Chapter 872 — Driving the Gods to Solicit Votes
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 5
" He voiced the doubt in his heart once more: "So what is it that you are after? What is it that you wish to obtain? " Shen Mu turned his head, his eyes flashing with light, and an innocent smile spread across his face. "Your Majesty, from the moment of your birth you were the towering authority of the entire universe, the paramount of heaven. You are no mortal; you have never lived in the mortal world, never lived in Jingping. " He smiled: "I have lived among mortals since I was a child. Here there are so many who love me and whom I love. They have all kinds of small faults, but they are all human beings—all dear, lovable human beings.
They are not gods; they do not sit lofty and apart.
" "When I learned that the gods of the Heavenly Court fear these dear mortals, cutting off their divine bridges, cutting off their prospects and their futures, I knew that it is not the mortals who stand in dread of the gods—it is the gods who stand in dread of the mortals.
" The figure in the black sand was briefly taken aback. The slovenly old Daoist, who had been sitting with his eyes closed in repose, opened them again.
"When I stood with Blind Grandpa in the village and pissed on the idols of the gods, my heart no longer held any reverence for deities like you. When I was small, I herded cattle along the banks of the Yong River. In truth, I was merely a cowherd.
I had no earth-shaking ambition, no world-startling designs. I only wanted to herd the gods—to make the deities from beyond the sky cease to sit lofty and apart. " Shen Mu walked out toward the gates of Tianyin Palace, and his laughter came drifting back: "A cowherd must give his cattle a rule, so that they do not run wild.
A herder of gods must likewise give the gods a rule, so that the gods may serve mankind.
When they commit evil, there will be rules to punish them, and new gods to replace them.
And the new gods are born from among mortals—not from the games of power played among the deities. The reform of Jingping is exactly this. " The figure in the black sand was silent for a moment, then sighed: "To ask a tiger for its skin—a canker buried at the heart! " Shen Mu turned around outside the hall, his smile radiant: "Indeed. But that is the future.
For now, we still need to cooperate. " The black sand receded and vanished. The slovenly old Daoist rose to his feet, came out of the hall, and walked past Shen Mu, saying: "You will fail. You will die. Many have held the same conviction as you—the successive retired Heavenly Emperors of the Southern Shanghuang line, Kaihuang, Ling Tianzun. Every one of them failed without exception.
" Shen Mu watched him go, then called out after him: "Someone must do it!
There are things one must do and things one must not do—one cannot be all non-action! " The old Daoist paused mid-step, and his form vanished.
"Someone must do it.
" Shen Mu murmured, then turned to Yutian beside him: "Am I right? " Yutian looked lost and confused. Shen Mu pressed on with a strained smile: "Am I right? " Yutian could not answer him.
A dazed look came over Shen Mu's face, and he murmured: "Am I right? " The Dragon Qilin, which had been lying prostrate before the palace, stood up, shook its body, walked over, and said: "Right.
" A smile broke out on Shen Mu's face, and his heart was filled with joy.
Yan'er glanced at the Dragon Qilin and whispered: "Why did you say 'right'?
" "When the Ancestral Master was still alive, the Imperial Tutor of Jingping often came to see him.
" The Dragon Qilin said in a low, muffled voice: "The Imperial Tutor of Jingping often had his moments of bewilderment and helplessness, and he would ask the Ancestral Master: 'What we are doing—is it right?
' When the Ancestral Master did not answer, the Imperial Tutor's heart felt empty and forlorn.
It was only when the Ancestral Master said 'right' that the Imperial Tutor would smile.
Our Sect Master needs a fellow Daoist to hold him up, but he has none.