Chapter 60

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

As his voice fell, the young maiden in the mirror visibly stiffened, her body frozen for a brief moment. Then, as though startled, she swayed backward, nearly falling to the ground with a thud. A gasp of air followed, as if she had bumped into something, accompanied by the sound of flustered movements. Finally, with a whoosh, she popped back into view, leaning in close.

“Qi… Qi… Qi Wuhuo?”

It seemed she had retreated in shock, knocking into something in the process. A smudge of dust now marred her face, yet her eyes shone brightly.

“You’ve learned it?!”

“You’ve learned it so quickly?!”

“You really are a genius!”

Qi Wuhuo nodded, thought for a moment, and responded gently: “I believe I’ve learned it.”

The girl on the other side of the mirror appeared overjoyed, letting out a cheer. Just as she was about to speak again, the surface of the mirror suddenly rippled, layers of waves spreading outward. Moments later, the image dissipated, and the mystical glow of the spell vanished as well. Qi Wuhuo suddenly felt the strain of expended Primordial Qi and a weariness in his Primordial Spirit. Even his brow throbbed faintly with a sharp pain. He let out a muffled groan, the fatigue weighing on him.

The mirror descended, slipping into the boy’s sleeve.

Qi Wuhuo kept his movements subtle. Even though the sharp pain tearing through his brow felt almost unbearable, he made no sound—after all, others were still peacefully asleep. He formed hand seals, regulating his breathing to nourish his spirit and restore his qi.

The faint ache in his brow lingered for quite some time before gradually fading.

Only after a long while did Qi Wuhuo open his eyes. His voice was calm:

“My cultivation… is insufficient.”

“To refine one’s nature and sustain one’s life—if one’s foundation is lacking, even mastering a thousand techniques and divine abilities is ultimately futile.”

Qi Wuhuo murmured to himself.

As his fingers traced the surface of the mirror, he suddenly spoke: “Still, I should at least inform her of the situation… so she doesn’t worry.”

The young Daoist lowered his gaze, recalling the scripture he had just read. Contemplating, he mused: “To see an image, one must use the spirit light of both eyes. But if it’s just to send a message, there might not be a need to meet face-to-face…”

Fixing his attention on the scripture’s incantation, Qi Wuhuo carefully deliberated before finally coming to a realization.

“In that case, I only need to rely on the principles of its cyclical transformations and this magic treasure.”

“Writing the message upon it will suffice.”

Qi Wuhuo channeled his Primordial Qi, his fingertip touching the mirror’s surface. Slowly and steadily, he guided his Primordial Qi and spirit to inscribe words upon it.

【My current cultivation is insufficient, and I cannot freely operate such a technique for now. However, I’ve attempted to simplify and extract the foundational method for transmitting messages to you. Until my cultivation is adequate, this may be the only way we can communicate.】

【This technique is not particularly difficult, so I’ve recorded it here for you.】

The mirror was profoundly mystical. As the words were inscribed, they immediately dissolved into flowing light, vanishing within the mirror and traveling to a distant place.

Finally, Qi Wuhuo wrote down: “Today, I parted ways with my teacher and witnessed many things.”

“From now on, I must walk this path on my own, observing the heavens and earth in my own way.”

“While passing by Juyun Mountain, I encountered many delightful mountain spirits. They guided me along the path to the prefectural city. After a rain, the mountains look enchanting, shrouded in mist. Speaking of which, where I was before, in Central Plains, it was snowing, but here, it rains. It’s quite remarkable. Those mountain spirits shared many interesting stories.”

“They spoke of the radiant blooming of spring flowers and how the clouds of early autumn and winter mornings flow like water over the mountains. They open their mouths to let the cloud-like threads pass their lips, laughing and playing joyfully.”

“They said their favorite treat is osmanthus cake. If I have the chance, I’ll buy some for them as well…”

Qi Wuhuo paused, realizing that simply writing about his experiences might seem a bit self-centered.

Restrained by nature, Qi Wuhuo pondered for a moment before writing:

“I wonder if you like osmanthus cake?”

“It has a delicate fragrance and a pleasantly sweet taste.”

“If you do, the next time I have the chance, I’ll bring some for you.”

“Wishing you well.”

“Qi Wuhuo.”

As he lifted his finger, a faint glow of spirit light and Primordial Qi seemed to dissipate into the air. Qi Wuhuo reflected briefly and sensed that the mirror itself had borne most of the energy consumption. If it were just text being transmitted, his current level of cultivation and mastery could indeed sustain this technique.

Finally, almost as an afterthought, he added a note to the spell he had written on the mirror:

It somewhat revealed the temperament of a youth.

——【Low cultivation, unable to use freely, thus simplified and adapted.】

——【Inscribed by Qi Wuhuo】

Thinking about it, if one day a spell that many people use also carries my name, it would indeed be quite interesting.

However, after waiting for quite some time, the girl still hadn’t replied.

Qi Wuhuo could only put the mirror away, closing his eyes and sitting in meditation.

Calm and serene, he immersed himself in tranquility.

The surrounding environment, no matter how noisy or quiet, could not disturb his peace.

The next morning, when the beggars awoke, they stretched lazily, feeling unusually refreshed. The lingering pain and hardship of their lives seemed to have lifted. Looking at the sunlight streaming outside, they felt as if something good was bound to happen on such a fine day. This subtle change in their mood also brought a transformation to their vitality and spirit.

Only then did they notice that it wasn’t just the warmth of the sun that had changed—the Earth God Temple had been thoroughly cleaned.

The clutter, once piled up in disorder, had been tidied. The debris stacked in the corners was now used to patch the cracks in the walls, making the place warmer and much cleaner.

One of the beggars rubbed their eyes and, upon pushing open the door, saw the bustling flow of people outside. The young Daoist stood not far away, holding a broom he had fetched from somewhere. Calmly, he swept the ground, having already cleaned up the entire temple. The beggar, instinctively mocking, said: “This is just an Earth God Temple. Nobody even comes here. Doing this, who’s going to thank you?”

The young man’s voice was gentle as he replied; “Don’t you live here?”

The beggar froze, unable to find words to respond for a moment.

“And besides, since the Earth God was kind enough to offer me shelter for the night, sweeping the snow before his door is the least I can do.”

With that, he lowered his head and finished sweeping.

Standing upright, the young Daoist glanced at the Earth God statue inside the temple. The statue, which once wore a cheerful expression, had clearly been neglected for a long time. Cobwebs clung to it, and dust had settled thickly over it. The smiling visage of the old Earth God had taken on an air of antiquity, as though forgotten by time. The statue stood amidst the decay, exuding a sense of desolation and abandonment.

As Qi Wuhuo gazed at the Earth God statue, one of the beggars, who had just woken up, yawned. When he tried to stand, his legs wobbled, and he suddenly collapsed to the ground, fainting. This startled the others, who shouted in panic and crowded around him, crying and wailing. Amidst the commotion, the young Daoist calmly spoke: “Could you step aside for a moment?”

“Let me take a look…”

The leader of the beggar asked warily: “You know medicine?!”

Qi Wuhuo nodded and replied: “Yes, I learned some from a gentleman in the past.”

He reached out to take his pulse while asking: “What… do you all do to make a living?”

The sturdy young man hesitated for a moment before answering: “We’re down-and-out folk, each with our own reasons we’d rather not talk about. As for now, we scrape by in the city doing odd jobs. If there’s a place that offers meals, we eat. If not, we beg along the streets. Winter’s come with heavy rains and snow these past few days, and it’s been bitterly cold. Even finding hard labor has been difficult. We were planning to find some work today…”

Qi Wuhuo nodded thoughtfully. “I see…”

After checking the pulse, he withdrew his hand.

“His vital energy is weak, his spirit is exhausted, and his body has become frail. It’s easy to cure.”

The man anxiously asked: “What’s wrong with my brother?! Little Daoist, do you have a solution? If we need to get something, just tell us…”

“There’s always a solution!”

Qi Wuhuo reached into his robes, then gestured for the man to extend his hand.

He placed five large coins into the man’s palm and smiled.

“All you need to do is step out and find a vendor selling steamed buns. Buy three to five freshly steamed, piping-hot buns, and that’ll do the trick.”

The man held the five large coins in his hands, startled. “Huh?!”

At that moment, the previously fainted beggar groaned weakly: “So hungry…”

Everyone froze for a moment before bursting into laughter. The man’s face flushed red with embarrassment as he gave the beggar a swift kick and bellowed:

“You scoundrel! You nearly scared me to death!”

Without further delay, he scrambled to his feet and dashed outside. Pushing open the doors, a wave of lively noise surged in—a bustling human world, full of its lively chaos and troubles, yet somehow endearing. The young Daoist stood, his flowing sleeves tracing gentle arcs in the air. He retrieved three sticks of incense, bowed slightly before the statue of the old Earth Deity, and lit the incense, offering thanks for the shelter and protection afforded to him through the night.

The man spent all five coins, purchasing a generous amount of steamed buns. He even used some of his own meager savings to buy a meat bun, feeling a mixture of joy and apprehension. After all, the money was from his begging as a destitute, and he feared the Daoist might disdain the humble offering. However, upon returning, he found that the young Daoist was already gone. His elated expression froze as he turned to the others for answers.

But no one could say. They had been too busy fighting over the buns to notice when the young Daoist had departed.

Exasperated, the man barked: “Eat, eat, eat. All you know is eating! What about the person?!”

The others simply shrugged, saying that they didn’t know.

Before the Earth God’s statue, the three sticks of incense burned steadily, their thin smoke gracefully rising to the top, unbroken by the gentle winter breeze.

The Earth God’s smiling visage gazed forward at the bustling world of mortals.

Yet, the statue faintly trembled, fine cracks beginning to spread across its surface.

In the world of mortals, the young Daoist, clad in a blue robe, carried a sword case on his back. The pale but warming winter sun fell upon his figure as he strolled unhurriedly through the streets.

With a bun in his hand, he took a bite, savoring the taste.

“Hmm, delicious.”

The streets were lively and crowded.

A carriage, traveling in the opposite direction, brushed past him.

Inside the carriage, a young girl with an extremely exquisite, graceful appearance suddenly awoke. Her face was deathly pale, her expression haunted as though escaping from a nightmare that refused to let her go.

Seated across from her was a slightly younger boy, startled by her sudden movement. Concern immediately softened his expression as he asked,

“Did you have that nightmare again?”

“Big Sister Qiong Yu.”
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
Orluros’s Vault of Secrets: If you liked the chapter feel free to donate 🙂 and if you find any errors in the translation please mention them in the comments here or in discord