Chapter Ninety-Two: A Visit

As he stepped through the doorway, the soft morning sunlight fell gently upon him and seemed to sink into his very bones. He drew in a long breath of the fresh air and felt his whole body refresh itself. He set out at once, and after walking more than a hundred paces, the path ended in a bend. The view suddenly opened, and a little lake appeared before him. Glad at heart, he followed the lakeshore for several dozen paces, when a faint fragrance drifted to his nose. Looking ahead, he saw not far away, growing at the water’s edge, a flowering tree already in full bloom, lavish and brilliant, red blossoms heavy as mist, crimson stamens at the center, graceful branches fragrant in the air.

Ye Hua’s heart gave a sudden jolt, and he was just about to step forward when he heard a soft voice behind him call, "Junior Brother Ye!"

He turned and saw that it was Zhang Lan. She was standing there without his knowing when, as though she too had come to admire the beauty before them.

Ye Hua saw her with her faint smile and slight brow, star-bright eyes rippling like water, white teeth like ordered jade, red lips gently parted. She seemed all the more radiant and delicate, graceful in every way. For some reason he thought of yesterday, when he had tightly held her soft hand, so warm and tender, like cotton in his palm. His mind swayed for a moment. Half ashamed, half entranced, he could not help but blush.

When Zhang Lan met his gaze, a flush rose to her cheeks. Her expression seemed at once reproachful and amused as she softly recited:

"Willow hues congeal in the cold,
flower feeling drifts away with the rain;
outside the window the orioles sing late,
spring resides upon the crabapple bough.
Who knows how many lovesick hearts have withered?
Only the fallen blooms can tell."

Then she smiled and said, "How does Junior Brother Ye find this crabapple tree?"

Hearing her verse, Ye Hua’s heart beat faster and faster. Seeing again her slight frown and faint smile, her tender displeasure and soft coyness, that face equally fit for laughter or complaint, he stared in a daze, both hands clenched. Before he knew it, he blurted out, "Where the green drifts and the red falls, there is one who pities such grace and charm."

At once Zhang Lan’s face turned bright red. She lowered her head, yet sweetness filled her heart. In a very low voice she said, "To ask the flowers, and have them silent; for whom do they bloom, for whom do they fall? They only wait for the tip of the brush and the drops of dew, for verses to be written upon their petals. Could it be that Junior Brother Ye knows how to cherish flowers and show them compassion?"

At this, Ye Hua flushed again. He stammered, at a loss for words. In this awkward moment, he saw Ma Fei, Shi Lei, and the others approaching in the distance. They called out to the two of them, "Junior Brother Ye! Junior Sister Zhang! What are the two of you doing here?"

Zhang Lan, embarrassed, said, "Could it be that only you senior brothers are allowed to come admire the scenery here?"

Ma Fei laughed heartily. "Of course not. We noticed the two of you were missing first thing this morning. Junior Brother Zhang said you must surely be here, and sure enough you are."

Gu Yunqi, standing behind them, nodded and said to Zhang Ke, "Senior Brother Zhang, did you see the two of them come here?"

Zhang Ke shook his head with a smile. "No, I did not."

Gu Yunqi was surprised. "Could it be you’ve used divine calculation?"

Zhang Ke gave him a sideways glance and sighed. "Alas, Junior Brother Gu, no wonder Junior Sister Zhao from Cold Jade Cave never pays you any mind. How can you be so utterly without taste?"

Gu Yunqi’s face turned scarlet. He spat to one side and said, "Senior Brother Zhang, what are you talking about? Why drag me into this?"

Zhang Ke chuckled. "Junior Brother Ye, Junior Sister Zhang, today let us go to the Xuanwu Arena and watch the matches. What do the two of you think?"

The flush of embarrassment faded a little from Zhang Lan’s face, and she smiled faintly, nodding. "That would be splendid. What sort of matches are they?"

Ye Hua looked troubled and said, "Senior brothers, today I have already promised Senior Brother Tian that I would go to the Jinghua Martial Hall. This..."

Zhang Ke nodded. "I have heard it is the first trial for the western demon lands’ traveling scholars. Let us go and have a look, so we may know ourselves and know our opponents. Junior Brother Ye, the Xuanwu Arena is very near the Jinghua Martial Hall, also within the Three Mountains and Five Gardens. You may go there at once. We will watch at the arena and wait for you there."

Ye Hua said, "Then it shall be so. I only trouble you, senior brothers."

After making their plans, they returned together to their lodgings. Before long, they had left the Zhang residence and headed north.

After the better part of an hour, they had already passed beyond the bustling market and reached the Three Mountains and Five Gardens. After crossing several peaks, the view opened wide before them, revealing a vast circular structure hidden by the surrounding mountains. Ma Fei pointed at it and said, "That is the Xuanwu Arena."

Ye Hua looked carefully and saw that the structure had been built along the contours of the mountain, enclosing a broad flat basin at its center, as though an entire mountainside had been fashioned into a half-circle. On the slope were built ring after ring of semicircular terraces. Its scale was truly immense. Already many people were gathered within the arena; a quick glance showed no fewer than several thousand.

Ye Hua was astonished and asked, "This plaza is so vast that even if tens of thousands gathered here, it would surely hold them all."

Ma Fei nodded. "Just so. The Xuanwu Arena is where the Sage Emperor watches martial displays. How could it be anything but grand and magnificent?"

Ye Hua nodded. "So that is how it is. Then let us part here, senior brothers. I must make my way to the Jinghua Martial Hall. I hope you will forgive me."

Zhang Ke nodded. "Junior Brother Ye, go on ahead."

Ye Hua clasped his hands, turned, and departed, heading toward Lone Peak.

Seeing him leave, the others sighed inwardly. Ma Fei said, "Junior Brother Ye is certainly no fish trapped in a shallow pool. Since he has drawn the special regard of Dao Patriarch Qingling, he is surely no ordinary man."

Zhang Ke nodded. "Naturally. Dao Patriarch Qingling has seen much and knows much; his judgment is bound to be extraordinary. For Junior Brother Ye, who has only the cultivation of the Sixfold Realm of the Seven Treasures, to possess such profound inner essence is truly beyond expectation, almost unbelievable. Unless he has taken some rare elixir of heaven and earth, his secret arts must be astonishing indeed."

Shi Lei nodded. "Exactly so. All right, let’s hurry down and take our seats. It looks as though the match is about to begin."

At this, the others nodded and made their way toward the Xuanwu Arena.

After leaving the others, Ye Hua headed for the Jinghua Martial Hall. It was very near the Xuanwu Arena, and after only a short while he arrived at the place where Zhang Ke had knocked on the gate two days before. He followed the same procedure as before. Once the gate guard had confirmed his identity and opened the restriction, Ye Hua entered the mountain gate and went on. After passing several peaks, he finally reached the Fifth Transmission Courtyard of Pure-Subtle Peak.

Entering the courtyard, he saw many disciples pacing back and forth. Ye Hua approached a young disciple of sixteen or seventeen and asked, "May I ask this junior brother whether Patriarch Qingling is here today? I have come to pay a visit."

The young disciple looked him over and suddenly showed a look of surprise. "Eh? Aren’t you the one who fought Senior Brother Tian the other day? You... you must be Senior Brother Ye!"

Ye Hua smiled. "That’s right."

The young disciple had a very deep impression of him. Senior Brother Tian was already at the Seventh Stage of the Seven Treasures Realm, and when he had entered under Patriarch Qingling, his technique had already been extraordinarily fierce and mysterious. Since then, he had trained each day with great diligence in the arts transmitted by Patriarch Qingling, advancing still further. And yet Ye Hua had fought him to a draw. Later, when word spread that the patriarch had said Ye Hua was merely at the Sixfold Realm of the Seven Treasures, it became all the more unforgettable.

The disciple immediately replied, "Master is presently in the Muni Hall. I will take you there."

Ye Hua nodded. "Many thanks, junior brother."

The young disciple then led Ye Hua into the inner courtyard, entering through the Auspicious Crane Gate and passing the Heaven-Shaking Gate, the Jade Terrace of Qingdu, the Realm of Emptiness, Star-Mother Palace, Three-Principles Palace, the Courtyard of the Great Bodhisattva of Tushita, Rain-Flower Courtyard, and the Prajna Platform, until they came to the side of a long corridor.

From there the two continued westward along the corridor and arrived before several rooms. The rooms were all built of pinewood, with plank doors and wooden pillars. The timber had not even been stripped of its bark, and the whole place was simple and unadorned, utterly unlike the gilded splendor of the halls they had passed along the way.

Outside, the young disciple respectfully called, "Master, Senior Brother Ye Hua has come to pay his respects!"

From within came a voice. "Let Nephew Ye in."

Ye Hua reached out and slowly pushed open the door, which creaked and rasped, showing that it was rarely opened or closed. Within the room, however, two people sat on three cushions. One was indeed Patriarch Qingling. The other was an elderly man in a black robe, his face dark and weathered, apparently in his fifties or sixties. Ye Hua had assumed there would be only Patriarch Qingling inside and had never imagined another guest. He hurriedly bowed in greeting.