Chapter Text
You ask me, in this secular modern life, what does cultivation worth?
"Jin Ling, you done yet, get your ass in mid we’re getting the dragon”
"Wait, I haven't...5 more seconds"
"Zizhen, get yourself down here.”
“Our 5th is attacking the enemy turret alone”
“Ignore that stupid bitch, the dragon spawn in 2”
“Okay is everyone ready?”
“Awe fuck I missed the shot!”
“Young mistress, what in the name of everything holy you think you’re a pro?”
“Everyone retreat to base; they got the dragon.”
" I am trying .... this last one won’t let me go to base"
"I am here, Zizhen good, good slash some more be careful of the left"
“Uh this stupid developer didn’t fix the bug?”
"fuck! okay go, go shit...shit, shit no."
"Oh my god...how did it happen?"
"that was a very close one"
' YOU LOSE' Said the animatronic male in their headphones.
" okay gg... gg..." they murmured before the screen change shown their team stats. The internet cafe had been bustling with male around their age and older screaming to the computer and furiously pressing the keyboards. Zizhen, Jingyi, Shizui, and Jin Ling sit on the same row in their school uniforms and bag thrown astray under the table.
Jingyi throw away his headphones gently and face Jin Ling.
"Jin ling you useless jungler" Jingyi said as he reclines his chair because Shizui's chair is in the middle of him and Jin ling
"huh...what did you say you useless top you wann-umf ummff" jin ling had also reclines his chair facing Jinyi but his mouth suddenly fell shut and refuse to open as he scratch his mouth.
Jingyi "Hahah- ummmf ummf" he was mid laughter but his mouth fell shut afterwards.
"Don't fight in public" Shizui has slapped them in the mouth with the Lan silencing spell. The both Lan and Jin can't speak but their eyes are doing the conversation. At least for a minute Shizui lets go of them both.
Jingyi had hover his mouse to the homepage "Okay another round? Zizhen how much time do we have left?"
Zizhen "10...no 5 minutes left" he said, looking at his school approved black digital watch.
"Awwh .... man, ...should've pick midline" Jingyi grab his cup noodle behind the monitor and start to slurp his bloated noodles.
"You suck midline Jingyi...Zizhen is the only Grandmaster in our group. But seriously Zizhen xiong, how did you get your rank that high? Who carried you, Can I get their ID"
"Sorry young mistress, I earn that title. Over the winter break the old man left me alone so I got a lot of time. " Zizhen was crossing his arm and scratching his nose
"You should just become a pro and treat us to hot pot sometimes after winning worlds...Jingyi-ge can i have some..." Jin ling made grabby hands to the cup noodles. Jingyi had empty the cup and showed it to Jin ling. Jin ling eyes him with contempt in return.
Shizui "Hey guys, somebody @/us on weibo we got a new request."
When they were talking Shizui had logged in to their blog. They have opened a blog for reporting sighting of ghost and other mystical appearances around the country by normal people. It's a quite popular horror blog mainly to gather information for modern life cultivators to suppress the ghost. In the modern time of technology and exact science, do mystical beings still have a place?
"Is it real? Lemme see"
The three of them have crowded to Shizui's computer booth. They are seeing a post about a haunting in the city park, where there is a big banyan tree. There was a sighting of a hanging ghost when a group of street dancers was practicing in the park. There was a photo attached of the banyan tree. Though most people can't see it in the photo, the junior disciples of the biggest cultivation clan in china's history can.
They all had a shock when the computer had loaded the image.A pale ghost with a rope around the neck the eyes bloodshot and its long red tongue flowing out of its mouth. Its long hair had covered most of its body features, roots of the banyan tree and hair alike swaying the same way. Its body is hanging one of the branches of the banyan tree. In conclusion, overall appearance is frightening indeed.
" Gods, that looked sick.." Jingyi covered his mouth suppressing a sickness coming
" We should go, our time is up..." Zizhen had said and an employee walked to them notifying their time is up. They all logged out of their accounts and went outside of the building hosting the internet cafe.
Jin Ling" I'm hungry..it's only 5 let's go to mc Donalds"
Zizhen " it's almost dinner time, if we eat now, we won't eat dinner, my mom is going to kill me if i don't 'eat the food from home'"
Jingyi "a snack won't hurt, how about auntie wen spicy rice noodle pork..is around here right shizui?"
Shizui "2 blocks and a right, but zizhen is right a-die is gonna call me if don't get home by 6...you should get home too... Jin Ling, your mom is worried about you"
Zizhen "Okay, i guess me and Jin Ling are going home to the station, you and Jingyi are going that way right ?"
JinLing "Zizhen-xiong you are taking me away ?" He looked at him with puppy eyes.
Sizhui " A-Ling go home, you don't want
a-ma to slap you with zidian..or jiujiu whichever is home first"
Hearing this Jin Ling back hair stood up and he turned around the way to the station grabbing Zizhen by the arm. " bye see you late tonight..." said Zizhen waving his arms as they both disappear to the sea of people going throughout the station.
Shizui " okay I'll take you auntie wen, and you go straight home Lan Jingyi..."
Both of the Lans walk to a restaurant with an open door. The glass window said 'Auntie Wen Noodles, 50-year tradition, guaranteed taste' behind it is Shizui's uncle Ning pulling and stretching white dough and before putting them into a boiling pot of water. Inside there are uncles and aunties who came to eat spicy noodles. They sat at plastic chairs with the table pushed to the side of the walls.
Auntie Qing has greeted them both from the cashier booth.
"A-Yuan! come ..come inside..oh you bought Jingyi" she ushers them both into empty the wooden table pushed to the side of wall. They pull out the plastic chairs under and sit.
"What do you want ah? " she stroked Shizui's back
"No me, just Jingyi to-go auntie"
"Good, good, okay son what do you want" her tone changed
"Oh I want level 3 spicy beef noodles, auntie is there any steam bun left?"
"No, there is no steam bun left..come to the cashier " she made him followed her to the cashier table and Jingyi tap his phone at the barcode on the cashier table.
"A-ning, level 3..." she said from the cashier table
As they wait for Jingyi's order, Shizui's uncle Ning called him to the barricade of the kitchen from the shop.
"A-Yuan, how is master Wei ? Does he wants some noodles ?"
" no, Uncle Ning, A-die is already cooking dinner, though I'll tell xian gege to come here next time"
"A-Yuan how about, I give you service of noodles ah? Give it to master Wei..don't tell my jiejie"
"A-ning no noodles for master Wei, he will come here and only then, I'll pay him back" auntie qing had heard their conversation from the cashier booth.
"Well, I really want to it's because of his invention I could live a little longer ah"
There was a pendant tucked in on Uncle Ning's shirt. A-die's boyfriend created it and he almost got killed for it. If it wasn't for the rules of the nation, and the sheer rationality of killing a person for such little significance for the already disappearing cultivation community is time-wasting. Wei Wuxian has escaped death.
"Jingyi your order.." auntie qing called him with a plastic filled with a container of noodles. "Next time, A- Yuan you better come here with Wei Ying, now be careful on the way home.." she said as she also handed him a plastic some fried dumplings with a bottle of chili sauce. "Be careful..." she shouted from the door of the restaurant
"A-Yuan...is your aunt, single by any chance?" Jingyi said along the way to his dormitory.
Shizui eyed him "Don't call me A-Yuan, now hurry up you don't wanna get locked up" Shizui said that and began ahead
Jingyi jogged a little as they arrive at a dorm house where Jingyi lives. His parents are back in Gusu, taking care of the business that the Gusu Lan Sect picked up to survive the modern times.
" okay bye, see you tonight ...don't forget you qin ...I'll write the busking permission" Jingyi said as he opened the gate and went inside.
It's 5 minutes more walk and a lift ride to arrive where his father and his boyfriend live. He taps the card to the door and enters.
"A-Yuan, what you got there?" Wei Wuxian comes from the living room and greets him, while he takes off his shoes "Hey, is that from Wen Qing, sweet...Lan Zhan's not home yet, you better go shower..have you eaten yet" he said as he took the plastic bag from him.
"No.. I haven't, Xian -Gege ...are you going to cook?" Shizui's arm hair stood when Wei Wuxian enters the kitchen
" No I'm just gonna put this in the microwave...ah you dad had cooked some food in the morning so I'm going to reheat that...don't worry A-Yuan .."
************
When Jin Ling arrived at his house on the top side of the town, he enters the gate slowly and carefully. It's past 6 because the train had some delays (he stopped for a steam bun) .
As he opens the door and puts away his shoes. His grandmother and uncle were fighting in the living room beside him.
"Please let your parents die peacefully, A-cheng...how is it that when I go to the park this morning, all of the matchmakers turn me away...why must you put me in a bad face ah" Grandmother Yu was scolding his mid-thirty years old unmarried uncle.
"How is that my fault? If the marriage market isn't going to accept me, I'll find one myself" his uncle barked back
"How dare you? Talk like this to your mother, you heartless son, who raised you like this" A-ma had her hand raise up and his uncle flinch. This is the perfect time for Jin Ling to go upstairs. A couple of flight of stairs later...
"Jin Ling is that you ?" His mother called him from the kitchen.
"Mama, I'm home, I'm gonna shower..." he shouted from the stairs and goes to his room throw his backpack
From the bathroom, grandma Yu and his uncle fighting noises can be heard. They are still having an altercation about his uncle's marriage. Continue along the lines of job, and how he is going to take over grandpa Jiang's shipping business so it should be enough to fulfill his filial piety. And his grandma had pulled her trump card of all Asian mother: comparing him to uncle Wei again. Jin Ling wonders if his grandmother knows his son very well dislikes getting compared all his life to his adopted brother and will flip out, why still do it.
Jin Ling has brought his phone with him in the shower. He turned his music a little louder and ignoring the commotion below.
Jin Ling's dad comes home from work at 7 with grandpa Jiang. They arrive in the family car, with Grandpa Jiang bought some plastic of fruits on the side. His mother welcomes them and takes away the fruit to wash them.They gather around for dinner. Dinner smells good, though Jin Ling is a little full from the steam bun(s) earlier. He only took a half portion of rice and almost close the rice cooker lid and his uncle eyed him "A-Ling why you take only one spoon huh? You want to get sick ?!"
"A-Ling eat more, dear.. you're still growing" his mother put some more dishes on the table. He opens the rice cooker and scoop some more rice into his bowl.
Jing Ling slowly eats the dinner, as he was about to ask his dad for permission to go on a night hunt with his friends. Looking at grandma Yu's sour face at his uncle, he thinks he got more indigestion. But 'let lose my skin first... and 'do the impossible'' he thought
"Father, can I go out tonight, there is a night hunt at the park, I'm going with Shizui...he is going by bike so he'll take me home"." I'll be home by 9, I promise" Jin Ling rapt all of these words, the family stopped their chopsticks.
" night hunt? Where?" His father said
" ...city park"
"With who?" His dad asked
"Shizui, Jingyi, Zhizhen.."
" What are you going to hunt for?" His uncle this time
" a hanged ghost ..."
" your homework?" His mother asked.
"Uh, ....." Jin Ling looked to the side
"You kids, trying to make night hunts as an excuse to go out, ...one ghost 4 cultivators, in my time, one ghost, one person....poor ghost got ganged up by 4 kids....you are not gangsters, you are cultivators " his grandmother scoffs as she continues to eat.
'Looks like I'm not going' Jin Ling thought
"Well, as long as he finishes his homework, he can go right ?" His uncle suddenly put down his chopsticks.
"Yes, but he has to turn by 9" his dad said
"okay Jin Ling, what homework do you have, uncle is the 2nd rank throughout my highschool"
The first was Wei Ying.
Jin Ling looked up at his Uncle and said "English, an essay actually.."
Jiang Wanyin gulped and picked up his bowl and put it in the sink "I can't help you with that, you're on your own, say hello to Shizui for me"
Jin Ling knew it he can't go. He finishes his dinner and goes to write his essay. He opens his chatroom and apologizes to the group.
*********
Three of four had arrived at the city park at 8 pm. The park is still living with the youth of the city, some couples and some buskers are scattered everywhere at the park. The boys have stood under the banyan tree. The place becomes deserted and never has good lighting before. It is sure is a good haunting spot, they're prepared to catch more than one in a place like this. Then, they walk around the banyan tree looking for resentful energy.
Shizui has his qin on his back and sword concealed under his robes. In a public place with throughout surveillance, cultivators had a big problem trying not to appear suspicious, and carrying a long-ass pointy sword would sound like a jail-time. On night hunts, he dressed as a Lan disciple, all-white robes with its classic cloud embroidery with the forehead bow. Zhizhen has brought lighting fixtures and his sword concealed under his jacket. Jingyi bought a tarp and a folding table but he puts on the Lan forehead bow with the cloud embroidery in the middle, his sword concealed underneath his jackets.
They set up a busking place near the banyan tree. Shizui uncovers his seven-string guqin and place them in the folding table Jingyi brought. He sat at the tarp and began to pluck the strings.
Zizhen set up a selfie stick and his phone. He opens TikTok and records Shizui playing random songs on the guqin. An officer came by, and Jingyi gave them the permission of busking note.' It has Zewu-Jun stamp on it, it is official, you can't say no to us... duh'. The officer looked at them and gave the permission paper back. The officer went but hadn't gone far yet.
"Shizui, we're ready..." Jingyi said
" Wait, give me powder (concealing talisman) ...quick I for my face (sword)" Zizhen said try to not be suspicious
Jingyi walks closer as he pats the talisman oh Zizhen sword underneath the jacket, looks at the officer. Then the officer turns away.
"Okay...Shizui you ready, Sound of Vanquish..."
Shizui began to play and ZiZhen hit record on his phone the three of them goes around the banyan tree. Shizui's qin playing blows the wind. The atmosphere around d the tree changes. The energy of the place feels heavier. Jingyi and Zizhen is on guard, a talisman ready at hand, and their sword concealed as a stick in the normal eye. People from a faraway stopped to see these three boys one busking (summoning a ghost) two turning around the tree with a paper and stick. They look stupid, but do they care?
After a round of the tree, they met in one side of the tree. Shizui ejects more spiritual energy into his playing. As another note resounds around the banyan tree, a whiff of resentful energy strokes their back hair, and they stood up. "Jingyi...be cautions" Shizui said as he pointed out one the fingers to something above Jingyi and Zizhen
Jingyi turns around, at his eye level there were human feet dangling, along with the banyan tree roots. He looked up and saw the hanging ghost, with its head bent down looking into the young cultivators eyes. Its long tongue slithers from its mouth, making groaning noises. Jingyi whacks his head to the side of his shoulder but finds not the root of the banyan tree but a human hair. He got a surprise for a minute but, try to focus them onto his golden core, so the ghost won't take any more yin energy from him.
"Zizhen, quick…" Shizui called as he played another round of Sound of Vanquish
Zizhen jumped up to the tree bark and spun his body forward, with his sword and concealed by the thick leaves of the banyan tree he swung his sword at the branch where hanged ghost are.
The branch fell to the ground, just as Zizhen jumped to the ground. He looked like just done parkour with a stick and paper in hand. But that didn't matter, because Jingyi almost passed out of a corpse just landed on his feet with a sound of something had broken.
The corpse writhed on the ground with its tongue stuck out making groaning noises, and Jingyi throws his talisman to the corpse so it didn't have the chance to move. He puts another round vanquishing talisman as he spun and cut his fingers on his sword and activated the talisman. Shizui played Song of Rest. With both of their attack, the ghost has turned into dust and its particles turned as light into the sky.
"Well, that's for today..everybody, Zizhen said to the phone..thank you, thank you for your donations, if you think it is a scam please don't watch and go be on your way, brothers and sister I bid you goodbye for tonight....yes I'll post Shizui's picture after this, okay byeee" he ended the stream.
After that, Jingyi begin to tend his cut, and Zizhen is cleaning up the lights. Shizui covering his guqin back, and his gestures are very graceful and concise with the white robes. Whatever happens to them can't be seen by the naked eye, but to normal people standards they do stand out. To their unawareness, most of the high school girls that stop by the area to look at the trio, with their phone concealed to take pictures of the white-robed young boy.
A lone bystander was watching from a far. She then, approaches the trio. The woman who was approaching them stopped and called out to them.
"E-excuse me, brothers .." she said
Shizui stood up with Jingyi, Zizhen followed him behind.
"You guys are very good at what you're doing...are you here every night? " she hands them a coin.
"Yes and no ma'am ...we don't take money sorry, and we move around a lot...haha" Jingyi said
She pointed at the Lan Sect wardrobes Shizui is wearing " is this ...a costume?"
As she said this, Shizui politely smiles and said " No, ma'am this is my p- yes this is a cos-tume" he quickly said as Zizhen nudge him in the middle.
"You are very talented in music, and these brothers are very athletic and flexible, do you perhaps have an interest in arts?" She said
She held a name card for the three of them.
It was a foreign name, and the address is in ......South Korea.
"This is my name ard, I am from **** Entertainment, there is a global audition next week at the address at this place " she handed them a brochure of the company's search for global talent to become the next K-pop idol.
"Can any of you give me a barcode, I'll ping yours, and that way I can contact you" she said.
The boys are so flustered by the offer. Shizui can hear the little squeal of a group of high school girls by the side.
"We'll call you back," Zizhen said
Jingyi and Shizui looked at him with surprised and polite aggression. Zizhen eyed him back with a 'the sooner the better we out of here' look.
The recruiting agent has left, and so the girls, they finish their packing and are about to go to their separate homes.
"Bye see you tomorrow at school" Zizhen said " I'm going to show my sisters, I got recruited to become a Kpop idol hahah"
"That bastard, what if we got terrorized by that lady, I heard they can be really so convincing, and we had no choice to GO TO KOREA AND BECOME ....what was that again, Shizui you know this..." Jingyi said
"In the name of the Jade Emperor and the Gusu Lan Sect this disciple vows to exterminate resentful beings that interrupt the human daily lives, and protect the 4000 thousand rules of the Gusu Lan Sect, This robe, and my forehead band is my soul, my way of living" Shizui had his right hand on his chest
"hahaha you'll be just that future Sect Leader Lan, though even that title isn't worth anything these days" Jingyi replied
They went out to the park and walk their way home. Shizui looked at the brochure the woman gave them. It's not the first time Shizui got street-casted by a talent agent, more like he has been cast like a dozen times. The numbers of frequencies shot-up after they are considered old enough by Lan Wangji to perform night hunts alone.
"This is embarrassing. Am I that handsome Jingyi?" Shizui said
The street they took, has the moonlight illuminate the way. The white robes Shizui wears is glowing, giving him a sort of holo. The wind is blowing where they are passing. both of their long forehead ribbons are fluttering in the wind, cloud embroidery on Shizui's robes sways in the wind.
A passerby had looked at the two boys. Both are very tall and their skin glows like jade. They may have short hairs that made them look like still in school but their natural elegance made them look older. Especially the one who was wearing the white robes, if this was the old days, it's like a heavenly official had come down from the sky, blessing their eyes of these common men and women.
"Ah, I look better, just a bit" Jingyi said