Chapter 86 — King's Village
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 2 of 7
The Ghost King smiled at the young man before him as one might gaze upon a flawless, precious object crafted by one's own hands, joy tinged with a hidden thread of pride. "That is not entirely so," he said. "What I transmit to you must still be grasped by your own understanding. Your progress in these years has far exceeded my expectations. I thought that by your gifts you would need at least thirty years of cultivation; instead, in but ten, you have achieved mastery. Rare indeed, rare!"
Having received such praise from the Ghost King, Ming Li showed no smile on his face, as though to him this were nothing worth rejoicing over.
The Ghost King did not mind. Over the years, the man before him had gone from the Zhang Qingyue of old to the Ming Li of today; his former temperament had been turned upside down and inside out, and but for his features, almost nothing of that earlier man remained. He paused, then said, "So in your view, since the four great factions of our Holy Sect cannot avoid a bloodbath, do you think we should strike first—or wait quietly?"
This time Ming Li did not hesitate in the least. At once he said, "Strike first to seize the advantage!"
The Ghost King fixed his eyes on him. "Good! Then which faction would you deal with first?"
Ming Li said, "The Longevity Hall!"
The Ghost King frowned slightly, but there was already admiration in his eyes. "Why?"
Ming Li said, "At present the Ghost King Sect and the Ten Thousand Poison Sect are strongest, while the Soul-confusing School and the Longevity Hall are somewhat behind. The Soul-confusing School keeps a low profile, but the Longevity Hall's master, Yu Yangzi, though of high cultivation, is arrogant and conceited. He has always styled himself the leader of the righteous-demonic war at Mount Canglan in those years, believing that within the Demonic Sect he alone stands supreme. Such a fool—who else should we choose?"
The Ghost King smiled slightly. "Correct, well said. And if you were to command, how would you proceed?"
Ming Li considered briefly, then said, "This very affair is our chance. A rare treasure has appeared in the Death Marsh, and Yu Yangzi will surely regard it as already in his pocket, permitting no outsider to touch it. But the righteous cultivators are swarming there. We can wait for the Longevity Hall and the righteous forces to fight each other, and then, when both are broken and wounded, secretly join with the Ten Thousand Poison Sect and the Soul-confusing School to strike together. To such an errand of dropping stones on a man already in the well, they will surely not refuse. One battle like this and we are certain to succeed!"
The Ghost King looked at him and said nothing.
Ming Li slowly raised his head and looked toward the Ghost King. "What is it?" he said coolly.
The Ghost King seemed to have been gazing at him somewhat absently. After a moment he came back to himself, slowly drew back his gaze, and, as though sighing deep within his heart, said quietly, "Nothing. What you say is almost exactly what I had thought."
Ming Li fell silent.
The Ghost King gave a faint smile. "Rest another two days, then go to the Death Marsh." With that, he took from his robe a sealed letter and handed it to Ming Li. "The particulars of the arrangements I have written clearly in this letter. Once you reach the great marsh, every person of the Ghost King Sect is to answer to your command."
Ming Li slowly took the letter, tucked it into his robe, and was silent for a moment. He nodded to the Ghost King, then turned to go. But he had taken only a few steps when he suddenly heard the Ghost King's voice behind him: "One more thing..."
Ming Li stopped.
The Ghost King's voice drifted over. "When you speak with me, why do you still call our Holy Sect 'the Demonic Sect,' again and again?"