Chapter 193 — Decision
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 4 of 5
Tian Buhui said grimly, "Since Patriarch Qingye left behind his own inscribed admonition, every generation of masters has warned us again and again: the ancient Immortal-Slaying Sword must not be lightly used. In Patriarch Qingye's admonition it is stated outright that the sword's spirit is a malevolent spirit beyond all others, and that should its bearer's will waver or his foundation prove unstable, he shall fall into the demonic path. And now—do not Senior Brother Daoyan's strange signs answer exactly to the Patriarch's words?"
Su Wan bowed her head and was silent for a long while.
Tian Buhui lifted his eyes to the faintly brightening sky. Far off, at the edge of the morning mist, where cloud and vapor wreathed, the towering figure of Jietian Peak loomed, half hidden, half revealed.
"These past years, Senior Brother Daoyan has governed with diligence, and brought our Qingyun Sect to such prosperity that it now looks down upon the world and leads the orthodox path." Tian Buhui's voice suddenly carried a note of world-weariness. "I have thought before, too: even if Senior Brother Wan had taken the sect master's seat back then, I doubt he could have done better than Senior Brother Daoyan."
Su Wan's body trembled slightly. "Buyi—" she called softly, but seemed to swallow whatever was to follow.
Tian Buhui stood with hands behind his back, his face somewhat lost. "All these years, though I still secretly keep Senior Brother Wan's spirit tablet, toward Senior Brother Daoyan—honestly, I have come to admire him more and more. We quarrel often enough day to day, but as to how he conducts himself and handles affairs, I have nothing to say against it. Even ten years ago, when he struck Old Seven with the Immortal-Slaying Sword—"
"Buyi, don't!" Su Wan suddenly cried out. For some reason, looking at Tian Buhui, her eyes had gone red.
The muscles in Tian Buhui's face twitched; he forced out a smile, though it held no mirth at all—only pain. "The one in this world who best understands my heart is you. That battle ten years ago, I—I—" He gave a long sigh. "I truly could not bear to lose Old Seven! Among all those disciples, though that boy was the hardest to look at, in the end I still—ai!"
At his long sigh, both fell silent. Only after a while did Tian Buhui give a bitter, self-mocking smile. "After it happened that day, I harbored no small resentment toward Senior Brother Daoyan. I raised Old Seven myself—after ten-odd years, do I not know what manner of person he is? If there was a problem, I should have been the one to teach him; perhaps the matter could still have been turned around. But with that one sword stroke—heh—Old Seven came off unharmed, and Bilu was struck dead first. And that settled it: Old Seven had to rebel, whether he would or no. With that stubborn nature of his, I fear his whole life was ruined by that one stroke."
"But these past few years, when I occasionally search myself and think back on it, I have wondered: if I had been in Senior Brother Daoyan's place, that sword—would I have struck, or not?"
Su Wan gazed at her husband and said not a word. She only silently took his hand and patted the back of it gently, a small comfort.
Tian Buhui gave a faint smile, tinged with helplessness, and said to Su Wan, "In his place, I fear I too would have struck that sword in the end."
As though she had long known the answer, Su Wan bowed her head in silence.
Tian Buhui fell silent as well, gazing toward distant Jietian Peak. After a long while, Su Wan suddenly said, "Since your mind is made up, why not let me go with you to see Senior Brother Daoyan?"