Chapter 91 — The Oriole
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 3 of 7
Li Xun now gazed at the demonic sect's Hall of Longevity followers ahead, his eyes glinting, and suddenly said in a low voice, "Senior Brother Xiao truly calculates like a god. I am in awe."
Xiao Yichen smiled faintly. "Merely a lucky coincidence. In days to come I shall have much to rely on you for, Senior Brother Li—I hope you will not begrudge me your guidance."
Li Xun plainly no longer dared to underestimate Xiao Yichen; he nodded and said, "Not at all."
Fa Cheng's gaze, however, lingered a moment on the wounded Lin Jinghong behind them, as if he meant to go and offer some comfort, but in the end he restrained himself. Ever since the Canglan Sect and the Brahma Sound Temple's people had joined forces, the two sides had gotten along tolerably well—except that among all the Canglan Sect, Lin Jinghong alone remained icy toward the Brahma Sound Temple's monks. The reason, everyone understood well enough. But no one wished to dredge up that old wound, and so all along the monks of Brahma Sound Temple had, whether deliberately or not, kept their distance from Lin Jinghong.
Yet seeing Lin Jinghong wounded now, Fa Cheng was still somewhat concerned. He turned to Xiao Yichen and asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother Xiao, is the injury of your junior brother Lin Jinghong nothing serious?"
Xiao Yichen had already seen Wen Pei go to bandage Lin Jinghong's wounds. He glanced toward her now, and Wen Pei understood, giving a slight shake of her head. Only then did Xiao Yichen set his mind at ease and say to Fa Cheng, "Junior Brother Lin is not badly hurt. Senior Brother Fa Cheng need not worry."
Fa Cheng lowered his head, pressed his palms together, and softly chanted a Buddha's name.
Xiao Yichen drew a deep breath, looked ahead, and said in a clear voice, "Senior Yuyang Zi, you are, after all, a senior of high renown, and the Hall of Longevity ranks among the four great factions of the demonic sect. How can you resort to such despicable tricks? Are you not afraid the world will laugh at you?"
Yuyang Zi flew into a rage. "You so-called righteous sects—did you not lie in ambush for us as well? And yet you have the gall to stand there and prate!"
Xiao Yichen's expression did not change in the least. Upright and stern, he said, "We are but juniors, and far from home besides; naturally we must guard against villains who would strike from the shadows. Little did we expect that what we waited for would be... heh heh, heh heh!"
Xiao Yichen was far younger than Yuyang Zi, but his tongue was sharp, and a few words were enough to send Yuyang Zi into a fury. With a great roar he charged first, and behind him the Hall of Longevity's followers, seeing their sect master move, came surging out as well. Xiao Yichen and the few others of outstanding cultivation blocked Yuyang Zi, and the rest fell to slaughtering one another again.
Given Yuyang Zi's cultivation and temperament, he would not ordinarily have been so easily provoked by Xiao Yichen—but seeing the little strength the Hall of Longevity had left being squandered again before his eyes, his heart ached with fury. And Xiao Yichen cursed without a single vulgar word, every sentence barbed with mockery. Though Meng Ji beside him, still somewhat clear-headed, tried to restrain him, Yuyang Zi had already rushed out.
Yuyang Zi had held the position of Hall of Longevity's sect master for a hundred years, and naturally he had real substance to back it. Even though ten years ago at the battle of Qingyun he had lost his left arm and suffered a great loss of cultivation, Xiao Yichen alone was still no match for him.
But such a single duel was never going to happen. Xiao Yichen took the center, Fa Cheng the left, Li Xun the right—these three finest of the righteous path's younger generation intercepted Yuyang Zi, and they fought as one.