Chapter 2 — The Fourfold Spirit Marrow Enters the Body
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 4
The alchemist was startled. The villagers of Yincan Village each had their own history, but all had been driven into the Wilds and to Yincan Village, scraping along at death's door. They had once resented heaven, earth, and all living things—their grievance ran too deep. That they had survived to this day was due in no small part to Shen Mu.
It was the arrival of this little child, sound of limb, that had scattered the resentment in their hearts. They had raised Shen Mu, and every one of them regarded the boy as their closest kin. Shen Mu held together the fragile spirits of Yincan Village's people.
If the villagers learned that Shen Mu was only of the most ordinary constitution, unable to survive alone in the Wilds, those fellows would likely lose all control—and who knew what they might do.
The alchemist said without expression, "But you cannot hide it forever. Sooner or later we will all die of old age, and only Shen Mu will remain."
"That is why you must not tell him there has never been a Tyrant Body. Never tell him."
The Village Head said in a grave voice, "Make him believe he is the one and only Tyrant Body!"
The alchemist was startled and studied his face closely. In the dim lamplight the Village Head's face seemed especially compelling. He smiled. "I want to see whether an ordinary man, armed with matchless conviction, can transcend the ordinary and do what even we Spirit Bodies could not! Who knows—perhaps in the future he truly can walk a path where the common body is the Tyrant Body!"
The alchemist was dazed. "The common body is the Tyrant Body?"
The Village Head nodded heavily. "With conviction, the common body is the Tyrant Body!"