The Labyrinth

Since the man had thrust his hand forward for him to see, he might as well take an open look. Yes, it truly was Shao Jian's ring, genuine beyond a shadow of a doubt. Even the inconspicuous little pit along the rim of the spiral corner was identical. Fang Canran's acute reaction proved that not only did he know the ring's origins inside and out, but he was also acutely aware of the consequences if it were exposed. From his attitude alone, He Lingchuan had already obtained most of his answers. What next? Seeing that he remained silent, Fang Canran pressed further: "Which organization do you belong to? Why do you recognize my ring? What was your purpose in approaching me?" He Lingchuan gave a wry smile. "All right, all right, you win. I'll confess." He had only looked at the fellow's ring twice—just twice! "Speak." He Lingchuan seemed to compose himself. "I was sent to find you. The previous encounters were merely tests. The recognition cipher is: 'Singing wildly, drinking freely, light as air; never seeking peace from wind and rain!'" The moment those fourteen words left his lips, Fang Canran's pupils contracted violently, and he blurted out, "H-how do you know that line?!" "It was all written in the secret letter." He Lingchuan shifted his arm. "Left middle finger, storage ring." After he spoke that earth-shattering cipher, Fang Canran's urge to uncover the truth grew many times more urgent. With He Lingchuan seated and Fang Canran standing, he instinctively leaned down and reached for his captive's ring. Yet he had only bent halfway when he sensed something amiss. Seen from this angle, the knot of the rope seemed... different from before? Alerted, Fang Canran shot backward like an arrow. Sure enough, the man in the chair sprang up, pouncing at him like a starving tiger. He Lingchuan had been gathering power for a long time, aiming to succeed in a single strike. Who had baited whom this time, eh? Yet before his hand could clamp onto Fang Canran's shoulder, a golden shield shimmered into existence before the manager. He Lingchuan slammed right into the shield and was instantly repelled, hurtling backward at the exact speed he had lunged forward. As the chief manager of Dun Garden, Fang Canran handled countless treasures daily, so naturally he kept a few trump cards tucked away. This protective magic artifact was called the Come-and-Go Armor. Once every ten-odd breaths, it could deflect an enemy, sending them flying back as fast as they had come. After bouncing his foe away, Fang Canran hurled a small round pellet forward and wheeled around to leap toward the window, refusing to linger in battle. This ambush against He Xiao had already failed; a swift, clean retreat was his best move. His opponent had bested Fan Sheng, the second commander of the Tongxin Guard, possessing no mean martial prowess. Fang Canran had no intention of staying behind to face his wrath. And after that? Only after escaping would there be an "after that." Before the pellet even hit the ground, it silently detonated into a roomful of silver light. The lightning-like radiance had no effect on the inanimate furniture around them. But if a living creature looked straight at it, the sudden shock would leave them dizzy, unsteady on their feet, and momentarily unaware of where they were. This device was known as Soul-Shocking Thunder. In an instant, it could stun the soul and even knock one or two po-souls clean out of the body, making a person sluggish and completely disoriented. Fang Canran wagered that He Lingchuan was a martial artist lacking effective defenses against spiritual attacks. Such a shock would delay his opponent for at least several breaths, allowing Fang Canran to withdraw at his leisure. Besides, this was Yuexiang Villa—his own turf. Would He Xiao dare murder the host right here? As Fang Canran turned, he had thought all of this through. Yet just as he reached the windowsill, before he could vault through, a ribbon-like blade-light flashed before his eyes! What seemed like a single strike filled the entire chamber with silver brilliance, like mercury spilling across the ground. That blade-light happened to reflect right into Fang Canran's eyes, shining no less brilliantly than the flash of the Soul-Shocking Thunder. The blade passed, and the man was gone. Fang Canran wasn't dead; his form had simply vanished into thin air. Hmm, this fellow didn't have high cultivation, but he certainly had plenty of tricks. Recognizing it as an illusion, He Lingchuan turned his head to look. Fang Canran's true self had already taken advantage of the diversion to dash toward the rear hall. Not only did he clear the threshold, but he also slapped a mirror beside the hall in passing. The mirror reflected the glow of the fluorescent spores and flashed. He Lingchuan shot forward in pursuit. With his speed, he should have overtaken him effortlessly, catching Fang Canran at the porch of the rear hall. To He Lingchuan's eyes, the man's stride was practically in slow motion. Yet the reality was that the moment He Lingchuan stepped over the threshold, the space ahead was completely empty. The rear hall was still the rear hall, but Fang Canran was nowhere to be seen. Did he speed up? Frowning, He Lingchuan bolted toward the corridor. Yuexiang Villa was fully booked today. If Fang Canran escaped this courtyard and ran into other guests, capturing him would become far more troublesome. The corridor led past the private chambers and connected to the blooming backyard; standing in the rear hall, he could even catch a glimpse of the garden scenery. Passing the threshold, he should logically have entered the corridor. And yet, he didn't. He Lingchuan found himself back in the front hall. The same folding screen, the same table and chairs, the same windows, the same dishes... the same mirror! Except it was completely deserted. He dashed toward the back again, entered the rear hall, and stepped over the threshold— And just like that, he was back in the front hall! "A loop formation." Fang Canran was thorough indeed, having planned several steps ahead for both his escape and trapping enemies. With such looped formations, unless one could find the formation core, they would be trapped in an endless cycle with no way out. In theory, a core always existed. The problem was, it was usually heavily camouflaged, not easily spotted or deciphered. He Lingchuan even walked over to the table, picked up a few bites with his chopsticks, and smashed several plates. Yet when he looped through again, everything had restored itself. The soul-snatching mirror inside his coat suddenly spoke: "Walk it a few more times." Looking around from side to side, He Lingchuan walked toward the rear hall. Once—back to the front hall. Twice—back to the front hall again... He walked a full seven times. When He Lingchuan's pace slowed, the mirror urged him at once: "Keep walking! If I didn't tell you to stop, don't stop!" Has it been too long since your last beating? Your skin's itching again, shouting at your master? He Lingchuan exhaled and continued playing this game of phantom walls. To an outsider—or rather, to Fang Canran—he appeared to be running around like a headless fly. Thus, Fang Canran's voice rang out: "Young Master He, this magic artifact is called the Heart-Piercing Mirror. Nested in infinite reflections, you will never walk your way out, no matter what you try." The moment he spoke, He Lingchuan stopped to listen. Unfortunately, the voice drifted near and far, impossible to pinpoint, sometimes even sounding like a voiceover from very far away. "A mirror?" He Lingchuan said coldly. "Chief Manager Fang's hospitality today has truly left a deep impression. How long can you keep me trapped?" Fang Canran replied with leisurely composure, "As long as I wish." "Stop joking. Everyone knows I came to Yuexiang Villa as a guest. If I don't return before tomorrow morning, the Crown Prince will come knocking," He Lingchuan said, continuing his endless trek. "Don't forget, there are also two Tongxin Guards keeping tabs on me at all times." He crossed the threshold and returned to the front hall. That was the ninth time. Fang Canran sighed. "Then I'll just have to burn this place to the ground. I laid down a restriction beneath Fuqu Courtyard; once triggered, a great fire will consume the building. I doubt you'll be able to run out." "Openly committing murder on your own turf?" He Lingchuan stared. "Are you mad?" "How would it be murder on my part?" Fang Canran chuckled. "It was clearly an assassin who infiltrated Fuqu Courtyard, failed to kill you, and set the courtyard ablaze. I am a victim as well—I merely had the good fortune to escape. Afterward, I'll even be seeking damages from the culprit." "..." "Young Master He has enemies all over Lingxu City. Would it be so strange for one or two rivals to make a move on you?" Fang Canran added. "Everyone knows me as a merchant who greets every guest with a smile, having neither grievance nor grudge against you. Who would ever suspect me?" He Lingchuan gave a dry chuckle. "You've already got the whole script prepared?" "Therefore, I advise you to set aside your prejudices, Young Master He, and let us shake hands and make peace." Having delivered his threat, Fang Canran immediately offered terms. "Without deep-seated hatred, why must we fight to the death?" "You're the one who has been targeting me all along," He Lingchuan said, between laughter and tears. "Before you drugged me, I harbored no ill will toward you." "That couldn't be better." Fang Canran let out a long breath of relief. "In that case, tell me everything you know about the signet ring, and I will let you out." He Lingchuan turned a deaf ear. Fang Canran wasn't suddenly softening; he was beginning to consider how to clean up this mess. Though he talked tough, burning He Lingchuan to death would bring him zero benefit and would invite retribution from the Chiyan people. Since he would very likely have to release him in the end, he wanted both to pry out the intelligence now and reconcile with He Lingchuan. Yet how did he intend to prevent He Lingchuan from settling scores with him afterward? He Lingchuan was curious about that as well. "Do you think this formation can truly trap me?" He Lingchuan ground his molars. "Useless mirror!" Fang Canran found those last two words utterly baffling. Only the soul-snatching mirror understood that its master was hurrying it along. Throughout his exchange with Fang Canran, his feet had never stopped moving. He had now completed his thirteenth loop. "Almost, almost..." It let out an "oh." "Yes, yes, right here!" Where? It's not convenient for me to speak aloud right now, so can you drop the riddles? "The mirror surface you passed on your ninth loop was slightly different from the rest!" the soul-snatching mirror said with great excitement. "A subtle change like that is almost invisible to human eyes, but don't think it could fool me!" It had noticed the anomaly on the ninth pass? Why hadn't it told him then? He Lingchuan paused slightly. As if sensing his irritation, the soul-snatching mirror hastily explained, "I had to calculate how many loops make up a cycle! See, haven't I figured it out now? Exactly twelve loops per cycle! You've just begun the second cycle. Hmm, this is the second pass of the second cycle—oh no, the third pass now." Because He Lingchuan had just stepped across the threshold. Fang Canran was saying, "No matter what secrets you reveal, I will definitely let you out." He Lingchuan asked casually, "Are you sure?" Fang Canran: "I'm sure!" Soul-snatching mirror: "Of course!" The mirror in his coat added further, "When you walked past the mirror for the ninth time just now, Fang Canran suddenly had a lot more to say. Heh heh, he wanted to distract you, to keep you from noticing the change in that mirror." He Lingchuan asked Fang Canran, "Do you understand the origins of that signet ring yourself?" Fang Canran found it amusing. "Remember, Young Master He: I ask, you answer." "Fine. I saw that signet ring before I ever met you at Dun Garden," He Lingchuan said, walking two more loops in an unhurried manner with his hands behind his back. "If that's what you want to know." "How is that possible?" Fang Canran refused to believe it. "It is one of a kind. There is only one in the entire world." "It seems you know the signet ring like the back of your hand." Fang Canran let out a regretful sigh. "Young Master He, I see you as a peerless talent among men. As long as you survive, your future is limitless." "Thank you, I think so too," He Lingchuan smiled. "You're no ordinary man yourself, Mr. Fang—you haven't brought shame upon your ancestors." This was more than just sarcasm; Fang Canran fell instantly silent. Second cycle, sixth pass. Seventh pass. Amid Fang Canran's silence, he crossed two more times in succession. He Lingchuan lightly and deftly hopped over the threshold. "I did see that signet ring, but I never said it was necessarily the real physical object." Fang Canran indeed spoke up again: "What do you mean?" "I saw an illusion in the desert to the west."