Performing was inevitable. The role of “Sir Yigu” seemed straightforward—a renowned qin master whose composition “Night Ballad” Ji Yang had played on the whaleship. The real challenge lay in portraying the caged demon…
Glancing at the executioner’s sword, Nan Yan said, “Brother, it’s time to showcase your acting skills. ‘Demon-slaying’ seems tailor-made for you.”
Yin Ya adamantly refused: “Have a heart! That frame’s covered in celestial demon-suppressing talismans. You’re practically asking to roast me alive.”
Nan Yan retorted, “You’re in spirit form. What’s there to fear?”
Yin Ya countered, “So are you. Why fear the sword?”
Noticing the moon shifting westward and fearing complications, Nan Yan sighed, “Let’s settle this with rock-paper-scissors. I’ll have you know, I was once known as the Scissor Queen of the West Gate.”
“Oh? Let’s see then.”
Moments later, the Scissor Queen of the West Gate… lost.
Reluctantly, Nan Yan was pushed into the iron cage. The instant she stepped in, she was pulled against the cross. Though painless, she found herself unable to move.
“Phew, that was close,” Yin Ya said, retreating further.
Nan Yan realized Yin Ya must have used an illusion earlier. As her frustration began to build, the moon’s appearance suddenly changed.
It began.
The moon grew darker, morphing into what looked like an ancient, mottled mirror hanging in the sky.
Everyone’s appearance started to change, gradually transforming into the characters they were portraying.
The elder who had been hosting became a woman in palace attire. As the ruins around them transformed into a grand nighttime gathering, she bowed and smiled, “Sir Yigu, your qin skills are world-renowned. Might we humble juniors have the honor of hearing your celestial music at this grand occasion?”
Ji Yang, now seated at a table, had taken on a new appearance. Dressed in white robes with phoenix feather embroidery at the collar, his demeanor shifted, becoming less aloof. His face exuded a gentle, clear radiance as he replied warmly, “You’re too kind, City Lord. I have some family matters to attend to and am waiting to meet my elder sister here. I won’t impose for long.”
The City Lord trembled slightly, bowing even lower. “Could it be that Lady Nan Fang will also grace our humble city?”
Ji Yang lowered his gaze. “My sister is free-spirited by nature. Her marriage to the Dragon Lord remains unsettled. I doubt she’ll join me as planned in the next few days. There’s no need for special arrangements, City Lord.”
The City Lord beamed with joy. “Lady Nan Fang’s willingness to marry into Chen State is an unprecedented honor! I hear you also have joyous news, Sir Yigu. If true, it would indeed be a double celebration.”
At this, the qin master’s voice softened further. “The one I love prefers discretion. I’ve informed my sister by letter. After her wedding, I plan to bring home my bride.”
Nan… Lady Nan Fang…
Nan Yan felt a strange sensation rise within her. For reasons unknown, hearing Ji Yang’s voice now filled her with an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Suddenly, she found herself trembling uncontrollably, desperately trying to move towards Ji Yang. Her mouth urgently tried to speak, but she bit down hard, forcing herself to remain silent.
“Look! The silver mermaid demon is crying,” someone in the crowd finally noticed her.
The surrounding cultivators scrambled to grab something from the cage.
“These are mermaid tears! Each worth a city!” The City Lord exclaimed joyfully. “Sir Yigu’s arrival has made the demon shed its precious pearls. What a blessed event!”
Nan Yan looked towards Ji Yang. His eyes were half-closed and unfocused, clearly under the Netherworld Mirror’s control, temporarily blinded like the real Qin master.
Hearing the excited cheers around him, Ji Yang’s previously joyful and warm expression faded. He raised his hand, channeling spiritual energy into invisible strings, and said, “Before coming, a friend mentioned sea demons causing trouble nearby. Its current fate seems fitting punishment. Yet, as all things have spirit, I wish to offer a humble performance to ease its passing painlessly. I hope you all will refrain from extracting its core while it lives.”
While cultivators killing demons was natural, he disliked the spectacle of it. All he could do was ensure the creature a peaceful death.
“Extracting the Silver Mermaid Pearl while it’s alive adds an extra layer of radiance…” some cultivators muttered, but none dared object openly.
Others commented, “Sir Yigu is perfect in every way, except for being too kind. He even spares evil cultivators, never taking lives. He’s nothing like his sister, whose reputation for both killing and romance is unmatched in the world.”
“Well, they’re not from the same womb. Sharing a father is enough, isn’t it?”
“Tsk, they just lucked out with their birth. One’s promiscuous, the other’s absurd. It’s a wonder the City Lord can keep smiling.”
“The Red Emperor has ascended. We cultivators, who haven’t even touched the realm of breaking through the void, dare not comment on his descendants…”
A sea of voices criticized his absurdity.
Only today did he learn that the person he had dreamed of growing old with… was a demon.
Countless people spat insults and contempt, but the qin master seemed oblivious. Holding the mermaid’s body in his arms, when he looked up again, his sightless eyes were filled with a wild, bloodthirsty gleam.
“Darling, someone’s blocking our way home. Please wait patiently… It won’t take long.”
As he finished speaking, Nan Yan, still immersed in the illusion, suddenly heard the sound of shattering glass. Her vision went dark, and she lost consciousness.
…
When Nan Yan regained consciousness, she found herself back in her physical body, lying in someone’s arms.
“A’Yan, is your spirit alright?”
Nan Yan sat up abruptly, looking around with clear eyes. “What happened to us in the end?”
Ji Yang explained, “I was controlled by Nan Yi’s shadow, holding you—”
Nan Yan quickly stopped him from describing the details. “And after that? How did we escape?”
Surely other cultivators had tried to enter this scene and break the Netherworld Mirror, only to be caught in the aftermath of Nan Yi’s revenge for the silver mermaid, destroying the city.
After all, a Nascent Soul cultivator could annihilate a city or country in an instant. Even facing the illusion head-on would be certain death.
“Look,” Ji Yang produced an ancient mirror with a crack in its center. “Nan Yi’s heart turned demonic, slaughtering the entire city. Fortunately, I had a secret technique to send your spirits out first. After he finished destroying Linglong Capital, I retrieved the depleted Netherworld Mirror. This place should no longer be bound by illusions.”
“Is this the Netherworld Mirror?” Nan Yan examined it but couldn’t discern much.
“Yes. It seems Nan Yi’s power during the massacre was so strong that it cracked the mirror. It can’t be used for now, unless in the hands of a Nascent Soul cultivator.”
Nan Yan glanced back at Yin Ya, who was having nightmares with three tails showing. As usual, she reached out to grab one of the warm, fluffy tails, hugging it comfortably. Thinking about the Linglong Capital incident, she said sadly, “I never imagined this was the reason for the massacre. Those cultivators deserved to die. If it were me, I might have destroyed the city too.”
Ji Yang replied calmly, “If it were me, I wouldn’t have harmed A’Yan in the slightest.”
“I didn’t say anything about us…” Nan Yan buried half her face in the fox fur, whispering, “Besides, Shao Cang, I think that Sir Yigu, he…”
“The surname Nan is uncommon. You suspect he’s your uncle, which means the Lady Nan Fang mentioned in the illusion—”
“I think she might be…” Nan Yan finally voiced her suspicion, “My mother.”
She hadn’t been in the Upper States long and wasn’t very familiar with its political landscape. There were three main States in the Upper States:
The world’s greatest sect and highest sacred ground for cultivators, “Dao Sheng Tian,” occupied Zi State;
The Red Emperor Nan Jue Yun destroyed the demon country and established the Red Emperor’s Jade Palace in Yin State;
The true dragon descendants, the Ao clan, ruled Chen State.
While there were said to be twelve States overseas, these three held the most power. After the Red Emperor’s ascension, his daughter inherited the Jade Palace, taking the title of Lady Nan Fang.
Realizing her origins, Nan Yan felt a bit dazed. If she hadn’t become a celibate Buddhist cultivator, she might have been overwhelmed by this revelation.
Nan Yan sighed in relief, “If that’s the case, those who took my mother’s remains were likely from the Red Emperor’s Jade Palace in Yin State. At least now I have a direction.”
But Ji Yang countered, “Not necessarily.”
“Shao Cang?”
“There are suspicious points in the Linglong Capital massacre. Nan Yi was a Nascent Soul cultivator. Why did he happen to arrive in Linglong Capital on the day of the demon-slaying gathering, and why was his loved one the one being executed? Moreover, just before his arrival, a ‘friend’ told him about mermaids causing trouble and harming innocents.” Ji Yang continued, “The massacre occurred twenty-two years ago. Afterward, your mother went to the Mortal State. Since she gave birth to you there, it seems her marriage to the Dragon Lord of Chen State didn’t happen. Could there have been another scheme at play?”
“…”
“If this was a conspiracy, the mastermind behind it achieved at least three goals: First, they engineered Nan Yi’s descent into demonic madness, causing the massacre. Second, with the Nan clan killing people and destroying a city in Chen State, the alliance between Yin and Chen States became impossible. Third, they forced Lady Nan Fang to flee to the Mortal State… And perhaps, the cause of your mother’s death that you mentioned on the whale ship might not have been illness.”
Seeing Nan Yan’s face change, Ji Yang gently covered her cold fingers, chilled by anger.
“A’Yan, from now on, don’t trust anyone from the Upper States easily.”
The Buddhist light in her eyes flickered several times. Nan Yan closed her eyes briefly, suppressing the turmoil in her heart. When she opened them again, her eyes had regained their serenity.
“Shao Cang.”
“Hm?”
She looked at Ji Yang for a while, then leaned on his shoulder, nuzzling like a child.
“I’ve grown up now. Next time, let me be the one you depend on.”
“…Alright.”