Chapter 93 - The Eye of the Formula
A short while later, Shi Mu found himself meditating in his bed, his eyes gazing at the black blade he had just invested copious amounts of money in. Knitting his brows, his face was showing his inner turmoil. He was racking his brains trying to weigh the risks that may be brought by Uncle Ju’s offer. So much had been paid to procure this blade of meteoric iron. It would be a waste if he did not make it into a magic weapon. Furthermore, though it was risky to have implicit trust in Uncle Ju’s skills, Shi Mu was mesmerized by the thought of visiting another realm, one that should be quite different from his own. He had an even bigger interest in strange animals, like the gold-eroding lizard, and would very much like to find one for himself. It would not be completely impossible for him to get an animal from another realm if he agreed to Uncle Ju’s offer. After all, Uncle Ju had the experience, as he had beckoned two animals from other realms - Vibrant and his foe, the lizard, so he could be counted a veteran. Therefore, danger to his life should be out of the question. From all the time when the two had dealt with each other, Shi Mu knew Uncle Ju to be a person of extreme prudence, though with a horrible lack of modesty. Thinking this way, Uncle Ju would be the last person to act without full confidence. But even with the good chances of success, Shi Mu did not feel at ease with the slightest possibility of bad results until after several days of deep contemplation.
Four days later, Shi Mu paid another visit to the General Sutra House to bring Uncle Ju the good news of his agreement to their co-operation, which made the fat man’s face crease into a smile. The two to begin the ceremony noon three days later, and the place would be Uncle Ju’s abode, whose address was then imprinted on a white jade slip tossed to Shi Mu by the fat Adept. Shi Mu carefully slipped it into his sleeve, then seized the chance to ask some more questions about the communication ceremony and the space they would soon be visiting. All done, Shi Mu left with an expectant heart.
......
Three days later, noon.
Shi Mu had found his way to the foot of a black mountain, the scorching sun making sweat flow down his face. He looked up to the top and was somewhat disappointed by the barrenness of this mountain. It was jagged, rocky, and a dead silent, due to a lack of vegetation and frolicking animals. A few sickly bushes and some miscellaneous grasses were all that the mountain had to offer a traveler. Of course, Shi Mu was the only traveler now and was probably the only one it had seen in a long time. Apart from some stone buildings scattered over the mountain, there were no other traces of humans. Infertility, bleakness, and remoteness - these are all that Shi Mu can think of in relation to this mountain, the thirteenth mountain of the Black Demon Sect. Thought he had been living in the valley adjacent to it, Shi Mu had not really visited it before.
There was only one path that lead from the foot of the mountain all the way up to the top, narrow branches grew now and then, leading to some scattered stone houses that shared the same crudeness. Some detached two or three-storey houses stood out, also built of stone. According to the jade slip, uncle Ju lives in a remote stone house near the top, not easily found by those not previously aware of its location. It took Shi Mu almost two hours - a tortuous journey indeed - to find the stone house, which opened before Shi Mu had the chance to knock.
“Come on in! What took you so long?” The fat man’s voice came from the inner room, bringing with it the impatience that had obviously been simmering for a while.
“My apology Uncle Ju! I was practicing when I had a sudden insight, which made me forget the time!” Shi Mu saw the flesh mountain waiting in the hall with an expressionless face as soon as he entered the room, and hurriedly apologized.
“Huh, an insight, very important… Alright, I’ll forgive you this time...All is set, come in so we can begin.” The fat man’s brows relaxed, knowing that it is quite common to forget about the time when one gets a flash of insight.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login