Chapter 387 — The Art of Stealing Fortune

Shen Mu rose from the river. A huge flood dragon swam past him and plunged down into the water — it was the Flood Dragon King God. Shen Mu paused to look, and saw that a bamboo staff was lodged in the sapphire-blue dragon's brow, blood bubbling out around it in gurgling spurts.

"The Blind Grandpa's bamboo staff!"

Shen Mu climbed out of the water and started toward the bank, while the Dragon Qilin came cautiously over with more than a dozen flood dragons, bearing Ling Yuxiu, Xue Hu'er, and Si Yunxiang on its back. The Blind Elder's battle with the Flood Dragon King God must have only just ended; they had kept clear of its aftershocks, and that was why they had been slower.

Xue Hu'er had finally woken from her drunken stupor and was gazing about in curiosity, astonished past measure, with no idea how she had come here from the wedding feast in that little town.

Shen Mu looked around and caught sight of the Blind Elder.

The old man was in a wretched state now, mud everywhere on his body, his clothes in tatters, wounds covering him from head to foot. Plainly, the fight against the Flood Dragon King God had been a bitter one.

The Flood Dragon King God was exceedingly strong — a flood dragon that had attained godhood, after all, its divine powers vast, and a water-attribute dragon besides. The Blind Elder had fought with all his strength and given the creature no easy time of it, but he had taken wounds of his own.

The Dragon Qilin flew down and landed, and Xue Hu'er leaped from its back. Still in her little fox form, she came bounding and skipping onto Shen Mu's shoulder — only then did she notice the black flood dragon on his other shoulder, and every hair on her body stood on end with fright, her several tails going stiff as rods.

— Once drunk, she would revert to her true form; just now she had forgotten to change back into human shape.

"Don't be afraid, Ling'er. This is the black flood dragon I just took in — it's done great service."

Shen Mu soothed the little fox, cast a glance at the Blind Elder, blinked his eyes, and said with a smile, "Sister Yuxiu, Holy Maiden Yunxiang, I'll show you something big."

The two women were most curious and asked, "What big thing?"

Shen Mu stood at the river's edge and called out at the top of his voice, "River-Subduing Dragon King, aren't you coming out?"

The river's surface broke at once into raging waves that reached the sky, and the giant dragon Lord Dragon-Rearer had transformed into lifted its head from the water, towering like a mountain, its long dragon whiskers hanging down, crystalline and translucent, drifting on the wind.

Those whiskers were over a hundred zhang long, and very beautiful.

Lord Dragon-Rearer lowered its head and said, "What are your orders, my lord?"

The two women stared, dumbstruck, and even the Blind Elder was shaken beyond words.

Shen Mu was bursting with smugness. He glanced about him, and finding every face most gratifying, put his hands on his hips and said with a laugh, "Nothing much. I just wanted you to come out and meet everyone."

Lord Dragon-Rearer's expression was stern; it barely restrained the urge to slap this little runt dead. Just as it was about to sink back into the water, Shen Mu said hastily, "Don't go down yet. You promised me just now that you would teach me how to gather dragon veins and how to summon the power of the True Dragon Lord."

Lord Dragon-Rearer stopped at once and did not sink into the water.

Shen Mu said smugly again, "Blind Grandpa, how about that?"

"That's out of this world," said the Blind Elder, his face wreathed in smiles.

Shen Mu's eyes flickered. He quietly drew out the golden flute, and at once roused the Dragon-Riding Art; a host of flood dragons came flying in and coiled themselves around the Blind Elder!

These flood dragons were exceedingly powerful; once they bound the Blind Elder fast, he would have absolutely no way to break free!

At that very moment, the Blind Elder flicked his fingers. Shen Mu gave a stifled grunt as the three great divine repositories within him all shut, sealed once more by the Blind Elder. The flute music broke off at once, and the flood dragons, one after another, looked about in bewilderment and did not attack the Blind Elder.

"You're a wonder, Mu'er."

The Blind Elder flicked his fingers again, and the golden rope flew out, binding Shen Mu's hands and feet fast. He sighed and said, "Each generation brings forth its talents; the young waves die on the beach. But old ginger is still the spicier. You struck a step too slow — you thought you would control the flood dragons and tie me up? It isn't that easy."

Shen Mu flopped to the ground, his face black as charcoal. He had just been about to order Lord Dragon-Rearer to seize the Blind Elder when the old man stuffed a cloth gag into his mouth, leaving him unable to speak.

"The wedding still has to happen, and the babies still have to be born!"

The Blind Elder hauled him up and said to Lord Dragon-Rearer, "Carry us down the river to the Desolate Ruins, back to the village to finish the wedding! There are still two ceremonies to go. Do it well, and I'll invite you to the wedding feast."

Lord Dragon-Rearer hesitated and looked at Shen Mu, who was making muffled noises through the gag, still wanting to struggle. After a moment, Shen Mu nodded in defeat.

Lord Dragon-Rearer felt a quiet satisfaction. "So this simple, honest-looking lad, devious and cunning as he is, has a day of losing out after all. Serves him right—"

It crouched down, revealing its long back like a narrow island in the water, and called, "Climb onto my back!"

The Blind Elder carried Shen Mu onto the dragon's back, and the Dragon Qilin hurried after them, while a crowd of flood dragons jostled over and piled up in a heap.

"These are all flood dragons I raised myself, and every last one of them is an ingrate..."

Lord Dragon-Rearer felt another pang of heartache, but matters had come to this and could not be undone. If it could do it all over again, it would have struck to kill the very first time it met Shen Mu, and slapped this simple, guileless virgin boy dead with one blow.

On the dragon's back, Shen Mu seemed to have accepted his fate; he neither struggled nor tried to make Lord Dragon-Rearer strike. The Blind Elder pulled the gag from his mouth and said, "Let this Eel Lord teach you."

Shen Mu held out his hands, and the Blind Elder untied the golden rope from them, though the rope around his legs still bound him.

Shen Mu's gaze flickered. "Why must you be so careful, Blind Grandpa? To learn from Lord Dragon-Rearer how to gather dragon veins and summon the power of the True Dragon Lord, I'll have to use my magic power. And these flood dragons are hungry besides — I still need to refine spirit pills to feed them. If you unseal me, do you really think I could run? And even if I tried, could I ever escape the palm of Blind Grandpa's hand? Sealing me is no more than a flick of your fingers."

The Blind Elder raised his eyebrows and reached out to tap the point between Shen Mu's brows. Shen Mu rejoiced inwardly. With a boom, his Prime Womb repository opened — but the Five Luminaries and Six Universes repositories remained sealed.

"The vital essence of the Prime Womb repository is enough for you to learn it," the Blind Elder said with perfect composure.

Shen Mu marveled and gave a thumbs-up. "No wonder you're the old hand who raised me to manhood — so very careful!"

The Blind Elder was delighted and laughed. "Save your flattery! Go on, go on!"

Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang exchanged glances. The cowherd boy's upbringing seemed rather different from other families'; however you looked at it, it seemed to be leading the child down crooked paths.