Chapter 78 — The Golden Crow Treasure Ship
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
" The Butcher slid his slaughtering knife into the sheath at his back, then, hands on stone, crawled up to the dragon's head and looked out at the host marching beyond the city.
"When the Jingping army enters the city, at the midnight hour of Zi, my divine ability will burst forth, and this dragon pillar will split apart, shattered to nothing by my blade-light. " The Jingping vanguard had been ambushed by the Deaf Elder and had suffered grievous losses; now a second host was marching up from the mighty Yanbian Pass, and the two armies would join and press on toward Crimson Dragon City. Mauled though they had been by the Deaf Elder, the joining of the two hosts made their array all the more imposing.
Shen Mu started, and blurted out: "Grandpa Tu means to use the Darkness to wipe out the Jingping army?
" The Butcher nodded.
"I have already buried divine abilities beneath the other three dragon pillars.
Only this one remained. " A chill ran through Shen Mu. If the four dragon pillars were destroyed at the hour of Zi, then what awaited the Jingping host would be utter annihilation! How many would be buried in the Darkness then, dying untimely deaths!
Shen Mu hesitated. "Grandpa Tu, the common folk in this city.
. .
" The Butcher laughed.
"Just now the Deaf Elder worked his art and struck the Jingping army, and Old Dame Si ordered martial law across the city, driving every last one of them to the city center. " Shen Mu's heart settled at once.
The city center held many ancient temples, enshrining stone statues of every kind, and the temples there would block the advance of the Darkness. Clearly Granny Zhu and the Deaf Elder and the rest had long since arranged matters between them and set this scheme.
Once the dragon pillars collapsed and the Darkness swept in, the city center, ringed round by temples, would become a place of safety; the city's people were all gathered there, and would surely come to no harm.
"Come nightfall, the Jingping host will be ground to ash.
Only a scant few of the strong will escape it — the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping among them — and that will be the hour of our final battle. " The Butcher laughed.
"That is why the Headman has come as well. " Shen Mu was doubtful.
The Headman had lost his hands and feet; what use could he be now that he had come? The Butcher was in high spirits. "Heh heh — tonight we shall see the strongest sword of those years meet the strongest sword of today! Damn it, I wish it were night already.
. . What's that?
" The look on his face froze of a sudden; he stared off into the distance, dumbstruck, as though he had seen a ghost, and cried out: "Damn his grandmother, what the hell is that thing?
" Shen Mu followed his gaze, and was briefly stunned.
He could see only a small black speck in the sky, and could not tell what had so startled the Butcher. Yet the direction of that speck was toward the Star Sea, two hundred li beyond Crimson Dragon City. "Damn his grandmother, damn his grandmother.
. .
" The Butcher cursed without pause, then of a sudden sprang into the air and dropped down, calling: "Stay here and do not move — I am going to find the Headman, the Pill Master, and the rest. Such a thing as this, and after living in the Wasteland so long I have never seen it.
.
.
Damn it. . .
" Shen Mu was baffled. This was the first time he had seen the Butcher so undone; even when the Butcher flew into a rage he had not cursed so much — what he cursed most was still the damned heavens.
He looked toward that black speck, and of a sudden was stunned again.
The speck had grown much larger. That black speck was growing and growing; at first it had been no more than a stitch hole in white paper, and now it was like an ink blot — and still it grew.