Black Lotus

3

Wei Wuxians first thought was that something was up with the flag formation that the boys set up.

His inventions needed to be used extremely carefully. This was also why he went to check if they were drawn correctly.

As a few pairs of big hands came to drag him outside,  Wei Wuxian straightened his body and allowed them to do so without difficulty, so he wouldnt have to walk by himself. The East Hall was bustling with people, almost more crowded than when the villagers of Mo Village gathered here. All of the servants and relatives were present. Some were still in their undergarments and didnt yet have time to brush their hair, but everyone looked terrified. Madam Mo was collapsed in her seat, as if she just woke up from a swoon. The streaks of tears could be seen on her cheeks and tears still lingered in her eyes. But, as Wei Wuxian was dragged inside, her sorrowful gaze immediately became hateful.

A human-shaped object lay on the ground, with its body covered by a white cloth and only the head being revealed. Lan SiZhui and the other boys wore heavy expressions, bending down to check the situation and talking in soft voices.

The human-shaped thing was, apparently, Mo ZiYuan. Wei Wuxian took one glance at it and couldnt help but look again.

The corpse looked like Mo ZiYuan in some ways but unlike him in others. Although the face was very much so Mo ZiYuan, his cheekbones were deeply sunken, eyes bulging and skin wrinkled. Compared to the youthful Mo ZiYuan before this, it was as if he aged twenty years.

As Wei Wuxian was scrutinizing the corpse, Madam Mo suddenly rushed towards him, with a gleaming dagger in hand. Being light on his feet, Lan SiZhui quickly knocked the dagger off. Madam Mo shrieked, "My son died a tragic death, so i am only avenging him! Why do you stop me?!"

Wei Wuxian hid behind Lan SiZhui's back, "How does your sons death concern me?"

Lan SiZhui spoke up in his defense, "Madam Mo, seeing from your sons condition, his flesh and essence have been drawn out of him, which means he was killed by evil beings, not Mo XuanYu."

Madam Mo's chest heaved, "You know nothing! The lunatic's father was a cultivator. He must have learned a lot of demonic spells from him!"

"Uhm, Madam Mo, there is a lack of evidence so.."

"The evidence is my son!", Madam Mo pointed at the corpse, "Look for yourselves! A-Yuan's remains already told me who murdered him!"

Wei Wuxian lifted the white cloth himself, from head to toe. There was something missing from the corpse.

His left arm had been severed.

Madam Mo spoke, "You see? Everyone heard what that lunatic said! He said that, if A-Yuan touched his belongings again, he would cut off his hand!"

After the burst of emotions, she covered her face and sobbed.

Wei Wuxian didnt want to bother with her. He thought for a moment and stuck his hand into Mo ZiYuan's arms. He fished around for a moment before pulling something out. Surprisingly, it was a Phantom Attraction Flag.

When the boys from Lan Clan saw what he pulled out, they understood immediately. Associating this with the farce that happened today, the cause was easy to guess. During the day, Mo ZiYuan lost face because of Mo XuanYus behavior and loathed him, still wanting to square up with him. However, Mo XuanYu wandered outside for a long while, so Mo ZiYuan planned to sneak up on him at night, when he would be returning. When night had fallen, he secretly went outside and was passing the west courtyard when he saw the flags on the walls. Although he was told not to go outside or near the west courtyard at night and especially to stay away from the flags, Mo ZiYuan thought he was told so because they were afraid of people stealing valuable weapons.