Chapter Twenty-Three: The Green Serpent Holds the Mirror

There are differences among people, strength varies from person to person, and so too do magical treasures differ vastly in their abilities; each has its unique purpose. The power of a magical treasure largely depends on its wielder. Though treasures are divided into innate and acquired types, their strength is not absolute.

Since the plantain fan was forged by the Master of Profound Mystery, it must be an acquired artifact.

Nanluo had not expected that a single magical treasure, when held by Golden Horn, could possess such formidable power. He had no doubt that if he were struck by it, he too would be sent flying across to the other side of the mountain.

What a remarkable thing—this is undoubtedly a wind-type offensive magical treasure.

“Let me have a look at it,” Nanluo said eagerly.

Golden Horn and Silver Horn simultaneously handed their little green fans over. Nanluo found himself unsure which to take first; looking at their large, clear eyes, pure and free from any trace of impurity, he felt an irresistible urge to touch the little horns on their heads.

He thought to himself, if someone else wanted to trick them out of their magical treasures, it would surely be too easy...

Nanluo took both fans from their hands without hesitation. They were surprisingly heavy, not as light as he had imagined. He examined them closely: the fan surface gleamed emerald green, edged with gold. Nanluo could not discern any difference between the two fans. He looked around, found an open space, and prepared to test the sensation of waving the fan and stirring the winds of heaven and earth. Ensuring he would harm neither flower nor grass, he gave a gentle wave, and a stream of clear wind flowed forth.

“Hee hee...”

Hearing the laughter of Golden Horn and Silver Horn behind him, Nanluo waved the fan with greater force, stirring up dust from the ground...

“Hee hee...”

Nanluo continued, swinging the fans left and right. Dust swirled everywhere.

Yet there was none of the fierce wind he had just witnessed, nor did the flames described by Silver Horn appear, those that could reduce a person to ash.

“These fans, aside from the master, can only be used by the two of us. They require incantations and secret arts to activate. Let me teach you,” Golden Horn ran over with a playful smile.

Nanluo took a deep breath and forced out two words with difficulty: “No need...”

The allure of such magical treasures was too great; with this in hand, who would care to continue diligent cultivation? Nanluo was certain that many who had trained their entire lives would be unable to withstand a single sweep of the plantain fan. He feared he might succumb to the desire to possess it himself, so he immediately turned and walked toward the palace, afraid that another glance would tempt him into learning the fan’s incantation.

Golden Horn and Silver Horn blinked their large, contrasting eyes as they watched Nanluo leave. They seemed puzzled: just moments ago Nanluo had been keenly interested, now he refused their offer to teach the secret arts. Unable to make sense of it, but being simple-minded by nature, they soon forgot the matter altogether.

Nanluo had expected the girl in the green dress would return, surely with a magical treasure capable of countering the plantain fan, or bringing someone even more formidable. He warned Golden Horn and Silver Horn accordingly.

But they boldly declared she would not. Nanluo, puzzled, asked why. Golden Horn lifted his chin proudly: because they would surely inquire about the origins of the Palace of Supreme Polarity, and once they learned the truth, they would not dare return.

Nanluo was not well versed in the fame of the Palace of Supreme Polarity and said nothing, though he remained prepared for any eventuality.

Practicing at the edge of the palace cliff at night, the thought lingered in his mind, but days passed and the girl in green never returned. He began to believe the words of Golden Horn and Silver Horn.

The Palace of Supreme Polarity must possess such renown. Nanluo could not help but recall the emotionless face of the Master of Profound Mystery...

The night was quiet, starlight faintly scattered across Nanluo, imparting a touch of mystery in the darkness.

“Master, Master...”

Suddenly, a childlike voice sounded in Nanluo’s ears. He looked around in confusion. All around was darkness, speckled with starlight, making everything seem illusory.

“Master, Master, I am here...” Just as Nanluo thought he had misheard, the childlike voice came again.

Nanluo closed his eyes slowly, and when he opened them once more, his vision was crystal clear, every detail vivid. Though his Qi cultivation was incomplete, his body had already begun to manifest peculiar abilities. This night-vision ability, which allowed him to see as if it were day, he named the Heavenly Sight Technique, hoping that one day it would let him behold all under heaven in a single glance.

A small green snake was beneath the plum tree, raising its head. When Nanluo looked over, it nodded as if bowing.

“Was it you calling me?” Nanluo asked, scarcely believing it.

“It was me, Master,” replied the little green snake, shaking its head, its voice childlike.

“Why do you call me Master?” Nanluo asked in confusion.

“Because, Master, your teachings here let me understand many things and taught me how to cultivate. Naturally, you are my master,” the little green snake said.

Nanluo had not expected such a thing. For those wild creatures who came to listen to his recitation of the ‘Yellow Court’ scripture, he always felt a kind of pity... He often imagined himself in the place of the Sheep Power Immortal—if he had not been caught and taken away, perhaps he too would wander about, listening to teachings and learning the Dao. Surely he would be just like them. Nanluo often thought this way.

“Heh, I am glad you have attained enlightenment, but there’s no need to call me Master. Just call me Nanluo.”

“Master has given me spiritual awakening, set me on the path of cultivation—naturally, you are my master,” the little green snake insisted, its weak voice carrying an unexpected determination.

Nanluo was touched. It seemed that all creatures under heaven, not only humans, understood gratitude.

“I am only a step ahead on the path of cultivation. Call me ‘Dao Brother.’ What brings you here—do you have some difficulty?” Nanluo asked with a smile.

This time, the little green snake did not speak. Instead, it uncoiled its body from the stone where it had been sitting, revealing a round, blue-green object resembling a stone. Nanluo looked closely and saw that it was like a mirror.

The little green snake gripped it in its mouth, wriggling its body up the cliff as if on level ground, and laid the mirror before Nanluo.

Nanluo bent to pick it up. It was cold to the touch.

It was indeed a mirror. Its surface was misty gray, as if a cloud of vapor were hidden within. He turned it this way and that, but nothing was reflected. Nanluo guessed it was because it was night, so its effect could not be seen.

He flipped it over: the back was blue, decorated with flowers, birds, fish, and insects, as if shaped by the great Dao, radiating a mysterious and vast aura. As the mirror turned, the patterns shifted, forming different images.