劍問蒼天 - 第103章 魚怪 - 翰墨軒

At the summit of the giant tree, in the Death Marsh.

Lu Xueling, Fa Cheng, Lin Jinghong and Zeng Shuyan descended slowly onto the ravaged surface of the enormous trunk. Everywhere they looked the wood was split and seared, strewn with countless broken branches, and though much time had passed, the aftermath of the two ancient leviathans' battle still made the heart quail.

Yet at this moment their attention was plainly fixed on the few figures before them.

Fa Cheng frowned slightly and said nothing, turning matters over in his mind. He had seen these men before—at the battle of Liubo Mountain in the Eastern Sea, and again at Canglan Mountain. They were, beyond doubt, the sect master of the Hades King Sect, the Hades King himself, together with his two capable subordinates, Qinglong and Yousi, and Ming Li, who was now far from the man he had once been. Their combined strength was, frankly, far above their own.

A pity that after climbing the tree they had parted ways with Xiao Yichen of the Canglan Sect, Li Xun of the Fenyu Valley, Yan Fei and the others at the fork in the trunk. Otherwise, though they might not have been a match for these four, they would at least have had a fight in them.

So he thought—but from the Hades King Sect's side there seemed no immediate intent to strike.

The Hades King glanced a couple of times at Fa Cheng and his three companions, then asked Ming Li mildly, "Tell me, then—how should we deal with these people?"

Ming Li did not answer at once, but looked at the Hades King. The man's face was genial, his manner seemingly placid, yet a faint keen light flickered in his eyes. After a moment Ming Li said evenly, "Since you have come here in person, Sect Master, all matters must naturally be decided by you."

Qinglong, standing to one side, frowned slightly; the black veil over Yousi's face seemed to stir as well, and she looked toward Ming Li.

The Hades King's expression did not change. A trace of a smile still hung at the corner of his mouth as he said slowly, "When you came to this Death Marsh, I told you that all things here were yours to decide. Qinglong and Yousi and I came only to capture this Yellow Bird. As for these four righteous folk—the decision is still yours. Whatever you wish, that is what shall be."

"Bah!"

Suddenly a cold snort of utter contempt came from the front.

They all looked. It was Lin Jinghong, his face like frost, who said coldly, "Devils and heretics—if you have the guts, come up and settle it to the death. Why lurk there chattering like gossiping women? Ridiculous!"

At these words Qinglong's face darkened at once. The Hades King, however, gazed at Lin Jinghong from afar, and instead of anger, smiled. He turned his head to Ming Li and said, "This must be Lin Jinghong. Your childhood friend?"

Ming Li's heart jolted. To this day Lin Jinghong's name was hardly illustrious—yet the Hades King, for some reason, had recognized him at a glance. Looking at that faint smile, Ming Li suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

The Hades King regarded him and said mildly, "Speak. What is to be done?"

Ming Li met his gaze squarely and said, "Most of the work here is done. These people are hardly figures of consequence—there is no need to trouble ourselves with them. Sect Master, your first order of business is to secure the Yellow Bird."

The Hades King looked at him and said nothing. A hush fell over the scene.

A flicker of worry crossed Qinglong's eyes. Beside him Yousi's face was hidden behind the black veil, so no expression could be read, but she did not appear at ease either. Her gaze passed through the veil, shifting from Ming Li to the Hades King, then glanced into the distance—and suddenly she started. Far off, among the four righteous cultivators, Lu Xueling stood silently at the rear, her face cold, but her eyes fixed from afar upon Ming Li.

Beneath that frosty countenance there seemed to lie a faint, hidden tenderness that no one knew of.