The Mirror Legacy - Chapter 1309: Hidden Place (II)

Chapter 1309: Hidden Place (II)

Dangjiang left the courtyard with his head lowered and wandered for some time. It did not take long for him to find himself in front of a large pavilion within the manor. After presenting the command token in his hand, a heavenly soldier went inside to report.

Soon, a heavenly soldier clad in gleaming scale armor with upright features emerged from the pavilion and announced loudly, “The Immortal Maid of the Hidden Pavilion of Profound Seven invites you to enter.”

Dangjiang had been worried that she might refuse to see him. Now it felt like a pardon from heaven. He hurried forward, passed through ornate corridors, and saw stacks of silvery white jade slips piled together. A woman in tea white robes sat upright beside a desk.

Shaohui looked slightly weary. The point of pale white light at the center of her eyebrows flickered faintly, clearly showing that these days had not been easy for her. Even upon seeing Dangjiang, she did not find him as noisy as before and asked, “So it is you. Has something happened?”

Although Shaohui had been reassigned, Dangjiang was nominally still her subordinate, which was why he could see her. He knelt on the ground and cried, “Back then, Immortal Official Liu entrusted me with a duty to look after the talent designated by the Mansion Lord. But recently he has encountered an immense calamity, and his life cannot be guaranteed. That is why I have come to ask you, my lady.”

Shaohui frowned; she knew he was speaking of Chi Buzi. She naturally did not have the leisure to meddle in other people’s troubles, yet she also did not wish to bear responsibility, so she asked, “What trouble is it?”

Dangjiang bowed as he said, “It is still the same matter as before. The Pristine Water True Monarch above him, who has attained the Pristine Water Fruition, is about to return from the Outer Heavens. His divine ability broke through by borrowing my destiny, which has implicated the heavens. The True Monarch will likely seek him out, and I fear it may bring trouble.”

Shaohui shook her head. “Who would dare provoke trouble with the heavens? Let it be. That so-called True Monarch, once he hears it concerns the heavens, will not kill him. It is only that the heavens have not yet manifested in this world, and a sudden exposure might invite censure from above.”

These words struck home for Dangjiang. He did not find Pristine Water particularly frightening, nor was he as cautious as Chi Buzi. What he feared more was delaying matters from above. After he performed a salute, Shaohui said, “Wait here for the moment. I will go and see the lord.”

Dangjiang was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly as he settled in to wait in the pavilion. He waited anxiously for more than half an hour until there was finally movement. A woman in a tea-white immortal gown entered from outside the pavilion, looking thoughtful.

When Shaohui stepped into the pavilion, Dangjiang hurried forward and asked respectfully, “My lady…”

Shaohui shook her head slightly and replied, “I went to ask the lord and obtained a few pieces of information. I will convey them to you.”

Her expression turned solemn as she spoke carefully, “First, there is no decree from the lord. The Mansion Lord passed him a spell art merely as a reward for watching over you. He has no connection to the heavens. The time for the heavens to manifest in this world has not yet arrived. If he is seized by Pristine Water, the traces of the immortal will naturally fade away, and there will be no risk of exposing the heavens.”

Dangjiang felt bitterness in his mouth and understanding dawned in his heart. It was as though he had finally digested Chi Buzi’s words. He listened as Shaohui continued, “Second, Lord Zhen’gao considered that he is single-mindedly seeking immortality and has left him a slim chance. If he himself believes that Pristine Water will harm him, he may request an Immortal Official from the heavens to examine him and see whether there is room to turn the situation around.”

Dangjiang felt a gloom settle in his heart and said with difficulty, “May I ask which one to request?”

Shaohui gave a slightly helpless smile and replied, “Me.”

She rose from her seat in the pavilion and said, “Go then. Bring him over.”

Dangjiang had no choice but to retreat quickly and return to the courtyard. Chi Buzi had not moved an inch and was still seated by the desk. Dangjiang quietly conveyed the two pieces of information with a bitter expression.

Chi Buzi, however, let out a breath of relief and said with lowered eyes, “Good. Take me to see the lady.”

The news did not surprise Chi Buzi. He had already anticipated that Zhen’gao would be willing to leave him a path of survival. That alone was enough. In fact, he had long had a premonition of the danger he now faced.

The moment I went to the island to meet Li Qinghong, I had to be prepared to be crushed by Pristine Water at any time. Now that it has come, it is neither unexpected nor too early.

Back then, after he spoke those words of betraying Pristine Water to Li Qinghong, Chi Buzi had only one thought, If I die, then so be it. I will go and try!

What he thought now was no different. With his heart satisfied and ambition surging, he lowered his head and passed through the corridor beside the many immortal generals and immortal maids. He ascended the pavilion stairs and slowly reached the desk before Shaohui.

With a thud, he knelt and said respectfully, “My lady, thank you for saving my life!”

Shaohui had never found him pleasing to the eye, yet the other party was a Grand Daoist Master who had prostrated himself fully before her. She gathered her emotions and spoke softly, “Do you have any ideas?”

Chi Buzi raised his head. His pale green eyes were bright with vitality, without the slightest trace of dejection or despair, as he said softly, “I do not wish to give up the chance to enter a grotto heaven and pay homage to the immortals of the heavens, nor do I wish to abandon my Dao. Given the circumstances, the only course is to deceive Pristine Water.

“To deceive Pristine Water, even I myself must not remember. The moment I know that I am deceiving him, the True Monarch will know that I am deceiving him.”

Shaohui looked at his expression. Even though she had never been fond of the man before her, she could not help but be moved at this moment and said, “Go on.”

Chi Buzi said quietly, “My thought is that I myself must not know. The memory must be removed and stored somewhere. After Pristine Water probes me and leaves, the memory can then be returned to me, allowing me to escape. Once he returns to Pristine Cadence Heaven to heal, it will be difficult for him to keep watching me.”

Shaohui frowned slightly as she listened to Chi Buzi continue softly, “I need a method that can remove certain memories before the eyes of a True Monarch without being discovered.”

The immortal maid before him shook her head and replied, “More than that, no jade slip can record memories related to the heavens. You would have to strip away a portion of your soul to store this memory. But splitting the soul is not something you or I can do. Moreover, the pain of splitting the soul is worse than having one’s tendons torn and skin flayed.”

Chi Buzi had not considered pain at all. He had grown step by step from the Azure Pond Sect to his current position precisely because he was willing to seize every opportunity that flashed before him, by any means necessary. Even if that opportunity was no more than a tiny crack, he would shave bone and strip skin to force his way out like a weed pushing through stone.

Whether it was Chi Wei, Zhen’gao, demonic beings, or immortal gods, whatever the higher powers required him to be, Chi Buzi could become that. With the Golden Core Realm before him, there was nothing that could not be discarded and nothing that could not be accepted.

Relying on my own strength alone, even tearing tendons and flaying skin a hundred or a thousand times would not let me escape Pristine Water’s grasp. I would be crushed like an ant. Yet I do not need much. With even a trace of energy of the same inherent rank aiding me, I would have the qualification to deceive him.

Yet Chi Buzi did not nod at first. His heart chilled as he replied, “How could Pristine Water fail to notice a severed soul? He will not consider how many methods lie behind me, nor does he need to think about countermeasures. As long as it involves me, it touches upon breaking through the Golden Core and shaking fruition attainment, as well as such wondrous means as splitting the soul. He will allow no one to act and will simply kill me at a glance, even if it means bearing the pressure of the Underworld’s judiciary.”

Shaohui pondered for a moment and said softly, “I can ask on your behalf about methods of separating memory. Perhaps some spirit artifact can accomplish it. But how will you ensure that Pristine Water leaves? If he is as cunning as you say, returning without revealing his presence and departing without showing his tracks, how will you calculate when your memoryless self should recover its memory? That is nearly impossible.

“Moreover, even if you truly wait until he leaves and then recover your memory, how will you know when he might suddenly reappear? A Golden Core descending into the manifested world happens in an instant. The day his will stirs, the moment he steps even half a foot out of Pristine Cadence Heaven, everything about you will be known to him immediately.”

Despite seeing Shaohui shake her head repeatedly, Chi Buzi remained calm and said in a low voice, “This matter seems difficult, but in truth, this memory is only needed at the time of making offerings.

“As long as you have a way to let me deceive his eyes, I can ensure that I capture demons, recall this matter in some hidden place, make offerings to the heavens, and then forget it again before leaving.”

Shaohui’s expression gradually grew solemn. She stared fixedly into his eyes, deep puzzlement surfacing within them, and asked, “Is there truly some hidden place that even a True Monarch cannot see?”

Chi Buzi narrowed his eyes slightly. There was a cold calmness deep within his lowered face. “I do indeed know of such a place, a domain that even a True Monarch cannot see.”