Chapter 21 — Traces of the Demonic

In an instant, every eye fell upon this unremarkable disciple of Dazhu Peak. Tian Buhui and Su Wan exchanged a glance; Su Wan smiled faintly and gave a nod.

The folk of Dazhu Peak, all smiles, crowded around. Lü Daxin clapped Zhang Qingyue hard on the shoulder and laughed: "You little rascal, who'd have guessed you had luck like that!"

Zhang Qingyue scratched his head and stuck out his tongue; the surprise of moments ago had already turned to delight. Beside him, Du Biyan suddenly slapped his own forehead in vexation: "If I'd known, I'd have laid a wager on whoever drew that number one slip. Heh—a rank outsider for sure. Clean sweep!"

"Get out, get out," Tian Lingsu scolded him, then turned to Zhang Qingyue: "Xiaofan, you won't get anywhere in the second round anyway, so why not give me that slip?"

Zhang Qingyue had not expected his senior sister to say such a thing. He blinked, gave a vague "Oh," and handed over the paper marked with the character for "one."

Song Dayi's expression shifted slightly. He glanced around and said in a low voice: "Little junior sister, don't make a scene."

Tian Lingsu burst out laughing, lovely as peach blossom, a faint flush rising on her jade-like cheeks. She reached out a finger white as a scallion shoot and tapped Zhang Qingyue lightly on the forehead: "You little fool, I was only teasing you."

Zhang Qingyue blinked, then laughed too.

Over on the elders' side, Cangyan Daoren's brows drew together briefly. Then he raised his voice: "Very well. The drawing is complete. All disciples, come to me shortly and register your names by the number you drew. We shall post the list in red soon after, and you will know who your opponents are. Now, I ask our Sect Leader to speak."

The disciples, who had been growing noisy, quieted at the news that Sect Leader Daoyan Zhenren would speak. Daoyan Zhenren rose from his seat, walked slowly before them all, swept his gaze once over the assembled disciples, and said: "My friends, you are the finest of the younger generation of our Canglan Sect—your talents and gifts are all of the first order. In days to come, the seats of the various peaks, the posts of elder, even this seat of Sect Leader that I hold, may well fall to the most outstanding among you."

A stir ran through the Qingyun disciples; many faces lit with longing and excitement.

Daoyan Zhenren smiled kindly: "Of course, to reach such a point—to sit where the seat-holders and elders behind me now sit—you must redouble your efforts."

The assembly answered as one: "Yes."

Daoyan Zhenren stroked his long beard and nodded, his face turning grave: "Since our founder, Patriarch Canglanzi, first established this sect, Qingyun has ever stood for the righteous path of the great traditions, and today it is the very leader of the cultivation world. In these present times the righteous flourish, the demons retreat, and the people enjoy peace. Yet the remnants of the demonic way are treacherous and cruel, and their hearts have not died. These years past they seem once more to be stirring. At such a time, we of the righteous path must uphold the Way and root out evil. Therefore, you must all devote yourselves single-mindedly to cultivation and steel your resolve. So long as we stand firm and self-reliant, the heretics and demons will find no crack to slip through!"

The disciples said loudly: "We shall heed the Sect Leader's teaching!"

Daoyan Zhenren smiled and nodded: "Good, good. There is one more matter I would announce to you all: to encourage the disciples of Canglan Sect to strive toward the Way and exert themselves in cultivation, I have discussed the matter with the seat-holders and elders, and we have decided that beginning with this Seven Peaks Martial Gathering, a small reward shall be given to the final victor after each great trial."

"Ah!!" A commotion ran through the Qingyun disciples.

Daoyan Zhenren looked upon the young disciples and smiled: "The prize this time is the ** Mirror."

"What is that?" Zhang Qingyue was dumbfounded. He had never heard of such a thing, and could not help looking about him; but Tian Lingsu, Du Biyan, and the others looked just as bewildered, and the young disciples of the other peaks nearby seemed scarcely better informed. Yet elders like Qi Hao, Song Dayi, and Wen Pei—those who had entered the sect longer—had gone pale, and on their faces appeared a rare excitement and longing.

Tian Lingsu and the others now noticed that their eldest senior brother and the rest seemed to know something. They edged closer and asked in whispers: "Eldest senior brother, what is the ** Mirror?"

Song Dayi said in a low voice: "The ** Mirror is a treasure handed down by the tenth-generation patriarch of our sect, Wufangzi Zhenren. I have never seen it myself. I only once heard Master say that it is one of the sect's great marvels, possessed of immense power—and stranger still, so long as the wielder's spiritual power is strong enough, the ** Mirror can reflect every attack, and thus one stands invincible."

The others gaped. Du Biyan said: "Then—then wouldn't that make one invincible under heaven?"

Song Dayi shrugged: "What it actually looks like, I couldn't say. But Master wouldn't be wrong about such a thing. This time—" he glanced at Daoyan Zhenren and lowered his voice further—"this time it seems the Sect Leader and Master have paid out a fortune in earnest!"

The others' faces took on strange expressions; most seemed to be secretly swallowing their saliva. It appeared that, with a rare treasure set before them, even cultivators could not keep their worldly hearts entirely still.

Daoyan Zhenren waited a while, smiling as he watched the young disciples chatter. After a moment he said: "Very well, that is the gist of it. Go now and rest. Tomorrow morning, the Seven Peaks Martial Gathering begins."

The Qingyun disciples bowed together and said as one: "Yes, Sect Leader Zhenren."

Daoyan Zhenren nodded: "You may go."

The disciples withdrew one by one, until only the seat-holders of the seven peaks of Canglan Sect and some dozen elders remained in the great hall. Daoyan Zhenren turned back and said with a smile to the elders: "My senior brothers, you too should go and rest early. Beginning tomorrow there will be many bouts, and we shall be relying greatly on your care."

Some of the elders had heads of white hair and faces deeply lined; others looked remarkably young, having mastered the art of preserving their looks. Hearing Daoyan Zhenren's words, they said nothing more, and filed out one by one, until at last in the Yuheng Hall only the seven seat-holders of Canglan Sect remained.

Daoyan Zhenren slowly let the kindly smile he always wore fade from his face. His gaze swept over the other six seated in their chairs, and he said mildly: "Good. Now it is only the seven of us."

Shang Zhenglang, seat-holder of Chaoyang Peak, seated on the right, frowned: "Sect Leader, is there something you wish to say to us?"

Daoyan Zhenren nodded, his face expressionless, and said slowly: "I went to see the Spirit Venerable just now."

At these words, everyone's expression changed.

Descending the steps, the disciples passed the edge of the Blue Water Pool still trembling with fear—only this time the water qilin slept soundly and made no stir at all.

Crossing the Rainbow Bridge and returning to the vast, fairyland-like plaza of the "Sea of Clouds," Lin Jinghong exchanged a few words with Zhang Qingyue and then went off with the disciples of Longfeng Peak. Zhang Qingyue watched him go, then returned to the Dazhu Peak group and listened as Song Dayi explained various precautions and the arrangements for their lodging. As he listened, something suddenly came to him, and he cried out: "Oh no—this is bad!"

The others started in surprise. Tian Lingsu, standing beside him, asked in astonishment: "Xiaofan, what is it?"