Chapter 60 — The Veteran General and the Seventh Young Master
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
The dragon-elephant howled piteously under the beating. Shen Mu had wanted to wallop it too, but seeing that the demon ape had already pounded the blockhead past all recognition, he let the matter drop. This dragon-elephant was a strange beast from the canyon beside the Palace of Averted Calamity, and it ruled a territory of its own; there was a remarkable brute strength in its body.
The dragon-elephant and the Xuanliao Demon Ape did not get on, and the two beasts fought often. Time and again the dragon-elephant would come running to the demon ape's ground to plunder its prey.
But ever since Shen Mu became lord of the canyon of the Palace of Averted Calamity and began teaching the demon ape cultivation, the dragon-elephant was no longer its match. The demon ape often came calling for revenge, and beat it a dozen times over; in the end the dragon-elephant could not take it, and simply surrendered, becoming the demon ape's mount—a most imposing sight. It was only that the dragon-elephant was somewhat stupid, not so clever as the demon ape and the little fox. Shen Mu's eyes flickered. All at once he sprang up, vaulted the waterfall, and came out upon the ridge. Beyond the ridge lay the Surging River, running beneath the cliffs.
The river came surging down with blocks of ice; floes still crowded the surface, and at this season there were ordinarily no boats at all upon the water. Just then Shen Mu saw a tower ship come sailing up the river, breaking the ice as it came, swift as could be.
To press upstream, and against the floes at that, and still make such speed—it was scarcely believable.
The Xuanliao Demon Ape, Snow Fox, and the dragon-elephant climbed up too and sat down beside him. The demon ape pulled up a pine tree, stripped off a handful of needles, and held them out to the little fox.
Snow Fox hastily shook her head. The demon ape said, "Eat.
Strong! "
Snow Fox laughed. "I don't eat that.
"
The demon ape held the pine needles out to the dragon-elephant. "Eat.
Strong!
"
The dragon-elephant shook its head.
The demon ape seized its head and gave it another thrashing.
"Eat! "
With tears in its eyes, the dragon-elephant ate the pine needles in silence.
Only then was the demon ape content. It sat down on its haunches and began leisurely nibbling pine needles itself. Snow Fox could not help saying, "Big fellow, do you know? Dragon-elephants don't eat plants—they eat meat.
They take after the dragon, not the elephant.
"
The dragon-elephant was deeply moved and nodded and nodded.
The demon ape sneered.
"Plants. Strong! Me, plants, strong!
"
Tears streamed down the dragon-elephant's face as it went on eating pine needles. The tower ship drew near, and Shen Mu saw that it bristled with armored officers and soldiers, with canopies fluttering above; beneath one canopy sat a young general, planted there in bold and martial state.
On the broad deck stood several painters at work, and before each painter was set a bronze mirror more than ten feet tall. Beside them were soldiers dressed like herdsmen, who kept opening iron cages and releasing golden eagles one after another from the ship.
Shen Mu quietly opened his Heaven-Reaching Celestial Eye, and saw that pictures had indeed surfaced upon those bronze mirrors—green hills and blue waters—and the pictures were ceaselessly changing. Suddenly an eagle's cry came.
Shen Mu looked up and saw a golden eagle circling above their heads.
He understood at once: "The pictures in the mirrors are what these golden eagles see! What sorcery is this, to turn what the eagles see into images in a mirror. .
. Of course—those painters are drawing a geographical map of the Surging River! "
They release the eagles; the eagles soar high and survey the land about the Surging River, and it is reflected in the bronze mirrors, and the painters set down these mountains and rivers.