A World of Its Own

The great flood dragon blinked, chuckled, and estimated the heat before tossing in various spirit fruits one by one, muttering to himself, "Three whole days and three whole nights. Controlling the heat is especially crucial when brewing this human elixir. Fortunately, I have brewed it for so many years that the process is second nature to me by now. "On the other hand, these humans truly are ruthless. To even be willing to use juniors of their own kind to refine elixirs—no wonder we beasts have never been able to compete against them. If not for their conflicts of interest and mutual hostility, where would there be any room left for us to survive?" Touching the sword scar beneath his scales that had ached faintly for three hundred years, a deep, thick fear surfaced in the dragon's eyes. He lightly clenched his claws, releasing a few faint flashes of pale green light. "More than three hundred years... I cultivated from the early Purple Palace to the peak of the Purple Palace, yet this wound has never once healed... Li Jiangqun..." That face bearing a crescent-moon mark on the forehead suddenly rose before the dragon's eyes. His emerald-green slitted pupils constricted sharply, and he ground his teeth. "Thank goodness that man is dead." Dazed for a moment, the flood dragon hurriedly fed the spirit fruit in his hand into the elixir furnace. Calculating the time, a glint of anticipation appeared in his eyes. Refining elixirs was one of his few hobbies, and this pill would surely be one of his most outstanding creations. Gently opening the elixir furnace, the scene he had envisioned—rosy light filling the room and the rich fragrance of pills wafting all around—did not appear. Frowning, he beckoned, and an earthy yellow pill flew out of the refining furnace. Disbelief covered the flood dragon's face as he muttered, "That shouldn't be! It should be snow-white! How did it turn out like this... Could it be that the medicinal potency was too immense, causing it to return to simplicity?!" Puzzled, the dragon shook his head in embarrassment. Drawing out a silver needle, he lightly scraped the surface of the pill. A faint glimmer immediately radiated from the needle. "Disaster!" A look of vexation washed over the dragon's face, his heart flooded with regret and confusion. "How could this happen?! The medicinal potency is far too shallow! If this pill is sent over, that old ghost Chi Wei will surely fight me to the death! "I've gone through several hundred years—how could I make such a terrible blunder!" The flood dragon's slitted pupils rolled slightly. Drawing a box of bright white liquid from his storage bag, he flicked a finger and began coating the pill with it. From time to time, he took out over a dozen herbs, mixed them in, and returned the pill to the furnace to refine for another hour. Opening the furnace once more, brilliant rosy light burst forth, and sweet fragrance filled the chamber. With a disgruntled look, the dragon thought to himself, *Forget it, forget it. If he dies from taking it, so be it—I can only manage the superficial appearance! In any case, if that old ghost fails his breakthrough, he is as good as dead. How could he possibly summon anyone to cause trouble for me? The payment is already in my hands, so let him be!* And so, packing the elixir away, he leaped out of the pool and delivered it to the green-robed cultivator. *** The back courtyard of Mount Lijing. The greenish-gray magical mirror hovered quietly above the stone altar, shrouded in hazy, mist-like moon essence just as it had in peaceful serenity for the past three years. The mirror's surface glowed faintly, and the twelve incantations engraved upon it brightened and dimmed like gentle breathing. Incense sticks stood in the altar table below, drifting wisps of blue smoke curling outward. It was clear that over these past few years, the Li family had not slacked in the slightest; daily offerings were replaced on time, and the censer was kept spotless. "It has finally succeeded." Having finished merging the mirror fragment, Lu Jiangxian swept his divine sense across his surroundings. Divine light flickered upon the mirror's body, and countless insights welled up in his heart. Sinking his divine sense into the mirror, a desolate, decaying world came into view. Layers of dark, dreary mist hung high in the sky, while below lay a land riddled with holes and countless ruined, grayish-white structures, strewn with heaps of collapsed crescent-white rubble. "Within the mirror... a world of its own." Attached to this mirror fragment was a small world spanning a thousand li in radius. At its center stood a towering, majestic mountain, speckled with the remains of countless moon-white buildings that formed white patches scattered across the slopes, growing denser toward the foot of the mountain. With a thought from Lu Jiangxian's divine sense, rich Taiyin moon essence emerged out of thin air, swiftly gathering at the base of the mountain to coalesce into a white-haired man draped in a long robe, its cuffs and collar embroidered with crescent-moon patterns. He moved his limbs, a profound sense of unfamiliarity rising within him. A mirror with flowing watery light quickly took shape before Lu Jiangxian. Facing this countenance unseen for decades, an intense feeling of disorientation overwhelmed him. The face was still the same, yet the eye sockets were deeper, and a faint scar traced his left cheek. "Who am I?" A sudden sensation of weightlessness rushed into his mind, and Lu Jiangxian's divine sense swept across the entire world like a tempest. Stepping across the ruins, he followed the jade tiles up the mountain step by step. After walking for an unknown duration, he arrived at the platform at the very summit. In the center of the platform stood a massive tree with white leaves, its gnarled roots intertwined. Beneath it sat merely a stone table and a stone chair, and in the middle knelt a figure. The person wore white robes, jade boots sewn with brocade silk, and a jade crown. His features were handsome, with a crescent-shaped mark at the center of his brow. He looked up at Lu Jiangxian and said softly, "Mansion Master." Lu Jiangxian's mind went blank for an instant. A strangely complicated emotion stirred in his heart, yet his mouth opened of its own accord to answer, "Jiangqun." The white-robed youth smiled faintly. As thousands of thoughts raced through Lu Jiangxian's mind, he opened his mouth to speak, but the youth dispersed like flying sand in the wind, leaving only a faint halo of white light behind. Lu Jiangxian stared blankly for a breath, tears already streaming down his face without his realizing it. Extending a hazy, jade-like arm, he received the halo of light. A sudden brightness flashed before his eyes, and he sank into a light dream. *** "Li Jiangqun!" Just as he had several times before, Lu Jiangxian sank into Li Jiangqun's memories, standing bowed in a vast, boundless hall. At his side drifted hazy, mist-like pale-white moon essence. Enormous white jade pillars engraved with intricate patterns towered on both sides, supporting this oversized palace. His gaze remained fixed on the intricate patterns of the jade tiles on the floor, as though trying to discern a flower from them. "Do you acknowledge your crime?!" "This disciple acknowledges his crime!" Li Jiangqun knelt gently and raised his head slightly. Only then did Lu Jiangxian see a figure seated upon the carved white jade throne above, adorned with dragons and phoenixes. Long white hair flowed down, cascading past the throne. That face was all too familiar—it was Lu Jiangxian himself! Yet the version of him seated above appeared far more mature. When he had suffered his sudden death, he had only been in his twenties, whereas this self looked at least thirty or forty years old, gazing down at Li Jiangqun with an indifferent expression. "I hereby punish you with exile to the southern bank. Take your clansmen with you, and do not return until you have broken through to the Purple Palace!" "This disciple accepts the punishment!" Li Jiangqun answered respectfully. Seeing this, the Lu Jiangxian seated above frowned and said gently, "Sentimentality does not achieve greatness. You place too much trust in others and hold promises too dearly. This leak of secrets is but a small lesson. If you do not correct it in the future, I fear you will die at the hands of those so-called friends of yours." "This disciple understands!" Li Jiangqun nodded, his eyes clear and bright. Looking up at Lu Jiangxian with a smile, he said, "In this disciple's eyes, it is all the same. If one cannot be utterly loyal and devoted to friends, how could one ever put one's master at ease? If one could deceive a friend, what would stop one from deceiving one's master? If I, Li Jiangqun, were the type of hypocrite who acts one way to a person's face and another behind their back, Master would never have trusted me with such matters in the first place." Seated above, Lu Jiangxian shook his head slightly and spoke softly: "Qun'er, this world has never been black and white. Murderous villains may hold faithful to their vows, and sweet-talking merchants may harbor unwavering devotion. High-and-mighty immortal cultivators commit atrocities of slaughter, while lowly commoners scraping by can possess noble fraternity. You see things too purely. Though it yields double the result with half the effort in cultivation, it is truly far too dangerous." Li Jiangqun was stunned, nodding without it being clear whether he had taken it to heart. Lu Jiangxian, meanwhile, scrutinized the version of himself above, searching for a trace of familiarity. The self on the throne looked somewhat forlorn, appearing exceptionally solitary against the backdrop of the vast, boundless hall. He spoke softly: "It has been so many years since I founded the Yuehua Yuan Mansion. Look at those beneath us—where is there any semblance of people of one mansion sharing a common bond? They intrigue and scheme against each other in endless frenzy. My nature is indolent; I was never suited to be the master of this mansion. It was merely something I had to do." "The Mansion Master's cultivation in formations and talismans is admired by the entire world. When you wield the magical mirror, how many under heaven could rival you? No one would ever dare harbor such a thought!" Li Jiangqun hurriedly cupped his hands. Yet the world in Lu Jiangxian's eyes grew blurrier and blurrier; this memory was coming to an end. Everything before him slowly faded, leaving Lu Jiangxian standing alone where he was, surrounded by the bleak, gray world. His mind was in utter turmoil. Was his twenty-odd years of modern life merely a fleeting dream, or was that master of the Yuehua Yuan Mansion his former life in a dream? Opening his mouth, Lu Jiangxian realized he was all alone, with no one to confide in and nowhere to speak. He was an optimistic person, yet the loneliness he had avoided for decades in his heart finally surged forth. Raising his fingers slightly, he intended to pass through the mirror to return to the back courtyard of Mount Lijing. But a great terror rose in his heart, and visions of lightning, flames, and northern gales darted through his mind. Lu Jiangxian let out a bitter smile and muttered, "At least this prison is much larger now."