Chapter 465 — The Pinnacle of the Sword Dao
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
"We will follow at a distance, and hide ourselves well.
" The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping watched Shen Mu's army of women recede into the distance, and said unhurriedly, "We wait for the moment Bagou and that god make their move. Cult Leader Shen—he will settle all of this for us.
" Xiong Xiyu's heart brimmed with feeling. Back in the Desolate Ruins, when she had begged Shen Mu for help, she had never imagined that the big boy who saved her and her daughter would possess such terrifying power, would stir up such a storm in the Western Lands. She had thought the youth merely a scion of some great house with a measure of talent; yet the more she came to know him, the more she marveled at how extraordinary he was.
The vast city of Jun raced across the broad land. Shen Mu stood upon the city tower with the heads of several great Western clans, directing the armies of the various houses so that they would not trample one another in the press.
The scions of the Western clans were, after all, no well-drilled army, and marshaling them took no small effort. Fortunately, He Yiyi, a grandmaster of formations, was there; by using formations to marshal the clan youths, she gradually grew deft at it.
One had to know that even in the Kingdom of Jingping, those with He Yiyi's mastery of formations could be counted on one's fingers, and those few were invariably first-rank ministers of the realm.
"Luo Yinyu, Sword Master of the Western Lands, pays her respects to Cult Leader Shen of the Central Plains. " Shen Mu looked at the long-haired girl who had come toward him to salute, and astonishment showed on his face; he hurriedly returned the courtesy. The Three Masters of the Western Lands: Mu Yingxue the Poison Master, He Yiyi the Formation Master, and Luo Yinyu the Sword Master.
Mu Yingxue and He Yiyi he knew well; only Luo Yinyu the Sword Master he was meeting for the first time.
Luo Yinyu the Sword Master was unlike the other women of the Western Lands.
The other girls loved gold and silver, silver crowns on their heads, silver and gold rings about their necks, and many bracelets on their wrists and ankles. Yet on this Sword Master's person not a single ornament was to be found.
Her dress, too, was of the utmost simplicity: a plain white robe, elegant and unadorned, with no other color to it. Her hair was simply dressed as well, bound at its middle with a single cord, only to keep it from falling into disorder.
Her long black hair, like a woman's waist, was set off by the white of her garments—a striking contrast of color.
The reason her dress and adornment were so plain was that, like a sword, she could tolerate no impurity; any ornament at all was, to her, dross.
This was a woman with no other pleasures; she had, in all likelihood, already married herself to the sword. The moment Shen Mu saw her, he felt as though a sword were thrusting at him.
When she bowed in salute, the sword-light was fierce, sharp beyond compare, aimed straight at his dao heart!
Shen Mu bowed in return, yet calmly blocked her sword intent. Luo Yinyu the Sword Master rose, her gaze strange: "Cult Leader Shen is also a grandmaster of the sword?
" Shen Mu said modestly, "I would not presume.
How many grandmasters of the sword are there under heaven? Those whose strength surpasses mine are beyond counting.
But if we speak of attainment in sword technique, I daresay I can be ranked.
" Luo Yinyu the Sword Master grew more curious.
"I have long wished to go to the Central Plains and see the sword dao there. Since you, Cult Leader Shen, are a grandmaster of the sword come from the Central Plains, might you tell me—who are those whose sword technique surpasses yours?
" Shen Mu thought a moment, then shook his head. "In sword technique, there should be none who surpass me. But there are those who have entered the realm of the sword dao.