Ling Yuxiu staggered to her feet, and the Azure Bull shook its head as well, feeling dizzy and groggy. Qin Mu picked up the little fox and stuffed her into the bundle, then grabbed Ling Yuxiu with one hand and the Azure Bull with the other and charged down the mountain.
Ling Yuxiu was still a little dazed. She grinned foolishly at him. "Cowherd, you're still alive…"
Qin Mu paid her no attention. He hurtled down the mountain, pulling Ling Yuxiu and the Azure Bull so fast that their feet barely touched the ground, as if they were floating.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Qin Mu looked toward the wooden boat. The sheep-faced great witch on board had also been knocked out. He had toppled headfirst into the water, his rear sticking up toward the sky while half his body remained on the boat. He was probably already dead, drowned by the Weakwater.
Qin Mu leaped onto the boat, lifted the sheep-faced great witch by both feet, and threw him into the water. He took up the bamboo pole and pushed, but the boat did not move at all.
Qin Mu pushed several more times, but the boat remained completely motionless.
"The Weakwater has no buoyancy!"
Qin Mu suddenly understood. He infused his qi into the bamboo pole, and strange patterns surfaced along it. When he pushed against the Weakwater again, he could actually feel resistance coming from the water.
Qin Mu let out a sigh of relief and poled toward the opposite bank, driving the wooden boat forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. Even so, he still felt it was too slow.
If the Witch Kings and Witch Venerables of the Loulan Golden Palace returned to the mountain, they could probably dispel the Bewildering Incense at once and discover that everyone had merely been knocked unconscious, not poisoned.
If they came after them now, Qin Mu and the others would surely meet a miserable end.
They finally reached the opposite bank. The Azure Bull came to his senses and hurriedly said, "The Master is still in the mountain!"
Qin Mu said, "Don't worry. If we can escape, he can escape even more easily. He's far stronger than we are. If we went back for him, we'd only become a burden. Besides, with the Witch Venerable and Witch King returning to the Golden Palace to investigate, Wine Priest Bashan has a chance to leave."
He leaped ashore and reached out a hand, but Ling Yuxiu and the Azure Bull had already jumped across without needing his help.
That crimson-pearl purple fruit had restored them completely. The crimson-pearl purple fruit was the antidote to the Bewildering Incense. The Bewildering Incense had originally been created by the Herbalist to knock out a flood dragon. That flood dragon had been tremendously powerful, comparable to an expert of the Celestial Realm, yet it had still been knocked unconscious by the Herbalist.
The crimson-pearl purple fruit was the only thing that could counter this drug.
"Azure Bull!"
Qin Mu shouted. The Azure Bull understood at once, immediately crouched down, shook his body, and revealed his true form. He became a huge Azure Bull, majestic and imposing, his hooves treading upon wind and clouds.
Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu jumped onto the bull's back. "Azure Bull, run as fast as you can!"
The Azure Bull's four hooves flew. They never touched the ground, and he charged wildly across the wind and clouds. The gale struck the faces of the two people on his back, making them sting with pain. Behind Qin Mu, Hu Ling'er woke up. She had just poked her head out of the bundle when a fierce wind nearly blew her away. She hurriedly grabbed the bundle, but her body had already been blown halfway out, the strong wind pulling her tail and body straight.
The Azure Bull's hooves rose and fell, always stopping a foot or so above the ground. Wind and clouds surged beneath them each time, supporting his enormous body and carrying him forward at incredible speed.
Qin Mu turned his head back, his hair blown into disarray. His hairstyle was that of a witchcraft practitioner, without a band to tie it up. Only then did he notice Hu Ling'er. The little fox had both paws clamped around the bundle, her body stretched straight by the wind. Qin Mu immediately picked her up so that she would not be swept away.
Ling Yuxiu shouted, "Cowherd, let me hold her. You fix your hair!"
Qin Mu handed Hu Ling'er to her. Ling Yuxiu held Hu Ling'er in her arms, and the little fox felt that her chest was soft and fragrant. Hu Ling'er snorted. She was a little annoyed, but also very comfortable, and could not help wanting to rub against her a couple more times. Her heart was truly conflicted.
Qin Mu took out a hair tie and tied up his hair. When he looked back, he saw that they were getting farther and farther from the Loulan Golden Palace. He could vaguely see streaks of golden light flying from the snow mountain, approaching the Golden Palace at an unhurried pace.
Those streaks of golden light looked slow, but their actual speed was astonishing. In the time it took to draw a breath, they had traveled from the snow mountain to the Loulan Golden Palace.
Then several streaks of golden light shot out from the Loulan Golden Palace and flew toward them.
Qin Mu's heart sank. Those streaks of golden light should be the Witch Kings of the Loulan Golden Palace. They had discovered their trail and were coming after them. The Azure Bull was extremely fast, but his cultivation was still inferior to a Witch King's.
At that moment, a bright light rose and intercepted those streaks of golden light halfway there. Several beams collided in the air, separated, and collided again.
From Qin Mu's distance, the beams did not seem to move very quickly. If someone watched from nearby, however, they would probably be too fast to see clearly.
After those streaks of golden light collided with the white light several times, a ball of light suddenly exploded. Black smoke appeared in the sky and formed a skull. Several streams of black smoke spewed from the skull, and each stream formed another skull. This happened again and again until the sky was filled with a dense mass of skulls.
The skull shapes could still be made out from this distance. Up close, they must have been enormous, as astonishing as mountain peaks.
Then Qin Mu saw a blade slash across the sky, and one of the streaks of golden light suddenly broke apart.
The Azure Bull ran faster and faster. Soon, Qin Mu could no longer see the battle clearly.
After the Azure Bull crossed several mountain foothills and ran over the mountains, the peaks blocked his view, and he could no longer see anything.
The sun sank in the west, and the sky gradually darkened. The Azure Bull had run for half a day and was panting heavily, foam spilling from his mouth. When he spotted a pond in a hollow on the grassland ahead, he hurried over, lowered his head, and drank with loud gulps.
Before long, half the pond's water had disappeared.
In the shallower parts of the pond, the green backs of fish were already visible. Several fish a foot long twisted through the mud, crawling toward deeper water before plunging in with two bubbling splashes.
Seeing how exhausted the bull was, Qin Mu jumped down from his back. "Azure Bull, stop running. Rest for a while."
The Azure Bull had not finished drinking when an elderly voice suddenly called out, "That ox, stop drinking! If you drink any more, you'll empty our village's pond!"
The Azure Bull raised his head. An old herder who had been passing by hurriedly abandoned his flock and ran over, waving his whip to drive the bull away from a distance. When he saw how frighteningly large the Azure Bull was, he did not dare approach and merely flicked his whip from afar. "Shoo! Shoo!"
Qin Mu patted the bull's hoof. In his true form, the Azure Bull was so tall and sturdy that Qin Mu only reached his ankle and could pat nothing but his hoof.
The Azure Bull stopped drinking. Ling Yuxiu quickly jumped down from his back, while Hu Ling'er crawled out of her arms, leaped onto Qin Mu's back, and stood on the bundle.
The old man still did not dare come closer. The Azure Bull twisted his body and gradually shrank, then stood upright. Even so, he was still two or three people tall. He flicked his tail and swatted several horseflies out of the air.
Qin Mu saluted from a distance. "Elder, we're just passing through. It's getting late, so we stopped to rest. The journey has been exhausting, and we were terribly thirsty, so my bull drank a little more than he should have. Please forgive us."
The old man came closer and looked up at the Azure Bull. He could not help exclaiming in admiration, though he was still somewhat nervous. "You've raised your bull well. He's incredibly sturdy. But why is he green?"
Qin Mu smiled. "He's mixed with dragon blood, so he's green."
The old man wanted to touch the bull but did not dare. Summoning his courage, he went over and patted the Azure Bull. The fur felt like satin, while the muscles felt like iron. He praised him. "What solid meat. Our village has a few cows. Can he mate with them?"
The Azure Bull said unhappily, "Elder, I'm not a stud bull. I don't mate. My heart already belongs to someone."
The old man jumped in fright. "A demon?"
Qin Mu hurriedly said, "He's not a demon."
Hu Ling'er poked her head out. "I am a demon."
The old man suddenly understood. Looking at Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu, he laughed. "I see. You two ran away from a wealthy family to elope, didn't you? Only a wealthy family could afford exotic beasts and fox spirits. It's getting late. Why don't you come stay in our village for the night?"
Qin Mu hesitated and looked at Ling Yuxiu. Ling Yuxiu whispered, "The Azure Bull is exhausted. He can't run anymore."
Qin Mu frowned. "If the Loulan Golden Palace catches up, they might bring disaster to the villagers."
Ling Yuxiu said quietly, "The Azure Bull has been traveling on wind and clouds all this way and hasn't left any tracks. It won't be easy for them to find us. How about this? If their village is well hidden, we'll spend the night there. If it stands out too much, we won't stay."
Qin Mu nodded. "Elder, in that case, we'll trouble you for one night. We'll set out early tomorrow morning."
The old man laughed. "You can stay for several days if you like. There aren't many people in our village, only a few old men and old women. We lose one every day. You're strong and sturdy. Help me herd the sheep."
Qin Mu stepped forward. His movement technique was extremely swift, and he quickly gathered the flock. The old man's eyes lit up. He praised Ling Yuxiu, "Young lady, you really know how to choose a man. This young fellow is sturdy and capable."
Ling Yuxiu blushed. "Elder, it's not what you think."
The old man laughed heartily and led them with the flock. They went around a mountain hollow and arrived at a small village in the woods. The village was not large, with only a little over twenty houses, most of them empty. A dozen or so old men and women lived there. The woods were extremely quiet, and the tall, untrimmed trees concealed the little village.
"Why are there so few people here?" Qin Mu asked, finally relaxing but still puzzled.
"The khans are at war every day. One side kills the other, one side conscripts a batch of able-bodied men, and then the other side conscripts another batch. After taking people again and again, there simply aren't many left."
The old man sighed. "Everyone capable has moved away. Only a few of us old folks remain. We can't move, and we don't want to. Where could we go after moving? Fortunately, in recent years they haven't conscripted old bones like us. Old woman, we have guests in the village."
An old grandmother who had been mending clothes hurriedly rose to her feet, trembling as she did so, and beamed. "Guests? I'll go cook!"
Qin Mu hurriedly said, "I'll do it. When I lived in the village, I often cooked."
The old grandmother could not argue with him and had no choice but to watch him cook with the old man. Ling Yuxiu hurried over and invited the two elders to sit down.
"Where are you from?" the old grandmother asked with a kindly smile.
The old man blinked and raised both thumbs in a little kissing gesture. He laughed. "They ran away from a wealthy family. This young couple is eloping."
Ling Yuxiu's face flushed red. She lowered her voice. "That's not it. We're innocent…"
"We've all been through it, so we understand. The girl is just shy."
The old grandmother looked Ling Yuxiu up and down, revealing several sparse teeth as she smiled. "What a fine girl. Strong and healthy, with a full chest and a good bottom. The young fellow is lucky."
The old man added, "The young fellow is fine too. He's strong and sturdy, and honest as well. He doesn't bully people, and he even shows proper respect to an old man like me."
The old grandmother continued, "You two should stay away for a year or two and then go back. Have a child and bring the child home. Your family won't be able to refuse to acknowledge you then."
Ling Yuxiu answered timidly, her heart pounding like a startled deer, unsure how to respond. She thought, "If I had a child with the cowherd and went home, wouldn't my imperial father be furious… No, no, Father wouldn't die of anger, but he would definitely have the cowherd beheaded! May good fortune protect us, may good fortune protect us!"
Before long, the aroma of food filled the air. Ling Yuxiu hurried over to help. By the time they finished eating, the sky had grown completely dark. The village was inhabited only by old men and women. They lit oil lamps and went to bed as soon as night fell. Qin Mu helped the two elders clear away the dishes, and the old man said, "There are many empty houses in the village. Choose one and stay there."
Qin Mu thanked him and entered an empty house. Hu Ling'er helped tidy up and swept three rooms clean. She counted them out. "One room for the Azure Bull, one for the busty fox spirit, and one for me and the young master. Three rooms. Perfect."
Qin Mu suddenly sensed something. He looked up at the sky and saw two large stars coming from the west, moving across the heavens. He immediately said, "Everyone, get inside!"
Ling Yuxiu, the Azure Bull, and Hu Ling'er hurried into the house. Just after they stepped inside, a deep hum rang out, and two thick pillars of light descended, illuminating the little mountain village as brightly as day.