Chapter 58: Mirror Lake Reflection and Dark History Public Execution
Mirror Lake Reflections and the Dark History of Public Executions
After passing through the socially deadly Echo Valley, the scene before them lifted everyone's spirits.
A vast, tranquil lake lay like a sapphire set within an emerald forest. Its surface, smooth as a mirror, reflected the drifting clouds and the lush trees surrounding it, even more crystal clear and translucent than the real thing. A tranquil and peaceful atmosphere permeated the air, a stark contrast to the clamor and eerie atmosphere of Echo Valley.
"This is Mirror Lake!" Qingluo jumped happily by the lake. "The water here is magical. It can reflect the most realistic reflections. It is said that it can also purify the soul!"
Ah Che crouched curiously by the lake, staring at his own crystal-clear reflection. Even the curiosity in his eyes was identical. Man Gu also poked his head out, his large, furry head and the equally curious black armor on his shoulders reflected in the water.
Li Jiuyou snorted coldly, deliberately avoided the lakeside, found a big rock to sit down and regulate his breathing. It was obvious that he was still in fear of the experience in Echo Valley just now, and did not want any "mirror" to reflect anything that should not be reflected.
Jiang Xuelan stood a little further away from the lake, his icy blue eyes sweeping across the tranquil surface. His sense carefully probed the water, confirming there was no hidden danger before he relaxed slightly. He needed to quickly calm his mind, disturbed by Echo Valley and the turkey beside him.
However, since Jinghu Lake is named after "Mirror", how can we be safe and sound by avoiding it?
Li Jiuyou had just closed his eyes and tried to activate his demonic power when he heard Ache let out a small cry of surprise.
"Huh? Li, Brother Li's reflection... seems a little different?"
Li Jiuyou suddenly opened his eyes, his scarlet pupils scanning the lake surface with sharp eyes. His reflection was still his own, but on its forehead, there was... **a crooked, cinnabar-painted "king" character**! Combined with his surly face, it looked both fierce and... stupid!
"Puff——" Man Gu quickly covered his mouth, but his shoulders were shaking wildly.
The turtle's head shrank, and a muffled "cluck" sound came from the shell.
Even the corners of Jiang Xuelan's mouth twitched slightly.
Li Jiuyou: “???” He subconsciously touched his forehead, but there was nothing!
"What the hell is this!" He growled angrily, and his reflection in the lake also grinned, and the "王" character on his forehead twisted, making him look even more ridiculous.
Qingluo suppressed a smile and explained, "Sometimes the Mirror Lake reflects some...um...marks or...little secrets deep within our hearts that we might not even notice."
"Bullshit! I don't have any such idiot impression in my mind!" Li Jiuyou was so angry that he wanted to punch the lake, but he was afraid of triggering an even weirder reaction.
At this moment, the lake water on Jiang Xuelan's side also changed.
The reflection of the Ice Blue Immortal was still cool and detached, but... around the waist of that reflection, there was a **peace knot** made of rough red rope, which was extremely inconsistent with his temperament and even a bit ugly!
Jiang Xuelan's face instantly froze, and he subconsciously turned sideways to cover his waist, but every time he moved, his reflection in the lake also moved, and the ugly peace knot swayed back and forth, extremely eye-catching.
Even Li Jiuyou temporarily forgot about his "king" character. He raised his eyebrows and said with a bit of gloating: "Oh? I didn't expect Ice Face to have such a hobby? Which lover gave you this ugly thing? His taste is questionable!"
Jiang Xuelan's ears turned red, and her tone was icy cold: "Shut up."
It was a braid his mother had clumsily made for him when he was a child, before his first sword practice, using her own hair mixed with red string. Later, when Shen Village was destroyed, it became one of his mother's few remaining relics. He kept it close to his body, never showing it to anyone, and even rarely took it out to look at it himself, only unconsciously stroking it, as if this could draw on a glimmer of the long-lost warmth.
I didn’t expect that this Mirror Lake was so tricky that it even reflected this!
**Public execution! Absolutely public execution!**
One of them had a funny "king" character on his head, and the other had a rustic peace knot hanging on his head. They were standing at a distance from each other, their faces darker than the other, and the atmosphere was awkward and tense.
Ah Che looked at this and that, and whispered to Man Gu, "Senior Brother and Big Brother Li... seem to have some very precious things..."
Man Gu nodded in agreement.
Xuan Jia began writing furiously again: "Mirror Lake reflects my heart! A childhood graffiti of the word 'king' appears on King Li's forehead, a seemingly innocent expression of his desire for power? Jiang Xianjun wears an ugly peace knot, proving his tough guy's tenderness! The contrast is adorable! Readers are guaranteed to give it rave reviews!"
In this strange confrontation, the water of Mirror Lake suddenly began to ripple gently without any wind.
Everyone's reflections became blurry, and then some intermittent, blurry images began to emerge on the water's surface.
In Li Jiuyou's reflection area, a thin, red-haired boy emerged. He was secretly picking up the torn pages of a book on the ground and holding them in his arms like a treasure. Was that... the remaining pages of "Thirty-six Ways of Affection" (actually an enlightenment book that taught him "how to express care") given by Feng Ye?
In Jiang Xuelan's reflection area, a handsome young man emerged. In the dead of night, he secretly stroked the spiritual plant pattern embroidered on his cuffs in the moonlight, his eyes filled with admiration and sadness.
Even Che's reflection area showed him in the darkness of the dungeon, biting a piece of candy, laughing and crying silently...
Mirror Lake is like a gentle revealer, silently showing the softest or most embarrassing corner of everyone's heart.
Li Jiuyou and Jiang Xuelan were both silent. The past that had been deliberately buried was now calmly revealed, without ridicule or judgment, simply existing.
Embarrassment and anger gradually faded, replaced by a complex mix of emotions. Seeing the other person's "dark history," it seemed... not so repulsive anymore? A sense of... sympathy, even?
Li Jiuyou turned his head awkwardly and muttered, "...That peace knot isn't that ugly."
Jiang Xuelan was slightly startled, pursed her lips and did not respond, but the coldness around her seemed to dissipate a little.
"Alright, alright!" Qingluo clapped her hands, breaking the silence. "This is what Mirror Lake is like. Don't worry, everyone! Let's go! Vitality Cliff is just on the other side of the lake!"
After crossing Mirror Lake (Li Jiuyou stared at the water to make sure the word "king" did not appear again), they finally arrived at their destination - Shengji Cliff.
It was a vast, jutting emerald cliff, seemingly crystallized from pure life energy, emanating a majestic yet gentle vitality. The cliff walls were covered with a variety of unprecedented spiritual plants, their flowers like dancing points of light. At the cliff's summit, a spring continuously gushed out milky white spiritual fluid, surrounded by a ring of translucent moss.
"This is it!" Qingluo said excitedly, "Put the Jianmu fragment on the moss beside the spring, and it will automatically absorb the purest life energy!"
Ache carefully removed the Jianmu fragment and placed it on the crystalline moss. As soon as the fragment touched the moss, a green light suddenly shone brightly, and the surface luster became warm and full at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if it had come alive, even trembling slightly, appearing extremely joyful.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
However, before they could enjoy the joy of success, something strange happened!
The Jianmu fragments suddenly burst out with an unprecedented strong green light, and a beam of light shot up into the sky, instantly hitting a piece of seemingly ordinary air above the cliff!
“Buzz!”
Like the sound of shattering glass, the space struck by the beam of light shattered like a mirror, revealing a hidden, deep cave entrance! An ancient, desolate energy, yet tinged with a familiar, sinister aura, emanated from the cave!
"What is that?!" Man Gu gripped the bone stick tightly and vigilantly protected A Che behind him.
Qingluo was also stunned: "I, I don't know... Grandma's notes never mentioned Shengji Cliff or this!"
Li Jiuyou and Jiang Xuelan simultaneously took a step forward, looking solemnly at the suddenly appeared cave entrance. The sinister aura emanating from the cave caused the demonic fire and icy immortal power in their bodies to become slightly agitated.
**New crises (or new discoveries?) always come so unexpectedly.**
Jiang Xuelan sensed that familiar evil aura, his icy eyes narrowed slightly, "This aura... has the same origin as the Breath of Destruction, but it's even more... ancient and pure."
Li Jiuyou licked his sharp canine teeth, a hint of warlike excitement flashing in his red-gold eyes: "No matter what it is, it's hidden and it's exposed. Just smash it open and see for yourself!"
The mysterious cave entrance quietly appears. Is it a blessing or a curse? Their journey once again deviates from the planned route and goes deep into the unknown.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
