Chapter 45 — The Surging River's Water Palace Opens the Dragon Gate
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
The white fox was clever, and absorbed the contents of the book. She laughed and said, "I used to cultivate by the pictures, thinking I had learned what was written in this book. It never occurred to me that I had cultivated many parts incorrectly. Thank you for clearing my doubts, young gentleman.
My name is Xue Hu'er. May I ask yours? " "My name is Shen Mu. It means a cowherd surnamed Shen—I am no gentleman.
" Shen Mu laughed.
"I happen to live not far from here. Where did you get these old books?
" Xue Hu'er drank some hangover soup, felt the fuzziness in her head lessen, and said, "Sixty li west of here there are ruins. One time I went out and came back late, so I hid from the darkness in the ruins. By accident I opened a stone chamber and found these books and a bottle of elixir pills. I took the pills, and suddenly my eyes and ears grew keen, and consciousness opened in me. I thought the books were good things, so I brought them back. It is only that I cannot read, so I have always had nothing but the pictures to study. All my spells I learned from these books. " "Sixty li west? " Shen Mu was astonished, and fell into thought.
"Could that be the Dragon Emperor's palace on the Surging River?
" Xue Hu'er's eyes lit up.
"There really are many dragon carvings there. But inside it is hazardous and full of terrible danger. I did not dare go deep, so I brought a few books back and left.
" Shen Mu promptly said, "Can you take me there?
" The little white fox said, "It is very fierce in there, not a place one should enter lightly. I had barely reached the entrance when I was frightened.
.
. " She was too ashamed to finish; presumably she had been scared out of her wits and fled in undignified haste.
Shen Mu grew excited.
"Don't you want to see the Dragon Palace? There might even be a Dragon King inside! " "No.
" Xue Hu'er thought for a moment, then blinked with a sly glint.
"If Young Master Mu is willing to come often and explain these old books, I will take you there. But I won't enter. " "Deal!
" Shen Mu laughed and raised his palm.
Xue Hu'er hesitated a moment, then raised a furry paw and tapped it against his. Afterward she drained the hangover soup dry.
The two, a man and a fox, left the thatched cottage and headed west. "Whose feast did you attend the day before yesterday? " Shen Mu asked, recalling the day before yesterday's business. "It was a feast given by King Meiluo, in honor of all the great demons of every kind.
After I obtained the ancient books from the Surging River Dragon Palace, my spiritual wisdom expanded enormously, and I became a great demon of some little renown around here. But I cannot beat those brutes with their raw strength, so I rank last among the great demons. " Xue Hu'er jumped onto a banana leaf, worked her art, and raised a gust of demonic wind. The wind lifted the leaf into the air, and she said with a laugh, "King Meiluo has already cultivated a human body—a truly formidable feat. All the great demons for a thousand li around, whether beast lords or not, must obey his commands.
" The demonic wind blew the banana leaf, carrying the white fox into the sky. Shen Mu leaped into the air, treading the wind-ridges as he headed west.
Meanwhile, two or three li from the thatched cottage, a colossal Taotie beast was peering this way and that, deeply puzzled: "By my reckoning, Shen'er should have arrived long ago. This time I have disguised myself as a strange beast, so he certainly won't recognize me. . . How odd. Where has the little brat run off to?
Hmm? A fox's demon wind! The brat goes out hunting for the first time and is bewitched by a vixen! " A hundred li from Hidden Remnant Village, over the river, a breeze stirred a banana leaf a full zhang long.