Chapter 119 — The Pursuit

"Those demonic cultivators," her voice echoed in the ears of all present, "have most likely gone to a place called Seven Li Cave."

The others at once broke into animated discussion, and only Li Xun gave a start, a strange look coming into his eyes as he gazed at Lu Xueling.

"Last night, when we fought those demon-cult monsters, Senior Brother Li Xun and I both heard the witch Jin Pingyue say to..." Her voice paused there for a moment, then returned to its normal tone: "say to Ming Li of the Netherworld Sect of the demon cult the three words 'Seven-Li Cave.'"

Shangguan Lue frowned slightly and shot a glance at Li Xun. For some reason, Li Xun had not seen fit to tell him this piece of news.

In the great hall, every gaze had for the moment fallen upon the Fenzia Valley party. Shangguan Lue turned matters over in his mind, then smiled and said, "I never imagined Miss Lu would have a lead. That being so, my valley will dispatch people to investigate at once. As for the rest of you, fellow Daoists, there is truly no need for you to go—this is the southern frontier, after all, and you came only to pay your respects to our valley master. So my valley thanks you for your good intentions."

A chorus of assent rose from the crowd.

Amid the voices, Li Xun quietly took his place behind Shangguan Lue and looked toward Lu Xueling. Last night he had pursued Jin Pingyue: first, because her cultivation was no lower than his own; second, because she was devious by nature and had thrown trick after trick at him until she finally shook him off. In his fury, he remembered that Lu Xueling was still in that abandoned Tianshui stockade, facing Ming Li of the Netherworld Sect, and he hurried back.

To his surprise, halfway there he encountered Lu Xueling, flying back on her sword. The sight of her gave him a violent shock: she looked as though her very soul had been torn from her, her face white as death, and on her white robes were scattered dots of deep crimson—the stains of fresh blood.

In his alarm he called out to her again and again, and only then did she seem to be summoned back from some strange emotion. Yet she merely looked at him in silence for a moment or two, then went straight back to Fenzia Valley.

What had happened in that ruined Tianshui stockade between this cold, aloof woman and that Ming Li, who had once been of her own sect?

A fierce battle? A conversation?

Somehow, whenever Li Xun's thoughts reached this point, a nameless rage came surging up in his heart.

His expression shifted and darkened with his feelings, and none of it escaped the eyes of Shangguan Lue and Fa Cheng.

And yet neither of those two said a word, keeping smiles on their faces and their talk flowing cheerfully.

In the end, it was decided that the envoys of the other sects, who had come only to pay their respects, would turn back. But because they were on close terms with Fenzia Valley, and because the lead had come from Lu Xueling, Lu Xueling and Fa Cheng would remain behind and go with the party sent by Fenzia Valley to Seven-Li Cave to make a thorough investigation.

And at almost the same moment, Ming Li and Xiaobai, with Xiao Hui, appeared before Matou Mountain.

Gazing at that high peak shaped like a horse's head, Xiaobai smiled sweetly and said, "They say there is a deep cave on this mountain, and in the cave dwells the Dog God the Miao people worship. At the foot of the mountain there is a narrow path that only one person can walk at a time; follow it in, and you reach Seven-Li Cave, where the Miao live."

Ming Li cast a flat, expressionless glance at the mountain before him, said not a word, and walked on in silence. From last night until now, he had not spoken a single sentence.

Xiaobai stood behind him, watching his back, and a faint smile touched the corner of her mouth. She turned and patted Xiao Hui, perched on her shoulder, and said with a smile, "Well then, let us be off."

Xiao Hui gave two squeaks and grinned, then suddenly leaped down from her shoulder, ran a few paces ahead, and with a swish darted up onto Ming Li's shoulder and sat down, turning back to wave at Xiaobai.

Xiaobai shook her head slightly and smiled, then followed after them.