Chapter 242 — One More Time
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
The Village Chief laughed in wrath and looked at the Alchemist: "You tell me — did he turn up his nose or not? Is being Human Emperor a disgrace? He grows more insolent by the day!"
The Alchemist coughed and coughed again. "You two, grandfather and grandson, talk it over slowly. I will go look at my insects, before they freeze to death."
The Village Chief's anger rose from every quarter, and then he suddenly came to himself and laughed despite it: "Others beg me to teach them and still I will not; now you would have me beg you to learn, in every roundabout way? You grow worse and worse. Honestly, you really are not Human Emperor material. If I were not so loath to go out of doors, I would surely have found a finer youth than you."
Shen Mu pursed his lips and muttered under his breath: "Me? An Overlord Body. Who could be finer than me?"
The Village Chief's breath caught in his chest and nearly failed him. Shen Mu hurried forward to rub the old man's chest and pound his back. When the Village Chief had caught his breath, Shen Mu was about to speak, but the old man said, "Don't talk yet. Let me recover a moment — my head is spinning..."
The old man's eye corners twitched. The author of all this mischief had finally reaped his retribution.
After a long while he came back to himself. Back then a jest of his own had been taken for truth by others; but he himself had known it was a jest, and so he had taken secret pleasure in seeing others believe it.
And now, in choosing Shen Mu as his heir, did that mean that in his own heart he too believed Shen Mu an Overlord Body?
"Lie too often, and though you know it for a lie, you cannot help believing it yourself. Enough. Enough."
The Village Chief let it go and smiled. "We who are Human Emperors have only one responsibility."
A keen light flashed in his eyes, as though countless sword beams burst from his pupils, dazzling bright: "Smite the gods, smite the demons, smite Heaven!"
"What belongs to the gods is ruled by the gods; what belongs to the demons is ruled by the demons; what belongs to humans is ruled by humans!"
"If the gods and demons interfere, then cut off their hands!"
"If the gods and demons raise their heads, then cut off their heads! This is the most basic responsibility of the Human Emperor."
"When you are strong enough, there will be more responsibilities — to smite the gods, to smite the demons, to smite Heaven! Slay your way up into the heavens... you come back here!"
Shen Mu tossed the Human Emperor Seal into the Village Chief's arms and turned to go.
The Village Chief was furious. His vital qi became a great hand that seized Shen Mu by the collar and hauled him back, and with a mild countenance he said: "You are the Human Emperor of this generation — how can you not know the creed of our lineage's transmission? I have not finished speaking... and you want to run? Alchemist, Alchemist, come help me hold him down!"
The Alchemist did not come, and Shen Mu could not struggle free, so he gave up struggling.
The Village Chief went on: "Our lineage has few rules; these are the creed. I will pass my sword arts to you; however much you can comprehend is what you get. Oh, yes — our lineage also has a Human Emperor Hall. When you have the time, go stroll through it and look upon the great deeds of the Human Emperors of past generations. Also: my sword arts are quite good, but if you use them and any god or demon sees you, they will surely strike you dead... Don't run! You cannot escape my hand. Back then I could not escape either; before I knew it, I had inherited this transmission."
"Granny, save me!" Shen Mu called to Granny Zhu for help.
Granny Zhu, all smiles, said to the blind old man beside her: "That old fellow the Village Chief has finally deigned to pass his transmission to Shen'er. Look — Shen'er is so happy he is about to cry."
The blind old man tilted his head and said doubtfully, "I heard him shouting for help."
"He is so happy his head is spinning."