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"So, A-Chao got himself killed in the end." Wen RiLuo muttered to herself as the water rippled around her bare body.

"Yes, Wen Gu-Niang." A Wen disciple responded from behind a private screen.

Wen RiLuo stared down at the water blankly. "Huh...guess I am the last one."

"We have reports of Wei WuHui's and Wei WuXian's returns. Wen Er-Gongzi was killed by them." The Wen disciple informed.

He didn't hear anything for a few seconds before he jumped involuntarily the moment he heard a loud laughter from the other side.

"How laughable! A-Chao, you fool!" Wen RiLuo laughed almost manically. "And to think I actually believe it!"

Then, a gleeful grin appeared on her face. "Give my command. Wei WuHui is mine and mine only, anyone who will even breathe in her direction will die by my hands."

"Y-Yes, Wen Gu-Niang!"

———

The hard metal felt cold in the palm of her hand as blank grey eyes stared down at it. Her newly white hair flowing with the gentle breeze.

"Stygian Tiger Amulet..." Wei WuHui muttered softly as she admired the coal-black amulet with a single red fabric hanging from the bottom. She then held up a smoking pipe in her other hand and took in a breath before blowing out the smoke.

"I didn't know that you started smoking."

Wei WuHui's eyes shifted from her creation to below the tree branch where she was relaxing on as she met eyes with her sworn sisters, Lan ChunTao and Nie MingJian.

"Dajie, A-Qiao." Wei WuHui gave the two a small smile as she put the amulet in her inner robes before leaping down from the branch. Immediately, she was met with tight embraces from both of them.

"We knew you wouldn't die that easy." Nie MingJian chuckled.

"We're glad to have you back with us, A-Yang." Lan ChunTao added.

Wei WuHui felt all the tensions escaping from her as she allowed herself to be held in her sworn sisters' arms. Gladly allowing the warmth from them and realising how much she had missed them. "I'm sorry for worrying you two."

The trio pulled away and Lan ChunTao smiled, reaching over to pat her head gently.

"I say, this new look really suits you. You look like an immortal." Nie MingJian grinned, having a few strands of Wei WuHui's white hair in her hand as she admired the colour.

Although she gave a small flinch involuntarily at that statement, Wei WuHui immediately covered it up with a scoff. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm anything but an immortal. No immortals would go down this kind of path." Her eyes glancing down at the black flute that hang around her waist.

Both her sworn sisters gave her worried gazes before Lan ChunTao reached over to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. "A-Yáng, just know that...I'm fine with you using resentful energy. It might not be the best thing, but it's fine. I know that Dada is giving you a hard time but he means well, he just...worry."

Wei WuHui's eyes widened as she listened to Lan ChunTao before huffing when it comes to the mentions of her brother. "Lan WangJi is worried about me? That's hilarious, Dajie. Last time I checked, he hammered into me with all these stuff that I already know."

"Although Dada's approach isn't the nicest of ideas, he still cares about you as a friend." Lan ChunTao replied. "Have you...spoken with Xiongzhang yet?"

Wei WuHui's body tensed at the mention of the eldest Lan and wordlessly looked away with conflicted expression.

"Don't tell me you haven't talk to Lan XiChen, to the very man that promises to court you the moment you guys see each other again?" Nie MingJian raised a brow.

"W-What? How do you know about that?!" Wei WuHui exclaimed, her face turning red instantly.

"Dajie told me. It was such a beautiful moment that I wish I was there to see with my own eyes." Nie MingJian smirked while Lan ChunTao giggled behind her hand.

Wei WuHui then turned to her older sworn sister with a flustered pout.

"Dajie!"

———

It has been almost a full week since they arrived here in the Qinghe encampment which is located at the edge of the border of Qishan. All the sects and their disciples planning and readying themselves for what could be the final battle between them and the Wens.

"Where could Mèimei be?" Wei WuXian sighed as he wandered around the camp, trying to find his twin.

He just finished the meeting with Jiang Cheng and the other sect leaders about their battle plans where Lan XiChen had showed them a map of the waterways that connected to Nightless City, which earns some questions on how the Sect Leader of Gusu obtained such documents. He only mentioned of a 'friend' that gave him this which stops the questioning...for now.

"Wei Ying."

Wei WuXian paused before turning around, finding Lan WangJi standing there with his usual stoic expression. "Ah, Lan Zhan!" Wei WuXian grinned as he practically bounced over to Lan WangJi.

"Wei Ying, what are you doing?" Lan WangJi asked.

"Oh, I am trying to find Mèimei. She missed out on the meeting and Jiang Cheng wasn't too happy about it." Wei WuXian explained sheepishly.

Lan WangJi's frown deepened. "Wei Ying, Wei WuHui's cultivation..."

Wei WuXian stiffened before he cleared his throat as he looked away. "Are you still going on about that? If Mèimei say she knows what she is doing, you should leave her alone." He stated, accidentally making his voice sound harsh.

He then noticed the crestfallen expression that appeared on Lan WangJi's face, which for some reasons made his heart ache, as he let out a sigh. "Look Lan Zhan, if it makes you happy I can try to convince Mèimei to have you or someone to play for her."

This somewhat relieved Lan WangJi as his shoulders eventually relaxed and he gave a nod.

Wei WuXian grinned brightly as he reached over to pinch the other male's cheek. "There we go, at least that made the frown go away from your face. You're one of the Jades of Gusu, we wouldn't want that frown on a handsome face as your's or how else would you attract the beautiful maidens?" He joked teasingly.

Redness began to appear on Lan WangJi's ears as he sent a glare to Wei WuXian. "Ridiculous."

Which only sparks laughter in the latter.

Then, the two was interrupted by a Jin disciple rushing toward them. "Wei-Gongzi, Wei-Gongzi!"

"What's wrong?" Wei WuXian asked, immediately turning serious.

"I-It's Jiang Gu-Niang! She-."

"Shijie?!" Wei WuXian exclaimed before he started running, not hearing the Jin disciple completing his sentence or the faint "Wei Ying" that came after as he rushed to where his martial sister is.

"This soup is specifically made for me by a maid from our sect. What? For such a noble lady like you, are you trying to steal merits from a maid?" Was all he heard as he came closer to where his martial sister was and when his eyes laid on the rough treatment that Jin ZiXuan was giving to her, his hand tightly around her small wrist.

He snapped.

Without hesitation, Wei WuXian strike him with a punch to the cheek, causing the Jin Sect Heir to fell on his behind.

"You! What gives you the right to treat Shijie like that, huh?!" Wei WuXian sneered angrily as he glared down at Jin ZiXuan.

Of course, the loud commotion attracts onlookers as a crowd formed around them.

Jin ZiXuan huffed, getting up as he sent a glare to Wei WuXian's and Jiang YanLi's directions. Then, a concerned female disciple from Jin Sect stepped forward and stood in between him and Wei WuXian. "Wei-Gongzi." She greeted, saluting.

"You came at the right time. Tell me what on earth happened here." Wei WuXian stated firmly.

"Wei-Gongzi, it's not what you think-."

"Just tell me!" Wei WuXian exclaimed.

The maiden was hesitant, turning toward her Young Master as Jin ZiXuan huffed. "Go ahead, tell the truth. It looks like our Jin Sect did something shameful." He retorted.

"You!" Wei WuXian hissed.

"A-Xian." Jiang YanLi immediately grabbed onto Wei WuXian's arm, trying to calm him down.

"Wei-Gongzi. Here's the thing, since Jiang Gu-Niang is with the army, she cures the injured while helping with the diet. Everyday, Jiang Gu-Niang makes four more bowls of soup, three of which are for her brothers and sister, you, Jiang-Gongzi and Wei Gu-Niang. And the third one...is for our Jin-Gongzi." The Jin disciple explained.

"Nonsense!" Immediately, Jin ZiXuan exclaimed. "It's A-Yuan!"

"Jin-Gongzi, it's not the case! Jiang Gu-Niang is too shy to give you the soup so she asked A-Yuan to do it. Jiang Gu-Niang asked me first, but I thought it was not appropriate. So I have the mission to A-Yuan and let her put it in Jin-Gongzi's room secretly. I didn't expect..." she then paused. "Jin-Gongzi, please don't blame Jiang Gu-Niang."

"But A-Yuan told me-."

"Did she blush and deny it vaguely?" Suddenly, the crowd parted way as Wei WuHui walked toward them with a harsh expression on her face.

"Mèimei!" Wei WuXian exclaimed out in relief of seeing his sister.

Wei WuHui glanced over to him and Jiang YanLi, her eyes changing into a glare once seeing the tears on her martial sister's face.

Wei WuHui then turned to the female Jin disciple and gave her a nod, urging her to keep going.

"Today, Jiang Gu-Niang came across Jin-Gongzi when she brought the soup over. Maybe our Young Master thought Jiang Gu-Niang imitated A-Yuan, so he reminded Jiang Gu-Niang and let her..."

As she continued to listen to the maiden's explanation, she can feel the resentful energy rising as it feed off her anger. "Self-dignified?" Wei WuHuj scoffed before she walked toward Jin ZiXuan. "Jin ZiXuan, who are you to let my Shijie be self-dignified?"

"Wei Gu-Niang, my Jin-Gongzi actually did nothing. You got him wrong." One of the Jin disciples protested, which sparks multiple of agreements.

Wei WuHui chuckled lowly. "A mistake?" And suddenly, she backhanded Jin ZiXuan in the face (coincidentally on his other cheek).

"A-Hui!" Jiang YanLi gasped.

Upon witnessing their master getting attacked, the Jin disciples immediately took out their swords and pointed it at Wei WuHui.

Wei WuHui's eyes was kept on the Jin Sect Heir as she watched him staggered on his feet. She then walked closer toward him before delivering another backhand (this time, on the cheek that Wei WuXian punched).

"Mèimei!"

"A-Hui!"

"Wei Gu-Niang!"

Wei WuXian, Jiang YanLi and the female Jin disciple all stepped in as Wei WuXian held her back by grasping her arm while the female Jin disciple got in between her and Jin ZiXuan.

Meanwhile, the confrontation eventually attracts more people as Lan XiChen and Lan WangJi, who he met when he saw Lan WangJi rushing toward the commotion, arrived to the scene.

Lan XiChen's eyes widened and immediately went over to Wei WuHui's other side. "A-Yáng." He called out softly as he grabbed her wrist gently. "Calm down."

Wei WuHui's body was trembling in rage before she eventually felt herself losing the tension when she heard the smoothing voice of Lan XiChen's.

Wordlessly, she released herself from the grasps of her brother's and Lan XiChen's, and turned around fully as she made her departure.

Leaving behind the concern filled honey-brown eyes that stared after her. 'A-Yáng...'

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(Please correct my translation if I'm wrong and the GIFs and pictures used in this chapter does not belong to me, but their rightful owners)