劍問蒼天 - 第88章 死澤 - 翰墨軒

Xiao Wan was his granddaughter, after all, and her heart went out to him. Then it occurred to her that although there were swarms of insects along the way, they had not touched her or Jin Pingyue at all, biting only Zhou Yixuan. There must be something odd about that—and the power certainly did not lie with her, so it must lie with Jin Pingyue.

She turned and looked at Jin Pingyue, who smiled and said as though nothing were amiss, "Little sister, what is it?"

Xiao Wan gave a wry smile. "Sister, my grandfather, he... well, I know your powers are vast. Could you not help him?"

Jin Pingyue glanced at Zhou Yixuan, a flicker of disdain in her eyes, but when she turned back and saw Xiao Wan's pleading look, she shrugged. "Very well. For your sake, I'll do him this favor."

With that she drew a small white jade bottle from her robes and handed it to Xiao Wan. "There is some medicinal liquid in this bottle. Have him smear it on his body, and the insects will keep their distance."

Xiao Wan took it joyfully, her face all smiles. "Thank you, Sister." She hurried to Zhou Yixuan's side and handed him the bottle. He stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly leaped up and shouted angrily, "You had something this good and you didn't—"

Jin Pingyue's face turned cold, and she fixed her eyes on him. Zhou Yixuan's voice died at once, and as though his conscience were uneasy, he lowered his head, took the bottle, poured out the liquid, and smeared it over his body. Moments later a fresh fragrance surrounded him, and sure enough the insects that had been darting and plaguing him a moment before fell silent. All at once his whole body and spirit relaxed.

Xiao Wan walked slowly back and returned the bottle to Jin Pingyue. After a moment's hesitation she said in a low voice, "Sister, are you still bothered by the wrong my grandfather did back then?"

"Hmph!" Jin Pingyue's face turned slightly cold. "Three years ago, by the Eastern Sea, a fit of his wild nonsense nearly left me in a place of death from which there is no return. Had you not discovered it early, little sister, and sacrificed a year of your own lifespan to work the Wondrous Soul-Retrieving Formation for me and rid me of the demon spirit possessing my body, I would long since have been living a fate worse than death. That old fool—were it not for..."

Xiao Wan gently took Jin Pingyue's hand and called softly, "Sister."

Jin Pingyue glanced at her and gave a faint sigh. Then a smile appeared on her face, her eyes full of tenderness, and she patted Xiao Wan's hand. "Enough, enough. With a good little sister like you, I put all that behind me long ago. Only sometimes, looking at that grandfather of yours, I still find him hard to stomach, and cannot help wanting to see him suffer a little. Heh—good sister, you won't hold it against me, will you?"

Xiao Wan smiled and shook her head.

Jin Pingyue was about to speak with a smile when her face suddenly went cold. She spun around swiftly and cried, "Who goes there?"

Xiaowan and Zhou Yixuan both started in alarm and looked around, but all they could see was a vast expanse of mist, thick with water-weeds. Apart from the occasional bubble rising to the surface of the water, there was not the slightest sign of movement.

Yet for some reason, Jin Pingyue, whose face was always so composed, now suddenly wore a grave and wary expression. Gone was the gentle calm with which she chatted and laughed with Xiaowan; in its place was a cold detachment shot through with threads of killing intent, as though she had become another person altogether—as though what approached was a formidable enemy not to be taken lightly.

After a moment, from deep within the distant fog came a voice, speaking lightly: "Lady Jin, we agreed to meet at Blackwater Trench yesterday to discuss weighty matters. Why did you not come?"