Tales of Herding Gods Chapter 2: The Blood Of The Four Spirits

Granny Si beamed with excitement as she ushered Qin Mu back into the village. “Stop staring at the horizon and get in here! Today is your big day! Village Chief, Old Ma, everyone, gather around!”

A roaring bonfire cast a bright glow over the settlement. As the Village Chief was carried out once more on his stretcher, he asked with gravity, “Have the four spirits been located?”

“All of them have been found.”

The one-armed Old Ma dragged forward a massive, jade-green serpent stretching dozens of yards. Though it reeked of fresh blood, the beast was still breathing. Even so, it remained pinned under Old Ma’s singular, iron-like grip.

Simultaneously, Mute the blacksmith arrived, hauling a giant bird that surpassed him in size. Its wings and talons were bound tight. Sparks flew from its plumage every time it thrashed, and the crackling sounds produced by its struggle were bone-chilling.

Blind then emerged, carrying a golden tortoise far larger than a dining table. Its age was impossible to guess; its shell had taken on a metallic gold sheen over the centuries. While its limbs were tucked inside the shell, a claw occasionally poked out, emitting steam so powerful Qin Mu thought it might lift the creature into the air to escape. The only thing preventing its flight was the hook Blind had pierced through its nose.

“The Green Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise—even if the true blood of these four spirits is beyond us, we can refine replacements using the Green Dragon Snake, the Iron Bone Tiger, the Lightning Bird, and the Golden Tortoise. They will suffice.”

The Village Chief gave a nod to the resident butcher. Butcher grinned, dragging his upper body forward with his arms. He possessed only the top half of a man, his body having been severed cleanly at the waist.

Four vats were positioned before the captured beasts. With a single swift stroke to each, Butcher drained the lifeblood from the ferocious creatures. Before long, the fresh blood of the four beasts had filled the containers.

“Apothecary,” the Village Chief summoned.

The village apothecary stepped out. He was a man without a face; his nose, skin, and half his lips appeared to have been carved away. Though he was the most terrifying sight in the village, Qin Mu viewed Grandpa Apothecary as the kindest soul among them.

Apothecary produced four strange red leaves, each holding a snow-white insect egg. He dropped one into every vat. Within the blood, larvae hatched instantly, settling on the leaves to feast. As they gorged themselves, their bodies swelled until the vats were empty, leaving only fat, engorged worms behind.

Apothecary then sprinkled white, salt-like crystals into the vats, causing the worms to shrink at a pace that made Qin Mu click his tongue in amazement.

Moments later, Apothecary retrieved the worms, which were now only the size of a palm. He produced four white porcelain cups and squeezed one worm firmly. It let out a sharp squeal as amber, crystal-clear blood poured from its mouth into a cup. After repeating this with the other three, he presented the cups to Qin Mu, shaking his head. “This is the only spirit blood we could refine. They are not true spirit beasts, after all.”

“Mu’er, the human body contains seven great treasure vaults: Spirit Embryo, Five Elements, Six Directions, Seven Stars, Celestial Being, Life and Death, and Divine Bridge. These vaults are naturally sealed, like hidden treasures under lock and key. Thus, they are known as the Seven Great Divine Treasures.”

“These Divine Treasures are usually shut and require a warrior to force them open,” the Village Chief explained. His presence grew imposing as the firelight danced across his features. “Barriers block a warrior seeking to awaken their potential. There is a wall for every treasure: the Spirit Embryo Wall, the Five Elements Wall, and so on. The act of shattering these obstacles is known as Wall Break.”

Grandpa Ma stroked Qin Mu’s head with his lone hand, smiling gently. “Cultivation is impossible if the wall cannot be broken. However, some are favorites of the heavens. They are born with their Spirit Embryo Wall already shattered, naturally unsealing that Divine Treasure. This is a Spirit Body, a gift from the heavens and the perfect foundation for Cultivation. Those with a Spirit Body possess talent far beyond ordinary men, allowing them to progress twice as quickly.”

“The Spirit Embryo has four elements, resulting in four types of Spirit Bodies: Green Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise. We use the blood of these four spirits to test for such a constitution.”

“If you have a Green Dragon Spirit Body, drinking the spirit blood will awaken the Qi of the Green Dragon, just like Old Ma,” Apothecary noted.

Old Ma unbuttoned his shirt, standing bare-chested. He turned his back to Qin Mu and let out a guttural shout.

Qin Mu watched as green Qi surged from Old Ma’s spine. From tailbone to skull, the Qi manifested into a green dragon. As the scales and beard took shape, a dragon claw merged with Old Ma’s arm, while others coiled around his legs.

“This is the Green Dragon Spirit Body,” Old Ma said, redressing. “Old Woman Si possesses the White Tiger Spirit Body.”

Granny Si rolled her eyes. “I won’t be stripping for you old lechers. I’ll show Qin Mu by manifestng my Qi.”

Her frame shook slightly as the hazy image of a predatory White Tiger materialized behind her, accompanied by a faint, echoing roar.

“Every person in this village has a Spirit Body. We were once glorious, but now we are just a collection of disabled elderly.”

Granny Si smiled. “We have nothing else to give you. These four cups of refined blood are the keys to awakening. If you have a White Tiger Spirit Body, drinking that blood will stir the White Tiger Qi in your Spirit Embryo. The same applies to the others.”

“Now, drink.”

The villagers watched Qin Mu with bated breath and visible hope.

Qin Mu’s heart hammered. Despite the many strange tonics he had taken while studying under Apothecary, this felt different. He raised the cup of Vermillion Bird blood; it was scalding hot. He downed it in a single gulp, feeling a searing heat race through his throat to his very bones. It felt like a wildfire was raging in his veins.

After a moment, the heat dissipated.

“Mute, is it the Vermillion Bird Spirit Body?” the Village Chief asked.

Mute the blacksmith shook his head.

“Continue, Qin Mu,” the Village Chief urged.

Qin Mu took the cup of White Tiger blood. It tasted like molten metal and stung his mouth. The sharp sensation traveled through his body before fading away.

“No White Tiger Spirit Body,” Granny Si noted, her disappointment showing.

“The third cup, Qin Mu,” the Village Chief said firmly.

He drank the Green Dragon blood. It made his muscles feel bloated, as if his organs were being squeezed, but the sensation soon vanished.

Old Ma shook his head. “Not a Green Dragon Spirit Body, either.”

“Then it must be the Black Tortoise Spirit Body,” Apothecary said, his rare smile making him look more ghoulish than ever.

Qin Mu finished the final cup. He felt weightless, as if floating in a cool river, but the feeling died out just as quickly as the others.

“He lacks the Black Tortoise Spirit Body,” Apothecary sighed.

Silence fell over the bonfire. Butcher eventually spoke: “Then he is simply a normal human.”

Granny Si suddenly broke into tears. “We are all old and broken. If we die, how will he live? This place is too dangerous. He won't last a single day...”

Qin Mu took her hand. “Don’t cry, Granny. You and the grandpas are good people. No one is going to die.”

“Good people? Heh...” Old Ma laughed bitterly. “We were driven into the Great Ruins to rot. It is too hostile here; Mu’er cannot survive without us. We must send him outside where it is safe.”

“If we send him out, we’ll be found and slaughtered. Because he is with us, he would be killed too,” Butcher countered coldly.

Silence returned to the village until the Village Chief spoke. “Good.”

“What could possibly be good?” Granny Si asked, bewildered.

The Village Chief smiled. “His constitution. It is a magnificent seedling.”

The villagers stared at him, confused. He explained, “My theory is that Mu’er possesses a constitution that blends the power of all four—the Overlord Body!”

“An Overlord Body?” The elders were skeptical. They were well-traveled, yet none had heard of such a thing.

“Indeed, the Overlord Body.”

The Village Chief grinned. “Standard spirit blood isn't enough to trigger it. We need the blood of the four great spirits to awaken it. While the true beasts are gone from the Great Ruins, their descendants remain. We will keep hunting and refining. Once he has consumed enough, his Overlord Body will manifest.”

Trusting the Chief’s wisdom, the elders were heartened. “Tomorrow, Cripple and I will hunt a tiger! Get some sleep, Mu’er. You have more spirit blood to drink tomorrow!”

After the crowd dispersed, Apothecary and Mute helped the Village Chief to his quarters. Once Mute left, Apothecary whispered, “The Overlord Body is a lie.”

The Village Chief nodded. “I made it up on the spot. But without that hope, the others would have lost their will to live.”

Apothecary fell silent. Everyone in this village had a dark past that forced them into the Great Ruins. Qin Mu was the only reason they had endured this long. The arrival of a healthy child had mended their broken spirits. They loved him as their own. He was the glue holding their fragile hearts together.

If they realized Qin Mu had a Mortal Body and could never survive the Great Ruins alone, they might succumb to despair.

“You can’t hide this forever,” Apothecary said. “We will eventually die and leave him.”

“Which is why we will never tell him the truth. It must remain a secret for eternity,” the Village Chief said gravely. “Let him believe he possesses the peerless Overlord Body!”

Apothecary studied the Chief’s face in the dim lamplight. The Chief’s smile was almost haunting. “I want to see if a normal human with absolute conviction can achieve what even we, the Spirit Bodies, could not.”

Apothecary stared blankly. “From a Mortal Body... to an Overlord Body?”

The Village Chief nodded slowly. “With enough faith, a Mortal Body shall become the Overlord Body!”