Chapter 41 — The Blackwater Serpent

At that moment, the young woman also caught sight of Zhang Qingyue and Lu Xueling, still unconscious at his side. Plainly she had not expected to find living people down here in the Vale of Death Spirits either; her expression changed, and she gave a start of surprise.

Then she made out Zhang Qingyue's features, paused a beat, and a flicker of astonishment crossed her face, followed by a smile.

"Truly, in life one meets again wherever one goes!" Like a beautiful lily in full bloom, she came toward them gracefully through the darkness.

Zhang Qingyue rose and, deliberately or not, placed himself in front of Lu Xueling. After all, anyone who came down into the Vale of Death Spirits, where yin spirits and demon beasts roamed, was no ordinary person.

As the girl drew near, Zhang Qingyue could finally see clearly: between the slender jade fingers of her right hand she held a small white blossom, and it was actually giving off a faint white glow that lit the ground around her. What strange species it might be, he had no idea.

But he had no leisure just now to wonder about the flower. Though he remained on his guard against this peculiar girl, still — whatever else she was — seeing her here in the dark, lonely Vale of Death Spirits made him feel at once a little closer to her.

"Hello, miss." Zhang Qingyue had meant to offer some polite words of greeting, but when they came out, only those two remained.

The girl glanced at him and smiled. "Aren't you Zhang Qingyue of Canglan Mountain, the young hero? however did you come to this spirit-haunted place? This is no place for the likes of you."

Zhang Qingyue was taken aback. "How do you know I'm of the Canglan sect?"

The girl only smiled and made no answer.

Zhang Qingyue frowned, sensing that this girl was anything but simple. As he was turning it over in his mind, he heard her give a soft laugh. "May I ask, young hero Zhang, how long have you been here? Have you found the Blooddrop Cave yet?"

Zhang Qingyue blanked for a moment. "What Blooddrop Cave?"

The girl gave a cold little sniff, and the smile faded from her face by degrees, though her voice stayed calm. "Young hero Zhang, you play the innocent well — you and all your so-called righteous folk. If not for what lies in the Blooddrop Cave, why would you come to a dark, filthy place like this?"

Zhang Qingyue was thoroughly confused by her words, though he dimly understood that there was a Blooddrop Cave here, and that it likely held something of great importance. Yet before he left the mountain he had never heard his master or the sect leader, his martial uncle, speak of such a thing. But that was not what occupied him now; he had caught the implication in her words, and said gravely, "You say we of the righteous path are hypocrites — then who are you?"

The girl flicked her pale green robe. The blossom caught between her fingers traced an arc through the air with that jade-white hand, and the white light left a lingering trace in the darkness, as though it too were reluctant to leave this dark place; it hung there a long while before slowly fading.

"Me? Why, am I not exactly the demon-cult witch you all loathe with such passion?" Her smile was sweet and lovely.

Zhang Qingyue's heart sank, and for a moment he felt a sense of loss — but the thought flashed past and left no trace, and he gave a cold snort and gathered himself in readiness.

Ever since he had entered the Canglan sect, he had heard from his masters and senior brothers how the demon cult's fiends wrought havoc upon the world, cruel and without principle, and the sect's rules expressly forbade any dealings or friendship with those of the demon path: the two were enemies in life and death, who could not share the same sky.

Yet the girl showed no sign of a hatred deep as the sea or any wish to strike at once. Instead her gaze slid past Zhang Qingyue to what lay behind him; she looked once, then suddenly smiled. "This elder sister of yours looks about to wake."

Zhang Qingyue turned to look. Sure enough, Lu Xueling had shifted slightly, her lips moving twice, and was slowly opening her eyes. Overjoyed, Zhang Qingyue turned back. "You're awake!"

But to his surprise, a look of alarm came over Lu Xueling's face, and she struggled to say, "Look out—"

Before Zhang Qingyue could react, a strange fragrance suddenly filled the air around him, there was a flash of white light, and a white blossom appeared before his eyes.

In the darkness, down here in the Vale of Death Spirits, where would flowers come from? Startled, Zhang Qingyue fell back a step — and saw the blossom stir with no wind, as though it were smiling at him ever so slightly in midair, nodding to him. In an instant the flower burst apart, petal after petal pure and lovely, yet along their edges flickered a faint ghostly green light, and they flew at him.

Even without knowing the girl was of the demon cult, the strange flower alone was enough to tell him something was wrong. Caught suddenly off guard, Zhang Qingyue scrambled back several steps and in his fluster raised the dark iron staff before him as a shield. The petals, flying at him fast, met the staff's dark blue-green radiance, and most were blocked — but a few slipped past, narrowly grazing him, and nearly wounded him.

His heart still pounding, Zhang Qingyue cursed inwardly: these demon-cult fiends really were every one of them treacherous and cunning; what his master, his mistress, and his senior brothers had said was wisdom itself, word for word. But then his eye swept past, and he saw the girl move — she was flying toward Lu Xueling.

Zhang Qingyue was greatly alarmed. Lu Xueling, gravely wounded, had scarcely the strength to strike back, and he had been drawn too far away. In desperate haste he waved his hand and sent the dark iron staff hurtling at the girl in green.

Hearing it come, the girl in green smiled serenely and reached up her right hand to meet it. In an instant every petal flew back like lightning and gathered upon that single bud; the little flower, still giving off its faint white glow, rose to meet the staff. White radiance met dark blue-green, and the two hung locked in midair. For a moment neither gave way, as though evenly matched, and then each flew back to its own side.

In the darkness, a soft cry of surprise rang out.

Seizing the chance, Zhang Qingyue caught the dark iron staff even as he hurried back to Lu Xueling's side and planted himself before her, so that the sinister, treacherous demon witch could work no more of her tricks.

But this "sinister, treacherous" witch had now suddenly halted and came no further, letting Zhang Qingyue return to Lu Xueling's side; in the look she bent on him there was no small astonishment.

In that exchange just now, she had fully expected that with the wondrous flower "Heartbreak" in her hand she could subdue Zhang Qingyue with ease. Yet when "Heartbreak" and the dark iron staff had locked in midair, the strange fragrance that should have passed through the object straight into the heart and left a man slumped where he stood had been driven back — and there had even been a faint suggestion of backlash. It astonished her beyond measure.

Standing before Lu Xueling, Zhang Qingyue helped her to her feet and asked in a low voice, "Are you all right, Sister Lu?"

Lu Xueling shook her head slightly, and only then did Zhang Qingyue set his mind at ease. He turned and said bitterly, "Shameless witch — sneak attacks are all you know!"

The surprise in the girl's eyes vanished at once, replaced by a flash of anger. She gave a cold sniff. "Fine. In a moment I'll show you just what this witch can do!"