荒墟牧神 - 第523章 予以寬宥 - 簡牘書房

They looked upon their founding master. The First Ancestor Human Emperor had not passed down to them the art of becoming a god, but he had passed down to them an inexpressible spirit, a spirit that would not be extinguished, that would not submit.

"I cannot forgive myself."

The First Ancestor Human Emperor knelt, his body slowly turning to stone, his primal spirit gone far away.

The chest ran with a clatter, bearing Shen Mu over mountains and ridges, the Dragon Qilin ahead warily scanning their surroundings lest some strange beast of the wild hills come at them.

Two days later they came to Crimson Dragon City, and Si Yunxiang and Xue Hu'er hurried to take Shen Mu and tend him with care. After some days Shen Mu recovered a little and nursed himself.

"I will beat him to death."

Shen Mu sat atop the dragon head of the dragon pillar in the city, his eyes vacant. To Ling Yuxiu, who had had him carried here, he said: "I will most certainly beat him to death. I will never forgive him..."

Ling Yuxiu had seen how listless he had been these days, but did not know how to comfort him, and could only set him in this place where the two of them had once played together, hoping it might dispel the gloom in his heart.

"Father has summoned me back. He says he will send me to the Western Lands."

Ling Yuxiu hesitated a moment, then said: "The Western Lands have submitted, but no power of the court has ever entered them. Why don't you come with me to the Western Lands and take your mind off things? You must not keep turning matters over and over in your head; it is dreadful to see... Tell me about it. Perhaps I will have an idea."

Shen Mu looked at her woodenly, no light in his eyes. He had always liked to pluck out the stubborn, thriving whiskers that pushed their way out of his chin; these days he had not plucked them, and they had grown into a stubble. Woodenly he asked: "How does one beat a true god to death?"

Ling Yuxiu stared blankly for a moment.

Shen Mu lay down: "Go to the Western Lands. The Emperor sends you to the Western Lands, and sends Crown Prince Yushu to the north; both places were only just conquered. If you govern the Western Lands better than your second brother does, you will be the crown prince. If you want to be crown prince, I can help you; I have people in the Western Lands. I cannot go with you. There are things I must think over carefully."

Ling Yuxiu lay down beside him, her hands clasped behind her head, staring blankly at the white clouds in the sky, and suddenly said: "Years ago, when we lay here together, how carefree we were. I liked you, and you liked me. Why is it that the older we grow, the more troubles there are? I miss those days so..."

"Likely we have grown up," Shen Mu said softly, closing his eyes.

Ling Yuxiu turned over and looked at him on her side, and plucked a wild-grown whisker from his cheek: "Are you still the you you were?"

Shen Mu was startled for a moment, then said: "Xing An says a person's body is completely replaced every seven years. Three or four years have passed now, so I should be only half of me."

Ling Yuxiu shuddered, then fiercely plucked several more of his whiskers and said in vexation: "You are frightening me again! You must not turn into Xing An!"

She turned her head and thought, then said: "If you do not want me to go to the Western Lands, I can stay and keep you company."

"Do you want to go?" Shen Mu asked.

"I do!"

Ling Yuxiu stood up and looked down upon the ruined rivers and mountains, high in spirits: "I will be Empress, I will defeat my father! I will make him feel that I am better than all his sons, that I am more capable than any of them!"

A glimmer of light shone in Shen Mu's vacant eyes; stirred by this girl, some spirit came back into him, as though he had come alive again.