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"What? Meimei did what?!" Wei WuXian exclaimed in a harsh whisper tone as he snapped his head to Lan WangJi.

Midnight had finally fell upon the cultivation world as in the Golden Pavilion on Koi Tower sat over fifty Sect Leaders, excluding one of course, from sects of all sizes.

Jin GuangShan sat in the foremost seat meanwhile Jin ZiXuan was away and Jin ZiXun didn't have enough experience therefore, Jin GuangYao was the only one who stood beside him.

In the front row sat Sect Leaders and famed cultivators such as, Nie MingJue, Jiang Cheng, Wei WuXian, Lan WangJi, Lan ChunTao and Nie MingJian. All of them had solemn and concern expressions, especially Wei WuXian and the sworn sisters.

"I knew it."

"It would've been like this sooner or later."

"Let's see how they intend on dealing with this."

Both Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng were the center of everyone's gazes. The latter's face being clouded.

Along with the others, he was listening to Jin GuangYao explaining things, his expression respectful and his tone of his voice soft.

"Four inspectors were harmed. Around fifty of the remaining Wen Sect members escaped. After Wei WuHui led them into Burial Mounds, she summoned hundreds of fierce corpses to patrol the bas of the mountain. There were also reports of Wei WuHui taking a child from the streets of Kuizhou. But in the end, our people still can't get any further than them."

After Jin GuangYao's explanation, silence filled Golden Pavilion.

Wei WuXian shook his head in protest. "No. Mèimei...Mèimei wouldn't do that without a reasonable objective, she wouldn't do stuff like that—."

"Wei WuXian!" But he was hushed by Jiang Cheng, who gave him a glare before the latter turned to the leaders. "What she did was indeed a bit too much. Jin-Zongzhu, I apologise to you in place of her. If there's any way at all to help the situation, pleqse let me know. I'll definitely compensate for things however I can."

However, Jin GuangShan looked as if he didn't want an apology nor a compensation. "Jiang-Zongzhu, at first, for your sake, the Lanling Jin Sect didn't intend on saying anything. However, some of these inspectors weren't from the Jin Sect. There were a few from other sects as well. This makes it..."

Wei WuXian opened his mouth, again to protest, but a calloused hand grasped his's, bringing his gaze away and to Lan WangJi's, who shook his head solemnly. This made Wei WuXian closed his mouth and he can only looked down, clenching onto his robes tightly.

Jiang Cheng's brows knitted. He rubbed the vein that throbbed at his temple and soundlessly took in a deep breath. "...I apologise to all of the Sect Leaders. Everyone, I'm afraid you don't know that the Wen cultivator whom Wei WuHui wanted to save was called Wen Ning. We, as in Wei WuHui, Wei WuXian and I, owe him and his sister Wen Qing gratitude for what happened during the Sunshot Campaign."

"You owe them gratitude? Isn't the Qishan Wen Sect the ones who caused the Yunmeng Jiang Sect's annihilation?" Nie MingJue rose a brow but a pained groan erupted right after he said that as he rubbed the spot at his waist, where his cousin, Nie MingJian, elbowed him.

Within these few years, Jiang Cheng insisted on working late into the night every day. That day, just as he decided to rest early, he had to rush to Koi Tower overnight, along with Wei WuXian, because of the thundering news. He'd been suppressing some anger under his fatigue since the beginning. But just as Nie MingJue brought up the disaster that fell upon his sect, hatred bloomed within him.

But...for the first time, this hatred was not only directed at everyone in the room, but also at Wei WuHui.

"I have heard of Wen Qing's name a few of times. I do not remember her having participated in any of the Sunshot Campaign's crimes." Lan ChunTao spoke up.

"But she's never stopped them either." Nie MingJue added.

"But Dage, Wen Qing was one of Wen RuoHan's most trusted people. How could she have stopped them?" Nie MingJian protested.

Nie MingJue turned to his cousin with a cold rage expression in his eyes, but it was not directed at her. "If she responded with only silence and not opposition when the Wen Sect was causing mayhem, it's the same as indifference. She shouldn't have been so disillusioned as to hope that she could be treated with respect when the Wen Sect was doing evil and be unwilling to suffer the consequences and pay the price when the Wen Sect was wiped out."

Nie MingJian felt herself not being able to argue with her older cousin, not after knowing what had happened to their fathers, of course Nie MingJue bare hatred toward the Wens more than anything, especially with how intolerable he was toward evil.

One of the Sect Leaders spoke up, "What Nie-Zongzhu said is quite right. Besides, Wen Qing is one of Wen RuoHan's most trusted people. You're telling me she never participated? Well I don't buy it. Is there any Wen-dog without a single drop of blood on their hands? Maybe it's just that we haven't found out about it yet!"

With the mentions of the Wens' past cruelties, the crowd erupted in angry roars and chatters. This disrupted Jin GuangShan's chance to speak as he felt displeased, seeing this.

Jin GuangYao immediately responded, when seeing his father's expression. "Everyone, please calm down. This isn't the focus of what we're discussing today." And after saying that, he then gestured for the servants to carry out cold slices of fruits to divert the people's attention. Eventually, the Golden Pavilion quietened down.

"Jiang-Zongzhu, this was supposed to be a matter of your sect. It wouldn't have been appropriate for me to barge in. But now that things are like this, I'll have to caution you on the topic of Wei Yang." Jin GuangShan spoke after the opportunity was presented before him.

Wei WuXian twitched angrily when he heard Jin GuangShan said his twin's name without respect, just blurting out her birth name like it was nothing. The only thing that was holding him back was the presence of Lan WangJi's hand that continued to hold his hand.

"Jin-Zongzhu, go ahead." Jiang Cheng said.

Jin GuangShan continued. "Jiang-Zongzhu, Wei Yang is one of your closest disiciples. You value her, alongside Wei-Gongzi, a lot. All of us know this. However, on the other hand, it's hard to tell whether or not he actually respects you. In any case, I've been a Sect Leader for so many years and I've never seen the servant of any sect dare be so arrogant, so proud. Have you heard what they say outside? Things like how during the Sunshot Campaign the victories of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect were all because of Wei WuHui alone—what nonsense!"

Jiang Cheng's face grew dark after hearing that.

Jin GuangShan then shook his head. "In an event as important as the Flower Banquet, I recalled how she dared throw a fit right in front of you, leaving however she pleased. She even dared say something like "I don't care about Jiang-Zongzhu at all!' Everyone who was there heard it with their own ears—."

"Bull! Shit!" Finally, Wei WuXian have heard enough as he shot up from his seat. His blazing gaze glared straight at Jin GuangShan. "My Mèimei would never treat Jiang Cheng like that ever! If you want to talk about my Mèimei, don't you dare fabricate stories that aren't true!"

Startled, Jin GuangShan stared at the male Wei in bewilderment but quickly shook it away as he went to open his mouth again.

"I agree with Wei Ying. I do not recall Wei WuHui say this. I did not hear her express the slightest disrespect toward Jiang-Zongzhu either." Lan WangJi then intercepted as he spoke in a tone of absolute tranquillity.

The Second Young Master of Lan rarely spoke when he was outside, often letting his twin sister or older brother spoke for him. Even when they delayed cultivation techniques during Discussion Conferences, he only answered when others questioned or challenged him. With utmost concision, he overcame, without fault, the lengthy arguments of others. Apart from this, he almost never spoke up.

Therefore, Jin GuangShan was again bewildered at the fact that not only Wei WuXian interrupted him, but Lan WangJi too. And knowing his fabrication was exposed in front of so many. He then felt a bit awkward.

"Really?" Then Jin GuangYao quickly came to save the day. "That day, Wei Gu-Niang busted into Koi Tower with such force. She said too many things, one more shocking than the next. Perhaps he said a few things that were along those lines. I can't remember them either."

Jin GuangShan cleared his throat. "That's right. Anyhow, her attitude has always been arrogant."

Wei WuXian growled, glaring up at the Sect Leader but when he felt a hard tug at his robes that pulled him down, he was met with an angry disapproving glare from Jiang Cheng. He didn't object.

"To be honest, I've wanted to say this since a long time ago. Although Wei WuHui did a few things during the Sunshot Campaign, there are mang guest cultivators who did more than her. I've never seen anyone as full of themselves than her. Excuse my bluntness, but she's the children of a servant. How could one of a servant's children be so arrogant?"

With him mentioning that term as a 'children of a servant' gazes were immediately on Wei WuXian, who returned those stares with a cold glare that pierced through their souls since it was unlike of an usually cheerful young master. While, others managed to connect it to the 'the son of a prostitute' standing in the hall.

Jin GuangYao clearly noticed the degrading gazes but despite that, his smile remained perfect, not even faltering.

The crowd then went with the flow.

"In the beginning, Jin-Zongzhu asked Wei Yang for the Tiger Amulet with nothing but good intentions, worried that she wouldn't be able to control it and lead to a disaster. She, however, used her own yardstick to measure another's intents. Did she think that everyone is after her treasure? What a joke. In terms of treasures, is there any sect that doesn't hold a few treasures?"

"I knew that something would eventually happen if she continued on the ghostly path—look! Her killing intents are being revealed already. Killing indiscriminately those from our sects, just because of a few Wen-dogs..."

'These bastards!' Wei WuXian grew more and more rage boiling inside of him as words of insult to his dearest sister continued around the Pavilion. He knew that Jiang Cheng will not be thrilled with his actions, but when it concerns his only family member, then screw it!

Just as Wei WuXian went to get up once again, he was stopped by not Lan WangJi, but a new voice that joined the chatters.

"It's not killing indiscriminately, is it?"

TRANSLATION NOTE:

— Kuizhou: now, I know all of you know who this child may be but because I am unsure where he is actually from, I am just going off from his wiki that mentioned this place. But, if anyone of you know the actual place, please feel free to comment :3

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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)