Chapter 19 — Reunion
劍問蒼天 · Page 6 of 7
The several dozen ahead soon passed by. Zhang Qingyue and Lin Jinghong came down from the Rainbow Bridge, reached the edge of the Bishui Pool, and bowed respectfully to the Water Qilin. But from the start this Water Qilin seemed to be sleeping especially soundly, reacting to no one's salute; at this moment it lay with its head buried, snoring like thunder, and was ten to one unaware that these two young Qingyun juniors were bowing to it.
Zhang Qingyue and Lin Jinghong had never expected the Water Qilin to pay them any mind. After their bow they mounted the steps. Zhang Qingyue said, "Jingyu, last time you came to Dazhu Peak you were in such a hurry that I never got to congratulate you. I never imagined that in only a few years you would attain such a level of cultivation."
Lin Jinghong smiled. "All thanks to the earnest teaching of my master, Master Cangsong, and my senior brothers." Here he paused, and his voice gradually sank low. "In truth, in those first years, whenever I applied myself, I would think of that pile of blood-soaked corpses in Liumiao Village, and my heart would ache—so I hardened my resolve and cultivated diligently, hoping that one day I might avenge my parents and the people of the village."
A pang went through Zhang Qingyue's heart, and he reached out and clapped him on the shoulder. Lin Jinghong steadied himself, gathered his feelings, and smiled. "Enough, let us not speak of the past. And you? How has your cultivation gone?"
Zhang Qingyue shook his head. "You know I was never as clever as you, even as a child. These years on Dazhu Peak, my master and my senior brothers have all been very good to me, but I am too dull, and my progress in cultivation has been terribly slow. I have let my master and my senior brother down badly."
Lin Jinghong snorted. "How are you dull? I say it is nine parts that dwarf master of yours deliberately making things hard for you, refusing to pass on the true cultivation methods of the Canglan Sect."
Zhang Qingyue had not expected that after that quarrel two years ago, Lin Jinghong still harbored such a grudge against Tian Buhui. He smiled. "He would not. My master is not that sort of man. Never mind, let us not talk about me. By the way, is your treasure still that 'Dragon-Slaying Sword' from two years ago?"
Lin Jinghong nodded and smiled. "That divine sword is the supreme treasure of the Long Peak branch. My master, in his great kindness, passed it to me. Besides its immense power, the sword has a spirit of its own and is of enormous help to my cultivation."
Envy rose in Zhang Qingyue's heart and showed on his face. "That is the best of all."
Lin Jinghong smiled and asked in return, "And you, Xiaofan? Do you have any treasure of your own?"
Zhang Qingyue froze for a moment, then instinctively reached into his robes and touched the blackened "Dark Iron Rod." A thread of coolness, faint as a whisper, crept into his palm.
"No," he said quietly. "My cultivation is not deep enough. I cannot yet wield a magic artifact."
Lin Jinghong did not seem to mind; he had clearly expected as much, and consoled him: "It is nothing, Xiaofan. So long as you cultivate diligently, you will surely succeed. We are young yet—let us simply treat this trip as a chance to see the world."
The corner of Zhang Qingyue's mouth twitched. He looked at his old friend's kindly face and listened to his gentle words, yet felt not the slightest comfort.
To see the world?
Everyone thought he had come here only to see the world. At the thought, an indescribable anger suddenly surged in his heart, blazing like a fire deep within him—yet in the next instant it scattered and was gone. He lowered his head and said nothing. He did not even have it in him to blame his friend, because he himself thought the very same thing.