Chapter 444 — The Sea of Blazing Sand

Shen Mu was, after all, the Grand Libationer of the Tiansheng Academy, and before setting out he gave his instructions: many of the Academy's scholars came from the Youmo Cult, and many of the Imperial Academy's pupils too, so that nothing would go wrong even in his absence, and his mind was much at ease. He passed on the Scripture of Dragon Rearing to Si Yunxiang as well, telling her to have someone tend these flood-dragons. "These flood-dragons eat only spirit pills, and being of different kinds, they eat different pills," Shen Mu instructed.

"I have written out the kinds and the numbers for each day, Holy Maiden; do not forget them.

And if they will not obey you, go and fetch Ling'er; she can bring them to heel.

" Si Yunxiang laughed. "With the Scripture of Dragon Rearing in my hands, am I to be reckoned less than a little fox? This time you will not take a few flood-dragons along to guard you?

And the little fox is not going with you either? " "Ling'er is learning spells from the Fox Immortal, so she will not come this time.

Besides, this journey is only to scout the road into the Western Land; there is no great peril in it. " Having given his orders, Shen Mu took his leave of Granny Zhu and the others, and was about to set off with the Long Qilin when he saw a little girl of five or six standing at the Long Qilin's side.

"Little sister Qi'er, did you not go to the Western Land with Nanny Kui? " Shen Mu asked, puzzled.

Xiong Qi'er shook her head.

"Mother told me to follow you. Mother says she does not quite trust the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping. She says the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping has little of human feeling in him, that to reach his ends he would cast away anything at all, and such a man can hardly set her mind at rest.

" "Your mother's thoughts are fine and subtle," said Shen Mu. "It is well that you come with me; she and the Imperial Preceptor and their party make too large a target, and you will be steadier with me.

" He lifted Xiong Qi'er in his arms, leapt onto the Long Qilin's back, and shouted, "Fat Dragon, move out!

" The Long Qilin at once galloped two paces, rode up on fire clouds into the air, and said, "Cult Master, these days I keep feeling that the Scarlet Fire Spirit Pills taste wrong. Did you change the pills on me?

" Shen Mu shook his head. "Fat Dragon, do not be forever seeing ghosts in every corner.

If I had changed the pills, could you not taste it? " The Long Qilin was half convinced, and Xiong Qi'er said in surprise, "Fat Dragon runs faster than before, and his belly is not as big as it used to be.

" The Long Qilin grew suspicious again, only each time he ate a pill he would crack it open to see whether Shen Mu had tampered with it, and never found anything amiss. Shen Mu smiled.

He had improved the Scarlet Fire Spirit Pill and the Fire-Walk Divine Essence Pill, merging the two into one; its taste was much like the Scarlet Fire Spirit Pill, though a little pungent on the tongue. The Long Qilin could taste that something was off, but he could not tell where the trouble lay. The Long Qilin's speed was far greater than before, and his endurance long; in two or three days they came to the Desolate Ruins.

Following his memory, Shen Mu found the Soul Boat, and the headman's stone statue stood not far from it. He could not help but be startled: two households had appeared here, plainly in newly built houses.

The two families must have noticed that a stone statue here could hold back the darkness, and had come to settle.

When they saw him riding a monster that was neither dragon nor qilin, they too grew frightened; two young hunters stood guard outside the doors with steel pitchforks, while young women peered out from behind them. Shen Mu halted, brought Xiong Qi'er down from the Long Qilin's back, and saluted the two; the hunters returned the salute and asked, "Are you a brigand of the hills, or a robber? " "Only a traveler passing through, come to see an old friend.

Rest easy, I mean you no harm. " Shen Mu went to the headman's stone statue and set down offerings of cattle and sheep. "This is an elder of my house," he said, "and I have come especially to make offering.

If he could see that even his broken body shelters you, it would gladden his heart. " He made his offerings, then used the divine art of the Soul-Reeling Invocation; at once dark clouds gathered bleakly and the darkness surged.

He drove the invocation for a long while, and saw beyond the village a great many walking skeletons appear, yet the headman's stone statue never revived.

Before long Shen Mu's power was nearly spent, and just as he was about to release the invocation, the headman's stone statue suddenly stirred, spat several gold coins from its mouth, and spoke: "Shen'er, at the Zhongyuan Feast, on the night of the full moon, I will wait for you at the Gate of Ghosts! " That said, it turned back to stone. Shen Mu picked up the coins; they were eight Fengdu coins.

The villagers round about were full of alarm and doubt. Shen Mu turned and thanked the few of them, left behind some money and cloth, and said, "I would ask you all to clean the statue often for me, and not let it grow too filthy. " With that he turned and left.

The few of them watched his back; one young woman stared blankly, then suddenly said, "Look at that youth's face—does he not look like the god who sailed the great ship that night? " Another woman cried out in astonishment, "He does, truly! That night the great ship passed right by our village, and I saw the god upon it—he looked exactly like him! " One hunter said hurriedly, "Do not talk nonsense!

He is only a youth, a little younger than we are—how could he be the god on that ship?

".

. .

Shen Mu rode the Long Qilin west with Xiong Qi'er, halting to rest when night fell. He passed again through the Western Heaven Palace Basin and looked upon the ruins of the Western Heaven Palace before going on.

After more than ten days of long travel they came at last to the westernmost edge of the Desolate Ruins, where another mountain range rose and fell in endless ridges, white with snow, cutting the ruins off. "So there are Shenduan Mountains here as well?

" Shen Mu rode the Long Qilin up to the summit, and all at once a Xuanji ballista loosed a bolt as thick as a roof beam, and in an instant wind and snow raged. The Long Qilin raised a claw and swatted the bolt down, and was startled out of his wits.

"Cult Master," he blurted, "I have grown stronger!

" Shen Mu looked at the peaks around them: on every one a great Xuanji ballista was turning of itself, swinging about to aim.

"Fat Dragon, run! " he shouted in alarm. Hummm— Ballista after ballista released its force; snow filled the sky, and a mad storm of bolts came flying at them.

The Long Qilin sprang and bounded like the wind, racing for the far side of the mountain.

Bolt after enormous bolt fell behind them, each turning into a pillar of ice; more and more came flying, and the Long Qilin gave a great roar. Fire blazed sky-high behind him, fire clouds massed thick, and one fire cloud after another burned furiously against the ballista bolts—yet still many ice arrows came on, not yet melted! Shen Mu worked the sword formula with his fingers; with a sudden shudder, eight thousand swords danced across the heavens and sheared through countless ice arrows.

The Long Qilin raced down the mountain, bolts falling like rain behind them, ringing as they planted themselves at their heels. Only when they reached the foot of the mountain did that storm of arrows cease.

Shen Mu breathed out in relief; suddenly a wave of heat struck his face.

He looked ahead: a vast desert lay before him, joined to the far horizon, ablaze with fire, so that even the sky was baked red. He looked back; behind him were the snow mountains.