Chapter 190 — The Old Master of My House
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
In the village, what Mojiang had taught him was the forging of iron; Shen Mu had often carried a great iron hammer, and his hammer-play had come from Mojiang.
"Can it be that what Grandpa Mojiang cultivates is the hammer? " Mojiang grinned and hitched the forge on his back tighter, then set down the wooden box in his hand. As he stood there he looked for all the world like a blacksmith tramping from street to street, who would stop at any village he came to, rest his feet, and forge iron tools for the villagers.
His box looked like the sort that holds a smith's sundry goods; what came out of it should never be sword pellets, but hammers, anvils, funnels, iron ladles and the like. He opened the wooden box and gestured again with his "ah, ah. " The Emperor's Teacher's face stiffened, and he looked at Shen Mu.
Shen Mu said, "Grandpa Mojiang says his craft is all but lost.
If Your Eminence wishes to see it, you may; he wants Your Eminence to find him an heir to pass it on to. " The Emperor's Teacher was filled with solemn respect. "Brother Dao is willing to hand down the whole of his life's art to another — a breadth of mind that shames the patriarchs and masters and sect-leaders of those famous schools and great sects, I know not by how much.
If fate allows, I will surely keep watch for you. " The wooden box was opened: within lay sword pellets beyond counting, each no bigger than a fingertip. The Emperor's Teacher looked doubtful.
Mojiang smiled faintly and stretched out his palm; at once the sword pellets were no longer silver balls, but liquefied — like water, and like light, and most of all like light turned into water.
The boxful of sword pellets became a boxful of luminous liquid. The liquid rose gently from the box, climbed over Mojiang's body, and flowed over him from head to foot like a suit of silver armor. Shen Mu and the Emperor's Teacher immediately saw strange veins surface upon the armor: uncanny runes and arrays, whose office was defense.
Then the luminous liquid ran down from Mojiang's body and in midair became a great bell, more than ten zhang tall, its walls so thin that one seemed to see through from this side to the other. The bell revolved slowly, and upon its walls appeared writings of the utmost antiquity, the patterns of all manner of strange beasts, the arrangement of the stars of the whole heaven.
Swish — the bell became flowing light, and a silver dragon appeared, circling them, swimming round, dragon patterns covering its whole body. Suddenly the silver dragon rose into the sky and became a long sword; the sword thrust at heaven, performing marvelous sword moves, then all at once gathered in its sword-light, and a great shield descended from the sky.
Before the shield touched the ground it became a silver umbrella, spinning gently down. The sword pellets in Mojiang's box could transform in a thousand ways, becoming every kind of weapon, every kind of treasure with a different use!
The treasures in that box of his could even take the form of divine powers! It was the first time Shen Mu had seen Mojiang display his true art, the first time he had seen a skill so consummate.
Mojiang had never taught him this art; in the village he had never even seen Mojiang use it.
The Emperor's Teacher watched spellbound.
Suddenly the luminous liquid flowed toward them and became a silver boat. Mojiang tossed the box into the boat, leapt lightly aboard, grinned at Shen Mu, waved his hand — and the silver boat broke through the air and was gone, swift beyond measure, leaving no trace.
Shen Mu opened his mouth, wanting to call him back; he thought for a moment, and did not.
After a while, the Emperor's Teacher slowly let out a breath of stale air and said in praise, "Fine art, fine art. There are still arts in this world I do not know and have never seen.
This Brother Dao is extraordinary.
Doctor of the Imperial Academy, do you know him? " Shen Mu said, "He is the old master of my house.