劍問蒼天 - 第67章 赤焰 - 翰墨軒

Zhang Qingyue was startled; he had not expected his master's wife to be so keenly perceptive. For a moment he did not know what to say, and could only stammer, "N-no, it's nothing..."

Su Wan frowned and was about to question him further when she sensed something and turned to look behind her. Footsteps sounded throughout the forest, and in a moment more than a hundred people had emerged from every corner—all of them orthodox cultivators. Among them were Fa Cheng and Fa Jing of the Brahma Sound Temple, and Li Xun and Yan Fei of the Burning Cloud Valley; and at their head walked Daoist Cangyan.

Su Wan rose to her feet and said with a smile, "Brother Cangsong, you've come too."

Cangsong nodded slightly and said mildly, "Brother Tian is putting on such a mighty, earth-shaking display here—we are not blind or deaf, so we came to have a look."

Su Wan's brows knit slightly, sensing a barb hidden in his words. But before she could say anything, the Dazhu Peak disciples following behind had already caught sight of Zhang Qingyue, stained with blood and sitting on the ground with a haggard face.

Tian Lingsu gave a cry of alarm and ran forward, with Song Dayi, Du Biyan, and He Dachuan following at her heels, anxiety written on their faces. But they had taken only a few steps when a white blur flashed by—a figure had rushed forward faster than they. Looking closely, it was Lin Jinghong.

Lin Jinghong darted to Zhang Qingyue's side, crouched down, and seized his arm. His face slightly pale, he said, "Xiaofan, are you all right?"

Zhang Qingyue felt the worry in his eyes and warmed inside. He nodded and smiled. "I'm fine now. It's nothing."

Lin Jinghong looked him up and down, then glanced at the wound on his chest. Only then did he relax, and he let out a long breath. "Who wounded you?"

Zhang Qingyue pointed upward. "That demon there. From what my master called him just now, he seems to be something like the 'Vampire Fiend'?"

Lin Jinghong's body gave a start; he clearly knew of this devil. "So even this old wretch has come out into the world?" he said in surprise, and raised his head to look up.

By now Tian Lingsu and the others had also reached Zhang Qingyue's side, peppering him with questions. Zhang Qingyue met Tian Lingsu's concerned gaze, then lowered his head and answered his senior brothers' questions in a low voice, saying he was no longer in any danger.

The fierce battle in the sky was at its height. Lin Jinghong stood beside Zhang Qingyue and gazed upward for a while, then suddenly said, "Xiaofan, I never imagined your master, who usually doesn't look like much, could be so skilled in the Daoist arts!"

Hearing this, Tian Lingsu was annoyed. Ever since she had lost to Lin Jinghong at her own doorstep years ago, she had taken a dislike to this young man. She gave a cold snort. "My father's Daoist arts are profound—how could a boy from Longji Peak like you possibly see the measure of them?"

Lin Jinghong frowned and turned to look. Meeting Tian Lingsu's glaring eyes, utterly unyielding, he was taken aback for a moment—then suddenly smiled. "You're right, Junior Sister Tian."

Tian Lingsu was rather thrown off. She had not expected this youth, once so arrogant, to have grown so well-mannered. But she saw Lin Jinghong smiling and looking elsewhere. Following his gaze, she saw him exchanging looks and smiles with Qi Hao, who stood far off beside Daoist Cangyan.

Tian Lingsu was clever enough to realize in an instant that Lin Jinghong must have refrained from arguing with her out of his long-standing respect for his senior brother Qi Hao. Though she herself felt no such embarrassment, at this moment, meeting Qi Hao's eyes, she could not help the sweetness that welled in her heart.