Chapter 253 — The Offering
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 3 of 5
The Ghost Master gasped for breath, the light in his eyes already visibly dimming. In a hoarse voice, broken and halting, he smiled bitterly and said, "I have... nothing to say. This, this is all... the will of Heaven, of Heaven... retribution... retribution... ah..."
Ming Li's brows knitted tight, his expression complex. Though he and this Ghost Master had ever been more enemies than friends, at this moment, with the man at death's door, his heart suddenly grew tangled. He wished to say something to comfort him, yet could think of no fitting words to comfort the Ghost Master now.
Just as the wounded Ghost Master's gasping began to fade, suddenly this dying man seemed to remember something. From somewhere in that ruined body the strength came—he abruptly seized Ming Li's hand in a fierce grip.
Ming Li started, and looked at him in astonishment. "What is it?"
"You... go... find..." The Ghost Master was in agony, his voice strained to the breaking point; each word seemed to cost him untold torment, yet he endured it still, struggling to speak his last words to Ming Li one syllable at a time.
Even Ming Li, hard-hearted as he was, could not but change countenance. He said gravely, "Speak. Who am I to find?"
"Find... Xiao... Huan..."
Ming Li's body jolted. He never in any way could have expected that the Ghost Master, at the point of death, would suddenly say such a thing. With a note of disbelief, stunned, he said, "Find Xiao Wan? What for?"
The strength in the Ghost Master's grip on Ming Li's hand slowly ebbed, yet still he struggled to bring out the words one by one: "Tell... her... to go... save... save... save..."
After that word "save," the Ghost Master seemed to have spent his last reserve of strength. The light in his eyes grew fainter and fainter, his whole body slowly went limp, and even the sound of his breathing gradually could no longer be heard.
Ming Li and Xiao Wan shared a deep connection, and he had always been fond of the girl, regarding her rather like a younger sister. Now to hear that the Ghost Master's dying words concerned Xiao Wan—and to see how the man struggled on in such agony—it was clearly a matter of grave importance. Yet at present the Ghost Master had spoken only half his meaning and looked very much about to pass from this world. In alarm, Ming Li flung himself down, brought his ear close to the Ghost Master's lips, and cried loudly, "You're telling Xiao Wan to go save whom? Speak quickly!"
The Ghost Master's lips moved, as though he had heard Ming Li's cry. He gasped rapidly a few times, then, in a voice Ming Li could barely catch, struggled out his final words: "Save... Qing... Yun... back... mountain..."
The words grew fainter toward the end, well-nigh inaudible; and when at last he breathed out a "mountain" that could scarcely be heard at all, the Ghost Master's body gave a sudden shudder, then went entirely slack. His breath ceased—and thus he passed away.
Ming Li froze for a moment, then slowly laid the Ghost Master's body upon the ground, his mind full of questions. The back mountain of Qingyun? What did that mean? If he had heard aright, the Ghost Master's final words must refer to the Canglan Mountains—but the Canglan range stretched a thousand li, its peaks rising and falling; from where, then, did one begin to speak of "the back mountain"? The Canglan Sect occupied the seven highest peaks among them, and each peak did indeed have its so-called back mountain—but to go save "the back mountain of Qingyun," what was that supposed to mean?
The Ghost Master had died midway through his words. Ming Li pondered a moment, then sighed and glanced at the dead man. Seeing that his eyes were still half-open and had not closed, he reached out and shut them, saying in a low voice, "If ever I chance to meet Xiao Wan, I will pass your words on to her for you. Only your words are so muddled that I fear even she will not make sense of them."