Chapter 50: Revival of Vitality

The woman in cyan robes sat quietly. She did not say she would go in, nor did she say she would leave.

Meanwhile, standing within the fog, Qinglan also remained silent.

Yet that voice echoed relentlessly.

"Everyone dislikes you."

"Did you do something wrong?"

"Ever since you were brought to the Mu family, you thought you were gaining shelter and a life of comfort, but in reality, that was merely the beginning of your exploitation..."

However, that voice was abruptly interrupted. Qinglan's chilling voice rang out in response: "I did nothing wrong."

"..."

The voice seemed somewhat puzzled, "If everyone dislikes you, how could it be that you did nothing wrong?"

Qinglan's stern and resolute voice sounded once more: "Even if the heavens collapse and the earth is overturned, I have done nothing wrong."

Her gaze lowered, her mind filled with the image of the cold, lifeless young girl in the mass grave. Thinking of this, a trace of hostility inevitably stained her brow—she had sacrificed everything, including her life and her faith; she should not have to endure such harsh reproaches after death.

The spirit of the mirror seemed touched by the sharp edge in her words, falling silent for a moment.

Qinglan's chilling voice rang out again: "Someone once told me that exchanging bones and marrow, altering spiritual roots, and tampering with a person's fate is an act defying the heavens. The price to be paid behind this is immense. Since someone was able to do it, they must have achieved it only after countless trials."

"Clearly, there is a mastermind behind the Mu family. Where did that old man in black come from, and how many times has he done such a thing?"

Qinglan paused. "I suppose these are matters for great figures like you to consider, aren't they?"

The mirror spirit fell silent, realizing that the affairs behind this girl were by no means trivial. "I will report this matter truthfully to the Sect Master."

Hearing this, Qinglan finally relaxed, a deep weariness surfacing on her face. "If possible, I hope there will be no more such occurrences."

The mirror spirit was stunned for a moment before understanding the girl's intent: "You traveled across mountains and rivers just to bring this news to the Array Sect?"

"Yes."

"The man in black once told you that someone here might be able to cure your ailment and repair your spiritual root. Did you never believe it?"

Upon hearing this, Qinglan instead smiled softly, speaking with utter serenity: "The spiritual root... is the foundation of cultivation. Destroying it is easy, but repairing it is as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Over tens of thousands of years, geniuses have emerged in endless succession, and top-tier sects have arisen one after another, yet how many times has one ever witnessed the repair of a shattered spiritual root?"

Once, a great figure examined my injuries closely and wore a look of utter difficulty. At that moment, I knew very well that hardly anyone in this world could cure me."

"I also noticed the look in the old man's eyes during the outer sect trial. The meaning within his gaze was regret, and I am well aware of what he was regretting."

"You are the finest healer of the Mu family, yet you cannot save yourself. Do you not feel grief and indignation?"

Qinglan was silent for a moment, lowering her gaze. "It matters not. To have gone on an adventure with friends and met many wonderful people... Furthermore, I have only three years left to live. This is already a very good outcome."

"..."

The mirror spirit remained silent for a long time. It had not expected the fire of survival within this girl to be so faint.

Without a doubt, she and Yue Dong—who had broken through the illusion elsewhere after mere moments—were the two most outstanding disciples of this mountain gate trial.

Accustomed to the vicissitudes and desolation of the mortal world, the mist mirror spirit could not help but feel a touch of sorrow at this moment. Watching Qinglan stand within the darkness, clearly only a seventeen-year-old maiden, her frame frail yet her posture as upright as a pine.

After hesitating for a long time, a wisp of black mist surged outward. The young girl in black crawled out from the mirror, her face filled with internal struggle. Looking at the quietly seated woman in cyan, she hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, "Um... the person you wish to see, is she a girl in green?"

The woman in cyan slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze flowed like the cold, deep springs of ten thousand years. Under the slightly nervous gaze of the mirror spirit, she nodded.

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, the mirror spirit did not relax; instead, it grew even more nervous. Its small face scrunched up as it asked miserably, "Then... that girl's spiritual power has issues. Can you cure her?"

The woman said nothing, simply gazing quietly at the mirror spirit. Somehow, the mirror spirit understood the meaning in those eyes—nothing in this world could ever stump this woman.

It bowed slightly, then vanished in a puff of black smoke.

...

Hearing no sound from the air for a long time, Qinglan frowned slightly in confusion—how was this illusion to be broken?

With a flash of light, the Green Shadow Whip appeared in her hand. With a flick of her wrist, a succession of explosive cracks resounded, causing the entire misty space to tremble.

"Bang!"

Qinglan's eyes lit up—it worked! So breaking it was the way!

A thought stirred in her mind, and her movements grew increasingly fierce, sweeping through the surroundings like a violent storm. In the darkness, the sound of a mirror shattering echoed continuously, followed by the descent of countless transparent fragments.

"Clang, crash, smash!"

For a moment, fragments raining across the sky sent Qinglan scurrying defensively.

A somewhat bewildered voice suddenly sounded: "What is going on? What happened? I was only gone for a brief moment..."

The mirror spirit returned, only to find the illusion damaged. As it slowly manifested its true form, an oppressive dark figure materialized in the void. Shock flashed across Qinglan's eyes, and she instinctively took a few steps back—she realized she might have just done something wrong...

Suppressing its fury, the mirror spirit scanned its surroundings, searching for the culprit responsible for this mess, until its gaze landed on the whip hidden behind Qinglan's back. Its eyes blazed with fire, and just as it was about to hurl insults at her, it recalled the girl's tragic background and, even more so, the woman in cyan robes waiting outside the mirror. Hemmed in by heavy misgivings, it realized it apparently could not touch her.

For a moment, the mirror spirit was so angry it laughed—it was the master of this illusionary realm, and here it could punish whomever it pleased!

This stinky girl dared to break its mirror; she deserved to be punished!

Just as the mirror spirit was about to convince itself and proceed with action, a truly ancient and solemn voice, like an archaic bronze bell, suddenly exploded beside its ears: "Mist mirror spirit, the mountain gate trial is drawing to a close. Reveal your light of purple mist at once."

"Wait! There is a bad girl here who used a whip to damage the spiritual realm! I need to discipline her!"

"Using a whip? Hmm... That girl has had a tortuous life. You had best leave her be."

The mirror spirit was momentarily dazed, letting out its utter confusion: "Huh?"

The Third Elder's tone turned somewhat dangerous, slowly drawing out a rising inflection: "Hmm?"

Instantly, the mirror spirit wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant, responding submissively: "Oh..."

In an instant, the tempest surrounding the about-to-erupt mirror spirit vanished completely. It became dejected and listless, feeling deeply aggrieved at that moment.

The woman outside the mirror was terrifying, and it couldn't touch her;

Inside the mirror, the disciple clearly under its jurisdiction was someone it couldn't touch either...

This job came with too much humiliation; it didn't even want to do it anymore...

The more it thought, the more aggrieved and sorrowful it felt. Dropping heavily into mid-air, it covered its eyes and actually began to sob softly.