Without any warning, Miao Youfang was forcibly stripped of his vitality, and his aura rapidly declined.
Within just a few breaths, he was on the verge of death.
“What’s going on?”
Even the knowledgeable and experienced Li Lingsu was stunned by the scene before him. He hurried over, squatted down, and began to examine him.
The first words that popped into Xu Qi’an’s mind were “curse of death”.
From his experience, there were very few means of killing silently and without a trace. Among them, the Church of the Warlock God’s Dream Warlock’s techniques and the “curse of death,” as well as the Daoist sect’s “Soul Hooking Technique,” were some of the few examples.
However, both the Dream Warlock and Soul Hooking methods had a prerequisite: the target must be in a state of sleep.
Miao Youfang did not meet this condition.
That left only the curse of death.
The problem was, curse of death needed physical connections such as skin, hair, or blood as mediums, or at least a personal belonging. Miao Youfang had been with us the entire time, and hadn’t “lost” anything that could be used in this way… Xu Qi’an frowned deeply.
“His internal organs are failing, and part of his primordial spirit is missing…”
Li Lingsu’s expression changed as he reported the situation. At the same time, he took some pills from his storage pouch and fed them to Miao Youfang.
“Part of his primordial spirit is missing?!”
Xu Qi’an asked for confirmation.
Li Lingsu nodded, understanding his meaning, and said in a grave voice,
“It’s not the curse of death.”
The curse of death would not result in “part of the primordial spirit missing.” If Miao Youfang had fallen victim to such a technique, both his primordial spirit and his body would be failing together.
All the way until death.
Li Lingsu added, “His heavenly soul is gone. It seems to have been forcibly extracted. What’s strange is that I didn’t sense anything at all.”
For someone to extract a primordial spirit in front of a fourth rank Nascent Soul cultivator without being noticed, this is even more bizarre than a death curse… Xu Qi’an set aside such thoughts, drew Mu Nanzhi to his side, and bent over to check Miao Youfang’s condition.
He was already a candle flickering in the wind, on the brink of death.
“What method can forcibly strip away part of the primordial spirit, and push the body to the verge of death?” Xu Qi’an asked rapidly.
“There are many methods that can forcibly strip away part of a person’s primordial spirit. I can do it as well. But to escape my perception, the opponent must either be beyond-mortal, or have some special technique…
“As for pushing the body to the verge of death… in theory, without the heavenly soul, a person will fall into a coma; without the earthly soul, they become dumb; without the human soul, they die instantly.”
Li Lingsu replied equally quickly, then said sombrely,
“This is bad. The pills aren’t working. At most, he has one incense stick’s time. After that, he’ll die.”
Missing the heavenly soul makes a vegetable, missing the earthly soul makes a fool, and missing the human soul leads straight to reincarnation… Xu Qi’an pondered:
“So, Miao Youfang’s physical condition has nothing to do with missing the heavenly soul.”
Li Lingsu thought for a moment and, from his professional perspective as the Holy Son of the Heaven Sect, concluded, “It should be said, there’s no direct connection.”
Xu Qi’an’s mind raced:
So it uses the heavenly soul as a medium? A method similar to a death curse? Except, the former relies on the heavenly soul, while the latter uses physical means. Hmm, I know what to do.
As Li Lingsu watched thoughtfully, Xu Qi’an stretched out his palm and gently patted Miao Youfang’s head.
No unusual vision appeared, but the withering of Miao Youfang’s internal organs immediately ceased. The pills he’d swallowed began to take effect, nourishing his organs.
Shifting the Constellations!
Xu Qi’an used this advanced ability of the Sevenfold Gu to “hide” Miao Youfang, severing the connection between his heavenly soul and his body.
It works… Xu Qi’an let out a sigh of relief.
“Excellent!”
Li Lingsu was overjoyed; the one behind the scenes could no longer harm Miao Youfang through his heavenly soul.
With just a few words exchanged, they’d solved a problem that would have left most cultivators at a complete loss.
This was a testament not only to their vast knowledge and experience, but also to the variety of means at Xu Qi’an’s disposal.
The Sevenfold Gu was truly powerful. Although it hadn’t yet advanced to third rank, compared to the martial artist system that could only display destructive force, the Sevenfold Gu was sometimes far more useful.
However, a new problem soon arose. Li Lingsu frowned:
“Who’s targeting us?”
Xu Qi’an countered,
“Haven’t you already guessed?
“Our most obvious conflict right now is with someone right in front of us.”
Both of them looked at the collapsed idol. Xu Qi’an said, “It was Miao Youfang who chopped it down earlier.”
Li Lingsu sucked in a breath.
“That can’t be right. How can a mere county town, a minor licentious shrine, harbour something so terrifying? For that matter, what exactly is this temple deity? I haven’t sensed the slightest ripple of soul energy to this day.”
Xu Qi’an shrugged. “All I know is we’ve got a magnet for misfortune among us.”
To think that even in a little county town they could encounter such a troublesome thing, it was like a child fishing in a stream and pulling out a river dragon.
Other than blaming it on pure black luck, there simply wasn’t any better explanation.
No longer playing the role of “Senior Xu”, Xu Qi’an spoke much more casually.
“Let’s go outside and question their spirits. Let’s find out just what this temple deity is.”
We stand in the open, while our foe hides in the dark. If we want to solve the riddle of this temple deity, we must first figure out exactly what it is.
So far, they still had no idea about the true nature of the temple deity.
Without delay, Li Lingsu hoisted Miao Youfang onto his back and was about to leave the temple. Yet, at the very instant he turned, he froze, and in the next moment, experienced exactly what had happened to Miao Youfang.
Bang!
Both men collapsed to the ground at the same time.
On the other side, Mu Nanzhi and the little white fox also immediately fell unconscious. Li Lingsu and the white fox’s life forces rapidly declined, only Mu Nanzhi remained safe, but she could not awaken.
Xu Qi’an managed to catch the reincarnated Flower God in his arms before she could fall.
His expression became grave as he looked at the spot where the idol had collapsed.
The stone mirror, half held by the spectral child, had at some unknown moment begun to float up. With a cracking sound, fissures spread across its stone casing.
It was half a bronze mirror, ringed with vine-like patterns. The smooth, reflective surface displayed a hairless, eyelash-less eye, cold and emotionless, staring at everyone in the temple.
It had been split straight down the middle, the cut as smooth as if sliced by a sharp blade.
The instant that eye scrutinised him, Xu Qi’an’s martial instincts instantly screamed a warning, danger!
At the same time, Xu Qi’an finally realised what the so-called temple deity really was.
It was a magical treasure, a damaged treasure.
It undoubtedly possessed self-awareness, and could be considered a kind of creature.
A magical treasure being worshipped here, absorbing incense and prayers… Xu Qi’an’s heart skipped. He had vaguely figured out a little of the truth.
In the mirror, the emotionless eye looked down on Xu Qi’an, then all of a sudden shot out a ghostly green beam of light.
There was no way to dodge. The light struck directly at his spirit.
In an instant, Xu Qi’an felt a tremendous force tugging at his primordial spirit, as if it was about to tear his soul from his body.
“Hmph!”
His primordial spirit was where the first demon-sealing nail was removed, a genuine third-rank primordial spirit, the spirit of a beyond-mortal expert. Even for a martial artist, it was not something that a magical treasure could easily take.
While stabilising his primordial spirit and resisting the pull, Xu Qi’an took out the Earth Book fragment and shook out the Stupa tower.
He intended to use a complete magical treasure against a damaged one.
As soon as the Stupa tower appeared, a vast and majestic aura descended, filling every inch of space.
The second level of the Stupa tower, Suppression!
It was purpose-built to subdue top experts, such as the rank two Master of Rain Nalan Tianlu back in the day.
The bronze mirror slowly ‘looked up’, its attention shifting to the Stupa tower.
“Go!”
Xu Qi’an pointed at the bronze mirror, and the Stupa tower moved to suppress the damaged magical treasure.
The bronze mirror flipped over, its mirrored surface aimed at the Stupa tower above. That eyelash-less eye shot out a piercing, ghostly green beam.
Hisss!
The ghostly green beam struck the base of the Stupa tower, erupting in a brilliant green light, like the sparks made by a welder.
The Stupa tower bore down relentlessly, compressing the green beam further and further until, with a clang, the Stupa tower landed, pinning the bronze mirror beneath it.
Xu Qi’an had no time to check on the Stupa tower. He hurried to Bai Ji and Li Lingsu, using the “Shifting Stars” ability to hide them, preventing their physical bodies from failing and dying.
With this done, he felt at ease and entered the Stupa tower, going straight to the third floor.
The spirit of the tower, an old monk, was seated cross-legged on a cushion, toying with half a bronze mirror in his hands, smiling as he watched him approach.
“Master!”
Xu Qi’an put his palms together and bowed, then asked,
“Master, do you know what this is?”
The old monk did not answer immediately, but instead asked,
“Where did you get it?”
Xu Qi’an gave him a brief account of the day’s events.
The old monk nodded in understanding. “So, it had long since been lost among the common people. Benefactor Xu is truly a man of great fortune, to have been able to find this item.”
So, what exactly is this thing? Just as Xu Qi’an was about to press him further, the monk shook the mirror, and four souls fell out, three people and a fox.
Miao Youfang, Mu Nanzhi, and the little white fox floated about dazedly in mid-air.
Only Li Lingsu remained lively and animated, fully demonstrating the Daoist sects’ specialism in the field of primordial spirit. He looked around in surprise:
“How did I end up in the tower?”
“You were seized by this mirror,” Xu Qi’an said, pointing at it.
“This mirror? The one which ambushed us in the temple just now?” Li Lingsu marvelled. “What is this thing, an artefact?”
“It’s a magical treasure, although it seems damaged,” Xu Qi’an replied, glancing at the old monk.
The old monk looked somewhat sentimental.
“This is a magical treasure called the Huntian Divine Mirror. It was the dressing mirror of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, the ruler of the Wanyao Kingdom.
“It could illuminate all under heaven, allowing that Yao monarch to know all about the world without ever leaving her seat.
“Anyone reflected in it would have their primordial spirit taken into the mirror, their body rendered helpless, their life and actions completely under its manipulation. It’s said only the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox herself was immune.
“Back in the sixty year extermination of the yao, it was split in two by Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and lost thereafter. I never expected it to turn up today. Perhaps it is karma with the Yao clan that led it to Benefactor Xu.”
If the body is rendered helpless, does that mean this thing controlled the corpse of Li Gui’s wife?
Xu Qi’an immediately raised a question. “It must have appeared about a month ago. Why did it pose as a temple deity and force people to make incense offerings?”
The old monk explained:
“Magical treasures can absorb incense and devotion, which helps stabilise their state. This humble monk practised at Sanhua Temple for hundreds of years, and was bathed in incense every day, most nourishing. But since my state is intact, it made little difference.
“Since this is damaged, however, it requires incense to repair itself.”
Incense nourishes magical treasures, so that’s why the Sovereign Sword has always been worshipped in Yongzhen Shanhe Temple at Sangpo. That must also be why the Sage’s carving knife and Lesser Sage’s Confucian crown are housed in the Hall of the Lesser Sage. Xu Qi’an understood.
Somewhat trivial knowledge, but knowledge nonetheless.
“This wretched magical treasure has been pretending to be a wild spirit for the past five hundred years?”
Xu Qi’an asked.
The old monk looked down at the bronze mirror, as if communicating with it. After a few seconds, he looked up and said,
“It says it doesn’t remember its past. After awakening, it was picked up by an old woman. Then it told her it wanted incense… Huh? ‘Bald thief monk’?”
The old monk paused, then shook his head and chuckled. “Its mind is muddled due to its broken state.”
A damaged magical treasure in a confused mental state… Xu Qi’an nodded, and said, “May I trouble you to keep it safe for the time being, Master?”
With that, he took the three people and one fox’s souls and left the Stupa tower.
Once their souls returned, they woke up one after another. Xu Qi’an explained the situation briefly, leaving Miao Youfang dumbfounded. He’d considered the temple deity might be a mountain spirit, a wicked cultivator, anything but a mirror.
“Li Lingsu, summon their spirits!”
Xu Qi’an instructed.
Li Lingsu chanted under his breath. Soon, a cold wind arose in the temple and the temperature plummeted.
Since they had only just died, no auxiliary materials or ritual arrangements were needed.
Two souls began to coalesce. One was a silver-haired old woman; the other, a burly man. Their eyes were vacant and their expressions dull.
The soothsayer and her son.
Xu Qi’an asked, “How did you come by the mirror?”
The soothsayer stared blankly ahead, her voice hollow:
“In the dry well at home.”
The newly deceased had no independent thought. They answer only what is asked, and never said more than necessary.
Through persistent questioning, Xu Qi’an pieced the story together.
Roughly a month ago, after a poor harvest and frequent disasters, the soothsayer’s son, unwilling to support her, pushed her down the dry well.
There, she found the bronze mirror.
From then on, she was driven by the mirror. She repaired this City God temple for it, and began living in comfort, never hungry again.
But she thought the temple deity was insane, some days demanding incense, other days insisting on killing bald monks, then ranting about long live the monarch.
Luckily, the temple deity controlling her was easy to get along with, generally following her suggestions, to kill whomever she asked.
Notably, Li Gui’s wife was killed by the soothsayer. They knew each other. The soothsayer learned by chance that she’d burned the ‘wooden ghost’ in the temple for firewood, and so came up with a plan.
That’s how Li Gui’s incident came about.
From Li Gui, she got her first windfall, and gained fame. Using the power of the Huntian Divine Mirror, she instilled fear among the county folk.
Over the month, her son also relied on the “temple deity’s” influence, and on the pretext of praying for a child, raped several beautiful women from good families.
“Deserves more than death.” Miao Youfang snorted coldly. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let the mother and son die so easily.”
“Miao Youfang, when you get a chance ask around about those retainers, kill them all too,” Xu Qi’an said methodically.
His cultivation of temperament had grown much deeper than before, and he now kept joy and anger well hidden.
Those retainers who had abetted evil had long been on his must-kill list, but unlike before, he was now in no rush, handling all with assured calm.
He was becoming more and more like the experienced Wei Yuan.
Now, the only mystery remaining is how the bronze mirror came to be in the Central Plains. Of course, that’s hardly important, much like there’s no need to decide whether the chicken or the egg came first… Xu Qi’an flicked his sleeve, dispersing the souls of the mother and son completely.
He turned his mind to dealing with the Huntian Divine Mirror.
Ordinarily, keeping this damaged magical treasure by his side and letting it ‘make amends’ would be the best choice. Another magical treasure was another resource.
The more tools he had, the better he could manage risk.
But as this was the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox’s dressing mirror from back then, Xu Qi’an thought he might be able to maximise its value.
Would that noble princess consort be interested in her mother’s keepsake?
Perhaps I can sell it at an even better price… Xu Qi’an looked at Bai Ji with a kind, friendly smile:
“Little darling, can you get in touch with your family princess?”
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