Chapter 363 — How Thick Is the Vault of Heaven?

Activating the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon required the jade disc in Shen Mu's grasp. The cannon itself was far too vast for easy movement or control, so Shen Mu had forged a separate jade disc to resonate with it; through the disc, this colossus of a cannon could be directed at will, striking wherever it was pointed. The jade disc was the cannon's very brain. Shen Mu taught Emperor Yanfeng the art of wielding the disc; it was simple to learn and simpler still to use, for as a master forger Shen Mu could reduce the most troublesome business to the barest minimum—in this alone he surpassed other master forgers beyond all reckoning.

Emperor Yanfeng put the disc away, then after a moment brought it out again to turn it over in his hands, then stowed it away once more, then took it out yet again to play with it.

With good intentions Shen Mu said, "Your Majesty might fire one shot to try it out. " The Emperor shot him a fierce glare and answered with no good humor: "One roar from that cannon and the treasury is emptied! I am not like you, throwing money about with both hands. " Shen Mu said, "Has the Crown Prince not returned from the snowfields?

He should have brought back a fair amount of wealth. " "Even so, one does not casually fire the cannon!

The money in the treasury cannot be touched at whim; the nation is rebuilding from the ashes—where could it not use funds?

" Emperor Yanfeng put the disc away again; a moment later Shen Mu noticed the Emperor secretly take it out once more, and could not help shaking his head. Never having fired a single shot himself, the Emperor would surely find no savor in his food and no rest in his sleep; in heart and in dreams he would be thinking of nothing but loosing one satisfying blast.

Yet his reason would tell him the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon could not be idly employed, and so the Emperor would keep on agonizing.

"Let him be," Shen Mu thought. Then, suddenly, several officials of the Bureau of Celestial Observation came forward bearing thick ledger volumes; at their head was the Fire-Mountain Commandant, who saluted Shen Mu and said: "Supervisor Shen, the shot you fired at the sky just now—when we of the Observatory Tower examined the heavens, certain strange things appeared.

Your Excellency has many numerological masters at hand, and so we would ask you to help us with the calculations. " Surprised, Shen Mu asked, "What strange things? " "When the sky broke, the celestial signs shifted. " The Fire-Well Commandant of the Bureau added from the side: "When the sky split apart, the celestial configurations were displaced, and only when the sky closed again did they return to normal.

We have recorded the angles of displacement, but our own command of the numerological arts is shallow, and we find it very hard to compute what actually occurred. Pray look, Lord Shen—these are the star charts of successive generations.

" He opened the charts and turned page after page; Shen Mu observed that the Bureau recorded the sky's configurations year by year, each year's chart following a regular order, the changes exceedingly slight.

"This is the chart from after your Excellency's shot. " The Fire-Well Commandant opened the final page and pointed: "After that shot, the sky darkened for an instant, and the armillary sphere at the Observatory Tower recorded the stars of heaven. The sun star shifted by one inch and seven fen; when the crack healed, the sun star came back. The other stars that appeared during the darkness were all displaced as well, some more, some less. But at the site of the crack there was not a single star—that is absolutely abnormal.

Within that crack there should originally have been a hundred and seven stars!

" Still perplexed, Shen Mu said, "Could it be that the divine cannon's power was so immense that it tore through space, warping one's vision and producing the displacements?

" "That is also a possibility. " The Fire-Well Commandant said, "But when we of the Bureau monitor the heavens, we use the armillary sphere; this primordial weapon is a heavy-grade spiritual treasure. The sight of us adepts may be twisted, but the armillary sphere cannot be. The stars on the armillary sphere move in step with the stars of heaven—and if the sphere's stars have moved, then the stars above have truly moved. Most crucial of all, why are there no stars where the crack was?

" Shen Mu's heart stirred, and he probed, "What is it you are implying? " The Bureau officials exchanged glances; the Fire-Mountain Commandant coughed and said, "Until the calculation yields its result, we of the Bureau make no guess, nor do we take responsibility for anyone else's guesses.

Pray forgive us, Lord Shen.

" "These fellows, so full of mystery and secrecy. " Shen Mu frowned. "The adepts on my side are for the most part numerological masters of the Daoist Sect and the Lesser Jade Capital. They are just now planning to leave and return to their respective houses, and I dare not say whether I can prevail upon them. " Xu Shenghua stepped forward, eager to throw himself in: "I too have some attainment in numerical computation. " Shen Mu smiled. "If Brother Xu is willing to lend a hand, so much the better.

I shall go and invite Daoist Master Lin Xuan and Wang Muran and the rest. " Jingyan said hastily, "My young master is helping, so then that thousand-copper debt.

.

. " Without turning his head, Shen Mu said, "Even if you refused to help, I would hardly be short of numerological masters here! " Jingyan's face darkened at once: "What a miser! " Xu Shenghua said, "Yanzi, don't be cross. The truth is, I too want to know what exactly happened in the sky after Sect Master Shen fired that shot. And he was not wrong—whether we help or not makes little difference to him; it is only a matter of time.

" Shen Mu went to fetch Daoist Master Lin Xuan, Wang Muran, Mu Qingdai, and the other young masters, and when all had assembled Wang Muran said, "What does Sect Master Shen wish to calculate?

" Shen Mu looked toward the Fire-Well Commandant, whose eyes gleamed: "Calculate the celestial signs. " Daoist Master Lin Xuan laughed. "Celestial signs?

Sect Master Shen cultivates the Dao Sword of our sect, and the fourth chapter of the Dao Sword deals precisely with celestial signs.

With him about, what need have we? " Shen Mu shook his head. "The fourth chapter of the Dao Sword covers normal celestial signs; what the Bureau wants us to calculate is abnormal celestial signs.

" Daoist Master Lin Xuan and the other Daoist priests were all perplexed—were celestial signs divided between the normal and the abnormal?

The Fire-Well Commandant described what the Bureau had observed and said, "The stars moved, and the stars within the crack vanished. This is absolutely abnormal.

It is as if, as if.

.

.

" Mu Qingdai blurted out, "As if the stars were hung upon a great cloth! " The Fire-Well Commandant clapped his hands. "Exactly! As if hung upon a great cloth—Lord Shen's cannon light tore the cloth open, and the stars, sun, and moon drew apart to either side!

" The young people exchanged looks, their faces grave. Were the celestial signs hung upon the sky?

Xu Shenghua raised his head to the heavens, steadied his mind, and said, "Sect Master Shen, what exactly do you intend for us to calculate?

" "Using the star-drift caused by that shot, calculate the height and the thickness of heaven! " Shen Mu glanced at the Bureau's many star officials.

"Is this not what you all intend? " The star officials of the Bureau looked at one another and, one by one, slowly nodded.

"Lord Shen is quick-witted. " The Fire-Well Commandant said in a hoarse voice: "In the past we believed heaven unlimited in height and unlimited in thickness.