Chapter 3 I am the Mirror Immortal

On the outskirts, Pear Manor.

Earth walls surrounded the residence, with fields of fertile land beyond.

Sharecroppers busily toiled in the fields, while guards lazily enjoyed the shade.

Within the manor, voices of command were incessant.

In the open area, a young man dressed in hunting garb wielded a wooden sword, facing the coordinated attack of three burly men.

Whoosh!

The wooden sword, moving with extreme speed, struck the wrist of the man on the right first, disarming him, then with a backhand slice, targeted his chest.

The man on the right "died," and the man in black on the left, with his outfit tailored for short fights, pounced forward, fingers bent into claws targeting vital points.

Xu Xuan crashed into him, sending the man flying back, then, without looking back, he backhanded his sword at the abdomen of the middle-aged man behind him.

The entire process was extremely fast, with no seeing moves and countering them, only strike down upon finding flaws.

"Congratulations to the young master for the significant improvement in your skills, I admit defeat," said Li Wu, the head guard of Pear Manor who had used the Eagle Claw Technique.

"You all go and rest," Xu Xuan said as he set aside his things and took a seat in a lounge chair in the shade.

He closed his eyes, and information appeared in his mind.

Name: Xu Xuan

Lifespan: 18/73

Cultivation Level: None

Cultivation Techniques: None

Techniques: Mount-breaking Blade Technique (Great Success), Squatting Skill (Great Success), Eagle Claw Technique (Minor Success).

He constantly wore the Divine Copper Mirror over his chest, using it not only as a protection for his heart but also to understand the ability of sensing the contents of the mirror without the need for vision.

After half a year, Xu Xuan had cultivated two techniques to great success, and now facing off against three or five small-time thugs shouldn't be an issue.

His lifespan increased from the original seventy-one to seventy-three.

"It must be due to the enhancement of my physique, which in turn increased my lifespan."

Lifespan isn't something eternally unchanging; it fluctuates within certain limits.

In the future, if one suffered heavy injuries, severe illness, or practiced unhealthy life habits, lifespan would decrease accordingly.

Xu Xuan relaxed in the shade, different from other young masters because of the secret he harbored, he had no servants attending to him.

At this moment, a scholarly-looking teenager of about fifteen or sixteen came over holding a tray, followed by an eight-year-old girl with pigtails.

"Big brother, this is osmanthus cake I bought from outside," the young man said as he placed the tray on the table beside the lounge chair.

Xu Xuan opened his eyes, smiled warmly, and said, "Okay, take a seat... and you, don't be greedy, go ahead and eat."

"Thank you, big brother!" Xu Ling'er cheered, eating with both hands like a hamster stuffing its cheeks full.

They were the Xu Family's third son, Xu Yong, and the fourth child, Xu Ling'er.

Both were born to concubines.

Xu Xuan shared the same father but different mothers with them. As the eldest son, he should have inherited the position of Family Head but, unfortunately, his mother had passed away, and there was no maternal family for protection.

The present Family Head, Xu Guangting, had deep cooperation with the Mountain Barbarians of the Li Clan and had married their daughter; thus, the succession was already beyond doubt.

Their mother, seeing that Xu Xuan had a skill to fall back on outside, had sent them to rely on him, which was better than suffering at home.

"What did you learn today?" Xu Xuan asked.

"Uncle Li has two medicine shops and one rice shop outside the city. He's having me start by learning bookkeeping," the young man replied.

"That's a good skill, learn more of it," Xu Xuan said with a smile.

For the past half-year, his relationship with Li Hu had been quite good.

After chatting for a while, Li Hu returned looking travel-weary, his robe still on, presumably just back from driving corpses.

Li Hu tossed over a rust-spotted Bronze Bell.

"Put the bell away, don't lose it," he said.

Xu Xuan caught the bell, which was poorly engraved, and laughed, "Old man, get a new bell, the one inside is about to fall off."

"What do you know," Li Hu retorted angrily, "This has been passed down from sorcerers in our family, it's said it can release spells, just put it away properly."

"Okay."

Xu Xuan rose and returned to the storeroom.

Aside from medicinal herbs, the storeroom also contained some robes, talisman paper, and so on.

After replacing the bell, Xu Xuan suddenly thought of a problem.

"Could it be that these spells are all real, but due to changes in the environment, the conditions for casting are no longer present, such as the lack of spiritual energy, or other cultivation resources?"

This possibility was significant, and if it were so, then the problem of finding a way to cultivate was unsolvable.

Even with the highest aptitude, one couldn't change the rules of the world.

One could only pin hopes on the mirror, which could transport the tributes through the offerings from the other side.

Regrettably, half a year had passed, and no one on the other side had discovered the mirror yet.

"Let it be; I'll take it one step at a time."

Xu Xuan went back to his room to rest.

Unexpectedly, that night, something strange occurred with the mirror.

In the other realm that Xu Xuan called the Mirror Realm,

amidst the vast expanse of green mountains, two men dressed for hunting, carrying pointed knives and longbows on their backs, one following the other, went up the mountain.

As the saying goes, one lives off the mountain if one lives by the mountain, and off the water if one lives by the water.

Most inhabitants of Yang Family Village at the foot of the mountain were hunters.

The man leading the group was older with a scruffy beard, a little over twenty years old; the youth beside him was younger.

These were the brothers from the Li Clan in Yang Family Village, the elder named Li Qingshi, and the younger brother Li Qingquan.

As orphans and outsiders in the village, their days could only be described as so-so.

"Remember to tie a red string beside the traps to warn others and show that the trap is yours."

Hunters had their own rules; even if one encountered a successful trap with catch, generally, one wouldn't take it if it was marked, or at most, one might take parts like a leg.

"Also, if you're going to sell at the market, remember to pay protection money to the Black River Gang."

Brother Li Qingquan was somewhat dissatisfied, saying, "What kind of time is this? We have to give a share to the village head when hunting, and to the gangs when selling. If we sell secretly, would the gang even know?"

"Absolutely not! The gang has powerful backers behind them, people we, and even the entire Qingshan Township, cannot afford to offend!" Li Qingshi's eyes flashed with fear, recalling the moment he saw immortals flying around, his worldview nearly collapsed.

He had a family hunting technique, a sure shot that could kill tigers and leopards from a hundred steps away, but against those immortals, he was less than an ant.

It was said that the Black River Gang was the very force that acted on behalf of those powerful individuals, and the gang itself was filled with formidable experts.

The brothers arrived at the location of their traps only to find them empty, without any catches.

"This is strange. It shouldn't be."

Li Qingshi concentrated his gaze, and at that moment, he noticed a bright light in the grass not far away.

"Look, what's that over there?"

The brothers exchanged a glance, immediately thinking it might be a treasure, and quickly hurried over.

Among the dry leaves, half a mirror surface was exposed, flickering at times with light and dimming at other times, as if breathing.

"A mirror?"

Without having to think about it, this was definitely a treasure.

The well-informed Li Qingshi thought it might not be simple, perhaps a legendary fairy artifact.

So he hurriedly picked up the mirror.

The mirror was antique, its surface smooth, yet it did not reflect his own image.

In another world.

In the room, the mirror emitted light, and Xu Xuan saw the two men in the mirror.

"The opportunity has come."

The attire of these two men in front of him was similar to that of this side. Could they also use the language of this side?

Could the language be mutually intelligible?

With that thought, Xu Xuan closed his eyes and visualized the words he wanted to convey.

In the Mirror Realm.

The brothers witnessed an astonishing sight as a line of characters slowly emerged on the mirror.

"Heaven and earth have their limits, how often the fields of mulberry change, it's neither magic nor illusion, I am the Mirror Immortal!"