Chapter Text
When Lan Xichen first arrived at the Unclean Realm, he had appeared as calm and gentle as ever—the same considerate older brother Nie Huaisang had known for years. Yet Nie Huaisang, who was especially adept at observing other people’s expressions and moods, could keenly sense that beneath the composed exterior, the gentle Jade of Gusu was currently furious, as if he was forcibly suppressing a storm of vexation with nowhere to vent it.
The atmosphere around Lan Xichen was strangely terrifying. To Nie Huaisang, it was even more frightening than the icy chill on Lan Wangji’s face, or the cold fury once shown by Wei Wuxian.
Being frightened was one thing.
But the more frightened he became, the more curious Nie Huaisang grew as well.
He ended up secretly crouching outside, shamelessly eavesdropping on their conversation.
Lan Xichen's fury was palpable. He didn't appear enraged, yet his words were full of veiled sarcasm. Nie Huaisang understood, naturally, Jin Guangyao was quick to notice it as well.
In the end, Jin Guangyao retracted all the helplessness from his face and spoke directly, “…What does Sect Leader Lan want?”
Lan Xichen shook his head lightly.
“When I said I trust you, I meant it sincerely. Otherwise, before making any decision, I would not have chosen to summon you here first.”
Jin Guangyao laughed softly, though no amusement reached his eyes. “Then what exactly am I supposed to say? Or perhaps…what are you expecting me to respond, Er-Ge?”
Lan Xichen, “I may once again stand against your father…and against the Sect you belong to. When that time comes, I do not wish for us to become foes.”
“A-Yao,” He stared directly into Jin Guangyao's eyes, “putting everything else aside, I truly do value you as a person. Whether you were Meng Yao, Jin Guangyao, or Lianfang-Zun… to me, you are still yourself. My regard for you will not change.”
Jin Guangyao let out a dry chuckle.
“You say you do not wish to become my enemy. But Sect Leader Lan, have you ever considered my position when you speak of opposing LanlingJin? Have you thought about what situation that would place me in?”
“I have.” Lan Xichen answered calmly. “That is precisely why I called you here first.”
“You considered it?” Jin Guangyao was about to laugh from anger. “Then tell me, what exactly are you planning to do? March openly into Jinlintai and publicly accuse Sect Leader Jin? Demand an explanation?”
His tone gradually turned into mockery. “And what explanation do you expect to receive? That a portion of collateral branches merely went a little too far while disciplining prisoners of war? Do you truly think the cultivation world will support you for the sake of those Wen remnants? Or perhaps...you intend to imitate your beloved spouse? To threaten others at will and spread fear throughout the world simply because you possess greater power than everyone else?”
His words were harsh.
Almost insulting.
And yet Lan Xichen remained unperturbed.
Seeing him like this only made Jin Guangyao feel an urge to violently shake him awake. What sort of hero were you trying to become now? How much more trouble did you intend to stir before you would finally be satisfied?
Was it not enough already—to be the admired and respected Sect Leader of the GusuLan Clan?
So long as the welfare of his clan remained untouched, why insist on involving himself further?
He sighed. “Sect Leader Lan, it is not that I doubt your influence. But believe it or not, what you are planning to do is not something the world would praise. Merely because your conscience is clear does not mean others will think the same. There's no benefit in making a fuss over the matter of Wen Clan remnants.”
For a long while, Nie Mingjue had remained silent. Only now did he finally lift his brows and speak, “I dislike agreeing with him, but this time, I do.”
He glanced toward Lan Xichen and said, “They brought it upon themselves.”
Yet Lan Xichen’s expression remained tranquil, unchanged from beginning to end. “But Wen Qing and her family, I do not remember her having participated in any of the Sunshot Campaign’s crimes.”
Nie Mingjue snorted. “If she responded with only silence and not opposition when the Wen Sect was causing mayhem, it’s the same as indifference. She shouldn’t have been so disillusioned as to hope that she could be treated with respect when the Wen Sect was doing evil and be unwilling to suffer the consequences and pay the price when the Wen Sect was wiped out.”
Having unexpectedly gained support, Jin Guangyao’s tone eased considerably as he continued persuading, “Er-Ge, to speak honestly, I neither bear grudges against the Wen Clan nor harbor sympathy for them. But because it is you asking, I am willing to make concessions.”
“Oh? What sort of concessions?” Lan Xichen took the cup in front of him and sipped his tea, seemingly willing to consider.
Jin Guangyao paused briefly, carefully observing his expression. His thoughts turned rapidly as he recalled the reports his subordinates had delivered earlier, searching for a suitable compromise.
“How about this,” he proposed. “The Wen remnants you already rescued before—I can pretend not to know about them. I will also keep everything that occurred at QiongqiDao sealed away so no one traces the matter back to them. Let's settle with that and pretend nothing happened. There is no need to create further turmoil, and as for Wei-Gongzi…” He smiled faintly. “I can also ensure no one dares speak ill of him in relation to this matter.”
Hearing the insinuation that Wei Wuxian's reputation would be impacted, Lan Xichen couldn't help but laugh at the subtle reminder...or perhaps, threat?
“Da-Ge, A-Yao,” he put the cup of tea he'd been holding back on the low table. “There is something I should make clear first. I have no intention of becoming some legendary savior. Nor do I wish to play the role of a righteous man who pursues justice and truth at any cost.”
As the words left his mouth, Lan Xichen paused briefly. Only then did he realize that, at some point, Wei Wuxian’s straightforward manner of speaking had quietly influenced him as well.
He continued regardless, “I believe you when you say others will not support me defending the Wen Clan remnants. Earlier, you said there is no benefit in making an issue out of the Wen remnants. But…What if I told you there is? If the matter concerns their own interests instead…if what is at stake is the independent sovereignty of the various sects themselves…Do you still think no one would care?”
This time, it was Nie Mingjue who frowned. “What are you implying?”
Lan Xichen, "How about you tell me, what benefit is there to tell the cultivation world that LanlingJin Sect intends to replace the Wen Sect? The day Lily has not been cold yet, but the Jin Clan already seeks to place itself above the other sects. I wonder...what others will think about it."
The smile on Jin Guangyao’s face stiffened imperceptibly.
“…Sect Leader Lan, calling it ambition is rather excessive, is it not? The Jin Sect has never displayed any intention of hegemony. Without evidence, such words would amount to nothing more than slander. Does your sect not have a rule forbidding lies?”
“Is that not the evidence?”
Then Lan Xichen raised a hand and pointed toward the cluster of torture instruments engraved with the Peony Crest.
“In the past, who did not know that the Wen Sect oppressed others using these exact devices? Back then, the Wen Sect killed indiscriminately, regardless of cause or consequence. The young masters of the Hundred Clans were even forced to surrender their weapons to the Wen Sect.”
Lan Xichen turned his head to directly look at his two Sworn Brothers. “Today, following the very same path as the Wen Sect, the LanlingJin Sect has likewise crafted such devices to torture others. They have killed people indiscriminately, regardless of cause and effect. After the war ended, many also heard Sect Leader Jin repeatedly insinuate that Wei Wuxian should hand over the YinHuFu.”
He paused slightly, taking in their expression, and his smile deepened as he concluded, “If such actions are not called an ambition to replace the Wen Sect, then what else should they be called?”
“When you spoke of killing indiscriminately, were you referring to those Wen Clan remnants?” Jin Guangyao replied with an equally gentle smile. “Sect Leader Lan, surely you understand what kind of place a prisoner-of-war camp is. Deaths are inevitable.”
“Indeed. But prisoners of war are those who bear involvement in the crimes of war.” Lan Xichen replied calmly. “As I stated earlier, I do not recall Wen Qing’s family ever participating in any of the Sunshot Campaign’s atrocities.”
At this time, Lan Xichen finally shook his sleeve, revealing dozens of Spirit-Trapping Pouches onto the table.
“—These are the souls of Wen Qing’s branch who died at QiongqiDao. Through Inquiry, their past deeds may be examined. Their conduct in life, whether they were innocent or guilty during the war, and even the manner of their deaths. We will see if they deserve their death, or if they were killed unjustly.”
“Inquiry?” Jin Guangyao laughed. “And who shall conduct it? Is it Hanguang-Jun? Outside the Lan Sect, who would even understand what is being played? If Hanguang-Jun alone performs the Inquiry, then who can prove that the results shown are genuine?”
“Naturally, there will be those willing to believe it.”
As soon as the words fell, Lan Xichen rose to his feet. He strode abruptly towards the entrance and yanked the sliding doors open.
Behind them crouched the Nie Second Young Master, his fan half-opened in his trembling hand. The moment the doors slid aside, he nearly collapsed on the spot from a heart attack.
“I, I can explain—”
He was ready to prepare a dozen excuses, yet before he could utter another word, Lan Xichen had already spoken, without sparing him a glance.
“A-Yao, there is something I have only recently come to understand.”
His voice was still warm as nephrite jade, but every word struck heavily.
“Without power, one cannot convince others. Without influence, one cannot make others listen. What the world deems ‘right’ today is often nothing more than what the majority chooses to acknowledge.”
“Therefore…” Lan Xichen’s eyes bent into a faint smile. “Whether my actions are Right or Wrong, let the cultivation world decide for itself.”
Lan Xichen shook his sleeve once more.
In the next instant, countless Spirit Messenger Butterflies burst forth into the air. Golden light scattered through the room as they fluttered in every direction, flowing beyond the windows across the Cultivation World.
The sight was so dazzling, as if the Sect Leader of GusuLan Sect himself was enveloped by a golden halo.
Needless to say, to whom these messages were sent to.
GusuLan Sect allies.
This Third Brother of his was right.
Good intentions alone could not move the hearts of men. Possessing a clear conscience did not mean others would willingly stand beside you.
But since ancient times to the present, once personal interests were involved, then everything became negotiable!
In the days that followed, the Cultivation World was once again turned upside down.
It was said that one tranquil afternoon, with a clear blue sky hanging above their heads, the date and hour of which was complemented by a good omen in Feng Shui, Sect Leader Lan had marched over the Jinlintai, once again, after a long period of never setting foot in the so-called golden tower.
With his arrival, he brought about more than half of the Hundreds of Clans, demanding a conference to be held.
He didn't go there for a mere confrontation, but to formally hold a discussion. And the matter he brought forth for discussion was not the Wen remnants. It was LanlingJin Sect’s ambitions.
Just as in the past, the Jin Sect attempted to divert Lan Xichen's involvement and focus solely on Wei Wuxian's debauchery; this time, Lan Xichen employed the same tactic.
He was there to impeach the Jin Sect.
...If he later took the Wen Clan remnants along the way, that's just a by-product.
“What is the meaning of this?!”
The furious roar echoed throughout the Pageantry Hall at Jinlintai.
“What exactly do you think you are doing here?!”
Having received sudden reports of cultivators gathering in great numbers mobilized to his Sect's ground, Jin Guangshan had already been in a terrible mood. Yet the moment his gaze landed upon the figure standing at the forefront of the crowd, the anger in his chest surged even further.
“It is you!” His voice rose sharply from sheer fury. “Lan Xichen—Lan Xichen! Good, very good indeed!” His sleeves trembled violently as he pointed accusingly. “So the GusuLan Sect has finally revealed its wolfish ambitions!”
Lan Xichen felt like sighing inwardly once again.
Throughout the past year of marriage, he had been unknowingly influenced by Wei Wuxian's unpretentious temperament.
Facing Jin Guangshan today, he suddenly had no desire to maintain his former respect or the patience to fake polite courtesy.
“Sect Leader Jin misunderstands.” His tone was calm and refined, nevertheless. “Lan-mou came today precisely to expose the ambitions of the Lanling Jin Sect before it is too late.”
Lan Xichen merely lifted a hand lightly and instructed behind him,
“Bring them in.”
It was said that the Lan Sect Leader had accidentally stumbled upon injustice while on his stroll. As for why this “stroll” had somehow extended all the way to QiongqiDao...Well, let's not dwell too much on it.
In any case, upon witnessing such cruelty and injustice with his own eyes, Zewu-Jun—renowned throughout the cultivation world for his benevolence—had apparently felt so distressed that his heart ached and his spleen twisted. Unable to bear it, he stepped in and rescued the people.
“Zewu-Jun has always been kind-hearted!”
“Indeed! Back during the Sunshot Campaign, our sect also once received his assistance.” A cultivator from a smaller sect near Pingshan quickly echoed in agreement.
“It would not be strange for him to save people.”
During the war, Lan Xichen had traveled tirelessly across numerous battlefronts, offering aid wherever he could. His reputation for gentleness and compassion had long since spread, and something the entire world "knows" about him. Therefore, when people heard he had once again acted out of “kindness,” few would be surprised by it.
A guest cultivator affiliated with the Jin Sect, however, found the repeated praises of “benevolence” increasingly unbearable.
“Sect Leader Lan may be compassionate,” he interjected sharply, “but the people he rescued are unworthy of such mercy! Why don't you open your eyes and see clearly who these people are?!”
He pointed accusingly toward the group of ragged men and women gathered behind.
“These people bear the surname Wen! They belong to the clan that once bestowed hell upon you! Even if they died a thousand times over, it's still not enough to repay their sins!”
Lan Xichen listened quietly before giving a slight nod.
“I see,”
He glanced subtly toward one of his attendants and responded mildly, "Are these people who have bestowed hell upon your Sect and deserve a thousand deaths?"
The subordinates, upon receiving the cue prior, had immediately guided an elderly grandmother and a small child forward. The toddler clung to the old woman’s robes, absentmindedly sucking on his fingers as he stared blankly at the crowd.
"...Uh,"
For a while, no one dared to speak.
They were people who used to plaster "morality" on their every action. Maintaining one's face is a must. Even if deep down in their hearts they had no sympathy toward a toddler of a defeated enemy, but they couldn't say it outright!
To say such words aloud would be equivalent to ruining their character into "Someone who could kill indiscriminately, even old and young".
It had always been easier to place that label upon someone else. Just as they once accused Wei Wuxian of "Killing Indiscriminately." But if they were to put on such a hat, who among them would willingly bear it?
Even in the case that they truly intended to slaughter old and young, it still had to be done beneath the guise of “righteousness,” and even then...it should not be explicitly spoken about.
At this time, someone wearing white robes from head to toe suddenly sneered.
“The GusuLan Sect truly planned this well. Pushing forward nothing but an old woman and a child to gain sympathy…” He lifted his chin toward the remaining Wen remnants behind them. “But what about the others? Do you take us for fools who cannot see? Or does the GusuLan Sect dare claim these men had no involvement in the war at all?”
Lan Xichen shifted his gaze toward the speaker.
His brows lifted slightly in recognition.
The moment their eyes met, the man instinctively faltered and unconsciously stepped backward.
Just when he was thinking Lan Xichen would use his background to denounce him, he heard Lan Xichen saying, “I understand. You wish to discuss responsibility for crimes committed during the war. A fair proposal.”
The Cultivators in white robes froze. He felt that the outcome shouldn't be like this. Or that the direction he hoped seemed to be wrong.
However, before he had the chance to speak, Lan Xichen continued calmly,
“In that case, let us revisit the entirety of the Sunshot Campaign—all causes and debts—from the very first month until the fall of Nightless City.”
"What?"
"Revisiting...cases?"
Murmurs immediately spread throughout the hall.
But the next moment, their attention was drawn to a group of GusuLan Cultivators who stepped forward and slammed...stacks upon stacks of scrolls and papers.
"After the war concluded, everyone was too occupied dividing spoils and territories. We have yet to settle the matter of responsibility.” Lan Xichen took one of the bound books and flipped it open.
His lips still curled gently, yet somehow the sight made countless people feel a chill crawl down their backs.
“You wish to examine the accountabilities these Wen remnants made during the war. Then this seems the perfect opportunity.” Lan Xichen raised his eyes slowly. “Very well. Then let us examine everyone’s contributions together. And settle all accounts—once and for all.”
Without waiting for others' response, he started to recount, "XuanZheng year Twenty-One, PingWang Sect..."
"The Third Month of XuanZheng year Twenty-Two—,
"The Fifteenth day of the Seventh Month, XuanZheng year Twenty-Three...
When those old accounts were laid bare one by one, the expressions within the hall gradually turned unsightly.
With every name called, every incident recounted, the faces of the gathered cultivators grew a shade paler.
And among them all, the ones whose complexions changed the most were precisely those seated on the side of the LanlingJin Sect.
Particularly those subsidiary clans that had once attached themselves to the QishanWen Sect. The very exact example of people who tasted prosperity in the heyday of the QishanWen Sect. Yet the moment the Wen Sect was wiped out, they hastily washed their hands and denied all involvement, unwilling to suffer the consequences and pay the price.
It wasn't like the Lan Sect was petty and remembered every grievance and debt. They just possessed the habit of keeping a record, compiled in a comprehensive order. For a massive calamity such as the Great War of SunShot Campaign, how could there possibly be no records?
Thus, beneath the bright lanterns of Jinlintai, the scrolls and books continued to unfurl one after another.
From noon until dusk.
From dusk until deep into the night.
Then came the dawn.
It took one full day before the accounts were finally nearing their end.
No matter how much the Jin Sect tried to interrupt, Lan Xichen kept going, and the number of people on his side was larger, so they couldn't forcefully stop him. Besides, there's Lan Wangji, who stood like a Big Buddha next to his elder brother, mercilessly casting the Silencing Spell on everyone who'd tried to maliciously interrupt.
Even if the Jin Clan wanted to leave and ignore these people...but where should they go?! They were already in their own Sect. They couldn't possibly leave, and let Lan Xichen run amok in their Sect ground, could they?
It wasn't like they didn't try to kick these people out either...But once again, the opponents' numbers are greater. Jin Guangshan himself did not dare to resort to violence. There were too many things he had to consider.
The other party had Three Major Sects leading on the front. There's also that Wei Wuxian, who knows what he's doing right now, whether he's already lurking outside. Any attempt at violence would only end up with his Sect's defeat.
Sect Leader Jin felt like crying, but had no tears.
At one point, someone could no longer endure it and protested stiffly, “Sect Leader Lan, everyone here requires rest. Should we not suspend this matter temporarily and continue after a meal?”
Lan Xichen merely lifted his gaze from the scroll in his hand and smiled gently. “Why bother? We are all distinguished Cultivators who have forgone eating and can do inedia. Matters concerning justice and responsibility are far more important.”
Then he lowered his eyes once more and continued recounting.
The crowd, “……”
This time, similarly, Lan Xichen used the same tactic Jin Guangyao used back then, by praising others' egos and acknowledging their important presence, as a Distinguished Cultivator.
But today, none of them felt happy hearing it.
No one could very well jump out and say: No, actually, we are not that distinguished!
So they could only sit there stiffly beneath the suffocating atmosphere, listening helplessly as the old accounts of the past were dragged out into the light one after another.
The long-standing feud between Lan Xichen and Jin Sect started from that one night at Jinlintai; therefore, he was determined to put an end to everything in Lanling!