Wu Lingtian looked over the crowd of both familiar and unfamiliar faces. The crown on his head felt heavy, but his expression didn’t betray him. He listened silently to the opening speech Fan Yi gave—something about the valor of Screeching Sparrow Sect, other things about the honor they felt having Wu Lingtian join them. It was all superfluous, with too many flowery words to doll it up. Wu Lingtian paid little attention until Fan Yi began to move.
Wu Lingtian took his spot beside Fan Yi as Ren Yizhou and Tian Xiewen entered the stage. Ren Yizhou held a tray, with the black waist pendent Wu Lingtian had already been wearing for several months now, and Tian Xiewen had a tray with an official coat.
While Screeching Sparrow Sect was anything but organized, the pillars would wear similar outfits whenever they went to conferences. Wu Lingtian’s gaze flickered over to the coat. It was nothing like what he had seen worn recently, but it was still familiar. The detailing was adjusted to fit Wu Lingtian’s taste in colors better. Just above the folded coat was a crown, much more extravagant than the one he was currently wearing. It was one that signified the Pillars of Screeching Sparrow Sect.
It was not that Wu Lingtian understood why Fan Yi had told him to secure his bun with a ribbon and to not rely too much on the crown.
“Once the crown is on your head, you will officially be a member of Screeching Sparrow Sect,” Fan Yi said, lifting the crown from the tray.
It was the final piece. The coat had been draped over his shoulders and the pendent was tied to his belt. Wu Lingtian slowly sank to one knee and bowed his head so Fan Yi could more easily reach the crown. He could feel a light tugging. An almost reverent silence filled the hall. He felt the hairpin poke through the other side of his bun and he watched as the slim boots in front of him stepped back. Wu Lingtian raised his head.
Fan Yi turned to the crowd. “Welcome, Lord Immortal Yu Lan, Wu Lingtian, to our Screeching Sparrow Sect as our Fourth Pillar.”
A well-organized chorus of “Welcome Fourth Pillar” sounded through the large hallway.
A moment later, Fan Yi helped Wu Lingtian stand up. He turned to look at him. “Anything you want to say?”
The pledge had been said, moments before the coat had been placed on his shoulders. Now would be any words he wanted to personally tell anyone.
Wu Lingtian looked over the crowd, made up mainly of disciples from Screeching Sparrow Sect. Unlike the seriousness on stage, where the Pillars essentially pretended to not know each other, the disciples were trying their best to hide their excitement and maintain their expression. Seeing this, Wu Lingtian couldn’t help but laugh.
“There’s nothing else to say,” Wu Lingtian said, turning to Fan Yi. He paused a moment before adding, “But I do want to thank you. Thank you for giving me a home.”
Fan Yi’s eyes widened. He slowly averted his gaze as loud cheering began from the disciples’ side. His face reddened under the laughter of their guests. “In that case, I now declare the ceremony to be—”
A loud explosion sounded from outside.
Fan Yi was immediately on alert. He shared a brief glance with Tian Xiewen. “Everyone remain calm. I will go outside to check.”
“I’ll come with you,” Wu Lingtian said.
“What are you saying? You remain here,” Fan Yi said with a reassuring smile. He nodded to Tian Xiewen and rushed down the stairs from the stage.
“Wait—”
“Lingtian, just listen to him,” Tian Xiewen said, blocking Wu Lingtian. “Yizhou is going with him, see?”
Wu Lingtian watched Ren Yizhou hop from the stage and hurriedly follow after. Not just him, but a few lines of guards also fell in line. A chilling premonition took a hold of him.
“You all knew this would happen?”
“Is now the time to talk about that?” Tian Xiewen hissed. He turned to the crowd, Su Han and Bai Qiu already joining his side. “Listen closely! Disciples, regardless of affiliation, follow Bai Qiu and Su Han to the most convenient exists. Sect leaders and other important guests follow me and Lord Yu Lan!”
“You’re letting the disciples go off on their own?” Wu Lingtian asked as Tian Xiewen steered him off stage. “What if they get caught in the crossfire?”
“Believe me when I say, they won’t be targeting the disciples. They’re here for two people and I’m sure you know damn well who those two people are,” Tian Xiewen said.
Wu Lingtian lowered his head. “Sect Leader—”
“Yi-ge has it handled. You said you would leave it to him, didn’t you?” Tian Xiewen said, gesturing Liang Jun and Xiu Lan over as they briskly walked past. He turned to Wu Lingtian. “Don’t you trust him?”
“…I trust him.”
“Good, because if you run out of my sight for even a second, the plan will go down the drain,” Tian Xiewen said firmly. “Trust me, I’m risking a lot right now too, so I know how you feel.”
Wu Lingtian thought about Ren Yizhou, who was outside with Fan Yi. The sounds of swords clashing had become magnified, as if they were just outside the main hall. He gave Tian Xiewen’s bicep a squeeze. “Alright, don’t worry. I’ll listen to you.”
“Wu-shishu, what’s happening?” Xiu Lan asked frantically.
“It’s okay. Just evacuate like we’re told to,” Wu Lingtian replied calmly.
Tian Xiewen meticulously split the group up again, based on the cardinal directions of where their sect initially were. As for Wu Lingtian and Xiu Lan, they would just be going to Tian Xiewen and a few others.
“I’ll come with you,” Wuma Qiongling volunteered.
Wu Lingtian met Wuma Qiongling’s gaze.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Qtja? Cr lo P mbeiv vlf,” Qewj Hlbcuilcu rmboofv ilutais.
“You have to stay with Xiao-xiong,” Wu Lingtian said, glanced at Xiao Xunrui and Xiao Guo.
“Qtja P’w rjslcu lr, kf’ii pera ub ab ktfgfnfg sbe cffv ab ub abufatfg,” Qewj Hlbcuilcu rjlv. “Yg vb sbe atlcx la’r j ubbv lvfj ab ibbx obg j qijmf ab tlvf klat akb bo atf wbra kjcafv qfbqif gluta cbk?”
Wu Lingtian frowned.
“Qiongling is right,” Xiao Xunrui said. “Once you two are out of the picture, the rest of them will be safe. We’ll help you get to where you need to go and once it calms down again, we can just leave if you want us to.”
“But you have a child wi—”
“Stop stalling,” Wuma Qiongling said. “We’re offering help—just accept it, won’t you?”
Wu Lingtian begrudgingly nodded.
They had made it to a long, underground tunnel. The torches weren’t lit, but with Tian Xiewen in the very front with a luminous talisman, the ones following him didn’t have any trouble following. As for the evacuating disciples, they would be taking the tunnel that led them far away from the sect before they dispersed again. The one that the older cultivators took was one that only ended at the bottom of the sect.
“Apologies for the fiasco,” Tian Xiewen said as the other elder cultivators began to leave.
“Well, it’s not an event at Screeching Sparrow Sect if we don’t expect something to go wrong,” someone joked, giving a hearty laugh.
“We’ll see you in a few weeks, alright?” another said cheerily.
Tian Xiewen laughed as everyone began to depart. He met the confused gazes behind him and sighed. “What can I say? Every time there’s a ceremony, Yi-ge has something more extravagant planned at the end.”
“What a man you chose to marry,” Wuma Qiongling murmured to Wu Lingtian.
Xiao Xunrui gave Wuma Qiongling a look. “If you say that about him, what does that make me?”
“How could it be the same? You’re mine,” Wuma Qiongling said with a slight smile.
Tian Xiewen rolled his eyes. “If you two don’t hurry up, we’ll leave you behind.”
With so many people taking off to the skies at once, for a while, Tian Xiewen’s group had no one on their tail. However, after about ten minutes, there was a trail of cultivators, all wearing familiar uniforms, that had caught up.
Wu Lingtian glanced over his shoulder as Xiao Guo gave a frightened shriek. He steered Yu Lan towards Xiao Xunrui and threw out his sword light. The golden light flashed, blinding even his companions, but it was enough for them to get away. He continued to hold up the rear, but his face had paled significantly.
“If you can’t hold it up, come back up here,” Tian Xiewen commanded.
“It isn’t that,” Wu Lingtian said. “They’re not real people.”
“What?” Xiao Xunrui’s eyes widened.
“I recognize them—they’re puppets that I worked on.”
“Then, that just means we won’t have to hold back when fighting them,” Wuma Qiongling said indifferently.
Wu Lingtian nodded, trying to shake off the discomfort in his chest.
He dug through his sleeves until he came out with three fire talismans. He murmured a spell and threw them at their attackers. The puppets were temporarily surprised, but continued forward. It was a horrid scene, making Xiao Xunrui cover his daughter’s eyes. Liang Jun shielded Xiu Lan, but his face was distorted in disgust.
Wuma Qiongling and Tian Xiewen flew to the back of the group to help Wu Lingtian. For a moment, the group began to split apart. Wu Lingtian clicked his tongue in frustration. He grabbed a handful of fire talismans and threw them out randomly, covering the puppets until screams of pain left their mouths. Tian Xiewen too the opportunity to fly forward and decapitate their heads from their bodies. Wuma Qiongling went one step further and kicked the bodies from their swords.
The swords dangled in their before crashing down after their original owners.
Wu Lingtian let out a huff and turned rejoin the others.
“You have to praise them for their tenacity,” Wuma Qiongling said.
“They only have one goal in mind,” Wu Lingtian said. “That’s how they were made, after all.”
Xiu Lan glanced at Wu Lingtian. A shiver ran down her spine and she forced herself to look away. She felt Liang Jun’s warm hand against her lower back and leaned slightly into his embrace. She was ashamed of the fear she felt.
The group quickened their pace towards the Hall of Impartiality. They didn’t bother resting and only surged forward. When the children began to grow tired, Tian Xiewen and the others powered their sword in their stead. Xiao Guo, despite drifting off, had trouble sleeping and had to be moved between Wuma Qiongling and Xiao Xunrui, whose arms were growing stiff from carrying the child.
When they arrived at their destination, Tian Xiewen abruptly stopped.
It was raining at this time, but flames still roared until they reached the sky.
The group watched in horror as the brilliant buildings, filled with hundreds of years of history, began to collapse upon themselves. From where they were, they could see bodies strewn on the ground. Blinding white stone mixed with crimson red liquid, sloshing and washing together down the stone steps. The fire began to spread to the surrounding trees, searing the once brilliant forest. Animals fled for their lives, but the humans within had already passed.
An eerie silence held the group in place as they listened to the crackling, never ending fire.
“…Sh-Shizun,” Xiao Xunrui was the first to break the silence. He jerked forward, but Wuma Qiongling quickly pulled him back. The man struggled. “What are you doing!? Let me go!”
“Xunrui—”
“Let me go—I have to find my shizun!” Xiao Xunrui said, his movements becoming more erratic as the reality of the situation caught up to him.
Xiao Guo shifted in Tian Xiewen’s arms, her eyes widening in horror as her drowsiness disappeared.
“Xiao-xiong, calm down—”
“Calm down? How could I calm down? It’s not Shizun, A-Hong is also down there! And Zhou-shijie,” Xiao Xunrui said, gasping for breath. He tried to shove Wuma Qiongling away, but the demon lord gripped him even tighter. “Are you crazy!? Let go of me!”
“A-Rui, you can’t go down there!” Wuma Qiongling shouted. He caged Xiao Xunrui in his arms. “That’s not regular fire—if you go down there, you’ll die too!”
“You can’t say that,” Xiao Xunrui said, his chest heaving as he shoved at Wuma Qiongling. “They’re not dead! You know they aren’t! They’re just buried within the fire. If we go down there now, we can still—”
“We have to get out of here,” Tian Xiewen interrupted. “If we tarry here, we’ll be found out. Let’s meet up with Yi-ge first and—”
“You want to leave? You really want to leave?” Xiao Xunrui asked, staring at Tian Xiewen with bulging eyes. He whipped his head towards Wu Lingtian. “Wu Lingtian, that’s your friend! And your shijie! You’re willing to leave A-Hong?”
Wu Lingtian held Xiao Xunrui’s reddened gaze for a moment before averting his eyes. “If they’re in that fire, then they’re dead.”
“Dead…that’s not possible,” Xiu Lan murmured, her hands covering her mouth. “Wu-shishu, if Zhou—hishu is in there, doesn’t that mean—”
“No one can survive a fire like that,” Wu Lingtian said coldly. “Not even the living puppets could survive, much less people.”
“Then, at least do them the favor of fishing out their corpses!” Xiao Xunrui shouted. “How could you be so cruel?!”
“I’m being practical!” Wu Lingtian shouted back. He reached out and grabbed onto Xiu Lan, who leaned forward from her sword. Liang Jun grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back.
The girl began to struggle between the two men, tears spilling down her face, creating a sorry image as rain fell down as well. “Wu Lingtian, you’re a heartless monster!”
“Get a hold of yourselves!” Wu Lingtian said as he looked between the two erratic people. “There’s a chance they fled before any of this happened. Right now, what’s important is that we get out of here! If we get captured by Rong Meihua, it’s the end of the line for us!”
“You—”
Xiao Xunrui’s next words were cut short. A swift jab to the back of his neck knocked him out. Wuma Qiongling quickly caught his sword and his person. His gaze was filled with agony as he looked down into the flames. However, it wasn’t for the people he lost—it was agony for the ones his loved one may have lost.
“…Let’s go,” Wu Lingtian said. His nails dug into the palm of his hands as he listened to the crackling fire, that had evolved into a roar.
Liang Jun held the equally limp Xiu Lan in his arms. He bit his lower lip and turned his back to the fire.
Even in this impetuous rainstorm, the fire grew stronger. Xiao Guo buried her head in the crook of Tian Xiewen’s neck. She was trembling, but she didn’t cry. If anything, she was just scared. Sadness hadn’t taken a hold of her yet. That could wait, she felt.
Tian Xiewen silently brushed a hand up and down her back. He let out a soft sigh. “Let’s go.”
The silence was deafening. After flying for nearly a week straight, the group had to stop to rest, or else they would have exhausted their spiritual power. As they recovered, Xiu Lan and Xiao Xunrui refused to talk to anyone else in the group. They were still sensible enough to not turn away the rations sent their way, but their anger was palpable.
Wu Lingtian didn’t bother making conversation or attempt to reconcile with them either. The entire time they waited, his back was turned coldly towards them. The wounds on the palm of his hands got deeper and more apparent.
At some point, he and Tian Xiewen had changed from the ceremonial robes, opting for more practical, arrow-sleeved robes again. The heavy crown was removed, replaced by a simple jade one. Still, the black pendent of Screeching Sparrow Sect remained proudly at Wu Lingtian’s waist.
Some time after, the group finally ascended to the skies again. Liang Jun still rode with Xiu Lan, despite the lack of conversation. The adults took turns carrying Xiao Guo, but little communication was to be had.
Eventually, after another few days of travel, Tian Xiewen successfully found Qingyao Manor. The manor was coated in arrays, far too advanced for Tian Xiewen to even begin to solve. Thankfully, Wu Lingtian found that, so-long as they had the pendent of Screeching Sparrow Sect, they were able to make it through safely.
By the time they arrived at the actual manor, it had already been a full day and night.
There were no servants there and Fan Yi and the others had yet to arrive. Exhausted, Tian Xiewen vaguely waved towards the guest rooms. Without discussing, the group broke off. Xiao Xunrui took Wuma Qiongling and his daughter to one room; Xiu Lan allowed Liang Jun to follow him to another. Tian Xiewen took the last remaining room in the area. As for Wu Lingtian, he remained out in the courtyard in the snow.
He tugged the cloak tighter around himself and left the courtyard. His cloak dragged on the snow ground as he made his way towards the main courtyard. There, he found various trees that still retained their leaves. In general, the courtyard was cleaned up after. The inside was a little dusty, but it wasn’t unreasonably so. It was clear that someone came to clean often.
There were paintings, decorating the walls. Books filled the bookshelves to the brim. The chairs and tables were arranged in a way wealthy families might keep their things. Still, the main hall remained cozy and small.
As Wu Lingtian trailed in, he could almost envision a family of six, made of three generations—grandparents, parents, and the three children. The two youngest would be chasing after their older brother. At the head of the hall, where the elderly sat, they would have delighted smiles on their faces. The parents would be following after their children, worried that they may fall or that they may break something. Servants would be peacefully standing to the side, watching this familiar fiasco.
Perhaps, on days that were the clearest and the sun was the warmest, a relative would visit. This relative would spend his time, speaking to his sister and his brother-in-law in a cheerful tone. Sometimes, when he caught the oldest son sneaking back in, he would hold him back and scold him in a way the eldest’s parents wouldn’t normally scold him. The oldest son would roll his eyes, talk back a few words, but would be quick to coax his uncle.
That was the type of family this place housed—a warm, forgiving, and loving family.
Wu Lingtian ran his hand over the furniture that was artificially worn. A small smile curved on his lips as he imagined the time Fan Yi put into putting the bumps and chips on even the most mundane furniture. He glanced at the two chairs at the front, where he figured the elderly would sit, his gaze unmoving from the chairs. He soon managed to pull himself away and venture further into the house.
Though he was wandering, he had a purpose. Eventually, he found the ancestral hall.
It was filled with names he never knew and people he would never meet. The name plaques that stood out the most were naturally the ones in the center. Grandparents, parents, and then two smaller plaques for children. Wu Lingtian took the incense from the side, lit it up, and knelt down in front of the altar. He bowed three times in reverence before standing and placing the incense into the pot.
He moved back to the cushion and knelt down, his eyes carefully reading every name in front of him.
“My name is Wu Lingtian,” his voice sounded, mixing in with the emptiness of the room. “I wish I could have come to greet you all in a more peaceful time. It’s truly unfortunate that our first meeting is at a time like this. You don’t know me, but I’ve heard a lot about you all. Sect Leader…Yishan talks about you all a lot. Whenever he cooks, whenever he cleans, whenever he’s working, whenever he’s resting—there’s never a time he doesn’t mention his family. I wish I could have met you all, but I was born too late.”
Wu Lingtian laughed wryly. He lowered his gaze, a bitter smile on his face. “I wonder what you all would have thought of me.”
Naturally, there was no response. The spirits of these people had been laid to rest long ago. It was better this way, but the silence only perpetuated the emptiness in Wu Lingtian’s heart.
“Heartless,” Wu Lingtian mumbled. “Cruel and unscrupulous; white-eyed wolf. That’s me. I thought…I guess, I thought if I forgot everything, I could change. I suppose I don’t know myself well. I should have known I wouldn’t have let myself forget so easily either. And nature isn’t something that can be changed. Even without my memories, I’m sure I still would have left…”
“You were here?”
Wu Lingtian hummed.
Liang Jun walked in quietly. He took a few incense sticks from the side, lit them, bowed a few times, and placed the incense onto the altar. He took a step back, his eyes scanned the plaques in front of them.
“Is she okay?”
“She’s okay,” Liang Jun said. He glanced at Wu Lingtian. “Are you?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“…They didn’t mean those words,” Liang Jun said awkwardly. “They were just worked up. They—”
“They’re not wrong,” Wu Lingtian said. “I am cruel. I am a heartless monster. What of it?”
“Wu-shishu…”
“Those puppets that chased us—I helped make those,” Wu Lingtian said. He scoffed. “Yet I can’t control them. Not only am I a monster, I’m also useless.”
“That’s…that’s not—”
“If you came here to comfort me, I’d say spare your efforts. Was there something you needed?”
Liang Jun shook his head. “I saw that you weren’t in any of the rooms, so I got worried.”
“I’m fine. I’m not stupid enough to do anything ridiculous in this situation,” Wu Lingtian said. “Go back to Xiu Lan.”
“…But…what about you?”
“I’ll stay here,” Wu Lingtian said, his gaze still on the altar.
“You should get some rest,” Liang Jun said.
“I will. Don’t worry,” Wu Lingtian said. He finally pulled his gaze away and turned to Liang Jun. He offered a smile. “Go look for Xiu Lan.”
Liang Jun shifted from foot to foot. “Alright…Tian-shishu was talking about getting food later…if you’re still here, I’ll come deliver it.”
“Alright,” Wu Lingtian hummed. “Thank you.”
Liang Jun watched Wu Lingtian face the front again. He looked for words to say, but he wasn’t as eloquent as Su Han, nor was he as sensitive and caring as Wen Yi. He could only watch Wu Lingtian silently, his chest aching uncomfortably all the while. He turned away, scolding himself for being useless, and left to accompany Xiu Lan.
I might be crying, just a little bit…
Still, thank you for the chapter!
thank you for the tears 🥺
It would be so difficult to act on faith in the ones who stayed to fight, wisdom to know it’s the most logical way to make it work, and discipline to stick to the plan instead of being ruled by emotions. And of course none of us really believe Fan YI’s family would see Wu Lingtian the way he thinks.