Chapter 838 — A Side Branch of the Dao Lineage

The Honored God Baixi was both startled and delighted, then shook his head. "My lord does not know the origins of this Qixia Mountain. Within Qixia lies a divine kingdom ten thousand li across, where gods and divine beings come and go—how could it ever be of use to you? To try to take this mountain range would be as hard as climbing to heaven!"

Shen Mu went to nearby Lu County and wrote out a calling card, which he handed to the Honored God Baixi. "Take my card and pay your respects to the mountain god of the mountain beside us. Tell him I intend to climb it tomorrow and call on him. The battle I fought in the river last night must have been seen by this mountain god; once he has read my card, he will not make things hard for you."

Baixi was just about to set out when a clear, ringing voice came from beyond the walls of Lu County: "The mountain gods of Qixia Mountain's seventy-two caves have come to pay their respects to Shen the Overlord Body, High God of Jingping!"

Shen Mu was surprised, then laughed. "These mountain gods are quick about it—no slower than the Dragon Kings of the Heavenly River. Let them in."

The Honored God Baixi hurried out of the city to receive them. After a short while, the mountain gods of Qixia arrived from every quarter with a great retinue of attendants, bearing treasures of every kind, a dazzling array whose radiance pierced the sky.

Some of these mountain gods had antlers, some the heads of tigers, and some had branching growths atop their heads; in looks and in kind, no two were alike.

Shen Mu knew this was merely a delaying tactic, but he greeted them with a smiling face and had the Honored God Baixi accept the gifts. "You mountain gods guard the rivers and mountains of Jingping, and you have done good service in protecting the realm. So long as you do not turn against us, I will not treat you poorly. I intend to rename Qixia Mountain 'Hundred Years Mountain' and install the Honored God Baixi as the chief god of Qixia's seventy-two peaks. What say you?"

The mountain gods of Qixia's seventy-two caves exchanged glances, then looked at Baixi, their faces full of disdain—they held him in very low regard indeed.

One of the mountain gods stepped out from the ranks. "Mr. Shen has come from far away and does not know. We mountain gods of Qixia's seventy-two caves have a master. Qixia Mountain is under the jurisdiction of Qingyun Heaven. When the Primal Realm was sealed in ages past, Qixia Mountain sank into the seal along with Qingyun Heaven. Within the seal, Qingyun Heaven remains the landlord of Qixia. We mountain gods are merely the ones who keep the landlord's land for him—we collect the rents from the divine kingdoms in the mountain and see to the livelihood of the people."

Another mountain god, one with antlers, said politely, "We mountain gods of the seventy-two caves swore the Earth Lord's Covenant with Qingyun Heaven as far back as the age of Shanghuang. It cannot be violated; we beg the Overlord Body Shen to forgive us. Should we break the covenant, we would die on the spot."

Shen Mu frowned slightly. If these mountain gods had sworn the Earth Lord's Covenant with Qingyun Heaven, then this would be truly troublesome.

"Where is Qingyun Heaven?" he asked.

The mountain gods all raised their hands and pointed to the sky. Shen Mu looked up, and there above Qixia Mountain lay a band of azure light like a long stretch of cloud, spanning ten thousand li, drifting motionless over the mountain.

The azure haze was frightening in its length; seen from afar, one could not tell at all that it was a heaven.

"Since Qixia Mountain already has a master, and you have sworn the Earth Lord's Covenant as well, it would not do to force you." Shen Mu mused for a moment. "Then I shall simply have to put you to death..."

The faces of the seventy-two cave mountain gods changed drastically. At that very moment a long laugh came from beyond the heavens, and a young Daoist in blue robes descended from the sky on azure clouds, declaring loudly: "A state that is small yet will not keep a lowly place, weak yet unafraid of the strong, rude and insulting to its great neighbors, greedy, obstinate, and clumsy in diplomacy—such a one can perish! I have heard that the state of Jingping has three worthies of reform. The first is Emperor Yanfeng, a sovereign of heroic talent and grand strategy, an emperor unrivaled through the ages. The second is the Imperial Teacher of Jingping, whose heart embraces the realm and who opens new lands and expands the borders, a talent unmatched in his generation. And the third is Shen Mu of the Overlord Body, Patriarch of the Heavenly Sage Cult, who single-handedly promotes the Way of the Sages. I have long heard the fame of these three; and now that I have met the Overlord Body Shen, I know that beneath great renown the substance often falls short."

Shen Mu laughed heartily and rose to his feet. "Brother, your reproach is just. May I ask where you have come from?"

The young Daoist in blue robes landed in the city and saluted Shen Mu. "I come from Qingyun Heaven. I am Yuchen of Qingyun Heaven—greetings to the Patriarch of the Heavenly Sage Cult. Qingyun Heaven is a branch of the Daoist order, the Qingyun Sect of old; it governs twenty-four divine kingdoms, and this Qixia Mountain is one of them."

Shen Mu's expression immediately turned a little sour, and he thought: "It belongs to Dao Master Lin Xuan's holdings—then it would not do to seize it."

He relaxed a little.

The reason he had plotted to take Qixia Mountain was his fear that at a single word from the Earth Mother Yuanjun, these mountain gods would slaughter the people of Jingping; that was why he had meant to seize Qixia.

Since Qixia Mountain was the Daoist order's property, matters became simple.

It was only a shame that the Honored God Baixi must resign himself to remaining a mountain god on his little hundred-zhang hill.

The young man in blue, Yuchen, rested his whisk in the crook of his arm. "May I ask the Overlord Body Shen: do you come on behalf of the Heavenly Sage Cult, or on behalf of the state of Jingping?"

Shen Mu was puzzled.

Yuchen said, "If you come on behalf of the Heavenly Sage Cult, then this is a contest of orthodoxy. Qingyun Heaven shall be the Qingyun Sect, and we shall contend with you in doctrine, in arts, and in divine powers. If you come on behalf of the state of Jingping, then Qingyun Heaven shall summon the soldiers of the twenty-four divine kingdoms, array them for battle, and let the two armies slaughter one another in the field."

Shen Mu gave a ha-ha and, all smiles, said, "Brother Yuchen, the Daoist order exists within Jingping as well, and Dao Master Lin Xuan of the Daoist order is a dear friend of mine. Since we are one family, there is no need for great bloodshed."

Yuchen shook his head. "The Daoist order of the lower realm is not the orthodox line. The Daoist order is in the Heavenly Court; that is where the orthodox Daoist order resides. The Daoist order of Jingping cannot even be counted a branch—it was merely founded by a few idle disciples of the orthodox order who were stranded in the outer world."

Something stirred in Shen Mu's heart, and he asked, "Since you do not acknowledge Dao Master Lin Xuan, do you still acknowledge the Dao Ancestor of the Daoist order?"

Yuchen said solemnly, "The Dao Ancestor is the beginning of the Daoist order, the ancestor of ten thousand ways. Of course we acknowledge him!"

"Is the Dao Ancestor in Qingyun Heaven?" Shen Mu asked.

Yuchen shook his head, somewhat impatiently. "Does the Overlord Body Shen want war or peace?"

Shen Mu mused, then shook his head and laughed. "You Daoists—your temper burns too hot. The Daoist order cultivates the body and nourishes the nature; I wonder where you have put all that cultivation. Is the Dao Ancestor in Qingyun Heaven?"