"Pan Wukun. I need to speak with you."

Kang Xieren reappeared to meet with Pan Wukun now that she had fully recovered from the spider demon venom.

"I found something inside the boss spider demon." Kang Xieren took a piece of iron out from his coat's inner pocket. "This is a piece of the mystical Yin Iron Yanling Daoren used when he was still alive."

Pan Wukun's eyes widened. "What?" - No, please, no. Please don't make me go through the convoluted plot point of the Yin Iron Quest from CQL.

Kang Xieren explained further. "A regular spider must've absorbed the Yin Iron, transforming it into an eight-legged spider demon, one bigger and more powerful than regular eight-legged spider demons."

"Why didn't anyone else notice it?" Pan Wukun asked.

Kang Xieren smiled. "I suppose most people were too worried about the injured to spot it. I took it before the wrong person could. I don't trust the sects not to misuse it."

"Because it used to be Yanling Daoren's?" Pan Wukun asked.

"Yes. Precisely."

Pan Wukun remembered the passages she read from the book she found in the Library Pavilion, Legendary Cultivators Throughout the Ages.

"As Yanling Daoren traveled the world, cultivators immediately took notice of him since no one had heard from Baoshan Sanren in ages. He was greatly admired for his skills as a cultivator. But one day, Yanling Daoren suddenly changed, becoming violent. He killed without mercy. He controlled living people like puppets with a piece of mystical iron. Some even said his cultivation methods were...demonic. Yanling Daoren made the fields and oceans run red with blood. His reign of terror was finally brought to an end when he fell to thousands of swords by an army of noble cultivators."

Did she get a glimpse into Yanling Daoren's final moments?

"I think I dreamt about the moment Yanling Daoren was killed," Pan Wukun said.

Interest sparked in Kang Xieren's eyes. "Really? Yanling Daoren did imbue the Yin Iron with his qi so that's not too surprising that such a moment with powerful emotions would appear in your dreams."

Pan Wukun agreed. "That's our best, so I think you're probably right."

Kang Xieren held up the Yin Iron, examining it from different angles. "Yanling Daoren was a frugal man. Why expend your own qi when you can just steal it from another?"

Chills shot down Pan Wukun's spine. Lan Qiren's words echoed in her mind.

"To steal qi from another cultivator is to kill them. It's a form of demonic cultivation one must never do. That path lies in evil and darkness."

"Yanling Daoren dabbled in dark rituals from time to time. To him, the possibilities beyond the orthodox path of cultivation were endless."

Pan Wukun took out the mysterious spirit-trapping pouch. Years ago, she and Pan Heng discovered that some cultivator had performed a dark ritual to transport her into this world. But she couldn't tell Kang Xieren the entire truth. "This spirit-trapping pouch was used in a dark ritual. I showed it to you years ago. Have you found out who this belonged to?"

Kang Xieren inspected the spirit-trapping pouch closely. "Really? How interesting. Unfortunately, I still don't know whose sect emblem this is."

Pan Wukun was disappointed. "Do you think it might've been used in one of Yanling Daoren's dark rituals?"

Kang Xieren laughed. "Don't be ridiculous! Yanling Daoren is dead!"

"What I mean is did some sect cultivator happen to find one of his dark rituals and use it?"

Kang Xieren put a hand to his chin. "Hmmmm...yes...That is possible. Yanling Daoren was fascinated with dark rituals, even the ones that existed long before he was born."

Pan Wukun thought more about it.

Curses and dark rituals had been around for millennia while cultivation had only been around for centuries.

You didn't need a golden core to conduct dark rituals and cast curses on people.

Curses and cursed items had been around for ages. The soul-sacrificing ritual Mo Xuanyu conducted to resurrect Wei Wuxian in his body. The cursed assassin's dagger Qin Su used to end her life. The Hundred Holes curse Su She inflicted on Jin Zixun. And now this piece of Yin Iron found within the remains of the boss eight-legged spider demon.

Wei Wuxian would become the founder of ghostly cultivation. However, he was not the first to make use of resentment and resentful energy. He was just the first to successfully control and command the dead using resentful energy.

Lan Wangji did warn Wei Wuxian about the dangers of using resentful energy. "There has been no exception." That must mean that resentful energy had been used in other instances throughout several millennia.

"How do you know so much about Yanling Daoren?" Pan Wukun asked.

Kang Xieren smiled. "It wasn't easy. I had to dig really deep."

"Do you think Baoshan Sanren might know anything about this? She was Yanling Daoren's mentor."

Kang Xieren's face soured. "Oh? I wouldn't bother with Baoshan Sanren if I were you. She is powerful, yes. But she hides away in her mountain like a coward. She and all the other immortals are ignorant, out-of-touch with the world."

Pan Wukun was shocked to hear Kang Xieren speak of the immortals with such contempt. Cultivators usually praised them and aspired to be like them.

But Baoshan Sanren was the oldest living immortal, making her the most knowledgeable cultivator in this world. She was Pan Wukun's best bet for finding a way back home.

"I still need to find her, despite what you believe."

"I understand. Baoshan Sanren is no doubt powerful. She even has the abilities to mend bones and transplant body parts."

Pan Wukun was confused. Kang Xieren scorned Baoshan Sanren in one breath and praised her the next. He must have mixed feelings about her.

Bitterness filled Kang Xieren's voice. "I have tried to seek out Baoshan Sanren myself but she never answered. She is above us mortals, I suppose."

"You've tried looking for her too?"

"Yes. But it appears that none of us is having any luck."

Pan Wukun sighed. "Sad but true."

Kang Xieren placed the Yin Iron in Pan Wukun's hand. "You should take this. You were the one who defeated the boss eight-legged spider demon."

"No, thank you! You keep it, Kang Xieren." Pan Wukun didn't need to hold onto one of Yanling Daoren's tools. Especially not magic iron that was nearly identical to the Yin Iron in CQL. Having something like that could get her targeted by dangerous people.

Kang Xieren didn't argue. "Very well."

Kang Xieren's expression turned stern. "Don't tell anyone else about the Yin Iron. Ill-intentioned people will abuse it."

"Right." Pan Wukun's hand brushed against Kang Xieren's as she returned the Yin Iron. His hand was very cold, so cold for a human hand.

Kang Xieren noticed Pan Wukun's puzzled expression as he put the Yin Iron away in his coat. "Ah. About that..."

Kang Xieren promptly removed his hand. It was a prosthetic hand.

"When I lost my hand, I left my sect before they could throw me out themselves. I use a prosthetic so people don't stare and mock me. I don't like the attention. It's mostly for appearances. It's not exactly the best for functioning. A half-working hand is worse than no hand."

Kang Xieren considered Pan Wukun carefully.

Pan Wukun gazed into Kang Xieren's eyes. "You are still a talented cultivator and a worthy rival of mine."

Kang Xieren smiled warmly. "Same to you. You may call me Kang Chen from now on."

Pan Wukun smiled back, happy that Kang Xieren trusted her so much. "And you can call me Pan Chun."

Kang Xieren's face turned determined. "Are you up for another spar now that you're fully recovered?"

Pan Wukun smirked. "Yes. I've been itching for a rematch."

Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren requested a sparring field from the YunmengJiang sect.

"Yes! Whoo! You can beat him, Chun-ge!" Wei Wuxian, of course, was watching from the sides along with his junior disciples and Jiang Cheng.

This time Pan Wukun would be fighting Kang Xieren with an audience.

A Jiang sect cultivator stood in the middle as referee. "Ready?"

Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren cracked their joints and got into combat poses.

The referee waved his hand down, shouting, "Begin!"

Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren lunged at each other.

They kicked and punched in every direction, hoping to catch the other off-guard. So far, both were successfully blocking each other's attacks.

Wei Wuxian kept his eyes on Pan Wukun, watching her every move. - There's no way Chun-ge could lose!

Kang Xieren punched Pan Wukun in the face.

Wei Wuxian gasped.

Pan Wukun kicked Kang Xieren in the stomach.

Wei Wuxian cheered.

Both Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren winced at the pain.

"Your hand-to-hand skills have gotten better. Your studies at the Cloud Recesses served you well," Kang Xieren praised.

"And your travels as a rogue cultivator have done the same for you," Pan Wukun praised back.

A challenging glint appeared in Kang Xieren's eyes. He leaped away from Pan Wukun and unsheathed his sword.

Pan Wukun understood. Kang Xieren wanted to see how much they improved in sword fighting. She unsheathed Yuyun.

Their swords clashed.

They gritted their teeth as they pushed their swords against each other.

The ground trembled as the two cultivators maneuvered their feet.

Their swords vibrated as every swing made air rush by them.

Wei Wuxian marveled at Pan Wukun's skill with a sword, thinking how cool she looked.

As the battle continued, Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren were running out of breath.

Pan Wukun stared into Kang Xieren's eyes, seeing her determination mirrored in them.

A spark appeared in Kang Xieren's eyes. "Sorry, Pan Chun. But I think it's time to end our little game." He surged forward with overwhelming force, breaking Pan Wukun's grip on Yuyun.

His strength numbed Pan Wukun's arm. "Agh!"

Kang Xieren struck Pan Wukun with the finishing blow, kneeing her in the stomach and knocking her to the ground.

Spittle shot out of Pan Wukun's mouth.

Kang Xieren planted his foot on Pan Wukun's chest, keeping her pinned down.

Pan Wukun was unable to get back up. She couldn't muster the strength to move her arms and legs to get Kang Xieren off her. She groaned in pain. "I yield."

Wei Wuxian was stunned. Pan Wukun...actually lost? But he tied with Lan Wangji! How could he lose to Kang Xieren! This meant that Kang Xieren was a better fighter than Pan Wukun and Lan Wangji!

"That Kang Xieren guy's pretty tough," one of the YunmengJiang sect disciples said.

"Yeah. Poor Pan Wukun. That had to hurt," another one said.

Kang Xieren lifted his foot off Pan Wukun.

Wei Wuxian rushed up to Pan Wukun. "Chun-ge! Are you ok?"

Pan Wukun could only groan in response.

The YunmengJiang sect disciples gathered around them.

Wei Wuxian and Kang Xieren helped Pan Wukun sit up and take healing tonics.

Pan Wukun was disappointed that she lost to Kang Xieren again. She wasn't the only one who grew stronger over the past few years.

"You did much better than years ago, Pan Chun." Kang Xieren didn't sound disappointed. Instead, he sounded exhilarated.

"Same to you Kang Chen. Your speed improved."

"I followed your advice, Pan Chun. I see you've listened to me too since your speed and stamina have also improved."

Pan Wukun smiled. "All thanks to the physical training program Lan-xiansheng presented at the Cloud Recesses." The Lans weren't strong without a workout routine.

Wei Wuxian cleared his throat, bringing Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren's attention to him.

Wei Wuxian had a tight-lipped smile on his face. "Kang-gongzi. How exactly did you meet Chun-ge?"

"Pan Wukun and I met on the road a few years ago. We camped and sparred together!"

Wei Wuxian's eye twitched. "...Camped and sparred together?!"

"For a single night and day!" Pan Wukun added.

Kang Xieren chuckled. "And yet we still remember each other, Pan Chun!"

Wei Wuxian froze. So Kang Xieren and Pan Wukun were close enough to call each other by their birth names.

Wei Wuxian looked up at Kang Xieren, infuriated that he was taller than him.

Kang Xieren smiled at Wei Wuxian. To the YunmengJiang sect disciples and Jiang Cheng, it was almost as if sparkles and heavenly light surrounded the calm rogue cultivator. Wei Wuxian was not convinced.

Wei Wuxian wondered if Kang Xieren was just a better friend to Pan Wukun.

It took Pan Wukun much longer to become comfortable enough to call Wei Wuxian "Wei Ying".

It stung that Pan Wukun only spent a little bit of time with Kang Xieren and was more comfortable with him. She spent around a year with Wei Wuxian yet she didn't act as comfortable and open with him as she did Kang Xieren.

Wei Wuxian didn't know that to Pan Wukun, Kang Xieren wasn't a canon character involved with the main plot so she could relax around him.

Wei Wuxian pouted and whined, wrapping his arms around Pan Wukun. "Chun-ge. We know each other so well by now. Remember back at the Cloud Recesses, after the drinking party ended, we slept together."

"Don't say it like that!" Pan Wukun hissed. "You're the one who kept clinging to me and wouldn't let go!"

Pan Wukun paused. Wait. That still sounded suggestive. She said to Kang Xieren, "Wei Wuxian and I slept together in the literal sense! Not in the other way! Hahaha...You know..."

Kang Xieren simply smiled and nodded in understanding.

Wei Wuxian rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Chun-ge. I can't sleep without holding onto something."

Pan Wukun sighed. "It's alright, Wei Ying."

Jiang Cheng and the other YunmengJiang disciples observed everything silently, thinking about how Wei Wuxian was suddenly acting very weird.

Pan Wukun looked from Kang Xieren to Wei Wuxian. This was a good time to bring up an important matter. "Could the three of us go somewhere private for a few minutes?"

"Wei Ying, would you happen to know anything about the Yin Iron?"

Kang Xieren's eyes sharpened. "Pan Chun..." An edge of warning presented in his voice.

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian was confused. "The what?"

"The Yin Iron." Pan Wukun gave Wei Wuxian a significant look. "Have you and Lan Zhan heard of it?"

Wei Wuxian frowned and shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about, Chun-ge. Lan Zhan doesn't either."

Pan Wukun couldn't completely believe Wei Wuxian just yet. Perhaps he was keeping it secret because Kang Xieren was still here.

"Why are you asking me about this Yin Iron, whatever it is?" Wei Wuxian asked.

Kang Xieren frowned at Pan Wukun, showing that he was wondering the same thing.

"It's just something I read about in a book once. It was rumored to be at the Cloud Recesses so I wondered if you and Lan Wangji ever talked about it. Or anything involving Yanling Daoren, Baoshan Sanren's first disciple who left her mountain. He was the one who owned the Yin Iron," Pan Wukun lied.

Kang Xieren narrowed his eyes.

Wei Wuxian was intrigued. "Baoshan Sanren's disciple? That would make him my mother's shixiong!"

Kang Xieren's demeanor changed. He stared at Wei Wuxian in surprise. "Your mother is one of Baoshan Sanren's disciples?"

"Yes...she was."

"Ah...my apologies for your loss." Kang Xieren took out the Yin Iron and showed it to Wei Wuxian. "Are you certain that you truly know nothing about the Yin Iron, Wei-gongzi? Did your mother tell you anything?"

Wei Wuxian shook his head. "I really don't know anything about it. I'm sorry."

Kang Xieren sighed in disappointment. "That's a shame."

So close to the Yin Iron, Pan Wukun felt strange...She shook it off. She didn't want to take it from Kang Xieren or be anywhere near it.

Kang Xieren put the Yin Iron away. "I shall further investigate the Yin Iron on my own."

The three cultivators left the private spot and headed to Lotus Pier's entrance to see Kang Xieren off.

Kang Xieren saluted Wei Wuxian. "Many thanks to the YunmengJiang sect for your generosity. I must take my leave now."

Pan Wukun saluted Kang Xieren. "Until we meet again, Kang Chen!"

As Kang Xieren departed from Lotus Pier, he waved and said, "Good luck finding Baoshan Sanren, Pan Chun!"

Wei Wuxian's head whipped around so fast that Pan Wukun was stunned. "You're looking for Baoshan Sanren, Chun-ge?"

Pan Wukun inwardly cursed. Why did Kang Xieren have to say that in front of Wei Wuxian?!

"Yes. That's right. You're Cangse Sanren's son, aren't you? Do you know anything?"

Sadness filled Wei Wuxian's eyes. "I don't know where she is. My mother never told me."

"Have you ever tried searching for Baoshan Sanren?" Pan Wukun asked.

Wei Wuxian sighed. "I can't just leave the YunmengJiang sect."

Pan Wukun understood. Wei Wuxian had to repay the YunmengJiang sect for taking him in.

"If you ever find Baoshan Sanren, will you please let me know where her mountain is? Let me know what she remembers of my mother?"

Pan Wukun saw the desperate pleading in Wei Wuxian's eyes. He wanted so badly to know everything about his mother, even after Lan Qiren managed to tell him some things.

Pan Wukun didn't have the cruelty to refuse. "Of course, Wei Ying."

Wei Wuxian hugged Pan Wukun tightly. "You're the best, Chun-ge!"

"Yes! Yes! Now please loosen your grip! I need to breathe!"

Wei Wuxian chuckled and let go.

Wei Wuxian hummed happily as he walked next to Pan Wukun.

Meanwhile, Pan Wukun was silently deep in thought.

Even after Kang Xieren left and there was no risk of revealing secrets, Wei Wuxian didn't tell her anything about the Yin Iron. So he wasn't looking for it with Lan Wangji at all.

Wei Wuxian had no idea what the Yin Iron was. He was in no hurry to ask for it either.

This Yin Iron was not the same one from CQL.

Pan Wukun wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or unsettled about that.

The next day, Wei Wuxian took Pan Wukun out with the other sect disciples to pick lotus pods.

"We're not stealing them from the old man this time!"

"Huh?! But why, Da-shixiong?"

"Pan Wukun's a farmer! An honorable one who doesn't steal from other farmers!" Wei Wuxian knew that Pan Wukun wouldn't agree to steal the old lotus seed farmer's lotus pods. So he requested that Jiang Fengmian pay the old farmer to open a section of his property for lotus pod picking.

"Maybe we'll even spot some water ghosts! They're so easy to exorcize!" Wei Wuxian said to ease his fellow disciples' potential boredom.

At the mention of water ghosts, Pan Wukun could only recall bad memories of splashing around and screaming. "..."

They arrived at where clusters of lotus pods grew in the water.

Wei Wuxian plucked a lotus pod and handed it to Pan Wukun. "Here you go, Chun-ge!"

"Thanks." Pan Wukun picked the seeds from the lotus pods rapidly.

Wei Wuxian clapped his hands along with the others. "Wow! You're so fast, Chun-ge!"

"Of course. I'm a farmer, after all." Pan Wukun chewed on the lotus seeds, thinking about her relatives. Older Vietnamese people loved eating lotus seeds.

Wei Wuxian waved at a group of food vendors passing by on boats. "Hello, ladies!"

The ladies smiled. "Greetings, Wei-gongzi!"

Wei Wuxian slung an arm over Pan Wukun's shoulder and gestured to her. "This is my friend, Pan Wukun. Isn't he handsome?"

"Yes! Very handsome!"

Pan Wukun's face warmed and her cheeks flushed. Why was Wei Wuxian even saying that? She wasn't Lan Wangji! Damn it, Lan Wangji was supposed to be here in her place!

Pan Wukun quietly waved at the ladies.

The ladies giggled. "Aw! He's the shy type!"

"Could we please have some stir-fried watermelon peels?" Wei Wuxian asked.

The ladies agreed, knowing that Jiang Fengmian would pay them later as he always did.

Wei Wuxian led everyone to the docks to have fun while snacking on lotus pods and watermelon peels.

Wei Wuxian's shidi and shimei flocked to Pan Wukun for stories of her travels as a rogue cultivator.

Then the monkey-loving shidi asked, "What are the monkeys like where you come from?"

Pan Wukun blinked. "Do you mean the mountain monkeys?"

The shidi's eyes sparkled. "You used to live in the mountains? There must've been lots of monkeys there!"

"Yes. I always saw them when I swung through the trees with a rope."

The villagers in Xuhou used rope to climb trees and gather fruits. There were often monkeys present.

The shidi gasped. "So you can swing through the trees like a monkey?"

Pan Wukun rubbed the back of her head. "Uh...yes...sort of?" She watched how the monkeys swung from tree to tree before mimicking them. Who knew when she needed rope-swinging skills for cultivation?

"Show me! Show me!" the monkey-loving shidi begged.

"Tomorrow. It'll be sunset soon. Too dark to go swinging around the forest."

"Yay!"

Everyone looked at the sky, seeing the sun lowering over the horizon.

Wei Wuxian wrapped his arm around Pan Wukun's shoulder with a big bright smile.

As they all watched the sunset together, Pan Wukun couldn't help but think that this was all actually kind of fun...

Wait...the sun...

The sun...QishanWen sect...

The sight of the YunmengJiang sect disciples smiling and laughing made Pan Wukun's blood run cold.

They were going to die. These kids were going to get ruthlessly slaughtered...

A/N: So Pan Wukun's found a piece of Yin Iron...But not quite. Don't worry, it is not the same Yin Iron from CQL! So it's not going to have the Wens and other cultivators chasing after it and making the pre-Sunshot Campaign storyline bloated.

So what do you all think of Kang Xieren? Does he come off as friend-shaped? Suspicious? I have Picrews of him posted on the other fanfic sites listed on my profile so you could know what he looks like.

Looks like Wei Wuxian has gotten his first taste of vinegar.

Since the desktop version of FFN is down, I had to update from mobile today.