The Mirror Legacy

Chapter 1536: Laughter And Tears (I)

Shanji Prefecture.

Quiet lights dotted the night as Kong Tingyun stood alone atop the mountain peak, desolation clinging to her figure, her expression lost and bewildered. Her hands gripped the pavilion railing so tightly that they had turned faintly pale, yet the mountains remained filled with joy, with congratulations ringing out everywhere.

“Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Kong!” Ch’i Lanyan descended from the air and offered his congratulations before saying with some regret, “It’s a pity that this devil cultivator was somewhat prepared. Although the grand formation could not be moved on short notice, he still dismantled the Purple Mansion Realm spirit item within it and left behind nothing but an empty shell… And here I even brought the [Terrain-Breaking Formation Blade] with me. Truly using an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken.”

Kong Tingyun forced out a smile, though lingering fear and shock still remained in her eyes. For a moment, she did not even know how to answer him.

Ch’i Lanyan merely smiled and said, “So it turns out I was right after all. The Supreme Yang Dao lineage not only wanted your mountain gate, they even crossed the river to take your life… Had I not noticed in time, who knows how much slaughter Jiangbei would have suffered by now.”

Yet Kong Tingyun’s heart was filled with complicated emotions. The helpless, despairing gaze of the woman in purple still lingered in her mind as she replied, “I truly must thank you, my lord! If not for you, the Supreme Yang Dao lineage would likely have brushed me aside with a word or two and some token compensation.”

Ch’i Lanyan simply smiled without replying. After a long while, he finally sighed leisurely and said, “What a pity! Ling Mei was far too bold…

“Once this matter passes, Tinglan will not dare show herself for at least thirty years. Purple Smoke Blessed Land will retreat from the world. As for Houfu… that man is quite treacherous. He actually broke through a divine ability, but unfortunately, it was of little use. He lost his dharma body, and although he relied on some method to escape with a trace of Shenyang left, that is already enough. He is no different from dead! The Great Xiukui Temple is certain to seal its grand formation shut. From now on, you will have no restraints on either side!

“As for Sword Gate… they cling stubbornly to their own ways, while the Cheng Family is selfish and self-serving. With Beihuan Sect’s warning, they used the excuse of withdrawing from the world to cut ties early on. You also hold the moral high ground. Ling Mei making a move to help this time was already the limit. No one can say anything about it, so there is no need to worry.”

The more Kong Tingyun listened, the more fear filled her heart, though she kept a smile on her face and answered softly, “The Sword Gate did lend me Wind-Listening White Stone Mountain, after all. They have shown me kindness…”

“That is true…” Ch’i Lanyan propped both elbows on the railing and leaned leisurely against it, smiling as he said, “As for the mountains Yehui took from this place, I have already arranged for people to prepare to move them back. The matter of adjusting the transfer of the earth veins will still need people from your sect to handle. Oh…”

He casually pointed toward the sky and shook his head with a smile, “Perfect timing. Your people can return to the mountain as well.”

Kong Tingyun raised her brows and looked up at the sky. The night was deep, and a golden carriage came speeding through the heavens like a bright star, illuminating everything around it.

She said somewhat wearily, “Thank you, my lord.”

————

Across the distant night sky, the golden curtains swayed gently. The old man sat stiffly inside the carriage like a statue, his legs drawn straight and rigid.

All noise was sealed outside the curtains. The carriage gifted by the Daoist Master of Chengyun Gate truly had been forged from [Heavenstar Crimson Gold], and Kong Guxi only felt his entire body burning hot.

His thoughts were hazy, and his mind nearly blank. He had assumed the journey would be long enough for him to gather his thoughts, yet before he could even appreciate how exalted a Daoist Master’s carriage truly was, the floor beneath him trembled slightly and someone shouted, “Welcome back to the mountain, Sect Master!”

Kong Guxi lifted the curtain. The night sky hung heavy overhead while a faint white radiance draped over the mountains like a thin veil, bathing everything in brilliant color. Five golden swords hovered high in the heavens, each projecting a massive golden blade downward like towering pillars standing amidst the mountains.

So those are the [Terrain-Breaking Formation Blades] of Lord Ch’i.

The treasure’s golden radiance filtered softly through the treetops. The mountains were densely packed with kneeling figures prostrating themselves along the road, a sea of bowed heads clothed in the robes of the Profound Peak Gate.

Someone stepped forward to support him. Kong Guxi raised his brows and saw that it was Kong Xiaxiang. In the span of a single day, his entire demeanor had changed. His eyes overflowed with the exhilaration of long-awaited vengeance fulfilled. The back that had once bent low was now straight again, and his figure somehow seemed larger, enough to make him appear imposing.

“My lord!”

Kong Guxi nodded as he stepped onto the ground. The mountains echoed with drums and gongs while loud firecrackers exploded faintly at the foot of the mountain. The golden radiance hanging in the sky was so dazzling that every corner of the mountains shone with brilliance, leaving nowhere hidden in shadow. Every face could be seen clearly, each one filled with flattery and submission.

Ahead stood a magnificent golden throne bound with layers of chains that stretched all the way to a group of bedraggled men and women. Shackled tightly in irons, they all knelt upon the road without daring to raise their heads.

Kong Xiaxiang’s lips trembled violently. The corners of his mouth twisted open, revealing clenched teeth shaking from the force of his bite as a chilling laugh escaped his throat.

A laugh slipped out from between his teeth. “These beasts are the ones we captured… The ones who harmed our family, trampled on us, turned with the wind, kicked us while we were down… The beasts who oppressed us inside Grace Covenant Gate… Please, Sect Master, take your seat and let them carry you up the mountain!

“And this one leading them…”

Kong Xiaxiang seized a chain and dragged someone out from the crowd like a dead dog, leaving a long smear of blood across the ground. The man’s facial features had been carved away, his cultivation crippled, and he could only groan weakly on the ground.

Kong Xiaxiang’s eyes widened round as he laughed and said, “This is our Guest Cultivator Wu… After joining the devil sect, he accomplished quite a few ‘good deeds!'”

This Guest Cultivator Wu had always been fond of flattery during his time with the Li Family, though he had at least restrained himself then. Once the Li Family no longer wanted him and he arrived at Grace Covenant Gate, he immediately pledged himself elsewhere and turned around to persecute the Kong Family. Blood and tears now streamed endlessly from him, yet with his tongue cut out, he could only whimper.

Expressionless, Kong Guxi withdrew a golden box from his sleeve. After opening it, he carefully unfolded the item inside, revealing a Daoist robe.

The Daoist robe looked utterly ordinary, fluttering gently in the wind just as it had decades ago when it hung upon the treetops. Kong Guxi draped the robe over the golden throne and stood respectfully at its side in the manner of a junior.

At Kong Xiaxiang’s command, the prisoners began dragging the throne forward. Their cultivation had been crippled. Those fond of disdainful glances had their eyes gouged out, while those who loved making contemptuous expressions had their prominent features carved away. Blood flowed endlessly, leaving long crimson trails across the road.

Crack…

The mountains fell deathly silent. No one dared raise their head. Only the heavy sounds of dragging, pained whimpers, and flowing blood echoed through the mountains.

Kong Guxi followed the procession all the way to the mountain peak. By the time he arrived, the soles of his shoes and the hems of his robes were soaked completely in blood. Back then, when he had descended this mountain in sorrow and tears, the skies had been unbearably dim. Now, the colors before him were equally bright. The brilliance stabbed painfully into his eyes, and tears streamed down his face.

Yet his expression only grew calmer. Turning back, he looked down from above upon the countless terrified Shanji clansmen who had come to pay their respects, the Grace Covenant Gate disciples who had committed no serious wrongs and been allowed to surrender, and the Xuanmiao Temple disciples who stood trembling, too afraid to raise their heads.

His lips trembled slightly, his voice hoarse as he said, “Everyone smile.”

In an instant, the mountains that had been so silent one could hear a pin drop erupted into noise. The people laughed in panic and confusion, yet the sound resembled nothing more than the harsh cries of crows echoing endlessly through the mountains. The laughter stirred the robe draped over the golden throne, lifting it gently into the air before it floated lightly back into Kong Guxi’s hands.

That invisible omen seemed to bestow upon him some sacred mission. Kong Guxi felt himself grow taller somehow as he quietly held the robe in his arms, solemn and dignified.

“Hahaha…”

“Hahahahaha!”

The mountains were filled with smiling faces. Kong Guxi slowly turned his head, his gaze as sharp as a blade as it swept carefully across every face. But when his eyes reached an inconspicuous corner, it was as though his gaze had been burned. His pupils slowly widened.

Among the hundreds and thousands of smiling faces, only one remained pale and calm, like withered grass dried by hardship, still refusing to smile.

It was Kong Qiuyan. She held the hand of a blindfolded child, her body seeming to tremble where she stood.

Amid the countless earth-shaking laughs, Kong Guxi’s blade-like gaze shattered completely. The old man slowly lowered his head, his grip on the ancestral robe tightening little by little. At first came choked sobs and quiet weeping, but soon he collapsed to his knees within the pool of blood and began wailing in grief.