Chapter 205 — Schemes Within Schemes
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 5 of 6
Li Xun, not far behind her, said in a low voice, "Junior Sister Lu, what is it? Have you found something?"
In the darkness, Lu Xueling slowly turned her body forward—and there too was only black, heavy darkness.
In the dark she was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "It is nothing. Let us keep going."
In the darkness she drew a deep breath, roused her spirits, and walked on resolutely. The darkness parted quietly before her, for from her hand the Celestial Dipper Divine Sword gradually kindled, its gentle pale-blue radiance softly enveloping her, looking like something out of a dream.
Behind her, who knows how many held their breath in that instant.
Only that beautiful figure pressed resolutely on into the dark road ahead. Solitary she might look, but there was not the slightest hesitation in her.
This stretch of road, this life of ours—how ought one to walk it?
She did not look back.
Deep within the Zhenmo Ancient Cave.
The flame burned quietly in that ancient brazier. Yet if one looked closely, one would find that beneath the firelight, within the brazier, there was no firewood or lamp oil or any such fuel to be seen. This ceaselessly burning flame seemed, in truth, to be a fire without root.
The flame flickered in midair, its tongues of fire swaying, lighting the Beast Lord's face and casting up the figure of the man gradually approaching.
Ming Li walked to the other side of the firelight. His face slowly emerged in the glow, and at the same time he saw that familiar countenance ahead.
The Beast Lord, still sitting on the ground and leaning against the small stone platform, smiled faintly. He looked Ming Li up and down and said, "I knew someone would come sooner or later, but I never thought it would be you who arrived here first." He paused, smiled, and said, "From the look on your face when you saw me just now, you do not seem surprised. Did you already know my identity when we met before?"
Ming Li slowly shook his head. Facing this man who appeared so young and mild, it was truly hard to associate him with the beast-demon who had brought such a cataclysm upon all living things under heaven. Yet such was the fact.
"I guessed it afterward," he answered mildly.
The Beast Lord looked at him and said gently, "Oh? I am rather curious—how did you guess? From my appearance as the rumors describe it, or from my clothes, or from this or that action of mine?"
"None of those," said Ming Li.
The Beast Lord seemed to grow interested. "Oh? Then what?"
Ming Li glanced toward his side. "That."
The Beast Lord nodded slowly. "Yes. That is the best method of all—it cannot be mistaken." Beside him, the vicious beast Taotie gave a low growl.
The Beast Lord reached out a hand. Even from a distance, Ming Li could see that the hand was strangely pale, seeming no longer like a human hand at all; it was withered and gaunt, like the hands he had seen on the Great Wizard in Seven Li Gorge back then.
Yet after that seemingly powerless hand patted it a few times, as if taking some comfort, Taotie quieted and slowly lay down on the ground. At the same time, the little monkey Xiao Hui, who had been perched on Ming Li's shoulder all along, slowly slid down, scratched its head on the ground, and looked at Ming Li and the Beast Lord, as if sensing that between these two there was not the fierce hostility it had expected.
It thought for a moment, then slowly, inch by inch, drew closer to Taotie. Taotie had clearly noticed this as well, and turned its head to fix its gaze on the approaching gray-furred, three-eyed monkey. Soon Little Gray had come up beside Taotie; it bared its teeth in a grin, spread both hands, and even gave its tail a little upward wag, then slowly reached out a hand toward Taotie's head.