Chapter 284 — The Changing World
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
Shen Mu picked up the yellow spirit and turned it over and over in his hands, examining it. Other yellow spirits poked their heads out from under leaves, from the grass, from cracks in the rocks, from beneath the sand. Seeing the giant lifting up one of their own, they could not help crying out in alarm—and then, with great cowardice, they hid themselves even deeper. Shen Mu examined it closely. The spirit's two legs were formed of many tangled roots; about its waist it wore a skirt woven of grass; and on its face grew a beard of root-like tendrils.
In its hand it still clutched a spear bound together from bamboo branches, its tip bright as snow, made of a strange metal. Shen Mu was startled. He pinched up the tiny, needle-like spear and studied the metal of its head closely.
He could not tell what metal it was forged from, but what was strange was that runes had been branded into the metal, leaving their traces behind. Judging by the attire of these yellow spirits, they could not possibly be versed in runes or spellcraft. Then where had the metal on the spear come from? Perhaps it had woken.
The yellow spirit was trembling violently, and all at once—pop—a green leaf-bud sprouted from the top of its head. It was so panicked that the bud grew with astonishing speed. Shen Mu laughed. "Stop playing dead.
I won't eat you.
I only have some questions to ask. " The yellow spirit plucked up its courage and opened its eyes. Seeing Shen Mu's smile, his teeth gleaming bright, it let out a plaintive cry of dismay and fainted dead away.
From within the island came a chorus of battle cries, and another hundred-odd yellow spirits came charging in fury—clearly a rescue party. But when they saw Shen Mu holding their companion in his grip, they promptly turned on their heels and fled.
Shen Mu was dumbfounded. He shook his head. "Not a shred of loyalty.
. . " He flicked the leaf on the yellow spirit's brow, and the creature came to again. Shen Mu released his hold, and his yuan qi lifted the spirit, floating it before the three of them.
"Stop playing dead.
Play dead again and you'll truly be dead. I ask you—why are there so many yellow spirits on this island? " The yellow spirit trembled. "I don't know either. You'd have to ask the Old Ancestor!
" Shen Mu frowned. "Where did the heads of your spears come from?
" "I don't know.
You'd have to ask the Old Ancestor.
" Shen Mu sighed in exasperation and set it down. "Take us to see your Old Ancestor.
" The yellow spirit landed on the ground and began walking into the island. From the grass nearby, a small head poked out and cried angrily, "Traitor!
" Shen Mu reached out and seized the yellow spirit in the grass as well. "You lead the way too.
Take us to your Old Ancestor. " This yellow spirit immediately wilted, and crestfallen, it became a traitor too, walking into the island alongside the traitor beside it. The traitor beside it instantly puffed itself up with pride, as though being the first to surrender were some great honor. "There are far too many yellow spirits on this island.
" Si Yunxiang was astonished.
Only upon reaching the island's interior did they discover what was so strange about the place: houses hung from the trees, each one tiny, about the size of a bird's nest, woven from green vines into the shape of dwellings and suspended beneath the branches. From a distance they looked like great green apples. As they approached, the doors of these tree-houses opened, and many yellow spirits stood behind them, peeking and peering out—a strange arboreal world. On the ground, too, were many houses built of small stones by the yellow spirits, forming a city—though even the city was only about a mu in size. The two yellow spirits walked listlessly into the city.