Chapter 68 — Blood Washes the Long Street
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
Dragon coins were small, yet thirty-six hundred of them were by no means a trifling amount; in total they weighed more than ten jin. Shen Mu casually hung the money pouch on the hilt of the slaughter blade at his back, silently praising in his heart: "This plump and portly Seventh Young Master is indeed open-handed. "
Seventh Young Master's eyes brightened as they fell upon the slaughter blade behind Shen Mu. He smiled.
"If you are willing to sell that blade of yours, I can give you an even better price! "
Shen Mu shook his head.
"This blade of mine surpasses those earthen jars by far too much.
It is not for sale.
"
"True enough. Your blade—even its mere material—outdoes the jars by a measure. "
Seventh Young Master handed the jars to the attendant at his side and said with a smile, "These jars were refined by a divine-power practitioner of the Six Harmonies Realm. They number thirty-six primordial weapons in all, called the Thirty-Six Heavenly Star Jars, and they can form the Heavenly Dipper Demon-Refining Array. Though somewhat battered, their power remains. I have no use for them myself—I only meant to carry them out of the Desolate Ruins and sell them to princes and nobles for a profit. I recognized the Thirty-Six Heavenly Star Jars because I have seen them before.
Your eyesight is extraordinary; have you perhaps seen them before as well? "
Behind him, an attendant coughed and said, "Seventh Young Master, a white dragon traveling in fish's clothing is hardly safe.
"
Seventh Young Master said with displeasure, "You people meddle far too much. Even going out for amusement brings no joy!
" With that, he shook his head and departed. Shen Mu knew that Seventh Young Master stayed close to Shen Feiyue, who treated him with great respect, so his standing must be far from ordinary.
It was only natural that these attendants would not allow him to court danger. Just as he was about to leave, the stall keeper who had sold him the jars suddenly seized the hem of his garment and cried, "Don't go! Those jars of mine were worth more than three thousand dragon coins, and you bought them for a single coin! You must compensate me!
" With that, he snatched at the money pouch behind Shen Mu. Shen Mu frowned. Suddenly the hairs on his body stood on end as he sensed danger closing in. In the alley, a man flew toward him at speed.
His sleeve turned over, and from the sleeve slid a bizarre weapon—like two curved sabers joined together, both ends bending sharply, extraordinarily keen. The man's palm was turned downward, yet the bizarre weapon did not fall from beneath his palm; instead, howling as it spun, it abruptly swept toward Shen Mu's neck!
Shen Mu's vital essence surged in a torrent into both his feet, and his body shifted abruptly backward. The stall keeper had been about to seize the money pouch, but Shen Mu had already withdrawn a zhang away.
Blade-light glittered. The man followed like a shadow, clinging to Shen Mu, the strange blade pressed against his palm as it flew up and down. Shen Mu looked hastily and saw a fine thread linking the strange blade to the man's palm. Both ends of the weapon were curved sabers, while the middle was the handle, and the thread was tied to the handle.
"Refining qi into silk, controlling the blade with qi—he is a martial artist!
"
The martial artist's blade-work was exceedingly bizarre. His steps were slippery as a loach, drilling and darting this way and that. His technique was chiefly cutting, and in this narrow alley it proved extremely lethal. The gleaming blade-light descended from above in a sweeping arc, and its force was by no means weak.
At the same time, Shen Mu saw the other people in the alley stirring with eagerness, rising one after another to their feet. Clearly, this pouch of dragon coins had roused greed!
More than three thousand dragon coins were absolutely a great fortune, enough to breed covetousness and kindle murderous intent!
"Strike quickly, settle quickly!
"