Chapter 29 — The Final Four
劍問蒼天 · Page 2 of 6
Tian Buhui had been frowning deeply, thinking this stinking brat Zhang Qingyue had no gift for speech at all; but hearing Zeng Shuchang put it that way, it smacked of mockery. Tian Buhui's temper was always competitive and protective of his own, so at once he smiled at Zeng Shuchang and said: "Not at all, not at all. Senior Brother Zeng flatters us. Xiaofan, come and pay your respects to Uncle-Master Zeng."
Zhang Qingyue froze. Zeng Shuchang's face changed; he flicked his sleeve and said coldly: "That won't be necessary." With that he shook his sleeve and stalked off.
Zeng Shuyan said: "I never saw how deep you hid your depths. And to think I begged Senior Brother Pang to go easy—never imagined I'd be the one who harmed him."
Zhang Qingyue's heart lurched. "I didn't—"
He had spoken half the sentence when Zeng Shuyan had already turned and walked away, the Fenghui Peak crowd following, every look they cast back cold as ice. Zhang Qingyue's heart ached. Just then he suddenly saw Senior Brother Gao pass before him in the crowd and, of a sudden, wink.
Zhang Qingyue was stunned for a moment, but Senior Brother Gao had already moved on.
Tian Buhui shot a glance at the Fenghui Peak group and gave a cold laugh; with a wave of his hand he led his people on toward the western platform where today's bouts were held. Drawing near, they found the place ringed by two hundred or more, a surging sea of heads; by the look of it, apart from Lu Xueqi's platform, this was the liveliest spot on the Yunhai Square.
Zhang Qingyue drew a sharp breath and whispered to the senior brothers beside him: "So many people—that Senior Brother Chang Jian must be formidable, eh?"
They all laughed. He Dachuan said with a straight face: "That Senior Brother Chang's cultivation runs deep, that goes without saying. But I'd say most of these people have come to see you, little junior brother!"
Zhang Qingyue was greatly startled. "How—how could that be?"
He Dachuan gave a chuckle. "As of today, only eight remain in the Seven Peaks Martial Meet, and the biggest dark horse is none other than you. Who wouldn't want to come see just how many mouths or how many arms you've got?"
Zhang Qingyue was struck dumb.
Tian Buhui led them to the foot of the platform. Along the way, when the crowd saw they were of the Dazhu Peak line, they parted and opened a path. Tian Buhui looked around and saw no small number of Changmen disciples in the surrounding crowd—likely because Chang Jian of the Changmen was fighting today, more of them had come to watch. But he saw scarcely a few Changmen elders, and Daoyan Zhenren, sect leader of the Canglan Gate, was not here either.
Tian Buhui frowned and said quietly to Su Wan beside him: "Why hasn't the sect leader come? Are there other Changmen disciples fighting?"
Su Wan shook her head. "None. This year, for some reason, the Changmen disciples' endowments are all rather poor. Only Chang Jian is left now."
Tian Buhui mused a moment, then walked to the center at the foot of the platform, where five or six chairs had been set out, though only a white-bearded old man sat there. Seeing Tian Buhui and the others arrive, the old man rose as well.
Zhang Qingyue started; he recognized this white-bearded old man as the one who had sat below the platform two days ago when he fought Chu Yuhong.
The white-bearded old man clearly remembered Zhang Qingyue too. His gaze drifted over him, then he said to Tian Buhui: "Senior Brother Tian, I never thought your faction would produce a talent this year."
Tian Buhui seemed on good terms with the old man; he chuckled and said: "Senior Brother Fan flatters me. Please, sit, sit."
Just then the bell and cauldron sounded from behind the platform. Tian Buhui turned and said to Zhang Qingyue: "Old Seven, go up."