Chapter Twelve: The Reversal of Light and Shadow

  "On the ninth day, he was still perplexed and asked, 'But, Fairy Maiden Auntie, this Water Moon Peak is steep and precipitous. How can we possibly climb up?' In his heart, to avoid the various major sects' people who had already blocked off the exit from the valley outside, there was only one way - to go up the mountain. However, this precipice was as smooth as if it had been washed by water, with only some shallow green moss on its surface, making it impossible to find a foothold. Even geckos would have difficulty climbing up, let alone ordinary humans!"

  "When did I ever say we're going up the mountain?" The Tea Fairy smiled mysteriously and said.

  "Then, Auntie, if we don't go up the mountain, how can we avoid the pursuing soldiers behind us?" Lin Meng'er was also very surprised and asked. Although her internal strength was not deep, she had also heard the shouts of the people from various major sects coming from behind, and was naturally very anxious.

  The tea fairy still smiled slightly, not speaking, and walked straight to the bottom of the steep cliff. She parted the lush green vines that had crawled all over the cliff with her hands. Chiujiu thought there might be something strange on the cliff wall and looked closely. Indeed, under the vines, there were seven protruding round stones!

  Those seven protruding stones are quite strange, and they are actually arranged in the pattern of the Big Dipper!

  Only to see the tea-picking fairy continuously slapping these seven protruding round stones, this initial nine knew that it was not a random slap. After several consecutive sounds of seven beats, the mountain cliff responded with a slight hum, and behind the green vines, a one-meter-thick stone door emerged, which could accommodate one person entering.

  The mechanism button on the stone gate was set so cleverly that it really made people sigh in amazement! Chujiu couldn't help but let out a sigh, and he naturally thought that this was the work of someone from the demonic sect. The Tea Fairy picked up two large packages, and with Chujiu, Lin, and Lin Qinger quickly entering, Xiao Bai and Huo Huli also quickly snuck in. Once inside, they immediately restored their fox nature, running around wildly, east and west. The Tea Fairy then tapped three times on the stone wall inside the cave, and the thick stone gate, about one zhang (3.33 meters) thick, instantly returned to its original state. It seemed that from the outside, it was still just a steep and towering mountain cliff covered in green vines!

  At the beginning of the ninth hour, Lin Ming'er's eyes lit up, and there was no feeling of darkness. Inside this cave, there was actually another sky, with sunlight shining in from the surrounding mountain walls. The cave was dozens of feet in diameter and about four feet high, with a pool of warm water in the middle of the ground, surrounded by rocks and withered grass. In the deep autumn season, it was rare to see that there were still several clusters of chrysanthemum flowers by the pool, which were blooming brightly, showing signs of life everywhere. The three people walked around the pool and continued on, and at the end of the cave, there was actually a large hole above, Lin Ming'er looked up and couldn't see the top, it was pitch black.

  "Auntie, this cave is sealed all around, and the top is empty with no rope, how can we escape?" Lin Meng'er asked the Tea Fairy.

  The Tea Fairy put down several large bundles at the end of the mountain top, and casually held Little White and Huo Fox in her arms, using her hands to comb their fur, but smiled slightly, saying: "Who said we have to escape? There is dried food and water stored behind this cave, enough for us three people and Little White, Huo Er to eat for two months. We will spend some time here! Until the enemy leaves, we will be safe!"

  The name of those three-tailed spirit foxes was "Huǒ Er", quite accurate.

  Just as Lin Meng'er was about to say something, suddenly, Liu Hei's loud voice came clearly from outside: "Everyone must search carefully, this stove is still hot! And there are also traces of decocting medicine left behind!"

  She was startled! The outside voice can be so clear, the voices of the people inside the cave will naturally come out too, she thought about it and didn't dare to speak.

  "Don't worry, Miss Lin, speak your mind. This cave's structure is not ordinary, don't you think the lighting in this cave is almost no different from outside?" The Tea Fairy guessed what was on Lin Meng'er's mind and smiled as usual.

  "Yes, yes, Auntie, I also think this light is not weak, and this voice is surprisingly clear, what's going on?" Lin Meng'er saw that the Tea Fairy's voice didn't decrease at all, so she wasn't afraid of being heard by outsiders, and quickly asked. But for caution, her voice was still much softer.

  The Tea Fairy smiled and pointed to the surrounding mountain wall three or four feet away, saying: "Xiao Jiu Shaoyou, Ming'er Niangniang, look, the mountain wall above you is actually covered with small holes as thick as a bowl mouth. However, these small holes are not directly connected in both directions, but have copper mirrors reflecting and supplementing each other's light. In this way, even if someone outside finds these small holes on the cliff three or four feet away, they can't see the situation inside, while we inside can get enough light and hear the sounds from outside!"

  "This cave is indeed a place where yin energy gathers, unlike the autumn sun outside. At this moment on the ninth day of the lunar month, my whole body is slowly losing strength, and I am enduring the pain of icy meridians, but I still listen clearly to the words of the tea-picking fairy, and I admire the person who designed this cave, saying: 'I don't know which predecessor designed this cave, it's so ingenious!'"

  The Tea Fairy turned her head and said, "The designer and builder of this cave, you all know him, it's your Seventh Uncle!" Her tone changed again, extremely low: "I used to think that his five elements and eight trigrams, strange gates and escape techniques were the second best in the world, what use are they? But I didn't expect that today, this cave would save our three lives, surpassing many top masters of various sects, and even more so than a thousand soldiers and ten thousand horses!"

  She muttered something unclear after that, and both Chūjiǔ and Lín Biāo'er didn't quite catch it. However, Chūjiǔ was still perplexed, seemingly Chu Qī Mr. had no objections to being ranked second in the world for his mastery of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, the qímén dùn jiǎ. It appeared that the person ranked first in the world must be a transcendent figure, but he didn't know if he would have the chance to meet him. His admiration for this person arose spontaneously.

  "Aunt, Seventh Uncle designed a secret cave in this valley. Could it be that Seventh Uncle is also a member of the noble teachings? But at the White Emperor Temple and outside the valley before, it didn't seem like it!" Lin Meng'er was also astonished and asked.

  The Tea Fairy listened and smiled again: "Your Seventh Uncle is a mysterious person. Twenty years ago, my Master's senior brother met him and they became close friends. My senior brother offered him the position of Sacred Teachings' Left Envoy, but he just smiled slightly and refused!"

  "What's going on?" Lin Meng'er was puzzled and asked. The Tea Fairy smiled mysteriously, saying: "Because your Seventh Uncle is already... how could he be appointed as the Left Envoy of the Holy Sect? What kind of identity is it, anyway? Tomorrow, you'll see your Seventh Uncle, and then you'll understand!"

  This Chu Qi, is indeed mysterious and extraordinary, his true identity seems to be extremely impressive, even the Bright Left Envoy of the Demon Sect doesn't dare to underestimate him.

  The Tea Fairy took a few more steps forward, came to the side of the mountain wall, and from the clothes package inside took out a piece of cloth, saying: "Let you see again, your Seventh Uncle said that this 'As You Like It Curve Inverse Light Mirror' is the only one in the world! For over a decade it has not been used, today I don't know if it can still be used? You all come and take a look!" As she spoke, she used the cloth to wipe the mountain wall vigorously, and originally there was a large copper mirror embedded in the mountain wall, smooth and flat.

  Lin Meng'er supported Chu Jiu as they walked over, and when the two of them saw it, they both involuntarily let out a cry of surprise. In the mirror was clearly reflected the images of all the people and things outside the cave.

  It turns out that the "As-You-Like-It Curved Straight Inverted Light Mirror" also uses the principle of digging small holes in the mountain wall. The small holes reflect up and down, left and right, layer by layer, twisting and turning on the mountain wall, and can accurately reflect everything outside the cave into the cave. The "As-You-Like-It Curved Straight Inverted Light Mirror" is indeed a rare treasure in the world!

  On the ninth day, after receiving the transmission from the nameless old man behind the mountain, he understood the movement of yang in the nine heavens and the stillness of yin in the ten lands. He also studied the five elements of the mechanism and was quite proficient in this way. When he saw the "Like-minded curved inverted light mirror", he was very interested and couldn't understand it for a while, so he asked: "But, aunt, this copper mirror is half a person high, those small holes are so small, how can they reflect the entire image of the mirror?"

  The Tea Fairy smiled slightly and said, "En, you asked a good question. I also asked your Seventh Uncle the same thing when I first heard him express such thoughts." She laughed lightly, as if recalling the scene where Mr. Chu Qi had crafted this mirror for her.

  Lin Meng'er smiled and said: "Yes, this copper mirror is half a person high, it's best that it's not just the size of a bowl. However, why isn't it as tall as a whole person?"

  The Tea Fairy looked at Lin Meng'er and said, "When your Seventh Uncle first made the mirror, it was only as big as a bowl. I didn't feel comfortable looking at it, so he designed small holes in the mountain wall to reflect the outside scenery. He used a collage method to unify the reflections on this large mirror, making it look like a single, unbroken reflection, astonishing everyone! She smiled and continued, "If not for his urgent business that year, I would have had him make the mirror life-sized. That way, the scenery outside the cave would be completely realistic! Years later, when your Seventh Uncle and I saw the mirror again, we thought it was no longer needed and wouldn't be used to make a larger one."

  "Seventh Uncle is really not simple!" Lin Ming'er praised, but immediately still had a worried face. From the mirror, you could clearly see the flags and disciples of the five major sects of Wudang, Emei, Kunlun, Diancang, and Congtou, as well as the Qingcheng Sect.

  Wudang Sect's Feisha Daoist, Liuyun Daoist, and another Shifeng from Emei Sect, along with Dingzhi and several other Shifengs she had met on Diancang Mountain. They were all dressed in the same moon-white nun robes, naturally being the disciples of Emei Sect's leader Cenbing Shenni, although Shenni herself was not among them. Also present were Kunlun Sect's "Flying Flower Swordsman" Jian Zengwang, Congtong Sect's Dugu Xiongxin, Hengfan, Liu Heimeng, and Qingcheng Sect's "Three-Handed Fire Sword" He Zhuanbao, all of whom were accounted for, except that surprisingly, Congtong Sect's leader Liechi Yan was not seen. It seemed he had been injured by Wanyao Furen's "Blood Rotating Golden Curved Blade" and was still recovering, unable to move about.

  At the beginning of the ninth hour, he heard Lin Meng'er let out a soft "ah" with three parts joy and seven parts excitement. He hastily opened his eyes to look, and in the mirror, among the three people, one person had a clear and slender appearance, a white face with a slight beard, wearing a green shirt, with an ethereal and otherworldly air about him. It was precisely Lin Ruoji, the master of Chu Jiu and Lin Meng'er, the current leader of the Diancang Sect, "Slanting Sun Divine Sword". Behind him, among his many disciples, the two young men with jade-like faces and slender bodies, who were exceptionally handsome, were none other than Shen Que and Lian Tian, the great disciples of the Diancang Sect. Chu Jiu was also overcome with excitement, almost fainting, and in a daze, the Tea Fairy on the other side was also stunned, standing still, no longer speaking.

  The outside sounds kept coming in continuously!

  "Master Dingxiu, this valley is in the midst of Emei Mountain. Hasn't the revered Master Cuiying noticed anything?" This was Liu Heimeng's voice from the Kongtong Sect. The valley would be thoroughly searched by everyone within a minute or so. Seeing that the valley seemed to have been inhabited for many years, Liu Heimeng asked.

  "Returning to Liu Daxia, our Emei Sect has been recuperating and rebuilding for nearly twenty years, without paying attention to anything in the Jianghu. It's surprising that there is still such a bamboo house in this mountain valley, with people living inside. If it weren't for the testimony of the Wudang and Kongtong Sects, I wouldn't have known about it either!" The leading nun was actually Ding Xiushi, a well-known figure in Jianghu. She was one of the eight top disciples of Dian Bing Shen Ni, ranked first among them, with the motto "Cultivate oneself, nurture one's nature, and benefit others". Her martial arts skills had already received the true transmission from Dian Bing Shen Ni, and she enjoyed great prestige in the Wulin world.

  "I think the peak behind is where the Water Moon Clear Wind Temple of your sect is located, on Mount Emei. Your sect has been dominant for hundreds of years, how could you not know that there is a valley below, and people from the Devil's Sect live here?" Liu Hei's voice was loud and clear, with an intimidating tone, full of suspicion. Of course, everyone from the various major sects around them heard it clearly!

  "Hmph, Mount Emei has hundreds of peaks, big and small. Between every two peaks, there must be a mountain valley. Are you saying that the disciples of our Emei Sect have nothing to do after dinner every day, just wandering around each peak and valley?" Before Dingxiu Shitai could even start speaking, another Shitai behind her chimed in.

  As for this nun, on the ninth day of the beginning, Lin Meng'er did not recognize her, but Tea Fairy and Lin Ruo'chi knew that she was Ding Xing Shitai, the fourth-ranked disciple among the eight great disciples of Emei Sect's Dust Ice Goddess, who ranked " Cultivate one's character and nourish one's nature". She was about forty years old. Everyone also knew that this Ding Xing Shitai had a straightforward temperament, although she was a Buddhist nun, her words were sharp as a rhino horn.

  As expected, Ding Xiang's wife continued: "Perhaps only the heroes of the Kunlun School are idle every day and so bored!"

  Lin Ruo Chi smiled slightly, knowing that Liu Hei Meng had offended the Emei Sect, and it wasn't a good idea to mess with them!

  Now this is going to be interesting!

  She is the junior sister of Dingsheng Shitai, and after tomorrow, Dingsheng Shitai will be the leader of the Emei sect. Naturally, she has to listen to Dingsheng Shitai's orders! Now that she sees her senior sister not stopping her from speaking, Dingshen Shitai continues: "Everyone can see clearly, this mountain valley is full of chrysanthemums, tea trees are all over the valley, and bamboo is lush. There is no blood or killing aura at all. How can people from the demonic sect live here? Everyone entered the valley together, but only your sect's people can see that there are people from the demonic sect? Are we all blind? Then please ask Liu Daxia to find the person!"

  The seven major sects, although superficially belonging to the same prestigious and orthodox school, are not all harmonious and mutually recognized. Emei and Shaolin share the Buddhist school with Wudang's Taoist school, which is as famous as Mount Tai and the North Dipper. Why would they fear the Quanzhen School of Taoism?