Chapter 19 — The Mysterious Body's First Awakening Shakes the Barren Village

"An oasis a hundred li downstream?" When Shen Mu returned to Barren Ruins Village, the sky was drawing down toward dusk, and the youth unloaded the treasures from the bamboo raft and carried them back into the village, where the villagers, inevitably taken aback, crowded round and plied him with questions. Shen Mu gave them an account of his adventures, and the Blind Elder's face changed a little; he cried out involuntarily: "What lies sealed in the temple at that oasis is a Lord-rank exotic beast — a demoness adept at shifting her form, a most formidable creature by the name of Wu Nü. You went into that temple? And you actually made off with every one of her darling treasures?" Granny Zhu cried out as well: "That Wu Nü? Once, passing that ruined temple, I saw that she had devoured far too many people, and I gave her a beating. In the end she hid herself behind that Buddha statue; the statue struck me as uncanny, as if it meant to subdue me, and so I did not beat her to death. That Buddha statue is a very strange thing —" "I have seen her too. She is a most formidable one, a great demon the peer of any Seven-Star Realm expert." The Lame Elder asked: "Mu'er, how did you steal Wu Nü's belongings and escape alive from her grasp?" Shen Mu, seeing that concealment was no longer possible, told them about the demonic tongue he had learned in the canyon ruins, and gave them, from start to finish, a full account of how he had stirred up the three tones — the divine, the demonic, and the Buddhist — and refined Wu Nü with them. The villagers listened round-eyed and slack-jawed; after a long while Grandpa Ma let out a murky breath and said: "Young, and already so accomplished! Young, and already so accomplished!" The Lame Elder, the Hard-of-Hearing Elder, and the others nodded one after another and raised their thumbs in unending praise. A great demon like Wu Nü, with strength to rank beside the mighty of the Seven-Star Realm, had actually been extorted and robbed by Shen Mu — truly he was young and already so accomplished; he had not disappointed the teachings they had given him, and they basked in the reflected honor! The Mute picked up several of the weapons, hefted them and made passes this way and that, then shook his head and went "Ah, ah," miming with his hands to say that the workmanship of these primordial-infused spirit weapons was poor, and they were of little use. "Come tomorrow, I'll carry them to Crimson Dragon City, sell off these primordial-infused spirit weapons, and along the way buy some oil, salt, soy, and vinegar, and lay in some lengths of cloth and good wine besides." Granny Zhu said: "It's time I sold my few head of livestock as well." Shen Mu's spirits leaped up. Go to Crimson Dragon City? He had grown up in the Barren Ruins since he was small, and only recently had he been allowed out of the village; he had heard of Crimson Dragon City, but never once set foot in it! "We can't take you along — you're still too young." Granny Zhu shook her head. Dismay settled over Shen Mu; after a brief hesitation he plucked up his courage and said: "Granny, Grandpa Ma, there is one more thing. My Overlord Body — it has awakened." At once the whole circle fell silent. After a moment Grandpa Ma, the Lame Elder, the Blind Elder, Granny Zhu, and all the rest broke into cheers, and the Mute too went "Ah, ah" without cease; only the Hard-of-Hearing Elder, whose eyes had not caught what Shen Mu said, could not think why these old fellows had suddenly run mad — until he saw Shen Mu say it over again, whereupon he understood and burst into laughter! The Blind Elder raised a great clamor, bawling: "Village Head! Master Alchemist! Come quickly! The Overlord Body has awakened!" The Butcher, beside himself with excitement, threw back his head and sent up a long cry to heaven: "Village Head, Master Alchemist — at last the Overlord Body has awakened!" When Shen Mu had come back to the village, the Village Head had been standing before his house, with the Alchemist seated at one side; the Alchemist had brewed a pot of tea and was pouring out a cup for the Village Head, but because the Village Head had no hands, he lifted the cup and held it to the Village Head's lips. The two often drank their tea in this fashion — a little idle refinement, most agreeable. The Village Head had just got halfway through his cup when the shouting of the Blind Elder and Grandpa Ma reached his ears; the tea at once sprayed from his nose, his eyes, and his mouth, and from the little holes beneath his lower eyelids two thread-fine jets of water hissed out and shot up high. Crack. The teacup in the Alchemist's hand was crushed as well, and tea splashed all over the Village Head's face; the two men stared at each other, round-eyed and confounded, their mouths having fallen open unbidden and hard put to close again. The Alchemist came to himself and stammered: "The — the Overlord Body... has awakened?" The Village Head likewise wore a face of utter blankness; plainly he had not yet recovered his wits. The Lame Elder came limping over, nodding emphatically, and said with a laugh: "Exactly so — the Overlord Body has awakened! I looked him over just now; his primordial energy is a full three times as vigorous as it was this morning, and far purer; and between his brows the spirit embryo has awakened, giving off a strange undulation — it has clearly merged with his consciousness! These are precisely the tokens of spirit-embryo awakening!" Shen Mu walked over and saw that the Alchemist's mouth had opened even wider, as though two great duck eggs had been stuffed into it, while the Village Head's lower eyelids were still leaking water; and he thought to himself, 'Grandpa Village Head and Grandpa Alchemist are certainly surprised and delighted — but isn't this a little too much surprised, a little too much delighted?' The Alchemist shut his mouth and asked hastily: "Mu'er, has your Overlord Body truly awakened?" Shen Mu nodded. "It awakened while I wasn't paying attention," he said. The Alchemist nearly choked to death. "Awakened while you weren't paying attention..." he stammered. At last the Village Head shook off his daze and chuckled: "That Mu'er is an Overlord Body — of this there can be no doubt whatsoever. With discernment as vast as mine, how could I have misjudged? His awakening was only a matter of course... ahem, ahem, ahem!" The Alchemist's face turned inexpressibly odd, and he too hastily coughed a few times to cover it up, then smiled: "The awakening of the Overlord Body is a most excellent piece of news! But, Mu'er, now that you have but just awakened it, you must not grow proud. Your road of cultivation has only just begun — do you understand?" Shen Mu nodded in agreement. The Village Head said: "The Alchemist speaks very truly. The road of the Overlord Body is arduous beyond measure; you must not allow yourself the least slackening. Alchemist, I am a little tired — first take me back to my room." The Alchemist took his meaning and saw him back into the house. Inside the house, the two old men exchanged blank looks; after a long moment the Alchemist made an effort to keep his voice low: "Village Head — is Mu'er truly an Overlord Body?" "Of course not!" said the Village Head flatly. "Then how did he manage to awaken—" "How should I know?" The two old men exchanged blank looks once more, at a loss to explain the phenomenon of Shen Mu; after a considerable while the Alchemist ventured: "Can a mortal body open the spirit-embryo wall?" "A mortal body breaking through the wall? Never have I heard of such a thing. Mu'er would be the very first." The Village Head suddenly smiled: "Alchemist, who knows — perhaps Mu'er truly will become an Overlord Body and walk a road like no other. Wasn't that exactly our purpose at the start?" The Alchemist smiled as well: "The mortal body is the Overlord Body. Mu'er has already brought his mortal body to awakening; the road of his Overlord Body is abo