Chapter 48: Face in the Mirror
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In the backyard of the house.
The air current spun, and dead leaves danced.
In the open space, Luo Qingzhou threw a heavy punch. Strong winds whistled as he practiced the Thunder Fist slowly before gradually increasing his speed.
In the past, he did not come here to cultivate. Firstly, he was afraid that he would hurt the flowers and plants and leave too obvious a mark. Secondly, he was afraid that when he was focused on cultivating, he would not be able to hear someone knocking on the front courtyard door.
There was nothing he could do today.
Tonight, his mother-in-law and the rest of the Qin family were going to Moonlight Rain Court. In the afternoon, the maidservants would probably start heading to the garden to prepare.
He could not go there to cultivate anymore.
The front yard was not suitable either.
The commotion caused by practicing the Thunder Fist was too loud. Anyone who passed by could hear it.
Therefore, he could only come to the backyard.
However, Luo Qingzhou did not plan to practice for too long today.
After practicing three times in a row and sweating slightly, he stopped.
He returned to the front yard.
After boiling water in the kitchen, Luo Qingzhou wiped his body and changed into clean clothes before returning to his room.
He sat down in front of the window.
He closed his eyes and calmed his mind. Then, he opened the book and read it seriously.
“The gentleman does what is proper to the station in which he is; he does not desire to go beyond this. In a position of wealth and honor, he does what is proper to a position of wealth and honor. In a poor and low position, he does what is proper to a poor and low position. Situated among barbarous tribes, he does what is proper for a situation among barbarous tribes. In a position of sorrow and difficulty, he does what is proper to a position of sorrow and difficulty. A gentleman can find himself in no situation in which he is not himself.
“Sincerity is just ‘perfecting’ and the Way is just ‘following’. Sincerity is the beginning and the end of all things. Without sincerity there is nothing. Thus, the gentleman values the process of becoming sincere. But sincerity is not ‘just-perfecting;’ it also means ‘perfecting all things’.”
Although Luo Qingzhou had already memorized these articles in his mind, every time he read them again, he would recite them word by word in his heart.
And every time, he seemed to have a new take on it.
After finishing “The Doctrine of the Mean”, he looked at “Analects of Confucius”, “Book of Changes”, “Book of History”, and so on.
He had seen all of them.
He flipped through the bookshelf beside him and realized that the Second Young Master Qin had brought him many good books last time.
In addition to the books that he needed to read for the imperial examination, there were also a few mystery novels, ghost stories, and popular collections of folk tales.
Luo Qingzhou took them all off the bookshelf, piled them on his desk, and started reading them one by one.
Soon, he was engrossed in it.
“There’s a volcano outside the Southern Wilderness. It burns day and night. In the fire, there’s a rat that weighs 50 kilograms and has fur that’s more than two feet long. Its fur is as thin as silk and can be used as a cloth. This rat lives in the fire and comes out from time to time, resulting in it being white. It dies if you attack it with water. After killing it, its fur can be woven into cloth.”
“Prince of Changshan, the grandson of the Grand Minister, has many demonic creatures in his residence. A wooden bench is often seen in the building. It’s flesh red in color and very moist.”
Luo Qingzhou was intrigued by the stories and could not stop reading.
Time passed quietly.
Unknowingly, the sun had already set.
When Xiao Die knocked on the door, Luo Qingzhou snapped back to reality.
He raised his head and looked out of the window. It was already evening.
He composed himself, put away the Lunisolar Mirror, and stored the dark blue liquid that had appeared on the mirror before going out to open the courtyard door.
Xiao Die stood outside with the food. When she saw him open the door, she whispered, “Young Master, are you cultivating in the room?”
Luo Qingzhou took the food from her hands and walked back to the small courtyard. “I’m reading. Second Young Master Qin sent me some books last time. There are some interesting books inside, and I was distracted by them.” Xiao Die asked curiously, “Young Master, what book is it? Is it interesting?”
Luo Qingzhou sat down at the stone table in the courtyard. As he ate, he said, “The stories inside are ghost stories. If you want to hear it, I’ll tell them to you tonight. ”
“Ah! No, I don’t want to hear it.
When Xiao Die heard that it was about ghosts, she was so frightened that her face turned pale and she waved her hands.
Luo Qingzhou looked at her and said, “Are you afraid of ghosts?”
Xiao Die said with a bitter expression: “Of course, I am, who isn’t afraid of ghosts?”
Luo Qingzhou said, “Have you seen ghosts before?”
Xiao Die quickly shook her head. “No… I have never seen a ghost. If I had, I would have been scared to death.”
Luo Qingzhou looked at her frightened expression and thought of what he had iust read in the book.
“The weaker a person is, the more timid they are. The more insecure they are, the easier it is for them to see ghosts. Ghosts are Yin creatures. They love to pester women with strong Yin energy, men with weak Yang energy, people with illnesses, and people who walk alone in the dark…’
“There are martial artists and demon beasts in this world. Do ghosts exist too?’ Luo Qingzhou thought to himself and lowered his head to eat.
This little girl was timid. He could not talk to her about these things anymore, lest she had nightmares at night.
With his current Qi and blood, even if he encountered ghosts, the other party would probably not dare to approach.
Luo Qingzhou thought of phantoms, spirits, and wandering souls in the night that did not have any consciousness. He suddenly thought of his mother.
After his mother was killed, because of her low status, she could not be buried in the Luo family’s ancestral tomb.
At that time, no one in the Luo family was even willing to give up a small piece of land for him to bury his mother.
Back then, First Madam said something, which Luo Qingzhou remembered till now. She had said, “How can such a lowly woman be buried in our land? Wouldn’t that dirty our land? If it affects the Luo family’s fengshui, she can’t be forgiven even if she reincarnates as an animal in her next life!”
Therefore, in the end, Luo Qingzhou could only bury his mother in the forest outside the city.
That forest was only a few kilometers away from the village his mother and he used to live in.
When the villagers passed away, they would sometimes be buried in the forest.
Therefore, his mother could be considered to have returned to her roots and could rest in peace.
However, the hatred brought about by this matter had always been buried deep in his heart.
At that thought of it now, Luo Qingzhou still gritted his teeth in anger.
The Luo family’s actions, as well as First Madam and Luo Yannian’s cold-bloodedness and harshness, were deeply etched in his memory. Even when his soul was swapped with the original host’s, he could not forget such despicable acts.
He would remember this hatred and his mother’s death!
However…
He wondered if his mother had, like what was recorded in the book, become a vengeful spirit because of her unwillingness to let go and because she had suffered an unjust death. Was she wandering alone in the night, or had she already reincarnated and started a new life?
At the thought of this, Luo Qingzhou felt a little lost.
How good would it be if he could open his third eye and see ghosts and spirits as recorded in the books?
In that case, he would not be afraid.
He would go to his mother’s grave and take a good look at the forest.
He might be able to see that weak and pitiful woman again. He might be able to see that familiar and friendly face. Then, he would talk to her, chat with her, and accompany her.
Even if she no longer had a body or memories…
Luo Qingzhou let his imagination run wild and finished his meal.
At this moment.
Night had fallen.
A full moon rose into the sky.
The small courtyard was illuminated by the light.
Luo Qingzhou returned to his room and took out the Lunisolar Mirror from under his bed. He placed the moon side facing upward on the desk in front of the window and prepared to light the lamp to continue reading.
The bright moonlight shone through the window and into the mirror. The moonlight in the mirror became dark and blurry. Luo Qingzhou took a casual look and was horrified.
He thought he had seen it wrongly.
He stretched his head over again and faced the mirror, blocking the moonlight outside the window. Just like what he had seen earlier, his reflection did not appear in the mirror!
Luo Qingzhou was stunned. He quickly picked up the bronze mirror on the table and pointed it at himself again.
He stood with his back to the window. The moonlight fell on him and the side of the mirror with a moon carved on it.
Luo Qingzhou’s reflection suddenly appeared in the mirror again.
However, not only was that face sinister and strange, but it was also twisting and floating like fog.
It looked abnormally ferocious and terrifying!
64fce1ae3cacdd66ca871f43
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter