The Mirror Master

"Third Master Luo, is there any news from the Evil Extermination Bureau?"

"How much longer do we have to stand guard here?"

"Yeah, even though it’s daytime, the guys are getting restless just staying here. Feels like a cold, ghostly wind is blowing through."

Seeing someone from the owner’s family arrive, the other guards and miners who remained gathered around, all complaining at once.

"Thank you all for your hard work. There should be news in the next day or two."

Luo Mingzhao could only offer temporary assurances to the crowd.

The Black Dog seemed to sense something and stirred restlessly.

Lu Bai glanced down at it.

Remembering Lu Bai’s instructions, the Black Dog immediately fell silent.

Lu Bai surveyed his surroundings, his gaze finally landing on the mine entrance. "I’m going to take a look inside. You all can stay out here."

"I’ll go with you."

Luo Mingzhao said in a low voice, "I am in the Innate Realm, after all. If something feels wrong, I can at least retreat at a moment’s notice."

"That won’t be necessary."

Lu Bai smiled. "It’s broad daylight, and the sun is blazing. No Ghostly Creatures or evil spirits would dare come out. I’m just going in to check out the environment. I’ll be out soon.

"I just need someone familiar with the layout inside to come with me."

Luo Mingzhao frowned to himself.

When it came to familiarity with the mine’s interior, he really was no match for these miners.

Lu Bai’s gaze swept around, landing on Master Wang in the hut. "Master Wang, would you mind accompanying me for a look inside?"

"Not a chance. I’m not going."

Master Wang shook his head repeatedly. "It might be day outside, but that mine is pitch-black. There’s no sunlight in there. Who knows if that evil thing is hiding inside."

Lu Bai said, "But didn’t you accompany Senior Luo inside last night?"

Master Wang sneered. "What’s Elder Luo’s Cultivation level, and what’s yours?

"Following the Elder, I was able to run back with my life intact. If I go with you, I’m afraid this old man’s life will be forfeit in there."

"One hundred taels of silver."

With a faint smile, Lu Bai took a silver note from his robes and offered it.

The breathing of the surrounding miners grew heavy.

For standing guard here, they only received an extra three taels of silver per day.

A hundred taels for a single trip inside.

"Young man, I’ll take you! I’m familiar with the inside, too!"

One of the miners clenched his jaw and stepped forward.

"Hmph!"

The moment Master Wang saw this, he snatched the silver note from Lu Bai’s hand, stuffed it into his robes, and said, "Fine, let’s go. I’ll risk it and take you in one more time.

"But let’s be clear: I’ll only accompany you part of the way. I’m not going down into the mineshaft."

"Fair enough."

Lu Bai cupped his fist.

Luo Mingzhao and the others followed Lu Bai and Master Wang to the entrance of the mine.

"Everyone, please stop here. If too many people go in, it’ll just cause chaos. I won’t be able to look out for you all."

Lu Bai stopped the group, his expression serious.

’He just needed to get away from everyone to make it easier to use the Ancient Mirror.’

"That’s right."

Xiaodie nodded emphatically.

She knew this from personal experience.

When she and Li Yue’er had followed Lu Bai into that cave, they hadn’t just failed to help—they had nearly gotten themselves killed.

"How about this: the time it takes for one incense stick to burn."

Luo Mingzhao said gravely, "If you’re not out by the time it burns down, I’m going in after you."

"That’s more than enough time."

Lu Bai smiled.

With that, Lu Bai turned with the Black Dog and walked into the mine, his form swallowed by the darkness.

"You’ve got guts, kid."

Master Wang muttered, lit a torch, and followed him into the mine.

Inside the mine, the light was dim and yellow.

Most of the torches on the stone walls had gone out.

All around was dead silence.

Only the sound of their footsteps on the dirt floor broke the stillness.

The air was cold and viscous, thick with the smell of rust and damp earth, mingled with a hint of rot.

DRIP!

A drop of water fell, the sound startlingly loud in the spacious cavern.

Lu Bai and Master Wang walked in single file.

Strangely, Lu Bai hadn’t said a word since they entered.

"Young man, for someone so young, you have a lot of courage. Aren’t you afraid of the evil spirit in this mine at all?"

In the flickering torchlight, Master Wang’s expression looked strangely sinister.

"If I was afraid, I wouldn’t have let you follow me!"

Lu Bai stopped in his tracks.

SHING!

The Cyan Cloud Sword left its sheath.

A cold glint flashed.

Lu Bai swung around and slashed downward, a vertical strike from head to toe.

RIIIP!

The blade struck the top of Master Wang’s head. The impact felt tough and resistant, not like bone and flesh, but more like slashing through thick leather.

Master Wang was split in two!

A suit of human skin abruptly tore open, curling back to both sides.

There was no blood, only a nauseating, putrid stench that billowed out!

The next moment, a ghostly wind erupted!

Through his Eye of Illusion, Lu Bai saw a ghostly figure burst from Master Wang’s skin suit. Its expression was one of shocked fury, clearly not expecting Lu Bai to see through its guise.

The moment the ghost appeared, Lu Bai’s movements never ceased. Wielding a Peach Wood Sword, he slashed horizontally at it.

The Ghost Soul scrambled to dodge, but Lu Bai’s two-sword attack was lightning-fast and without warning.

First, the Cyan Cloud Sword tore open the disguise, followed immediately by a strike from the Peach Wood Sword in his left hand.

TSSSS!

The sword’s tip grazed the Ghost Soul.

The Ghost Soul’s form wavered slightly.

It had taken some damage, but the effect was minimal!

The Peach Wood Sword no longer had its Restriction, after all, so its power was limited.

"AWOOOO!"

A bloodcurdling, ghostly howl rang out.

It was a sharp, venomous cry that bored directly into the mind.

Anyone struck by such an assault would fall into a trance, trapped within the Illusion Realm created by the Ghost Soul.

Lu Bai’s expression remained unchanged, a divine light glowing in his eyes as he stayed locked on the Ghost Soul. He pulled a handful of Cinnabar from his robes and flung it forward.

The ghostly figure drifted with incredible speed, trying to evade.

Suddenly, a black shadow shot out from a corner, opened its great maw, and clamped down on the ghost’s leg, tearing viciously!

The Black Dog, seizing the perfect moment to assist, channeled the Evil Qi from its body through its sharp fangs and into the ghostly figure.

Its movements restricted, it was showered head-on with Cinnabar.

The Ghost Fire surrounding the figure visibly shrank.

"AHHH!"

The ghost let out a miserable shriek.

Before it could react, Lu Bai flicked his wrist.

Ten Copper Coins shot forward.

Nine of them passed harmlessly through its body.

But one of them sank deep into its form.

"The Five Emperors Coins!"

The ghost shrieked in pain, its Soul Body nearly dissipating!

HSSSSSS!

Wisps of green smoke rose from the wound made by the Five Emperors Coins.

In a single exchange, the ghostly figure was rendered utterly powerless, all but crippled by Lu Bai!

Before it could recover, Lu Bai strode forward. A deep, dark vortex appeared on his chest, emitting an incredibly terrifying aura!

The ghost’s form warped in horror.

It struggled to escape, but it could not resist the devouring pull of the dark vortex.

In the blink of an eye, it was reduced to a wisp of faint light that shot into Lu Bai’s chest and disappeared.

CLANG!

The Desolate Emperor Coin fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Lu Bai let out a quiet sigh of relief, his mind focusing on the Ancient Mirror.

In a corner of the mirror’s surface, a new mote of Soul Light had appeared.

This mote was surrounded by a faint halo, just like the Little Ghost he had consumed back at Black Tiger Stream.

’A Level 1 Soul Light is in the bag!’

Level 1 Soul Light. This was a name Lu Bai had come up with himself.

’Little Ghost, Great Ghost, Fierce Ghost... once they’re collected by the Ancient Mirror, they just become Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 Soul Light.’

Though he had yet to reach the Inner Strength Realm, dealing with this Little Ghost had been much easier than the last one.

Lu Bai looked down at the two halves of the human skin suit piled at his feet.

’A Painted Skin Ghost?’

Lu Bai thought to himself.

He had only ever heard of them in legends; he never thought he’d actually encounter one.

A Little Ghost fears the sunlight, but by hiding inside human skin, it could walk around in broad daylight, almost impossible for an ordinary person to detect.

The sinister chill that invaded Luo Tianxiong’s body last night must have been caused by this.

Luo Tianxiong was an Innate Martial Artist with powerful, condensed Blood Qi, so the Painted Skin Ghost hadn’t dared to attack him directly.

But by traveling with the Little Ghost, he had inevitably been infected by its sinister, evil energy.

While exploring the mine, Luo Tianxiong had felt that something was increasingly wrong. He’d assumed it was a problem with the mine itself, never imagining that a Painted Skin Ghost was walking right beside him the entire time!

That was after just one night. If he had spent another night with the Painted Skin Ghost, his Blood Qi would have weakened, giving the Ghostly Creature an opportunity to make its move.

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