The two clouds drifted in different directions, one to the left and one to the right. In the high sky where these clouds floated, the wind direction was completely different from the movement of the two clouds—perpendicular, in fact.
The only explanation was that the two clouds and that wind belonged to different spaces. Judging from the wind and clouds, there were three overlapping spaces!
Adding to this were Youdu, which remained shrouded in darkness, and Fengdu, which was perpetually gray. If the skies of these two worlds appeared here, they would inevitably be black or gray.
Although Qin Mu couldn't see a black or gray sky, he was certain both worlds were nearby!
In other words, at the source of the Yong River, five worlds might be overlapping!
When night fell and darkness descended, these worlds would appear one after another, taking turns in a lively spectacle!
"When I have time, I must visit the border where the Western Lands meet the Great Ruins. The darkness surges from there—I might discover more secrets."
Qin Mu descended from the sky, his head slightly aching. What exactly triggered the historical reverberation? Which worlds was the source of the Yong River connected to? Where were these connection points?
The Great Ruins held many secrets, and the Yong River seemed to have quite a few as well.
"Some secrets I cannot touch or unravel. Forcing my way through might endanger my life. I should return to the village first."
They traveled downstream along the river. Xiong Xiyu kept studying Qin Mu, and finally couldn't help but ask with curiosity, "Cult Master Qin, are you really someone born and raised in the Great Ruins?"
Qin Mu nodded, puzzled. "Why do you ask?"
Xiong Xiyu said, "How did you survive in such a dangerous place? The Great Ruins are filled with all manner of exotic beasts, strangeness, and peril. At night, darkness invades, monsters run rampant, and other worlds occasionally overlap with the Great Ruins. It's unimaginable that you've survived until now!"
Qin Mu laughed involuntarily. "Palace Mistress Sister, you've misunderstood! The Great Ruins are actually very safe—much safer than the outside world. The real danger lies beyond the Great Ruins. To be honest, the first time I left the Great Ruins and came to Yankang, I stayed at an inn by the river, and trouble struck that very night. The place was called Dijiang County—the entire county perished, and only Ling'er and I escaped. I never encountered anything like that in the Great Ruins."
Xiong Xiyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "That doesn't mean Yankang is more dangerous than the Great Ruins—you just happened to be there at the wrong time."
Qin Mu's expression remained calm. "Since I entered Yankang, I've faced far more assassination attempts and killing tribulations than I ever did in the Great Ruins. In comparison, the Great Ruins are truly safe. The greatest danger I ever faced there was caused by outsiders intruding into the ruins. The Great Ruins are the safest place there is."
Xiong Xiyu was utterly baffled, unable to understand how he could think the Great Ruins were safer than the outside world.
The Dragon Qilin chuckled. "Palace Mistress, you don't know—our Cult Master doesn't dare use his real name when he goes out. If he did, the people coming to kill him would queue all the way from the State of Yankang to the Village of Broken Elders. Those righteous cultivators hate him to the bone."
Qin Mu glared at him and quickly explained to Xiong Xiyu. "Our Heavenly Demon Cult is actually quite upright—please don't misunderstand. By the way, once we reach the village, I should be able to cleanse your poison. What are your plans?"
Xiong Xiyu was at a loss. Return to the True Heaven Palace?
Now she only had her daughter left. Going back to the True Heaven Palace to fight for power and reclaim the position of Palace Mistress—she had neither the confidence nor the desire to risk her daughter Xiong Qi'er's life.
But abandoning her ancestors' legacy left her unwilling to accept.
Qin Mu observed her expression and smiled. "I can cleanse the Entangling Silk Poison from you, but your cultivation won't recover immediately. I'll need to help you recuperate and restore your vitality. If you can't make a decision yet, I have a suggestion—come with me and stay in the State of Yankang for a while. I'm a scholar at the Imperial Academy and can recommend you to teach there."
Xiong Xiyu's beautiful, scissor-sharp eyes looked at him deeply. She unconsciously revealed the bearing of a Holy Land's mistress. "I am, after all, the mistress of the True Heaven Palace. You want me to teach at the Imperial Academy?"
Qin Mu considered for a moment and ventured tentatively. "How about teaching at our Heavenly Demon Cult's school instead?"
Xiong Xiyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, her gaze flickering. "I'll visit the Imperial Academy first."
Five days later, they finally arrived near the Village of Broken Elders. Qin Mu first went to find Hu Ling'er. Several white foxes emerged from her house and spoke in human voices. "Young Master, Big Sister went to the State of Yankang to find you—she's been gone for several months!"
Qin Mu asked for details, and the leading white fox explained. "The Spirit Monster King came to force a marriage. Big Sister beat him up, so the Spirit Monster King called his father. Big Sister couldn't win, so she fled, saying she was going to the State of Yankang to find Young Master."
Qin Mu bade them farewell and led the group toward the Village of Broken Elders. As the village came into view, Qin Mu grew excited and called out loudly, "Village Chief Grandpa, Herbalist Grandpa, I'm back!"
Xiong Xiyu looked toward the small village and saw an old man with a disheveled beard sitting in a reclining chair at the village entrance. He had no legs or arms, his beard was messy, and his hair was unkempt.
A flock of chickens patrolled the village with great majesty.
"Mu'er is back? You've grown taller."
The old man rocked his chair, basking in the sun. He looked at Xiong Xiyu and the two white bats, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "This girl is quite beautiful and very strong in cultivation—a pity she's poisoned. These two white bats are interesting."
The two white bats flipped down from the tree above his head, hanging upside down, curiously studying the Village Chief. "You're very strong too!"
Qin Mu couldn't help but frown. He studied the Village Chief, ran into the village to fetch a pig-slaying knife, found a bolt of white cloth from Grandma Si's room to tuck under the Village Chief's neck, boiled a pot of hot water, and covered his face with a hot towel for a while.
Qin Mu lifted the towel and used the knife to shave off the Village Chief's beard with a rasping sound. "Village Chief, where is everyone? Where is Herbalist Grandpa? He's not in the village? Look—your beard is almost dragging on the ground."
"The Herbalist ran away."
The Village Chief sighed. "Some women came looking for him here. They scared him off and left me behind. Without hands or feet, I can't even crawl back to my room."
Qin Mu was startled. "Village Chief, how long have you been sitting here at the entrance?"
"Almost two months."
Qin Mu was speechless. The old man hadn't moved for two months, staying right at the village entrance, motionless, enduring wind, rain, and the encroachment of darkness!
This was laziness elevated to an art form!
Xiong Xiyu, however, was shocked. Judging by the stone idol layout of this village, at night the light from the four stone idols couldn't possibly reach this spot. Yet this old man had lain at the village entrance for nearly two months without dying in the darkness—was he a god?
Or perhaps the horrors of the darkness simply weren't interested in this old man?
Qin Mu shaved off the Village Chief's beard, washed his face, trimmed his messy white hair, and tidied him up. Then he carried the old man into the house, changed his clothes for a clean set, and washed the old garments.
He carried the old man back outside to the reclining chair, brewed a pot of tea, and asked, "Has Old Ma and the others not returned either?"
The Village Chief replied, "Old Ma came back once. The old Tathagata and the Dao Master came looking for him, saying he was no longer the Tathagata. The old Tathagata cut off one of his own arms, saying he couldn't return it to his children, but he could return an arm."
Qin Mu exclaimed in shock, "The old Tathagata cut off his own arm?"
"Yes. The old Tathagata's arm was snatched away by the chicken-dragons—it's in the chicken coop. Those chicken-dragons can't eat it."
The Village Chief sighed. "Old Ma seemed cold and full of resentment toward heaven and earth, but when the old Tathagata cut off his arm and gave it to him, he was moved. He wept and went to the Great Thunderclap Monastery to take charge. He said he would return when a new Tathagata arrived. I doubt he'll come back—he's waiting for a new Tathagata, but when he sits in the Tathagata's seat, he'll realize he is the Tathagata."
Qin Mu was lost in thought. "I happen to be heading to the Nether Valley. I can stop by the Great Thunderclap Monastery to see him. What about Cripple Grandpa? Isn't he always with Old Ma?"
"The Cripple is inseparable from Old Ma, so naturally he went to the Great Thunderclap Monastery as a guest—said he was afraid Old Ma would be taken advantage of."
The Village Chief looked worried. "I fear that after Old Ma becomes the Tathagata, he'll discover that everything on the mountain is empty."
Qin Mu also didn't see the Butcher, the Blind One, or the Mute. Upon asking again, he learned that the Blind One, the Butcher, the old Dao Master, and the Tathagata had all left together, saying they were going to visit Little Yujing. The Mute had originally stayed in the village, but the day before the Herbalist fled, the Mute suddenly went mad, packed his belongings, and rushed into the darkness—chasing after something unknown and never returning.
Grandma Si also hadn't returned; she was likely still in the State of Yankang suppressing her inner demons and refining her character.
Qin Mu tidied up the village, packing various treasures and potential treasures into two glutton bags. Then he went to the herb garden at the village entrance, pointed his hand, and flying swords shot into the ground around the garden, cutting through the earth below.
Qin Mu raised both hands and made a lifting gesture. The entire herb garden rose into the air, and he stored it in Ban Gongcuo's glutton bag.
Ban Gongcuo's glutton bag was better than his own, with a larger interior space that could accommodate an entire herb plot.
Qin Mu carried the Herbalist's basket on his back and placed the Village Chief inside. The Village Chief angrily said, "What are you doing, brat? Put me down!"
"I can't leave you here."
Qin Mu tightened the basket straps. "If something happened to you, who would know? From now on, wherever I go, you're coming with me, Village Chief Grandpa!"
The Village Chief fell silent, moved in his heart. He smiled and said, "Put me down. Silly child, I'm old and can't wander anymore. Besides, I promised the King of Hell that after death, I would go to his realm of the dead. When I die, a bird god will come to fetch me."
Qin Mu suddenly felt the basket become impossibly heavy, as if he were carrying a mountain. He knew the Village Chief didn't want to leave the Great Ruins. He blinked and said, "Village Chief Grandpa, wouldn't you like to meet the State Preceptor of Yankang? The old Sword God wouldn't want to meet the new Sword God? The State Preceptor of Yankang is hailed as a sage who appears once in five hundred years—he's worth meeting."
The basket on his back immediately grew lighter, and the Village Chief's tone carried a hint of heroism. "A new generation of Sword God? Very well. It would be good to see him before I die. Let's go—we're going to meet the State Preceptor of Yankang!"
————The second update has arrived!