Chapter 474 — A Fatal Flaw

A dull ache throbbed at the Old Mother of True Heaven's temples. Shen Mu had pushed the Black Tortoise Pearl into her hand again — and if the task was merely to find a person, what need was there for the Black Tortoise Pearl?

This was plainly yet another test!

"Is this brat born in the year of the fox?

He has tested me five or six times already, and still he tests me! " The Old Mother of True Heaven returned the Black Tortoise Pearl to Shen Mu, her gaze gentle, and said with a faint smile, "To find a person, such a treasure is hardly needed.

Cult Master Shen, do you have a portrait of the Great Venerable? " Shen Mu was like a blind old man with his eyes wide open, blind to her bewitching, captivating smile; swiftly he drew a portrait of Ban Gongcuo and handed it to her.

The Old Mother of True Heaven was patient. She cast her spirit-summoning art and roused the white clouds in the sky, the rocks, the trees, questioning each in turn, and after a while she found at last where Ban Gongcuo had gone.

"The arts of the Palace of True Heaven are quite something.

Turned to a constable's work, they would make the finest of hands.

" Imperial Preceptor Jingping mused, "Perhaps we might have disciples of the Palace of True Heaven enter Jingping and serve as female head constables.

" The Old Mother of True Heaven said softly, "The Imperial Preceptor's insight is extraordinary.

" Imperial Preceptor Jingping's face was expressionless. "A crude notion.

Not worth mentioning. " All along the road, the Old Mother of True Heaven attended to the food, drink, and daily needs of Shen Mu and Imperial Preceptor Jingping, pouring tea and water for the two of them, washing their clothes, cooking their meals, a smile forever on her face, the very picture of a virtuous and considerate woman.

But Shen Mu and Imperial Preceptor Jingping took it wholly for granted; Shen Mu even made her go feed the Dragon Qilin, waiting upon that great fat brute.

The Old Mother of True Heaven never uttered a word of complaint and remained gentle and attentive as ever, yet in her heart she had no ground to stand on at all. Shen Mu wore an air of innocent artlessness, his mouth sweet as if smeared with honey, calling every woman he met "sister" — and yet he was a wooden post; no matter how she tempted him, he stayed dull and blank, without a spark of interest. Imperial Preceptor Jingping was more formidable still: the man seemed to possess no feelings whatsoever, knowing only how to do things, utterly unmoved by her charms.

As for the Dragon Qilin, that fellow was worse yet, forever fixing its eyes on its own washbasin of a feed bowl, solemnly and seriously counting every spirit pill in the basin — not one missing would do. And when it was not eating, the beast fretted that its hide would never grow back, that the lightning-scorched scales, blackened and riddled with holes, could never be restored; it complained that it was no longer as handsome as before, schemed over how to coax more rations out of them, and waged a war of wits against the Old Mother of True Heaven until her head was near to bursting.

"I swear I will do them in! " Time and again the Old Mother of True Heaven could hardly keep herself from striking, only to find that before Imperial Preceptor Jingping she had no opening whatsoever.

Imperial Preceptor Jingping never revealed the slightest flaw; even at night, the man kept his eyes open and did not sleep. And the Old Mother of True Heaven discovered something even more terrifying: even when he ate, when Imperial Preceptor Jingping picked up food with his chopsticks, he was practicing sword arts — from the moment the chopsticks reached out to the moment they returned to his mouth, this madman had executed several hundred sword moves! More dreadful still, the act of picking up food involved the coordination of every part of his body, the working of muscle and sinew, the shifting of his vital essence; at every moment he stood in the optimal state for striking, so perfect that no flaw could be found in him anywhere. By comparison, Shen Mu was flaws all over; she could have him die in whatever miserable fashion she pleased, without the least extra effort.

But unless Imperial Preceptor Jingping were disposed of, killing Shen Mu first would make her the next to die.

The Old Mother of True Heaven never dared make her move; she could only wait patiently for her chance. "I refuse to believe he can remain perfect and unassailable forever — he is bound to show a flaw!

In this world, not even a god can be without a single flaw!

" Along the road, Shen Mu constantly sought instruction in swordsmanship from Imperial Preceptor Jingping. The Old Mother of True Heaven listened closely, hoping to find some flaw in the Imperial Preceptor's sword arts — only to discover that she could not understand a word of what the two of them discussed. Imperial Preceptor Jingping's attainments in the way of the sword advanced by leaps and bounds, and Shen Mu's mastery of the sword was extraordinary as well.

Each trade has its specialists: the Old Mother of True Heaven's attainments in the way of natural creation were exceedingly high, yet her comprehension of the sword was far beneath theirs. The two often traded blows in midair. Shen Mu attacked the Imperial Preceptor with his sword arts, while Imperial Preceptor Jingping kept one hand ever clasped behind his back and the other on his sword, lightly turning aside every attack.

Shen Mu's offense was ferocious, his sword arts endlessly varied and dazzling to the eye, yet Imperial Preceptor Jingping's swordsmanship was exceedingly simple, using the most basic of sword forms, and still he broke apart Shen Mu's intricate arts with effortless ease. When Shen Mu tired, he would halt and rest, brooding over how to improve his swordsmanship; Imperial Preceptor Jingping offered no instruction, letting him ponder in silence.

The Old Mother of True Heaven could not curb her curiosity.

"The Imperial Preceptor's swordsmanship is divine — why not speak a word to guide him?

" "I cannot guide him. " Imperial Preceptor Jingping shook his head.

"He has already reached the utmost limit of the sword. Whatever he comprehends now must come from himself alone. " The Old Mother of True Heaven was startled.

Even Imperial Preceptor Jingping could not instruct the Shen Mu of today? "Why does the Imperial Preceptor not seal his own divine treasures and duel him at the same realm? " the Old Mother of True Heaven asked, her eyes flickering.

"I dare not. " Imperial Preceptor Jingping answered honestly, "His cultivation is too strong.

At the same realm, the most I could do is rely on the strength of my sword dao to fight him to mutual destruction. His dharma power is so pure and so deep — if I took a single blow from him, that power would blast me dead. " The Old Mother of True Heaven looked at Shen Mu and thought, "So young, and already come to this step — this boy must not be allowed to live!

Otherwise, who would ever bring him to heel? " No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than a sound like the sky collapsing and the earth splitting came from within Shen Mu's body, shaking the white clouds around them apart.

The Old Mother of True Heaven was deeply shaken, disbelief written on her face.

This was the sound of a divine treasure's wall breaking — so violent that it seemed like the wall-breaking of a Heavenly Being's divine treasure!

Hummm, hummm, hummm — light burst forth from all around Shen Mu and became seven stars that wheeled about him: pure yang qi like a blazing sun; pure yin qi like a bright moon; Mars blazing huge as a bushel; Saturn hanging heavy, brimming with the yellow of earth; Venus shining with white radiance; Mercury brimming with surging watery vapor; Jupiter giving off the qi of the Azure Dragon; and thunder rolling on and on.