Chapter 152 — Unfilial

A hint of worry in her eyes, Wen Pei said softly, "Sister, what's wrong? You look like your soul has wandered off. I called you several times and you didn't answer."

Lu Xueling was taken aback for a moment, then forced a faint smile. "Forgive me, Sister."

Wen Pei shook her head. "What is there to forgive between us? We are sisters; don't be so formal. By the way, I thought Master looked a little off. I'll go in and see how she is. You've had a hard journey—go back and rest first."

Lu Xueling was silent a moment, then said softly, "I'm afraid Master is still angry with me."

Wen Pei looked at this junior sister—the most beautiful and outstanding among them—and suddenly felt that on her pale face, though still as lovely as ever, there was now a greater haggardness than before. Wen Pei sighed inwardly, put an arm around Lu Xueling's shoulder, and said gently, "Silly girl, don't let your thoughts run wild. How Master has always treated you—we all know it, and so do you. It's all right. I'll go and see her now."

Lu Xueling nodded silently. Wen Pei smiled, gave a few instructions to the other junior sisters, and was about to leave when a young girl emerged from the doorway ahead—none other than Xiaoshi, the girl from the day Mingli had secretly stolen onto Xiaozhu Peak. Because she was young and her cultivation insufficient, she had always stayed on Xiaozhu Peak; Master Shuijing, fond of her cleverness and charm, had kept her at her side ever since.

Xiaoshi glanced their way and came quickly toward Wen Pei and Lu Xueling. Wen Pei gave a small "Oh?" and, when Xiaoshi reached them, said, "Xiaoshi, why have you come out? Master has only just returned—shouldn't you be attending her?"

Xiaoshi nodded, glanced at Lu Xueling, and said, "Senior Sister, Sisters—Master says I am to fetch Sister Xueqi to see her at the Quiet Bamboo Pavilion."

Wen Pei was startled and looked back at Lu Xueling. Lu Xueling's lips moved; a complex look flashed through her eyes, and then she said, "Very well, I'll go now." With that she walked straight ahead and soon vanished among the buildings of Xiaozhu Peak.

Watching Lu Xueling go far off, Wen Pei frowned and said to Xiaoshi, "Xiaoshi, did Master say anything else? Why did she call Xueqi to her?"

Xiaoshi shook her head. "No. Master has been silent ever since she returned. After a while she told me to come and fetch Sister Xueqi."

Wen Pei murmured "I see," unable to make sense of it for the moment. She shook her head and said to the other Xiaozhu Peak female disciples, "All right, there seems to be nothing more for now. Go back and rest, all of you."

The young women answered and dispersed. Wen Pei cast one last look in the direction Lu Xueling had gone, her heart heavy, stirred by a tangle of feelings.

The "Quiet Bamboo Pavilion" was a secluded spot among the halls of Xiaozhu Peak, near the rear mountain, surrounded by groves of green "tear bamboo." Mountain breezes passed now and then, stirring the bamboo leaves in a gentle sway that calmed the heart. Master Shuijing had always loved to come here and be alone, and so the other disciples of Xiaozhu Peak knew the place well.

Lu Xueling passed along the covered corridor and stepped onto the winding little path of smooth pebbles that led through the bamboo grove, twisting deeper and deeper, until she came to the refined hut built of bamboo. From outside it looked plain and unadorned; its outer walls of bamboo, weathered by who knew how many years of wind and rain, now bore faint traces of age. On either side of the hut was a small window, through which could be glimpsed the still figure of Master Shuijing seated within.

Lu Xueling came to the door, which was likewise made of bamboo and stood ajar. Somehow she felt a little nervous; drawing a deep breath, she said, "Master, it is Xueqi. Did you send for me?"

Master Shuijing's voice came from within, flat and without feeling. "Yes. Come in."

Lu Xueling steadied herself and pushed the door open. The furnishings inside were very simple—table, chairs, tea things; by the window stood another desk with paper, inkstone, brush, and ink. Master Shuijing had never been one for luxury. She was sitting at the desk by the window now, silently gazing at the bamboo grove outside.

Lu Xueling came up behind her, looked at her master's back, and said softly, "Master."

Master Shuijing turned slowly and looked at Lu Xueling, but Lu Xueling seemed unwilling to meet her master's eyes and lowered her head. Neither spoke, and for a moment the room's air grew awkward. In truth, neither Master Shuijing nor Lu Xueling was much given to talk, and such scenes had occurred before when they were alone together. Yet somehow, today, there seemed to be a strange new unfamiliarity between master and disciple, putting a greater distance between them than ever before.

After a while, Master Shuijing broke the silence. "Your journey to the southwest—did it go smoothly?" she asked, her voice flat.

Lu Xueling nodded. "Well enough. The beast demons ran wild all along the way, but we avoided them as best we could. In the end we found a Demonic Cult disciple who had gone mad, and through him we found Vipers' Valley, and saw..."

Her voice suddenly stopped. A plainly visible anguish crossed her face, and even her body seemed to tremble slightly. Master Shuijing watched her, a flicker of light in her eyes, as though pondering something. After a moment she looked at Lu Xueling and said, "Did you see him?"

Lu Xueling started and looked at Master Shuijing. Her master's gaze was calm, yet it seemed to see straight into the depths of her heart. Lu Xueling's expression shifted, and she said softly, "Master, what—what are you saying?"

Master Shuijing said coldly, "I am speaking of Zhang Qingyue—the very Mingli who is now of the Banished King Sect!"

Her voice was not loud, but to Lu Xueling it was like a thunderclap at her ear. She jerked up her head, face ashen, yet Master Shuijing, standing before her, still fixed her bright eyes straight upon hers. Lu Xueling's lips parted slightly and closed again, pressed tightly together. She said not a word.

Silence descended once more.

How long it lasted, no one could say. At last Master Shuijing's face slowly relaxed, and into the look she bent upon Lu Xueling there gradually crept a measure of pity and heartache.

"Qi'er, how long will you go on deceiving me?" Master Shuijing said slowly, watching Lu Xueling.

Lu Xueling's hand clenched into a fist, the white skin of her knuckles going pale with the force of it—clearly she was deeply agitated at this moment. She looked at the master who had raised her from childhood, and a mist of tears gradually welled in her eyes, but in the end she held it back. Biting her lip, she slowly knelt down before Master Shuijing.

"It is your disciple's fault. I have failed your teachings." Her voice grew softer and softer, and her slender back seemed to tremble faintly.

Master Shuijing gave a long sigh, her eyes full of the weariness of years, as though this disciple had called to mind the past, and even her own expression held a measure of sorrow. Slowly she turned and walked to the window, gazing at the green bamboo swaying still in the wind. She wondered only whether the one from those years ago still remembered this place.

"Get up," Master Shuijing said mildly.

There was no sound behind her; plainly Lu Xueling was still kneeling on the ground.

Master Shuijing did not press the matter. "Qi'er, you have always been clever as ice and snow. Some things I thought you would understand even if I did not say them."

Lu Xueling knelt behind her without moving. Master Shuijing went on, "This entanglement between you and that Zhang Qingyue—for you it is a doomed bond. Do you know that?"

Lu Xueling gave a faint response, her voice barely audible. "Yes."