Chapter 45 The Mirror of Rewind Shatters Next time you disobey... I'll...
Mingjian walked along the bluestone path, his mind uneasy, and asked the system, "Is Xie Linzhao still alive?"
The system cheerfully replied: [Host, don't worry, Xie Linzhao still has 40% health remaining.]
Mingjian: "That's good."
He instinctively took two more steps forward, then abruptly stopped, raising his voice to ask, "Wait, how much more do you think is left?!"
System: [There's still 40% left!]
Mingjian: "..."
A vein throbbed on his forehead, and he couldn't help but curse under his breath: "Damn it! Forty percent? You call that temporary survival? Why didn't you wait until he was dead before telling me?!"
The system immediately feigned silence, then weakly changed the subject after a moment: "But the host needs to stay with Xiao Bumian."
Ming felt a lump in his throat, and after a long while, he gritted his teeth and said, "...Never mind, at least I'm still alive."
System: [Host, there are only 30% left now.]
Mingjian: "???"
He almost laughed in anger, and smirked, "Did he go jump off the Execution Platform or something? How could he die so quickly?"
Amidst the commotion, the two men arrived at the main courtyard of the princess's residence.
Before Mingjian could even go inside.
Then Xue Ci's voice rang out, "Senior Brother Zhen! You promised me! After we leave the secret realm, you would persuade my father to go to Jianming Immortal Mountain and get Xie Linzhao to give to me! You can't kill him now! You promised me!"
Mingjian paused in his steps.
Wow, this is quite a show right from the start.
He pushed open the heavy courtyard gate without hesitation.
Sure enough, hundreds of cultivators were standing in the courtyard. Fortunately, the princess's residence had a spacious courtyard, otherwise it would not have been able to accommodate so many people.
The groups were clearly divided; some stood with swords in hand, coldly observing from under the eaves, while others surrounded the center of the courtyard, subtly forming a standoff.
Mingjian glanced at the attire of the cultivators. Standing at the front, led by Xue Ci and Xue Zhen, was the Thousand Machines Sect. The disciples in blue robes beside them were unusually quiet compared to the disciples of other sects. Leading them was Lu Lingyue, the future sect leader of the Cloud Guardian Sect.
"Mingjian." He was suddenly pulled aside. Mingjian turned around and saw that it was Gu Zhi. Gu Zhi pulled him to the very edge, saying, "I thought you and Xie Hanwei weren't coming."
“Oh, I wanted to come and see.” Ming Jian said, “But Xie Hanwei really isn’t coming. His injuries haven’t healed yet, and he was already asleep when I arrived.”
Gu Zhi's expression instantly turned strange, even bordering on disbelief: "Xie Hanwei... he didn't come?"
Mingjian absentmindedly hummed in agreement, wondering if Xiao Bumian would wake up after things were over. If he did wake up and saw that Mingjian wasn't beside him... just thinking about his ambiguous smile sent chills down Mingjian's spine.
As Mingjian was lost in thought, he suddenly heard Guzhi ask, "Then who is coming in now?"
Upon hearing this, Mingjian suddenly paused.
He turned around and saw Xiao Bumian pushing the door open and entering.
Xiao Bumian stood there listlessly, holding a plain white oil-paper umbrella, his white clothes fluttering in the wind. The edge of the umbrella was slightly raised, revealing his excessively delicate face, with pale red lips and a high nose.
The blue ribbon binding her hair fluttered gently in the wind.
When he wasn't smiling, he exuded a kind of aloofness and coldness that kept strangers at bay.
The moment their eyes met, Mingjian looked away guiltily.
He saw Xiao Bumian's lips move.
But the distance was too great, and he couldn't hear or see the lip movements at all.
I felt increasingly panicked.
All he could do was frantically call out to the system in his mind: "How many redemption points do I have?"
The system replied: [Nineteen percent, unchanged.]
Mingjian breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Since the redemption value hasn't changed, Xiao Bumian shouldn't be so ruthless as to grab her by the neck like last time, right?
He never wanted to experience the suffocating feeling of being choked again.
The system sensed his fear and tried to comfort him.
[Relax, host, all you did was trick him into sneaking out.]
[At worst, let him bite a couple more times to vent his anger; it's not like he'll lose a piece of his flesh.]
Mingjian: "..."
With each additional word the lousy system uttered, his heart sank a little deeper.
His forced smile and lack of genuine comfort mean he should just shut up.
Mingjian had never felt such a strong urge to disappear into the ground as he did at this moment.
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have cared whether Xie Linzhao lived or died; he would have been better off just sleeping with Xiao Bumian.
This scene is just like being caught sneaking into a brothel by the wife.
He took two steps forward, wanting only to run away as quickly as possible.
She had only taken two steps forward when Gu Zhi grabbed her wrist. Gu Zhi gave her a "you're not getting away" look and said matter-of-factly, "What's the rush? Wait for Xie Hanwei."
“…You two don’t necessarily have that good a relationship normally.” Mingjian tried to pull his hand back, inwardly groaning.
“You don’t understand.” Gu Zhi raised an eyebrow. “With so many people from other sects watching, leaving Xie Hanwei all alone would make people think that there is discord within our Sword Bright Immortal Mountain and that we are ostracizing our fellow disciples.”
Mingjian was speechless.
Okay, he really doesn't understand.
They could only watch helplessly as Xiao Bumian approached step by step.
It must be said, this person was indeed exceptionally beautiful. Her peach-blossom eyes were shimmering with affection, her long eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings, and her pale lips held a faint smile. With each step closer, the delicate fragrance of crabapple blossoms grew stronger.
"Junior Brother." Xiao Bumian finally stopped in front of him, her lips curving into a smile, her voice so gentle it could melt water, "You forgot to call me when you left."
His gaze lightly fell on Akemi's wrist, which was being held by Koji.
Ming felt as if he had been burned by a spark, and suddenly flung Gu Zhi's hand away, the movement so fast it almost created a gust of wind.
Gu Zhi was taken aback by his overreaction, but she wasn't angry. She just felt confused and tried to smooth things over: "If you forgot, you forgot. It's not a big deal. Sometimes I don't even remember to call Song Heyu when I go out."
Seeing that he couldn't very well admit that he had deliberately not called out, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree with Gu Zhi, nodding, "Right, I forgot."
"Alright." Xiao Bumian sighed softly and said nothing more.
Mingjian's throat moved slightly. He carefully observed Xiao Bumian's face and couldn't see anything wrong. In fact, Xiao Bumian's expression was even more gentle than usual. But his intuition told him that Xiao Bumian didn't seem to be alright.
However, Xie Linzhao's matter is more important right now, so we have to put this matter aside for the time being.
Gu Zhi frowned slightly. He glanced at Ming Jian, then at Xiao Bumian, and felt that the atmosphere between the two of them was a bit strange.
Just as he was about to speak, Mingjian cut him off, abruptly changing the subject: "Where are Song Heyu and the others?"
“Oh, up ahead.” Gu Zhi pointed into the depths of the crowd. “Let’s go.”
Perhaps it was because Xiao Bumian was inherently strange, but even though the sky was clear and he was standing in the courtyard with a plain white umbrella, no one around him felt it was out of place, and no one even cast curious glances at him, as if it were his proper way to be.
He didn't put away the paper umbrella until they reached a crowded place.
Gu Zhi asked, "Why are you holding an umbrella?"
Xiao Bumian's eyelashes trembled slightly, and after a long while, he revealed an almost innocent smile: "I just thought it was fun."
Gu Zhi actually looked thoughtful and nodded seriously: "I see. Then I'll try it next time."
Mingjian: "..."
One dared to say it, and the other actually dared to believe it.
Because of the sect robes of Jianming Immortal Mountain they were wearing, many disciples made way for them, and soon the group squeezed to the front.
This allowed them to take in the entire situation on the field.
Mingjian glanced at Xie Linzhao, who stood upright among the merfolk. His face was as pale as paper, and his body was covered with sword wounds, but those wounds had begun to heal strangely, leaving only red marks of varying depths.
It's probably related to Xiao Bumian destroying his innate talent that Xie Linzhao is surrounded by demonic energy, and he can't control his demonic energy as freely as other demons.
However, judging from its vigorous healing speed, it certainly won't die anytime soon.
Mingjian felt relieved and leisurely crossed his arms, ready to watch the show.
"Xue Ci!" Xue Zhen's temples bulged with veins, his voice filled with suppressed anger: "I will explain things to Master myself, but you need to understand that this is not a place for you to act recklessly!"
Xue Ci's hands were held down tightly by the disciples of the Thousand Machines Sect. He said with a face full of resentment, "But he is mine! Why can you kill him whenever you want!"
"Smack—"
A crisp and clean slap
Xue Ci was stunned.
He tilted his head, a clear red mark of five fingers quickly appearing on his cheek. After several breaths of silence, he slowly raised his eyes in disbelief and looked at his senior brother, who had never laid a finger on him since childhood. "Senior Brother Zhen? You dare to hit me? If my father finds out, he will definitely not forgive you!"
"After returning to the sect, I will voluntarily request punishment. But that demon has nothing to do with our sect, and even less to do with you." Xue Zhen's eyes were cold, but he did not hesitate to strike, delivering a precise chop to the back of Xue Ci's neck.
Before the shock in Xue Ci's eyes had faded, he collapsed softly to the ground, lifeless.
Xue Zhen waved to the two disciples beside him, "Send the young master away."
"Yes, Senior Brother." The two disciples responded in a low voice, quickly stepped forward, and carried the unconscious Xue Ci away, one on each side.
Xue Zhen watched them leave before turning to face the crowd, his tone resolute: "The only way to break the Mirror of Reversal now is to eliminate all cultivators possessed by merfolk." His gaze swept over Xie Linzhao like a blade, "Xie Linzhao possesses demonic blood, which is his first crime; now he is a merfolk and associates with merfolk, which is his second crime—he deserves to die!"
"He should be executed!" the disciples of the Thousand Machines Sect echoed in unison.
The sounds of swords being drawn rose and fell, and the killing intent almost solidified, pressing heavily on that lone figure.
Mingjian blinked, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings. He noticed that the disciples from various sects mostly wore indifferent expressions, some even subtly conveying approval.
His gaze swept over the various wounds on Xie Linzhao's body, and he understood. Most likely, during the chaotic battle last night, someone noticed his extraordinary healing speed and thus forced the label of merman onto him. After all, as Gu Zhi said, the mere fact that he was the "son of the former Demon Lord" was enough to make many people unable to tolerate him; whether he could cultivate or was human or merman was actually quite irrelevant.
Seeing Xue Zhen step forward with his sword drawn, exuding murderous intent, Ming Jian suddenly spoke, his clear voice breaking the tense atmosphere.
"Fellow Daoist."
Hundreds of eyes instantly focused on him, some inquiring, some displeased, and some puzzled.
Perhaps because he had been tormented by Xiao Bumian so much, this attention was of no concern to Mingjian.
His tone was calm and his reasoning clear: "If we kill them directly like this, it would be best if we could break the Rewind Mirror. But if we can't, what do you think will happen if the other merfolk in the city see this?"
This is the princess's residence. If the residence is filled with the scent of blood and disturbs the other merfolk in the city, given their devotion to Princess Yunyue, it could easily provoke public anger, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
A restless murmur spread through the crowd.
Xue Zhen paused, narrowing her eyes to scrutinize him: "Then what's your opinion?"
"I'll take poison," Mingjian answered decisively.
He took out a small celadon bottle from his robes. "If you take this pill, you will die silently within a quarter of an hour, but your body will remain warm for three days, enough to fool anyone. Wouldn't it be safer for us to deal with the immediate situation first and then find another way to break through the mirror?"
Xue Zhen looked doubtful: "Really?"
Mingjian's lips curled slightly, but his tone remained calm and even. "It's absolutely true. If you don't believe me, you can try it yourself."
A disciple from the Thousand Machines Sect nearby quickly whispered, "Senior brother, what he said makes sense. If this method doesn't work, it's not too late to take action later."
Ming gave the disciple an approving look.
Xue Zhen pondered for a moment, then finally nodded, "Alright, if that's the case, there's no harm in giving it a try."
Just as Mingjian was about to step forward, his sleeve was gently tugged.
Don't go.
It was Xiao Bumian's voice, low and soft, almost lost in the wind.
Ming paused, then turned to look at Xiao Bumian.
Xiao Bumian was dressed in white, with a slender and tall figure. The blue ribbon in his black hair fluttered slightly in the wind, and a few strands of hair brushed against his pale face, making him look pitifully fragile.
The thought had barely surfaced when Mingjian ruthlessly extinguished it.
Xiao Bumian's cultivation is unfathomable; what's there to pity about him?
Normally, Mingjian might have hesitated, but now Xie Linzhao was right in front of him, and these people agreed to let him feed them pills. No one knew that one of these pills was a fake death pill. As long as he could successfully feed it to Xie Linzhao, the "first acquaintance" task issued by the system would be completed.
With success in sight, Mingjian knew he would not give up.
So he said, "I'll be there in a bit."
Xue Zhen was already showing impatience and was about to urge him on when he saw Ming coming over. He then snorted and stepped aside.
Xiao Bumian remained standing in place, calmly watching his back until he clearly stopped in front of Xie Linzhao.
All right.
Xiao Bumian lowered his long eyelashes slightly, thinking that Mingjian was really too disobedient as a cat. Since he wanted to save Xie Linzhao, then he would go and save him. He would not help Mingjian. If he died, that would be his choice.
As the owner, Mingjian's death was the best thing that could be done; he could bury him with the previous cat.
After Mingjian died, he killed all these people to be buried with him.
On the other side, Mingjian was distributing the pills one by one to the cultivators who had been possessed, just like handing out candy.
He wasn't worried about whether they would eat it or not; they were going to die anyway. If he were them, he would choose to die more easily.
When it was Xie Linzhao's turn, Mingjian raised his eyes.
Even in his current state of destitution, the young man's back remained as straight as a pine tree in the snow. He silently lowered his eyes, reached out, and took the fake death pill mixed in with the others.
The moment their fingertips touched, the system announced: [Congratulations, host, you have completed the first task, "Initial Acquaintance."]
It's done.
Seeing that the smile in Ming's eyes had not yet fully spread, Ming suddenly felt a pang in his heart.
Xie Linzhao... Why does this face look so familiar?
In a flash, a name suddenly popped into my mind.
Rong Yunzhi.
Yes, Xie Linzhao's eyebrows and eyes are four or five parts similar to Rong Yunzhi's.
Bai Zhang's words suddenly became clear in Mingjian's mind. Bai Zhang said that Rong Yunzhi and the prince consort had a child. If that child was still alive, he should be about the same age as Xie Linzhao.
Moreover, Xie Linzhao's wounds healed so quickly, was it really because he was a demon? But Xiao Bumian was also a demon, and Xiao Bumian had no choice but to bear the restrictions in the Mirror of Rewind.
Just then, an extremely sharp screech suddenly pierced everyone's consciousness without warning.
A sharp pain exploded, and his thoughts went blank for a moment. Mingjian felt a splitting headache, his vision went black, and his body went limp uncontrollably.
Before his consciousness completely succumbed, Mingjian vaguely saw a white figure appear in front of him, its clothes fluttering, standing perfectly between the terrifying sonic boom that was destroying everyone's senses and Mingjian.
The man squatted down, placing his cool fingers on Mingjian's lower abdomen. A familiar warmth coursed through Mingjian's meridians. Mingjian heard him say, "Junior Brother, if you disobey again... I'll lock you up."
Mingjian fell into a deep sleep.
The sky had darkened completely sometime during the night, and the edges of the distant mountains were tinged with an eerie pale blue light. Fine ash drifted in the air, and a fire had broken out somewhere.
Xiao Bumian held Mingjian firmly in his arms.
The people lying unconscious on the ground in the courtyard—Xue Zhen, the disciples of the Thousand Machines Sect, and people from other sects—were all killed.
He slowly carried Mingjian to the side room in the courtyard. The side room had not been cleaned last night and remained exactly as it had been when he had left in a hurry.
The bright red paper-cut "double happiness" character was still pasted on the window frame, and the burnt-out red candle on the table was left with only solidified candle wax. Dark red wax traces meandered along the edge of the lamp, and an eerie atmosphere of joy and death permeated the air.
Xiao Bumian gently placed him on the bed covered with a bright red brocade quilt, and carefully brushed away the stray hairs from his forehead.
Then, without looking in any specific direction, he spoke softly to the empty room in an almost lazy tone, with a hint of playful bloodlust, "Hmm, if you don't come out soon, how about I kill them all?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the door on one side creaked softly.
Rong Yunzhi walked out slowly and stopped outside the door, facing Xiao Bumian across the threshold. The fluttering red silk behind her made her face appear somewhat pale.
Xiao Bumian suddenly chuckled softly, a subtle curve appearing at the corners of his lips.
Rong Yunzhi didn't even see how he moved. She only felt a white shadow flash before her eyes, and his cold knuckles gripped her throat like iron clamps. The immense force forced her to stagger, and her back slammed heavily against the door frame.
Xiao Bumian's eyes were deep and unfathomable as he asked, "Where are my things?"
A feeling of suffocation surged up instantly, and Rong Yunzhi's face quickly turned red, yet she still managed to force a smile. Tears streamed down her face due to a physiological reaction, and she managed to squeeze out a broken voice between her teeth: "Immortal Venerable... what... are you talking about?"
Xiao Bumian habitually curled the corners of his lips, his expression unreadable, neither happy nor angry. He tilted his head, scrutinizing her pained expression, his tone gentle, but his eyes cold and distant.
"Opening the Mirror of Rewind requires the combined efforts of ten Nascent Soul cultivators. How did you, a mere second-level Mahayana cultivator, manage to do it all by yourself?"
He paused, then suddenly smiled, as if finding the question utterly pointless: "Never mind."
He said, "Is there another person inside you? I'll let her out."
"No! Don't!" Rong Yunzhi's pupils shrank, and a look of fear appeared on her face. She subconsciously glanced at Xie Linzhao lying on the ground behind her.
Xiao Bumian remained unmoved.
He raised his hand slightly, and a powerful spiritual force drilled into Rong Yunzhi's consciousness, violently churning it, as if tearing open an invisible cocoon.
A moment later, Rong Yunzhi's struggles weakened, her eyes gradually became empty and dull, then slowly focused again, revealing a completely different aura.
Her smile was gentle and kind, even carrying a hint of compassion.
She gently curved her lips into a smile, and her voice softened: "Immortal Venerable."
Xiao Bumian then indifferently released his hand.
Rong Yunzhi smiled gently, "I can tell you where the bone spur is, I only hope that you can grant me a few requests."
"Why should I agree to that?" Xiao Bumian smiled as if she had heard something extremely ridiculous. "If you don't tell me, I'll just keep looking. I'll find it eventually."
Rong Yunzhi was not particularly surprised.
She said calmly, "The Immortal Venerable can wait, but can Young Master Ming wait? The spiritual power in his body is probably only enough to barely sustain his life."
The usual nonchalant smile on Xiao Bumian's face vanished instantly. His eyes were icy as he stared straight at Rong Yunzhi.
After a long pause, he finally uttered a few words in a very calm tone, his tone devoid of emotion: "What do you want?"
Xiao Bumian's gentle eyes and brows were now tinged with displeasure.
He really disliked how they always used their opinions to threaten him.
When Rong Yunzhi heard him relent, her tense heartstrings finally relaxed slightly, and she said slowly, "Ten years ago, a man found me and handed me that piece of bone spur. He said that this thing could help me open the Mirror of Rewind and reverse time. He also taught me a spell, claiming that with this spell as a guide, my people could be reborn in other people's bodies."
Rong Yunzhi's tone seemed to be lost in past memories, "I knew he had ulterior motives at the time, but because of me..."
The gentle expression on her face was gradually torn apart by deep hatred. "Because a thousand years ago I misjudged people and did not know that the prince consort I rescued from the sea and treated with all my heart was the wicked demon Xie Wuwang. I even had a son with him."
"Until my entire South Sea clan was slaughtered by the demons." Her voice trembled. "They used the most vicious forbidden arts to curse my people for eternity, to scatter their souls and prevent them from reincarnation! But they left only me to survive..."
Rong Yunzhi recalled the scene she witnessed when she returned to the city a thousand years ago: the once prosperous royal city was deathly silent, littered with the corpses of her people, even the infant mermaids in their swaddling clothes had not been spared. The intense stench of blood seemed to solidify in the air, leaving only the mournful howling of the wind.
She was the only one in the Merfolk clan with the Mahayana cultivation level. Xie Wuwang tricked her into leaving the city so as not to leave any trace of his visit to the Merfolk clan.
In immense despair and regret, Rong Yunzhi died with resentment. After death, she refused to leave, becoming a vengeful spirit. A thousand years have passed, and her hatred has only deepened, yet she still cannot find a way to kill Xie Wuwang, nor can she send her clansmen to the afterlife.
Her soul, tormented for a thousand years, split in two: one half, soaked in blood and tears, brimming with malice, determined to "resurrect" her people at all costs; the other half, retaining a vestige of conscience, constantly leaving clues in the hope that someone could stop this tragedy.
Rong Yunzhi gave a self-deprecating smile, "I thought I could protect my entire clan, but I never imagined that in the end I would bring them the greatest misfortune. The thing I regret most in my life is that I failed to kill Xie Wuwang with my own hands."
She looked at Xiao Bumian, a hint of almost humble pleading in her eyes, "I don't ask for much. First, I ask that my people be reincarnated. Second..." Rong Yunzhi turned back to look at Xie Linzhao, who was unconscious behind her, "I ask the Immortal Venerable to erase their memories of Zhao'er's background."
"Although I don't know why Zhao'er has become like this, nor do I know why his physical constitution has been completely destroyed, I don't want him to think of his mother as a murderous evil spirit in the future."
Mother.
So this is what my mother is like?
Xiao Bumian chuckled very softly, drawing out the last syllable, "Well, Xie Wuwang was killed by me long ago. And Xie Linzhao's inability to cultivate was also caused by my own hand."
Rong Yunzhi was taken aback.
After a long while, large tears rolled down her cheeks without warning, but she suddenly laughed softly, the laughter growing louder and louder, filled with a manic sense of relief, "Hahaha... So he's already dead? Good riddance... Good riddance!"
Tears streamed down her face as she laughed, her expression softening as she looked at Xiao Bumian. "Xie Wuwang's body was already at its limit. He was just trying to find a perfect shell for himself before he completely perished. No matter how good a stranger's body is, how can it compare to a biological child with your own blood and excellent genes?"
"But the laws of nature are constant; the higher his cultivation, the harder it is for him to have offspring. So he searches everywhere for a woman who can carry his bloodline, and I... am just one of the vessels he has chosen."
Tears still glistened in her eyes. "So I know... you destroyed his potential and cut off his path to enlightenment to protect him. If his potential was not good, Xie Wuwang would not have chosen him."
"I'm not that kind-hearted; I just wanted to torment him." Xiao Bumian smiled faintly, but his dark eyes darkened.
Rong Yunzhi remained silent.
She turned around, her bright red wedding dress even more dazzling in the dim light. Her appearance was exquisite, neither overtly flamboyant nor plainly understated, but possessed a perfect balance of beauty and elegance.
She walked to Xie Linzhao's side, raised her hand to gently stroke his eyebrows and eyes, and sighed softly, "Actually, I recognized you the moment I saw you. But I didn't dare to look at you."
Her voice was as soft as a sigh, melting into the wind, "So this is what you look like now that you've grown up..."
As soon as she finished speaking, her body began to gradually transform into shimmering white specks of light from the edges, like fireflies scattered by the wind, slowly dissipating into the air.
As she dissipated, the vengeful spirits of the merfolk attached to the fallen cultivators seemed to be freed. One by one, translucent figures, filled with sorrow and relief, slowly detached from the cultivators and stood up.
They silently gathered around Xie Linzhao, gazing at the sleeping boy, uttering soft whispers tinged with both relief and sorrow: "Little Prince... he looks so much like His Highness..."
Xiao Bumian watched all of this with indifference, completely unmoved by the sorrowful scene of life and death, even finding it somewhat tedious. He indifferently bent down and picked up the piece of white bone spur from the spot where Rong Yunzhi had last vanished.
As soon as he straightened up, he looked up as if sensing something.
In the distance, the sky appeared as if it had been torn apart from the center by an invisible force, like a piece of silk. The cracks spread rapidly, eventually shattering completely and turning into countless wisps of ash that danced in the dark sky.
The Mirror of Rewind is broken.
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Author's Note: Although I'm late, I still have 7,000 words! [glasses]
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