Chapter 417 — The Stone Statues

Shen Mu was startled. The Butcher had come back too—so the Village Head and the others must already know that Xing'an had been gravely wounded in its attack. With the crisis of Xing'an resolved, why had Lord Huo not stayed at the Great Tingming Temple, but come along with the Village Head and the rest instead? "Village Head, Xing'an, he—" The Village Head shook his head.

"Xing'an is a small matter.

We called you back because there is a great matter. Can you reach the Nether Demon Patriarch?

" Something stirred in Shen Mu's heart. "Has something great happened? The Patriarch went out with the Dharma Protector Elder to wander the world, saying that when he died the Elder would bring his ashes home. Village Head, what exactly is it? Just now, while the Holy Maiden Xiang and I were traveling, we came upon a strange thing too—a great mountain had split open, and a stone statue was revealed. Could it be that? " Si Yunxiang nodded hurriedly.

"That statue was terrifying, as though it had grown out of the mountain, jutting up and up! " "There is more than one statue.

" Lord Huo had the air of a man whose wisdom was round and polished as a pearl.

"The statues appearing across the world number about a hundred or so, and there are many strange treasures as well. All of these things appeared suddenly; they are not of our world. There was even a statue that bored up from beneath Mount Sumeru, only to strike against the mountain—it did not split Sumeru open, but was suppressed instead. " Shen Mu's expression turned strange. The Silent Craftsman's face was grave; his ten fingers leapt and danced, forming one bizarre gesture after another. "Such statues are the omen of gods and demons about to descend. " The Deaf Elder watched his hands.

"For gods and demons of other worlds to cross the world's barriers is very hard.

They must first petrify themselves into statues—stripped of power, they can send the statues into this world, while their primordial spirits and dharma power remain in their own worlds. To restore a statue to flesh and blood requires a blood sacrifice: summon their primordial spirits from the other world, and the statue will revive.

On the road, those treasures we saw are celestial omen weapons, used to provoke a great calamity, to slaughter the common people, and to use their flesh and blood as sacrifice to these statues.

. . Don't look at me—this is what the Silent Craftsman says. " Everyone turned to look at the Silent Craftsman. The Village Head could not help saying, "Silent Craftsman, how do you know so much? Even I did not know these things, and yet you have them all clear. " The Silent Craftsman grinned and made a gesture. The Deaf Elder said, "This fellow is playing deaf and dumb again. I didn't catch it. " "This matter is too terrible. In my view, we should not go looking for any Patriarch—we should go straight back to the Wasteland!

" Granny Zhu said, "So many statues have sprouted in the Kingdom of Jingping. When a statue revives, it is a god—who can withstand that? Lord Huo, you may as well stop playing at being the Tathagata.

Whoever wants to be the Tathagata can be it. I don't want this mountain manor either.

We go back to the Wasteland at once! " The Butcher shook his head.

"Granny, is it good to leave like this? To hide in the Wasteland—are we not turtles with our heads pulled in? A true man should stand tall between heaven and earth and fight one magnificent fight! " Granny Zhu glared at him and sneered.

"Not leaving means waiting to die? Like you—cut in half at the waist, lingering on with your last breath? " The Butcher's face flushed red.

"I won't stoop to argue with a mere woman! " The Village Head coughed.

"Granny, the Human Sovereign must bear responsibility—" "Bear responsibility?

" Granny Zhu laughed in fury.

"Can you bear responsibility?

You can't even manage yourself, and you push Shen'er into the fire pit! If you have the ability, then bear it yourself! And now look at you—cut down like a stick, hiding in the Wasteland playing dead every day, and still shameless enough to talk about responsibility! " The Village Head said angrily, "You, you—" "You what?

" Granny Zhu said viciously.

"A hundred-odd statues—if you have the ability, go level them!

Otherwise, you too go back to the Wasteland and play dead like a good boy! " The Deaf Elder coughed. "Granny, that's going too far.

.

. " Granny Zhu shouted, "What business is it of yours? I raised Shen'er with my own hands, shit and piss and all, and you black-faced every day, smacking his palms. If not for the fact that you're a bookworm who writes a fine hand and could teach Shen'er his letters, I'd have beaten you to death long ago!

" The Deaf Elder flew into a rage, stammering, "Books cannot be read without the rod. .

. You—you twist words and reason!

Only petty men and women—" Granny Zhu clapped a sheet of cowhide over his head, and the Deaf Elder at once became a bull, lowing and bellowing.

The Alchemist said hurriedly, "Granny, I think—" "Get out!

" Granny Zhu said coldly.

"Go back to your room and wait on that pile of women of yours!

" "Right away.

" The Alchemist answered briskly and turned to go.

The Silent Craftsman tapped out his pipe and made a gesture. "Ah, ah. . . " "Shut up! You rotten seed, full of rotten schemes! " The Silent Craftsman bowed his head, deeply aggrieved, and said no more.

The Lame Elder opened his mouth, wanting to speak; Granny Zhu turned to look at him, and the Lame Elder shivered several times and forced a laugh. "What are you being so fierce for?

We can all talk things over nicely, haha, talk nicely.

.

. Lord Huo, Lord Huo, say something!

I'll take Lord Huo's word. If Lord Huo says go back to the village, I go back to the village; if Lord Huo says fight, I fight! " Granny Zhu shot Lord Huo a glance. "If you won't go back to the Wasteland, then I'll go to your Great Tingming Temple and see how many monks are left in it! " Lord Huo said not a word. "Blind Elder, say something," the Village Head said, looking at the Blind Elder. The Blind Elder said, "If Shen'er wants to stay, then he stays.

If Shen'er wants to go back to the Wasteland, then we go back to the Wasteland too. " Granny Zhu looked at him coldly. The Blind Elder closed his eyes. "Granny, if you want to take Shen'er away, none of them can stop you—only I can. I too once took Shen'er away; I know his resolve.

We are old.

If the Village Head does not complete the Divine Bridge, he likely will not live past next Spring Festival. Why must we fall out? Better to hear what Shen'er has to say. " Granny Zhu's heart softened again.

She looked at Shen Mu and said gently, "Shen'er, you've grown up now, and the scoundrels in the village have raised you into this. Don't learn their bad ways. Come back with Granny. Whichever girl you like, marry her. Granny is waiting to hold her grandchild. .

. " Shen Mu looked around in bewilderment, then lowered his head. Si Yunxiang stood at his side, also somewhat at a loss, not knowing what had happened. She thought, 'But Auntie really is magnificent and overbearing, scolding these godlike beings into perfect submission. When will I ever have such majesty. .

. ' After a moment, Shen Mu raised his head and said doubtfully, "These statues are the same as the statues in the Wasteland—all transformed from gods and demons. Did they appear so suddenly because Yuxiu and I created the Primordial Spirit Guide, and caused this upheaval? Those statues—have they come to destroy Jingping?

Then the disaster was caused by me?