Chapter 1172: Reunion with Old Friends (Second Update!)
"He was injured too, but even the Four Heavenly Venerables couldn't keep him there."
Qin Mu said, "He immediately returned to the Tai Xu Realm to fight Fire Heavenly Venerable and Void Heavenly Venerable, causing the Heavenly Court no end of trouble."
Tian Shu Heavenly King laughed as tears fell. "That's just the kind of man he is! Not even the Four Heavenly Venerables could keep him, let alone the Ten Heavenly Venerables! No one can keep him!"
Qin Mu stood up and patted him on the shoulder, smiling. "But he needs you. He's waiting on the battlefield for his old soldiers, for his old subordinates."
Tian Shu Heavenly King collapsed onto the table, sobbing. "I'm a coward, just a spineless fool. I can only drink to muster courage, and I mess things up when I'm drunk. I even called him a coward for hiding in the Land of No Worries... But I'm the real coward..."
Qin Mu walked out of the tavern and said to Chi Xiu Divine Lord, "Let's go."
Chi Xiu Divine Lord glanced at him and led the way forward.
They arrived at the King of Qin Hall. Its doors were tightly shut, with two green-faced, fanged ghost kings standing guard outside.
Chi Xiu Divine Lord knocked on the door and said, "Yama King, Mu Heavenly Venerable has come to visit."
The sound of something being knocked over came from inside, followed by Yama King's voice: "I'm not here... Fine, let him in... Wait, I'll greet him myself."
The doors opened. Yama King was clad in black, shrouded under a dark cloak, his face invisible.
"Mu Heavenly Venerable..." Though his expression couldn't be seen, his voice carried a complex mix of emotions.
Qin Mu stepped into the King of Qin Hall, looked around, and smiled. "Yama King is still as austere as ever. There's hardly a treasure here worth noticing."
Yama King was silent for a moment, then said, "During the Yan Kang Calamity..."
Qin Mu cut him off. "The Yan Kang Calamity is over. I won't live in the past. The people of Yan Kang survived the disaster, and they're living well now."
Yama King's voice was rough. "You saved Yan Kang, but you paid a heavy price."
Qin Mu turned to face him, smiling. "I'm doing well now too. And I've gone further than before the Yan Kang Calamity. I turned misfortune into fortune."
"You've endured many hardships."
"I'm stronger now, tougher, and my Dao heart is more steadfast than ever, never wavering."
Yama King said, "You bore the fate of Yan Kang alone..."
"No!"
Qin Mu laughed. "It was all the people of Yan Kang who bore the fate of Yan Kang together. I couldn't have done it alone. Everyone carried it together, and we got through it, surviving the crisis of life and death. The same goes for the Kai Huang Era. The remnants of Kai Huang should no longer be torn apart."
Yama King fell silent.
Qin Mu walked around the King of Qin Hall, smiling. "This place is too cold and gloomy, like a neglected concubine in a cold palace. Even you've become somber. It doesn't suit me. I'll go see the others."
He strode toward the exit, saying leisurely, "A young man with white hair, his fervent ambitions wasted. What a pity—before the old steed can reach the trough, he can only sigh in vain."
Yama King watched him leave the hall, then lowered his cloak, revealing a head of silver hair, though his face was still that of a youth.
His gaze was cold, but flames flickered in his pupils.
"Fisherman Heavenly Teacher should be fishing by the River of Oblivion."
Chi Xiu Divine Lord led Qin Mu onward, saying, "The mountain stream there is steep, but unfortunately there are no fish. Only some lonely ghosts and wandering souls drift beneath the River of Oblivion."
Before long, Qin Mu saw Fisherman Heavenly Teacher. The old man sat on a small stool, a fish basket beside him. Two little red fish were perched on the basket's rim, looking around.
When they saw Qin Mu approaching, the two little red fish quickly shrank back into the basket. The male fish even grabbed the lid and carefully covered it, so as not to disturb Qin Mu, whispering, "The master's going to get beaten half to death..."
"No way! I think it'll be all the way dead—dead through and through!"
"Shh, keep it down."
Qin Mu came up behind Fisherman Heavenly Teacher. The old man's body stiffened, and his fishing rod wobbled unsteadily.
Qin Mu smiled. "Heavenly Teacher's Dao heart is unstable. Be careful not to let the fish get away."
Fisherman Heavenly Teacher grunted, stood up, put away his rod, took off his straw hat, and turned around. "Either way, it's the same—whether I stick my head out or pull it back, I'm getting cut. Have you come to hit me or scold me?"
Qin Mu asked in surprise, "Why would you say that?"
Fisherman Heavenly Teacher sighed. "During the Yan Kang Calamity, when you needed us most, we ran away. I failed you. Whether you hit me or scold me, I won't fight back or talk back."
Inside the fish basket, the two little red fish peered through the gaps. The female fish whispered, "If a fight breaks out, should we try to mediate?"
"No."
"We'll end up as braised fish, won't we?"
...
Qin Mu raised his fist and punched Fisherman Heavenly Teacher lightly in the chest, saying, "Let this matter rest. The Yan Kang Calamity is a scar on my Dao heart. Coming to Fengdu, every one of you keeps reopening that wound. My heart is made of flesh too—it hurts. Don't bring it up again."
Fisherman Heavenly Teacher stared at him blankly. "You... Alright, I won't mention it."
Qin Mu smiled. "I came here for two reasons: first, to see you all; second, to find Emperor Yi Yue Heavenly King and borrow her Nether Capital Heavenly Gate to counter Yin Heavenly Venerable's divine abilities. Do you know where she is?"
Fisherman Heavenly Teacher ventured, "Won't you go see the others? Like Qing Huang Old Man, Emperor Shi Heavenly King, and the Woodcutter?"
Qin Mu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I'll go see them."
He took his leave and departed. Chi Xiu Divine Lord led him to the village where Martial Arts Heavenly Teacher lived. Next to it was the Bullfighting Realm. Martial Arts Heavenly Teacher had even moved the rice paddies and the big willow tree into Fengdu.
Under the willow tree, Niu San Duo was noisily puffing on a water pipe. When he saw Qin Mu arrive, he scrambled to his feet, at a loss.
Qin Mu walked up to him, smiling. "Senior Brother San Duo, how have you been?"
"Fine, fine!"
Niu San Duo said hurriedly, "During the Yan Kang Calamity..."
Qin Mu raised his hand, smiling. "No need to mention it."
Niu San Duo had to swallow his words. "The master doesn't know you're here yet. If he did, he'd be too ashamed to show his face."
Qin Mu smiled faintly. "Martial Arts Heavenly Teacher has mastered the martial way and is divinely powerful. How could he not know I've come to Fengdu? He might hide for a bit, but after hiding, he'll think it through and come out to see me."
Just then, Martial Arts Heavenly Teacher's voice came from behind him as he poured tea. "When I heard you were coming, I did hide. But after thinking it over, I had to come out and see you. I owe you a debt of guilt. If I kept hiding, I'd be even more despicable."
Qin Mu turned around, smiling. "Heavenly Teacher..."
Suddenly, Martial Arts Heavenly Teacher dropped to his knees and kowtowed heavily to him several times, smashing a large crater into the ground!
"I've always prided myself on standing upright and walking straight, with nothing to be ashamed of before heaven and earth! But this matter of the Yan Kang Calamity—I can't get past it in my heart!"
Qin Mu moved to help him up, but Martial Arts Heavenly Teacher's cultivation was so profound that he pressed Qin Mu down, forcing him to accept the bow, and said solemnly, "The people of the Bullfighting Realm are descendants of soldiers who died in the Kai Huang Era. Their divine bridges were erased, and generation after generation faced inevitable death. You saved them, yet when you were suffering, I turned and walked away! That is not the act of a gentleman—it is the conduct of a petty man!"
Qin Mu had no choice but to let him be.
If he stopped Martial Arts Heavenly Teacher from making amends, it would become an obstacle to his martial Dao heart.