Night fell.
Suddenly, a torrential downpour struck. Countless raindrops pelted the ground like beads, lightning arced through the sky like fiery dragons, and thunder shook the heavens.
The Soul Shrine Hall disciple froze at the sight of the pair of blood-red eyes before him. He had no time to care that his pants were soaked; he fled into the darkness, carrying his flying sword out of Wuxiang Sect, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Mother, I didn't see anything! I know nothing! I didn't see anything! I know nothing! Elder Yue hasn't gone mad!"
Everyone said guarding the Soul Shrine Hall at Wuxiang Sect was the easiest assignment. He had spent a fortune and pulled countless strings to secure it. But he had never imagined this job was impossible for humans!
He could forgive nearly dying at the hands of Sect Master Han before—after all, Sect Master Han was known for his violent temper! But tonight, even the usually gentle and refined Elder Yue nearly took his life. Clearly, he had been deceived!
All that money his parents spent bribing officials, all the effort to get him this post… and now it seemed utterly foolish. He hadn't just paid money, he had risked his life!
Within days, news spread of the disciple bleeding excessively after running through the rain, unable to face anyone, as well as Elder Yue's similar injuries.
Han Huijun gazed at Yue Qingsu lying pale on the bed, eyes open but silent, and let out a heavy sigh. "Rest easy, Xiao Pei's soul lamp has returned to normal."
Yue Qingsu's pale lips twitched. Slowly, with effort, he closed his eyes.
Yao Ranran studied the figure of the mirror wraith that had once again escaped her grasp.
Even though Jiang Shengxiang bore a jade pendant capable of withstanding a strike from a Jīndān Zhēnrén, and Xiao Rong carried the Deep Sea Snowfire Pearl engraved with her Nine-Lotus Ring imprint, the three of them had been separated for too long, and the thick fog made it hard to imagine they could survive.
The mirror wraith was formidable, but if she could find its source and capture the Mirror Princess, she would not need to fight this illusion of the fate-bound girl at all.
Pei Xianqiao ran without pause, ears filled with the howling wind. Every step was measured, her body straining to regain a chance at survival. After a long, grueling stretch, her limbs ached, her dantian energy nearly exhausted. She finally glanced back. "No one…"
She collapsed, exhausted, but forced herself up. Swallowing several top-grade pills, the medicinal fragrance rushed through her veins. Strength returned quickly, and her frown eased.
"Squeak, squeak—" the Treasure-Seeking Mouse leapt anxiously on her shoulder.
Pei Xianqiao stroked its head, speaking softly. "I'm fine. I never expected the Eastern Wilderness to be so perilous."
Just escaping the mirror wraith had already damaged all her hidden talismans, her six-grade small confinement array, her Nirvana Remnant Immortal Pill, her shape-shifting puppet, and the five-colored divine mechanical umbrella.
Not to mention the spiritual entities who had shielded her in critical moments.
"This mirror wraith is truly strange. Your luck may be continuously draining…" A white-bearded elder drifted out from her hand-held storage ring.
The mouse looked confused, clearly unable to see him.
Pei Xianqiao bit her lip. "Someone must be scheming against me!"
"Let they rejoice for a while. Such petty schemes do not escape my notice! As long as you continue cultivating with the methods I taught, you will eventually defeat they easily. Now, observing this Tang Manor, I sense rules and hidden opportunities here. You must not collapse yet!" The white-bearded elder's eyes shone with intensity.
Pei Xianqiao clenched her fists and staggered to her feet. "I understand. This opportunity, I will not let anyone take it from me!"
"Without the lantern, I can't find my way…" Yao Ranran muttered.
"Fairy, Fairy, you run so fast!" Tang Xiangyin panted, clearly exhausted.
Yao Ranran's eyes lit up. "Miss Tang, I've been looking for you for so long!"
Tang Xiangyin blushed, shyly brushing loose hair from her forehead. "Am I really that important?"
When Yao Ranran tied Tang Xiangyin to one end of the Demon Staff and lifted the other end, Tang Xiangyin finally understood why she had been sought out.
She was a glowing lantern.
"Miss Tang, can you see better from up there?" Yao Ranran asked.
Tang Xiangyin placed a hand on her forehead and looked ahead, finally spotting the tip of a locust tree in the backyard. "Your method works, Fairy. I see the locust tree in the back yard!"
"Do you see the Mirror Princess? Or perhaps a banyan tree, an old man, anything?"
Tang Xiangyin widened her eyes, brows furrowed, surveying the entire Tang Manor. Her whole body glowed faintly, standing out in the thick fog.
"I see it!" she shouted, stamping her feet.
"What do you see?" Yao Ranran asked eagerly.
"Ah! The Mirror Princess is coming to kill me!" Tang Xiangyin struggled at the top of the Demon Staff.
Yao Ranran's tiptoes nudged, lifting her safely into her arms.
A cold beam of light shot from a distance, smashing a small courtyard.
"It's the old well in the backyard! She's under that locust tree!" Tang Xiangyin's heart raced, pointing frantically.
Yao Ranran surged forward like the wind. "Miss Tang, guide me! I cannot see clearly—"
"I didn't expect even the mirror wraith to be unable to harm her!" Mirror Princess frowned, her gaze sharp as she turned toward the hesitant figures near the old well.
Yun Hui gripped his sword, expression tense. "Senior Brother, why did you take Senior Sister Qingting? You know I like her, I love her!"
Zhao Lingyi smirked. "Junior Brother Yun Hui, you simply weren't skilled enough, so Qingting followed me. By the way, the Sect Master has said he will hand the Yungu Sect to me. From now on, you will live at my mercy!"
Yun Hui shook his head in disbelief. "That cannot happen! Father will not hand the Yungu Sect to you. He will not give me up!"
He swung his sword, but Zhao Lingyi did not dodge. With a flick of his fingers, spiritual energy struck Yun Hui's blade down.
Yun Hui stumbled to the ground, face flushed.
Zhao Lingyi's mocking laughter echoed behind him.
"Yun Hui! Mirror wraith, do not harm my Junior Brother!"
From the white fog, a figure appeared. The real Zhao Lingyi wielded his sword, sending out several beams of cold light, repelling the mirror wraith trying to kill Yun Hui.
"Senior Brother Zhao…?" Yun Hui's eyes cleared.
Zhao Lingyi fought the mirror wraith, glancing at him. "Yun Hui, are you alright?"
Yun Hui shook his head in stunned relief. "I… I'm fine."
"Not anymore!" Mirror Princess lunged, capturing Zhao Lingyi and several from Yungu Sect, binding them beneath the locust tree.