The young scholar stopped his donkey, glanced at them with a playful, irreverent air, and said, "I'm planning to sneak in and see the master of this place. Brother, where are you headed?"
Qin Mu smiled and said, "We're planning to sneak in and see for ourselves. Since our goals are the same, why not travel together?"
The young scholar considered for a moment, then said to the donkey, "Luther, how about having two fall guys along for the ride?"
The donkey curled its lip and said, "Heh."
The scholar laughed and said, "If Luther says it's fine, then let's go together."
"Fall guys?"
Qin Mu grew wary and asked politely, "Brother, is there any difference between being a 'fall guy,' 'taking the blame,' or 'having a chamber pot dumped on your head'?"
The young scholar laughed heartily, "No difference at all."
Qin Mu burst out laughing, then looked ahead toward the ancient battlefield. The place was shrouded in thick mist, with ruins scattered everywhere—majestic city walls, towering palaces, lofty archways and gates.
On the ground were the tracks of demigods; following these traces would lead them to Earth Mother Primordial Lady.
Bruno and the water kirin walked ahead alongside the donkey. The water kirin glanced at Luther with disdain, saying, "This little beast is so dumb—just keeps walking forward with a carrot dangling in front of its nose, never realizing it'll never get to eat it."
Luther shot him a look, eyes full of contempt.
The water kirin thought to itself, "I've sworn the Little Earth Sovereign's Pact, so I can't eat Bruno, but I can eat the donkey! Still, Bruno's master is tricky—he gets along well with that scholar. If I eat the donkey, he'll probably get mad and turn me into dinner."
Qin Mu kept watching the young scholar, growing more and more suspicious. But when his gaze landed on the scholar's chest, he couldn't see any bulge, so he wasn't sure.
The scholar noticed his gaze and laughed, "Luther, this kid's got shifty eyes—even looks at a man's chest."
Qin Mu's face flushed red. The donkey laughed, "Awng, awng—"
Qin Mu tentatively asked, "Er... Brother, how should I address you?"
The scholar laughed, "Why bother with introductions when we meet? Qin Mu, Qin Fengqing—have I asked your name before? I haven't, so why are you asking mine?"
Qin Mu grew even more suspicious and said, "You know my name, but I don't know yours. That's a bit unfair. How did you know I'm Qin Mu?"
"Cult Master of the Heavenly Saint, Qin Mu—handsome, talented, and learned. Who doesn't know you?"
The scholar said, "Someone as obscure as me—of course Cult Master Quinn wouldn't know my name."
Unable to learn the scholar's name, Qin Mu turned to the donkey and asked, "Brother Luther, why are you called Luther Zheng?"
The scholar replied, "He's a donkey—his words are harsh and he loves to argue, so I gave him the name Zheng."
Qin Mu's eyes flickered. "I also know an ox named Old Ox, and a tiger called Lord Tiger."
Luther curled his lip in disdain. "Hweh-hweh."
Qin Mu's face darkened. He thought, "I can't understand donkey-speak—never learned it, so I have no idea what he's saying. But this master-servant pair is suspicious; could the scholar be the Scholar Celestial Teacher?"
They walked into the misty, ancient battlefield. The fog glowed with rosy light, and the buildings looked old, their carvings strange and intricate. Qin Mu had Bruno stop, then studied the ruins and copied the patterns onto paper.
The scholar watched him draw and laughed, "Cult Master Quinn truly is multitalented—even in painting and calligraphy, your skills are impressive."
Qin Mu blushed and said humbly, "I wouldn't dare boast about my painting—I'm only second best. The true master is my Grandpa Deaf. His art has reached the Dao, separating inner and outer worlds."
The scholar was amazed and praised, "His painting has reached the realm of creating from the void? With inner and outer worlds—truly remarkable. But his claim to be number one is a bit inflated, and your number two is too."