Chapter 110 — Assassination
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 4 of 6
How swift that grey cloud came—in the blink of an eye it had flown before them, its power growing greater all the while. In midair the wind spun in swift circles, gradually taking shape as a tornado several zhang across; laced with a shrill sound, it came rushing down from the night sky with a "wu" of wind.
Almost at that very moment, all the flowers, grass, and trees on the ground around them were bent outward by a fierce wind; sand flew and stones skittered across the earth, and the weaker disciples of the Burning Cloud Valley, along with some of the fish-men, were even swept up by the gale and hurled away.
The crowd turned pale with fright, and before anyone could react, the tornado had already touched down. Amid the shrill howling of the wind came a great volley of "bang bang" sounds, and dozens of fish-men, as if seized by a giant hand, were all struck flying at once, hurled backward, and crashed heavily to the ground.
The fish-men squealed and shrieked, their voices high and grating, yet one could hear the deep terror in them. The whirlwind spun a while longer, separating all the fish-men from the Burning Cloud Valley disciples, and only then did it slowly come to a halt. The sound of the wind gradually died away, the immense force of it dispersed, and the figure of a grey-robed old man emerged.
The disciples of the Burning Cloud Valley were momentarily stunned, then they all descended to the ground and saluted the old man in unison, saying respectfully, "Uncle-Master Shangguan."
By now Lü Shun too had drifted slowly back to the ground. He walked over, glanced at the grey-robed old man, the veins at his temples twitching, and then said with a stiff, mirthless smile, "Brother Shangguan, why should a trifle like this trouble a personage as great as you?"
The grey-robed old man looked at him and smiled faintly. "The Valley Master gave the order. I had no choice but to come."
Lü Shun's expression changed.
At this moment Li Xun and Yan Fei also arrived, landing from the air. Li Xun went to Lü Shun's side, lowered his voice, and said softly, "Uncle-Master Lü, it was the Valley Master who commanded me to invite Uncle-Master Shangguan here."
Lü Shun gave a snort, his face turning uglier still, but in the end he said nothing more and turned his head away.
The grey-robed old man did not look at him either. He turned about and surveyed the blood-soaked ground in the clearing, and his face darkened.
By then the fish-men had gathered in one place, all eyes fixed on the grey-robed old man. Yet at this moment they seemed to recognize him; somehow these fish-men, who feared death so little, were somewhat in awe of this ordinary-looking old man in grey, and for a time they did not dare to charge forward.
The grey-robed old man withdrew his gaze and said in a deep voice, "Where is Sun Tu?"
Hardly had the words left his mouth when a middle-aged man came running out from among the Burning Cloud Valley disciples. It was none other than that Sun Tu who had gone with Lü Shun that night and who understood the barbarian tongue.
He ran to the grey-robed old man's side, his face utterly respectful, and said, "Your disciple is here."
The grey-robed old man glanced at him. The man was covered in dust and grime, and it seemed that in the scuffle just past, being of no great cultivation, he had suffered a fair amount; still, it was fortunate he was not dead. After all, those who could understand the barbarian tongues were few.
The grey-robed old man said at once, "Come over and translate what they say for me."
Sun Tu assented cautiously and stood to one side.
The grey-robed old man looked toward the fish-men and called out in a loud, clear voice, "I am Shangguan Lue. Let one of you come out and speak."
A stir ran through the ranks of the fish-men; plainly they understood Shangguan Lue's words. And that name seemed to work a kind of magic on them, so extraordinary was its effect. After a long while, a tall fish-man stepped forward.