Jiang Cheng was heading down the mountain. I followed him, keeping my distance.

I thought about the man in black and something struck me about him. I had not paid attention to the fact that he was wearing a mask! Hadn't SiZhuis said that the first time he saw the young Master Mon, he was wearing a mask? What if the man in black in the forest was... Mon Xuan Yu?

I had lost an opportunity to question him! It was too late now to turn around and catch up with him. It was best to stay in Jiang Cheng's wake. If Mo XuanYu had anything to do with demonic cultivation and Wei Ying; Jiang Cheng would flush him out. I would just have to intervene as I had just done a few hours before!

Jiang Cheng moved to a country inn. I did the same. I waited to be served. I remembered the last time I was here.

Wei Ying was with me. We were looking for the Iron Yin. We had chained a stone goddess who was taking the souls of the peasants living at the bottom of the mountain... what if the soul-devouring monster was the stone goddess who had broken free from her fetters?

A strange feeling came over me. Too many coincidences had followed one another in the last few days! It started with my dream, then the sword with Yin Hufu's imprint, Mo XuanYu and his demonic cultivation and now...the stone goddess? I had to find out for sure!

I put down the money for the meal and left. Jiang Cheng merely raised an eyebrow and made a face of exasperation.

I headed for Mount Dafan and the temple on top of it. My heart was pounding. What was happening to me? Why did I want to run? In the distance, I could hear the sound of a flute! The closer I got, the more familiar the melody sounded, even though it was badly played. I spread the bamboos. On the plateau in front of me, the statue had been reduced to pieces. There were only pieces left here and there! The man in black was playing. In front of him stood Wen Ning the ghost general, laboriously advancing in his direction.

That music! It was the one I composed for you! And you were the only one who had ever heard it! That man in black who hid his face behind a mask, was it you my love? My heart was afraid to be disappointed again, but this music ....

The man in black slowly stepped back. I moved towards him by spreading my arm. His back came to rest there as in a case. He stopped playing. I grabbed his arm holding the flute! He turned towards me. There, the eyes behind the mask seemed familiar. How long did we stand there staring at each other without saying a word? Then realizing that he had not finished what he was doing, he put the flute back to his lips and started the melody again. It was hesitant, but with a flute cut from bamboo in a hurry, how could it be better? You had always been an excellent musician!

Wen Ning flew away. I looked back at the place where he had disappeared. The hand of the man in black embraced my wrist and held me back. His flute fell. It seemed as if he wanted to tell me something. His expression behind the mask reminded me of my love.

At that moment, Jiang Cheng appeared. He couldn't have come at a worse time. I was in a panic. If it was Wei Ying who was near me, I had to protect him no matter what. The black man's behavior changed dramatically. It seemed as if he wanted to hide from Jiang Cheng! He moved behind me. I had not followed the conversation, but Jiang Cheng was asking his nephew for an explanation. The farmers told him that Wen Ning had been there a few moments earlier! Then they pointed at us.

"It was he who called him! "

Jiang Cheng turned to us and saw that I was holding the man in black by the wrist. He walked towards us.

"All right, so you're back! "Jiang Cheng crackled Zidian and threw the purple lightning in our direction.

No, you wouldn't touch him!

I conjured up Wangji and threw the "killing rope". The shock caused by the 2 spiritual weapons was felt by all!

"Lan Wangji, how dare you interfere? "Panic-stricken by such violence, the man in black fled from me and my protection. At the moment when the purple lightning of Zidian touched his back, I thought I would die!

Noooo! I'm sure it's you and I've only just found you. I can't lose you again!

The body of the man in black was thrown forward and fell on the ground! ...He coughed and got up with a grunt!

I couldn't believe it! Hadn't Zidian worked? The man in black was alive. He wasn't harboring a wandering spirit! But then how could he know our music? Who was he really?

"What? You think you can beat people up, as you please, just because you are rich and powerful? "Zidian's victim held his ribs and back.

Jiang Cheng was asking himself the same questions I had just moments before: why didn't Zidian work?

"Take off your mask! "

"No I don't want to! You'll be shocked to death if I take it off," his victim cheekily said. Jiang Cheng raised Zidian again. Jingyi intervened.

"Jiang Clan Chief, calm down! It's Zidian! He has the ability to expel souls that possess a body that is not their own! Wei WuXian's soul and body both disappeared after his death. He could only resurrect by taking possession of another body.

"How do you know that Wei WuXian is dead? "

"People say that you killed him with your own hands" an awkward silence arose.

Jiang Cheng couldn't say anything else, I knew it. I was the only one, along with Wei Ying, who knew that what Jingyi had said was wrong!

"Tell me, who are you really? he shouted at the man in black. He staggered and fell backwards.

I tried to hold him, but in vain. He fell to the ground. I crouched down beside him and gently lifted his head. The disciples had joined me.

"Han Gwang-Jun, this is young Master Mon," said SiZhui, crouching down beside me.

"What's wrong with him? "Jingyi asked.

"Zidian hit him, it weakened him. Let's get him to safety! "The disciples picked him up and helped Lan Jingyi lift him onto SiZhui's back.

I turned back to Jiang Cheng and, with Bichen in full view, gave him a look that left no doubt, if he came near, he would taste my sword!

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