Chapter 714 — The Full Moon Hangs in the Sky
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 5
Tonight I need high ground to work my art, so that after they cast their spell and kill, I can bring every soul in Lizhou back to life! " Deaf Old Man said hurriedly, "There is a Heaven-Watching Terrace in the Yongjiang Academy.
The ground is high; from the terrace one can take in every sight in Lizhou.
" Shen Mu clapped his hands. "Good! We will work the art there! " That night, Shen Mu brought the dragon qilin up to the Heaven-Watching Terrace. Master Dan and Deaf Old Man stood at the edge, gazing anxiously at the sky. The moon was full.
At the four corners of the Heaven-Watching Terrace stood statues of the four divine beasts, the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, and the Black Tortoise, symbols of the four heavenly palaces of east, south, west, and north; at the center stood a giant armillary sphere, engraved with the stars of the whole circuit of heaven.
Shen Mu lit lanterns all around, then stood upon the armillary sphere and waited quietly. The moonlight was bright and clean, and the moon climbed slowly to the zenith. Deep in the night, all was still; by now there was no human voice in the Yongjiang Academy, only the surging river by the sea, flowing on day and night. The night air held a touch of chill.
Shen Mu warily manifested his three heads and six arms and watched all around. The moonlight was quiet as water, spilling over the earth, illuminating mountains and rivers, the lay of the land; nearby, grasses and trees gave off a drifting fragrance, and in the distance the hills lay dappled like crouching beasts.
Shen Mu waited a long while.
The moon passed the zenith, and still the Book of Life and Death did not come flying. "Can it be that they are not coming?
Unlikely. . .
Fat Dragon, Fat Dragon!
" Shen Mu called out. The dragon qilin lay at the edge of the Heaven-Watching Terrace without stirring. Alarmed and uncertain, Shen Mu looked at Master Dan and Deaf Old Man.
Deaf Old Man sat cross-legged in the lotus position, staring at him with wide eyes; Master Dan leaned against the Azure Dragon statue, his face hidden in shadow.
Shen Mu leaped down from the armillary sphere and went to the two of them, reaching out to test their breath. His mind roared. Master Dan and Deaf Old Man were nothing but empty shells.
Their souls had vanished into thin air! He flew to the dragon qilin's side.
The dragon qilin's soul had vanished too!
Shen Mu's blood ran cold. He raced down from the Heaven-Watching Terrace and sped through the Yongjiang Academy. He saw the Heavenly Records Tower blazing with light, and many scholars still in the tower borrowing and reading scrolls of arts and methods, yet every one of them was frozen, motionless! He ran through the corridors and saw young scholars on the lawns who had not yet slept, men and women nestled together, surely courting, but their bodies were hollow, their souls gone as well!
Shen Mu passed Su Yunzhi's great hall. The deity was sitting in meditation, yet her primordial spirit had vanished too!
"Impossible!
Impossible!
They could not have driven the Book of Life and Death without alerting me! Lord Dragon-Keeper! " Shen Mu shouted, "Where is Lord Dragon-Keeper? " The river rushed on; no cry of "Lord Dragon-Keeper is here" came.
In the Yongjiang, two giant dragons floated belly-up on the water, their horns caught on the dam, their bodies shuddering like waves under the river's push. On Mount Baisui, the Baixi deity seemed to have turned to stone, standing atop a grave mound without moving. All of Lizhou, every commandery and county, had fallen into dead silence.
"How did they cast their spell? There cannot be no trace at all!
" Shen Mu's whole body was ice-cold. He paced back and forth, cold sweat rolling down his forehead.
Suddenly he raised his head and looked at the bright moon in the sky.
The moon was full. "Today is the first day of the month. Yes, today is the first, so where does this moon come from?