Chapter 284 — The Changing World

Shen Mu picked up the yellow spirit and turned it over and over in his hands, examining it. Other yellow spirits poked their heads out from under leaves, from the grass, from cracks in the rocks, from beneath the sand. Seeing the giant lifting up one of their own, they could not help crying out in alarm—and then, with great cowardice, they hid themselves even deeper. Shen Mu examined it closely. The spirit's two legs were formed of many tangled roots; about its waist it wore a skirt woven of grass; and on its face grew a beard of root-like tendrils.

In its hand it still clutched a spear bound together from bamboo branches, its tip bright as snow, made of a strange metal. Shen Mu was startled. He pinched up the tiny, needle-like spear and studied the metal of its head closely.

He could not tell what metal it was forged from, but what was strange was that runes had been branded into the metal, leaving their traces behind. Judging by the attire of these yellow spirits, they could not possibly be versed in runes or spellcraft. Then where had the metal on the spear come from? Perhaps it had woken.

The yellow spirit was trembling violently, and all at once—pop—a green leaf-bud sprouted from the top of its head. It was so panicked that the bud grew with astonishing speed. Shen Mu laughed. "Stop playing dead.

I won't eat you.

I only have some questions to ask. " The yellow spirit plucked up its courage and opened its eyes. Seeing Shen Mu's smile, his teeth gleaming bright, it let out a plaintive cry of dismay and fainted dead away.

From within the island came a chorus of battle cries, and another hundred-odd yellow spirits came charging in fury—clearly a rescue party. But when they saw Shen Mu holding their companion in his grip, they promptly turned on their heels and fled.

Shen Mu was dumbfounded. He shook his head. "Not a shred of loyalty.

. . " He flicked the leaf on the yellow spirit's brow, and the creature came to again. Shen Mu released his hold, and his yuan qi lifted the spirit, floating it before the three of them.

"Stop playing dead.

Play dead again and you'll truly be dead. I ask you—why are there so many yellow spirits on this island? " The yellow spirit trembled. "I don't know either. You'd have to ask the Old Ancestor!

" Shen Mu frowned. "Where did the heads of your spears come from?

" "I don't know.

You'd have to ask the Old Ancestor.

" Shen Mu sighed in exasperation and set it down. "Take us to see your Old Ancestor.

" The yellow spirit landed on the ground and began walking into the island. From the grass nearby, a small head poked out and cried angrily, "Traitor!

" Shen Mu reached out and seized the yellow spirit in the grass as well. "You lead the way too.

Take us to your Old Ancestor. " This yellow spirit immediately wilted, and crestfallen, it became a traitor too, walking into the island alongside the traitor beside it. The traitor beside it instantly puffed itself up with pride, as though being the first to surrender were some great honor. "There are far too many yellow spirits on this island.

" Si Yunxiang was astonished.

Only upon reaching the island's interior did they discover what was so strange about the place: houses hung from the trees, each one tiny, about the size of a bird's nest, woven from green vines into the shape of dwellings and suspended beneath the branches. From a distance they looked like great green apples. As they approached, the doors of these tree-houses opened, and many yellow spirits stood behind them, peeking and peering out—a strange arboreal world. On the ground, too, were many houses built of small stones by the yellow spirits, forming a city—though even the city was only about a mu in size. The two yellow spirits walked listlessly into the city.

The yellow spirit soldiers guarding the gate stared blankly at the three giants, Shen Mu and his companions, too shocked to speak, much less fight back. "There must be tens of thousands of yellow spirits here! " Si Yunxiang was deeply shaken.

She lowered her voice. "Cult Leader, if we could capture these yellow spirits and sell them, we'd be rich enough to rival a nation!

" Shen Mu halted outside the city and did not enter. He shook his head. "Why would we do that?

" Si Yunxiang said, puzzled, "The strong prey on the weak.

Isn't that the way of the Wilderness? " "Saintess, the Wilderness's law of the strong preying on the weak is a little different from what you imagine.

" Shen Mu explained, "The exotic beasts of the Wilderness do hunt and eat the weak, yes, but once they are full they do not slaughter wantonly. That is the strong preying on the weak—it does not mean that everything weaker than you must be killed and eaten.

These yellow spirits are living beings possessed of wisdom; they have even built their own civilization and kingdom.

When we come to their territory, it is an exchange between civilized beings and civilized beings.

How could anyone, upon arriving, set about exterminating their nation and their kind? " Si Yunxiang fell into thought. Before long, a great many yellow spirits came escorting a carriage out from a resplendent mansion in the city, arriving before the city gate. On the carriage sat an old woman with white hair and a hoary head. Trembling, she rose from the carriage and made her salutations. "It has been a long time since we have seen outsiders. The little ones are somewhat flustered. This old body pays her respects.

" "You are too kind, Elder.

" Shen Mu returned the salute with the utmost respect. "My sister and I—three of us—were passing through your esteemed land and disturbed your people. I beg your forgiveness. " Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang, seeing that this yellow spirit old woman was only about a chi tall—pitifully small—yet Shen Mu observed every courtesy without the slightest negligence, could not help but stifle their laughter. But the two women also made their salutations according to propriety. The yellow spirit old woman said, "My humble abode is too small to accommodate the bodies of three giants.

I cannot invite the three of you inside—forgive me.

Are the three of you passing through this place? " Shen Mu smiled.

"The three of us are passing through and meant to rest our feet. Because we saw something peculiar about your kingdom, we intruded. Might I ask, Elder—why are there so many yellow spirits here?

" The old woman smiled.

"It must be a matter of the soil and water. When this old body awoke, I was beside a spring. All at once I gained sentience, and I multiplied and spread, until the little ones grew more and more numerous.

" "A spring? " Shen Mu was surprised. "Elder, could you lead us to see it?

" The yellow spirit old woman smiled. "Why, certainly. " With that, she ordered the other yellow spirits to drive the carriage out of the city, leading them to a spirit spring in the island's interior.

The spring was not large—a deep pool only six or seven zhang across—but it was bottomless.

Many yellow spirits were drawing water there, and no matter how much was taken, the water in the pool never seemed to diminish.

Shen Mu took a little of the spring water and opened his Azure Heaven Eye to look. His expression grew grave. He saw that the spring water contained a strange power, most extraordinary. The yellow spirits of the island must have drunk this water year after year, and so become spirits—and moreover, there was no demonic aura about them. "This spring is no small matter. " Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang also perceived what was strange about it, and thought to themselves.

Shen Mu rose. "I see that your weapons are somewhat peculiar. Might I ask where you obtained them?

" The yellow spirit old woman said, "The little ones picked these things up. They were washed out from the spring.

" "Washed out from the spring? " Shen Mu looked at the deep pool and pondered for a moment.