Chapter 98: Talking Bronze Mirror, Fairy from the Jade Pool?

The next day, the sky was overcast.

The morning sun hid behind the clouds, appearing and disappearing, while the wind blew, making the treetops rustle.

Xiaohuan hurried to collect the laundry in the small courtyard.

Her petite frame held a pile of clothes, swaying unsteadily in the wind; she took one step forward and two steps back, looking as if she were about to fall.

Luo Zijun quickly walked over to take the clothes and carried them back into the house.

Xiaohuan followed him inside, breathed a sigh of relief, and said while patting her chest, "The wind is so strong. Young Master, you are so amazing."

"Xiaohuan is also very amazing."

Luo Zijun ruffled her hair and prepared to head out.

Unexpectedly, the Young Maid suddenly whispered again, "Young Master, last night, did you... bully... bully me..."

"No!"

Before she could finish, Luo Zijun immediately denied it.

Then, without waiting for her to speak again, he waved his hand and said, "Do your work well, don't let your imagination run wild all day. I'm going to the Academy."

Having said that, he went to the kitchen to grab a flatbread, greeted his sister, and left the house.

He walked against the wind the entire way.

As he passed Bao'an Hall, he habitually glanced at it.

The shop door was still closed.

Inside, there was no longer that familiar figure, nor that cold and beautiful face; of course, the charming scenery that used to sit proudly on the counter was gone too.

His heart felt suddenly empty.

At this moment, he couldn't help but recall a conversation.

"What is the most precious thing in the world?"

"What has been lost, or what has not yet been obtained, is what appears precious."

"No, the most precious thing in the world is what one currently possesses."

Indeed.

Only what one currently possesses is the most real, and only what is most real is the most precious.

As for what has been lost and what has not been obtained, those are things that do not belong to you, so how can they be the most precious?

"Whoosh—"

The wind blowing against him brought a sense of lonely melancholy.

Luo Zijun sighed inwardly and continued walking forward.

He did not know where his master and senior sister had gone.

Was it truly a parting with no hope of meeting again?

With a heavy heart, he arrived at the Academy.

The Academy was exceptionally lively today, and the students on the road were excitedly discussing the exchange that took place in the Inner City yesterday.

Luo Zijun entered the classroom.

Inside the classroom, everyone was also chatting with great enthusiasm.

Upon seeing him, Wang Dafu immediately said loudly, "Brother Luo! Brother Luo! You actually didn't go to such a spectacular event yesterday! Our West Lake Academy beat Linfeng Academy until they were scurrying away in defeat!"

Huang Beicheng laughed, "Yesterday, we specifically brought up Brother Luo's name to suppress the other side. At first, Linfeng Academy didn't believe in Brother Luo's ability, but once our Academy brought out Brother Luo's Examination Paper and those poems, the other side immediately quieted down. Everyone is praising Brother Luo's literary talent."

Someone laughed, "Especially that 'Ode to the Lotus', all the teachers and students couldn't stop praising it."

Hearing this news, Luo Zijun was not happy.

He hadn't expected to become famous even without going.

"Brother Luo, why do you look unhappy? Were you bitten by a dog again?"

Wang Dafu looked puzzled.

Luo Zijun retorted irritably, "You're the one bitten by a dog, your whole family is bitten by a dog!"

Wang Dafu chuckled and said cheekily, "Brother Luo, we wouldn't necessarily be able to go even if we wanted to, but you, on the other hand, clearly could have gone to show off, yet you voluntarily gave it up."

As he spoke, he gave a thumbs up and flattered him, "Brother Luo is truly humble enough, I admire you, I admire you!"

Luo Zijun ignored him, his heart worried about the repercussions of this matter.

Just as he sat down, Xu Xian, who was next to him, fidgeted and whispered, "Brother Luo, do you want to come to my house for dinner tonight?"

Luo Zijun was stunned and looked at him, saying, "Why would I go to your house for dinner?"

Xu Xian blinked and whispered, "My younger sister is at home, and she seems to be in a good mood today."

"Not interested."

Luo Zijun refused directly.

Xu Xian quickly said, "Brother Luo, don't be like that. Besides Brother Luo, I really don't know who is worthy of my younger sister."

Luo Zijun said, "I have someone I like."

Xu Xian said, "It's fine, men, it doesn't matter if you like a few more."

Luo Zijun turned to look at him.

Xu Xian gave a sheepish smile and said, "Brother Luo is so capable, you can marry a few more in the future."

He then whispered, "My younger sister knows martial arts. When Brother Luo marries her, you can keep her by your side to protect you, and she can also protect your other wives."

"I'm afraid she'll stab me to death with a spear by then."

Luo Zijun ignored him and opened his book.

This guy was truly a strange one; in order to get his sister married off sooner, he could say anything.

There were two classes in the morning.

After class, Luo Zijun left directly, preparing to return to Bao'an Hall to practice martial arts.

Who would have thought that just as he reached the main gate, Huang Zhaodi's crisp voice suddenly came from the small path nearby: "Luo Zijun!"

Luo Zijun stopped his steps and turned his head to look.

Huang Zhaodi was wearing a pale yellow dress, holding a flower that seemed to have just been picked, skipping and jumping as she walked with Sun Yan'er, waving and smiling at him.

This girl had bright eyes and white teeth, and her smile was exceptionally brilliant, as if she had forgotten the "old grudge" from that day at Peach Blossom Spring, when he had beaten and insulted her.

Of course, he had also saved her that day.

The gaze Sun Yan'er directed at him was calm but carried some complex emotions.

"Luo Zijun, you're famous now; the whole Academy knows your name and your work. Even at the Inner City Academy, many talented women say they want to see you."

Huang Zhaodi walked over, clicking her tongue, her face full of envy.

As she spoke, she casually handed the flower in her hand to him and said, "Just picked, it's very fragrant, do you want it?"

Luo Zijun reached out and took it.

This scene not only made Huang Zhaodi pause, but a look of surprise also appeared on the face of Sun Yan'er, who was standing to the side.

"It is indeed very fragrant, thank you."

Luo Zijun held the flower under his nose to sniff it, smiling as he thanked her.

Huang Zhaodi was stunned for a few seconds, blinked her eyes, and looked at him with surprise and confusion: "Luo Zijun, you... why do I feel like you are different today?"

"I am different every day."

Luo Zijun said solemnly: "Because I become more handsome every day, so naturally I look different every day."

"Pfft..."

Huang Zhaodi immediately burst into a giggle and said: "You thick-skinned person, you're still the same."

Luo Zijun handed the flower in his hand to Sun Yan'er, who was standing to the side, and said: "For you."

Sun Yan'er was stunned, looking at him blankly, forgetting to react for a moment.

Huang Zhaodi clicked her tongue and said: "Luo Zijun, you really know how to act; taking my flower to give to Yan'er?"

Sun Yan'er only then reacted, but she didn't know whether to accept it or not, and her fair face was suddenly covered in a blush.

Luo Zijun said candidly: "When we first met, I was rude; I hope Sun Guniang will not take it to heart. At that time... I just felt that Sun Guniang and your maid were a bit overbearing, and I had already understood Sun Guniang's meaning in my heart, so I struck first to gain the advantage and said unpleasant things."

Sun Yan'er's gaze trembled, she bit her lip, reached out to take the flower from his hand, lowered her head, and said: "I... I didn't take it to heart."

Then she raised her head again, looked at him, and said: "Thank you for saving me by the river that day, I... I actually wanted to say a few more words to you, but..."

"But my mouth is too poisonous."

Luo Zijun said it himself.

Huang Zhaodi, standing to the side, immediately laughed: "Luo Zijun, you've admitted it yourself; your mouth has always been very poisonous, hmph!"

"But it didn't poison you to death when I kissed you."

Luo Zijun looked at her and said.

Huang Zhaodi paused, rolled her eyes at him, and said: "Luo Zijun, you're doing it again!"

"You two enjoy your stroll, I'm going home."

Luo Zijun didn't say anything more, waved at the two of them, and turned to leave.

That tall and slender back soon exited the main gate and disappeared under the steps outside.

Only then did Huang Zhaodi withdraw her gaze and say with a face full of confusion: "Yan'er, how strange, did this guy take the wrong medicine today? Why has his attitude toward us suddenly become so good? It's like he suddenly changed from a stinky hooligan into a gentle and refined gentleman."

Sun Yan'er's gaze was still fixed outside the gate, at the place where that tall, handsome figure had disappeared, her expression dazed.

"Ah, Yan'er, do you think that guy might have suddenly fallen for..."

Huang Zhaodi suddenly widened her eyes as she looked at her.

Sun Yan'er was startled, her cheeks flushed, and she looked at her.

Huang Zhaodi giggled, pointed at herself, and said: "I was talking about me! Could that guy have suddenly fallen for me? After all, I'm so cute, and I've been kissed, touched, scolded, and beaten by him. Haven't you heard that 'beating is affection, scolding is love'?"

Sun Yan'er rolled her eyes.

"Hahahaha, just kidding! Yan'er, don't worry, if that guy really falls for me, I promise to take you along and make you his concubine. Hehe, by then, the two of us can play with him together; when you're tired I'll take over, when I'm tired you take over, and we'll play him to death for having such a poisonous mouth! Ah... Yan'er, don't pinch! I was wrong..."

The two of them played and chased each other away.

Luo Zijun left the Academy and came directly to Bao'an Hall.

He opened the door, and the room was empty.

He couldn't help but look behind the counter again, sighed secretly, then closed the door and went to the backyard.

He continued to practice martial arts.

"Swish!"

He threw a punch, the force like ten thousand jun!

Many fist techniques start with moves that are steady and solid, combining both offense and defense.

However, the Kaishan Fist is different.

The initial moves of the Kaishan Fist are a desperate style of fighting, attacking only and not defending.

Moreover, the first move is extremely fierce and also consumes a great deal of physical strength.

That is why, when he chose the Kaishan Fist, he was mocked by that Cao Shixiong, who also practiced the Kaishan Fist.

After all, his body looked far too weak.

Yet, only he himself knew that his constitution was extraordinary.

In his Dantian Sea, the Inner Strength Seed was flickering.

Now, every time he threw a punch, Internal Energy would surge from his Dantian Sea, then pass through his meridians and acupoints, entering his fists.

The speed was almost within a single thought.

This process is also a form of tempering for the body.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

His figure became faster and faster, and his fists became heavier and heavier.

In the backyard, there was the sound of wind whistling past, and the sound of the powerful wind from his rapidly thrown fists; for a moment, they were indistinguishable.

Very quickly, his body began to heat up, and his skin began to burn.

He continued to persist.

After he had been punching continuously for a full hour, while feeling sore all over, he suddenly felt a tingling sensation across his entire skin, as if an electric current were passing through, pulsing incessantly.

At the same time, in his Dantian Sea, that Inner Strength Seed suddenly began to flicker rapidly.

The blood in his body seemed to be boiling.

This was the precursor to a breakthrough!

Luo Zijun felt a surge of joy in his heart; not daring to stop, he continued to endure the fatigue and soreness, driving the Internal Energy in his Dantian Sea to begin another round of tempering.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

His fists were like hammers, his figure shifted, mud and sand flew on the ground, and the wind whistled by his ears.

At this moment, he seemed to have suddenly entered a certain state.

No longer tired, no longer in pain.

He could see nothing, and he could hear nothing.

His body seemed to be throwing punches mechanically, and they were becoming faster and heavier!

His mind was in chaos, and his consciousness began to blur.

But his fists continued to swing like a violent storm, the wind they whipped up whistling like thunder.

"Boom!"

He did not know how much time had passed.

In his mind, in his ears, and within his chest, a roar suddenly erupted.

Then, the remaining Internal Energy in his Dantian Sea suddenly poured out like a flood, surging to every part of his body.

His entire skin felt as if it were bursting with pain. But very quickly, under the scouring and nourishment of that Internal Energy, the pain vanished, and another kind of strange, tingling, and cool sensation began to emerge.

"Swish!"

It was as if he had seen the light again.

At this moment, Luo Zijun's vision recovered, and his mind suddenly became clear.

At the same time, the roaring sound in his ears and body also suddenly disappeared.

It was as if all the clamor had returned to silence.

He slowly opened his eyes.

He did not know when he had stopped in place; his fists were still clenched, his whole body was drenched in sweat, and the skin beneath the sweat shone with a fascinating luster in the sunlight.

His clenched fists seemed to be filled with a strange power that excited him!

In his Dantian Sea, that Inner Strength Seed had once again become the size of a broad bean.

He walked toward the wooden stake in the corner, and in his Dantian Sea, Internal Energy surged, instantly pouring into his clenched fist.

!

"Swish!"

He threw a punch with sudden force.

The wooden stake in front of him shattered with a "crack," and his fist no longer felt the slightest bit of pain.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

He immediately struck at the other wooden stakes nearby.

As crisp sounds rang out one after another, those wooden stakes were all smashed to pieces.

And his fists had no redness or swelling at all; under the reinforcement of the Internal Energy, he could not even feel a trace of pain.

The skin on his fists was solid and tough, radiating a luster like metal in the evening sunset.

Truly, Skin Refining is like copper, capable of destroying wood and stone!

He had finally succeeded in Skin Refining!

He had finally become a true martial artist!

Of course, this was only the beginning.

The Martial Artist First Realm is naturally very powerful to ordinary people, but to other martial artists, it is only the lowest level of existence.

Martial Artist First Realm, Skin Refining; Martial Artist Second Realm, Refining Flesh! Martial Artist Third Realm, Refining Tendons!

Next, he would continue to advance toward the Martial Artist Second Realm!

His whole body felt incredibly light, but waves of soreness still assailed his muscles and bones.

He immediately went to boil water for a Medicine Bath.

Although there was no one else here, he still moved the bathtub into the woodshed.

When he had prepared the medicine and entered the bathtub after stripping off his clothes, he immediately felt his entire body's fatigue and soreness being relieved.

The thick medicinal liquid enveloped his entire body, carrying a hint of scalding heat, yet it was extremely comfortable.

He leaned against the edge of the bathtub and closed his eyes comfortably.

Inside the tub, mist swirled, blurring his figure.

He did not know how much time had passed.

When he opened his eyes, he suddenly discovered that a figure seemed to be standing outside the window!

"Splash!"

He immediately stood up from the bathing tub.

However, the figure outside the window had long since vanished.

Was it a trick of the eyes, or...

He immediately got out of the bathing tub, put on his clothes, went over to open the door, and walked out.

However, the courtyard was empty, and there was no figure to be seen.

"Senior Sister! Is that you?"

He shouted once, immediately went to the front room to search, and then hurriedly went upstairs.

But he found nothing at all.

It was as if the figure outside the window just now had been a trick of the eyes from just waking up.

He came down from upstairs, feeling a sense of loss in his heart.

At this moment, the setting sun was about to go down.

He looked around once more, then went over to tidy up the bathing tub and left the shop.

He returned home.

His sister and Xiaohuan were cooking in the kitchen.

His brother-in-law had not yet returned.

Luo Zijun took advantage of this time to come to the backyard and stand before the smallest rock.

Immediately, he slightly bent his legs and wrapped his arms around the rock.

"Up!"

He took a deep breath and exerted force suddenly; the Internal Energy in his Dantian Sea surged and instantly poured into his arms.

This rock, which weighed about five hundred kilograms, was actually lifted up by him all at once this time!

Then, it was even lifted above his head by him!

"Bang!"

The rock fell back to its original place.

He looked at his own hands, feeling a secret joy in his heart.

His strength had indeed increased quite a bit!

With Skin Refining successful, not only was his physical defense greatly enhanced, but his entire body's strength, the explosive power of his fists, and his Internal Energy had all been strengthened to varying degrees.

"Swish!"

He threw a punch, feeling that it had more momentum and stronger explosive power than before, yet it felt even more effortless.

Although it was only a small success in Skin Refining, this sense of achievement made him very excited.

After all, he had been training hard every day, taking the Medicine Bath, and working hard for so long.

After paying the price, he had received a reward.

There was nothing more pleasing than this.

His brother-in-law seemed to have returned and was talking to his sister in the front courtyard.

He did not dare to continue training and went to the front courtyard.

"After the general amnesty, the city is even less peaceful. Those released prisoners have already started causing trouble. Today at the East Street vegetable market, they almost beat someone to death..."

"That tigress at Jingyang Ridge has come out to hurt people again; I heard she even clawed the intestines out of a hunter..."

Li Zhengshan was talking at the kitchen door.

Upon hearing this, Luo Jiaorong anxiously urged, "Li Zhengshan, how much longer are you going to drag this out? Why don't you hurry up and quit this lousy job!"

Li Zhengshan sighed and said, "It's not that I'm dragging it out; it's that the higher-ups haven't recruited anyone yet, so they won't let me go."

Luo Jiaorong said angrily, "Then just leave directly and don't take that money."

Seeing that the two were about to argue over this again, Luo Zijun hurriedly went over and said, "Alright, Sister, hurry up and cook, I'm starving to death."

Luo Jiaorong immediately said in the kitchen, "Starve you to death, you brat! If you can't marry a wife and can't produce a nephew, what use are you!"

Luo Zijun: "..."

"You two continue, I'm going back to my room to read."

He did not dare to linger and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Li Zhengshan was also about to slip away, but was glared at and scolded by Luo Jiaorong: "Go to the well and fetch water! Don't you see there's no water in the vat? You don't have a lick of work in your eyes, you only know how to go out and busy yourself, you don't help out at home at all..."

"Alright, I'll go fetch water!"

Li Zhengshan hurriedly took a bucket and went to the well to fetch water.

Luo Zijun returned to his room.

Just as he was thinking about cultivation matters, his gaze suddenly shifted to the Copper Mirror on the table.

It was already dark, and a full moon had risen into the sky.

The moonlight shone in through the window lattice and happened to fall onto the surface of the mirror; just now, unintentionally, he seemed to have seen something flash in the mirror.

He immediately walked over and looked at the mirror surface.

The mirror surface was hazy and still did not reflect any shadow.

The drop of blood on the mirror surface had also dried up, but the entire Copper Mirror seemed to remain as it was, with no abnormalities occurring.

"Huh?"

Just as he was doubting whether he had seen wrong, he suddenly saw a tiny red dot appear in the bottom right corner of the mirror surface.

That red dot seemed to be jumping slightly as the mirror shook.

He immediately stared closely at that red dot again and shook the mirror forcefully.

Sure enough, that red dot was jumping!

"What is this?"

He remembered very clearly that on the surface of the mirror yesterday, there did not seem to be this thing.

This red dot did not look like it was stained by fresh blood either.

He felt suspicious in his heart, stretched out his fingertip, and touched it lightly.

Unexpectedly, as soon as his fingertip touched it, that red dot suddenly jumped forcefully, and then, it leaped to the very center of the mirror surface, bizarrely turning into three scarlet little characters!

【Who are you?】

Luo Zijun was shocked instantly.

He was dazed for a few seconds, then immediately said to the mirror: "Who are you?"

As a result, the mirror ignored him.

Those three characters stayed on the mirror surface for a while, then began to gradually blur, and then, disappeared from sight.

And in the bottom right corner of the mirror surface, that little red dot from just now had also disappeared from sight.

What the hell?

He was stunned for a moment, then said a few more words to the mirror surface.

However, he still did not receive any response.

"Is it because of that drop of fresh blood?"

He suddenly remembered that he had dripped a drop of fresh blood onto the mirror surface last night.

Just as he was hesitating whether to use the Dagger to cut his finger and drip blood again, those three characters suddenly appeared on the mirror surface again: 【Who are you?】

Luo Zijun was taken aback and hurriedly said to the mirror: "Hey!"

"..."

Why does it feel like making a phone call?

He immediately said again: "Who are you? How should I speak?"

The text on the mirror surface gradually disappeared.

Then, there was no further response.

Luo Zijun looked at the mirror surface, looking like Daidai, with a confused face.

At this moment, a prompt suddenly appeared on the mirror surface: 【Infuse Internal Energy into fingertip, write on the mirror surface】

Luo Zijun felt a stir in his heart, immediately stretched out his index finger, input Internal Energy, and began to slide on the mirror surface: You...

Sure enough, clear text appeared on the mirror surface!

【Who are you?】

After he finished writing these few characters and paused, these characters suddenly flickered three times, and then suddenly flew to the very top of the mirror surface and disappeared from sight.

After a moment.

The other party replied: 【Yaochi Fairy】

Luo Zijun: "???"

After a pause, the other party sent another message: 【You?】

Luo Zijun thought for a moment and replied: 【Dongfang Junnan】

The other party: 【Heh】

Luo Zijun said again: 【May I ask, is this a chat tool? How did you add me? Besides the two of us being able to chat, who else can chat?】

The other party did not reply again.

Luo Zijun waited for a long time, but still did not wait for any new messages.

He stroked this Copper Mirror, unable to put it down.

Unexpectedly, this thing was actually a treasure that could be used for chatting, and it was even handwritten.

It is estimated that that drop of fresh blood last night suddenly activated it, which is why it could be used today.

However, how did the person in the mirror establish a connection with him?

Were they already friends to begin with, or did it appear randomly?

If they were already friends, that would mean the other party might know his background.

After all, this Copper Mirror was once hidden in his swaddling clothes.

Thinking of this.

He stretched out his index finger again and sent a message: 【Um, politely asking, do you know me?】

After a long time, the message finally replied:

【Call me Fairy】

(End of this chapter)