This silence set Yun Qing's heart trembling more than a direct interrogation. Yun Huang's insight was too keen; this performance of his might deceive for a while, but it could not fool heaven forever.
This sharp sword hung over his head — no telling when it would fall.
Yun Qing knew full well that the deeper secrets he had glimpsed about the reincarnated Immortal Emperor, once Yun Huang sensed it, would surely call down a devastating storm.
"And your world of the past life — what sort of scene was that?" Yun Huang did not answer Yun Qing's question, but instead tossed it lightly back.
Seemingly idle chat — but Yun Huang could ignore his question, whereas he could not not answer.
Yun Qing sighed helplessly within. The Second Elder had it right: a living ancestor indeed.
He mused a moment, his tone carrying a measure of ease and remembrance, and said slowly: "My past life... a man born between heaven and earth is like a white colt glimpsed through a crack — gone in an instant. Qing in his past life was but one ordinary mortal among the toiling multitude, his span not a hundred years, running each day for his livelihood. The heaven and earth I saw were no more than a square inch of ground; the affairs I passed through, nothing but firewood, rice, oil, and salt. Set against this world's boundless Great Dao, with cultivators flying the skies and burrowing the earth, it was truly a difference of clouds and mud, past all comparison."
Yun Huang listened quietly, his face without a ripple; only those golden eyes seemed to pierce the flesh-shell and gaze straight into the depths of Yun Qing's soul. After a moment, he said blandly: "Such is your fortune — grasp it well."
"Qing bears it in mind." Yun Qing lowered his head, his manner obedient.
The Soul-Suppressing Stele fully repaired, its radiance held within and finer than before, Yun Huang gazed at it a moment, said no more, and turned: "Back to the hall."
"Yes."
Two black-robed figures, one before the other, stepped into the Qiwu main hall. Within, the clear light of luminous pearls flowed, setting off the vast, empty hall all the more solemn and stately. The moment he entered, Yun Qing sensed there was one more aura in the hall.
A youth in the black armor of the Yunxiao Guards — his figure six or seven parts alike to Yun Qing's own, though his features more femininely handsome — stood in respectful silence in the shadow of a hall-pillar, like a lurking, venomous snake.
It was none other than the Twelfth Elder's trueborn grandson, Yun Chi.
A scarcely perceptible trace of surprise crossed the depths of Yun Qing's eyes. This man had actually gotten into the Yunxiao Guards, and been posted to duty at Qiwu Hall? The Twelfth Elder's hand reached even further than he had foreseen.
Seeing Yun Huang return, Yun Chi at once stepped forward and dropped to one knee, his motion crisp and standard: "Yun Chi greets the Young Lord. By the family's transfer order, I have entered the Yunxiao Guards effective today, and come expressly to report to the Young Lord and await his commands." His words were clear, his manner respectful, faintly carrying a few shades of Yun Qing's usual bearing.
Yun Huang's steps did not pause; as though he did not see the man, he walked straight to the seat of honor, giving only a bland "Mm" by way of reply.
Yun Qing walked past at his composed pace, sidestepping half a step without leaving a trace to avoid the range of Yun Chi's kneeling salute, and only gave him a slight nod — the courtesy between kin of one clan — then halted at that familiar spot in front and to the side of Yun Huang's jade throne, head slightly bowed, his manner respectful and natural.
The corner of Yun Chi's eye twitched almost imperceptibly. He swiftly pressed down the surging jealousy in his heart and set his expression right. With both hands he respectfully offered up a jade slip streaming with color, his voice growing humbler still: "Young Lord, by the Commander's order, I present this quarter's patrol-and-defense summary for the Yun Clan's various domains. Please look it over."
Yun Huang did not raise his eyes, only lifted a hand carelessly to signal him to bring it up.
Yun Chi's heart settled; he stepped briskly forward, bowed, and ever so carefully presented the jade slip to Yun Huang's hand. But once Yun Huang had taken it, Yun Chi did not withdraw below the dais as an ordinary guard would; instead his feet shifted, and, just like Yun Qing, he naturally took the lower position on the other side of Yun Huang's jade throne.
For a moment, before the dark-jade throne, Yun Qing and Yun Chi, one left and one right, formed precisely a posture of confrontation.
Yun Huang's gaze rested on him an instant, then lowered to the jade slip in his hand, committing to nothing. He showed neither satisfaction nor a word of dismissal, as though acquiescing to this delicate arrangement.
Yun Chi lowered his eyes and veiled his gaze, but within he was wild with joy! Grandfather's calculation was divine indeed: what those in high places wanted was never the one and only, but tools that could be chosen among and set to check one another! So long as he could show worth enough to replace Yun Qing, he would be the next prodigy of the Yun Clan!
Qiwu Hall fell into stillness, only the faint sound of Yun Huang turning over the jade slip and the flowing light of the luminous pearls.
No one spoke, and Yun Chi too kept his brows lowered and his gaze meek, trying to blend himself into the attending background of the hall.
The corner of his eye swept over Yun Qing, standing quietly across the way with lowered eyes. He saw the Eldest Young Master with eyes on nose and nose on heart, long lashes lowered to veil the depths of his Double Pupils, his whole aura calm and restrained, his manner more obedient and biddable than ever — a wholly different person from the keen figure outside the shrine yesterday, all bared edges, settling the whole matter with a single move.
'This Yun Qing actually plays the very picture of gentle, humble deference before the Young Lord! Even a prodigy such as this must stoop and abase himself so... No wonder Grandfather is so wary. It seems the Young Lord's status and strength are far more terrible than the outside rumors tell.' His thoughts turned swiftly, and his guesses and dread of Yun Huang deepened.
Standing in this suffocating stillness for about the burning-time of an incense stick, Yun Chi felt ill at ease all over, that formless pressure all but crushing him. He drew a deep breath and was about to find some pretext to speak, to assert his presence a little and break this silence so unfavorable to him.
In the very instant his lips parted—
Across from him, Yun Qing moved.
He did not look at Yun Chi, only stepped half a pace forward and, with the utmost ease and familiarity, took up the spirit-jade teacup on Yun Huang's desk. A faint exhalation of spiritual power from his fingertip, and the cup at once curled with wisps of white mist, its temperature controlled with precision to the very instant most fit for the lips. He set the cup lightly back by Yun Huang's hand, the whole process flowing like water, carrying an intimacy and tacit accord beyond words.
"Young Lord, the morning dew is heavy and cold; take a little hot tea to warm yourself." Within the gentle words was a just-right concern.
The hand with which Yun Huang held his brush paused faintly; he lifted his eyes to glance at Yun Qing, his pale-golden gaze deep and hard to read — no telling whether it was approval or something else — but he did not stop him, and instead picked up that cup at just the right temperature and took a shallow sip.
Only then, as though he had just noticed Yun Chi's presence, did Yun Qing turn his head, a curve hooking at his lips that seemed gentle but was in truth distant: "Cousin Yun Chi, your duty must be wearying — would you care for a cup as well? I should think the Young Lord, being magnanimous, would not begrudge a single cup of spirit-tea in his hall."
What did he mean by this?! He was but an attendant serving out a sentence — did he truly take himself for the master of Qiwu Hall?! Rage churned in Yun Chi's breast, but on his face he forced out a stiff smile, trying to keep his composure while treading on Yun Qing in turn: "My thanks for the Eldest Young Master's kind thought. Only, this tea is for the Young Lord's exclusive use, its spirit-energy extraordinary; lowly of station as Chi is, how would he dare drink of it presumptuously..."
Yun Huang still gazed down at the jade slip in his hand, as though wholly unaware of the clash between the two. But look closely, and one would find the corner of his lips curved almost imperceptibly, gone in a flash.