**Chapter 75: Qin Mu's Estate**
Grandma Si's yuan qi surged. Behind her, the eight-armed, eight-aspected celestial deity materialized—an exact match for Fu Yundi's Eight Aspect Celestial God Technique. Qin Mu scrutinized it carefully and could not detect the slightest difference.
"The Creation chapter of the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra truly lives up to its reputation. A technique capable of creating gods and demons."
The Blind One offered his praise. "Is this the Celestial God Creation Art from the Creation chapter?"
Grandma Si nodded, her voice still that of Fu Yundi. "The Creation chapter of the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra is divided into the Heaven, Earth, Man, God, Ghost, Demon, and Spirit sub-sections. This particular art is the Celestial God Creation Art—it excels at mimicking other techniques."
The Blind One fell silent for a moment. "There is something I ought not bring up, but Mu'er is already fourteen and must be told. Mu'er has been named Junior Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Cult. One day he will surely leave the Great Ruins. When will you impart the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra to him?"
Qin Mu felt a stir of puzzlement as well. Over the past two years, Grandma Si had never once mentioned teaching him the Sutra—not even a word.
Grandma Si sighed. "If he practices it now, I fear it will distort his consciousness. This technique carries far too heavy a demonic nature."
The Blind One nodded. As the sacred scripture of the Heavenly Demon Cult—a technique capable of creating gods and demons—the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra naturally brimmed with demonic weight. Even a mature adult could be seduced by the bizarre demonic arts recorded within and led astray.
Consider, for example, that demonic-cult night watchman who practiced the Unfettered Innate Art. He had fundamentally misunderstood its cultivation method, resorting to raising exotic serpents to devour the innate qi of newborns—and was ultimately slain by Grandma Si and the Blind One.
"If one can penetrate the Sutra completely, practicing this sacred scripture is no different from any orthodox art—there is no need for evil. But even a slight deviation in comprehension leads one astray. The troubling part is that it still works."
Grandma Si was clearly troubled. "Moreover, it is powerful and deeply strange—but it leaves enormous vulnerabilities. Its only advantage is the speed of cultivation. That is why the Heavenly Demon Cult earned its name. In truth, it was originally called the Heavenly Saint Cult, said to have been founded by a saint descended from the heavens who wished to civilize all beings. But over time, many practitioners took the techniques in twisted directions, the arts growing increasingly sinister and demonic—hence the name 'Heavenly Demon.' Mu'er is sharp-witted by nature, but handing him the Sutra without preparation... I worry he would misinterpret its meaning."
She rose into the air and headed toward Xianglong City, her voice drifting back: "I'll go ahead to make arrangements in the city, awaiting the vanguard of Yankang's army. Settle in when you arrive!"
Before long, Qin Mu and the Blind One returned to Xianglong City. The city by day lacked the revelry of the night before, yet many villagers from outlying areas still lingered.
They returned to the same inn. The innkeeper was a member of the Heavenly Demon Cult and had already prepared their rooms.
The Blind One was excited. "Mu'er, today I'll take you to the gambling den to see the world. The two of us will win big and fill our pockets!"
Qin Mu recalled how the Blind One had been carried out of the gambling den the night before and tossed into the street. He shook his head. "I'm not going."
The Blind One fidgeted. "Then give me a few dragon coins..."
Qin Mu produced the money pouch. The Blind One plunged his great hand inside, grabbed a fistful, and strode out with his bamboo cane, positively beaming. Qin Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry—the Blind One loved to gamble but stubbornly refused to use his abilities, relying on pure luck alone.
Qin Mu had learned to read dice and tiles by listening to the wind from the Blind One since childhood. With just a single sound, he could identify any throw. If Qin Mu could manage it, how much more could the Blind One?
Add to that the Blind One's Mind's Eye, and victory was guaranteed every time. Yet he refused to use any of it, gambling on luck alone—and lost every time.
Qin Mu went downstairs. The innkeeper approached with an obsequious smile. "Is the Young Master heading out? Shall I arrange an escort?"
Qin Mu shook his head. "There are too many ears in this inn. Don't call me 'Young Cult Master.' Just 'Young Master' will do."
"Yes, Young Master."
Qin Mu considered, then asked, "Who owns the gambling den next door?"
The innkeeper beamed. "That would also be the Young Master's property. Would the Young Master like to inspect his holdings? I'll summon the den master to attend to you at once..."
"My property?"
Qin Mu started in surprise, taken aback. He shook his head. "No need. How much of Xianglong City do I actually own?"
The innkeeper calculated for a moment. "The vegetable market, the gambling den, the inns, the restaurants, the pleasure houses, the antique shops, the apothecaries, the blacksmiths, the armories... Young Master, the majority of Xianglong City belongs to you. The city's inner forces are largely your own. Every gambling den, every pleasure house, the vegetable vendors, the butchers, the tea masters in the inns, the warrior blacksmiths, the apothecary clerks, the armory owners—at a single word from you, they would march through fire and water without hesitation!"
"No wonder so many people helped me last night, cutting down those who pursued me."
Qin Mu stood stunned, his mind reeling. After a long moment, he spoke slowly. "Tell the gambling den—don't always let the blind old gentleman lose. Let him win a few rounds. But not every round—win some, lose some, as long as he's happy."
"Understood."
The innkeeper withdrew. Before long, he returned with a middle-aged man dressed in ornate silk and fur, jade rings glittering on every finger. The man bowed to Qin Mu. "This is the den master—our Cult's Hall Master Han."
Hall Master Han wore a troubled expression. "Young Master, it isn't that I don't want the Blind One to win. The trouble is that he cheats—in front of everyone, no less, and rather crudely. If he weren't so brazen about it, we could overlook a few tricks."
Qin Mu frowned. "How does he cheat?"
Hall Master Han replied, "When playing tiles, if the Blind One draws a bad hand, he points out the window and declares there's a divine bird outside. Then, right under everyone's noses, he brazenly swaps his tiles. To make matters worse, our tiles are black, and the ones he pulls from his pocket are green. I beg the Young Master's pardon for this unmanageable task."
Qin Mu stifled a laugh. After a pause, he said, "Let him win a few rounds. If he gets caught cheating, go easy on him."
"Understood."
Hall Master Han turned and left. Qin Mu gathered his thoughts. The majority of Xianglong City was his property? His forces?
When had he become one of the wealthiest men under heaven?
"The title of Junior Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Cult is quite something. By comparison, the thousand dragon coins I won last night are nothing at all."
A strange feeling settled over him. Was Xianglong City truly ruled by Fu Yundi—or by himself?
And if Grandma Si had slain Fu Yundi and now wore his skin, didn't that mean the entire city was his?
The thought was so absurd he shook his head and stepped out of the inn. Yesterday he had only visited the ancient temple near the City Lord's Manor. Today, he wanted to examine Xianglong City's dragon pillars.
The city was enormous. That these dragon pillars could hold back the darkness and protect this territory was surely remarkable.
Qin Mu opened his Shenxiao Heavenly Eye and studied the dragon pillars before him in detail, marveling at what he saw. Carved upon the pillars were dragon gods—vast, nearly as colossal as the Dragon King's remains he had seen in the Dragon Palace of the Yong River.
These dragon gods coiled around stone pillars more than thirty zhang in diameter, sculpted with lifelike precision. The pillars stood one hundred and sixty to one hundred and seventy zhang tall—giving some sense of the dragons' immense scale.
Qin Mu gazed upward. The dragon gods upon the pillars seemed almost alive—simultaneously savage and fearsome, yet possessed of a profound sacred grandeur.
"In the geographical map of the Great Ruins, this city was not called Xianglong City but the Celestial Dragon Star Palace. This is the work of gods. If I can study the flow of these carvings, it will greatly benefit my art of calligraphy and painting—I might even unravel the techniques of the gods themselves!"
Qin Mu set to work with fervor, examining the structural patterns of the dragon pillars one section at a time. Though the divine carver had not intentionally embedded their techniques into the carvings, the very flow of the strokes carried the imprint of their power and artistry. To ordinary eyes, the pillars were mere relief sculptures—but Qin Mu, who had studied calligraphy and painting under the Deaf One, understood the principles at work.
"According to the Great Ruins' geographical map, the Star Sea lies beside the Celestial Dragon Star Palace, less than two hundred li from here. Judging from the name, this should be a dwelling of dragon-kind. Given the scale of this place, could it have been a dragon race settlement? The darkness came, and even the dragons fell to ruin."
As he pondered, a voice of surprise suddenly called down from above: "Ox-herder, you're still in Xianglong City?"
The voice sounded familiar. Qin Mu looked up and saw a small head peeking from the dragon pillar—the same girl who had led him into the City Lord's Manor for free food and drink.
Ling Yuxiu waved at him. "Can you come up?"
Qin Mu studied the height and hesitated. The pillar was too tall. There was no wind to ride, no leverage to be gained. The only way up was to run straight up the column.
He could run up a cliff face, but cliffs were typically thirty or fifty zhang tall. Running vertically up a pillar of one hundred and sixty zhang—he had never attempted anything like it.
Qin Mu took a dozen steps back, then poured all his strength into his legs and sprinted toward the pillar. In a few strides, his speed reached its apex—a blur of motion—and he launched himself up the column. His feet struck the pillar's surface, his body nearly parallel to the ground, and he blazed upward!
His speed was extraordinary. His momentum, even more so. He burst upward past a hundred zhang in a single surge, charging toward the pillar's summit.
"Oh no—I can't make it..."
Qin Mu felt his momentum reaching its limit. His speed began to wane, yet the top of the pillar was still three to five zhang above.
He pushed upward another three zhang before his strength finally gave out and he began to fall. In that moment, a silk ribbon descended from the pillar, caught his wrist, and with a light flick, tossed him upward.
Qin Mu twisted in mid-air and landed on top of the dragon pillar. He looked around to find a vast, flat stone platform. Its southern face was carved into a dragon's head, and one could climb from the platform onto the head itself.
Ling Yuxiu stepped forward and untied the ribbon from his wrist. "You actually ran all the way up. Didn't you know there's a staircase inside the pillar? You could have taken that."
Qin Mu eyed her ribbon. "That ribbon is remarkably fine material."
"Naturally."
Ling Yuxiu could not help but show a hint of pride. "It's woven from Heavenly Fragrance Silk—tribute fabric offered to the Emperor. Naturally it's exquisite. Smell it—see? It's naturally fragrant, and the scent never fades."
Qin Mu leaned in and sniffed. There was indeed a delicate fragrance. He smiled. "I have a handkerchief woven from Heavenly Fragrance Silk too—equally fragrant." He reached into his robes and pulled out his "handkerchief."