Chapter 1015 — It Never Rains but It Pours
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
"Not a pure gold chain—far too vulgar. A pure gold rice bowl is what I want. Three big rice bowls!"
Dragon Qilin's voice came drifting over: "My room should be the same as Sister Yan'er's—half dragon nest, half sparrow nest. No Qilin lair; it's vulgar... Sect Master! The Sect Master is back!"
Dragon Qilin turned his head, caught between shock and delight—but Snow Fox had already beaten him to it, flying over in a pounce. The fox spirit had taken the shape of a little girl of about ten, arms flung wide, body pitched forward, racing straight for Shen Mu.
Shen Mu hurriedly bent down, scooped her up, and seated her on his shoulder, laughing: "So it really is Ling'er who's come! Ling'er, how did you get to the Heavenly Court?"
Snow Fox hugged his face and rubbed against it, chattering at breakneck speed: "The Heavenly Court wants to build spirit-energy translocation bridges, and my Jingping Directorate of Works snatched up the contract. This trip I'm here to hand the finished translocation bridges over to Zaofu Palace, settle the accounts, and tidy up the Young Master's Heavenly Lord Residence on the side. When I came a few days ago, I saw that every other Heavenly Lord Residence was rich and splendid, and only the Young Master's was run-down and shabby—Fat Long and Sister Yan'er even had to live off handouts from that Qi Jiuyi brat, so hungry their faces had gone green... Who is this sister?"
She had suddenly noticed God King Langwan, and hostility showed on her without her meaning it. Behind her, fox tail after fox tail stood straight up, every hair on them bristling, thoroughly on guard.
Shen Mu cleared his throat: "This is..."
"My name is Langwan."
God King Langwan looked Snow Fox over, spread her palm, and a pearl appeared in it. She smiled: "Little sister Ling'er, this is our first meeting; let this be a greeting gift for you."
"I don't want it—"
Snow Fox turned her head away and shook it: "I don't take things from just anyone. Take from a hand, and you're bound to that hand."
God King Langwan explained patiently: "This is a minor heaven. The space stored inside isn't large, but it is more than ample to hold a sun-and-moon star system. And I heard that little sister Ling'er is fond of wine, so I made a point of keeping some fine vintages inside—not much, only a lake's worth."
Snow Fox was sorely tempted. Her face was still turned aside, not looking at her, but her small stubby hand reached out and quietly pinched up that minor-heaven spirit pearl and tucked it away. At once her face lit up with a grin: "How did you know I like to drink?"
God King Langwan smiled faintly and glanced at Shen Mu. Snow Fox took the meaning, and thought: "So the Young Master really is good to me after all."
But Shen Mu knew he had never told God King Langwan what Snow Fox liked. The reason Langwan knew was that her spirit consciousness was too powerful: one brief contact with Snow Fox and she had felt out every detail of her background clean as could be.
Dragon Qilin stepped forward, sizing up God King Langwan warily. His nose twitched; he sniffed at her scent, and inwardly he grew alert: "She's not Yun Chuxiu, but she's full of schemes—she bought off Big Sister the moment they met! And the Sect Master seems to have been bewitched by her as well..."
God King Langwan looked his way. Dragon Qilin said: "Miss Lang, do you have a big pot and a big steamer basket here? I'm very fond of those."
God King Langwan flipped her palm over, and a gleaming golden pot and a golden steamer basket really did appear before Dragon Qilin. She smiled: "This, you mean?"
Snow Fox studied her curiously, unable to tell where she had produced them from.
Dragon Qilin gave them a look, propped up the pot, set the steamer basket on top, leaped onto the basket, and spat a breath of fire downward to start heating the pot.
Shen Mu was baffled, unsure why he would do such a thing.