Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Spirit Stone Mine

In the spirit realm, within the Vast Sea Mountains, in the western mountain range beside the Torrent River, at Bird-and-Mouse Coexistence Mountain.

"Mirror, did you dig up any spirit ore today? If we still come up empty, that black-pig-head overseer is going to lose his temper, and the two of us will be beaten to death!" A gaunt young man with a sharp face and sly eyes kept scanning his surroundings, fear and worry flickering again and again in his gaze. He pulled his ragged clothes closer about him and looked hopefully at the equally shabbily dressed young man ahead.

"Scaredy Monkey, don't rush. I think there should be something in our pit. I've got a feeling! Besides, the world is so vast. Someday I want to go out and see it! Maybe I was never meant to belong here!"

The man had black eyes that seemed able to see through all the affairs of past and present lives. His filthy rags could not conceal the pride that came from deep within him. Like gold dulled by dust in the sand, he would, from time to time, shine with a faint and unusual brilliance.

"Brother Mirror, are you sure there's really spirit ore in there? If we don't hand in spirit ore again, that black-pig-head overseer won't let us off! I heard that even Cripple had his leg broken by him!" Scaredy Monkey stared fearfully at the cripple in the distance, limping along with an unsteady gait, and grew even more frightened.

"What are you afraid of? That black-pig-head overseer has it in for me, not you! Don't worry. If we really can't dig up spirit ore by then, at worst I'll just give him this mirror." From his chest, Mirror took out a shabby cloth bundle, opened it carefully, and drew out an ancient bronze mirror.

He slowly stroked the mirror's archaic patterns of flowers, birds, fish, and beasts, feeling the chill that seeped into his fingertips. Fragments of memory stirred faintly in his mind. In truth, the mirror was not some terribly important thing to him, even if it really was, as the black-pig-head foreman suspected, a magical artifact.

Because even if it were a magical artifact, Mirror would not know how to use it. He only wanted to touch the mirror's cool surface and, through it, recover more broken shards of memory: memories of the One-Qi Dao Gate, and of the beautiful women in his recollections, as lovely as the maidens of immortal sects.

His name was Mirror, though he had not been born with that name.

Once, he had appeared in Scaredy Monkey's mine pit; one might say Scaredy Monkey had dug him out of the mine. At the time, he had clutched this bronze mirror in a death grip, so everyone called him Mirror. According to the black-pig-head's rules, each mine tunnel had to hand over one spirit stone ore every year, and there would be no good end for anyone who failed. In the first half of the year, Scaredy Monkey had already turned in one low-grade spirit stone ore, but when the black-pig-head foreman saw how Scaredy Monkey had once saved Mirror, he happened to take a liking to Mirror's bronze mirror, thinking it might be a magical artifact he could secretly seize for himself. So he demanded that Scaredy Monkey's mine must hand over one more piece of spirit ore. Since the two of them were not one person, and with Mirror included there were now two, or else they could hand over the bronze mirror in exchange; otherwise...

"No! This is the only thing that can help you remember your origins. You absolutely can't give it to the black-pig-head! Let's keep digging. As long as we can dig up one more piece of spirit ore, everything will get better!" Scaredy Monkey patted Mirror on the back to comfort him, then handed him a mining pick whose wooden handle had been worn smooth and glossy by years of use.

"All right! Let's keep working hard and dig! No matter what, in these last few days we'll put in everything we've got. I have a feeling the surprise hidden in this pit is just ahead!" Mirror took the pick, tested it in his hand, and found it very natural to use, so he lowered his head and continued to toil away.

"Mm, Brother Mirror, let's work hard together. I believe we can do it too. If we dig a little more each day, our chances of finding spirit ore will be much higher! I heard Brother Liu has already gone to report that black-pig-head overseer. I think his good days are coming to an end!" Scaredy Monkey's words came out through clenched teeth.

"That black-pig-head has played the local emperor around Bird-and-Mouse Mountain for too long. He's forgotten the glory of Lord Mountain God. One day he will surely receive divine punishment from Lord Mountain God!"

The grueling, miserable labor of digging had lasted a day and a night before either of them noticed. Scaredy Monkey and Mirror dragged their exhausted bodies out of the mine and hurried to the thatched hut at the foot of the mountain. Scaredy Monkey was a devout believer in the Mountain God, and even as he left the mine entrance, he did not forget to place on the straw mat at the mouth of the tunnel a rice ball made of grains, murmuring, "Please bless us, Lord Mountain God. This poor boy can't afford a white chicken, so I offer my only food in sacrifice to Lord Mountain God. When I someday make my fortune, I will surely sacrifice to Lord Mountain God the most magnificent, most imposing white rooster in all the world!"

After all that was done, Scaredy Monkey carefully split the rice ball in two and handed the larger portion to Mirror.

"Brother Mirror, when do you think we'll ever get to eat our fill?" Scaredy Monkey asked as he stuffed the rice ball into his mouth, looking at Mirror with hopeful eyes.

"We will. That day isn't far off." Mirror took a bite of the half rice ball Scaredy Monkey handed him. He could not quite say what it tasted like, but somewhere deep inside he felt that eating one's fill ought to be a very simple thing. In his memories, it seemed he had once lived in a world where there was no worry over food or clothing, where as long as one was willing to work hard, one could always live without wanting for either...

The two of them ate their rice balls as they walked down the mountain. On the way they passed the Torrent River, where they bathed. No matter how cold or hot the weather was, after finishing their mining they always had to wash the grime from their bodies. Their clothes were ragged, and there was nothing to be done about that. After all, they were already so poor they could not even afford food, let alone buy new garments. But personal cleanliness, whether one washed oneself thoroughly or not, was a matter of one's own character. Mirror was not a fastidious man, but neither was he filthy and slovenly. Ever since arriving here, he had made Scaredy Monkey come to the river with him every day to wash up, transforming Scaredy Monkey from a dirty, ragged miner into a clean, ragged miner.

There were many strange fish in the Torrent River—fish called pi fish, shaped like an upside-down hoe but with a bird's head, while their tails and fins were just like those of ordinary fish. Their cry sounded like the ring of striking a chime stone. These fish were extremely nimble in the water, but once caught, they would spit out a pearl from their mouths. Though these pearls were not large, they could still fetch a few coins. Scaredy Monkey and Mirror would, during their daily wash, take the opportunity to catch some of these fish and trade the pearls they spat out for food to fill their stomachs; otherwise, the two of them would have long since starved to death, for mining alone brought no other income.