So many colours in my life

3. Raven black of power

Wei Wuxian hastened his steps. Once his anger has been alighted, he could no longer understand how he could have felt so apathetic when seeing the Wen sect soldiers before. They had burned Lotus Pier to the ground, had killed the Yunmeng Jiang clan and had all but annihilated the whole sect. Moreover, now they were abusing innocent villagers. This was really too much.

The rage was coursing through his veins like a burning reminder. He was the one who could do something. How come it had taken him this long to realize it? Had he truly been so disconnected from the world that he did not care anymore?

Although he was just a normal human, like any of the villagers, he still had to do something. He had been a cultivator once, he did not forget his mission. He had lost his ability to control spiritual energy, but he could make use of demonic cultivation. Even if his steps were only powered by rage right now, it was everything he got.

He could not stop just because his powers were not tested in real combat yet. Surely not against humans. And then again, were those cruel Wens even humans? What they were doing to the villagers was inhuman.

Wei Wuxian hurried even more. His anger was pushing him to act. After so long of not feeling it, he had almost forgotten how overwhelming it could be. He had to find a way to let it out. The resentful energy inside of him and all around was answering to him, swirling about in thick swarms.

Finally, he caught up to the group he was chasing. It made him even more angry to see that the small girl had fallen down and her mother was now trying to shield her from the sneering and shouting Wen soldiers.

Wei Wuxian clutched his fists tighter. He had made a good decision by coming here. He would be able to let out his anger in this way. The doll in his hand served as a reminder and fuelled his rage all the more.

He was not thinking about possibly failing. The resentful energy was now collecting around him in a thick cloud. He heard it singing to him and tempting him. He was long used to this and was not fazed in the slightest. No temptation would work as he could not feel any satisfaction when thinking about the distorted promises.

The only think on his mind now was the overwhelming power he had at his disposal. Rationally speaking, he could command an army of fierce corpses and not even start getting tired. He was powerful as never before. He could take on an army and not break a sweat.

Right now, he wanted to vent his anger. And there was a perfect target right in front of his eyes.

His field of vision narrowed and his lips parted in a snarl. The Wen soldiers finally noticed him. After a second of confusion, they immediately pushed the villagers in front of them, as if to shield themselves from Wei Wuxian.

What a futile effort really. Could they not tell that they had no chance against him? Or perhaps, it was exactly because they knew it that they wanted to hide.

It made no difference though. No matter how much they struggled, Wei Wuxian was far superior to them in terms of power.

He ordered the resentful energy to attack. It obeyed him easily, even more so than ever before. It made something in him roar. He had almost forgotten, being powerful was good. No one could oppose him and he could achieve whatever he put his mind into.

The resentful energy completely ignored the villagers. They were hunched on the ground, seemingly terrified. Wei Wuxian did not spare them even a single thought. As long as the Wens could not touch them, they were safe.

As for the soldiers though, all their attempts were useless. The resentful energy had no form so no matter how much they tried to defend themselves, no matter how skilfully they wielded their weapons against the darkness, there was literally no effect.

Wei Wuxian watched impassively as one after another, the soldiers fell onto the ground. He did not care for anything else but to see them beaten by his power. It was only now that he realized just how useful resentful energy could be.

He had a flashback to his time in the Cloud Recesses and to how Lan Qiren had scolded him for even entertaining the idea of using resentful energy. But this was even easier than wielding a sword! Why had no one tried this before?

The Wens on the ground were slowly stopping all their movements. With their life fleeing, Wei Wuxian's anger was slowly dissolving as well. He no longer had the urge to command the resentful energy to do his bidding.

He ignored the last survivors, knowing they would soon join their fellow soldiers in their fate. He turned around, ready to leave. The resentful energy around him became less hectic. But it did not disperse entirely.

Well, whatever, Wei Wuxian thought. At least it could keep him company in his lonely search for his siblings. The voices that he had once hated to death would now be welcomed travel companions.

In the last second before taking the first step, he remembered that he was still holding the rag doll. He saw before his eyes how the small girl had wanted so desperately to retrieve it. He should not take it with him. He had no use for it anyway.

He turned back to face the villagers. They were still huddled on the ground and clutching at each other. His eyes found the small girl soon enough. Her mother was holding her close, still protecting her even though the threat had been already annihilated.

Wei Wuxian slowly walked towards them, holding the doll in his outstretched hand. Now that he was not angry anymore, the urge to go see his siblings was back. He had to give the toy back quickly and continue on his journey.

However, instead of joy or eagerness to take her favourite doll back, he was faced with tears and a terrified shriek. The small girl huddled even closer to her mother and sobbed into her chest. The woman held her tighter. Her eyes were full of fear when she looked up at him.

Of course, Wei Wuxian had not expected any words of gratitude from the villagers. He had not even planned to save them all this while. Not as his main objective anyway. He had just been venting out his anger. However, this reaction still did not sit well with him. He just could not tell why.