Empire (Xichen X OC)

Chapter 36

Guan-Yin was silent, processing what she had seen. She was aware that Wei Wuxian had moments where he was ruthless but she had not expected something like that.

The tone of the disciple had ticked her quickly, mostly cause she had been around enough people that pointed fingers towards her the very same way. Unlike Wuxian, however, she did not always have the privilege to act on her thoughts and teach others a lesson.

She glanced at the two adults, seeing them deep in thought while Jin Ling was standing there; too shocked to say anything.

"Ulcerating Curse?" Wuxian wondered out loud as he remembered something. "That man was..."

"Jin Zixun" Wangji confirmed.

"My uncle?" Ling asked, not believing it.

The second Jade of Gusu grabbed a soul pouch and activated it, drawing inside all the resentful energy that had been left in the head of Jin Zixun. Once all inside, he sealed the pouch that glowed blue for a moment, a similar reaction to when they trapped the ghost arm in the forest.

"I didn't expect to find him here" he confessed, drawing the attention of his soulmate but also his niece.

"What do you mean?" Wuxian asked.

Wangji placed the pouch in its respectful place. "14 years ago, I tried to find his corpse, yet his coffin was empty"

"Why did you do that?" He asked, realising that his other half was not someone, who would search for courses and violate coffins.

He only received a mere glance given above the shoulder. "To verify something" was all he said, not giving him any more clues.

Wuxian looked at Guan-Yin, hoping that she knew something more but the girl shrugged her shoulders. She was barely a baby when her uncle did that and she had never heard of his little mission to find the said body.

Yet again, he was not someone that would talk about his plans or his missions. Especially to his only niece, with whom he started to clash often after he took custody of her.

"Wait!" Jin Ling said, lifting his hand to stop them from walking away. "What on earth is this Ulcerating Curse?"

Guan-Yin lifted an eyebrow at his question but chose to be the one answering him. "Don't you know? One of the most powerful and extreme curses to exist. It is stated that one cannot feel its effects until their body, except for their head, becomes covered in ulcers. Hence the name of the curse. However, it is deadly for the lesson will die from perforated organs eventually"

Jin Ling pulled a face, his skin paling a few tones. "What a cruel curse!" He commented.

The female, having kept her face fully neutral felt the eyes of her two uncles. She turned her head to the side, confirming that they were looking at her. Wuxian was impressed that she knew of the curse and Wangji was curious but also suspicious.

"How do you know about it?" Wei Wuxian asked, taking a few steps closer and whispering his question, all while looking at the girl that often seemed to know things she shouldn't.

"I..." She took a deep breath, looking around to ensure her tone was low enough for only him to hear her. "I may have sneaked into the forbidden section of the pavilion a few times. Found a few scrolls on curses that gotten my attention and memorised them before I got caught"

Her answer amused the cultivator in black, his smile not being able to be hidden or compressed. However, it quickly disappeared when he felt the glare coming from Wangji.

Based on his silence, the man either knew that or suspected it. The latter made the most sense, for it was him that had caught her red-handed the first time she had sneaked into the forbidden section.