Soft - Part Six is the sixty-eighth chapter of Mo Dao Zu Shi.
Synopsis []
After leaving Little Apple at the base of the Burial Mounds, they find the Guardian Beast Statues once erected by all of the clans destroyed. Wen Ning also notices the tree that Wen Qing once chopped down, and Wei Wuxian pats his shoulder, unsure what to say.
Wei Wuxian uses Demonic Cultivation to speak to a skeleton, who informs him that there are about one-hundred people kept atop the mountain.
They continue up the mountain, observing houses burned and ransacked. Wei Wuxian advises Wen Ning not to look anymore.
A Fierce Corpse appears, but Wei Wuxian realizes that he cannot control it. He realizes that Jin Guangyao must have used the Yin Tiger Tally himself to summon the corpses. Although Lan Wangji hands him Suibian, Wei Wuxian notes that his body does not possess the spiritual energy to wield it properly.
Several hours later, they arrive at the infamous cave atop the mountain: the Demon-Quelling Cave.
In the cave are about one-hundred juniors bound with Immortal-Binding Rope.
Jin Chan tells Jin Ling that he should have stabbed Wei Wuxian more, while Lan Jingyi laments his hunger.
Jin Chan, however, continues to predict that they will all be turned into corpse puppets just like the Wens during the Sunshot Campaign. Finally, Jin Ling tells Jin Chan to shut up.
A fight breaks out amongst the bound juniors. Although Lan Sizhui tries to mediate, the situation devolves anyways, and he himself joins the brawl.
Most of the juniors are terrified to when Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and Wen Ning reveal their presence, believing they plan to kill them. Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi, however, firmly believe that they are here to save them.
Wei Wuxian lends Wen Ning Suibian. He approaches Jin Ling, who braces himself for death, but instead, finds his Immortal-Binding Ropes severed. As Wen Ning frees the juniors, Lan Sizhui expresses confidence that Wei Wuxian is here to save them.
Lan Jingyi explains that their captors used Mist-Masking Spells to hide their faces. He then demands reassurance that Jin Ling is not going to stab Wei Wuxian again.
As they prepare to leave, Wen Ning exits the cave first to clear away any fierce corpses. Lan Sizhui attempts to convince the juniors that their rescuers can be trusted, and the sentimental boy from Yi City, named Ouyang Zizhen, quickly agrees.
Suddenly, however, Wen Ning is thrown back into the cave.
Jiang Cheng and many of the parents enter, including Lan Qiren. Lan Qiren asks what Lan Wangji intends, but Lan Wangji remains steadfast by Wei Wuxian's side despite the ire of the cultivation world.
Su She mocks Wei Wuxian, but Wei Wuxian insists he rescued the juniors instead of kidnapping them. He then asks why both Jin Guangyao and Lan Xichen are missing.
Su She explains that Jin Guangyao is recovering from an assassination attempt. Wei Wuxian scoffs at how easily Jin Guangyao seems to be injured.
Despite Ouyang Zizhen's attempts to convince his father, Clan Leader Ouyang, that Wei Wuxian really did help them just as he did in Yi City, the mob refuses to listen.
Wei Wuxian reflects that the situation is quite different from the First Siege of the Burial Mounds. Back then, Clan Leaders Jin Guangshan, Jiang Cheng, and Nie Mingjue led their respective clans, while Lan Qiren led the Gusu Lan Clan. The Lanling Jin Clan and Yunmeng Jiang Clan were the main forces.
Today, however, the Lanling Jin Clan's leader had not arrived, the Gusu Lan Clan was still led by Lan Qiren, and Nie Huaisang replaced his brother’s position. His face is still full of ‘I don’t know about anything,’ ‘I don’t want to do anything,’ and ‘I’m just here for the numbers.’
As the accusations grow against Wei Wuxian, he also realizes that he is not alone anymore, as Lan Wangji stands by his side.
A cultivator named Yi Weichun emerges from the crowd, displaying the leg he lost in the bloodbath of Nightless City. He proclaims that he is here today to avenge his leg.
A younger cultivator follows suit. Named Fang Mengchen, his parents were both killed by Wei Wuxian. He declares that he will never forgive him.
When a third man emerges, Wei Wuxian interrupts to ask if he took his limbs or family. The man, Clan Leader Yao, says no, before declaring that he is here simply for justice.
The crowd cheers, and many more accusations are lobbed against Wei Wuxian – a son strangled to death on Qiongqi Path, a poisoned shixiong, insistence that justice must prevail.
Faces filled with indignation and pride, the crowd firmly believes themselves to be part of a crusade of the ‘righteous’ against the ‘wrong.’[1]
Characters []
in order of appearance:
- Wei Wuxian
- Little Apple
- Lan Wangji
- Wen Ning
- Wen Qing (mentioned)
- Jin Guangyao (mentioned)
- Jin Ling
- Jin Chan
- Lan Jingyi
- Lan Sizhui
- Ouyang Zizhen
- A-Qing (mentioned)
- Jiang Cheng
- Lan Qiren
- Su She
- Lan Xichen (mentioned)
- Clan Leader Ouyang
- Jin Guangshan (mentioned)
- Nie Mingjue (mentioned)
- Nie Huaisang
- Yi Weichun
- Fang Mengchen
- Clan Leader Yao
Events []
- Second Siege of the Burial Mounds
- Sunshot Campaign (mentioned)
- First Siege of the Burial Mounds (mentioned)
- Bloodbath of Nightless City (mentioned)
- Fight at Qiongqi Path (mentioned)
Locations[]
- Burial Mounds
- Golden Carp Tower (mentioned)
- Nightless City (mentioned)
- Qiongqi Path (mentioned)
Creatures[]
Cultivation Abilities[]
Cultivation Tools[]
- Guardian Stone Beasts
- Wangji
- Yin Tiger Tally (mentioned)
- Suibian
- Immortal-Binding Ropes
- Zidian
References[]
- ↑ Novel, Chapter 68