Chapter 809 — New Works in the Capital Foretell Rise and Fall

Ahead, the capital came into view. Many divine-arts practitioners were at work expanding the city and renovating its walls; the walls they raised were very high, and many of them were branding defensive runes into the stone with beast blood.

Shen Mu came to the foot of the wall and made inquiries. The one in charge of repairing the capital was a disciple of the Hall of Heavenly Crafts, who said, "Not long ago a demigod transformed into a divine beast and attacked the capital, and broke a stretch of the wall. So the Imperial Teacher of Jingping ordered us to expand the capital, to reinforce the walls and raise them higher. These runes were designed by the Hall of Arrays. Would the Sect Master care to see whether they will serve?"

Shen Mu took the array talisman from his hand and examined it closely. The formation was exquisite, and the patterns and veins of the design were full of beauty. He smiled and said, "Very good indeed. The Hall of Arrays' attainments in formation craft have already surpassed mine; I shall need to study for a while before I can catch up with you."

"The Sect Master overpraises me."

The disciple smiled. "These days it is the Spear God who has been teaching formations in every region, and the Woodcutter Sage has gathered many formations of the Kaihuang era and given them to him. The Spear God passed them on to us, and we have profited greatly."

The Spear God he spoke of was the Blind Old Man.

Shen Mu roamed everywhere, while the Blind Old Man, the Deaf Old Man and the rest taught what they had learned and comprehended in the various academies and halls of learning; and with the Woodcutter Sage, the Fisherman Heavenly Master, Di Yiyue and others passing on to them the knowledge of the Kaihuang era, Jingping's divine arts advanced at astonishing speed.

Had things followed their normal course, Jingping would surely have flourished more and more. But this time the Primal Realm's seal had broken and it had reappeared in the world, and Jingping had been torn apart.

Now Jingping's grip upon its former territory was very weak.

Before long they came to the residence of the Imperial Teacher of Jingping. The Imperial Teacher had returned from the imperial palace not long before and was resting, utterly exhausted. The Imperial Teacher's wife roused him and said to Shen Mu, "My husband was out suppressing rebels, and no sooner had he returned than the Emperor summoned him; he has been in the palace for dozens of days, and is truly worn out."

Shen Mu said apologetically, "I have disturbed my junior brother's rest, and I am all the more uneasy for it."

The Imperial Teacher of Jingping said, "You are too courteous, Second Senior Brother. With the nation in peril, it is only proper. The Emperor too has grown thin, nothing but a bag of bones; if the sovereign is in such a state, how much more so am I? You never come to my door unless there is business; this visit must be over something urgent."

Shen Mu hesitated a moment, then explained his purpose. "I have come to ask you how to have a child."

The Imperial Teacher's wife had thought he meant to speak of serious matters; at these words her face flushed red and she hurriedly rose to leave, then turned back, took Gongsun Yan by the hand and led her away, laughing, "Let the two men talk; we sisters will have a word of our own."

Only when they were far off did the Imperial Teacher of Jingping fly into a rage. "The nation is in peril, and you have the leisure to think of begetting children! Shen Mu, I honored you as my senior brother, and you are this absurd and frivolous!"

Shen Mu hurriedly explained. "I have already asked the Martial Combat Heavenly Master to destroy my divine bridge and divine treasury, precisely because I wish to open the divine bridge anew, and to find for the people of Jingping a road that can utterly resolve the severing of the divine bridge. The reason I thought of having a child is that I want to see whether the seventh divine treasury I open can be inherited by my descendants. If it can be inherited, then the affliction of the divine bridge that troubles the people of Jingping can be resolved once and for all."

"I wronged you."

The Imperial Teacher of Jingping rose and made him a deep bow, hands clasped, saying earnestly, "I thought Second Senior Brother was a libertine; I never imagined that Second Senior Brother alone truly holds the common people of the world above all, pressing forward under the burden, a man of noble spirit and righteous bone! You destroyed your own divine bridge and divine treasury of your own accord, and I would never have your courage! That you are my senior brother, I acknowledge with all my heart! On behalf of all under heaven, I thank you!"

Shen Mu hurriedly helped him up, laughing. "You will be the death of me. Junior brother, so how does one have a child?"

The Imperial Teacher of Jingping, so grave a moment before, suddenly flushed red and coughed again and again, looking rather uncomfortable.

Shen Mu said suspiciously, "You know, and you will not say. So you are keeping it to yourself after all!"

"It is not that I keep it to myself; it is simply not easy to say aloud."

The Imperial Teacher said hurriedly, "Even the young scholars of the primary school know it; there are lessons on such things in the primary school. Go and listen, and you will understand."

Shen Mu shook his head. "I never attended primary school. I came out of the Desolate Ruins and went straight to the Grand Academy."

The Imperial Teacher frowned, glanced left and right, and said in a low voice, "I will go fetch something; you will understand when you see it." With that he hurried off.

After a moment he came hurrying back, flustered, drew a scroll from his sleeve and thrust it into Shen Mu's hands. "I did not understand it either at first; I knew little of the affairs of men and women. Later, when the Emperor had me marry, I was at a loss. The Emperor gave me this scroll, and only after reading it did I understand. Take it and read it; it will surely resolve your confusion."

Shen Mu looked at the cover. On it were written the words, A Record of Amorous Tales of the Capital. He opened it: inside were pictures, pictures of men and women, and they moved. Clearly the painter's art was superb; not merely lifelike, his brushwork had reached the first realm of the painting way that the scholars spoke of. Most extraordinary.

Shen Mu took one look, his face went red, and he hastily shut the book. "How can this be? What shamelessness! I will not have a child!"

The Imperial Teacher of Jingping said, "At first I thought it shameful, filthy, an insult to the sages. But later, when I tried it, I found it not so bad; there is some pleasure in it."

Shen Mu, grieved to the heart, said with contempt, "Junior brother, you have fallen!"

The Imperial Teacher retorted, "This is human morality; how is it a fall? If you will not look, then give it back! I will not lend it to you."

Shen Mu was about to return it, then suddenly drew it back. "Let me look first. I mean to criticize such conduct... Eh, this brushwork is somewhat familiar. Who is the author of A Record of Amorous Tales of the Capital?"

The more he looked, the more suspicious he grew. He turned to the title page, then to the last page, and found no signature.

"This kind of stroke, this kind of attainment in the painting way..."

Shen Mu was beside himself with fury, stammering, "Grandpa Deaf, have you sunk to such depths?"