Chapter 662 — A Show of Might at First Meeting
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 5
He said to the Primordial Ancestor, "With three mouths eating at once, they fill their bellies quickly and then have more time to work! Efficiency would rise enormously — one man would equal three of today's men! " The Primordial Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, said with earnest gravity, "You sound exactly like the Celestial Master now. Beware of repeating his mistakes.
The Celestial Master spent too much thought on the people's livelihood and other such matters, and so his cultivation realm never rose high. " Shen Mu laughed. "Rest easy — I certainly will not repeat your mistakes or his. Stay here and do not wander; I will go out and buy some medicinal ingredients, and see whether I can heal your injuries completely!
" "My mistakes and his. . .
" A pain struck the Primordial Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, at the heart, and his bearing turned melancholy again. Just then a divinity came seeking audience.
He bowed and said, "The Divine Son heard that one of the envoys is injured, and commanded me to bring some medicine for wounds. " With that he presented a jade tray, on which stood small jade bottles. "Many thanks.
" Shen Mu accepted the jade bottles, opened one, and sniffed lightly.
At once he knew every ingredient used in the elixir within, and even the method and process of its refining were clear to him. It was indeed an elixir refined from the very ingredients needed to treat the Primordial Ancestor's injuries. "The Divine Son of Chiming did not give us a show of might right away, but instead sent medicine to heal wounds — that is beyond what I expected. " Shen Mu pondered.
"To gain the upper hand in negotiations, the Divine Son of Chiming will certainly press us down — but his magnanimity is truly uncommon. To offer medicine of his own accord, and so precisely suited to the ailment — the Divine Son of Chiming lives up to his name.
No wonder Chixi is so loyal to him. . . " Ling Yuxiu said warily, "This elixir is not poisoned, is it?
" Shen Mu shook his head.
"If it were poisoned, it could not escape me. Even if I gathered the ingredients myself, the elixir I refined would be no better than this. Primordial Ancestor, take it without worry. This man is broad-minded; he will walk the path of kindness and severity together, and will not play dirty tricks in this regard.
" The Primordial Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, trusted him greatly. He took the elixir and swallowed it, and after a moment said in surprise, "It is indeed a sovereign remedy for my ailment!
" Shen Mu sighed. "It is precisely because it is a sovereign remedy that this Divine Son is no easy opponent. If he had pressed us down from the start, that would show small-mindedness, and he would be easier to deal with.
" In the imperial city, a man who appeared young stood at the head of a bridge with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the fish swim below. The fish, too, had three heads and six fins. This man was different from the rest: he was like an ordinary person, with one head and two hands, not three-headed and six-armed like Chixi. His robe was well-fitted, noble yet without excess ornament — a pale blue robe embroidered with a few floral patterns only at the collar.
His eyes were large and extraordinarily bright, and at the center of his brow was a point of golden light, now opening, now closing. The space between his eyebrows was three or four fingers wide, his earlobes longer than most, his face fair and clean, without beard or whiskers.
"That you concluded an alliance with Jingping is not so bad — to have a foothold is better than dwelling long in a grotto-heaven.
" The Divine Son of Chiming said, unhurried, "'When abroad there are no enemy states or external threats, the state will always perish. ' So it is with the Floating Realm.
We came here fifty thousand years ago, and for fifty thousand years we have had no enemies. Our war-gods have become sheep — no fighting spirit, no will to advance.