Tales of Herding Gods

Qin Mu walked out of Canary Platform and looked back. Wei Yong was standing on the tower in a daze, looking at the metal piece.

Butcher walked over with big steps and walked side by side with him. He praised, "Your cultivation in the Dao Realm is too high, allowing your knife skills cultivation to grow. You can even use the power of a divine weapon on a piece of metal."

Qin Mu fell into a daze and shook his head again.

This wasn't something worthy of praise. Compared to these ordinary divine arts practitioners, his horizons, knowledge, Dao heart, and foundation far surpassed them. Even if he was given a small wooden stick, he would be able to break the divine weapons.

Butcher said with a smile, "When you comprehended the knife of law this time, it was obvious that you were lowering my prestige and saying that I was just showing off my brawn. However, I walk with the knife and live in the martial world quickly. I don't have the restraints of your rules and regulations. Your knife of law can't be better than my knife Dao."

Qin Mu was silent. After a moment, he said, "Grandpa Butcher should have known about Wei Qinghe long ago, so why didn't you use an ordinary knife to get rid of him and instead left him for me to get rid of personally?"

"If I do it, it will always be a reckless act. If you do it, it will represent the direction of Eternal Peace."

Butcher gave a carefree smile and said, "You have been in the celestial heavens all these years while I have been in Eternal Peace. I have seen too many similar things, and I have also killed quite a number of people with my brute courage. But so what? The knife of an ordinary man can't solve these things. Eternal Peace is so big, and an ordinary man can't investigate the black and white of the entire Eternal Peace. It needs Celestial Venerable Mu to establish the law. I have been waiting for your return."

"In this world, there are always places that the knife of law of Eternal Peace can't reach. Maybe we still need an ordinary man to splatter blood on five steps."

Qin Mu thought about it and said, "The imperial court needs to shine a knife of law to rectify the governance of the people. However, no matter how it is tidied up, there are still people like Wei Qinghe. Grandpa Butcher, you are right. I'm too close to the sky and too far away from the ground, so I should reflect on myself. My abilities were originally from the secular world. After I reached the celestial heavens, I started researching the path of precelestial and tried to catch up to the ten Celestial Venerables in a short period of time, giving Eternal Peace a chance to develop. All these years, I've already forgotten where my abilities came from."

The path of the saint lay in the everyday use of the common people. He had always thought that he was still on this path, but when he suddenly looked back, he realized that he had already deviated. It was not too late to return now.

"Your initial heart hasn't changed, you are still a good youth."

Butcher patted his shoulder and brought him to the blacksmith shop in the new city. This was the place to forge farming tools, not spirit weapons. There were hoes, iron plows, kitchen knives, and other things hanging in the blacksmith shop.

"A good knife."

Butcher sat down and said to the blacksmith, "I want a fine iron knife. Two pounds of iron for this brat to use."

He pointed at Qin Mu, who was also sitting on a long stool. The blacksmith brought over a cup of coarse tea and said, "There's no wrought iron, there's coarse iron."

"It's even better without the wrought iron. This brat can even chop divine weapons into pieces with just a piece of iron. Bring two catties of thick iron over, I don't want more than one tael. I don't want him to cut people too smoothly, so let this brat fight by himself."

Butcher drank his tea. This coarse tea was bland, but he drank it with relish. "Pull the bellows for him and assist him."

The blacksmith looked at Qin Mu suspiciously and saw that his clothes were extraordinary. He said with a smile, "This is your noble son, how can he do such superficial work?"

Qin Mu drank his tea and said with a smile, "I was also a blacksmith back then. Why do you still have these farming tools in your shop? Don't you have spirit weapons for daily use?"

"Even if I eat abalones and delicacies all year round, I still have to eat some plain tea and plain rice."

The blacksmith said with a smile, "Furthermore, the commoners aren't that rich. The prices of food in recent years have been too cheap. Inviting divine arts practitioners to help with the harvest or hiring them to use spirit weapons daily for the harvest is too expensive, and not everyone can afford it. These few years, those divine arts practitioners have money, so what money do the commoners have? Using these farming tools to work can save some expenses."

Qin Mu drank his tea silently and didn't finish it after a long time.

Suddenly, he raised his head and drank it in one gulp. He put down the huge bowl and stood up. "Come, pull the bellows. I'll forge."

The blacksmith chose a few pieces of thick iron to assist him.

Qin Mu exercised his hammer, and the blacksmith couldn't help praising him when he saw his technique, "Truly an expert blacksmith. If you open a shop, this old man's business will be ruined by you!"

Qin Mu forged a thick iron knife. The two kilograms of thick iron seemed to be forged from black iron by him, giving off a cold light and a threatening chill.

Butcher knew how to play notes and said, "There's no need to search anymore. Mu'er, let's go. We've found our first heart, it's time to train your knife."

Qin Mu didn't follow him and said, "I still have some things I need to settle."

Butcher's heart stirred slightly, and he stopped to look up at the sky.

The blacksmith was delighted to see the two of them being so generous. He suddenly raised his head and saw stars in the sky.

Now that it was broad daylight, there was actually starlight, and the starlight was dazzling. It was truly strange!

The starlight was moving, and there were a hundred small stars surrounding one of the big stars. As the starlight got closer, those stars became clearer.

Starlight descended from the sky and landed in River Tomb New City. It was the civil official of Eternal Peace Imperial Court, the official in charge of the Ministry of Appointments.

"Officials of the Ministry of Personnel pay their respects to Imperial Preceptor!" The hundred officials hugged the minister of the Ministry of Official Personnel and bowed in unison.

"No need for formalities."

Qin Mu raised his hand and undid the seal on his cultivation. He looked at the dumbfounded blacksmith and said, "If I borrow your shop, I will definitely repay you."

The blacksmith hurriedly pushed him into the inner room, and Qin Mu took out the divine metal and divine materials from the ancestral court. He smelted and forged them in front of everyone. The minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the gods of the Ministry of Personnel raised their heads to take a look, and they saw the writings of the law floating in the air. They spread out from this small smithy and spread throughout the entire River Tomb City. The writings of the law were accompanied by a grand Dao voice that rumbled continuously. It was as though there was an impartial judge chanting the law of Eternal Peace!

In the new city of River Tomb, countless people walked to the streets and listened to the voices chanting the law. They couldn't help but be entranced.

Wei Yong and the gods of River Tomb also didn't leave. They looked at the law writings that had fallen from the sky and were in a daze.

Along with Qin Mu's forging and reciting, the writings of the law were smashed into a divine knife by him. They became iron laws and became the power of the divine knife.

After a long time, Qin Mu dispersed his divine fire and threw away his iron hammer. He held a knife of law in his hand, and his voice resonated throughout the entire city. He said solemnly, "Officials of  the Ministry of Personnel, come forward and receive the knife."

The officials of the Ministry of Personnel came forward, and the minister of the Ministry of Official Personnel bowed and raised his hands.

"Is the law of Eternal Peace governed by man or by law? Is it governed by old laws or by current laws? Do the old laws of Eternal Peace still conform to the current era?"

"Eternal Peace's paths, skills, and divine arts have to be changed, so should the laws of Eternal Peace be changed?"

"The good technique from back then, if placed in today's world, has it already become evil? How do we punish evil, how do we raise good, how do we achieve justice?"

"It's impossible to completely abandon the rule of man, so how do we achieve balance between the rule of man and the rule of law?"

"Is the lawmaker self-disciplined, law-abiding, and proper?"

"Lord of the Ministry of Personnel!"

"The law is related to the will of the people!"

"The hearts of the people are the knives, the strongest divine knives. They can cut down one or two corrupt officials, and they can also destroy a powerful country. All the dukes are concerned about the hearts of the people."

"Today, I shall teach you guys on behalf of the Imperial Court, and I shall entrust the reform of the law to you guys!"

Qin Mu bowed and presented the knife of law. The minister of the Ministry of Personnel went forward and raised the divine knife with both hands. He lowered his head and stepped back to stand with the officials. He said solemnly, "Wherever the law is, the Ministry of Official Personnel will go through fire and water to not let down the hearts of the people!"

…

Qin Mu followed Butcher and left River Tomb City, following his every step. This time, the knife impartation of the new city would cause quite a commotion in Eternal Peace. The reform of the law would definitely be promoted, and it might even return Eternal Peace a clear political situation.

"Grandpa Butcher, where are we going next?"

"This mortal world is a huge sacred ground and also a huge purgatory. All living beings transcend in this sacred ground and also sink into this purgatory. There are too many unfair things in this world, too many fights, open strife and hidden strife, countless scheming. The path of the knife has to be refined in the mortal world and also on the battlefield."

Butcher said, "I'll bring you to the battlefield. Even though you are my disciple, you have never been on the battlefield before. You have only briefly tasted the battles of Supreme Emperor Heaven. Back then…"

He fell into a daze and shook his head. "There's no point in talking about it."

Qin Mu asked curiously, "Since Grandpa Butcher said something, why don't you continue?"

Butcher hesitated for a moment and saw that he wasn't as solemn as before. He imparted the knife of law to the Ministry of Official Personnel, and Qin Mu's Dao heart became stronger.

Butcher was also happy for him, so he didn't hide it from him. "Back then, I was still considered a scholar. Even though I was tall and sturdy, I was well-read, and my writings, poems, and songs were all slightly famous. At that time, I was a scholar and a distinguished guest. I was intoxicated by the pleasures of paper and the pleasures of gold, and I wandered through the streets and alleys. When the enemies invaded and my country was destroyed, I saw the miserable state I was in, so I threw away my brush and ink and pulled out my knife to go to the battlefield. Hundreds of scholars from Jiangnan who went with me returned…"

He said bitterly, "Only me."

Qin Mu patted his shoulder.

Butcher let out a shaky breath and said, "The knives on the battlefield are different from the knives you usually come into contact with. The knives on the battlefield are the knives of slaughter and also the knives of redemption."

Qin Mu was slightly stunned and sought guidance.

Butcher said, "The knife kills the enemy and saves the mountains and rivers behind them, the people that live in the mountains and rivers. The knife of an ordinary man, blood splatters five steps and grudges quickly. The knife of the battlefield, galloping thousands of miles, blood flowing from both hands, there are countless living people! Follow me to the battlefield to meet my comrades!"

Qin Mu's heart trembled, and he followed him.

They traveled for dozens of days and came to the battlefield of the southern borders. After the ten Celestial Venerables took over the Primordial Realm, the pressure on Eternal Peace increased exponentially. The first wave of power to attack Eternal Peace was under Celestial Venerable Huo of the southern lands. Humanity and half-gods mixed together to attack Eternal Peace, attacking cities and plundering lands.

These gods and divine arts practitioners came from South Heaven, and they were the humans and half-gods of South Heaven.

Butcher and Qin Mu changed their names and signed up to join the army.

"The opposing army is also human," a warrior said with a trembling voice as he looked at the opposing army.

"Don't harbor such thoughts."

An old soldier consoled him and said, "Think about it, behind you, behind you, is Eternal Peace! The people of Eternal Peace! If you treat the enemies on the other side as humans, the ones that will die will be you and the people you need to protect!"

Huff, huff…

Someone panted heavily and swung his legs. He was so nervous that his face turned green and he couldn't catch his breath, "This is the first time I'm on the battlefield. In the past, I had always followed the other scholars to practice and never really went on the battlefield…"

"Just follow me later."

An old soldier with a knife scar on his face said with a smile, "Do you still remember what our teacher taught you in class? When you see someone waving a flag in the sky, you stand up. When you hear a drum, you strike the drum continuously and move forward. When the drum beats faster, you run and charge. When you hear Mingdu, you stop. When you hear the drum beats, you retreat. Also, there will be people who are proficient in consciousness sending their consciousness into our minds. There won't be any mistakes."

The scarred veteran looked at Qin Mu again and handed him a water pipe. He said with a smile, "You don't look nervous, could you be an old soldier? This is good."

Qin Mu took the water smoke and took a puff. "I've been to the battlefield of Supreme Emperor Heaven before and fought for a while."

"Supreme Emperor Heaven Battlefield? That was over twenty years ago."

The scar-faced veteran was invigorated, and he waved his hand. "Come to this brother's side later, all of us will come!"

The other divine arts practitioners gathered over, and the scar-faced veteran chuckled. "There's an old soldier that has been to Supreme Emperor Heaven! When we fight later, we will charge into the enemy's formation together. If we follow him, our chances of survival will be higher! Come, come, come, everyone remember each other's faces, we must become familiar with each other."