Chapter 64 — Hidden Worries

Zhang Qingyue stared at the middle-aged scholar ahead of him—the "Underworld King," the great scourge of the orthodox cultivation world—and his mind was a chaos. Over these past days, a faint doubt about his former beliefs had crept up in the depths of his heart from time to time, and it all traced back to a conversation at a tea stall at the foot of Kongsang Mountain.

Now, meeting an old acquaintance again, his feelings were truly tangled, so much so that for a moment he nearly forgot where he was and what dire straits they were in.

But even if he forgot, the people beside him would not.

Xiao Zhou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, forced himself to his feet, and said in a low voice to Zhang Qingyue and Tian Lingsu: "This man's cultivation is too high; we cannot fight him head-on. I will hold him off. You two—run now!"

With that, he stretched out his hand, and the Seven Stars Sword, still stuck in the rock wall and quivering faintly, seemed to answer his summons; with a ringing clang it burst from the stone and flew back into his grasp.

The Underworld King looked at Xiao Zhou, nodded, and with the same faint smile still on his face, said: "By your cultivation, it seems that among the younger generation of Canglan Sect, you must be the foremost. I never imagined that Canglan Sect, besides this Zhang Qingyue, would have a talent like you as well. Not bad, not bad at all!"

Zhang Qingyue was startled, and then he felt both his senior sister Tian Lingsu and this Xiao Zhou glancing at him. His face grew hot for a moment, yet he did not know what to say.

Xiao Zhou drew a deep breath and stepped forward, and the Seven Stars Sword in his hand began to glow. The Underworld King made no move, merely standing there and watching him with a smile. Xiao Zhou knew this man was the strongest enemy he had ever encountered in his life, but behind him stood his junior brothers and sister from the same sect; he could not abandon the fight and flee no matter what. He could only hope to hold the man off long enough for the two of them to escape first.

Unexpectedly, just as he tried to circulate his qi and command his sword, the blood and qi in his chest suddenly surged and rushed upward. He could bear it no longer; with a "wa," he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Zhang Qingyue and Tian Lingsu were greatly alarmed and rushed forward to support him. Xiao Zhou's face was pale, and he knew that one blow from the Underworld King had shaken his internal organs and damaged his meridians; he could no longer muster the strength to cast any spell. Horror filled his heart—half from knowing he was in a hopeless situation, and half from the sheer terrifying height of the Underworld King's cultivation. What harm this man would bring to the orthodox path in days to come was likely beyond reckoning.

The Underworld King looked at him and suddenly said: "You struggle to fight on—is it because you wish to delay me for a time, so that these two fellow disciples of yours might escape?"

Xiao Zhou gave a cold snort and did not answer. But Tian Lingsu rose to her feet, planted herself in front of him, and said angrily: "You demonic heretics, don't think you can gloat just because your cultivation is higher. I am not afraid of you!"

Zhang Qingyue was startled. The Underworld King had wounded Xiao Zhou with a single blow; anyone could see that his cultivation was exceedingly high, and even the three of them together might not be his match. Seeing Tian Lingsu look as though she feared neither heaven nor earth, he grew worried and stepped forward to pull at her, signaling that she should not be so rash.

Tian Lingsu had not yet caught on, but this gesture had already fallen into the eyes of the Underworld King and Bili. Bili's face darkened, and she gave a cold humph, looked at Tian Lingsu, then at Zhang Qingyue, and suddenly spoke: "Zhang Qingyue, this must be that senior sister of yours, Tian Lingsu, the one you are always going on about?"

Tian Lingsu and Xiao Zhou were both startled. Xiao Zhou frowned and said: "Junior Brother Zhang, do you know these two, father and daughter?"

Zhang Qingyue was silent for a long moment, then said in a low voice: "Yes."

At that moment, Tian Lingsu suddenly cried out: "Ah! I recognize you now. You are that demonic sect girl who sneaked over that night, the one we chased to the island outside, the one who said she was looking for Xiaofan—"

She broke off mid-sentence and merely stared at Zhang Qingyue.

Zhang Qingyue's heart was in a tangle. In truth, this was the very scene he had dreaded most all along, and now it had come to pass, yet he still had no idea how to get through it.

The Underworld King stood there, saw Zhang Qingyue's complicated expression, and still smiled as he said: "Young Brother Zhang, since we parted at the foot of Kongsang Mountain that day, how have you been these past days?"

Zhang Qingyue was too agitated to pay him any mind. Xiao Zhou's brows were tightly knit, and his heart was full of doubt. The way the Underworld King and his daughter looked at this junior brother Zhang was ambiguous, to say the least; their relationship must be far from ordinary. But Canglan Sect's rules were strict, and contact with demonic cultivators was severely forbidden. He did not know what relationship this junior brother Zhang had with those two; he only hoped the boy had not violated the sect's rules, for that would be truly disastrous.

But now was hardly the time for interrogation; the three of them were still in dire straits. Xiao Zhou forced himself to gather his wits, turned to face the Underworld King, and was about to speak, when the Underworld King glanced at him and suddenly spoke first: "You are forcing the circulation of your true essence, secretly channeling spiritual power into the Seven Stars Sword—is it because you wish to use your remaining strength to hold me off, so that these two fellow disciples of yours might have a chance to escape?"

Xiao Zhou's body jolted, and his face turned ashen. He had not expected the Underworld King's mind to be so meticulous. With his cultivation, and now forewarned, there was likely no chance of survival for the three of them.

Unexpectedly, the Underworld King smiled slightly and said: "You need not despair. I have no intention of making things difficult for you."

"What?" Xiao Zhou and Tian Lingsu exclaimed in surprise at the same time, and Zhang Qingyue, his face full of astonishment, also turned to look at him.

The Underworld King glanced at Bili, then turned to Zhang Qingyue and said with a smile: "Young Brother Zhang, that day beneath the Dead Spirit Abyss on Kongsang Mountain, you showed true feeling for Yao'er in adversity, and faced death together with her..."

He had barely said half of it when Zhang Qingyue's expression changed, and he felt Xiao Zhou and Tian Lingsu both looking at him strangely. Alarmed, he was about to open his mouth and say, "You—you nonsense—"

Just then, Zhang Qingyue caught Bili's gaze. In her bright eyes, he vaguely saw a trace of sorrow. Suddenly he remembered that night of great wind and driving rain, when heaven and earth were grim and desolate, and she alone had kept him company through his suffering. Deep in his heart, something inexplicably softened, and he could not bring himself to finish the words.

And the Underworld King's words continued: "Moreover, that day you comforted Yao'er and untied the knot that had bound us father and daughter for over ten years. You could be said to have done me a kindness." He smiled and said: "Today, for your sake, I will let the three of you go. Only, in doing so, when you return to Qingyun in the future, you will surely face the censure of those old fellows who cannot tell right from wrong. Why not join my Holy Sect here and now? I will surely value you highly, and you can live in bliss with Yao'er. Would that not—"