The Mirror Master

An incense stick was stuck in a mound of earth outside the mine entrance.

Luo Mingzhao, Luo Qing, and the others stood guard outside the entrance.

The incense stick had only just been lit when a cacophony of ghostly wails and wolf-like howls suddenly erupted from within the cave!

The next moment, a bone-chilling gust of yin wind suddenly surged out from the depths of the cave entrance!

Everyone except Luo Mingzhao shivered involuntarily.

The faces of several Guards and miners paled. Without a second thought, they turned and fled.

A hint of terror also flashed in the eyes of the two brothers, Luo Ben and Luo Xiao.

"The Yin Qi is so thick. Something’s happened inside!"

Luo Mingzhao’s expression was grave. As he hesitated, he saw a figure flash past him, about to charge into the mine.

"Qing’er!"

Startled, Luo Mingzhao dashed forward and grabbed Luo Qing, snapping, "Your Cultivation is too low. Going in there is suicide."

"But Xiaolu is still in there, and his Cultivation is even lower."

Luo Qing’s heart clenched with anxiety.

Luo Mingzhao said gravely, "You stay outside. I’ll go in and take a look. If I’m not back by the time this incense stick burns out, all of you are to return to the city at once. Don’t come back here again!"

"Father!"

Hearing the danger in his words, the brothers Luo Ben and Luo Xiao couldn’t help but exclaim in alarm.

"Qing’er."

Luo Mingzhao gripped Luo Qing’s arm tightly. "You’re the eldest sister. Remember to take good care of your two younger brothers. As long as you’re all alive, there’s still hope for the Luo Family’s future!"

"Some people and some things are in the past now. Don’t live in the pain of yesterday. You’re still young..."

"Father!"

Luo Qing’s eyes reddened. She knew that her father had been worried about her ever since Lu Yun’s death.

But he had never said these things to her directly.

Listening from the side, Xiaodie’s eyes also filled with tears.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a figure standing at the entrance to the mine.

Xiaodie froze, hardly daring to believe it. She hastily wiped the tears from her eyes and stared. Her expression turned to one of sheer delight as she cried out, "Young Master Lu!"

The father and daughter were in the middle of a tearful, heartfelt moment. At Xiaodie’s cry, they instinctively turned to look.

Lu Bai was leaning against the mine entrance, arms crossed, watching them with a smile.

"You..."

Luo Mingzhao was stunned.

"Xiaolu!"

Overjoyed and surprised, Luo Qing started to rush toward him.

"Don’t move!"

Luo Mingzhao suddenly snapped to his senses. Startled, he quickly blocked Luo Qing’s path and scrutinized Lu Bai, his expression guarded and uncertain.

’Just moments ago, the mine was filled with yin wind and unearthly wails, and now, in the blink of an eye, Lu Bai has emerged.’

’But Old Wang was nowhere to be seen.’

This all made him extremely wary.

Moreover, Lu Bai was standing in the shadows of the cave entrance, untouched by the sunlight.

He had heard that some powerful Ghostly Creatures could even possess the bodies of the living.

"I saw you two were having a moment and didn’t want to interrupt," Lu Bai said with a slight smile, walking toward them.

Seeing Lu Bai step into the sunlight with no adverse reaction, Luo Mingzhao relaxed his guard slightly and asked, "What happened in there? Where’s Old Wang?"

"Old Wang has been dead for a long time."

Lu Bai held out his Peach Wood Sword and tossed two flaps of human skin onto the ground. "The Old Wang you’ve been seeing was a Painted Skin Ghost.

The creature was hiding inside Old Wang’s skin, disguising itself as a human and assuming his identity.

If you take these pieces of skin to the Evil Extermination Bureau, their people will be able to figure out what happened."

The few Guards and miners who had fled earlier saw that Lu Bai had made it out alive and started cautiously making their way back.

Hearing this, they all exchanged glances, a chill of belated fear running through them.

’For the last two days, they’d been living with a ghost!’

Luo Mingzhao, inwardly alarmed, asked, "How did a Ghostly Creature like that get into the mine?"

Lu Bai said, "This wasn’t a natural occurrence. Someone is behind this. They killed Old Wang, flayed him, then sewed his skin back together to allow the Ghostly Creature to hide inside.

Without the nourishment of flesh and blood, the skin would quickly show signs of decay, which is why the culprit had to ’apply makeup’ to it every day to hide the flaws."

Luo Mingzhao cupped his fist in a salute. "Xiaolu, we are truly in your debt this time."

’If it weren’t for Lu Bai, who knows how long the Luo Family would have been terrorized by this Painted Skin Ghost, or how many people would have died.’

’By then, we’d have been too exhausted trying to deal with it to keep this Profound Iron Ore mine.’

’My judgment is still sharp, after all,’ Luo Mingzhao thought with a sigh.

"It must be the Sun Family’s doing!"

Luo Ben said, clenching his fists, "This time, the evidence is conclusive. We’ll report it to the Evil Extermination Bureau and see what the Sun Family has to say for themselves!"

"Indeed."

Luo Mingzhao’s eyes gleamed. He quickly realized this was the perfect opportunity to bring down the Sun Family!

Luo Qing said, "But everyone from the Evil Extermination Bureau is out on missions. Even if we report it, I’m afraid it will be a while before we see any results."

"That doesn’t matter."

Luo Mingzhao said gravely, "As long as it’s officially on record, the Sun Family can’t escape the consequences! There’s nothing more for us to do here. Let’s head back to the city."

Lu Bai said, "I’m going to take another look inside the mine. You all can head back first."

"There are still evil things in there?" a miner asked, startled.

"Just a precaution," Lu Bai said. "If there are, it’s best to get rid of them all at once."

He had only come out to let the Luo Family know what was happening so they wouldn’t worry.

Luo Qing said, "I don’t have anything else to do. I’ll wait for you out here."

She knew she couldn’t help with this, so she had no intention of going inside and getting in the way.

The brothers Luo Ben and Luo Xiao also stayed behind.

After giving a few more instructions, Luo Mingzhao gathered the two flaps of human skin, mounted his horse, and rode back to the city.

Lu Bai entered the mine again and had Black Dog search the area.

In a place like this, riddled with tunnels and shafts, the Eye of Illusion was less effective than Black Dog’s keen nose.

Before long, Black Dog returned. It hadn’t found any other Ghostly Creatures.

Lu Bai relaxed. He found a clean spot, sat down cross-legged, and calmed his mind, focusing his attention on the Ancient Mirror.

’Now that I have the Soul Light, there’s no time to waste. I must comprehend the Dragon Elephant Skill as soon as possible!’

He directed the strand of Level 1 Soul Light toward the Dragon Elephant Skill and thought, ’Comprehend!’

The Soul Light touched the Dragon Elephant Skill and was swiftly absorbed.

It was like clouds parting to reveal the sun. The once obscure and incomprehensible Inner Power Heart Method gradually became clear as the Soul Light merged with it.

It was a moment of profound epiphany, and Lu Bai felt as if his mind had been suddenly opened.

In that instant, this profound and complex Celestial Tier Inner Strength method suddenly seemed much simpler.

Nothing is difficult once you know how.

Wave after wave of insight into the Dragon Elephant Skill flooded his mind.

Five Inner Gods, Nine Acupoints Connect with the Netherworld, Breathing and Releasing Essence Qi, Dragon Elephant Power!

Lu Bai began the breathing exercises to temper his internal organs.

However, as soon as he began to circulate the Dragon Elephant Skill, he sensed that something was wrong.

’Something’s not right.’

Neither the breathing exercises nor the circulation of his Inner Strength felt right!

Lu Bai forced himself to continue for a moment longer, but not only did he fail to temper his organs and condense Inner Qi, he felt a tightness in his chest and a dull ache in his lungs.

’This isn’t working!’

Realizing the danger, Lu Bai immediately stopped the exercise.

’If I keep cultivating like this, I’m going to suffer a cultivation deviation.’

Instead of breaking through to the Inner Strength Realm, he would suffer internal injuries.

Lu Bai suddenly recalled something Sun Xuan had said that day at the Drunken Flower House.

The Dragon Elephant Skill is extremely difficult to cultivate. One needs an item from an Ancient True Dragon Giant Elephant that contains Dragon Elephant Qi to even have a chance of success.

His current situation was a perfect confirmation of those words.

He had comprehended the Inner Strength method but was unable to practice it.

After all that trouble, it had all been for nothing.

Lu Bai’s brow furrowed, his expression turning grim.

Just then, he felt a faint stir from the Ancient Mirror.

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