Chapter 403 — The Old Man's Sudden Change
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
When the party arrived at Granny Zhu's estate, they were astonished beyond measure. It was like a holy place of the mortal world; every corner seemed a fairyland, and the spirit aura and spirit power were so thick they could condense into droplets of water. What was more, the place was uncommonly bustling: a great many palace maids hurried to and fro, tidying this and setting that in order. Astonished, Ling Yuxiu called two maids over: "Jianqi, Qinqi — are you not the ones who attend the Empress Dowager? How did you come running here?"
These two maids were the very girls who had once escorted Shen Mu and saved him from the sneak attack of the Little Poison King, Fu Yuanqing. They hurriedly saluted her and Shen Mu, a dimple blooming on each cheek, one to the left and one to the right, setting each other off charmingly.
Jianqi laughed. "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is here, so naturally we are here too."
Startled, Ling Yuxiu said, "The Empress Dowager is here as well? Why would she come to this place?"
Jianqi and Qinqi exchanged a glance, both wearing troubled looks. Qinqi hesitated a moment, then whispered, "She came chasing after Lord Jade... Princess, do not breathe a word of it. If the Empress Dowager learns of it, heads will roll!"
Jianqi leaned close to Ling Yuxiu's ear and murmured, "There is no end of women chasing Lord Jade. When Lord Jade showed his true face — and he has no face at all — it gave every one of them a fright, but not a single one left. Those women are fierce, all of them famous elders of the martial world, and some are even heads of their own sects. They kicked up a terrible fuss, and even the Empress Dowager could not quell them. In the end the Empress Dowager lost her patience and fought a great battle with those women, but still could not put them down, and so they all moved in..."
Worry on her face, Ling Yuxiu looked at Shen Mu. "Is Lord Jade also one of the village's people?"
"My grandfather, the Pill Master — he is also called the Jade-Faced Poison King."
Shen Mu was overjoyed. "Then Grandfather Pill Master must be here too! Those women have him boxed in — he cannot get away!"
Yan Jingjing looked about her. Besides the palace maids and serving girls passing to and fro, the estate held creatures of outlandish appearance: some were merfolk with human heads and fish bodies, their features savage, and others had human bodies and hideous, snarling fish heads, bustling about the estate making ready for the New Year.
There were tree spirits too, and flower demons, and strange monsters scattered across the hills and fields. The tree spirits had heads full of branches and twigs, with a few leaves still clinging, and were violently short-tempered, forever coming to blows with the deer demons.
"You little wretch — you've brought back all these girls for the New Year?"
Even as they looked on, a sudden sweet fragrance swept over them. They turned at the voice and were all struck dumb: a beautiful woman was walking toward them. She did not seem a being of the mortal world, but rather one who had stepped out of myth and legend, bearing a beauty like a god's, without a single flaw to be found.
The girls were all stunned, each a little ashamed of her own plainness, and yet unable to keep from feeling admiration, and a wish to draw near.
"Auntie!" Si Yunxiang stepped forward and said brightly, "You are here too!"
Granny Zhu said with a smile, "Girl Xiang, keep your distance from my Shen'er."
Si Yunxiang's face darkened. Angrily she said, "Auntie, we are family, after all. Why do you take an outsider's side?"
Granny Zhu left her standing there and walked over to the girls, sizing them up. She smiled. "I raised Shen'er myself; he is far dearer to me than you are. Girl Xiang, I never once held you in my arms when you were small. Shen'er, this girl Xiang is a fox spirit, full of sly little schemes — you must be wary of her."