The Stalk of Grass - Part Six is the thirty-eighth chapter of Mo Dao Zu Shi.
Synopsis []
Lan Wangji stands between Wei Wuxian and Xue Yang, who promptly attacks with both Shuanghua and Jiangzai. At Lan Wangji's direction, Wei Wuxian steps outside to find a place where he is needed.
He observes that Wen Ning already has the upper hand against Song Lan, but Lan Jingyi waves to him frantically from inside another shop. As he heads over, Lan Wangji captures Shuanghua from Xue Yang, who demands it back. When Lan Wangji tells him he does not deserve the sword, Xue Yang laughs bitterly.
The juniors are all unharmed, but more Fierce Corpses approach. While wielding Bichen in one hand, Lan Wangji uses his guqin to combat the corpses with the other.
Jin Ling admires his abilities, and Lan Jingyi pointedly asks Wei Wuxian if he agrees. Wei Wuxian nearly angers Lan Jingyi in his resulting confusion, but eventually he agrees that Lan Wangji is "the best," as a soft smile blooms on his face.
Wei Wuxian reflects that dawn is near, and with it, fog thick enough to blind them again. Suddenly, the Ghost Girl returns to tap with her bamboo pole again. Wei Wuxian directs the juniors to follow her to learn what she knows.
They object, afraid of ghosts, but Wei Wuxian explains that the tapping noises and Yin Muscleman head they encountered on their way to Yi City were likely her attempts to scare them away. In other words, the Ghost Girl wanted to save them.
When Wei Wuxian informs Lan Wangji of his plan, Lan Wangji merely replies with a strum of his guqin. To his consternation, Lan Jingyi is angered that they did not speak their worries for each other, nor insist on staying together.
The Ghost Girl leads them to a coffin house, a place for unclaimed corpses and corpses awaiting burial. The girl appears atop one coffin in particular and taps the lid.
Opening the coffin, Wei Wuxian observes the body of the real Xiao Xingchen. The Ghost Girl cries tears of blood, and Lan Sizhui offers to play Inquiry again.
Wei Wuxian suggests that Inquiry may be insufficient if her story is complex. Instead, he suggests the dangerous technique of Empathy, which allows him to experience whatever a spirit experienced... by allowing the spirit to possess his body.
Jin Ling is initially asked to be supervisor, but Lan Sizhui volunteers instead. To the juniors' confusion, Wei Wuxian asks for Jin Ling's Clarity Bell from the Yunmeng Jiang Clan to be used as a code, and Jin Ling insists on supervising instead.
In Empathy, Wei Wuxian awakens near a brook. He quickly realizes that the girl, whose name is A-Qing, is not blind, but merely pretends to be blind for her safety. In a town, she deliberately runs into a man, who lecherously pinches her rear end. Still, she manages to steal his coin purse before cursing him out once she is alone again, to Wei Wuxian's amusement.
She continues her charade to bump into another person. The young man has bandages around his eyes that weep blood, and he asks her if she too cannot see.[1]
Characters []
in order of appearance:
- Lan Wangji
- Wei Wuxian
- Xue Yang
- Wen Ning
- Song Lan
- Lan Jingyi
- Jin Ling
- Jiang Cheng (mentioned)
- Jin Guangyao (mentioned)
- A-Qing
- Lan Sizhui
- Xiao Xingchen
Events []
- Learning the true history of Yi City
Locations[]
- Yi City
- Golden Carp Tower (mentioned)
- Lotus Pier (mentioned)
Creatures[]
Cultivation Abilities[]
- Corpse Poisoning (mentioned)
- Inquiry (mentioned)
- Empathy
Cultivation Tools []
References[]
- ↑ Novel, Chapter 38