An Innocent Young Man
This will be a fairly decent long chapter.
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After watching Wen Chao take his punishment, I became very pleased. I know it will probably backfire in the future, but then again Wen Ruohan had always thought Wen Chao as a problem and a joke for a child of his. Even though I don't like Wen Ruohan, I can agree with him on one thing, Wen Chao is a piece of useless garbage, and his mistress Wang Lingjiao isn't any better. She is the biggest reason Wei Ying lost his Uncle, Madam Yu, shidi and shimei in the past life. After the Wen's left, the ceremony continued on. Shufu and Xiongzhang called me over once the ceremony ended. I was probably going to get scolded for potentially putting Cloud Recesses in danger.
"Wangji, good job standing up to Wen Chao," Shufu told me, "I was considering on having to do some writing as punishment but I am not going to punish you even at all. It was worth flogging the arrogant fool of a Wen."
I nodded and looked at Xiongzhang, "Shufu, Wangji and I actually have some things to discuss with you if you are free."
"Of course," He said.
"Why don't we go to Yashi (Elegance Room) and discuss it there for privacy," Brother suggested.
Uncle and I nodded and followed him over to Yashi.
"So, what did you want to discuss?" Shufu asked as we settled at the table with tea being brewed.
"I know it will sound crazy but I hope you can hear us out, and know that we would never lie or make something like this up," Xiongzhang told him.
Shufu nodded. Xiongzhang then allowed me to speak, "I actually both died once already and I am actually considered to be in the past. I am from the future. I was given a second chance to correct things that went wrong...hopefully stop my death in the process."
"I did not die but through inquiry, I reached Wangji's spirit and through the help of a goddess, Wangji and I looked at the past memories of someone that effected our lives greatly. He was framed for crimes he did not commit and because of all the cultivation world not believing he was innocent, drove that young man to suicide," Xiongzhang explained the rest, "Because of that man's suicide, Wangji's was left heartbroken and was even punished for helping him as you also believe the young man the world blamed, was evil and guilty."
"What punishment?" Shufu asked a bit shocked hearing all of this.
"For hurting thirty-three elders of our clan to protect the man, I was whipped thirty-three times. Because of having a broken heart and the whipping, I could not properly heal. I lost the will to continue living. I blamed myself for a lot that happened to the young man because I had doubted him but was too late when I finally understood his innocence. So my spiritual energy slowly depleted and my life slipped away. Leaving you and Xiongzhang."
Uncle was crying. We haven't seen that man ever cry. He must have been heart broken to hear that his two precious nephews were hurt in such a way.
"To continue, I got brother to join me and seeing the young man's memories. He was left alone as an orphan. After a couple years a clan leader who knew his parents took him home to raise the child for the sake of his friendship to the boy's parents. His wife was not pleased, however. She berated the little boy calling him a servants son and a bastard child who was rumored to be that clan leader's son from an affair. It was not an affair, the woman just did not want to believe the truth and scolded the boy as he grew up.
"When he was fifteen he came here to Gusu to study along with other clan heirs and head disciples. He had a mischievous personality but he was also very smart despite not paying attention in the lectures. He was punished by you when he spoke of a second path which involves resentful energy. Of course it only angered you and he was punished having me to supervise him. Later the two of us discovered the Yin Iron and the Wen's wanting to use it..."
Xiongzhang put his hand up for a me to stop for a moment. He had forgotten to put a silent barrier around the room so he casted one.
Shufu took a couple deep breaths, "please continue. I am following a long and keeping up with details."
I nodded and continued to tell the memories we saw, "the young man and I traveled to try and find the other Yin Iron fragments before the Wen's did, but Wen Chao had his Dire Owl following us and he got information before we did and got to the pieces first. We later parted ways, him going back to his home and me to mine only to come back to Cloud Recesses burning. The Wen's had ambushed Cloud Recesses. Father died, you were severely injured, and brother went missing with important scrolls from our library.
"I was then dragged to an indoctrination at Qishan Wen Sect. I had a broken leg from the attack of Cloud Recesses but I had put up a facade to let others know I will not break or falter so easily. The young man, however, provoked Wen Chao a few times and ended up in his dungeon for a night. While he was there, he was accompanied by a large wolf. The young man had already had a fear of dogs so the wolf was just more to traumatize him. He came out the next morning fine but was covered in blood and bruises. He was given medicine to help him but he decided to give it to me later without using any for himself..."
Brother continue from there, "while accompanying Wangji, I watched them fight and defeat Xuanwu, the Slaughter Tortoise. But Wangji left for home and the young man went back with his sworn siblings to their own clan. The boy was later scolded by the Clan Leader's Wife who was being taunted by Wen Chao's mistress, Wang Lingjiao. He was then punished unjustly with a powered first class spiritual whip. Wang Lingjiao complained that the young boy was not punished properly and demanded his right hand for compensation. The wife was furious this time for her childish insults to her home and children. As much as he hated the young man, she did not have the heart to cut off his hand.
"That was only until she took her children and tied them with her spiritual whip, and told the young man she hated his whole being and put him at fault for the attack of their clan. She then demanded to protect her children with his life. Everything skipped forward to the young man who went back to his clan to find his brother who went back for revenge but was actually captured. With the help of a young wen boy and his sister, they managed to get the young man and his brother to safety. Later, they found that his younger brother had his core crushed by Wen Zhuliu. If we did not witness it ourselves, we would not have believed it, but the young boy ask the Wen sister to transfer his core to his sworn brother, as she was a medical professional. She refused at first but due to the young man's constant begging, she gave in.
"The young man had to remain with out anesthetics and there was only a fifty percent chance of success as it was never actually been done before and was just a theory. The man was awake for two nights and a day while the young physician took out his core and planted it into his brother. After three days of rest, the young man had to go meet with his brother as promised. But he did not show and the young man was caught by Wen Chao, punished and tortured and thrown into the burial mounds."
My brother stopped there for uncle to absorb everything so far. After a few minutes I decided to continue, "He did not die there, though," Uncle looked at us both surprised, "the young man remained in the burial mounds for three months and managed to master demonic cultivation, being able to control and manipulate it. Due to his pure heart, he never targeted those he cared about or the good. He exacted revenge on the Wen's. First killing Wang Lingjiao, making her hang herself, then tortured Wen Chao. His brother and I showed up at the same place he was and watched him use the dark energy. He killed Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu. Because we did not know of his sacrifice of his core, we questioned why he gave up his sword for an unorthodox path.
"He used excuses like he wasn't in the mood, forgetting it places, and not wanted to carry it with him. Others eventually became aware of his abilities. Some feared him and some praised him. He was the one who made the most contribution when we went to attack Wen Ruohan. He created two spiritual weapons. A flute, Chenqing, to control the energy properly, and an amulet made from a sword that was a Yin Iron piece, and the strongest piece out of them all. He called the amulet, Yin Hu Fu (Stygian Tiger Amulet). After the defeat of Wen Ruohan, the Jin clan in particular targeted Wen's who were branches of the main clan. Those branches were not cultivators and had not participated in the war. They were only old, young, woman, and farmers. They were even healers, they lived to save lives not take them. They were targeted just because they had the surname Wen.
"The young man was being taunted and questioned daily about his cultivation. People were greedy for power and wanted his Amulet. When he heard the two Wen's who helped him and his family that did not fight or get their hands bloody, were taken, the young man was furious and demanded the Jin clan hand them over to him. He managed to save those innocent Wen's and moved them to the Burial Mounds, as others were too afraid to go there. People were then wanting to kill the young man for protecting the Wen's who were 'guilty' but actually were not, and for his chosen path, he was set up.
The two heirs, Jin Zixun and Jin Zixuan were killed by a fierce corpse the young man created...the corpse though, had a conscience and could do as he pleased. He was considered to be a living dead person but also the strongest corpse created. The reason the corpse kill the two Jins was because there was a second flute altering Chenqing's commands. Someone had purposefully set an ambush to trap and kill the Jin's and frame the young man. Jin Zixun was the one who started the ambush because he blamed the young man for cursing him with Hundred Holes curse. It was not his doing though. Later the young man found that the Wen's who were innocent turned themselves in to protect the young man.
"It did nothing because the young man when to Nightless city were a ceremony was taking place for the two dead heirs, and to discuss how to kill the young man. The young man unleashed resentful energy to the clan members but never harmed or killed anyone, until the second flute was hurt again and made puppets. Even though the young man was not playing the flute, the other flute was being heard, people were blaming the young man. His sister ran onto the battlefield hoping to catch her younger brothers but died protecting the young man others targeted.
"That was when the young man no longer had any will to keep fighting for himself. He destroyed the amulet and watched as clan members fought over fragments that were of no use. He then went to a cliff nearby. I tried to stop him, catching as he fell, but his shidi, stabbed his sword to the side of the cliff. If it were to break the young man and I would both have fallen. He yanked his hand away and smiled as he fell into the dark abyss."
I had finished explaining. I didn't even notice tears falling down my face until I finished speaking. Brother came over to me and handed my a handkerchief to wipe the tears away.
"I am guessing that because you tried to save him was the reason I punished you?" Shufu choked out. He had tears in his eyes as well.
I nodded but brother spoke for me, "You were the one with the least amount of knowledge of everything because you were still dealing with your health after Cloud Recesses burnt."
"Can I ask who that young man is? Because you both came back was to change things, and help this young man and go through the war hopefully keeping his family together...if you can call them family," Uncle said as he calmed down a bit more.
"His name is Wei Ying, Wei Wuxian," Xiongzhang answered, "I guess that was the reason I roomed him with Wangji, so he can keep an eye on him and rebuild the friendship they had before things turned south. Wei Wuxian is back of course but has no knowledge of anything that happened. Wangji and I wanted to keep it from him for as long as possible hoping we can change the futures course."
"Since he does not know, it is best he doesn't for the time being," Uncle said in agreement, "I am sorry for how I treated you both back then. If I don't have your forgiveness now, I will do my best to earn it and gain your trust again. Also with Wei Wuxian, He hasn't been to naughty or mischievous since being here."
"I think that is my doing a little bit," I said, "We did not get along well last time and had a lot of misunderstandings, but in the end, we found out that we had interests for each other."
"Interests as in, love interests?" Uncle asked.
I hesitated but nodded, "I only knew of these feelings when I was searching for him for those three months he went missing in the burial mounds."
"I do not have a problem with you to being partners," Uncle said, "I just worry you will get hurt again."
"As do I, but I am trying to make things right," I said, "One of them, save his siblings and Lotus Pier from the massacre...Although, Madam Yu I am questioning to save at the moment still."
"Leave Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu to me," Shufu said, "If you can get Wei Wuxian to get his feelings for you again, we can possibly set up a meeting for a proposal."
"Really?" I asked all of a sudden happy.
"Of course, I don't know if the boy can deal with the rules well but I believe he will have a better life here then back in Lotus Pier being bullied by Madam Yu," Uncle said.
I nodded and stood standing, "I should get back to Jingshi. I believe Wei Ying is waiting their for me as I told him I would help him go over the rules properly."
"I am going to stay and talk with Shufu a bit longer," Xiongzhang said, "We will discuss how to proceed with Cloud Recesses attack, the Yin Iron, and Lotus Pier."
I nodded, bowed and left Yashi. I felt like a big weight was lifted from my shoulders. I did not expect Uncle to be so calm in listening to everything. I was happy for his proposal suggestion. It was now on me to do my part and try to win Wei Ying's heart again.
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