Mirror of Truth

Mirror of Truth sounded so grand with the name that Alex expected a gargantuan mirror to come out of somewhere.

Qinguang pulled out a small metallic device that resembled a pen-like laser pointer, like the ones Alex seen professors used in their lectures to point out lines in their projected power points.

"Don't tell me that's the Mirror of Truth!" Alex exclaimed, noticing Kanghui and Arahabaki retreating cautiously to the corner at the sight of the small device.

A small little pen eliciting more caution from two primeval beings. Alex stared at it as Qinguang chuckled.

"Mirror of Truth initiated," the clerk said monotonously, like he had seen the scenario too many times.

The ground under Alex opened up, swallowing him up into a dark abyss before he could react.

"This trick always works on human souls. They focus on the little things, not the big," Qinguang said.

"Where is he off to?" Arahabaki asked.

"The Mirror of Truth," Qinguang yawned again as his clerk popped up next to him and offered him more soul stones, which he popped into his mouth like candy.

Several holographic screens appeared around the room, displaying Alex's memories of his life in different stages.

Nothing unusual. Alex, as a baby, was wailing away as his mother cleaned his poop from the diapers. Then Alex was the little boy, crying from being pushed around and bullied by others. Qinguang watched a pre-teen Alex being roughed up by the bigger boys made Qinguang raise his eyebrow.

"So that's why he can't fight," Kanghui mused.

"Mundane human life, yet he has the luck to get the big guns on his side," Qinguang muttered as another screen appeared showing the constellations.

"Reverse to birth," Qinguang said as the constellations appeared on screen and then ordered "Four Pillars of Destiny."

Da Siming aura manifested within the room.

"Just be aware of the seventh wave - it has the Supreme Fire," Da Siming spoke.

"Your scroll analyses the energy waves of souls and fiddles around - that's how you got burnt. My Mirror looks at the constellations under which he is born," Qinguang replied.

"How did you know?"

"How else would you know about the Supreme Fire? You got burnt. Ordinary elemental fire can't burn a primeval being like us," Qinguang mumbled while Arahabaki snickered at his words.

Qinguang continued gazing at the formation of constellations above a baby image of Alex. "As a human, he is born unlucky. All Yang energy on the four heavenly stems. All Yang energy on the four earthly stems. Eight categories - double whammy shortens his lifespan."

"Shao Siming would have told me…" Da Siming muttered under his breath as Qinguang shook his head.

"Did you ask her?"

"No."

"There you go, your younger sister doesn't answer, if not asked," Qinguang yawned again and popped more soul stones offered by his meek clerk.

"What's with you looking so tired?" Da Siming noticed the constant yawning of Qinguang.

"Overworked and underpaid," Qinguang glared at Da Siming, annoyed by Da Siming's question. "Plus there is a huge Earthly event going on alongside with other worlds, disease, war and more accidents. Ghosts keep flooding in over these few days. The stars are against us."

Folding his arms, Qinguang asked Da Siming, "have they allocated more storage?"

"A new ghost city is being prepared, and Mengpo has recruited helpers," Da Siming replied.

"Prepared as in built up already or in the planning?"

"Built up. Prepared to populate."

Qinguang heaved a sigh of relief. The Judge-Kings of the other courts had been complaining incessantly to him about the hold ups each time they wanted to release the ghosts from their holding cells.

Qinguang turned his attention to the screens and then stared. "Hold that."

"Ancestry," He ordered as another screen appeared.

"Ancestry? Why would you look at that?" Da Siming asked as Kanghui stepped forward to look.

The holographic screen begun tracing the ancestral roots of Alex from his parents until it started glowing yellow on top of his mother's side.

"He should have died way younger. In childhood, from those accursed stars. Unless someone was fiddling around," Qinguang explained. "We see these cases all the time in ghosts or even in those who went through final evolution."

"Shao Siming would have detected any abnormality, would she not?" Kanghui enquired as Da Siming nodded.

"Trillion souls and ghosts, one or two missed is usual. Ten still good. A hundred missed is fair. As long as the interference is of minimal influence, I doubt she will go through each in detail," Qinguang mused as he brought up the name.

"But this one…" he trailed off, biting his lip at the name and glanced at Kanghui hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"They have imprisoned Xiangliu in the Void, if memory serves me right," Qinguang pointed out.

Xiangliu was Kanghui's second in command until the great deluge of the world. Xitian thrown him into the Void as punishment for his role in annihilating a third of the human population. The only reason Xitian couldn't imprison Kanghui for long was because drought came, despite the efforts of the dragon kings to provide relief. Along with the fact that Kanghui had broken out of the Void with the others, overrunning Xitian in their fury.

"Had been. His location is still unknown," she replied.

"Why do you ask about Xiangliu?" Da Siming asked. "He is too hard to catch, even for us."

"Ever thought why you couldn't catch him?" Qinguang pushed forward.

"Don't tell me - he took over a human body."

Qinguang shook his head. "How long has he been running from Xitian?"

"Around a hundred thousand years."

"Calculate human lives to that. He has to keep picking bodies and not all bodies suit his energy waves," Qinguang said.

"Other factions took him in?"

"Unlikely, others seldom accept those imprisoned in the Void even after release," Kanghui answered before Qinguang could answer.

"Like me, no one wants me even Takamagahara," Arahabaki cut in proudly.

"What else?"

"Why do you think a Celestial Crow would help your little buddy?" Qinguang directed the question at Arahabaki.

"Alex is not Xiangliu."

"Of course, he isn't or I would trap him in the Mirror for capture…" Qinguang trailed off and paused.

"Then what has Xiangliu got to do with him?" Arahabaki, Kanghui and Da Siming asked in unison.

"His descendant. Alex is Xiangliu's descendant when he took a human body. And that's why you…" Qinguang tapped Kanghui on the shoulder, "have a fate with him."

"Let me look at that screen," Kanghui stepped towards the screen to read the ancestral listings.

No mistake. The ancestral genealogy had Xiangliu's name on it with a notation that he took human form. Kanghui's eyes poured over the information quickly as the screen continued to scroll through the names.

"What is this?" She tilted her head.

"Mirror doesn't make mistakes. Xiangliu probably didn't transform but took a viable working biological body as a shell."

"Gives a new meaning to body snatching," Arahabaki said.

"Nothing new in the Courts," Qinguang grumbled. "You guys don't even have a peanut's idea of what a colossal mess the mortal worlds are until something big happens. Xiangliu would have kept a very low profile after taking the body."

"But won't the human soul complain to you?"

"All of you high up there with the bigger picture, don't know what goes on in the lower levels. Even the humans know with their transmigration stories!" Qinguang huffed in frustration.

"Overworked, yet you have time to read those isekai transmigration novels?" Da Siming queried in surprise.

Qinguang ignored Arahabaki, then he turned to Da Siming and said, "Ask your sister about some of the younger suicides. Bound to have a few thinking that they can actually transmigrate to the past. Heck, some even think I am selecting a replacement," Qinguang said, causing Arahabaki to guffaw loudly.

"Seven days and 49 days after?" Da Siming asked. Surely there must have been an unhappy ghost with a stolen body.

Qinguang narrowed his eyes at Da Siming and replied, "No grievances presented by any ghost so far, so there must have been deals made with them regarding any unfulfilled wishes or regrets."

Da Siming pursed his lips, but Qinguang was right. Only the bigger issues mattered to the primeval beings of his rank. Individual human lives bore no importance. Details and each process didn't matter to them as long as they achieved results.

He could feel the resentment radiating from Qinguang. Might be a time to persuade Shao Siming to push Xitian to allocate more resources to the Courts of Hell.

Qinguang turned his gaze to Arahabaki and asked, "Given your type in Takamagahara…"

"What do you mean by type?" Arahabaki growled at a cowed Qinguang.

Qinguang had heard about his infamous temper and lack of regard for authority. He noticed Kanghui's hand gripping Arahabaki as a restraint. If he isn't careful, Arahabaki may rampage in his court.

"I mean. Powerful type," Qinguang spoke cautiously. "You know Yamata no Orochi, right?"

"What about him?" A gruff reply from the irate Arahabaki made Qinguang consider his approach.

"How much do you know about his origin?"

"Yamata-no-Orochi?"

"His modus operandi causing floods by using Hiikawa is the similar to how Xiangliu caused the Yellow River flooding," Qinguang insisted.

Arahabaki turned to Kanghui and chortled in amusement. She faced Qinguang with a blank expression masking her thoughts. Da Siming moved behind Qinguang, unsure of what they both could do.

Kanghui burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Qinguang asked.

"With all your drivel, weren't you once Jiang Ziwen, the alcoholic and womaniser? The one killed by a blow to the forehead?" Kanghui asked Qinguang as she straighten herself out while Arahabaki sniggered.

The two knew something he didn't. Still, Kanghui mentioned his inglorious past, which made Qinguang very uneasy.

"Hey, what has it got to do…"

"Don't quit this job," she leaned in and whispered into a trembling Qinguang's ear, "Stick to judging ghosts. That's where you excel the best."

"What if Qinguang is right?" Da Siming interrupted.

"Xiangliu has nine bluish human heads in his true form, Arahabaki. What do you think?"

"Definitely not Yamata-no-Orochi. His true form is an eight-headed serpent, no human heads involved. He and the Mishakuji are close relatives," Arahabaki declared with glee.

"He is right about one thing - Xiangliu possessed a human body and used that body to create a child. But he forgot to read the fine line below the script." Kanghui pointed to the holographic screen.

"Huh?"

Kanghui dragged Qinguang by the collar of his suit to the screen and pointed to a fine notation. "READ THIS LINE."

"X-x-xiangliu t-took p-p-possession while the human male had a heart attack during climax with his wife."

Da Siming slapped his forehead in disappointment. Qinguang dug himself quite a huge pit with almost no way of redemption, just when Da Siming thought he had progressed.

"Mirror of Truth never lies, right?"

Qinguang nodded his head meekly.

"So stick to the damn task. I need him ready. Screw up and trust me, if you think Xiangliu is bad…" Kanghui warned as she pulled his face closer to stare deep into his eyes with black wisps emanating out of her glowing red eyes.