Chapter 609 — A Pair of Embroidered Shoes
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
"They are like me — dead men long since. Twenty thousand years ago we should have died on the field of battle; only circumstance forced us to drag out our lives.
" The Woodcutter Sage laid his axe aside and said with feeling, "Vajra, do you know? In the age of Kaihuang, a little demon god like you, hopping and skipping about, would long ago have been sent to the God-Slaying Platform to have his head struck off. But these are not the old days. I admire you; I know your powers and your methods. You have never once summoned anyone from the Heavenly Court, but have attacked Taihuang Heaven with your own strength alone — from this I know you will not serve under another's roof. You have your own grand ambition and designs: to use Taihuang Heaven as a springboard and leap to the Kaihuang Heavenly Court. Your ambition is great indeed.
" Vajra smiled faintly. "A man in this world — if he has not a shred of aspiration, how is he any different from a dried fish?
" The Woodcutter Sage shook his head. "Have you never considered: if you seize the Kaihuang Heavenly Court, will you not be destroyed? When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; when the cunning hare is dead, the running dog is boiled. You understand that, surely? The moment you storm the Wilderness and wipe out Jingping — that is the day of your death, and of your clan's.
The calamity of annihilation stands within arm's reach. You bear the name Vajra; you are the great sage of the demon race — you cannot fail to see it? " Vajra turned his neck, shifting to the right-hand face, and said slowly, "The Sage is skilled at attacking the heart. You seem to be thinking of my welfare, but in truth this is the way of attacking the heart. The reasoning you speak, I understand.
But I also know that I must find a way for my clan to live. As for whether the Heavenly Court will destroy me — that still hangs in the balance. At worst I bow my head and become a dog; surely the Heavenly Court will not go so far as to kill a dog?
" His left-hand face laughed. "A man in this world must be able to bend and to stretch.
Brother of the Way, if you insist on threatening me with Luofu Heaven, I need not kill you — someone will kill you of their own accord.
Brother of the Way, what harm is there in bending a little? " The Woodcutter Sage shook his head. "If I wished to be a dog, I could have been one twenty thousand years ago. If I can live standing, I would rather stand.
" Vajra's eyes flickered.
"But most men, when they die, are lying down still — like a dead dog. " The Woodcutter Sage laughed.
"Bones ground to powder, flesh smashed to bits — I fear it not at all.
I would rather die in smaller pieces. Set your mind at ease: I will not die lying down.
Before Shen Mu and the others arrived, you made me an offer — that I cede a portion of Jingping's territory to your demon race. Now that Shen Mu is here, I can give you my answer.
" His face went suddenly cold and grim. "So long as we live, not one inch of Kaihuang's soil will be yielded! " "Stretch your leg in, and I will cut off your leg; stretch your head in, and I will cut off your head!
If your demon race dares to enter Jingping, I will wipe out your demon race!
" He said coldly, "Kaihuang's soil — do not even dream of it! " Hearing his words, Vajra's three faces darkened in an instant, and he said icily, "Then there is nothing to discuss. In that case, let us sign the Pact of Tu Bo!
" He took up his brush and swiftly wrote out the oath, then raised his hand lightly, and the paper flew to the Woodcutter Sage opposite.