Chapter 141 — Bewilderment
劍問蒼天 · Page 3 of 6
It looked as though Little Gray would tear the Wild Wolf Daoist to pieces, its huge body plunging down from midair, while Zhou Yixuan and little Wan stood frozen at the side, not knowing what to do. Then suddenly a bizarre change came over Little Gray: its enormous body abruptly tilted backward, and in a most bizarre and comical posture, with a thud, it sat down on the ground, rear first.
"Bang!"
Yet even in sitting it managed to look imposing and mighty. Little Gray gave a "woo" that plainly betrayed its great bewilderment, scratched at its head with a giant hand, and turned to look.
Zhou Yixuan, little Wan, and the Wild Wolf Daoist—who had narrowly escaped with his life—all turned to look as well.
Mingli, who had somehow regained consciousness, had appeared behind Little Gray. His face was desolate, but his right hand had seized Little Gray's tail. It must have been he who, at that critical instant, had pulled Little Gray down from midair and thereby saved the Wild Wolf Daoist's life.
Little Gray blinked its three eyes, then suddenly roared a few times at this man who was less than half its height. Mingli only shook his head gently.
Little Gray's body suddenly swayed, and a moment later came a chorus of cracking and popping from its bones. Before the dumbstruck eyes of Zhou Yixuan and the others, the giant ape shrank rapidly, and in a short while its vast frame had become the same lovable three-eyed monkey as before. It glanced around the ground for a moment, then with a whoosh darted back onto Mingli's shoulder.
Mingli slowly reached out and stroked the monkey's head. Little Gray rolled its three strange eyes, looking rather reluctant, gave two "cheep cheep" cries, and jabbed a finger toward the Wild Wolf Daoist.
The Wild Wolf Daoist's heart lurched—then he saw that Mingli was looking at him too, and heard him say, "You want to kill me?"
The Wild Wolf Daoist's expression shifted, dark and bright by turns, and he felt little Wan's astonished gaze upon him from the side. Yet somehow, beneath that gaze, an indescribable sorrow welled up in his heart, and the words burst from his mouth almost against his will:
"That's right, I do want to kill you! You wiped out my entire Blood Refining Hall, killed so many of my fellow disciples—is it not right that I take my revenge on you today?"
Mingli did not speak, only regarded him coldly. But Little Gray on his shoulder had now fallen quiet, and gave a "cheep" that seemed to be mocking the Wild Wolf Daoist.
Under Mingli's gaze the Wild Wolf Daoist grew thoroughly uncomfortable, and little Wan's silence at his side unsettled him all the more. Unable to bear the torment, he clenched his teeth and snarled, "Kill me if you're going to kill me—what are you staring at?"
Slowly, Mingli withdrew his gaze from the fierce-looking but faint-hearted Wild Wolf Daoist before him, and the expression on his face gradually began to change.
A touch of bleakness, a touch of loneliness, a touch of grief, a touch of anguish...
"Why would I kill you? If killing could save her, I would long ago have slaughtered every soul under heaven..." he murmured to himself, his voice soft and drifting. "Ten years. What have I done in all these years but kill? For what, exactly, am I still alive?..."
His face was desolate. He turned slowly and, paying no more heed to anyone, walked away alone.
The Wild Wolf Daoist was stunned. But little Wan, standing beside him, suddenly changed expression and bolted after Mingli. Zhou Yixuan was greatly alarmed and reached out to catch her—but caught only empty air.
Little Wan ran a short way, caught up with Mingli, and seized his hand. "What's wrong with you? Where are you going?"
At her question, Mingli felt for a moment as though the whole world had suddenly convulsed, and only those four words echoed thunderously in his ears!
"Where are you going?... Where are you going?... Where are you going?..."
"Where... can I go?"