Chapter 94 — Strange Blooms
劍問蒼天 · Page 1 of 7
Dawang Village.
Xiao Wan stood at the village entrance, gazing toward the Dead Marsh with some unease. The sky above the marsh, which had been clear that morning, was now slowly darkening, and it looked as though another heavy rain was about to fall.
Late the night before, she had been inside the Dead Marsh together with her grandfather Zhou Yixuan and Jin Pingyue and the others. But after Jin Pingyue went out on some errand and returned, she had looked utterly exhausted, and had sent the two of them out of the marsh that very night.
Xiao Wan had asked her about it in private, but Jin Pingyue kept silent, saying only, "The situation in the Dead Marsh is far more dangerous than I expected. If you stay any longer, I fear you will only be harming yourselves."
Xiao Wan had always trusted this elder sister of hers, so that same night she and Zhou Yixuan left the Dead Marsh. Following Jin Pingyue's instructions, she had spent today making preparations and was now ready to depart. And yet, though she had known Jin Pingyue for no short time, last night was the first time she had ever seen such a grave look on her face.
Turning it over and over in her mind, she could not help quietly beginning to worry for this sister of hers.
"Xiao Wan!"
A familiar call came from behind her. Xiao Wan turned, and sure enough, it was Zhou Yixuan hurrying over. "Everything's packed," he said. "Let's go!"
Xiao Wan nodded silently, but could not resist asking him, "Grandfather, do you think Sister Ping'er might be in danger in the Dead Marsh?"
Zhou Yixuan was taken aback, then said with some irritation, "How would I know?"
Xiao Wan pursed her lips and shot him a glare. In his heart Zhou Yixuan still doted on this granddaughter of his, so he sighed, glanced around to make sure no one was near, stepped close to her, and lowered his voice. "These past few days in the Dead Marsh, we followed Jin Pingyue and ran into members of the Everlasting Hall several times. But since last night, have you seen a single disciple of the Everlasting Hall?"
Xiao Wan was startled.
Zhou Yixuan smiled, and the expression on his face gradually changed from his usual flippant grin, his gaze turning keen and bright. "Especially that day when you ran into that fish-headed freak. I was standing nearby and heard it all clearly. The ones meeting with Jin Pingyue were young masters of the other two great sects of the demon cult, the Nether King Sect and the Ten Thousand Venoms Gate—Ming Li and Qin Wujiu. The three of them meeting at a time like this, and right within the territory of the Everlasting Hall's main headquarters—what do you suppose they're up to?"
Xiao Wan's fine brows drew together. After a long moment she suddenly blurted out, "Grandfather, are you saying..."
Zhou Yixuan cut her off. "Exactly. I fear that the Everlasting Hall, which has shone so brightly for eight hundred years, is about to be wiped out by these three young scourges. Yu Yangzi, with all his cultivation—and even he..." He gave a long sigh, and his manner suddenly turned bleak. After a long silence he said, "Now the infighting within the demon cult grows fiercer by the day, and the righteous sects are scheming against one another as well. The Canglan Sect suffered a grievous blow ten years ago and has still not recovered. This world, I fear, is heading for rivers of blood once more."
Xiao Wan sat dazed and silent. Zhou Yixuan let out a long breath, then suddenly rallied his spirits and gave a chuckle. "If the world's going to fall into chaos, let it! What's that to do with us? Come, let's go on bringing blessings to the common folk."
Xiao Wan was speechless, but Zhou Yixuan seemed utterly unconcerned. He walked over, hoisted the bundle in one hand, and with the other took up the bamboo pole that bore the banner reading "The Immortal Points the Way." He turned back to call to Xiao Wan, then suddenly froze, his gaze fixed on something behind her.