劍問蒼天 - 第154章 故居 - 翰墨軒

His movements were very, very slow, as though a weight of a thousand jun pressed upon his hand; even his expression was that of a man who could scarcely breathe. And yet that strange, nameless feeling, like an invisible force, at last pushed the door open.

It was as though he had pushed open a window onto the bygone years and seen the days of old.

The familiar bed, the familiar table and chairs, and the scroll bearing the character for the Dao hung upon the wall, its color now somewhat faded after all these years; even the kettle and teacups on the table looked exactly as they had then.

Who could know how many times this plain, simple room had appeared in his dreams? Even the air here seemed to hold a faint breath of the old days. He walked slowly into the room, to the bedside, and slowly sat down, gently stroking the bedding along the edge of the bed. A soft sensation passed through his palm.

Who could see how he suddenly bit his lip, so hard, so deep?

********

In the Shoujing Hall, Tian Buhui and Xiao Yichen sat down together. Tian Buhui seemed somewhat distracted; facing Xiao Yichen, his eyes kept drifting elsewhere, as though he were turning something over in his mind. Only when Xiao Yichen coughed and said, "Uncle Tian," did he start.

Tian Buhui came to himself and nodded. "Hm. Very well, out with it. What has Sect Master Daoyan sent his prized disciple all this way to say?"

Xiao Yichen smiled. "You flatter me. It is like this: my master has two principal matters he wished me to consult you about, Uncle Tian."

Tian Buhui said, "Oh. Go on."

Xiao Yichen said, "The first is that the number of orthodox cultivators coming to Canglan Mountain continues to grow. The other lineages have all received a great many already, and Dazhu Peak has likewise housed more than a hundred in the dwellings on the mountainside. Even so, there is still not enough room. And so my master wished me to beg you, Uncle Tian, to see whether a few more orthodox cultivators might be lodged on Dazhu Peak."

Tian Buhui's brows went up, and he shot Xiao Yichen a look. Xiao Yichen's face showed some embarrassment, but he kept up his smile. "Uncle Tian, this is only because the great calamity is upon us and there is no other way. And our Canglan Sect has always set itself up as the leader of the orthodox path; surely we cannot push our fellow cultivators out the door?"

Tian Buhui snorted. "Don't take me for a fool. Of those so-called orthodox cultivators, when it comes to a real fight with the beast-demons, not even three in ten could put up any real strength. Most of them came running here to take refuge under Azure Cloud's name."

Xiao Yichen gave a bitter laugh. "Uncle Tian, you exaggerate. But even so, we cannot simply shove people out the door, can we? If we truly did, what would the orthodox world think of Azure Cloud? For the sake of the greater good, I beg you to help us in this, Uncle Tian."

Tian Buhui rolled his eyes. Then something seemed to occur to him; his eyes suddenly lit up, a mocking smile flickered at the corner of his mouth, and he coughed once and put on a look of stern righteousness. "Since Senior Brother Daoyan has said as much, it would be hard for me to refuse. In any case, it is for the sake of the orthodox path and the greater good. Then let it be done this way."

Xiao Yichen was overjoyed and clasped his hands. "Many thanks, Uncle Tian."

Tian Buhui smiled faintly, then suddenly raised his hand. "Wait. I have not finished."

Xiao Yichen started. "What? Please go on, Uncle Tian."

Tian Buhui smiled. "Since the calamity is upon us, everything must be done with the greater good in mind. I have heard that among the seven lineages of Azure Cloud, there is another lineage—er, the one with rather a lot of female disciples, I believe..."

Xiao Yichen's face had been all smiles, but halfway through he froze, and his smile slowly died.