This is supposed to be one shot. What happened-

(It was supposed to be titled 'From The Eyes of A Commoner' but to avoid confusion, I put the same title, marked with (3))
~~

Commoners or civilians.

The two are the same, and the two play important roles.

Without them,

There will be no reign,

There will be no power,

There will be no government.

But often they're being overlooked and forgotten, forgetting how because of them there are people with power, and because of them too, the gloriest reign can be taken down.

This is the story and rumours in Jianghu, from the eyes of a commoner.

Li Jingyu is his name.

A merchant, he has travelled to lots of places.

And his stop for this month is Yiling.

He was going to Yunmeng to restock the lotus silk and their lotus wine but since the night has fallen quicker this year, it makes him stop at Yiling to stay for a night.

That was... The initial plan.

It was changed when he entered an inn in the afternoon earlier.

He had heard the rumours of the 'Yiling Laozu' and the Wens (?)

The last time he checked, he wasn't able to enter anywhere in the major sect territory and it is because of a war between the major 4 sects and the Wen sect.

It doesn't affect his business that much, but his income decreased exponentially for two years or three. Eh, he doesn't remember.

Dongying was also a great place too to make sales.

But Li Jingyu wants to visit back to his hometown in Guizhou. Hadn't got the time to go back there.

Back to the inn, and it was a weird day.

The whole inn seems to be enraged at something, or rather, someone named Yiling Laozu.

The locals in Yiling are angry at the cultivation sects done to their protectors.

Profanity, insults and wicked plans to rob the cultivators fly around the inn in a hushed tone.

Li Jingyu is confused. Utterly confused.
He thought Yiling Laozu is supposed to be an 'evil' man?

Overhearing, he asks the owner of the inn.

"Is it true? Everything you said? I'm not from around here and can't help asking"

The answers he got from them are... shocking to him.

"You mustn't be from around here eh?"
"I never see his face before around here"
"Are you one of those who despised Yiling Laozu?"

If it is safe to say that Li Jingyu is shocked, he is.

"I just came back from Dongying and I am in travel going back to my hometown, Guizhou"

The patrons in the inn are all 'Ohh' and 'Ahh'

One of them pipes up "I am also from Guizhou! Are you the infamous merchant, Li Jingyu from our hometown?"

"I am Li Jingyu"

'I heard the reason why Hanguang-Jun ends his life is because he had a child with Yiling Laozu'

'A child? Do you mean the child that the sect killed in the Siege of Luanzang Gang?'

'I think so. My cousin in Yiling told me that Hanguang-Jun once eat in his inn with Yiling Laozu and the kid. He said that they look like a domestic family'

'No wonder he did that. The grief must be so deep'

'Only the younger brother of the Nie-Zongzhu and the child of the deceased Jin-Zongzhu and late Jin-Furen is spared'

'What a pity, what a pity

'Not really. Do you remember how Jiang-Zongzhu destroyed our family business after the 'renounce of Yiling Laozu'?'

'That angry arrogant. No one in Yunmeng and Yiling likes him'

'Peh! Sooner or later, Yunmeng Jiang will fall from its grace since that jealous lady whipping her tool here and there'

'She died in an attack of the Wens'

'How shameful. And here I thought that she was a strong cultivator. All she does is destroy people's businesses and properties, along with screaming at people

"I heard the siege to Luanzang Gang was a great success! Someone from a sect killed all of them."

"Really?? That's great news! Those scourge of humanity finally eradicated from this world!"

The owner of the inn in Yiling shakes her head and sighs.

A waiter that's preparing a drink for their cultivator customers grits his teeth in anger. Whispering angrily to himself, loud enough for only the inn owner can hear.

"Those cultivators. They slew the elderly and children and still have the guts to be proud!"

Another waiter that is near throws a glare at the drinking cultivators.

"The sheer arrogance! They killed a child and gloat like they killed a tyrant"

The inn owner can only shake her head

"What can we commoners do? The only thing we can do is to spread that the cultivators killed children and the elderly, and not evil Wen cultivators as they all think"

Li Jingyu accidentally heard the conversation can't help but ask them with a whisper

"Is it true? Everything you said? I'm not from around here and can't help asking"

The third waiter arrived and snarks

"Why do you think we named him Yiling Laozu? He cleansed Luanzang Gang which has been haunting us these times since the cultivators abandoned this city and did not help us. Also, the Wen remnants he brought here them was our doctor. Yiling Laozu also likes to come down to Yiling with a small child in Wen robes, playing together like toddlers"

"You speak of him fondly. Why is that?"

"Once, Yiling Laozu lived here, on the street of Yiling. I still remember the small, bright, sweet child"

The cultivators finished their drinking.

"We are paying, and we also rent 2 rooms. How much is it"

The inn owner, without batting an eye at them, answers pettily.

"5 gold pieces"

The cultivators can only gawk in surprise, faces red spewing profanity, however, they must pay or they'll lose their face to the commoners that also eat with them and can pay the (real) price.

When both cultivators left, Jingyu also pays for his meal before leaving the inn.

"I'll make sure to tell every merchant that I meet the real situation in Luanzang Gang"

"It'd be appreciated"

And soon, the rumours of cultivator sects that they trust have the heart to kill a child because of his surname. A seed of commoners' distrust of the arrogant cultivation sects blooms slowly.

Why would the sects care? It's just a mere gossips after all

--

After the downfall of the great sects, a white ghost with guqin has been seen around the town. Li Jingyu is really curious and all he get to see is a man in black robes.

He takes a seat and Li Jingyu blatantly stares at the pale man beside him.

"Not to insult or anything but are you a fierce corpse"

The pale-skinned man in black and red robes looks too big for him and looks at Li Jingyu with eyes of confusion and with ridiculousness. The cup of wine that he was nursing in his hand stopped moving.

With a raspy voice, he asks back
"You're not scared of a fierce corpse that could go berserk at any time and kill you at this spot?"

"Daozhang, if you want to kill me you could've done it since I got inside. Also, you look like what the people of Yiling have told me. Remind me again. What's your name?"

Amused, the pale person answers
"Yiling Laozu, Wei Wuxian."

~~
Ehe
I'm back <3

Will be slow updates tho :∆