Mirrors

"Begging for a beating?" Zhai Cai froze for a moment, his gaze turning thoughtful as he looked at Jumang. Then, he beamed at Brother Red Chicken. "You seem to look down on mink coats." As he spoke, he slipped both hands into the sides of his coat and flicked its hem behind him with a dramatic swish. *Fuck, can't you run your words through your brain first? Forget it, I didn't warn them...* Zhang Yuanqing's mind was brimming with complaints, feeling Brother Red Chicken had completely blown their cover in conversation. "Begging for a beating" had been Xiaoyao Sword Immortal's description of the Single-Inheritance Knight, but Jumang and Zhai Cai weren't well acquainted! Granted, it could be explained away as Xiaoyao Sword Immortal having briefed Jumang on Zhai Cai's personality—after all, the Sword Immortal and Jumang were in the same organization. However, the Single-Inheritance Knight possessed exceptionally sharp intuition. When they first met, Zhai Cai had keenly sensed Xiaoyao Sword Immortal's hostility, which made Zhang Yuanqing somewhat wary, worried that Zhai Cai might deduce the true connection between Jumang and Xiaoyao Sword Immortal. Brother Red Chicken, completely unaware that he had offended two people with a single sentence, burst out laughing. "Bro, your mink coat is really slick! Put it on and you're a handsome dude, I'm super jealous! But why the hell are you wearing it in this scorching heat? You look ridiculous. Careful you don't get heatstroke!" Zhai Cai eyed him up and down. "You're a Fire Specialist?" Brother Red Chicken blinked. "How'd you know?" "Oh, then never mind!" Zhai Cai forgave his offense and stopped paying him any attention. Scanning the group, he said, "Winnie took Old Brent into the mountains to hunt. This afternoon, they're heading to the coast to fish, collect seashells, and camp on the beach. They won't be back until tomorrow morning, so we have a full day and night. "Time is tight. Follow me." With that, he turned toward the wrought-iron gate and followed the flagstone path past the flowerbeds, heading toward the three-story grand villa with its two annexes. The group followed him through the lovely front yard, pushed open the white solid-wood double doors, and entered the main building's lobby. Two women in black-and-white maid outfits lay fast asleep on the gold-patterned carpet. The entire villa was dead silent. "I knocked out all the servants in the villa and fed them sleeping potions. Unless someone wakes them, they'll sleep for two days." Leading them upstairs, Zhai Cai explained, "Pan's Labyrinth doesn't exist in the real world. Its coordinates are anchored to this villa. The only way to enter the labyrinth is of your own volition. That's a rule—even the labyrinth's master must abide by it and cannot violate it." "Sounds like you just said a bunch of nonsense!" Brother Red Chicken chimed in. Zhai Cai wore an expression that plainly said: *You're a Fire Specialist, so I won't bother talking to you.* Tianxia Guihuo, a fellow Fire Specialist, instantly grasped the underlying information in Zhai Cai's words. He remarked, "This means if the owner of Pan's Labyrinth wants to use this item against enemies, they can only lure them inside. The activation requirements are somewhat demanding, but in exchange, the interior of the labyrinth must be fraught with peril." Zhai Cai nodded repeatedly. "Are you a Scout?" Tianxia Guihuo lifted his chin. "I'm a Fire Specialist." Zhai Cai: "???" After a long, stunned silence, he marveled, "A Fire Specialist with such intellect actually exists in this world? Did you drink an Aberrant's potion and mutate your brain?" The corner of Tianxia Guihuo's mouth twitched. He finally understood why Yuanshi said this man was begging for a beating. Seeing that the wise Fire Specialist didn't reply, Zhai Cai shrugged and continued, "Winnie told me the way to enter Pan's Labyrinth is to jump from the third floor down to the first floor, sprint from the first floor up to the second, enter the left hallway, run all the way to the end, and push open the door there. That will lead into the labyrinth." *The human design behind that is way too obvious!* Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself. Zhai Cai said, "Old Brent designed the route. Entering the labyrinth has to be voluntary, but the entry method can be set by the master. Old Brent lives here in seclusion; whether it's the evil faction or old enemies, no one would proactively pick a fight with a retired veteran in command of Pan's Labyrinth. So he turned the labyrinth into a storage room and made the entry sequence into a passcode." As they talked, the group arrived on the third floor. Zhai Cai casually picked a room, pushed open the window, and leaped down into the front yard on the ground floor. The others followed suit, jumping out after him, then charging back into the villa, rushing up to the second floor, turning into the left corridor, and running straight to the end. Zhai Cai grasped the doorknob of the door at the end of the corridor and twisted it open with a click. Behind it lay another hallway, virtually identical to the one behind them, like a mirror image. Unlike the villa, however, the doors lining both sides were closely packed like a hotel hallway, each bearing a room plate. The room numbers on both sides all began with "1"—ten rooms in total, numbered 101 to 110. Zhai Cai said, "You should have already seen the basic intelligence on Pan's Labyrinth, so I'll just highlight the key points. Pan's Labyrinth has six levels in total: two levels correspond to Level 6, two to Level 7, and two to Level 8. "However, don't assume the first level's rooms correspond to Level 6. They might correspond to Level 7, or even Level 8. "The six levels of the labyrinth constantly shift. Yesterday, the first level might have been Level 6, while tomorrow it could be Level 7. As for what it corresponds to today..." He shrugged. "I have no idea either." Brother Red Chicken said nonchalantly, "Won't we know if we just open one and look?" Zhai Cai clapped vigorously. "Brilliant idea! Applause! A round of applause is definitely in order!" Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Brother Red Chicken's visibly angered face and warned the Single-Inheritance Knight, "You'd better change your tone. Antagonizing a Fire Specialist in a dangerous place is an idiotic move." Fire Specialists were brainless to begin with; angry Fire Specialists were even worse. Zhang Yuanqing turned back to Brother Red Chicken and said exasperatedly, "What if the first level corresponds to Level 8 today? Do we all hold hands and return to the Spirit Realm?" "Well, I can definitely survive," Zhai Cai stressed. Brother Red Chicken thought about it and found that reasonable enough. Zhai Cai continued: "I've already mapped out safe routes through the first and second levels, so just stick with me. "You must follow me closely. Remember, do not open any doors on your own. If you get lost inside, our only hope will be Old Brent rescuing us—and Old Brent might not be too keen on saving a bunch of thieves like us. "Inside Pan's Labyrinth, the corridors are safe zones free from any danger. If what I just described happens and one of you unfortunately gets separated from the group, remember that you must do everything you can to make it back to the corridor. That's your only shot at survival." As Zhai Cai spoke, he walked purposefully toward Room 106. He didn't twist the knob right away, adding, "Our destination this time is Room 503. That's Old Brent's storage room." With that, he opened the door to Room 106. Behind the door lay pitch-black darkness, obscuring everything within. Zhai Cai stepped into the dark, and the others filed in behind him. Once they entered, the darkness promptly dispersed. It was a spacious room, devoid of furniture and appliances, completely empty. Where a window should have been was another door. "An empty room means safety!" Zhai Cai noted, leading Zhang Yuanqing and the others across the room before pushing open the door at the window's position. Behind the door lay another corridor lined with rooms on both sides, identical to the previous scene, except the first digit on the room plates had changed to "2". Moving with clear purpose, Zhai Cai went straight to Room 201 and led everyone inside. It was another empty safe room. Stepping out of Room 201, they reached the third level. "Out of ten rooms, only one is a safe room." Zhai Cai stroked his chin. "If we pick wrong, we'll have to fight our way through. Clear it, and we can proceed to the fourth level." Fail to clear it, and they would return to the Spirit Realm. Tianxia Guihuo was the first to speak. "First assess the risk level of the third floor, then use spirit servants to scout." With that, he looked at Zhao Chenghuang and Sun Miaomiao. The Taiyi Sect's Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix understood instantly, immediately casting Star Physiognomy to read everyone's faces. A second later, Zhao Chenghuang's expression shifted slightly, and Sun Miaomiao cried out in shock: "Disasters of blood and death for everyone..." Except for the three Starlords, everyone's expressions hardened. "Me too? We can't be this unlucky, can we?" Zhai Cai drew a sharp breath. "Does the third level correspond to Level 8 today?" Zhang Yuanqing instinctively started to say something, but caught himself in time and glanced at Zhao Chenghuang. Young Zhao understood his intent and clarified, "Allow me to correct that. Star Physiognomy sees fortunes in the short term. The short term could mean right now, a few hours from now, or within a day. "A disaster of blood and death means we will encounter a life-or-death crisis in the labyrinth, not necessarily on the third level." At this point, Zhao Chenghuang glanced at the Single-Inheritance Knight. "You might not survive either." This was a retort to Zhai Cai's earlier boast—*I can definitely survive.* *Young Zhao's sense of team honor is growing stronger,* Zhang Yuanqing thought approvingly, even though Young Zhao was aloof, quiet, and not one to express his feelings. Next, Sun Miaomiao randomly picked a room and sent a spirit servant inside, but the instant the spirit servant entered, she lost connection with it. "Divination and fortune-telling probably won't work either. Let's just open a mystery box," Zhai Cai mused. "Let's go with Room 306. Six is my lucky number." *Triple six? Sigh, if I'd known, I wouldn't have given the Lucky Necklace to Li Chunfeng...* Zhang Yuanqing recalled that item. Back when handing over his "relics," he had given the necklace to Li Chunfeng. Although he was resurrected later, he hadn't arranged to meet Li Chunfeng—after all, Li wasn't a core guild member, so he never asked for the item back. Led by Zhai Cai, the group followed him into Room 306. As the darkness receded, everyone saw the scene inside. It was a room... filled with mirrors. The ceiling was embedded with countless hexagonal mirrors fitting tightly together like the pattern on a tortoise shell. The walls and floor were the same. The entire room was composed of innumerable palm-sized hexagonal mirrors, reflecting countless Zhang Yuanqings, Guan Yas, and Sun Miaomiaos—layer upon layer, reflecting each other endlessly. It was dazzling and disorienting to look at. "Evidently, my lucky number didn't bring any luck." Zhai Cai held out his hands and opened his inventory, intending to draw his knight's broadsword to deal with the unknown danger. "Don't stray too far from me—huh??" He suddenly froze, his expression darkening. His inventory wouldn't open. The members of Return of the Dead, who possessed a similar sense of danger and were preparing to withdraw items just in case, discovered the exact same thing. "Hey, I can't use my skills!" Brother Red Chicken yelled. Zhang Yuanqing and the others immediately attempted to activate their skills. Yet those supernatural powers, imprinted into their genes like instinct, were sealed away within their bodies. With their inventories inaccessible and skills sealed, a flicker of panic rose in everyone's hearts, stripping away their sense of security. If danger struck, they would have nothing to rely on besides their formidable physical constitutions. "If I'd known, I would have taken my items out beforehand!" Sun Miaomiao stamped her foot. "It wouldn't have worked!" Guan Ya raised her hand, displaying the wooden bracelet on her fair wrist. "The abilities of items are sealed as well." The situation now was that everyone was trapped inside the mirrored room. The door they entered through had vanished, there was no exit in sight, and no telling what danger awaited them. Just then, the dense swarm of hexagonal mirrors covering the room flashed with blinding light. The glare stung their eyes until they ached and welled with tears, forcing them to reflexively close them. After about a dozen seconds, Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes and asked, "Is everyone all right—" He stopped dead in his tracks, staring dumbfounded at the sight before him. He saw two Guan Yas, two Sun Miaomiaos, two Zhao Chenghuangs, two Zhai Cais... and beside him, a second Zhang Yuanqing.