Chen Jing arrived at a door, which creaked open as he approached.

The bedroom was decorated in a dazzling array of items, which immediately caught Chen Jing's eye.

Chen Jing saw the scene inside the door: a large red bed, pink pillows, a flesh-colored quilt, a dark red mattress, and a quiet girl sitting on the bed.

The girl wore a somber, dark red dress. Her beauty was otherworldly, her eyes were clear yet slightly hazy, and her skin was as delicate as flawless mutton-fat jade. In her hand, she held a round fan adorned with tassels depicting landscapes.

The bed she was sitting on was in the very center of the room, not against a wall or elsewhere. Beside the bed was a sharply angled table, on which sat bizarre stone carvings of creatures. These creatures had centipede-like legs, bodies as bloated as elephants, and more than a dozen long, protruding necks, resembling snakes, dragons, and elephant trunks. At the top of these menacing necks were gaping, blood-red mouths.

This bizarre creature statue was used as a base for a piece of paper, with a pen placed next to it.

Looking past the table and the girl sitting on the bed, Chen Jing saw a standing mirror the size of his own. Beside the mirror were rows of glass windows, reflecting the bamboo-lined corridor outside. Further away were artificial hills and streams shrouded in a hazy mist.

In the mirror, Chen Jing saw his own reflection:

Those were two "selves," the self before the time travel and the self now, their physical characteristics intertwined, their facial features constantly changing, sometimes youthful, sometimes mature, sometimes square, sometimes round.

Chen Jing's mind exploded. He felt as if he had returned to the "Dark Gate" and was fighting himself in the empty valley filled with stardust. The self in the mirror seemed to be about to use Shadow Cloak to disappear at any moment, pull out a revolver, and fire a series of shots at him.

Thump.

The pretty girl sitting on the bed raised the strange statue high and slammed it hard on the table, making a heavy sound.

Chen Jing suddenly came to his senses.

The room, with its windows closed, seemed to be breezy, making Chen Jing feel chilly all over.

"Your possession has subsided." The voice of the girl in the red dress seemed to come from afar: "It was very serious, you were almost going insane."

"The rest is your own business; just get well on your own."

"Remember to close the door."

She didn't let Chen Jing say a single word the entire time.

Even so, Chen Jing still politely thanked him, carefully left the room, and closed the door behind him.

The girl in the red dress stared at the closed door and muttered to herself, "Did you notice anything wrong?"

"Hmm, shouldn't we find out what he saw there?"

No one spoke to her.

“You’re being a little too cautious with ordinary people. He’s just a local who recently became a superhuman,” the girl in the red dress continued.

...

Upon emerging and seeing Lu Gang, the mastermind behind the scenes, Chen Jing felt a sense of relief.

He felt that pretending in front of the mastermind Lu Gang was more comfortable than actually going inside.

After leaving the area and getting into the carriage, Lu Gang, the man with the wide-brimmed hat, seemed to relax and said to Chen Jing, "Ever since the assassin, who was suspected to be a Qi cultivator, attacked the ship, we now have to keep at least one Qi cultivator on board. So I'll go back to the ship first. Where you want to go, the driver will take you there."

Chen Jing's heart skipped a beat. He said, "No need, it's too much trouble. I'll get off the car with you." Then he tentatively asked, "What exactly happened with that assassin?"

Lu Gang shook his head: "Don't worry about that. We've strengthened our security procedures, and this won't happen again."

"That assassin was indeed skilled, but he only managed to find a moment when we were weak. He won't have another chance."

Chen Jing asked, "Have we captured the assassin?"

Lu Gang said, "We almost caught him, but unfortunately he has blended into the crowd and there is no way to capture him now."

"Can't we lock down the city and conduct door-to-door searches?"

Lu Gang sneered, "Assassins are all cultivators. If you ask ordinary people to search for cultivators from house to house, they will immediately quit. You are still too young and naive, and you don't understand human nature."

Chen Jing felt he was already in character, and his delivery was perfect: "So, we'll just let them go and ignore them?"

"Of course not," Lu Gang laughed. "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. Once the matters we need to deal with are resolved, they will know what it means to settle scores."

Chen Jing muttered to himself, then asked, "The matter we've been dealing with recently, is it that... blood sacrifice?"

Blood sacrifice is a very sensitive topic, but Chen Jing still asked about it.

This fits the persona Chen Jing has cultivated: a local, naive, and young. Moreover, Chen Jing believes that since Lu Gang dared to tell others about this after it was exposed, it proves he must have a set of persuasive arguments.

Lu Gang's smile faded, replaced by a somber expression.

"In order for the people of Ash City to survive, for this homeland, for the great Song Dynasty, some sacrifices are inevitable. I heard that your sister almost became a blood sacrifice, which nearly caused you disaster, but don't worry, it won't happen again. You also want to protect your sister and your family, don't you?"

Chen Jing nodded.

Lu Gang said, "That's it. You'll gradually understand the specifics later. This world is very complex. There is no absolute white, only deep gray. All you need to know now is that their sacrifice was for a great goal. Small evils were for great good. So even if it means bearing a bad reputation, I will do this."

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