A baby found by the river by the residents of a village lost in the heart of the Great Ruins, Qin Mu grows up surrounded by disabled old people. A butcher, a blind man, a deaf man, a mute, an apothecary, an old seamstress and a chief with no arms or legs: behind their infirmities hide former legends of the outside world.
Personality
Curious, clever and contagiously cheerful, Qin Mu approaches the world with the enthusiasm of a boy raised far from everything. He is also cunning, loyal to those who raised him and quick to defend the weak.
Powers & abilities
He inherits the knowledge of each of the village elders: the butcher's blade, the apothecary's medicine, painting, smithing, martial arts. These rare and powerful teachings make him a many-talented prodigy.
History
Raised in the Great Ruins, a dangerous region where the night belongs to darkness, he learns everything from his mentors. As a teenager he leaves the village to discover the outside world, where the secrets of his masters, his own past and the divine order ruling this world await him.
Relationships
The elders of the Disabled Elders Village are his family. Granny Si raised him like her grandson, and the village chief holds this extraordinary community together. Hu Ling'er, a fox spirit, becomes his adventure companion.
Key moments
- His lessons with each of the village elders.
- His first nights in the Great Ruins, where darkness prowls.
- Leaving the village, which launches his discovery of the world.
In the adaptations
Tencent Video's 3D donghua, launched in 2024, adapts the novel by Zhai Zhu, author of Reverend Insanity. It takes particular care with the village's atmosphere.
Did you know?
- The Chinese title, Mu Shen Ji (牧神记), roughly means "the record of the shepherd of gods".
- A child raised by disabled, legendary masters is one of the genre's most original premises.
Our take
Qin Mu is a luminous hero, and his childhood among the elders is one of xuanhuan's finest set-ups. Tales of Herding Gods is worth it for the village alone.
— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan