Chapter 290 — It Dwells in a Single Thought

On the fifth day after Fan Yunxiao's departure, a great many strangely dressed people appeared on the little island, men and women, old and young alike. One came first and planted a large banner on the island; then, with a shua-shua-shua, streak after streak of light flashed past, and many more banners sprouted upon the island.

The banners furled, and several hundred people appeared, seating themselves upright in a ring around the island. Each sat in a different place, scattered like stars in the sky, utterly motionless.

Yet every four hours these people would rise and shift their positions; that rule never changed.

In the shade of the trees, Long Jiaonan shivered again and again, and hastily dragged herself inward, toward the middle of the island.

Si Yunxiang, by contrast, was quite cheerful, cooking for the crowd so that they should not go hungry.

Ling Yuxiu's face was grave as she looked about her. She too could see that this was a grand formation, one that penned them all upon the island and gave them no chance to leave. Force their way through, and the formation would stir to life, evolve into a killing array, and turn this island into a Shura field!

When that grand formation came alive, it would be terrible beyond measure!

And more: she saw that some of these strange folk still wore court robes, great officials of the reigning dynasty; others were meat-sellers from the vegetable market, headsmen who did the beheading, and even a Director of the Grand Academy—a truly grotesque assortment!

Strangest of all, their shifting every four hours changed the formation itself, surely a precaution against the Dao Lord's seeing through its mutations.

"The Nether Demon Cult deserves its name as the foremost sect of the demonic path; they have taken the measure of it precisely."

Before anyone knew it, the fourteenth day had come. Shen Mu closed his eyes; after a while he opened them, rose from beneath the stone stele, and saluted the Dao Lord. "Many thanks, Senior Brother, for permitting me to comprehend the Dao Sword."

The Dao Lord rose and returned the salute. "You are too kind. The Human Emperor is by right qualified to comprehend the Dao Sword. I gave you the Dao Sword to look upon, just as the Tathagata would show you the Thunderpeal Mahayana Sutra. The Human Emperor is worthy of it."

Shen Mu said, "I have already read the Thunderpeal Mahayana Sutra."

The Dao Lord was taken aback. After a long moment he shook his head and laughed. "That old fellow is as sly as ever—a step ahead of me. Disciple, return the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Sutra to the Human Emperor."

Lin Xuan the Daoist Heir woke from his contemplation and hastily rolled up the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Sutra, which shrank into a ball of thread; he presented it back to Shen Mu with both hands.

Shen Mu smiled. "You and I are of an age; there is no need for such ceremony."

Lin Xuan the Daoist Heir shook his head. "No one takes offense at too much courtesy. Since I have not become the Dao Lord, I remain your junior."

Shen Mu was helpless before this. "Though the Dao Lord has never read the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Sutra, that line of his—preserve evil, preserve good—has grasped its true essence. In your comprehension of the Sutra, how much good and how much evil did you find in it?"

Lin Xuan the Daoist Heir hesitated. The Dao Lord laughed. "Cult Master Shen is a great authority in such matters; speak freely."

Lin Xuan the Daoist Heir said, "It may be that first impressions rule me. When I first read the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Sutra, every line seemed a word for harming others. Only in the middle chapters did I begin to taste something in it, and then in my heart there was no more talk of orthodox and demonic. By the closing chapters I felt that what I had taken in before might be a misunderstanding, so I began again from the beginning, and my feelings were different once more."

Shen Mu asked with a smile, "How much of it is still demonic?"

"Two parts." Lin Xuan the Daoist Heir answered honestly.

Shen Mu said, "Two parts of your Daoist heart are still demonic. Even so, you are already far better than the Buddha Heir. When the Buddha-Hearted Buddha Heir reads the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Sutra, he finds demons everywhere. He bears the marks of a Buddha, yet in his heart he is an incurable demon."

Lin Xuan the Daoist Heir was startled, then it came to him in a flash. "So that is how it is!"

Yet in his heart he was somewhat unconvinced; his eyes flickered toward Shen Mu. "When the Human Emperor reads the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Sutra, how much of it is demonic?"

Shen Mu said, "Every chapter of the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Sutra is the orthodox path, and every chapter is the demonic path; it depends on how I use it."

Lin Xuan the Daoist Heir was dumbstruck. "This..."

Shen Mu spoke with deep meaning. "The way of the sages lies in the daily use of the common folk; the very first line of the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Sutra makes this plain. You and I are common folk as well. When our hearts hold the orthodox path, the Sutra is the orthodox path; when our hearts hold the demonic path, the Sutra is the demonic path. I can use it as an orthodox art, and I can use it as a demonic art. The wonder of its use lies in a single mind."

"'The wonder of its use lies in a single mind?'" Lin Xuan the Daoist Heir was startled again, and found it deeply reasonable.

The old Dao Lord hastily shouted, "Ho! Do not listen to his doctrine—it is that crooked pure spontaneity of his again! You are the next Dao Lord; beware lest his clever words bewitch you and you fall into his demon cult!"

Lin Xuan the Daoist Heir came to his senses and broke out in a sweat like gruel, soaked through and through. He thought, "While pretending to instruct me, he discoursed on the demon cult's doctrine to bewitch me! His pure spontaneity is not the same as our Daoist sect's 'the Dao follows nature'!"

The old Dao Lord said gravely, "Cult Master Shen's nature is indeed a notch above yours. In the future, when he opposes you as the demon cult's master, be on your guard; do not remember only that he is the Human Emperor and forget that he is also the master of the Nether Demon Cult!"

Shen Mu did not know whether to laugh or cry. The old Dao Lord took him for a flood and a ravening beast, guarding his disciple so strictly even while instructing him, lest Shen Mu lure the boy into the Nether Demon Cult.

The old Dao Lord said, "And how does the Human Emperor view the Dao Sword?"

Shen Mu answered solemnly, "It exhausts the principles of number, marvelous and extraordinary; and by the last few moves it seems to transcend number altogether and draw near to the Dao."

The old Dao Lord's words too were full of hidden meaning. He smiled and said, "Our sect's Dao Sword may in fact be seen as the problem of measuring a circle exactly. The close ratio and the rough ratio come near to infinity, and what lies between the diameter and the circumference cannot be settled by emptiness and purity; beyond them are countless more digits. The Dao has no end, and the circumference of a circle has no end—so why must the Dao be altered? Why must the method be changed?"

Shen Mu was astonished: this old Dao Lord was preaching the Daoist sect's doctrine at him!

"Dao Lord, a hint is enough." Shen Mu said with a smile.

The old Dao Lord laughed heartily and had Lin Xuan the Daoist Heir put away the stone wall. "Human Emperor, your status is singular, and you will have no few fearsome foes; best you return to the Wasteland soon. As for the Dragon King's girl—it was I who sent her to invite you. May I take her away with me?"

Shen Mu looked at the Solomon's seal at their feet; many had already grown a few leaves, but no few had withered and died.

"You need not worry. She listens to me; she will not come here again."

The old Dao Lord smiled. "You have lost nothing; it is she who has lost much."