劍問蒼天 - 第192章 暗傷 - 翰墨軒

Ming Li's face turned cold in an instant, but before he could speak, Jin Pingyue pressed on: "In these ten years, and especially since Bili's misfortune, you have never stayed so long alone with a woman. Is it that, without meaning to, over these days together, the hostility between us has faded—and you said something unguarded, and now feel you have wronged her?"

Ming Li stared at Jin Pingyue, his gaze gone icy. He said coldly, "What do you mean by this? And why do you speak of Bili?"

Under that cold gaze, which seemed capable of killing, Jin Pingyue showed not the least fear or thought of retreat. On the contrary, she smiled faintly, and in her eyes there seemed a hidden excitement, as of provocation. Her gaze flickered as she said, "You are afraid. Is that not so?"

Ming Li rose abruptly and said in fury, "Afraid of what? Say one more foolish word and I will not be so courteous—"

"You are afraid you will forget Bili!" Jin Pingyue suddenly lifted her voice, clear as ice split and snow cut, and thrust it into the invisible space between them.

Ming Li's mouth, opened in anger, suddenly froze as though locked in place; no sound would come. It was as if he had been struck at his vital point. Jin Pingyue, too, fell abruptly silent. In the echo of that ringing challenge, which seemed still to circle around them, the surrounding world had gone still, without the slightest sound.

At this moment the sky was a deep blue, the distant ranges rolling away; a wind seemed to come from the horizon, and the woods and grasses began to rustle.

It was already afternoon. The wind brushed past cheeks and through hair.

The sunlight grew lazier still. The two faced each other in silence; neither spoke.

Jin Pingyue looked at the man before her, something flickering ceaselessly in her eyes—pity, perhaps, and perhaps a cold smile.

After a long while, she reached up and tucked a strand of hair, blown loose by the wind across her brow, gently behind her ear, her voice softening as she said mildly, "For the sake of a feeling from all those years ago, even you no longer dare trust yourself—are you afraid that at some careless moment you will forget her?" Her smile, too, seemed faint, like a wildflower swaying gently in the wind. "Desperately repressing yourself, constantly reminding yourself—who in all the world knows that Ming Li, the first great general of the Ming Wang Sect whom everyone fears, is such a pitiful creature?"

Ming Li's face shifted through a range of expressions, pale and livid by turns. Suddenly he drew a long breath, raised his head to the sky, held it a moment, then slowly let it out. When he looked back, his countenance was calm as before, with no trace of sorrow or joy—only utter indifference.

"And what manner of person are you, to speak to me so? And what of yourself?" he said mildly, a hint of mockery in his eyes, as though he had in an instant forgotten that momentary lapse.

Jin Pingyue smiled. "Me? I am no one at all—only a woman who happens to be at your side just now."

Ming Li paid no heed to the barb hidden in her words and turned his head away. Just then the grass nearby parted; a gray shadow flashed, and out sprang Xiaohui. It bounded back to Ming Li in two or three leaps. A closer look showed the monkey clutching a good many wild fruits in its hands, and still chewing busily even with its mouth full—no wonder its familiar "zhi zhi" cries had not been heard.

Ming Li picked it up and held out his hand. Xiaohui grinned, baring its teeth, and placed the fruits it had gathered in his palm. They were bright red and most charming; though none were large, they looked plump and full, and very tempting.

Ming Li put one in his mouth and took two bites. The flavor was a little tart, but the flesh was juicy and sweet—a rare treat. He nodded, set a few aside, glanced at Jin Pingyue, and held them out. "Xiaohui is born with a knack for telling poison from safe. The fruits it gathers can all be eaten."