Chapter 448 - The Young Maestro (2/2)
“How dare you…” An arm jerked Ziyun’er back before she could storm at Liu Liancheng. Qingluan quickly bowed to the Lord of Jueming Gorge after restraining her sister and said, “Master Liu. You might still be unaware of who my lord is or you might have a lower impression of what my lord is capable of. But please, Master Liu, tell us your second condition and I’m sure my lord would be able to fulfill it.”
“Be that as it may, he is nothing more than a man with less than half a month of life ahead of him.” Liu Liancheng observed dryly.
“How dare you!” Ziyun’er hissed again, but she was held back again by Qingluan. “I have no shortage of people who are willing to do my bidding,” Liu Liancheng stated, “There are leaders of prominent sects or schools, or even conquerors or monarchs of countries. Too many, I’d say. So, my decision still stands. I have stated my condition. But feel free to think it over. You can also come back after a half months’ time, but who knows? My mind could be changed by then.”
“Anything else,” Xiao Chen growled icily, “Anything else other than this.”
“But I’m afraid I have no other needs other than this,” Liu Liancheng replied silkily.
The atmosphere in the chamber became manifestly tensed until a shrill whistle rang and a streak of purple shot at Liu Liancheng. Ziyun’er’s Bloodied Violet Blade stopped just in front of his throat. Any further and his head would have been easily lopped off.
“Help him! Help him and your life will be spared! Rest assured that I have shed more blood than all the people you have ever saved!”
Anger and hatred burned in her eyes; a cold and sharp fury that indicated she would swing her blade without mercy. A side that was markedly different from the adorable and spirited young lass before.
Yet despite being threatened at knifepoint, Liu Liancheng merely smirked. “Kill me, and your lord faces certain death. Anyway, I’m revising my condition: twenty years.”
“You scum!”
“Thirty years.”
…
Xiao Chen stood up suddenly. In a cold voice, he called, “Qingluan, Ziyun’er. We’ll go.”
Liu Liancheng chuckled and called towards outside, “See the guests out.” Two acolytes came in and beckoned, “This way please.”
Ziyun’er face turned flushed with red anger and her chest heaved as she caught her breath. But there was little they could do. They walked out of the Red Chamber and were escorted out to the large tree where they and the others had been waiting for their turn earlier in the day and the two orderlies withdrew back into the Gorge with hardly a word. Xiao Chen and his companions walked wordlessly away until a fitful of coughs took him. Qingluan and Ziyun’er quickly caught him before he fell. “My Lord!”
A peal of soft moans emitted from Koo-chee beast. It took quite a while for Xiao Chen to regain his breath. He waved off his companions, saying, “I’m fine…”
But Ziyun’er let out a stifled gasp, seeing something she could not believe. Xiao Chen’s hands were decaying and wrinkles were beginning to show. But Qingluan knew what was happening: the journey these past few days must have taken a toll on Xiao Chen’s health.
The sun was beginning to set and it did not take long for darkness to shroud over the terrain of the Gorge. Qingluan found them a cave where they could take shelter for the night. They moved Xiao Chen inside and helped him to a seat while Ziyun’er started a small fire just at the entrance. Later that night, Koo-chee beast fell asleep, lying down beside Xiao Chen. The moon was a large, luminous crescent hanging low in the sky that reminded Xiao Chen of a woman’s brow. He could not sleep; the cold breeze funneling down through the mouth of the cave made him cough incessantly. His lips were white as snow and wrinkles feathered from the edges of his eyes and he felt weary and tired like an old man in his twilight years waiting for Death to come to claim him.
Already on the verge of tears, Ziyun’er muttered hoarsely, “No… My Lord, you’ll be fine… I’m sure of it…” A deathly-pale Xiao Chen smiled gently at her. “I know… Is, is there water… I would like some water…”
Qingluan immediately hurried over with a waterskin but it was empty. Ziyun’er snatched it out of her hands, screaming, “I’ll have some in no time!” And she ran outside.
Xiao Chen waited until Ziyun’er went far and her footsteps faded before he spoke, “There are things that I do not wish for her to listen. But you… Qingluan… listen to me. Listen closely and let me finish.”
Qingluan nodded. Rings of red curled around her eyes as she braced for the dreaded message from her master.
Xiao Chen merely smiled and began coughing terribly again. He went on slowly when he recovered, “On the way from the Jade Qing Sect in Qing Province to the stronghold of the Widespread Wintriness Sect in Wu Province, you’d see a mountain that shaped like a fairy below you after almost half a day of flying on a Flying-cloud Stone. The vicinity is known as the Beautiful Immortal Mountains…”
Xiao Chen convulsed again in another fit of coughs and went on, “150 kilometers to the south-east of the Beautiful Immortal Mountains, you’ll find seven sunken mountain peaks. Those are actually ancient ruins yet undiscovered by people…”
Tears prickled at the ends of Qingluan’s lashes, trembling as she nodded and answered with a wordless acknowledgment. Her chokes of sobs only sounded all too sorrowful in the soft wailings of the winds outside. Xiao Chen smiled and pressed on, “Go to one of the peaks. The one with many black bamboos… Bury me there when I die…”
The flames flickered with the winds blowing into the cave, tossing up flakes of red-hot embers and two lines of tears rolled silently down Qingluan’s cheeks. Biting her lips, she nodded.
Xiao Chen reached out a hand and rubbed away the tears. “There’s no need to cry. All men must die. Moreover, I shouldn’t have been alive in the first place. I guess this is Destiny. I was only twenty when I died thousands of years ago… It is only fitting that my ultimate end should be the same…”
Xiao Chen rambled on to himself. Qingluan suppressed another choke and croaked hoarsely, “Do you have any more wishes, My Lord?”
Xiao Chen merely sighed. His gaze wandered to the smoldering embers in the firepit. “Go to Mount Wuyue on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. Look for Brother Xiao Ning and tell him that I would not be coming after all…”
More tears drenched Qingluan’s face. Xiao Chen had never seen her smile. Yet the sight of her crying was no less heart-wrenching a moment for him. “When all is done,” he breathed and said, “Disband the squad. You are in the prime of your youth. You girls should never have lived like this…”
The tears never seemed to stop. They have been through thick and thin together and seeing him suffering in his final moments, Qingluan would have given anything if only he could be saved. Her life even, if only Death would spare him. The dread of his impending doom sent a flush of emotions through her: rage, resentment, and finally, despair and grief.
30 minutes passed on in silence as the winds outside slowly died down. There was still no sign of Ziyun’er. Xiao Chen grimaced and frowned. “What’s keeping her so long… It’s only water…”
The salty film of dried tears cracked as Qingluan sprang to her feet, understanding immediately. “Oh no!” Xiao Chen could read her mind and he too cried, “Help me up! Quick!”
Koo-chee beast roused from its sleep and immediately padded by Xiao Chen’s heels. The three left the cave and hurried as quickly as they could back into the Gorge, heading straight for Liu Liancheng’s Red Chamber.
The doors of the Chamber were tightly latched and Liu Liancheng, sitting with one leg over the other casually, was sitting on the seat of honor. He rubbed his chin with a faint smile curling by his lips, enjoying the view of the person in front of him.
It was Ziyun’er. Ziyun’er who had gone off for water. Ziyun’er who had lied to Xiao Chen. Ziyun’er who was trying to save his life. Tears flowed endlessly down and trickled off her cheeks like pearls falling off a broken necklace.
Standing in the middle of the hall illuminated by the glow of the candles, she was contorting, sobbing, and shivering. Her hand rose to her shoulders and tugged at the folds of her robes. The soft velvety ruffles of her dress slid off her milk-white shoulders, revealing the purple plum blossom mark just under her shoulder blades.
More tears came down. Dribbling off her chin, falling on her pearly throat and streamed further down…