Translator: Ninetales Editor: DarkGem
âPui pui, go and touch wood. The monks of Little Thunderclap Monastery have not found their way here yet.â Xian Qingâer was curious, though. âWhat bad things have you done, why are people chasing after you so much?â
âI guess itâs because Iâm too outstanding?â Qin Mu raised his head and pondered it. He felt that what he said was definitely correct. âIâm too outstanding so people are jealous of me and chase everywhere I go.â
He waved his hands to bid goodbye, and Xian Qingâer immediately said, âIâll go play with you when Iâm free, donât let your elders kill me!â
âOkay!â
When the sun started to set in the west, Qin Mu finally reached Disabled Elderly Village. Just as he had entered it, he saw over a dozen hen dragons that were taller than a human surrounding him with unpleasant looks.
At their head was that old hen which became agitated when she saw Qin Mu and pointed her wings at him while clucking non-stop to the other hen dragons. It was as if she was telling the them that this brat was an egg thief.
âI merely went outside for half a year and now there are so many hen dragons in the village.â
Qin Mu seemed to have met his greatest foes and shouted out, âTimes have changed, Iâm now the cult master sacred teacher of Heavenly Saint Cult, even if you hens outnumber me, Iâm not afraid at all!â
âCluck! Cluck! Cluck!
The flock of hen dragons swarmed forward and drowned him out. The feathers of these hen dragons were like swords, and they spewed fire like dragons. With sharp claws which could split stone and metal, they were incomparably fierce.
Hu Lingâer saw this situation and immediately said, âYoung master, I shall go home first to have a look!â When she had said it, she disappeared like a wisp of smoke.
After a moment, Qin Mu forced back the flock of hens while panting heavily. His face was covered in blood, and his hair was all messed up with chicken feathers stuck in it. In front of him, the head of the hen dragons brought the flock to walk away with their heads held high as they patrolled the village.
Dutian Devil King laughed as he rejoiced in Qin Muâs misfortune. âRascal, you canât even beat a flock of hens!â
Qin Mu pulled out the chicken feathers from his hair. âAnd youâre someone who lost to a fellow who canât even defeat a flock of hens. Granny, Village Chief, Iâm back! Why didnât any of you come to save me when you saw me getting bullied by a flock of hens! Eh, why is no one here?â
Qin Mu walked around the village, surprised.
Village Chief and Apothecaryâs rooms were empty, and the other people of the village had not return either. Qin Mu could only find a few slips of paper which he opened up. The first slip wrote that Village Chief, Apothecary, and Devil Cult Patriarch were going to search for Carefree Village. If anyone came back, they should first help Apothecary feed his insects.
The second slip was in Butcherâs handwriting which said that Village Chief and the rest had yet to return so he was worried about their safety, so Blind and he was going to search for them.
The third slip was left behind by Mute, and it said that Blind and Butcher had not returned as well, so he was going to find them.
The fourth slip was left behind by Cripple and Old Ma, saying that Village Chief and the rest might have met with danger. They could move fast so they had gone out to find them.
The fifth slip was left behind by Granny Si which said that the old geezers were always causing trouble. She had left to find them and told Qin Mu to not wander off.
âGranny and the rest are really worrisome.â
Qin Mu shook his head and placed his luggage down. He went to pluck a few leaves from the herb garden outside the village, then opened the pots in front of Apothecaryâs door and placed the leaves inside them. In the pots, the starving insects immediately snatched the food.
Qin Mu then walked into Apothecaryâs room and found a few spirit pills which he shattered and scattered into other pots. He then washed his hands to cook dinner.
âThese broken potsâ¦â
Dutian Devil King saw the broken pots which kept the little insects and was greatly shocked. His gaze then landed on the water cauldron in front of the smithy and was shocked again. âThis huge water cauldron⦠that rake, that pot, and all the other treasures strewn everywhereâ¦â
âLord Devil King, stop wandering around, you have more arms so come and help me cook a few dishes,â Qin Mu summoned him over.
When the last of the sun rays disappeared, darkness came pouring over from the west and surged towards the east like a huge flood, swallowing all the mountain ranges on its way and drowning out Great Ruins!
Qin Mu was long used to this sight and didnât pay any attention to it as he served the dishes with an apron around his waist. However, Dutian Devil King was seeing such a terrifying sight for the first time, so he was dumbfounded and couldnât say a word.
Just before the darkness was about to drown Disabled Elderly Village, a lean elder walked in with a book basket on his back. The darkness swept over right at that moment and whooshed towards the east around Disabled Elderly Village.
âGrandpa Deaf!â
Qin Mu was surprised and delighted. He immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks to welcome him. Deafâs clothing was old and tattered, which made it evident that he had not lived well outside. He placed down his book basket and asked, âIs there food? Iâve been starving for a few days.â
âFood is just ready!â
Qin Mu immediately washed another set of bowl and chopsticks. Deaf sat down and gorged himself, taking a breath after eating four to five bowls of food continuously. Qin Mu poured another bowl of soup for him and asked in bewilderment, âGrandpa Deaf, where have you been these days?â
The corners of Deafâs eyes twitched, and he grumbled, âEternal Peace. I went to find Mute, but I couldnât do it, and I used up all my travel expenses so I could only sell my paintings.â The elderâs voice was pained when he spoke. âThe people of today have sadly degenerated! Degenerated! I actually didnât manage to sell even one painting. When I was extremely starving, I met Old Woman Si who spared me some cash, even if she mocked me for a long time. Thatâs right, donât speak about this to Apothecary, that guy always laughs at me for not earning as fast as he can by selling medicine.â
Dutian Devil King stared wide-eyed. This old geezer was a top-notch expert, so could he be the painting expert who had painted that sword god? This kind of great expert had actually come close to starving to death? Couldnât he have gotten money by force if he didnât have any?
Qin Mu didnât know whether to laugh or cry. âGrandpa Deaf, now that the world is not peaceful, who would buy paintings for pleasure? If you lack money next time, you can sell them to Imperial Preceptorâs manor, since Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor will definitely be willing to spend a huge sum to buy them.â
Deaf shook his head. âI eliminated several thousands of Eternal Peace Empireâs soldiers, so if I went to his house to sell my paintings, he would definitely take me down. I canât win against him.â
Qin Mu beamed. âYou can find me in Imperial College, all I have is money. I can buy all of the paintings you have painted. Are there any left in Grandpa Deafâs book basket? You can sell them to me, Iâll pay you now.â
âIâve burned them all,â Deaf said nonchalantly. âWhere are the others? Have they not returned?â
âBurned?â
Qin Mu felt pained. If Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor was here, he would definitely puke three liters of blood up.
He took out the slips of paper Apothecary and the rest had left behind, and Deaf read through them before saying, âTheir handwritings are really ugly. Iâll have a good night sleep tonight and go find them tomorrow. Who is he?â
Only now did he notice Dutian Devil King, and the other said proudly, âIâm the master of Dutian, the ruler of Dutian. Thereâs no need for you to pay respect to me.â
âHeâs really ugly,â Deaf got up and returned to his room to sleep.
âIâm the Lord Devil King of Dutian!â Dutian Devil King retorted angrily.
Qin Mu said with good intentions, âDevil king, Grandpa Deaf canât hear.â
âBullshit, he was able to hear you just now!â
Qin Mu explained, âSometimes he can hear, sometimes he canât.â
Dutian Devil King was speechless from anger. Qin Mu cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks before getting ready for bed. âDevil king, donât wander about at night. The darkness is very dangerous.â
Dutian Devil King said yes repeatedly and thought to himself, âSince the rascal doesnât dare to enter the darkness, now is the best time for me to leave. I just need to enter the darkness and Iâll be able to shake him off. Then Iâll be able to host the sacrificial ceremony to summon my true body.â
Not long later, Qin Mu fell asleep, and the snoring could be heard from his room.
Dutian Devil King tiptoed toward the outside. The stone statues in the four corners of the village were giving off a faint glow, so the surroundings werenât too dim. However, the places which the light from the stone statue couldnât shine on were pitch black and nothing could be seen in them.
Dutian Devil King carefully came to the village entrance and hesitated for a moment. He stretched out a finger into the darkness and heard nibbling sounds. Pulling his palm back, he couldnât help being stunned. His finger had already vanished, having been eaten by something in the darkness.
Dutian Devil King sized up his wound, and his heart trembled slightly. He probed, âGang nuo di da hei (Who is in the darkness)?â
Silent came from the darkness. After a while, a sinister sounding voice answered, âA pu gao ni hen (Who are you yourself)?â
Dutian Devil Kingâs spirit jolted, and he was about to say something when a voice sounded spoke behind him. âWhat are you doing? Why are you speaking the devil language?â
Dutian Devil King saw Deaf who had appeared behind him at some point in time, and his heart tightened. âThe ears of this deaf are so sensitive! Wait, isnât he a deaf person?â
Deaf yawned and raised his brush to write a âfixâ word on his body before going back to sleep.
Dutian Devil King couldnât move at all. He wanted to say something, but he couldnât make a sound, either.
The next morning, Qin Mu woke up early to prepare breakfast. The dragon qilin brought a face basin and placed it in front of Qin Mu before sitting down to wait for his food.
Deaf ate to his fill. âMuâer, I shall go out to search for Village Chief and the rest to come back for New Years, while you and your big dog shall stay here to look after the village.â
Qin Mu gave a sound of acknowledgment. The dragon qilin ate the Scarlet Fire Spirit Pills while speaking in a low and muffled voice, âIâm not a big dog, Iâm an auspicious beast thatâs half dragon and half qilin.â
Deaf didnât hear him and walked out of the village. He raised his brush and painted a dragon in the sky, then rode into the sky.
Dutian Devil King was still standing by the entrance, unable to move.
Qin Mu put away the bowls and chopsticks while thinking to himself, âI wonder how devil ape that big fella is doing these days. I should bring some presents to him.â
He saw Dutian Devil King and gave a smile before saying softly, âGang nuo di da hei?â
Dutian Devil Kingâs heart was slightly shaken. âThis brat also knew?â
Qin Mu made the dragon qilin guard the village while he headed towards Doom Suppression Palace. Before he could walk far, he heard one of the many names of Buddha. âAmitabha! Heavenly Devil Cult Master, fancy meeting you here by sheer luck when one has searched far and wide for you. Never would I have thought this little monk will meet cult master here.â
A monk in ragged clothes appeared in front of him. They were both astonished to have met each other.
Qin Mu immediately recognized this monk as the one that had attacked his treasure ship in Eternal Peace Empire. He had used Junior Protector Sword to injured his leg, but he could still sprint like flying.
âHow do I address you, monk?â Qin Mu smiled and looked around. When he didnât discover Long Jiaonan and the rest, he let out a sigh of relief.
This monk had clearly been chased by Lonely Mountain Ridge Root Demon and met with all kinds of unfortunate events in Great Ruins, one of which was getting separated from Long Jiaonan and the rest. With him having escaped in a panic, they had met up here by coincidence.
âLittle monkâs name in religion is Ban Chi.â
Monk Ban Chi raised his head at the sky, and two trails of tears rolled down his cheeks as he sighed ruefully. âMy Buddha of compassion, the virtuous achievements of little monk can finally come to their successful conclusion. Heavenly Devil Cult Master, you have done too much evil, so let this little monk send you on your way.â
Qin Mu said solemnly, âMonk, you said I have done too much evil. Please name one evil I have done to let me accept my death wholeheartedly.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Monk Ban Chi had an awe-inspiring murderous intent as he rushed over with his buddha rays shining brilliantly. âYou are the Heavenly Devil Cult Master, and thatâs the greatest evil youâve done! If thereâs a life to come for you, reincarnate to become a good person!â