Chapter 395 — The Heir Apparent Appears

he dragon qilin flying toward that sun. Ling Yuxiu grew anxious as well and urged the qilin again and again, while Si Yunxiang was overjoyed: "At last I am going to become a pretty young widow..." They flew into the sky, when suddenly the dragon qilin veered and flew down toward those few pillars below. Everyone was startled and looked down, and there on the ground were two figures, and several flood dragons. The dragon qilin landed; the three girls leapt down hastily, and saw that Shen Mu was drawing a withered, stick-thin girl out of the Dawnboat and laying her flat upon the ground. Ling Yuxiu hurried forward: "Cowherd, you..." "Shh." Shen Mu raised a finger and said softly: "She has fainted. I am rather good at nursing girls back to health. I made my name as this miracle doctor in the Flower Lanes." Ling Yuxiu pinched him hard under the arm and complained: "I was worried to death!" Shen Mu smiled: "I told you there would be no danger. Open!" In his eyes layer upon layer of array patterns revolved; he opened the Cinnabar Skies Heaven Eye, then urged the Dragon-Riding Art. A flood dragon flew over and settled upon him, crouching on his shoulder, its dragon body coiling about his waist. Borrowing the flood dragon's dragon aura, Shen Mu's cultivation soared, and around his pupils yet more layers of array patterns poured out as he opened the Ninefold Heaven Eye directly to examine Yan Jingjing's body. After a moment he dispersed the Dragon-Riding Art, and the layered heavens in his eyes scattered. The flood dragon, however, did not come down from his shoulder, but stayed crouched there, very comfortable. "Maha," the flood dragon yawned, drowsy. Snow Fox ran over hastily, caught the hem of Shen Mu's robe and climbed up: "Get down, get down! Go sleep somewhere else—this is my spot!" The flood dragon had no choice but to slip down. Snow Fox sat on Shen Mu's shoulder, swinging her two little feet, her snowy white tail swishing smugly behind her. Shen Mu pondered for a moment, then said: "Ling'er, I will call out the prescription; you go and fetch the medicine." Snow Fox answered with an "mm," changed from a little girl into a small fox, and slipped into his Taotie Pouch. The pouch opened, and as Shen Mu recited the names of the herbs one by one, whirlwinds within the pouch carried the herbs flying out. Seeing how closely the two of them worked together, Ling Yuxiu felt a little jealous of the small fox. She glanced at Si Yunxiang and said with a smile: "No pretty widow for you after all." Si Yunxiang said cheerfully: "The cult leader plays like this, and sooner or later he will play himself to death. There will be plenty of chances to be a pretty widow." Shen Mu refined several furnaces of spirit pills and fed them to the unconscious Yan Jingjing, then sorted the remaining pills. Just then the old clan chief came flying over from beside that sun with several elders, calling from afar: "We could not find young friend Shen—most likely he has already been burned to ash..." Before the words were out of his mouth, he saw Shen Mu. The old men could not hide their shock. Shen Mu finished sorting the pills: "Ling'er, give her one dose morning and evening. Clan Chief, I have not failed in my charge." The old clan chief suppressed the tremor in his heart and said hurriedly: "How did young friend Shen kindle the sun? And how did you come back alive?" Shen Mu said with a smile: "Simple enough. I used the Dragon-Riding Art and had several fire flood dragons lend me their magic power; then I turned the Sun Jade Eye's power to its utmost and threw it into the black sun, and the black sun was kindled." He spoke as lightly as wind and clouds, but the old clan chief knew how much Shen Mu had given. A treasure capable of kindling the black sun must be no small thing, and Shen Mu had cast it away without the slightest hesitation. Guilt rose in his heart. Shen Mu was so selfless, and yet he himself had been unwilling to come; the contrast left him wishing he could hide. "Little sister Jing needs a few days' rest. Her body is too depleted; my spirit medicine only replenishes a little of her vitality." Shen Mu's face was grave: "Her life has been drained too much, and it will be very hard to restore. I can only nurse her along for now, so that she does not worsen." The old clan chief let out a breath: "To save her life is already a great kindness. And more, young friend Shen has kindled the sun for our Sunherd clan—such a kindness will never be forgotten while we have teeth in our mouths. Young friend Shen, Jing'er lies unconscious, and we still must choose a Sun Warden to withstand tonight's invasion of demon gods from alien realms. Please, young friend, come and observe the rite... No!" Shen Mu's palm touched one of the pillars. The old clan chief's face changed drastically and he hurried to stop him, but he was one step too late—Shen Mu's hand had already landed on the pillar's surface. At once vast energy erupted, howling as it surged toward Shen Mu; in an instant Shen Mu roared in fury, true fire blazing all over his body, his flesh growing more and more immense, while his other arm involuntarily seized another pillar. His sinews and frame swelled violently; two more arms burst out from beneath his armpits, and with two cracks they gripped the other two pillars. In a moment he had become a god bathed in the true fire of the sun. Wave after wave of divine might surged and rolled, like billows crashing one after another, striking from every direction, as though one stood amid towering waves. The old clan chief shielded Snow Fox, Ling Yuxiu and the others, his gaze blank as he stared up at this hundred-zhang giant. Suddenly he came to himself and dropped to one knee. He bowed his head: "Your Highness." Behind him, those elders too touched knee to ground and bowed their heads: "Your Highness." Ling Yuxiu, Si Yunxiang and the others were bewildered, but then they saw the giants of the Sunherd clan come one by one, silent, until they surrounded the four pillars, and every one of them knelt on one knee. "Your Highness," they said. Si Yunxiang leaned to Ling Yuxiu's ear and murmured: "Princess Xiu, the cowherd's background seems even grander than yours..."