Chapter 97: The White Snake Departs, the Eerie Bronze Mirror

The setting sun dipped below the mountains.

As the sky was about to turn dark, Luo Zijun finally returned home, heavy with thoughts.

The atmosphere at home was not right.

His sister was sitting alone in the small courtyard, sighing.

His brother-in-law was silently picking vegetables in the kitchen, stealing glances outside from time to time, not daring to make a sound.

Xiaohuan was helping to tend the fire in the kitchen.

As for Bai Bai and Qingqing, they were nowhere to be found.

"Zijun, Bai'er and Qing'er have left."

Just as Luo Zijun was about to ask, his sister sighed and told him the news.

Then she handed him a letter.

"This is what Bai Bai left for you."

Luo Zijun paused, took the letter, and looked at the crooked, ugly characters on it that looked like chicken scratches.

"Brother Zijun:

Bai Bai has left, and Qingqing has left too.

Since Brother Zijun dislikes Bai Bai, then Bai Bai will not stay here to be disliked by you.

Since Bai Bai has left, Qingqing naturally must leave as well.

Although Brother likes big ones, Qingqing and Bai Bai will always be together and will never be separated.

Brother, rest assured.

Although Bai Bai has left, Bai Bai's heart remains here with Brother.

When Bai Bai grows up, she will come back to find Brother.

As for where Bai Bai and Qingqing are going, Brother need not worry; we will find a place with plenty of good food.

Brother must study hard and strive to win the title of top scholar.

When Brother wins the top scholar title, perhaps Bai Bai will return with a big Qingqing.

By then, Bai Bai will also have become big.

Our two big sisters will then serve our big Brother together, how about that?

Brother, goodbye.

————Bai Bai and Qingqing, who will always be thinking of Brother."

Luo Zijun finished reading the letter, his heart secretly feeling a sense of relief.

As long as this bond of fate remained, then there was no problem.

"Zijun, what should we do?"

Luo Jiaorong wore a bitter face, looking like someone whose cooked duck had suddenly flown away—and two cute little ducks at that.

Luo Zijun comforted her: "It's fine, there are plenty of fragrant grasses at the ends of the earth; I'll just find someone else later."

Luo Jiaorong slapped him, glared, and said: "Find someone else? Bai Bai said they would come back with Qingqing to find you!"

Luo Zijun said: "That's true, then I'll just wait."

Luo Jiaorong thought for a moment, felt something was wrong, and suddenly slapped him again: "Who knows when those two sisters will return? Maybe they won't come back at all! If you keep waiting, won't you end up a bachelor?"

Luo Zijun nodded again and said: "Sister is right."

Luo Jiaorong glared at him, and just as she was about to hit him again, Luo Zijun had already fled: "Sister, I said you were right, isn't that enough? I'm not listening to you anymore."

"You dare!"

Luo Jiaorong glared at him and said: "Getting married can be late, but you and Xiaohuan must hurry up and give me a nephew!"

Li Zhengshan couldn't help but say from the kitchen: "How can you force such a thing?"

Luo Zijun immediately said: "That's right, Sister, Brother-in-law, I think you two could hurry up and give me a nephew."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhengshan immediately said: "Wife, keep pressuring him! This brat won't do it unless pressured; you must pressure him hard!"

"……"

Luo Zijun no longer paid attention to this couple who had begun to "unite against a common enemy."

He immediately went inside and hid in his room.

He took out his Storage Bag.

Looking at the poison and silver his senior sister had left for him, he suddenly felt a sense of loss and emptiness in his heart.

Before, he had thought he didn't belong here, and that everything here had nothing to do with him.

Only now did he realize that this was his true home.

And everything here was, to him, the most real and the most worthy of his care.

His sister and brother-in-law, his master and senior sister, all treated him with genuine kindness.

Even that Liu, whom he had met by chance, was willing to hand over everything she had to him without reservation.

Were these not the most real and sincere feelings?

He had thought he was accustomed to loneliness, coldness, and ruthlessness, and that he would never have feelings for anyone ever again.

But now, these warmth-filled moments remained in his heart.

He was not originally a heartless person.

It was just that his soul had drifted to another world and experienced some coldness and ruthlessness, leading him to believe the world was meant to be that way.

In reality, that was perhaps just a strange, brief experience in his life.

The world was meant to be warm.

His previous戾气 and coldness were his dissatisfaction with that other world, and they should not have been brought here.

Hm?

He suddenly saw that Blood-colored Jade Pendant again in his Storage Bag, as well as that Copper Mirror.

His sister said this was found on him when they picked him up.

Who left this for him?

Was it left by his original parents, or... left by the owner of that Snake Skin? Or perhaps, that Snake Skin was what his parents used to wrap him up?

He took that Blood-colored Jade Pendant and that Copper Mirror out of the Storage Bag.

The Jade Pendant looked as if it had been stained red by fresh blood.

The surface was smooth and round, and the inside was filled with dense blood-red threads; under the flickering lamplight, it seemed as if blood were flowing within.

It looked somewhat ghastly.

He looked at the Copper Mirror again.

The Copper Mirror was about the size of a large palm, with some strange patterns carved on the back, and the front...

Eh?

The surface of this Copper Mirror actually could not reflect a person.

Strange.

He hurriedly stood up, walked under the lamplight, and aimed the Copper Mirror at his face again.

But eerily, there was no change in the mirror; he could not see his face, nor could he see anything behind him.

He hurriedly aimed the mirror at other objects.

The table, the wall, the window, the bed...

He tried every single thing in the room, yet none of them could be reflected inside!

Could it not be a mirror?

Puzzled, he carefully stroked the surface of the mirror with his finger.

It was cold, smooth, and spotless.

It looked no different from a mirror.

If it wasn't a mirror, then what could it be?

He studied it carefully for a long time, but did not discover any clues.

At this moment, Xiaohuan called out from outside the door: "Young Master, it's time to eat."

Luo Zijun thought for a moment and took this Copper Mirror out.

"Sister, Brother-in-law, isn't this thing a mirror? Why can't it reflect people?"

He showed the Copper Mirror in his hand to his sister and brother-in-law.

Luo Jiaorong took a look and said: "It is indeed very strange. It looks like a mirror, yet it cannot reflect people. Back then, your brother-in-law and I also looked at it for a long time and didn't know what kind of thing it was."

Li Zhengshan sat down at the table, poured a cup of wine, and said: "Before, I even thought it was some kind of treasure and specifically went out to ask people about it, but it turned out nobody knew. I reckon it's just a mirror, only it can't reflect people."

Luo Jiaorong rolled her eyes at him from the side: "Are you stupid? How can it be called a mirror if it can't reflect people?"

Li Zhengshan ignored her, tilted his head back to drink a cup of wine, smacked his lips, and muttered in a low voice: "Things that don't bite can still be called tigresses, what's so strange about that?"

"Li Zhengshan! What are you muttering about? What tigress?"

"Nothing, I... I was saying, that tigress on Jingyang Ridge, I will subdue it sooner or later."

"You..."

Luo Zijun hurriedly tried to mediate: "Sister, Brother-in-law, alright, let's eat, let's eat."

Li Zhengshan hurriedly lowered his head to eat, not daring to make another sound.

Luo Jiaorong glared at the two of them angrily for a while longer before she let it go.

The two beautiful prospective sisters-in-law had suddenly run away, and the neighbors were all gossiping behind her back; she had no appetite at all tonight.

"You guys eat."

She stood up directly, returned to her room, and closed the door with a "bang."

Luo Zijun and his brother-in-law looked at each other in dismay.

Li Zhengshan said in a low voice: "Zijun, this incident has caused your sister to lose all face; you must compensate her as soon as possible."

Luo Zijun said: "How should I compensate her?"

Li Zhengshan poured some wine and said: "How else? Bring back a wife soon, or have a child with Xiaohuan soon, either will do."

Luo Zijun didn't speak again.

These two compensations were both unlikely for him right now.

He definitely could not get married now.

If he were to get married, the White Snake would surely give up completely if she found out; then the mission would succeed, and something would fly out of his body, perhaps even his soul, and then he would become a fool.

As for having a child with Xiaohuan, that was even more impossible.

He was still too weak right now.

Within this Lin'an City, there were still one or several terrifying enemies hiding.

He couldn't even protect himself right now, so how could he dare to have a child?

After finishing the meal.

He returned to his room, took out the Copper Mirror again, and studied it carefully. He poured some water onto the mirror surface.

Then he wiped it clean and aimed it at himself again; there was still no reaction.

Next, he smashed the mirror surface against the corner of the table and discovered that the surface was extremely hard; not only did it not shatter, but there wasn't even a single mark left on it.

Could it really be a treasure?

He hesitated for a moment, then raised the mirror again and smashed it hard against the corner of the table.

"Bang!"

Who would have thought, the mirror surface remained completely undamaged.

He was astonished, so he took out his Dagger from his bosom and used the sharp tip to scratch the smooth mirror surface.

However, no marks were left on the mirror surface at all.

It really is a treasure!

!

Since it is a treasure...

He suddenly thought of the knowledge he had once read.

A drop of blood!

Thinking it, he did it!

He immediately used the Dagger to cut his fingertip, squeezed out a drop of fresh blood, and let it fall onto the surface of the Copper Mirror.

A miracle was about to appear!

However, one second, two seconds, three seconds, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn...

He was about to fall asleep waiting, but the mirror surface still showed no reaction at all.

That drop of fresh blood also remained completely motionless.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Unable to control his temper, he threw a few punches at the mirror surface, only to end up grimacing in pain.

So hard!

Harder than me!

He suddenly thought of a use: when fighting an enemy, hold it in your palm to use as a brick, specifically for smashing other people's heads, or use it to trade blows.

It would also be a good tool for cracking walnuts.

Of course, it could also be used as a heart-protecting mirror, hidden inside clothes to protect the heart.

It has many uses.

However...

It just feels like a useless chicken rib.

"Creak..."

The bedroom door opened.

The Young Maid walked in, washed clean, smelling fragrant, and looking shy.

"Young Master, the Mistress says..."

"She says for you to go eat shit and go to sleep!"

Luo Zijun placed the Copper Mirror on the table, leaving that drop of blood lying on the surface, preparing to see if there would be any reaction tomorrow.

Since it is so hard, it is definitely not an ordinary object.

Perhaps he just hasn't found the correct method to activate it.

The master and servant, each harboring their own thoughts, got into bed and slept at opposite ends.

Just after lying down.

The Young Maid couldn't wait to get up, crawled from the quilt into his arms, blinked her watery eyes, and said pitifully, "Young Master, the Mistress says if this servant still can't conceive a child, she will sell this servant."

Luo Zijun pinched her tender cheek and said, "Selling you would be good. Perhaps you'll be sold to a good family, eat well and drink well every day, and never have to do chores again."

"Wuu, Young Master, this servant isn't joking with you, this servant wants..."

"Snore..."

"If Young Master snores again, this servant will bite you!"

"Don't..."

"Hmph!"

"Xiaohuan, having a child is a matter that must be considered thoroughly; it cannot be done lightly. Once a child is born, they need to be fed, protected, educated, accompanied, and given all kinds of emotional care. Do you know how difficult that is?"

"Young Master is lying to me again. So many people have children; those neighbors, they have one after another, aren't they doing just fine?"

"We are humans, not animals. When we have a child, we can't just give them a mouthful of food to keep them from starving; they also need..."

"This servant doesn't care, this servant wants to have a child for Young Master!"

"Have one then! Have one for me right now! Now, immediately, at once! Have one!"

"..."

"Why aren't you having one?"

"Young Master... the books say that parched land can only grow crops after being washed by a storm, nourished by rainwater, and then having seeds sown... This servant, this servant needs Young Master to first wash and nourish..."

"Xiaohuan, how did I discover that you little maid are becoming increasingly improper?"

"Wuu... how could that be, I... I am only improper toward Young Master."

"Alright, go to sleep. As for having a child, let's talk about it in a few years; I don't want one right now."

"Then... then we don't have to have a child, this servant wants to be with Young Master..."

"Stop fantasizing!"

Luo Zijun rubbed her little face, picked up her petite body, threw her to the other end, and said, "Wait until you grow up."

The Young Maid immediately wailed, "This servant is already big enough."

"Are you as big as that Miss Qingqing, or as big as your Sister Ling'er?"

"..."

The Young Maid immediately fell silent.

Luo Zijun was afraid she would be sad, so he hesitated for a moment and had no choice but to say again: "Xiaohuan, wait a little longer, wait... wait until we buy a big house, and then we can talk about it after Sister can no longer hear."

"Young Master, then when can we buy one?"

"Very soon, sleep now."

The Young Maid sighed faintly.

Luo Zijun also sighed secretly in his heart.

The experiences of that world made him constantly mindful of danger in times of peace.

Especially in this kind of environment.

At this time, it was definitely not the time to indulge in pleasure.

He let his thoughts run wild for a long time.

After the Young Maid fell asleep with her worries, he sat up from the bed and began to continue his cultivation.

In the Dantian Sea.

That Inner Strength Seed, the size of a mung bean, was slowly flickering with a milky white light, continuing to grow.

And the skin all over his body also quickly began to heat up.

At the fourth watch.

He finally finished his cultivation technique and prepared to sleep.

However, at this moment, he felt a bit restless inside, and the blood throughout his body was flowing gurglingly, making him feel somewhat agitated.

Especially since a fragrant and soft little girl was still sleeping in the quilt.

"Hoo..."

He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, trying his best to suppress a certain stirring desire in his heart.

"Women are all skeletons, rotting corpses, disgusting filth, ferocious demons..."

He kept reminding himself in his heart.

At the same time, he forcibly outlined those terrifying images in his mind.

Finally, after a long time, he calmed down.

However, at this very moment, the little girl sleeping on the other side suddenly said something in her sleep, then turned over, and one leg rested on his leg; that petite, jade-like foot of the young girl happened to be placed in a strange position.

Luo Zijun suddenly lost his composure a little.

Outside the window, the bright moon hung high.

In the room, it was as quiet as before.

After a long while, following a period of speechless "...", Luo Zijun finally fell asleep in exhaustion.

And at this time.

In the pitch darkness, a line of small characters suddenly appeared on the surface of the Copper Mirror placed on the table in front of the window: 【Who are you】.

At the same time.

In a certain mansion in the Inner City, in a certain courtyard.

A thin, small-statured man was sitting at a stone table in the courtyard drinking wine.

A figure entered from the main gate, knelt down, and reported: "Subordinate has verified that the genius student from West Lake Academy mentioned today, Luo Zijun, is indeed the younger brother in the home of Li Zhengshan and Luo Jiaorong."

After hearing this, the thin man did not show any other expression on his face.

After taking a light sip of wine, he said indifferently: "I didn't expect that not beating him to death that time would actually result in him becoming a scholar... Forget it, although the Master hasn't said anything, we as servants naturally need to have some discernment. If that brat were just ordinary, that would be one thing, but now that he has passed the scholar exam and become a genius in West Lake Academy, we naturally cannot let him continue to grow."

"Go, find a few people, do it cleanly; it is best to find a few ruffians and hooligans with bad records, and don't do it too close to the city. Crippled, dead, or disappeared, any of those will do."

"Yes."

The figure dressed in black retreated respectfully.

The thin man continued to drink his wine and eat a dish of pickled vegetables, his expression remaining the same, as if he had not taken this matter to heart at all.

(End of this chapter)