Chapter 719: Shipwreck in the Gutter

The old ox looked at him, then at the Dragon Qilin cowering behind him, and couldn't help but chuckle. "Silly Oaf couldn't beat me, so he brought help. No matter who you bring, you can't defeat me. Are you here to stick up for Silly Oaf?"

"Silly Oaf?" Qin Mu was slightly taken aback. "Are you referring to Fatty Dragon?"

"Brother, Fatty Dragon was quite offensive just now. Please forgive him." Qin Mu, observing proper etiquette, said, "May I ask if the Farmer is here?"

The old ox scratched the scales on its belly, making a rustling sound. They were dragon scales. Qin Mu then noticed that this old ox indeed bore some resemblance to High Priest Ba Shan's Azure Ox. Both seemed to be dragon breeds, and both were covered in muscular lumps.

However, the Azure Ox's hobby was eating peonies, enjoying flowers and plants, and showing off its muscles. This old ox, on the other hand, was holding a hookah, smoking, and enjoying tea simultaneously.

"Could this old ox be related to the Azure Ox?" he wondered to himself.

The old ox exhaled a smoke ring, glanced at him, and said, "You're young; you probably don't know my master. Who are you, and why do you seek my master?"

Qin Mu smiled. "I am a disciple of the Heavenly Master Woodcutter. Among the Four Heavenly Masters of the Kaihuang Celestial Court, I have already met the Fisher and the Woodcutter. There are two other Heavenly Masters I have not yet met. Brother, would you be able to introduce me?"

"My master is just a farmer; there's nothing to see." The old ox emptied its hookah and said, "A few days ago, a woodcutter came looking for him and was injured by him. He's been lying in a rotten ditch at the village entrance for a month without moving. Since you're a woodcutter's disciple, you can just call me 'Senior Brother.' No need to call me 'Brother.'"

"The woodcutter?" Qin Mu was startled. "Teacher Woodcutter was injured? And hasn't moved for a month? In which village?"

The old ox stood up, planting its forelegs on the ground, wagged its tail, and said, "I'll take you, but don't think about pulling him out. My master said to let that fellow rot in the gutter. Anyone who dares to pull him out will receive three punches from my master. With three punches from my master, he can punch three holes in the sky!"

Qin Mu called the Dragon Qilin. The Dragon Qilin was somewhat reluctant and very afraid of the old ox. But the old ox was quite magnanimous and chuckled, "Big dog, don't be afraid of me. You're still young. When you grow up, you'll be able to pin me down and beat me."

The Dragon Qilin's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"No." The old ox drained the tea from the stone table. With a flick of its tongue, the teacup and teapot disappeared. It nonchalantly walked forward. "You're too green. Even if your small body cultivates for another thousand years, I could still beat three of you with one hoof. Forget you; I've fought countless true dragons and Qilins. I can't even count them all. Our village is not far ahead, a small mountain village."

The Dragon Qilin slumped in dejection.

Qin Mu smiled. "Senior Brother Ox, even though Fatty Dragon is still young, he shouldn't be underestimated. I taught him the Ancestral Dragon Grand Profound Art, a divine art of the Emperor's Throne realm. His cultivation progresses at an astonishing speed, and he might even surpass you in the future."

"My name is Niu Sanduo." The old ox wagged its tail and said, "Cultivation arts aren't about strength or weakness, but whether they're truly your own. His cultivation art isn't his, and he also has Qilin blood. The Ancestral Dragon Grand Profound Art is a dragon art, isn't it? He can only master half of it; the other half is full of flaws. It would be a miracle if he could beat me. Without forging your own path, cultivating any art is pointless."

Qin Mu's heart stirred. "Senior Brother Niu Sanduo's insight and knowledge far surpass countless gods and devils. It seems Heavenly Master Farmer truly lives up to his title as the Martial Heavenly Master. He can even train an ox to this level, fully comparable to a realm lord like Brahma."

They arrived at a small mountain village in the Great Ruins, about six or seven li from the rice fields.

Qin Mu surveyed the village scenery. He saw a picturesque mountain village nestled against a mountain, with clear springs flowing down from the green slopes, a truly idyllic scene. However, while the village had over a hundred households, there wasn't a single stone statue.

"Go see for yourself if that's your teacher lying in the ditch." The old ox flicked its rear and walked into the village.

Qin Mu approached the ditch at the village entrance. Sure enough, he saw a person lying face up in the foul-smelling ditch, their face pale from being soaked in the stench.

A putrid, nauseating stench wafted from the ditch. The man, dressed as a woodcutter, had both hands and feet broken. It seemed countless other bones in his body were also fractured, with only his skull still relatively intact.

Qin Mu watched for a moment. The man lying in the ditch finally noticed him and, with a splash, rolled over, burying his face in the foul water. A few rotting cabbage leaves clung to his hair, and a neatly picked chicken bone was stuck in his rear.

Qin Mu crouched by the side of the stinking ditch, unhurriedly and leisurely saying, "Teacher, why are you in such a sorry state, to the point of 'capsizing in a ditch'?"

The Woodcutter Saint flopped over with another splash. His stubble was bleached white from the soaking. He slowly said, "Unforeseen events happen in the sky, and with high winds and waves, one can 'capsize.'"

Qin Mu chuckled. "Teacher, can you 'flip' out of the ditch?"

"All my bones are broken, my cultivation sealed. I cannot struggle."

Qin Mu then asked, "Teacher, do you have an enmity with the Martial Heavenly Master?"

The Woodcutter Saint replied, "We've always been at odds."

Qin Mu nodded, stood up, and walked towards the village. He announced loudly, "Qin Mu, Qin Fengqing, 107th generation descendant of Kaihuang, seeks an audience with the Martial Heavenly Master!"

The farmers and farmwives in the village stopped their work one by one and looked at him. A burly but somewhat short elderly farmer, who was brushing the old ox's mane, twitched his ears upon hearing this and looked at Qin Mu.

Qin Mu led the Dragon Qilin into the village. There was no sound around them, only over a hundred people staring at them with wide eyes.

The Dragon Qilin, trembling with fear, took small, quick steps, staying close behind Qin Mu. He whispered, "Cult Master, there's something strange about this village. Besides that old farmer, there are no elderly people or children, only young adults..."

Qin Mu smiled as he looked ahead, walking towards the old ox and the short but sturdy old farmer. He murmured, "Fatty Dragon has grown up; he can actually notice such details. It is indeed strange that there are only able-bodied adults in the village and no elderly or children."

"Could the old ox have eaten them?" The Dragon Qilin shivered and asked.

Qin Mu removed the willow leaf from his forehead and scanned the surroundings with his third eye at his brow. He shook his head and said, "Of course not. The reason there are no elderly people is because they don't age. How can gods grow old?"

"Gods?" The Dragon Qilin was startled and timidly looked around. Over a hundred people in the small mountain village were staring at them. Could everyone in this village be gods and devils?

"The Cult Master's teacher coming here to fight is like an old man hanging himself – he's tired of living!" the Dragon Qilin thought to himself.

In the sight of Qin Mu's third eye, the villagers' respective divine treasures and Celestial Palaces appeared. Their divine bridges were complete, extending from their divine treasures all the way to their Celestial Palaces.

And in the Celestial Palaces of these villagers, incredibly tall and imposing primordial spirits stood deep within. He couldn't see the exact position of their primordial spirits in the Celestial Palaces, but he could tell that the lowest cultivation level among these people was at the Jade Pool realm!

He looked at the old farmer but couldn't discern his cultivation at all. He couldn't even see through the old ox!

"The old ox said Fatty Dragon wouldn't be able to contend with him even after a thousand years of cultivation. It seems to be true."

Qin Mu replaced the willow leaf on his forehead, then approached the old ox and the old farmer. He bowed and said, "Qin Mu, a descendant of the Kaihuang Qin Clan, pays respects to the Martial Heavenly Master."

The old farmer's face was deeply wrinkled, and his dark skin had a reddish tint, indicating exposure to wind and sun. His hands were also heavily veined, with thick, powerful knuckles.

His eyes were sunken, and his eyelids drooped. He continued to brush the ox's fur. His voice was like a booming bell: "There's no Martial Heavenly Master here. We're all farmers. You've come to the wrong place."

Qin Mu chuckled. "Since the Martial Heavenly Master is unwilling to acknowledge his identity, then the person in the ditch is my teacher. May I take him away?"

The old farmer clenched his fist heavily, and a rumbling thunderclap erupted. Qin Mu looked up to see the sky suddenly darken, with lightning flashing and thunder rolling. Streaks of lightning tore through the sky, and vaguely, a fist as large as a black mountain appeared in the heavens.

"If you want to take that old scoundrel away, you'll have to take three of my punches first!" The old farmer glanced at him, shook his head, and said, "Your physique won't be able to handle it."

Qin Mu composed himself, withdrew his gaze, and said, "Heavenly Master, as the most powerful among the Four Heavenly Masters, would you trouble a junior of the Qin Clan?"

The old farmer's fist relaxed, and he continued brushing the ox's fur, saying indifferently, "Is Kaihuang's bloodline so impressive? Back then, several of Kaihuang's children who committed evil were killed by me. I'm not ranked first among the Four Heavenly Masters. What good is martial power? It's not even as good as that smooth-talker in the ditch."

Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat, and a drop of cold sweat appeared on his temple. He dared to directly kill even Kaihuang's children?

This Martial Heavenly Master was truly audacious!

"What will it take for the Martial Heavenly Master to release Teacher Woodcutter?" Qin Mu suddenly said with a serious expression, "The jianghu has its rules, and the imperial court has its rules. Since we are in the jianghu, let's follow the jianghu rules! Your junior, Qin Mu, has come to rescue his teacher. Please, Heavenly Master, state your terms!"

The old farmer raised his drooping eyelids and chuckled. "Jianghu rules? Excellent! I'd like to see how much skill that smooth-talker taught you! That wily woodcutter became the number one among the Four Heavenly Masters by his glib tongue. You surely didn't just learn his glib tongue, did you?"

Qin Mu burst into laughter, his clothes fluttering without a breeze. "It's shameful to admit, but since I debuted, I've always solved problems with my fists. I've fought my way through and never lost to anyone!"

The old farmer looked him up and down and sneered, "You haven't even cultivated a Martial Soul. Your fists have vital energy but no divine soul; you're an unenlightened fellow. But your boasting is certainly deafening. Someone, open the Ox-Fighting Palace!"

In the mountain village, farmers and farmwives stood up one by one, roaring in unison as they threw a punch.

The mountain range behind the village was blasted sideways by the gods' collective punch. Space was torn open, revealing a vast Celestial Palace. This Celestial Palace was situated within a vast expanse of heavens.

The heavens opened, the sun and moon hung high, and stars glittered. Inside, there was even a sizeable nation.

"Go to the Ox-Fighting Palace. Those are the jianghu rules!"

The old farmer chuckled. "No holds barred, even to death!"

Qin Mu's scalp tingled. The Dragon Qilin quietly turned, intending to slip away, but Qin Mu stepped on its tail, scaring the Dragon Qilin almost to the point of fainting.

From the ditch, the Woodcutter raised a small axe, "I can still make a plea..."