劍問蒼天 - 第192章 暗傷 - 翰墨軒

Yun Yifeng glanced at Zeng Shuyan and gave a slight nod, but said nothing. He looked back over his shoulder, and Li Xun, taking the hint, stepped forward and cupped his hands to Zeng Shuyan. "Brother Zeng, I am Li Xun. By my master's command, I am to serve as a guide here in the southern borderlands for the present, so that you several—"

"Hmph!" A cold snort, faintly tinged with anger, cut in from the side before Li Xun could finish. Li Xun broke off, his expression turning ugly at once. Fortunately Wen Pei was quick-witted; she hastened to smile and say, "Brother Li, there is no need to trouble you on our account. Some among us have been to the southern borderlands before and know the roads well enough."

Li Xun drew a deep breath. From the corner of his eye he stole a glance at the white-robed figure beside him; his lips moved, and suddenly all his anger seemed to vanish. He gave a soft sigh and said with a bitter smile, "This martial sister, it is not that I wish to make an issue of it. It is only that in recent days our sect has traced word of the missing Beast Lord."

At these words, Lu Xueling, Zeng Shuyan, and Wen Pei were visibly shaken. Zeng Shuyan said with delight, "Is this true?"

Li Xun nodded. "Indeed. In any case, the centuries of foundation and connections the Burning Cloud Valley has built in the southern borderlands mean we know a little more than outsiders do." With that, he glanced, deliberately or not, at Lu Xueling once more. Her face was blank and indifferent; she turned her head away.

Zeng Shuyan pressed him: "And where is the Beast Lord now?"

Li Xun said, "According to our information, that fiend has fled into the depths of the eerie, forbidding Ten Thousand Wild Mountains, and is making for his lair."

Zeng Shuyan and the others were taken aback. "The Ten Thousand Wild Mountains?"

Li Xun nodded. "Precisely. There is no need for me to tell you—you have surely heard of the place. Treacherous and strange, shrouded in mystery, it is one of the few most savage regions under heaven. As it happens, had you not come, I was just about to lead a company of junior brothers into the Ten Thousand Wild Mountains to search. Now that the three of you have arrived, would it not be better for us all to travel together? I mean nothing by it. But be that as it may, I have spent many years in the southern borderlands, and know a thing or two, more or less, about those strange, unpredictable, and exceedingly perilous mountains. With me as your guide, it may prove to your benefit and no harm."

Having said this, he gave two cold laughs.

Zeng Shuyan frowned and glanced back at Wen Pei and Lu Xueling. "Brother Li, give us a moment. The three of us must confer."

Li Xun nodded. "Please, as you will."

The three from the Canglan Sect withdrew to one side and began to speak in low voices. From where Li Xun stood, it seemed that Zeng Shuyan did most of the talking; now and then Wen Pei put in a word or two, while Lu Xueling said not a thing, only silently shaking her head, or else nodding.

The white-robed woman seemed forever as serene and ethereal as ever, standing there in her quiet remove. Li Xun gazed at Lu Xueling from afar, and for a moment seemed to lose himself entirely. Just then someone clapped him on the shoulder. Li Xun started—he had not imagined anyone could come so close without his noticing—and turned quickly. It was Yun Yifeng.

Li Xun flushed and said in a low voice, "Master, your disciple has been remiss. Is something the matter?"

Yun Yifeng glanced toward Lu Xueling, his face expressionless, and said only, coolly, "Do not forget the burden you carry."

Li Xun's body gave a shudder. He said in a low voice, "Your disciple understands."