The Intractable – Part One is the third chapter of Mo Dao Zu Shi.
Synopsis []
Wei Wuxian discovers that he is locked inside Mo Xuanyu's small shed. He passes the day in the Lotus Position, but eventually he finds himself lightheaded from a lack of food.
Conveniently, a servant named A-Tong delivers "unpleasant" food through a small opening near the bottom of the door. While A-Tong waits for "Mo Xuanyu" to eat, he flirts with a serving girl named A-Ding, allowing Wei Wuxian to overhear that low-level Walking Corpses have been troubling Mo Village, and that cultivators from a prominent clan have arrived to aid the village.
After eating, Wei Wuxian kicks the door open, frightening the servants. A-Tong treats "Mo Xuanyu" quite rudely, but Wei Wuxian merely kicks him back and rushes towards the main hall of Mo Manor. As Madam Mo attempts to mention that there was once a cultivator in her family, Wei Wuxian hurries forward to declare himself as the cultivator in question.
A younger cultivator laughs as Wei Wuxian continues to feign lunacy, but he is silenced by their group leader. Wei Wuxian realizes with some surprise that the cultivators really were from a prominent clan – the Gusu Lan Clan.
Wei Wuxian causes a large scene, refusing to leave unless Mo Ziyuan returns his stolen items. Enraged, Mo Ziyuan attempts to kick him, only to be stopped by the leader of the Gusu Lan cultivators. Wei Wuxian then takes advantage of the violence to display the footprint Mo Ziyuan left on him that morning, leading the onlookers to believe that Mo Xuanyu really had been abused by his cousin.
As Madam Mo attempts to smooth things over, Wei Wuxian responds with more dramatic antics, even declaring that Mo Ziyuan should not have approached his shed in the middle of the night because Mo Xuanyu still wishes to marry a good man. Unable to tolerate his cousin's behavior, Mo Ziyuan swings a chair at him, and Wei Wuxian takes refuge behind the Gusu Lan disciples. The leader of the disciples again intervenes to calm Mo Ziyuan.
Before leaving, Wei Wuxian declares that the next time someone tries to steal from him, their hands will be cut off.
As he leaves the room, the Gusu Lan Clan disciples declare that they will be stationed in the West Courtyard, and that the people in Mo Village should stay indoors while they face the Fierce Corpses.
Wei Wuxian examines the unchanged cuts on his arm and acknowledges that his embarrassing stunt was not revenge enough on the Mo family.
Entering the West Courtyard, Wei Wuxian observes the Gusu Lan Clan disciples arranging Spirit-Attraction Flags, an invention created by none other than himself, the Yiling Patriarch, in his first life. As he watches, a young master named Lan Jingyi asks him to leave out of kindness.
Wei Wuxian responds by seizing one of the flags. While Lan Jingyi chases him, Wei Wuxian examines the flag to ensure that it is drawn correctly. The leader of the young cultivators, Lan Sizhui, then approaches him to calm Lan Jingyi and recover the flag.
Still feigning lunacy, Wei Wuxian throws the flag on the ground, declaring that he can draw better before running away. He returns to Mo Xuanyu's small dwelling at night to sit in the Lotus Position, but he is interrupted before dawn by heavy footsteps. Outside, voices declare their intent to "drag out the insane murderer."[1]
Characters []
in order of appearance:
Locations[]
- Mo Village
- Gusu (mentioned)
Creatures[]
- Walking Corpses (mentioned)
- Fierce Corpses (mentioned)
Cultivation Tools []
Author's Note[]
Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's end-of-chapter note reads:[2]
The gōng (攻, "attacker") has yet to appear, though he’s already appeared in the lead characters’ list on my draft.
Alright, he’s finished his mad episode, thanks everyone who stayed around...
P.S. Mo Ziyuan originally called Madam Mo “Mom!," and actually there were people in ancient times who did so _(:з)∠)_ It’s a way of address that’s used more commonly in speech and in a casual setting.