Chapter 851 — Rustic Rabble Harbor Treasonous Designs

The blind old man raised his head and laughed. "Brother, you just said you found a sword mark on the walls of the Daoist sect, one that differs from their sword technique — isn't that tipping people off? I don't know what you're investigating, but by telling others what you mean to look into, if Shen'er is the killer, he'll surely change his sword technique. " Qu He's gaze settled on him, and he said unhurriedly, "How do you know I didn't say it on purpose for him to hear?

" The blind old man was briefly taken aback.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Qu He smiled.

"If he has any connection to this case, then when he employs his sword technique he'll deliberately conceal his true style. Whether he conceals it or not, I'll know at a glance. And even if he does conceal it, in the fine grain that composes the technique, in the tiny runes formed by his vital essence, he'll leave traces. " A chill ran through Shen Mu's heart.

Qu He continued, "If he's involved in this case, the moment he unleashes a sword move, it cannot escape my eyes.

If he's not involved, then he has nothing to hide. In the Heavenly Court's Divine Constabulary, I am renowned as the Holy Pupil — petty tricks are no use against me. " The blind old man said with a smile, "What a coincidence — I'm a Holy Pupil too.

Those who know me call me the Blind Old Man, though I'm no constable. I once knew a great monk who was a constable before.

" "A Holy Pupil of the lower realm, called the Blind Old Man?

" Qu He could not help laughing, and chuckled, "The people of the lower realm are truly amusing. If the fastest runner among you were called the Crippled Old Man, wouldn't that be something?

" The blind old man clapped his hands in admiration and laughed heartily. "When you said earlier that you were a divine constable of the Heavenly Court, I didn't believe it — but you do have some powers after all! That's right, the fastest runner in Jingping is indeed the Crippled Old Man. Not only that, in a backwater like ours, the one with the best butcher's knife-work is called Heaven Blade, and the prettiest is called Old Dame Si. The best blacksmith is the Silent Craftsman, who is also the loudest curser. The best painter is the Deaf Old Man; the most handsome man is the Faceless Alchemist; but the best swordsman of all is our village head, who originally had no limbs, having been whittled down to a stick. " Qu He laughed heartily.

"Truly a pack of eccentrics. The people of the lower realm are quite amusing — you gods of the lower realm don't seem like lofty deities at all, but more like jesters putting on a show.

" The blind old man sighed. "Indeed. We bumpkins of the lower realm cannot compare to the lords of the Heavenly Court, so we can only pass the days with tricks, selling our skills for a bit of coin.

To be honest, I often read fortunes for people, parading through the streets with a banner on my shoulder — they all say my readings are accurate. " Qu He admired him sincerely. "Remarkable people often harbor remarkable ambitions. With all your abilities, you are content to be ordinary — were it me, I would have no such forbearance.

With my powers, I would certainly rebel; I would certainly set myself up as king of some mountain; I would certainly burn, kill, and plunder; I would certainly make myself a local emperor. " The blind old man beamed. "We wouldn't dare! We are all law-abiding subjects; we would never dare rebel. We folk only occasionally kill a few of the blind fools who come down from the Heavenly Court — say, we take a swipe at the High Heavens, at the ones in Youdu called Lu Li and Xuan Ming, at the Yin Son of Heaven, and the like.

Lord Divine Constable, rebellion we would never dare; only robbing you lords can we scrape a living.

" Qu He's face was wreathed in smiles as he clapped his hands in praise. "Excellent! Truly excellent!

" The blind old man beamed.

"Always excellent.

As the poem goes: 'Since ancient times the unruly folk have brimmed with strange ambitions, daring to call the Heavenly Emperor no true man! ' To the lords of the Heavenly Court, aren't we exactly the unruly folk of these barren hills and wicked waters?

" Shen Mu praised sincerely, "Blind Grandpa, your cultivation has risen again — that poem is of the highest order! " The blind old man looked smug.

Qu He laughed heartily.

"Even treason you can dress up in so many flourishes — no wonder His Majesty says the lower realm is forever full of unruly folk plotting his downfall. " The blind old man smiled. "You always meet people with a smiling face — it gives one the sense of a smiling tiger.

Lord Divine Constable of the Heavenly Court, we have a road to travel — will you permit us to pass? " Qu He said with a smile, "Naturally I permit it.

Go on through, but do not disturb the scene. " The dragon qilin and the water qilin advanced cautiously, while the tower ship still floated overhead.

Qu He stood at the prow, hands still clasped behind his back, his gaze deep and quiet, watching them draw nearer one by one.

Yuchenzi stood beside him and suddenly felt a chill of dread — behind Qu He, a thousand-zhang primal spirit had silently emerged!

The thousand-zhang primal spirit's arms unfurled one by one like stamens, and in each palm a great Holy Pupil slowly opened.

And below the ship, the blind old man and his companions seemed utterly unaware, continuing their unhurried journey.

Cold sweat broke out on Yuchenzi's brow; in his alarm his heart pounded wildly. Qu He glanced at him, half-smiling.

Atop the dragon qilin's head, the blind old man looked perfectly at ease, humming a little tune, yet his eyes were slowly closing. At his waist, a black dragon-bone belt suddenly began to unfurl — the belt was a black dragon's spine, its sharp claws hidden within its body, now slowly extending, the claws hooking into the air.

The Longtuo Divine Spear gradually awoke, circling the blind old man's waist, its joints shifting with a faint clattering rattle. Shen Mu retreated two steps and warily scanned his surroundings. He saw several youths on the tower ship leap up and drop toward the ground below — yet they did not land, but stood in midair, holding shields, chains, waist-sabers, and the like.

And the wolf-headed, human-bodied Sky-Howling God Race, who had been racing like lightning through the wild hills, suddenly fell still, every one of them turning their heads to look this way. Shen Mu's eye twitched.

He reached out and seized the sword pellet, gripping it hard; the pellet swelled in the wind and became a divine sword. Shen Mu crossed his hands, and the divine sword split in two.

The youths shook their chains, and rays of light burst from them. The chains linked and wove together in midair, forming ring after ring of chain that flowed ceaselessly through the air.

Shen Mu narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Fatty Water, guard your master.

Fatty Dragon, stay on your guard.

" At last, they walked into the shadow beneath the ship.

At the prow, Qu He's smile deepened.

Suddenly, the thousand arms of his thousand-zhang primal spirit spread their fingers and reached down from the deck, under the ship! In that instant, Shen Mu and the others saw a thousand great eyeballs appear in the shadow of the great ship. Within each eyeball countless formations swirled; in a flash the lights wove and crossed, forming all manner of bizarre formations that came surging from every direction!

In a single instant the formations changed countless times, and their terrible power erupted, shredding the space beneath the ship!

The coursing pillars of light were blinding; Shen Mu hastily shut his eyes, and only then understood why the blind old man had closed his eyes at the very first moment. Just then a dragon's roar rang out, and Shen Mu felt the blind old man vanish from his side.