"Back when I fought the Shanyue, their ranks teemed with shamans and sorcerers who commanded miasmas, serpents, and vermin. The army issued talismans like this to ward off their sorcery. This talisman saved my life, though its divine light has faded by now, leaving it no different from scrap paper. That is the second item.
"The Shanyue liked to adorn themselves with beast bones, feathers, and colored glaze. I killed my share and scavenged these valuables from their corpses. That is the third item.
"Tomorrow, I'll take this piece of colored glaze and tell your Second Uncle that Xiangping picked it up from the river. Whether Li Yesheng caught a glimpse of it or not, we will insist it was nothing more than a shard of colored glaze that happened to glint under the moonlight."
Li Mutian took out a shard of colored glaze, put the other items away, and spoke in a low voice to Li Tongya.
"Father has thought of everything," Li Changhu agreed, nodding. "Second Uncle is generous, sees the bigger picture, and won't make an issue of it."
"Pity that Li Yesheng is such good-for-nothing trash," Li Tongya murmured, glancing sideways at his father.
Li Mutian picked up the mirror, set it on the wooden table, and shook his head.
"Now the question is what this treasure can do and how to use it. If we aren't careful, all our efforts may come to naught."
Inside the mirror, Lu Jiangxian had listened to every word, turning things over in his mind. He couldn't move on his own. Whether to protect himself or find a way out of the mirror, and if he were to carve out a path for himself along the long journey of cultivation, he would have to rely on the manpower and resources of this land.
The Li family were simple farmers with shallow roots, yet every one of them stood out from the crowd.
The father, Li Mutian, possessed exceptional courage and worldly insight; the eldest son, Li Changhu, was smooth, tactful, and generous; the second son, Li Tongya, was bold, sharp, decisive, and fearless; and both Li Xiangping and Li Chijing were quick-witted and clever. They were truly an ideal family to hitch himself to.
Besides, with neither arms nor legs, he could neither walk nor run. Finding someone else was out of the question—was he supposed to stay silent, be tossed back into the river like trash, and spend another century in mute imprisonment?
*In any case, I need to see what's to the north first, even if it's only a glance from afar.*
With that thought, Lu Jiangxian channeled the current within him toward the upper left corner of the mirror frame.
Inside the room, the Li brothers had spent quite a while fiddling with the mirror to no avail, being gingerly cautious lest a clumsy bump ruin their chance at immortality. The moon essence felt cool and soothing like water to the touch, yet it would neither scatter when blown upon nor yield when inhaled.
Then Li Xiangping picked up the mirror and brushed his hand lightly across the surface. Lu Jiangxian seized the moment and stirred his energy. The upper left corner of the mirror flared with light, making Li Xiangping jump. The boy cried out in alarm, frozen in place, unsure whether to hold onto it or set it down.
Li Tongya leaned in close. An arc of bright white light gleamed along the upper left corner—tapered at the ends and thick in the center, strikingly beautiful. It lingered for several breaths before slowly fading away.
"Brother, it lit up!" Li Xiangping said in an excited whisper.
Li Tongya took the mirror and ran his hand across the surface just as Xiangping had done. Sure enough, a beam of white light shone forth. He passed the mirror to their father, motioning for him to do the same.
Both Li Mutian and Li Changhu stroked the mirror in turn, marveling in wonder.
Li Tongya let out a soft exclamation of surprise, took the mirror back from his elder brother, and stroked it again with his back turned to the others.
"Father, no matter where you stroke it, the light always points toward the north. Just like..." Li Tongya began solemnly, gazing at the mirror in his hands.
"A compass," Li Mutian nodded.
Inside the mirror, Lu Jiangxian couldn't help cheering. *This kid is sharp—just one hint and he gets it!*
"First, we go to the village entrance."
Li Mutian stroked his beard, then turned and headed further inside, calling to his sons, "Fetch a slab of cured pork. We're paying the teacher a visit."
***
Li Yesheng rubbed his eyes as he trudged into his front courtyard, cursing under his breath and kicking pebbles along the path.
"What sort of treasure were they clutching? Treating a few melons like gold! Those damned bastards, sneaking out with blades in the middle of the night—they've definitely got something to hide!" He sat down on a stone, a thought sparking in his mind.
*Li Mutian gallivanted around outside for twenty-odd years; he must have plenty of good stuff on him! There has to be a treasure.* He began calculating quietly.
*Too bad those bastards are so stubborn—you can't scrape a speck of dirt from between their fingers. And that old man of ours is ancient and pig-headed, refusing to say a word to his dying day. Otherwise, when Li Mutian drops dead, we should all get a share of his things!*
Li Yesheng glanced toward the courtyard gate and saw his younger brother, Li Yesheng, timidly walking in. Glaring at him, he barked, "Get over here, you little wretch!"
He grabbed his brother's collar and hurled him toward the front of the house. The boy rolled across the ground, curling into a terrified ball.
"I heard you're cozy with that cur Li Xiangping. Tomorrow, you go to his place and steal a couple melons for us to eat!" he snarled viciously.
***
Li Mutian led his three sons from the tail end of the village to the entrance. Along the way, a villager resting against a doorframe called out with a smile, "Uncle Mutian! Where are you off to?"
"Taking a little something to the teacher!" Li Mutian raised the cured pork in his hand with a grin.
Upon reaching the village entrance, Li Mutian scanned their surroundings, patted the shoulders of Li Tongya and Li Xiangping, and said quietly, "Go."
Understanding his command, the two bent low and slipped swiftly into the dense reed marshes.
Li Mutian gazed anxiously into the distance. His eldest son couldn't help but remind him, "We should have told them sooner: if they see anything miraculous, they should look from a distance and retreat at once, without lingering."
"Tongya knows where to draw the line."
Li Mutian narrowed his eyes, countless calculations flitting across his mind like fleeting shadows.
He knew full well that he might lose two sons tonight, though he would still have Li Changhu to carry on the family line. Yet they might also return safe and sound, bringing the Li family a chance to rise to prominence. Clenching his fists, he was consumed by a deep, agonizing guilt.
*Two hundred years.*
For two full centuries, the Li family had toiled on this land, their faces to the soil and backs to the sky. Faced with a potential stroke of fortune, Li Mutian had made the rational choice for the family's interests, yet emotionally he suffered intense torment.
"Brother Li!"
The courtyard gate swung open with a sudden clatter, breaking Li Mutian's train of thought. Han Wenxu, the teacher, stood there holding a small bowl, staring at him in surprise.
"Teacher."
A bright smile spread across Li Mutian's face as he strode up to the steps and set the cured pork onto the wooden stand.
"How can I accept this?" Han Wenxu nodded with a smile.
He took the cured meat, cut off a piece, and sliced it thinly onto a small plate. After stir-frying some pickled vegetables, he dished that out onto another small plate as well. The two men brought out a low table, poured two small cups of rice wine, and sat before the door to chat.
"The immortals soaring high across the skies seem to have finally stopped coming," Li Mutian said with a long sigh, putting on a relaxed expression.
Han Wenxu shrugged, then clicked his tongue in wistful admiration. "Ah, immortals!"
"When I was twelve, an immortal came to our town." He pursed his lips and said wistfully, "He said he was looking for people whose apertures had opened. Out of over a thousand young children in the whole town, he found only three with opened apertures and took them away. Who knows—among those immortals soaring high above today, there might even be someone from my hometown."
"An immortal fate is hard to come by," Li Mutian said after a long silence, offering comfort.
"Hard to come by, yes... hard to come by..."
Han Wenxu stared blankly at the moon in the sky, repeating the words over and over.
Both men harbored their own thoughts, sinking into a heavy, troubled silence.
Chapter 5