Chapter 192 — Hidden Wounds
劍問蒼天 · Page 2 of 6
Yun Yifeng glanced at Zeng Shuyan and gave a slight nod, but said nothing. He looked behind him. Li Xun understood, stepped forward, and cupped his hands to Zeng Shuyan: "Brother Zeng, I am Li Xun. By my master's command, I am to serve as a guide here in the Southern Borderlands for the time being, and for the three of you—"
"Hmph!" A cold snort, faintly tinged with anger, cut him off before he could finish. Li Xun's words halted, and his expression immediately turned ugly. Fortunately Wen Pei was quick-witted and at once smiled, saying, "Brother Li, there is no need to trouble you on our account. Some among us have been to the Southern Borderlands before and know the roads well enough."
Li Xun drew a deep breath. From the corner of his eye he stole a glance at the white-robed figure beside him; his lips moved, and suddenly all his anger seemed to vanish. He only gave a light sigh and said with a bitter smile, "Senior Sister, it is not that I wish to impose. It is only that recently our sect has traced the whereabouts of that missing Beast Lord."
At these words, Lu Xueling, Zeng Shuyan, and Wen Pei were all visibly shaken. Zeng Shuyan said joyfully, "Is this true?"
Li Xun nodded. "It is. In any case, the Fenxia Valley's centuries of foundations and connections here in the Southern Borderlands mean we know a little more than outsiders do." Having spoken, he glanced at Lu Xueling again, whether intentionally or not. Her face was blank; she turned her head away.
Zeng Shuyan pressed him: "Where is the Beast Lord now?"
Li Xun said, "According to our information, the demon has fled deep into the bizarre and desolate Ten Thousand Wild Mountains, and is making for his lair."
Zeng Shuyan and the others were startled. "The Ten Thousand Wild Mountains?"
Li Xun nodded. "Precisely. There is no need for me to tell you—you have surely heard of it already. It is a place of danger and strangeness, mysterious and unfathomable, one of the few most perilous regions in the world. Had the three of you not come, I was just about to set out with a company of junior brothers to search within the Ten Thousand Wild Mountains. Now that you have arrived, would it not be better for us all to travel together? I mean nothing else by it; but in any case, having spent many years in the Southern Borderlands, I know a thing or two about that uncanny, unfathomable, and exceedingly dangerous range. With me as your guide, it may well do the three of you no harm and some good!"
Having said this, he gave two cold laughs.
Zeng Shuyan frowned and glanced back at Wen Pei and Lu Xueling. "Brother Li, please wait a moment while the three of us confer."
Li Xun nodded. "As you please."
The three from the Canglan Sect withdrew to one side and began speaking in low voices. From where Li Xun stood, it seemed that Zeng Shuyan did most of the talking, with Wen Pei occasionally chipping in a word or two, while Lu Xueling said not a thing, merely shaking her head in silence, or giving the occasional nod.
That white-robed woman seemed forever so pure and ethereal, standing there in her quiet grace. Gazing at Lu Xueling from afar, Li Xun seemed for a moment to lose himself entirely. Just then, someone suddenly clapped him on the shoulder. Li Xun gave a start—he had not imagined anyone could steal so close without his noticing—and hastily turned. It was Yun Yifeng.
Li Xun flushed and said in a low voice, "Master, this disciple has disgraced himself. Is something the matter?"
Yun Yifeng glanced toward Lu Xueling, his face expressionless, and said merely, "Do not forget the burden you carry."
Li Xun's body gave a shudder. He said in a low voice, "This disciple understands."