Chapter 242 — One More Time

"The Human Emperor of the next generation?"

Shen Mu was doubtful. The name struck him as strange. The world already had an emperor, and it had the sect masters, patriarchs, and gate lords of every great sect, each with their own office and their own domain. What did a Human Emperor do?

It seemed there was no place left in this world for a Human Emperor to rule.

"The Human Emperor is not set on high. He has no power — only responsibility."

The Village Chief said, "The Human Emperor is not one who rules the multitudes of the world, nor one who grasps hegemony, waging war at will and subduing the unsubmissive. The Human Emperor is a state of mind, a moral creed. The Human Emperor has a seal, left behind by the first Human Emperor. I threw it under the bed. Go and fetch it."

Shen Mu went to the Village Chief's room. Under the bed there was indeed a black lump. He drew it out and looked: it was a black iron seal the size of a palm, carved with bird-seal and worm-script characters.

Shen Mu handed the black iron seal to the Village Chief, who blinked and said, "This is the Human Emperor Seal, the supreme holy relic of our lineage."

Shen Mu looked at the seal and said haltingly, "Village Chief, does our lineage have any other holy relics?"

The Village Chief was angered. The Human Emperor Seal flew up and struck Shen Mu on the forehead, raising a great lump; then the black iron lump dropped into Shen Mu's arms.

The Village Chief said, "The Human Emperor Seal is yours. You are the Human Emperor of this generation."

"Just like that?" Shen Mu was dumbfounded.

The Alchemist was startled as well. The Village Chief had always spoken of his heavy responsibility and his weighty burden, and the title of Human Emperor was fearsome enough besides; he had assumed some solemn ceremony would be required before Shen Mu could inherit the station of Human Emperor.

He had not expected the Village Chief to simply toss Shen Mu a black lump and call that an accession.

"Few there are now who even know what a Human Emperor is. We are not a sect, nor the emperor of a nation — we are a transmission. Passed from generation to generation, only one in each, and the one chosen is usually sought out among the wisest and most perceptive of the age. The wisest of this generation is the Imperial Preceptor Jingping, but he surely has no interest in it. And he has already walked out a path of his own; it would be hard for him to accept my transmission and my responsibilities."

The Village Chief sighed. "And I am too lazy to go out looking. After turning it over and over in my mind, I found only you — barely passable."

Shen Mu consoled him: "Village Chief, don't force yourself. I think you could still find someone better."

The Alchemist's face turned strange.

The Village Chief was half choked with stifled fury. The boy plainly found it a nuisance, saw no profit in it, and was therefore somewhat unwilling.

"One trip out of doors, and your nerve has grown a great deal — enough to mock me to my face!"

The Village Chief sneered: "Will you be the Human Emperor or not?"

Shen Mu, much put upon: "I will, I will. Give me the dirty work and the heavy work — I have already got more than enough of both on me; one more Human Emperor hardly signifies."

The Village Chief was speechless with rage, and wished he could grow another arm just to rap the boy hard on the head. He scolded: "How many people have begged me to teach them swordsmanship, and I would not; begged me to leave them my transmission, and I would not — and you have the nerve to turn your nose up at it?"

Shen Mu lowered his head, kicked a pebble flying, and said sullenly, "I am not turning up my nose. I only think it is a mere title, of no use at all. Village Chief, just pass the sword arts to me — as for the name of Human Emperor, why not give it to someone else?"

The Village Chief laughed in wrath and looked at the Alchemist: "You tell me — did he turn up his nose or not? Is being Human Emperor a disgrace? He grows more insolent by the day!"

The Alchemist coughed and coughed again. "You two, grandfather and grandson, talk it over slowly. I will go look at my insects, before they freeze to death."

The Village Chief's anger rose from every quarter, and then he suddenly came to himself and laughed despite it: "Others beg me to teach them and still I will not; now you would have me beg you to learn, in every roundabout way? You grow worse and worse. Honestly, you really are not Human Emperor material. If I were not so loath to go out of doors, I would surely have found a finer youth than you."

Shen Mu pursed his lips and muttered under his breath: "Me? An Overlord Body. Who could be finer than me?"

The Village Chief's breath caught in his chest and nearly failed him. Shen Mu hurried forward to rub the old man's chest and pound his back. When the Village Chief had caught his breath, Shen Mu was about to speak, but the old man said, "Don't talk yet. Let me recover a moment — my head is spinning..."

The old man's eye corners twitched. The author of all this mischief had finally reaped his retribution.

After a long while he came back to himself. Back then a jest of his own had been taken for truth by others; but he himself had known it was a jest, and so he had taken secret pleasure in seeing others believe it.

And now, in choosing Shen Mu as his heir, did that mean that in his own heart he too believed Shen Mu an Overlord Body?

"Lie too often, and though you know it for a lie, you cannot help believing it yourself. Enough. Enough."

The Village Chief let it go and smiled. "We who are Human Emperors have only one responsibility."

A keen light flashed in his eyes, as though countless sword beams burst from his pupils, dazzling bright: "Smite the gods, smite the demons, smite Heaven!"

"What belongs to the gods is ruled by the gods; what belongs to the demons is ruled by the demons; what belongs to humans is ruled by humans!"

"If the gods and demons interfere, then cut off their hands!"

"If the gods and demons raise their heads, then cut off their heads! This is the most basic responsibility of the Human Emperor."

"When you are strong enough, there will be more responsibilities — to smite the gods, to smite the demons, to smite Heaven! Slay your way up into the heavens... you come back here!"

Shen Mu tossed the Human Emperor Seal into the Village Chief's arms and turned to go.

The Village Chief was furious. His vital qi became a great hand that seized Shen Mu by the collar and hauled him back, and with a mild countenance he said: "You are the Human Emperor of this generation — how can you not know the creed of our lineage's transmission? I have not finished speaking... and you want to run? Alchemist, Alchemist, come help me hold him down!"

The Alchemist did not come, and Shen Mu could not struggle free, so he gave up struggling.

The Village Chief went on: "Our lineage has few rules; these are the creed. I will pass my sword arts to you; however much you can comprehend is what you get. Oh, yes — our lineage also has a Human Emperor Hall. When you have the time, go stroll through it and look upon the great deeds of the Human Emperors of past generations. Also: my sword arts are quite good, but if you use them and any god or demon sees you, they will surely strike you dead... Don't run! You cannot escape my hand. Back then I could not escape either; before I knew it, I had inherited this transmission."

"Granny, save me!" Shen Mu called to Granny Zhu for help.

Granny Zhu, all smiles, said to the blind old man beside her: "That old fellow the Village Chief has finally deigned to pass his transmission to Shen'er. Look — Shen'er is so happy he is about to cry."

The blind old man tilted his head and said doubtfully, "I heard him shouting for help."

"He is so happy his head is spinning."