If SiZhui, Jingyi, Jin Ling were there, we could assume that ZiZhen was too! They had become inseparable since Yi!

The argument had resumed, I don't know who was the person with Jin Ling but the tone was rising. Sizhui suddenly intervened to try to calm them down.

"It's okay, stop it, both of you. We're stuck here, surrounded by puppets who could walk in here at any moment! Why are you arguing at a time like this!"

Despite SiZhui's intervention, they continued! There seemed to be a lot of rivalry between them. Jin Ling's opponent must be one of his "cousins". Listening to him there was not only rivalry but also jealousy!

"Jin Ling, who do you think you are? Do you think that since Lianfang Zun got the title of Sect Patriarch, you will get it too?"

I was right! And on top of that, he was snarky...or was it fear that made him act like that?

"You want to fight? Let's fight! Are you sulking? Poor bastard who didn't get any motherly love.

He knew how to use arguments that hurt!

Jin Ling must have thrown himself on him because we heard sounds of a struggle, but no blows! They were tied up!

"Calm down, Stop! This is not the time to fight!" SiZhui was still trying to calm them down. Which was normal since he was tied to Jin Ling. As for Jingyi, he was tied to the "cousin" in question.

We walked over.

"Hey, look over there," said Wei Ying. It was instantly quiet. There were just SiZhui and Jingyi who with a big smile exclaimed.

"Han GuangJun!

"Why are they smiling, they are on the same side" said the "cousin".

Wei Ying drew Siubian and gave it to Wen Ning in all seriousness! I think they were going to give a good lesson in manners to these undisciplined young people!

Wen Ning walked towards the group that had been bickering just a few moments before. As he passed by, the teenagers' faces showed fear. They gave him his "title" with great fear.

"The Ghost general! The Ghost general!"

Wen Ning arrived near Jin Ling, lifted Siubian... and cut the bonds that held him captive in SiZhui. Siubian got up a second time to cut the bonds of Jingyi and the "cousin". In a short time all were free.

"Apparently, there is no one who intimidates better than Wen Ning," said Wei Ying with a disillusioned look.

It must be said that most of the disciples here had never met Wen Ning! Only SiZhui, Jingyi, Jin Ling and ZiZhen had met him in Yi. Even if they had not approached him, they had noticed that just like Wei Ying, he had protected them!

We approached. The Lan disciples greeted us. SiZhui with a big smile was going to call you Master Mon but he recovered and called you by your name.

"Mô... Master Wei, have you come to save us? Weren't the people who were chasing us yours?"

SiZhui, from the beginning you knew instinctively that you could trust him; I can sense from your voice that what you just said is more of a statement than a question!

"You know me, I am poor, how could I pay mercenaries?"

"I know how poor you are, it's tragic!"

I think, my love, you just got teased by our son!

You asked them how many enemies we have. Jingyi told you that they were masked but he didn't know how many there were. They had ambushed them, tied them up and left them in the cave!

I was not mistaken, it was a trap. Those teenagers had been used as bait to lure us in. Which meant there had to be a welcoming committee outside!

Jingyi pointed out that there were a lot of "puppets" outside and that they could hear them shouting.

"You did the right thing.

Wei Ying congratulated SiZhui. He did what I could not do. I could not show favoritism.

Jin Ling got up and came over. SiZhui, Jingyi and I moved together to form a barrier between him and Wei Ying. The last time they had seen each other, he had stabbed her with his sword! I couldn't risk that happening again!

Wei Ying pushed us aside. Jingyi allowed herself to say loudly what I was thinking in my heart.

"You still don't want to stab him again?"

Wei Ying managed to calm everyone down. Then he reminded us that our first objective was to get out of the cave. The "cousin" pointed out that with the puppets outside it would be difficult. Wen Ning stepped forward.

"You nodded and tossed him the Siubian scabbard. He went out.

SiZhui took charge. Turning to the other members of the group, he told them that they would have to fight their way through. He took his role as leader very seriously!

They all went out. Jin Ling was the last to leave the cave.

We were about to follow him when Wen Ning was suddenly thrown in front of us!

"Jin Ling come here" Jiang Cheng's voice!

What I feared was coming true, the welcoming committee was not the "puppets"! Outside, there must have been all the sects of gathering to put us out of action!

Wei Ying told Wen Ning to stay inside and we went out.

All the disciples were reunited with their families. I saw Uncle among them. I led the clan members to him. I saw in his eyes that once again I had disappointed him! We greeted him and the disciples were placed behind him. All the cultivators were looking at me, probably waiting to see which side I would take. Wei Ying then joined me.

"Wangji, come here" Uncle held out his hand to me.

Sorry uncle, not this time. I stay with him. I know his heart and soul and they are one with mine! I left him once, not twice. Sixteen years ago I accepted the punishment but I never asked for forgiveness for what I had done. Today you should have known that I would stand by him no matter what!

A woman I didn't know called out to me.

"Han Guangjun, what happened to you? You are not the same anymore. Before, he was your enemy and you were irreconcilable. What damn methods did the Yiling Patriarch use to deceive you and make you be on the opposite side? .... If so, you have a false reputation!

We have never been enemies. Because we had a few arguments in public, that's what everyone thought. But it never was.

"If you the Patriarch of Yiling hadn't started creating puppets again, right after you were reborn and then kidnapped the disciples of various clans, we wouldn't be here in front of your lair."

SuShe! He was a former disciple of the Lan Clan, but due to a "mishap" we had to ask him to leave the sect! I knew that he was said to copy me in many things. It never really mattered to me... until now! He was close to Jin GuangYao...he knew our sword techniques!!! Could it be possible that he was... I had to find a way to check! If he was Jin GuangYao's accomplice, he must have a plan to have us eliminated! I had lost track of the conversation... what were they saying? Wei Ying asked them where Brother and LianFang Zun were. SuShe, again, told us that Jin GuangYao had been injured and that Zewu Jun was treating him.

I hoped that all was well with Brother. I was worried about him being alone with Jin GuangYao. This assassination attempt seemed like a set-up, so that he would have a reason not to be at the Burial Ground. I knew that Brother was capable of defending himself, but I was afraid that his feelings would influence his judgment and actions... I had to focus on what was happening here and now. Whatever was going on for Brother, there was nothing I could do from here.

I suddenly saw, Nie HuaiSang come out from behind the group of cultivators and join the front.

"Um, Brother Wei, I don't know anything about this. I'm just here to inflate the ranks!" then he hid behind Jin Ling's "cousin".

HuaiSang, you were there too. I was almost certain that you were one of the main protagonists of this story! One of those who manipulated the others! You hid your intelligence behind this good-for-nothing facade. But since the death of your brother, you managed to lead your clan!

Your incompetence in the eyes of all was your mask!

The cultivators started to attack Wei Ying, one for taking his leg, another for killing his parents or for having Wen Ning slit his son's throat... They all had something to blame him for, they all wanted him dead!

I thought about what Wei Ying had said to me at the Jingshi the other night.

"It's amazing how much they need a target. A target that everyone hates. Thanks to me, they can unite and think themselves smarter."

He was right, I had the proof right in front of me.

"The 3,000 lives you owe us, even if you died a thousand times, it wouldn't be enough!"

"Three thousand lives? In Qishan, there were 3,000 cultivators present, but the clan leaders were there too. They were present and yet I managed to kill 3,000 people? You either overestimate me or you underestimate them! You can't weight my actions on a whim. I will not admit to doing what I did not do!"

"If not you then who?" one of the cultivator asked.

"I don't have any evidence about Qiongqi and Qishan. But I can tell you that I did not kill Nie MingJue and that Mrs. Jin's suicide in Jinlintai had nothing to do with me. The puppets you met while climbing the mountain are not under my command.

"Who else but you could handle 'puppets'?" said SuShe.

"It's quite simple. The holder of the Yin Hufu can do it.

"This amulet is yours!

"The real question is who is able to use it? Just like Wen Ning...The clans are afraid of my ghost general and were shouting that they would kill him at any cost and yet one of them locked him up for 16 years, in secret. It is strange. Who told me that Wen Ning was executed and his ashes were spread?"

Well done my love, you pointed out a lie that you can prove. Wen Ning's presence behind you supports your words. They are beginning to wonder!

Suddenly there were shouts among the trees. The second wave of puppets was coming!

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