Chapter 342 — Heart-Piercing Pain
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
—Immortal is the language of Little Jade Capital. The lofty ones of Little Jade Capital and the lofty ones of the Daoist sect have long visited one another; they name themselves immortals, men within the mountains, untouched by worldly affairs, purer and loftier even than the Daoist sect.
The instant these old priests and nuns set eyes on the golden book and precious scroll, they were shaken by the Magpie Bridge method written there, and at once understood it to be a way of repairing the Spirit Bridge, exquisite to the final degree. That was why they had gone three days without sleep, without food, without rest.
Now Shen Mu had made plain that this golden book and precious scroll was a method for repairing the Spirit Bridge and joining it to the heavenly court, and it nearly stirred in them once more the urge to seize it by force.
But one glance at the old man beside him, limbless yet still able to drink tea, and every one of them cooled again.
Three days before, that old man who had crawled out of the basket had given them a single look, and in that look they had seen the uttermost limit of swordsmanship.
At the time, meeting the old man's eyes, they had seemed to see a sword come driving at them, leaving them nowhere to dodge, no way to evade, no guard to raise, no opening to break; and so, one by one, they had turned their eyes from the old man's gaze.
They were renowned elders of the Daoist sect; though not beings of the old Daoist Lord's caliber, they were figures of sect-master rank, supreme in swordsmanship—yet this old man made them feel that if they moved to snatch the book by force, they would surely die with no ground to be buried in.
Linxuan the Daoist Lord's eyes flickered, his vital qi surged, and in the air he laid out a model of the stars of the celestial cycle, arts of number hidden within it. "Sect Master Shen, solve it, if you please."
Shen Mu smiled faintly, knowing the man was testing his mastery of the arts of number. If Shen Mu knew nothing of such arts, the Daoist sect could sit and raise its price. Only if his command of them proved exceedingly high, so that the sect understood it could be done without, would they be willing to help him.
"This is the art of the Great Celestial Cycle's star-lattice chess transformations."
Shen Mu's fingers moved, tapping here and there among the stars of the cycle. "The Great Cycle has three hundred and sixty-five stars, and hidden among them is a three hundred and sixty-sixth—the throne of the Jade Emperor, Lord of Heaven. You did not mark the Jade Emperor, so that I would work out the Jade Emperor's star number. Is that not so?"
As the words left him, Shen Mu traced a star among the celestial cycle with his vital qi. "Here is the Jade Emperor's star number!"
Within the Jade Void Temple, the old priests and nuns were shaken to the core. They exchanged glances. "The Nether Demon Sect Master's mastery of the arts of number is exceedingly high, and he solved it so swiftly! If he works out the Jade Emperor's star number this easily, then reckoning the methods in the golden book will likely be no difficulty for him—only a matter of time."
Linxuan the Daoist Lord dispersed his vital qi and said, wary, "Since Sect Master Shen can solve it himself, why come to our Daoist sect?"
"I can solve it alone, but it would take a very long time, and I cannot wait so long." Shen Mu said gravely, "And I also need the Daoist sect's masters to help me compute the spatial-numerical model of a divine cannon. Both undertakings require many adepts of the arts of number. If the Daoist sect aids me, then the three methods for repairing the Spirit Bridge and the spatial numerology—the Daoist sect may keep a copy of each!"
Within the Jade Void Temple, all drew a long breath, and yet the air fell silent.