劍問蒼天 - 第150章 瘋狂 - 清風書屋

Looking at this pitiful wretch huddled into a ball, muttering "monster, monster" without cease, trembling all over and shrieking in fright from time to time, the hearts of the seven Orthodox disciples were all shadowed by a heavy gloom.

Xiao Yichen coughed and looked to Facheng. "Brother Facheng, we have a fair grasp of the situation now. What do you think we should do?"

Facheng's brows were tightly knit. He glanced at the poor soul huddled on the ground, sighed, and said, "Amitabha, such sin, such sin." After a pause he went on slowly, "Everyone, we now know roughly what we came to learn. This humble monk thinks we had best return to the mountain first and report this situation to our masters before anything else."

"We must not!"

Suddenly a cool, clear voice came from beside them. The others were startled: the speaker was Lu Xueling, the most silent and reticent of them all along the way. Facheng was somewhat surprised. "Does Junior Sister Lu have some other view? Please speak."

Lu Xueling's face was still very pale, but her voice was exceedingly calm as she said lightly, "Everything we know now was coaxed out of this demon-sect disciple who has already been frightened out of his wits, and when he spoke just now he was all confusion, turning things over and over; in many places we are only guessing ourselves. To think that on this basis alone we have completed the task our masters set us—that, I think, is unwise."

Facheng fell silent. The others exchanged glances. After a moment Facheng nodded. "You are right, Junior Sister Lu; what you say is indeed reasonable. Just now this humble monk was too impatient."

Xiao Yichen brooded a while, then said, "There is some sense in what Junior Sister Lu says, but we have spent these days searching the southwest day and night and found not the slightest clue. Are we to go on searching like this forever?"

Lu Xueling's lips moved, but no words came; clearly, faced with this dilemma, she too could think of no good solution. But just then Li Xun, who had all along been glancing at Lu Xueling from time to time, suddenly stepped forward and said, "I have an idea—perhaps there is some hope in it."

Everyone was taken aback; even Lu Xueling looked at Li Xun a few more times. Facheng said with delight, "Truly? Please tell us, Brother Li."

Li Xun drew a deep breath and forced himself not to meet Lu Xueling's eyes. "I listened carefully just now to this madman's talk, and several times I heard him speak a place name—'Snake Valley.' I wonder whether any of you noticed?"

Xiao Yichen nodded. "Yes, I noticed it too. I have heard of this Snake Valley before. Legend has it that it is a valley deep in the mountains here in the southwest, where countless venomous snakes gather, and the forest is filled with a deadly miasma that kills anyone who breathes it; no one has ever dared enter that wood. After long years, no one knows anymore just where the valley lies."

Lin Jinghong suddenly said, "Brother Li, do you mean to say that this great battle between the beast-demons and the demon sects took place in that legendary Snake Valley?"

Li Xun nodded and said decisively, "Yes. By my reckoning, the decisive battle was fought at Snake Valley; more than that, I believe Snake Valley may well be the headquarters of one of the three great demon factions. If only we can find the place, we will naturally be able to determine whether what this madman says is true."

Yan Fei, silent all this while, now suddenly spoke. "But Brother, many days have passed. Never mind whether we can find this Snake Valley—even if we do, what we find there may not have kept its original appearance…"

Li Xun said coldly, "Junior Sister, have you forgotten? Those cruel beast-demons do set fires and eat people—but after a fire there are still broken walls and ruined ramparts; and when beast-demons eat people, they do not eat the bones!"