The Founder of Diabolism - Chapter 29

Chapter 29 Dew—
Part Two
The waiter, "Take it easy. I was just about to
mention that. Everyone did die. Although I said
that he survived, it was only for a short while.
After a few years, the clan’s head, Chang Ping,
died as well. This time, the death was even
more horrifying. He was killed by lingchi with a
sword! I don't need to tell you what lingchi is,
do I? It’s when the flesh on someone’s body is
piece by piece sliced off with a saber or a
sword for three thousand and six hundred
times, until all of the flesh is gone and there’s
only a skeleton left...”
Of course, it was impossible for Wei WuXian
not to know what lingchi was. If somebody
wanted a book called A Thousand Ways to
Die Agonizing Deaths, he’d have been the
person who was most qualified to write it. He
raised a hand, "I understand. Then, do you
know why the Chang Clan was wiped out?”

The waiter, "I heard that it was planned by
another cultivational sect. That’s for sure, right?
Or else, why did a bunch of people who could
cultivate fail to escape? They were definitely
trapped inside by something or someone.”
In case the conversation wasn’t going well, the
owner of the shop even brought over two side
dishes of peanuts and sunflower seeds. Wei
WuXian nodded in acknowledgement, and
continued while eating sunflower seeds, ’’Did
anyone find out what exactly the something or
someone was?”
The waiter laughed, "Young Master, now you’re
just joking. How could we ordinary people
who are just trying to get through life know
anything about those who fly around in the
skies? Logically, you guys should know more
than me since you all cultivate. I’ve only heard
some vague talk of of how they offended
someone whom they shouldn’t have!
Anyways, after that, nobody was left in charge
of the evil beings around Yueyang.”
Wei WuXian pondered, "Somebody whom
they shouldn't have offended?”

"That’s right." The waiter ate two peanuts,
“These sects or whatever indeed hold grudges
against the others. I’m thinking that the Chang
Clan must have been targeted by the other
cultivators. Isn’t killing people for the sake of
treasures common or something? Those books
all said so. Tales and legends as well. Although
I don’t know who exactly did it, it was
apparently related to a very famous villain."
Wei WuXian smiled as he lifted the liquor
bowl to his lips, glancing sideways at him. “Let
me guess. You're gonna say that you don’t
know who the villain was?”
The waiter cracked up, “Guess again. I
definitely know this one. He was called
something along the lines of 'peculiar'... Right,
'patriarch'. The YiLing Patriarch!"
Wei WuXian choked, letting out a series of
bubbles into the liquor bowl with a splash,
“What?”
Him again?!

The waiter confirmed. "Yep, that’s right! His
surname was Wei. He’s called Wei WuQian, I
think. People sound both hateful and scared
when they mention him.”
Wei WuXian thought over it and determined
two things—One: He had never been to
Yueyang before, and two: Among all of the
people he had killed, none of them died by
lingchi. He felt that this was a bit absurd and
looked over at Lan Wangji, as if he wanted an
explanation. Lan Wangji had been waiting for
this look since quite a while ago. He replied,
“We are leaving."
Wei WuXian immediately understood. Lan
Wangji had something to say to him and it
couldn't be said in the liquor shop, under
everyone’s noses. He stood up. “Then let’s
leave. How much... Right, it’s been paid
already. I’m leaving the liquor here for now. I’ll
continue drinking after we finish." He added,
half-jokingly, "Make sure it’s still here when I
get back."

Having already finished more than half of the
plate of peanuts, the waiter responded, "Of
course! Our shop is honest to everyone, from
the old to the young. Leave 'em here and don’t
worry. We’ll wait until you come back to close
our shop. Hey. Young Masters, are you going to
the Chang Residence right now? Whoa, now
that’s pretty cool—I’m from the area and I
haven't even been there! I've only dared to
sneak a few looks at it from far away. Are you
two going inside? What are you going to do?”
Wei WuXian. "We're also just gonna sneak a
few looks, from far away.”
The young waiter had an outgoing personality,
getting friendly with strangers a bit too quickly.
Although they only chatted for a short while,
he was already treating Wei WuXian as if they
were friends. He came over to put his arm
around Wei WuXian’s shoulder, "Is the work
that you two do hard? Do you earn lots of
money? Probably a ton, right? What a
respectable job. Let me ask you something—is
it difficult to get started? I...”

As he babbled, he suddenly shut his mouth,
nervously looking to the side. He whispered,
“Young Master, why is the one beside you...
staring at me?"
Wei WuXian followed his gaze just to see Lan
Wangji turn around, stand up. and walk
outside the liquor shop, "Oh, him. This friend
of mine was brought up strictly. He absolutely
hates it when other people are being too
comfortable with each other in front of him.
Isn't that strange?”
The waiter awkwardly took away his arm.
replying in a hushed voice, "Strange indeed.
The way he looked over, you’d think that I was
putting my arm around his wife...”
With Lan Wangji’s hearing ability, it was
impossible for him to not catch something just
because it was with a lowered voice.
Imagining how he’d feel right now, Wei
WuXian tried so hard not to laugh that his
stomach hurted. He quickly said to the waiter,
"I finished a jar.”
The waiter, “I’m sorry?”

Wei WuXian pointed at himself. “I'm standing."
Finally recalling the "if you can still stand after
you finish this. I’ll adopt your surname" that he
said earlier, he blurted out, "Oh... Ohhh! Uhm...
Wow! I’m not kidding, but this is my first time
seeing someone who can still stand and speak
properly after downing a jar. Young Master,
what’s your surname?”
Wei WuXian. "My surname..." Suddenly
remembering the "Wei WuQian” that the
waiter mentioned, the corners of his lips
twitched. He smoothly transitioned, "Is Lan.”
The waiter was also someone with a thick
face, announcing without any change of
expression, “Yes. From today on. my surname
will be Lan!”
Under the bright-red banners of the liquor
shop, it seemed as if, for one second, Lan
Wangji’s figure stumbled ever so slightly. With
a mischievous smile on his face, Wei WuXian
walked over with his hands behind his back
and patted his shoulder. "HanGuang-Jun, to
thank you for paying the bill, I made him adopt
your surname."

After they left the city, the two walked in the
direction of where the waiter pointed at. The
number of people gradually decreased, while
the number of trees increased. Wei WuXian
asked, "Back then, why did you not let me
continue asking him?"
Lan Wangji, "I suddenly remembered hearing
about what happened in Yueyang. There was
no need to continue asking.”
Wei WuXian. "Before you tell me. let me ask
you something. Confirm for me that the, uh,
wiping out of the Chang Clan wasn't done by
me, was it?”
Other than how he died ten years ago and his
soul had been fairly stable, it was impossible
that he killed an entire clan and didn’t
remember anything!
Lan Wangji, "No.”
Wei WuXian. "Oh.”

It was as if he returned to those days, before
he died, of being even worse than a sewer rat,
despised by everyone. He played a role in
everything; he was to be blamed for
everything. Even if one’s neighbor’s grandson
didn’t eat properly and lost five pounds, it was
because the child was frightened by stories of
the YiLing Patriarch commanding the Ghost
General to murder people.
However, Lan Wangji spoke again, “The killing
was not done by you, but it was related to
you.”
Wei WuXian, "What's the relationship?”
Lan Wangji, "There are two relationships. First,
one of the people who were connected to it
shared a past with your mother."
Wei WuXian stopped in his tracks.
He didn’t know what he was feeling at the
moment or how his face looked. Pausing for a
moment, he spoke, "... My mother?"

Wei WuXian was the son of Wei ChangZe, a
servant of the Yunmengjiang Sect, and ZangSe
SanRen, a rogue cultivator. Both Jiang
FengMian and his wife, Yu ZiYuan, were quite
familiar with Wei WuXian’s parents. Despite
this. Jiang FengMian never reminisced about
his old friend in front of Wei WuXian and,
moreover, Yu ZiYuan never spoke properly to
Wei WuXian at all. It was lucky for him if she
didn’t give him a few whips and send him to
kneel in the ancestral hall so that he’d keep his
distance from Jiang Cheng. Other people told
him most of the things he knew about his
parents. He really didn’t know much more than
what everyone else knew.
Lan Wangji also halted, turning around to look
at him, "Have you heard of the name 'Xiao
XingChen’?”
Wei WuXian searched through his memories,
“No.”
Lan Wangji, “‘No’ is correct. He was well-
known when he left the mountain twelve years
ago. Now, nobody mentions him."

Twelve years ago just happened to be one
year after the siege at YiLing’s LuanZang Hill,
which meant that he only just missed it. Wei
WuXian asked, "What’s the mountain? Who
taught him?”
Lan Wangji, ”1 do not know which mountain it
was. His was taught by a cultivator. Xiao
XingChen was a pupil of BaoShan SanRen.”
Wei WuXian finally understood why Lan
Wangji said that this person shared a past with
his mother, “So, that mean’s Xiao XingChen is
my shishu.”
ZangSe SanRen was also a pupil of BaoShan
SanRen.

BaoShan SanRen was a cultivator who lived
secluded from the rest of the world, rumored
to be of the same generation as Wen Mao and
Lan An. Most of the heroes from that
generation had already returned to dust, yet
BaoShan SanRen was said to have still
remained unfallen. If it really was so, then she
must be hundreds of years old and have quite
a high level of cultivation. Back then, with the
lead of Wen Mao, the cultivation world
focused on the rise of clans instead of sects,
and cultivational forces connected by blood
ties rose as if they were bamboo shoots after a
spring rain. Without exception, every
cultivator who was slightly famous chose to
found a sect. Yet. this cultivator decided to
retire into solitude, living in a mountain under
the cultivational name of BaoShan SanRen.
Nobody knows, though, which mountain she
was embracing. Speaking of it, it was only
called retiring into solitude because nobody
knew. If after one retired into solitude, they
could still be found easily, it wouldn't be called
retiring into solitude anymore.

She lived in an unknown celestial mountain
and would often secretly take abandoned
children up the mountain to be her pupils.
However, all of the pupils had to vow that they
would devote their whole lives to cultivation,
never leaving the mountain or entering human
society. Or else, no matter what the reason
was, they were never to go back again. They’d
need to depend on themselves to survive in
the mortal world, cutting all ties with their
teacher.
Everyone spoke highly of BaoShan SanRen for
her foresight in setting this rule. This was
because, during the few hundreds of years,
only three of her pupils left the mountain—
YanLing DaoRen, ZangSe SanRen, and Xiao
XingChen. Of these three pupils, none died a
peaceful death.
Wei WuXian knew about the fates of the first
and second pupils ever since he was young, so
no further explanations were needed. Thus,
Lan Wangji told him the stories of the last
pupil, his shishu.

When Xiao XingChen left the mountain, he
was only seventeen. Lan Wangji had never
met him in person, but he had heard about
Xiao XingChen’s talent from others.
At that time, the Sunshot Campaign only
finished a few years ago and the siege at
Yiling’s Luanzang Hill had just ended. All of the
prominent sects were recruiting qualified
cultivators from all around to be part of them.
Xiao XingChen left the mountain in hopes of
saving the world. With his excellent talent and
capable teacher, during his first night-hunt, he
held a horsetail whisk in one hand and a long
sword in the other, entering the mountain
alone and claiming first place—he became
famous overnight.
As the sects saw such a bright, gifted cultivator
at such a young age, they all invited him to
their sects. Yet, Xiao XingChen turned down all
of the offers. He said that he didn’t want to
depend on any sects, but he wanted to build a
new sect with a close friend that didn’t value a
bloodline.

He had a soft personality but a solid heart,
gentle on the outside but determined on the
inside. Whenever someone had a difficult
matter at hand, the first thing they thought of
was to find him for help. As a person of moral
integrity, he never refused either, which was
why people often spoke of him with appraisal.
That was around when the wiping out of the
Yueyang Clan happened.
Translator’s Notes
Wei WuQian: WuXian means "no envies",
while WuQian means "no money".
Rogue cultivator: A rogue cultivator is a
cultivator who doesn't belong to any sects and
cultivates alone.
SanRen: This pretty much means "rogue
cultivator", but it has been kept as pinyin to
maintain the flow of the story.
Shishu: Similar to shidi and shijie, shishu is
used by someone to refer to their “disciple
uncle”, their mother’s shidi.

Cultivational name: This is just another type of
name. It’s not important at all, so don’t panic
because of how "oh my god they already have
three to four names and here comes another”.
BaoShan: This literally translates as "to
embrace a mountain".
Celestial mountain: This refers to a mountain,
but more celestial/spiritual there, allowing
cultivators to absorb more of the energy there
and reach higher levels faster.
DaoRen: Similar to SanRen, this just means
“cultivator".
Horsetail whisk: A horsetail whisk is often used
by cultivators or Daoists in general. It has a
variety of meanings and those meanings will
not be important. Just understanding that it’s
probably white in color and makes Xiao
XingChen look like a white lotus should be
enough.