Chapter 13: The Bronze Mirror Mystery Solved

What was more, the Shangqing Sect's cultivation method could barely budge that strand of Taiyi true qi. Niu Youdao had cultivated other methods in his previous life and knew the difference from experience. This was practically proof that the Shangqing Heart Sutra he had longed for was actually inferior to Taiyi.

Dong Guo Haoran's cultivation had struck him as something almost beyond mortal comprehension. So what was going on? Had the Shangqing Sect simply withheld its true cultivation method from him?

He went back and carefully sounded out Chen Guishuo, only to discover that there was no mistake. The Shangqing Heart Sutra truly was the Shangqing Sect's orthodox cultivation method. Everyone in the sect, from top to bottom, cultivated it. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the method itself. The only difference was that disciples of insufficient rank were not permitted to cultivate certain other arts.

What the hell was going on?

Niu Youdao thought it over and over. Then he remembered how much faster his progress with Taiyi had been in this world than in his previous life, and gradually he began to understand. Perhaps Taiyi truly was no weaker than the Shangqing Heart Sutra. The real difference was simply that the spiritual qi in his previous world had been far thinner than it was here.

Once he reached that conclusion, he was left rather speechless. After all the trouble he had gone through, it seemed the whole journey had been for nothing. If he had known this from the start, why would he have endured all those hardships and risks to reach the Shangqing Sect? He had nearly lost his life, and now, to make matters worse, he had no idea how long they intended to keep him under house arrest.

Still, there was nothing to be done about it. Without a comparison, how could anyone know what was good and what was bad? Some losses could only be suffered before one understood. There was nothing more to say. He could only continue cultivating Taiyi in earnest. Another month passed.

One evening, Niu Youdao and Chen Guishuo sat beneath the peach tree drinking together.

"Every cup of wine costs grain to brew. Who knows how many ordinary people outside can't even fill their stomachs, with corpses of the starved scattered across the land, while we sit here enjoying good wine. I wonder if that counts as a sin..." Chen Guishuo was already somewhat tipsy. He spoke with a smile, almost as though joking to himself, but there was a heaviness beneath the joke.

Niu Youdao's eyes grew slightly grave. Then he smiled, lifted the wine pot, and filled Chen Guishuo's cup. "Have another, Senior Brother."

The two kept eating and drinking until darkness settled over the mountain. Just as they were about to clear everything away, a cluster of light floated up from the stone steps below the summit. It was a Moon Butterfly. Following behind it was none other than Elder Tang Susu, accompanied by two disciple attendants.

Chen Guishuo and Niu Youdao were both startled. Neither had expected Tang Susu to appear so suddenly. They hurriedly scrambled to their feet and saluted. "Elder Tang!"

Tang Susu's cold gaze swept over the mess on the small table. Her sharp eyes lifted and seemed to stab into Chen Guishuo, who reeked of alcohol. Chen Guishuo instantly went pale with fright and lowered his head. Tang Susu was the Shangqing Sect's Disciplinary Elder, responsible for punishments within the sect, and her temper was hardly gentle. There was scarcely a disciple in the Shangqing Sect who did not fear her.

Today, however, Tang Susu seemed unusually easy to deal with. She said only, "What kind of disgraceful sight is this? Clean it up."

"Yes!" the two answered, feeling as though they had received a pardon. Niu Youdao was about to help Chen Guishuo clear the table when Tang Susu spoke again.

"Niu Youdao, come with me."

She turned and entered the courtyard first. Niu Youdao paused, then shot Chen Guishuo a questioning look. He had no idea what this was about. Chen Guishuo hurriedly jerked his head toward the courtyard, signaling him to go quickly and not keep Elder Tang waiting. Niu Youdao had no choice but to follow. He still had no idea why Tang Susu had come. Seeing her stroll slowly around the courtyard, he trailed behind at a respectful distance, deferential in both posture and manner.

His impression of this particular Elder Tang was exceptionally deep. The first time they met, she had shown him no courtesy whatsoever and had tried to kill him outright. If Dong Guo Haoran had not placed the Transmission Protective Talismans inside him, he would have died then and there. Naturally, caution and vigilance accompanied every step he took around her.

"You keep the place reasonably clean."

After making a circuit inside and out, Tang Susu entered Peach Blossom Hall. She stopped before the seated statue of the Founding Patriarch and bowed respectfully. Straightening again, she gazed at the statue and said slowly, "When the Founding Patriarch first came here and established the sect, he had nothing to his name. Peach Blossom Spring was his earliest dwelling. Being allowed to live here means you're benefiting from the Founding Patriarch's reflected glory. You could call it a blessing."

"Yes," Niu Youdao answered respectfully. "It is this disciple's good fortune."

Inside, he muttered, Blessing, my ass. You've obviously locked me up here.

Tang Susu turned and surveyed the room. "Are you accustomed to living here?"

Niu Youdao replied, "Elder, it is very quiet."

Tang Susu completely ignored the second meaning hidden in his words. Expressionless, she asked, "Were you promised in marriage back home? An engagement, for example?"

"Uh..." Niu Youdao looked up in astonishment, unable to fathom where this question had come from. He answered cautiously, "This disciple is still young and has never married. My family had nothing but four bare walls. There was no means to arrange an engagement either."

"You do have a polished way of speaking. You hardly sound as though you came from the wilderness." Tang Susu's remark could have been praise or mockery. Then she returned to the point. "A true man contends for his future. Making a fuss over birth and background would be petty. In any case, a fine match has presented itself to you now. You might say your good fortune has arrived."

Niu Youdao stared at her blankly. What did that mean? He waited for her to continue. Tang Susu, however, glanced back at the Founding Patriarch's statue. Perhaps there were some things even she hesitated to say in front of him. She motioned Niu Youdao outside Peach Blossom Hall and strolled with him into the rear courtyard before speaking again.

"Sect Leader Tang Mu has passed away. His daughter Tang Yi is your Senior Sister Tang. You've met her before. What do you think of her appearance?"

Niu Youdao's expression turned uncertain. From everything she had said so far, could this so-called fine match possibly mean Tang Yi and him? Surely she was not serious.

He hesitated. "Senior Sister Tang is naturally very beautiful."

"Mm." Tang Susu nodded. She stopped and finally smiled. "The fine match I mentioned is your Senior Sister Tang. I am her grandaunt and close blood kin, so I can make this decision for her. I intend to betroth her to you. What do you say?"

"Ah!"

Niu Youdao cried out in shock. So the very thing he had feared was actually happening. Last time they had wanted to make him Sect Leader. Now they wanted him to marry Tang Mu's daughter. What in the world was the Shangqing Sect playing at?

He hurriedly waved both hands. "No, no! That won't do!"

The smile vanished from Tang Susu's face at once. Her expression darkened. "What won't do? Your Senior Sister Tang has beauty and figure alike. You're still young and don't understand certain things yet. Once your body grows and you become a proper man who knows good from bad, you'll naturally understand how fortunate you are to have her."

How could Niu Youdao agree to something this inexplicable? It was far too suspicious.

"Elder, this disciple is still young. I'm not worthy of Senior Sister Tang—"

Tang Susu cut him off without the slightest courtesy. "You're not that young. In your village, there are probably plenty of people your age who already have children. There is no question of whether you're worthy of her. Before your master died, he and Sect Leader Tang Mu made a marriage pact. They agreed that Tang Mu's daughter would marry one of Dong Guo's disciples. Now that you are the only disciple of Dong Guo left, who else could this marriage belong to? A teacher for one day is a father for life. Marriage is decided by one's parents, and a master's command is no easier to defy."

A marriage pact?

Niu Youdao's eyes widened. What kind of damned nonsense was this? Even if Tang Mu and Dong Guo Haoran had arranged some marriage between their lines, what did that have to do with him? The more he thought about it, the more he felt there was something deeply wrong here. No matter how he looked at it, there seemed to be a pit waiting for him to jump into. If it were truly such a wonderful thing, it would never have fallen into his lap.

He braced himself. "This disciple's age really doesn't match Senior Sister Tang's—"

Tang Susu was overwhelmingly forceful and again refused to let him finish. "Do you know the consequences of defying a master's command in the Shangqing Sect? Disloyal, unfilial, inhumane, unrighteous—the Shangqing Sect will not tolerate such scum. As Disciplinary Elder, I will never stand by and allow a disciple like that to exist! If you truly intend to defy your master's command, I would rather not dirty my own hands. There is a cliff outside. Go jump from it yourself."

The Moon Butterfly above her head beat its wings in midair, its softly flickering light illuminating her cold, merciless face. Niu Youdao was utterly speechless. Did these people understand the meaning of reason at all? One moment they were discussing marriage; the next she was telling him to jump off a cliff and kill himself.

He had no idea whether that damned marriage pact even existed, but one thing was now obvious: there was no reasoning with this old woman.

He swallowed dryly. "This disciple would like to ask Senior Sister Tang what she thinks. Could you allow me to speak with her face-to-face?"

Tang Susu said indifferently, "No need. You don't have to concern yourself with your Senior Sister Tang. I am asking you only one thing now: will you obey your master's command or not?"

In the end, Niu Youdao saw Tang Susu out of Peach Blossom Spring in something of a daze. He could barely remember how he himself returned afterward. The result hardly needed explaining. Tang Susu had been so forceful that there was no room to bargain at all. She had made it perfectly clear that if he refused, she would kill him, without even bothering to disguise the threat. Niu Youdao had no room to reject her.

His instincts told him there was definitely a problem. What normal situation worked like this? Forget about him for the moment—would Tang Yi herself ever agree to such a thing? Coming back to his senses, he hurried outside again, intending to find Chen Guishuo and sound him out. But Chen Guishuo was already gone.

Niu Youdao ran down the stone steps. Halfway down the mountain, the two disciples who had accompanied Tang Susu earlier blocked his path. He returned to Peach Blossom Spring and took a mirror from Peach Blossom Hall. Standing beneath the moonlight, he repeatedly examined his reflection.

Such a tender young face.

Marriage?

And even leaving everything else aside, he knew Song Yanqing's background. The Song clan's power was something even the Shangqing Sect seemed unable to offend. The woman Song Yanqing had his eye on was now being given to him instead. If Niu Youdao dared wedge himself into the middle of that, wasn't he simply courting death?

He seriously doubted Song Yanqing would ever let him off. But he was still in a position where he could only take one step at a time. He had no choice. As he lowered the mirror, his gaze suddenly caught on one of the water jars nearby. Five large jars had been placed at fixed points around the courtyard, usually to hold water for watering the flowers and plants. Each was filled with clear water. A moment earlier, something seemed to have flashed across the surface of one.

He slowly raised the mirror again. The outline of the bronze mirror appeared reflected in the water. It was difficult to see clearly beneath the night sky, but as he adjusted the angle and turned the mirror face directly toward the moon, nine hazy points of light unexpectedly appeared within the mirror's reflection on the water.

Niu Youdao gave a soft sound of surprise. He backed away several steps, keeping the mirror face pointed at the moon. Yet in the shadow cast on the ground behind the mirror, there were no points of light. He raised the mirror over his head and inspected its back beneath the moonlight. Nothing there either.

When he returned to the water jar, the nine hazy lights appeared on the surface again. He looked up at the sky, then down at the mirror in his hand. Gradually, he began muttering to himself.

"Heaven is yang, and the mirror face is yang. Earth is yin, and the mirror back is yin. Heaven forms the Heaven Plate. The mirror divides yin from yang and serves as the gate—the Gate Plate. Earth forms the Earth Plate. Heaven, Gate, Earth: the three plates..."

His murmuring continued for a while. Then sudden comprehension flashed across Niu Youdao's face. His eyes lit up as he stared at the mirror, and four words burst from his mouth.

"The Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams!"

[End of Chapter 13]