Chapter 44: The Fairy's State of Mind

Stepping out of the cave, the ten-day period officially began.

Within these ten days, Lu Xing was to personally experience the state of mind of a fairy living in solitude on a snowy mountain.

With nowhere else to go, he first placed the ancient zither and the scroll into the garden cottage, and then took his sword into the swirling snow, attempting to use the magical power contained within the fairy's body.

Without a deep understanding, Lu Xing learned quickly. With a casual wave of his sword, he could carve a gash into the snow, and he could use spiritual power to soar freely through the air, darting about as he pleased.

Yet, that was the extent of it.

With no one to teach him, he could only wield his magical power in a crude manner, lacking any refined or subtle spell effects. The extraordinary feats of the celestial world—travelling a thousand miles in a single flash, flying swords cleaving the firmament, mountains shattering and earth splitting—were all beyond him.

After practicing for half a day, his efforts were less effective than that casual shout from the mountain peak that day.

Back then, it seemed he had triggered the might of the precious mirror?

It was not that Lu Xing had not asked the senior beauties residing within the mirror, but the answers he received were:

"You don't need to learn these things. When you encounter danger, your auntie will help you!" Fairy Nihong said with a face full of doting affection. Lu Xing was certain that her maternal instincts had simply burst forth!

"How utterly boring."

The Empress, still sitting lazily upon her dragon throne at the summit, expressed her opinion.

"It is just as safe outside as it is in the mountains. Hurry up and go out to play!!" The blue-dressed maiden continued to urge him.

Lu Xing ignored them and consulted a few others with milder tempers.

The purple-robed woman smiled and said, "I have never been outside, but logically speaking, whenever you encounter enemies, just shine the mirror upon them."

The zither-holding maiden thought for a moment and said, "Whenever I encountered villains before I died, I would play the zither, and every time I played, they would collapse to the ground. Later, I joined a major sect, and after that, I never encountered any danger."

"Is this zither yours?"

"No, I picked this zither up later on."

Lu Xing asked a few others, and they all assured him that the outside world was devoid of danger; as long as he had the mirror, he could travel anywhere across the three realms.

Lu Xing believed half of it—meaning he remained skeptical.

He returned to the garden. The Cold Ice Fairy had presumably re-laid formations here to keep out the wind and snow. Truly bored, Lu Xing asked the zither-holding maiden how to play the instrument.

The maiden was quite happy to teach him.

However, after practicing for half a day, Lu Xing realized he lacked the talent; the notes he produced were barely recognizable as sound.

Trapped on the snowy mountain, Lu Xing could only amuse himself by wandering around, playing the zither, practicing swordsmanship, or chatting idly with the senior beauties in the mirror.

Perhaps upon hearing that he was about to leave, a woman wearing a simple wooden hairpin and coarse cloth, carrying a compassionate expression, appeared and advised him: "Lu Xing, you are still a mortal with a mortal heart and a benevolent nature. Once you go out, you may perform many good deeds and accumulate merits by borrowing our power, which will be of great benefit to your future cultivation."

"Are you a follower of Buddhism, Senior?" Lu Xing asked her.

Wearing a wooden hairpin and coarse cloth, yet revealing a graceful figure, the woman smiled faintly. "I am not a Buddhist, yet I agree with certain theories in Buddhism concerning the salvation of all living beings, and I once practiced in a Buddhist temple."

Though dressed plainly, she possessed an exquisite figure that ordinary people could scarcely rival.

Another sword-wielding woman appeared and entreated him, "Take a look at the Tianxing Sect on my behalf."

Not knowing where the Tianxing Sect was, Lu Xing replied that he would go if the opportunity arose.

Moreover, a maiden with fox ears and a fox tail whispered to him, begging him to go to the Nine Winds Mountain in the Netherworld to see how things were faring there nowadays.

Judging by her demeanor, she hardly looked like a mighty expert; he had no idea what the criteria were for entering this mirror.

Without even descending the mountain, he had already accepted seven or eight commissions, which showed that quite a few people within the mirror harbored a desire for the mortal world.

...

Time is untracked in the mountains.

Lu Xing did not need to sleep or eat, nor could he keep track of time. The skies above this snowy mountain were perpetually shrouded in thick, heavy clouds, leading him at times to suspect that no living beings existed in this world.

Yet, after calming his mind, Lu Xing did indeed perceive three parts of the fairy's state of mind.

Her body was immaculate and untainted, unafraid of bitter cold or scorching heat, subsisting on no worldly grains.

If one lacked a competitive heart, she could truly live anywhere, completely free of desires and demands.

Even so, though he felt it, Lu Xing still could not comprehend what joy remained in life for a fairy living alone on a snowy mountain.

Perhaps his perspective was simply too shallow.

Regardless, as a mortal, Lu Xing could not endure such utter solitude.

On this day, he flew up to the peak of the snowy mountain to admire the sunset on the horizon, estimating that about eight days had passed, leaving two more days before he would complete his task and return.

He had barely admired half the scenery when the blue-dressed maiden suddenly said to him, "What is there to look at? Hurry up and go home to pack your things, prepare to go down the mountain!"

Lu Xing glanced into the mirror. This maiden loved to play and laugh, and if he wasn't careful, she would tease him.

"If you don't go down the mountain right now, your home is going to be stolen!" the maiden said with a giggle.

Lu Xing had initially disbelieved her words, but feeling an inexplicable premonition in his heart, he rose and flew back down the mountain, returning to the garden with his robes fluttering.

There were no footprints before the stone tablet that read "Halt, All Visitors".

Yet this was a celestial world; one could not judge the presence of intruders by such metrics.

Wielding the fairy's mortal shell, whose spiritual sense fell far short of her true capacity, Lu Xing lingered outside for a moment, and seeing no one, he finally stepped inside.

"Clang!"

In an instant, thousands of glittering, frost-gleaming flying swords filled the sky, their dazzling tips pointing directly at Lu Xing. The sudden assault forced him to instinctively take a step back.

"Hee hee hee hee!"

The blue-dressed maiden, the Empress, and the souls of many other senior beauties in the mirror all burst into laughter.

Ignoring them, Lu Xing nervously drew his sword. He had somewhat underestimated these cultivators; the power of this flying sword formation seemed remarkably high.

"Who goes there?"

Someone quickly materialized from mid-air. Lu Xing looked up and saw a man clad in a tight-fitting grey robe, his hair bound with a crown, suspended in the air. Surrounding him were dozens of dense flying swords of varying sizes—the smallest no bigger than a thumb, the largest as thick as a door panel.

Taking in Lu Xing's appearance, a flash of astonishment crossed the man's eyes. His tone softened considerably, and he even cupped his fists in salute, saying, "I am Chu Mo. Please forgive me for any previous disrespect. May I ask the fairy's sect and the reason for your presence here?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand behind him, and the thousands of flying swords in the sky whirled away. Two men and a woman then emerged from the garden, all dressed as cultivators, holding spiritual artifacts as they gazed at him with guarded vigilance.

Lu Xing glanced at the mirror and, seeing that they were all watching the spectacle, set his mind somewhat at ease. He returned the salute by cupping his fists and said, "I have no sect, no affiliation, and no name. But as for you all, why have you broken into my garden?"

Nameless, faceless, and unaffiliated.

Yet these facts were not enough to shock them. What astonished Chu Mo was: "The spiritual plants here... were all cultivated by you?!"

The other three refused to believe it, and one of them even sneered.

Lu Xing replied, "I did not plant them, but the original owner bestowed this garden upon me."

Chu Mo calmly glanced back at the garden.

"You claim it is yours, but what proof do you have?"

Another man sneered, a miniature pagoda suspended before him while he held a small orb in his hand—the very source from which the earlier flying swords had emerged.

"What is mine is mine; what need is there for proof?"

Guessing their motives, Lu Xing realized that the only person he could truly trust right now was the fairy.

He had to believe that she truly possessed the power to walk unimpeded across the three realms and six paths!

Steeling his resolve, Lu Xing stepped into the garden, ignoring the sharp gazes of the three men and one woman, and walked among the brilliant, glowing exotic flowers and herbs.

Greed corrupts the heart.

A tense atmosphere permeated the air, and the figures appeared ready to make a move at any moment.

Ultimately, however, Chu Mo made a hand gesture to his companions, halting their actions.