Before long he brought back a middle-aged man in flowered silks and sable furs, every finger crowded with jade thumb rings; the man paid his respects to Shen Mu, and the innkeeper said: "This is the owner of the gambling den, Incense Master Han of our Holy Cult. " A troubled look came over Incense Master Han's face: "Young Master, it is not that this subordinate is unwilling to let that blind elder win. The trouble is that the blind elder cheats in public, and by low and contemptible means at that.

If he were not so blatant about it, it would amount to nothing. " Shen Mu asked, puzzled: "How does he cheat? " Incense Master Han said: "When he draws dominoes, if he draws a bad hand, he points out the window and says there is a divine bird outside, and then, right before everyone's eyes, he brazenly fumbles about and switches his tiles.

What is more, our dominoes are black, while the tile he fishes out of his pocket is dark green.

This subordinate is incompetent — I beg the Young Master to assign me some simpler task. " Shen Mu did not know whether to laugh or cry. After a moment of silence, he said: "Let him win a few rounds. If he is caught cheating, then strike him lightly.

" "This subordinate obeys. " Incense Master Han turned and left.

Shen Mu steadied himself.

More than half of all Crimson Dragon City was actually his property? More than half of the city's power was his?

When had he become a great magnate whose wealth overshadowed the world?

"This title of Young Cult Master of the Nether Demon Cult truly is imposing. In comparison, the thousand dragon coins I earned last night really count for nothing.

" He felt a strange wonder — was the City Lord of Crimson Dragon City Fu Yundi, or was it himself?

And with Granny Zhu having slain Fu Yundi and now wearing Fu Yundi's skin, did that not mean that all of Crimson Dragon City belonged to him? He had a sense of the absurd; he shook his head, left the inn, and wandered about the city.

Last night he had only looked at the ancient temple near the City Lord's mansion; this time he planned to go and view the dragon pillars of Crimson Dragon City. The city was so vast and towering; if these dragon pillars could actually hold fast this territory and keep the darkness from invading, they must be something truly extraordinary.

Shen Mu opened his Sky-Soaring Celestial Eye and studied the dragon pillar before him in detail, exclaiming in admiration without end. Carved upon the pillar was a Dragon God, colossal beyond measure — almost as colossal as the skeletal remains of the Dragon King he had seen in the Surging River Dragon Palace.

These Dragon Gods coiled about stone pillars more than thirty zhang in girth, carved with lifelike fidelity; the pillars stood a hundred and sixty or seventy zhang high, from which one could well imagine how colossal the Dragon Gods must be. Shen Mu looked up. The Dragon God upon the pillar seemed almost to have come alive, exuding every ferocity and malevolence, yet at the same time profoundly sacred, majestic and vast.

"According to the Geography of the Wasteland, this city is not Crimson Dragon City at all, but the Celestial Dragon Star Palace. This is the handiwork of a divine being.

If I could study the flow and texture of the carving, it would be of great benefit to my own way of calligraphy and painting — who knows, I might even gain some insight into the divine being's cultivation arts! " Shen Mu, brimming with interest, examined the grain and structure of the pillar little by little.

The divine being who had carved the pillar had had no intention of incorporating his own arts into the work, yet the movement of the chisel had involuntarily carried the stamp of his techniques and divine powers. To other people, the dragon pillar was nothing but sculpture in relief; but Shen Mu had studied calligraphy and painting under the Deaf Elder and knew this principle well. "In the Geography of the Wasteland, beside the Celestial Dragon Star Palace lies the Star Sea, less than two hundred li from here.

Judging from the name, the Celestial Dragon Star Palace must be a place where celestial dragons dwell. A place this colossal — could it be a gathering ground of the dragon race? The invading darkness turned even the dragon race into ruins. " As he examined the pillar and sighed inwardly, a startled voice suddenly came down from above: "Cowherd, why are you still in Crimson Dragon City?

" The voice sounded familiar; following it, Shen Mu raised his head and looked up, and saw a small head poking out over the top of the dragon pillar — it was none other than the girl who had taken him into the City Lord's mansion to freeload. Ling Yuxiu waved at him, her voice drifting down: "Can you get up here? " Shen Mu measured the height and hesitated. The pillar was too tall; there was no wind at this moment, and no way to borrow leverage.

To get up, it seemed, he could only run. He could run up a cliff face, to be sure, but cliffs were usually thirty or fifty zhang high.

To run vertically up a dragon pillar of a hundred and sixty or seventy zhang — that he had never attempted. Shen Mu retreated a dozen or so paces, abruptly poured power into his feet, and dashed at the pillar.

In a few strides his speed reached its extreme — a fleeting shadow, a blur of light — as he charged at the pillar; then his feet trod upon it and, his body parallel to the ground, he raced straight up!

His speed was appalling, and his momentum appalling too; in a single unbroken breath he surged up more than a hundred zhang and hurtled toward the top! "Damn it — I can't make it.

. .

" Shen Mu felt his momentum reach its limit and his speed begin to flag, while he was still three or five zhang short of the pillar's summit. He drove upward another three zhang and more, until at last his strength gave out and his body began to fall. At that very moment a silk ribbon dropped down from the pillar, curled around his wrist, and with a gentle flick tossed him upward.

Twisting in midair, Shen Mu landed on the top of the pillar.

Looking around, he saw that the top was actually quite level — a great stone terrace; the southern side was carved into a dragon's head, and one could crawl across the terrace and stand upon it.

Ling Yuxiu came up, untied the ribbon from his wrist, and said with a laugh: "So you really did run up. Didn't you know?

There are stairs inside the pillar — you could have come up by the stairs. " Shen Mu looked at her ribbon and said in surprise: "That ribbon of yours is made of excellent material.

" "Naturally. " Ling Yuxiu said, not without pride: "It is woven from Heavenly Fragrance Silk — tribute offered to the Emperor, so of course it is of the finest quality. Smell it; it is very fragrant.

This is a natural fragrance that will never fade. " Shen Mu lowered his head and sniffed; there was indeed a delicate, clear fragrance.

He smiled: "I also have a kerchief woven from Heavenly Fragrance Silk, just as fragrant as yours.

" With that, he drew the "kerchief" from inside his robe.