荒墟牧神 - 第386章 竊取氣運之術 - 錦書坊

Shen Mu rose from the river. A huge flood dragon swam past him and plunged down into the water — it was the Flood Dragon King God. Shen Mu paused to look, and saw that a bamboo staff was lodged in the sapphire-blue dragon's brow, blood bubbling out around it in gurgling spurts.

"The Blind Grandpa's bamboo staff!"

Shen Mu climbed out of the water and started toward the bank, while the Dragon Qilin came cautiously over with more than a dozen flood dragons, bearing Ling Yuxiu, Xue Hu'er, and Si Yunxiang on its back. The Blind Elder's battle with the Flood Dragon King God must have only just ended; they had kept clear of its aftershocks, and that was why they had been slower.

Xue Hu'er had finally woken from her drunken stupor and was gazing about in curiosity, astonished past measure, with no idea how she had come here from the wedding feast in that little town.

Shen Mu looked around and caught sight of the Blind Elder.

The old man was in a wretched state now, mud everywhere on his body, his clothes in tatters, wounds covering him from head to foot. Plainly, the fight against the Flood Dragon King God had been a bitter one.

The Flood Dragon King God was exceedingly strong — a flood dragon that had attained godhood, after all, its divine powers vast, and a water-attribute dragon besides. The Blind Elder had fought with all his strength and given the creature no easy time of it, but he had taken wounds of his own.

The Dragon Qilin flew down and landed, and Xue Hu'er leaped from its back. Still in her little fox form, she came bounding and skipping onto Shen Mu's shoulder — only then did she notice the black flood dragon on his other shoulder, and every hair on her body stood on end with fright, her several tails going stiff as rods.

— Once drunk, she would revert to her true form; just now she had forgotten to change back into human shape.

"Don't be afraid, Ling'er. This is the black flood dragon I just took in — it's done great service."

Shen Mu soothed the little fox, cast a glance at the Blind Elder, blinked his eyes, and said with a smile, "Sister Yuxiu, Holy Maiden Yunxiang, I'll show you something big."

The two women were most curious and asked, "What big thing?"

Shen Mu stood at the river's edge and called out at the top of his voice, "River-Subduing Dragon King, aren't you coming out?"

The river's surface broke at once into raging waves that reached the sky, and the giant dragon Lord Dragon-Rearer had transformed into lifted its head from the water, towering like a mountain, its long dragon whiskers hanging down, crystalline and translucent, drifting on the wind.

Those whiskers were over a hundred zhang long, and very beautiful.

Lord Dragon-Rearer lowered its head and said, "What are your orders, my lord?"

The two women stared, dumbstruck, and even the Blind Elder was shaken beyond words.

Shen Mu was bursting with smugness. He glanced about him, and finding every face most gratifying, put his hands on his hips and said with a laugh, "Nothing much. I just wanted you to come out and meet everyone."

Lord Dragon-Rearer's expression was stern; it barely restrained the urge to slap this little runt dead. Just as it was about to sink back into the water, Shen Mu said hastily, "Don't go down yet. You promised me just now that you would teach me how to gather dragon veins and how to summon the power of the True Dragon Lord."

Lord Dragon-Rearer stopped at once and did not sink into the water.

Shen Mu said smugly again, "Blind Grandpa, how about that?"

"That's out of this world," said the Blind Elder, his face wreathed in smiles.

Shen Mu's eyes flickered. He quietly drew out the golden flute, and at once roused the Dragon-Riding Art; a host of flood dragons came flying in and coiled themselves around the Blind Elder!

These flood dragons were exceedingly powerful; once they bound the Blind Elder fast, he would have absolutely no way to break free!