Chapter 237 — The Strange Treasure

For example, this cavern in the heart of the mountain had stood firm for centuries beyond all doubt, and the stone chambers where the Ghost King Sect disciples lived were walled with rock of the hardest kind. Never mind shattering it—a man could hack at those walls with a knife till he was half dead and still not gouge a small hole, if he managed it at all. Yet in these days, uncanny cracks had begun to appear all over the stone walls of the sect's main hall, and those cracks were still steadily widening.

Or take this: the folk of the Ghost King Sect, living in their cavern in the mountain's belly, had long grown used to a quiet life. Yet from some unknown time, whenever they returned to their rooms, lay down on their beds, and hovered on the edge of sleep, many of them would hear, as though from deep beneath their own stone chambers, a faint and utterly dreadful sound. It was like the roar of some gigantic beast, or the bellowing of a demon out of legend; some even felt it was like a vast torrent of molten rock thundering along beneath them, ready at any moment to burst upward and drown them all... The sound pierced their ears like a sharp needle and jolted them awake—yet once awake, they seemed to hear nothing at all.

None of these strange things had ever happened before, but what frightened the Ghost King Sect disciples most was a certain uncanny business among their own number. A few of them—disciples who by every appearance were as usual—would suddenly fly into a madness, utterly losing their reason, and attack anyone near them like the most frenzied of beasts. Even if the one standing beside them was their own kin or their dearest friend, these crazed disciples would kill everyone in sight by the cruelest means, until they themselves were killed by others who came running at the news.

In a matter of days, such horrors had happened again and again within the Ghost King Sect. For a time everyone feared for his own life; even kin and close friends no longer dared trust one another. No one knew what was happening. Panic reigned, and the whole of Fox Ridge Mountain seemed to have fallen into a dangerous and uncanny atmosphere.

The setting sun was blood-red. At dusk, several disciples stood guard at the gate of the Ghost King Sect, their hearts ill at ease. Some silently gazed at the sun sinking toward the distant hills; others stared blankly, no one knew at what. Suddenly one of them uttered a cry of surprise. "Someone's coming," he said.

They all started and looked up. There, sure enough, at the foot of Fox Ridge Mountain, in the glow of the setting sun, a white figure came drifting from afar, heading straight for the Ghost King Sect. Not knowing whether the newcomer was friend or foe, they could not help tensing. The white figure moved swiftly, and in the blink of an eye was halfway up the mountain, nearing the entrance to the main hall. The disciples went out to meet it and saw clearly who it was; with a collective "whoosh" of breath they sighed and relaxed. The visitor was none other than Xiao Bai, honored guest of the Ghost King, the sect's master, and of Ming Li, its vice master.

Xiao Bai came to a halt, feeling faintly puzzled. The look of relief on the disciples' faces was noticeably unlike their usual manner. Perhaps they themselves did not notice, but Xiao Bai was a nine-tailed celestial fox who had cultivated for a thousand years and had seen everything there was to see. Almost by instinct she sensed that these Ghost King Sect disciples seemed weighed down by some enormous stone, like over-tightened strings that could snap at any moment.

Still, there was of course no way she could say anything the moment she arrived. Besides, the disciples were already stepping aside to clear the path, smiling their company smiles. Xiao Bai nodded slightly to them and thought to herself that perhaps the Ghost King, the sect's master, ruled his people too harshly.

Xiao Bai took two steps toward the cavern in the mountain, then suddenly stopped and turned back, calling to one of the Ghost King Sect disciples: "Hey!"

It would have been better if she had not. She had only called out suddenly from behind them—and in that same instant, nearly every Ghost King Sect disciple started as though jolted by lightning and sprang apart in unison. Some had even drawn their blades and enchanted weapons, every one of them braced as if facing a deadly foe in a fight to the death.

Xiao Bai was struck dumb. "What's wrong with you?" she blurted.

The disciples exchanged glances. Only after a moment did they slowly lower their weapons and relax. The one Xiao Bai had called to gave a bitter smile. "What is it?"

Xiao Bai studied them closely. Every one of them had dark rings under his eyes, brows drawn tight, faces worn with fatigue, as though they had not rested properly in a long while. Her puzzlement deepened. "What on earth is the matter with you? Why does one casual word from me put you all in such a state?"

The disciple smiled bitterly again and shook his head. "Miss, don't ask. What did you want to call me for just now?"

Xiao Bai hesitated a moment. "Is Ming Li, your vice master, in the mountain?"

The disciple of the Hades Sect shook his head and said, "The Deputy Sect Master left the mountain several days ago. He is not here."

Xiao Bai frowned and said, "Where did he go? Did he say when he would return?"

The disciple replied, "The Deputy Sect Master's whereabouts are always mysterious. How would we know where the Elder has gone? And as for when he will return, naturally we do not know that either."

Xiao Bai stood in silence for a moment, then nodded. She reflected that this was surely true—if Ming Li had gone somewhere, these ordinary Hades Sect disciples would indeed have no way of knowing. She turned and walked deeper into the mountain. Yet as her steps carried her forward and her figure gradually melted into the shadows of the mountain's heart, her hearing, far keener than any ordinary person's, caught the low murmur of conversation from the disciples near the cave mouth far behind her: "Old Li, what got into you just now? You actually drew your blade! Lucky for you the young lady Xiao Bai didn't take offense, or else who knows how you'd have ended up?"

Another man beside him gave a bitter laugh—evidently this was the one called Old Li. He said, "You ask why I was so nervous? If nothing was wrong, why did you go leaping up like a rabbit yourself? These days have been no way for a man to live—the slightest rustle in the wind and grass, and I—I'm scared out of my wits."

At these words the others all sighed one after another. Strangely, no one contradicted Old Li; it was as though they all agreed. After that, they seemed so heavy with cares that none of them wished to speak again.

Hidden in the shadows of the mountain corridor, Xiao Bai's face grew more and more puzzled. Yet after much thought she still could not put her finger on what was wrong, and so she had no choice but to stroll onward. Her return to Mount Foxqi this time was, of course, first and foremost to find Ming Li. Some time ago she had entered the Miao holy altar in the southern frontiers once more, and following the Witch Demon's guidance had at last discovered the ancient witch clan's secret carved behind the Miao's Hound God idol—and among those secrets was precisely the thing she had long been seeking on Ming Li's behalf. But on that journey she had also discovered certain other strange matters, and to this very moment she had still not made up her mind whether to tell Ming Li everything about them.