Chapter 119 — The Pursuit
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 1 of 6
Burning Cloud Valley.
Tianxiang Lodge.
It was a quiet spot deep within Burning Cloud Valley, built hard against the mountain. High walls enclosed it on three sides, and only the front gate stood slightly ajar, so that one could not make out what lay within.
For all the upheaval that had shaken Burning Cloud Valley in recent days, not a single disciple of the valley was to be seen in the vicinity—for this was the dwelling of the valley master, Yun Yifeng, and the place where he had sealed himself away in cultivation.
Ever since Yun Yifeng had entered his retreat, no disciple of Burning Cloud Valley had been permitted to set foot here; the outer perimeter, to be sure, was guarded as impenetrably as a wall of bronze. Of those who could enter Tianxiang Lodge, aside from Shangguan Lue, upon whom Yun Yifeng had long leaned so heavily, only his personal disciple Li Xun could come and go, to stand before his master.
As for everyone else, elders such as Lü Shun included, entry was likewise forbidden.
Even after someone had slipped into the valley's Mystic Fire Altar and released the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, imprisoned there for three hundred years—and even when the legendary Xuanhuo Mirror, the valley's most treasured relic, might have fallen into outside hands—Yun Yifeng had not come out of seclusion, but had merely left Shangguan Lue to take charge of the situation.
What manner of cultivation was he sealed away in, there in that little courtyard?
The question lingered, from time to time, in the minds of many a Burning Cloud Valley disciple.
The sky was gradually brightening. In the faint dampness of the morning air, Shangguan Lue pushed the gate open, stepped inside, and drew it shut behind him.
Before him lay a small courtyard he knew well: a few bodhi trees swaying their branches softly in the morning breeze, and, apart from a narrow path down the middle, green grass everywhere. Nothing else besides.
The dwelling place of the leader of one of the three great orthodox sects of the world seemed to verge on plain austerity.
At the end of the path stood a two-sectioned house of white tiles and grey walls, built against the mountainside, its paulownia door lacquered purple and likewise left slightly ajar.
Shangguan Lue walked over, pushed the door open, and closed it again.
Silence fell at once around him, as though the clamor of the mortal world had been shut outside by the mere movement of his hand.
There was no one in the room, only a few pieces of simple furniture; a thin layer of dust seemed to lie upon the tables and chairs.
Shangguan Lue steadied himself, went straight into the inner room, and came to a cabinet. He pulled open the drawer on the left, reached inside, and seemed to turn something. Moments later, a low sound rose from behind him.
The entire wall slowly slid away to the right, revealing the hard rock of the mountainside and, cut into it, a hidden passage just wide enough for one person to walk.
Shangguan Lue did not hesitate. He stepped inside, and shortly after his figure vanished into the passage, the door slid slowly shut again, leaving not the slightest trace.
Along the hidden passage, glowing pebbles the size of goose eggs were set into the walls at short intervals to give light. Nor did he feel any shortness of breath as he walked—naturally, there must be another channel for air.
The passage was not long, and he soon reached his destination: a stone chamber about the size of the inner room outside. It was empty, save for a screen set across the middle, blocking his view.
Suddenly, from behind the screen, came a voice aged beyond measure: "Is that you, Brother Shangguan?"
Shangguan Lue stepped forward twice and stopped four or five paces from the screen. "It is I, Senior Brother," he said respectfully. "How is your health?"