The Mirror Master

Lu Bai went home to pack. He left the Peach Wood Sword with its broken Restriction at home and slung the Cyan Cloud Sword over his back.

After his last battle with the white-robed female ghost, Lu Bai had realized that the Peach Wood Sword was of little help to him anymore.

With his current Cultivation and Blood Qi, if he encountered a Yin Soul Little Ghost, he could devour it with the power of the Ancient Mirror alone, even without the Peach Wood Sword.

If he ran into a Great Ghost, he would have to rely on Silent Shock, the Five Emperors Coins, and the Desolate Emperor Mother Coin to severely injure it first.

Before leaving, Lu Bai called Luo Qing over. Seeing that no one was around, he handed her a few of the Five Emperors Coins and said, "For the next few days, hang these coins on the doors of your bedrooms. They will ward off evil."

"You’re leaving?"

Luo Qing asked.

Lu Bai nodded. "I have to go out of the city for a bit. To keep my mother and the others from worrying, I didn’t tell them the truth. I just said I’d be visiting Lord Li for a couple of days."

Luo Qing looked worried. "I heard there’s a Tiger Demon haunting the area around Zhongming Mountain. It’s too dangerous to leave the city now. Is it something urgent? Do you need my help?"

"It’s fine."

Lu Bai smiled. "If all goes well, I’ll be back in two or three days."

"Oh, right."

Lu Bai beckoned to the Black Dog. When it trotted over, he said, "He’s very smart and has a certain spiritual awareness. With him guarding the Luo Family, plus those Five Emperors Coins, ordinary Evil Spirits won’t dare to come near.

For the next couple of days, could you please feed him?"

’I should leave the Black Dog here to guard the Luo Family,’ Lu Bai thought.

"Ah Mo, Sister Luo will be feeding you for the next couple of days. Go ahead and eat, don’t starve yourself," Lu Bai added, instructing the Black Dog.

He was usually the one who prepared the Black Dog’s food. If anyone else tried to feed it, the dog wouldn’t take a single bite.

The Black Dog lowered its head and gently rubbed against Lu Bai’s pant leg, then looked up at him, a trace of worry in its jet-black eyes.

"Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a couple of days."

Lu Bai smiled and gently stroked the dog’s head.

Seeing that Lu Bai’s mind was made up, Luo Qing said with a serious expression, "You must be careful. If I don’t see you back in three days, I’ll leave the city to find you."

"Okay."

Lu Bai agreed.

After bidding farewell to Luo Qing, Lu Bai took a horse from the Luo Family and rode out of the city.

He checked his direction, then spurred his horse on, sword at his side, heading straight for Zhongming Mountain.

The sun set and night fell. Lu Bai rode without stopping for half a day, finally arriving near Zhongming Mountain.

When he tried to urge the horse forward, it seemed to sense something. It refused to go any further, becoming extremely agitated, and ignored Lu Bai’s commands, turning around to bolt.

Lu Bai leaped off its back and let the horse go.

’It seems the Tiger Demon is right here in the forests of Zhongming Mountain!’

The mountain’s silhouette was black as ink, shrouded in twilight like a colossal, ancient beast lying in wait, emanating waves of danger.

Lu Bai steadied his Heart and Spirit and proceeded on foot.

After walking for a while, he saw plumes of cooking smoke curling up slowly from the foot of the mountain in the distance.

Looking down from a high vantage point, he could see a small village shrouded in the evening mist.

Lu Bai headed toward it.

By the time he reached the village entrance, the sky had grown completely dark.

The fear of the dark felt as if it came from the depths of ancient memory, like a brand.

But ever since obtaining the Ancient Mirror, Lu Bai had grown accustomed to walking in the dark.

Niu Family Village.

Glancing at the stone tablet at the village entrance, Lu Bai then looked into the village itself.

Every household in the village had its lights lit.

Figures bustled about in every home, preparing dinner.

Figures moved along the village path.

A few farmers carrying hoes led their slow-moving old oxen home, chatting about the harvest with hearty laughter.

A group of children chased each other playfully through the village.

They were called home for dinner by women standing in their doorways.

Cooking smoke, lamplight, human voices, the aroma of food, the barking of dogs... It was a scene of warmth and peace.

It was the most ordinary of mountain village evenings.

But through the Eye of Illusion, all Lu Bai saw was a dilapidated village, deathly silent, with no sign of life.

Bodies were strewn about the village—men, women, the elderly, and children. None had been spared.

Some were missing their heads.

Some had been bitten in half.

Others had been torn to pieces by sharp claws.

The village paths were stained red with blood.

There was no cooking smoke, only the black smoke from burnt houses.

Nor was there the aroma of food, only the sickening stench of rot and blood.

Lu Bai walked into Niu Family Village. What he saw through the Eye of Illusion was horrifying.

A village of over a hundred people had been completely slaughtered by the Tiger Demon!

The Tiger Demon hadn’t killed for survival or to sate its hunger. It had killed only for the sake of slaughter.

"Little brother, you look new around here. Just passing through?"

A woodcutter carrying an axe passed by and called out to Lu Bai.

"Yeah."

Lu Bai nodded.

"It’s getting late. Watch out for wild beasts."

The woodcutter smiled. "Why don’t you stay in the village for the night? You can come to my place for dinner and leave in the morning."

"Okay," Lu Bai said softly.

He followed the woodcutter into a thatched hut. Inside, a woman had just finished cooking and was placing the dishes on the table.

A boy and a girl were already seated at the table, waiting only for their father to return so they could eat.

"Oh, we have a guest?"

The woman came forward with a smile, wiping her hands on her apron twice. "Come in, sit down. Join us for a bite. I hope the food is to your liking."

"Daddy, we were waiting for you!" the two well-behaved children called out in clear, bright voices.

"I’m here, I’m here," the woodcutter said with a chuckle. He set down the branches from his back, tossed his axe aside, washed his hands, and beckoned for Lu Bai to sit before starting to eat heartily.

Lu Bai stared at the food on the table, which had long since rotted, and didn’t move.

Before him were merely four Yin Souls.

He kept waiting for them to make a move.

But from beginning to end, the woodcutter’s family showed him no hostility whatsoever.

After finishing dinner, the family arranged a place for Lu Bai to stay and then went to their room to sleep.

Legend has it that Chang Ghosts lure people to tigers.

But the woodcutter’s family had shown no such intention.

Besides, four mere Yin Souls couldn’t possibly affect an Innate Master from the Demon-slaying Bureau.

In these four Yin Souls, Lu Bai didn’t sense the intense resentment and malevolence that he felt from other Evil Spirits.

A flash of understanding went through Lu Bai’s mind.

If a departed soul does not enter the Underworld within seven days, it will transform into a Yin Soul and wander the mortal realm.

Some souls remain in the mortal world due to resentment, malevolence, or hatred.

When these souls become Yin Souls, they carry that resentment and malevolence with them and harm the living.

But other souls might remain in the mortal world simply because of lingering attachments or affection.

Even after becoming Yin Souls, they do not harm people, but continue to live as they always did.

Without harming the living and absorbing their life force, Yin Souls cannot last long wandering the world and will soon dissipate.

After sitting quietly for a long time, Lu Bai sighed softly. He walked over to the woodcutter’s family and activated the Ancient Mirror.

A dark light fell upon the family of four.

Unexpectedly, the four Yin Souls didn’t try to flee, nor did they struggle.

There was no fear on their faces. Instead, they showed a hint of gratitude. Holding hands, they transformed into four wisps of Soul Light and vanished into the Ancient Mirror.

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