Nie MingJue was on the school ground, teaching and supervising Nie HuaiSang’s saberwork in person. He didn’t acknowledge Jin GuangYao, so he stood at the edge of the field, waiting with respect. Since Nie HuaiSang was quite uninterested and the sun was bright, he was rather half-hearted, complaining that he was tired after just a few moves. He beamed as he got ready to go to Jin GuangYao and see what presents he brought this time. In the past, Nie MingJue would only frown at such things, but today he was angered, “Nie HuaiSang, do you want this strike to land on your head?! Get back here!”

"You wouldn't." said Nie Huaisang.

"You're not sure about that." said Wei Wuxian with a grin.

"Brothers do not hurt one another." said Nie Huaisang.

"It depends." said Jiang Cheng.

If only Nie HuaiSang were like Wei WuXian and could feel how great Nie MingJue’s rage was, he wouldn’t grin in such a bold way. He protested, “Brother, the time is up. It’s time to rest!”

Nie MingJue, “You rested just thirty minutes ago. Keep on going, until you learn it.”

Nie HuaiSang was still giddy, “I won’t be able to learn it anyways. I’m done for the day!”

"For once, listen to your brother." said Jiang Cheng.

"Nie Huaisang!" shouted Nie Mingjue.

"Aiyaa da-ge, calm down." said Nie Huaisang.

"You'll get a hit if you keep saying that." said Nie Mingjue.

He often said this, but today Nie MingJue’s reaction was entirely different from his past reaction. He shouted, “A pig would’ve learnt this by now, so why haven’t you?!”

"Because I'm not interested." said Nie Huaisang.

"Your brother just want you to learn how to protect yourself, Huaisang." said Lam Xichen.

"I have him, so there's no need for that." said Nie Huaisang.

Never expecting Nie MingJue to burst out so suddenly, Nie HuaiSang’s face was blank with shock as he shrunk toward Jin GuangYao. Seeing the two together, Nie MingJue was even more provoked, “It’s been one year already and you still haven’t learnt this one set of saber techniques. You stand on the field for just thirty minutes and you’re complaining that you’re tired. You don’t have to excel, but you can’t even protect yourself! How did the QingheNie Sect produce such a good-for-nothing! The both of you should be tied up and beaten once every day. Carry out all those things in his room!”

"What are you planning to do?" asked Nie Huaisang in horror.

"What do you think?" asked Nie Mingjue.

"Da-ge, you wouldn't." said Nie Huaisang getting paler every second.

The last sentence was spoken to the disciples standing by the side of the field. Seeing that they had gone, Nie HuaiSang felt as though he was on pins and needles. A moment later, the row of disciples really did bring out all the fans, paintings, porcelain from his room. Nie MingJue had always threatened to burn his room, but he had never actually burned them. This time, though, he was serious. Nie HuaiSang panicked. He threw himself over, “Brother! You can’t burn them!”

Noticing that the situation wasn’t good, Jin GuangYao also spoke, “Brother, don’t act on impulse.”

"Da-ge." said Nie Huaisang.

"You won't burn them." he added.

"Right?" he asked as he gulped.

Nie Mingjue was silent.

Yet, Nie MingJue’s saber had already striked. All of the delicate objects piled at the center of the field erupted in roaring flames. Nie HuaiSang wailed and plunged into the fire to save them. Jin GuangYao hurried to pull him back, “HuaiSang, be careful!”

"Noooo!" he shouted with a face full of horror.

"Mingjue-xiong, you really did." said Lan Xichen.

Tears was rolling down Nie Huaisang's face.

"Well, that was to be expected." said Wei Wuxian.

"I hate you!" shouted Nie Huaisang as he cried more loudly.

Jiang Cheng just gave him a look bit knowing how to comfort him.

With a sweep of Nie MingJue’s hand, the two blanc de chine antiques shattered into pieces in his palms. The scrolls and paintings had already turned into dust in a split second. Nie HuaiSang could only watch blankly as the much loved items that he had gathered throughout the years vanish into ashes. Jin GuangYao grabbed his hands to examine them, “Are they burnt?”

He turned to a few disciples, “Please prepare some medicine first.”

Nie Mingjue scoffed.

"Don't forget that it happened in the future." he said.

"So you won't burn my collection?" Nie Huaisang asked.

"I will." said Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang cried once more.

The disciples answered and left. Nie HuaiSang stood at the same place, his entire body trembling as he looked over at Nie MingJue, pupil encircled by veins. Seeing that his expression wasn’t right, Jin GuangYao put his arm around his shoulders and whispered, “HuaiSang, how are you feeling? Stop watching. Go back to your room and have some rest.”

"Very good. I am feeling so good." Nie Huaisang said sarcastically.

"It makes want to celebrate." he added.

Nie Mingjue just glared at him.

Nie HuaiSang’s eyes brimmed red. He didn’t even make a sound. Jin GuangYao added, “It’s alright even if the things are gone. Next time I can find you more…”

Nie MingJue interrupted, his words like ice, “I’ll burn them each time he brings them back into this sect.”

"Do it. You need some help?" Nie Huaisang asked.

"Damn, you're more sarcastic than Jiang Cheng.

"I hope this scene will help you learn your lesson.

Nie Huaisang was still sobbing.

Anger and hatred suddenly flashed across Nie HuaiSang’s face. He threw his saber onto the ground and yelled, “Then burn them!!!”

Jin GuangYao quickly stopped him, “HuaiSang! Your brother is still angry. Don’t…”

Nie HuaiSang roared at Nie MingJue, “Saber, saber, saber! Who the fuck wants to practice the damn thing?! So what if I want to be a good-for-nothing?! Whoever that wants to can be the sect leader! I can’t learn it means I can’t learn it and I don’t like it means I don’t like it! What’s the use of forcing me?!”

"Oh, you're really mad." said Wei Wuxian.

"You dare talk back to me?" asked Nie Mingjue.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I am not interested on learning any saber techniques?" asked Nie Huaisang.

"Even if how many times you told me, I will still force you to do that. It's for your own good." said Nie Mingjue.

"Can't you see? Most of our ancestors died at such an early age because of practicing it." said Nie Huaisang.

"I don't want to have such fate." he added.

He kicked his saber off to the side and ran out of the field. Jin GuangYao shouted from behind him, “HuaiSang! HuaiSang!”

Just as he was about to chase over, Nie MingJue ordered in a cold voice, “Stop!”

Jin GuangYao stopped in his tracks and turned around. Holding in his anger, Nie MingJue glared at him, “You still dare come?”

Jin GuangYao answered in a low voice, “I came to acknowledge my mistake.”

Wei WuXian, What a face—it’s even thicker than mine.

"I agree with myself." said Wei Wuxian.

"I don't think he came for that." said Jiang Cheng.

"You think I have hidden intent?" asked Meng Yao.

"More likely." said Jiang Cheng.

Nie MingJue, “Have you ever acknowledged your mistakes?”

"What do you think?" asked Meng Yao.

Nie Mingjue just glared at him.

Just as Jin GuangYao was about to speak, the disciples who had gone to bring medicine came back, “Sect Leader, LianFang-Zun, Young Master has locked the door and won’t let anyone inside.”

Nie MingJue, “Let me see how long he can lock himself up for. How dare he defy me?!”

"I guess, he can only lock himself for an hour." said Wei Wuxian with a laugh.

Nie Huaisang pouted at him.

"Well, you're quite a softy Nie-xiong. You won't hold a grudge for that long." he added.

Jin GuangYao spoke to the disciple with a kind countenance, “Thank you. Give me the medicine. I’ll take it to him afterwards.”

He took the bottle of medicine. After everyone had left, Nie MingJue turned to him, “Just what are you here for?”

Jin GuangYao, “Brother, have you forgotten? Today is when I play the guqin for you.”

"I don't trust him palying that guqin at all." said Jiang Cheng.

"You don't trust him in anything." said Wei Wuxian.

"I agree with sister-in-law." said Lan Wangji.

"A wrong note can do much." he added.

"I also agree with you, but please don't call me that ever again." said Jiang Cheng with a glare.

Nie MingJue gave him a straightforward answer, “There’s no room for discussion as to Xue Yang’s matter. You don’t need to flatter me. It’s not working at all.”

Jin GuangYao, “First, I’m not flattering you. Second, if it’s not working, Brother, then why would you care if I’m flattering you or not?”

Nie MingJue was silent.

"His words seemed so manipulative." said Nie Huaisang.

"Because he is." said Jingyi.

Jin GuangYao, “Brother, these days you’ve been stricter and stricter towards HuaiSang. Is it the saber spirit…?”

After a pause, he continued, “Does HuaiSang still not know about the saber spirit?”

Nie MingJue, “Why would I tell him so soon?”

"So he knew about the saber spirit." said Nie Mingjue with a glare.

"We are sworn brothers after all." said Meng Yao.

Jin GuangYao sighed, “HuaiSang is used to being spoiled, but he can’t be Qinghe’s idle Second Young Master for his whole life. One day he’ll realize that you’re doing this for him, Brother, just like how I realized that you’re doing this for me.”

Wei WuXian, Bravo, bravo. I wouldn’t be able to say such words even if given two lifetimes, but Jin GuangYao can adjust his tone so that it doesn’t sound strange at all. It even sounds a bit pleasing to the ears.

Nie Mingjue frowned at that.

"It makes want to strangle him." said Nie Huaisang.

"I don't trust him at all." he added.

Nie MingJue, “If you really do understand, then come see me with Xue Yang’s head in your hand.”

Yet, Jin GuangYao replied almost instantly, “Yes.”

Nie MingJue looked toward him. Jin GuangYao stared back, then repeated, “Yes. Brother, if you give me one last chance, in two months’ time, I’ll come see you with Xue Yang’s head in my hand.”

"He didn't do it though." said Xue Yang.

"Then you must be lucky." said Meng Yao.

"I am, very much." said Xue Yang.

"These two are fooling each other." said Wei Wuxian.

Nie MingJue, “If you’re unable to do it?”

Jin GuangYao’s tone was firm, “If I’m unable to do it, Brother, you can do whatever you want to me.”

"So bad, you seemed to die before two months." said Meng Yao.

"Want me to kill you?" asked Nie Mingjue.

"I have no reason to have a second thought." he added.

Wei WuXian was almost starting to respect Jin GuangYao.

Even though he was always scared of Nie MingJue, in the end, he could still use a myriad of verbal techniques to make Nie MingJue give him another chance. The same night, as though nothing had happened, Jin GuangYao began to play Sound of Clarity in the Unclean Realm again.

His oath was as solemn as could be. However, Nie MingJue wasn’t able to wait the two months.

"My brother isn't a patient man." said Nie Huaisang.

"Just like Jiang Cheng." laughed Wei Wuxian.

Jiang Cheng glared at him.

"That's why he fell in love to the most patien man of the cultivation world." he added.

"Wei Wuxian, I am nor even doing anything to you." said Jiang Cheng.

"It's just fun to tease you." said Wei Wuxian with a grin.

One day, the QingheNie Sect was hosting a martial arts conference. As Nie MingJue passed one of the annexes, he suddenly heard the hushed voice of somebody, possibly Jin GuangYao. Yet, a second later, he heard another familiar voice.

Lan XiChen, “Since Brother chose to make the oath with you, it means that he has indeed approved of you.”

"No, he didn't." said Nie Huaisang.

"How do you know?" asked Meng Yao.

"Because I knew my brother more than you." answered Nie Huaisang.

Jin GuangYao spoke with dejection, “But, Brother, didn’t you hear what he said in the oath? Every sentence meant something more. ‘Face a thousand accusing fingers, be torn from limb to limb’—this was clearly a warning for me. I… I’ve never heard of such an oath before.”

Lan XiChen replied in a gentle voice, “He said ‘if one were to think otherwise’. Do you think otherwise? If not, then why should you worry over it so much?”

"He do think otherwise." said Nie Mingjue.

"That's why he worried so much." he added.

Jin GuangYao, “I don’t, but Brother has already decided that I do, so what can I do?”

Lan XiChen, “He has always cherished your talent, hoping that you would choose the right path.”

"Yet, he didn't." said Jin Ling.

"He choose what he benefited the most." he added.

Jin GuangYao, “It’s not that I don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong, but that sometimes I really can’t help. Nowadays, I have it bad no matter which side I’m on. I have to ensure that I’m on everyone’s good sides. I wouldn’t care if it were someone else, but have I mistreated our eldest brother in any way? Brother, you heard as well. What did he call me?”

Lan XiChen sighed, “His anger was simply too great for him to have thought before speaking. Brother’s temper cannot compare to how it was in the past. You must not provoke him again. These past few days, he has been deeply troubled by the saber spirit, and HuaiSang has argued with him again. They still have not made up yet, even today.”

"Nie-xiong, you still didn't made up with your brother." said Wei Wuxian.

"That's the first time." said Nie Huaisang.

Jin GuangYao was almost sobbing, “If he could say such a thing when he was angry, then just how does he think of me on a daily basis? Is it that because I couldn’t choose my background, because my mother couldn’t choose her fate, I’ll have to be humiliated by others throughout my whole life? If so, then how is Brother different from the people who look down on me? No matter what I do, in the end, just a sentence and I’m ‘the son of a prostitute’.”

"People can say a lot when they're angry." said a random cultivator.

"And that's not an excuse." said Lan Xichen.

"It will hurt other people's feelings." he added.

Jin GuangYao was, at the moment, complaining to Lan XiChen, yet just last night he had been all soft and innocent as he talked with Nie MingJue, playing the guqin. Hearing how Jin GuangYao spoke ill of him behind his back, Nie MingJue burned with anger and kicked the door open. The raging flames within his head traveled throughout the entirety of his body. A thunder-like roar exploded in the air, “How dare you!”

"He's dead." said Nie Huaisang.

"You just let him spoke ill of me?" Nie Mingjue asked in disbelief.

Lan Xichen was silent.

Seeing him enter, Jin GuangYao immediately panicked and darted behind Lan XiChen. Standing between the two, Lan XiChen didn’t even have the chance to speak as Nie MingJue lunged with his unsheathed saber. Lan XiChen blocked the attack with his sword, shouting, “Run!”

Jin GuangYao dashed out the door. Nie MingJue shook Lan XiChen off, “Don’t get in my way!”

"Do you really love to defend him?" asked Jiang Cheng.

"Wanyin." said Lam Xichen.

"Well, da-ge is on the way to kill him. No one can stop him now." said Nie Huaisang.

He chased outside as well. As he passed a long corridor, he suddenly saw Jin GuangYao stroll toward him. He slashed with his saber and blood splattered out within an instant. But Jin GuangYao had clearly been running for his life. How could he have been walking back with such leisure?

After the strike, Nie MingJue rushed forward again, staggering. As he arrived at the square, he looked up, catching his breath. Wei WuXian could hear how rapidly his heart was beating.

Jin GuangYao!

On the square, all of people who walked around had the appearance of Jin GuangYao!

"What is going on?" asked Nie Huaisang.

"Why is there a lot of Jin Guangyao?" asked Jin Zixuan.

"Is this an illusion?" asked Nie Huaisang with a panick.

"Well, he already encountered qi deviation." said Wen Qing.

"You're joking." said Nie Huaisang.

"I'm a doctor and I don't joke." said Wen Qing.

Nie Huaisang just stared at her.

Nie MingJue had already encountered a qi deviation!

"What?" asked Nie Huaisang in disbelief.

"Is this where my brother died?" he added.

No one answered him so he immediately run back to his brother's side.

He was delirious, knowing only to kill, to kill, to kill kill kill, kill Jin GuangYao. He attacked anyone he came across. Shrieks surrounded the area. Suddenly, Wei WuXian heard somebody wail, “Brother!”

Nie MingJue shivered as he heard the voice, becoming slightly calmer. As he turned around, he could finally make out a different face from the blurry field of Jin GuangYao’s features.

Holding an injured arm, Nie HuaiSang dragged his leg behind him, desperately shifting toward Nie MingJue. Seeing that he finally stopped moving, Nie HuaiSang beamed, tears in his eyes, “Brother! Brother! It’s me, put down your saber, it’s me!”

"It was me who he hit." Nie Huaisang said as he began to cry again.

"Da-ge!" he wailed and for once, Nie Mingjue hugged him.

But, before Nie HuaiSang could move over, Nie MingJue had fallen to the ground.

Before he fell, Nie MingJue’s eyes finally cleared up again and saw the real Jin GuangYao.

Jin GuangYao stood at the end of the corridor. Not even a trace of blood was on him. He looked over, two streams of tears pouring from his eyes.

"How dare you cry when you're the one who triggered him." said Nie Huaisang in anger.

"Da-ge, please don't die like that. Don't leave me." he said as he continue to cry.

"I won't." said Nie Mingjue.

"I'm going to kill him first." he added with a glare.

"I can help." said Nie Huaisang.

"No need." said Nie Mingjue as he make a move but Lan Xichen stopped him.

"Not now, we don't know the whole story yet. Maybe there's something that might add on his sins." Lan Xichen said.

"And here I thought you're still going to defend him." said Jiang Cheng.

"Will never." said Lan Xichen with a smile.

The Sparks Amidst Snow bloomed wildly over his chest, however, they seemed to be smiling in place of him.

"Of course he is happy that you're dying." said Wei Wuxian.

"I really hate the people who are like this." he added.

Suddenly, Wei WuXian heard a voice call for him from afar. The voice was both deep and cold. The first call was quite fuzzy. It sounded as though it was far, far away, between real and illusory. The second call sounded a lot more tangible. He could even distinguish an unnoticeable tone of worry within the voice.

And, as for the third call, he could hear it loud and clear.

“Wei Ying!”

"Lan Zhan." said Wei Wuxian.

"The empathy is affecting you." said Lan Wangji with worry.

"I will be fine, Lan Zhan." said Wei Wuxian and kissed Lan Wangji's cheeks.

Hearing this, Wei WuXian instantly pulled himself out!

He was still the thin paperman, stuck to the helmet that sealed Nie MingJue’s head. He had tugged loose the knot that tied the iron shells over Nie MingJue’s eyes, revealing a bloodshot eye, opened wide with anger.

There wasn’t much time left. He must return to his corporal body immediately!

"Be careful." said Jiang Yanli.

"So the empathy ends." said Wei Wuxian.

"I thought we will see how Nie Mingjue was cut into pieces." he added.

"I don't want to see that." said Nie Huaisang.

The Nies are glaring at Meng Yao who only raised a brow at them.