Chapter 226 — One Sword Slashes Forth a Surging Sea of Blood
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 4
That figure raised its head to look at the sky, drew the sword from its back, and danced the sword while softly singing; the sword light stirred, and fish and dragons danced. "One sword spills imperial blood in a surging sea; the hills and rivers remain, the heart a blank waste; I glance to left and right, the old kingdom is no more, and men still bind on the old attire.
. .
" Shen Mu did not dare move a muscle, feeling that in an instant the whole world between heaven and earth was filled with keen sword qi and sword light, weaving back and forth about him, roaming through time and space.
He closed his eyes, yet before his eyes there were still sword lights flashing out of the darkness, tearing the dark apart. At his ear he heard the sound of sword qi cleaving the air, very urgent, very brief.
He opened his eyes; everywhere before him were sword lights crisscrossing.
Outside the courtyard came one angry shout after another, and again a dreadful wave of force came crashing; in the murky night, the other houses of that little village flew up into the sky, coming apart and shattering in the air.
Shen Mu's heart pounded wildly: "Grandpa Deaf has ensouled it, ensouled the village headman within the painting. .
. " Suddenly all sound and light vanished, and the low singing vanished of itself.
Shen Mu's eyes half open and half shut, he vaguely saw a figure come walking, walking toward him, as though about to return to the painting behind him. Of a sudden that figure collapsed and scattered, becoming a pool of ink that fell upon the ground. Shen Mu was stunned for a moment; he hurriedly opened his eyes and carefully turned his head to look, and saw that the painting hanging upon the wall had become a blank sheet of white paper.
The lamplight flickered; all around was silent and still. Shen Mu let out a foul breath.
Xue Hu'er opened her eyes and said softly, "Young Master.
.
. " "It is safe now.
Sleep.
" Shen Mu said, "Tomorrow we still must cross the mountains; there is a long road ahead.
" Xue Hu'er buried her head, and Shen Mu too lay down, glancing at the blank paper beyond the candlelight, his heart all at peace. When the next day came, Shen Mu woke, rose, and came out into the courtyard, and saw that the little village of the night before had become a stretch of bare ground; the other houses had vanished into thin air, leaving only this half of their courtyard, its walls mostly collapsed, half of the east room fallen in, and the roof of the west room gone as well. Shen Mu washed up, set up the pot, and made breakfast.
Xue Hu'er fixed up the Dutian Demon King's mechanisms, and ran outside together with the Dutian Demon King, Xue Hu'er crying out in alarm without cease.
The dragon qilin woke in a daze, went outside for a look, yawned, licked its paws, and with its wet paws roughly washed its face.
Curiously it said, "Where have we got to? Where did yesterday's village go.
. .
Sect Master, is breakfast starting?
Today, could I have a little cumin sprinkled on my Scarlet Fire Spirit Pellets?
I should like a change of flavor.
.
.
" Shen Mu took a handful of cumin, fetched half a dou of Scarlet Fire Spirit Pellets, and sprinkled it over them. The dragon qilin looked down at the rations before it, then raised its head and said suspiciously, "Only half a dou. " Shen Mu said angrily, "You are so fat now you can hardly run. Half a dou is plenty.
" The dragon qilin said, "I am just at the age for growing; if you skimp on my rations, I shall never grow up. .
. " "You, growing? " Shen Mu said in a fury, trying to pinch the flesh upon its belly, only to find he could not pinch it at all: "You are not growing a body, you are growing fat. Pinch it yourself and see whether you can raise a fold.
" The dragon qilin stretched out a claw and pinched as well, and found it truly could not be pinched, and said, "I am of that constitution which grows fat even on cold water.
.
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