Tales of Herding Gods

God Bai Xi kept staring at Qin Mu who cautious and conscientious, attaching the other’s leg seriously without any complaint. He sutured the root of the leg with the leg chosen by the god.

“Senior Brother Bai Xi is not a human, right?” Qin Mu examined the nerves and activated the nerve system of the broken section, nursing it with medicine. “I see the structure of your body is different that of humans. What is your race?”

Light poured out from the heart of God Bai Xi’s brows and a primordial spirit soared out. It was a dragon horse which had wings on its back and a long horn on its head. Its mane fluttered in the wind as its body shone from its snow white color. The dragon horse was lively and full of enthusiasm, truly having the vitality attributed to its name bearers!”

Qin Mu raised his head to take a look before praising, “You are a divine steed! This kind of primordial spirit is rare!”

“Using the term divine steed to describe me is also according to the times.” God Bai Xi’s primordial spirit stared at his actions. “However, I rarely show my true form. During Founding Emper… Cough, cough. In the past, of course, before you were born, divine steeds like me could only deliver letters to people and be their mounts. It was truly a waste of our talents.”

Qin My’s expression changed slightly and he asked, “In that case, how did Senior Brother Bai Xi go to High Heavens?”

The god sighed. “The heaven changed, the earth changed, even lowly gods like my kind received our day to shine. Not long after the calamity, I surrendered. After that, Great Ruins appeared. Back then, many of those who had surrendered with me shone brighter and were all better at currying favor than me, so they left this world to enjoy their lives, leaving only a few of us behind. Those fellows were all good at boot-licking, but I was not. It was fine anyway though—better be a chicken’s beak than a cow’s rump.

He smiled. “Even though those fellows knew how to boot-lick, the moment they reached the upper realm, they became the lowest of the low there. Because of that, they are worse off than us who stay at the lower realm, riding roughshod over people and staying high up at the top, enjoying people’s worship and sacrifices.”

“Yet, you are still no more than a runner until now,” Qin Mu said with a smile.

God Bai Xi was furious and his god’s aura burst forth. “What did you say?”

Qin Mu smiled. “Don’t get agitated and make me connect the wrong nerve, or you’ll be limping even after I attach your leg back.”

God Bai Xi sighed. “You are right, I’m indeed a runner. I had run to deliver letters in the past and I’m now running to bring disaster to this land. All the dirty works are thrown at me, and I’m even dirtier than I was in the past. But it can’t be helped. If I don’t do what they ask, it will be hard for me to escape death. How strong are the four sovereigns of High Heavens? Their abilities are greater than mine, but they can still only be runners. Not only that, we also have to risk our lives! Who can say how many of us will make it through this?”

His eyes narrowed from worry. Up till then, the other meteorological weapons had not been activated. It meant that Star Sovereign Qiao and the rest were most likely dead.

“If you were to surrender to me, I could make you a mountain god and you enjoy your sacrifices. Why don’t you be a mountain god beside Surging River so you can accompany Dragon Rearing Sovereign? All the people who hang themselves on the mountain and jump off the cliffs would be your food. I have a good place, there’s a mountain beside Deer County called Hundred Years Mountain. Its scenery is beautiful and the mountain is over three hundred thousand feet tall. If you became a mountain god there, it wouldn’t be an insult to you.”

“Bah!” God Bai Xi smiled at him. “I’m not a shameless person like Dragon Rearing Sovereign. I’ve already surrendered once so how can I surrender again? Do I still want my face? What’s more, I’m a vegetarian, I don’t eat humans. I had wanted to be a mountain god in the past, but it was a pity I was too fast, so I had to deliver letters as a runner. If I had run slightly slower, I might have just landed myself an official position.”

Qin Mu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “This is your abilities being detrimental to you.”

God Bai Xi smiled. “You are quite a good person and also kind; I admire you very much. After you attach my leg, we can sit down for a talk. Even if Eternal Peace Empire is wiped out, you can follow me to High Heavens. I can’t promise anything, but I can at least protect you and your whole family.

Qin Mu gave his thanks. “It’s good to leave a way out for myself too. I’ve long wanted to go to High Heavens, but I don’t have divine incense so I can’t contact them.

“This is easy, I have some.” God Bai Xi’s gaze flickered as he said, “As long as you treat my injuries and let me successfully call on this disaster, I’ll bring you to High Heavens.

Qin Mu scattered some powder on the broken section of the leg and saw nerves growing rapidly, waving their tentacles like earthworms. “I had planned to sign the Pact of Earth Count with you to prevent you from bringing the disaster, yet you advise me to surrender. Senior brother, after your leg is attached, let us sign the Pact of Earth Count immediately. You can’t go back on your word this time!”

God Bai Xi looked at his hand techniques and saw his fingers moving up and down quickly. The speed of his fingers was too much for the eyes to take in yet they moved exquisitely, as though he was threading a needle and also manipulating the needle for the art of healing. “You’ve learned sewing before? Your hands move like those of a tailor,” the god said in bewilderment.

“Somewhat.” Qin Mu’s vital qi transformed into thread and connected the nerves. “I have learned it for a few years.”

God Bai Xi was curious. “What else have you learned?”

Qin Mu’s fingers moved faster and faster as he spoke. “Formation skills, fist skills, pupil skills, knife skills, body techniques, forging, painting and calligraphy, carpentry, poems and songs. I know a little about all of them.”

The nerves in God Bai Xi’s broken leg connected with the divine leg, and he could instantly feel it, which filled him with delighted surprise. He took a glance at Qin Mu and thought to himself, ‘This brat’s abilities ain’t bad and his heart isn’t bad as well. I really don’t want to kill him just like this… What a pity.’

Qin Mu went to connect his blood vessels and used the dragon qilin’s dragon saliva to grow the flesh and blood. “The bone marrow has still not fused. This part is the most difficult. Senior brother, bone marrow is used for creating blood and its impact is extremely large. I need to first cultivate it with medicine, then nourish it so it would be able to produce blood. Now, after your bone marrow starts working, you and I shall sign the Pact of Earth Count. You won’t call upon the disaster and I will let you return to High Heavens.”

God Bai Xi examined all the herbs, ensuring the youth didn’t play any tricks, then smiled. “Not a problem.”

Qin Mu let out a sigh of relief and ordered people to bring in a huge pot. After soaking the herbs in the water, he had people to light a fire and said, “In about two days, the bone marrow will be able to start producing blood again.”

“Move the huge pot closer, my hand can’t leave Five Thunder Pot,” God Bai Xi immediately said.

Qin Mu smiled at him. “Senior Brother Bai Xi sure does things seamlessly. Are you still scared I will do anything? The pot is right here, and you know I can’t move it. If your hand is always on Five Thunder Pot, I’m scared you may accidentally activate it.”

God Bai Xi looked at him and their gazes locked onto each other. Qin Mu didn’t back down.

God Bai Xi felt refreshed and full of vigor. He laughed loudly and said, “Fine, as you wish.”

Qin Mu sat down nearby and waited quietly. The divine flood dragon king guarded him by the side. God Bai Xi’s primordial spirit guarded the sky, prepared to activate Five Thunder Pot anytime while he soaked in the pot, slowly feeling the medicinal energy seeping into his wounded leg, nourishing his flesh. The medicinal energy gradually reached his bones, bringing life to his bone marrow.

“Comfortable.” God Bai Xi was utterly bored so he asked for fun, “Is Cult Master Qin married?”

“I’m married.” Qin Mu fetch a sundial and observed the time. The sundial had many marked scales and was very detailed. “I married twice.”

“What a pity. I planned to introduce a few beauties of my race when you came to High Heavens.” God Bai Xi chuckled. “Your kids would’ve been half-human and half-horse. Just thinking about it makes me want to laugh. Hahahaha!”

Qin Mu didn’t reply to him and continued to look at the sundial.

God Bai Xi seemed to be in a good mood and kept talking nonsense, laughing from time to time. He seemed to be very pleased with himself.

Without his notice, a day and a half passed while God Bai Xi’s laughter grew louder and louder. His gaze towards Qin Mu was also becoming more and more unpleasant.

“Cult Master Qin, let me tell you a joke. In the past, there was a person who decided to cook a duck. When it was cooked and he was about to eat it, the duck flew away. Hahahaha, why aren’t you laughing? Let me tell you another joke, that cooked duck flew back later on and ate that idiot! Hahahaha…”

Qin Mu remained motionless and continued to stare at the sundial.

God Bai Xi looked at him fiercely and sneered, “You don’t laugh and you don’t talk, are you discriminating against me? You are discriminating against me! I’m going to kill you!”

Qin Mu raised his head and smiled. “Time’s out, action.”

As he said that, there was a sudden tremor as five demons with green faces and tusks appeared around Fragrance Well. They whirled around Five Thunder Pot and it vanished into thin air!

God Bai Xi’s primordial spirit stretched out to grab it, but he grabbed nothing. He only managed to grab one of the demons while roaring in anger. Thunder rumbled and the entire Purple Chaste City shook violently!

Behind Qin Mu, the divine flood dragon king roared and revealed his true form, coiling around the courtyard of Fragrance Well. He stared at the primordial spirit of his enemy.

God Bai Xi crushed the huge demon and immediately summoned his primordial spirit back. The moment it entered his body, he instantly felt evil qi pouring out from his wounded leg, invading all parts of his body, wandering between his primordial spirit and divine treasures. His blood couldn’t help running cold as he hurried to execute his magic power to suppress it!

‘Crap! After all that guarding, I still didn’t manage to protect myself!’

The divine flood dragon king took the chance to pounce on him, and his body locked God Bai Xi tightly, making him unable to move. The grip was so tight that veins were bursting out on his forehead.

Qin Mu stood up and pulled out Carefree Sword to throw it on the ground. Smiling, he said, “Senior Brother Bai Xi, the ducks I cook can never fly away. Take the sword, you can cut off the poisoned parts yourself. Divine flood dragon king, let him go. When I cook ducks, I like them to cut themselves in pieces without my help. Now that you’ve been poisoned by me, Senior Brother Bai Xi, you can only sever yourself from the neck down. Nothing below it can be kept.”

The divine flood dragon king hesitated for a moment, but still let go.

God Bai Xi roared loudly and his god’s aura rolled out in waves, exploding the pot of medicinal liquid. He walked toward Qin Mu with his murderous intent overflowing into the sky.

The divine flood dragon king was extremely nervous. He was about to make a move when God Bai Xi suddenly dispersed his god’s aura and knelt down on one knee with a sigh. “I’ve already surrendered once in the past, so what if I surrender again? I’m willing to submit.”

Qin Mu smiled at him. “Don’t worry, the scenery at Hundred Years Mountain is very nice, and you are very suitable to stay there. Make an oath to Earth Count. Once you do it, I’ll let you be the mountain god of Hundred Years Mountain and you’ll be able to enjoy your sacrifices.”

After half a day, God Bai Xi’s face was very dark. He had ridden the wind and clouds to hurry to Deer County, which was beside Surging River, with a frown. All around Deer County were barren hills of three thousand feet and wild rivers. Where was the three hundred thousand feet mountain with beautiful scenery?

God Bai Xi descend to the ground and asked a farmer, “Where’s Hundred Years Mountain?”

“That’s the one!” God Bai Xi followed the direction of his finger and saw that Hundred Years Mountain was actually a small hill which was saturated with the atmosphere of death. At the sight of it, he couldn’t help shouting angrily, “That place is clearly a burial mound, a place to bury corpses! Why is it called Hundred Years Mountain?”

The farmer smiled at him. “What happens to an ordinary person after a hundred years? Of course, it’s death! Therefore it’s named Hundred Years Mountain. Everyone is buried there after reached a hundred years.”

God Bai Xi was stunned, not understanding. “Isn’t Hundred Years Mountain supposed to be three hundred thousand feet high?”

“You fool with the horn!” The farmer couldn’t resist himself as he scolded him. “When a dead person lies down, they are merely a few inches high. So to a dead person, isn’t Hundred Years Mountain three hundred thousand feet high?”

God Bai Xi was furious and flew to Hundred Years Mountain angrily. “Damn you, Qin brat!”

Suddenly, Surging River split apart and a huge head popped out from the center of the river, sizing him up curiously while laughing. “I was thinking who had such an aura of a god, and I see it’s Dao Friend Bai Xi. Why are you here as well? You were just cursing Qin brat, so what happened?”

“So it’s Dragon Rearing Sovereign!” God Bai Xi hurriedly greeted him while standing on the mountain peak. “I came to bring disaster to Eternal Peace, but I met Heavenly Devil Cult Master—”

“There’s no need for you to explain anymore, I get it!” The huge dragon in the center of the river shook his body and changed into the human-shaped Dragon Rearing Sovereign. He said with a solemn face, “He has a very honest face and looks easy to bully, right?”

“How did you know?” God Bai Xi asked him with a strange look.

Dragon Rearing Sovereign stamped his feet. “Because of his honest-looking face, I became Surging River Dragon King!”