Chapter 108 — Stealth
劍問蒼天 · Page 1 of 6
The mountains of the southern frontier were utterly unlike the ranges of the Central Plains: they had less of delicate beauty and tranquil seclusion, and far more of towering steepness and perilous harshness.
Beneath the veil of night, the rolling mountain ranges stood firm and imposing, ridge upon ridge interlocking, and from afar they seemed to radiate a killing stillness.
Ming Li stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance. Beyond two lower peaks and a stretch of rather flat wasteland, four tall and lofty summits suddenly reared up from the earth, linked ring upon ring to enclose a valley. Behind those four great peaks, under the vast night, lay countless shadows—the boundless, endless Myriad Wild Mountains along the southern frontier.
And among the foremost four peaks lay the valley renowned throughout the world: Fenxia Valley.
Deep was the night, and high hung the lone moon, with a few faintly glimmering stars scattered across the sky. Beneath that cold, clear radiance, a thin mist seemed to drift over the distant valley, floating gently like gossamer gauze—a beauty tinged with something mysterious.
Ming Li frowned and withdrew his gaze.
It was already the third day. On that night three days ago, he and Jin Pingyue of the Devil Sect's Bewitching Soul Faction had abruptly discovered that Fenxia Valley appeared to be secretly colluding with the southern barbarian tribes of the Myriad Wild Mountains, and they had resolved to investigate the valley in secret. The three words "Fenxia Valley" rang like thunder here on the southern frontier; the two of them had learned the valley's location with ease. But when it came time to actually slip inside, they found matters rather troublesome indeed.
Fenxia Valley sprawled over an enormous tract of land; by rights it should not have been hard to infiltrate. And indeed, so it proved: with their own cultivation, the two easily evaded the ordinary disciples who patrolled the outer perimeter day and night. Yet every time they neared a somewhat deeper part of the valley, no matter how they concealed themselves, a sudden inexplicable peal of crisp ringing would erupt nearby, instantly drawing countless Fenxia Valley disciples to search the area carefully—and among them were no few experts.
Both Ming Li and Jin Pingyue were alert by nature, and several times they sensed danger early and withdrew in good time. But no matter how cautious they were, they could not escape that inexplicable ringing. After several days, they still could not penetrate deeper, and the valley seemed to have grown wary—it had reinforced its watch, with patrols day and night.
Ming Li pondered for a long while but still could not work out how Fenxia Valley divined their movements in advance. It seemed this valley—ranked among the three great orthodox sects of the world—truly hid dragons and crouching tigers.
Just then, Little Grey, who had been lying quietly on his shoulder, suddenly stirred, and from behind came a soft, low cry:
"Ah!"
Ming Li turned. In a small clearing among the trees a fire had been built, and Jin Pingyue sat before it, a wooden stick in her hand with a cleaned wild hare skewered upon it, roasting. Now she had knitted her delicate brows and was staring at the stick with a rather dejected look.
Ming Li walked over.
These past three days he and Jin Pingyue had tried again and again to slip into Fenxia Valley, and every attempt had ended in failure. Their usual relationship was delicate in the extreme: on the surface they kept the peace, but in secret each was on guard against the other, both knowing the other to be deep-scheming and ruthless, neither certain whether the other might suddenly strike to kill.
As he drew near the fire, Little Grey on his shoulder gave a "squeak" and leaped to the ground. Ming Li looked at Jin Pingyue and could not help starting: she was gazing helplessly at the hare skewered on her stick—one of its legs had been charred black.