The Tainted Jade of Gusu

Chapter 8 : Separation at Burial Mounds

The gatekeepers were lying on the ground, writhing as if under unbearable weight. The moment they saw Lan Wangji land in front of them, they broke into a clamour.

"Hanguang Jun! Save us! "

"Please save our lives!"

"Hanguang Jun is here!"

Lan Wangji's eyes scanned the area like a hawk. Sure enough there were little human-shaped paper talismans on the back of the guards who were almost squashed to the ground. 

With a subtle flick of his wrist, the bluish white glare of Bichen slashed through the air with a wide arc. 

The guards felt the tremendous weight on them dissipate almost instantly. 

"Long live Hanguang Jun! "

"He really is worth his name."

Lan Wangji paid no heed to the sycophants. Instead, he gazed beyond the gates of the city of Nevernight.

"Where is Wei Wuxian? " his demanding voice carried the sharpness of a blade carved from an ice shard. 

"Hanguang Jun is late! " One of the guards spoke up, "The Yiling Laozu is headed to the meeting of the Cultivational sects, if Hanguang Jun wants to suppress him, better hurry."

Lan Wangji cast a stern glare at the guard as he mounted his trusted Bichen. The Bluish white glare sparked to life against the reddish black volcanic rocks that formed the majority of the landscape of Qishan. 

 The cultivational sects were standing in rows, several disciples from each sect. The Lans and the Jins outnumbered everyone else, the white and golden too harsh against the landscape of Nevernight. 

However, what captured his eyes and almost took away his breath was the figure clad in black and vivid red, standing on top of the Phoenix Palace, seemingly looming over thousands of other cultivational sects. The wind was blowing slightly, and the red ribbon was fluttering in the air, two audacious streaks of blood red against the darkening sky.

Lan Wangji landed on a nearby cliff that was obscured from vision. He felt his words well up and choke him, the ominous foreboding clawing in his gut. He had so many things to tell, but he had no idea how he was going to do it. 

His train of thoughts were interrupted as a resounding twang echoed through the surroundings. 

Lan Wangji watched with horror the grey fletching of an arrow sticking out of Wei Wuxian's chest. His heart dropped as a resounding cheer rose from the battlefield. 

What he hadn't expected was for Wei Wuxian to smile at the injury. Wei Wuxian clasped the shaft of the arrow, and yanked it out of his flesh.

A swirl of darkness pooled against the injury on his chest, and when it had dissipated, his skin below showed no mark of injury at all. His face was composed in a smile, the sort of smile a wolf shows before he pounces on a flock of birds and rips them to shreds. His eyes were flecked with the same red of the freshest blood when first spilled on the ground. 

Lan Wangji knew that the person who had dared be so reckless against Wei Wuxian would have to pay a terrible price. 

Wei Wuxian twirled the arrow over his knuckles, the smile on his face widening to a crooked, savage grin. Once he had turned the head of the arrow to face the crowd, he reared up and hurled it down. It flew down like the fury of heavens, and skewered the youth who had held up his bow and rejoiced a while ago through the heart. 

Wei Wuxian, eyes gleaming red, disarrayed robes and hair fluttering in the hair, loomed above the thousands of cultivators like a god of darkness. Lan Wangji felt the hair on his body stand up, and he was sure that wasn't due to terror alone.