Chapter 87: The Trap
Qin Mu murmured softly, "Why would the Moon Ship appear here..."
This vessel should indeed be the Moon Ship, bearing similarities to the Sun Ship. An eerie silence surrounded the Moon Ship, with no human figures visible anywhere. The ship lay toppled among the mountain ranges, most of its crescent form hanging motionless in the sky, still over a hundred li from the nearest city.
The direction in which the jade pendant on Qin Mu's chest floated pointed straight toward that Moon Ship.
Among the two mysterious ships in the Great Wasteland Geography Map—the Sun Ship and the Moon Ship—Qin Mu and the village chief had already seen the Sun Ship, but the Moon Ship was something they had yet to encounter.
This Moon Ship was no smaller than the Sun Ship. The Sun Ship was a massive volcano with legs and feet, boasting numerous fire-spewing peaks and rivers of molten lava. The Moon Ship, in contrast, was entirely silver-gray, crouching there like a three-legged silver toad—or more precisely, a toad carrying a ship on its back, nestled among the mountains.
This Moon Ship seemed alive, its mountainous body slowly rising and falling as if breathing. However, the hull was battered and broken, in far worse condition than the Sun Ship.
The Sun Ship roamed the Great Wasteland and returned to the Sun Well. So why had the Moon Ship appeared in the Realm of the Dead, without returning to the Moon Well?
"Worry-Free Land—does it refer to Fengdu, or the Moon Ship?" Qin Mu murmured.
"Worry-Free Land... what does 'worry-free' mean? Naturally, one is worry-free after death. Could Worry-Free Land refer to Fengdu, the Realm of the Dead?"
The village chief suppressed his shock and said, "But Worry-Free Land might also refer to the Moon Ship. The Moon Ship breaks through the darkness, and the people living on it enjoy peace and contentment, free from worry... Didn't you say the Sun Keeper told you that Worry-Free Land appears in the night, but no one knows where it will show up? That means it's in motion. If that's the case, Worry-Free Land should be within the Moon Ship's domain—that would explain it. The moon appears at night, so the Moon Ship moves at night. The Moon Ship carries Worry-Free Land through the night, and since the ship keeps moving, Worry-Free Land also shifts constantly, with no fixed location. Mu'er..."
He paused, then said, "This is just my speculation. If it proves true, you might be a Moon Herder."
"I'm a Moon Herder?" Qin Mu was momentarily stunned, not understanding the meaning.
"If you were born in Worry-Free Land, then you might be a descendant of the Moon Herders."
The village chief smiled and said, "Didn't you mention that on the dragon pillar in Xianglong City, you saw a woman reaching out to you, trying to press her palm against yours? I think that woman might be your relative, or even your..."
He didn't finish, but Qin Mu understood his meaning—she could even be his mother!
At that time, the Moon Ship must have brought Worry-Free Land near Xianglong City. The Sun Ship came during the day, while the Moon Ship appeared at night. That woman must have discovered Qin Mu, noticed the jade pendant around his neck, and wanted to acknowledge him!
But here, everything was so ruined and desolate—could Moon Herders still be living here?
And why had the Moon Ship appeared in the Realm of the Dead?
Suddenly, a lingering song drifted from the Moon Ship, mournful and low, winding like a mother missing her faraway child.
"When I left, willows swayed gently.
Now I return, snow falls thickly.
The road is long, I hunger and thirst.
My heart is sad; no one knows my sorrow..."
...
Hearing this, Qin Mu felt a surge of tears, but since his body now had no flesh or blood, no tears could flow.
The song from that enormous Moon Ship was ethereal and uncertain, carrying a hint of loneliness, a touch of sorrow, and the longing for a child turned into a low melody.
He looked toward the Moon Ship. In the gray mist, a woman stood at the ship's bow, graceful and elegant, gazing in his direction from afar.
Their eyes seemed to meet across the distance, filled with endless yearning.
Qin Mu wanted to close his eyes but couldn't. After a moment of silence, he said to the village chief, "Chief, let's go back."
The village chief was taken aback and whispered, "Don't you want to go up and acknowledge her?"
Qin Mu shook his head and said woodenly, "She's not my relative, and this isn't Worry-Free Land."
The village chief's heart trembled. "Blind opened your divine eyes to the ninth heaven—what did you see?"
Though powerful, Blind was far superior in matters of the eyes. When Blind opened Qin Mu's divine eyes to the ninth heaven, what Qin Mu could see, the village chief might not.
"What I saw wasn't a woman—it was a demon god."
Qin Mu's gaze fell on the woman on the Moon Ship. What he saw wasn't a mother missing her child, but a terrifying, hideous demon god, shrouded in black mist, radiating black light, with a disc-like bone spur on its back!
That demon god was singing softly, seemingly trying to lure him closer!
This wasn't a family reunion scene—it was a trap. From the moment the jade pendant on Qin Mu's chest had lit up on the dragon pillar in Xianglong City, it had all been a deception, aimed at enticing Qin Mu to come here!
"Good heavens, even an old hand like me almost fell for it!"
The village chief took a deep breath, divine light blazing as he swiftly retreated with Qin Mu. But the woman on the Moon Ship suddenly let her wild hair fly, floating up from the bow and charging madly toward them!
Midair, the woman spun like a top, her body growing larger, her face becoming more ferocious, until she shed her human guise and revealed her true form—a demon god with eight long legs, two heads, and five tails!
Her legs were like human arms, her feet like palms, and she ran swiftly through the air, howling as she gave chase!
"Bemadalei (Sanskrit: meaning 'lotus purification')!"
Before the village chief, lotus flowers bloomed one after another, covering the sky and the earth. Phantom images of demon buddhas sat within the flowers, each raising a palm to stamp toward the village chief!
These demon buddhas were mere phantoms, yet they seemed to materialize into real forms, each with a different technique, attacking the village chief and Qin Mu from all directions.
Buddhas are sacred, but this demon had refined demonic techniques into demon buddhas—a heretical deviation from the path.
The village chief's expression remained unchanged, calm as ever. A sword light shot from between his fingers, flickering among the lotus flowers with a whooshing sound, too fast for even Qin Mu's eyes to track. All he could see was a brilliant flash of light wrapping around every lotus and demon buddha.
The next moment, the lotus flowers shattered, the demon buddhas were decapitated, and then they exploded with a bang, sending surging demonic energy scattering in all directions.
"Salabomi (Sanskrit: meaning 'creating the other shore')!"
The demon god lunged forward. As her words fell, a massive vortex suddenly appeared behind the village chief, spinning rapidly like a monster's mouth full of jagged teeth, with countless sharp blades rotating within. Inside the vortex stretched a long rainbow bridge, flowing swiftly toward the vortex's depths.
The village chief and Qin Mu were immediately caught by the vortex, the rainbow bridge pulling them inward as countless blades flew at them from all sides, spinning and slicing.
The end of the vortex seemed to be a paradise, with birds singing and flowers blooming, looking peaceful. But clearly, that was the core of the demon god's killing move!
"Mu'er, stand on my hair!"
The village chief roared, his hair suddenly growing wildly, each strand turning into massive pillars that pierced through the rainbow bridge and out of the vortex. Qin Mu landed on one strand, feeling it rapidly expand beneath his feet, growing thicker and longer, about to break free from the vortex.
Meanwhile, the other strands writhed like mad snakes, clanging as they snapped the blades slicing in from around the vortex. Shards of metal clattered down, crushed to dust by the vortex's raging torrent!
Qin Mu looked up and saw the demon god's huge, hideous face at the vortex's entrance, a cunning gleam in its eyes, its mouth wide open, waiting for the village chief to deliver himself right into it.
At that moment, the village chief's other hair strands hissed as they shot into the demon god's mouth, yanking hard and dragging the demon god into the vortex.
"Mu'er, hurry to the dock and board a ship to leave! Go now!"
The strand of hair gave a gentle flick, tossing Qin Mu out of the vortex. Then the vortex rumbled shut, and the village chief vanished along with the hideous demon god.
Qin Mu's body fell from the sky, the ground far below. If he crashed directly, he would surely die!
He quickly inhaled, blowing out a breath that created a gust of wind in front of him. Qin Mu tapped his feet rapidly, stepping on the wind's crest to slow his descent.
After blowing a few more breaths, he finally landed. This was still Worry-Free Land, shrouded in gray mist, but the darkness hadn't invaded here, making it a safe place for him.
Suddenly, a massive vortex appeared in the sky above him. Four thick, long arms reached out from the vortex, gripping the sky as the hideous demon god poked its head out, trying to climb free.
It seemed something had grabbed its legs, and with a whoosh, it was yanked back into the vortex.
"Demon horde!"
A roar came from within the vortex. Just as the demon god was pulled back, Qin Mu saw countless black dots spew out of the vortex.
"Mu'er, go quickly!"
The village chief's voice came from the vortex: "Go on ahead—I'll catch up! Hurry! If you alert the demon gods in those cities, you won't be able to..."
The vortex vanished, cutting off his words.
In the air, those black dots fell like meteors, crashing into the ground with earth-shaking impacts. Then the gray mist surged in, growing thicker, enveloping the black dots and hiding whatever lay within.
Soon, the mist spread to where Qin Mu stood, engulfing the boy. Heavy footsteps echoed from the gray mist—thump, thump—like massive stones pressing down on his heart.