The Bronze Mirror's Riddle Solved

Even more so, the Shangqing cultivation method struggled to shake that Taiyi True Qi. He hadn't practiced other cultivation methods in his previous life and had experience, which proved that the Shangqing Heart Sutra he craved was inferior to the Taiyi cultivation method.

In his memory, Dongguo Haoran's cultivation had astounded him, but what was happening now? Could it be that the Shangqing Sect hadn't given him their true cultivation methods?

However, after probing Chen Guishuo, he found out that the Shangqing Heart Sutra was indeed the most authentic cultivation method of the Shangqing Sect. Everyone in the sect practiced it, so the method itself was definitely not the problem. The only difference was that disciples of lower ranks couldn't practice other techniques.

This was baffling. Niu Youdao thought about it endlessly. He realized that his progress in cultivating Taiyi in this life far surpassed his previous life. He gradually began to understand something. Perhaps Taiyi was indeed stronger than the Shangqing Heart Sutra. The real difference was that the spiritual energy in his previous location was far inferior to this place.

With this realization, he felt speechless. All his efforts had been in vain. If he had known this, why would he have gone through so much hardship and risked coming to the Shangqing Sect? He had almost lost his life. Now, he was in a situation where he didn't know how long he would be under house arrest.

However, there was nothing he could do. Without comparison, one wouldn't know what was good or bad. Some losses were inevitable. What else could he say? He could only continue to focus on cultivating Taiyi.

Another month later, in the evening, he was drinking with Chen Guishuo under a peach tree.

"Every pot of this wine is brewed with grain. Outside, countless commoners go hungry, and the land is filled with starving corpses. Yet, we are here enjoying fine wine. I wonder if this is a sin..." Chen Guishuo, slightly tipsy, said with a smile, mumbling as if joking, but the joke carried a heavy weight.

Niu Youdao's eyes showed a hint of seriousness, then he smiled slightly and poured him more wine, "Senior Brother, I'll fill your cup."

They continued to eat and drink until it was dark. Just as they were about to pack up, a ball of light floated down from the stone steps leading to the summit. It was a glowing butterfly, and following it was none other than Elder Tang Susu, with two attendant disciples behind her.

Chen Guishuo and Niu Youdao were startled. They hadn't expected Tang Susu to appear so suddenly. They scrambled to their feet and bowed, "Elder Tang!"

Tang Susu's gaze swept coldly over the mess on the small table. Her sharp eyes then lifted, seeming to glare at the wine-soaked Chen Guishuo.

Chen Guishuo was immediately frightened and lowered his head in trepidation. Tang Susu was the Law Enforcement Elder of the Shangqing Sect, and her duties involved punishment. Moreover, she had a bad temper, so no disciple in the Shangqing Sect was not afraid of her.

However, Tang Susu seemed to be in a more lenient mood today. She said faintly, "What kind of behavior is this? Hurry up and clean it up."

"Yes!" The two responded, feeling as if they had been granted a great pardon. Niu Youdao was about to start cleaning with Chen Guishuo.

Unexpectedly, Tang Susu said, "Niu Youdao, come here." With that, she turned and entered the courtyard.

"..." Niu Youdao was stunned. He looked at Chen Guishuo with a questioning gaze, unsure what was happening.

Chen Guishuo quickly nodded, signaling him to go in quickly and not keep Elder Tang waiting.

Niu Youdao had no choice but to follow quickly. He didn't know what Tang Susu wanted. Seeing Tang Susu slowly pacing in the courtyard, he had no choice but to follow her closely, maintaining a humble attitude. He had a deep impression of this Elder Tang. The first time they met, she had been ruthless, trying to take his life. If it weren't for the Protective Talisman Dongguo Haoran had placed inside him, he would have died long ago. Therefore, he was cautious and vigilant.

"You've cleaned up quite well," Tang Susu said after inspecting the place inside and out. She entered Peach Blossom Hall, stopped before the statue of the Patriarch, and bowed respectfully. After straightening up, she stared at the statue of the Patriarch and said slowly, "Back then, the Patriarch came to this place to establish the sect. He had nothing but his robes. His earliest dwelling was this Peach Blossom Spring. Being able to live here is like benefiting from the Patriarch's grace, and it's also your good fortune."

"Yes!" Niu Youdao replied respectfully, "It is my good fortune." In his heart, he grumbled, Good fortune my foot. They've clearly put me under house arrest.

Tang Susu turned around and looked around the room, asking, "Are you getting used to living here?"

Niu Youdao: "Reporting to Elder, it's very peaceful here."

Tang Susu directly ignored the hidden meaning in his words and asked expressionlessly, "Are you married? For example, have you been engaged?"

"Uh..." Niu Youdao looked up in surprise, not knowing what she was getting at. He cautiously replied, "I'm still young and not married. My family is poor, and I didn't have the conditions for an engagement."

"You speak eloquently, not like someone from the wilderness," Tang Susu remarked, it was unclear whether it was a compliment or sarcasm. She then returned to the topic, "A man should strive for a bright future. Dwelling on one's background is petty. However, I have a good match for you now, which can be considered your luck."

"..." Niu Youdao looked at her blankly, wondering what she meant. He wanted to hear what she would say next.

Tang Susu looked back at the Patriarch's statue. As if speaking in front of the Patriarch, she seemed hesitant to say some things. She beckoned Niu Youdao out of Peach Blossom Hall and walked with him in the backyard before speaking again, "Sect Master Tang Mu has passed away. His daughter, Tang Yi, your Senior Sister Tang, whom you've met, how is her appearance?"

"..." Niu Youdao was filled with suspicion and uncertainty. Listening to the tone of her words, could it be that the so-called good match referred to Tang Yi and him? Was she joking? He hesitantly replied, "Senior Sister Tang is naturally beautiful."

"Mm!" Tang Susu nodded and stopped, a smile appearing on her face. "This good match is your Senior Sister Tang. I am her close grand-aunt, and I can make this decision. I plan to betroth her to you. What do you think?"

"Ah!" Niu Youdao exclaimed. What he feared had indeed come to pass. Last time, they had talked about him becoming the Sect Master, and now they wanted him to marry Tang Mu's daughter. What was the Shangqing Sect up to? He frantically waved his hands, "No, no!"

The smile on Tang Susu's face instantly vanished, and her expression turned grim. "What's not to like? Your Senior Sister Tang has the looks and the figure. You are still young and don't understand some things. When your body matures and you become a man who can distinguish right from wrong, you will naturally know how good your Senior Sister Tang is."

Niu Youdao couldn't possibly agree to such a bizarre matter. It was too strange. "Elder, I am still young and not worthy of Senior Sister Tang..."

Before he could finish, Tang Susu interrupted him unceremoniously, "You are not that young. In your village, there are likely many people your age who have children. This matter is not about who is worthy of whom. Your master had made a marriage alliance with Sect Master Tang Mu before he passed away. Both sides agreed that Tang Mu's daughter would marry Dongguo's disciple. Now, you are the only disciple left of Dongguo. Who else could this marriage alliance be with? As the saying goes, 'Once a master, always a father.' Marriage is a matter of parental decree, let alone a master's command which cannot be defied."

A marriage alliance? Niu Youdao's eyes widened. It was as if he had seen a ghost. Could they arrange marriages like this? What did the marriage alliance between Tang Mu and Dongguo Haoran have to do with him!

The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. He felt like there was a pit waiting for him to fall into. Good things would never fall into his lap. He braced himself and said, "My age and Senior Sister Tang's are truly incompatible..."

Tang Susu was very forceful and didn't let him finish. She interrupted him again, "Do you know the consequences of defying a master's orders in the Shangqing Sect? Disloyalty, unfilial piety, inhumanity, and injustice. The Shangqing Sect will never tolerate such scum. As the Law Enforcement Elder, I will never stand by and allow such a disciple to exist! If you truly wish to defy your master's orders, I don't want to dirty my own hands. There is a cliff outside; you can jump off it yourself!"

The Moon Butterfly above her head flapped its wings, hovering in the air. Its flickering soft light illuminated her cold and merciless face.

"..." Niu Youdao was utterly speechless. Was she even reasoning with him? She was directly telling him to jump off a cliff and commit suicide? Whether that damned engagement existed or not, he didn't know, but he now knew that he couldn't reason with this old woman at all. He swallowed hard, "I would like to seek Senior Sister Tang's opinion on this matter. Can I have a private talk with Senior Sister?"

Tang Susu said calmly, "No need. You don't need to worry about your Senior Sister. I am only asking you one thing now: Will you obey your master's orders?"

In the end, Niu Youdao, somewhat dazed, saw Tang Susu out of Peach Blossom Spring. He couldn't even remember how he got back.

The outcome was, as expected, naturally not worth mentioning. Tang Susu was incredibly overbearing, leaving no room for negotiation. It was clear that if he didn't agree, she would kill him, without any pretense. Niu Youdao had no choice but to refuse. He instinctively realized that there was something wrong with this matter. How could such a thing happen? Under normal circumstances, let alone him, would Tang Yi agree to such a thing?

He snapped out of his daze and quickly went outside, wanting to find Chen Guishuo to gather some information. However, he found that Chen Guishuo was gone. He then ran down the mountain along the stone steps, only to be stopped halfway by the two disciples who had followed Tang Susu earlier.

Returning to Peach Blossom Spring, he took a mirror from Peach Blossom Hall and repeatedly examined himself under the moonlight. With such a young face, was he supposed to get married?

Setting aside other matters, he knew about Song Yanqing's background. The Song family's influence was something even the Shangqing Sect couldn't afford to offend. He dared to interfere with a woman that Song Yanqing fancied. Wasn't that courting death? He strongly suspected that Song Yanqing would not let him off the hook!

But now, he was in a situation where he could only take things one step at a time. He had no choice!

As he put down the mirror, his gaze suddenly swept over the water vat beside him. The five training posts in the courtyard were all equipped with water vats, usually used for watering flowers and plants. The water vats were filled with clear water. Just now, something seemed to flash across the surface.

He slowly raised the mirror again. The reflection in the water of the water vat showed the outline of a bronze mirror. It was not clear in the night, but as he moved the mirror, its surface faced the moonlight. The reflection of the bronze mirror in the water actually showed nine hazy points of light.

Niu Youdao let out a soft "Huh?" and took a few steps back. The front of the mirror still faced the moonlight, while the back faced the ground. However, there were no points of light in the shadow on the ground. When he held the mirror above his head and looked at the back facing the moonlight, there were no points of light on the back of the mirror either.

He walked closer to the water vat again. As a result, the nine hazy points of light appeared on the water surface again. He looked up at the sky, then at the mirror in his hand, and gradually began to mutter to himself.

"The sky is Yang, the mirror surface is Yang. The earth is Yin, the mirror back is Yin. The sky is the Heavenly Plate, the mirror separates Yin and Yang to form a gate, which is the Gate Plate. The earth is the Earth Plate. The Heavenly, Gate, and Earth Plates..." After muttering a string of words, Niu Youdao suddenly looked enlightened. His eyes, fixed on the mirror, suddenly lit up, and he blurted out, "Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams!"