78 Little Lotus (1/2)
Chapter 12 Xiao He
It had been two years.
Jing Jiu had to eat a meal of hotpot whenever they came to a new city.
Zhao Layue didn’t ask, though it didn’t mean she hadn’t wondered about it.
Jing Jiu didn’t answered her questions.
It was because Jing Jiu still wasn’t sure his coming to the hotpot restaurant was to see that person or just a habit.
Suddenly, a piece of music rang out, sounding like the ding-dong sound of spring water falling into the ears and onto the heart, extraordinarily crisp and clean.
The music was incredibly beautiful. Yet this was a hotpot restaurant; such music wasn’t suitable for this place, not even for the private room where Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue were sitting.
Jing Jiu put on the conical hat.
Zhao Layue also took her conical hat and put it on.
After having passed Yizhou, they began traveling at a slower place, so the covers on their heads changed from gray cloths back into the conical hats.
All those who saw their faces later were dead, so the pictures drawn by the Pure Heaven Bureau still showed how they looked in the Precious-Tree House.
The door to their private room was pushed open, after which there was the sound of a faint gasp.
A young girl stood by the door holding a lute; her figure was small and slim, and the plain colored clothes on her looked baggy, and a white jasmine flower was inserted in the side of her hair, all looking austere.
Zhao Layue recalled the scene where she tried on the Senior Grandmaster Jing Yang’s robe when she was on Shenmo Peak, so she put down a few coins on the table.
The young girl hesitated, and walked over to the table to pick up the coins. ”Some people are planning to harm you two, so please be careful,” she said quickly in a low voice.
”Lift your head,” Zhao Layue said.
The young girl was startled a bit, and raised her head as told, exposing a pretty small face with eyes of feeble expression; it was cute and adorable.
”A vixen demon,” said Zhao Layue.
”Why do you curse me?” asked the young girl with tears in her eyes and a red face.
Jing Jiu said, ”You are indeed a vixen demon.”
Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue were not cursing her.
The young girl realized her true identity had been discovered.
”Where did two such immortal masters come from? How could you recognize my true identity?”
Her small face expressed slight fear, the jasmine flower trembling on her head, her eyes appearing even more delicate.
She had practiced according to a secret method; even the swordsmen of the State of Free Travel couldn’t recognize her true identity. She didn’t expect that Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue would be able to recognize her with but one glimpse.
What she didn’t know was that Zhao Layue practiced the Tempered Will of the Sword, so her eyesight was many times sharper than the practitioners in the same state, even more sore than Jing Jiu, whose eyesight was shaper than anybody else’s.
”I didn’t expect Xiao He of Ying City to be a demon practitioner,” Zhao Layue said.
She and Jing Jiu had traveled for two years, so they learned some information about the Cultivation circle, even though they didn’t have many contacts with other people.
This young girl was named Xiao He, a famous female practitioner in Ying City, infamous for mercilessly attacking when required.
Two years ago, the young master of the Sect of Three humiliated her verbally, and she therefore poisoned him
Having heard use her real name, Xiao He didn’t try to hide herself anymore, kneeling down with her head touching the ground in front of Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue.
”If two immortal masters didn’t kill those thugs of the Sect of Three, they would still be chasing me down. I’m a demon practitioner who isn’t protected by any sect, so I had no way of defending myself should the Sect Master of the Sect of Three come in person, or if a disciple of Kunlun Sect came after me. I’ve come here to warn you in order to pay my gratitude to two immortal masters.”
”Who?” asked Zhao Layue.
”It’s the Pure Heaven Bureau. Since the Four-Seas Banquet was to take place, many practitioners like the Elder of Kunlun, the swordsmen of the Great Marsh, the achieved monks of the Fruit Formation Temple, and the immortal masters of Green Mountain are here for the banquet and also involved in the plan of catching you two,” said Xiao He.
”How do you know it’s us?” Zhao Layue asked.
Xiao He said nervously, ”I can’t tell you. Please don’t ask more questions.”
The room grew quiet.
The hotpot soup was boiling, and bubbling could be heard.
Xiao He was worried, saying, ”Though you two immortal masters have strong magic powers, your enemies outnumber you, so you’d better not stay in Haizhou.”
Zhao Layue looked at Jing Jiu, asking, ”Kill them?”
”That is up to you,” said Jing Jiu.
Xiao He looked innocent with her wide-open eyes.
She realized after a moment what they were talking about, beginning to panic as she became misty-eyed; she looked quite pitiable.
”She looks worthy of pity,” said Zhao Layue. ”What about bringing her to the peak guard as a partner?”
”He might be bitten to death,” Jing Jiu said.
”Forget it then. You can go now,” said Zhao Layue.
Xiao He had seen many kinds of people, but had never seen such strange beings as these; she dared not stay for one more second, leaving with her lute immediately.
A plate of mussels and a plate of snails were added into the hotpot, bringing calm to the boiling broth.