Forewarning: some spicy content in this chapter hehehehe 😈 at the same time, not that spicy 😝

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After the confrontation between Wei WuHui and Jiang Cheng that had occurred a few months back, Jiang Cheng had declared that Wei WuHui had defected from the Yunmeng Jiang Sect and was an enemy to the whole cultivation world. From now on, whatever she did, it will have nothing to do with the Jiang Sect.

However, that did not stop her older twin, Wei WuXian, to come over to visit, often helping out with planting the vegetables, repaired houses and made new tools. He also would played with the Wen toddler, Wen Yuan, that had already grew accustomed to the older Wei.

As each month passes by, aside from the gossips and rumours going around on Wei WuHui, there were no progress.

Besides, Wei WuHui couldn't venture down the mountain very often as she was the only one keeping all the resentful beings of the Burial Mounds at bay, therefore she couldn't go too far nor too long. But, that didn't stop her from bringing the two children down to the town in Yiling as she know that they shouldn't keep locking young children in a place like the Burial Mounds all the time.

That is why on a certain day, Wei WuHui decided to take Xue Yang and Wen Yuan along with her to go shopping in the town. Having been to it so many times, the maiden was already familiar with the routine.

"Your potato is sprouting!" Wei WuHui exclaimed as she frowned down at one of the sprouted potato in her hand.

The vendor of that vegetable stand, scowled. "What do you want?"

"How about a bit cheaper?" Wei WuHui suggested.

"Yeah, mister! Make it cheaper! Don't you try scamming us!" Xue Yang parroted as he glared up at the vendor, who's face eventually turned red from his frustration and embarrassment.

Meanwhile, holding onto the maiden's leg, Wen Yuan was gazing around his surrounding dazily but he soon felt that he was getting tired and his arms was sore from holding onto Wei WuHui's leg as he let go to rest for a moment.

However, in those few moments, Wen Yuan felt the rush of the people on the streets confusing him from left to right and causing him to lose his sense of direction.

Since his line of sight are quite low, the child found it difficult to find Wei WuHui's dark robes or boots. Eventually, he grew more and more terrified as he spun around dizzily until his small body bumped into someone's leg.

Wen Yuan stiffened then looked up. The person that he bumped into had a jade pendant handing from his waist, a sash belt embroidered with patterns of flowing clouds, neat lapels without any sign of fold in them, and lastly a pair of brown that had specks of gold in them.

Even though, the stranger looked warm-hearted as he gave a concerned look to Wen Yuan, the height and posture of that person still scared Wen Yuan as the child's lip began to trembled.

———

"Hmph!" Wei WuHui huffed in annoyance, deciding to not purchase the potatoes in the end after the vendor refused to lower the price as he gave her a contemptuous humph. "Xiao-Yang, A-Yuan, let us g-." The maiden couldn't even finish her sentence as she saw either of the children by her sides.

Panic grew inside of the maiden as her fave turned pale and her wide eyes frantically searching for the children. "Xiao-Yang! A-Yuan!"

Then, the wails of a child's caught her attention as Wei WuHui turned toward the sound, seeing a crowd of people standing around something...or someone.

"Whose child is this?"

"He's crying so loudly. It's scary."

"A child?" Wei WuHui muttered before gasping. "A-Yuan."

"A-Diē! A-Diē!" Wen Yuan sobbed, his small hand clutching onto a white robe.

'A-Diē?' Wei WuHui furrowed her brows as she pushed through the people to get to the front.

"What kind of father is he?"

"Not even picking his child up to comfort him!"

"So young...must be a first-time father."

Finally, Wei WuHui managed to get to the front where the sight before her will eventually stay in her mind forever.

Lan XiChen looked down at the crying child, his face expressed that he has no idea what to do in the situation as he looked so confused.

"A-Huan?" Wei WuHui breathed out in surprise to even see the man here in Yiling as Lan XiChen perked up to her voice and immediately looked at her.

Their eyes meeting as it felt like the pair hasn't seen each other for a long time.

"A-Yang." Lan XiChen called softly.

But before one of them could say anything else, the sound of running interrupted the moment, followed by a high-pitched shout.

"GET AWAY FROM A-YUAN, YOU CREEP!!!"

Suddenly, Xue Yang came flying in with his leg outstretched as the young boy surprisingly landed a big kick to Lan XiChen's back, managed to caught the man off guard as he was sent flying over the sniffling Wen Yuan and Xue Yang landed in front of him with a proud expression.

Wei WuHui's and the townspeople' jaws immediately dropped as they just witnessed the most shocking thing ever!

"OH MY GOD LAN HUAN!!! XUE YANG YOU BRAT, WHY DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!"

"HUH WHY ARE YOU GETTING MAD AT ME, YOU HAG!!!"

"WHY YOU-!"

"Mister, are you okay?" Meanwhile, Wen Yuan crouched beside the still body of Lan XiChen's as the panicked child grabbed a hold of the man's flying soul and stuffing it back inside.

"...what did we just walk into?" Wei WuXian sweat-dropped as he and Lan WangJi had just arrived and saw this.

"...I don't know."

———

"Gēge, this is too much. We barely finished the portions that you've gave us...from two days ago." Wei WuHui said as she looked down at the qiankun pouch that her brother handed to her.

The four adults and two children sat around a table of a small restaurant as Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian sat at one end while Wei WuHui and Lan XiChen sat at the other one. Xue Yang sat in the middle of the latters and Wen Yuan sat in between Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian.

Wei WuXian dismissed her words with a wave of his hand. "Mèimei, please take it or else you'll break your dear Gēge's heart."

Wei WuHui sighed, letting it go as she placed the pouch in her robes before turning to Lan XiChen. "So what's your reason for coming here in Yiling, A-Huan?"

Lan XiChen smiled. "WangJi and I were on our ways to a night-hunt, and we met Wei-Gongzi during the journey."

Wei WuXian snickered as he held up a red pinwheel. "Feels like we all haven't sat down for a chat since our old school days."

Meanwhile, little Wen Yuan was trying to reach for rattle-drum toy.

"I remembered that Gēge really liked this toy." Wei WuHui giggled as she reached over and spun the toy a few times before handing it to Wen Yuan. "By the way, what are you hunting in Yiling? I know this place well."

"Hey hag, can I join too?" Xue Yang asked.

"No you can't. You're in the middle of developing your Golden Core and you don't even know what to do in a night-hunt." Wei WuHui scolded.

This prompted the pre-teen to pout.

"A-Yang, are you still practising demonic cultivation?" Then, Lan XiChen spoke with concern.

Wei WuHui paused as she stared down at the table, feeling the worried gazes that came from the three men but then covered it up with a smile when the server with their foods came over. "Our foods are here. Why don't I treat you guys while we reminisce about the past."

Wei WuXian frowned. "Mèimei, I also shared the same thoughts as Lan-Zongzhu's."

Lan WangJi nodded. "Your cultivation base has always been exceptional. Why must you abandon it for the demonic path?"

"So what if I chose the demonic path? If I can use it to uphold justice, then it's the right path." Wei WuHui stated bluntly.

"But this...method is harming your body and mind. Moreover, both resentful energy and feral zombies are dangerous. Once out of control—."

"Lan Huan," Wei WuHui cut the worried man off as she gave him a reassuring smile. "What if I can find a way to awaken the conciousness of feral zombies?"

Wei WuXian gasped, staring at his sister in bewilderment. "You're trying to awaken Wen Ning's conciousness! But Mèimei..."

The maiden took a sip of her wine silently. "I know what you all are worried about. The Stygian Tiger Amulet has mind-clouding effects when it absorbs too much resentful energy," she then tapped on the yellow talisman paper that she had on the table. "Rest assured. I've taken measures to keep everything in check."

"But..." Lan XiChen trailed off.

"Lan Huan, do you also want me to surrender the Stygian Tiger Amulet and the old and weak Wen remnants?" Wei Wuhui inquired sternly.

Meanwhile, Xue Yang and Wen Yuan were eating their foods without caring for what the adults are discussing, although the pre-teen did perked up out of interest when the topic of demonic path was brought up.

Lan XiChen shook his head. "You know that I do not, I personally saw what had really happened on that night."

"Don't worry, Mèimei. Neither me or Lan Zhan will force you to do something as awful as giving the innocents up." Wei WuXian assured his sister, reaching over to grasp her hand.

"Mn." Lan WangJi nodded, agreeing with his brother and Wei WuXian.

Wei WuHui smiled out of relief. "I'm sorry for doubting you all."

But then, the moment was immediately broken as Wei WuHui's talisman suddenly burst into flames.

"Crap!"

———

Destruction appeared in the cave that housed the 'supposed' dormant Wen Ning as multiple fierce corpses were thrown around like mere rag-dolls and random debris crumbled from the powerful forces. Angry roars mixed along with it.

In midst of the mindless destruction, Wen Qing watched with concern as she clutched onto her sword. "A-Ning, won't you listen to me? Stop!"

But alas, her words did not managed to reach her brother as he continued destroying everything aimlessly.

Wen Qing clenched onto the talismans that were once placed on the fierce corpse to subdue him as without hesitation, Wen Qing got up and ran toward Wen Ning.

She reached out with her hands that had the talisman paper as she attempted to place it back onto Wen Ning, but the fierce corpse proved too destructive as he smacked Wen Qing away before she could succeed her plan. In the process, the strong force from him managed to break Wen Qing's sword. The sharp end was about to hit Wen Qing, who had no time to dodge, when a light blue energy blasted it away while glowing crimson talismans circled Wen Ning, binding him.

"What happened?" Wei WuHui asked.

"Fourth Uncle accidentally removed the wrong talisman on A-Ning, then A-Ning destroyed the blood pool's restriction seal. All the fierce corpses that you've kept there‐." Wen Qing was cut off when Wen Ning broke free from Wei WuHui's talismans, letting out a powerful roar that shook the walls around them.

Lan WangJi, sensing a familiar ominous presence, turned his head to the left. What he saw caused his eyes to widened.

Floating in the center of chains around it, the Stygian Tiger Amulet releases dark energy as it tried to break the glowing array.

"Wei WuHui, the restriction seal that you mentioned...is this array?" Lan WangJi questioned.

Meanwhile, Wei WuHui began to engaged in a fight against Wen Ning. "The Stygian Tiger Amulet feeds on resentful energy," her crimson aura clashed with Wen Ning's in a battle of strength before managing to push the fierce corpse back a bit. "This array confines it, sealing it off from outsiders. Two birds, one stone!"

Then, a red energy slashes at Wen Ning as Wei WuXian stood nearby with his sword, Suíbiàn, out.

"Gēge, go easy on him! Don't harm him-GAH!" Wei WuHui couldn't finish her sentence as she let out a choked yelp from having a powerful blow from Wen Ning slammed directly into her body. Sending her flying into the wall.

"WEI YANG!" Lan XiChen cried out, immediately running to his beloved's aid as the maiden coughed out blood, falling down to her knees.

However, due to that distraction, the restriction seal began to flickered as black smoky-energy omitted from the ground.

"This is bad..." Wei WuHui groaned as her aching body was supported by Lan XiChen as the pair watched the resentful energy get sucked into the Stygian Tiger Amulet. "A-Huan, please help me with this."

Lan XiChen nodded without hesitation and then his cyan spiritual energy appeared as it acts as a barrier against the Amulet.

Meanwhile, Wei WuHui opened her eyes to reveal them to be glowing red as she summoned resentful energy to to re-seal the array as she clutched onto Chénqíng before swinging it down.

The crimson glow from the array brightened the cave as with a burst from Wei WuHui's spell, Wen Ning finally went still.

"Ugh..." Wei WuHui's body began to slump but Lan XiChen was quick to support her.

"A-Ning!" Wen Qing's cries kept Wei WuHui from falling unconscious as she saw Wen Qing kneeling in front of her brother. "A-Ning? A-Ning..." she continued to call out.

A few moment of silence waved over the group as everyone watched while holding their breaths.

"...gu-niang...Wei Gu-Niang..."

Utter relief flooded Wei WuHui as she let out a breath, smiling widely.

"Jiejie..."

"A-Ning!" Wen Qing sobbed as she instantly went to embraced Wen Ning.

"Mèimei did it...she actually did it." Wei WuXian muttered as he and Lan WangJi stared at Wen Ning that had returned to himself once again.

"Incredible." Lan XiChen breathed out as he watched the Wen siblings embraced each other. But then, something suddenly went heavy as he looked down, finding that Wei WuHui had fallen unconscious. "A-Yang!"

———

"...Mmm." silvery eyes began to flickered open as the grey walls of the cave filled her vision. "What happen?"

"You fainted, the blow from Wen Ning affected you more than you've thought it would be." The sound of Lan XiChen's voice spoke as Wei WuHui turned to see the man sitting beside her bed, looking at her with relieved in his eyes.

"A-Huan, you're still here?" Wei WuHui asked as she went to sit up.

Lan XiChen smiled as he poured a cup of water before giving it to the maiden. "Wei-Gongzi, WangJi and I decided to stay the night here. Wen Gu-Niang approved of the idea."

Wei WuHui's eyes widened. "Stay the night? Wha–Lan Huan, you can't! What would happen if the others found out? What would your uncle or sect think about this? It's too risky." She protested.

But she was quickly shut down as Lan XiChen hushed her by placing his finger on her lip as the man gazed at her with eyes filled with love. "No one will know, I'm sure of it. But even if Shufu or the people from the cultivation world found out, I don't care as long as I am here to protect you. I won't let anything hurts you or the Wen remnants here."

Wei WuHui stared at the man before her with a whole lot of emotions.

Surprise...

Admiration...

Gratitude...

Love.

Without hesitation, the maiden moved forward as her lip collided with her beloved's lip.

Quickly regaining himself, Lan XiChen kissed her back as he immediately placed his hands on Wei WuHui's waist while the latter wrapped her arms around his neck.

With a wave of his hand, Lan XiChen blew out the candles, casing them in darkness as he moved so he's on top of Wei WuHui.

Their lips molded together perfectly as the kiss deepened.

Wei WuHui whimpered and moaned softly as she left Lan XiChen's tongue probed her mouth greedily. She wrapped her legs around Lan XiChen's waist, pulling him closer as their bodies pressed together. Bright redness covered her cheeks when she felt a hard body part grazing against her.

However, their bodies finally craved for oxygen as they pulled apart, a string of saliva left behind as they stared into each other's eyes deeply.

Wei WuHui then smiled, reaching up with one hand as she caressed the side of Lan XiChen's face lovingly.