Ill Winds - Part One is the sixty-first chapter of Mo Dao Zu Shi.
Synopsis []
Three months later, Wang Lingjiao awakens from an apparently recurring nightmare that Wei Wuxian has returned for revenge.
Wen Chao is busy reading a letter and dismisses her concern. He tosses the letter on the floor before cursing at her to "get lost." Wang Lingjiao grabs the letter before leaving.
Although she cannot read well, she understands just enough to learn that Wen Xu has been beheaded in battle, and that his head was displayed at the tip of a sword as a sign of power in front of the battle array.
Wang Lingjiao begins to realize her situation. When the Sunshot Campaign began two months back, everyone dismissed it. The Lanling Jin Clan was on the fence and could likely be persuaded to return to the Qishan Wen Clan's side, Nie Mingjue was so stiff he would probably be murdered by his own cultivators in the Qinghe Nie Clan, the Gusu Lan Clan's Lan Xichen was still a junior, and the Yunmeng Jiang Clan'sJiang Cheng was even younger, and needed to recruit entirely new disciples.
However, things have turned out very differently, with many places in Yunmeng and Hejian taken over.
Wang Lingjiao reflects that she has been with Wen Chao for nearly six months, around the time he usually tires of a woman. Although she hoped to be different, she acknowledges that she is not.
Preparing to leave, she ventures to her room to fetch a chest of jewelry and weapons given to her. To her shock, she finds a ghost baby inside instead of her valuables. Kicking over the chest, she flees to grab a Talisman to protect herself.
Upon her return, Wang Lingjiao is initially relieved to see her valuables instead of the ghoul, but her relief is short-lived: a pair of eyeballs lie on the floor.
Alerted to her screams, Wen Chao storms in, shouting for people to come shut her up. However, he discovers Wang Lingjiao's features hideously twisted, and he stabs her in terror when she approaches him.
As she attempts to eat a stool leg, he screams for Wen Zhuliu to help him. Opening a window to jump, he sees a black silhouette standing in the courtyard below.
That same night, Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji join forces to assassinate Wen Chao. The last time they saw each other was two months past, when they joined with Lan Xichen to retrieve their swords from the Qishan Wen Clan. Lan Wangji asks if there is any news of Wei Wuxian, and Jiang Cheng admits there is not.
Entering the supervision office, they are stunned to see no living Wens. In fact, all seem to have killed themselves in different ways.
Jiang Cheng is gratified, however, to see Wang Lingjiao dead. He shoves the stool leg farther down her throat.
They examine the talismans on the doors and find a few odd strokes; Lan Wangji takes the talismans back to Gusu for study while Jiang Cheng chases after Wen Zhuliu and Wen Chao, who seem to have escaped.
A few days later, Lan Wangji returns to explain that the Talisman is reversed, and written in human blood. Rather than repel evil, these talismans attracts evil. While Lan Wangji is concerned about the use of such a sinister method, Jiang Cheng insists that he does not mind as long as the person is on their side.
As they trail Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu north, they continue to find many Wens dead in the same varied and gruesome ways. After four days, they trace Wen Zhuliu to a courier station in a remote mountainous city.
Cautious of his Core-Melting Hand, they wait on the rooftop to observe.
Wen Chao's voice is high-pitched, quite different from before. He is in a terrible state, with his head bald, scarred, and burned. All of his fingers are missing. Noting how the circumstances have turned, Jiang Cheng cannot help but smile.
Wen Zhuliu attempts to provide ointment for Wen Chao's injuries, but Wen Chao is hysterical, even misinterpreting the sound of the wind as a flute. He screams that he cannot eat meat, tossing the meat bun given to him away.
He then shouts at Wen Zhuliu that he wants his dad, before fearfully begging him not to leave him. He promises to make Wen Zhuliu his brother and accept him into the Wen bloodline if he stays.
Wen Zhuliu replies that there is no need, as the footsteps of their assailant slowly approach from the stairs.
The person turns the corner with a smile, eliciting shock from Lan Wangji.[1]
Characters []
in order of appearance:
- Wang Lingjiao
- Wen Chao
- Wen Xu (mentioned)
- Wen Ruohan (mentioned)
- Lan Xichen (mentioned)
- Nie Mingjue (mentioned)
- Wei Wuxian
- Lan Wangji
- Jiang Cheng
- Wen Zhuliu
Events []
Locations[]
- Burial Mounds (mentioned)
- Hejian (mentioned)
- Yunmeng (mentioned)
- Gusu (mentioned)
Creatures[]
Cultivation Abilities[]
Cultivation Tools[]
Author's Note[]
Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's end-of-chapter note reads:[2]
The flashbacks will finish at the end of this part.
References[]
- ↑ Novel, Chapter 61
- ↑ Novel, Chapter 61 [Original Chinese]