Tales of Herding Gods

Chapter 91: Moon Guardian

Translator: Ninetales Editor: Fish Creek

"This is Fengdu, restricted area for a living person."

The bird-head mutant gave off a bird cry and it sounded very weird. His voice was fluent like a human, "You're a living person and you shouldn't come here."

Village Chief had a serious expression as he smiled, "I'm already here."

"The bird-head mutant said, "If you want to leave, you'll have to pay the price."

Village Chief asked curiously, "What's the price?"

"There's King of Hell in Fengdu."

The bird-head mutant's eyes seemed to be looking at its beak as it spoke, "King of Hell has noticed you and admires you very much, therefore, King of Hell has this request. If you agree to this request, you're free to go."

Village Chief had a slight change in expression as he asked politely, "What's the request?"

The bird-head mutant replied, "After you die, you'll belong here."

Village Chief muttered to himself irresolutely and suddenly smiled, "Living realm of the dead, dead realm of the living. If I died and could still come here, why would I not want to? Living outside means to be dead here and being dead outside means to be alive here. It's a good thing to be able to live here after I die, I agree. However, can I ask you a few questions?"

The bird-head mutant leaned its head to one side and replied,"You may ask but I won't necessarily answer."

Village Chief gave a slight smile, "Is Carefree Village that Moon Ship?"

"No."

Village Chief was stunned and cried out, "If it isn't Carefree Village, why would it attract Mu'er's jade pendant? Why would the jade pendant point its way here? And also why did Moon Ship appear here?"

The bird-head mutant frowned. Its eyeballs once again stared at its beak. It was obvious that it was annoyed at Village Chief for having so many questions, "The Moon Herders on-board Moon Ship have all died out, they're extinct. Moon Ship was sent here by the last Moon Guardian. There's a dead man living on the ship. You can go ask him. He might have the answer."

"Dead man? Could it be the Moon Guardian?" Village Chief was bewildered.

The bird-head mutant raised a leg and ruffled the feathers on its neck, picking out a golden bug to eat it, then it said impatiently, "You have too many questions."

Village Chief asked, "What's with the devil god that attacked me? Isn't Fengdu the territory of Heavenly Devil Horde?"

"She's an occupant here. This place belongs to King of Hell and not Heavenly Devil Horde."

The bird-head mutant turned a blind eye to him and used its beak to preen its feathers, "You'll stay here like her in the future. King of Hell admires you very much."

Village Chief spat out a murky breath. He had originally thought it was the world of the devil but he had still guessed wrong. It seemed like the devil god he had trapped was just a big shot in the living realm of the dead.

He asked again, "Where's Carefree Village?"

The bird-head mutant had completely lost patience with him this time and flapped away, "You have too many questions and I really hate you. Don't forget your promise, when you die, I'll be there to get you, don't follow the messengers of death!"

Village Chief sent him off and looked at Moon Ship. The enormous Moon Ship had already stood up and pulled the moon forward aimlessly.

"I've been despised. Could it be that I had more to talk after growing old?"

Village Chief didn't know whether to laugh or cry and walked over to Moon Ship. Meanwhile, the devil god was still struggling to break free from the bleeding whirlpool in the sky.

"This devil god used Moon Ship to attract Mu'er and it should know some secrets regarding Carefree Village. It's a pity I can only trap her and can't force her to say what she knows."

He boarded Moon Ship and came onto the ship that the toad was carrying. Looking around, he could see a great number of palaces which were rundown, having crumbling fences and dilapidated walls. There were also huge weapons that had collapsed on the ground. Many of them were full moon shape weapons and there were also items like mirrors.

The palaces here were huge and not places an ordinary person would stay.

He passed by a huge main hall and stopped to inspect the sculptures in front of this huge main hall.

What was sculpted here was a three-legged jade toad. It had three legs, a human's body and a toad's head, making it a half human half toad.

"Shi shi shi…"

A peculiar laughter came from the halls and Village Chief could hear that sinister voice singing a nursery rhyme, "Row row row your boat, gently down the stream…"

Village Chief hesitated for a moment and ignored this voice and walked to the main hall in front instead. The main palace was in a mess with the censer on the ground and the incense ashes all scattered on the floor. The bronze sparrow lamps were smashed, the screens were broken and jade beds were shattered. It was evident that a huge change had happened here.

He looked around and stopped at the wall painting in the main hall. On the painting were tall giants wearing white robes and herding the moon. They drove Moon Ship and only appeared at night.

There were numerous strong and vicious devils outside attacking the ship but they were all pushed back by the giants using spears, knives, swords, bows, and arrows.

When the dawn breaks and the darkness retreats, Moon Ship would return to a deep abyss which should be Moon Well.

Village Chief inspected closely and could see that the giants had handsome appearances. On the heart of their brows was a crescent.

"It seems like the bird mutant was right. Mu'er is indeed not a Moon Herder. There's no crescent on Mu'er's forehead."

Walking a circle in the main hall, he didn't discover more stuff. He then came to the few pillars which were in the center of the halls. The incomparably thick pillars had chains coiled around them and the other end of the chains were floating towards the sky, tied to a crescent moon.

Moon Ship was moving, therefore, the broken moon was also being dragged. As the broken moon rumbled forward, huge fireballs would fall from the sky. They were the mountain rocks on the broken moon.

This moon was destroyed therefore rocks would fall from even the slightest movement and become meteors.

Some meteors were not fully burnt and would crash into Carefree Village and smash huge holes in the ground, making it very dangerous.

"Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream! Hee hee hee hee hee…"

The singing voice became more and more strange. Village Chief frowned and looked around but he couldn't see anyone. He couldn't help but have a chill running up his spine.

At this moment, he saw the source of the voice. On the ground in the middle of the pillars was a face, a huge face.

The huge face was currently singing and singing this nursery rhyme which became slightly creepy. His hair was in a mess and he was like a lunatic sealed in the mirror, however,

"Moon Guardians of the Moon Herd Tribe…"

Village Chief sighed and sat down. He grabbed a stone and sculpted it in the shape of the jade pendant in front of Qin Mu's chest to ask, "Moon Guardian, have you see this jade pendant before?"

"Life is but a dream!"

The huge face giggled, "A dream!"

Village Chief frowned. This Moon Guardian should have died when he had completely fused with the ship. He gave it his all to move Moon Ship into the living realm of the dead but he died in the ship's body instead. Even if he was revived in the living realm of the dead, he could only live in the ship's body and was unable to come out.

He turned crazy after he died.

Village Chief stood up and was about to leave when the face of the ground suddenly said, "The jade pendant of Carefree Village?"

Village Chief stopped in his steps and immediately turned back, "You know where's Carefree Village?"

"Of course I know."

The face on the ground seemed to regain part of his sanity, "We the Moon Herder are from Carefree Village. Even the token of the Moon Guardian is made by Carefree Village, even the Moon Ship is also from Carefree Village… That's right, Moon Herders, Moon Herders!"

He laughed out loud until tears streaked his face, "Dead, they're all dead. Their corpses can't even be pieced together. Haha, they're dead! I run, I run, I scare, I left them, heehee…"

Village Chief asked, "Where's Carefree Village?"

"Gently down the stream…"

Village Chief sighed and left when he saw he couldn't ask anything out from him.

He came to the dock and saw his limbs vanished without a trace again. He gave a sigh internally and saw the gold coin on the wooden pillar. He broke into a smile, "Mu'er is still the thoughtful one."

He took out the gold coin which was giving off a faint glow. Village Chief waved the gold coin towards the dense fog and soon a small boat floated over with a lantern on it.

Village Chief floated up the boat and stood upright at the bow of the boat which floated into the dense fog. There are numerous unsolved mysteries in this mysterious land and he would come to explore this land if he had the chance in the future, however, that should happen after his death right?

"Ling Jing sure is living free and easy, roaming all over the place to witness all these wonderful stuff. I guess I could only be relieved of this burden after I'm dead right?"

He then silently thought to himself, "It's just when I'm dead, I can only remain in this living realm of the dead and can't explore the unknown wonders in this world."

The small boat sailed to the entrance of the sea of fog and Village Chief saw Qin Mu sprinting frantically. Seeing how Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scriptures had transformed into a silver thread which kept on piercing and slicing the skeletons that were pouncing at him, Village Chief then let out a sigh of relief.

Seeing the small boat floating over, Qin Mu also let out a sigh of relief and was elated. Left with two trump cards which were the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scriptures and Emperor's Disk, he was barely holding off the attacks.

At this moment, the strange world behind them suddenly became hazy and blurry as a loud crow from a rooster sounded out.

"Crap! It's dawn!"

Village Chief's expression changed slightly and immediately rose into the air. Grabbing Qin Mu, he frantically rushed toward outside!

As the two of them rushed out from this incredible world, Qin Mu's feet sank as he stepped onto the river surface of Surging River and the waves swept across his feet. They had returned to Surging River. Turning back to have a look, the world seemed to become a painting which had been drawn by the fog. With a gust, it instantly disappeared and the jade pendant had also lost all signs of activity.

With the darkness retreating, the world had completely vanished from Great Ruins as if it had never existed.

It should be the next night when the entrance to this world would appear, however, no one would know where the entrance would have floated to.