Chapter 127: The Mystery of the Bronze Mirror

While Zhang Qinglin was still immersed in his thoughts, the entire golden-walled chamber began to sway. The gigantic sphere in front of him slowly moved inward, throwing Zhang Qinglin into a panic.

In a state of emergency, Zhang Qinglin hurried toward the outer perimeter. As he reached the sphere, countless fissures tore open across the ceiling above, sending rocks hurtling downward.

Amid the violent shaking, Zhang Qinglin finally escaped the space. He ran forward with all his might. Behind him, the massive eye had shattered into a field of debris, while the brilliant light slowly grew dim before vanishing into total darkness.

Zhang Qinglin continued to run through the darkness. He had no idea how long he had been running when he suddenly stopped.

In this moment, there was no direction, no end, and no exit. He had lost himself within the darkness.

Panting heavily and clutching his chest, Zhang Qinglin forced himself to calm down. He straightened up and surveyed the surrounding darkness. The next second, his eyes widened in horror, a cold breath caught in his throat, and he slowly retreated backward.

At that moment, he saw two pairs of glowing green eyes staring out from the darkness on his left and right, baring sharp, massive fangs as they menacingly and slowly advanced toward him.

Paralyzed with terror, Zhang Qinglin spun around and bolted. He heard the ground vibrate as the two monsters gave chase from behind.

Terrified, Zhang Qinglin turned to confront the monsters standing before him. Their massive bodies bared fangs in a vicious snarl, and their emerald eyeballs glowed with a ghostly, terrifying light.

Had he triggered or violated something to summon these two beasts?

As Zhang Qinglin thought this, the two monsters lunged at him simultaneously.

Zhang Qinglin threw himself forward into a forward roll, escaping just in time. The two beasts immediately charged again. Zhang Qinglin scrambled to his feet and clenched his fists, preparing to fight them to the death, but he instantly gave up the idea. He was no match for these two behemoths; running was his only option.

Just as Zhang Qinglin plunged back into the darkness, the scene suddenly shifted from pitch black to a dim, amber glow. Jagged, undulating cliff walls appeared on both sides, and the monsters remained in hot pursuit right behind him.

"Ah..."

Suddenly, the ground vanished beneath his feet, and his entire body plunged into an abyss.

Zhang Qinglin looked down and saw a pair of gigantic pupils staring up at him from the depths below.

"Xiaolin! Xiaolin!" Wu Cheng'an's anxious voice echoed in his ears. Zhang Qinglin's body stirred, aching all over, as his vision pulled back to reality.

"What happened to me?" Zhang Qinglin steadied his forehead, slowly sat up, glanced across the desk, and looked at Wu Cheng'an.

"You suddenly passed out. How do you feel now?" Wu Cheng'an asked, pouring a cup of water and handing it to him.

Zhang Qinglin took the cup. "The bronze mirror—did you find anything?"

He got out of bed and walked over to the desk. When he saw the bronze mirror resting upon it, his eyes widened in terror. "How can this be? It has turned black, and the mirror surface is cracked!"

"Indeed. After you wiped it, the mirror slowly changed color. How could an ordinary bronze mirror exhibit such a phenomenon? It is truly bizarre," Wu Cheng'an said as he walked over.

Zhang Qinglin shivered, shook his head, and nearly collapsed again.

"Hey, what is wrong with you? You just faint out of nowhere," Wu Cheng'an said immediately, stepping forward to steady him.

After standing firmly, Zhang Qinglin said, "I am fine. I just need to rest a moment."

He then retrieved a pen and a piece of paper, writing down the words he had seen within the giant eye. Pointing at the characters on the paper with his pen, he said, "These are the words that appeared on the bronze mirror earlier."

Wu Cheng'an stared at the text on the paper for a moment of silence. "Time originally has no tree, the bright mirror is not a stand. Fundamentally not a single thing, where does dust come from? Time, Sanskrit, Buddhism—this is a poem about Buddhism."

"You know about this?" Zhang Qinglin asked, leaning against the edge of the table.

"The literal meaning is: time originally has no fixed definition, and a bright mirror is not a stand either. Fundamentally it is void and non-existent, so how could anything appear? In other words, nothing tangible truly exists in this world. To supreme wisdom, let alone defilement, not even a single speck of dust exists."

"I understand the literal meaning, but what is this actually trying to say?" Confused, Zhang Qinglin picked up the bronze mirror, touched the cracks on its surface, and flipped it over to look at the back. The patterns on the reverse side had changed; two floating beast motifs had appeared on either side of the original central design.

Zhang Qinglin suddenly understood. The bronze mirror had changed because, after wiping its surface, he had inadvertently disrupted something hidden within the mirror.

***

Although he knew the contents of the mirror, there was no way to decipher the clues it held. Zhang Qinglin suggested going to the second-floor study of the teahouse, where Uncle Jiang had collected numerous ancient books; perhaps they could find relevant information among them.

With that, the two packed up and headed to the teahouse. They arrived just as Sister Zhou was leaving and Jiang Xinyue was about to lock the door.

"Brother, where are you two going so late?" Jiang Xinyue asked, seeing Zhang Qinglin and Wu Cheng'an walking toward her.

"Yueyue, I have already delivered food to Uncle Jiang. I am coming to the teahouse for a bit. Why don't you head back and rest first?" Zhang Qinglin said, looking at Jiang Xinyue.

Then, turning to Wu Cheng'an, he added, "Xiao'an, let us go inside."

Wanting to stay and keep them company, Jiang Xinyue followed them in. Once inside, Zhang Qinglin and Wu Cheng'an went straight to the second-floor study, where Zhang Qinglin pulled out all the ancient texts.

They spent the entire night flipping through books, finally finding those specific lines in a volume called the *Tang Classics*.

The verses had been written by Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty. But what did this have to do with the *Death Record of Exorcising Evil*? Could someone in the Tang Dynasty have found the *Death Record*, and fearing that ordinary people would obtain it, hidden its volumes separately while using poetry as cryptic clues to the hiding places?

"Xiaolin, come look at this. See if this explains the meaning of those two lines," Wu Cheng'an said, handing a book to Zhang Qinglin.

It was a Tang Dynasty book on anomalies titled *Youyang Zazu*, which recorded immortals, Buddhas, ghosts, monsters, human affairs, as well as animals, plants, wine, food, temples, and more. One of the strange tales within described a phenomenon of illusory images appearing in a certain region.

An illusory image meant that the tangible form was not real, and the void was not empty; form does not differ from the void, and the void does not differ from form.

In other words, the physical shapes perceived by the eyes were merely transient reflections in the universe, and all true appearances were like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.

*Youyang Zazu* was truly an extraordinary book; one of its chapters on tombs even contained secret lore related grave robbing, detailing how perilous and fraught with mechanisms tombs could be.

"This doesn't give specific details, but it reminds me of something," Zhang Qinglin said, holding the copy of *Youyang Zazu* and raising his gaze to Wu Cheng'an.

Wu Cheng'an sat up straight, looking at Zhang Qinglin in silence.

Zhang Qinglin searched his memory for an incident that had occurred in Qizhou involving a piece of jade ware. Back then, Uncle Jiang was extremely fond of collecting antiques and curios; anything that caught his eye was bound to be worth a fortune. Whenever Uncle Jiang went out to procure goods, he would always bring back some treasure.

That year, Zhang Qinglin had accompanied Uncle Jiang to Qizhou to restock. Knowing that Uncle Jiang had an expert eye and could discern the true worth of an item, the shopkeeper brought out an object wrapped in yellow cloth.

When the shopkeeper unwrapped the yellow cloth and placed it in Uncle Jiang's hands, Zhang Qinglin saw that it was a pale green, flat piece of jade, identical on both sides, with a slightly convex center and a thick middle tapering to thin edges.

Uncle Jiang identified it as a jade *Sina* pendant.

Such jade ornaments were frequently found in Han tombs, especially those of the Eastern Han dynasty, though they were typically flatter and had slightly different suspension perforations. Modern people commonly referred to them as "gong"-shaped pendants because their form resembled the Chinese character for "work" (*gong*).

The *Sina* was originally a navigational instrument invented by ancients that used the magnetic field's pointing property to determine direction and orient north and south.

The practice of divination using the *Sina* reached its peak during the Xin-Wang period. Because jade was believed to ward off evil and bring auspicious fortune, people imitated the shape of the *Sina*, transforming the utilitarian tool into an ornament. They carved small jade pendants shaped like the *Sina* to wear on their bodies for protection, which became known as *Sina* pendants.

Judging from the unique concave outer contour of the pendant and the role of the wearer, it was deduced that this might have been an evolved form intentionally flattened and miniaturized by later generations from Liangzhu jade *cong* in order to attain certain religious significance.

Jade *Sina* pendants generally possessed exquisite texture and delicate craftsmanship, carved into the shape of a tiny ladle on top and a "gong" shape at the bottom, often featuring small holes for suspension.

They flourished during the Han Dynasty, while imitations were common during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

After inspecting it, Uncle Jiang told the shopkeeper that the piece was genuine and could fetch a high price.

The shopkeeper wanted Uncle Jiang to buy it, but Uncle Jiang firmly refused, asking instead how he had acquired the jade *Sina* pendant.

The shopkeeper quietly told him that he had plundered it from an ancient tomb alongside several tomb robbers.

In the underground vault, they had encountered many bizarre phenomena, witnessing a dazzling, unprecedented world of light, and he even claimed to have seen his deceased wife of many years inside the tomb.

Later, they ran into numerous traps and mechanisms, enduring hair-raising, life-or-death trials.

Uncle Jiang asked him where the tomb was located.

The shopkeeper replied that it was in the vicinity of the Luo River, though he could not specify the exact location.

Uncle Jiang only smiled, and before leaving, he warned the shopkeeper to dispose of the item as quickly as possible or face trouble.

After leaving the shop, Zhang Qinglin asked Uncle Jiang why he hadn't bought it. Uncle Jiang replied that the jade *Sina* pendant was malignant and not a true *Sina* pendant.

This was utterly perplexing. Zhang Qinglin had seen the jade pendant; it matched Uncle Jiang's description of a *Sina* pendant, yet Uncle Jiang insisted it wasn't.

Most importantly, the item had been stolen from an ancient tomb in the Luo River area—and *Youyang Zazu* also contained tomb-robbing lore related to the Luo River, while the documents Li Qingpeng had previously shown them had also mentioned the Luo River.

Therefore, Zhang Qinglin concluded that one of the volumes of the *Death Record of Exorcising Evil* was very likely located in the Luo River region.

As Zhang Qinglin spoke, dawn broke completely. Jiang Xinyue walked in from outside, and seeing the two of them still engrossed in books, she remarked, "You two stayed up all night? Come have breakfast first!"

"Yueyue, thank you!" Zhang Qinglin turned and said to Jiang Xinyue at the doorway.

"Oh, right, Brother, there is a shipment of goods in the eastern room that hasn't been unpacked yet. Could you help me unpack it after you eat? I am heading downstairs first," Jiang Xinyue said, placing the breakfast on the table.

"Alright," Zhang Qinglin replied.

Wu Cheng'an walked over to Zhang Qinglin and said, "Let's eat first, and continue researching afterward."

After finishing his meal, Zhang Qinglin went to the eastern room and began opening the crates delivered to the shop, taking out tea cups and teapots one by one. When he reached the very bottom layer,

he discovered a solid base. After removing the straw packing, he saw a bronze *jue* vessel. Zhang Qinglin hurriedly called Wu Cheng'an over, and the two of them carefully extricated the bronze *jue*.

Zhang Qinglin found a wooden box and placed the bronze *jue* inside. As the two examined it closely, they confirmed it was precisely the Shang Dynasty bronze *jue* with animal-mask motifs that Wu Cheng'an had mentioned.

The cup possessed a handle on one side of its belly shaped like a beast's head holding a ring, surrounded by *taotie* monster masks depicting ancient divine beasts. It radiated a fierce and solemn aura, with rigorous structure yet lively, rhythmic dynamism.

The three slender legs beneath the cup flared outward like blades. The overall vessel possessed smooth lines and a balanced tension, exuding an archaic, solemn, and mysteriously tranquil temperament.

This rustic aesthetic deeply captivated Zhang Qinglin, who lowered his head to study it intently.

Although the bronze *jue* had undergone millennia of weathering, with its outer body covered in bluish-green patina and faint crimson blotches scattered elsewhere, a distinct blue-black substance adhered to the edge of the cup's spout—an unidentifiable material.

Pointing at the substance adhering to the spout, Zhang Qinglin asked, "You said there was *gu* venom on this—where is it? Could it be this blue-black stuff?"

As he spoke, Zhang Qinglin subconsciously raised his right hand to reach into the wooden box.

"Hey, have you lost your mind?!" Wu Cheng'an shouted, stopping him instantly.

Zhang Qinglin snapped back to his senses, quickly withdrew his hand, and stared blankly at Wu Cheng'an.

His heart fluttered with dread; if Wu Cheng'an hadn't stopped him in time, touching the *gu* poison would have cost him his life.

Looking down, Wu Cheng'an swept his eyes from side to side before shaking his head. "Whether this is *gu* venom is hard to say. It cannot be identified by sight; I'm afraid only the people of Xiangxi would know."

"What should we do then? None of us can confirm whether this bronze *jue* is contaminated with *gu*. Should we find Fan Ni and hand the bronze *jue* over to him? But this is an antique; if it is authenticated as genuine, we have to turn it over to the state," Zhang Qinglin said, raising his head.

Wu Cheng'an straightened up, locked his gaze onto Zhang Qinglin, and rolled his eyes before saying, "If it is genuine, we must still eradicate the *gu* venom first, otherwise who knows how many people it could kill? Put it away safely for now and make sure no one touches it. I will go find Fan Ni, gauge his attitude, and then make a decision."

"Alright, as long as he agrees to remove the *gu* venom and hand it over to the state..." Zhang Qinglin said.

Before he could finish, Jiang Xinyue called out to him from downstairs. Because Sister Zhou had taken the morning off for personal matters, Jiang Xinyue had to deliver food to Uncle Jiang and asked Zhang Qinglin to come down and mind the shop.

Since Wu Cheng'an was heading that way, he could accompany Jiang Xinyue to the hospital. Watching them leave, Zhang Qinglin turned and walked back toward the pear-wood tea table.