So you put on your mask. I took your arm and put it on my shoulders. I took yours firmly in my other hand, then I pushed the door violently. I did it on purpose to impress HuaiSang. I helped you to sit down.

All this time, he kept saying "he didn't know, he didn't know anything". He deserved his nickname!

His "it's not me" made me angry, Jin Ling had almost died!

I threw the piece of cloth on the table, he immediately hid the bottom of his dress.

"I was just passing by... I don't know anything! "Wei Ying then offered to help him remember.

"Who is the young master? "

I interjected and motioned for him to sit down. Wei Ying then asked me for some alcohol.

Strange, why now? Would his wound and the mark of the evil spell make him suffer? I handed him the jar. He takes a sip.

He starts his story. He tells HuaiSang about the rumors of the "walkers' ridge" that keep the curious away. He tells him about the obstacles on the way to the mausoleum. HuaiSang is uncomfortable.

"Young master, I have a feeling we have met before? "

He hides behind his fan, which is waving faster and faster. Suddenly Wei Ying grabs it and quietly continues his story by fanning himself with it.

My love, you are fantastic. You have made a detailed summary of our findings. Huaisang can't escape anymore. You are right, only the Nie Clan could build such a construction, with this kind of protections, in this place! You raise your jar but it is empty. I'll get you a second one. After all, you must have a dry throat after talking so much! I sit down too.

"Why did the Nie Sect set up this 'soul-eating' mausoleum? ".

We warn HuaiSang about the other sects he might have to answer to. Since this place seemed to "eat" spirits. He made us promise to keep it a secret, and then he started talking.

The mausoleum was actually a family tomb for the blades of the Nie Clan.

The spirits of the blades had stored so much hostile energy while their masters were alive that after their masters died, they had become uncontrollable. Only spirits or ghosts could satiate them.

The rumors of man-eating came from a band of thieves who wanted to steal the treasures that were supposed to be in the tomb. When they broke in, they accidentally destroyed several bodies of the spirits holding the blades. The magic of the tomb did the rest and swallowed the bodies of the thieves to replace them. This was the origin of the legend.

After finishing his story, HuaiSang didn't hesitate to run away without asking for help.

We were left alone in the room. You took off your mask and finished the jar of alcohol. As you didn't seem to want to treat yourself, I sat down in front of you and took hold of your leg. You were surprised!

"Lan Zhan what are you doing? "

"I am removing the curse" After all, didn't you ask for my help on the bridge?

"It's okay, I'll do it myself! "

You raised your dress. I was amazed! The mark now covered 3/4 of your leg!

Why had the curse spread so far? Your golden core should have fought off the infection!

Suddenly, my kiankun purse began to shake in all directions, knocking over everything in its path! The spirit of the sword had woken up again. We had to calm him down as soon as possible. I proposed to play together "rest in peace". You looked for your flute, but it had slipped from your belt.

Before giving it back to you, I made some small modifications to it. That instrument really did make some horrible sounds! It made you smile. I love that smile so much! I've missed it so much these past few years! I hand it to you.

"Play well."

"You must have been uncomfortable to hear me play so badly! "

I think I cracked a slight smile.

My love, you did your best with this piece of bamboo!

This flute is not Chenqing.

It's strange, because you didn't ask me if we found it after your death, or if I knew where it was. I thought that you cared much more about this spiritual object which had been the weapon of choice of the Patriarch of Yiling and which alone had caused more death than Siubian, your sword!

You played perfectly, but the spirit did not calm down! It redoubled its violence. I summoned Wangji and took control. I started to play "rest in peace". You joined me.

Your flute and my qin are in perfect harmony...like us!

I smile openly, you are the only one I can do it in front of.

The mind finally calmed down. It has never been as restless as tonight. The only difference with the other days is the mark on your leg. That mark that you transferred from JinLing to you. 

We realize that the spirit probably wanted to guide us to the "Blade Sanctuary". We decide to go back the next day.

You get up to go to bed. I have to finish what I started earlier!

"Wei Ying, sit down" I put my hands on Wangji.

"Lan Zhan... "I interrupt you.

"Wei Ying, you told me earlier that you would need my help with the curse. Sit down and let it happen."

You must have sensed my determination. You finally sit down, but before you start to meditate, you tap your nose twice and pout! I smile inwardly. I may not have won the war yet, but I just won a battle.

My fingers run over WangJi's strings and conjure up "healing". It takes me back years.

To that afternoon when you first used Yin Hufu. You had been unconscious for several days. My heart trembled with fear that you would never open your eyes again. I didn't know anything about the object you had created, but I could feel its dark energy! At that time I let you do as you pleased. I couldn't protect you, you were hiding so much from me!

Today, I would know how to force you to talk to me. I would force you to accept my help! These years without you, had forged my spirit and my determination. I was no longer the obedient disciple who followed every order given to him! I had made my own rules, my own ideas, my own code of honor... I was not exactly the same as you had known.

The melody ended. You opened your eyes. I poured you a cup of tea and brewed some herbs to activate the healing of your leg. Tomorrow the mark should be almost completely gone. You drank it and went to bed.

I watched you sleep most of the night. The fear of losing you again does not leave me. I end up going to bed myself. The sleep finally takes me away

The next morning, we head for the ridge and the Blade Sanctuary. We are not surprised to see HuaiSang rebuilding the walls destroyed the day before and putting back a body in the wall where we had found JinLing.

The poor guy almost faints, when you explain to him that we will have to extract all the bodies from the walls and that he will have to rebuild the walls a second time!

We take out all the bodies. After inspecting them, you realize that in fact the sword was not showing us its murderer but probably its owner.

Huaisang points out that the Nie clan does not use swords but blades!

Would this spirit be that of a blade and not a sword? You must have thought the same thing because you ask HuaiSang to take out all the blades. I thought that this time he would collapse!

You want to check if there is one missing. The head of the Nie clan, tells us that none is missing. But I realize that Baxia, the blade of Nie MingJue, is not among them.

We finally found the owner of the blade. Will it now lead us to the assassin or to the body of its master? I take out my Qiankun pouch. I turn slightly and she starts to react. She points a direction: west!

We know our next destination.

Many questions remain. Why did this spirit appear at the Mô manor? Why was it infected by the Yin Hufu? Did they want to blame my love once again? I had to find the answers to these questions if I wanted to live in peace with my soul mate.

Before leaving HuaiSang, we apologized for the inconvenience we had caused him. We assured him that if we found his brother's body, I would notify him immediately.

We leave HuaiSang and take the direction of the West.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)