Chapter 92 — The Journey Through the Passes
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 4
Have you washed your hands and face? Brush your teeth with the medicinal paste. " The Lame Old Man hurried off to fetch water to wash his hands and face, begged medicinal paste from Master Dan, and brushed his teeth with a tooth-stick.
Grandmother Zhu called Shen Mu over, and the two of them bustled about serving dishes and filling bowls; Old Huo cleared and set the table and chairs. Before long all the villagers of Hidden Maimed Village had gathered around the table. Shen Mu laid bowls and chopsticks before each of them, then lifted the Village Head and set him in a reclining chair, and only then took his own seat.
Shen Mu rose and poured wine for every villager, then poured a cup for himself. Grandmother Zhu raised her cup, and her eyes reddened. The Butcher said: "It is a day of great joy — what are you crying for? You want him to go out, yet you cannot bear to let him go. Women just have too much water in their eyes!
" Grandmother Zhu was furious and shot him a fierce glare, then smiled: "Today is Shen'er's great day; I will not lower myself to your level. Shen'er, everyone — drink this cup! " They all drained their cups in one go. Shen Mu, grinning, poured for them again, and said cautiously: "Grandpas, please go a little easy on me later — leave me some slack.
" The Butcher laughed: "Little brat, do not be so pleased with yourself. You might be flat on the ground and unable to rise after the very first pass. " Grandmother Zhu's eyes reddened again.
"Shen'er, after you leave the village, you must come back often to visit us. .
. " The Butcher laughed: "He may get past the rest of you, but he will not get past my pass.
. .
" Grandmother Zhu, furious, pressed his face into a bowl and rapped his head with her chopsticks: "Such a big mouth!
My Shen'er has the Overlord Body — he will beat you till you cry for your father and mother! " The Butcher cried for his father and mother and begged for mercy again and again, and only then did Grandmother Zhu let him be. After breakfast, as Shen Mu cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, the Village Head said: "Have you all sealed your other divine treasuries?
" They nodded silently.
"Then let us begin. " Old Huo stepped forward and said mildly: "Shen'er, it was I who taught you your fist technique.
If we duel with my fist technique, you will lose without question.
You may use everything you have learned; so long as you can defeat me, you pass.
" Shen Mu bowed. A dragon's cry rang out, and his vital essence became an Azure Dragon coiling about his body. He said resolutely: "I wish to receive Grandpa Huo's teaching with my fists! " Old Huo showed a faint smile: "Fine spirit!
But in that case, you may well not get past the first pass. " The two of them each reached out a hand.
Suddenly Shen Mu took the first step; his vital essence erupted, and with his very first punch he directly unleashed Nine Dragons Riding Wind and Thunder. His vital essence came on in vast, mighty waves; the punch boomed out, and dragon patterns faintly surfaced in the air.
Old Huo met it with Nine Dragons Riding Wind and Thunder as well, saying: "So you mean to test the transformations of dragon force against me. . .
" Boom — Old Huo's face changed drastically, as though a colossal beast weighing tens of thousands of catties had charged into him at full speed. His body flew backward, and with a bang he smashed the Silent Smith's forge to pieces — and still his momentum did not stop.
In midair he involuntarily opened his Five Luminaries divine treasury.
With a hum, the terrifying power stored within it burst forth, and only then did his momentum halt. Yet at that very moment the clothing on his back burst apart with a series of cracks, shattering into countless fragments; the fragments vaguely became forty-nine Azure Dragons that charged backward, raising a wild wind. The leaves of several great white poplars outside the village rattled and clattered, and a flurry of leaves swirled.