Dragon Qilin flicked his tail and said ingratiatingly, "I'm more impressive-looking than it."
Qin Mu was speechless. How was riding a big meatball with a tail impressive?
It ate more and better than anyone else, yet not only could it not outrun the green ox, but now it couldn't even catch up to a dog!
"Master, you despise me?"
Dragon Qilin turned his head around, eyes brimming with tears, and said, "You definitely despise me, don't you?"
Qin Mu snorted, a trace of tenderness showing between his brows. "I don't. New Year's is only a few months away—how could I despise you? How about I give you two dou of Crimson Fire Spirit Pills every day? Eat more, get fatter."
Dragon Qilin shuddered. Xiong Qi'er scrambled clumsily onto his head, carefully grabbing a tuft of mane on the back of his ear to keep from falling off, and whispered in his ear, "Stop eating! You'll be slaughtered at New Year's!"
Dragon Qilin said in a tearful voice, "I know! But I just can't control myself..."
Little Yujing was far from Dao Gate and located in the sky. At Dragon Qilin's speed, it would take more than ten days to get there. Qin Mu placed a rocking chair on Dragon Qilin's broad back and put the Village Chief in it. Though Dragon Qilin was fat, he had one advantage—he ran very smoothly, so there was no worry about the Village Chief falling off.
Xiong Xiyu occasionally joined the Village Chief for tea. When Qin Mu passed through cities, he would go down to buy medicinal herbs to continue treating her injuries. And she kept her promise, transmitting True Heaven Palace's Myriad Gods Natural Art to him.
The Myriad Gods Natural Art drew upon the true essence that all things possess spirit and all things possess divinity. The cultivation methods of True Heaven Palace in the Western Lands differed from those of the Central Plains, closer in approach to Dao Gate—both emphasizing harmony with nature. But while Dao Gate exhaustively explored the principles of mathematics and the Dao following nature, True Heaven Palace focused on the resonance of all things and the manifestation of the soul.
The cultivation technique of True Heaven Palace trained an incomparably powerful sense of perception while imbuing all things with souls.
Qin Mu pondered for a while and felt that this technique was indeed more suited for women to cultivate. Women's thoughts were more delicate, their perception more acute—they were naturally superior to men in this regard. Cultivating it himself could enhance his own perception, but it would be of limited use to him. The truly valuable aspect lay in the creative methods contained within.
Bestowing souls upon all things was also a form of creative method. Compared with the Seven Chapters of Creation within the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, the Myriad Gods Natural Art was more direct and refined, and useful things could be drawn from it.
"This technique of True Heaven Palace doesn't seem like something from this era."
When Xiong Xiyu transmitted the Myriad Gods Natural Art to him, the Village Chief also listened and pondered, then said, "Palace Master Xiong, your True Heaven Palace's techniques are somewhat ancient, and different even from those of the Kaihuang Era. When did True Heaven Palace originate?"
Xiong Xiyu shook her head. "I don't know that either. I had just become Palace Master when the Yu clan staged a coup and seized power—I never had a chance to examine our records. However, our True Heaven Palace is extremely ancient, with a long and storied history. I once heard my wet nurse say that our True Heaven Palace is even older than the sacred grounds of the Central Plains..."
Her expression dimmed, then she rallied. "If you gentlemen could help me reclaim the power of True Heaven Palace, and I regain control of the palace, the texts within will be at your disposal!"
The Village Chief yawned and fell asleep with narrowed eyes. Xiong Xiyu looked at Qin Mu, but Qin Mu was playing with Xiong Qi'er, drawing several birds with a brush. Those little birds flew off the paper, circling the little girl and chirping, making her giggle nonstop.
Xiong Xiyu sighed and said no more.
Qin Mu and the Village Chief clearly had no intention of helping her return to the Western Lands to seize power. Going to True Heaven Palace to reclaim it would be stepping into murky waters, and she had nothing more to offer that could attract the two of them.
"The only option now is to serve as Imperial Academic at the Grand Academy in the State of Yankang, hoping to have a detailed conversation with the State Preceptor of Yankang."
Her eyes flickered as she considered. "However, judging by the State Preceptor of Yankang's actions, after conquering the grasslands, he likely won't stop expanding. The northern snowy plains would hardly be able to stop him either. If he swallows the snowy plains, will the Western Lands also be among his targets? Negotiating with him would likely be asking a tiger for its skin..."
She hesitated, then remembered that only she and her daughter remained of the Xiong clan, and her heart hardened. "The Yu clan drove the Xiong clan to utter extinction—no matter what, I must avenge this blood feud! Even if it means inviting a wolf into the house, so be it! This vengeance must be fulfilled!"
Qin Mu glanced at her. The Western Lands were ruled by women, and judging by her methods, Xiong Xiyu was not suited to be the Princess of True Heaven Palace—she lacked sufficient boldness and capability.
The reason Qin Mu had no thoughts of helping her was precisely her lack of ability. Even if she retook control of True Heaven Palace in the Western Lands, she likely wouldn't hold it securely. As a powerhouse who had opened the Divine Bridge Divine Ocean, Xiong Xiyu's strength was sufficient, but ruling a sacred ground was not as simple as possessing enough personal power.
Xiong Xiyu had just ascended to the throne of Palace Master when the Xiong clan suffered total defeat, driven to extinction by the Yu clan without any ability to fight back. On this point, Xiong Xiyu was clearly not a qualified Palace Master.
The reason Qin Mu had recommended her to teach at the Grand Academy was to give her a chance to come into contact with the State Preceptor of Yankang. The State Preceptor of Yankang had both ambition and ability—if Xiong Xiyu wanted to use his hand for revenge, she would need to pay a sufficient price.
And that had nothing to do with Qin Mu.
Suddenly, the Village Chief opened his eyes and looked into the distance with surprise.
Qin Mu's heart stirred. "Village Chief, what's wrong?"
"Someone has challenged me to a fight. An old adversary."
The Village Chief raised an eyebrow nonchalantly. "No need to mind them. Little Yujing is almost here. Let's go to Little Yujing first."
"A challenge?"
Qin Mu was stunned. "Challenging the Village Chief? Aren't they afraid of being beaten to death?"
At that same moment, in Little Yujing, Xu Shenghua suddenly rose to his feet, gazing into the distance with a puzzled expression. The Old Dao Master and the Old Tathagata were also present, and both sensed something, looking toward Qingmen Pass.
"There are several powerful auras."
A blind man leaning on a bamboo staff said in surprise, "Old Butcher, did you sense them?"
The Butcher was using his pig-slaughtering knife to clean his fingernails. He raised an eyebrow and said, "These fellows are no pushovers. Their origins make me quite curious."
Yuliu and the other women sensed nothing unusual and asked in puzzlement, "Young Master, what's happened?"
"My masters have descended to the lower realm."
Xu Shenghua said in surprise, "So many divine beings have descended—could something have happened in the Heavens above?"
The Old Tathagata smiled. "Young Master Xu, they're releasing their auras as if challenging someone. It doesn't seem like something has happened in the Heavens."
Xu Shenghua pondered. "Challenging someone? Then it can only be the Old Human Emperor or a master of the State Preceptor of Yankang's caliber. Though the State Preceptor of Yankang is called the greatest under the divine, he doesn't yet qualify. So it can only be the Old Human Emperor. Qingyou Hermit, thank you for your hospitality these past days—Young Master Xu takes his leave."
The Qingyou Hermit tried to retain him. "Young Master Xu, why not stay a few more days? Though our Little Yujing cannot compare to your Heavens above, it is still a rare and tranquil place."
Xu Shenghua said, "During these days I have seen Little Yujing's unique techniques, which broadened my horizons greatly. But my master has come to challenge the Human Emperor, and I cannot but go."
The Qingyou Hermit no longer pressed him.
Xu Shenghua led Jingyan, Yuliu, and the other four women down the mountain in haste, arriving before a painted pleasure boat. They boarded the boat, which sailed across the mirror-smooth sky, stirring up ripples as it headed into the distance. Once they had sailed away from Little Yujing, the mirror-like sky vanished, the ripples disappeared, and it became a true sky.
The painted boat sailed through the sky, gradually receding into the distance.
The Butcher threw a glance at the Blind One. The Blind One laughed. "You can throw me all the glances you like—I can't see them. I'm blind. Brother Qingyou, Old Daoist, Old Monk—my brother and I must also be leaving."
The Qingyou Hermit quickly said, "You two are both enlightened beings. Why not remain in Little Yujing? The mortal world is muddy and polluted—why wade into those waters?"
The Butcher shook his pig-slaughtering knife, which grew in the wind to the size of a door plank, and hoisted it onto his shoulder. "I'm a pig slaughterer. Do you allow me to open my butcher shop here? If I can't sell meat and make money, am I supposed to drink the northwest wind?"
The Qingyou Hermit's face stiffened. Before he could try to retain them further, the Blind One cupped his fists and said, "A garden full of spring scenery cannot be contained! When paths cross, why must we have met before? A single moment of a spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold! Brother Qingyou, please stay!"
The Qingyou Hermit stood frozen, trying to work out what those three lines of poetry actually meant. But the Butcher and the Blind One had already walked out of Little Yujing.
From the mirror sky came the Butcher's voice: "Blind One, that first line of yours meant we're leaving, right? The spring scenery can't be contained—Little Yujing can't hold us. The second line was just a courtesy, like saying we met by chance, talked about moonlight and snow, shared some techniques and divine arts, and became friends. The third line is really something—it means we have urgent business and must leave immediately, so every moment is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Am I right?"
The Blind One's triumphant voice came through: "Old Butcher, you truly are my soulmate! Those three lines of mine meant exactly that. That deaf fellow is always saying I'm being sentimental, but what does he know of my literary talent?"
The Butcher was greatly impressed and praised him. "You truly are getting more talented by the day—feelings like poetry! You left the Qingyou Hermit completely stunned! And the Old Daoist and the Great Monk were dumbfounded too!"
...
The Qingyou Hermit stood gaping, and the Old Dao Master and the Old Tathagata were also rooted to the spot like wooden chickens.
Not long after the Butcher and the Blind One departed, a voice suddenly carried from afar: "The current Human Emperor comes to visit Little Yujing!"
The Qingyou Hermit's heart shook violently. Not daring to delay, he immediately struck a bronze bell. Its resonant peal rang out, and from the various immortal mountains within Little Yujing, elder figures with Daoist bearing and immortal demeanor emerged, flying through the air with wisps of immortal qi trailing behind them, arriving at the Qingyou Hermit's side.
The crowd looked toward the mirror sky and saw a large, dark seal flying in from within, stirring up ripples as it came.
The Qingyou Hermit shook his sleeves as if brushing away dust—though Little Yujing was a sacred immortal ground, where would there be any dust?
The Qingyou Hermit stepped forward, raising both hands above his head. The black seal, plain and unadorned, settled into his grasp. He took a step back and lowered his hands. The other ancient immortals of Little Yujing stepped forward to examine it, their expressions solemn.
"The Human Emperor's Seal! The Human Emperor graces us with his presence—you are welcome!"
As soon as the words fell, a great-bellied Dragon Qilin appeared, carefully treading across the mirror sky with his protruding belly brushing the surface, sending out rings of ripples.
A snow-white and lovely little girl lay against the Dragon Qilin's ear and whispered, "Dragon Fatty, suck in your belly."
The Dragon Qilin pulled his belly up, head held high, striding with dragon and tiger majesty. But before he had gone far, his belly lost control again and slammed down onto the mirror sky with a boom.