On the way back from the Great Ruins, Qin Mu returned to Oldridge Village, only to find the place overrun by Brood-Hen Dragons. The beasts were squawking and brawling, looking fierce enough to start a war with the millions of Skyfeather Clan migrants.
Qin Mu killed the noisiest Brood-Hen Dragon and roasted it. Only then did the rest quiet down and behave, no longer daring to cause trouble.
No one else was in the village, and even Apothecary hadn't returned. Qin Mu could only leave a note, telling anyone who came back to spend New Year at Granny Sue's manor, before heading back on the road.
Mizu Pass.
The garrison defending the mighty pass stared in shock as several million people approached. With only a few tens of thousands of soldiers, they'd never seen anything like it before.
Fortunately, Lynn Ling stepped forward to explain the newcomers' purpose, and only then did the commanding general order the gates opened to let them through.
Feeding so many people was a problem. The Skyfeather Clan were vegetarians, refusing meat and fish; along the way, they ate only fruit, honey, and roots, and their appetites were modest.
Even so, the amount of food consumed by several million people was still a massive issue.
Qin Mu asked Ariel Skyfeather about it. In the Skyfeather Realm, the clan ate fruit from Dan Trees—spiritual fruit rich in water, clear as crystal, and with the properties of elixirs. Eating one could keep you full for days without food or drink.
Ordinary fruit could fill their bellies too, but the taste left much to be desired.
“Dan Trees... Plants that produce elixir fruit like that—there are none in the Great Ruins, and none in the Everpeace Empire either.”
Qin Mu asked Ariel Skyfeather in detail about the effects of Dan Tree fruit. After her explanation, he tried refining several batches of elixirs, but Ariel tasted each one and shook her head every time.
At last, Qin Mu managed to refine a furnace of Azure Void Pellets—elixirs the color of the sky, infused with water qi. It took him quite some effort.
After tasting one, Ariel Skyfeather praised, “This is about five or six-tenths of the real thing.”
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief and passed the recipe to Ariel Skyfeather, telling her to have the Skyfeather Clan’s alchemists make them from now on. That way, they wouldn’t have to keep foraging for wild fruit everywhere.
“These Skyfeather folk really are best suited to living in the warm south. That’s the right place for them.”
Head aching over how to resettle the Skyfeather Clan, Qin Mu finally decided to leave the problem to Emperor Evan—let him worry about it instead.
A tower ship from Mizu Pass slowly rose into the sky, carrying Qin Mu’s memorial as it sped toward the city.
Inside the pass, Qin Mu summoned the Dragon-Keeper Lord, who revealed his true form. The enormous beast carried several million people down the Yong River, making for a truly spectacular sight.
Crystal Blaze clicked her tongue in amazement. Back at the Sunwell, she’d never seen such a massive water beast—her curiosity was piqued.
Once they reached the south of Shuzhou Prefecture, Qin Mu had the Skyfeather Clan camp in the forests outside Shuzhou City. He brought several girls—including Ariel Skyfeather—straight to Granny Sue's manor to await Emperor Evan's decree.
The group was astonished by Granny Sue’s estate. It was like a sacred paradise, with spiritual energy so dense it condensed into droplets. The place bustled with life—palace maids scurried everywhere. Lynn Ling, surprised, called over two maids: “Jenny, Queenie, weren’t you serving the Dowager Empress? What are you doing here?”
These two maids had once escorted Qin Mu and saved him from the Poison Prince’s ambush. They quickly greeted Lynn Ling and Qin Mu, each dimpled cheek forming a matching pair—one left, one right, a charming sight.
Jenny smiled and said, “Her Majesty the Dowager Empress is here, so naturally we’re here too.”
Lynn Ling was shocked. “The Dowager Empress is here too? Why would she come?”
Jenny and Queenie exchanged troubled glances. After a moment, Queenie whispered, “She came chasing after the Jade Young Lord… Princess, please don’t spread this around! If the Dowager Empress finds out, we’ll lose our heads!”
Jenny leaned in to whisper in Lynn Ling’s ear, “The Jade Young Lord has so many women. When he showed his real face, he startled them all, but none of them left. These women are fierce—famous masters, even some sect leaders. They caused such a ruckus that not even the Dowager Empress could keep order. In the end, she fought them herself, but still couldn’t win, so they all just moved in…”
Lynn Ling frowned at Qin Mu. “Is the Jade Young Lord also one of your Oldridge Village people?”
“That’s my Grandpa Apothecary—also known as the Jade-Faced Poison King.”
Qin Mu was delighted. “Then Grandpa Apothecary must be here too! He’s trapped by all those women and can’t escape!”
Qin Mu steadied himself, scanning the room with a questioning look. Blind said coolly, "The man who gouged out my eyes has reappeared and taken Crippled Joe’s divine legs. Mute went to Great Thunderclap Temple to warn Grandpa Mark—he’ll be next, for his god fists."
Qin Mu was shaken, took a deep breath, and asked in a low voice, "Village Chief, who is this man?"
Before Village Chief could reply, Apothecary strode in, his bulky figure filling the doorway. "While I was fleeing, I ran into Jasper Ling. He said a godlike figure was hunting him for his divine blood and begged me to dissolve it to save his life. I asked who it was—Jasper said the man was once as famous as Village Chief and called himself ‘God.’"
Village Chief let out a heavy breath. "His name is just ‘An’—his surname is Starr, which is rare and arrogant. In theory, he should be about my age, with his lifespan running out soon."
"But Jasper Ling said he looked young, almost like a teenager."
Apothecary looked worried. "Given what you know of him, will he go after Grandpa Mark? Mark is now the Tathagata, empty of all attachments, and didn’t come home for New Year. He’s alone on Sumeru Mountain—could be in real danger!"
Qin Mu couldn’t help but ask, "Is this Starr An really that strong? Can he break into Great Thunderclap Temple?"
Village Chief’s face remained calm. "I don’t know how strong he is now. But I do know that if a person spends a lifetime refining just one part of their body to the divine realm, they can match a false god. If they refine every part to the divine realm, they’re nearly a true god. He will definitely go after Mark."
Serena’s face darkened. "Aunt, we’re family—why are you siding with outsiders?"
Granny Sue brushed her aside and walked straight toward the other girls, sizing them up with a smile. "I raised Mu’er—he’s closer to me than you are. Xiang girl, I never once held you as a child. Mu’er, Xiang’s a little fox spirit—she’s sly, so be careful around her."
Lina the Spirit Fox leapt up and cried, "I knew she was a fox spirit! Granny, I’ve been guarding Young Master well—no outside fox spirits get near him!"
[SKIP: System message, not part of the novel.]
Granny Sue came over to Qin Mu, raised her hand to touch his head, and scolded, "You’ve grown! Aren’t you going to bend down for me?"
Qin Mu quickly bent over. Granny Sue stroked his head and sighed, "You’re almost as tall as Butcher now—how did you grow so fast? Already bringing girls home, too…"
Her eyes reddened and she couldn’t help but tear up. "You’ve only been gone a year or two, and you’re already about to start a family…"
Qin Mu hurriedly said, "Granny, I’m not starting a family—Grandpa Blind forced that! Lynn, you’ve met her; this is Crystal Blaze, Sun Warden among the Sun-Herders, the one who drove the Solar Ark and chased off the Grandmaster. That’s Ariel Skyfeather, chief of the Skyfeather Clan. I invited them to spend New Year, so they came along."
Granny Sue broke into a smile through her tears. "It’s good for the girls to meet the elders. Come inside and sit!"
The girls blushed. Ariel, dignified as clan chief and a top cultivator of the Skyfeather Realm, composed herself and said, "You misunderstand, Elder—I’m not His Highness’s concubine."
Granny Sue found her more and more charming the longer she looked, and laughed, "Just call me Granny, no need for formal titles—that’s too distant."
Ariel hesitated, unsure of the local customs, but in the end shyly called her Granny.
"Yes!" Granny Sue answered sweetly, absolutely delighted.
Serena Yunxiang edged closer. "Granny..."
Granny Sue immediately put on a stern face. "Call me Aunt!"
Serena looked aggrieved and had to lower her head and call out, "Aunt." Granny Sue led them to her own palace, shooed Qin Mu out, and said, "Go to the hall next door and find Crippled Joe. That old thief’s suffered a loss and is bawling his eyes out."
Qin Mu quickly asked, "Which hall?"
"The layout here’s just like the village—it’s the house Crippled Joe usually lives in."
Qin Mu hurried out to search. Granny Sue watched the girls, growing more pleased by the minute. She said to Crystal Blaze, "The Sun Warden’s gotten a bit thin—she needs to eat more. Lynn’s sturdy enough, though. I’ve met your father before, but never spoke to him. When will we invite your family over…"
Qin Mu found the hall where Crippled Joe was staying. Inside were Blind, Mute, Deaf, Butcher, and two Village Chiefs—though on closer look, one was the real Village Chief, lying on a lounge chair with no hands or feet, and the other was Crippled Joe in a wheelchair, his divine legs gone!
Qin Mu rushed over, exclaiming, "Grandpa Cripple, what happened to you…?"
Crippled Joe wailed, "Mu’er, you’re back? Your Grandpa Cripple’s been had!"
Qin Mu steadied himself, scanning the room with a questioning look. Blind said coolly, "The man who gouged out my eyes has reappeared and taken Crippled Joe’s divine legs. Mute went to Great Thunderclap Temple to warn Grandpa Mark—he’ll be next, for his god fists."
Qin Mu was shaken, took a deep breath, and asked in a low voice, "Village Chief, who is this man?"
Before Village Chief could reply, Apothecary strode in, his bulky figure filling the doorway. "While I was fleeing, I ran into Jasper Ling. He said a godlike figure was hunting him for his divine blood and begged me to dissolve it to save his life. I asked who it was—Jasper said the man was once as famous as Village Chief and called himself ‘God.’"
Village Chief let out a heavy breath. "His name is just ‘An’—his surname is Starr, which is rare and arrogant. In theory, he should be about my age, with his lifespan running out soon."
"But Jasper Ling said he looked young, almost like a teenager."
Apothecary looked worried. "Given what you know of him, will he go after Grandpa Mark? Mark is now the Tathagata, empty of all attachments, and didn’t come home for New Year. He’s alone on Sumeru Mountain—could be in real danger!"
Qin Mu couldn’t help but ask, "Is this Starr An really that strong? Can he break into Great Thunderclap Temple?"
Village Chief’s face remained calm. "I don’t know how strong he is now. But I do know that if a person spends a lifetime refining just one part of their body to the divine realm, they can match a false god. If they refine every part to the divine realm, they’re nearly a true god. He will definitely go after Mark."