Chapter 28 — Perseverance
劍問蒼天 · Page 5 of 6
"Bang!" A tremendous force surged like mountains and seas, and Zhang Qingyue was flung backward through the air, striking the wall hard; dust flew up, and he fell to the floor and spat out a great mouthful of blood with a retching cry.
Everyone's face changed. Song Dayi, forcing himself to stand, dropped to his knees, and all the other disciples knelt before Tian Buhui, crying: "Master, spare our young junior brother!"
Song Dayi added: "Master, I—cough, cough—I, it was my poor teaching that led our young junior brother into wrongdoing. The fault is all mine. Please, just spare him."
Amid the pleading, Tian Lingsu stood motionless where she was, staring blankly at Zhang Qingyue, who struggled in agony in the corner by the wall, blood staining his garments, her face as white as paper, without a trace of color.
Tian Buhui looked at the disciples kneeling at his feet, then fixed his eyes on Zhang Qingyue still in the corner. His wrath unabated, he gave an angry snort, flung his sleeve, and strode out. Su Wan glanced at the others, shook her head, and sighed softly. To Song Dayi and the rest she said: "All of you, get up." Then she looked toward Zhang Qingyue in the distance, and to Song Dayi, whom He Dachuan was helping to his feet, she said: "You see to Xiaofan. I'm going to look in on your master."
Song Dayi and the others said hastily: "Yes, Mistress."
With another soft sigh, Su Wan went out.
In the room, the others looked at one another. After a long while, Tian Lingsu walked slowly over, her back to them all, and helped Zhang Qingyue up. Bloody froth ran from the corner of his mouth; lying in the crook of her arm, he actually smiled.
In that instant, a cool tear slipped quietly down into the pool of blood upon his face.
By now it was deep into the night. Above the sea of clouds the mist still drifted as ever, beautiful as fairyland.
Tian Buhui stood in the great square, his head raised to the sky.
Countless stars filled the night sky, cold as frost.
Behind him came the sound of familiar footsteps. Su Wan came to his side, looked up at the starry sky, and said with a faint smile: "Feeling a little better?"
Tian Buhui gave a snort, but said nothing.
Su Wan smiled faintly. "You can fool Daren and Ling'er and the rest, but you cannot fool me. That sweep of your sleeve—I suspect you deliberately jolted the meridian channels in Xiaofan's chest, to force the congested blood out of his body. Am I right?"
Tian Buhui stared at the night sky without a word.
Su Wan shook her head. "A man several hundred years old, and still so desperate to save face!"
Tian Buhui turned his head and glared at his wife. "You saw it yourself, the way that wretched boy carried on—'Master, please punish me!'" He mimicked Zhang Qingyue's tone, then said angrily, "He was plainly in the wrong, yet he made it sound as though he had been grievously wronged, as if I, his master, had bullied and coerced him! The sheer outrageousness of it!"
Su Wan glanced back toward the lodging quarters. "I refuse to believe you did not notice."
Tian Buhui said, "Notice what?"
Su Wan said mildly, "Ling'er's manner was very strange. Do you not think so?"
Tian Buhui snorted.
Su Wan smiled. "So you saw it too. Xiaofan has spent these five years on Dazhu Peak and never once gone out; the only way he could have learned it is if one of our own disciples passed it to him in secret. Ling'er has always been close to Xiaofan, and she has long relied on our indulgence—I daresay she would dare to secretly teach him the third-layer formula. And if her conscience were clear, would a girl who always rushes to Xiaofan's defense over every little thing have held her tongue entirely this time? If not her, then who?"