A youthful Daoist and a maiden cloaked in ebony garments bore forth steaming flagons of tea. Devoid of presumption, they retreated to a bamboo seat, leaving the guests undisturbed.

Liu Xiang offered his gratitude, cupping the warmth within his hands. As he sipped, a breath stirred the surface, transforming the liquid into a fleeting mirror.

If the celestial spheres were a tome writ by the gods, then the ripples in his teacup were the echoes of mortal affairs, whispered upon the water’s skin.

Lu Shen’s heart fluttered with unease. A mere request for a tome? He feared Zheng Juzhong’s words were veiled, his true intent the “borrowing” of life itself. To pilfer his path, to steal his fate disguised as a request for ancient knowledge.

Was not Luopo Mountain already home to one who coveted the very names of his fellow Daoists? Bai Jing bore the weight of thirty severed ancestral rites – whence did he acquire such a burden?

Lu Shen confessed to a bitter truth: in wit, in force, in the very essence of his being, he was no match for Zheng Juzhong. Many yet remained oblivious to a dire reality – that only the venerable Sage of Rites, sequestered beyond the celestial veil, could truly restrain Zheng Juzhong. Were Yu Dou? The barbarian Fei Ran? Alas, Lu Shen’s sole refuge lay in Zheng Juzhong’s very inhumanity, for every action was scrutinized by the scholars of the Temple of Literature.

Zheng Juzhong spoke, his voice cutting through the web of Lu Shen’s anxieties. “Cease your wanderings, for my meaning is plain. I seek the ‘Earth Mirror’ scriptures.”

Lu Shen’s brows furrowed. “Does such a luminary as yourself find interest in these humble texts?”

Had Zheng Juzhong truly desired to peruse the ‘Earth Mirror,’ would the arcane wards of the Lu family have deterred him? More likely, Lu Shen would have turned a blind eye, permitting Zheng Juzhong to peruse the forbidden texts unbidden.

Zheng Juzhong raised his teacup, his gaze oblique. “Do you deem me ignorant? Are there not three versions of the ‘Earth Mirror’?”

The Lu family possessed three. The first, an untouched original, accessible to any scion whose heart and mind passed muster. The second, enriched and amended by Lu Shen’s own hand, replete with annotations and insights, was reserved for esteemed ancestors and those who had served the family with great distinction. Finally, there was Lu Shen himself, the living embodiment of the third ‘Earth Mirror’. Zheng Juzhong had long committed the first two to memory. Surely Lu Wei and his ilk could offer naught that Zheng Juzhong, an outsider, did not already grasp. In the Dao, who would instruct whom?

Lu Shen drew a deep breath, steeling himself.

Liu Xiang understood that Zou Zi had once lingered within the hallowed halls of the Merit Grove, granted unprecedented access by the Temple, there to deepen his understanding of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements.

The ‘Book of Changes,’ revered as the first among all texts, possessed two companion volumes, like wings supporting its flight. One was enshrined within the Kylin Terrace of the Merit Grove, tended by the scholar Xi Ping. The other lay hidden within the Orchid Hall of the Lu family’s Celestial Terrace. As rightful heir, Lu Shen had traced the path of his forebears, delving deep into the text’s mysteries. From this study, the ‘Earth Mirror’ scriptures were born, its origins rooted in the ‘Gen’ hexagram – all things in Heaven and Earth, the ebb and flow of life itself, sprang from these profound insights.

Celestial Capital Peak mirrored the desolate Luopo Mountain.

The Golden Summit Temple, north of Tongye Continent, echoed the Green Plume Sword Sect, nestled beneath Luopo Mountain.

For millennia, Zou Zi and the Lu clan held dominion over the arts of Yin and Yang. At the dawn of his ascension, Lu Shen had been bold, ambitious. But when his heart met an impasse, his spirit did not break. The path was immense, vast; if Zou Zi would not yield, then Lu Shen would forge his own way. There must yet remain a chance to unite with the Dao.

Thus, the ‘Earth Mirror’ scriptures were born, founded upon the principle that man, not Heaven, determines his own destiny.

The nexus of this new way lay in the ‘Earth’ and the ‘Mirror’.

The ‘Earth Mirror’ was the still water of the world, reflecting all. Through its depths, one could see not only others, but oneself.

A bowl of water, a lake – all were mirrors of the Earth.

In Lu Shen’s hands, the ‘Earth Mirror’ had ascended to new heights.

It was this very foundation of Lu Shen’s path that Zheng Juzhong sought to borrow.

Liu Xiang spoke slowly. “The ‘Gen’ hexagram, like ‘Qian,’ is unchanging. But though two mountains may never merge into one, they may yet influence each other. If the Lu chose ‘Gen,’ and Chen Ping An chose Luopo, the pattern is set. The skill, cunning, and the ultimate fate of both lay in how and when their lords would meet.”

“The fact that you were allowed upon the shores of the Treasure Bottle Continent was preordained by Cui Chan himself. His discourse on the Lu clan’s wager was a jest, meant to amuse.”

Liu Xiang folded his hands within his sleeves, reclining. ” ‘Confined to his back, he does not perceive his own body; walking in his courtyard, he does not see his own people.’ Thus, there will be no fault.”

Hearing an undertone within these words, Wei Bo inquired, “If the verse is to be interpreted thus, why did the Lu clan not exchange Celestial Capital Peak with Grey Haze Mountain to the north? Would it not be more akin to being ‘confined to his back’?”

Lu Shen’s face twisted in bitterness. “Grey Haze Mountain is too shallow, its Dao too weak. It is no place for me.”

Lu Wei’s power might suit Grey Haze, but the devastation of the Li Zhu Realm had fractured his spirit.

The Empress Nan Zan, whose true name was Lu Jiang, was a crucial pawn. Thus, Lu Wei was dispatched to the Great Li capitol, there to safeguard her path. Once “Song He” claimed the throne, and Nan Zan became the Empress Dowager, and “Song Mu” was bestowed with the fiefdom of Luoyang, Lu Wei would have earned his redemption. A final meeting with Chen Ping An would suffice to send him home.

As Liu Xiang had said, Lu Shen dared not entrust his path and the fate of his house to mere chance.

Yet, the choice of Celestial Capital Peak was not without its own benefits, its own hidden path. Lu Shen sought only what was fitting – actions aligned with the Dao, luminous and free of shadow.

“He never touched the old family home in Mud Bottle Lane. Studying boxing, using it to prolong his life, refusing to be greedy… such actions are all fitting.”

Liu Xiang smiled. “Is it not Heaven’s will?”

Zheng Juzhong countered, “Does our gathering here bespeak Heaven’s decree? Even if fate be fixed, blessings are still earned.”

Liu Xiang continued, “The sixth hexagram shifts from four to five and six, from Gen below to Li above. Journeys are like wildfire among the mountains, hastening forward. Thus, one may protect his home. Marriage? Mere commonplace.”

“Book Brief Lake, the third hexagram – like a body, its vital energies are blocked.”

“Thus, Chen Ping An is reaping what he sowed.”

Wei Bo inquired, “Did the opening of the Great Canal in Tongye Continent represent Chen Ping An’s interpretation of this third hexagram?”

Liu Xiang nodded. “Close enough.”

Wei Bo continued, “In general, a magistrate’s hall and a wall may both represent ‘Gen’ – thus?”

The Sword Qi Great Wall had been a battleground for millennia. Chen Qingdu had held the barbaric demons at bay. Chen Ping An, as the last Hidden Officer, had followed in his footsteps…

Liu Xiang spoke, seemingly to himself. “The sixth hexagram sees a sword cultivator from afar entering the hall of the Hidden Officer, the Summer Retreat Palace. The Sword Qi Great Wall is long, thus it flows into Xun, and transforms into the fifty-third hexagram, Gradual Progress. When the Wall is rent asunder, the Upper Nine reverts to Gen: ‘Solid Quietude, auspicious. He is enriched with what is within himself.'”

Lu Shen said abruptly, “Wei Shenjun, forget not that in addition to the Wall and the Hall, there are also academies and schoolhouses.”

Wei Bo frowned.

Lu Shen scoffed. “Surely, Wei Shenjun does not believe that Chen Shanzhu’s guise as a wandering Daoist in the玉宣kingdom was merely a jest?”

Even as Zou Zi’s enemy, Lu Shen felt compelled to speak in his defense. If one were to target Chen Ping An, who would not be a suitable target?!

Zou Zi harbored a great unease!

If a great cultivator’s thought could reshape the world, what of Chen Ping An’s benevolence toward humanity? Would the Heavens one day return such generosity?

Lu Shen, too, wished to emulate the Embroidered Tiger and stave off the impending doom.

“Were all these the machinations of the Embroidered Tiger?” Lu Shen inquired. “Were they all foreseen?”

The Great Li Dynasty and Luopo Mountain were Yin opposed to Yin. Though in opposition, there was no direct conflict, for Cui Chan was there to mediate.

But when Cui Chan departed, and Chen Ping An met Lu Wei and Nan Zan in the palace of Great Li, Yin was pitted against Yin. And since Chen Ping An’s birthday was the fifth day of the fifth month, the lightest of consequences for him, within the palace of the Son of Heaven, was decapitating “Lu Jiang”!

Liu Xiang shook his head. “Chess is not mere rote, and life is not a game. For all the careful planning, chance is still a factor. Wisdom and courage must be tempered by fortune. Cui Chan erred, but he corrected his mistakes swiftly.”

If a master’s instruction lay only in the giving of truths, techniques, and treasures, then seeking transcendence would be too easy.

To seek perfection was to invite failure. To ask the truth until it was spoken was to confront one’s very self.

To know right from wrong was to find peace? What of those who, year after year, stood alone, guarding the Sword Qi Great Wall, unsure of tomorrow?

Zheng Juzhong said with a mind-voice: “While in the wilderness, I made an attempt to extend and improve your Earth Mirror arts, and I am sure I can deal with other Ascensions Realm adepts. But I am a fool to try to target a Fourteenth Realm, and an expert in temporal arts. That is why I need your Earth Mirror arts. Now, may I have the pleasure of borrowing your book?”

Lu Shen, after all, was Lu Shen. Even a clay idol possesses a spark of anger. “This is outright robbery! Why speak of ‘borrowing’?”

To peruse this sacred text was to peer into the heart itself. With Zheng Juzhong’s intellect, he could become a Lu Shen more complete than Lu Shen himself.

Zheng Juzhong smiled. “It sounds gentler, does it not?”

Lu Shen was taken aback. What could he do?

Zheng Juzhong continued, “This is not a transaction, so there is no compensation. To swear an oath that I will not hinder your path to union with the Dao? I will not stoop to such pretense. And as for promising to aid the Lu clan of Middle Earth, to rescue them from peril – forget it.”

Lu Shen raised a finger toward the sky. “Are you truly free to act as you please?”

Zheng Juzhong replied, “Then I shall borrow it with bloodshed.”

To borrow with bloodshed would be to kill another; to kill to borrow would be to kill Lu Shen.

Lu Shen shook his head, his gaze fierce. “I wager you dare not.”

He whispered the true name of the Sage of Rites.

To offend Zheng Juzhong was to doom himself. Hiding with his clan was futile. He would seek refuge in the Merit Grove, alongside Liu Cha, and seek enlightenment there…

Liu Xiang spoke with pity. “Does the Sage of Rites go by the name of Zheng Juzhong?”

Lu Shen reeled, his face contorted in horror. The Dao stirred within him, and his mind wavered. The sanctity of his very being had been violated. Within his heart, a temple had been seized. His pure, incorruptible inner image was replaced by that of Zheng Juzhong. And now the Sage of Rites was linked to Zheng Juzhong. What was the Sage’s true name? His image was being defiled. Lu Shen sought to hold on to a spark of himself. In his imagination, fire consumed everything.

“Zheng Juzhong” spoke to himself. “They call me a fiend, and I do not deny it. Did you think I was virtuous?”

Lu Shen unleashed his most potent spells. Zheng Juzhong countered, his strength was more than a match.

Zheng Juzhong rubbed salt into the wound. His eyes shone. “The act of borrowing is so beneficial. I will achieve union with the Dao!”

Lu Shen, rather than beg, prepared to sacrifice his very essence. He chanted a mantra, drawing upon an ancient power, dragging Zheng Juzhong into the depths. Within his heart, a sacrificial altar rose. Lu Shen transformed into a painted priest, ascending the steps, uttering curses upon the Heavens, upon all that was sacred. Zheng Juzhong recoiled. As Lu Shen disintegrated, he felt a strange sense of joy.

He saw “Zheng Juzhong” dragged into the fray, incurring the wrath of the ancient Gods, and Heaven cracked, fire rained down…

All would be lost!

And now Zheng Juzhong must contend with the wrath of the Heavens!

The “priest” stood motionless, pondering his fate. With what was left of his body, he tried to wipe his painted face. He had always disliked the rituals and ceremonies. And as he scattered to dust, he thought Zheng Juzhong truly was a fiend, and he cussed Zou Zi.

“As you foresaw, Lu Shen was willing to die,” a voice said.

Another followed: “I never underestimated Lu Shen.”

In an instant, all was restored. Lu Shen sat speechless. Truly, the difference between realms was vast.

Liu Xiang smiled. “Even this was not without cost to Zheng Shanzhu. ”

The Lu Clan leader was speechless.

Zheng Juzhong turned to Liu Xiang. “Shall we tour the grounds?”

Liu Xiang hesitated. Chen Lingjun said, “It’s just a couple of extra steps.”

Liu Xiang laughed. “Very well.”

As they prepared to leave the table, Zheng Juzhong asked, “Have you made your choice?”

Lu Shen said, “Did I have a choice?”

Zheng Juzhong, “You do. Die.”

Lu Shen resisted the impulse to scream at him.

Zheng Juzhong: “If you had not sought to replace your elder, I would have come to borrow the books at Celestial Capital Peak. When Cui asked about my Union, he said “why not get Lu to take the fall?” Cui felt he could get you to turn on your clan.”

Lu Shen: “Are you not worried about the Temple?”

Lu Shen: “I was right about you being a peddler of mirrors, and the founder of the Cuckoo sect.

Zheng Juzhong: “I like the way you say “right!”

Lu Shen: “A fiend after all.”

As they headed off, they saw a woman practicing her footwork.

岑鸳 hesitated. “What is happening?”

Zheng noticed her.

She noticed him and felt uneasy.

Higher up on the mountain, Chang Ming went to greet them with a child.

Chang Ming (mind-voice): 箜篌, hurry up. They are important.

箜篌 : “Wasn’t I given a day off?”

Chang Ming: “I’ll explain later.”

Before, 吳霜 asked that if Zheng stopped before the gates, they should not greet him, but if not, they should join him. She did not explain why.

Liu bowed. Chen asked 箜篌 where he was from?

箜篌 seemed not to care. Chen said that 箜篌 was a formal member from 槐黃 county.

Liu: “So you are from our world!”

Zheng looked amused.

箜篌 looked wary. At this point, 吳霜’s “previous self” was indeed from Hao Ran world. And she was in the Martial Shrine. 箜篌, after all, was now following her husband. 景 was right that was a member.

Chen winked to 箜篌 that the latter had only been an outer member for a few days.

Chang: “It’s all recorded.”

Wei was happy and patted Chen on the head.

Chen was not pleased and glared at Wei.

Liu thought of his time as a civil servant.

Zheng said he was thorough.

Chen said to his friend that it was good to be thorough as it led to more success.

Lu knew what was at stake. He looked at Chen who seemed to be simple, even an idiot?

箜篌 had openly declared that she was from Hao Ran. If anyone said she was from Qing Ming, they would have to be strong. Even Yu Dou or 閏 could not do it.

The fact was that Baiyu Jing could no longer cause issues with 歲.

Liu knew what Zheng was doing. He could not stay out of it.

These past years, Lu had been staring at Luo Po, and knew that 岑 was practicing.

They felt in unison with the world.

The old master made an excursion to Chen’s mountain with the Dao Ancestor. When they separated, he saw Zhu Lian and 岑. He had inquired about her. Zhu told that she was an unofficial student. The old master knew that she had been “transplanted”, but he did not inquire deeper.

Lu (mind voice) : Was she part of someone else?

Zheng answered neither way.

An ascended demon of Middle Earth had cut off his limb and left it as a way to escape.

It demanded that 白 cast the final blow.

This was not because it was arrogant, but it was necessary because its cultivation dictated it.

Zheng said okay and wait.

It did not think it would be done.

白 was far more famous, and would not heed even the great scholars.

岑 was its crossing over and resting place.

Guests have to pay, and that was why 岑 had luck.

The guests moved the table, Xian Wei pulled out a Dao book, and asked: 米粒, what’s up?

She looked at the guests climbing.

Mi: I’m seeing them go.

She sat down with her walking sticks and said that since there was no money, you must go to heart, the most important and most unseen place.

Xian remembered that a great Daoist had asked her how many days it had been since he’d come because she said, “it had been too long”.

It was a weird question. Fortunately, she answered.

He said, “you have something special for me”.

She lowered her voice. Do tell.

Xian: It’s old. There’s nothing. Only 107 rods. 72 of them have to do with seasons, along with Yin Yang, trigrams, rods and branches.

Mi said and counted it out, “Why not 108?”

He chuckled. “One ran away.”

Mi said, “easy guess!”

Zheng was behind her. I have been trying to figure it out.

She said “Anyone who comes to consult the rod is a missing one.”

Zheng doubted.

Xian nodded.

Zheng, “Is it good business?”

That’s impolite, Xian said.

Zheng saw 岑. “You again?

岑 ignored him and climbed.

Zheng: I will make a living myself!

He walked to town.

He looked at the young Daoist.

Xian: Are you going to the district?

Zheng: To the 楊 to bring back some items.

Xian asked no more.

Zheng: Come with me and help.

Xian: I am a swindler, not a thief.

Zheng. Shut up and come!

Xian did. He asked Mi to watch the door. She was pleased.

Zheng and Xian walked to town.

The townies saw the celestials.

They ate and went to the bathroom.

The townies whispered how they ate, but did not poop.

The immortals learned the townie language. Every family sold them their relics and they did not care the price. Each thought the other to be a sucker.

To this day, people buy up houses here and cultivate.

The officials took the registrations and the ministries watched over the town. 督 oversaw things, but no one spoke to him because they considered them jerks. In Cui’s time, immortals were presumed guilty if there was a conflict, and the humans were not.

Everyone awaited the next prime minister of 宝. Speculation was rampant, but until there was a decree, nobody would know.

Passing True Jade mountain, Zheng asked him to pay respects?

Xian: Is it important?

Zheng: Because when you enter a mountain, you salute…

Xian. You can’t trick me!

They went to the apothecary. It was quiet.

There had been a boy who was leaving, buying new gear, but was shy.

Thereafter, he travelled often and was often the figure head.

Every time he returned, it was as the swallow bringing mud, or an ant carrying crumbs.

He was followed by 寶 and 槐 to 大, taking with him Chen and 暖. He was followed by a golden fish. Going to Sword, there were 錢 and the painting, plus a one armed lotus. To Bei, there was a money loving black girl. To the sword, there was 長 and 命. Returning to Hao, he had 白 and 8 more swordsmen. He then saved Ming, with 死陌. In the capital, he was joined by 仙. To 玉, he found 寧. At 梧, 邓 became his disciple. There was no discussion for 心余 and 萧.

Chen got a lotus. After that, he made a pond for it.

When departing, 陸 pretended to be a 榆 merchant, giving him seeds. Chen did not know, but 魏 knew.

They got seeds and planted them.

紫 sent a plum, and 暖 tended it, such that at every festival it sent Qi. Everyone wanted that wine.

The earlier planted got to enjoy the cool. 榆 and plum were between the buildings. Chang would roam the 榆 forest, and Xian the plum. On occasion, Zheng joined them and talked about the books. Zhong would then come by and eat their food, and then leave.

The point was that Chen had finally made his own sect.

At the shop’s door, Zheng asked: what do you think of 山主?

Xian, “Careful, generous, kind, wise, devoted, and handsome.”

Zheng, what a boring answer. The night tour was more famous.

Zheng: Did you notice the blanks on the door?

Xian: They used to be mirrors, but were sold.

Zheng was silent.

The first person to call Chen a mirror was 齊.

At the mountain, 崔 told him to see his own shadow.

Three ancestors told him not to be afraid of his shadow.

In the past, when he met 崔, 崔 said that he could not always take things on his own.

You see and hear something when your will dictates it.

Human is constantly taking tests. What they choose is their fate.

马 told the boy, “people do not pay attention to their shadow”.

The fiends in a way were the 道 of the Daoists, their shadow.

Chen had once told 袁 that everyone had a shadow.

游 has asked if he’d seen a shadow of a shadow.

Entering the shop, he asked 楊, what about that Daoist?

Zheng told him to wait.

Xian sat down on the chair, looking over the yard.

It had not been easy for Chen.

Those who had come before him did not like to talk about Chen’s past. However, Xian had heard some.

He could not imagine a boy going to the shop, buying medicine, and what he must have felt.

Xian looked up at the sky.

The holidays were like generals, and the prime was to struggle. It had to be thought about in the Summer and winter.

He had to be cautious and always put his moral first. Be it Winter or Spring.

First be a good boy, and then aim for success. Spring and summer are times for that.

Xian sighed to himself, It’s the truth.

Zheng asked, What are you thinking?

望, moving? Are we thieves after all?

Zheng looked at him and told him that, “many famous people have sat on it.”

Xian said, “You did not tell me” and rubbed it with his robe.

Zheng laughed, “I haven’t.”

Xian knew it was worth much.

长 had once wanted to help during a war. She went to visit 楊 old. He declined, so she did not sit. One did not want to be 舊 dynasty.

It was like a low level official visiting a high one.

Old Yang smiled. “Very fine words.”

Solving problems, is what the young Daoist said.

Small town life is hard, like 君 is working hard.