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The Stalk of Grass - Part Nine is the forty-first chapter of Mo Dao Zu Shi.

Synopsis []

Xiao Xingchen freezes at the name "Xue Yang," before asking how A-Qing has heard of him.

A-Qing says that he is the very person living with them, and that she heard him kill someone. However, she cannot bear to tell him the truth about Song Lan, so instead she claims that he killed a woman who accused him of massacring a Temple.

Xiao Xingchen protests that his voice is different, and A-Qing finally mentions that he has nine fingers. She confesses that she is not blind, but pretended to be for fear that he would send her away if he knew the truth. She attempts to convince Xiao Xingchen to flee with her, but Wei Wuxian realizes that he wants answers from Xue Yang instead.

Xiao Xingchen insists that she must run, but he will confront him, as he correctly fears that all of Yi City may die at Xue Yang's hands. As they argue, Xue Yang returns.

Xiao Xingchen stabs him in the stomach with Shuanghua, and A-Qing pretends to run. Instead, however, she finds a hiding place to watch what happens inside the coffin house.

Xue Yang, now using his original voice, claims that he had great fun deceiving Xiao Xingchen, and suggests he only stayed with them for so long because he was bored. He then asks if Xiao Xingchen wants to hear the rest of his story, but Xiao Xingchen does not.

Xue Yang tells the story anyways: how the beaten child was kicked once more by the man who wrote the letter. The man climbed in a cart, and when the child attempted to chase the cart, his hand was run over and crushed to the extent that he lost his little finger at the age of seven. The man was Chang Ci'an, the father of Chang Ping and the source of his grudge against the Yueyang Chang Clan.

He accuses Xiao Xingchen of not feeling his pain, but Xiao Xingchen asks why his little finger was worth over fifty lives. Xue Yang, however, finds the question strange, answering that of course his finger was worth more, and it was only about fifty lives.

Xiao Xingchen asks why he hurt Song Lan and massacred Baixue Temple, and Xue Yang asks why he stopped him. He mocks how Chang Ping first cried tears of gratitude, only to later beg Xiao Xingchen not to help. He warns Xiao Xingchen that he should have listened to Baoshan Sanren and never left the mountain.

Xiao Xingchen calls Xue Yang "too disgusting," and at those words, Wei Wuxian recognizes killing intent finally reemerge on Xue Yang's face.

Xue Yang replies that Xiao Xingchen is not in a position to be disgusted by him. He reveals how he tricked Xiao Xingchen into killing living people, as Shuanghua could not discern between Fierce Corpses and those suffering from Corpse Poisoning, so long as he first cut out the victims' tongues.

Xiao Xingchen begins to lose his composure, refusing to believe Xue Yang. However, Xue Yang challenges him to pass swords with the one standing behind him.

Song Lan's Fierce Corpse stands behind him, and when their swords meet, Xiao Xingchen instantly recognizes him. Xue Yang reveals that the Fierce Corpse killed yesterday was none other than his best friend.

Devastated, Xiao Xingchen wails and falls at Song Lan's feet, as Xue Yang mocks that he cannot even save himself, let alone the world. Watching the scene, Wei Wuxian recognizes himself in Xiao Xingchen – broken beyond hope, only able to cry in despair.

Suddenly, Xiao Xingchen grabs Shuanghua and slices his own throat. Xue Yang falls silent, and Wei Wuxian notices that his eyes turn red even as he insists that the dead Xiao Xingchen forced him to do this.

Xue Yang cleans Xiao Xingchen's body and places it in an array, and only then does he attend to his own abdominal wound. He cleans the house and arranges their fruits and vegetables he bought earlier, expecting Xiao Xingchen to return as a corpse. He considers eating the last piece of candy Xiao Xingchen bought him, but saves it instead.

Xiao Xingchen, however, never arises. His soul shattered, and despite Xue Yang's frenzied threats against A-Qing and Yi City should Xiao Xingchen not arise, he does not return. Xue Yang can only collect the fragments of his soul in a Spirit-Trapping Bag.

A-Qing flees, searching for people to help. Unfortunately, she does not know much about the cultivation world, and Xue Yang finds her beside a stream. Knowing she will die, A-Qing curses him out, but again, it is only at the word "disgusting" that he loses his temper.

Xue Yang blinds her with poison, and at her screams, Xue Yang declares his intent to remove her tongue. Just then, the Clarity Bell rings, and Wei Wuxian leaves Empathy.

Wei Wuxian thanks A-Qing's ghost before ordering the juniors to stay put while he departs the coffin house. The juniors demand to know what he saw, but all he says is that, "in summary: Xue Yang must die."

Lan Wangji still maintains the upper hand in his fight against Xue Yang despite the thick fog. Wei Wuxian also sees that Wen Ning has defeated Song Lan, and takes the chance to remove the Skull-Piercing Nails from his head to restore his consciousness.

Suddenly, with a furious roar, Xue Yang demands that Lan Wangji "Give it back!"[1]

Characters []

in order of appearance:

Events []

Locations[]

Creatures[]

Cultivation Abilities[]

Cultivation Tools []

References[]

  1. Novel, Chapter 41
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