The Guanyin Temple (观音寺庙, Guānyīn Sìmiào) is located in Yunping City, in the Yunmeng area.
History[]
About thirteen years prior to the novel's present day, a brothel stood where the Guanyin Temple was built. After it was burned down by Xue Yang on the orders of Jin Guangyao,[1] Jin Guangyao purchases the land himself and built a temple to house his mother Meng Shi's body. He had the statue's face engraved to resemble her, so that she would receive people's worship and reincarnate into a better life.[2] The temple was completely constructed at least eight years prior to Wei Wuxian's resurrection.[3]
At some point in time before the final confrontation with Jin Guangyao, Nie Huaisang removed Meng Shi's body from its coffin, replacing it with a poisonous trap and the decapitated head of his brother, Nie Mingjue.[4]
Final Confrontation with Jin Guangyao[]
Wei Wuxian becomes aware of the existence of Guanyin temple when he possesses the body of a paperman to sneak into Jin Guangyao’s secret room. As the paperman, Wei Wuxian notices the title deed to the temple next to a book of demonic practices that he wrote himself.[5]
After he and Lan Wangji first investigate the Guanyin Temple, Wei Wuxian can sense that something is sealed inside it.[3]
After sneaking in at night with Wen Ning, Wei Wuxian sees that Lan Xichen had been captured by Jin Guangyao. Wei Wuxian tells Wen Ning to fetch Lan Wangji, but then gets himself captured to protect Jin Ling, who had also been alerted to the temple by his dog Fairy.[6]
Once Jin Ling is also captured, Jin Guangyao sends Su She to kill Fairy and insinuates that he would cut off Wei Wuxian’s tongue and fingers if he made a move to summon spirits.[7]
Jin Guangyao then inquires why Lan Wangji is moving separately from Wei Wuxian. At Wei Wuxian's resulting confusion, Lan Xichen becomes irate, because it seems to him that Wei Wuxian has been harassing Lan Wangji, yet claims not to know his feelings.[7]
Wei Wuxian then admits that he does not remember the events after the Bloodbath of Nightless City. Lan Xichen informs him that it was Lan Wangji who took him away from the battlefield and hid him in a cave. Fearing that Lan Wangji would be executed or disgraced, Lan Xichen sought out Lan Qiren and 33 elders who had always thought highly of his brother.[7]
When Lan Wangji was found, he was transferring spiritual energy to Wei Wuxian and begging him to return with him to the Cloud Recesses. At the time Wei Wuxian was in a maddened, unconscious state, repeatedly telling him to "Get Lost." Lan Wangji then fought with his clan's 33 elders, and as a punishment faced 33 lashes with the discipline whip. This left him scarred for life, and while he was rumored to be cultivating in solitude for several years, in reality he was bedridden from his wounds.[7]
Lan Wangji promptly appears in the temple to find Wei Wuxian held hostage by Jin Guangyao, who injures his neck with the string of a guqin. Lan Wangji sheaths Bichen and locks his own spiritual powers, but not before Wei Wuxian confesses his love to Lan Wangji via the cry "I really wanted to sleep with you!"[8]
While Jin Guangyao orders the monks and cultivators to dig for his mother's coffin in the grounds of the temple, he requests that his hostages move inside for shelter, as it is beginning to rain.[8] Once inside, Su She interrupts them with his return, revealing that he has not succeeded in catching Fairy, but that he has captured a fainted Nie Huaisang. Jin Guangyao tells him to he treat Nie Huaisang kindly, and Su She agrees.[8]
Jiang Cheng then arrives with Zidian in hand. Though he initially has the advantage due to surprise, Jin Guangyao preys on Jiang Cheng's emotions by implying that he knoews about the transfer of Wei Wuxian's Golden Core. Jiang Cheng is injured as a result of losing his composure and captured, whereupon he angrily and tearfully asks why Wei Wuxian never told him about the transfer of his Golden Core. He reminds Wei Wuxian of his promise to be his right hand man after he became Clan Leader, and demands to know why Wei Wuxian left him.[9][10]
At this point in time, the monks inform Jin Guangyao that they have found the coffin. Unfortunately, he and Su She are injured by the poisonous trap set in the coffin, and many monks and Jin disciples die.[11]
Lan Wangji notices the backlash scars from the Thousand Sores and Hundred Holes Curse on Su She's body. Su She admits to having cursed Jin Zixun, but not out of any desire to frame Wei Wuxian. He merely despised Jin Zixun's arrogant and bullying ways. Jin Guangyao interrupts to say that they have to seal Lan Xichen's spiritual powers again.[11]
Wei Wuxian seizes control of the chaos to release the array centered on the Guanyin statue, freeing the Ghosts sealed in the temple grounds. Having recovered his spiritual powers, Lan Xichen subsequently captures the injured Jin Guangyao.[11]
The temple is briefly overwhelmed by the chaos of lustful ghosts who seem angry with Jin Guangyao. To discover the reason why, Wei Wuxian uses Empathy with a female ghoul named Anxin. Through Anxin, Wei Wuxian learns that the temple sits on the same land as a brothel that burned down, killing its inhabitants. The brothel was the very one Jin Guangyao grew up in, where Meng Shi and Sisi were also forced to work. The young Meng Yao was frequently bullied by the prostitutes and customers, including Anxin, and once witnessed his mother's violent humiliation by a customer. Sisi was the only prostitute willing to defend them.[12]
Jin Guangyao answers many of Lan Xichen's questions, claiming that a week ago, he received a letter than he could turn himself in and kill himself, or his evil deeds would be exposed. Hence he planned the Second Siege of the Burial Mounds to create enough chaos that he could flee to Dongying with his mother's body.[13]
He confesses that though he married his sister knowingly, he only did so because he consummated his relationship with Qin Su before the wedding, leading to her pregnancy. He indeed sent Jin Zixuan to Qiongqi Path but had only intended to stir chaos, not to have Wei Wuxian lose control and kill Jin Zixuan and Jin Zixun. Lastly, Jin Guangyao admits to killing his father by hiring old prostitutes to rape him to death, referring to it as "a fitting death for an old stallion."[13]
He then takes Jin Ling hostage with another string from a guqin. Though he had been searched for weapons, Jin Guangyao hid this guqin string inside his own abdomen to evade detection. However, his flight is interrupted by the Fierce Corpse of Nie Mingjue battling against Wen Ning. Jin Guangyao's hands begin to shake from his fear of Nie Mingjue, further endangering Jin Ling. Lan Wangji saves him by cutting off Jin Guangyao's right hand.[13]
Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen play a duet to subdue Nie Mingjue, but the fierce corpse attacks Jin Ling after mistaking him for Jin Guangyao. As Jiang Cheng throws Jin Ling behind him and prepares to die, they are saved at the last moment by Wen Ning, who takes the punch through his undead chest instead. At this, Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling lose their ability to hate Wen Ning for the death of Jin Zixuan.[14]
Wei Wuxian whistles a cheerful melody to persuade Nie Mingjue to enter into the unearthed coffin, but as he is about to seal the coffin, they are interrupted by Nie Huaisang's scream. On the surface, it appears that Nie Huaisang was stabbed by Su She;[15] in actuality, he injured himself.[2] Su She tries to defend Jin Guangyao against Nie Mingjue but is killed by him instead, bleeding out before he can even muster a few last words. Wei Wuxian whistles again, but Nie Mingjue's wrath has grown.[15]
Jiang Cheng then tosses Wei Wuxian Chenqing. With the power of his ghoul flute, he and Lan Wangji play a duet to seal Nie Mingjue in the coffin.[15]
Lan Xichen treats Jin Guangyao's many injuries and Nie Huaisang's leg. Though he originally intends to use the pain to teach Jin Guangyao a lesson, he cannot endure his suffering and requests that Nie Huaisang hand him the pain medication. As Lan Xichen turns to Nie Huaisang, Nie Huaisang uses the opportunity to scream for Lan Xichen to look out behind him. Without hesitation, Lan Xichen thrust Shuoyue behind him, mortally wounding Jin Guangyao.[15]
In shock and horror, Jin Guangyao maintains that he had made no move against Lan XiChen, and laments that even he was tricked by Nie Huaisang’s useless fool act. He confesses that while he killed his father, his wife, his brother, his mentor and his friends, he has never thought of harming Lan Xichen.[15]
Mortally wounded, Jin Guangyao wrenches free from Lan Xichen and drags himself to the coffin containing Nie Mingjue. He drips his blood onto the seal to erase its effects, but Lan Xichen grabs him to stop any escape attempt. Nie Mingjue breaks out the coffin, and though Wei Wuxian fears Jin Guangyao intends to die alongside Lan Xichen, Jin Guangyao pushes Lan Xichen out of the way at the last second. Nie Mingjue then breaks Jin Guangyao's neck.[15]
Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian reseal the coffin, shutting both Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao inside. Wei Wuxian speculates that Nie Huaisang was behind the letter, the demonic arm appearing in Mo Village, leading the disciples to Yi City with mutilated cats, and Bicao and Sisi's appearance at Lotus Pier.[4]
Aftermath[]
Many cultivators arrive soon after the death of Jin Guangyao, led to the Guanyin Temple by Fairy. Evidently, the dog had who imitated the Gusu Lan Clan's forehead ribbon with a strip of cloth to alert to the presence of Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji. Observing the scene, Clan Leader Yao mistakenly declares the Guanyin statue to be a symbol of Jin Guangyao’s desire to be worshiped as a deity.[2]
In the resulting chaos, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji slip away to elope. However, upon seeing Chenqing, Lan Sizhui remembers his true identity as Wen Yuan. He promptly chases after Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji to confirm his suspicions.[16]
Trivia[]
- The chapters in which the events in the Guanyin Temple occur are named Hensheng, meaning "hatred of life," and also the name of Jin Guangyao’s sword.
- Wen Ning did not find Lan Wangji at the inn he was staying at with Wei Wuxian; Lan Wangji was already in the streets looking for Wei Wuxian when he was led to the Guanyin Temple by Fairy.[14]
Animation Divergence[]
In the animation, cat corpses are also left at the Guanyin Temple. After their investigation in Yi City, Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and the juniors investigate Yunping City next and discover the temple, the array, and many watchtowers overlooking the temple.[17]
Audio Drama Divergence[]
The Audio Drama adds a brief sword fight between Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao, rather than a straightforward capture after the release of the array.[18]
Web Series Divergence[]
In the Web Series, the Guanyin Temple incident ends with the collapse of the temple itself, caused by Baxia's saber spirit.[19]
Gallery[]
_-_1.png "Guanyin Temple (live-action) - 1.png (1.52 MB)")
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References[]
References[]
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