Chen State boasted the largest mortal population among the upper realms. While mortals gazed longingly at immortals, few possessed spiritual roots. This scarcity spawned numerous “quest for immortality” stories and plays, enjoyed by young and old alike.

These plays varied widely, some adapting tales from mortal realms or reimagining stories from previous dynasties. Today’s performance featured a fresh take on an old tale: Zhan Zhao, after his virtuous mortal life, ascended to immortality. One day, following the Jade Emperor’s decree, he descended to guide a fairy maiden’s mortal form back to the celestial court. However, ruffians disrupted the ritual, causing Zhan Zhao to accidentally bestow spiritual awareness upon the maiden’s orange cat instead.

The maiden, renowned for her beauty, often faced harassment from local thugs. After Zhan Zhao drove them away, the cat, eager to protect its mistress, overheard the thugs conspiring with a corrupt Taoist to falsely accuse the maiden of being a demon and forcibly make her his eighteenth concubine.

Enraged, the cat attacked, but the Taoist, possessing some skill, wounded it with his sword. Fortuitously, a powerful demon named Golden Rat, visiting the mortal realm, witnessed the scene. Seeing a fellow creature in distress, he rescued the cat and punished the corrupt Taoist. Later, while tending to the cat’s wounds, Golden Rat encountered the maiden searching for her pet and instantly fell in love with her beauty.

Zhan Zhao, bound by the Jade Emperor’s command to guide the maiden, couldn’t allow entanglement between immortals and demons. Too embarrassed to admit fighting over a woman, he claimed Golden Rat had stolen his chosen cat. A fierce battle ensued, leaving both seriously injured. Meanwhile, the vindictive Taoist seized the opportunity to kidnap the maiden, threatening Golden Rat to either kowtow or surrender his demon core to secure her release.

Pride wounded, Golden Rat immediately extracted his core and tossed it to the Taoist. Delighted, the Taoist attempted to kill the weakened Golden Rat, but the orange cat leaped to his defense, sacrificing its life to save him.

Witnessing such devotion, the maiden’s celestial powers awakened. She joined forces with the late-arriving Zhan Zhao to vanquish the corrupt Taoist. However, the Golden Rat now had only three days left to live. Moved by his profound love, Zhan Zhao petitioned the Jade Emperor for mercy. Learning the truth, the Emperor offered Golden Rat immortality as a celestial pet, but he declined, preferring three days of earthly freedom to eternal heavenly glory.

While the play ended tragically, the author, being a hopeless romantic, tacked on an epilogue where Zhan Zhao and the maiden returned to the celestial court and fell in love.

As Nan Yan watched, she struggled to connect the play to any historical roots, viewing it instead as a typical immortal quest story with some creative liberties. Nevertheless, she found it quite enjoyable and somewhat wished for more.

“I desperately wanted to perform on stage as a child,” Nan Yan reminisced, “but the local troupe leaders didn’t think much of me.”

Yin Ya asked, “What role did you want to play?”

Nan Yan replied dreamily, “If it were this play, I’d want to be Zhan Zhao.”

Yin Ya retorted, “Impossible. With your childhood build, you’d be perfect as the orange cat.”

Unconvinced, Nan Yan countered, “Then would you play Zhan Zhao?”

“No,” Yin Ya responded, “I think Golden Rat suits me better. Zhan Zhao wouldn’t showcase my acting skills.”

Nan Yan teased, “Since when did a mere fox spirit aspire to be a master thespian?”

Yin Ya shot back, “Are you looking for a fight?”

Observing their banter, Ji Yang was reminded of Mu Zhanting’s past squabbles with Nan Yan over who would play Guan Yu, resulting in similar scuffles. It seemed their childish temperaments hadn’t changed much over the years.

As the performance concluded, a thin mist suddenly appeared. Ji Yang noticed the villagers seemed oblivious to it, continuing their applause. The fog carried a salty sea breeze, and as the three companions sensed something amiss, the lead actor on stage froze. Then, the mist-enveloped villagers fell silent.

Puzzled, Nan Yan watched as Ji Yang quickly pulled her away from the mist. They observed the villagers slowly bringing their arms to their sides, turning towards the rising moon, and walking stiffly towards the village outskirts.

“Are these villagers bewitched?” Nan Yan asked, flicking her prayer beads. Golden sparks flew into the mist but to no effect.

“Any luck?” Ji Yang inquired.

“My Buddhist spiritual power seems unable to dispel this mist,” Nan Yan replied.

Intrigued, the trio decided to follow the crowd. After nearly an hour’s walk, they reached an overgrown area where the villagers disappeared into tall grass.

Under the full moon, they glimpsed dilapidated walls among the vegetation. Ji Yang led them to a higher vantage point, revealing a vast sixty-mile expanse of ruins, long abandoned and overgrown.

“This must be Linglong Capital,” Ji Yang explained. “Legends speak of traps left by powerful cultivators. Entering without knowledge could be perilous.”

Despite the clear night, an eerie atmosphere permeated the ruins. Yin Ya, after a moment’s hesitation, said, “It’s a full moon, so my demon powers are at their peak. I could attempt a spirit projection technique.”

Yin Ya handed Nan Yan and Ji Yang each a small tuft of fox fur, instructing, “Don’t resist. I’ll use all my current demon power to project a fraction of your consciousness into these. Our physical bodies will meditate safely while our spirit forms explore the ruins. Even if we encounter danger—”

“Our bodies will remain unharmed?” Nan Yan interjected.

“Our spirits might be severely injured, but we’d recover in a couple of years,” Yin Ya clarified.

Nan Yan considered this carefully. “Since this technique is so taxing, perhaps you should go alone while we guard your body.”

Yin Ya flatly refused, “No, you must come with me.”

“Why?” Nan Yan pressed.

“No reason. We live together, we die together,” Yin Ya insisted.

“…Are you afraid of ghosts?” Nan Yan suggested.

“How could I possibly be afraid of ghosts?” Yin Ya feigned bravery, then growled, “Stand still and don’t move, or I might accidentally pull out your soul.”

The Nightmare Foxes were renowned for their unparalleled mastery of illusions and soul-capturing techniques. Legend had it that in ancient times, when over ten thousand cultivators besieged a demon kingdom, they awakened a thousand-year-old Nightmare Fox. With a mere yawn, the fox absorbed the souls of all the cultivators, condemning them to eternal damnation. This gave rise to the saying, “One nap of the Nightmare Fox leaves the netherworld without visitors for three years.”

Nan Yan found herself enveloped in a hazy purple light, hearing an otherworldly, enticing voice. Her consciousness was drawn along, and when she opened her eyes, she saw her physical body sitting motionless in meditation. Her primary consciousness had become semi-transparent, floating as she moved.

Yin Ya’s face had paled, clearly drained from performing this high-level technique. Once he regained his composure, he positioned himself between Nan Yan and Ji Yang.

“Let’s go. You’re the Buddhist cultivator, so you lead the way,” Yin Ya suggested.

In such an eerie place, Buddhist practitioners always inspire the most confidence. Nan Yan’s presence naturally dispersed the surrounding chill, making the atmosphere less intimidating.

After walking for a while, Nan Yan suddenly said, “There are people ahead.”

The trio halted, finding themselves in a small square. Once-grand structures now lay in ruins, with broken instruments and scattered dishware visible among the withered grass.

The villagers they had followed were there too, no longer moving stiffly. Some sat at tables, repeatedly mimicking drinking motions with empty cups. Others beat broken drums with damaged mallets. The lead actor from earlier climbed onto a stage, picking up a chipped sword and wiping it with his sleeve.

The elderly man they had met in the village stood in the square’s center. With a vacant expression, he performed an odd feminine curtsy and spoke in a young woman’s voice: “Esteemed guests, your presence at today’s demon-slaying gathering brings glory to Linglong Capital.”

Astonished, Nan Yan watched as the seated villagers applauded and laughed.

A child of seven or eight spoke in a gruff man’s voice: “Enough with the formalities! I’ve traveled far from Shen State with my sect’s treasures for today’s rare beast. Let’s begin!”

A young girl nearby retorted in an old crone’s voice: “Hah! Your measly treasures are nothing. I, Old Woman Tao, brought a million spirit stones. That mermaid’s blood will be mine today.”

The elderly man giggled coyly, gesturing to calm them. “Now, now. I know what you all desire. Let’s bring it out for your viewing pleasure.”

Ji Yang pointed behind them. Six villagers were laboriously pushing a dilapidated iron cage across the square. The cage’s bars were badly damaged, but at its center stood a perfectly intact cross covered in demon-suppressing talismans.

Yin Ya, visibly uncomfortable at the sight, explained, “This must be Linglong Capital’s execution frame, the smallest kind. Captured demon beasts would be nailed to it and slaughtered on the spot.”

While demon clans and demon beasts were distinct groups in the cultivation world, with only a small number of noble demon beasts able to assume human form through cultivation, they were ultimately of the same origin.

“To kill is one thing, but to auction off a live slaughter…” Yin Ya trailed off.

As the empty cage was pushed to the square’s center, the seated villagers leaned forward, exclaiming in wonder.

“To see such a rare beast in my lifetime!”

“I wonder who will claim the treasure in her heart!”

Then, Nan Yan heard a familiar term from a nearby villager.

“The Silver Mermaid Pearl will be mine!”

Silver Mermaid Pearl!

Nan Yan instinctively looked at Ji Yang, who furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

“Let’s keep watching,” he said.

After a bout of commotion, the villager playing the executioner approached the cage with his sword.

Suddenly, everything fell silent. The elder hosting the event gasped, bowing repeatedly to thin air. All the villagers stood from their seats.

“An honored guest arrives! Please, take the seat of honor,” the elder said, gesturing to a prominent chair. “Yigu, sir, please be seated.”

Then, bizarrely, all the villagers froze simultaneously, as if time had stopped.

Confused, Nan Yan and Yin Ya watched as Ji Yang approached the elder, examining him closely. His expression changed to one of realization.

“What is it?” Nan Yan asked.

Ji Yang turned to them. “Have you heard of the Netherworld Mirror?”

While Nan Yan hadn’t, Yin Ya’s eyes lit up. “I knew something was off about this place! No wonder cultivators who entered never returned. Someone must have deployed the Netherworld Mirror!”

Ji Yang nodded. “The mirror is now replaying the events leading up to Linglong Capital’s massacre. Its owner likely used it to investigate the truth. The mirror will continue to envelop these ruins until this scene plays out completely.”

Nan Yan asked, “Why have the villagers stopped moving?”

“There aren’t enough villagers, and…” Ji Yang pointed to the empty cross in the cage and the vacant seat for ‘Sir Yigu’. “Two key roles are missing.”

The three exchanged glances. “So, do we need to complete this performance?”