Who You Are Book 2

Chapter 80 - Empty

Jiang Cheng wiped his face roughly, drying his tears. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes.

At this point, still enveloped in Lan Xichen's robe, Nie Huaisang gradually woke up. Moaning lightly, he managed to crawl up, still bleary-eyed, "Where am I?"

Yet, the instant he got up, he saw Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji sitting together so tightly on the same sitting mat. The Yiling Patriarch was basically sitting on Hanguang Jun's lap. He immediately let out a wail, as if he was about to faint again. At the same time, a series of strange sounds came from behind the Guanyin Temple, as though something was being spurt out. A moment later, the cultivators who'd been digging began to wail too. The expressions of everyone in the temple changed. Immediately, a somewhat pungent odor drifted outside. As Lan Xichen covered his face with his sleeves, some worry could be seen in his eyes. Soon, two figures staggered outside. Su She was holding Jin Guangyao up. The two looked pale, while the wails from behind the palace continued. 

Su She, "Sect Leader, how do you feel?!"

Cold sweat seeped from Jin Guangyao's forehead, "Fine. Thank you for what you did then."

His left hand dangled, unable to be lifted. His entire arm trembled, as though he was suffering extreme pain. With his right hand he took a bottle of pills from his lapels. He wanted to open it, but it was difficult with just one hand. Seeing this, Su She immediately took over the bottle and tipped a pill into his palm. Jin Guangyao lowered his head, gulping it down with a frown. His brows relaxed immediately.

Lan Xichen hesitated for a moment before asking, "What happened?"

Jin Guangyao paused in surprise. Blood finally seemed to have risen to his cheeks as he managed a smile, "An accident."

...

"Seems to me someone set a trap," Mingjue stated.

"Looks gross," Jingyi pointed out.

"It happened when Jin Guangyao dug that out, who knew he was going to dig it out to set him up to get injured like that?" Jiang Fengmian asked.

"You should ask Huaisang that question," Jin Ling told him, "He plotted a lot of things to expose Meng Yao."

"Huaisang?" Mingjue asked.

Huaisang just hid behind Wen Ruohan and opened his fan in front of his face to avoid his brother's gaze. It was obvious that Huaisang did not and was not going speak about it even if one were to ask.

...

He took out some medicinal powder and sprinkled it over his hand. An area of red had appeared from the back of his left hand to his wrist. With observation, it could be seen that the skin seemed like cooked meat. The skin was completely ruined. 

Jin Guangyao tore off a part of his white sleeves, his fingers trembling slightly, "MinShan, wrap it tight around my wrist."

Su She, "It's poisonous?"

Jin Guangyao, "The poison is still flowing upwards. It's not a big deal. The poison can be ejected with some rest."

Right after Su She treated his wound, Jin Guangyao wanted to return behind the palace to inspect. Su She hurried, "Sect Leader, let me go!"

The pungent smell dissipated gradually. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji got up as well. A tall mountain of dirt could be seen beside a deep ditch. Quite a delicate coffin lay at one side, atop it a pitch-black box. Both of the two had been opened already, and thin, white smoke continued to rise from within. The odor came from the white smoke, which meant it must be some sort of fatal poison. Corpses that belonged to the cultivators who'd been digging so earnestly lay scattered all around the coffin. Right now, they had been burned alive. Even their uniforms and robes and had been corroded to black fragments. It was obvious just how poisonous the white smoke was.