Chapter 380: Forced Melons Are Guaranteed Sweet
The Butcher couldn't help but say, "You blind old fool, making decisions on your own—did you even ask Mu'er what he thinks?"
"I don't need to ask! The child I raised, I can decide for him!"
After saying this, the Blind Man grabbed Qin Mu's hand and walked out of the great hall. A group of flood dragons quickly followed Qin Mu as he ran outside. The Village Chief frowned and said, "Old Butcher, no need to chase after him. The Blind Man will come to his senses on his own."
The Butcher shook his head and said, "That old fellow has a worse temper than I do. He actually lost his temper."
Inside the hall, Qingyou Shanren sighed with emotion and said to Wang Muran and the other two, "The Human Sovereign invited us out of seclusion to calculate and construct the spatial mathematical model for repairing the Divine Bridge. Now that the model is complete, there's no need for us to remain in this troublesome place called Yenkang. Will you return to Little Jade Capital with me?"
Long Yu and Mu Qingdai both hesitated. Long Yu wanted to return to Little Jade Capital, but he lacked strong opinions and couldn't help looking at Wang Muran. Among the three junior brothers of Little Jade Capital, Wang Muran had the most ideas. Mu Qingdai, who was more playful at heart, had found the past few months since descending from Little Jade Capital to be exciting and wanted to stay.
Wang Muran was silent for a moment before saying, "Disciple just encountered the Yenkang National Teacher."
Qingyou Shanren raised an eyebrow. Wang Muran continued, "He no longer recognizes me."
Qingyou Shanren sighed and said, "He is the National Teacher, so naturally he wouldn't remember you."
Wang Muran said, "The Yenkang National Teacher is leading the reform, transforming the world, and creating a new order. His techniques and divine abilities are advancing with each passing day, progressing rapidly. Even if I stayed in Little Jade Capital and trained a hundred times harder than him, I could never surpass him in this lifetime. Besides, he is also extremely diligent."
"You want to stay?" Qingyou Shanren asked.
Wang Muran bowed and said, "Disciple wishes to enter the era of upheaval brought about by his reforms. This transformation has already shown many signs. The National Teacher's Three Sword Styles, Human Sovereign Qin's Six Harmonies Primordial Spirit, the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon, and the Celestial Phenomenon Divine Abilities all prove that techniques and divine abilities are changing. If I remain in Little Jade Capital and miss this era, the Yenkang National Teacher will never remember me. When I seek revenge against him, he will kill me with one sword stroke and not even recall who I was."
Qingyou Shanren sighed inwardly and said, "Then stay. Qingdai, Long Yu, what about you two?"
Mu Qingdai smiled and said, "I'll stay too, so Little Junior Brother has someone to look after him."
Long Yu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Since Junior Brother and Junior Sister are staying, as the Senior Brother, it's my duty to watch over them."
Qingyou Shanren's head ached. "Very well. Senior Brother Youhe, let's return to Little Jade Capital."
The three old immortals of Little Jade Capital rose, bowed to the Village Chief, the Mute, and the Butcher, and took their leave.
Once they were in the air, Qingyou Shanren said to Youhe and Youyun, "I'm worried about those three disciples. You two return to Little Jade Capital first; I'll watch over them secretly."
Youhe quickly said, "The Emperor killed the Celestial Master from the Upper Firmament, inviting unpredictable consequences. If you stay, you'll likely be implicated. This is a place of trouble—not suitable for lingering!"
Qingyou Shanren smiled and said, "Don't worry, I understand. I've long since lost my worldly heart; I won't be tied down by this glamorous world." With that, he concealed his presence and vanished.
Qin Mu sat on the back of the Dragon Qilin, following the Blind Man as they traveled unhurriedly. Qin Mu invited the Blind Man to ride, but the Blind Man refused, leaning on his staff and walking toward the Great Wasteland on his own.
After a long time, the Blind Man suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Qin Mu had the Dragon Qilin halt, and all the flood dragons behind them stopped as well.
After a moment, the Blind Man let out a melancholy sigh and said, "Mu'er, Old Butcher asked me what you think, and I never asked you. Now I'm asking: do you want to stay or return to the Great Wasteland?"
Qin Mu smiled and said, "If Grandpa Blind wants me to go back, then I'll go back. If I say I want to stay, will Grandpa Blind allow it?"
"No!"
Qin Mu changed the subject and asked, "Did the Village Chief ask Grandpa Butcher about the sun, moon, and stars being fake?"
"Go ask the pig-killer yourself!"
Qin Mu said nothing more. The two continued their journey. As evening fell, Qin Mu lit a fire and cooked dinner. After they finished eating, the Blind Man took his bamboo staff and drew a circle around Qin Mu on the ground. "Wait here. Don't step out of the circle... Not that you could leave anyway! I'm going to snatch you a wife. When we get back to the village, you'll bow to heaven and earth, get married, and have children!"
Qin Mu was startled. The Blind Man, holding his bamboo staff, leaped into the air and disappeared.
"Snatch a wife? Have children?"
Qin Mu's mind buzzed. He hurriedly tried to step out of the circle, but with a hum, the circle the Blind Man had drawn blazed with light, bouncing him back.
"Grandpa Blind's restrictions are powerful, but Grandpa Lame taught me the Heaven-Stealing Divine Legs, which fear no restrictions!"
Qin Mu exerted force with his legs, but as soon as he activated the Heaven-Stealing Divine Legs, he was bounced back again. The circle the Blind Man had drawn was ingenious—its size precisely prevented the Heaven-Stealing Divine Legs from reaching the speed needed to break through spatial constraints, which was the only way to ignore restrictions.
"Grandpa Blind taught me the Nine Heavens Eye-Opening Technique, which is exactly for breaking restrictions! Open eyes!"
Qin Mu's pupils spun with layers of formation patterns as he activated the Azure Sky Divine Eye and focused his gaze. Then he slumped in defeat.
He couldn't understand it.
As the creator of the Nine Heavens Eye-Opening Technique, the Blind Man was known as the Divine Eye Divine Spear. His powerful divine eyes gave him unfathomable mastery over restrictions and formations.
Even if Qin Mu fully activated all nine layers of his divine eyes, he might not be able to break it.
"I still have those two big eyeballs, the Sun Jade Eye and the Moon Jade Eye. Maybe they can break Grandpa Blind's restriction! But..."
He looked troubled. The circle the Blind Man had drawn was too small to accommodate those two eyes.
Qin Mu glanced at the Dragon Qilin and the dozen or so flood dragons. He quickly took out the Emperor's Token, activated the Dragon Subduing Art, and blew the Golden Flute. The flood dragons roared and attacked the circle.
But no matter how powerful or numerous these flood dragons were, they couldn't break the circle the Blind Man had drawn. The circle's light barrier reformed as soon as it was broken, constantly shifting, keeping him trapped.
Qin Mu didn't dare let the flood dragons go all out. If they broke the circle but couldn't control their strength, they might kill him too.
He was completely out of ideas and had no choice but to sit obediently inside the circle, waiting for the Blind Man to return with his "snatched" wife.
The massive platform of the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon was still flying through the air, drifting toward the capital. On the platform, Emperor Yanfeng watched the burning alchemy furnaces with heartache. Those furnaces weren't burning medicinal stones—they were burning sack after sack of Great Abundance Coins! Even he, the emperor, felt a pang of pain at the sight!
Just then, a figure flashed rapidly across the sky above the platform and disappeared.
"What incredible speed!"
Emperor Yanfeng marveled. The Yenkang National Teacher walked over, glanced into the distance, and said, "It looks like that blind old man who fought the gods of the Upper Firmament. He should be the Divine Spear of old."
"What a pity he can't be used by me," Emperor Yanfeng sighed.
By the middle of the night, the figure rushed back, speeding across the sky above the platform. Emperor Yanfeng looked into the distance and said in confusion, "Why is that Divine Spear carrying a big sack?"
"I don't know."
The Yenkang National Teacher was also puzzled. "Reclusive experts often have strange hobbies. The elders of Lord Qin's sect all have these odd quirks—hard to understand."
By the time the sun was high in the sky, they arrived outside the capital and landed the platform. Palace guards came running and knelt, shouting, "Your Majesty! Terrible news! Last night, the Sixth Princess was kidnapped by an old man with a staff!"
Emperor Yanfeng's expression froze. "An old man with a staff? National Teacher, was that Divine Spear carrying a staff..."
Qin Mu woke up to find the sky already bright. The Blind Man had just returned, setting down a large sack. From inside the sack came the muffled sounds of a girl.
"Fat Pig, come here! Show your true form!"
The Blind Man led the Dragon Qilin over. The Dragon Qilin revealed its forty-zhang giant beast form. The Blind Man lifted the sack and placed it on its back, then walked over, took his bamboo staff, and erased the circle on the ground. He smiled and said, "Mu'er, back to the village to get married!"
Qin Mu quickly said, "Grandpa Blind, a forced melon isn't sweet!"
"Guaranteed sweet, guaranteed sweet."
The Blind Man jumped onto the Dragon Qilin's back with him, grinning. "If it's not sweet, we'll return it and swap for a sweeter one. You're a lucky boy! Fat Pig, stop at the next town. We need to buy a phoenix crown, a cape, and a big red flower."
The Dragon Qilin grunted in acknowledgment. In its true form, its body was wide and ran as smoothly as a large ship.
Qin Mu untied the sack, revealing black hair and a familiar fragrance.
The sack squirmed. Ling Yuxiu lifted her head, a cloth stuffed in her mouth, making muffled sounds as she pushed forward. The Blind Man stood nearby, grinning smugly.
Qin Mu quickly pulled the girl out of the sack, only to see that Ling Yuxiu's hands and feet were tightly bound with golden ropes, unable to move.
He pulled the cloth from her mouth and was about to untie the golden ropes when the sack squirmed again. Another girl wriggled out, poking her little head out.
Qin Mu was startled. He hurried forward and pulled the second girl out of the sack—it was Si Yunxiang, her hair disheveled and her expression panicked.
Qin Mu's mind buzzed. "Grandpa Blind, you kidnapped two..."
There was still something squirming inside the sack. Qin Mu's face darkened as a little girl poked her head out, looking up at him with a pleading expression.
Qin Mu was completely speechless.
"How did you kidnap Ling'er too?" He hurried forward and lifted the six- or seven-year-old girl out.
"When I went to kidnap the princess and the saintess, I grabbed her along the way."
The Blind Man grinned. "They all live in the Divine Ability Residence at the Imperial Academy, right next door. There's no time like the present—tonight, you'll get married and enter the bridal chamber! Which one do you like? Take your pick!"
Qin Mu pulled the cloths from Si Yunxiang and Hu Ling'er's mouths. Hu Ling'er was overjoyed and said shyly, "Getting married today? I'm not ready yet..."
The Blind Man laughed. "Whether it's the princess, the saintess, or the little fox spirit, it doesn't matter. You could marry all three at once, and I'd get to hold a grandchild even sooner. So, which one do you choose?"
The three girls looked nervously at Qin Mu. Without a word, Qin Mu reached out to untie their golden ropes. Suddenly, one of the ropes lifted its head, opened its mouth, and nearly bit his hand.
Qin Mu was startled and quickly pulled his hand back.
"That's a dragon sinew, not an ordinary thing. You can't untie it."
The Blind Man sneered. "That sinew came from a true dragon, not these flood dragons."
Qin Mu sighed and said, "Grandpa Blind, you're causing trouble again... Granny, why are you here too?"
The Blind Man quickly turned around. Qin Mu bolted, activating the Heaven-Stealing Divine Legs at full power and fleeing into the distance.
The Blind Man raised his bamboo staff and pointed it into the air. Qin Mu, mid-leap, suddenly lost all his power and fell from the sky.
Thud.
The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground came from afar.
"Never lets me rest easy."
The Blind Man shook his head, pulled out another golden rope, and sent it flying. Soon, it bound Qin Mu tightly and brought him back to the Dragon Qilin's back.
"Grandpa Blind, a forced melon... Mmmph!"
The Blind Man stuffed a cloth into his mouth and placed him next to the three girls. He muttered to himself, "One bridal chamber a day—guaranteed sweet!"