Chapter 75: Qin Mu's Enterprises

Si Popo’s vital qi surged, and behind her, an eight-armed, eight-faced Celestial God appeared, identical to Fu Yundi’s Eight-Phase Celestial God Skill. Qin Mu observed it closely, unable to discern any difference.

“The Creation chapter of the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture is truly remarkable; it lives up to its reputation as a cultivation method capable of achieving godhood or demonhood.”

The blind man praised, saying, “Is this the Creation Celestial God Skill from the Creation chapter?”

Si Popo nodded, and Fu Yundi’s voice still emanated from her. She said, “The Creation chapter of the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture is divided into sections such as Heaven, Earth, Human, God, Ghost, Devil, and Spirit. This is precisely the Creation Celestial God Skill, adept at mimicking other cultivation methods.”

The blind man fell silent for a moment, then said, “There’s something I originally shouldn’t have mentioned, but Mu’er is already fourteen, so I must speak. Mu’er has been appointed Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Devil Cult and will certainly leave the Great Ruins in the future. When will you teach him the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture?”

Qin Mu was also a bit puzzled. For over two years, Si Popo hadn’t taught him the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture, nor had she even brought it up.

Si Popo sighed, “If he cultivates the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture now, I fear it might distort his thoughts and consciousness. This cultivation method has too much demonic influence.”

The blind man nodded. As the revered sacred text of the Heavenly Devil Cult, a cultivation method capable of achieving godhood or demonhood, the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture was naturally deeply demonic. Even mature adults, he feared, might be tempted by the myriad strange demonic arts described in the book and go astray. For instance, the cultist night watchman who practiced the Innate Freedom Skill misunderstood its cultivation method, choosing to raise exotic snakes to devour the innate qi of newborn infants to cultivate it, which ultimately led to his death at the hands of Si Popo and the blind man.

“In truth, if one can fully comprehend the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture, cultivating this sacred text is no different from cultivating orthodox methods; it won’t lead to evil. However, if one’s understanding is even slightly off, they will go astray, yet still manage to cultivate it.” Si Popo also had a headache, saying, “Moreover, its power is immense and even more bizarre. It leaves significant flaws but excels in rapid cultivation. This is why the Heavenly Devil Cult is called the Heavenly Devil Cult. Initially, it was known as the Heavenly Sage Cult, rumored to have been founded by a sage descended from heaven, who passed down these cultivation methods to enlighten all beings. Later, many cult members deviated, and the cultivation methods became increasingly strange and sinister, which is why it was renamed the Heavenly Devil Cult. Although Mu’er has always been resolute, I fear that if I rashly give him the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture, he might misinterpret its meaning.”

She suddenly soared into the air, heading towards Dragon Rearing City. Her voice carried back, “I’ll go to the city first to make arrangements and await the vanguard of the Eternal Peace Empire! Once you arrive, settle down first!”

Not long after, Qin Mu and the blind man returned to Dragon Rearing City. During the day, the city lacked the bustling atmosphere of the previous night, though many villagers from various areas had yet to depart.

Qin Mu and the blind man returned to the inn, where the innkeeper, a member of the Heavenly Devil Cult, had already arranged their rooms.

The blind man excitedly said, “Mu’er, today I’ll take you to the gambling house to see the world! We’ll definitely win big and make a fortune!”

Qin Mu recalled how the blind man had been carried out of the gambling house and thrown onto the street the previous night. He shook his head and said, “I’m not going.”

The blind man stammered, “Then give me some dragon coins…”

Qin Mu took out his money pouch. The blind man reached in with his large hand, grabbed a huge handful, and excitedly left with his bamboo staff. Qin Mu was torn between laughter and tears. The blind man loved to gamble, yet he stubbornly refused to use his abilities, relying only on luck when gambling with others. In his youth, Qin Mu had learned from the blind man how to discern locations by sound. Any dice or pai gow game, he could tell just by listening. If Qin Mu could do it, how much more so the blind man? Coupled with the blind man’s Mind’s Eye, he should have won every gamble, yet he insisted on not using it, choosing to rely solely on luck, which inevitably led to him losing every time.

Qin Mu went downstairs. The innkeeper came forward, smiling ingratiatingly, “Young Cult Master going out? Do you need your subordinate to make arrangements?”

Qin Mu shook his head and said, “There are many eyes and ears in the inn. No need to call me Young Cult Master; ‘Young Master’ will suffice.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Qin Mu thought for a moment and inquired, “Whose property is the gambling house next door?”

The innkeeper’s face was wreathed in smiles. “Naturally, it’s also your property, Young Master. Do you wish to go there and inspect your properties? Your subordinate will go immediately to inform the gambling house owner to come and serve you…”

“My property?” Qin Mu was startled, somewhat taken aback. He shook his head and said, “No need. How many properties do I have in this Dragon Rearing City?”

The innkeeper pondered for a moment, calculating, “The vegetable market, gambling houses, inns, restaurants, brothels, antique shops, ceramics shops, pharmacies, blacksmiths, weapon shops… Young Master, over half of Dragon Rearing City is your property, and over half of the city’s forces are yours. Every gambling house, every entertainment establishment, the vegetable vendors in the market, the butchers, the tea servers in the inns, the blacksmith warriors, the pharmacy assistants and pharmacists, the weapon shop owners – as long as you give the word, Young Master, they will brave any hardship for you, without hesitation!”

“No wonder so many people helped me last night to kill those trackers.”

Qin Mu’s eyes widened, his head a little dizzy. After a moment, he slowly said, “Tell the gambling house not to always win against the blind old gentleman who came with me. Let him win a few rounds. But don’t let him win all of them; he should have some wins and some losses, as long as he’s happy.”

“Yes.”

The innkeeper withdrew and went out to make arrangements. Not long after, he returned with a middle-aged man wearing a flowery silk and sable fur coat with numerous jade thumb rings on his fingers. He bowed to Qin Mu and said, “This is the owner of the gambling house, Deacon Han of our Sacred Cult.”

Deacon Han had a difficult expression. “Young Master, it’s not that your subordinate doesn’t want the blind man to win. The crucial point is that the blind man cheats openly, and his methods are disgraceful. If he weren’t so blatant about it, it wouldn’t be an issue.”

Qin Mu was puzzled. “How did he cheat?”

Deacon Han replied, “When playing pai gow, if the blind man got a bad hand, he’d point out the window and say there was a divine bird outside. Then, brazenly and clumsily, right in front of everyone, he’d swap his tiles. What’s more, our pai gow tiles are black, but the tiles he pulled from his pocket were blue. Your subordinate is incompetent; please give me a simpler task, Young Master.”

Qin Mu was torn between laughter and tears. After a moment of silence, he said, “Let him win a few rounds. If he’s caught cheating, then hit him more lightly.”

“Your subordinate obeys.”

Deacon Han turned and left. Qin Mu composed himself. Over half of Dragon Rearing City was actually his property? And over half of the city’s forces were his? When had he become a wealthy magnate, richer than anyone under heaven?

“The title of Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Devil Cult truly carries immense weight. In comparison, the three thousand-plus dragon coins I earned last night are nothing.” A strange feeling welled up in him. Was the City Lord of Dragon Rearing City truly Fu Yundi or himself? And now that Granny had killed Fu Yundi and was wearing his skin, didn’t that mean the entire Dragon Rearing City belonged to him? He had a feeling of absurdity. He shook his head, walked out of the inn, and began to sightsee. Last night, he had only visited the ancient temple near the City Lord’s Manor; this time, he planned to see Dragon Rearing City’s dragon pillars.

Dragon Rearing City was so vast, and these dragon pillars could actually defend this territory from dark incursions; they must be truly extraordinary.

Qin Mu activated his Divine Firmament Eye and carefully examined the dragon pillars before him, filled with admiration. Carved onto the pillars were Dragon Gods, immensely colossal, almost as large as the skeletal remains of the Dragon King he had seen in the Surging River Dragon Palace. These Dragon Gods coiled around stone pillars over thirty zhang in diameter, carved so lifelike. The pillars stood one hundred sixty to seventy zhang tall, which made one imagine just how massive the Dragon Gods were. Qin Mu looked up. The Dragon Gods on the pillars seemed to come alive, displaying their ferocious and menacing nature, yet also appearing immensely sacred and magnificent.

“In the Great Ruins Geographical Map, this city isn’t called Dragon Rearing City, but rather Celestial Dragon Star Palace. This is the work of divine beings. If I can study the patterns and trends of the carvings, it will greatly benefit my path of calligraphy and painting, and I might even be able to comprehend the cultivation methods of these divine beings!”

Qin Mu was full of enthusiasm, examining the texture and structure of the dragon pillars bit by bit. Although the divine beings who carved the pillars didn’t intend to integrate their cultivation methods into them, the carving strokes unintentionally bore the imprint of their cultivation techniques and divine arts. To others, the dragon pillars were merely reliefs, but Qin Mu, having studied calligraphy and painting with the Deaf Elder, deeply understood this principle.

“In the Great Ruins Geographical Map, next to Celestial Dragon Star Palace is the Star Sea, less than two hundred li from here. Judging by the name, Celestial Dragon Star Palace should be where celestial dragons reside. This place is so vast, could it be a gathering place for the dragon race? The dark invasion turned even the dragon race into ruins.”

As Qin Mu examined the pillars, he mused inwardly. Suddenly, a surprised voice came from above: “Hey, cowherd, why are you still in Dragon Rearing City?”

Qin Mu found the voice familiar. He followed the sound and looked up, seeing a small head poking out from the dragon pillar—it was the girl who had brought him into the City Lord’s Manor to eat and drink.

Ling Yuxiu waved at him, and her voice carried down: “Can you come up?”

Qin Mu looked at the height and hesitated. The stone pillar was too high, and there was no wind to borrow strength from; climbing it likely meant having to run straight up. He could run up cliffs, but cliffs were usually only thirty to fifty zhang high. Running vertically up a dragon pillar one hundred sixty to seventy zhang tall was something he had never attempted.

Qin Mu retreated a dozen steps, then suddenly channeled vital qi to his feet and ran towards the dragon pillar. In a few steps, his speed reached its peak; moving like a fleeting shadow, he dashed towards the pillar, then placed his feet on it, his body parallel to the ground, and sprinted upwards! His speed was astonishing, and his momentum equally so. In one continuous burst, he rushed up over a hundred zhang, heading straight for the top of the dragon pillar!

“Darn it, I can’t run all the way up…”

Qin Mu felt his momentum had reached its limit, and his speed began to slow. He was still three to five zhang from the top of the dragon pillar. He surged upwards for another three zhang or more, finally running out of strength, and his body began to fall. Just then, a ribbon dangled down from the dragon pillar, wrapped around his wrist, and with a gentle flick, tossed him upwards.

Qin Mu flipped his body in mid-air and landed on the top of the dragon pillar. Looking around, he saw that it was surprisingly flat, a huge stone platform. The southern side of the platform was carved into a dragon’s head; one could climb from the platform onto the dragon’s head and stand there.

Ling Yuxiu stepped forward, untied the ribbon from his wrist, and laughed, “You actually ran up. Didn’t you know? There are stairs inside the dragon pillar; you can come up that way.”

Qin Mu looked at her ribbon and said in surprise, “Your ribbon is of good quality.”

“Of course it is.” Ling Yuxiu said with a hint of pride, “It’s woven from Celestial Fragrance Silk, an offering to the Emperor, so naturally, it’s of superior quality. Smell it, it’s very fragrant. This is a natural scent that will never dissipate.”

Qin Mu leaned down and sniffed. Indeed, there was a faint fragrance. He smiled and said, “I also have a ‘handkerchief’ woven from Celestial Fragrance Silk; it’s just as fragrant.” With that, he pulled out the ‘handkerchief’ from his embrace.