Chapter 195 — Old Ground
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 1 of 5
Canglan Mountain, Jietian Peak, the Ancestral Hall.
The green woods were as they had always been, growing lush and vigorous, a faint morning mist drifting among the trees. Everywhere, on the tips of leaves and the petals of wildflowers in the grass, glistening dewdrops trembled gently in the breeze. From somewhere deep in the forest came the clear, melodious calls of birds; hearing them eased both body and mind, as though one stood in a realm of immortals.
Through this earthly paradise and Daoist fairyland, a short, stout figure slowly emerged along the forest path. It was Tian Buhui.
Seeming somewhat out of keeping with the surrounding beauty, Tian Buhui's expression was grave; his eyes were fixed straight ahead, his face heavy with care. And now he was entirely alone, which was strange in itself—for though Tian Buhui was the head of Dazhu Peak and one of the most important men in the Canglan Sect, it was clearly rather odd for a man of his station to come unaccompanied to the rear mountain's forbidden ground, the Ancestral Hall of the long line of sect leaders.
Along the mountain path there were no Canglan disciples standing guard; the whole way was silent, without a human sound. Amid the breeze and birdsong, Tian Buhui rounded the famous three-forked junction and gradually made out, deep in the forest, the imposing, upswept eaves.
"Tong—"
A faint bell or drumbeat came from somewhere—from the direction of the front mountain—echoing over the summit of Canglan Mountain.
That empty, drifting reverberation made Tian Buhui silently halt. He turned his head and gazed into the distance.
Heaven and earth, the vault of the sky—the sky was infinitely blue!
For tens of thousands of years, it seemed, nothing had ever changed.
Tian Buhui's face slowly grew calm. He stood silently for a while, then turned back and walked on toward the Ancestral Hall.
The broad stone steps opened before him. The Ancestral Hall was unchanged, lying in the forest's embrace like some slumbering giant beast. Its great doors still stood open, the interior dim as ever; even the scattered candles deep in that darkness seemed to be sleeping. Everything was so quiet.
Yet outside the Ancestral Hall, below the stone steps, a young man now stood with his back to Tian Buhui. Tian Buhui frowned and walked over.
Hearing the footsteps, the young man seemed startled—he had not expected anyone to come to this place at such an hour—and hurriedly turned around. As his face met Tian Buhui's, both of them started. The young man was none other than Lin Jinghong.
Tian Buhui then recalled hearing his disciples say that Lin Jinghong had long kept watch here in the Ancestral Hall, said to be tending the spirit of "someone." Yet who that "someone" was, no one seemed to know. At this moment, though, Tian Buhui naturally had no mind to wonder about it. He and Lin Jinghong had never been on good terms; the two exchanged a look and neither spoke at once, and the air grew somewhat awkward.
In the end it was Lin Jinghong who cleared his throat and said in a low voice, "Uncle-Master Tian, what brings you here so early?"
Tian Buhui glanced at him, then shifted his gaze to the dimness within the Ancestral Hall. "I've come looking for someone. What are you doing standing outside the hall at the break of dawn?"
Lin Jinghong's expression shifted slightly; a faint, bitter smile seemed to cross his face. He glanced into the hall but did not answer. Tian Buhui said coolly, "Is someone inside? Our Sect Leader, perhaps?"
Lin Jinghong nodded. "Yes. The Sect Leader is in the great hall. He ordered me to keep watch outside—without his summons, not a single disciple of Jietian Peak is permitted to enter."
Tian Buhui gave a cold snort. "I recall you are a disciple of Longji Peak. How is it you've come running to the long line's Jietian Peak to keep the gate for Senior Brother Daoyan?"
Lin Jinghong's face paled; he lowered his head slightly and said nothing.