Chapter 945 — Asking the Dharma Before the Toad, Seeking the Way Among Men
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 5
" Yan'er and the Dragon Qilin stared at each other, wide-eyed. Shen Mu followed the Heavenly Court's Dao Master into the little broken temple.
The Dao Master turned and said apologetically to Yun Jianli, Qi Jiuyi, and the others, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Dao Ancestor will see only the Heavenly Venerable.
I must ask the rest of you to wait here. " Yun Jianli and Qi Jiuyi said hurriedly, "We would not presume.
Please go ahead, Dao Master.
" They all knew that although the Heavenly Court's Dao Master seemed a bowing, scraping old Daoist with no mind of his own, his strength was unfathomable—in the Dao Sect he was second only to the Dao Ancestor. Only Yun Chuxiu was somewhat displeased; she too wanted to go in and hear what the Dao Ancestor and Shen Mu would say. But the Heavenly Court's Dao Master stood guard inside the door with a smile on his face, plainly not intending to let anyone but Shen Mu enter.
"This slovenly Daoist is so mysterious and furtive—what is he up to?
" Yun Chuxiu gave a cold snort. Shen Mu walked into the thatched hut and saw a slovenly old Daoist sitting beneath a green lamp. Seeing him come, the old Daoist rose and smiled: "Heavenly Venerable Mu, it has been a long time.
" Shen Mu smiled: "It has indeed been a long time.
" The old Daoist pulled out his wooden hairpin, trimmed the lamp wick, and smiled: "Too many people, too many ears. Come with me into the lamp to talk.
" The green lamp burst into a lamp-flower, its light dazzling. When the light returned to what it had been, the old Daoist and Shen Mu had vanished without a trace! When Shen Mu's sight returned, he saw that they had come into one of the heavens within the lamp wick.
At the entrance to that heaven could be seen a flame shaped like a lamp's tongue, but this flame rose ten thousand zhang high, a fearsome sight. The Dao Ancestor was at his side, and said unhurriedly: "When the Jingping Calamity broke out and the Jingping Reform was cut short, Heavenly Venerable Mu came alone into the Heavenly Court.
Hearing this news, this old Daoist hurried back, meaning to lend a hand, to repay the kindness of your guidance in years past. I did not expect the Heavenly Venerable's methods to be so surpassing that you would dissolve your own crisis with such ease.
Only, the Heavenly Venerable's way of handling matters wounds the harmony of heaven too deeply.
Heavenly Venerable, you have thrown the Heavenly Court into disorder—do you know how many people, how many gods and demons, will die because of your actions? " Shen Mu gave a cold laugh: "The Dao Ancestor is merciful—do you know how many died in the Jingping Calamity?
Not one in ten survived! Billions of lives, gone to dust and smoke!
Did the Dao Ancestor ever pity them? " The Dao Ancestor sighed: "When the Jingping Calamity broke out, I too was helpless. " Shen Mu said, "The Dao Sect exalts non-action, but in this world of ours, non-action means people die!
You cannot save the countless beings of the world, yet you would blame me because a few Heavenly Venerables' disciples died when I threw the Heavenly Court into disorder? " "I would not dare. " The Dao Ancestor said, "But flowers, grass, trees, and wood are all living things. . . " "Foolish!
Hypocritical! " Shen Mu shook his head: "Dao Ancestor, you helped the Heavenly Court study the great dao divine abilities of the ancient gods—how many died because of you? So many died in the Jingping Calamity, and you are guilty too.
Are those lives worth less than the flowers, grass, and trees in your mouth?
I did no more than wreck the Langxuan Divine Palace and the Ancestral King Palace, and you come to call me to account—who will call you to account? You say the Way is a toad, but a toad does not understand the Way; people do! And people not only understand it—they can create the Way.
Dao Ancestor, you have asked the Way of the blind!