Chapter 686 — The Old Angler by the Cold Pool

Shen Mu said, "I have been to the Other Shore Ark. I once thought that place was the Land of No Sorrow, but when I got there I found it was not. The Other Shore Ark had been sealed, trapping the remnant of the Heavenly Artisan God Clan inside. Those Heavenly Artisans spent nearly twenty thousand years breaking through the seal, and only one child of a few years old walked out alive."

The Woodcutter Sage took up his words. "And that was Li Youran's failing — he did not look into it closely before he went off with Great Brahma. Later, the child who left the Other Shore Ark grew up, and after much struggle, after being cheated more times than one could count, he let slip a great many secrets. He was so grieved that he steeled his heart and cut out his own tongue, lest he talk too much."

Shen Mu was silent.

The Woodcutter Sage went on: "He was the last of the Heavenly Artisans. Though he cut out his tongue, he was cheated still, and so he hid himself in the Desolate Ruins and became a blacksmith."

Shen Mu was silent for a while, then said with a smile, "He cultivates the Profound Scripture of Flawless Creation now, and his tongue has grown back."

The Woodcutter Sage led them over mountains and ridges at great speed. "I hope he can keep himself from speaking. Otherwise, sooner or later he will cut his own tongue out again."

Shen Mu said, "He speaks very little now, but he curses in hand signs at tremendous speed — much faster than speech."

Yan Jingjing laughed. "I know who you are talking about — that blacksmith grandpa. His two hands really do move very fast when he gestures. Only he still needs an Iron-Ear grandpa to translate what he says."

Shen Mu said, "Most of what he signs is curses."

They came to a canyon rarely trodden by human feet, surrounded by dense, verdant trees. In the canyon lay a pool of water whose bottom could not be seen, and Shen Mu and Yan Jingjing saw that beside this deep pool there stood a stone statue — the statue of an old man in a bamboo hat, seated at the water's edge, a fishing rod in his hand, its line hanging down into the pool.

The old man's other hand propped up his chin, and at his feet lay a fish basket.

The old man had turned wholly to stone; and strangest of all, his rod and line had turned to stone with him — even the fish basket had become stone.

Shen Mu looked into the basket and saw something stranger still: there were two stone fish inside it!

"Even the fish have turned to stone! Can these two fish be gods as well? And if they were gods, how could they have taken the hook?"

He was greatly puzzled.

The Woodcutter Sage came to the side of the stone angler, took out a stick of incense, lit it, and planted it beside him. "Senior Brother, it is time to wake."

The incense smoke curled upward like a spirit snake and bored into the stone statue's nostrils.

After a moment, the nostrils changed from stone to flesh and blood, and from about the nostrils the change spread; soon the stone receded from the old angler's body, and flesh and skin, garments and all, grew living again.

The rod in his hand shed its stone little by little, and from the rod the change passed on to the line, and the fishing line uncoiled and stretched out!

Then the fish basket at his feet, set in the pool, also shed its stone, and with two flapping sounds the two fish inside came back to life, bright red, rolling about twice in the basket.

Shen Mu and Yan Jingjing watched, spellbound, as the old angler stretched his waist, shifted on the little folding stool beneath him, and said, "That was a good, full sleep. Woodcutter, what have you woken me for?"

The Woodcutter Sage said with a smile, "To fish for the sun, and to fish for the moon."

The old angler took off his bamboo hat, blew the dust from it, put it back on his head, and said, "The suns of the Dawn Spring? The moons of the Soul Spring? With your skill, you could fish them up without much trouble — why wake me?"

"I have other matters to attend to and cannot divide my attention, so I had no choice but to wake you, Senior Brother." The Woodcutter Sage sighed. "Twenty thousand years have passed, and a new age has come. Senior Brother should not sleep on."

The old angler rose, lifted the fish basket and slung it on his back, reeled in his line, took up his rod, and turned to face Shen Mu, Yan Jingjing, and the rest.

His head was very large, his neck seemed very short, and the bamboo hat sat snugly wedged on his topknot. His face looked much older than the Woodcutter's, seamed with wrinkles that ran crosswise, but his eyes were very big.

Shen Mu and Yan Jingjing made their greetings. The old angler said, "And these two children are...?"

"The boy is a son of the Shen clan, from the Land of No Sorrow. The girl is the present Sun Guardian," the Woodcutter said. "Shen-er, this is the Fisherman Heavenly Master, one of the four Heavenly Masters of the Kaihuang Celestial Court in those days."

The old angler waved a hand and laughed. "The Kaihuang Era ended twenty thousand years ago — what Heavenly Master? Woodcutter, I am not so shameless as you, still wearing the title of Heavenly Master about me. A son of the Shen clan from the Land of No Sorrow has come to the Desolate Ruins — is Kaihuang planning to strike back?"

The Woodcutter's face fell.

The old angler saw it and shook his head. "The Land of No Sorrow has become a cozy nest. Kaihuang's heart has grown old, most likely; he will not leave that cozy nest. Come, let us go fish for the sun!"

The Woodcutter said to Shen Mu, "Shen-er, go with him. I have other business to see to." With that he turned and left, vanishing quickly from sight.

The old angler put away the little folding stool as well and strode out of the canyon. "You two little ones, follow me."

Shen Mu and Yan Jingjing hurried after him. Yan Jingjing said softly, "There are still two fish in the basket..."

Just as she said this, one of the bright red fish in the basket suddenly propped its two front fins on the rim, poked its head out, looked at them with both eyes, and said, "Are you two a married couple?"

Yan Jingjing's face flew red, and she lowered her head shyly. "Not yet..."

Another red fish propped itself on the rim and poked its head out, and a woman's voice came from its mouth: "We are." With that, the two red fish touched mouths and kissed.

Yan Jingjing's face grew redder still. She quietly tugged at Shen Mu's sleeve. Shen Mu was lost in thought, and only came to himself when she tugged. He muttered, "Soup would still be tastier... Sister Jing, what is it?"