Chapter 1645 — The Firmament Emperor Lord
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 5
Bai Yuqiong came to see Meng Yungui, and found him arranging flowers. He held a single blossom between his fingers, yet for a long while could not bring himself to set it in place.
Flower arranging was a test of artistic sensibility and of spatial depth; the finished arrangement had its gradations in space, its shadows, its reserved blanks, and it displayed visual impact — viewed from any angle, it was a fine work of art. For a master of the arts of calculation, flower arranging was in truth no great difficulty — and yet Meng Yungui sat frozen. Bai Yuqiong stepped forward and said with a smile, "What is Senior Brother Meng thinking about?
" Meng Yungui said softly, "I have a dream.
.
.
" "What?
" Bai Yuqiong was baffled. Meng Yungui came to his senses, cleared Yu Chenzi's words from his head, and said with a smile, "A bit of raving, nothing more. Heavenly Master Bai, the matter you asked of me, I have already accomplished; you may set your mind at ease. But it must not become a precedent — there can be no second time.
" Bai Yuqiong said, "Of course there will not be a second time. The world is about to be unified; Heavenly Masters like us will find it hard to have any place to use our talents in the days to come. Heavenly Master Hao is about to ascend the throne and proclaim himself Emperor; all power will be gathered in his hands, and no one will be able to contend with him, no force will be able to stand against the Heaven Court. We Heavenly Masters are not far from hanging up our armor and returning to our fields. " "Let us hope so.
" Meng Yungui said, "By our merits, you and I should at least be allotted a heaven apiece; in our heavens, the human race can live very well.
" Bai Yuqiong's eyes flickered; she lowered her voice. "Have you ever been to the Southern Heaven?
" Meng Yungui glanced at her and said nothing.
Bai Yuqiong said, "The humans of the Southern Heaven can no longer be called people — they are livestock.
It makes my blood run cold. The last time I went to the Southern Heaven, I practically fled out of it.
.
. " Meng Yungui was silent. Bai Yuqiong said, "What the Fire Heavenly Master does is rather too shameless. Openly he says he is preserving the human race, but in truth he treats humans as livestock, and he himself is the shepherd dog that tends livestock for the demigods.
After we have won fame and success, will the heavens under our command turn into the Southern Heaven.
. . " "No! " The moment the words left his mouth, Meng Yungui felt his tone had been too sharp, and he softened it: "We are not the same as the Fire Heavenly Master. What the Fire Heavenly Master seeks is power; what we seek is a place to settle. To seek power, he must curry favor with the demigods, court them, lower himself, wag his tail and beg. That is why, when it comes to dealing with Kaihuang, with Heavenly Master Mu, the Fire Heavenly Master is always the first to charge to the front.
We, by contrast, rely on our own abilities to win merit, and use that merit to buy a place where we can live in peace. " Bai Yuqiong hesitated, then said, "And if the world becomes peaceful, and the Heaven Court orders our territories turned into Southern Heavens?
" The corner of Meng Yungui's eye twitched.
After a moment, Meng Yungui said, "Do not think about such odds and ends. You and I need only do our duty. The Fire Heavenly Master has found his own road to death; he will not live much longer. Long ago I foresaw his death and told the Void Heavenly Master that if she married him she would surely be dragged down with him. And now the time has come for it to be fulfilled. " (See Chapter 1234, The Peerless Great Emperor.
) Bai Yuqiong pondered for a moment, then said, "Then will we become a second Fire Heavenly Master? If Heavenly Master Hao cannot trust the human Fire Heavenly Master, can he trust the human Heavenly Master Bai, the human Heavenly Master Meng? " "Hold your tongue!