Chapter 939 — Song and Dance to Celebrate the Peace

"The Sacred Emperor has a decree!

Heavenly Venerable Mu has toiled mightily, coming up from the lower realm without sparing himself; the Sacred Emperor grants fine wine and beautiful women, in reward for Heavenly Venerable Mu! " Yun Chuxiu glanced sidelong at Shen Mu, and Shen Mu smiled.

Yun Chuxiu gave a snort. Over at Yaochi, a Heavenly Venerable also snorted coldly, withdrew into the darkness and vanished without trace; the ten-thousand-li peach grove was vanishing at speed as well, and at last the grove, together with the palaces within it, faded away, leaving only a single peach blossom drifting in the air, whirling as it departed.

The other Heavenly Venerables withdrew one after another; Tiangong became a streak of flowing light and shot up into the sky, Tubo sank into the darkness, Heavenly Venerable You's paper boat sailed into Youdu; soon the place was empty, leaving only the battered Yaohai, its turbulent space unable to settle for a time.

Many divine soldiers and generals, in neat ranks, escorted a divine official through the broken torrents of space, descending with great difficulty onto the island; holding the sacred edict in both hands, he cried in a loud voice, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, receive the decree! " Behind him followed palace maids of considerable beauty, bearing in their hands the various treasures the Heavenly Emperor had bestowed: fine wines, rare delicacies, all manner of rare and precious things; and they themselves were likewise treasures granted to Shen Mu by the Heavenly Emperor.

Shen Mu bowed and said in a clear voice, "Your servant receives the decree.

" The divine official placed the edict in his hands and hastily said, "Heavenly Venerable, rise quickly. You are a Heavenly Venerable; a token gesture will do.

No one can bear your courtesy.

Attendants, tidy up the Heavenly Venerable's resting place!

" Many divine soldiers and generals brought out all manner of treasures, seizing the broken fragments of space one by one and refining them together to repair Yaochi; others brought out treasures of creation, making land and fashioning islands, bustling about yet making no sound at all. Others recovered many corpses from the shattered Yaochi, had them loaded onto boats and carried away for burial.

Plainly the Heavenly Court had met with such things before and was long prepared, and so went about it in orderly fashion. In the sky heavenly maidens danced gracefully, drums and music sweet and pleasing, their movements lovely and bewitching, a scene of song and dance celebrating the peace. The divine official was courteous and polite to Shen Mu, and said with a smile, "Heavenly Venerable Mu has not returned to the Heavenly Court for a long while; are you comfortable here now?

The Sacred Emperor feared the Heavenly Venerable might not eat his fill nor sleep well, and so has sent some women for the Heavenly Venerable's enjoyment. Should the Heavenly Venerable have any other need, only tell your humble servant; though your humble servant cannot decide matters, he can report to the Sacred Emperor, and the Sacred Emperor will surely not neglect you.

" Shen Mu looked at the palace maids and smiled. "Yaochi already has maids enough; why add to them?

" The divine official seemed not to understand, and said doubtfully, "Yaochi's maids?

Where does Yaochi have maids? It is precisely because Yaochi is all empty, with no one to serve, that the Sacred Emperor commanded your humble servant to bring some people for the Heavenly Venerable's use.

" Shen Mu was taken aback; screams came to his ears, and he turned quickly to look. He saw that many of the divine soldiers and generals who had come with the official were seizing the palace maids of Yaochi; having bound them, they beheaded them on the spot, annihilating their primal spirits and scattering their souls. The divine soldiers and generals worked swiftly, slaughtering all the palace maids and dragging their corpses away, to be thrown onto boats and carried off.

In the sky the goddesses still danced, the divine music rising and falling, songs still sung and dances still danced; the dancers and musicians seemed unable to see the river of blood below.

Chill after chill rose in Shen Mu's heart; he turned back to look at the divine official beside him.

That official, his face full of smiles, said in a low voice, "Tonight they heard words they should not have heard and saw things they should not have seen, and so must be dealt with.

Let the Heavenly Venerable not take offense, nor make matters hard for your humble servant; this is the convention. " Shen Mu fell silent. What was dreadful was not the official's words, but the convention. He looked at Qi Jiuyi and Yun Jianli; neither of them showed any reaction, and plainly such things happening in the Heavenly Court were long familiar to them; that was what was most dreadful.

"Reform and change must alter not only the arts of the Dao and divine powers, but this dreadful cast of mind as well.

To change only the arts and powers and not this cast of mind, even if this rotten Heavenly Court were overthrown, would merely build another, more rotten, Heavenly Court! " There was a desolation in his heart.

From the Shanghuang era, the ideal that human life outweighs heaven; to the Kaihuang era, the ideal that humans are the root and gods serve humans; to what Jingping upheld, shattering the gods within the heart, the way of the sages lying in the common people's daily use, generation after generation had striven for it and shed blood for it.

Yet that ideal had never reached the Heavenly Court! If reform meant no more than changing the arts of the Dao and divine powers, it could never be called reform!

"What is the Heavenly Venerable thinking?

" the divine official asked with a smile.

"I am thinking.

. .

" Shen Mu's face was calm, and beneath that calm surface churned magma, like a volcano about to erupt: "Sooner or later, I will smash this rotten world to pieces.

" The divine official was startled a moment, then smiled.

"The Heavenly Venerable thinks well, but the surging tide is beyond anyone's power to resist. Hurry!

" He shouted to the divine soldiers and generals, "Clean this place up! Do not delay the Heavenly Venerable's rest! " Before long the darkness shrouding Yaochi dispersed, and Yaochi was made new; Yaochi was like a sea, displaying its vastness.

The divine turtles that had once borne the divine mountains and islands had all died in that night's battle; now, from somewhere, the Heavenly Court had produced another batch of divine turtles and moved in more divine mountains and islands, so that these turtles bore the mountains and islands swimming through Yaohai as before.

There were also goddesses planting enormous lotuses; the lotuses bloomed, and many delicate women transformed from flower spirits dwelt in the kingdoms within the flowers, sitting by the sea washing their feet and hair, playing the zither and singing, a scene of inexhaustible beauty. The divine official bowed to Shen Mu. "Heavenly Venerable, this place has largely been restored.

Is the Heavenly Venerable satisfied?

"