Chapter 144: The Painting Depicts the Mirror Master’s Tribulation
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation)
Amidst the mist-shrouded peaks of Spirit Sword Mountain, deep within the southern realms of Ling Prefecture, a solitary figure remained in secluded cultivation. The Little Mirror Master of Spirit Mirror Mountain had been in isolation for over half a month, striving to break through to the Heaven Resonance Upper Stage.
If she succeeded, she would not only be the fastest to reach this realm in the current era, but also the youngest in a thousand years to ascend to the Boundless Martial Stage. A cultivator at merely twenty-two reaching such heights was an achievement so unfathomable that few would believe it, yet it was unfolding in reality.
Outside her chamber, Cui Er, Xing Er, and Ding Yao had stood vigil for over half a month, their boredom gradually giving way to drowsiness. The Mirror Master had entered a state of absolute seclusion, unlikely to emerge easily. Yet, as maids, they remained stationed here, ready to receive and organize important messages from the sect—only if truly necessary would they disturb their master.
“Senior Sister Ding Yao, when do you think the Mirror Master will emerge?”
“Though she possesses exceptional talent, breaking through to Heaven Resonance Upper Stage is no easy feat. It could take as little as half a year or as long as a full year. However… she may temporarily come out today.”
Cui Er and Xing Er exchanged puzzled glances. “Why would she exit before reaching a breakthrough?”
Ding Yao hesitated before replying, “Wan Qiu returned yesterday and brought something interesting for her. I suspect she won’t be able to resist…”
“Oh, the paper she sent in this morning? If it’s something good, why do you look so worried, Senior Sister?”
“Because… that thing unsettles the Dao Heart.”
It was at noon when Zhuo Wan Qiu had rushed to Cloud Summit Palace, carrying books and paintings in her arms. Ding Yao had personally taken them in and even glanced through them. What she saw was not mere exaggeration—those works were truly capable of disrupting one’s Dao Heart.
Cui Er and Xing Er had not seen them, but if they had, they too would have been shaken.
Just as they spoke, a sudden noise erupted from within the chamber.
The two maids tensed, instinctively peering through the veil-draped window.
Dressed in a crimson robe, Yan Shu Yi stepped out from her meditation chamber barefoot, her snow-white feet soundlessly meeting the floor. Half a month of seclusion had left her slightly unkempt, with loose strands of hair framing her face as she yawned, dashing straight to the desk. Her cold and distant eyes instantly brightened at the sight of the newly delivered booklets and paintings.
“…She raised her sword to the heavens, executing a sweeping arc, eliciting gasps from all directions…”
“Three consecutive punches struck him, and all assumed he was wounded, yet through sheer resilience, he forced himself to stand…”
“The vile scoundrel Chu He swung his blade with the force of a thousand catties, his qi penetrating the air—then, with a sharp tearing sound… his robes fell apart, revealing a broad and chiseled chest…”
The book and paintings complemented each other, the illustrations meticulously crafted to match pivotal moments in the story. Some descriptions were so vividly detailed that they warranted equally lifelike depictions.
Yan Shu Yi’s expression darkened as she read the line: ‘Three consecutive punches struck him, and all assumed he was wounded.’ But then, her cold demeanor shifted as she reached: ‘With a sharp tearing sound… his robes fell apart…’ Her delicate face froze.
Her right hand turned the illustrated pages slightly slower than her left, allowing the text to sink in before the accompanying image appeared. Despite not yet seeing the illustration, her mind had already conjured a vivid picture.
With cautious anticipation, she flipped the page.
The painting captured Chu He from a low-angle perspective, emphasizing the muscular definition of his bare upper body, his head raised proudly, his garments absent.
Holding her breath, Yan Shu Yi leaned in, her gaze intently fixed upon the artwork.
[…I want to see this in real life.]
Outside, Cui Er and Xing Er, watching through the window, noticed a delicate blush creeping onto their master’s otherwise cold and composed face, her expression tinged with dazed bewilderment.
“Why is the Mirror Master’s face so red?” Cui Er’s curiosity about the booklets deepened. “What exactly is depicted in those illustrations?”
Ding Yao hesitated before answering, “The painting shows the Mirror Master’s tribulation.”
“???”
Seeing the two maids’ confusion, Ding Yao refrained from elaborating further, choosing instead to continue observing their master’s reaction.
From the pace at which the pages were being turned, it was clear that Yan Shu Yi had reached the “bare-chested, head-raised” sequence of images. Her gaze lingered, her soft toes curling slightly upon the floor as though delicate petals closing into a bud.
A true tribulation indeed…
Ding Yao silently lamented, watching as the Mirror Master repeatedly returned to study those particular pages in detail, seemingly appreciating every aspect of the artwork.
Finally, after an entire hour, her snow-white feet moved from the bed to the carpet, her steps quick and determined as she made her way toward the door.
Ding Yao instinctively straightened, turning her back to the door, feigning nonchalance.
The door swung open, and Yan Shu Yi spoke with cold authority.
“Ding Yao, I have a task for you.”
“I am here to serve, Mirror Master. Please instruct me.”
“Go to Sword Forest and summon Gong Shu Chou to me.”
“???”
After midday, Ding Yao found Gong Shu Chou at the most crowded place on Spirit Sword Mountain, the Sword Gazing Platform, and led him toward the Cloud Summit Palace on Mystic Sword Peak.
At this moment, Gong Shu Chou’s expression was solemn, his brows furrowed deeply.
He knew that some matters, even if carried out behind a mask and executed with utmost subtlety, were destined to be exposed eventually.
However, what he had not anticipated was that this matter would alarm the Mirror Master herself, prompting her to emerge from seclusion to personally question him.
For years, matters concerning sect affairs and internal discourse had been handled by Sect Master Yan Zhong. The Mirror Master had been devoted solely to cultivation and would not personally intervene unless it was an urgent and grave situation.
In recent years, the only matter she had personally inquired about was the ruins.
Gong Shu Chou furrowed his brows. No matter how he thought about it, he could not understand how this situation could be as serious as the ruins.
With apprehension weighing upon his heart, he followed Ding Yao up to the Cloud Summit Palace.
Yan Shu Yi had already donned the Mirror Master’s Immortal Robe, her head adorned with the Glazed Immortal Crown, exuding an aura of absolute authority. She seemed like a celestial being descending upon the mortal realm, compelling Gong Shu Chou to bow to the ground, not daring to meet her gaze.
In the midst of this tense atmosphere, he suddenly noticed the Mirror Master’s attendant approaching him.
With an outstretched hand, she presented him with several sheets of paper, densely packed with writing.
Gong Shu Chou took them and glanced over the contents, his eyes widening as he realized they contained a detailed record of Ji You’s participation in the Heavenly Script Academy’s Outer Court Autumn Duel, documenting how he had slain Chu He, the second son of the millennia-old Clan Chu!
However, the section following “his clothes burst apart” seemed to be missing several pages of intricate details, as if someone had deliberately removed them.
“Mirror Master…?”
“Take it.”
“?”
Gong Shu Chou was still bewildered when he was dismissed. Holding the manuscript in silence, he pondered for a long time, unable to grasp the full intent behind it.
Yet, he was a man in his forties, long since tempered by experience. He was not one to remain entirely clueless.
Thus, he carefully reread the script and vaguely discerned a hidden message.
Indeed!
Although these pages narrated Ji You’s victory over Chu He in the Autumn Duel, a deeper implication lay concealed within two subtle words—Sect Prestige!
For Ji You had defeated the second son of Clan Chu with the swordsmanship of Spirit Sword Mountain! His triumph was a testament to Spirit Sword Mountain’s sect prestige!
Gong Shu Chou gazed upon the vast, snow-capped peaks and suddenly understood the deeper meaning of the Mirror Master’s decree.
Thus, by the afternoon, news of Ji You’s battle at the Autumn Duel, where he defeated Chu He with Spirit Sword Mountain’s swordsmanship, swept through the disciples of Spirit Sword Mountain like a raging tempest.
No one knew where the rumor had originated, but its momentum was undeniable, stirring up fervent discussions.
In truth, since the Autumn Duel had been witnessed by numerous disciples from the Seven Great Immortal Sects, word had already spread among them.
However, without a doubt, Spirit Sword Mountain’s version of the tale was the most detailed and vivid, filled with such meticulous descriptions that one felt as if they had been personally present.
When the story reached the part where Ji You unleashed seven swords at once, revealing Spirit Sword Mountain’s Dao Sword, “Little Overlapping Mountain,” every disciple of Spirit Sword Mountain felt a chill run down their spines.
Then came the revelation of how he forsook the sharpness of his sword, breaking techniques with sheer force, leaving countless disciples in stunned admiration.
For some inexplicable reason, upon hearing that Ji You had used Spirit Sword Mountain’s swordsmanship to defeat Chu He and gain entry to the Inner Court, even though they knew this was an internal matter of the Heavenly Script Academy, the disciples of Spirit Sword Mountain still felt a sense of kinship with Ji You.
It was as if, despite being a disciple of the Heavenly Script Academy, Ji You was, in their hearts, a fellow brother of Spirit Sword Mountain, a comrade lost to another sect.
As the tale spread east and west, some female disciples of Spirit Sword Mountain even unconsciously began addressing Ji You as “Senior Brother.”
“Our Spirit Sword Mountain’s swordsmanship is this powerful? It can even shatter the foundations of a millennia-old clan?!”
“As expected of our Spirit Sword Mountain’s swordsmanship…”
“This story is so detailed. Where did you hear it?”
“Just now, on the way to the Sword Forest, I met a Senior Brother wearing a bamboo hat. He was the one who told me.”
“With such intricate storytelling, it cannot be false. No matter how elaborate a fabricated tale is, there will always be flaws, but this one has none!”
“Senior Brother Ji is truly powerful…”
“Indeed! I once heard that even cultivators at the Dao Fusion Stage might not be able to withstand his sword. I didn’t believe it before, but now I see I was too ignorant.”
“And to think Senior Brother Gong Shu could hold his own against such a sword prodigy for several exchanges and still survive! He truly lives up to his name!”
At the Sword Gazing Platform, countless people engaged in heated discussions, and even after two hours, the fervor had not subsided.
As they continued to debate Ji You’s strength, a man clad in simple black robes walked up the mountain path from below the Sword Forest.
“It’s Senior Brother Gong Shu!”
“As expected of Senior Brother Gong Shu…”
At that moment, Gong Shu Chou gazed at them with an indifferent expression, his brows slightly furrowed as he listened to their conversations in silence. Then, he turned and left, drifting away like the wind.
Neither delight nor disgrace could shake him. He beheld the flowers blooming and falling before his courtyard, indifferent to their cycle. He cared not for arrivals or departures, only gazing upon the clouds as they rolled and scattered across the heavens.
To him, the affairs of the mortal world were of little concern—only the Dao of the sword remained eternal.