Chapter 711 — Punished in Another's Stead

Shen Mu said, "What difference is there between having one and never acting on it, and not having one at all? I know Lord Tu's difficulty: the Heavenly Court is too powerful; you dare not act, you cannot act. Since Lord Tu is unwilling to raise his own hand, why block another from raising his?"

Lord Tu's face was utterly calm, betraying no change of expression whatsoever. "Then what do you mean?"

"An evil man must be ground down by an evil man. I am such an evil man, and so is Tian Shu. In the world today there are few who dare fight the Yin Son of Heaven to the death; Tian Shu is one of them."

Shen Mu said, "Would it not be better for Lord Tu to let Tian Shu go and have him fight the Yin Son of Heaven to the death? It is true that your horn was cut by Tian Shu, but there was cause: he acted on Kai Huang's orders. Kai Huang is not here, so I will bear it for him. Charge this ill name to my account, Lord Tu, as much as you like! I only ask that Lord Tu spare him and let him go fight the Yin Son of Heaven, while Lord Tu plays the fisherman."

Lord Tu's three eyes stayed fixed on him, never shifting.

Tian Shu and the others were uneasy. Shen Mu did not know how powerful Lord Tu was; Tian Shu knew it perfectly well.

In Kai Huang's time, Lord Tu had enfeoffed him as the Heaven King of the Nether Capital, and his powers were transcendent — but set against Lord Tu, he was a grain of rice beside the blazing sun.

He felt an instinctive dread of Lord Tu.

Yet Shen Mu faced Lord Tu calm and unruffled, talking on and on, even berating him, and after berating him, bargaining with him. To Tian Shu, this was sheer suicide!

Just then Lord Tu's voice came: "Very well. For your sake, let him go."

The weight on Tian Shu lifted; the whip loosened and let him drop to the ground, landing him in a heap.

Tian Shu's mind went blank. He shook his head, as if he had not heard Lord Tu's words clearly.

Lord Tu had actually agreed, actually consented to Shen Mu's terms, and even said the words "for your sake."

This was something that absolutely could not happen!

Shen Mu bowed in thanks. "Thank you, Lord Tu, for granting this."

"When people of the world do evil, I record it justly and impartially, whether the one before me is a commoner or a Heaven King, a Heaven Emperor."

Lord Tu said unhurriedly, "Everyone has a little notebook of his own; some are merely thinner and some thicker. You stole my power to revive Lady Tianyin. I do not blame you for it — on the contrary, I am glad. Creatures grieve for their own kind; Lady Tianyin's death left me unwilling too. But I am, after all, lord of Youdu. Sometimes there are things I cannot do and only others can do; sometimes there are words I cannot say and only others can say. You did them, you said them — yet for the sake of justice, though I admire you, I must still record it and proceed by the laws of Youdu. Do you understand?"

Shen Mu bowed. "I understand."

Lord Tu nodded. "You may leave now."

Shen Mu hesitated. "Lord Tu, I would like to see my mother. I have never seen her..."

"She is taking your punishment in your stead."

Lord Tu's face was impassive. "In the months after your birth you committed a grave offense in Youdu. She sent you away then to save your life, and to protect you, to keep the great powers of Youdu from hunting you down, she took your fault upon herself. If you wish to see her, I can make an exception. But the disciples of the Nether Capital have already begun their work; the souls of the living in Jingping are being ferried across to Youdu. Are you certain you wish to see her?"

Shen Mu stood as if struck by lightning, wooden, then suddenly turned. "Tian Shu, Brother Qi — we are going back to Jingping!"

Lord Tu watched him walk out of the hall, and saw the youth secretly wipe at his eyes, quietly brushing away tears.

"He will be a good boy," Lord Tu said mildly.

The old bailiff bowed. "Of course he will be a good boy. I will see them off."

On the paper boat, Shen Mu looked back at Lord Tu, who seemed so cold and dark — yet there lived countless dead, in a clamor beyond measure, and there too were his kin. Perhaps his father was there as well, piloting a boat through the darkness, searching for traces of his mother.

And yet, though he plainly had the chance to go and see them, he could not meet them.

"I will come back. When the turmoil in Jingping is put down, I will come back and see you."

A gentle smile touched Shen Mu's lips, and he said silently in his heart, "I do not remember what I did in the first months after my birth; it must have been my brother's doing, and what he did is what I did. But it made Mother take the punishment for me, and I cannot bear it. Mother, I will come back for you. I will not let you suffer in Youdu in my place..."