The Mirror Legacy - Chapter 1545: Mushroom Forest (II)
Chapter 1545: Mushroom Forest (II)
The sky was bright as morning light spread across the horizon. The vast plains brimmed with life, and along the fertile land by the stream, several streaks of dharma light quickly approached.
A young man of striking bearing, refined and scholarly in his demeanor, rode in front. He wore a feathered robe and a jade belt at his waist, clearly of noble or wealthy origin. Beneath him was a magnificent steed with gleaming silver scales.
Beside him was a young woman dressed in a simple white gown. Though her attire seemed plain, its fabric shimmered faintly with light. Her features were delicate and pure, carrying an unearthly elegance untouched by the mundane world.
The young man smiled faintly and gestured toward the land ahead. “Tianyou, this is Fengxiang Prefecture[1] of the Mushroom Forest Plain. It’s a place of unique scenery and quite a treasured land…”
“Oh?” The young woman glanced at him with a smile and asked, “Brother Liang has been here before?”
Li Jiangliang smiled. “Back when I traveled south, I stopped here for a time. Someone traveling with me told me that this place was once occupied by the Mount Yue tribes, who worshipped an idol. Later, a cultivator named Yuan Chengdun destroyed them, seized their dharma artifact, and left it here. That’s how the prefecture got its name.”
Yang Tianyou spoke softly, “So it was him.”
The two stopped within the prefecture’s city, and immediately several people rushed forward with fawning expressions.
“Young master!”
The young man waved his hand, frowning slightly. “Who is in charge here?”
The group immediately bowed, visibly uneasy. After some pushing and shoving, a middle-aged man finally stepped forward from the crowd. The man had graying hair and carried the air of age. Though his features still bore traces of nobility, one of his eyes was missing, and his beard was unkempt. He staggered forward and bowed deeply.
He was visibly terrified. Stepping forward to take Li Jiangliang’s reins, he stood to the side humbly, his voice trembling. “This lowly one… greets Young Master.”
Li Jiangliang turned his head slightly and said with a smile, “Which family do you belong to? Your cultivation isn’t bad. Show us around.”
The man dropped to his knees with a thud and replied in a low voice, “This lowly one is but a servant-like figure, unworthy of sullying your ears!”
Li Jiangliang’s smile did not change as he said, “Speak freely.”
A stir ran through the crowd below as everyone looked up. The man lowered his head deeply, exposing the bony ridges of his neck, his vertebrae jutting out beneath the skin. His voice trembled as he said, “This lowly one… This lowly one is Yuan Fuyao.”
“Oh!” Li Jiangliang lightly pressed his legs against his mount. The silver-scaled steed snorted, jerking the reins free from the man’s hands. He smiled and exclaimed, “What a coincidence!”
He swung down from his horse. Another man hurried forward from the crowd, his hair entirely white. He quickly pulled Yuan Fuyao behind him, his face full of deferential smiles.
The old man spoke up, “This lowly one, Ding Xiding, greets young master!”
Though aged and white-haired, the old man had thick brows and a trace of vigor in his features. He looked extremely excited as he said, “My lord… my lord… please!”
Yang Tianyou also descended from the spirit beast. The two entered together as people crowded around them in lively fashion. One of Li Jiangliang’s subordinates behind him laughed, seemingly recognizing Ding Xiding.
“Old Ding! I remember you bragging that you were like brothers with Lord Celestial Moon Sword[2]. Now that the real person is in front of you, why have you gone mute?”
The old man’s face flushed red at once, his thick brows lifting high. The words he once boasted so freely now stuck in his throat, and he could only stammer, “I… I did meet him back then…”
Li Jiangliang smiled. “I know… The Ding Family. You once had a presence by the lakeside… bordering the An Family.”
Ding Xiding’s eyes filled with tears. He nodded repeatedly and said, “Young Master is truly remarkable… to have read so widely and remember such distant matters… I am deeply grateful!”
Back when Li Tongya broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, Ding Xiding had felt both awe and jealousy, refusing to speak of it. But as Li Tongya’s fame spread and more members of the Li Family reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, he gradually began boasting about it. Yet once the Li Family produced a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, he no longer dared to say a single word.
Now, hearing it casually mentioned by a junior of a junior, he felt honored beyond measure, tears streaming down his face. As for Yuan Fuyao, whom he had once fawned over as a young master with utmost eagerness, he had already been cast aside like dead weight, standing alone and shrinking into himself.
The crowd escorted them into the prefecture hall. With a single wave of Li Jiangliang’s hand, they all dispersed like the wind.
Yang Tianyou smiled and said, “This place is too close to Moongaze Lake. Everyone knows the Li Family, and rumors all circle back to the lake. Yuan Fuyao’s little matter… is probably known to all.”
Li Jiangliang shook his head with a smile. “No need to make things difficult for him. We still need to win people over. Your brother just settled the Yuan Family, and if I press him now, it would look bad… Besides… I think I ought to thank him.”
Yang Tianyou clearly understood his meaning and shook her head with a laugh. The two wandered through the prefecture for a while, observing carefully.
Li Jiangliang said in a low voice, “A few local families still need to be dealt with. That part is easy enough. The problem is we don’t have enough of our own people, and not all of them are exceptional. Once spread across the vast Mushroom Forest Plain, it becomes even more troublesome…”
Yang Tianyou frowned slightly, a hint of helplessness in her expression, which only made her more captivating. “My family simply doesn’t have many people… I’ve already brought all I could. They still need to handle matters elsewhere, so they can’t all stay here…”
Her tone shifted, carrying a hint of hope. “There are many capable cultivators at the lake… could you borrow a few reliable ones from your family? They don’t have to be in the Foundation Establishment Realm. A few in the Qi Cultivation Realm would suffice. What we lack are trusted aides.”
Li Jiangliang immediately felt awkward. He truly didn’t want to ask the lake for help. Though his cousin Li Quewan and his second brother Li Jianglong, who managed the family affairs, would never refuse him, all his siblings were already contributing to the family. It was one thing that he couldn’t help much himself, but to ask for help on top of that!
Moreover, this matter wasn’t even for cultivation, but for someone else. That made it all the more awkward. He hesitated and muttered, “This…”
As he pondered how to bring it up, he looked up to find they had arrived at the bustling market district. The surroundings were noisy. As he casually glanced around, the jade token at his waist suddenly grew warm. His expression froze at once, caught between surprise and delight.
Li Jiangliang’s gaze swept quickly across the area. Near a stall ahead stood a man in crimson robes, hands clasped behind his back.
He was tall and slender, striking in appearance. Though he stood quietly among the crowd, an exceptional aura surrounded him. His eyes were full of smiling intent, yet the narrow space between his brows and eyes gave him a sharp, almost cruel look. His gaze was slightly narrowed, his pupils gleaming with a golden brilliance.
As if by chance, the man turned his head and flashed him a radiant smile.
Li Jiangliang turned to look at Yang Tianyou. She was already smiling at him. A bitter feeling rose in his chest, and he sighed. “Tianyou… come meet my elder brother!”
1. The meaning of 奉象 (Fèngxiàng) is “to venerate an idol” (奉: revere and 象: image/idol). ☜
2. Referring to Li Tongya. ☜
