Chapter 170 — All Methods Return to the One
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
" The three Heavenly Kings, solemn, hastily returned the courtesy. Heavenly King Shi said, "The Cult Master's mind is surpassing; stay a few more days here, and you will surely reap much. " Shen Mu calmed his heart, walked to that pine-and-cypress tree, sat down upon the stone, and with all his mind pondered the woodcutter's preaching from the stone.
The three Heavenly Kings let out a breath. Heavenly King Shi murmured, "The Patriarch kept the Cult Master on Sacred Descent Mountain to temper his nature.
The Holy Cult Master's temper is indeed most unruly; but I fear even the Patriarch did not imagine the Cult Master would refine the teleportation art to such a degree so quickly.
" The other two Heavenly Kings likewise wore strange expressions.
The young Patriarch's idea had been good, but none had foreseen that the moment he left, Shen Mu would grasp that the teleportation art could not now be mastered, that one must first be well versed in the arts of number and divination. And more monstrous still, Shen Mu had at once grasped that he might first refine a teleportation treasure.
Now, on only the second day, he had cobbled together a teleportation robe, teleporting here and there, harrying the three Heavenly Kings half to death.
Heavenly King Lu shook his head. "What wisdom the Patriarch had!
How could he not have foreseen it? He must have anticipated this long ago, and so set the three of us to stand guard here.
" A moment later the three Heavenly Kings sighed in one voice: "The Patriarch absolutely did not anticipate this.
" The three Heavenly Kings were anxious and uneasy at heart: this Holy Cult Master was unruly past measure, and yet so brilliant that it was truly impossible even to temper his nature. At Shen Mu's pace, a few more practices and he would master the use of the teleportation robe. And then how were they to keep him here to grind down his unruly temper? After a moment, Heavenly King Yu laughed.
"We are splitting hairs. " The other two looked at him in inquiry.
Heavenly King Yu said with a smile, "The Holy Cult Master is so clever; if he loves to fret and fuss, let him fret and fuss; if his temper is unruly, let it be unruly. He is the Cult Master, after all.
We need not concern ourselves with anything else — only with wiping his backside. And to wipe it well — that is our proper duty.
" Heavenly King Shi said, "That is all we can do.
Even so, if the Cult Master means to kick up trouble, I say we had best let him leave Sacred Descent Mountain early and go back to the Taixue Academy to kick up his trouble there. " The three elders came to Phoenix Advent Pavilion, played the mason, and repaired the pavilion; then they went on to the Hall of the Three Kings and patched its roof.
That done, the three Heavenly Kings breathed easier, and exchanged glances: "This comprehension of the Holy Cult Master's — it should buy us half a year of ease, should it not? " "With the Holy Cult Master's monstrousness?
Hardly.
" Beneath the pine-and-cypress, upon the Sage's Stone, Shen Mu sat withered for several days.
When hunger and thirst came, the fox came running, bearing a heap of fruits gathered from who knew where, and Shen Mu ate the fruits together with the little snow fox. Shen Mu pondered for more than ten days, savouring the woodcutter's sermon a dozen times over, and still found the Great Unification Art hard to comprehend; his heart could not help but grow restless.
"No fruit today — fruit every day, and my mouth has gone terribly bland.
" Shen Mu rose from the Sage's Stone and said to the snow fox, "Today we eat meat. Ling'er, is there anything in these mountains fit to eat?
" The snow fox gave a cheer. "There are river deer in the mountains! I saw a herd of musk deer — I have wanted to nab one for ages, only this is Sacred Descent Mountain, and I dared not touch anything.