Chapter 47 — A Third Guest Suddenly Appears in the Trap
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
After a long while Hu Ling'er's belly rumbled; cautiously she climbed down from Shen Mu's back and stole out of the undersea dragon palace on tiptoe. It was not that she feared disturbing Shen Mu, but that she had a natural dread of dragons, and feared that any noise she made would disturb the dragon bones.
Half an hour later the white fox returned from outside, carrying a bag in her hand, and in the bag were strange creatures like dandelions.
Hu Ling'er, fighting down her inner fear of the dragon bones, walked into the mist, came to Shen Mu's side, climbed up onto him again, sat on his shoulder, and stuffed one of those creatures into his mouth.
Shen Mu seemed unaware; when food came he opened his mouth and obediently swallowed it.
Hu Ling'er fed him more than twenty of those strange creatures before she began smacking her lips over her own meal.
Shen Mu still showed no sign of waking; he walked on and on, his eyes fixed on the dragon bones, and sometimes he even climbed onto them, walking about upon those vast skeletons.
About his spirit fetus a green dragon coiled, crackling with lightning; but Shen Mu, his mind wholly fixed on the dragon bones, did not notice.
Thus, imperceptibly, two days passed. Shen Mu ate, drank, relieved himself and slept there; his body had long since grown rank, and still there was no sign of his waking.
Hu Ling'er was very patient. These few days she tended his food and drink: when Shen Mu was thirsty she went to fetch water cupped in leaves; when he was hungry she went to catch the strange creatures in the passage. Only, the way there must pass the pool, and the monstrous fish lurked in the water; one careless moment and she would be eaten by them. Luckily she was clever, and nothing went amiss.
Of course, when Shen Mu relieved himself, she still kept away.
On the third day, just as Hu Ling'er was about to fetch some water, Shen Mu's voice suddenly came, startled: "How did I get so filthy?"
Hu Ling'er was both astonished and delighted, and said in her crisp voice, "You've been standing here three days! It would be a wonder if you weren't filthy!"
"Three days?"
Shen Mu was taken aback and blurted out, "This is bad! Three days gone and no word of me; the people in the village must be worried sick! Come, let's hurry back!"
Suddenly he stopped again and said, "If we go back now, I'll surely be scolded, and they may not even let me out again. Since we're here, we might as well take a look in the dragon palace; who knows, we may find some treasure."
Full of eagerness, he walked into the undersea dragon palace. Hu Ling'er followed him into the towering hall, summoning her courage; but being timid, she dared only to keep at Shen Mu's heels, not venturing to walk about freely.
This great hall too was shrouded in mist, and thicker mist at that, vast and dim, so that one could not see far.
"Strange. What is it that gives off this mist?"
Shen Mu wondered. This mist was no water vapor; even with his Lingxiao Heavenly Eye he could not see far through it. The deeper they went toward the center of the hall, the heavier the mist grew and the shorter the range of sight. Hu Ling'er grew more frightened still, and bit down on the hem of Shen Mu's trousers, letting him lead her along.
Then he heard a strange sound: soft, long-drawn, yet somehow sorrowful, as though someone in the mist were singing a mournful song, though he could not understand the words.
It was an ancient tongue, mysterious and obscure, as ancient as the speech of gods or demons.
As Shen Mu listened, he raised a hand and touched his cheek; unknowingly his face was wet with tears.
The song gave him the feeling that in the mist a woman drifted to and fro, singing a story that broke her heart.
Suddenly the golden rings of the Ximiro in his hand clanged and rattled, making a fearful din.