Chapter 463 — When Will the Locust Blossoms Bloom

"Sister Mu's mastery of venom has reached the height of creation itself, entering a realm beyond the grasp of gods and ghosts."

Shen Mu could not help but marvel. Mu Yingxue's attainments in the way of poison had already surpassed his own. She truly possessed an extraordinary intuition for such things, pursuing the poison path with a brilliance all her own.

After that wager with him, she must have absorbed some of the Alchemist's philosophy and forged her own road, which was why she could defeat Yu Qingchan so effortlessly.

The Alchemist's attainments in poison were by no means trifling, but Shen Mu's primary cultivation lay in healing and saving lives; he had devoted little study to the art of toxins. That Mu Yingxue had surpassed him was only natural.

Had it been he who faced Yu Qingchan on that platform, relying on the poisons present there, Shen Mu would have needed to invoke the Creation Art from the Great Nurturing Dark Demon Sutra, using it to transmute the nature of the toxins. Though his approach shared the same principle as Mu Yingxue's, his mastery of the sentience inherent in all things fell short of hers, and the time required would have been considerably greater.

He could have defeated Yu Qingchan, but never with Mu Yingxue's ease.

Of course, Shen Mu cultivated both medicine and poison; using medical arts to compensate for deficiencies in poison arts yielded unexpectedly wondrous effects. Were they truly to fight to the death, it was hard to say who would emerge alive.

Mu Yingxue leaped down from the platform, yet her feet never touched the ground—a green vine sprouted of its own accord from the earth, and a great broad leaf caught and held her.

The girl extended her hand to Shen Mu. He took it, and she drew him up onto the leaf.

The green vine beneath their feet grew ever taller, lifting them high. Mu Yingxue waved to the crowd below the platform, her heart brimming with joy and pride: "You see? Even we poison cultivators can find our ideal husband! My little man here—the Dark Demon Cult Leader of the Central Plains—he's really something!"

A cheer erupted below.

A girl laughed loudly: "Poison Master, you went to the Central Plains and found your sweetheart—when will you take us there too?"

Mu Yingxue said excitedly: "Once my little man has finished his business, I'll take you all to the Central Plains to wreck havoc on the Central Plains' men!"

Another girl below called out: "I hear the Central Plains is a place where men are exalted and women are lowly—a truly backward region. Let's go set them straight!"

"Yes! Set them straight!"

Another girl laughed: "The Poison Master finally found her beloved—this calls for celebration!"

Laughter from many girls rang out. Suddenly, from somewhere, a troop of young women burst forth, beating waist drums, their feet keeping time, singing and dancing.

Thunder Mountain City instantly roared to life. Countless young men and women in the streets walked hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, singing the folk songs of the Western Lands.

Those with powers urged their Western Lands abilities into motion, and green vines and poisonous flowers and grasses grew wildly throughout the city. Some men and women who cultivated poison arts wandered among the flora, singing antiphonal mountain songs; others stood atop ever-rising vine leaves, dancing with the young men or girls they favored across the way.

Below, gongs and drums clamored. A clear, bright song pierced the heavens. Shen Mu stood on the vine leaf and looked down, and there he saw a massive green toad with a white belly walking from the end of the street, occupying the entire thoroughfare. A troop of big-eared opossums followed behind the great toad, raising the metallic scales on their bodies, accompanied by many toad spirits, croaking in accompaniment.

The toad spirits shot out their tongues with lightning speed, striking the opossums' scales with a clear, ringing clang.

Many more toad spirits danced and cavorted, beating gongs and drums. Some blew swiftly on short flutes with their four fingers, while several large centipedes twisted their bodies, stamping and tapping on the ground with their many legs.

Every now and then a centipede would kick up at a toad spirit's puffed-out cheek, and the toad spirit would let out a croaking cry.

Atop the green-skinned great toad's head, a young girl of fresh and radiant beauty slowly rose, her black skirt swirling as she sang at the top of her voice: "High on the mountain, oh—a locust tree, oh-wei—hand on the railing, ah—watching for my love, oh-wei. Mother asks her daughter, ah—what are you watching for, oh-wei? I'm watching the locust blossoms, ah—when will they bloom, oh-wei—

... The earth light seems like rain without warmth, stars dot the world's heart. The locust blossoms wake early, the daughter asks her mother, ah—what are you asking, oh-wei. Shy as the locust blossom, ah—hard to speak, oh-wei—" Note ①

Shen Mu listened, entranced. Though the green vine had already risen very high, the magnificent spectacle of the whole city rejoicing still filled his eyes, and that wondrous melody, those soaring songs, still rushed into his ears.

The passion of the Western Lands girls surged like a mighty wave of heat, wrapping him in layer upon layer, pouring into his heart.

The green vine suddenly plunged down with him and Mu Yingxue, threading through street after street. All around were dancing people and strange, bizarre spirits and poisonous creatures. The crowd's flamboyant dance postures, their chaotic steps, their raised palms—all met the palms that he and Mu Yingxue extended.

The music filling all of Thunder Mountain City suddenly became high and stirring, bright and jubilant. He felt as though he had arrived in a mythical kingdom. The massive green vine carried him and the girl beside him through the great streets and small alleys of this western border city, and all that flashed past were celebrating people.

The green vine turned back, spinning their bodies, rising slowly. Girls in the trees stepped on green leaves and hung flower garlands around their necks.

Other girls lay prone on treetops, their slender calves playfully kicking and swaying, watching them rise from below the trees, their chins propped on their hands as they sang heart-stirring love songs. A swarm of flying locusts braced themselves on their two hind legs and beat small gongs beside them in accompaniment.

The green vine stretched toward the city center, leaping over the uproarious street scene, flying over the streets and round-roofed houses, arriving at Mu Yingxue's palace.

In the palace pavilion, a window opened, and the green vine delivered the young man and woman on its leaf into the room.

Shen Mu and Mu Yingxue stood by the window. Below, the jubilant crowd came in a mighty procession to the street beneath them, continuing to sing and dance, waves of song and clamor of gongs and drums.

They were still celebrating Thunder Mountain City's great joy—celebrating that Thunder Mountain City's Poison Master, Mu Yingxue, had finally found her beloved.

"How embarrassing."

Mu Yingxue covered her face and spat: "Carrying on like this, as if I couldn't find a sweetheart on my own—they can't wait to send me off to a walking marriage!"

Shen Mu looked at her. This girl, first in the poison path of the Western Lands, showed not the slightest trace of shyness—instead she was bold and fiery, the small bit of embarrassment in her heart diluted by her blazing passion.

The passion of the Western Lands girls was a little too much for him to handle. This intoxicating morning in Thunder Mountain City left him somewhat enchanted.

His heart was in a whirl, his senses bewitched.

The celebration did not cease until the afternoon. Mu Yingxue still could not hide her excitement, nestling against Shen Mu's shoulder, looking utterly happy.