The noise disappeared as soon as the door was closed. Miao'er sat down opposite Qi Rong and took a pastry. "No way, I've always been very well-behaved. Even Uncle Feng praised me."

With her bright red eyes, Qi Rong turned her gaze to Qing He behind her: "Who is this beauty? I've never seen her before."

Qinghe sneered inwardly. To call someone with such an ordinary face a beauty—what a smooth talker.

Miao'er turned slightly to block his malicious gaze: "This is my newly hired maid, don't you dare make a move on her."

Qi Rong smiled and continued drinking by herself.

Miao'er didn't quite understand the allure of alcohol. She took a small sip and found it spicy. "Why do you men all like to drink so much? Father, Uncle Feng too."

Qi Rong squinted, enjoying the moment: "You wouldn't understand the pleasures of men."

Miao'er pouted, then suddenly remembered something: "Senior Brother, will you go to the Mirror of Reincarnation this year?"

Qi Rong: "Do you want me to go?"

Miao'er: "Of course, if you go, someone will protect me, but," she paused and said, "Senior Brother, you have already left Yujing Manor, so you can't participate in the election, otherwise the other disciples will feel it's unfair."

Qi Rong smiled and said, "If I want to enter the Mirror of Reincarnation, I can do so anytime. It's just that I need to take care of the gambling business, so I can't be in two places at once."

Miao'er was extremely disappointed.

After leaving the brothel, Qi Rong invited Miao'er to gamble. Miao'er had experienced the torment of the brothel and did not want to go through it again. Qi Rong did not insist. Before leaving, she gave Qing He a deep look. Qing He pretended not to see her and kept his head down, behaving very properly.

On the way back, Qinghe asked Miao'er about the Mirror of Reincarnation. Miao'er ate the candied hawthorns she had bought while saying, "The Mirror of Reincarnation is a place for disciples to cultivate and advance. It is open once a year, and only ten people can enter each time. There are many disciples, and the competition is fierce, so before that, they will be selected through a competition."

Qinghe: "Are the people who go in different every year?"

After eating half of the candied hawthorn, Miao'er stopped in front of a jewelry stall. "That's not necessarily true. When fellow disciples compete, the one with the best skills wins. Whoever has the ability is qualified." She picked out a hairpin and tried it on. "However, the only one who remains unchanged is our eldest brother. His ability is beyond doubt. When he was still in the manor, no one could compare to him."

Qinghe: "Including Yuan Xiu?"

When Yuan Xiu was mentioned, Miao'er blushed a little, but she still said, "One thing at a time, apart from Father and Uncle Feng, no one in the manor can match Senior Brother's cultivation."

Although Qinghe disliked Qi Rong's arrogant demeanor, she still agreed with what he said; even she couldn't see through the man's cultivation level.

When will the competition begin?

Miao'er swallowed the last hawthorn ball: "Seven days later."

...

During lunch, Qing explained the matter of the Mirror of Reincarnation to Li Jiang and the others.

Li Jiang pondered for a moment: "Does the Divine Pearl sense anything?"

Qinghe touched his chest and shook his head.

Mu Dong said from the side, "Could it be that we've gone the wrong way, and the Divine Pearl isn't here at all?"

Qinghe: "No, the Divine Pearl sensed our presence as soon as we entered Luochuan City, so we shouldn't have gone astray."

After a moment of silence, Qinghe said, "Let's wait and see in a few days. Before entering the Mirror of Reincarnation, everything is unknown."

Mu Dong looked around, puzzled, and asked, "Why hasn't Junior Sister Lingyin returned yet? It's been two days."

Everyone shook their heads, indicating they didn't know.

Li Jiang stood up: "I'll go look for it."

Just as she reached the door, she bumped into someone. Lingyin, supporting her back, walked to the table, sat down, and drank a large bowl of water, looking very tired.

Li Jiang asked, "What did you go to do?"

Lingyin wiped her mouth and said, "Do you know what they made me do? They actually made me pick up stones! There were stones everywhere, and my back is about to break!"

After a long string of complaints, it took her more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to finish venting.

Mu Dong was somewhat puzzled: "Why not send a man instead of having you, a woman, pick it up?"

Lingyin: "Women are meticulous and have light hands and feet. There are more than a dozen women there."

Qinghe: "Why are you picking up stones?"

Lingyin: "It seems to be for refining weapons."

"Stones for refining weapons?" Mu Dong asked in surprise.

Li Jiang: "It shouldn't be an ordinary stone. In addition to raw copper, the materials used for refining weapons also include a special kind of spirit stone. Divine weapons made with spirit stones are a hundred times stronger than those made with raw copper, and their spiritual power is also stronger."

Qinghe suddenly remembered that Yujing Manor was a major sect in weapon crafting, with its weapon crafting techniques reaching the pinnacle. At least half of the divine artifacts in the human realm were made by Yujing Manor.

He stroked the Great Light Mantra on his hand, wondering if it also originated from the Imperial Mirror Manor.

...

Having been at the mountain villa for several days, Qinghe diligently played the role of a maid, and her days passed uneventfully, except for one thing that puzzled her.

Taking advantage of a break, Qinghe asked Miao'er, "Why haven't we seen the Master of the Manor yet?"

Miao'er: "My father went to Jiangbei on business." After saying that, she also asked in confusion: "It's been several days now, he should be back by now."

After class, Miao'er stopped Feng Lao and said, "Uncle Feng, why hasn't my father come back yet? It's been so many days, I miss him."

Feng Lao stroked his beard: "The matter isn't finished yet, let's wait a little longer."

Miao'er said "Oh," and then asked, "Uncle Feng, could you please not let Ding Mengchao go to the Mirror of Reincarnation this time?" Her coquettish tone was unbearable for Qinghe.

Old Master Feng looked at her, his expression a mixture of doting affection and helplessness: "I knew you were going to bring this up. Do you hate him that much?"

When Miao'er mentioned this name, her usually smiling face furrowed. "Who told him to bully Yuan Xiu all day long? I feel disgusted just looking at his face."

Elder Feng: "There should be harmony among fellow disciples. Your behavior is not conducive to cultivation."

Miao'er said indifferently, "You should go and tell him that." With that, she pulled Qinghe away.

Old Feng watched the two figures walk away and shook his head: "This child."

Yuan Xiu brushed past Miao'er and Elder Feng as they were talking, quickly catching up. Miao'er had her hands behind her back; she always acted coquettishly in front of Yuan Xiu. "Now you're free, right? How about we go shopping together?"

Yuan Xiu glanced behind her: "Isn't someone with you?"

Miao'er: "How can that be the same? They just want you to accompany them."

Yuan Xiu tugged at the sleeve she was holding, somewhat uncomfortably, and said, "I still need to cultivate."

Miao'er was displeased upon hearing this and blocked his way, saying, "It's that same old thing again. You're always just brushing me off."

Yuan Xiu was forced to stand still, his gaze cold and indifferent, looking at Miao'er with eyes as cold as a deep pool.

Miao'er was usually spoiled and fearless, but she was most afraid of Yuan Xiu showing such an expression. She pouted and said, "Then, then I won't bother you anymore. You should cultivate well."

Watching Yuan Xiu's departing figure, Miao'er stood forlornly in place, her eyes glistening with tears.

Qinghe kindly suggested to her, "If you really like him, you can try playing hard to get."

Miao'er wiped her eyes: "How can something as pure as love be used with such a despicable scheme?"

The lewd Qinghe: "..."

Forgive her because she doesn't understand love.