Chapter 45: Surging River Dragon Palace
Translator: Ninetales Editor: Fish Creek
Qin Mu went forward and saw the white fox holding onto the bamboo tube, puffing its cheeks as it blew air into the stove.
Qin Mu gently coughed and said, "Is there anyone home?"
The white fox in the grass hut jumped in shock and immediately hid the bamboo tube away while speaking in an old voice, "Who’s the one making a fuss outside and disturbing my peace? I am an ancient demon and I shall turn you into ashes…"
Qin Mu broke out in laughter and the white fox immediately raised its head to look out the window. Seeing the youth outside, it let out a sigh of relief and its voice changed back to its normal sweet sounding voice, "So it was the youth who had borrowed my wind that day. I had been a little drunk from the banquet that day so pardon my impoliteness. Don’t just stand outside. Come on in."
Qin Mu walked into the straw hut and took a look around. He was astonished as the straw hut was pretty tidy. There were even a bed, rice vat, pieces of furniture, curtains and even a dressing table.
The white fox stood upright like a human and bobbed a curtsy to Qin Mu, "This is my humble home. Please excuse the humility in my room."
Qin Mu returned the greeting and asked curiously, "You’re making your meal?"
The white fox replied, "Yesterday it was my sisters’ treat, therefore, I had drunk a few cups more. Had a migraine when I woke up today, therefore I’m making some soup to sober up. Please take a seat, young master."
Qin Mu was secretly amazed. This white fox was much smarter than devil ape. To know how to even make soup for itself. It’s just that this fox was a drunkard and would get drunk every day.
Seeing a bookshelf at the side, he walked over to have a look. On the bookshelf were ancient books. He took down a book and it was about the skills on breathing exercises. There were also spells in the books but they weren’t complete.
"Can young master read?"
The white fox finished cooking its soup and took a glimpse at Qin Mu who was enthralled in the books. Pleasantly surprised, it asked, "I don’t understand the writings on the books and can only look at the pictures to cultivate. If young master understands the writings on the books, can you read them out to me?"
"Why can’t I?"
Qin Mu sat down and the white fox wagged its tail. The wind floated the bowl of soup onto the table and the white fox sat in front of him. Its eyes were bright and full of expression.
Qin Mu flipped open the first page and read out, "Circulate the qi to your square inch mountain, stimulate your vital qi core, move the tiger to the bottom of your heart, vibrate the winter sea of qi…"
The white fox drank its soup and listen attentively when it suddenly asked, "Where’s the square inch mountain?"
"The square inch mountain is at the heart of your brows." Qin Mu explained, "The heart of your brows is where your Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure is. To circulate your qi to your square inch mountain meant to circulate your vital qi to your heart of your brows. However, when your vital qi reaches the heart of your brows, there will be a god voice from the nine heavens above to cut off your vital qi."
The white fox tried it out and shook its head, "I can’t hear any god voice."
Qin Mu frowned. In the past, there will always be a god voice cutting him off when he directed his vital qi to the heart of his brows. He had thought that the white fox would encounter the same situation as him but he didn’t expect it to be not the case."
"Could it be that the structure of the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure is different between a human and a fox?"
He didn’t think further and continued to read and explain the ancient texts to the white fox. Not long later, he had finished reading the entire book. On this ancient book, the method of cultivation had its unique ways of cultivating, however, it wasn’t compatible with Qin Mu’s Overlord Body, therefore, he can’t use it to cultivate.
The white fox was intelligent and comprehended the content in the books. It smiled and said, "I had cultivated using the pictures in the past and thought I had learned the stuff recorded in the book. To think I had still made many mistakes in my cultivation. Thank you young master for clearing my doubts. My name is Hu Ling’er. May I dare to ask your name?"
"My name is Qin Mu, a cowherd boy with the surname Qin and I’m not any young master." Qin Mu smiled. "I stay nearby and not far from here. Where did you get these ancient books?"
Hu Ling’er drank the soup and felt much better, "About twenty miles west from here, there’s a ruin. Once I was too late to return home thus I hid from the darkness in the ruins. While I was there, I accidentally opened a stone chamber and found these few books inside. There was also a bottle of elixir and after drinking it, I had suddenly become intelligent and had a mind of my own. I felt the books were good stuff, therefore, I’ve brought them back with me. However, since I was unable to read, I could only look at the pictures. I have learned all my spells from the book."
"Twenty miles west?"
Qin Mu was astonished and pondered, "Could it be Surging River Dragon King’s dragon palace?"
Hu Ling’er’s eyes lighted up and said, "There are indeed many dragon sculptures there, however, it’s very dangerous in there. There’s something treacherous inside and I dare not go in so I just brought a few books back."
Qin Mu immediately asked, "Could you bring me there?"
The little white fox replied, "It’s very treacherous inside and can’t be ventured carelessly. When I just reached the door, I was scared…"
She became embarrassed and didn’t continue, which probably meant that she had been scared shitless.
Qin Mu became excited, "Don’t you want to take a look in the dragon palace? Maybe there’s even a dragon king inside!"
"Don’t want to."
Hu Ling’er gave it some time as her eyes blinked slyly, "If young master can come by here frequently to read these ancient books to me, I can bring you there. I’m not going to go in though."
"Deal!"
Qin Mu smiled and raised his palm. Hu Ling’er hesitated for a moment before raising her furry paw to strike with his palm. After that, she drank all her soup.
The human and the fox left the straw hut and went west.
"The banquet that you attended that day, whose banquet was it?" Qin Mu remembered what happened that day and asked.
"It was the banquet held by the Great Demon King, inviting all the greater demons from everywhere. After obtaining the ancient books from Surging River Dragon Palace, my wisdom had increased greatly and had become a well known greater demon around here. However, I still can’t beat those fellows with brute strength thus I still rank at the last among the greater demons."
Hu Ling’er jumped onto a banana leaf and executed her spell to raise up a demon wind. The demon wind blew up the banana leaf and she smiled, "The Great Demon King had cultivated its human body and is very powerful. Within a radius of thousand miles, all the greater demons will have to listen to his command no matter if they are territorial strange beast or not."
The demon wind blew the banana leaf, sending the white fox into the sky. Qin Mu leaped up and travel west on the cusp of the gust.
At this moment, a mile away from the straw hut was a huge taotie beast looking around bewilderedly, "Seeing the time, Mu’er should have reached already. Turning into a strange beast this time, he’ll definitely not recognized me… This is weird, where did that rascal go? Hmm? There is a demon wind of a fox! The rascal got kidnapped by a vixen on his first hunting!"
On the river thirty miles from Disabled Elderly Village, a gust of wind was blowing onto a three yards long banana leaf. On the leaf was a fox and beside the fox was a youth running on the wind. They were Qin Mu and Hu Ling’er.
"With my magic power, I’m still unable to fly on my own. I can only use my spell to raise a demon wind and use it to make the banana leaf float in the sky. If I was to run on the wind like you, I would definitely drop down… the dragon palace is nearby!"
Hu Ling’er lowered her demon wind allowing Qin Mu and the banana leaf to gradually reach the ground. After some time, the human and fox landed on the ground.
Qin Mu looked around and saw the Surging River wound around a huge mountain. The azure water revolved around the green mountain and the melodious chirping of the birds resonated throughout the valleys. There were monkeys swinging from tree to tree, huge fishes and river beasts swimming in the water. Everything was peaceful and serene.
The white fox leaped around as if it was flying and Qin Mu quickly kept up. The direction in which Hu Ling’er was running was the mountain where the river was revolving around. Qin Mu couldn’t help being puzzled. Could the dragon palace not be built in the river but on the mountain?
After a while, they had reached the top of the mountain. Looking at the ruins there, it was a dragon king temple. In front of the temple, there was a huge flood restraint stone that was thirty yards tall. It was like a stone tablet and below it was a sculpture of a huge stone tortoise carrying the flood restraint stone. The stone tortoise had its mouth open as if it was extremely tired and need to catch its breath.
The dragon king temple was rundown and had dilapidated walls. The king’s palace had already collapsed as well. Looking around, there were no stone statues, therefore it was unable to withstand the darkness invasion.
Just as he was puzzled, Hu Ling’er had suddenly disappeared without a trace. Hu Ling’er’s voice suddenly sounded out, "Come in quickly!"
Qin Mu looked towards the sound of the voice and saw the white fox in the mouth of the stone tortoise waving her paw at him. Qin Mu immediately went over. The stone tortoise was very huge, huge enough for a person to stand upright in it. Qin Mu followed the skipping white fox and reach a place where there was a set of stairs hidden in depth.
There was originally a stone door in front of the stairs. Qin Mu didn’t know when had it collapsed, revealing the stairs that led downwards.
Qin Mu followed the white fox forward. As he moved deeper into the mountains, the stairs grew wider and wider. The mountain walls on the side were also clammy and overgrown with moss that was glowing. There were also strange creatures floating around like dandelion. They had little thin feelers growing below them and as they waved them, they could actually fly in the air.
The white fox jumped up to bite one of them before eating them down. She then kept hopping up and down to eat non stop, making them look very delicious.