Where am I?
Pan Wukun stood alone in a dark void.
She frowned, covering her nose and mouth.
What was that nasty smell?
She needed to get out of here and away from the stink.
Stepping to the side, her foot hit something.
She looked down.
She stumbled backward in horror.
It was a corpse. Behind the corpse was a trail of corpses that led to a large pile of corpses ahead.
Pan Wukun held back the bile rising in her throat. She recognized those corpses.
The YunmengJiang disciples' bloody corpses in a pile. Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan. Jin Zixuan with a gaping hole in his chest. Jiang Yanli bleeding out on the ground with a sword wound in her chest. Wei Wuxian torn to pieces. Meng Xingyao with his throat crushed. Qin Su's corpse with a dagger wound at the heart.
A dizi played somewhere nearby.
To Pan Wukun's horror, the corpses rose.
They glared coldly at her.
Pan Wukun turned and ran, only to be grabbed roughly by the arms.
"Hello, Chun-ge."
Wei Wuxian smiled down at her.
The pieces of Wei Wuxian had assembled back together to form a grotesque undead. He was older and angry. His eyes were red. There was no fondness in those eyes, only malice.
This was the Yiling Patriarch.
Pan Wukun screamed. Wei Wuxian released her with a maliciously playful smile. She scrambled away from him, slipping backward on a puddle of blood.
Wei Wuxian stalked up to Pan Wukun. "Aw. What's the matter, Chun-ge?" A wicked smile spread across his face. "Scared?"
Before Pan Wukun could get away, the corpses had already surrounded her.
The corpses circled Pan Wukun, voices echoing. "You knew what would happen to us! And you did nothing! You just left us to die! Were we even your friends? Were we nothing to you?"
Wei Wuxian stepped right in front of Pan Wukun, leaning down and snarling, "It's time you paid for your crimes, murderer!" He lifted his dizi to his mouth.
The corpses lunged for Pan Wukun.
She screamed.
Pan Wukun woke up gasping for air.
She grasped her blanket.
Her breathing shook unsteadily.
It-It was all just a dream.
Her limbs were still intact.
But she could still feel her body being torn apart by corpses.
She drank the cup of water by her bedside and calmed herself down.
Today was the day Pan Wukun was finally going to leave Lotus Pier.
Upon leaving her room, Wei Wuxian appeared, smiling and waving. "Good morning, Chun-ge!"
The image of a maliciously smiling Yiling Patriarch flashed before Pan Wukun's eyes.
She recoiled from Wei Wuxian in fear.
This alarmed Wei Wuxian. "What's wrong, Chun-ge?"
When Wei Wuxian tried to reach out to Pan Wukun, she quickly backed away.
Wei Wuxian saw the terror in her eyes and pulled back. "Do you-Do you need me to call the healers, Chun-ge?"
"N-no. Just had a nightmare about the spider demon, that's all."
Pan Wukun walked away from Wei Wuxian. "I need to go clear my head."
Pan Wukun sat against a tree and took deep breaths.
She needed to calm herself.
Pan Wukun pulled out her dizi and played a farmer's folk song.
She shut her eyes, so used to playing this song that she could rely on muscle memory. She imagined that she was back in Xuhou.
Her heart rate steadied. Her mind and heart grew lighter.
Another dizi answered hers.
Pan Wukun didn't pause. She welcomed the company. She continued the melody's flow.
The other dizi played along with hers in harmony.
The duet concluded as the two dizi gently faded out.
Pan Wukun could feel the tranquility in the air.
Footsteps approached Pan Wukun and she looked up to see Wei Wuxian with a dizi in his hand.
So he was the one who answered her.
Pan Wukun pushed down the fear rising inside of her.
The Wei Wuxian in front of her now wasn't the Yiling Patriarch. Not yet at least…
Wei Wuxian pointed at Pan Wukun's dizi. "You play the dizi too, Chun-ge! We match! Not surprising! Since you're a farmer!"
The dizi was considered the farmer or peasant's instrument. It was affordable. It could be created from a single bamboo stalk without paying a single coin. It was easy to carry around and use.
"You play so well, Chun-ge!"
"Same to you, Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian held his hand out. Pan Wukun hesitated. But she grabbed it and he helped her stand up.
"Let's go for a walk together, Chun-ge!" Wei Wuxian hoped some sightseeing at Lotus Pier would help her relax.
Pan Wukun agreed. She wanted to see the beauty of Lotus Pier one last time before she left (and before it was destroyed).
At one point, Pan Wukun and Wei Wuxian passed by Yu Ziyuan. She didn't look happy.
It wasn't too hard for Pan Wukun to figure out that Wei Wuxian had gotten yelled at for going off to save her. When they were alone, she said, "Sorry, I got you in trouble, Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian shook his head. "No, Chun-ge! Your life was in danger! You were right to call me for help!"
Wei Wuxian's actions had not gotten him whipped but Yu Ziyuan still warned him, "Don't you dare think of running off with that rogue cultivator to Nanyue like your father did with Cangse Sanren!"
He had no idea why Yu Ziyuan thought he would do such a thing with Pan Wukun.
Wei Wuxian gazed at Pan Wukun intently. "Chun-ge. I don't regret saving you at all! You are my dearest friend."
Pan Wukun saw the warmth in Wei Wuxian's eyes. "I…thanks, Wei Ying."
She felt all warm and fuzzy inside.
…And guilt.
Pan Wukun showed the monkey-loving shidi how to swing through trees in the nearby forest as promised.
With Wei Wuxian's help, the shidi retrieved some rope to use.
Wei Wuxian accompanied Pan Wukun and the shidi into the forest.
Pan Wukun swung through the trees, flinging herself from rope to rope without issue. She landed on her feet smoothly. "So, did I put on a good show?"
Wei Wuxian applauded.
The monkey-loving shidi squealed. "Now let me try!"
Wei Wuxian watched his shidi swing through the trees with a smile. He kept an eye on him to make sure he didn't fall.
Pan Wukun also watched the boy closely to make sure he didn't hurt himself.
Why was she doing this?
Maybe it was the guilt telling her to let the poor kid have this moment of happiness before the Wens killed him…
Pan Wukun said her goodbyes to Wei Wuxian and the YunmengJiang sect.
"Good luck with the upcoming competition at the Discussion Conference in Qishan, Wei Ying, Jiang-gongzi!"
"Thanks, Chun-ge!" Wei Wuxian grinned.
Jiang Cheng nodded and thanked her formally.
Pan Wukun looked at Wei Wuxian sternly and tapped her forehead. "Wei Ying. If you see Lan Zhan there, don't touch his forehead ribbon."
"Huh? Why?"
"It's a rule that only the GusuLan clan members' beloved could touch it."
Wei Wuxian rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Haha! I totally missed that rule! Wouldn't want to make Lan Zhan mad! Thanks, Chun-ge!"
Jiang Yanli handed Pan Wukun a box of food. "Safe travels, Pan-xiushi."
"Thank you for your kindness, Jiang-guniang!"
"Keep out of trouble, Pan-xiushi. Otherwise, Wei Wuxian will come after you," Jiang Cheng said.
Pan Wukun hoped she could stay out of trouble, considering what she planned to do next. "I hope I can. Thanks, Jiang-gongzi."
She pressed her hand against Xing Ru's butterfly lucky charm and Pan Heng's fish lucky charm inside her coat.
On her own, Pan Wukun would be crushed by the QishanWen sect. But with the help of the other sects, she just might have a chance.
"One of Lotus Pier's townspeople brought this note to my attention."
Jiang Fengmian set a note on the table for the other sect leaders to see.
"The QishanWen sect plans to attack the Cloud Recesses and murder the sect leader after the upcoming Discussion Conference? Preposterous!" Lan Qiren fumed. "A matter as serious as a threat to the GusuLan sect is no joke. Yet this miscreant makes such a grand claim without concrete and substantial proof!"
Nie Fangjian raised his hand, silencing everyone. He placed a piece of paper on the table. "I also received an anonymous note a while back. It was just after Huaisang finished his studies at the Cloud Recesses. The note warned that Sect Leader Wen would invite me to Nightless City so he could sabotage my saber. I was skeptical but one can never be too careful. So I had a swordsmith forge a replica to present to Sect Leader Wen. I was shocked the day his invitation arrived. That is when I knew that the warning was true."
Nie Fangjian's expression turned grave. "Sect Leader Wen smacked the saber seven times in front of me before returning it. Days later, Mingjue and I went on a night-hunt and the replica shattered. There was no doubt that I would've died from outrage or illness soon after."
Disgust and rage appeared on the other sect leaders' faces.
Lan Qiren's expression changed from annoyed to contemplative. "So this informant saved your life."
"Yes. I owe a life debt to whoever it was," Nie Fangjian said.
"If it's true, then that means the Wens truly plan to attack the Cloud Recesses…" Lan Qiren tried to steady his breathing and posture.
Everyone could see how unsettled Lan Qiren was, knowing that his brother, nephews, and sect were in danger.
The sect leaders compared the two notes.
"The handwriting matches! The same person wrote both notes!" Nie Fangjian exclaimed.
"Could it have been someone from Gusu who sent the note? Do you know who it might be, Grandmaster Lan?" Jiang Fengmian asked.
Lan Qiren frowned. "I can't recognize this handwriting from any of my students or the GusuLan sect disciples."
"Perhaps they made their handwriting different from usual to keep their identity secret," Jiang Fengmian suggested.
"Why go to such lengths to hide their identity? They would've been greatly rewarded for their heroic deeds!" Nie Fangjian said.
"They must be taking great caution to avoid being identified by the QishanWen sect. It could be someone from the inside," Jiang Fengmian said.
"But why would a Wen cultivator betray their own sect? It is dishonorable to do so! There are no social benefits for them!" Lan Qiren questioned.
"If it is the case, their sense of justice triumphed over their loyalty to a tyrant," Jiang Fengmian said.
The sect leaders closely inspected the newest note again.
"This note warned Sect Leader Jiang not to tell Sect Leader Jin about any of this. But why?" Lan Qiren questioned.
Nie Fangjian scowled. "He would likely side with Sect Leader Wen before lifting a finger to help any of us should the QishanWen sect start its conquest."
"You are fine with this, Sect Leader Jiang? Your daughter is still betrothed to Jin Zixuan," Lan Qiren pointed out.
"We can't risk Sect Leader Jin leaking this out to Sect Leader Wen. He would kill us all for defying him like this," Jiang Fengmian explained.
Nie Fangjian growled and pounded his fist on the table. "After the Discussion Conference, the QishanWen sect will conquer the smaller sects and prohibit other sects from doing night-hunts! The nerve!"
"The QishanWen sect is becoming more bold after the Waterborne Abyss incident. Who's to say they wouldn't try to attack one of the Great Sects next? If that does happen, we must be prepared," Lan Qiren said gravely.
"They're going to send our children off to an indoctrination camp without their swords!" Nie Fangjian roared.
"The note even says that the QishanWen sect will attack Lotus Pier afterwards to build supervisory offices. We must be mindful of any future messages from the informant," Jiang Fengmian said. His fist clenched. His family was also in danger.
All the sect leaders had the same question burning in their minds.
Just who was this mysterious rebel who dared to threaten the QishanWen sect?