The guards have returned to their posts, looking annoyed.

The distraction won't work again, but attention here after he's gone won't hurt him.  He walks up behind them and puts two of the slicing talismans across their throats.

There is a lot more blood. Their pointy helmets clang loudly when they hit the ground.

He moves on quickly, but not so quickly as to be unaware of his surroundings.  He'd like to keep the number of people he has to kill on this trip to a minimum and avoid getting caught.

He can successfully navigate back out of the palace without needing to kill any more guards, although he has to duck behind a few more corners to accomplish this.

Once he's out of the palace he stops to assess how obviously blood-covered he is.

There's a lot of blood, but it helps that he's wearing mostly black. The blood isn't really visible in the dark.

Well he'll have to hope he can get them clean enough that he doesn't have to worry about them being found if they search the hostages houses.  He continues back to the house, slipping back in through the still-broken window, and strips to clean both himself and his clothing.  Separately.

The stains don't come out entirely, but enough blood washes out that on the black fabric it will be very difficult to tell that the stains are from anything suspicious if one notices them at all.

In the morning, the guards call them out of the house a little earlier than usual.

At least whatever ill-advised mission Wei Wuxian had snuck off for, he'd returned.  

The guards arriving early is a bad sign, but there's nothing he can do but lead the disciples out.  

Well hopefully they aren't going to inspect his robes to closely.  He follows Jiang Cheng out, doing his best to act as though he had gotten a full nights rest.

They are brought to the normal Indoctrination plaza, which contains twice as many guards as usual. Wen Chao has four Wen soldiers standing in tight formation around him. All the other sect disciples are filing in alongside them, blinking in confusion at the heightened security.

Lan Wangji isn't there.

Shit where is Lan Zhan.  Are they hurting Lan Zhan for what he did.  Or maybe they just think he isn't a suspect, that would be good, they have him locked up in the dungeon so he couldn't have done it right? He's just gonna pretend that's why Lan Zhan isn't here even though he's probably wrong.

Wen Chao is very upset. 

"Three members of the Qishan Wen sect have been found murdered.   I know that one of you must have been responsible for this.  We didn't have anyone causing such amoral behavior before you scum showed up.  Because of this, we have no choice but question every single one of you until we find the culprit.  In addition, those who have proven themselves especially disobedient and difficult are to be kept in the dungeons between lessons from now on, as a precaution against further rebellion." 

"As for everyone else - today's lesson will involve each of you being questioned."  At the base of the pyramid, there are waiting guards holding a number of unpleasant implements which will presumably be used in the questioning.

There are lots of shocked and unhappy noises from the assembled disciples! Those unpleasant implements look terrible holy shit!

This is really crossing the line. How the fuck could they have murdered anyone, they have been under constant guard and it's been very annoying! 

Yes well the guards also look forward to discovering how they managed to murder someone under these conditions. Time to get started on figuring that out!

"Those who have proven themselves especially disobedient and difficult" turns out to mean Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng, and Jin Zixuan. Guards step forward and start dragging those three away towards the dungeons, leaving the other disciples to stare and murmur in shock behind them.

The most amoral people here are the Wens.  He doesn't say this, he just glares at Wen Chao as he goes willingly.  He does not want to feel bad for Jin Zixuan but apparently he has residual guilt from his last life making him feel bad about getting Jin Zixuan hurt.  At least they're leaving the other Jiang Sect disciples behind, and he's only getting himself and Jiang Cheng hurt, and it's fine if Jiang Cheng hates him forever for getting him hurt because neither of them will ever lose their golden core.

"What?  What did I do?" he asks, scowling but not fighting as he's lead away.  Jiang Cheng had thought he'd been doing a perfectly fine job of staying out of trouble.  

He'd done a great job, except for being associated with Wei Wuxian. The worst crime of all.

They are chained hand and foot (Jin Zixuan squawks about this and is ignored) and marched down to the second levels of the dungeon. After winding through several corridors, they arrive at what seems to be a much larger cell than all the rest, equipped with tables, additional guards, and some truly unpleasant looking metal instruments.

Lan Wangji is shackled against one wall, unmoving. It is difficult to tell where or how badly he's been injured, but that sure is a lot of blood on his white robes. 

The new arrivals are shoved into the cell and up against the walls to be chained there in a similar fashion.

Why did he let Lan Zhan talk him into leaving him in the dungeon.  Now Lan Zhan is hurt because of him, he could've just rescued Lan Zhan and run after he killed Wen Zhuliu, this is terrible.  The Wens are terrible.  It's fine that they're going to hurt him how dare they hurt Lan Zhan, there's not even any way for Lan Zhan to have done it.  He does along cooperatively and silently whereever the Wens push him, for now.

He's fine. Really.

Wangji painstakingly lifts his head to assess whether Wei Ying is in any worse condition than the last time Wangji saw him. Wei Ying looks intact: standing upright, no new blood... yeah, good enough. Wangji's head drops back down. 

The guards step back once they are done, and in steps this asshole.

"Alright. The four of you, either you did something or you know who did, yeah? If anyone wants to volunteer that information up front, I won't have to start calling people out." He bares his teeth at them. "So?"

Yeah you bastard I saved my family.  He does not say this, and instead settles for glaring at Wen Xu.  It won't actually help to confess to it, he still needs to deal with the rest of the Wens.