Chapter 1583: Moon Palace, Tea Tree, Faint Fragrance
Qin Mu sought out the Golden Ship, intending to head to the Ultimate Void, when he saw Ling Tianzun approaching.
"Do you know how to reach the Ultimate Void and find Yun Tianzun?" she asked, standing below the ship.
Qin Mu was slightly startled, then broke into a smile and extended his hand.
Ling Tianzun grasped his hand, and Qin Mu pulled her onto the ship.
"Your ship is strange."
Ling Tianzun landed on the bow, saying, "I saw someone on the ship, but couldn't make out who it was. Moreover, this ship of yours is actually enormous, containing a space of unknown vastness. I asked Yue Tianzun to search it, and she spent half a year but still couldn't explore the entire ship."
Qin Mu was startled. Yue Tianzun spent half a year and still couldn't traverse the entire ship?
Yue Tianzun's spatial techniques were extraordinary, her mastery so profound that Qin Mu could only look up to her in awe. Her Ultimate Void technique could probably travel from one end of the universe to the other in just a few years.
"Yue Tianzun said this ship seems alive, capable of growing or shrinking on its own. The ship is hiding the person on board, preventing you from finding him," Ling Tianzun said, looking toward the ship.
Qin Mu followed her gaze and could only see the palaces on the outer part of the Golden Ship. Even now, he had never seen the full appearance of the Ferry World Golden Ship.
"Are you saying the master of Miluo Palace is really alive on this ship?"
He pondered, "But the master of Miluo Palace is dead. If someone is on the ship, it wouldn't be him, only his imprint. Or perhaps someone really is hiding on this ship..."
He thought for a moment, then suppressed the urge to search the ship, smiling, "Better to go see Yun Tianzun first. This Golden Ship of mine is extraordinary and can enter the Ultimate Void, but I don't know where Yun Tianzun's Great Luo Heaven is."
"The Great Luo Heaven is crucial. If Hao Tianzun or Tai Chu find it there, Yun Tianzun is as good as dead, so he must hide it."
Ling Tianzun said, "Few know where the Great Luo Heaven is. I'll guide you there. On the way, I can teach you what I've comprehended over these forty thousand years."
Qin Mu was overjoyed.
Ling Tianzun thought for a moment and decided to use the method of divine consciousness to transmit her forty thousand years of insights to him. This would save time and make it easier for Qin Mu to understand and comprehend.
The Ferry World Golden Ship slowly rose, gradually accelerating as it sailed into the sky.
On the ship, Qin Mu organized the knowledge Ling Tianzun had imparted to him while controlling the Golden Ship. He had to wait until the ship reached a certain speed to open the void and let it travel through the void.
Ling Tianzun's forty thousand years of comprehension were indeed extraordinary. The Miluo Palace Dao patterns she had taught him were mostly deciphered by her now.
This was a monumental achievement!
The Miluo Palace Dao patterns contained infinite variations and countless details. When the patterns changed, these details would interact with each other, making them incredibly complex.
Qin Mu had spent a long time in Miluo Palace, but he had only deciphered the mysteries of the fixed patterns. He couldn't unravel the changes in the patterns.
Even so, with this shallow understanding, he had created the Hongmeng Finger, which made Hao Tianzun, Langxuan Divine Emperor, and others dare not face him head-on.
But because he hadn't grasped the changes, his finger attack was straightforward and easily dodged.
If he could incorporate the changes Ling Tianzun had comprehended, his Hongmeng Finger could become flexible and greatly increase in power!
Similarly, he could use the changes in the Miluo Palace Dao patterns to understand the changes in the Red String Knot Seal, greatly enhancing its power and might!
If he could achieve this, the Red String Knot would no longer just trap Yuanmu and the Empress Dowager; it would annihilate its target with a single seal!
"Ling, I'll teach you a seal technique, also derived from the Miluo Palace Dao patterns, but it involves Dao chains and is more complex."
Qin Mu's divine consciousness pulsed as he transmitted his insights into the Red String Knot Seal to Ling Tianzun, saying, "I've only mastered the static state of the Red String Knot; I can't make it change at will. How long will it take you to comprehend its variations?"
Ling Tianzun sat silently on the bow, not answering for a long time.
Qin Mu wasn't in a hurry. He continued to ponder the mysteries of the Dao patterns while accelerating the Golden Ship. The ship had already left the sky of Yuan Realm when it passed by the moon.
There was a palace complex on the moon. Qin Mu looked over and saw a woman in white walking out of the palace, carrying a sword on her back and holding a flower basket, intending to pick some flowers.
When the woman saw the Golden Ship and Qin Mu on board, she stood quietly at the palace gate.
Qin Mu controlled the Golden Ship, circling the moon a few times before slowly decelerating and finally stopping.
He jumped off the ship and approached the Moon Palace. In front of it were many flowers and plants, along with an old tea tree about a hundred years old.
Tea trees grow slowly, but a hundred years can still make them quite tall.
"Long time no see."
The woman walked toward the tea tree but stopped. The moonlight was pure white, casting dappled shadows under the tree.
A faint fragrance drifted in the moonlight.
Qin Mu walked forward and also came under the tea tree, quietly looking at Bai Qiong'er.
Bai Qiong'er was still as she had always been—serene, beautiful, and unburdened by worldly things.
"I knew you liked tea, so I planted a tea tree."
Her beauty came with her under the tea tree, making the faint fragrance in the garden outside the palace light and elegant. She said, "You haven't been around for a while. Some tea got old, so I drank it myself. I didn't like it at first, but gradually, I grew to enjoy it."
Qin Mu's mind suddenly calmed down. He smiled and said, "Is there still tea? I don't have anything urgent. I'd like to have a cup before I go."
Bai Qiong'er was delighted and went back to the palace to prepare. Just then, Ling Tianzun walked over and said, "Prepare another tea set."
Bai Qiong'er gave her a deep look, puzzled, and asked, "Ling Tianzun? The Shanghuang Ling Tianzun?"
She had once followed her father to the Shanghuang Heavenly Court and had seen Ling Tianzun from afar.
Although Ling Tianzun was a woman, she wasn't very particular about her appearance. During the Shanghuang era, she often went unkempt. Now she wore a blue dress, a woman's attire, but she found her hair troublesome and kept it short, a far cry from her scruffy leopard-skin skirt and straw sandals back then.
Ling Tianzun recognized her and said, "Bailong clan? Shanghuang Sword God? I saw you once, during the Shanghuang Heavenly Court celebration forty thousand years ago. You were in the crowd, following Bailong City Lord. You were only this tall."
She gestured with her hand.
"Your memory is truly remarkable, Tianzun."
Bai Qiong'er was shocked. At that time, tens of thousands of clans participated in the celebration. Ling Tianzun had only glanced at the crowd and could remember her face and voice perfectly—truly astonishing.
"I saw you again later."
Ling Tianzun said, "At the source of the Yong River, a woman carrying a basket with a baby inside. It was I who sent you to save them. Later, the baby grew up, and I sent him back forty thousand years to see you."
Bai Qiong'er's eyes widened, and she was speechless.
The fate between the three of them was so wondrous that it formed a strange loop!
Forty thousand years ago, Qin Mu went to Bailong City and saved Bai Qiong'er. Forty thousand years later, guided by Ling Tianzun, Bai Qiong'er saved the infant Qin Mu. When Qin Mu grew up, Ling Tianzun sent him back forty thousand years to Bailong City.
Qin Mu moved a stone table over, and Bai Qiong'er brewed tea. Qin Mu poured a cup for Ling Tianzun, who took a sip, set it aside, and fell into thought again.
Bai Qiong'er looked at Qin Mu with confusion, and he smiled, "That's just her nature. Don't mind her."
He slowly sipped his tea. The tea was as elegant as the woman beside him—fragrant and captivating. A small sip left a lingering aftertaste.
Qin Mu looked up at the tea tree and asked curiously, "Was it transplanted from the Upper Firmament?"
Bai Qiong'er nodded and said, "Lady Xu, Jing Yan, gave me one. She said this was the tea that Xu Shenghua used to entertain you back then, and you tricked him out of half of it."
Qin Mu laughed heartily, very pleased, and said, "I didn't just trick him out of half his tea; I tricked him into coming with me altogether!"
Bai Qiong'er chuckled softly and sipped her tea.
Qin Mu looked at her, recalling their travels beyond the heavens, their time in the Moon Palace, and the time they disrupted the stars, prompting Jiang Baigui and Yu Chenzi to investigate, forcing Qin Mu to call her "senior."
That was the happiest and most carefree time of his life.
He smiled, his Dao heart incredibly peaceful. He quietly drank his tea, relaxing.
He felt his soul had reached a quiet harbor, rare in its tranquility.
His fate with Bai Qiong'er was too wondrous.
After who knows how long, Ling Tianzun suddenly said, "I've figured it out! Give me fifty thousand years, and I can solve it for you!"
She startled both of them. Qin Mu then realized she was talking about the Red String Knot and couldn't help but laugh and cry.
Ling Tianzun picked up her tea, and Bai Qiong'er quickly said, "Tianzun, wait—it's gone cold. Let me get you a fresh cup..."
"No need!"
Ling Tianzun tilted her head back and drained the cup, then set it down and said, "Mu Tianzun, I'll wait for you on the ship. Don't take too long."
Qin Mu nodded, and Ling Tianzun returned to the Ferry World Golden Ship.
Qin Mu refilled his own cup, holding it in his hands, feeling its warmth.
Bai Qiong'er watched him, noticing he kept looking at her, and her heart fluttered with a bit of panic.
Qin Mu admired her for a long time. The tea in his hand had gone cold, so he drank it all in one gulp, set down the empty cup, stood up, and said, "I have to go again."
Bai Qiong'er stood up, straightened his collar, and asked, "Is it dangerous?"
"Not really."
Qin Mu stood still, waiting for her to finish, and smiled, "I've always been like this. I've been through too much."
"Then be careful."
Bai Qiong'er thought for a moment and said, "Ling Tianzun and Yue Tianzun are Tianzuns from the Shanghuang era. Please ask them for me—I've been protecting some Shanghuang remnants, but my own strength is limited. I beg the two Tianzuns to protect their people."
Qin Mu nodded, turned, and left. Bai Qiong'er watched him walk toward the Golden Ship, but suddenly he turned back, pulled her into his arms, and held her tightly.
Bai Qiong'er didn't struggle. She quietly leaned against his chest.
After a moment, Qin Mu released her, turned, and left.
"She's a good girl."
On the ship, Ling Tianzun was still sitting cross-legged on the floor, using her primordial energy to evolve the structure of the Red String Knot, trying to deduce its changes and mysteries without looking up. "If you two can be together, it would be perfect."
"Yeah," Qin Mu said with a smile, urging the Ferry World Golden Ship forward.
Ling Tianzun said, "I heard from Yue'er that you painted a picture for her. She treasures it."
Qin Mu's eyes darted, and a cold sweat slowly formed on the back of his neck.
"I heard from Su Muzhe that your relationship with Yanxiu Emperor is unusual. You two pledged yourselves to each other when you were young, even performed a wedding ceremony, though you never consummated it," Ling Tianzun continued.
The back of Qin Mu's neck was damp, sweat trickling down his spine.
Ling Tianzun looked up and glanced at him, then said, "Su Muzhe also quietly told me that Langwo has a painting you made. The Painting Sage's work is better, but Langwo burned his painting and kept only yours."
Qin Mu's back was cold. He pushed the Golden Ship with all his might, and it tore through the void, disappearing.
I am Zha Zha Mu, and I'm in a hurry. Please give me monthly votes!
Hello everyone, I am Zha Zha Mu. Right now, I'm trapped by romantic troubles, in a critical state. I urgently need monthly votes to put out the fire. Brothers, come and chop... vote for me!
Please throw your monthly votes onto the book "The Legend of Mu." Once I unify the world, your name will appear on the Tianzun List. Everyone will be a Supreme Ancestor, looking at Zha Mu with a fatherly smile!
Haha, May Day, May Fourth—Labor Day, Youth Day. Are you all on vacation?
Zhai Zhu is still typing away, begging for monthly votes to put out the fire in Zha Mu's harem!