Lu Zhaozhao gently placed her hand on the wooden door of the pagoda.
The wooden door is mottled, and you can still vaguely see that it was once carved with dragons and phoenixes, but now very little of it has fallen off.
The surrounding stones are covered with a scorched color, indicating that they have been burned in a fire. The reliefs on them are covered with marks of swords and knives, and they are no longer as magnificent as they once were.
Wei Zhanjie stood quietly beside her, not urging her on.
Her hand moved down the wooden door, the rough texture traveling from her fingertips to her palm.
Lu Zhaozhao opened her mouth, paused for a long time, and then spoke softly:
"Wei Zhanjie, what about you? Why aren't you in the story?"
Her voice was soft and gentle, hidden in the wind, and easily missed if one wasn't paying attention.
"Because I perished in that catastrophe."
Her reply was also a soft murmur.
Lu Zhaozhao could vaguely guess the answer, so she didn't know whether she should ask or not. But Wei Zhanjie seemed to have noticed her hesitation. He didn't speak first, but waited quietly for her to ask.
Lu Zhaozhao looked in his direction, and he still had that unrestrained and carefree look, but she could feel that the sorrow on his body had become more tangible.
A lonely soul for a thousand years, existing only with a sliver of remaining obsession—how desolate and lonely that must be.
Lu Zhaozhao withdrew her gaze, pushed open the wooden door in front of her, and was greeted by a creaking sound as dust from inside the tower rushed in.
The scene was one of devastation, with ruins everywhere.
This was the first sight Lu Zhaozhao saw.
According to what Wei Zhanjie had said before, the pagoda should contain countless Buddha statues and relics, white jade steps, golden Buddha statues, bronze bells and drums, and be extremely magnificent.
Although it has been ravaged by war and destroyed, it is hard to imagine that it would look like this now.
Lu Zhaozhao was stunned, as was Wei Zhanjie.
He had witnessed the Nine Mirrors Pagoda at its most glorious, and he had also seen the pagoda crumble and the path vanish. Perhaps he had even been a participant or leader in it, but he never imagined what he was seeing before him.
I wonder if he feels a sense of loss and despair?
"Thump—"
A long, drawn-out bell rang out, and looking in the direction of the sound, the source was a large bell standing directly above Lu Zhaozhao's head.
The bell, hanging atop the tower, was enormous, and a thousand years had blurred its original luster.
No one was ringing the bell, so why did it suddenly ring? Lu Zhaozhao's expression was solemn as she gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.
"Thump—"
Another sound.
Lu Zhaozhao swung her sword, sending several sword intents towards the bell's surroundings. The swords struck the horizontal beams around the bell, cutting them into several pieces that crashed heavily to the ground.
It's not a spirit either?
Lu Zhaozhao was puzzled.
As the next bell rang, a sword intent arrived as promised, aimed directly at the bell.
"Bang!"
The bell emitted a muffled sound, accompanied by lingering shockwaves that penetrated the ears, sending shivers down one's spine.
Dust and clods of earth fell in a flurry, and slivers of light shone through the Tanner window, illuminating their descent.
Lu Zhaozhao didn't dodge and was covered in dust. Some dust got into her nostrils, making her throat itchy and causing her to cough uncontrollably.
"I don't see anything special about this tower."
Lu Zhaozhao said to Wei Zhanjie, who nodded and walked around the inside of the tower, sometimes stopping to look up and sometimes squatting down to look at the murals.
He stopped at a certain spot, turned around, and waved to Lu Zhaozhao. Lu Zhaozhao, unsuspecting, went over.
She stopped beside Wei Zhanjie and looked in the direction he was pointing; there was a recessed wall.
After looking at it for a long time without being able to figure it out, Lu Zhaozhao turned to look at Wei Zhanjie, who hesitated for a while before explaining.
"The Nine Mirror Tower, as its name suggests, is famous for the nine mirrors embedded within it. Eight of them face the eight directions, while the central one faces the sky. I had assumed that after all the calamities, these nine mirrors would either be missing or destroyed, but just now, after circling the tower once, I saw that the eight walls still had mirrors embedded in them, only their luster had been obscured over the years. However, there were only eight."
Lu Zhaozhao looked in the direction he pointed again and added, "The side facing the sky in the center is missing. Bronze mirrors are used to ward off evil spirits, and the same principle applies to pagodas. So if we can replace all nine mirrors, perhaps the secret of this pagoda will begin to emerge."
“That’s right.” Wei Zhanjie nodded. “Moreover, this mirror cannot be an ordinary object.”
It can't be an ordinary object?
A shadow suddenly appeared in Lu Zhaozhao's mind. She took out the Yuanxu Mirror and handed it to Wei Zhanjie.
"This is a treasured mirror of our sect, quite spiritually potent. However, I cracked it earlier. I wonder if it can serve as a substitute?"
Wei Zhanjie glanced at it but couldn't be sure either, so he could only give it a try for the time being.
Lu Zhaozhao glanced at the steps beside her; 148 steps leading straight to the top.
She walked up step by step. The steps were repaired against the wall, and as she went up the steps, she could vaguely see the contents on the wall.
The first to appear were murals carved with horn flowers and animal faces, with wild lines and rough patterns, which were probably used to express the idea of guarding.
Above that are four layers of lotus petals. Since the Zen sect retreated to the northern regions, the lotus flowers that remain today mostly have six or eight petals. She had only seen four-petaled lotuses in books, which symbolize Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and Tao, respectively representing Buddhist doctrines, teachings, monastic community, and the path of practice.
Above the lotus flowers are musicians and dancers, along with several strongmen at the corner, seemingly supporting the weight of the pagoda. The musicians, holding instruments, dance and play with joy and laughter; the dancers are graceful, supple, and light-footed, their flowing ribbons sculpted with exquisite detail. The strongmen, though simple in style, are meticulously depicted in their posture, movements, and expressions. Their bare, slightly plump upper bodies suggest immense strength; their left hands, shoulders, and heads support the eaves of the pagoda, while their right hands rest on their knees. Their furrowed brows and downturned lips convey their immense strain, highlighting the pagoda's weight.
Above that was a dilapidated wall, separated in the middle by a bronze mirror. The contents on it were so badly damaged that they were no longer discernible. However, according to Wei Zhanjie's initial description, there should have originally been a gilded Buddha statue on this wall.
In times of chaos, Buddha statues covered in gold leaf are left unprotected and naturally difficult to preserve.
Seeing this, Lu Zhaozhao sighed with regret. As she walked up from the bottom, she saw that the interior of the tower was a masterpiece of craftsmanship. The Buddha statues must have been even more valued at the time, but unfortunately, she had no chance to see them.
Next comes the seven-tiered eaves that point straight to the top of the tower. The large bell hangs on it, and its top is surrounded by a waisted base. From bottom to top, the copper pillars of the base are an upturned lotus, a wheel, a canopy, a halo, and a jewel. At the very top is a copper flying black bird.
The carving of the black bird is exquisite, with the folds of its feathers clearly visible. It is secured by eight iron chains, as if to prevent it from taking flight at any moment.
Lu Zhaozhao observed for a while, then placed the Yuanxu Mirror on the black bird, where there was a tray.
The mirror was placed face up, and the moment it was lowered, a stream of light appeared on the black bird, as if it had been given life and was full of vitality.
A phoenix cry pierced the sky.
The bell continued to ring uncontrollably, and the pagoda trembled slightly.
Lu Zhaozhao steadied herself, somewhat surprised.
The sound of bells filled her ears, making her head ache.
Forcibly suppressing the discomfort in my heart, I looked up, wanting to explore my surroundings.
Suddenly, the black bird's eyes filled with blood red. Lu Zhaozhao was caught off guard and met those eyes, and then she couldn't look away.
The moment she closed her eyes, she saw Wei Zhanjie anxiously saying something, but she could only see his mouth opening and closing vaguely and could not hear anything.
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