Chapter 404 — Xing An Manifest

" The Blind Elder set aside his thought of seeking out Xing An; his interest in the foremost Sacred Pupil of the Kaihuang era was keen. He said, "Can you make these rune marks light up? I would like to examine the patterns of their operation.

" The Lame Elder wept, "My legs.

.

. " The Blind Elder frowned. "This fellow the Lame Elder does nothing but weep. Let us talk outside and leave him to his grumbling. " Shen Mu hastily begged the Lame Elder's pardon, and the two went to the lake outside the hall.

Some merfolk with fish heads and human bodies ran over, bearing several platters of fruit picked from the mountain, saying, "My lords, eat some fruit. " Shen Mu had them set the platters down, and picked up a red fruit — whereupon the fruit screamed, "Don't eat me!

" Shen Mu hastily put the fruit down, and saw the dozen or so fruits on the platter rolling to and fro, crying, "It hurts, it hurts! I'm bleeding! " "Don't mind them.

Divine blood spilled on the mountain and made all the fruit trees strange and uncanny.

" The Blind Elder shook his head. "These fruits are all about to turn into demons.

" Even as he spoke, a bright red fruit grew a pair of arms, touched the red juice flowing from itself, and cried, "I'm bleeding, I'm going to die! " With that, it fainted dead away. The other fruits hastily rolled over, wailing to heaven and earth, utterly pitiful.

Shen Mu's scalp went numb; he hastily dumped out the fruits on the platter. The dozen or so fruits were overjoyed, and the fruit demon that had fainted revived as well.

The fruit demons rolled away at top speed, rolled onto a tree demon passing by, and hung on the tree demon's head, only then heaving a sigh of relief. Suddenly a deer demon beside the tree demon opened its mouth and stealthily bit a fruit off its head.

The fruit demons raised a great hue and cry, wailing to heaven and earth, cursing the deer demon.

The tree demon flew into a rage and began fighting the deer demon again.

Shen Mu was dumbfounded, staring blankly at the two demons brawling together. Several more merfolk ran over, plucked fruits from the tree demon's head, and brought them before Shen Mu and the Blind Elder. "I am no longer surprised by any of it.

" The Blind Elder shook his head.

"You have not been up the mountain. Up there it is open rebellion. Those grasses and vines — they can plague a man to death. Pay them no mind.

Shen'er, activate your Sacred Pupil brand and let me see! " Shen Mu did as he was told and stirred the Pleiades Star Ring that Yan Jingjing had taught him. At once ring upon ring of stars lit up in his eyes, and the sun within the star rings burst forth; in an instant the sunlight was blinding, frightening the crowd of rowdy demons into kneeling on the ground, not daring to move.

The Blind Elder was astonished. After pondering a moment, he said, "This Ziqing is truly remarkable. This pupil-art divine power is indeed beyond mine.

But you can only rouse the radiance of her Sacred Pupil — there is not the slightest power in it.

. . Activate it once more.

" Shen Mu stirred the Pleiades Star Ring again, and the Blind Elder laughed. "Yes — there is the pupil art, but the power of the various rune marks has not been roused at all. These runes are rather interesting; if my eyes were still here, I could take it a step further. A pity.

. . Shen'er, let me try to fuse the Nine Heavens Gazing Eye Art with these rune marks — though you must wait a few days. Once I have perfected it, I can pass it on to you.

" Shen Mu nodded. The Blind Elder carefully memorized the brands in his Sacred Pupil, and said with a smile, "Go keep your lovely wife and fair companions company. You need not follow an old man about all the time. I will not run off to seek Xing An, you may rest easy. " Shen Mu was also worried that he might run out to seek revenge on Xing An, and was still somewhat uneasy. Ling Yuxiu and the other girls called out from afar, "Cowherd, we're going up the mountain to pick fruit and get ready for the New Year!

Are you coming?

" "Go on," the Blind Elder said with a smile. Shen Mu had no choice but to run over and say to Ling Yuxiu and the others, "The fruit on the mountain has turned into demons — they bite. " Xue Hu'er said, "Grandmother says some of the fruit on the mountain hasn't turned into demons and can be eaten — it's just that the merfolk don't recognize them.

" They came to the mountain and saw many fruit trees there; but when the trees heard that they had come to pick fruit, they hastily tore themselves up by the roots and ran off, leaving everyone staring.

"You stepped on me! " A little blade of grass shouted angrily, "Where are my sworn brothers?

" Everyone hastily fled, with a crowd of grass-men in hot pursuit behind them.

After all the commotion, they finally found the orchard Granny Zhu had spoken of; the fruit on the trees had not turned into demons. Shen Mu tasted one — very sweet and fragrant.

Yan Jingjing, Ling Yuxiu, and Si Yunxiang, baskets on their arms, picked the fruit, while Xue Hu'er leaped up into a tree and sat in the fork eating fruit; soon her belly was round and full, and she lay there with her tail dangling down. "What fragrant fruit!

" Suddenly a voice came; Shen Mu looked toward it and saw a white-robed youth walking out from the mountain, a large chest on his back. He bowed to them all and said with a smile, "Does this orchard have an owner? A wandering recluse of the wilds is passing through — I beg you to spare him a few.

" Shen Mu took a few fruits from the basket and said with a smile, "Where does my friend come from, and where are you bound?

" The youth thanked him, tasted one, and praised it without end.

"There is the flavor of divine blood in it — truly exquisite. I have no fixed abode; I have always been an idle cloud and a wild crane. I have come to see a Divine Physician Shen, to ask his help in curing an illness.

" Shen Mu blinked and said, "Divine Physician Shen? Curing an illness? What illness does my friend suffer from?

" The youth sighed.

"A fatal disease. " Shen Mu's eyes flickered. "What is my friend called? " The youth buried the fruit in the soil and carefully banked the earth around it.

"Xing An. "