Heaven-Encompassing Divine Mirror: This is so hard for me

"It's a friend of Big Pot, Uncle! Hello, Uncle, what's your surname?"

Upon hearing that it was his older brother's friend, the little boy's innocent face broke into a smile.

You can call me Uncle Chen.

Chen Xiao also revealed a simple and honest smile, "I've heard that Xu Yinluo has two younger sisters."

He instinctively reached into his pocket, only to find that he was in full military uniform and had nothing extra to give the child.

Is there something you need?

Lina pressed her apprentice's head down with one hand and shook her head slightly. "Kids are just kids," she thought, "They're innocent."

Men who initiate conversations are the most dangerous, as they generally have ulterior motives.

She had already experienced this firsthand during her journey from Southern Frontier to Great Feng.

But she couldn't figure out what Chen Xiao's purpose was in approaching them.

Where are you two headed this time?

Chen Xiao asked.

Lina shouted, "It's none of your business!"

The sudden increase in volume startled Chen Xiao. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was about to do something to the person. After looking around, he said helplessly:

"If you need anything, you can come to me. Of course, Lord Xu can handle most troubles on his own."

He could clearly sense the wariness and hostility from the girl from Southern Frontier. He gave the little boy a warm smile, then turned and went back to the cabin.

"What?"

Hongying's voice changed, almost screaming, "Xu Yinluo really killed two Vajra Kings?"

To be honest, when he heard Miao Youfang say that he had killed two Vajra warriors, he thought the other party was just bragging.

However, directly exposing the other party is something only a fool or a demon would do, and it doesn't fit his style of conduct, so he showed a very curious and admiring attitude.

He never expected that this sounded like it might actually be true.

You can't lie and describe such details. Battles between extraordinary beings are unimaginable to ordinary people. Without witnessing them firsthand, it's impossible to describe them.

The two female demons covered their mouths.

"Yes, but even Xu Yinluo was in a sorry state when faced with the attacks of Vajra and the Rain Master of the Witch God Cult. Fortunately, I was there for him."

Miao Youfang's roasted bird was almost cold, but he didn't even bother to take a bite; bragging was more important.

"In the blink of an eye, I soared into the air on my sword, drew my Heavenly Mirror, and shone it upon the enemy, stunning them. Xu Yinluo seized the opportunity, unleashing his divine power and forcing the enemy into a retreat."

The demoness on the left suddenly said:

"But you're a martial artist, how can you fly on a sword?"

Ah, Miao Youfang was immediately embarrassed, unable to think of an explanation for a moment, but Hongying stepped in just in time and reprimanded the female demon with displeasure:

"What do you know? With Brother Miao's abilities, he naturally possesses corresponding Law Artifact and flying swords. You are but a mere little demon; don't you dare interrupt."

The demoness quickly lowered her head, ashamed of her shallow knowledge and questioning of Lord Miao.

"You're so good at handling things." Miao Youfang quickly said, "Yes, yes, that's right. Brother Hongying, it's a waste of your talents for you to stay in this poor and remote Southern Frontier. Why don't you come with me to the Central Plains to make your mark?"

Protector Hongying readily agreed, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble Brother Miao, the great hero of the Central Plains, to offer his guidance."

"Great hero, great hero of the Central Plains!" Miao Youfang exclaimed, his heartstrings tugged, feeling elated. "Brother Hongying, it's a pity we didn't meet sooner!"

The two laughed heartily, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

Inside the cave.

Ye Ji took out a bronze incense burner cast in the shape of a fox, inserted black incense sticks, rubbed them to polish them, and the sandalwood fragrance rose gently.

As Ye Ji inhaled deeply, sandalwood incense entered her nostrils. The next moment, a smoky, clear light appeared in her left eye, wafting gently from its socket.

A powerful will descended.

"Tsk tsk, old lovers getting together, why aren't they taking the time to be affectionate? Why are they calling me?"

A mischievous, giggling laugh rang out from the nine-tailed fox, and "Night Princess" covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"Does he intend for me to stand by and watch? No way, I'm still a virgin."

"Your tone of voice doesn't sound like that of a virgin; it's more like that of a seasoned woman," Xu Qi'an thought silently to himself.

Night Princess said respectfully:

"Your Majesty, I have learned a tremendous secret from Xu Yinluo. It is of utmost importance, and I do not know if you are already aware of it. I cannot speak of this so abruptly; please forgive my intrusion."

After saying that, "Night Princess" turned to look at Xu Qi'an and smiled charmingly:

"Classified information? You've only been cultivating for a year or two, where did you get so much classified information?"

Xu Qi'an didn't speak, but glanced at Ye Ji's right eye.

Ye Ji immediately replied, "The Buddha was sealed away by the Confucian sage more than a thousand years ago."

The clear light in Ye Ji's left eye trembled violently. After a few seconds, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox's voice rang out, more solemn than ever before:

"No, impossible. The Buddha intervened five hundred years ago. I witnessed that battle with my own eyes. There's no mistake."

Xu Qi'an frowned and said with certainty:

"Zhao Shou, the dean of the Cloud Deer Academy, told me personally that the Confucian Sage sealed away all the transcendent beings who were alive at the time, except for the Dao Venerable who had long since disappeared."

The Confucian sage sealed away all the supreme beings except for the Heavenly Venerable. Ye Ji's heart pounded like a drum, finding it difficult to process this secret.

The two pieces of information contradict each other.

Xu Qi'an recounted his three speculations.

The nine-tailed celestial fox said in a deep voice, "Do you know how to attain Buddhahood?"

Her tone was more serious than ever before, her usual flirtatious manner completely gone.

Xu Qi'an shook his head.

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox said, word by word:

"The unity of the nine great characteristics is the attainment of Buddhahood."

"I personally witnessed the appearance of the nine great Dharma forms in the world back then, which must have been the Buddha. There could not possibly be a second Buddha in the world. Shenshu followed the path of a Zen master, a Vajra, and a martial artist."

"But at most, he only mastered the Vajra Dharma Form."

In that case, the person who made the move back then couldn't have been any other superior being, nor a divine being, directly overturning my last two guesses. The person who made the move was Buddha Xu Qi'an. He hissed.

"Did the Buddha completely break free from the seal five hundred years ago?"

"Don't rush to conclusions. To understand all this, you need to break all of Shen Shu's seals. Hmm, every part of Shen Shu's remains contains his remnant soul. How many memories does Shen Shu have within the Floating Pagoda?" the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox said.

"You've reminded me."

Xu Qi'an stroked his chin. "It once unintentionally said something like: 'Buddha, you treacherous villain!'"

Ye Ji's heart stirred; she vaguely grasped something.

The nine-tailed celestial fox inside her remained silent for a long time as well.

After a while, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox slowly said, "It's obvious that Shenshu once made a deal with the Buddha, a deal known only to them."

"There are too few clues; we cannot deduce the truth."

Xu Qi'an summarized, then said, "Lacking clues, we can't come up with anything. The Empress isn't telling you this secret for free."

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox immediately reverted to its unserious demeanor, controlling Night Princess, licking its lips, and displaying a seductive expression:

"Xu Lang, you can do it as many times as you want tonight."

"I'm not sleeping tonight, "Xu Qi'an said seriously.

"Your Majesty, I am a respectable man and will not be tempted by your womanly charms. We will settle the matter of payment later. Let me get to the important matter first. Asura King's youngest son, Asura, has returned to his throne and is currently at Nanfa Temple. With my strength, I cannot defeat him."

Two plus one is equivalent to an Arhat joining forces with a Vajra, and Xu Qi'an is well aware of this.

"Therefore, I need you to fulfill your promise ahead of time and remove the two Demon-Sealing Nails. This will give me a better chance of winning."

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox pondered for a moment, "Removing the Demon-Sealing Nails will guarantee victory?"

Xu Qi'an smiled and said, "I'll find some help."

"Alright, I'll have Ye Ji take you to see the part of Shen Shu's body."

The nine-tailed fox readily agreed and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Xu Qi'an looked at Ye Ji's right eye:

"Fuxiang. No, Ye Ji is mine from now on. I won't force her to leave, but I hope you understand this: she is no longer your slave. You can command her, but you cannot control her."

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox chuckled, "Actually, I wouldn't object to you taking her away. I can even give you Bai Ji instead."

Upon hearing this, Bai Ji cried out, "I don't want to! I don't want to!"

Xu Qi'an glanced at the fox cub and thought to himself, "Am I really that annoying?"

"One last request: the Celestial Mirror still holds great value for me, and I hope to retain control of it for a longer period. No more than three months at most. If an extension is needed, I will pay you extra or do something for you."

The Celestial Mirror is related to one of his future plans, so he cannot return it to the Nine-Tailed Fox for the time being.

"That's outrageous!"

The nine-tailed fox retorted angrily, "It's a keepsake from my mother, something I've played with since I was little, carrying some of my memories. I can't grant you this request."

Xu Qi'an was unexpectedly assertive. "No, I need it. If we can't agree on this, our cooperation is canceled."

Night Princess narrowed her left eye slightly and said calmly, "Cancel it if you will. I am not threatened."

The two stared at each other expressionlessly, neither willing to back down.

Princess Yoru was caught in the middle, torn between the two sides.

"Even without removing the Demon-Sealing Nail, I'm still a third-rank cultivator, and there's plenty I can do. At worst, I can continue hunting Arhats; given enough time, I'll eventually break the seal. But can you let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip by?"

Xu Qi'an was well-versed in negotiation skills, never compromised, and always strived to achieve his goals.

"With chaos looming in the Central Plains, the Buddhist School will surely send troops to reinforce it; this is when Aranya is at its most vulnerable."

The nine-tailed fox smiled and said, "If you can't break the seal, not only will you be unable to recover your strength, but you also won't be able to break through to the second rank. There's only so much you can do in this battle for legitimacy. Cooperation is a win-win situation; non-cooperation will result in mutual destruction. Think it through."

The functions of the Hun Tian Divine Mirror were equally important to her, and she would never easily give it up to Xu Qi'an.

Xu Qi'an smiled and said, "Since that's the case, why don't we all compromise?"

The nine-tailed fox said calmly, "How do I retreat?"

"The Hun Tian Divine Mirror has its own consciousness; it's not an object. Let it choose for itself," Xu Qi'an said.

"No problem!"

The nine-tailed fox spoke with great confidence.

Xu Qi'an immediately took out the fragment of the Earth Book. In front of the Nine-Tailed Fox, he didn't need to hide his identity as a member of the Heaven and Earth Society. It wasn't that he trusted her so much, but that she already knew about this.

With a light tap of his finger on the mirror, half of the Hun Tian Divine Mirror fell out with a "clang" and landed on the table.

"I'm blind! I'm blind! I'm blind! My injuries haven't healed, I can't work anymore."

The Celestial Mirror immediately shouted.

Night Princess—no, the nine-tailed fox—was clearly taken aback, seemingly unfamiliar with the mirror, but quickly composed herself and said in a sweet voice:

"You stinky mirror, haven't seen me in five hundred years, do you miss me?"

Her voice switched from sexy and charming to a clear, youthful tone.

The Heavenly Mirror immediately fell silent, its surface revealing an eye without eyelashes. The eyeball moved, looking at Ye Ji.

It was slightly taken aback, and then the entire mirror trembled violently, the sound high-pitched and shrill:

"Your Highness, Your Highness, is it really you!?"

When Xu Qi'an handed it over to the Nine-Tailed Fox at the City God that day, it had just been sealed away by the old monk Pagoda Spirit and was unaware of the outside world.

Only afterwards did I learn about the deal from Xu Qi'an.

The nine-tailed fox casually picked up the mirror and snorted:

"Back then, I always asked you, 'Who is the most beautiful fox in the world?' And you always answered, 'My mother.' Now I ask you again, 'Who is the most beautiful fox in the world?'"

The Celestial Mirror shouted, "It's you! It's you!"

With an excited, tearful voice, it cried out, "I've finally seen you! After being lost for five hundred years, I never imagined I'd be reunited with Her Highness the Princess. Even if I were to vanish into nothingness now, I would be willing!"

What a heart-wrenching reunion between master and servant. Xu Qi'an rolled his eyes.

The nine-tailed fox glanced at him and said with a smile:

"This kid wants you to stay by his side a little longer, but I'm unwilling. After all, I haven't seen you for many years, and I really can't bear to part with you."

Xu Qi'an didn't give her a chance to stir things up, adding:

"So we've decided to let you decide for yourself whether you want to stay with me a little longer."

"Ah, this, this..."

The voice of the Celestial Mirror suddenly changed. After a fierce internal struggle, it said in a deep voice:

"To be able to meet Her Highness the Princess is the greatest fortune of this old minister, a fortune from which I can die without regret."

"But I choose to stay by the Xu family's side."

The smile that had just appeared on the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox's face suddenly froze.

She stared at the Celestial Mirror, her tone almost confirming, "What did you say?"

"This, this is the greatest fortune of this old minister to be able to meet Her Highness the Princess, a fortune that I can die without regret," said the Heavenly Mirror.

"But it chose to stay by my side," Xu Qi'an said with a smile.

The Celestial Mirror weakly replied, "Yes."

"Night Princess's" lips twitched slightly, and she said in a mournful voice:

"Mirror, do you know how hard I searched for you, traversing every mountain and river of the Nine Provinces? And yet you abandoned me for a man you just met?"

"Your Highness has worked hard. Thank you for remembering this old minister."

The Celestial Mirror immediately shouted.

"But it chose to stay by my side," Xu Qi'an repeated with a smile.

"Yes, yes," the Hun Tian Divine Mirror said weakly.

Then he immediately pledged his loyalty. "But Your Highness, rest assured, my heart is with you. I am staying by Xu's side as an undercover agent."

"Smack!"

The nine-tailed fox forcefully flipped the Heavenly Mirror upside down, veins throbbing on her smooth forehead. She glanced coldly at Xu Qi'an, the clear light in her left eye slowly fading away.

Night Princess regained control of her body and said cautiously:

"The Empress is angry. I have never seen her angry in hundreds of years."

The bond between master and servant is worthless in the face of pleasure. Xu Qi'an chuckled, not at all surprised by this outcome.

The Hun Tian Divine Mirror is incomplete in its spiritual intelligence and urgently needs the nourishment of dragon energy to complete itself.

This is the most basic desire of all living beings.

"Hurry up and take me back! Bah, you're just causing me trouble."

The Heavenly Mirror, angered by Xu Qi'an, flew up to slap him in the face.

Xu Qi'an reached out and grabbed it, saying:

There's something I need you to do later; it might take a while and involve a lot of trouble.

Don't even think about it!

It refused outright.

"Once your consciousness is restored, I will have the Supervisor repair the missing half of your body," Xu Qi'an said.

The repair is equivalent to the physical body, not the spirit of the weapon. The supervisor, who is an expert in weapon crafting, can certainly do this.

"Please feel free to give any instructions, Xu Yinluo."

"The Heavenly Mirror said sincerely."

Having completed the initial tasks, Xu Qi'an licked his lips and smiled:

"It's time to get down to business."

Having had countless "exchanges," Fuxiang immediately understood his meaning, her face slightly flushed.

At the border of Yunzhou, a massive army of 60,000, clad in armor and armed with weapons, assembled.

They were arranged in six orderly square formations, with 10,000 men in each formation. Each square formation consisted of 1,000 heavy cavalry, 1,000 musketeers, 2,000 light cavalry, 5,000 infantry, 500 artillery battalions, and 500 crossbow battalions.

Behind the 60,000-strong army, there was also a militia of 30,000 displaced people.

Before the reinforcements from Great Feng arrived, the rebel army in Yunzhou had already assembled and was preparing to march north to attack Qingzhou.

P. S.: I'll correct any typos first, then move on to the next chapter tomorrow.