Chapter 214 — The Secret

Watching his back, Yousi's brows drew faintly together; she had a sense that something about Ming Li was not quite the same as usual. But then she heaved a long sigh—was he the only one who had changed? Even the Hades King Sect Master whom she had followed for so many years now grew ever harder for her to understand.

She bowed her head in silence and sank into thought. The Chamber of Ice and Stone was utterly still; only on the Union Bell in Bili's hands did the flowing, wondrous radiance flicker on and on, like a pair of clear eyes, blinking without cease, watching over this world.

Mount Canglan, Little Zhu Peak.

In the early morning a gentle breeze blew, and the green bamboo groves covering the mountain swayed together; the rustling of the bamboo waves was like the music of heaven, calming the heart. A great rain the night before had washed the whole world clean; fresh air brushed past the face, distant hills lay in dark blue, and mountains and waters were like a painting.

The stone path underfoot was still wet, and here and there in the crevices between the stones lingered rainwater from the night. Fallen bamboo leaves lay scattered on the path and along both sides, no doubt blown down by last night's wind and rain. The hour was still early, and no one had come yet to sweep them.

Clad in white like snow, delicate and ethereal, Lu Xueling walked alone along the bamboo path. In the morning light and faint breeze, her hair fell softly over her shoulders; her skin, which looked as though it might be split by a breath, was snowy white with the faintest tinge of pink, like a lovely flower blooming quietly in a secluded valley deep in the mountains.

On either side of the stone path the tall, slender bamboo swayed slightly; on the green leaves beads of dew had formed, sliding down quietly, drifting silently down to the earth.

She walked on without looking back, white robes fluttering, and passed deep into the green bamboo grove.

The stone path ran deep and winding; the morning light filtered through the dense gaps in the bamboo, and the shadows of the stalks swayed gently over her graceful figure.

Ahead, a plain bamboo hut gradually came into view—the place where Master Shuijing, head of the Little Zhu Peak lineage, sat in quiet cultivation. Lu Xueling walked up to the hut and halted at the door. After a moment's hesitation she reached out and lightly tapped on the bamboo door.

"Master, your disciple Xueqi has come to pay her respects." "Come in." Master Shuijing's voice came from within the hut, neither joyful nor sorrowful, seemingly devoid of feeling, faint as water.

The door creaked open as Lu Xueling pushed it gently. She stepped inside and at once saw her master sitting cross-legged on the bamboo bed, eyes closed in meditation, her expression serene; nothing in it suggested any change because of her disciple's arrival.

Lu Xueling walked silently up to Master Shuijing and knelt. "Master, your disciple has come," she said in a low voice. She paused, then went on, "Xueqi knows she is unworthy, that she has failed your hopes and caused you grief. Please punish me." Master Shuijing slowly opened her eyes; her gaze fell upon Lu Xueling before her and rested there a long while. Then she sighed. "If I punished you, would you change your mind and come back?" Lu Xueling bowed her head in silence, not daring to look upon her master's face, and said not a word; yet from her expression, where was there the slightest trace of regret?

Master Shuijing shook her head and said with a faint bitter smile, "Since your heart is set and you will not turn back, what use is there in punishing you? Enough, enough. Get up." Lu Xueling bit her lower lip slightly; she seemed a little moved, but she mastered herself and rose. Master Shuijing patted the bamboo couch beside her. "Sit down too." Lu Xueling shook her head. "Your disciple would not presume." Master Shuijing glanced at her. "There are only the two of us here; what is there to stand on ceremony for? Or do you in the end bear a grudge against me as your master, and hold yourself apart from me?" Lu Xueling jerked her head up and shook it hastily. "Master, I..." Master Shuijing waved a hand with a faint smile. "There, there. I raised you and taught you with my own hands; do I not know your nature?" She reached out, took Lu Xueling's hand, and gently drew her down to sit beside her. She looked carefully at Lu Xueling's beautiful, refined face and sighed. "Be that as it may, as your master, everything I do is for your good—remember that." Lu Xueling's lips moved, and she said in a low voice, "Your disciple understands. In truth it is all my fault..." Master Shuijing shook her head. "Never mind. Matters have come to this; let us not argue over who is right and who is wrong. I ask the world: what is love? Twilight snow over a thousand mountains... across all these mountains and rivers, can there truly be one who will keep you company for a lifetime?" At this point Master Shuijing seemed to have touched something in her own heart, and she fell into a silent daze.

Lu Xueling did not dare disturb her master; she only felt the warmth passing from her master's palm into her own hand—a warmth she had not felt for so long, yet so familiar.