Chapter 7 — A Wall at the Brow Seals the Spirit Fetus
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 3
Ever since Shen Mu had been caught out once, he had grown far more cautious, and as he ran he avoided the territories of the dire beasts.
When the alchemist took him out to gather herbs, he had told him that the dire beasts of the Wastes were highly intelligent, each with its own domain, and that they left marks behind—trees stripped of their bark, white bones thrust into the earth, beast skulls hung on stakes, trails of urine, and the like. One need only watch for unusual signs and avoid them.
On the cliff beside the Demon Ape's territory there had been fist prints marking it as the ape's domain; Shen Mu had failed to see them and so blundered in.
Now he was far more careful, and would not stray into another beast's territory again.
Even so, many dire beasts still left their territories to hunt, and the Wastes were riddled with peril. When Shen Mu ran past a swamp, he came upon a battle between two lord-level dire beasts: the Cockscomb Serpent-Necked Snow Eagle and the Swamp Poison-Dragon Python. One, a colossal thing, dove from the sky, its wings stirring up gales; the other coiled in the marsh, churning up wind and waves, and their combat shook the mountains and split the earth.
Before Shen Mu could even charge into the swamp, the hurricane raised by the two monsters blew him away.
He landed among a herd of startled wild oxen and nearly got trampled to death.
"I'm getting farther and farther from the village. .
. " Shen Mu's heart sank. The five behind him still pursued without letup, making it impossible for him to turn back toward the village. And worse still.
. . The sun was about to set!
He and Granny Zhu had set out in the afternoon.
Now the sun was sinking in the west, and darkness would soon fall. If he could not get back to the village before then, he would surely meet with terrible danger! "Senior Brother Chu, it's getting dark!
" Behind Shen Mu, Senior Brother Chu and the other four had noticed the setting sun as well. The youth whom Shen Mu had kicked showed unease and said: "Master once said the Wastes are a cursed land.
After nightfall they become a forbidden zone.
We must return to one of the villages protected by stone statues, or there is no way but death! " Senior Brother Chu shook his head: "It's too late to go back now.
We've come too far—there's no way we can reach the village before dark.
The darkness is dangerous for us, and just as dangerous for the little wretch. There's only one course left: see where the little wretch goes to hide!
"