259: Help Them

Help Them

The group examined the rest of the area thoroughly, and each of the senior disciples studied the etchings with care. But without the right spiritual power to guide them, no one discovered either the sword spirit's hidden plan or my modifications to it. I kept my silence the entire time, until the rest of the crowd decided that it was time to return to Mount Hua and report their findings to the masters.2

"I've made a sketch of the etchings to show Master," Qi Lian said as he pointed at the modified map in his hand. "Hopefully, he'll be able to make some sense out of these and lead us somewhere … Will you be coming back with us, Senior Yun?"

I gave him a regretful smile. "My errand at hand still needs more time," I explained. "But I will be back as soon as I can. I miss seeing all of you at your hall."

Qi Lian nodded. After a few more exchanges sharing my knowledge of the sword spirit, I bid farewell to the group, taking off in the opposite direction as we parted ways on our flying swords.

My mind remained occupied the entire way back to the cabin. If the thought of Teng Yuan learning about our latest discoveries had only been a subtle concern earlier, then the realization that the news would soon spread over Mount Hua raised all the alarms in my head. It was one thing for someone to recognize the sword spirit and question the power of Twin Stars, but totally another when it came to dealing with the impending danger threatening East Village. I couldn't ask the masters to leave this matter to Bai Ye and me, and once they started getting involved, the turn of events would no longer be in our control …

My worry must've looked too obvious, as Bai Ye glanced up from behind his books the moment I stepped across the threshold. "Has the group returned to Mount Hua for help?" he asked.

I nodded, unsurprised that he foresaw what was coming. "The sword spirit found us, but then she got away like always. The group didn't find any more clues otherwise, so Teng Yuan might end up here after all."

Strangely, a look of relief crossed his face. "If Teng Yuan is in charge, then this matter won't fall into Chu Yang's hands." He closed the book lying on the table as I sat down beside him. "It's all for the best."

I blinked, unsure if he was thinking what I was thinking. "But if Teng Yuan comes … Wouldn't he kill her?"

"He would as long as I don't interfere." Bai Ye scooped me into his arms. "Teng Yuan might have agreed to help me protect you, but he won't break his own rules for it. If he finds out what the sword spirit has in plan—whether or not he knows who she is and how she's related to you—he won't let a little favor for me get in the way of dealing with such a great danger."

He had said those words so casually that it almost sounded like he wasn't troubled by the implications at all. I glanced at him. "And you would simply watch that happen?" I asked. "What if the sword spirit is the only way out of our predicament with Twin Stars?"

"We have enough time left to find an alternative, Qing-er. As long as we don't give Chu Yang a chance to meddle with it in the meantime—"

So he wasn't thinking what I was thinking at all. Realization suddenly dawned on me—all this time, I had thought that Bai Ye asked me to keep the truth of those symbols from Mount Hua because of the sword spirit. I had thought that he didn't want them to interfere because of the solution we just found to purge the demonic power. But now I understood that this wasn't the real reason. This was about ME. He wanted to hide the truth from them only to protect me, to protect Twin Stars from the masters that become too easily alarmed by its power.

And as to the threat to his own life … "What if we can't find another alternative?" I pressed on. "The sword spirit's appearance has been our best hope so far at your cure. She fills all the missing pieces of the puzzle. What if … What if there isn't another solution without her?"

He gave me a faint smile. "We will find a way, like you've always told me. But even if we don't—" He paused. "We can't let the sword spirit roam free forever. You know her power, and there is no guarantee that she won't wreak havoc someday at some faraway village beyond our reach. We can't be so selfish as to put innocent lives at risk, or to interfere with Mount Hua's involvement just because of our own needs."

A part of me understood that he was right. The sword spirit's existence was a deadly threat to commoners, and to delay a resolution to the situation was irresponsible to say the least. But a different part of me refused to agree, because I knew the real reason that Bai Ye said what he said—as long as no harm would come to me from Mount Hua, he didn't see the need to continue with our current plan only to save himself, especially if that plan involved me putting myself at risk to try the solution that he had just found. This was just the simplest, grandest excuse that he could use to stop me.

But I wouldn't let him. I wouldn't let this opportunity of a lifetime slip through our fingers so easily like this. Meeting his eyes, I smiled. "You are right," I said and made up my mind then. "We can't put people's lives at risk just for our own needs … So we'll help them. We'll help Mount Hua … And I'll kill the sword spirit before Teng Yuan gets the chance."

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