Chapter 55 — Dying Together
劍問蒼天 · Page 1 of 6
The Mystic Fire Mirror resting on her chest gradually stilled, and all its radiance slowly faded away. Zhang Qingyue suddenly started—the great fiery dragon that had been churning below, he knew not when, had vanished as well.
Truly, he did not know how long had passed...
He stood rooted to the spot, a thousand, a million thoughts surging through his mind, and yet he still felt that his head was utterly blank.
The six-tailed white fox was silent for a long while before it slowly raised its head and said to Zhang Qingyue, "Young man, come here a moment."
Zhang Qingyue walked slowly toward it, and behind him, in the passage, the howling of the wind had already grown louder and louder!
The six-tailed white fox still held tightly to the body before it, which had long since lost all feeling. At some point its expression had regained its calm, and even its voice was serene as water: "Will you do me a favor?"
Zhang Qingyue was silent a moment, then said, "What is it?"
The white fox glanced at the woman in its arms and said quietly, "Throw the two of us together into the lava below!"
Zhang Qingyue jerked his head up and took a step back.
The white fox looked at him and said not a word.
Zhang Qingyue opened his mouth wide, as though he wanted to say something, yet not a single word could he get out. He only felt that his eyes, all at once, as if scorched by flame, had begun to burn.
He nodded heavily.
The white fox smiled and drew the woman in its arms closer.
One step, two steps—Zhang Qingyue, cradling the two foxes locked in tight embrace, walked slowly toward the edge of the platform.
The roaring waves of heat surged and bellowed beneath his feet.
At last he reached the end and stood upon the very brink of life and death.
The white fox's face suddenly looked a shade better. It lifted its head and gazed at the youth.
No one saw Zhang Qingyue's expression in that moment.
Then it suddenly smiled, as though all grievances and grudges had been forgotten, and it was only an elder of many years gazing upon a youth.
"Young man, why do this?"
Zhang Qingyue did not speak.
The white fox gently took up the Mystic Fire Mirror still resting on the woman's chest, and with its last strength pulled back the sleeve of Zhang Qingyue's right arm, and with the two ends of red silk tassel bound the Mystic Fire Mirror to his arm.
"This is the supreme divine artifact our fox clan traded countless lives to obtain. Let it be a keepsake for you!" It smiled, and at the same time its whole body began once more to tremble violently, and black blood trickled from the corner of its mouth: "But you must not let anyone else see it..."
Its voice, at last, too, sank away.
Zhang Qingyue bit his lip hard, drew a deep breath, and then let go with both hands.
In the distance, with a tremendous boom, Bili and Stone, together with Li Xun and Yan Fei of the Fenxia Valley sect, shot like lightning from the passage and appeared upon the platform. They arrived just in time to see Zhang Qingyue cast the two foxes into the lava.
Zhang Qingyue stood at the edge of the platform, oblivious to all that was behind him, staring blankly at the figures tumbling through the air.
A wind, from some unknown place, lifted the hem of his garment.
A faint light flickered past, and that gentle, lovely woman, in the midst of her turning grace, shed her mortal garments and revealed her true form—a beautiful three-tailed fox.
The two foxes, bereft of life yet still beautiful, clung tightly to each other, tumbling through the air as they fell. Until, with a low, muffled sound, they melted into the surface of that lake and were seen no more.
Bili, somewhat worried, stepped forward and called out loudly, "Xiaofan..."
But the youth, as though he had not heard, only stood there dazed and motionless.
Emerging from the Fire Dragon Cave and passing once more through the dark Black Stone Cave, they finally returned to the surface. By now the sky was fully bright.