Chapter 1525 — Remembrance and Keepsakes
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
Those who came were the ones who cared for him most. Granny Zhu, the Silent Craftsman, the Blind Elder and the others hurried over; only when they saw from afar that Shen Mu stood there unharmed did they breathe easy.
"Shen, where is the lame old man?"
Granny Zhu came up quickly, first inspecting Shen Mu's wounds, and then, relieved, looked around and asked suspiciously, "Where has that damned cripple run off to? The Blind Elder said he saw him sneak back again last night, saying he meant to save you... Where is he? Damned cripple, stop hiding, come out this instant!"
She searched about, found no trace of her old friend, and called out a few more times.
The Blind Elder opened his sacred pupils and gazed all around; then he stopped Granny Zhu and shook his head. "Granny, there is no need to call. The lame old man is not here. Shen, did the old cripple not show himself last night?"
Shen Mu steadied himself, a smile coming to his face, and said softly, "Grandpa Lame did show himself last night. He helped me kill that Dao-attainer from the past universe."
The Silent Craftsman gripped his box tighter, uneasy. The Blind Elder's expression shifted, and he looked at the crutch in Shen Mu's hand.
Shen Mu quietly moved his palm to cover the bloodstains on the crutch.
Granny Zhu forced a smile. "That coward — scared as a mouse his whole life. When was he ever so brave... Where has he gone?"
The smile on Shen Mu's face did not diminish. "He has gone to the past universe. He told me he had already stolen his way through every corner of our universe and there was nowhere left to try his hand. He wanted to go to the past universe and steal the sacred treasures there."
Granny Zhu's face still wore a smile. "That damned cripple — never happy unless he was filching something of someone else's. It is true he has stolen his way across the whole world; he even stole his way through the Heavenly Emperor's inner palace. He stole the Heavenly Emperor's eggshell too. Last time he was still bragging about it, sighing that there was nothing left in this world worth his trouble."
Shen Mu nodded. "That is how it is. Grandpa Lame's ambition has always been to keep stealing, to seek out ever harder challenges."
The smile on Granny Zhu's face grew deeper and deeper, until it could not be dissolved. "That is the man he is. Back when his own powers were still lowly, he went and robbed Emperor Yanfeng's treasury, and Jiang Baigui cut off one of his legs for it — and even then Jiang Baigui could not keep him."
"Mm."
Granny Zhu went on smiling. "When we were living in hiding in Yincan Village, he still loved to steal. When I found you troublesome and sent you away, every time he would steal you back and put you in my room, while he hid in some dark corner, tickled pink, watching me lose my temper at you."
"Mm. That is the man he is."
Granny Zhu let out a breath and smiled. "He must have decided there was no more fun to be had here, so he went off to the past universe to plague the Dao-attainers there. A scoundrel like him — the Dao-attainers of the past universe are in for a calamity this time!"
She laughed happily and clapped her hands. "Those Dao-attainers of the past universe brought us so much suffering; it is their turn to suffer now. Serves them right! Blind Elder, Silent Craftsman, don't you agree?"
She turned to look at the Blind Elder and the Silent Craftsman. The two said nothing, only nodded in silence.
Granny Zhu spoke again, half in reproach: "It is only that the fellow slipped away without a word, and that is what makes me angry! He is always like this — furtive, gone without a sound, never leaving the least word behind, and then suddenly popping up to give you a fright! When he tires of playing in the past universe and comes running back to frighten me, I will pin him to the ground and give him a good beating!"
She put on a stern face for the Blind Elder and the Silent Craftsman. "Not one of you is to stop me!"