Chapter 387 — The Art of Stealing Fortune
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
At that very moment, the Blind Elder flicked his fingers. Shen Mu gave a stifled grunt as the three great divine repositories within him all shut, sealed once more by the Blind Elder. The flute music broke off at once, and the flood dragons, one after another, looked about in bewilderment and did not attack the Blind Elder.
"You're a wonder, Mu'er."
The Blind Elder flicked his fingers again, and the golden rope flew out, binding Shen Mu's hands and feet fast. He sighed and said, "Each generation brings forth its talents; the young waves die on the beach. But old ginger is still the spicier. You struck a step too slow — you thought you would control the flood dragons and tie me up? It isn't that easy."
Shen Mu flopped to the ground, his face black as charcoal. He had just been about to order Lord Dragon-Rearer to seize the Blind Elder when the old man stuffed a cloth gag into his mouth, leaving him unable to speak.
"The wedding still has to happen, and the babies still have to be born!"
The Blind Elder hauled him up and said to Lord Dragon-Rearer, "Carry us down the river to the Desolate Ruins, back to the village to finish the wedding! There are still two ceremonies to go. Do it well, and I'll invite you to the wedding feast."
Lord Dragon-Rearer hesitated and looked at Shen Mu, who was making muffled noises through the gag, still wanting to struggle. After a moment, Shen Mu nodded in defeat.
Lord Dragon-Rearer felt a quiet satisfaction. "So this simple, honest-looking lad, devious and cunning as he is, has a day of losing out after all. Serves him right—"
It crouched down, revealing its long back like a narrow island in the water, and called, "Climb onto my back!"
The Blind Elder carried Shen Mu onto the dragon's back, and the Dragon Qilin hurried after them, while a crowd of flood dragons jostled over and piled up in a heap.
"These are all flood dragons I raised myself, and every last one of them is an ingrate..."
Lord Dragon-Rearer felt another pang of heartache, but matters had come to this and could not be undone. If it could do it all over again, it would have struck to kill the very first time it met Shen Mu, and slapped this simple, guileless virgin boy dead with one blow.
On the dragon's back, Shen Mu seemed to have accepted his fate; he neither struggled nor tried to make Lord Dragon-Rearer strike. The Blind Elder pulled the gag from his mouth and said, "Let this Eel Lord teach you."
Shen Mu held out his hands, and the Blind Elder untied the golden rope from them, though the rope around his legs still bound him.
Shen Mu's gaze flickered. "Why must you be so careful, Blind Grandpa? To learn from Lord Dragon-Rearer how to gather dragon veins and summon the power of the True Dragon Lord, I'll have to use my magic power. And these flood dragons are hungry besides — I still need to refine spirit pills to feed them. If you unseal me, do you really think I could run? And even if I tried, could I ever escape the palm of Blind Grandpa's hand? Sealing me is no more than a flick of your fingers."
The Blind Elder raised his eyebrows and reached out to tap the point between Shen Mu's brows. Shen Mu rejoiced inwardly. With a boom, his Prime Womb repository opened — but the Five Luminaries and Six Universes repositories remained sealed.
"The vital essence of the Prime Womb repository is enough for you to learn it," the Blind Elder said with perfect composure.
Shen Mu marveled and gave a thumbs-up. "No wonder you're the old hand who raised me to manhood — so very careful!"
The Blind Elder was delighted and laughed. "Save your flattery! Go on, go on!"
Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang exchanged glances. The cowherd boy's upbringing seemed rather different from other families'; however you looked at it, it seemed to be leading the child down crooked paths.