Chapter 60: Qin General and Seventh Young Master

Qin Mu seemed to have anticipated it. One hand grabbed the Sky-Abandoning Zen Staff, and he forcefully swung the ape demon along with the staff, slamming them hard onto the ground. With his other hand, his five fingers sprang out one after another, producing six continuous explosive sounds that shattered the scimitars formed by Hu Ling'er's vital qi.

"A roar—"

The Dragon-Elephant suddenly exerted force with all four legs. Taking advantage of Qin Mu's engagement with the ape demon and Hu Ling'er, it lowered its head and charged towards Qin Mu. With a thunderous crash, it sent Qin Mu flying!

The moment the Dragon-Elephant sent Qin Mu flying, its trunk suddenly elongated. It coiled around Qin Mu, who was still in mid-air, pulled him back, swung its trunk, and buried Qin Mu headfirst into the ground.

The Dragon-Elephant pulled Qin Mu out of the ground, preparing to smash him again. Suddenly, Qin Mu's leg technique changed. He kicked away its trunk and delivered over a hundred continuous kicks to the Dragon-Elephant's face, sending the massive creature flying.

"Get down, little one!"

The ape demon, its incredibly powerful body enveloped by a green dragon, slapped Qin Mu, who had just kicked away the Dragon-Elephant, onto the ground. The ape demon roared, lifted its thick, powerful short leg, and stomped viciously towards Qin Mu!

It was the cripple's Heaven-Stealing Leg Technique, 'Trampling Mount Sumeru'!

Qin Mu, who had been slammed face down onto the ground, immediately flipped over. He stood on one leg, his body parallel to the ground, while his other leg met the ape demon's huge foot.

The move he used was also 'Trampling Mount Sumeru.' Though his execution was more spontaneous and not standard, its power was equally astonishing!

The ape demon grunted, stumbling backward. It then grabbed the Dragon-Elephant's tail, swung the massive beast, and hurled it down at Qin Mu. Simultaneously, Hu Ling'er's tail swayed, the wind whistled, and scimitars tore through the air. The scimitars spun wildly in the air like wheels, cleaving towards Qin Mu!

Suddenly, rustling sounds of something cutting through the air could be heard. Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly. He quickly dodged the attacks from Hu Ling'er and the ape demon. Following the sound, he saw over a hundred armored men and women leaping through the forest with incredible speed, heading upstream towards the Surging River.

Several of them also noticed Qin Mu. They immediately paused and looked around. One man looked at Qin Mu, the ape demon, and the white fox, asking in surprise, "Hunters?"

"Don't cause trouble, let's go!"

Another person whispered, "The boat is coming soon! We must form an array on the river surface before it arrives!"

"Isn't that risky? If our tracks are seen and word gets out, it might be disadvantageous for us..."

"The Great Ruins are full of reclusive masters. Don't create unnecessary complications. Let's hurry; his boat is fast. If we miss it, we'll regret it later!"

Those few people moved with incredible speed, darting away and vanishing into the forest.

Qin Mu felt puzzled and whispered, "These people don't seem to be from the Great Ruins. They are heading upstream, seemingly intending to ambush someone. That person just now seemed to want to kill us to silence us; they don't seem like good people... Ling'er, big guy, look, honest and trustworthy people like us always get the short end of the stick. People try to kill us to silence us at the drop of a hat."

The little white fox nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing. The ape demon pouted, "Believe that? Nonsense!"

Qin Mu was about to speak when the Dragon-Elephant suddenly rushed over and headbutted him, sending him flying. The ape demon was furious, pinning the Dragon-Elephant to the ground and giving it a severe beating, roaring, "Stop it, understood?"

The Dragon-Elephant wailed miserably from the beating. Qin Mu had originally wanted to give it a beating too, but seeing the ape demon pummeling the brute until it was unrecognizable, he decided against it.

This Dragon-Elephant was an exotic beast from the valley adjacent to Zhenyang Palace. It also ruled over a territory and possessed extraordinary brute strength. The Dragon-Elephant and the ape demon didn't get along, and the two exotic beasts often fought. The Dragon-Elephant frequently went to the ape demon's territory to snatch wild beasts. However, ever since Qin Mu became the lord of Zhenyang Palace Valley and taught the ape demon cultivation, the Dragon-Elephant was no longer a match for the ape demon.

The ape demon often went to seek revenge, beating it more than a dozen times. Eventually, the Dragon-Elephant couldn't take it anymore and simply surrendered. It was then used as a mount by the ape demon, which was quite imposing.

However, the Dragon-Elephant was somewhat dim-witted, not as intelligent as the ape demon or the little fox.

Qin Mu's eyes gleamed. He suddenly leaped up, ascending the waterfall, and arrived on the mountain ridge. Beyond the ridge was the Surging River, bordering the cliff face below.

The river water flowed downstream, carrying ice chunks. There was still a lot of floating ice on the river surface. At this time of year, there were usually no boats on the river.

Just then, Qin Mu saw a multidecked boat approaching from downstream. It broke through the ice, moving very quickly. It was incredible that it could move so fast upstream, pushing against the floating ice.

The ape demon, Hu Ling'er, and the Dragon-Elephant also climbed up and sat down beside him. The ape demon pulled up a pine tree, stripped off a handful of needles, and presented them to the little fox.

Hu Ling'er quickly shook her head. The ape demon said, "Eat, strong!"

Hu Ling'er laughed, "I don't eat that."

The ape demon then offered the pine needles to the Dragon-Elephant, saying, "Eat, strong!"

The Dragon-Elephant shook its head. The ape demon pressed its head down and gave it another beating, roaring, "Eat!"

The Dragon-Elephant, with tears in its eyes, silently ate the pine needles. Only then was the ape demon satisfied. It sat down and unhurriedly ate pine needles itself. Hu Ling'er couldn't help but say, "Big guy, do you know? Dragon-Elephants aren't herbivores; they eat meat. They follow the nature of a dragon, not an elephant."

The Dragon-Elephant was inexplicably touched and nodded repeatedly.

The ape demon sneered, "Vegetables, strong! Me, vegetables, strong!"

The Dragon-Elephant continued to cry, tears streaming down its face, as it ate the pine needles.

As the multidecked boat drew closer, Qin Mu immediately saw armored soldiers everywhere on board. A ceremonial canopy fluttered, and beneath it sat a young general, holding a magnificent sword and sitting imposingly.

On the broad deck, several painters were drawing. In front of each painter stood a bronze mirror over ten feet tall.

Beside them, several soldiers dressed like herdsmen continuously opened iron cages, releasing golden eagles from the boat.

Qin Mu quietly activated his Divine Heaven Eye. He saw that images were appearing on the bronze mirrors, showing green mountains and clear waters, and the images were constantly changing.

Suddenly, an eagle's cry came. Qin Mu looked up and saw a golden eagle flying directly above them.

He suddenly realized, "The images in the bronze mirrors are what these golden eagles are seeing! What kind of spell is this? To make what the eagles see appear in the mirrors... That's right, those painters are drawing a geographical map of the Surging River!"

By releasing the golden eagles, the eagles flew high into the sky, observing the geography near the Surging River. This was reflected in the bronze mirrors, allowing the painters to draw the mountains and rivers. In this way, by sailing from downstream to upstream, the entire terrain of the Surging River could be mapped.

"Who are these people? Why do they need to map the Surging River's geography? What do they intend to do with this map?"

Qin Mu blinked, feeling somewhat bewildered.

Just then, a soldier on the boat quickly approached the ceremonial canopy. He knelt on one knee, cupped his fists, and reported, "General Qin, there are people spying from the shore!"

The young general under the canopy raised an eyebrow and turned to look towards Qin Mu. Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat. As the general's gaze shifted towards them, it was as if two incredibly bright beams of light shone directly at him, blinding him with a sheet of white so he couldn't see anything!

Hu Ling'er and the ape demon also cried out in alarm, quickly covering their eyes. Only the Dragon-Elephant, engrossed in eating pine needles, didn't notice anything unusual.

"They are just ordinary villagers by the river," General Qin said. He closed his eyes, feigning sleep, and continued, "They can't even withstand my gaze; they pose no threat. There's no need to pay them any mind."

"Yes, General!"

The soldier hesitated for a moment, then said, "General, seven months ago, under imperial decree, you raided the home of Yan Zheng, the Minister of Rites. Yan Zheng was renowned for his integrity in the court and among the populace, often speaking up for smaller sects, and he himself came from the Huaqing Sword Sect, holding a very high position in both court and martial circles. You raided his home, imprisoned him in the Heavenly Prison, and presided over his execution, which the Emperor ordered. I fear our journey won't be peaceful. Yan Zheng's remnants might try to ambush us along the way."

General Qin sneered, "It was the Emperor who ordered the raid and the Emperor who ordered Yan Zheng's execution. What does that have to do with me? Yan Zheng sought fame by deceit, even daring to lodge an imperial complaint, claiming the Imperial Preceptor intended treason and demanding the Emperor immediately execute him. That's utterly outrageous! For a sliver of reputation, he dared to sow discord between the Emperor and the Imperial Preceptor, plotting illicitly. He deserved to die. If not him, then who?"

He rubbed his temples, sighed, and said, "The Emperor ordered me to raid his home and preside over his execution because I am a disciple of the Imperial Preceptor, personally promoted by him. My involvement in the raid and execution was also to inform the court and populace that the Emperor's favor towards the Imperial Preceptor is strong, and to make those treacherous and sycophantic officials abandon their intentions! It's a pity some people can't see the political situation clearly, fail to grasp the imperial will, and bring ruin upon themselves."

The soldier said, "But this time, I'm afraid there will be people seeking fame by dishonest means who will ambush us..."

General Qin waved his hand, saying calmly, "I intend to draw out Yan Zheng's remaining followers and seize the opportunity to capture all these rebellious traitors in one fell swoop!"

He stood up and walked to the bow of the boat. Looking at the surging river water flowing downstream with floating ice, and at the mountains and cliffs on both banks, he said calmly, "The Imperial Preceptor ordered me to enter the Great Ruins and draw a geographical map of the Surging River for the sake of the nation's stability, to eventually incorporate the Great Ruins into our dynasty's territory. Yet these rebellious traitors don't appreciate the Imperial Preceptor's painstaking efforts and still plot to kill me, disrupting the stability of our Yankang nation. Don't they deserve to die?"

At this moment, a young nobleman walked out of the boat cabin. He wasn't fat, but his face had some baby fat, a red mark on his forehead, and he held a folding fan, smiling. "Such a person, yet he carries the reputation of a 'pure-hearted official' and 'loyal, righteous minister.' It's truly laughable! Such loyal ministers and pure-hearted officials should all just die!"

General Qin quickly turned and bowed, saying, "Seventh Young Master."

The Seventh Young Master looked up at the mountain. The shadows of Qin Mu and the ape demon on the mountain cast down, perfectly covering the moving multidecked boat.

"General Qin," the Seventh Young Master asked, "I've heard that the natives of the Great Ruins are all abandoned people of the gods. Is that true?"