Lan Wangji was close to his older brother, and meeting him often was one of the pleasant occasions amidst all the other mundane things in his usual routine. However, today was an exception. He felt as if he were sitting on a chair full of fire ants, and he could not wait to finish this uncomfortable breakfast session. Nevertheless, he adhered to his principles and refrained from rushing through his meal. His brother was smiling as usual, but somehow, the smile made him jittery and uneasy.
Lan Xichen saw his brother's disquietude, as if his only sibling were sitting on a hot seat. He opened his mouth. "Wangji, should we bring Young Master Wei along to Caiyi Town today?"
"Talking while dining is forbidden." Lan Wangji said seriously.
Lan Xichen chuckled at his brother, a paradigm of the Lan clan's rules. "I had finished my food, and you only have one bite left," he replied.
Well, that was the slowest of the last bites in Lan Wangji's dining history. Lan Xichen, however, was a patient man and could definitely wait for the answer.
Lan Wangji was unwilling to answer, but he knew his brother would not let him go this time. "Brother, the waterborne abyss is an extremely vicious creature. It might be dangerous for others to tag along."
"That is true. However, the townsfolk still need our help to face the water ghouls that were attracted to the waterborne abyss. The numbers were too many for only a few of us to handle." alan Xichen reaponded smoothly.
"It is not an appropriate time for horseplay." Lan Wangji stressed.
"The head disciple and only son of Clan Leader Jiang are quite well-known in Yunmeng. It is likely that they know more than horseplay. Uncle had managed to weaken it and seal it temporarily in the middle of the lake. He, too, agreed that this might be a good lesson for other guest disciples." Lan Xichen justified.
Although Lan Wangji was relieved to hear that his brother did not mean to just bring only Wei Ying as a tagalong, he still disagreed. "We cannot forsake their safety for a lesson, Brother."
"Don't worry, it's just an exposure to the outlook of the waterborne abyss from a safe distance so they can differentiate it from water ghouls if they ever come across one in the future." Lan Xichen gave him a reassuring smile.
By then, Lan Wangji knew it was a fruitless fight and mumbled reluctantly, "All right."
"I will only allow them to handle the normal water ghouls at most, near the town area. The number has doubled than expected and the nets could not stop the overflows. I let you be the one to extend my invitation to the young masters from the Jiang clan then. I will see Uncle first and meet you at the gate in half an hour." Lan Xichan spoke gently, satisfied with having the final say on the matter.
Xiao Zhan was sitting alone under the tree outside the lesson hall, staring into oblivion, ignoring the chatter from the building. The class had been canceled that day. Apparently, after yesterday's class, Lan Qiren had gone to Biling Lake and used almost all his energy on the waterborne abyss matter, leaving Lan Xichen in charge in his place. His two usual bratty companions were still avoiding him since they had previously run out on him at the library. Noticing the flowy snowy robe with cloud motifs coming his way, he waved enthusiastically, grinning broadly as he spoke a key higher than usual. "Lan Zhan, what are you doing here? We just met this morning, and yet you seem eager to see my face again. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
Lan Wangji ignored the teasing and went straight to the point. "I spoke with my brother. We will depart for Caiyi Town in half an hour."
Xiao Zhan was not sure why he would be notified of the other's plan, but he was supportive of it. "Oh, be safe then! What an honorable and dutifulâ"
"You are going too." Lan Wangji cut him off mid-sentence.
"Hahhh?" Xiao Zhan's jaw dropped at that. He grabbed and shook Lan Wangji's upper arm as he whined slightly, "Why? Do I need to? I'm sure I will be of no help."It was an automated, habitual, in-between-shooting reaction, as the person in front of him was a doppelgänger of Wang Yibo. He was that comfortable with Lan Wangji's presence.
Lan Wangji glared at him because of the unexpected physical touch.
Xiao Zhan removed his arm immediately. "Ah, forgive my insolence, Second Young Master Lan. It was an old habit."
Lan Wangji's brows twitched slightly at that note, feeling a twinge of unpleasant emotion in his heart before he announced stoically, "You're coming. It's non-negotiable."
"... Why are you doing this to me? I'm perfectly happy here. I have a lot of writing and reading to do today. I think the library needs my company more." Xiao Zhan kicked up a stink about the one-sided decision. He tried to find more excuses, but he was cut off again.
"We'll leave soon," Lan WangJi gave the ultimatum.
Xiao Zhan unhappily threw more childish tantrums until he noticed a faint smile on Lan WangJi's lips that made him halt and drop his theatrics. At that moment, he knew that he could not win against the rare smile and eventually relented, "Fine. I will go since you smiled."
"Smile?" Lan Wangji raised a brow, no longer smiling.
"Yeah! Why? Did you think that you weren't able to?"
Lan Wangji paused for a brief moment to regain his usual impassive expression. It had crossed his mind many times that he might never be able to smile. He looked away as he spoke, "...Others will join too."
"Oh! You should have mentioned it earlier then. Thank goodness! The more, the merrier!" Xiao Zhan heaved a sigh of relief. He then narrowed his eyes to look at Lan Wangji suspiciously. "Then, why did you have to make it seem like I was the only one who had to tag along?"
"My brother wanted me to personally invite you," Lan Wangji said pragmatically, "and Jiang Wanyin."
Xiao Zhan let out a dry laugh knowing that Lan Xichen had made his 'encouraging' move.
He is indeed the captain of the ship.
With that, Lan Wangji had completed the task entrusted to him. He turned on his heel and walked away; his heart was beating erratically in his chest. He did not know why, but the longer he stayed in close proximity to this person, the more his heart skipped a beat without his consent.
Xiao Zhan shook his head slightly as he gazed at the back of the person who disappeared into the lecture hall.
How could most people not see how innocent and sweet this person was? Wei Wuxian was surely and unbelievably dense. Ah, wait. I am 'him' now! Damn it.
A few moments after the departure of the aloof prince, Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang scrambled toward him.
The second Young Master Nie grabbed at his sleeves, crumpling the fabric. "Wei-xiong! Why do we have to go to Caiyi Town and catch water ghouls? Is this some sort of punishment?"
"Was it because of you? Did you offend that mighty Young Master Lan? He mentioned 'both of us are well-known in Yunmeng' with the expression of someone who had just eaten bitter gourd." Jiang Cheng said with an accusatory tone, his hands on his hips.
He dislikes you in general. That's why.
"First of all, I never offended him." Xiao Zhan lifted his shoulders in a careless shrug and smirked mischievously. "Maybe he's just infatuated with my charms."
Jiang Cheng gagged at that notion, scowling as though he were the one who had just eaten a bitter gourd. He then stated bitterly, "By the way, you've earned yourself another copying punishment. Five times! Where did you disappear to this time? That Old Man Lan really has his target on you."
Xiao Zhan pursed his lips into a pout. He couldn't avoid punishments regardless of how well-mannered he acted since he had been marked by that elder of the Lan Clan.
It seems Lan Qiren is the one who needs to copy Righteousness and Virtue ten times since he has forgotten some of his clan's rules with this kind of selective and unjust treatment. How hypocritical!
"I slept for the entire day." Xiao Zhan told them the truth, as it was indeed the truth.
"You really are shameless to the core." Jiang Cheng sneered.
"Hurmph, I am shameless, huh? I clearly remember that someone, or two, shamelessly wanted me to help them cheat and sneaked out when I was determined to help them pass the test. Who is more shameless?" Xiao Zhan said sarcastically.
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes skyward and crossed his arms huffily. "I did not ask for your help!"
"Oh, really now?" Xiao Zhan squinted his eyes. "Are you certain? Want to bet?"
Nie Huaisang was still panicky, as his cultivation was still below par and he could not possibly handle even one ghoul on his own. He could care less about the bickering. Feeling his presence was ignored, he almost burst into tears as he begged, "Jiang Cheng, Wei-Xiong! Please protect me. I am doomed to be dragged to the bottom of the lake by ghosts! Save me!"
Both of them stopped their battle of words and mumbled their agreement to calm the poor little Nie Young Master.
"Stop whining!" Jiang Cheng admonished.
"Butâ" Nie Huaisang made puppy eyes at them.
"Don't worry. It's just water ghouls. You'll be fine." Xiao Zhan consoled him a little.
*****
Xiao Zhan had previously thought that it would be hard for him to mount the sword. However, even before he needed to think about how to do it, his body moved on its own like an expert, and his sword moved as if it had a mind of its own. He wasn't surprised since the last sword fight with Lan Wangji had proven that his body had an automatic response when these superhuman abilities were needed, just like auto-battle mode in an RPG game. Plus, he felt like he could trust the sword spirit too. It was actually fun to maneuver, just like riding a hoverboard but in literal airspace. It was a magical and out-of-this-world kind of feeling.
Caiyi Town was about twenty kilometers away from Cloud Recesses and was still a lively place despite the increase in water ghouls' attacks. The river was pretty deserted, with a few boats here and there, but on the riverbanks, there were flowers, fruit, bamboo crafts, pastries, tea, and silk. Most people moved on with life and resumed their daily business on land instead of in their usual river boating, as if nothing unusual were happening. Life has to go on regardless.
The three of them stayed in one boat while the other disciples rode in several other boats. Jiang Cheng volunteered to steer. The twin Jades' boat from Lan was sticking close to their left.
Xiao Zhan stood on the boat, attentively watching out for possible jump scares as he clutched Suibian tightly, just in case he needed it. Meanwhile, Nie Huaisang was stuck in the center of the boat, unable to move a muscle, fearing the same thing. There was nothing worse than a jump scare when it involved ghostly beings.
"Young Master Wei, I thought you liked alcohol?" Lan Xichen asked Xiao Zhan, as their boats passed a boat selling rice wine.
"Well, Zewu-jun, I have long repented since I was caught red-handed." Xiao Zhan replied with a witty remark. Frankly, he was not much of a fan of alcoholic beverages and had a low tolerance for them. He was especially not fond of getting drunk or the hangover that came with it. His lips stretched into a grin as he cast a menacing look at Lan Wangji. "Besides, I wouldn't dare to go against our strict head of discipline here. Alcohol is forbidden, am I right?"
Lan Wangji had his sight set on the view in front of him, trying to ignore the urge to look at Xiao Zhan's way. He still responded though, "Don't talk nonsense."
"I see. I see. It seems like you are different from what I've heard." Lan Xichen proclaimed. Although he was standing guard over the surroundings, he wasn't too overwhelmingly serious.
"Thanks to the punishments I got, I am a changed person, Zewu-Jun." Xiao Zhan said with a chuckle. His eyes, however, remained cautious as he set them on the huge lake at the end of the water path. Under the calm facade that he wore, he was nowhere near serene. He really disliked this whole idea of hunting ghouls. Just imagining how they looked with the description that was provided in the novel made him want to cry silently.
"You have a good sense of humor, Young Master Wei," the First Jade of Lan said. His handsome features were further enhanced by the gentle smile that played on his lips.
Lan WangJi was silent throughout the journey, though he undoubtedly listened to his brother and the head disciple of Jiang's interactions. He felt somewhat irked by the entire exchange, but he kept it to himself.
Lan Xichen then announced to the entire party that they would keep watch from the riverbanks for their safety. Well, for most of them. Some were still instructed to keep an eye from the boats, and they would take turns on guard duty. Meanwhile, the rest on land were allowed to roam the riverbanks. Once Lan Xichen deemed it safe to go near the sealed waterborne abyss, then they would go for it.
Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji stood on the bridge, keeping a close watch over the deserted river and crowded banks. They were sticking to their supervisory roles, looking over both the other disciples' safety and the townspeople.
Nie Huaisang was ecstatic to be freed from the frightening task. He dragged both Jiang Cheng and Xiao Zhan to a deserted place and insisted on treating them to a delicious dessert.
Xiao Zhan did not mind at all since he had only been eating bland food ever since he came to Cloud Recesses.
Nie Huaisang fanned himself and recited, "Bridges riding over the stream, waves resting by the river. Caiyi town is worthy of its name."
Xiao Zhan shook his head at the dramatic poet. "If only you studied more on the test subjects like how you study poetry. You two even disregarded my sincere effort to help. You escaped faster than rabbits."
Jiang Cheng coughed as he got choked on the icy treats. "Ugh, will you let that go? I buried your corpse so many times before. Time for you to do the same."
Nie Huaisang laughed jovially, "Wei-xiong, don't be angry anymore. I did stay for one hour of your boring lesson. It was not any better than Old Man Lan's."
Xiao Zhan imitated Jiang Cheng's eye rolls and continued eating the sweet delicacy with gusto. Perhaps after a long time without sweets, the dessert tasted extremely good.
Jiang Cheng looked at him eating and spoke, "You're like a gluttonous ghost who's never had this before."
Xiao Zhan gave up on retorting to the pointless banter. "It's a bright spring day, and we have a crispy ice dessert with a rich milk incense before us. Why not just indulge and seize the day?"
"Wei-Xiong! You're right! Let's seize the day!" Nie Huaisang suddenly got up from his seat when he caught a whiff of the sweet rice wine smell. He frolicked his way to the liquor stall close to the riverbank. Feeling like babysitters, both sighed at the happy kid and went after him after they finished their bowls of treats. Nie Huaisang's happiness didn't last long, as it was soon their turn to take the patrolling duty afterward.
Xiao Zhan lightly leaped onto the boat, taking charge of the long bamboo paddle willingly as he let Jiang Cheng handle the chickened-out Nie Huaisang, who was kicking up a fuss while hugging a couple of jars of liquor.
A lady on the nearby bank called out to him with her sweet, soft-sounding Gusu dialect, "Lad, want to taste my loquats? I'll give you one for free. Freshly picked~"
"Thank you for your kindness, sister. I'll come back for your loquats later." Xiao Zhan responded politely.
Jiang Cheng came out with his arms crossed and stood beside him. He had surrendered to stop Nie Huaisang from gulping the alcohol down to soothe his nerves. He scoffed, "Flirting again?"
"Huh? How is that flirting?" Xiao Zhan looked at Jiang Cheng, and in that few seconds of taking his eyes off the front, their boats crashed into another one. He accidentally splashed some river water onto the person in light gold attire adorned with the motif of Lanling Jin.
Xiao Zhan immediately apologized with clasped hands, "My apologies, Young Master Jin."
Jin Zixuan gritted his teeth as he said, "Are you blind? Wei Wuxian, you do it on purpose right? Why must your boat collide with mine in such a wide river?"
Xiao Zhan did not mind the nasty comment and took the opportunity to somehow take away Nie Huaisang's untouched liquor to prevent any drunken incident from happening. "Sorry, I was that blind. I'll give you some jars of rice wine as compensation."
Jin Zixuan huffed, "No need!"
Xiao Zhan wanted to avoid any unnecessary confrontation. "Okay, since Young Master Jin doesn't mind, then I'll-"
"I'll be fine if you, the Jiang Clan, stay away from me." Jin Zixuan cut him off. He really did not make it easy for him or Jiang Cheng to remain patient. Personally, he did not care much about this peacock boy or the engagement since he knew eventually this guy would still end up marrying Jiang Yanli. But that did not mean that his arrogance did not rile him up. No wonder Wei Wuxian disapproved of him.
Jiang Cheng clenched his sword as he growled, "What do you mean?"
Jin Zixuan did not answer the question and just flicked his robe angrily, turning away with a grunt, "Hmph."
"Relax. Both of you calm down." Nie Huaisang's voice came from the middle of the boat. He did not sound sober.
"Huaisang-xiong, here's my advice. They say that one takes on the character of one's company. Please be careful in your choice of friends. Beware of neglecting your studies, or your brother will spurn you with a saber again." Jin Zixuan told Nie Huaisang.
Xiao Zhan almost made a retort before Jin Zixuan's boat shook as if something had hit it from underneath.
Jin Zixuan pointed at Xiao Zhan accusingly. "Wei Wuxian! You!"
Xiao Zhan showed both of his hands, one holding the bamboo and the other holding Suibian, proving his innocence. "Eh, don't look at me. Not me this time."
Both their boats rocked even more violently this time, and they staggered to maintain their footing.
Nie Huaisang crouched on the floor, screaming with his eyes covered. "What's wrong? What's wrong? Ah, save me!"
Jin Zixuan went a little pale as he murmured, "This is strange."
Xiao Zhan noticed a small wave rising rapidly and heading toward Nie Huai Sang in the center. He cursed under his breath as he saw a disfigured mermaid-like thing jump out with its claw-like fingernails aiming to slice and dice the helpless, trembling Nie Huaisang.
"Shit!" In a flash, Xiao Zhan jumped towards the back of the boat and slapped the horror version of little mermaid with the long bamboo stick, making it flew several meters away back into the water with a huge splash.
What the... What's with my reflex? Man, these things are horribly unsightly!
More water ghouls suddenly emerged from the once-peaceful lake, attempting to climb onto the boats and some trying to go up the riverbank. Those who had stalls close to the banks scrambled to their feet, and the crowds began to panic. The water ghouls had long, balding hair, swollen faces covered in pustules, and eyes covered with white, murky membranes, resembling victims of drowning who had been in the water for too long. However, they had long, sharp fingernails and rotting, fish-like tails instead of legs.
To Xiao Zhan's pleasant surprise, the teamwork between him and Jiang Cheng was commendable. Jiang Cheng slashed his sword, cutting the creepy, crawling things, and Xiao Zhan slammed those creatures with the paddle. They both circled Nie Huai Sang to protect him. Jin Zixuan and the other Jin members in their boats were busy fighting too.
"Help! Help me!" The lady loquat from earlier cried out as a ghoul had gotten a hold of one of her legs.
Xiao Zhan did not know what came over him as he lunged forward to her rescue, slashing the water ghouls in half with Suibian. He pulled out some blank talismans and swiftly wrote some incantations on them, acting purely on instinct. Wei Wu Xian 2.0 was as reliable and adept as the original; his reaction speed to the unanticipated change of events was excellent too. He then threw those enchanted papers from where he stood, making them fly and stick precisely to the foreheads of the resentful ghouls. Yellow magical arrays appeared above the ghouls, effectively exorcising them to the netherworld. He soon got himself busy, making more and more sacrificial lambs for the King of Hell with all the flying papers of spells he stuck squarely on the ghosts' foreheads.
Jiang Cheng was left fending for Nie Huaisang alone, but before he could complain, Lan Xichen came to his side to help. Lan Wangji was hovering in the air, flying around and exterminating other ghouls, striking them with Bichen. Lan Xichen did not exaggerate when he said there was an influx of water ghouls since the waterborne abyss was discovered. The rest of the disciples started helping the terrified city residents and defending them from the wrath of the water ghosts.
After a while, the group of cultivators had eradicated more than two dozen of them, but the number of creatures was still not decreasing by much. Fortunately, the ghouls were smart enough to give up the losing fight and withdrew.
Lan Xichen announced as they gathered at a place near the riverbank, "They are retreating, but the situation is more serious than I thought. Most of you, please go back to the Cloud Recesses. This is a dangerous task, and your safety is the priority."
More than three-quarters of the group were instructed to go back. To Xiao Zhan's dismay, he was asked to stay back.
Lan Xichen gave special extra attention to Nie Huaisang since he couldn't fly his saber yet. He asked one of the Gusu Lan disciples to help the Second Young Master Nie, who was eager to return to the safety of the Cloud Recesses. The large group soon departed. Apart from the two jades, Jiang Cheng and Xiao Zhan, Jin Zixuan, and one of his faithful Jin followers (whose name was unknown) were allowed to stay. Additionally, a few disciples from the Lan clan stubbornly chose to remain. Xiao Zhan recognized one of them: Su She.
Why must he insist on staying? He's going to be deadweight. I forgot to include this guy in the notes, so Lan Zhan wouldn't know.
The group that was staying was supposed to eliminate the remaining water ghouls, as if they were left unattended, the townspeople would get hurt. The eight of them were separated into four teams. Both members of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect were in one boat, and the Jades of Lan boarded another. Jin Zixuan and his follower were on one team, and Su She teamed with another older Lan disciple. They were heading close to where the water ghouls probably gathered, and it got quieter as they got nearer.
Lan Xichen had cast a few nets in the area when he received the information from Lan WangJi. There were more than a dozen. They found some corpses as well.
Xiao Zhan thanked his body in his heart as the auto-battle mode apparently came with enhanced psychological resilience and valor. He didn't even blink at the sight of the horrific-looking scene in front of him or the unexpected attack earlier. As the silence continued to hover around them, he then realized; someone on the boat next to them hadn't uttered any words since earlier and looked a little unhappy too, if he wasn't mistaken.
"Lan Zhan, are you all right?" Xiao Zhan looked at the tight-lipped Second Jade.
Hearing the 'given name' basis coming out of his mouth, Lan Xichen was momentarily stunned, his eyes widening slightly while Jiang Cheng, who stood at the front paddling the boat, shot a wide-eyed glare in his martial brother's direction.
Lan Wangji responded with a soft, "Mn."
Lan Xichen almost choked on his saliva, as he did not expect that his lovely but aloof brother was treating someone with such gentleness that he had never seen before. Not to mention that Lan Wangji seemed not to mind being called by his given name. This Young Master Wei must be a very special person to receive that kind of treatment, he thought happily.
Xiao Zhan roughly scanned the person concerned with his eyes for external injuries, "Are you sure? You are so quiet today."
Lan Xichen blinked, a little confused. His brother is always a quiet one, it wasn't unusual.
"Wei Ying, focus on the water," Lan Wangji reminded Xiao Zhan.
Lan Xichen could feel the warmth of summer, and spring bloomed in his heart when he heard his brother's reply.
Xiao Zhan grumbled and averted his eyes back to the eerie-looking body of water. "Yes, yes. I'll keep my eyes on the water then."
The eldest of the bunch felt like a third wheel even though they were technically on a separate boat, and there was another fellow lamp post present on the other boat. Not that he was complaining about it. But alas, it was the wrong time for this pleasant surprise to continue. He cleared his sticky throat before voicing out, "It was strange that the water ghouls suddenly appeared in such a large group and even attempted to attack those who were out of the water."
Jin Zixuan asked, "Zewu-jun, does that mean this odd attack pattern only happened for the first time today?"
Lan Xichen nodded. "The waterborne abyss sealed in the middle of the lake could not possibly affect them, causing them to behave in such a manner. It was as if something were attracting the ghouls to enter the lake in the town."
Jiang Cheng chimed in, "Like a magnet."
Xiao Zhan pondered over it for a while. It was indeed strange. The waterborne abyss had already been sealed, albeit temporarily. However, the ghouls seemed to be more active than he had anticipated. It was as if they were roused by something.
It couldn't be because of me, right?
Their boats were currently at the end of the waterway entering Biling Lake. Su She shouted from the front after checking, "The nets here are empty!"
Xiao Zhan mumbled a passing idea in his thoughts, "Catching it with nets is unlikely. If only there were a device that could point out its position like a compass."
Or is this the moment that leads to the ingenious invention of the compass?
Xiao Zhan nearly jumped in shock as Jiang Cheng slammed the bamboo paddle, splashing water that wet his clothes and face as he grouchily said, "Hey, look into the water and focus on finding it. Don't let your imagination run wild again."
"Cultivation and flying swords were once wild ideas as well. Moreover, Biling Lake is overflowing with resentful energy, so it attracts water ghouls. Instead of treating the symptoms by catching water ghouls, why not harness the resentful energy to eliminate the root cause?" Xiao Zhan said whatever was on his mind without a care, wiping away the water on his face with his dry sleeve.
Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth. "Wei Wuxian, can you stop fooling around for a change? Are the additional times of copying of righteousness wasn't enough?"
Xiao Zhan shut his mouth when he noticed an icy glare boring a hole into the back of his skull. He turned his gaze to meet the golden eyes of Lan Wangji, who was standing at the front of the boat. The bright sun shone onto his angelic figure, truly mesmerizing him for a moment.
Does he know how good-looking he is? He's unreal! How can he be even more beautiful? God damn it! Focus, Xiao Zhan! Focus!
Xiao Zhan scolded himself once again, and he immediately shifted his entire focus to the lake. Noticing some movement under the water, Xiao Zhan was fully serious this time as he said, "Concentrate on the water displacement. They're below the boats."
Lan Xichen, being a naturally observant person, took notice of his changed persona. "That's a good observation, Young Master Wei. You're indeed experienced," he remarked, amused.
Xiao Zhan simply flashed a smile at him before returning his attention to the task at hand. He announced suddenly, "They're here."
Sure enough, pairs of pale hands with claws started climbing up their boats. Lan WangJi backhandedly drew his sword, Bichen, and severed ten or so wrists on the left side of the boat, leaving only palms with fingers digging deep into the wood. As he was about to cut the ones on the right, a red light flashed past, and Wei Wuxian's sword was already back in its sheath. The strange shifts in the water had ceased, and the net also became still once more. Lan Wangji asked with a serious face, "What is the name of your sword?"
"Have I not told you the name yet?" Xiao Zhan asked him back. "Suibian (Whatever)."
Lan Wangji stared at him incredulously.
"Hey, don't give me that look." Xiao Zhan quickly added, "The sword's name is 'Suibian'. Here."
He passed his sword over for Lan Wangji to see the characters on the sword. Surrounded by lines and patterns, two ancient characters were carved beautifully onto the sheath. It was indeed 'Suibian'.
For a few moments, Lan Wangji was at a loss for words. What utter nonsense is this? he thought.
Xiao Zhan mouthed, "It wasn't my doing," and said, "I'll explain it to you later!"
Jin Zixuan and the others began slashing the upper limbs of the clinging creatures. "There are some here as well!"
Spotting that the boat boarded by the Jin clan members was getting overwhelmed, Xiao Zhan snatched the long bamboo pole from Jiang Cheng. He yelled, "You two, jump over!"
As Jin Zixuan and the others made their safe landing in their boat, Xiao Zhan speared the pole into the water beneath the empty vessel and, with a firm fling, overturned it. The boat flipped in the air multiple times before landing a few feet farther from them, exposing the clinging ghouls underneath it. Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen took care of the rest of them with a couple of swings of their swords.
On the other side, a mass of black shadows also whooshed past. Xiao Zhan spoke, "Be careful, Lan Zhan! Beside you!"
With some hand gestures and wordless incantations, Bichen on Lan Wangji's back unsheathed and stabbed into the water. After a moment, it flew out of the river with a sharp resonance, taking with it a crescent of water. Yet, it didn't pierce anything. He held the sword in his hand with a stern expression.
Su She, on the other boat, also drew out his sword, thrusting it toward the dark shadow. However, after his sword went underwater, it never resurfaced. He chanted the sword incantation a few more times, but nothing was retrieved from the water.
"Ah, that idiot Su She!" Xiao Zhan groaned. Jiang Cheng bumped his side over his remarks.
An older disciple beside him spoke, chiding him, "Su She, right now, we still haven't determined what the thing in the water is. Why did you act on your own and make your sword go underwater?"
Su She was somewhat flustered. "I saw that Second Young Master also..." He realized, before he even finished speaking, how unsuitable this sentence was.
No matter what, Lan Wangji stood on a different level of expertise compared to him, and his sword, Bichen, was well-known to be a powerful weapon too. An embarrassed shade of red seeped through his pale complexion, as if he had been disgraced. He glimpsed at Lan Wangji, but the latter didn't spare a glance at him and instead attentively observed the water.
Leaving Jiang Cheng and the other two in the boat, Xiao Zhan leaped to Lan Wangji's side and whispered to him, "I thought the waterborne abyss was already sealed?"
"Temporarily," Lan Wangji replied curtly before turning to Lan XiChen. "Brother, let us return immediately."
Suddenly, thick, long hair formed veils of black satin, surging and swelling around the boats. Amid them, pairs of ghastly hands gripped onto the sides. Tsunami-like waves began forming, and multiple cyclones made of water surged out of the whirlpool at the center of the lake. The boats circled, following the currents of the whirlpool. They sank as they spun as if they were going to be sucked inside a gigantic, black mouth.
You've got to be kidding me?!
Xiao Zhan clapped his hands as he took the lead in the sudden change of plans. "Everyone, mount your swords! Hurry!"
The clangs of drawn swords chorused in the air. As soon as Xiao Zhan finished his commanding phrase, he too hovered several feet up in the air. He looked down. The color of Biling Lake's water wasn't dark green anymore, but almost black.
Su She, who was stuck without his sword, had his face full of panic, unable to ask for help due to fright.
How troublesome!
Xiao Zhan muttered some profanities and berated himself for being "the heroic Wei Wuxian" in his heart as he glided back down to rescue the person in question. He managed to grab the back of his collar with one hand just before the hairy, tentacle-like monster could seize both of them, swiftly evading the barrage of attacks from the pursuing, black, monstrous vines. Su She proved too heavy for his arm to carry single-handedly, and he had just used his arm strength to flip the boat over earlier.
Seeing him struggling to keep a hold on the other boy's collar, Jiang Cheng flew towards their direction to help while the others were busy fending off the tornadoes of hair coming out from the middle of the lake. Right when he managed to pass the burdensome guy to his martial brother, the hairy, vein-like monster wrapped around his foot and pulled him down underwater. He plunged into the murky water; his body was rapidly enveloped in the cocoon of black hair, and Xiao Zhan writhed fiercely to free himself.
The waterborne abyss ceased attacking the rest of the group, as if it had obtained its target. Xiao Zhan struggled to hold his breath and was on the verge of drowning when he heard the same whispering of crying and wailing voices again. He felt something inside him awakening as he heard, amidst the screaming of auditory phantasms, a voice resembling his own say,
"Spiritual energy is an energy. Resentful energy is also an energy. Why not harness it? If we can cultivate it, the places brimming with it wouldn't be forbidden areas."
Xiao Zhan stopped thrashing around and started focusing on feeling the heavy and dense resentful energy. Waterborne abysses were created by frequent drownings; eventually, the resentful energy of the water ghosts that result from drowned people causes the water itself to develop a personality.
It was his first attempt, but he somehow succeeded in manipulating the dark and heavy energy and began absorbing it. During that period, he fell into a trance as his eyes glowed a striking blood red. The overwhelming power of the resentful energy was too intense for his body to handle and clashed with his spiritual energy, threatening to overflow and explode. He knew he needed to disperse it before it could do serious damage to his body.
A loud scream escaped his throat as he dispersed the remaining waterborne abyssal energy. The sheer force of power came bursting out from the thick mess of black hair that imprisoned him, effectively sending a massive shockwave throughout the entire lake and spreading across the surrounding continents. It felt like an earthquake with a magnitude of over 8.0 on the Richter scale shook the entire earth itself for a brief moment.
And just like that, the waterborne abyss had ceased to exist.
No longer restrained by the hairy creature and drained of all energy, Xiao Zhan felt like he was free-falling into the abyss. He stretched out his hand, taking one last look at the water's surface, which was getting farther away as he sank downward.
Lan Zhan.