Chapter 152 — Unfilial
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 6 of 6
Lu Xueling jerked up her head—so swiftly and with such force that it startled anyone to see. On her clear, lovely face was now nothing but anguish and desolation, and even her voice seemed to tremble. "Master, but I cannot cut them."
Master Shuijing's expression changed drastically. She stared hard at Lu Xueling, then suddenly her hand rose and fell—smack—a heavy slap across Lu Xueling's face. Lu Xueling did not dodge, did not retreat; she stood rooted to the spot, only biting her lip tightly, her body slowly trembling.
"You—what did you say?" Master Shuijing's voice seemed to tremble too, but it was filled through with wrath. "You—you wicked disciple, do you know what you are saying?"
Lu Xueling's face had long since gone white past any trace of blood, but meeting Master Shuijing's gaze, as though her resolve were now fixed, she said resolutely, "Master, you took me in as a child and raised me, taught me, kept me—no kindness could be deeper. Xueqi is unfilial, and has made her master angry and grieved. For that I deserve ten thousand deaths..."
Her white robes stirred, and once more she knelt before Master Shuijing. "Rather than betray my master and the orthodox path, Xueqi would sooner die. Should I meet that Zhang Qingyue hereafter, your disciple will do her utmost to take his life with the Celestial Dipper; and if I fail, then let me die by his hand..."
Master Shuijing had at first been all wrath, but when she heard Lu Xueling say she would not betray the orthodox path and would fight Zhang Qingyue to the death, her face eased somewhat—yet what Lu Xueling said next changed her countenance once more.
Kneeling before her master, Lu Xueling drew a deep breath and lowered her gaze to the ground before her, as though looking also into the depths of her own heart, and said slowly, "But this one strand of sinful feeling—your disciple cannot cut it. It cannot be cut!"
The room fell instantly into a dead silence, as though even the sound of breathing had stopped. A moment later, Master Shuijing's sharp, furious scolding rang out, echoing through the hut:
"You—you wicked disciple, get out! Get out! I never want to see you again!..."