Chapter 473 — The Holy Mother of True Heaven

Shen Mu gave the Dark Warrior Pearl to Xiong Qi'er. The two of them paid no attention to the edict; they were playing a game of knocking the pearls together, flicking the two treasures back and forth, and Xiong Qi'er giggled without pause.

The Old Mother of True Heaven burned with rage. She simply turned her head away — out of sight, out of mind.

Suddenly Shen Mu pressed the Dark-Azure Water Dragon Pearl into her hand and said with a smile, "Sister Siyu, play with Qi'er for a while."

The Old Mother of True Heaven clutched the Dark-Azure Water Dragon Pearl, her mind a blank. She stared dazedly at the smiling Shen Mu.

She truly could not fathom what this youth was thinking!

"The Dark-Azure Water Dragon Pearl is in my hand. It can unleash its greatest power. If I strike now, everyone in the Palace of True Heaven will be frozen by me — turned to wood!"

Her eyes flickered. She was about to act when she suddenly noticed that the robes of Imperial Preceptor Jingping, who was reading the edict, stirred though there was no wind. Her heart went cold.

"This boy and Imperial Preceptor Jingping are both old foxes. They are still testing me!"

The Old Mother of True Heaven felt a chill of dread. She squatted down meekly and played knock-the-pearls with Xiong Qi'er using the Dark-Azure Water Dragon Pearl.

Over there, Imperial Preceptor Jingping finished reading out Emperor Yanfeng's will. Shen Mu asked for the Dark-Azure Water Dragon Pearl back and pressed it into Xiong Qi'er's hand. Xiong Xiyu led the crowd in accepting the edict, then called Xiong Qi'er over. Holding the two spirit pearls in her hands, she bowed low and said, "I am willing to present these two spirit treasures to His Majesty, and never to betray him."

He Yiyi, Mu Yingxue and the others changed expression slightly. Xiong Xiyu knew well that she could not rule the Western Lands, and the other two spirit pearls had been taken from her; so she simply offered these two to Emperor Yanfeng, as a means of holding the great clans of the Western Lands in check!

Imperial Preceptor Jingping accepted the Dark Warrior Pearl and said, "The mistress of the palace also needs a treasure to guard the Western Lands. The Dark-Azure Water Dragon Pearl — let the mistress keep it."

Xiong Xiyu thanked him and drew Xiong Qi'er to her feet.

When the ceremony was over, Imperial Preceptor Jingping urged Shen Mu to set out as soon as possible. "You leave a trail of romances behind you wherever you go — you cannot sweep them up, you cannot hide them. Take care you do not end up like the Jade-Faced Poison King, ruined in reputation and forced to cut off his own face and flee. Settle things quickly, and we will go find the Great Venerable."

"I am not a philanderer..."

Shen Mu steeled himself and took his leave of the women. He Yiyi's eyes were full of feeling. She said softly, "Will the Cult Master truly not stay a few more days? Some matters are still unfinished."

Mu Yingxue was far more forthright. She laughed. "Go on, little man. One day I will climb through your window in the Central Lands!"

Xiong Xiyu and Xiong Qi'er bade him a reluctant farewell. "Had we not met the Cult Master, my daughter and I would long since have perished, our bones buried no one knows where. The Cult Master has shown the Xiong family a kindness beyond measure. From now on, whatever you command, the Palace of True Heaven will obey."

Shen Mu smiled. "You need not keep it in your heart. I only did what I knew to be right, without going against my own conscience. Naikui, Qi'er — farewell." With that, he turned and left.

Xiong Xiyu's heart was a tangle of feelings. She watched him walk out of the Palace of True Heaven, and suddenly called out loudly, "Man of honor!"

Shen Mu was startled. He turned his head, smiled, and waved.

The word "man of honor" was not why he had saved the mother and daughter; he had simply been unable to bear the thought of Xiong Qi'er dying at the hands of the Palace of True Heaven. And yet, now, he deserved the name.

Shen Mu leaped onto the back of the dragon qilin and pulled the Old Mother of True Heaven up after him. He said to Imperial Preceptor Jingping, "Imperial Preceptor, the Western Lands are an enchanting world. How will the Emperor treat them?"

Imperial Preceptor Jingping walked through the air as though strolling in a courtyard, his face calm. "However the Emperor treats you, so will he treat the Western Lands. He has that breadth of mind and spirit. This time, when I made clear to the Emperor that I meant to conquer the Western Lands, the reason I did not bring the armies of Jingping was that I feared the soldiers of Jingping would destroy the peace of this place. The women here are too beautiful; I did not want rape and plunder to happen amid a marching army. So I told the Emperor: I will not bring a million troops. I will recommend one man who can match a million. That man..."

He turned his head to look at Shen Mu and smiled. "Is you. In all the world, only Cult Master Shen could single-handedly pacify the Western Lands."

Shen Mu was briefly taken aback, then laughed aloud. "Imperial Preceptor Jingping, you flatter me! Sister Siyu, do you not agree?"

The Old Mother of True Heaven smiled, but said nothing.

Shen Mu pressed the Dark Warrior Pearl into her hand and said with a smile, "Sister Siyu, you work the spell. Let us find that Ban Gongcuo as quickly as we can."

The Old Mother of True Heaven gripped the Dark Warrior Pearl and glanced at Imperial Preceptor Jingping. The middle-aged man had one hand clasped behind his back, the fingers of the other forming a sword sign.