What if dying in the Burial Mounds wasn't the end? What if fate pulls on the strings of reality and gives Wei Wuxian infinite chances at life? If this was truly the case, how would Wei Wuxian spend those lives?
After 3 hours of meaningless chatting with the locals, the arrow finally hit the target.
"Anything strange that has been happening lately?" An elderly woman asked wearily after Wei Wuxian interrogated her, "Yes, yes! Our sect leader has been extremely rowdy lately. My son, he trains under the Red Blade Master. He has been coming home later than usual and looks extremely tired."
Raising his eyebrows, "The Red Blade Master, Nie Mingjue? As in Chifeng-zun?" The woman's eyes light up in recognition. "Exactly!" She exclaims, "I think his saber techniques are getting to him. How unfortunate. He hasn't even been Sect Leader for that long. However, I personally don't think he will die. After all, Jin Guangyao has been assigned to help him by Lan Xichen."
"This cannot be a coincidence, can it?" Wei Wuxian thought, "Mo Xuanyu told me that Nie Mingjue was going to die and that Jin Guangyao was related to everything. Me and Lan Zhan have already established the fact that Jin Guanyao can't be trusted. If Lan Xichen truly did put Jin Guangyao in charge of helping Nie Mingjue, I'm afraid Chifeng-zun won't be around for much longer."
"Thank you for your time, Ms.," Wei Wuxian thanked, plastering a friendly smile onto his face. To compensate for the elder's time, Wei Wuxian planted a bronze coin into her frail hands before dashing off. The money, of course, came from Lan Wangji's personal money pouch. Wei Wuxian was given a few coins to bribe for information among the locals before the pair split off.
Looking at the sun's position in the sky, Wei Wuxian deducted that there was at least an entire incense time before they needed to meet again. Taking advantage of the situation, Wei Wuxian pranced into the nearest tavern, ordering some alcoholic drink that was only found in the surrounding areas of Qinghe. Paying with the money Lan Wangjing had given him, Wei Wuxian casually sipped his drink, listening out for any reliable gossip from the people within the tavern.
It seemed to be Wei Wuxian's lucky day. Having to wait for only 10 minutes before the name 'Jin Guangyao' was mentioned, Wei Wuxian slid easily into the conversation of the gossiping couple. Although the couple were probably too drunk to utter coherent sentences, it was enough to satisfy him.
According to the couple, Lan Xichen had taught Jin Guangyao how to play Cleansing on the Guqin, a song made to delay Nie Mingjue's Qi Deviation for as long as possible. "Naturally," Wei Wuxian thought to himself bitterly, "Jin Guangyao must have seen this as an opportunity to kill Nie Mingjue discreetly. He could have easily snuck poison into a drink or found a way to physically overpower Chifeng-zun. Lan Xichen had given him a perfect opportunity to attack."
Draining his cup and thanking the couple, Wei Wuxian made his way back into his and Lan Wangji's inn, armed with the new information. He wonders if Lan Wangji had been just as successful in gathering rumors.
As they traded stories, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian both noticed how they both received similar information. With nothing new to add to the story, all they could do was settle down for the night.
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Sorry if this chapter was short! There was a storm that blew threw my neighbourhood and my power went out for a day and my wifi for an entire week! I just got it back today so I kinda rushed to get out a chapter. Sorry!
