Chapter 381 — The Fruit Picked by Force Is Sweetest
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 4
ack after sack of Great Feng coins—burning so much that even he, an emperor, felt a stabbing ache in his flesh! Just then, a figure suddenly flashed swiftly through the air above the platform and vanished. "What speed!" Emperor Yanfeng exclaimed in admiration. The State Preceptor of Jingping walked over and gazed into the distance. "It looks like that blind old man who fought the gods of the heavens above. He must be the Divine Spear of years past." "A pity he cannot be used by me," Emperor Yanfeng sighed. In the small hours of the night, that figure came rushing back, speeding over the platform. Emperor Yanfeng gazed into the distance and said in puzzlement, "Why is this Spear God carrying a large sack?" "I do not know." The State Preceptor of Jingping was also somewhat baffled. "Hermits beyond the world often have strange habits. The elders of Cult Master Shen's family all have these odd quirks. Very hard to understand." By the time the sun was high, they arrived outside the capital and brought the platform down. Palace guards came galloping in panic, dropping to their knees and crying, "Your Majesty, disaster! The Sixth Princess was abducted last night by an old man with a cane!" Emperor Yanfeng's expression went blank. "An old man with a cane? State Preceptor of Jingping, was that Divine Spear... does he use a cane..." Shen Mu woke to broad daylight. The blind elder had just returned, setting down a large sack. From inside the sack came a girl's muffled sounds. "Fat Pig, come here and show your true form!" The blind elder led the dragon qilin over. The dragon qilin revealed its true form, a colossal beast forty zhang long. The blind elder lifted the sack onto its back, then walked over and erased the circle on the ground with his bamboo cane. He smiled. "Shen boy, back to the village to get married!" Shen Mu said hastily, "Grandpa Blind, a melon picked before it is ripe is not sweet!" "It will be sweet, I guarantee it." The blind elder brought him up onto the dragon qilin's back and said with a grin, "If it is not sweet, we will return her and exchange for a sweet one. You lucky boy! Fat Pig, stop at the town ahead. We need to buy a phoenix crown, a rosy bridal robe, and big red flowers." The dragon qilin grunted in assent. In its true form its body was broad and wide, and it ran as steadily as a great ship. Shen Mu opened the sack. Black lustrous hair spilled out, and a familiar fragrance wafted toward him. The sack wriggled. Ling Yuxiu raised her head, a cloth gag stuffed in her mouth, making muffled cries as she pushed forward. The blind elder stood to one side, smiling smugly. Shen Mu hastily pulled the girl out of the sack, only to see that Ling Yuxiu's hands and feet were bound tight with golden rope, unable to move. Shen Mu pulled the gag from her mouth and was about to untie the golden rope when he saw the sack still wriggling. Another girl was pushing inside, and a small head emerged. Shen Mu was startled. He hurried forward and rescued the other girl from the sack—it was Si Yunxiang, her hair disheveled and her expression panicked. Shen Mu's mind reeled. He stammered, "Grandpa Blind, you abducted two..." Something was still pushing inside the sack. Shen Mu's face darkened. A little girl poked her head out, looking up at him pleadingly. Shen Mu was utterly speechless. "Why did you abduct Ling'er too?" He hurried forward and lifted out the little girl of six or seven. "When I went to snatch the princess and the holy maiden, I grabbed her along the way." The blind elder said with a grin, "They all live in the Divine Ability Residence of the Imperial Academy, right next door to each other. No day is better than today—tonight you will marry and enter the bridal chamber! Which one do you like? Take your pick!" Shen Mu pulled the gags from Si Yunxiang's and Xue Hu'er's mouths. Xue Hu'er was overjoyed, and said shyly, "Marrying today? I am not ready yet..." The blind elder laughed. "Whether princess or holy maiden or lit