劍問蒼天 - 第160章 隱者 - 翰墨軒

The long dragon of common folk walked for a whole day, and Lin Jinghong and the other Qingyun disciples busied themselves for the entire day as well. Seeing that the greater part of the procession had already passed, Lin Jinghong finally breathed a sigh of relief. He truly felt that this work was more exhausting than facing three or five vicious beast demons. Just as he was thinking of a good rest, a small child came walking by, staring at Lin Jinghong all the while.

Puzzled, Lin Jinghong looked at the child. His clothes were worn and tattered, clearly not those of a wealthy family's son, but his features were delicate and his eyes bright—quite adorable, in fact.

Lin Jinghong smiled and said gently, "Little brother, is something the matter?"

The child hesitated a moment, then raised a hand and held out a slip of paper, saying timidly, "A while ago an uncle told me to give you this note."

Lin Jinghong was taken aback. He took the slip from the child's hand and unfolded it. On it, simply and plainly, were written four words:

"A fire in the backyard!"

Lin Jinghong frowned, pondered a moment, and said to the child, "What does this mean? And—where is the man who gave you the note?"

The child turned and pointed ahead, then suddenly looked bewildered. "Huh, he's gone. It was an uncle with a hat on who gave it to me."

Lin Jinghong stared at the slip in his hand, brows locked tight. After a moment he raised his head and looked out—but the sea of people stretched vast and boundless. Where was he to find the mysterious man in the hat the child had spoken of?

********

Canglan Mountain, Xiaozhu Peak.

"Clang!"

The sound was like a dragon's cry, filling the room with a blaze of light. The Tianxuan Divine Sword lay across her hand; Lu Xueling's face was expressionless as she held the blade and gazed at it. Upon that autumn-water blade was reflected her peerless countenance, fair as frost and white as snow.

She gazed deeply at the keen edge, and Tianya seemed to sense something too, quivering faintly, as if stirred.

"What are you thinking of?" Wen Pei's voice came from beside her. Lu Xueling silently watched the sword in her hand, and only after a long while said, "I wonder—in a few days' time, whose blood will flow upon this blade?"

Wen Pei walked slowly to her side, patted Lu Xueling on the shoulder, and said gently, "There now, my good junior sister. With the catastrophe upon us, Master no longer pursues the matter of your defiance against her. So long as we do our utmost in this battle, surely heaven will not leave us without a way."

Lu Xueling nodded, but somehow a gloom she could not dispel lingered in her heart. She said quietly, "Yes."

Wen Pei smiled faintly and said, "That's good, then. Master is still waiting for us to go to Jietian Peak together. Let's go."

Lu Xueling nodded again, put away Tianya, drew a deep breath, and followed Wen Pei out.

Following the winding corridor, they came to the front of Xiaozhu Peak, where Master Shuijing already stood, several female disciples of Xiaozhu Peak beside her. Wen Pei and Lu Xueling stepped forward, and Wen Pei spoke first: "Master, my junior sister Xueqi and I have arrived."

Master Shuijing stood with hands clasped behind her back. Now she turned slowly, cast a glance at Wen Pei, and then let her gaze settle on Lu Xueling. Lu Xueling lowered her head, not daring to meet her master's eyes, and said only softly, "Master, I have come. This disciple has been unfilial and made you angry."

Master Shuijing said flatly, "I have no time to be angry."

Lu Xueling's face seemed to pale again. Those beside her dared not speak. Wen Pei shook her head slightly, looked at Master Shuijing, and called out with a hint of pleading: "Master..."

Master Shuijing gave a cold humph, then suddenly sighed and said, "Enough, enough. Let us set all this aside for now. In this great battle, if we can keep our lives, we may speak of it then."