Chapter 283 — Stirring Wind and Waves
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
The Si clan of the Holy Cult had once been a family of towering magnitude. "Si" was the character in "yousi," meaning to oversee and govern, and the Si clan had existed since the very founding of the Nether Demon Cult, charged with managing its calendar, its succession, its treasury, and its propagation. Because the Si clan was so vital, the Saintess of the Nether Demon Cult was in most eras chosen from its ranks; the Saintess was the head of the clan, and in a sense the clan's importance outweighed even that of the Cult Leader and the Holy Teacher. Before it was Granny Zhu; after her, Si Yunxiang.
Long Jiaonan naturally knew Si Yunxiang's worth. To have captured in a single stroke the Sixth Princess of Jingping, the Cult Leader of the Nether Demon Cult, and the Saintess — she could not help feeling a flicker of pride. But she remained cautious. She untied the Taotie pouch from Shen Mu's waist, took the yuan weapons from Ling Yuxiu, and then ran her hands over Si Yunxiang.
Si Yunxiang giggled. "Sister Long, don't grope me. I carry no yuan weapons — I walk the path of spellcraft."
Long Jiaonan gave a cold laugh and plucked the hairpin from her hair. "Spellcraft? I'd say you're a sword expert! This hairpin is no small weapon!"
The Beast-Slaughtering Blade and the iron hammer on Shen Mu's back were also taken out, and even the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone hidden in his sleeves were turned out. Long Jiaonan glanced at them, saw that they were ordinary writing things, not yuan weapons, and stuffed them back.
Long Jiaonan whistled, and the little red snake slithered through the clothes of all three captives, searching for more yuan weapons. She was a hardened old hand of the jianghu who left Shen Mu and the others no chance to turn the tables.
More crucially, this time Shen Mu had not brought the Dragon Qilin when he accompanied the two women out. The Dragon Qilin was at this very moment still asleep in the City Lord's mansion!
"Let's go."
Long Jiaonan, clad in women's dress, was enchantingly lovely. Taking Shen Mu's arm with a demure, almost shy expression, she said, "My ship is waiting by the shore for the Cult Leader, the Saintess, and the Princess. By the time the Crown Prince comes to his senses, the three of you will already be in the Eastern Sea."
Shen Mu smiled. "Sister Long, how very thoughtful of you."
Long Jiaonan gave a whistle. The little red snake slithered over to Shen Mu, hung from his left ear, and flicked its forked tongue. She laughed softly. "However sweet your tongue may be, you'll never slip out of my palm. Don't you dare try any tricks — one nip from Little Red and you're a dead man."
The three women and one man walked out of the market. Just then, Shen Wanyun approached with scholars such as Wei Yong and Yue Qinghong. The two parties came face to face. Long Jiaonan put on a smile and said in a low voice, "Act natural. Don't force me to kill the Cult Leader and all of you right here."
Shen Wanyun stopped, glanced at the three women, and said, "Cult Leader, this young lady is quite a stranger to me. May I ask who she is?"
Shen Mu said, "An old acquaintance. Out for a stroll in the market?"
Shen Wanyun said helplessly, "I had no wish to come, but Fat Wei and Qinghong insisted, saying we should see something of the local customs of this overseas land." So saying, he led his party into the market.
Long Jiaonan likewise led Shen Mu and the others toward the harbor.
In the market, Shen Wanyun's face darkened, and he said rapidly, "The Cult Leader has run into danger!" Wei Yong, Yue Qinghong, and the others were startled, not understanding what he meant. Shen Wanyun said in a low voice, "The weapons on the Cult Leader are gone. Usually he carries them on his back, but now they're nowhere to be seen. And Junior Sister Si's hairpin, and the Princess's yuan weapons — all vanished without a trace. That woman is definitely up to something... You go and inform the Crown Prince. I'll follow them!"