Chapter 25 — The Unexpected
劍問蒼天 · Page 4 of 7
Lin Jinghong pointed behind him: "I have a match today too, on the Kan platform, so of course I had to come early to get ready." With that he looked Zhang Qingyue up and down and smiled: "It's your turn today too, isn't it? Which platform?"
Zhang Qingyue said: "I'm on the Zhen platform. It's about to start, so I can't go cheer for you. Be careful."
Lin Jinghong laughed: "You too. Eh—how is it none of your senior brothers or elders came to watch you?"
Zhang Qingyue was taken aback for a moment, then forced a smile: "You know as well as I do that our line has few people, and there are so many fighting today. Master and Mistress have gone to watch Senior Brother and Senior Sister's matches."
Lin Jinghong looked at him, sighed, and patted his shoulder.
Zhang Qingyue pulled himself together and smiled: "It doesn't matter. I only came to look on anyway. But you'd better do your best—don't let people say that folk from our Liumiao Village are good for nothing."
Lin Jinghong nodded firmly. He was about to say something when a bell and cauldron sounded behind him. He turned to look, then said: "My match is about to begin. I won't talk with you any longer—later, if there's time, I'll come over at once to watch you."
Zhang Qingyue nodded: "Go on, hurry."
Lin Jinghong turned and left. Zhang Qingyue watched his back recede and said silently to himself: "If you can make it over in time, and I'm still holding on up on that platform—now that would be strange indeed."
Mocking himself thus in his heart, he slowly walked to the edge of the Zhen platform. This was the easternmost edge of the sea-of-clouds square; a single glance showed him only a dozen or so Qingyun disciples, most of them likely from Zhaoyang Peak. Compared with Lu Xueqi's Qian platform in the center, it was like heaven and earth. Beneath the platform stood a single chair, and in it sat a white-bearded old man. Zhang Qingyue glanced at him and felt he looked somewhat familiar; after a moment's thought he recalled that this was the elder who, yesterday morning before Lu Xueqi's match, had stood outside the crowd cursing the disciples for lechery and grumbling that female disciples should never have been admitted. He only did not know which line of the Canglan Sect the man belonged to.
In the great trial of the seven peaks there were eight platforms in all. As a rule, the Canglan Sect would station at least one elder at each platform; otherwise, with young disciples hot-blooded and carried away in the heat of battle, things would be hard to control.
Zhang Qingyue walked over, came before the white-bearded old man, bowed, and said: "Uncle-Master, I am Zhang Qingyue, a disciple of Dazhu Peak. I am to fight on the Zhen platform today."
The white-bearded old man turned his head, glanced at Zhang Qingyue, and said carelessly: "Oh, you're here. It's about to start. Get up on the platform."
Zhang Qingyue answered, glanced at the platform, and saw it was empty—it seemed that Zhaoyang Peak disciple Chu Yuhong had not yet arrived. He hesitated, then finally obeyed the white-bearded old man's word and climbed the steps onto the platform. At the same time, among the Zhaoyang Peak disciples below behind him, a stir of whispering broke out at once—plainly they were talking about him.
By now the morning sun had risen. The first ray of sunlight over Jietian Peak fell quietly upon him, carrying a touch of warmth. Zhang Qingyue stood on the platform and looked toward the eastern sky, where a newly risen sun was slowly climbing, ruddy and round, its light soft and not dazzling, dyeing the clouds and mist at the far horizon red.