Chapter 111: Evil Enters the Mirror, Nowhere to Hide

Even when he'd fumbled and stumbled onto the main avenue of the Heavenly Capital, Xie Lian was still covering half his face with his hand and was wobbly and unsteady on his feet. While none of the junior heavenly officials hurrying down the street dared approach him to ask about it, they all stared at him strangely nonetheless.

Xie Lian quickly dropped his hand, straightened his back, and rubbed at his mouth unnaturally. "My lips kind of hurt," he muttered. "Don't know what's going on, ha ha…" The looks the junior officials gave him became even stranger. What exactly did he do to make his lips hurt?

They really did hurt a little. When he jumped up into that kiss, he'd used too much force; Hua Cheng most likely felt the impact as well, but Xie Lian very clearly felt him smile when he pressed close. He didn't dare to think more on the subject, just hurried onward with his head down—and the other heavenly officials didn't stop him, all rushing their own ways.

Perhaps Mount Tonglu's opening had become too hectic an affair, as the air in the Upper Court was solemn and uneasy. There were already many heavenly officials gathered within the Palace of Divine Might. While the vengeful spirits of Mount Tonglu had been sent in all directions, the majority were sent to the most populous city, the royal capital. Xie Lian and Hua Cheng had toiled for so long because they chose the largest and most difficult task; everyone else had only faced a few hundred of those creatures and had long since finished them off. Pei Ming, Feng Xin, and the others were already back at the Heavenly Capital, their faces lined with fatigue.

When Xie Lian crossed into the hall and looked up, the first one he came face-to-face with was Lang Qianqiu—someone he hadn't seen in a long time.

Lang Qianqiu's face was gloomy. When he first saw Xie Lian he was surprised, then he promptly turned away.

The silent crowd was lost deep in their own thoughts. Jun Wu was on the throne; he sat up a little when he saw Xie Lian arrive, ready to speak to him, but Lang Qianqiu stepped forward before he could do so.

"My Lord, I heard you've already caught the Green Ghost Qi Rong."

Jun Wu tipped his gaze to him. "That is correct. However, the Green Ghost Qi Rong, the ghost woman Xuan Ji, and the rest were not captured by my own hand. They were consigned to heaven's custody by Yin Yu of Ghost City."

It was only then that Xie Lian noticed that Yin Yu was there. It couldn't be helped; Yin Yu really had no presence at all. Speaking of which, this was the first time Yin Yu had entered the Palace of Divine Might. No one but the highest-ranking heavenly officials could set foot in this hall without Jun Wu's permission. Yin Yu didn't have the right to enter when he was a heavenly official because his rank was too low, but he could finally formally enter now that he had "willingly fallen" to Ghost City's ranks. Truly, it elicited conflicting feelings.

Lang Qianqiu cut right to the point. "Qi Rong is the villain who destroyed my clan. I pray My Lord leaves him at my disposal."

Jun Wu glanced at Xie Lian and deliberated for a moment. "It is not that handing him over to you would be a problem. However, I ask you this:

once you have dealt with the Green Ghost Qi Rong, what comes next? What will you do?"

Before, Lang Qianqiu had threatened that he would come looking for Xie Lian after he was done with Qi Rong. Jun Wu was well aware of this fact.

Lang Qianqiu's voice was hard. "That is not My Lord's concern. My Lord can't possibly plan on harboring Qi Rong just because I will not answer this question, and in doing so, prevent me from avenging my family?"

In the past, Lang Qianqiu rarely said anything within the Palace of Divine Might, and even when he did, it was always something silly. Yet now, his words mirrored the consuming resentment in his expression and tone. It was not good for him to be in this state, and Pei Ming spoke up.

"His Highness Tai Hua seems to have quite the temper today, eh? Of course My Lord doesn't plan on acquitting—" Just as he was trying to smooth things over, a commotion came from outside the hall and someone charged inside.

"My Lord, I can't wait any longer!"

It was Mu Qing. He was dressed all in black, and his expression was grim as his clothing. Several martial officials trailed behind him; they were supposed to be responsible for apprehending him, but how could they possibly be capable of that feat? They could only rush inside with him.

"My Lord, we were just escorting General Xuan Zhen to—" With one hand propping up his cheek, Jun Wu sighed. "I understand.

Stand down." He gave a dismissive wave, then a moment later, lifted his head and gazed at Mu Qing. "And so?"

"And so, I cannot continue to endure these baseless accusations," Mu Qing categorically proclaimed. "Hasn't My Lord already captured that woman? I want to confront her face-to-face!"

Lang Qianqiu spoke up as well. "My Lord, please give me the Green Ghost Qi Rong!"

Neither was quiet with their demands, and they were causing quite a scene. It was clearly giving Jun Wu a headache.

"Silence!" he ordered. "Can neither of you wait until I have finished dealing with Mount Tonglu?"

"If My Lord needs to manage the vengeful spirits leaking from the Kiln, then you need hands," Mu Qing reasoned. "What's the use in keeping me locked up? Why not allow me a chance to clear my name so I can return to my service in the Upper Court? The truth will come out as long as My Lord brings her here and allows me to confront her!"

His words were logical, and he would likely be relentless if he wasn't given his way.

And so Jun Wu could only command, "Bring in the ghost woman Jian Lan."

Soon, Jian Lan was brought forth. She carried a swaddled bundle that emitted chilling black qi in her arms. Something ghastly pale peeked out of the bundle and bared its teeth and claws before Jian Lan stuffed it back inside —here a part that somewhat resembled a hand, there a part that somewhat resembled bones. The arresting officers hadn't restrained Jian Lan, likely to save Feng Xin face. Feng Xin swallowed lightly, meeting her eyes for a moment—Jian Lan looked away first. Feng Xin's gaze then fell on the bundle of swaddling clothes in her arms, and his expression grew even more complicated.

On the other hand, Mu Qing's patience was already exhausted, and he began to speak the moment she arrived. "I don't know why your son must slander me, but it knows that I'm not to blame. It must be following someone's orders."

He had basically lost his composure, but Xie Lian could understand.

Mu Qing cared deeply about face, and having this slander hung over his head for so long had naturally made his temper overflow. This had gone so far that it was even affecting his duty in the Upper Court.

"And do you have a theory about who is controlling it?" Jun Wu questioned.

Mu Qing didn't speak, but his eyes moved. Everyone could tell he was looking at Jian Lan.

The veins on Feng Xin's forehead pulsed. "What are you implying? Do you think she would make her son slander you on purpose?!"

Mu Qing withdrew his gaze. "I didn't say anything of the sort."

"Then why were you looking at her?" Feng Xin exclaimed. "She bears no grudge against you, so why would she do such a thing?"

Mu Qing glared at him. "There's certainly no grudge between me and her, but who knows about you."

"And what do you mean by that?" Feng Xin demanded. "Just spit it out all at once!"

Mu Qing glanced at Xie Lian before continuing to address Feng Xin.

"You became acquainted with Lady Jian Lan during the time of His Highness's first banishment, right?"

The other officials followed suit and looked at Xie Lian, who was utterly flummoxed—how had he gotten dragged into this again?

Feng Xin glanced at him too and growled a quiet response through his teeth. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Mu Qing decided it was time to risk it all and ripped everything out into the open. "Everything, of course. At the time, life by His Highness's side was enormously difficult, and you hated me to the bone for returning to the Middle Court. You love dredging up old conflicts and berating me for any mistakes. And she was your bedmate, so how could she not hate me thanks to your subliminal influence? Who knows, maybe she started hating His Highness too. And in the end, you never followed through with taking her away and instead chose your wretched loyalty. It was practically abandonment—" "Enough of your bullshit!" roared Feng Xin, unable to bear another word.

His fist flew out, and Mu Qing raised his own to return the blow. Jian Lan went over to stop them, but the fetus spirit began to cackle strangely, sounding like the chaotic cries of an old crow—horrific to hear. Pei Ming and Yin Yu separated Feng Xin and Mu Qing and pulled them back, while Quan Yizhen stayed on the sidelines staring; he seemed to be contemplating who'd win if they continued their fight. In any case, it was a mess in the hall.

Xie Lian stood there quietly for a long while, hanging his head. After a moment, he sighed. "My Lord, the priority right now should be finding White No-Face and managing Human Face Disease. The person we captured earlier is the most important piece of the puzzle."

Jun Wu couldn't watch any longer either, and he waved his hand.

"Take the ghost woman Jian Lan and the fetus spirit away. Bring forth the State Preceptor of Xianle."

"No! I've gotta see—what?!" Mu Qing shouted.

"Bring who?!" Feng Xin cried, dumbfounded.

They both looked to the hall's entrance as a martial official escorted someone inside—someone with whom they were very familiar. It was none other than Mei Nianqing, the State Preceptor of Xianle.

Feng Xin and Mu Qing were both flabbergasted.

"State preceptor? Is it really the state preceptor?" Feng Xin asked.

Although Mu Qing didn't reply, he was equally stunned and uncertain.

They couldn't be blamed; in truth, this still felt surreal to Xie Lian. He couldn't connect this man with the state preceptor who had once asked him a question about two men and a cup of water.

Mei Nianqing slowly stepped forward, brushing past Xie Lian. Jun Wu remained seated upon his throne overlooking the great hall.

"Xianle, you seemed to have something to say when we were down below."

Xie Lian inclined his head slightly. "Yes."

Selecting the most important details, he gave a report of his journey to Mount Tonglu and the incidents that occurred while exploring the Kingdom of Wuyong. The longer the crowd listened, the wider their eyes grew. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were positively floored.

After Xie Lian finished his report, Jun Wu finally spoke. "And yet I have never heard of the Kingdom of Wuyong."

The other officials all agreed.

"I've never heard of it before either…" "It was two thousand years ago, after all."

"Traces of it must've been wiped intentionally."

Mei Nianqing hadn't spoken a single word throughout. Xie Lian turned to him.

"State Preceptor, the Crown Prince of Wuyong is White No-Face, am I correct?"

"Yes," Mei Nianqing answered.

He knew it!

"Then who left those murals behind? And who destroyed the last painting?" Pei Ming mused.

"I don't know who left the murals," Xie Lian responded. "But I imagine the last painting was destroyed by White No-Face or his subordinates. After all, he didn't want anyone to discover his identity." He turned to Mei Nianqing. "And you are a subordinate of the Crown Prince of Wuyong."

Which made him a subordinate of White No-Face.

Mei Nianqing didn't reply.

Xie Lian had a sudden urge to ask him if he had known that strange creature was White No-Face back when Xianle fell. Had they been colluding? Had the state preceptor helped?

However, he asked a different question in the end.

"Where is White No-Face right now?"

"…" "Why did White No-Face want to bring ruin to Xianle?" Xie Lian questioned.

"…" "Why do you want to kill me?" Xie Lian demanded.

Mei Nianqing finally spoke. "Your Highness, I don't want to kill you."

"Then why did you go for my throat down there?" Xie Lian asked.

"If I strangled you, would you have died?" Mei Nianqing asked back.

"Would the one beside you have let me succeed?"

That was true. But that didn't mean Mei Nianqing didn't have killing intent—his reaction at the time seemed subconscious.

Mei Nianqing probably knew he couldn't convince Xie Lian, so he stopped trying to argue.

After a moment of silence, Xie Lian finally asked the question he most wanted the answer to. "What did you want to awaken in me?"

Jun Wu had told him the state preceptor seemed to want to awaken something within him. But what could that be?

Mei Nianqing stared at him strangely. Inside his sleeves, Xie Lian's hands were clenched into fists.

"State Preceptor, go ahead. Tell me."

Xie Lian had been vaguely uneasy all this time. The Crown Prince of Wuyong's fate was so similar to his own—was there really a hidden link between him and White No-Face? He couldn't abide any sort of connection to a creature like that, but he was terrified that he'd discover he truly had one.

Still, he had to know the truth.

Mei Nianqing watched him, and a moment later, he replied, "Your Highness, it's not quite the right time for me to address the questions you've asked. You might not believe me even if I answered." After a pause, he continued, "However, there is one thing I can tell you…" He pronounced each word slowly and clearly. "White No-Face…is inside the Palace of Divine Might right now. He is standing before me!"

And who was standing before him?

Xie Lian!

Xie Lian instantly backed a few steps away, like he wanted to avoid standing in that spot.

The closest person was Feng Xin, and he exclaimed, "State Preceptor, you… Open your eyes and look properly at who's in front of you. It's His Highness! Your disciple!"

However, other voices could be heard whispering from elsewhere in the room. The heavenly officials had begun to gossip amongst themselves.

"Could it be…that His Highness and White No-Face share…a split soul?!"

"What's a split soul?!"

"It's when a person's soul is split—broken into two pieces! Each half has its own memories, and their personalities and skills can be different too.

Perhaps even their appearance…" "That's possible…" "I've heard of cases like that too!"

"If that's really true, what should we do? His Highness the crown prince is the White-Clothed Calamity?!"

So many voices filled the air, and even Xie Lian himself began to have doubts. Was he White No-Face?! Was that really the truth?! Was he the one who brought ruin to Xianle? Was he the one who had tortured himself for eight hundred years? Was he to blame for everything that had happened?!

The whispers in the hall were deafeningly loud, and the heavenly officials' faces were written with all manner of expressions. Even Feng Xin didn't know what to say anymore, or what to believe.

As for Jun Wu, he stood up. "Xianle, calm yourself!"

Xie Lian was falling apart. "I…I…" Had it all really been his fault?! If it truly was, then what should he do?

He didn't know!

Just as he was drowning in confusion, a voice rang out in his mind.

"It's not possible! I can swear that you are you. You're no one else. Trust me."

"…" San Lang. San Lang!

Hua Cheng had told him that this couldn't be—it could never be his fault!

Xie Lian's mind instantly cleared. He steadied himself, finding his footing once more.

Jun Wu, however, had already descended from his throne and come to his side. "Xianle! Calm down first—" Just as Xie Lian was about to look up and give a response, Mei Nianqing suddenly reached out and yanked the sword hung at Feng Xin's waist from its sheath. Brandishing it, he lunged at Jun Wu!

All the heavenly officials cried out in alarm. However, Jun Wu and Xie Lian were both martial gods—the best in their field, no less—how could they be caught by such a low-level sneak attack? Xie Lian seized the shining blade between two fingers with lightning speed right in front of his face before the point could even touch Jun Wu!

Feng Xin regained his senses and rushed forward to restrain the state preceptor. He dared to attempt an assassination within the Palace of Divine Might, and in front of so many martial gods—he was asking for death!

"State Preceptor, this is pointless!" Feng Xin exclaimed.

As Mei Nianqing struggled in vain, he roared at Xie Lian, "Look!

Look, quickly!"

Yin Yu rushed over. "Your Highness! Are you all right? What happened?"

"Look at what?" Mu Qing cried in alarm from further away. "What does he mean? What is he up to?"

Xie Lian stood still in the center of the pandemonium. For a long time, he didn't move a muscle.

It wasn't for the sake of the chaos around him, but because he had seen something reflected in that snow-white blade.

A face.

A man's composed, handsome face.

And there were three other faces growing on it!

The three smaller faces were squished onto the man's face, ruining his good looks and twisting them into something horrifying. They had contorted the man's features—half of his face appeared to be crying, while the other half appeared to be smiling.

It was a face that should have been endlessly familiar to Xie Lian. And yet, in the reflection of that mirror-like blade, it was so foreign it was terrifying—Xie Lian found himself drenched in cold sweat. Only then did he remember that the sword Feng Xin carried with him was Hongjing, the mirror that reveals evil. When evil entered that mirror, it could not hide.

From this angle, it wasn't Xie Lian's face that Hongjing reflected but the face of the one standing behind him. And upon that face was a pair of dark, solemn eyes that watched him closely.

It was as if all his movements had slowed. Xie Lian's pupils shrank.

His mouth opened. But before he could say a word, his arm went stiff.

A powerful hand had seized his wrist. Behind him, Jun Wu was smiling.

"Xianle, what are you looking at?"