The pavilion beneath the night sky stood silent and serene, like an old man seated in a recliner, quietly observing the world's tranquility. Outside, rolling white mist surrounded it, seemingly never tiring; inside, a tall standing mirror stood quietly like a dutiful servant.
Without a sound.
"Thud!"
A figure tumbled out of the mirror with a muffled groan.
He did not cry out. He merely struggled to his feet and looked around. In the silent night, the pavilion was empty. Other than him, there was not a single person in sight.
Mr. Wu was gone too.
Zheng Qing clenched his fist, feeling as though something was missing.
Lowering his head, he thought carefully for several seconds before realizing that the Gilded Silver Pot Zhu Si had given him was gone. The Gray Cloth Bag had been too small to hold it, so he had been forced to carry it in his hand.
Zheng Qing touched the Gray Cloth Bag hanging at his waist.
The bag, which had previously been stuffed full, had deflated again.
He hurriedly rummaged through its contents.
The gemstones of every color, Luminous Pearls, heaps of gold, mithril, refined copper, exquisite silverware, and broken Alchemical Objects were all gone. Aside from the red string around his wrist, threaded with a Migu Wood leaf, every bit of the "deposit" Zhu Si had given him had vanished from the bag.
Yet the snacks, books, cinnabar, talisman paper, and other materials he had given away in the Mirror World still lay quietly in the Gray Cloth Bag's chest. The food, however, had turned grayish-white. Zheng Qing bit into a piece of beef jerky and felt as though he were chewing wood. The cinnabar and talisman paper still looked intact, but their magical sheen had faded, turning them into worthless junk.