Tales of Herding Gods Chapter 5: Li River’s Five Elders

A voice saturated with potent Qi thundered across the landscape. Although the source was far away, the sound resonated as if whispered directly into their ears, making Qin Mu’s eardrums throb and vibrate.

He glanced toward the origin of the shout and spotted several silhouettes perched upon a mountain ridge roughly two miles distant. Qin Mu was unable to distinguish their features, but he understood they were no mere mortals if one among them could throw his voice across such a vast gap.

“A devil? Who are you calling a devil? I am but a simple woman living by the river, and this small elk is merely a calf I am tending to…” Granny Si smiled, hooking her basket onto her arm. She then leaned in and hissed under her breath, “Mu’er, flee!”

Qin Mu was startled by the desperation in Granny Si’s tone. He attempted to protest, but the words failed him. He was reluctant to retreat, terrified that his grandmother might be in mortal peril.

“A simple woman by the river? No ordinary grandmother could project her voice so clearly with such formidable Qi.” A voice, both aged and full of vitality, boomed from the cliff followed by a mocking sneer. “There is no chance that we, the Five Elders of Li River, would fail to recognize the Heavenly Devil Creation Technique. It is a shifting art that flays skin to craft garments… Do you truly intend to offer excuses when we have witnessed such a depraved skill with our own eyes?”

“You likely use that Heavenly Devil Creation Technique to turn humans into beasts, driving them to the markets to be butchered, don't you?” another elder atop the ridge barked with gravity. “Many venerable members of our righteous Sect have been transformed into cattle, condemned to graze on grass for all eternity! Having observed your wicked ways, you cannot deceive us!”

“Even an elk is a sentient soul. To use its hide and spirit to manufacture such an unholy thing…” a different elder lamented sorrowfully. “Heaven knows how many more innocents will perish if we do not strike you down here. If we don't slay you, who else deserves death?”

Granny Si turned sharply to Qin Mu and plucked the needle from between his eyebrows. She spoke in a low tone, “These old fools are nothing to fear. However, if you remain at my side, I will be forced to protect you and lose my focus. Run now! Get back to the village!”

Qin Mu stopped wavering and spun around to escape, sprinting along the riverbank. He had initially feared that moving in the form of an elk would be clumsy, but as he accelerated, he realized he was mistaken. Far from being awkward, he felt as though he had been born an elk, gallopng faster than he ever had as a human.

“The young devil seeks to fly? It would be a catastrophe to let him escape! Five Disciples of Li River, the time for your trial has come. Your target is that elk below. Slay him and return with his head!”

Immediately, the crisp voices of young men and women rang out. “As you command!”

In a blurred motion, five figures leaped from the precipice and raced down the vertical rock face. Moving with the speed of galloping stallions, they hit the valley floor in a heartbeat. At the mountain's base lay a deep basin where a violent waterfall crashed down. Rather than plunging into the depths, the five disciples stepped lightly onto the water's surface, sprinting across it as they pursued Qin Mu.

Granny Si’s expression darkened. “Spirit Bodies! And their Spirit Embryo Divine Treasures are certainly not at a low level. Mu’er cannot outrun them; they will surely overtake him!”

Just as Granny Si prepared to intervene, four figures soared through the air and surrounded her. Only one individual remained on the high cliff, standing with an air of arrogance, clearly intending to stay above the fray for now.

“What brings the Five Elders of Li River into the Great Ruins?” Granny Si smirked, her eyes darting between the four elders encircling her. “The Great Ruins are treacherous. Aren't you worried that your illustrious reputations might end in a shallow grave here?”

Among the four, the elder with a dark beard replied icily, “Word reached us that foul scum were lurking within the Great Ruins… demons and devils who could not survive in the outside world and fled here for sanctuary. Thus, we five elders brought our pupils here to purge them.”

“It remains to be seen who is the demon… or who will be doing the purging.” Granny Si cradled her basket and gripped her scissors in her other hand. Squinting as if her vision were failing, she laughed softly. “I haven't stretched these old limbs in a while. Fortunately, my skills haven't withered away entirely. Do you old men wish for me to turn you into a new set of clothes?”

“How dare a demon be so insolent? Do you think you have the right to act proud before us?” the Four Elders of Li River roared.

They lunged forward simultaneously, coordinating their strikes as they fell upon Granny Si.

At that exact moment, Qin Mu, who was sprinting toward Disabled Elderly Village, witnessed bursts of lightning. Blinding white bolts illuminated the sky, turning the mountain and its base brighter than high noon. Following the brilliance, a deafening roar of thunder rolled over him from behind.

Qin Mu glanced back for a split second, only to see massive shockwaves of wind erupting from where Granny Si stood. The resulting gale tore up the soil and stones, launching massive boulders weighing thousands of pounds into the air like pebbles!

“Granny will be alright…” Qin Mu whispered to himself, though his heart was heavy, and he continued his flight.

Suddenly, the splashing of water echoed from the river beside him. He looked over to see a boy and a girl skimming across the surface!

Both were sprinting over the water, yet they did not sink. Their feet moved with such incredible speed that they barely touched the surface before moving again, far outstripping Qin Mu’s pace. Before the water could even ripple against their soles, they had already vanished like ghosts into the distance!

“Those two have mastered the art of riding the waves—a level Grandpa Cripple said I couldn't reach yet. They are much more powerful than I am!”

The pair soon overtook Qin Mu while running down the center of the stream. Once they were ahead, they angled toward the bank, clearly intending to cut off his path.

Qin Mu looked back to find another pursuer right on his tail. To his left, two more figures were navigating the mountain ridges, occasionally leaping from the thick woods to run across the canopy. They couldn't maintain that height for long and frequently dropped back to the forest floor to recover their breath.

Despite this, they also managed to pass Qin Mu and get ahead of him.

“I can’t let them block me! I have to bypass them and get to the village. I need Grandpa Ma and the others to go back for Granny!”

Gritting his teeth, Qin Mu veered away from the river and plunged into the thick forest.

He was certain to be captured if he stayed on the open bank. The two on the river were far too fast. The pair in the woods seemed slightly slower, making the forest his only chance.

“Little devil! You and that elk-flaying witch won't get away!”

As Qin Mu dived into the trees, one of the boys nearby accelerated, overtaking his companion. However, he was a fraction of a second too slow, and Qin Mu, in his elk form, galloped past him.

“Don't fret, he won't escape!”

The leading pair—the boy and girl from the river—remained calm. With a flick of her sleeves, the girl giggled and surged forward, leaping through the high branches as if she had wings. The boy, meanwhile, coolly directed the other three to maintain the chase and flank their target.

No matter how hard Qin Mu pushed his body, he couldn't lose the five hunters. Furthermore, he was being forced further away from Disabled Elderly Village, driven deeper into the heart of the Great Ruins.

Having spent nearly fifteen years in Disabled Elderly Village, he had never ventured more than a few miles from home. Now that he had crossed that boundary, the terrain became alien and increasingly bleak, with no trails to follow.

As he ran, a valley appeared ahead. Within a grove of peach blossoms, he spotted a herd of wild elks. He immediately charged toward them, hoping to lose himself in their numbers.

Whoosh—!

A floral fragrance filled the air as the girl touched down, her robes fluttering. She scowled as she surveyed the herd.

“Where did the devil brat go, Senior Sister?” one of the youths asked as the group landed one by one.

The girl narrowed her eyes. “He hid himself within this herd.”

“Then we shall kill every elk here!”

The disciples charged into the animals, drawing their blades and slaughtering the elks without mercy. Though the elks were swift, they were no match for the speed of the cultivators.

All five possessed Spirit Bodies and were skilled Martial Arts practitioners. The elks scattered in panic, but they could not escape the carnage. One by one, they fell to the blades.

Suddenly, a human voice cried out from the middle of the chaotic herd.

“Did you not say that elks were living souls?” he questioned. “Granny killed one elk, yet you are butchering an entire herd. Why do you claim that we are the ones on the devil’s path?”

“There he is!”

The girl’s eyes flashed as she circulated her Qi and brandished her sword. The Qi of the White Tiger flowed into the blade, causing it to glow with a piercing golden light. She threw the sword, and it streaked like a comet toward Qin Mu as he ran.

Qin Mu swerved, changing his path to avoid the weapon, but the sword mirrored his movement, curving through the air to follow him.

“What technique is this?”

Qin Mu was baffled. “Is this a Divine Art? No… it doesn't feel right. Grandpa Butcher said a Divine Art only manifests when one’s Martial Dao reaches the pinnacle. This girl’s Martial Dao is far below Grandpa Butcher’s…”

As the blade closed in for the kill, Qin Mu dropped low, skimming the earth to narrowly avoid the strike. In that moment of evasion, he noticed a nearly invisible thread trailing from the sword's hilt. One end was tied to the weapon, while the other was held firmly in the girl’s hand.

The thread was as thin as a strand of spider silk, making it almost impossible to see.