Jiang Cheng deserves a break

Chap 17: History Obliterates In Every Picture It Paints

A/n:
Title is a lyric taken from The World Was Wide Enough from Hamilton, the Broadway Musical

Warnings include:
Disrespectful mentions of a (canon, deceased) character's death (I'm referring to Jiang Yanli)
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Jiang Cheng's Pov:

Jiang Cheng eventually finds the resentful ghost at the gazebo as predicted, sitting on the edge of the roof. He was no doubt still recuperating from his fight with Jiang Cheng and the others.

Although Jiang Cheng couldn't explain why he knew Jiao Yang would be here, he knows that it was where Jiao Yang was drawing his resentful energy from.

But what exactly was Jiao Yang drawing resentful energy from? Was it something that had belonged to him before he passed? Or was it where his body had ended up?

No, it can't be, Jiang Cheng reasons, any dead bodies had been recovered from the lake after the Wens fell.

Jiang Cheng observes Jiao Yang staring melanchonically out into the distance, mouth moving to form words that were too quiet for Jiang Cheng to interpret.

But when Jiang Cheng sneaks closer, he hears the words Jiao Yang mutters clearly.

"Wen, Wen, Wen, the Wens are here. Lotus Pier burns. Wen, Wen, Wen," Jiao Yang chants like it were a mantra, and Jiang Cheng felt unnerved by the way he said it.

Lotus Pier burns.

Lotus Pier burns.

Lotus Pier burns.

"How dare you come back here!"

Jiang Cheng startles and his hand flies to Sandu but he doesn't draw his sword just yet. He keeps his eyes on Jiao Yang as the ghost floats down from the roof, body passing through it.

"YOU LIED! You said the Wens were all dead! You said we won, you said they were all dead!" Jiao Yang yelled.

Unlike how the resentful ghost had been the day before, Jiao Yang's appearance had return to just a pale, undead Jiang disciple. His fingernails weren't claws, and his hair didn't act sentient. But the pool of blood on his stomach area was still there.

His ghostly body was also flickering a lot, the tips of his fingers and toes were translucent like he was slowy deteoriating. Jiao Yang's face was scrunched up uncomfortably as if it was really difficult for him to keep his corporeal form.

Overall, Jiao Yang was barely solid and most likely wouldn't even be able to inflict any harm. But he was angry, so, so angry.

Jiang Cheng took a cautious step forward, hand still on Sandu and ready to activate zidian any moment. "We did win! Do you see any Rising Sun motifs anywhere? Do you see any red-robed cultivators on our grounds? We won, the Wen Clan was defeated!"

In a flash, Jiao Yang was right in front of Jiang Cheng with his fist pulled back. He throws a punch at Jiang Cheng's chest as if to gourge out his heart, but Jiao Yang's hand only passes through without harming even a single hair on Jiang Cheng.

To make matters worse, Jiang Cheng didn't bother to block his attack since he was aware that Jiao Yang was too weak to hurt him currently.

This unintentionally made it look like Jiang Cheng was taunting Jiao Yang and it agitated the ghost even more.

Jiao Yang furiously threw more punches at Jiang Cheng; aiming for his chest, his torso, his head, but everytime his hands would just pass through. Jiao Yang moved back, chest rising and falling rapidly as anger built up within him.