Chapter 6: The Bronze Mirror

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. The Dreamweaver Alliance finally convened under the gaze of the masses. The streets were bustling with crowds, and the city of Fujiang was filled with the thunderous roar of firecrackers and the brilliant display of fireworks.

Xie Yuzhu was not so fortunate to witness it; she was locked in her room under strict protection, forbidden from going out to watch the competition. Meanwhile, Yun Chuan, wrapped in a grey cloak, wove through the crowd toward the seats of the Xiaoyao Sect on the third floor, intending to swindle a bronze mirror.

Only a few young disciples sat at the Xiaoyao Sect’s table; it seemed their leader had gone elsewhere to socialize. They wore wooden crowns and green robes, and the wooden plaques at their waists were engraved with golden Taiji and cloud patterns. Seeing Yun Chuan approach, they stood up in unison to offer a formal bow, their movements disciplined and upright—true to their status as disciples of one of the three great immortal sects.

They did not know who Yun Chuan was, but many powerful figures were moving about that day, and they knew it was never a mistake to be polite to anyone who approached.

Yun Chuan returned the gesture and stated her purpose. She claimed to be a servant at the Zhaiyue Tower, explaining that when she had been setting up the VIP seats, there had been an issue with one of the bronze mirrors at the Xiaoyao Sect’s table, and she needed to take it back for repairs.

A disciple with a round face and apricot-shaped eyes smiled and said, "I see. The spells on these mirrors were set up by the Xiaoyao Sect, so we can repair them ourselves; there is no need to trouble you, sister. May I ask which mirror is having trouble?"

His thoughtfulness made Yun Chuan pause for a moment. She raised a hand and pointed: "That one."

With Yun Chuan’s vision, which could barely distinguish between humans and beasts beyond ten feet, she was not pointing at a mirror, but at a hanging scroll. The disciple looked at the scroll she indicated and, with continued kindness, pointed to the large bronze mirror next to it: "Is the mirror you are referring to... this one next to it?"

Yun Chuan nodded with certainty.

The disciples approached the mirror. The one who had spoken to her raised his hand, formed a seal to activate the magic on the mirror, and even asked a passing Dreamweaver to summon a dream to verify the functions of the spell step-by-step. The spell performed perfectly from start to finish; the dream images were clear and distinct, and the selection and transition of scenes were fluid. If there was any flaw at all, it was merely a piece of paper stuck to the back of the mirror, though no one knew where it had blown from.

"Miss, this mirror seems to have no problems, it’s just that a piece of paper is stuck to it..."

As the disciple peeled off the paper and turned back, he noticed that this young woman had, at some point, put on a pair of crystal spectacles. The light of the bronze mirror reflected off the lenses, and the eyes behind the crystal shone like starlight.

Seeing the disciple turn around, Yun Chuan removed the spectacles and tucked them into her cloak. She took the scrap of paper from the round-faced disciple, crumpled it into a ball, and bowed without changing her expression: "Very well, if there is no problem, then there is no need for repairs."

The disciples returned the bow, once again stooping in perfect unison as they had at the start, their waist plaques swaying. After Yun Chuan left the room, they straightened up. One disciple whispered to his companion: "She performed the ancient rite of the Xiaoyao Sect... I’ve only ever seen the Sect Master use that gesture during the heaven-worship ceremony. The Zhaiyue Tower truly hides talented people..."

Yun Chuan’s lies were full of holes, but she had been fortunate enough to encounter a group of naive disciples who had just left their sect, and thus she remained unexposed. She felt no sense of crisis, nor was she discouraged, and she didn't even try her luck at the seating areas of other sects. She simply wandered around the floor for a while, looking left and right, and finally picked up an ordinary bronze mirror to carry in her arms, preparing to return to Xie Yuzhu.

However, just as she turned around, she saw a colorful figure standing ten steps away. The person stood in the shadows amidst the passing crowd, their silhouette tall and their features indistinct.

A sudden spring breeze stirred the person’s hem and ribbons. The figure stepped forward, accompanied by the tinkling sound of flowing water. As they drew closer, one could clearly see a long dress of vermilion, rattan yellow, and pine green, with pearls, coral, and countless small bells adorning their hair. On the jade-white right hand at their side, they wore golden rings and a multicolored bell bracelet. The flowing, tinkling sound came from these bells covering their body.

Wen Ci stopped a single step away from Yun Chuan and leaned down. That exotic face was magnified infinitely before Yun Chuan’s eyes—brows like distant mountains, eyes like the bright moon—so stunningly beautiful it was startling.

"What are you doing?" Wen Ci asked in a low voice.

Yun Chuan replied calmly, "Looking for a mirror."

Wen Ci cast a glance at the mirror in her arms, then looked up at her, speaking slowly: "Do not touch Dreamweaving arts. Too much curiosity will cost you your life."

Yun Chuan did not answer. Wen Ci straightened up, looked down at her, and said dismissively: "Do you know that if you die in a dream manipulated by a Dreamweaver, you are truly dead?"

Yun Chuan, however, stood on her tiptoes, leaned in toward Wen Ci again, and gave a reply that had nothing to do with the conversation.

"Wait a little longer, I will have saved enough money soon."

"Money? What do you need money for?" Wen Ci frowned.

"Miss Wen! Miss Wen! Why are you here? It’s almost time, you should go and prepare."

Before Yun Chuan could answer, A-Fu’s voice broke in. His eyes were full of anxiety, but he still wore a forced smile. Wen Ci slanted a glance at A-Fu, turned, and walked along the corridor, saying nonchalantly: "What is the rush? I know."

As she spoke, her voice was completely different from before, now a soft and beautiful feminine tone.

The figure stepped onto the stage as her robes fluttered in the air.

As the drums and music began, Wen Ci bent deeply, her body seemingly boneless as she pressed against the ground. As the drumbeats intensified, she began to spin and rise, her robes scattering like blooming flowers. Several golden fans whirled between her fingers, flying into the air and bouncing off her shoulders, knees, and toes, opening and closing in sync with the percussion and the sound of the bells.

The Twelve Fan Dances were like a butterfly playing among flowers—fluid, dazzling, and exquisite. For a moment, thunderous applause erupted, and the crowd gasped in amazement at the feat.

Amidst the applause, Wen Ci bowed her head, the golden tassels on her temples brushing across her eyes.

"To joy, to eternal days."

When these words were spoken by such a beauty, they sounded like both a blessing and a mercy from the gods.

While everyone’s eyes were fixed on the stage, in a corner that no one noticed, another white paper appeared out of thin air and stuck itself to the back of the Xiaoyao Sect’s mirror.

And behind every single dream-viewing mirror in the entire Zhaiyue Tower, white papers had crawled on, unnoticed by anyone.

When Yun Chuan returned to the room carrying the bronze mirror, Xie Yuzhu jumped up from her stool, excited: "Sister, you are truly amazing! You actually got one!"

Yun Chuan shook her head. She placed the mirror on the table and said, "This is just an ordinary bronze mirror."

Xie Yuzhu looked disappointed, but she still patted Yun Chuan’s back to comfort her: "It’s okay, it’s okay. I thought it was unbelievable that you could lie to people anyway. I’ll just stay in the room and eat some good snacks."

Yun Chuan took out two strangely shaped carving knives and sat by the table, flipping the mirror over: "I watched them cast the spell; I can create one on this bronze mirror."

"Create a spell? Neither of us has any cultivation base; what kind of spell can you create? You aren't Ye Miwei, are you, to be able to carve those seals and incantations onto a mirror?"

After a pause, Xie Yuzhu looked at the crystal spectacles on Yun Chuan’s nose and said, "Hey, Yun Chuan, where did you get those spectacles and carving knives? Your spectacles look so unique—are they crystal? Are they an heirloom?"

However, from the moment Yun Chuan picked up the carving knife, she stopped responding to Xie Yuzhu’s words. Her left hand held the knife, carving complex, winding patterns into the back of the bronze mirror. The blade was incredibly sharp, leaving behind faint blue light that flickered and vanished wherever it passed. Her right hand supported the side of the mirror, while her index finger moved constantly across the surface, as if she were calculating something while she carved.

Xie Yuzhu bustled around Yun Chuan for a long time, but when she received no response, she wandered off to the side. She ate melon seeds and snacks while watching Yun Chuan carve, mentally drafting a speech to comfort her once she inevitably failed.

The commotion outside grew louder. The sounds of drums and music resumed, people cheered and shouted, and fireworks bloomed in the sky one after another. The light was brilliant, and the atmosphere grew increasingly intense. The sound of the carving knife against the bronze was so faint it was swallowed by the clamor. Yun Chuan sat alone in her own silence, isolated from the world.

She did not know how much time had passed, but when a gong sounded, Yun Chuan put down the bronze mirror.

Xie Yuzhu hurried over, ready to recite the speech she had prepared: "The gong has sounded, the competition has started. It doesn't matter; carving spells onto a mirror is impossible anyway. It’s the effort that counts..."

Yun Chuan ignored her, taking a blue stone from the pouch at her waist and placing it into a groove she had carved into the back of the mirror. In an instant, all the patterns she had etched emitted a dazzling blue light. The stone acted like a heart, with pulsing spiritual energy flowing out from it and returning to it in a constant, repeating cycle.

On the front of the mirror, images slowly appeared—six different dreamscapes were displayed. Yun Chuan ran her finger along the edge of the mirror, and six new dreamscapes appeared, replacing the original ones.

"It’s done," Yun Chuan said calmly.

Xie Yuzhu was stunned. She rubbed her eyes, looked at the mirror again, and grabbed Yun Chuan’s hand: "How did you do it? This blue stone looks like the legendary 'Azure Crystal'—the one created by Ye Miwei! You..."

Xie Yuzhu continued to exclaim, but Yun Chuan seemed not to hear her, continuing to swipe across the mirror to test the spell.

Suddenly, the dream images in the mirror began to tremble, as if a table of paints had been overturned, and all the dreams tangled together in chaos. The guests outside seemed to have discovered the same problem, and whispers and commotion began to rise.

Yun Chuan frowned. She swiped the edge of the mirror as she had before, but the images on the surface were no longer under control, churning like a pot of boiling soup. Her right hand moved rapidly across the tabletop as if she were still calculating, and she muttered to herself, "Something is wrong..."

She carved a few more lines on the back of the mirror and then placed her hand on the surface.

The moment her fingers touched the mirror, it suddenly flared with light. A massive, river-like surge of radiance engulfed Xie Yuzhu and Yun Chuan, making the entire room a blinding, silvery white.

Xie Yuzhu screamed, but the sound lasted only a brief moment before it was cut off as if choked. At the same time, the light retreated rapidly into the bronze mirror, and the room was suddenly empty.

Xie Yuzhu and Yun Chuan had vanished into thin air.

The mirror, having lost its support, wobbled alone on the table and fell face-down with a *clack*.

Not far away, behind the bustling high stage, the beauty leaning against the mahogany door was twisting a piece of white paper.

Behind her, the entire Zhaiyue Tower was filled with white papers swirling in the air, like a heavy snowfall that covered the sky.