The Tainted Jade of Gusu

Chapter 6: Tragedy at Qiongqi

"Wei Gongzi, that's a really beautiful jade pendant! "

"Wen Ning, of course it's beautiful. Do you know who chose It? "

Wen Ning shook his head both ways. 

"Lan Zhan chose it! "

Wen Ning had an awed expression on his face, "Lan Er Gongzi has really refined taste! Young master Jin Rulan will appreciate it! "

Wei Wuxian chuckled and shook his head, as he dangled the gift by the thread in front of Wen Ning. 

"The jade pendant is beautiful, but it's not the gift. It's an ornament. The silver bell on top, that is the primary gift. Careful, don't touch it. It's charmed to protect against living corpses."

Wen Ning stared at the shiny silver bell with admiration. Finally, he commented, "Young Master Jin Rulan is really lucky to have a doting uncle like Wei Gongzi."

Wei Wuxian laughed heartily, shaking his head.

"Do you know who chose the name Rulan? "

Wen Ning scratched his head and thought hard. Finally, he came up with an explanation. 

"The last character of Rulan is Lan. Did Lan Er Gongzi choose the name? "

"Close , but not quite right," Wei Wuxian grinned,"It was I that chose the name for my Shijie's son! "

"Wei Gongzi, does Rulan spell like orchid? "

"What's wrong with that? " Wei Wuxian tilted his head, "Orchid is called the gentleman among flowers, and it's well known that Lans are gentlemen among the cultivators."

Wen Ning nodded thoughtfully, "Wei Gongzi is really fond of the Lans. "

"Heavens forbid! " Wei Wuxian burst out laughing, "By the gods and Buddhas, the Lans are one stuck up bunch of snobs that can't stand me! Lan Zhan is different though. I guess you can say we tolerate, maybe enjoy each other's company. "

Wen Ning nodded again, "Ah! So Wei Gongzi really likes Lan Er Gongzi! "

Wei Wuxian snickered, but he did not have the heart to negate Wen Ning's statement. 

Suddenly, hair stood on the edge of Wei Wuxian's neck. His smile subdued in an instant and his eyes became alert. At the same time, Wen Ning said, "Wei Gongzi… something is wrong."

Wei Wuxian turned and nodded. Wen Ning was right. Qiongqi road was a relatively less travelled way, but there was no reason for it to be this silent at this time of the day. It was almost as if the entire area was holding its breath in anticipation of something terrible, something devastating. 

Wei Wuxian looked at Wen Ning, and he immediately knew what to do. Wen Ning's senses sharpened to that of a prairie carnivore, and the moment he heard the subtlest swish, he dashed forth and caught the arrow from the air, right as it was about to pierce Wei Wuxian's neck. 

Wei Wuxian's pupils contracted. He looked up. 

Every single cliff that hung over the Qiongqi road was crowded with hundreds of cultivators, the sun shining off their vibrant brocade robes with the Sparks Amongst Snow Peony insignia emblazoned non them. 

Hundreds of Jin Sect disciples from Lanling had been waiting to ambush him at Qiongqi. Right after they had sent him an invitation to join the one month anniversary of the birth of Jin Rulan through the hands of his dear Lan Wangji, they had planned to set a trap for him. 

Blood boiled in Wei Wuxian's veins. He had still been keeping his cool with great effort. 

"Hey! Lift the curse this instant!" A harsh voice sounded from one of the nearest cliffs. Wei Wuxian looked for the person.