Chapter 37: The True Face of the Three Saints

  A person waited for half a day, saying they were not afraid would be a lie. Lu Jian crouched by the doorstep, staring at this dark house, fearing that something might dart out from any corner.

  "It's best if it's not a mouse, mice can bite people."

  I don't know if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but at this moment I saw something glowing in a certain part of the room. To be precise, every time she moved, she could see that glimmer of light, and when she stopped moving, it was gone. She couldn't help but turn her head to see if she had blocked out the light from outside the door. But this time, turning around really scared her half to death!

  Above the door hung a huge copper mirror, which occasionally emitted a faint green glow, as if a giant eye was staring at her.

  "It's just a mirror, just a mirror..." She stroked her chest, trying not to look over there. As her eyes gradually adapted to the darkness, she saw the furnishings in the room instead.

  The room seemed to be a warehouse, with huge cabinets lined up against the walls. In the center was a wooden frame covered with white fur. She curiously approached and saw many strange things placed on top of the fur.

  It's hard to describe with her insight. It looks like a flower, with many columnar petals in five colors. It also looks like ice, feeling cool and hard to the touch, with edges and corners, and this thing reflects the light of copper mirrors.

  Although she didn't know herself, Dao Jing would definitely know. She found the smallest one and put it in her arms, thinking that when she saw Dao Jing next time, she could ask him.

  A loud rumbling sound came from outside, it was the people of the Three Ping Tao fighting. Luo Jian was worried and curious at the same time, he pushed the door open a crack to take a look outside.

  There was no one, and for a moment she didn't know whether to stay here and wait or go out and take a look. Just as she hesitated, her peripheral vision caught sight of another door in the middle of the cabinet inside the house.

  "Maybe we can go around to the front."

  Without much effort, the door opened. But what entered her line of sight was an even larger and darker space. She felt her way forward, with many hanging strips of cloth blocking her view, on which were written some words. She didn't recognize the characters and so didn't bother to look, above her head was a vast darkness, it was unknown how high it was. But just behind these strips of cloth seemed to be a high platform.

  She walked past the incense burner case and saw a glimmer of light in front of the high platform. It turned out to be two lamp posts, and when she looked up again, Lu Jian was really startled this time.

  Her legs were so weak that she couldn't move, and she squatted down to take deep breaths for a long time before daring to lift her head again. Under the dim light, she saw three figures sitting upright on the high platform.

  Who is this? What are you doing sitting here?

  The deer arrow crouched for half a day, seeing that these few people didn't move at all. Thinking of having heard before that someone worshipped mud statues of gods, could it be that these few were the three saints worshipped in Sanping Dao? Thinking that they were just made of mud, she no longer felt afraid. She moved the case over and stepped on it to climb up onto the high platform, picking up the lamp holder to take a look at what kind of appearance these three saints had.

  The one in the middle looks like a long, slender figure with an air of elegance and refinement, holding a pill in his hand, which is probably the Water Jade Great God who bestowed the elixir.

  On the left is a Taoist-looking man with silk and satin on his body, long whiskers staring at his eyes, holding a duster in his hand.

  "Is this really Tongbai Zhenren?" Lu Jian was extremely disappointed and wanted to push him down, muttering in his heart: "How could my brother Xuan Yi look like this?"

  She kicked the plastic statue with a foot, but her ankle was numb from the shock.

  Looking again at the one on the right, it was a woman. Slender eyebrows and gentle eyes, she was a beauty, but her face was slightly pale. She wore a five-colored cloud dress, adorned with gems that sparkled dazzlingly in the lamplight. Lu Jian couldn't help but touch it.

  "Does it look good?"

  “！……”

  This statue actually came to life? Lu Jian couldn't even call out. He stared foolishly as the statue opened its legs from a seated position and rubbed its knees.

  "You... " Lu Jian swallowed his saliva, took a deep breath and gathered half a day's worth of courage before reopening his mouth to ask timidly: "Who are you?"

  That man burst out laughing and asked in return: "And who are you?"

  "I am Iceman."

  "Hmm, Lu Jing. You've seen them both and still can't guess who I am?"

  Lu Jing thought for a moment, then squatted down in front of her: "Are you Mirror Fairy?"

  The woman indeed took out a copper mirror and tidied up her hair by the firelight. She smiled happily: "That's right, it's me."

  "My goodness, you're actually alive!" Lu Jian was extremely shocked: "Then they... how..."

  "Hey, both of these are scams."

  You actually lifted the old bottom of Sanping Island so calmly, what did they worship you for?

  Luoyin let out a snort and put down the lamp in his hand: "I told you, what kind of immortal is this ugly?"

  Jing Xian lost his smile and asked another question: "Am I good-looking?"

  "Looks good." Lu Jian's words were not flattery, Jing Xian indeed had some beauty and was very easy-going. Lu Jian had also seen some women, she simply thought that such a kind and gentle attitude looked better than any makeup.

  "But why are you here?"

  "Isn't this place okay?" Jing Xian looked around: "It's quite elegant and quiet, isn't it good that someone is worshiping here?"

  What's good about this place? It's dark and gloomy, with smoke filling the air. Lu Jian thought to himself that even the humble courtyard of Wu You was more pleasant than this place, not to mention Tong Chen Palace and the Tea House.

  "This is a very bad place, they cheat money and harm people......" You won't be one of them too, will you?

  "Right, it's a scam, but who made those common people willing to believe? At this time, even if you stand on the street and shout that this is a den of thieves, they will still come. Don't believe me, you can try."

  "Why?"

  "Why?" Jing Xian's eyes were filled with disdain: "Because a piece of meat in the bowl is better than a flock of sheep in the sky, because a handful of money in one's hand is more valuable than a mountain of gold and silver. People's vision is short-sighted, they can't see what's right and wrong in the world, they can only see the patch of sky under their own eyelids. I'm saying this but you don't understand?"

  Lu Jian shook his head honestly.

  "So I ask you, are the gods in heaven formidable or not?"

  "Awesome."

  "But they are so fierce, you fell and broke your hand while walking, why didn't any gods come to help you bandage it?"

  Luoyi fell and hurt her palm, the one who bandaged it for her was Duanmu Xiangyang, not a god. She thought for a moment and said: "They are so busy, how do they have time to take care of such trivial matters."

  "Right." Jing Xian smiled and continued, "The gods and immortals are in charge of the operation of heaven and earth, and all things in the world are considered to be natural cycles. They do not care about these trivial matters. However, people often encounter difficulties. Some people fall ill and are unwilling to die, some people are penniless and unwilling to suffer a life of poverty, and some people have caused trouble and do not want to bear the consequences. What can they do?"

  "What should I do?"

  "Nature can only rely on itself. But if someone tells them: 'There is a way to not die, not be poor, and not have disasters.' Do you think they will want to try it?"

  "Maybe."

  Jing Xian Luo Xiao smiled: "And so San Ping Road appeared, it's that simple."

  "Is that true?" Karyuu thought of the believers kneeling outside the temple: "They don't have to solve anything themselves, can you all help with everything?"

  "Not us," Mirror Fairy pointed to the two mud sculptures beside her: "Only me."

  "Can you do that much for them?" Luo Jian was really skeptical, if it were true, then this Mirror Fairy sister would be so busy, how could she have time to sit here and chat with him?

  "Of course..." Jing Xian's tone suddenly changed: "It won't work, I don't have that much energy."

  "But they all look like they believe it."

  "They didn't believe in me, but in their own luck. They thought that a single pill could cure all diseases, that paying a small price could solve all troubles, and even that the beauty they saw in the mirror I held was real. What a foolish fantasy."

  "So they didn't discover it?"

  "Sanping Dao did not rise overnight, but had made sufficient preparations beforehand. Many disciples had been sent to gather information about the situation in this area. Have you seen the many copper mirrors hanging here?"

  Really saw it, Lu Jian nodded repeatedly.

  "This Wu Yue region is most famous for its mirror-casting technique. A mirror, an object that can reveal the unknown and show all living things. Little sister, this mirror is not an ordinary thing. It reflects your shadow there, and your spirit appears on it, so I can see it here. Actually, I've already discovered you two and know what you're trying to do. But don't worry, I won't tell them."

  "You're really great."

  "How am I?" Mirror Fairy covered her mouth and laughed for a while: "If I were really good, I wouldn't be detained here. But I didn't expect you to have such great audacity to come and make trouble, who are you after all?"

  "I'm Lu Jian," said Lu Jian sincerely: "You look pretty tough."

  "...With so many mirrors scattered among humans, I can see countless spirits. What they think, what they do, nothing is unknown to me. Whoever comes here to pray, I tell the priest his affairs, and the priest naturally knows how to answer him. Will he not believe it when the time comes?"

  "What's wrong with you?" Lu Jian said somewhat disgusted: "Then aren't you just cheating people?"

  "People often can't see themselves clearly, and being too obsessed with certain things can cause them to overlook many others. When I was in a good mood, I would tell them those key pieces of information, which is why some people were indeed able to get help."

  "What about now?"

  "Now...” Mirror Fairy let out a long sigh, her eyes filled with the vicissitudes of life: “People are insatiable, they don’t know that it’s actually themselves who can turn all problems into non-problems. They’re so foolish to only seek eternal joy! I’ve seen too much, and I’m too lazy to care about them anymore. Don’t they just want to see the result directly? I’ll show it to them - the ultimate outcome of human life is death. Alas, these people would rather give up than go through the experience... what can I do? Let them be.”

  Lu Jing's emotions were complex, and for a moment, he didn't know whether to comfort her or ask something.

  Jing Xian looked at her like that and thought she was quite cute. He deliberately asked: "Aren't you afraid I'm deceiving you?"

  "Do you like deceiving people?" Lu Jian's voice was low and muffled.

  "I can deceive people, but I don't like to deceive people, it's just that some people are self-deceived."

  "Why didn't you run away?"

  "It's just a matter of eating mixed rice." Jing Xian stretched his muscles: "Anyway, I have nowhere to go, and they're not bad to me, at least the clothes are pretty."

  “……”

  Suddenly there was a burst of shouting outside, and the fighting stopped.

  "Your friend has won." Jing Xian's gaze fell on Lu Jian's collar, and his eyes shone with a knowing light: "This is a good thing, but it can also be said to be a bad thing. Take it away and play with it, there are plenty of them here anyway."

  "Thank you." Lu Jian felt a bit embarrassed, wanting to ask more questions, but saw Jing Xian grasping her hand, with a mysterious smile, suddenly pinching it: "Little sister, see you later."

  "Ouch! Huh?"

  Lu Jing suddenly came back to his senses and found that in front of him there was no longer a mirror spirit, but the door in the middle of the cabinet.

  It's really strange...

  The door was pushed open and Dao Jing poked his head in: "Lu Jian, come on, let's go."

  "Oh."