Chapter 120 — The Trial at the Ancestral Court
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
What he is doing now is this very saying. " Shen Mu's mind was profoundly stirred, and he said in admiration, "The Patriarch is sage and wise--already a sage. You want to work imperceptibly and make Jingping into the Sect.
If Jingping truly attains the Way of the Sage, then Jingping will be the Heavenly Holy Sect! " The young Patriarch shook his head. "Neither Jingping nor Emperor Yanfeng can attain the Way of the Sage, and I cannot either. As you said, in two hundred years power and resources will be held in the hands of the great clans; the poor will be poorer, the rich richer. This is not the Way of the Sage of our Heavenly Holy Sect. I wanted to influence Emperor Yanfeng, and through him Jingping, but now I see that I have failed. I am old; this burden I hand to you.
All I can do for you is to hold the position for a few years. " He carried the fish, his rod on his back, and Shen Mu followed him. The old man found a hollow in the hills, and there--on the highest holy ground in the hearts of all Jingping's people--he set up a pot, filled it with water, lit a fire, scaled the fish, cleaned out its entrails, and threw it into the pot. The young Patriarch watched the water in the pot, then took out some seasonings from his sleeve and sprinkled them in.
"In a few months, I shall resign the office of Grand Libationer. I am old, and in these final years I want to travel. There are many places in this world I have never visited. The Sect I leave to you. After I resign, I will preside over an enthronement ceremony, and I will see with my own eyes you become the Sect Master of the Sect. " Shen Mu was a little troubled.
"I am still in the Five Luminary Realm. Is it too early for me to take over the Sect now?
Would it be hard to win everyone's acceptance? " The young Patriarch motioned for him to sit down, and Shen Mu sat cross-legged before the pot like him, breathing in the fragrance of the fish soup.
Something stirred in Shen Mu's heart, and he probed, "Emperor Yanfeng must want to control our Sect, doesn't he?
" "Of course he does.
But you can set his mind at ease. " The young Patriarch tasted the soup, found it not yet at the right point, and continued feeding the fire. "You must understand, you are young and your cultivation is shallow; he will not regard you as worth his notice. He will think he can control you. If he can attain the Way of the Sage, then let him control you and let him control the Sect--there is no harm in it.
If he cannot, then you supplant him. " He spoke as if it were a trivial matter, yet this very matter was the great affair of changing a dynasty!
Shen Mu tasted the fish soup, found its flavor exquisite and refreshing, and could not help but praise it.
Suddenly he remembered something and asked urgently, "Patriarch, is the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture missing a technique? In my days of study and meditation, I have not found in the scripture a technique capable of uniting all its methods. " The young Patriarch reached a hand into the air and somehow fetched two bowls and a ladle.
Shen Mu took them and began to serve the soup. That gesture just now--the young Patriarch reaching into the air--was a magic recorded in the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture, called the Five Ghosts Transport Art, which can steal objects from afar without anyone's knowledge.
"The Great Unification technique of the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture is transmitted only to the Sect Master, passed down from one Holy Sect Master to the next. " The young Patriarch took a sip of the fish soup, let out a breath, and said, "Everything in the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture may be transmitted, but only the Sect Master may cultivate the Great Unification technique. When you are enthroned as the Holy Sect Master, Fan Xuanshu will pass it to you.
" Shen Mu was stunned.