The origins of the Red Makeup Mirror are veiled in mystery.

Regarding its background, Jiang Wang knew little.

He had obtained it serendipitously from Hu Shao Meng, but due to his limited strength, Hu Shao Meng himself had not delved deeply into this treasure’s secrets, only managing to develop its illusionary body function.

Yet, the known information was significant: even the true power elder of Fishing Sea Tower, Hai Zong Ming, coveted this item immensely.

As for the Red Makeup Mirror itself, Jiang Wang hadn’t gained many clues from the Flying Snow Calamity.

However, the Second Calamity, the Cover Sea Calamity, had vaguely revealed quite a bit of information. Yet, with the information being fragmented, Jiang Wang found it difficult to piece together a complete understanding. He only knew it was likely related to someone named “Cover Sea.”

At the end of the Flying Snow Calamity, as the white snow retreated, the frozen earth thawed, and the spring wind arose, a female voice had spoken: “It is the red face, not the old.”

At the end of the Cover Sea Calamity, as heaven and earth plunged into eternal darkness, a female voice had spoken: “It is the sun extinguished.”

Each calamity began with a single sentence.

The first calamity’s opening was: “Pitiable delicate face before the mirror, red makeup biased to kill the person in the mirror!”

The second calamity’s opening was: “How can it be said there is no absolute beauty in the world? One flash of red makeup kills one person.”

Now, the third calamity’s opening was: “Ask the world, who can be without guilt? To overturn this body in the bitter sea.”

On the surface, these sentences seemed unconnected, yet upon closer inspection, they faintly linked together, hinting at a single story.

That opening female voice was ever-present, connecting all the clues.

During the Flying Snow Calamity, that voice had been cold and indifferent from beginning to end. During the Cover Sea Calamity, when first announcing the calamity’s commencement, it was also cold and icy. However, in the sentence “Cover Sea, I want to kill you!”, it was filled with palpable hatred.

And this time, from the very beginning, the voice was imbued with sorrow.

It seemed as if, through the calamities experienced within the mirror’s world, that female voice was slowly undergoing a transformation.

What this change signified, Jiang Wang did not know.

Precisely this unknown was the opportunity Jiang Wang sought. Facing Zhuang Cheng Qian, who had plotted against him for so long and knew his every weakness, pulling him into the unknown, confronting the same variables, this in itself was a chance to bridge the gap.

As for how much of the gap could be erased, that depended on the extent of the Red Makeup Mirror’s capabilities.

From the Flying Snow Calamity, to the Cover Sea Calamity, and now, the Ask Heart Calamity.

From the first time, utterly unprepared, to the second, a calculated risk explored, to this time, a desperate gamble.

Jiang Wang did not feel he possessed sufficient strength to overcome the third calamity within the mirror’s world, but in that moment, there was truly no other way.

Zhuang Cheng Qian was too terrifying, a terrifying presence that inspired despair. He held complete control over the situation, calculating everything, and no matter what resistance Jiang Wang offered, he could easily cope, suppressing all hope with a mere flick of his palm.

After exhausting all other avenues, the Red Makeup Mirror was the hidden hand he had to play.

And before truly employing this hidden move, even he himself did not know what it was, what they would face.

“You could have saved me.”

In what seemed like eternal darkness, Jiang Wang heard a voice speak thus.

This time, he saw nothing, but he heard with absolute clarity.

“You could have saved me.”

This sentence repeated, spoken in different voices.

Ten different people, a hundred different people, a thousand different people…

Countless voices converged into a single sound, blending into a noise that was both irritating and agonizing.

“Why didn’t you?”

Looking back at all the experiences along the way, what was it that brought Jiang Wang the most regret, the most guilt?

It was that initially, in the Maple Forest City Domain, he had foreseen the danger in advance, yet had lightly trusted Dong A. As a result, when tragedy struck, apart from An An and Song Qing Zhi, he had been unable to save a single soul.

His life-and-death brothers, his teachers and classmates, his neighbors, his relatives and fellow villagers… all had sunk forever.

That kind of regret and pain gnawed at his heart moment by moment.

“Why didn’t you?”

In the endless darkness, one face gradually became clear.

That originally handsome face was crisscrossed with cuts from sharp weapons, hideous and terrifying.

But Jiang Wang still easily recognized him as Zhao Ru Cheng.

“I…”

Jiang Wang reached out a hand, wanting to touch him, yet not daring.

He could only murmur, whisper: “I… I…”

He had no way to explain.

He could not find, nor could he invent, any excuse for himself.

This was his eternal wound!

“Why didn’t you?”

Amidst the myriad voices, Jiang Wang still heard Ling He’s voice.

His voice was broad and deep, steady, and even in questioning, it carried tolerance, a sense of closeness. As if saying, “Xiao Wang, it’s alright, I don’t blame you.”

It was precisely this certainty of Ling He’s tolerance that caused Jiang Wang to instantly collapse.

He knelt on the ground, clutching his head in agony: “I’m sorry… it was my stupidity and childishness that harmed all of you!”

In the darkness, faint shadowy figures stirred, approaching, getting closer and closer…

Jiang Wang knelt in the center of the darkness, wrapped by it, seemingly about to merge into this profound blackness.

“Ge!”

He heard a child’s voice, like a silver bell.

“Ge! You don’t want me anymore?”

Jiang Wang suddenly stood up, his tear-filled eyes wide open: “An An, An An!”

All the questioning voices scattered.

A thousand, ten thousand, tens of thousands of voices, all vanished.

Inside the endless darkness, he saw nothing, heard nothing.

But he was silent.

The silence continued for a while.

He reached out a hand, and in the darkness, wiped away his own tears.

“Ling He, my brother. Ru Cheng, my younger brother. A Zhan, my friend. Xiao Shi, my elder. My closest loved ones and friends, classmates and neighbors. Regarding all of you, my heart asks for guilt.”

He said: “I walk in the world, as if in a bitter sea.”

“But I must still continue, not only to take care of An An, but more importantly, to bring all of you forward.”

His voice was calm, firm.

“I come to shoulder all sorrow, I come to bear all pain. Your hatred, I come to repay. Your dreams, I come to fulfill.”

The shadowy figures in the depths of the darkness scattered silently.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, the sound of a heartbeat echoed in the darkness, like the beat of a war drum.

Jiang Wang felt his own heart seemingly expand, surge, and roar, as if wanting to burst! To explode his entire body into ashes.

And he heard, within that heartbeat sound, a voice, neither male nor female, devoid of any emotion, asking—

“Facing treasures, do you give rise to greed?”

“Facing beauty, do you produce lustful thoughts?”

“Do you falsely harbor killing intent? Do you contemplate destroying beauty?”

“Do you covet power?”

“Do you envy others?”

These questions struck directly at the deepest recesses of the heart. As if wanting to pull out all the dark sides from that deepest darkness. To force people to confront them, to repent.

That voice said: “The deepest darkness is facing one’s own heart. The dirt and wickedness in the deepest parts of sentient beings’ hearts are more profound than the eternal darkness of the universe.”

“Have you seen it? How do you face it? How do you choose?”

Jiang Wang did not know when, but he was already sitting cross-legged.

He sat alone in the eternal darkness, five points pointing towards the heavens.

He had indeed seen the deepest parts of his heart, had indeed admitted to harboring evil thoughts.

But facing this final question, he only spoke four words.

He said—

“One thought, a flower blooms.”

Heaven and hell, lie in a single thought.

Source: 《Red Heart Patrolling Heaven》