Chapter 662 — A Show of Might at First Meeting

Shen Mu listened, utterly absorbed, when suddenly his expression shifted. He turned to the Primordial Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, and said, "These children are reciting the history of every era! 'Three parts the Xiao Longhan' — could it mean that in the Longhan era the realm was divided into three? 'Chiming split in two' — might that mean the Chiming era was divided into West Chiming and East Chiming? " The Primordial Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, was likewise shaken.

He said in a low voice, "North and South Shanghuang stand — the Shanghuang era must have suffered some great upheaval, splitting into a Southern Shanghuang era and a Northern Shanghuang era! As for 'Kaihuang one generation passed down'. .

. " His voice grew hoarse. "It must mean that my Kaihuang era had only one generation of Kaihuang. . .

The Divine Son of Chiming must send out a portion of his divinities and demons at intervals to scout the outside world for news. That is how he knows the great events of each era, and he compiles those events into nursery rhymes to teach these children. " Shen Mu nodded.

"Though this Divine Son of Chiming lives in seclusion, from this alone it is clear he is not one content with obscurity. He keeps watch on the outside world — his ambitions are no small matter.

" In the schoolhouse the children were still reciting, heads swaying: ". . . Seven days within the grotto, seven sevens forty.

.

. " They wished to listen longer, but the schoolmaster discovered them. He made the children stop their reading and came out to investigate. Seeing that these few were not three-headed and six-armed, he questioned them briefly, then drove them off. Shen Mu mused, "What does 'seven days within the grotto' mean? " The Primordial Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, said, "Grotto means grotto-heaven. When we came to this Chiming Floating Realm, we did indeed pass through a void opening — such a place should be called a grotto-heaven. I once heard the Celestial Master tell a story. It was said that a woodcutter went up the mountain to gather firewood and heard men playing chess inside a stone house. He went in and found two youths facing each other over the board.

He stood and watched, and when the game was finished and he was about to leave, he found the handle of his axe had rotted away.

The woodcutter hurried down the mountain and found that times had changed — several hundred years had passed in the mortal world. Such a place should be a lesser grotto-heaven. " "The woodcutter watching chess? " Shen Mu laughed.

"That woodcutter — could he be the Celestial Master himself? It suddenly comes back to me: the founding patriarch of the Heavenly Sage Cult heard the sound of woodcutting on the mountain, went to look, and a single glance lasted a hundred years. The woodcutter's story is rather similar. " The Primordial Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, thought carefully.

"The woodcutter in the Celestial Master's story could indeed be himself — I had never considered it so deeply. The Floating Realm is a grotto-heaven world; time here must differ from the outside.

" "Then what of the Land of No Sorrow? Is it also a grotto-heaven world? " Shen Mu asked. The Primordial Ancestor said, "I have never been there.

In those years Kaihuang had the Celestial Artisan Divinities build the Land of No Sorrow, and word never leaked — only later did the divinities learn such a place existed. Since the Land of No Sorrow was built, it should not be a grotto-heaven. " They lodged in the palace estate next door. The servants here, too, were often three-headed and six-armed, and worked swiftly: a cook could stir six woks at once, and when maidservants served a banquet they carried six plates on their palms, and a full table could be prepared in no time.

"If the cultivation arts of the Chiming era were to spread to Jingping, they would surely set Jingping's economy leaping forward once again! " Shen Mu's eyes burned with eagerness.

He said to the Primordial Ancestor, "With three mouths eating at once, they fill their bellies quickly and then have more time to work! Efficiency would rise enormously — one man would equal three of today's men! " The Primordial Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, said with earnest gravity, "You sound exactly like the Celestial Master now. Beware of repeating his mistakes.

The Celestial Master spent too much thought on the people's livelihood and other such matters, and so his cultivation realm never rose high. " Shen Mu laughed. "Rest easy — I certainly will not repeat your mistakes or his. Stay here and do not wander; I will go out and buy some medicinal ingredients, and see whether I can heal your injuries completely!

" "My mistakes and his. . .

" A pain struck the Primordial Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, at the heart, and his bearing turned melancholy again. Just then a divinity came seeking audience.

He bowed and said, "The Divine Son heard that one of the envoys is injured, and commanded me to bring some medicine for wounds. " With that he presented a jade tray, on which stood small jade bottles. "Many thanks.

" Shen Mu accepted the jade bottles, opened one, and sniffed lightly.

At once he knew every ingredient used in the elixir within, and even the method and process of its refining were clear to him. It was indeed an elixir refined from the very ingredients needed to treat the Primordial Ancestor's injuries. "The Divine Son of Chiming did not give us a show of might right away, but instead sent medicine to heal wounds — that is beyond what I expected. " Shen Mu pondered.

"To gain the upper hand in negotiations, the Divine Son of Chiming will certainly press us down — but his magnanimity is truly uncommon. To offer medicine of his own accord, and so precisely suited to the ailment — the Divine Son of Chiming lives up to his name.

No wonder Chixi is so loyal to him. . . " Ling Yuxiu said warily, "This elixir is not poisoned, is it?

" Shen Mu shook his head.

"If it were poisoned, it could not escape me. Even if I gathered the ingredients myself, the elixir I refined would be no better than this. Primordial Ancestor, take it without worry. This man is broad-minded; he will walk the path of kindness and severity together, and will not play dirty tricks in this regard.

" The Primordial Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, trusted him greatly. He took the elixir and swallowed it, and after a moment said in surprise, "It is indeed a sovereign remedy for my ailment!

" Shen Mu sighed. "It is precisely because it is a sovereign remedy that this Divine Son is no easy opponent. If he had pressed us down from the start, that would show small-mindedness, and he would be easier to deal with.

" In the imperial city, a man who appeared young stood at the head of a bridge with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the fish swim below. The fish, too, had three heads and six fins. This man was different from the rest: he was like an ordinary person, with one head and two hands, not three-headed and six-armed like Chixi. His robe was well-fitted, noble yet without excess ornament — a pale blue robe embroidered with a few floral patterns only at the collar.

His eyes were large and extraordinarily bright, and at the center of his brow was a point of golden light, now opening, now closing. The space between his eyebrows was three or four fingers wide, his earlobes longer than most, his face fair and clean, without beard or whiskers.

"That you concluded an alliance with Jingping is not so bad — to have a foothold is better than dwelling long in a grotto-heaven.

" The Divine Son of Chiming said, unhurried, "'When abroad there are no enemy states or external threats, the state will always perish. ' So it is with the Floating Realm.

We came here fifty thousand years ago, and for fifty thousand years we have had no enemies. Our war-gods have become sheep — no fighting spirit, no will to advance.