Chapter 443 — A Flower Born of Nothing
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
" Shen Mu went on studying the statue, his face calm. "I know. The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping knows, and the Headman knows.
But it must be done.
The longer we drag things out, the stronger Jingping becomes.
In the past we had no strength to resist; they could crush us easily. But give us time and we will grow, and crushing us will not be so easy then. That is what the Headman thinks, and what the Imperial Preceptor thinks.
" He looked at Xu Shenghua and smiled with the guileless grin of a big boy. "While we live, there is hope. Isn't that so? " His smile was infectious, and Xu Shenghua could not help smiling too. A strange feeling rose in Jing Yan's heart. Xu Shenghua was an extraordinarily serious person who seldom smiled, yet every time he met Shen Mu he was caught up by that smile.
This leader of the Youmo Cult truly possessed an uncanny power. Xu Shenghua took out a bag of money and smiled. "I came this time to repay a debt, and also to take my leave. This is the money I owe you. I'm returning it, and then I'll be going. " Shen Mu was briefly startled. He took the money bag.
"Brother Xu, you earn money quickly. " Xu Shenghua laughed.
"I took on a big job.
I had made a name for myself forging yuan weapons, and when the emperor summoned the finest craftsmen in the realm to restore the Xuanji Crossbow, I went too. I was the only one who managed to restore it, so the emperor ordered me to build Xuanji Crossbows and present the blueprints to the army, and rewarded me with a great sum of money. " "Where do you mean to go?
" Shen Mu asked.
Xu Shenghua tightened the straps of his pack and walked with Jing Yan toward the docks. "I came to Jingping to kill you, and then to return to the Upper Heaven and go on with my quiet cultivation. But after meeting you, I feel this journey to Jingping has been more like a trial of the mind.
" Shen Mu fell in step with him.
The docks were far, and as the two walked they swayed and staggered, silently competing again. "This tempering of the Dao-heart has given me much understanding I never had before. But the trial is over, and I should leave Jingping. " Xu Shenghua looked up at the sky. "There are still many riddles in my heart waiting for the mist to be cleared away.
I mean to go and seek the answers to them.
" Shen Mu asked, curious, "The gods of the Upper Heaven are all but dead or wounded. You're not going back? The Upper Heaven has no leader now. You ought to return and take charge.
" "I'm not going back. " Xu Shenghua said, "The Upper Heaven is called the Upper Heaven, but it is nothing but a void.
The people there have no will of their own, no lives of their own. They are merely the running dogs of the True Gods.
A flower born of emptiness, I need to find my own path. Brother Shen, my trial in Jingping is over.
I want to go to the Wasteland Ruins and seek the answers to those secrets. And your trial?
" Shen Mu was taken aback, then suddenly laughed.
"My trial has only just begun. " The further they walked the more they leaned and staggered, until, near the docks, the two suddenly each struck out a palm. Their palms met, and at once the river reared in towering waves, wind and clouds churned, and thunder crashed all around. Shen Mu roared with laughter, gripped his hand hard, and bumped his shoulder. The two released their grip.
Xu Shenghua boarded the ship with Jing Yan and looked back, smiling.
"Last time I lost to you, and I have never forgotten it. When I return, I will come and settle which of us is the true Overlord Body, male or female. " Shen Mu laughed.
"You're definitely the female.
I'm the male. " Xu Shenghua laughed heartily, waved, and went with Jing Yan into the cabin. Shen Mu looked up.
The tower ship rose slowly, carrying them away, and vanished into the clouds.
The sun blazed.
Shen Mu withdrew his gaze and looked toward the statue that overlooked the capital.