79 The willow tree

She was buried beneath a willow tree.

Yuan Xuelan remembered it to be a calm and scenic spot; a little glade in the midst of dense shrubbery. The morning light fell past the canopy, dotting the ground with leaf-shaped shadows. It was Cao Hong's secret place, where she would go to escape the mean rumors that compared her to her husband's late wife. In that peaceful spot, they laid her to rest in the midst of winter. Yuan Xuelan never imagined that such a sacred place could be disrupted of its divine tranquility.

And yet.

As they approached the resentful energy only grew thicker and thicker. Dread was awry in his soul and Yuan Xuelan said nothing, only watching Liu Sumeng's white-clad shoulders walk on ahead of him.

But a part of him already understood the thing that he didn't wish to understand. Liu Sumeng peeled away the last of the foliage that shrouded their view of the glade.

And there, Peng Jipei stood over his mother's grave. A red light glowed at his feet as he chanted something dark and evil.

Yuan Xuelan should have known. It shouldn't have been a surprise that Peng Jipei was capable of such a feat. Shouldn't he have seen it coming? Why wouldn't Peng Jipei of all people go through such extremes for his beloved mother? And for the first time, Yuan Xuelan felt his heartache and anger simmer at his cousin's folly. "Peng-ge! Stop this!" He shouted.

Peng Jipei did not listen and continued to chant his spell. Liu Sumeng drew Mingshui but they were too slow with getting there. A pale, undead hand clawed its way out of the soil. And when Liu Sumeng dashed forth, his blade was met with Cao Hong's mighty strength. She growled at him and threw him aside with her the might of a savage corpse. Liu Sumeng was not so easily thrown off balance and was quick to find his footing away, meeting Cao Hong head-on without fear.

Peng Jipei ground his teeth and shouted at the Ivory Sword Saint with anger strained the veins in his face, "Leave Mother alone! Why can't I have my reunion in peace!? Fucker!"

"What the heck!" Yuan Xuelan shouted at his foolish cousin, "Just what in the world are you doing, Peng-ge!" He reluctantly drew Silei and pointed it towards this idiotic cousin of his.

But Peng Jipei, now exposed, was clearly mad and shouted, "What does it look like I'm doing!? You should be able to understand me!"

Yuan Xuelan wished that he could refute Peng Jipei but he couldn't. Not when he too, could easily cast aside morals for the sake of his loved ones. But still! "Are you sure you want Auntie Cao like that!? She's just a savage corpse now!"

"Shut up! I won't let even you insult my mother like that!" The resentful energy around them thickened as Peng Jipei held up a hand seal. He seemed to know what he was doing. Just when and where did this guy learn the Devil Path!? More corpses began to creep out from between the outline of trees, controlled by Peng Jipei. Yuan Xuelan hacked them down with his golden blade.

The corpses that walked towards them were stronger than the ones they faced within the manor, being fed with more power by Pend Jipei's technique. But their superior strength and speed weren't enough to fluster Yuan Xuelan.

Peng Jipei clicked his tongue in annoyance and set more ghouls after the Ivory Sword Saint to help his dear mother.

If Liu Sumeng was alarmed by the approaching corpses that surrounded him, he didn't allow it to show. Not a single breath or movement was wasted. He cut down anything that ventured too close without losing ground against the savage corpse Cao Hong. He kept his pressure on her. She was still a fresh corpse and Peng Jipei had yet to feed her with terrifying destructive power. At this level, she was still an easy opponent for the Ivory Sword Saint and nothing like the fiend he had faced in his previous life!

He thrust Mingshui, slicing deep into her arm. Cao Hong howled and Peng Jipei gasped and concentrated on his spell. More foes came from the shadows. He even tried summoning the ones caught beneath the rubble back in the manor, uncaring that those bodies had been people he used to know and live with.

But at this point, Peng Jipei's cultivation on the Devil Path was yet still fresh and he was unable to muster such a feat. He was no idiot and could tell that he was outmatched by his opponents. "Mother!" He called as he sent more corpses barreling toward the Ivory Sword Saint.

Cao Hong stepped back to disengage, but the Ivory Sword Saint wasn't so easily fooled. The corpses grappled for him, clawing into his arms and legs and even sunk their teeth into his flesh. He ignored them and pursued Cao Hong with pinpoint fury. As if he would let this monster get away to wreak havoc as she did in his previous life!

He remembered the savage corpse Cao Hong, fat, and glowing from the amount of souls and flesh she consumed. She had looked down on him from the halls of a burning Hidden Mist Manor a with a savage grin upon her lips. But right now! She could be defeated with ease!

Mingshui came down with a cleave but he missed his mark by the slightest with all the corpses clinging to his body. Yuan Xuelan's voice was shouting for him too but he ignored it and lodged Mingshui into her upper arm instead of her neck. Annoyance and disappointment were sharp in his mind.

Liu Sumeng gritted his teeth and was about to saw through Cao Hong's body with one decisive strike. But he hadn't noticed how the sky became saturated with darkness and Yuan Xuelan rushing toward him with Silei's brilliant gold. He stumbled back when Yuan Xuelan yanked one of the corpses that was chewing a hole through his shoulder. Mingshui came free. Cao Hong's arm fell down with a thud.

"Can't you take your own safety into consideration for once!?" Yuan Xuelan cut down the corpses piled on the Ivory Sword Saint. Red filled his vision, his emotions difficult to withhold when he saw those things tearing and clawing for a piece of his Sumeng. How dare they!

And only when the weight dragging Liu Sumeng down got lighter did he realized that something was amiss in the skies. Quickly, he raised his hand and formed a set of seals. The light glow of barrier erected around them as something like arrows fell upon them.

"Why are you taking so damn long? Is your asshole really that dirty?" Hui Ziwang fluttered down upon a cloud of black wings.

But Peng Jipei ignored him and took this chance to call his mother back to his side, "Mother!" His voice was frantic as he looked at her injury. But Cao Hong was already dead and was unaffected by her severed arm. "You fucking bastard! I'll make you pay!" He roared at Liu Sumeng.

"Y-you…" Yuan Xuelan clenched his teeth, his free hand curled into a fist as he saw the Demon King stand by Peng Jipei's side. "You betrayed us!" He was enraged. Understanding had taken its time to truly settled in… But now that he could see Peng Jipei standing next to his Auntie's resurrected corpse and the fucking Demon King at his side there was no more uncertainty as to what had happened.

Peng Jipei had betrayed them.

Peng Jipei had taken advantage of Yuan Xuelan's trust. His loyalty!

That fucker Peng Jipei was responsible for hurting Liu Sumeng!

But that hateful Peng Jipei was mad and cared little for his cousin's fury, "It wasn't as if I wanted to betray you, A-Zhang! I'm not…this was just…for my mother! A-and! Look at her! Look at what that bastard did to her!" He motioned to her severed arm and glared at the Ivory Sword Saint. His eyes were glassy with hurt.

Hui Ziwang slapped his own face with his palm and growled his complaints, "I don't have time to deal with this fucking family drama!" He grabbed Peng Jipei by the arm. An array inscribed in the ground began to glow red.

"Let go!" Peng Jipei shouted and kicked wildly but there was nothing he could do as a light began to surround them.

Yuan Xuelan, realizing what was going on began to rush toward them. But Hui Ziwang took a dark feather and shot it at the teenager like a dart. Yuan Xuelan dodged the attack only to have a dozen more thrown at him. He raised Silei in defense was unable to reach them as the spell engulfed them. Where once stood Hui Ziwang, Peng Jipei, and the corpse of Cao Hong, was simply nothing.

"Dammit!" Yuan Xuelan cried and stomped at the ground with anger. All the emotions building up within began to overflow and he didn't even have anything to unleash his frustration on.

That was when he was reminded of the stray corpses. Only a few were left, awkwardly stumbling around the two cultivators growling but unhurried without Peng Jipei's instruction.

Yuan Xuelan saw red and unleashed his anger on these corpses. He cleaved one right in half, the rotten internal organs spilled out and was burned to a charred crisp. He didn't care and continued to beat the dead thing.

Damn that Peng Jipei!

Why was Yuan Xuelan so blind to see his obvious betrayal? Why had he been angry at Liu Sumeng earlier!? Why!?!

What did this loyalty of his even amount to in the end!? He wanted to scream at the heavens. And Peng Jipei who went out his way to commit all this evil just to resurrect his mother was truly pathetic! Fucking pathetic! All the anger, the turmoil that he tried so hard to keep contained spilled out violently.

But who was he even beating? Who was he berating in his mind in the first place?

Who was the criminal who could not see reason? Was it Peng Jipei or--

Yuan Xuelan was utter furious!

And then the corpse below his feet became nothing but a burning black sludge. He wanted to find another one. But there were no more punching bags for him to rage upon, not when the Ivory Sword Saint had already dispatched the rest of the corpses.

Liu Sumeng was looking at him. His fury wavered, a new ugly feeling was upon his heart and Yuan Xuelan saw red. He bit out, "Don't look at me like that."

"Xuelan--"

"Don't!" His voice raised, but he froze and chided his own foolish self. Yuan Xuelan chewed up his lip and turned his gaze aside. "You must think I'm pitiful, huh?"

"...No."

"Don't lie. Go ahead. You can laugh at me."

"I won't."

Yuan Xulan's eyes were livid. He wanted to scream and to shout, to lash out. Like a sixteen-year-old boy all over again.