The Sword Questions the Heavens - Chapter 255 — Nestling Close - 翰墨軒

Outside the little hut, not far away, was a small grove of bamboo. Beneath the moonlight, the slender stalks cast long, thin shadows on the ground—only now, among those shadows, there was already the indistinct silhouette of a person.

Lu Xueling's expression shifted slightly. She rose and said coldly, "Which honored one might you be? Please show yourself and meet me face to face."

The bamboo shadows swayed; the figure in the darkness seemed weightless, standing upon the tip of a slender bamboo branch. After a long moment, a sigh suddenly came forth, and then someone said softly, "Truly, you would move any heart to tenderness. Whenever I see you, you are always so breathtakingly beautiful."

Lu Xueling's gaze turned cold as she looked toward the dark figure in the bamboo grove. Yet somehow, the voice of this late-night visitor was soft and pleasing, and it sounded faintly familiar, as though she had heard it somewhere before. Such were her thoughts, though her face remained cold as frost. Lu Xueling said, "Who are you?"

A gust of mountain wind came, and the bamboo shadows shook violently, throwing the shadows on the ground into confusion. A white figure, rather like Lu Xueling herself, drifted out—it was none other than Xiaobai.

Beneath the moonlight, her brows and eyes were like a painting, her skin translucent, and a faint charm hovered now visible, now hidden between her brows. Her beauty was in no way inferior to Lu Xueling's.

Lu Xueling was taken aback. She had never imagined that it would be Xiaobai arriving in the dead of night. Astonished, she said, "It's you?"

Xiaobai smiled faintly and said, "Of course it's me. What, is that not allowed?"

Lu Xueling was silent for a moment, then said, "Did you come looking for me? What is it?"

Xiaobai glanced at her, smiled, and said, "At such a late hour, instead of sleeping, you lean at the window gazing at the moon—I wonder who it is you're thinking of?"

Lu Xueling's cheeks, smooth as jade, suddenly flushed faintly. Then she gave a cold snort and said icily, "That is none of your concern. What exactly have you come here for? This is the territory of Xiaozhu Peak of the Canglan Sect. If you do not speak plainly, do not blame me for being ungracious."

Xiaobai said leisurely, "Oh, is that so? Then let me tell you plainly—the one you are thinking of, I have come here on his account."

Lu Xueling's body gave a slight tremble. She raised her eyes to look at Xiaobai, and though there was a bright smile on her face, there was no trace of mockery in it. After a moment's hesitation, Lu Xueling said slowly, "He... what has happened to him?"

Xiaobai said, "He is right now in the ruins of Liumiao Village at the foot of Mount Canglan."

Lu Xueling trembled. A flicker of agitation passed over her face, and even the jade-white hand gripping the windowsill clenched tightly. But a moment later, a faint gloom suddenly settled over her face once more, and she said in a low voice, "I will not go."

Xiaobai was startled. "What?"

Lu Xueling was silent for a moment, then slowly lowered her head and said, "The sect is in turmoil at present; my master and the elders are all troubled by it. And besides, his present identity... To go see him would be to break the sect's rules and violate its precepts. And even if I did see him, what use would it be..."

At this point, her feelings seemed somewhat stirred. Her white teeth bit gently at her lower lip, and she drew a deep breath, as if to steady her emotions. Yet who would have thought that after this moment of silence, a sudden surge of passion would rush forth from the depths of her heart, filling her entire body. Her heart grew hot, and she could no longer restrain herself; the words escaped her as she asked Xiaobai, "Is he—is he well?"

Xiaobai did not speak, only watched her in silence.

A sudden unease swept through Lu Xueling's heart, a feeling like a shudder passing over her.

She stared at Xiaobai and held her breath.