Chapter 197 — A Gathering of Masters
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
Si Yunxiang steadied her heart and raised her eyes, only to see that Shen Mu had already walked far off. "I will not be weaker than the so-called Tyrant Body.
We women of the Si family are born slayers of cult masters! The previous Holy Maiden killed the previous Cult Master, and I can do the same!
" The next day they arrived at Hong County, which had already fallen two days before.
When some soldiers caught sight of Imperial Teacher Jingping, they hurried forward to report: "Imperial Teacher Jingping, many people carrying banners have come into the city.
" "People carrying banners? " Imperial Teacher Jingping was surprised, pondered a moment, then looked at Shen Mu and said, "Pay them no mind.
How many banner-bearers have arrived?
" "A dozen or so. They all wore bamboo hats that hid their faces and carried different weapons wrapped tight in cloth.
They don't look like good people. " "You may withdraw.
" On the third day they came to Qinghe County, where many banner-bearers had appeared as well, far more than the day before—already fifty or sixty of them. On the fourth day they reached Wuyin City, and several hundred banner-bearers had surfaced in the city.
Shen Mu said nothing of where these banner-bearers came from or what they intended, and Imperial Teacher Jingping asked no questions. On the fifth day they emerged from the government offices, ready to leave the city for Daxiang. They had barely stepped out of the yamen onto the main street when a strange man in a bamboo hat, carrying a cloth-wrapped weapon, rose from where he had been sitting at the yamen gate and fell in behind them.
A few steps further, another came out of a side alley, also in a bamboo hat pressed very low, a long cloth-wrapped weapon in hand; then a burly man by the roadside stood up, hoisted a long cloth bundle, and followed as well. Before they had even left Wuyin City, several hundred strangely attired figures—dressed almost identically, men and women, old and young—trailed behind them.
Shen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong, and the others looked back, uneasy at heart. These people kept their hats pressed low, following neither near nor far, unwilling to show their true faces, and no one knew what they meant to do.
"Could they be those banner-bearers?
Then why is there no sign of their banners?
" Monk Yunque muttered. Imperial Teacher Jingping remained serene, entirely untroubled by the hundreds at their backs.
Outside Wuyin City, not far from the gate, stood a tea shed, and beneath it two elderly tea vendors, a man and a woman.
As they approached, the old gentleman and the old woman looked up and called out, "Honored guests, won't you have a cup of tea?
" Monk Yunque grumbled, "We've only just set out—what tea?
" Imperial Teacher Jingping said, "I am thirsty. " With that he sat down under the shed and asked for a cup of tea.
Shen Mu sat down as well, and the two elders took their seats too; the four of them sat at the four corners of the table, a cup of tea before each. Shen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong, and the others tried to come closer, only to find that though they strode toward the shed they never left the spot.
The shed was very near, yet after dozens of steps they found themselves exactly where they had started. Alarmed, they dashed toward it at full speed, incredibly fast, yet a zhang or so of distance still remained between them and the shed.
It looked close enough to touch, yet it might as well have been a thousand li away!
After a while, Shen Mu and Imperial Teacher Jingping finished their tea. Imperial Teacher Jingping rose to pay, and bowed slightly; the old gentleman and the old woman rose and bowed slightly in return. The two walked out of the shed, and Imperial Teacher Jingping said, "Let us go.
To Daxiang.
" Full of misgivings, they nonetheless followed his steps.