Chapter 328: New and Old Sword Gods

The two clouds moved in different directions, one left and one right. Yet, at the high altitude where these clouds floated, the actual wind direction was entirely different from their movement, perfectly perpendicular. The only possible explanation for this phenomenon was that the two clouds and the wind did not exist in the same spatial dimension. Observing the wind and clouds suggested the presence of three distinct spaces.

Furthermore, considering Youdu, a realm perpetually shrouded in darkness, and the murky Fengdu, if their skies were to appear here, they would undoubtedly be black or grey. Though he couldn't see black or grey skies, Qin Mu was convinced these two worlds were close by. This meant that at the source of the Surging River, potentially five worlds were overlapping. As night fell and darkness encroached, worlds emerged one after another, creating a bustling, continuous spectacle.

"When I have time," Qin Mu mused, "I must visit the borderland between the Western Earth and the Great Ruins. Darkness pours from there, and perhaps more secrets can be uncovered."

Qin Mu descended from the air, a headache beginning to throb. What exactly had triggered these echoes of history? Which worlds were connected by the source of the Surging River, and where were these connection points? The Great Ruins held many secrets, and the Surging River itself seemed to possess its own share of mysteries.

"Some secrets are beyond my ability to comprehend or unravel," he thought. "Forcing myself might even endanger my life. It's better to return to the village first."

As they traveled downstream, Xiong Xiyu kept observing Qin Mu. Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she finally asked, "Cult Master Qin, are you truly a native of the Great Ruins?"

Qin Mu nodded, puzzled. "Why do you ask?"

Xiong Xiyu replied, "How did you survive in such a perilous place? The Great Ruins is teeming with strange beasts, bizarre occurrences, and deadly dangers. At night, darkness encroaches and demonic creatures run rampant, and other worlds frequently overlap with it. It's truly inconceivable that you've lived until now!"

Qin Mu burst out laughing. "Palace Mistress, you've misunderstood! The Great Ruins is actually quite safe—far safer than the outside world. What's truly dangerous is beyond its borders. To be honest, the first time I left the Great Ruins and arrived in Yankang, I stayed at an inn by the river. That very night, a disaster struck. It was Dijiang County; everyone in the town perished, and only Ling'er and I managed to escape. I've never experienced anything like that in the Great Ruins."

Xiong Xiyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "That doesn't mean Yankang is more dangerous than the Great Ruins; you simply happened to be there at the wrong time."

Qin Mu's expression was calm. "Since entering Yankang, the murderous intentions, calamities, and assassination attempts I've encountered have been far more numerous than anything in the Great Ruins. In comparison, the Great Ruins is truly safe. The greatest dangers I've faced there were all caused by outsiders intruding. The Great Ruins is the safest place."

Xiong Xiyu was utterly perplexed, unable to fathom how he could consider the Great Ruins safer than the outside world.

The Dragon Qilin let out a series of chuckles. "Palace Mistress, you don't know this, but our Cult Master doesn't even dare to use his real name when he travels. If he were to reveal it, people wanting to kill him would form a line from Yankang all the way to Disabled Elderly Village. Those so-called righteous cultivators absolutely loathe him."

Qin Mu shot him a glare, then quickly explained to Xiong Xiyu, "Our Heavenly Saint Cult is actually quite upright; please don't misunderstand. By the way, once we reach the village, I can essentially purge your poison. What are your plans after that?"

Xiong Xiyu looked bewildered. Should she return to True Heaven Palace? Now, with only her daughter left, she was uncertain about returning to True Heaven Palace to reclaim her position. She lacked the confidence, and more importantly, she feared for Xiong Qi'er's life. Yet, abandoning her ancestral legacy also filled her with reluctance.

Qin Mu observed her expression and smiled. "I will remove your Entangling Silk Poison, but your cultivation won't recover immediately. I'll also need to help you recuperate and restore your vitality. If you can't make a decision, I have a suggestion: come with me to Yankang for a while. I'm a Doctor at Supreme Emperor College, and I can recommend you for a teaching position there."

Xiong Xiyu's beautiful eyes, clear as flowing water, gazed deeply at him. Unconsciously, she exuded the aura of a Sacred Land Master. "After all, I am the mistress of True Heaven Palace. You want me to teach at Supreme Emperor College?"

Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then cautiously suggested, "Or perhaps you could teach at the Heavenly Saint Cult's academy?"

Xiong Xiyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, her eyes twinkling. "I'll visit Supreme Emperor College first."

Five days later, they finally neared Disabled Elderly Village. Qin Mu immediately went to look for Hu Ling'er. Several white foxes emerged from Hu Ling'er's house, speaking in human tongues. "Young Master, Big Sister went to Yankang to find you! She left months ago!"

Qin Mu inquired in detail. The lead white fox explained, "Great King Yaoling came to force a marriage, and Big Sister beat him. Great King Yaoling then summoned his father, and since Big Sister couldn't defeat him, she fled, saying she was going to Yankang to find Young Master."

Qin Mu bid them farewell and led the group towards Disabled Elderly Village. With the village in sight, Qin Mu grew excited and shouted, "Grandpa Village Chief, Grandpa Apothecary, I'm back!"

Xiong Xiyu looked towards the small village and saw a scruffy old man sitting in a lounge chair at the village entrance. He had no legs or arms, his beard was disheveled, and his hair was messy. A group of chickens in the village were proudly patrolling, looking quite impressive.

"Mu'er is back? You've grown taller," the old man said. He swayed in his lounge chair, basking in the sun. He looked at Xiong Xiyu and the two white bats, a hint of surprise appearing on his face. "This girl is very pretty, and her cultivation is strong, but unfortunately, she's poisoned. Those two white bats are quite interesting."

With a flutter, the two white bats hung upside down from the tree above his head, heads down and feet up. They curiously observed the Village Chief and exclaimed, "You're very strong too!"

Qin Mu couldn't help but frown. He glanced at the Village Chief, then hurried into the village to fetch a butcher knife. From Granny Si's room, he found a piece of white cloth and tucked it under the Village Chief's neck. He then boiled a basin of hot water, covered the Village Chief's face with a hot towel, and left it there for a while.

Qin Mu removed the towel and, with the butcher knife, carefully shaved his beard. "Village Chief," he asked, "where are the others in the village? And Grandpa Apothecary? Is he not here? Look, your beard is almost touching the ground."

"Apothecary ran away," the Village Chief sighed. "A few women came looking for him here, scared him off, and left me stranded. I don't have hands or feet, so I couldn't even crawl back to my room."

Qin Mu was startled, exclaiming, "Village Chief, how long have you been at the village entrance?"

"Almost two months," he replied.

Qin Mu was speechless. This old man had been motionless for nearly two months, simply lying at the village entrance, unmoving, enduring wind, rain, and the encroaching darkness! This was truly laziness reaching an extreme!

Xiong Xiyu, however, was greatly startled. Judging by the arrangement of the stone statues in the village, the light from Disabled Elderly Village's four statues couldn't possibly reach this spot at night. Yet, this scruffy old man had lain at the village entrance for nearly two months without perishing in the darkness. Was he a god? Or perhaps the bizarre creatures in the darkness simply held no interest in this old man?

Qin Mu shaved the Village Chief's beard clean, washed his face, then trimmed his messy white hair, tidying him up. He then carried the old man into his room, changed his clothes into a clean set, and went to wash the old ones. He then carried the old man out and placed him back in the lounge chair, brewed a pot of tea, and asked, "Have Grandpa Ma and the others not returned either?"

The Village Chief replied, "Grandpa Ma returned once. Old Tathagata and Dao Master came looking for him, saying he was no longer Tathagata. Old Tathagata then cut off one of his own arms, claiming he couldn't give it back to his children, but he could give an arm to Grandpa Ma."

Qin Mu exclaimed, "Old Tathagata cut off his own arm?"

"Yes," the Village Chief confirmed. "Old Tathagata's arm was carried off by the Chicken-Granny Dragons. It's still in the chicken coop, but those Chicken-Granny Dragons can't eat it." The Village Chief sighed wistfully. "Grandpa Ma seemed very cold, full of hatred for heaven and earth. But when Old Tathagata cut off his arm for him, he was still moved. He wept, then went to reside over Great Thunderclap Temple. He said he would return when a new Tathagata arrived. I don't think he'll be coming back, though. He's waiting for a new Tathagata, but in reality, once he sits on the Tathagata's seat, he'll realize he is the Tathagata."

Qin Mu stared blankly for a moment, then said, "I'm actually heading to Nether Valley, so I'll stop by Great Thunderclap Temple to see him on the way. And Cripple Grandpa? Wasn't he inseparable from Grandpa Ma?"

"Cripple is inseparable from Old Grandpa Ma, so he naturally went to Great Thunderclap Temple as a guest," the Village Chief explained. "He said he was afraid Old Grandpa Ma might get into trouble." The Village Chief looked worried. "I'm afraid once Old Grandpa Ma becomes Tathagata, he'll realize he has nothing left, completely devoid of all attachments."

Qin Mu hadn't seen Butcher, Blind, or Mute either, so he inquired again. Blind and Butcher, he was told, had left with Old Dao Master and Tathagata, saying they were going to explore Little Jade Capital. Mute had initially stayed in the village, but the day before Apothecary fled, Mute suddenly went mad, rushed into the darkness with his belongings, chasing who knew what, and hadn't returned since. Granny Si hadn't returned either; she was likely still in Yankang, suppressing her inner demons and refining her temperament.

Qin Mu tidied up various areas in the village, placing all sorts of treasures and suspected artifacts into two Taotie bags. He then approached the herb garden at the village entrance, pointed his hand, and several flying swords plunged into the ground around the garden, cutting something beneath. Qin Mu raised his hands high, making a lifting gesture, and the entire herb garden floated upwards. He then stored this plot of medicinal land into Ban Gongcuo's Taotie bag. Ban Gongcuo's Taotie bag was superior to his own, with a larger internal space that could accommodate an entire plot of medicinal land.

Qin Mu slung Apothecary's medicine basket over his back and placed the Village Chief inside it. The Village Chief angrily exclaimed, "What are you doing, you brat? Put me down!"

"I can't let you stay here," Qin Mu replied. He tightened the straps of the medicine basket. "What if something happens to you? Who would know? From now on, wherever I go, Grandpa Village Chief will come with me!"

The Village Chief fell silent, feeling a touch of emotion, then chuckled. "Put me down. Silly child, I'm old; I can't wander anymore. Besides, I promised Yama that I'd go to his realm of the dead after I pass. When I die, a bird god will come to collect me."

Qin Mu immediately felt the medicine basket become incredibly heavy, as if he were carrying a mountain. Knowing the Village Chief was unwilling to leave the Great Ruins, he blinked and said, "Grandpa Village Chief, don't you want to meet the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang? Doesn't the Old Sword God want to meet the New Sword God? The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang is hailed as a sage who appears once every five hundred years; he's certainly worth seeing."

The medicine basket on his back instantly grew lighter. The Village Chief's tone also seemed to carry a hint of heroic spirit. "A new generation's Sword God? Hmm, it wouldn't be bad to meet him before I pass away. Let's go, we'll meet the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang!"