“Get up. Mealtime.”
Jiang Cheng, of course, ignored him. Wei Wuxian sat at the table and picked up a pair of chopsticks.
“If you don’t replenish your strength, how are you going to get your golden core back?”
On hearing the words “golden core,” Jiang Cheng finally blinked.
“That’s right,” Wei Wuxian continued. “No need to doubt it. You heard me right. I said ‘get your golden core back.’”
Jiang Cheng moved his lips, his voice dry and hoarse, “…You have a way?”
“I do,” Wei Wuxian said calmly. He turned around. “You’ve known for a long time that my mother Cangse-sanren was Baoshan-sanren’s disciple.”
That one simple sentence lit up Jiang Cheng’s lifeless eyes in an instant.
Baoshan-sanren, the cultivation master who legends said had lived for eight hundred years. An otherworldly master who could revive the dead!
His voice trembled. “You’re… You’re saying…”
Wei Wuxian repeated clearly, “I’m saying that I know which mountain this ‘Baoshan’ embraces. In other words, I can take you to find Baoshan-sanren.”
“…But…but I thought you didn’t remember anything from your childhood?!”
“It’s not that I don’t remember anything,” Wei Wuxian explained. “I haven’t forgotten the bits that were drilled into my mind. Among other things, I remember a woman’s voice repeating a location to me over and over. The voice said that if I were to find myself in a desperate predicament with no other options, I could go there and climb the mountain to ask the immortal for help.”
Jiang Cheng instantly rolled off the bed and lunged at the table. Wei Wuxian pushed a bowl and chopsticks over to him.
“Eat.”
Jiang Cheng clutched at the edge of the table. Overwhelmed with emotion, he tried to speak. “I…”
“Eat,” Wei Wuxian said again. “We’ll talk as we eat. Or else I won’t say a word.”
Jiang Cheng could only clamber onto the bench, pick up the chopsticks and begin to shovel rice into his mouth. He had originally lost all hope, but with this turn of events, he suddenly saw a light at the end of the tunnel. He was so worked up with excitement that he seemed to be on fire; he could barely sit still and didn’t even notice that he was holding his chopsticks upside down. It was only when Wei Wuxian saw him starting to eat, his mind preoccupied with purpose, that he continued.
“I’ll take you there in a few days.”
“Today!” Jiang Cheng demanded.
“What are you afraid of?” Wei Wuxian said. “Do you think a centuries-old immortal will poof away in the next few days? The reason I said it’ll take a few days is because there are taboos I must tell you about. If you transgress and anger the grandmaster, it’ll all be over. You and I will be goners.”
Jiang Cheng stared at him with wide eyes, hoping he’d say more.
“Once you go up the mountain, you can’t open your eyes and look around,” Wei Wuxian continued. “You can’t memorize the scenery or look at anyone else’s face. No matter what the other party tells you to do, you must obey.”
“Okay!” Jiang Cheng said.
“And the most important thing…” Wei Wuxian added. “…If you’re asked for your identity, you must say you are the son of Cangse-sanren. You must never reveal your true identity!”
“Okay!” Jiang Cheng said.
It seemed he’d say okay, his eyes reddened, to whatever Wei Wuxian asked of him.
“All right, let’s eat. Regain your strength and energy,” Wei Wuxian instructed. “I have to make some preparations over the next few days.”
Jiang Cheng finally realized he was holding his chopsticks upside down and swapped them over to gobble down a few more mouthfuls. It was so spicy it made his eyes water, and he couldn’t help but curse. “…Horrible!”
After being questioned repeatedly for details about Baoshan-sanren, Wei Wuxian set off a few days later with Jiang Cheng in tow. They trekked through difficult terrain and over rivers, and finally came to the foot of a remote mountain in Yiling.
The mountain was lush and green, with beautiful emerald peaks and summits surrounded by clouds and mists. It did have an air of transcendence, but there were still some discrepancies between it and the sacred mountain everyone imagined.
Jiang Cheng was suspicious. One moment he suspected Wei Wuxian was lying to him, and the next, that Wei Wuxian had heard or remembered something wrong when he was a child. And the moment after that, he’d be worrying whether they’d ever be able to find it.
Upon seeing the mountain, he started doubting again. “Is this really where Baoshan-sanren resides?”
“This is definitely the place,” Wei Wuxian replied with conviction. “What’s the use of lying to you? So you’ll be happy for a few days, only to take a heavier blow later?”
They’d already had a similar exchange countless times. Wei Wuxian accompanied him halfway up the mountain.
“All right. From this point onward, I can’t go with you.”
He took out a piece of cloth and blindfolded Jiang Cheng, repeatedly cautioning him.
“You must never, ever open your eyes. There are no predatory beasts on the mountain. Walk slowly, but even if you fall, you mustn’t pull off the blindfold. There is absolutely no room for curiosity. Remember, insist that you are Wei Wuxian. You know how you should answer whatever questions you’re asked, right?”
His ability to reform his golden core and seek revenge depended on this. Naturally, Jiang Cheng did not dare be negligent. He nodded nervously, then turned and slowly began to make his way up. Wei Wuxian called out after him.
“I’ll wait for you in the town we came across earlier!”
After watching Jiang Cheng slowly shuffle away, he turned around and took another mountain path.