diymy Chapter 363 The Mysterious Moon Goddess
Chapter 363 The Mysterious Moon Goddess
The male beast pounced suddenly.
Its body moved as fast as a black lightning bolt, and two rows of sharp white teeth were revealed in its open maw, aimed straight at Qin Mu's throat.
Qin Mu did not dodge.
He simply raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and gently pressed them into the void.
The male beast's body suddenly stopped in mid-air, as if it had crashed into an invisible wall.
Its limbs kicked and thrashed wildly in the air, and its tail thrashed desperately, but it couldn't move an inch, like an insect sealed in amber, unable to move.
Qin Mu slightly bent his fingers, and the male beast's body slowly fell from mid-air, landing on all fours, but it was pressed down by that invisible force and could not move.
Its head was pressed to the ground, its cheek against the cold stone slab, and it let out a low, unwilling whimper.
The mother beast roared and charged forward.
It was much smaller than the male beast, but faster, like a gray-white arrow, piercing straight for Qin Mu's calf.
Qin Mu didn't even lower his head.
With a casual downward press of his left hand, the female beast was pinned to the ground, lying there with her limbs supporting her weight, her body trembling violently, unable to stand up.
Qin Mu looked down at the male beast, his gaze calm. "Do you submit?"
The male beast let out a low roar, its green vertical pupils filled with arrogance and resentment.
Its body struggled desperately, its limbs carving deep furrows into the stone slab, but an invisible force pressed down on it, and it couldn't even lift its head.
Qin Mu looked at it and smiled gently.
He raised his right hand, his five fingers slowly tightening.
The male beast suddenly found it difficult to breathe, as if an invisible hand had gripped its throat.
Its eyes began to swell with blood, its tongue lolled out, and its limbs frantically pawed at the ground, but no matter how much it struggled, it couldn't break free from that invisible hand.
Qin Mu tightened his grip on his right hand even more.
The male beast emitted a hissing sound from its throat, like an old stove with its bellows stuck, struggling to get it burning.
Its eyes began to roll back, and its struggles with its limbs became increasingly weak.
Qin Mu shifted his gaze from the male beast to the female beast lying on the ground.
He raised his left hand slightly, his five fingers pointing at the mother beast's head.
The male beast's pupils suddenly contracted.
Its body stiffened abruptly, and the struggle abruptly stopped.
It let out a very soft, broken whimper, like a plea, like a surrender.
Qin Mu stopped.
The male beast's eyes were fixed on him, and the arrogance and resentment in its green vertical pupils were gradually fading, like the tide receding to reveal the wet, grayish-white sand beneath.
It tilted its head slightly, exposing its most vulnerable neck to Qin Mu.
That was a gesture of submission.
It is the final and most complete surrender of a wild beast when faced with an invincible existence.
Qin Mu withdrew his hand.
That invisible force vanished instantly.
The male beast got up from the ground, lowered its head, walked to Qin Mu's feet, and gently rubbed its head against his calf.
Its tail hung down and swayed slightly, like a dog that had finally been tamed.
The female animal also got up from the ground, limped over to the male animal, pressed herself against its body, and lowered her head as well.
The three women stood behind Qin Mu, watching this scene unfold.
Zhao Qingxue stood still, the Frost Moon Sword hanging limply at her side, forgetting to grip it tightly or loosen it.
As she watched the two ferocious beasts, which had been as fierce as tigers just moments before, now lying at Qin Mu's feet like two docile dogs, the lake in her heart, which had been calm for a long time, began to ripple again.
It wasn't out of fear, but because she was reminded once again of that night at the Nujiang ferry crossing, of how the phantom image conjured by the Emperor's decree was casually crushed by him.
It was this composure, this nonchalance, that instilled despair.
Standing behind Qin Mu, Jiang Zhaoyue watched as the male beast rubbed its forehead against Qin Mu's clothes, and her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
She recalled how she felt when she first met Qin Mu. She was just like that back then, afraid, resistant, and struggling desperately, but she couldn't break free no matter what she did.
Later, she stopped struggling, not out of resignation, but because she realized that the feeling of being protected by him was actually quite nice.
Yunluan slowly loosened her hand from the hilt of the sword.
Looking at the two strange beasts, especially the male beast's green vertical pupils that had completely lost their hostility, her awe of His Majesty deepened.
Qin Mu looked down at the male beast at his feet, his gaze calm.
"From today onwards, you will hide. Only come out when I need you. As for your wife—" He glanced at the female beast, "I'll take her away first. Don't try anything funny."
The male beast's body stiffened slightly.
It raised its head and looked at Qin Mu with its green vertical pupils for a long time.
A very soft whimper escaped from its throat, as if it were hesitating, or perhaps pleading.
Then it slowly lowered its head, its forehead touching the ground.
It understood.
Qin Mu turned and walked out of the cave.
The female beast followed at his feet, took two steps, and then looked back at the male beast.
The male beast stood still, watching the female beast's back, its tail drooping behind it, motionless.
A glint of tears flashed in the mother beast's eyes, and she turned her head, limping as she followed Qin Mu's steps.
Stepping out of the granary, Qin Mu walked along the corridor with his hands behind his back, the smile on his lips deepening. "I didn't expect to acquire two more exotic beasts; it's quite a pleasant surprise."
Zhao Qingxue followed beside him, her gaze fixed on the female beast.
The mother animal walked very slowly, pausing slightly with each step of her left hind leg, her body swaying gently, but she never took a single step down.
After passing through three stone gates and around two rows of white buildings, Yunluan stopped in front of an iron gate. "Your Majesty, this should be the armory."
Qin Mu pushed open the door.
The iron gate was heavy, yet it slid open silently in his palm, like pushing open a paper door.
Inside the door was a cave larger than a granary.
The candlelight trailed along the stone wall, but the light could not reach the end.
Rows of iron racks were filled with knives, spears, swords, and halberds, their blades gleaming coldly in the candlelight.
Bundles of arrows were piled up in the corner, their arrowheads densely packed, like a silver hedgehog.
Deeper inside were rows of wooden racks, on which hung iron and leather armor, the plates stacked on top of each other, gleaming dimly in the candlelight.
In the corner were several large chests, their lids open, filled with copper coins and silver coins.
Qin Mu walked in, his gaze sweeping over the iron frames, wooden crates, and piles of weapons, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "It seems they've been preparing for this for many years."
Zhao Qingxue stood beside him, her expression solemn.
Her gaze swept over the armor, over the arrowheads, over the copper coins and silver fragments. "It must have taken at least thirty years of preparation."
Qin Mu nodded, the smile on his lips vanished, leaving only coldness. "This is a real rebellion."
He turned around and walked towards the door. "Alright, we've seen enough, let's go."
The three women followed behind him, their footsteps echoing in the empty cave.
The mother beast walked at the very back, limping, and every few steps she would turn back to look at the iron gate that was getting further and further away, her eyes reflecting the candlelight.
Meanwhile, deep within the cave, in a secret chamber.
The moon goddess removed her mask.
The candlelight burned quietly on the bronze lampstand, illuminating the room with a dim and warm glow.
She sat in front of the bronze mirror, her long hair flowing down to her waist like a waterfall.
The face in the mirror looked young, no more than twenty-five or twenty-six years old.
His eyebrows resembled distant mountains, thin and curved, with the ends slightly upturned, carrying a hint of innate sharpness.
Her nose was high and straight, her lips were beautifully shaped, and her lip color was very light, like a peach blossom that had been washed with water.
Her skin was very white, not the delicate kind kept in seclusion, but an almost transparent paleness from years of being deprived of sunlight, like a jade statue enshrined in the shadows.
Her brows were slightly furrowed, with a faint knot between them that she could never smooth out.
She raised her hand and gently pressed her fingertips against the space between her eyebrows, but the knot only deepened.
She stood up and walked to the wall.
A huge map hangs on the wall, showing the territory of the Qin Dynasty.
Mountains, rivers, cities, and passes are all marked, even the number of troops stationed there.
Her gaze swept from the northern border to the southern frontier, from the eastern border to the western border, and finally landed on the location of the imperial city, the place marked with the words "Great Qin".
A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and a chilling smile slowly curved her lips.
"What the leader didn't finish—" She stretched out her hand, her fingertips lightly touching the location of the imperial city, her nails drawing a thin white line on the paper. "I must finish it."
She turned around, walked back to the bronze mirror, slowly sat down, looked at her pale face in the mirror, and sighed softly.
"I'm still stuck at that step, and I can't seem to improve it no matter what I do."
I heard a faint sound of clothes rubbing against the ground behind me.
A woman knelt on the ground, dressed in a white robe, without a mask on her face. She had delicate features, and her brows conveyed the respect and unease typical of a subordinate.
"My Lord, after that Mo Ya left, his whereabouts became unknown. Your subordinate is incompetent and has been unable to find any trace of him."
The Moon Goddess waved her hand, tapping her fingers lightly on her knee. "It's alright. That Black Crow is known for his stealth, it's normal that you couldn't find him. If he hadn't been standing here, and if I hadn't been so familiar with this place, I wouldn't have been able to find him either."
The woman kneeling on the ground was silent for a moment, then raised her head. "What are your thoughts, Master? Will you join forces with the Northern Territory?"
The moon goddess leaned back in her chair, her gaze fixed on the enormous map and the vast, desolate land of the north.
A faint smile slowly curved her lips, a smile that carried a hint of nonchalant mockery.
"The Northern Territory? Xu Longxiang can barely protect himself, yet he wants to protect me?"
She stood up, walked to the map, and stretched out her finger, slowly tracing the territory of the Great Qin Dynasty from north to south and from east to west.
"Does he think I can't see through him? He just wants to use my Moon Goddess Sect as a tool to tie down the Qin army so that he will face fewer obstacles when he marches south from the north."
The woman kneeling on the ground frowned slightly. "So, does the cult leader mean... refusal?"
The Moon Goddess shook her head, her finger hovering over the location of the imperial city. "No, you must agree. But not now."
She turned around, looked at the woman, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in her eyes. "The North wants a knife, so I'll give them one. But who holds that knife is up to me."
The woman seemed thoughtful. "Does the sect leader intend to use the northern border's troops to hold off the imperial army for us?"
The Moon Goddess smiled, a hint of approval in her expression. "Didn't Mo Ya say Han Zhong and Xu Longxiang have a past relationship? Let them stall for time. When the court and the northern border are both weakened, and the southwest is vulnerable, then we—"
She didn't continue speaking, but simply withdrew her fingers from the map, stood with her hands behind her back, and stared at the huge map of the territory on the wall, her eyes flashing with a cold light.
"Tell Mo Ya that I have agreed to his conditions. Have them send someone over to discuss the details."
The woman lowered her head. "Yes."
The Moon Goddess raised her hand, her fingertips gently tracing a line in the air. A silvery-white light spilled from her fingertips, condensing into a crescent moon in the air, slowly rotating.
"Also, investigate that Han Zhong. Since he has a past connection with Xu Longxiang, this lead might be more useful than the Northern Border."
The woman stood up, bowed, and stepped back.
The footsteps faded into the distance and disappeared outside the door.
The Moon Goddess stood alone before the map, gazing at the land she had coveted for so many years, the smile on her lips deepening.
"Great Qin, ah..."