Tales of Herding Gods

Rumble, rumble.

The huge Bamboo City moved forward while Qin Mu and He Yiyi stood side by side on its tower. Even though he had seen the strange sight of the city moving by itself, Qin Mu still found it inconceivable.

Even though the divine arts of West Earth had not improved in ten thousand years, the ideology of all things having spirit and all things having soul was still extraordinary.

When he looked back and saw people walking to and fro through the city, he couldn’t help clicking his tongue in wonder.

After Formation Master He Yiyi admitted defeat, she summoned the people of Bamboo City and about a hundred thousand people returned. The sight of a city bringing so many people across the mountains was unimaginable yet it was right in front of his eyes.

“Trying to overthrow Palace Master Yu of True Heaven Palace isn’t going to be easy,” He Yiyi said. “Besides my He Family, we also need the support of other influential families. In West Earth, Xiong and Yu Families were the two most influential families, and their abilities were also the strongest. But Xiong Family has already fallen and their position of True Heaven Palace Master was snatched by Yu Family.

“However, there’s still Poison Master Mu Yingxue’s Mu Family, Sword Master Luo Yinyu’s Luo Family, Fang Family, Liu Family, Gong Family, Xi Family, Fu Family—a total of ten influential families. Other than that, there’s also influential families like those who belong to Ge Ke, Mao Chi, Ka Xiang Ka whose abilities aren’t weak as well.”

Qin Mu pondered over it before asking, “Why did Xiong Family inherit the position of True Heaven Palace Master? Do other influential families also have this right?”

“Xiong Family could inherit the position of True Heaven Palace Master because the first generation True Heaven Palace Master’s surname was Xion,” He Yiyi said. “The successive palace masters because of that were usually Xiong. Even though there were situations where other surnames had become palace masters, Xiong Family would still return back to the position of the palace master not long after. It is said that…”

The girl looked at Xiong Qi’er who was beside Qin Mu. “It is said that the ancestor of Xiong Family had the support of a god so they could always remain on the seat of the palace master. However, this time it’s different. It is said that the god was unsatisfied with Nai Kui, so Yu Family was contacted, and that is why it was so easy for them to uproot Xiong Family.”

‘God? Could it be the owner of that wooden god statue I met in the flaming desert?’

Qin Mu was still somewhat puzzled, so he asked, “Since this god always supported Xiong Family, why did he suddenly change to Yu Family?”

“That will be because of Ba Gou,” He Yiyi answered. “Ba Gou’s origin is not ordinary, and rumors say that he is a strong practitioner who came down from the upper bound. It is believed that he brought Yu Family in contact with that god.”

“Ba Gou?”

Qin Mu blinked. Ba Gou was a term of respect like Nai Kui. The latter was the mother of the princess while Ba Gou was the father of the princess. However, according to his understanding, even though the princess of True Heaven Palace was Xiong Qi’er, her father had died in battle, so the Ba Gou He Yiyi mentioned could only be the husband of Yu Family’s True Heaven Palace Master.

However, True Heaven Palace Master had not given birth to a daughter so it shouldn’t be proper to address him as Ba Gou.

“This Ba Gou needed an extraordinary position to be able to contact that god,” He Yiyi said. “He’s extremely mysterious and rumors say that he came from the upper bound and is the guest of High Heavens. He had already been with True Heaven Palace Master and it is said that she’s already pregnant with a child. Ba Gou let it spread that the child within her is definitely a girl who is the princess of True Heaven Palace!”

Giving birth to a girl would secure one the position of True Heaven Palace Master, which was a rule Qin Mu had never heard about before. However, West Earth honored women and their social customs were quite different from those of Eternal Peace.

Besides, as long as one cultivated divine eyes, it wasn’t troublesome to see if the unborn child was male or female.

Since Ba Gou had confirmed that the child in True Heaven Palace Master’s womb was a girl, he would not be wrong. True Heaven Palace Master would definitely give birth to a little princess and sit firmly on her seat.

“What’s the surname of this Ba Gou?”

“Yu.”

Qin Mu was stunned. “He’s also Yu? What’s his relationship with Yu Family?”

He Yiyi smiled, but it was an expression lacking warmth. “All of us would also like to know what’s Ba Gou’s relationship with Yu Family. There are many rumors in West Earth. Some say Ba Gou is the ancestor of Yu Family, others that he is the son of High Heaven’s Jade Sovereign and that Yu Family originate from there as well. There are many rumors, but the truth is elusive.”

Qin Mu looked at her with a weird expression.

“Some say that it was because Xiong Xiyu’s talent was lacking and she wasn’t a strong enough benevolent ruler that her position as palace master was snatched by Yu Family. Yet in my eyes, even though Palace Master Xiong really lacked talent, the true mastermind behind this is still this Ba Gou.”

Qin Mu nodded.

Xiong Qi’er was right beside him, but he had no choice but to admit that what He Yiyi said was right. No matter if it was ability or scheming, the girl’s mother wasn’t like what a master of a sacred ground should be.

She hadn’t experienced a lot of scheming and bloody battles before ascending to the position of the palace master at a young age, so it was natural that she couldn’t fight against Yu Family and Ba Gou.

Even though Qin Mu had also ascended to the position of Heavenly Devil Cult Master at a young age, the people who had taught him were the nine elders of Disabled Elderly Village. Ever since he was young, he had been taught all kinds of crafty plots and machinations, making him sinister and cunning. However, the nine elders still found him too honest.

Because of all that teaching, Qin Mu was able to sit firmly in the position of cult master, with everyone in the village accepting him wholeheartedly.

Bamboo City sprinted among the mountains and wilderness, heading toward the west. It didn’t head straight for True Heaven Palace, though.

They were going to the ancestor ground of He Family, Sword River Valley, where their headquarters were located.

As an influential family, He Family had their own power. Even though it was inferior to that of Yu or Xiong Families, it was still a strength that was not to be underestimated.

After Bamboo City had sprinted for half a day, they finally came to Sword River Valley when the sun was about to set. Qin Mu looked into the distance and saw a huge river stretching straight ahead like a sword. On its hilts, a city was constructed. There were mountains on two sides while walls were arranged along the sword river to protect the two other sides.

The city was very intriguing and astonishing to Qin Mu. When Bamboo City reached it, a huge mountain stood up to reveal a path. A long bridge made of stone rose from the bottom of the river as well. And it was stone giants bending over to let Bamboo City step on their backs to cross Sword River.

“Too marvelous, the world of West Earth is truly a place full of wonderful imagination.” Qin Mu couldn’t resist exclaiming in admiration.

He Yiyi’s gaze was like limpid autumn waters as she smiled gently. “If Cult Master Qin likes this place, you don’t need to go back. You can always stay here, and Yiyi will accompany you on scenic tours to visit all the wonders of the world.”

Qin Mu was delighted. “If there was a beauty like Sister Yiyi to accompany me, how joyful would that be. However, I’ve too many worldly affairs tying me down. After solving the matter with West Earth, I will have to lay my hands on High Heavens to get rid of this future danger. On top of that, there are still a lot of stuff to be done in Eternal Peace… Why don’t we do this!”

With excitement, he said, “After playing in West Earth for some time, why don’t you come with me to Eternal Peace and I’ll show you around there, to see the extraordinary points of Eternal Peace. You might just fall in love with it!”

He Yiyi’s expression showed interest, but she shook her head. “I’m afraid it’s not possible. He Family still needs me. I can’t abandon them.”

Bamboo City entered Sword River Valley and stopped.

At that moment, the lights in all cities and towns of Sword River Valley shone brightly and looked very gorgeous. Even the mountains and the river were lit up.

“Let’s go to the main palace hall.” A huge stone floated up to He Yiyi’s feet and picked the three of them to bring them to the main palace hall. “The heads of my He Family will soon come to visit, and I need to prepare.”

Not long after that, numerous higher-ups of He Family came. There were both men and women among then, but the latter were in the majority as they came to pay their respects to He Yiyi.

She invited the numerous higher-ups of the influential families to take a seat while Qin Mu accompanied her. “Everyone, this is Cult Master Qin of Heavenly Devil Cult, a sacred ground of Middle Earth’s Eternal Peace Empire.”

Everyone in the hall went into an uproar, and an old woman praised her in a trembling voice, “Formation Master is truly extraordinary, to have taken down this devil cult master. Now we can ask True Heaven Palace for our reward!”

“Ask for reward?” He Yiyi burst into laughter and shook her head. “Palace Master Yu is merely a little slut that schemed and seized the throne, so is she even worthy of taking down Cult Master Qin? Pardon my honest words, if not for Ba Gou supporting her, could she have ever gained the position of the palace master? Her womb failed to live up to expectations and could only give birth to a son. She can’t even give birth to a daughter, so how good could she be?”

Everyone in the hall looked at each other in dismay.

He Yiyi glanced at Qin Mu, and he smiled. Holding Xiong Qi’er’s hand, he said loudly, “Senior sisters of He Family, this is the little princess of True Heaven Palace!”

He Yiyi smiled and added, “The little princess of True Heaven Palace is right here, so Palace Master Xiong is not far away. If my He Family can assist Palace Master Xiong in getting rid of the little slut of Yu family and helping her reclaim the position of the palace master, wouldn’t that surpass the reward of turning Cult Master Qin in by a hundred times? Everyone, you are the elders of the clan, what do you think?”

Everyone in the hall became silent. The men of He Family didn’t dare to speak, but the women were very daring. One started to protest, “Formation Master, think thrice! Yu Family is at its peak right now so how can we He Family be its opponent? What’s more, Ba Gou is supporting her!”

“Well said.” He Yiyi chuckled. “That’s why, we will be allying ourselves with Heavenly Devil Cult. With its assistance, why should we be scared of Yu Family? If you think this is not enough, we’ll ally ourselves with Mu and Luo Families. I believe that they also have the sense of propriety, justice, integrity, and honor, and won’t accept Yu Family for long!”

Another middle-aged woman suddenly rose and said angrily, “Now that Yu Family is in control of True Heaven Palace, how great is their power? Formation Master, even though you are the head of this household, I see that you have truly gone crazy!”

“Formation Master, think thrice before acting.” Another old woman stood up and propped herself on her cane. “Don’t gamble the fate of our He Family on the table.”

After her, another said righteously, “The ten thousand years of our He Family’s foundation can’t be destroyed in an instant! If Formation Master insists on this, then hand over the position of the head of the household!”

“That’s right, hand over the position of the head of the household!”

…

He Yiyi looked around and said with a pleasant expression, “Which other elders have opinions? Feel free to speak since this is an internal affair of our clan, and you are all my aunts, grannies and great grandmothers. I’m of a younger generation so we should discuss this.”

A couple more elders stood up to criticize her then.

He Yiyi waited for a moment, to make sure that no one else would come out to object, then smiled. “Seems like everyone has forgotten how I became Formation Master, the head of this household.”

The faces of everyone who had stood up changed. Before they could rush out of the main hall, cages popped out from the ground of Bamboo City, capturing all who had spoken against He Yiyi. The cages then sank back into the ground.

He Yiyi patted her hands and smiled. “After I get rid of Yu Family, I’ll let all of you out. Do the other elders have any opinions?”

Everyone in the hall stood up and bowed while saying in unison, “We’ll take Formation Master as our only guide!”

He Yiyi looked at Qin Mu and smiled. “How are my methods, Cult Master Qin?”

He smiled back at her. “Sister Yiyi is an unusual woman.”

He Yiyi’s gaze wandered and there was a hint of bashfulness in her voice when she said softly, “Tonight, my window won’t be closed. If you climb in, we can talk about formation skills the whole night and delve deeper…”