Chapter 235 — A Youth Borrows a Boat
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 5
Daoist Lingjing let out a breath. "He is younger than I am, with a sturdier frame. In those days he was a disciple of the Tathagata of the previous generation, and a fellow disciple to the Old Tathagata of today. When the previous Tathagata lay near death he passed the seat of Tathagata to his senior disciple; this one burned with resentment, believing the seat had been withheld from him because he is of demonkind — and so he fought his way out of Leiyin Temple and founded Little Leiyin Temple. By the way, why are you walking alone in the depths of the Desolate Ruins?"
Shen Mu measured out several medicines and boiled a decoction. "The grown-ups of my village have gone missing. I came out to look for them."
"The grown-ups of your village?" Daoist Lingjing was doubtful.
"The Old Sword God, and several other grown-ups: among them the Jade-Faced Poison King, the Shadow Thief, the Horse King God, and the founder of my Youmo Sect. Has Brother come across any of them?"
Daoist Lingjing was dumbstruck, then suddenly roared with laughter until tears ran from his eyes; the wound that had just closed split open again, and the pain made the old man hiss through his teeth. "The Old Sword God and the Netherworld Demon Patriarch have lost themselves? Those two old rascals — to think they could lose themselves!"
He laughed till he could not catch his breath. Shen Mu said hurriedly, "Do not laugh — the wound has burst open again. Has Brother seen them?"
"No." Daoist Lingjing shook his head.
Shen Mu took out portraits of Old Master Huo, Old Granny Zhu and the others. "And these people?"
Daoist Lingjing looked them over, his face turning thoughtful. "I have seen this blacksmith with the box. He is very swift, his skills no weaker than mine; when I met him we even tried our speed against each other. He did not say a single word — an odd temper indeed. Such a strong man is rare, and yet I had never heard of such an expert."
Shen Mu's spirits surged. "That is Grandpa, the Silent Craftsman of our village! Does Brother know where he went?"
Daoist Lingjing said, "He went into one of the forbidden zones of the Desolate Ruins. It is a perilous place, one of the death grounds there. I chased him as far as the edge of that death ground and halted; I did not go in. He is a Silent Craftsman? No wonder he would not trouble himself to answer when I spoke to him."
"Grandpa the Silent Craftsman has gone into a forbidden zone of the Desolate Ruins?"
Anxiety seized Shen Mu's heart again. He thought a moment, then said, "Has Brother ever heard of the Land of No Sorrow?"
"The Land of No Sorrow?"
Daoist Lingjing shook his head. "Never heard of it."
Shen Mu brooded a while. Daoist Lingjing often wandered the Desolate Ruins and knew many secrets unknown to others; if even he did not know where the Land of No Sorrow lay, then Shen Mu's own hope of finding it must be faint indeed.
Turning it over and over in his mind, Shen Mu said suddenly, "Brother, may I ask one more thing of you? I wish to go once more to the Realm of the Living Dead."
Daoist Lingjing laughed. "That is simple enough. When night comes, I will take you there."
Shen Mu settled his mind and treated his wounds. By the time night fell, Daoist Lingjing was seven or eight parts healed and out of danger; at once he led Shen Mu walking through the darkened Desolate Ruins. "The Realm of the Living Dead is King Yama's domain. It is a world of deep mystery, appearing only at night, when the two worlds overlap. To enter the Realm of the Living Dead, one must have Fengdu coins. I made a pact with King Yama: after death I may not enter Youdu, only Fengdu."
He looked around, took out a token and shone it into the darkness. "The origin of Fengdu is most strange. It has no fixed dwelling, drifting forever through the Desolate Ruins, a world unto itself, deeply mysterious. I hold a Fengdu tablet; I need only activate it, and an envoy of Fengdu will come to receive us."