劍問蒼天 - 第61章 舊人 - 清風書屋

Light filtered down through the forest, spilling through the dense, luxuriant branches and leaves onto the two figures of master and disciple, Tian Buhui and Zhang Qingyue. Zhang Qingyue stood before Tian Buhui, overcome with shame, and only after a long while managed to call out in a low voice: "Master..."

Tian Buhui looked at him. On the young disciple's originally pale face there was now, unexpectedly, a touch of color. He gave a cold snort and turned away.

Zhang Qingyue stood at a loss, not knowing what to say. Yet the secret buried deep in his heart had suddenly been seen through by the one he had always revered most, and that sense of panic had still not faded even now.

Tian Buhui stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, saying nothing for a long while. Zhang Qingyue stood behind him with his head lowered, not daring even to breathe.

After quite some time, Tian Buhui said slowly: "So, then—the one who secretly passed the Taiji Xuanqing Daoist method to you that day was also Ling'er?"

Zhang Qingyue's heart lurched again, but where Tian Lingsu was concerned, his mind cleared at once. He said urgently: "Master, that has nothing to do with our senior sister. It was me—I begged her to teach me..."

Tian Buhui turned around and fixed Zhang Qingyue with a stare. Zhang Qingyue's voice immediately dwindled, knowing that no matter what he said, he probably could not hide the truth from this master of his.

In the woods, between master and disciple, a silence fell.

Zhang Qingyue lowered his head, his thoughts in a tangle. Just then, he heard Tian Buhui's voice: "Old Seven."

Zhang Qingyue's heart skipped. He raised his head and answered: "Master."

Tian Buhui looked at him and said: "It has been nearly five years since you entered my tutelage, has it not?"

Zhang Qingyue said in a low voice: "Yes."

Tian Buhui said mildly: "When I first took you in, I did not in truth think much of your aptitude. That you could achieve what you have today is truly far beyond what I expected."

Zhang Qingyue's body stirred, yet deep in his heart, for some reason, there was a faint, hidden joy.

Tian Buhui continued: "As for your secret love for Ling'er..."

Zhang Qingyue's heart clenched, and he said: "Master, it is all my fault. I should not have..."

But Tian Buhui glared at him and said: "Did I say you were wrong?"

Zhang Qingyue's mouth fell open. This time he truly was frightened by Tian Buhui.

Tian Buhui gave a cold snort and said: "You are a young man in the prime of youth, not one of those monks of the Fanyin Temple. And you grew up alongside Ling'er since childhood—that you should come to care for her somewhat, what is so strange about that? Do you think your master has lived all these years for nothing? That I could not even figure out a thing as simple as this?"

Zhang Qingyue lowered his head, and suddenly his eyes grew hot. All the warm words in this world, added together, could not, in his heart, compare to these few cold, blunt sentences from Tian Buhui.

Only Tian Buhui paused, then added: "But things are different now. I can see it too—Ling'er is, I fear, truly fond of that Qi Hao. As for you? I am afraid she only looks on you as a younger brother. Do you understand?"

Zhang Qingyue nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on the ground at his feet. He said in a low voice: "Yes, Master."

Tian Buhui said slowly: "In the past I opposed Ling'er's dealings with Qi Hao, not because of Qi Hao himself, but because..." Here he suddenly stopped, his brows drawing together, and he changed the subject: "To speak plainly, although your progress in the Daoist arts has been faster than I expected, compared with Qi Hao, you are still far behind."

Tian Buhui looked deeply at Zhang Qingyue and said slowly: "Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhang Qingyue bit his lip hard, and only after a long while said: "Yes, I understand, Master."