Chapter 109 — The Mystic Fire Altar
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 3 of 6
In an instant Ming Li felt his whole body turn cold. He jerked his head around to look at his hand. Within the sleeve, at some point, the Blood-Devouring Bead atop the tip of the Soul-Devouring Blade had begun to emit a faint, ghostly blue-green glow tinged with blood-light.
The Blood-Devouring Bead!
The most malevolent and evil object in all the world was indeed as uncanny as this...
As though it had welled up suddenly from the depths of his heart, a bitter taste filled Ming Li's mouth in that instant. He turned his head dazedly and looked at Little Grey. Little Grey seemed to sense something too, and gave two low cries.
Ming Li steadied himself and then noticed that behind the golden gleam in Little Grey's eyes there seemed to be a trace of panic. He drew a deep breath, and the corner of his mouth curved into a smile. "It's all right," he said softly.
Little Grey seemed to understand its master's words. It blinked, then slowly closed its eyes, and after a moment, as though that inexplicable pain were gradually receding, the strength in its claws slowly diminished.
Standing in the darkness, Ming Li slowly gathered Little Grey into his arms.
The night was cold as water.
Darkness lay ahead, and the figures of a man and a monkey flickered gently in a shadowed corner of the night.
Who knew how long he stood there; Little Grey lay quietly in Ming Li's arms as though asleep. And Ming Li paid no heed at all to this being the perilous ground of the Burning Cloud Valley—he simply stood in the darkness, gently holding the monkey.
Suddenly the little body in his arms stirred, and its head lifted. Ming Li looked down and saw that the golden gleam in the monkey's eyes had vanished, and it had become its usual lively, nimble self.
Ming Li's heart eased, but before he could say anything, Little Grey seemed to struggle a little, then stretched out an arm and pointed toward one of the paths outside. Ming Li was startled and looked up. After a moment, two figures indeed came walking along that path—and they were people Ming Li knew.
Li Xun and Yan Fei.
Ming Li frowned. He had known these two ten years ago; both were talents of the highest caliber. Though the world had changed much in those ten years and they had not met since, for cultivators ten years passed in the blink of an eye. Their features and bearing were almost exactly as they had been ten years before, though judging by their movements, their cultivation was likely far beyond what it once was.
The two came walking slowly, seemingly conversing. As they drew near, Yan Fei was heard to say, "Senior Brother, why did those monsters suddenly come charging in?"
Li Xun frowned, plainly not quite understanding either. But his face was cold as he said coolly, "Those uncivilized beasts—who can know what they're thinking! If you ask me, since these fish-men dared violate the valley, we should make sure none of them ever return. Why bother troubling Uncle-Master Shangguan again?"
Yan Fei said softly, "Senior Brother, don't be angry. The Valley Master thinks deeply and plans far ahead; there must be something in this we cannot yet know. When we first dealt with these savage tribes, it was Uncle-Master Shangguan who displayed his divine powers and overawed them in one stroke. Those savages regard him as a celestial being; so long as he appears, those monsters will surely depart obediently. The Valley Master told us to invite Uncle-Master Shangguan out—this must be the reason."
Li Xun snorted. "Naturally I know all that. But what I don't understand is why, with the Burning Cloud Valley's eminence, we must bow and scrape to these monsters. And now we're to invite Uncle-Master Shangguan out as well—if word of this gets out, won't the Burning Cloud Valley become the laughingstock of the orthodox world?"