Chapter 29: Little Liar, Big Liar
Qin Mu said with utmost respect, "Senior, rest assured. I have cultivated since childhood, my kidney water is abundant, my primordial yang is full, and my eyesight is excellent. I can see in the dark, so naturally I can see clearly."
The figure on the wall flickered, but made no further move, instead continuing to display the mysteries of the primal energy circulation technique.
The third seal of the Great Freedom Seal was the Great Wisdom Seal. The circulation technique for the Great Wisdom Seal was much more complex. The path of the primal energy circulation within the black shadow grew faster and faster, and even with Qin Mu's Divine Firmament Eye activated, he couldn't fully track the trajectory. This made him want to step into the side hall.
Qin Mu hesitated for a moment, then placed one foot inside the hall's doorway while keeping the other foot outside. This allowed him to barely capture the path of the primal energy circulation.
He tried his best to memorize it, but soon the figure on the wall had completed the Great Wisdom Seal's circulation. He attempted to activate the Great Wisdom Seal, and although he managed to execute it, he always felt that something was missing.
He hadn't fully memorized the circulation path of the Great Wisdom Seal.
"This is the fourth seal of the Great Freedom Seal, and also the strongest seal technique. All the power of the previous three seals will merge into this one."
The figure on the wall grew increasingly weak, its shadow shrinking, its voice lowering, saying, "But this one is even more complex. I'm afraid you won't be able to see it clearly."
"Senior, don't worry."
Qin Mu revealed a simple, honest smile. "I have abundant kidney water and full primordial yang since childhood. My eyesight is excellent, and I can barely see clearly."
The figure on the wall fell silent, its voice growing fainter and fainter, sighing, "But I can't hold on any longer. Come inside. In the four corners of the hall, there are four bronze spikes driven into the ground. Pull them out. These four spikes are stuck in my back. If you pull them out, I can catch my breath. Once I catch my breath, I can teach you the complete seal technique."
His voice was gentle. "You haven't fully learned the Great Wisdom Seal, have you? The Great Wisdom Seal is very complex, but its power is also extremely strong. If you haven't learned it completely, you can't unleash its full power. And the strongest seal technique is the fourth seal, the Great Freedom Demon King Seal! Pull out the spikes..."
"Senior, I think I'll pass on learning it."
Qin Mu shook his head, withdrawing his left foot from inside the hall, saying, "It's too troublesome. I'm quite dull-witted; I probably won't be able to learn it."
The figure on the wall trembled, coaxing him, "I can teach you a second time. Just pull out the spikes..."
Qin Mu looked even more troubled, shaking his head, "Senior said you'd only teach it once. If I made you teach it a second time, wouldn't that make you break your word? I'd feel even more guilty. I'm too stupid, unworthy of your expectations."
"No, you're very smart."
The figure on the wall grew even softer, like a kind and amiable elder instructing a junior, speaking gently, "You only watched once and learned the Demon God's Mighty Force Seal and the Demon King's Freedom Seal. You also learned about seventy to eighty percent of the Great Wisdom Seal after just one viewing. Your talent is extremely high. If you watch it again, you'll surely master the Great Wisdom Seal. I admire your intelligence and talent. I can break my word this once and teach you a second time..."
The voice paused here, then suddenly turned icy cold, saying, "You tricked me into teaching you techniques?"
Qin Mu looked bewildered, "Senior, why do you say that?"
"You tricked me into teaching you techniques!"
The figure on the wall suddenly erupted in rage, its shadow growing larger and larger, soon covering the entire side hall. The shadow was ferocious and menacing, its voice harsh: "You dare trick me into teaching you techniques! You little brat! I kindly taught you, but you trick me!"
Qin Mu still stood outside the hall, unfazed by the raging demonic shadow before him, shaking his head, "Senior, you jest. Weren't you also trying to trick me into going inside to release you?"
The side hall's doors were wide open, its windows like eyes and its doorway like a mouth, eerie and terrifying, as it said coldly, "You know?"
"We're not of the same race to begin with. Senior first lied, saying we were of the same race, then used the Great Freedom Seal to lure me, making me approach you step by step. You had two purposes."
Qin Mu revealed the same simple, honest smile as Cripple, "The first was to get me into the hall, lure me closer to the wall, and then you could grab me and control me into pulling out the bronze spikes in the four corners of the hall. The second was to exploit my desire to obtain the complete Great Freedom Seal technique, making me pull out the spikes myself. If I pulled them out, then senior wouldn't just be taking a breath—you'd be breaking free, and then you'd eat me like a silly roe deer. However..."
His smile grew even more simple and honest, "I'm not a roe deer. I just went along with it and tricked you out of two and a half seal techniques."
The entire side hall trembled violently, and from the doorway came a earth-shaking roar: "You son of a bitch! I'll kill you! When I break free, I'll kill you alive!"
The cowherd from Cripple's Village curled his lips, turned around, and walked away, shaking his head, "This kind of trick, Cripple Grandpa has played on me countless times. He tricked me since I was little, even swindling me out of the candies Granny bought me more times than I can count. And you think you can trick me..."
"I'll kill your Cripple Grandpa!" the figure on the wall roared.
Qin Mu turned around and said seriously, "Don't provoke him. He'll trick you until your underwear is inside out."
The figure on the wall suddenly fell silent, eerily quiet, then whispered softly, "You said we're not of the same race? Hehe, you little brat, you think too simply. How could you and I not be of the same race... Hehehe, young little demon lord..."
Qin Mu shuddered, suddenly recalling the divine sound from beyond the heavens when he broke through the wall, and then thinking about how he had used demonic language to counter the divine sound. Combined with the words of the figure on the wall, it gave him some unsettling associations.
He quickly shook his head, driving away the chaotic thoughts, and turned to leave.
"Hehehe, you and I are the same, exactly the same..." Behind him, the shadow on the wall laughed eerily.
Qin Mu frowned and walked out of the Town Center Palace.
The demon ape quickly came to meet him, glancing toward the side hall. Seeing that the figure on the wall had shrunk back inside, it relaxed and said solemnly to Qin Mu, "Believe? Ghost!"
Qin Mu nodded, deeply agreeing, "The Great Ruins are truly too dangerous. For honest folks like us, if we don't learn to be a bit clever, we'll definitely be tricked clean, eaten up without a trace left."
The demon ape glanced at him, curled its lips, and said, "Believe, ghost."
Qin Mu's face flushed slightly, and he protested, "I'm not a liar. I've suffered losses since I was little, so I barely managed to become a bit clever. But this place—I'm afraid you can't stay here any longer. The Town Center Palace is dilapidated and could collapse at any time. If it falls, that old demon will break out and definitely take his anger out on you."
The demon ape shook its head, looked at the wild deer and wild cattle in the valley, and remained silent.
Basically, any place in the Great Ruins that could sustain life was either already occupied by people or by other strange beasts. If the demon ape moved with these animals, it wouldn't find a place to settle in time, and when darkness came, they would surely die.
Qin Mu had no solution either. Cripple's Village was too small to accommodate so many animals.
"Little one, come."
The demon ape walked forward, and Qin Mu followed it. The demon ape led him to the foot of a cliff, pointed at a handprint on the cliff face, and revealed an expectant look.
The handprint on the cliff was made by the demon ape itself. Its palm was enormous, and it had left a deep handprint on the cliff with its own hand.
This handprint signified that the demon ape was the lord of this place. Other strange beasts, upon seeing the handprint, would know this was the demon ape's territory and would take a detour.
If another strange beast intended to take over this place, it would come to challenge the demon ape. If the demon ape lost, the handprint would be erased by the new lord, who would leave a new mark.
"You, print." The demon ape said expectantly.
Qin Mu was puzzled, not understanding its meaning.
The demon ape took his hand and placed it next to its own handprint, saying, "Print."
Qin Mu understood its meaning and was moved. He slapped his hand heavily next to the demon ape's handprint, and a handprint appeared on the cliff.
The demon ape revealed a smile, pointed at the valley, and said in a deep voice, "Mine, yours."
Qin Mu's emotion turned into hearty laughter, and the demon ape also chuckled deeply.
Just then, a voice came from midair, saying, "Master, there's someone below."
Qin Mu quickly looked up and saw a paper boat flying through the air. The paper boat was about six or seven zhang long, with ample space on board, and stood several men and women dressed in blue robes.
Then he saw even stranger things: several paper cranes flapping their wings, escorting another paper boat as they flew over. On the paper cranes stood several strange middle-aged men and women, each carrying a long sword on their backs.
On the second paper boat was only one person, with some cargo on board, though it was unclear what it was.
That paper boat paused, still floating in the air. An old man sat there and said, "Qianqiu, ask for directions."
"Yes."
A young man on a paper crane looked down and said, "Young man, do you know how to get to Cripple's Village?"
Qin Mu was puzzled but pointed in the direction of Cripple's Village.
The young man bowed politely, expressed his thanks, and then a gold ingot fell from the paper crane. The paper cranes escorted the paper boat and flew away.
Qin Mu picked up the gold ingot, puzzled, and muttered, "These people are going to our village? Could they be traveling merchants passing through? But shouldn't merchants be heading to Inlaid Dragon City?"