He hadn't come across such a thick odor in years. Something buried in his bones immediately awakened, starting to simmer and stir. As soon as he had opened his eyes, he saw before him the glare of a blade, the shadow of spilled blood, and the head of a man, soaring across the sky, along with its fallen body.

"The f*ck! What a nice view?!." Jiang Cheng said sarcastically.

"No warning?" asked Nie Huaisang as he hid behind his brother.

"Damn, I didn't expect this at all." said Jin Zixuan.

The beheaded man wore a robe with the clan motif of flames and the sun. Wei WuXian watched 'himself' sheath his saber, a low voice coming out of his mouth, "Go get the head. Hang it up for the Wen-dogs to see."

Someone answered from behind him, "Yes!"

"That beheaded man is kinda familiar." said MianMian.

"It's a Wen with a high ranking." said Wen Qing as she gave her cousins a look.

Wei WuXian realized who the beheaded man was.

He was the eldest son of the QishanWen Sect's leader Wen RuoHan- Wen Xu. He was killed by Nie MingJue in Hejian. His head was cut off with a single strike and hung up in front of the troops, in demonstration to the Wen Sect's cultivators. His corpse was cut into pieces by the enraged cultivators of the Nie Sect, then ground up and smeared below the earth.

"What?" Wen Xu asked in disbelief.

"Good for him." said Nie Mingjue.

"Is this what they called Sunshot Campaign?" asked Wen Rouhan.

"How dare he kill my son?" he added.

"Well, it's a war, everyone dies." said Jin Guangshan.

"Want me to kill you first?" asked Wen Rouhan.

"Please do. I really want him dead." said Jingyi.

"Sure kid." said Wen Rouhan.

"But not now." he added.

"So my brother died." laughed Wen Chao making Wen Xu glared at him.

"I bet you died too." said Wen Xu.

"Why are you happy? Have some respect to your elder brother." said Wen Rouhan.

Nie MingJue glanced at the corpse on the ground and kicked it to the side. Hand on the hilt of his saber, he looked calmly around.

ChiFeng-Zun was quite tall. When he Empathized with A-Qing last time, Wei WuXian's field of vision was rather short, but this time it was even taller than his usual view. Looking down, he saw countless casualties. Some wore sun-and-flames robes; some had the QingheNie Sect's beast-head crest on their backs; some didn't dress in any uniforms; each consisting of around one-third. With such a dire scene, the scent of blood suffused the air. He scanned his surroundings as he strode forward, as though he still wanted to check if any of the Wen Sect's cultivators still had a breath of air left in them. Suddenly, a clashing noise came from a tile-roof house on the side.

"Something happened like that in the future?" asked Jiang Yanli.

"Where are my brothers?" she added.

"They're safe, Jiang-shenshen." said Sizhui with a smile.

Jiang Yanli sighed in relief.

With a wave of his saber, a fierce blade of wind swept over. Hacking open the house's crude door, it revealed a mother and her daughter, both panic-stricken. Such a shabby house held very little possessions, its lack of hiding places allowing the pair only to take cover under the table as they held their breaths. As the young woman's round eyes caught reflection of Nie MingJue's blood-drenched and murderous appearance, tears immediately poured out. The girl in her arms had already opened her mouth, scared speechless.

As Nie MingJue saw that it was only an ordinary mother-and-daughter pair, likely two commoners who had failed to escape before battle broke out, his furrowed brows softened slightly. A subordinate, not knowing what had happened, approached from behind him, "Sect leader?"

The mother-and-daughter only knew that a few gangs of cultivators crashed into their workaday lives and battled the hell out of one another. Neither knew which was the good side and which was the bad. Fearing whomever that held a blade, they thought that they'd die for sure, faces distorting with fright. Nie MingJue took a look at them and curbed his killing intent, "It's alright."

He let down the hand that he held his saber with and paced to the other side of the room. The young woman instantly collapsed onto the ground, still embracing her daughter. After a moment, she couldn't help but begin to sob.

"The commoners are the one who suffered a lot when there is war. Why does it have to go this way?" asked Qingjeng-jun.

"Blame the Wens." said Jin Guangshan.

"No wonder, nothing left of them in the future." he added.

"Well, I will wipe out your whole sect and clan when we get out of here. No one is going to helo you." said Wen Rouhan.

"There's is no need for that, Wen Rouhan. I can handle him after all of this." said Madam Jin.

"Okay, the honor is yours." said Wen Rouhan with a smirk.

A few strides later, Nie MingJue suddenly stopped, questioning the subordinate behind him, "Who was the cultivator that kept guard at the end during the last battlefield clean-up?"

The subordinator hesitated for a second, "Kept guard at the end? I... don't think I remember."

Nie MingJue frowned, "Tell me when you remember."

He continued to walk forward. The cultivator hurried to ask other people. Not long later, he caught back up, "Sect Leader! I've asked. The cultivator who kept guard at the end during the last battlefield clean-up is called Meng Yao."

"Is this the start?" asked a random cultivator.

"Maybe, we will find out what really happened." said Wei Wuxian.

"We can finally measure the crimes he commit including killing my brother by watching this memory." said Nie Huaisang.

"I think there is more to it. Other than what we will see in your brother's memory, there might be something more unacceptable and way more unforgivable sins he made." said Jiang Cheng.

"We will find out." said Lan Xichen.

Hearing the name, Nie MingJue raised his brows, as though finding it somewhat surprising.

Wei WuXian knew why. Before Jin GuangYao was accepted into his clan, he was named Meng Yao, after his mother's last name. This wasn't a secret at all. In fact, the name used to be quite "well-known".

Although not many people saw with their own eyes how it was when Jin GuangYao, the one who would later become LianFang-Zun and stand upon Koi Tower with unequivocal power, first came upon the tower, the rumors had already explained things at large. Jin GuangYao's mother was renowned in one of Yunmeng's brothels. Back then, she boasted the reputation of being one of the most talented prostitutes. It was said that she could play the guqin well and wrote excellent calligraphy. She was so well-educated that she could almost pass as the young mistress of a wealthy clan. Of course, no matter how great the resemblance was, in the mouths of the people, a prostitute was still a prostitute.

Meng Yao's face darkened all at once.

"A brothel in Yunmeng?" asked Jin Guangshan.

"It ringed a bell in your good-for-nothung brain?" asked Madam Jin.

"There's a brothel in Yunmeng?" asked Jiang Cheng.

"Yeah, the one I suggested in the scene when we are in Yunping. It's a famous brothel, so I was curious as to why you know nothing about it?" asked Nie Huaisang.

"That's because I'm not interested." said Jiang Cheng.

"But, he dared to leave an offspring in our Jiang Sect territory?" he asked.

"He has an offsprings everywhere." said Jin Zixuan with a glare.

When Jin GuangShan happened to visit Yunmeng once, he definitely dared not miss such a famous prostitute. He lingered around the Meng woman for days and returned with satisfaction after leaving her a keepsake. After he got back, he naturally behaved the same way as he had behaved countless times before this, forgetting all about the amorous woman.

Madam Jin glared at Jin Guangshan.

"Did you think of women as a toy? That you can play with and left behind when your bored of it?" asked MianMian in disbelief.

"You're that even good-looking." she added.

"I pity those women who believed in his lies." said a random cultivator.

"Jin Guangshan! What do you have in that brain of yours? Is it full of maggots?" asked Madam Jin.

"Such man doesn't deserve a space in this world. He is contaminating the whole environment." said Wen Qing.

In comparison, Mo XuanYu and his mother were rather favored. At least Jin GuangShan still remembered that he had such a son and brought him back to Koi Tower. Meng Yao, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. The son of a prostitute was far from that of a good family. Just like Lady Mo, after she had given birth to one child for Jin GuangShan, she waited with much devotion for the cultivator to take her and her child back. She taught Meng Yao with care, preparing for his future entrance to the cultivation world. Yet, even when he grew past the age of ten, there was still no news of his father, while the Meng woman was already dangerously ill.

Before she passed away, she had given the keepsake that Jin GuangShan left her and told him to find his way out to Koi Tower. And thus, Meng Yao finished packing his belongings and left Yunmeng. After an arduous journey, he arrived in Lanling. When he reached Koi Tower, Meng Yao wasn't allowed to enter, so he took out the keepsake and asked for the sect leader to be notified.

"This manwhore is destroying people's lives." said MianMian.

"I pity this man. He just want to be acknowledged by his father." said a random cultivator.

"If I were him, I would rather live alone than having such father." said Jiang Cheng.

"Easy for you to say because you didn't experienced to grew up without a father." said Su She.

"Do you even know me?" asked Jiang Cheng.

"It's better to have no father than having one who doesn't even acknowledged you even if you live under the same roof." he added in rage.

"A-cheng." called Jiang Yanli.

"It's true." Jiang Cheng said in a low voice.

Feeling the glare that Madam Yu sent him, Jiang Fengmian could only close his eyes.

Jin GuangShan's keepsake was a pearl button. This wasn't in any way special in the LanlingJin Sect-one could find such objects everywhere. Their most common usage was as gifts to beautiful women, when Jin GuangShan traveled out to flirt. He'd pretend as though such a pretty little thing was a rare treasure, often in the accompaniment of pledges and vows as well. He gave and forgot about them however he pleased.

Meng Yao really did come at a bad time. The day just happened to be the birthday of Jin ZiXuan. Jin GuangShan and Madam Jin, along with various relatives, were celebrating their darling boy's special day. Six hours later, it was already late into the evening. As all of them were about to set out for the auspicious ignition of lanterns, the servant finally found a spare moment to notify them. As Madam Jin saw the pearl button and remembered Jin GuangShan's history, her face darkened at once. Jin GuangShan hurried to crush the pearl into dust and chastised the servant loudly, ordering him to chase away whomever that was outside in case they bumped into him on their outing.

And so, Meng Yao was kicked down Koi Tower. He rolled down the steps, all the way from the top to the bottom.

"Madam Jin looks so scary." said Nie Huaisang with a gulp.

"The madams of sects are scary." said Wei Wuxian.

"They are even more powerful than the sect leader itself." he added.

"Meng Yao should've known it already that Jin Guangshan won't acknowledge him. What did he even expect from that disgusting man?" asked MianMian.

Allegedly, he didn't say anything after he got up. Wiping away the blood on his forehead, then dusting off the dirt that got onto his clothes, he picked up his belongings and walked away.

Right after the Sunshot Campaign began, Meng Yao joined the QingheNie Sect's troops.

"But how did the two end up killing each other?" asked a random cultivator.

"Maybe because of some misunderstandings." said Jin Zixuan.

"I don't think so." said Nie Huaisang.

The cultivators under Nie MingJue's command, both rogue cultivators and those from the QingheNie Sect, were stationed in various locations. One of these was a nameless mountain ridge in Hejian. Nie MingJue went up the mountain by foot. Before he was even close to the station, he saw a boy dressed in cloth leave the emerald forest, a bamboo tube in his hand.

The boy seemed as though he had just finished collecting water, legs betraying some fatigue. As he was about to enter the cave, he suddenly stopped. He stood outside the mouth of the cave and listened for a while, as if debating between whether or not to go in. In the end, with the bamboo tube still in his hand, he walked in another direction in silence.

After a while of walking, he found a spot on the side of the road and squatted down. He fished out some white-colored food from his provisions and washed it down with water.

Nie MingJue walked toward him. As the boy was eating, his head hanging low, he suddenly found himself enveloped in a tall shadow. He looked up, then put his food away and stood up, "Sect Leader Nie."

"Oh, he looks like a kind a person." said Nie Huaisang.

"But not all kind people will stay kind until the end. Some are just pretending." said Jiang Cheng.

"That's why, ChengCheng here has trust issues." said Wei Wuxian.

"It's better to be wary of everyone than stepping right into their trap." said Jiang Cheng.

The boy's figure was on the smaller side. He had fair skin and dark brows, precisely those favor-gaining features of Jin GuangYao. At this point in time, he hadn't been accepted by his clan in Koi Tower yet, which was why he didn't have the bright mark of vermillion on his forehead. Nie MingJue clearly remembered the face, "Meng Yao?"

Meng Yao answered respectfully, "Yes."

Nie MingJue, "Why didn't you rest inside the cave like everyone else did?"

Meng Yao opened his mouth, but only smiled awkwardly, as though he didn't know what to say. Seeing this, Nie MingJue went past him and walked in the direction of the cave. Meng Yao looked as he wanted to pull him back, though he didn't dare to. Nie MingJue concealed his breathing so that nobody noticed him even as he arrived at the mouth of the cave. The people inside were still chatting loudly.

"What do you think they are chatting about?" asked Zizhen.

"About how awful you look. Why are asking us? I am not even born during that time." said Jingyi.

"I was just asking for your opinion." said Zizhen.

"... Yep, that's him."

"No way! Jin GuangShan's son? How can Jin GuangShan's son be living the same way we do? Why doesn't he go back and find his dad? He'd be relieved of such misery with just a point of his dad's finger."

"You think he doesn't want to go back? What do you think he was doing when he took the keepsake all the way from Yunmeng to Lanling?"

"Are they talking about him?" asked Jin Zixuan.

"Obviously, that's the reason why he didn't enter in the first place." said Jiang Cheng.

"These people are really something, why do they have to talk about that? They can just continue with their own life." said Wei Wuxian.

"Then he chose the wrong thing to do. Jin GuangShan's wife is scary."

"I mean, Jin GuangShan has so many children outside, at least an entire stack of sons and daughters. Have you seen him accept anyone? Making such a scene was asking for embarrassment."

"They don't respect me at all." said Jin Guangshan.

"That's because you desrved none of it." said Jin Ling.

Everyone agreed with him.

"Well, people shouldn't hope for the hopeless. He got beaten to a pulp, and who's to blame? He can't blame anyone. He dug his own grave."

"He's such an idiot! With Jin ZiXuan, would Jin GuangShan ever think anything of another son? Much less one from a prostitute mounted by thousands. Who knows whose seed he was. In my opinion, Jin GuangShan probably didn't dare to accept him because he also had his doubts himself! Hahahaha..."

"Oh really? I bet he didn't even remember that he had such a thing with the woman."

"How dare they?!" Meng Yao said in a dark voice making some people shivered.

"Insulting my mother is like seeking their own death." he whispered that no one heard.

Jin Zixuan was feeling bad for all of his illegitimate siblings.

"I'm actually feeling quite thrilled that Jin GuangShan's seed has resigned himself to getting water for us, hahaha..."

"Resigned your ass. He's put so much energy into this. Don't you see how hard he's working? Everyday he runs around trying to get on everyone's good sides. He's sick for hoping to accomplish something so that his dad accepts him."

"He should give up. Jin Guangshan will only accept him when he became top and above everyone else." said Wei Wuxian.

"How did yiu even manage to have such father?" asked Jiang Cheng.

"Maybe, fate was just so cruel to me." said Jin Zixuan.

A flame of anger sprout within Nie MingJue's heart, burning all the way into Wei WuXian.

His hand immediately pressed onto the hilt of his saber. Meng Yao hurried to stop him, but failed. The saber had unsheathed already, and a boulder in front of the cave crashed down. A few dozens of cultivators originally sat resting within the cave. All of them jumped up and unsheathed their swords, surprised by the fallen boulder. The bamboo tubes in their hands scattered over the ground.

Without any hesitation, Nie MingJue scolded, "Drinking the water he brought you while speaking such spiteful words! Did you join my forces not to kill the Wen-dogs, but to make idle talk?!"

"Sect Leader is quite something. He really did that?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"Of course he did. Da-ge doesn't like something like that, especially those fake people." said Nie Huaisang.

"No wonder you are scared of him." said Jiang Cheng.

"If da-ge defended him like that, the how did they become enemies?" asked Nie Huaisang.

"Who knows." said Jin Zixuan.

The entire cave was in a muddle. Everyone knew ChiFeng-Zun's personality-the more one tried to explain, the angrier he was. Seeing that they probably couldn't escape punishment and would have to tell the truth, nobody dared to speak a word. Nie MingJue laughed coldly. He didn't walk inside the cave either. Instead, he turned to Meng Yao, "You, follow me."

He turned around and walked toward the foot of the mountain. Meng Yao followed. As the two walked, Meng Yao's head hung lower and lower. His pace had slowed as well.

He only spoke after some hesitation, "Thank you, Sect Leader Nie."

Nie MingJue, "A proper man should carry himself with proud righteousness. There's no need to care for the talk of those idlers."

Meng Yao nodded, "Yes."

"Yeah right." agreed Nie Huaisang.

"It depends. If it's something really disrespectful then taht person whi said need a punch he won't forget for a lifetime." said Jiang Cheng.

"There's no need for that. A violence are never an answer for such problems." said Lan Xichen.

"Yes. It's the solution." said Jiang Cheng.

Lan Xichen could only gave him a look.

"You can never really go against him, a-die." said Jingyi amd Lan Xichen nodded.

Although he answered as such, his face still bore a streak of worry. By lending him a hand, today Nie MingJue was able to hold the others down for him. In the future, though, the cultivators would definitely make him pay a price tens or hundreds of times greater. How could he not be worried?

Yet, Nie MingJue continued, "The more these people talked drivel behind your back, the harder you're going to work to have them speechless. I've seen you on the battlefield. Everytime, you're on the foremost lines and stay behind to help with the commoners in the end. Well done. Keep it up."

"It depends on the person. Some doesn't change their opinion. Look, they did really respect Jin Guangyao or it is just an act?" asked Jiang Cheng.

"They just need someone who is powerful for their sects." he added.

"They will only respect you out of fear or maybe it's really a real respect." said Wei Wuxian.

"All you need to do is to be yourself, don't pretend how people want you to be." said Jiang Yanli.

Hearing this, Meng Yao paused for a moment, his face blank. His head raised up slightly. Nie MingJue added, "Your swordwork is quite nimble, but not solid enough. More work is needed."

This was already an obvious encouragement. Meng Yao hurried, "Sect Leader Nie, thank you for your advice."

"You should be really thankful. Its was only once in a blue moon that da-ge give advices and encouragement like that." said Nie Huaisang.

"Don't forget he's the one who killed your brother." said Jiang Cheng.

"I will never." said Nie Huaisang.

Wei WuXian, however, knew that it wouldn't be solid no matter how hard he practiced. Jin GuangYao wasn't like the other disciples. His foundation was so poor that he'd never reach new heights. Thus, with cultivation, he could only aim for quantity instead of quality. This was why he rounded all of the sect leaders and learned their techniques. It was also why he was criticized as the "stealer of techniques".

Hejian was not only a crucial location of the Sunshot Campaign, but also Nie MingJue's main battlefield. As though a wall made of iron, it stood to the side of the QishanWen Sect, preventing it from invading anywhere. The QingheNie Sect and the QishanWen Sect were in a state of enmity to begin with, yet had always held it down. After the war began, both sides burst out. No matter small or large, each battle was to the death, often leading to severe bloodshed. The commoners in the Hejian area suffered heavy losses. The QishanWen Sect naturally didn't care about such things, but the QingheNie Sect had to care.

Under such circumstances, Meng Yao, the one whom relentlessly cleared the battlefield and helped the commoners after each battle, received more and more attention from Nie MingJue. A few times later, Nie MingJue directly promoted him to his side to be his deputy. Meng Yao, on the other hand, also seized the opportunity, perfectly completing each task given to him. And thus, the current Jin GuangYao wasn't like his future self, always being scolded by Nie MingJue. In fact, he was regarded quite highly. Wei WuXian had heard too much of those jokes of how "LianFang-Zun fled whenever he heard that ChiFeng-Zun arrived". Every time he saw Meng Yao, who conversed with Nie MingJue peacefully, even impressively, he always felt that it was rather incredible.

"It makes me wonder how such relationship broke. Sect Leader Nie seemed to trust him so much." said a random cultivator.

"Lan Zhan, I'm tired." Wei Wuxian suddenly said.

"Then rest. Yiu have my shoulders to lean on." said Lan Wangji which Wei Wuxian happily complied.

"Be jealous, ChengCheng." he said but Jaing Cheng only rolled his eyes at him.

On this day, Hejian's battleground welcomed a certain guest.

"Who could it be?" asked Nie Huaisang.

"Maybe, it's Jin Guangshan." said Wen Rouhan.

"You seemed to not care of how the battle is against you." said Jin Guangshan.

"Why worry when such thing didn't happen yet." said Wen Rouhan.

"Instead of asking me like that, why don't you worry of your life that is nearing its end?" asked Wen Rouhan.

Jin Guangshan glared at him but the man only smiled in amusement.