Chapter 687 — Fishing the Sun on a Hook, and Binding It Again
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
The youth and the girl followed behind the Old Angler, while the two red fish chattered away at them both, and Shen Mu soon learned that these two fish had not been caught by the Old Angler at all — he had raised them from fry.
These two fish had long since become deities; they simply could not be bothered to take human form, and preferred to lie in the basket on their master's back.
"He has never caught a single fish!"
The two red fish were smug. One of them said, "Because whenever he fishes, we scare all the other fish away. And him calling himself the peerless master angler, a hundred casts and a hundred hits, never a hook cast in vain!"
The two red fish laughed, "Keh keh keh," exceedingly pleased with themselves.
Yan Jingjing laughed happily too; the girl had never come across anything so amusing.
Shen Mu said with a smile, "Little Sister Jing, you ought to smile more often. You look lovely when you smile."
Yan Jingjing shook her head. "The clansfolk of the Dawn Spring never smile at me; they are terribly solemn, and there is no one and nothing worth laughing at. Last time, when I slipped away with you to Jingping, that was truly joyful."
She was speaking of something more than four years past, when Shen Mu, to repay a vow, had come with Xue Hu'er and Ling Yuxiu to the Dawn Spring, fished a sun out of the spring, and freed Yan Jingjing; then he had made off with the girl, taking the girls to the Heavenly Sage Academy to see Granny Zhu.
But then came the invasion of the gods of the High Heavens, and the bloody battle at the God-Severing Mountains; Yan Jingjing took part in the fighting, and afterwards returned to the Dawn Spring. In the four years since, the girl had presumably held to her post as the Sun Guardian of the Dawn Spring, and rarely had time to go out.
Shen Mu was burdened with endless affairs and seldom came to the Dawn Spring; only Yu Zhaoqing, Ling Yuxiu, Xue Hu'er and a few others would drop by now and then.
"Still no pure-yang spirit body found to take your place?"
Shen Mu asked, "A pure-yang spirit body can pilot the Dawn Boat without the boat draining its blood and qi and wearing away its lifespan. Surely there are other pure-yang spirit bodies among the Sun-Herders?"
Yan Jingjing shook her head. "There are none. Grandpa Clan Chief says my bloodline is rather high, so perhaps I might give birth to a pure-yang spirit body — only there is no suitable partner, and I cannot produce one on my own."
The two red fish, which a moment ago had chattered without end, now fell silent, staring at the two of them with bright, unblinking eyes, their mouths agape, so that even the opening and closing of their gills made no sound.
The two fish were wildly excited, and in their agitation pressed their fins together.
Shen Mu thought for a moment, then smiled. "Whoever heard of a pure-yang spirit body being born just because you say so? The Clan Chief must be teasing you. The Emperor of Jingping has already ordered a census taken throughout Taihuang Heaven; perhaps a few pure-yang and pure-yin spirit bodies can be found."
"There's no hope for him."
The two fish let their fins go slack and dropped from the rim of the basket to its bottom, lying there stiff as boards. The female fish whispered, "He'll be a bachelor all his life, won't he?"
Seeing the girl look a little downcast, Shen Mu suddenly tickled her armpits and laughed. "Cheer up! I'm certain I can find you a pure-yang spirit body!"
Yan Jingjing was ticklish; she burst into giggles and fled, and Shen Mu chased after her and went on tickling. She laughed until tears ran down her face, then struck back and tickled him in return. The boy and girl ran madly round and round the Old Angler, peals of laughter ringing out without pause.