Chapter 18 — Answering the Summons

Standing on the immortal sword, Zhang Qingyue held Song Dayi tight. Nervous as he was, he could not bear to shut his eyes for anything. The green peaks of Dazhu Peak fell farther and farther behind him; then suddenly all before him turned white—a vast whiteness—and they had plunged into thick white clouds, and he could see nothing more.

Now above and below, before and behind, all was vast cloud and mist. The great wind howled unceasingly, stinging his face. Zhang Qingyue's body trembled slightly, half from nerves, half from excitement. To gallop through the blue sky and white clouds—what a dream that was!

Through the boundless sea of clouds they flew, and how long they traveled he did not know. Just as Zhang Qingyue's heart was slowly beginning to settle, as if to astonish him once more, "Ten Tigers" burst out of the cloud sea amid a sharp, piercing whistle.

Before them lay a boundless blue sky, like the deep sea hanging upside down, so blue it was almost pure—endless, magnificent, majestic. As they burst from the clouds, the white sea beneath their feet seemed like spray, trailing long streamers of cloud in their wake, as if reluctant to let them go, or like the small waves of a great river, drifting up into the air and then slowly sinking back into the cloud sea.

The sky was washed clean. "Ten Tigers" soared upward until it was nearly three hundred zhang above the vast cloud sea below; only then did Song Dayi level the blade and begin flying straight toward Jietian Peak.

In the distance, a towering peak—towering into the clouds, no, towering into the heavens—stood proud and unyielding. There, where the white clouds drifted, faint bell tones echoed through that vast heaven and earth. Jietian Peak—Peak Reaching Heaven—seemed truly to lead to the blue sky.

Zhang Qingyue held his breath and gazed far out. Beneath the boundless blue sky, around that majestic peak, countless rays of light of every color danced and swirled, growing denser the closer they came to Jietian Peak.

Zhang Qingyue knew they were all treasures wielded by disciples of the Canglan Sect, colored variously according to the five elements of each treasure, so that they looked like a riot of color, exceedingly beautiful. These rays of light streamed toward that peak like colored stones falling in rain, a spectacle of magnificent grandeur. And they, together with "Ten Tigers," soon merged into that brilliant, many-colored torrent.

Amid the whistling wind, Song Dayi brought Zhang Qingyue down on his sword onto a vast plaza. The moment they touched ground, the monkey Xiao Hui began looking this way and that, then leaped down from Zhang Qingyue's shoulder and bounced about the plaza, beside himself with excitement. Zhang Qingyue let him be and looked around. Here white jade formed the railings, and waves of immortal aura drifted on the air. In the center of the plaza stood nine great bronze cauldrons, arranged in threes. Most astonishing of all was the vapor that rose and steamed over the whole plaza, so that one walked as if in clouds, giving a person the feeling of having become an immortal.

Zhang Qingyue took it all in and found it strangely familiar. He remembered this was the place called the "Sea of Clouds," one of the so-called "Six Scenes of Qingyun," which he had visited when he first came to Mount Canglan. Five years had passed, and the place was as it had always been, unchanged, still so beautiful and ethereal—only today it was far livelier than five years ago.

The plaza was now bustling beyond measure. The disciples of the Canglan Sect who had come for the Seven Meridian Martial Contest were all, he supposed, gathered here for the time being. Looking into the distance, he saw a sea of heads, no doubt several hundred people. Most of those standing on the plaza wore the robes of the Canglan Sect, some Daoist and some lay, men and women alike, with the younger generation especially numerous; spirited, dashing figures abounded, a sign that in recent years the Canglan Sect had been striving hard to govern and had put great effort into cultivating its young disciples.

Though several hundred people stood on the plaza, it still seemed quite spacious. Song Dayi looked all around, then suddenly heard a clear voice call from afar: "Eldest Senior Brother, we're over here!"

Song Dayi and Zhang Qingyue looked over. It was the Dazhu Peak group, and the one calling was Tian Lingsu, needless to say. They stood beside a huge bronze cauldron in the middle of the plaza, and Tian Lingsu was waving at them.

Song Dayi answered and went over with Zhang Qingyue. Along the way, Zhang Qingyue looked about him. Disciples of the other meridians stood in twos and threes, every one of them seemingly in high spirits, talking of this and that—no doubt all filled with anticipation for the great contest soon to come.

When they reached them, He Dachuan, standing behind Tian Lingsu, spoke first: "Eldest Senior Brother, was the trip smooth?"

Song Dayi smiled. "It's not as if it's my first time here. What trouble could there be?"

Tian Lingsu glanced at Zhang Qingyue and smiled. "Xiaofan, was the scenery along the way nice?"

Zhang Qingyue recalled the magnificent, soul-stirring view high in the blue sky and said from the heart, "It was absolutely beautiful."

Tian Lingsu grinned and patted his shoulder. "Work harder from now on. Once you've refined a treasure and learned to ride the air, you can fly up into the blue sky every day and look your fill."

Zhang Qingyue said nothing, but he smiled and nodded firmly.

Song Dayi looked around and said to He Dachuan, "Fourth Junior Brother, where are Master and Mistress?"

He Dachuan said, "We followed Master and Mistress here, and the senior brother from the chief meridian who received us led them up to the Yuqing Temple, saying the elder council of the seven meridians was to meet and discuss some final details of the great contest. Master told us to wait here."

Song Dayi nodded, then beckoned the junior brothers close. He looked around and lowered his voice. "Why do I see so many unfamiliar senior and junior brothers from the other meridians? You've been here a while—any news?"

He Dachuan shook his head. "I felt the same. It seems the meridians have taken on a good many new disciples these years."

The second brother, Wu Dayi, glanced around. "Plenty of new faces, true. But I'd guess that when the bouts begin tomorrow, it'll mostly be the senior brothers of deep cultivation from before. After all, they still have the edge in experience"

Song Dayi suddenly sighed. "Second Junior Brother, that may not be so. Do you remember that young disciple who came bearing word from the Longfeng Sect two years ago—Lin Jinghong?"

Wu Dayi was taken aback, then fell silent. The others exchanged glances and said nothing, save that a sudden, tangled emotion swept through Zhang Qingyue's heart—something like joy, something like envy, and perhaps a touch of jealousy besides.

"And what does that fellow amount to?" someone said coldly, all at once.

The others started, and saw that it was Tian Lingsu who had spoken. Her pretty face was faintly flushed, her lovely eyes wide, as she said with bitter vehemence, "It would be one thing if he simply didn't come to this contest. But if he dares to show his face, then let him meet me—and then I'll settle the score with him once and for all!"

The company from Dazhu Peak looked at one another. Sixth Brother Du Biyan had always been quick-witted and faster still to react; he laughed and said, "Junior Sister has it exactly right. If such a coincidence really came to pass—heh heh—senior brothers, why don't we make a wager on who wins and who loses?"

"Get out, get out!" Fifth Brother Lü Daxin, standing beside him, kicked him away.

Song Dayi smiled and was about to say something when he heard a light cough behind him, and a woman's voice said softly, "Senior Brother Song, it has been a long while."