strength of the attack. Yet, Xiao XingChen seemed as though he wasn’t sure. He turned around slowly and reached out a quivering hand, feeling for the blade of Song Lan’s sword.

Sobs can be heard all around the place.

"Zichen." Xiao Xingchen mumbled.

"I am here. I am still here." said Song Lan.

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng gave each other a look.

"Are you not gonna say anything?" asked Wei Wuxian to Xue Yang who is looking blankly at Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen.

"Will they still accept me?" he asked in a whisper that Wei Wuxian almost couldn't hear.

Song Lan didn’t move. Xiao XingChen moved his hand upward from the tip. Finally, one stroke after another, he traced over the characters “Fuxue” that had been carved on the sword.

Xiao XingChen’s face grew even paler.

Almost stupefied, he touched the blade of Fuxue, not even noticing that his palm had been grazed. He was trembling so much that even his voice sounded as though it was scattered on the ground, “… ZiChen… Daozhang Song… Daozhang Song… Is that you…?”

Song Lan looked at him without making a sound.

Loud cries can be heard.

"Zichen." cried Xiao Xingchen.

"Don't worry, I know you won't do that ever again." said Song Lan as tears was also rolling down his face.

"Do you regret?" Wei Wuxian asked Xue Yang.

"I didn't do it." he answered.

"I just want my revenge." he added.

Two frightening holes had already been soaked through the bandages that was wrapped around Xiao XingChen’s eyes by blood that never seemed to stop seeping. He wanted to reach out and touch the person who held the sword, but he was too afraid, reaching out, then putting his arms back again. Waves of tearing pain rippled through A-Qing’s chest. Both Wei WuXian and she had difficulties breathing. Unable to breathe, tears poured out of her eyes.

Xiao XingChen stood where he was, at a loss of what to do, “… What happened…? Say something…”

He had completely fallen apart, “Can anybody say something?!”

"Da-ge." cried Nie Huaisang as he hugged his brother.

"It's so painful." he cried.

The juniors are also crying.

"He's so devastated that I can see in his eyes that he want to die." said Lan Xichen.

"Can we skip now." cried MianMian.

As he had wished, Xue Yang spoke, “Would I still need to tell you who exactly was the walking corpse that you had killed yesterday?”

A clang.

Shuanghua fell onto the ground.

Xue Yang burst out in laughter.

"How could you still laugher?" asked MianMian angrily.

Xue Yang didn't answer. His face was so blank that no one has no idea of what he is thinking.

"It's not him. Don't ask him. He is just a boy." said Wei Wuxian.

Xiao XingChen stood blankly in front of Song Lan. Putting his hands on his head, he wailed as though he was ripping his chest apart.

Xue Yang laughed so hard that tears formed in the corners of his eyes. He scowled, “What’s wrong?! You’re so touched to see your old friend again that you’re even crying! Do you want to give him a hug?!”

A-Qing covered her mouth as firm as she could, refusing to let out any trace of her whimpered crying. Inside of the coffin home, Xue Yang paced from one side to the other as he cursed with a terrifying tone of both wrath and ecstasy, “Saving the world! What a joke. You can’t even save yourself!”

Series of sharp pains stabbed at Wei WuXian’s head. This time, the pain wasn’t from A-Qing’s soul.

"Wei Ying!" exclaimed Lan Wangji.

"I'm fine, Lan Zhan." said Wei Wuxian.

"Every word coming from this man hurts like knife." said a random cultivator.

"It is so devastating to watch him wail like that." said Wei Wuxian.

Xiao Xingchen is having difficulty on breathing and Song Lan is trying to calm him.

Crestfallen, Xiao XingChen kneeled on the ground, beside Song Lan’s feet. He squeezed himself close, as though he had shrunk into a small, weak lump of something, almost hoping that he’d disappear from this world. His snowy white robes had already been covered in dust and blood. Xue Yang shouted at him, “You couldn’t do anything, you’ve failed miserably, you’re the only one to blame—you asked for all of this!”

At this moment, Wei WuXian saw himself in Xiao XingChen.

Him, who failed miserably as he stood drenched in blood, who couldn’t do anything except silently acknowledge the critiques and accusations, who was wholly beyond hope, who could only cry in despair!

"Why you?" asked Jiang Cheng.

"Maybe because I'm a demonic cultivator." said Wei Wuxian.

"I am here, Wei Ying. I will always stand with you." said Lan Wangji.

"If Xue Yang could just stop saying anything. Does he feel nothing?" asked Jin Zixuan.

"I am also human, of course I have feelings." said Xue Yang.

"Your experiences forced you to put a wall around it." said Wei Wuxian.

Xue Yang just scoffed at him.

The white bandages had been stained entirely red. Xiao XingChen’s face was covered in blood. Without eyes to cry with, he could only bleed tears. Having been deceived for years, he took his enemy as a friend, and all of his kindness was stepped over. He thought that he was exorcising ghosts, but his hands were bathed in the blood of the innocent. He even killed his closest friend!

He could only whimper in pain, “Please. Let me go.”

Xue Yang, “Didn’t you want to stab me to death with your sword just a moment ago? Why are you begging me to let you go, now?”

He clearly knew that, with Song Lan’s corpse protecting him, Xiao XingChen wouldn’t be able to pick up his sword again.

He won again. It was an overwhelming victory.

"Of course he won't let him go easily." said Jin Zixuan.

"Please, stop it now." cried Xiao Xingchen.

He is already trembling and endless tears are coming out of his eyes.

"How? No one can." said Xue Yang.

"You should take it as a lesson." he added.

"You can't do anything." he whispered.

"Open your eyes. See how cruel the world is." he said while looking at Xiao Xingchen's eyes.

Suddenly, Xiao XingChen snatched up Shuanghua, which had been lying on the ground. Turning the body of the sword, he placed the sharp edge by his neck. The clear radiance of a silver sword glare flashed across Xue Yang’s dark, lightless eyes. Xiao XingChen loosened his hands. Crimson blood trickled down Shuanghua’s blade.

Following the limpid echo of the sword tumbling to the ground, both Xue Yang’s movement and laughter halted.

"What?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"Xingchen?" asked Song Lan in disbelief.

"That was to be expected." said Jiang Cheng.

"What he did is right. I should die." said Xiao Xingchen.

"It broke him that it took his will to live anymore." said Jin Zixuan.

"He looked shocked." MianMian mumbled.

After a while of silence, he walked to Xiao XingChen’s motionless corpse. He looked down with bloodshot eyes, the twisted curvature of his lips gradually sinking. Wei WuXian didn’t know if he had accidentally saw wrong, but it seemed that the rim of Xue Yang’s eyes were brimming a reddish tint.

Immediately afterward, he glowered through clenched teeth, “You forced me to do this!”

"He is getting guilty." said Nie Huaisang.

"He deserve that." said Jim Zixun.

"It's because Xiao Xingchen is the only one who showed him care all those years." said Qingheng-jun.

"What is he planning to do?" asked Jin Zixuan.

"What do you thunk?" asked Jiang Cheng.

He then laughed grimly, and spoke to himself, “A dead one is better! Only dead people listen.”

Xue Yang felt for Xiao XingChen’s breathing and squeezed his wrist, as though he thought that he wasn’t dead enough, that he wasn’t rigid enough. He stood up, went into the bedroom on the side, and carried out a basin of water. Using a clean towel, he wiped away all of the blood on Xiao XingChen’s face. He even exchanged the old bandages with new ones, carefully wrapping them around him.

He painted an array on the ground, prepared the materials needed, and properly placed Xiao XingChen inside. He only remembered to look after his own abdominal wound after he had done so many things.

"Is he going to turn him into a fierce corpse?" asked Nie Huaisang.

"More likely." said Wei Wuxian.

"He still can't accept the fact that Xiao Xingchen finally left him." he added.

Probably thinking that the two of them would be able to meet after just a short while, his mood grew better and better. He picked up all of the fruits and vegetables that had been scattered on the ground and organized them into the basket again. Out of a rare surge of diligence, he even cleaned the house and placed a new layer of straws into A-Qing’s coffin. At last, he took out the piece of candy that Xiao XingChen gave him last night.

Just as he was about to put it in his mouth, he thought for a bit. Holding the urge back, he put it back again. With one hand holding his chin out of boredom, he waited for Xiao XingChen to sit up.

But it never happened.

"I'm crying for him even though he is the reason why the man killed himself." said a female cultivator.

"They could be good friends if they didn't turned out to be enemies." another cultivator said.

A tear fall down Xue Yang's eyes and no one even noticed.