Chapter 75: Qin Mu's Properties
Grandma Si's primordial energy surged, and behind her emerged a celestial deity with eight arms and eight forms, identical to Fu Yundi's Eight Forms Celestial Deity Art. Qin Mu scrutinized it carefully but could discern no difference.
"The Creation Chapter of the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture is truly remarkable, no wonder it's a cultivation method capable of achieving divinity or demonhood."
Blind praised it, then asked, "Is this the Creation Celestial Deity Art from the Creation Chapter?"
Grandma Si nodded, her voice still carrying Fu Yundi's tone, and said, "The Creation Chapter of the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture is divided into sections like Heaven, Earth, Human, Deity, Demon, Spirit, and so on. This is indeed the Creation Celestial Deity Art, which excels at simulating other techniques."
Blind was silent for a moment, then said, "There's something I originally thought I shouldn't bring up, but Mu'er is already fourteen, so I must say it. Mu'er has been appointed as the Young Sect Leader of the Demon Sect and will eventually leave the Great Ruins. When will you pass the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture on to him?"
Qin Mu was also a bit puzzled. Over the past two years, Grandma Si had never taught him the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture, nor had she even mentioned it.
Grandma Si sighed, "If he cultivates the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture now, it might distort his thinking and consciousness. This technique carries too much demonic nature."
Blind nodded. Revered as the sacred scripture of the Demon Sect, a cultivation method capable of achieving divinity or demonhood, the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture was naturally steeped in demonic nature. Even a mature adult might be tempted by the bizarre and sinister demonic techniques recorded in the book and stray down the wrong path.
For example, the Demon Sect night watchman who cultivated the Spontaneous Innate Art had misunderstood its cultivation method, raising strange snakes to devour the innate qi of newborn infants to practice it, ultimately dying at the hands of Grandma Si and Blind.
"Actually, if one can thoroughly comprehend the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture, cultivating this sacred scripture is no different from righteous techniques—it won't lead to evil. But if one's understanding deviates even slightly, it can lead astray, yet it can still be successfully cultivated."
Grandma Si was also quite troubled, saying, "And its power is very strong, even more bizarre, but it leaves significant flaws, though it excels in rapid achievement. This is why the Demon Sect is called the Demon Sect. Actually, at the beginning, it was called the Heavenly Saint Sect, said to have been founded by a saint who descended from the heavens to enlighten the people, hence passing down this technique. Later, many disciples deviated in their practice, and the techniques grew increasingly strange and sinister, so it was renamed the Demon Sect. Although Mu'er has always had his own ideas, if I rashly hand him the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture, I'm afraid he might misinterpret the scripture's meaning."
She suddenly soared into the air, heading toward Inlaid Dragon City, her voice drifting back: "I'll go to the city first to make arrangements and wait for the vanguard of the Yan Kingdom! You two settle in once you arrive in the city!"
Not long after, Qin Mu and Blind returned to Inlaid Dragon City. During the day, the city had lost the bustle of the previous night, but many villagers from various regions still hadn't left.
Qin Mu and Blind went back to the same inn. The innkeeper, a member of the Demon Sect, had already arranged rooms.
Blind said excitedly, "Mu'er, today I'll take you to the gambling den to see the world. The two of us will surely win big and rake in a fortune!"
Qin Mu recalled the scene from last night when Blind was carried out of the gambling den and thrown onto the street, and shook his head, "I'm not going."
Blind stammered, "Then give me some dragon coins..."
Qin Mu took out his money pouch, and Blind reached in with his big hand, grabbed a large handful, then picked up his bamboo staff and rushed out cheerfully. Qin Mu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Blind loved gambling but refused to use his own abilities, relying purely on luck to bet against others.
Qin Mu had learned from Blind as a child to discern positions by listening to the wind. Any dice or dominoes, he could tell just by hearing them. If Qin Mu could do it, how much more so Blind?
Add to that Blind's Mind's Eye, and he could win every time, but he deliberately didn't use it, betting only on luck, so he always lost.
Qin Mu walked downstairs, and the innkeeper came up to him, smiling obsequiously, "Young Sect Leader going out? Do you need me to arrange something?"
Qin Mu shook his head, "The inn has many eyes and ears. Don't call me Young Sect Leader; just call me Young Master."
"Yes, Young Master."
Qin Mu thought for a moment and asked, "Whose property is the gambling den next door?"
The innkeeper's face was full of smiles, "Naturally, it's also the Young Master's property. Does the Young Master want to go see his own property? I'll go notify the gambling den's boss to come and attend to you..."
"My property?"
Qin Mu was startled, somewhat bewildered, and shook his head, "No need. How much property do I have in Inlaid Dragon City?"
The innkeeper pondered for a moment, calculating, "The vegetable market, gambling dens, inns, taverns, brothels, antique shops, utensil shops, pharmacies, blacksmith forges, weapon shops... Young Master, most of Inlaid Dragon City is your property, and most of the city's forces are under your command. Every gambling den, every brothel, the vegetable vendors in the market, the butchers, the tea masters in the inns, the blacksmiths, the pharmacy assistants and pharmacists, the weapon shop owners—if you give the word, they will go through fire and water for you without hesitation!"
"No wonder so many people helped me last night to kill those pursuers."
Qin Mu was wide-eyed, his mind spinning. After a moment, he said slowly, "Tell the gambling den that the blind old gentleman who came with me—don't always let him lose. Let him win a few rounds too. But don't let him win all the time; let him have wins and losses. As long as he's happy, that's fine."
"Yes."
The innkeeper withdrew, went out to make arrangements, and soon returned with a middle-aged man dressed in floral silk and mink fur, his fingers covered in jade thumb rings. He bowed to Qin Mu and said, "This is the gambling den owner, our sect's Incense Master Han."
Incense Master Han looked troubled, "Young Master, it's not that I don't want to let the blind man win, but the problem is he cheats openly and in a crude manner. If he weren't so blatant, it wouldn't be a big deal."
Qin Mu was puzzled, "How does he cheat?"
Incense Master Han said, "When touching dominoes, if he gets a bad hand, he points out the window and says there's a divine bird outside, then brazenly swaps the tiles right under everyone's noses. And our dominoes are black, but the tiles he pulls from his pocket are green. I'm incompetent, Young Master. Please give me an easier task."
Qin Mu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. After a moment of silence, he said, "Let him win a few rounds. If he gets caught cheating, then hit him lightly."
"I obey."
Incense Master Han turned and left. Qin Mu steadied himself. Most of Inlaid Dragon City was his property? Most of the city's forces were under his command?
When had he become a tycoon with wealth beyond measure?
"The title of Young Sect Leader of the Demon Sect is truly powerful. Compared to that, the thousand dragon coins I earned last night are nothing."
He felt a strange sensation. Was the lord of Inlaid Dragon City Fu Yundi or himself?
Add to that Grandma Si killing Fu Yundi and wearing his skin, didn't that mean the entire city was his?
He had a surreal feeling, shook his head, and walked out of the inn to wander around. Last night, he had only seen the ancient temple near the lord's mansion; this time, he planned to look at the dragon pillars of Inlaid Dragon City.
Inlaid Dragon City was so vast, and these dragon pillars could hold back the darkness from invading—they must be quite remarkable.
Qin Mu opened his Divine Firmament Heavenly Eye and carefully examined the dragon pillar before him, full of admiration. The dragon pillar was carved with a dragon deity, enormous in size, almost as large as the dragon king's skeleton he had seen in the Yong River Dragon Palace.
These dragon deities coiled around stone pillars over thirty zhang in diameter, carved so lifelike they seemed real. The pillars stood over a hundred and sixty to seventy zhang tall, giving an idea of how massive the dragon deities were.
Qin Mu looked up. The dragon deities on the pillars seemed to come alive, displaying both ferocity and sacredness, majestic and grand.
"In the map of the Great Ruins, this city isn't Inlaid Dragon City but Heavenly Dragon Star Palace. This is the work of a divine being. If I study the texture and flow of the carvings, it will greatly benefit my calligraphy and painting skills, and I might even comprehend the techniques of the divine beings!"
Qin Mu was full of enthusiasm, examining the texture and structure of the dragon pillar bit by bit. The divine being who carved the pillar hadn't intended to embed his techniques into it, but the carving flow inevitably bore the imprint of his techniques and divine abilities. To others, the pillar was just a relief, but Qin Mu, having studied calligraphy and painting with Deaf, deeply understood this principle.
"In the map of the Great Ruins, next to Heavenly Dragon Star Palace is the Star Sea, less than two hundred li from here. Judging by the name, Heavenly Dragon Star Palace should be where heavenly dragons lived. This place is so vast—could it be a gathering place for the dragon race? The darkness invaded and turned the dragon race into ruins too."
As Qin Mu examined it, he sighed inwardly. Suddenly, a surprised voice came from above: "Cowherd, you're still in Inlaid Dragon City?"
The voice sounded familiar. Qin Mu looked up and saw a small head poking out from the dragon pillar—it was the girl who had taken him into the lord's mansion to freeload.
Ling Yuxiu waved at him, her voice drifting down: "Can you come up?"
Qin Mu looked at the height and hesitated. The pillar was too tall, and there was no wind now to borrow force. To get up, he would have to run up.
He could run up cliffs, but those were usually thirty to fifty zhang high. Running vertically up a pillar over a hundred and sixty zhang—he had never tried that.
Qin Mu stepped back a dozen paces, then suddenly channeled his power and dashed toward the pillar. In a few steps, his speed reached its peak, a fleeting shadow charging at the pillar. Then, stepping on it, his body parallel to the ground, he sprinted upward!
His speed was astonishing, and his momentum was equally incredible. He surged up over a hundred zhang in one go, heading straight for the top!
"Damn, I can't make it..."
Qin Mu felt his momentum reach its limit, his speed beginning to slow, and he was still three to five zhang from the top.
He pushed upward another three zhang or so, then finally exhausted his strength and began to fall. Just then, a silk ribbon dropped from the pillar top, wrapped around his wrist, and with a gentle flick, tossed him upward.
Qin Mu flipped in midair and landed on the pillar's top. Looking around, he saw it was a flat stone platform. On the south side of the platform was carved a dragon head, and one could climb over from the platform to stand on the dragon's head.
Ling Yuxiu came over, untied the ribbon from his wrist, and laughed, "You actually ran up. Don't you know there are stairs inside the dragon pillar? You could have come up by the stairs."
Qin Mu looked at her ribbon and said in surprise, "This ribbon is of excellent quality."
"Of course."
Ling Yuxiu said proudly, "It's woven from Heavenly Fragrance Silk, a tribute to the emperor, naturally top-notch. Smell it—it's very fragrant. This is a natural scent that never fades."
Qin Mu lowered his head and sniffed; indeed, there was a light fragrance. He laughed, "I also have a sweat cloth made of Heavenly Fragrance Silk, just as fragrant." With that, he pulled out his "sweat cloth" from his bosom.