Chapter 1171: Tian Shu Gets Drunk (First Update)
The gray mist of Fengdu spread everywhere, with the Misty Sea and Skull Mountains ahead. Rows of Skull Mountains sat within the Misty Sea, covered in skulls, some of which were still crawling around.
Qin Mu took out a Fengdu gold coin, intending to summon Daoist Lingjing to ferry him across the Misty Sea, but then he paused.
During the Yan Kang Calamity, Daoist Lingjing had already been utterly destroyed, his soul scattered.
This Daoist was a powerhouse from the era of the Village Chief, with a very stubborn temper. He had once challenged the Village Chief, hoping to claim the title of Sword God.
Later, during the invasion of the Upper Firmament, he joined the young Patriarch Wen Yuan in blocking the Upper Firmament gods to buy time for the Village Chief and the others, ultimately sacrificing himself and becoming a ghost in Fengdu.
The King of Hell gave him the role of a ferryman, letting him pole a boat to guide the souls of the dead or the living.
Back then, he was still worried about buying a house in Fengdu, thinking that if he worked for another thousand years or so, he could afford one.
When the Yan Kang Calamity erupted, Daoist Lingjing was the first to step forward again, joining the successive patriarchs of the Heavenly Sage Sect to save people. But by then, he only had his primordial spirit left, and he was still obliterated in that great calamity.
He left no belongings behind. Even if Qin Mu wanted to summon his soul and reshape it, he couldn’t.
In the mist ahead, the ferry boat arrived. The ferryman on board wore tattered clothes, standing tall in the small boat, his ragged cloak fluttering in the fog.
The boat docked at the pier. Qin Mu stepped onto the small vessel, and the ferryman poled it toward Fengdu.
Standing on this boat, Qin Mu couldn’t help but recall his conversation with Daoist Lingjing when the Yan Kang Calamity broke out.
He had said, “Daoist Lingjing, you and the Patriarch died for Yan Kang, blocking the Upper Firmament. Yet the people of Yan Kang have no idea you’re the heroes who protected them.”
Back then, Daoist Lingjing had poled the boat through layers of Skull Mountains, smiling as he replied, “But I know I’m a hero. I have to follow my heart, to go and do what I must.”
Daoist Lingjing also said that the next time he came, the ferryman might not be him.
Qin Mu looked at the ferryman now—it wasn’t Lingjing, but another god or demon of Fengdu.
The small boat reached the shore. Qin Mu paid the fare, jumped onto the bank, passed the boundary marker of the Dead and Living Realms, crossed the mountain ridges, and walked toward Fengdu.
This world is filled with all kinds of people, all kinds of ways of living—countless lives, some happy, some plain, some hard, some suffering.
But no matter how beautiful or harsh life is, there are always some people who carry the weight for you, even sacrificing their lives.
For these people, we shouldn’t mock their choices but give them the respect they deserve.
The Dao rules of Fengdu tried to alter Qin Mu’s physical body, attempting to turn him, a living being, into a skeleton. However, Qin Mu’s understanding of the Dao of the Netherworld was extremely profound, and with his current immense cultivation, Fengdu’s Dao rules couldn’t change him in the slightest.
He continued forward, looking around. Fengdu had now expanded greatly, almost rivaling the Boundless Capital of the Netherworld Emperor, vast and boundless. Clearly, many Heavenly Masters and Heavenly Kings from the Kai Huang era had gathered here, building Fengdu quite impressively.
Qin Mu crossed the mountain ridges and saw the divine cities of Fengdu ahead.
This place held too many memories for him, but now its layout had changed drastically, giving him a feeling of entering a foreign land.
He walked into the City of the Qin King. On the streets, many gods and demons came and went. When they saw him, they paused and stared blankly.
Qin Mu wore a smile, nodding to the Kai Huang divine beings on both sides.
They all smiled back.
Soon, news of Qin Mu’s arrival in Fengdu spread. The bird-headed, human-bodied Red Embroidered Divine Being was the first to rush over, landing in front of Qin Mu and bowing. “Should I call you Human Sovereign Qin, or Heavenly Lord Mu?”
Qin Mu smiled. “Call me Heavenly Lord Mu.”
Red Embroidered Divine Being bowed and led the way. “Please, Heavenly Lord Mu, come inside. Has the Heavenly Lord come to visit old friends?”
“Red Embroidered, you are also an old friend of mine.”
Qin Mu chuckled. “I’ve come this time to indeed pay you all a visit.”
Red Embroidered Divine Being tilted his head. “But your old friends aren’t too keen on seeing you. Netherworld Capital Heavenly King Tian Shu heard you were coming and hid in a tavern, not daring to come out. Heavenly King Di Yiyue heard you’d arrived, was so frightened her beauty faded, and she hid in the deepest part of Fengdu. Heavenly King Di Shi said he was going into seclusion to study the Infinite Calamity Sutra. The two Martial Combat Heavenly Masters shut their doors and won’t come out.”
He glanced at Qin Mu and continued, “Even the King of Hell isn’t in the Qin King’s Hall; he’s gone to the deepest part of Fengdu. Does the Heavenly Lord know why?”
Qin Mu didn’t answer.
Red Embroidered Divine Being said, “Because during the Yan Kang Calamity, none of us helped. We feel we owe you. The human race’s Heavenly Lord Mu rescued Heavenly King Tian Shu, freeing him from the Imperial Que Divine Saber—he owes you a debt. The human race’s Heavenly Lord Mu revived Heavenly King Di Yiyue—she owes you a debt.”
“Heavenly Lord Mu eradicated the Heavenly Court’s forces in the Buddha Realm—Heavenly King Di Shi owes you a debt. The human race’s Heavenly Lord Mu created the Heavenly River Divine Treasury, saving the martial artists of the Bullfighting Realm from failing to become gods—the Martial Combat Heavenly Masters owe you a debt. Heavenly Lord Mu also saved the people of the Supreme Heavenly Realm, and the Woodcutter Sage feels indebted to you as well.”
“Even the King of Hell only stabilized Fengdu because of you, and it’s because of your face that the Netherworld Lord and the Earth Lord didn’t destroy Fengdu. They all feel they’ve wronged you.”
Red Embroidered Divine Being said, “You have done them favors, so they dare not face you.”
Qin Mu smiled faintly. “Then what about the Fisherman and the Azure Emperor? The Fisherman Heavenly Master and the Azure Emperor Heavenly King have done me favors, so they shouldn’t be afraid to see me.”
Red Embroidered Divine Being led him forward. “The Azure Emperor sent the dragon clan of Dragon Village to help you, but that was actually helping the Supreme Heavenly Realm, which is a remnant of Kai Huang—it wasn’t directly helping you. Yet you helped the Supreme Heavenly Realm, so he owes you. The Fisherman Heavenly Master is the same. He helped you fish for the sun and moon at the Sun Well and Moon Well, but that was also helping the Sun and Moon Herders under Kai Huang’s command, not you directly—again, helping Kai Huang. They all feel indebted to you, so they dare not see you either.”
He continued, “Among Kai Huang’s subordinates, only the First Human Sovereign, Prince Qin Wu, dared to help you during the Yan Kang Calamity. But he no longer considers himself a prince or descendant of the Kai Huang era.”
Qin Mu said, “He is the Human Sovereign of Yan Kang, the founder of the Yan Kang era. The current Human Sovereign Hall is thriving. He and the successive Human Sovereigns open halls to teach disciples, making a great contribution to Yan Kang.”
Red Embroidered Divine Being nodded. “So he is a symbol of Yan Kang. But these people in Fengdu are not.”
Qin Mu was silent for a moment.
Red Embroidered Divine Being brought him to a tavern in Fengdu. “Netherworld Capital Heavenly King Tian Shu is inside.”
Qin Mu stepped in. When Tian Shu saw him, he immediately flipped under a table, not daring to show his face.
Qin Mu walked over to the table and sat down, poured a cup of wine, raised it, and said, “Netherworld Capital Heavenly King, I toast you.”
Tian Shu had no choice but to crawl out from under the table, pick up his cup, and the two sat facing each other, drinking it all in one gulp.
Qin Mu smiled. “I’ve already been to Carefree Village and seen the Kai Huang Emperor.”
Tian Shu was silent for a moment, then said hoarsely, “How is he?”
“He left Carefree Village to find you all, but he couldn’t. Later, he charged into the Heavenly Court, facing off against Heavenly Lord Hao, Heavenly Lord Xiao, Consort Qiang, and Consort Yan, nearly splitting the Heavenly Court open with one sword strike.”
When Tian Shu Heavenly King heard this, his blood surged with passion. The craving for wine seemed to burrow into his brain. He couldn’t help grabbing a wine jug, lifting the lid, and tilting his head back to guzzle it down, his face beaming. “He charged into the Heavenly Court?”
Qin Mu nodded slightly, signaling the ghost bartender to bring a few jars of wine to the table. “He charged into the Heavenly Court and pierced Heavenly Lord Hao’s palm with one sword strike.”
Tian Shu Heavenly King slapped open a wine jar, laughing heartily. “I knew he would do that! He’s cautious when he drinks, but when he doesn’t, he’s bold as brass! He’s always looked down on Heavenly Lord Hao!”
The two clinked their wine jars together and drank deeply.
Tian Shu Heavenly King drank until tears streamed down his face, choking up. “Has he always been so calm? Have you never seen him panic?”
Qin Mu set down his wine jar. “He’s always had a plan, as if he’s always confident, with no change in his emotions. But when you interact with him, you can feel the wildfire in his heart, blazing fiercely.”
Tian Shu Heavenly King couldn’t help grabbing another wine jar, tilting his head back to chug, grinning. “That’s just the kind of person he is. That’s how he easily wins people over. It feels so reassuring to be by his side!”