Mortal Bones

Chapter 12: Opening the Bronze Mirror, Xu Taiping’s First Sutra Lecture

“Snap!”

Fairy Lingyue extended a slender finger, tapping the space between the Chang Ghost’s brows. A milky-white radiance flowed from her fingertip, etching a glowing talisman into its flesh.

As the gleaming rune sank into its skin, the Chang Ghost stood with a wooden, mechanical stiffness. Blind to Fairy Lingyue’s presence, it turned to leave, muttering under its breath:

“How did I trip and fall out here? Forget it, forget it. I’d better return and report to the Great King. I’ll tell him another minor cultivator has arrived to tend the medicinal garden at the Green Bamboo Residence. We can wait until his spiritual herbs mature, then claim his life and the entire harvest in one fell swoop. The Great King might even reward me with a fresh, tender heart and liver. Wonderful, truly wonderful!”

The Chang Ghost bobbed its head as it walked away, clearly enamored with its own brilliant scheme.

“Ah, releasing a tiger back to the mountain is always a risk, but I hope Little Taiping will one day understand his master’s painstaking efforts.”

Fairy Lingyue murmured softly to herself, watching the creature’s retreating back.

She hadn’t formally accepted Xu Taiping as a disciple yet, nor did she know if he would even be willing, but that hardly stopped her from stepping comfortably into the role.

Naturally, she would never admit her true motivation: after centuries of isolating solitude within the Earth Treasury Fruit, she was simply desperate for a little amusement.

…

The next day.

Xu Taiping rose before dawn.

His first task was clearing the weeds from the medicinal garden. Afterward, he packed a few extra shovelfuls of dirt over the spot where the Earth Treasury Fruit lay buried. The fruit was his greatest reliance for surviving the cultivation world; he couldn’t risk anyone stealing it.

Fairy Lingyue had not reappeared since retreating into the seed the night before. Xu Taiping figured she truly might need a month or more before she could manifest again.

With the garden cleared, he spent the rest of the morning tidying up the three thatched huts that made up the Green Bamboo Residence.

The living arrangements were painfully spartan: a bedroom containing nothing but a bed, a main hall, a kitchen, and a latrine tucked behind the garden.

While scrubbing the kitchen, he discovered two rather fascinating items: a water vat that refilled itself no matter how much was scooped out, and a rice vat that instantly produced a full yield whenever a Merit Coin was tossed inside.

With limitless water, fresh rice, and a piece of dried fish hanging from the wall, his first meal at the Qingxuan Sect was easily settled.

After eating, he retrieved a bedsheet and quilt from the cabinet to make his bed. He sat cross-legged on the mattress and pulled out the jade slip and the bronze mirror he had received from the West Wind Pavilion.

“When Fairy Lingyue transmitted the Bone Cleansing and Marrow Purifying Decoction to me, she tapped my forehead. This jade slip needs to be pressed against my forehead too. This must be the standard method of passing on techniques in the cultivation world.”

He muttered quietly, turning the slip over in his hands.

According to the master of the West Wind Pavilion, the slip contained a Qi Condensation manual, the Qingxuan Sect’s rules, and instructions for operating the bronze mirror.

“Huff. The sheer volume of information in this jade slip is way heavier than Fairy Lingyue’s finger tap.”

An unrelenting torrent of text flooded his mind. Vertigo washed over him, leaving him dizzy and nearly causing him to pitch headfirst off the bed.

Fortunately, the deluge ceased shortly after. He exhaled a long sigh of relief.

Yet, he quickly discovered another issue.

The knowledge wasn’t instantly integrated. It was stored in his mind like tightly rolled scrolls on a bookshelf—he still had to open and read them to actually comprehend their contents.

“So there’s a difference between a jade slip and Fairy Lingyue’s method. Her tap gave me innate understanding of how to gather and brew the decoction. This slip just crammed the library into my skull.”

He carefully pondered the distinction.

“Then again, it might just be a difference in the type of content.”

Dismissing his fleeting thoughts, he calmed his breathing and slowly began to read the glowing lines of text imprinted in his mind.

…

Three days later.

It took nearly three full days of effort, but Xu Taiping finally managed to process the entirety of the jade slip.

Exactly as the Pavilion Master had stated, the slip contained three primary works: the Remnant Glow Sutra, a volume titled Summary of Profound Mirror Functions, and the Qingxuan Sect Code of Laws.

He had spent the last three days multitasking, relentlessly tilling the medicinal garden’s soil while “reading” through his mind’s library.

…

“According to the agricultural methods in the slip, now that the tilling is done, I can gather beast dung, dead branches, and fallen leaves to burn as fertilizer.”

“No need to rush, though. Today is the first day of the month, Elder Ziyang’s scheduled sutra lecture. He’ll be covering the Remnant Glow Sutra and the basics of Novice cultivation. It only happens once every three months. I absolutely cannot miss it.”

“After the lecture, I can use the bronze mirror to pick out the seeds I need to buy. That way, my one Merit Coin won’t go to waste.”

Sitting alone at the main hall’s table, Xu Taiping planned out his day between bites of food. He reached out and casually tore a page from the wall calendar.

The fresh page bore the bold characters for “First Day.” Beside it, written in elegant vermilion ink, was a brief fortune: Auspicious for seeking knowledge, Inauspicious for breaking ground.

He had purchased the almanac the day before, having summoned a courier spirit bird to buy some basic necessities. The total trip had cost him six Merit Coins, an expense that made his heart bleed.

…

Finishing his meal, he returned to his bedroom.

He retrieved the bronze mirror from its wooden box, carefully setting it down on a battered table.

Beside the mirror sat half a bowl of clear water, a few plucked flower petals, and a single Qingxuan Sect Merit Coin.

Recalling the activation instructions, he dipped his fingers into the bowl and flicked several drops of water onto the mirror’s surface. He followed this by laying the flower petals and the Merit Coin against the bronze face.

“Huff.”

The exact instant the Merit Coin touched the bronze, a gust of cool wind billowed outward from the flat metal surface, carrying the rich, earthy scent of sandalwood.

A disembodied voice echoed out from the glass:

“Qingxuan Sect Outer Sect Registered Disciple, Xu Taiping, has taken his seat. Do not leave the area. Elder Ziyang will begin the sutra lecture shortly. Should you miss today’s session, you must wait another three months.”

Armed with the knowledge from the jade slip, Xu Taiping didn’t flinch. The Summary of Profound Mirror Functions had clearly explained that this was the voice of the Profound Mirror’s spirit.

The text described the mirror spirit as a mystic guide, an entity designed to help disciples navigate the vast array of content within the artifact.

Naturally, Qingxuan Sect forbidden areas were strictly walled off, and every individual query cost a baseline fee of one Merit Coin.

“Thank you, Sir Profound Mirror.”

Xu Taiping bowed his head slightly in gratitude.

The spirit was a sentient entity rather than a dead object; maintaining simple manners seemed like a crucial necessity.