After commenting on the soldiers, Gui Ying put on his mask that covered half of his face, then pulled up the hood of his robe. Once he was done concealing his face, Gui Ying formed a hand seal. A second later, purple smoke engulfed his body.
Having completed the concealment spell, Gui Ying slipped silently into Feng Xiyan’s tent.
Hearing the sound of water from behind the room screen, Gui Ying’s lips curved up slightly. Looking around the tent, he soon spotted a bronze mirror placed on top of the altar.
Walking toward the altar, he stood before it and examined the bronze mirror. The moment he noticed the intricate golden lines carved into its frame, Gui Ying’s eyes lit up.
’This one really is my ancestral bronze mirror!’
Turning toward the room screen, Gui Ying waited a few seconds. After making sure Feng Xiyan hadn’t sensed his aura, he reached for the bronze mirror.
The instant his fingertips touched its frame, the bronze mirror glowed brightly.
At the same time, in Bai Hanyun’s bedroom, the antique mirror glowed just as brightly.
Startled by the sudden burst of golden light, Bai Hanyun quickly shut her eyes and closed the curtains while scolding the antique mirror.
"Stupid mirror! Why do you suddenly glow like that? What if someone sees this?"
When no response came, Bai Hanyun jumped up from the arhat bed, rushed to the bedside table, and grabbed her sunglasses.
After putting them on, Bai Hanyun returned to the arhat bed and picked up the antique mirror. She peered into its surface but saw nothing.
Puzzled by the sudden glow, she shook the mirror and asked with a hint of worry in her doubtful voice, "Hey, are you sick again?"
After waiting for a while, there was still no response from the antique mirror.
Bai Hanyun began to panic, shook the antique mirror again, and worriedly said, "Hey, you can’t die yet. We haven’t completed our mission!"
While Bai Hanyun tried to coax a response from the antique mirror, Gui Ying was in trouble.
The golden light from the bronze mirror stripped away his concealment spell. The moment he reappeared in the tent, Feng Xiyan and Feng Yi immediately sensed his aura.
Before Gui Ying could react, their swords were already pressed against his neck.
Looking at the two men staring coldly at him, Gui Ying put on a friendly smile and said, "Brothers, please calm down."
Pushing Feng Xiyan’s black sword slightly aside with his index and middle fingers, Gui Ying added, "How about we talk over a cup of tea?"
Feng Xiyan sneered at his words. "How about this general use your skull as a teacup?"
At those words, Gui Ying was speechless. "..."
After staring at each other for a few seconds, Gui Ying finally chuckled and commented, "Great General Feng, you are indeed a very interesting person."
Not wanting to waste time with an intruder, Feng Xiyan pressed the black sword harder against Gui Ying’s neck. As blood seeped from a thin cut, Feng Xiyan demanded, "Who are you? What do you want? Why are you sneaking into this general’s tent?"
Sensing his murderous aura, Gui Ying merely shrugged and calmly responded, "Since you have discovered me, this young master will answer your questions. First, this young master’s surname is Gui. Second, this young master only wishes to reclaim what belongs to my clan."
The moment Feng Xiyan heard the surname Gui, his eyes flickered for a second. After a pause, he asked with calm doubt, "You are a member of the Gui Clan?"
Raising his brows, Gui Ying replied, "Not bad. You actually know of my Gui Clan."
Still half-convinced that the masked man was truly from the Gui Clan, Feng Xiyan said, "This general has never taken anything from your clan."
Gui Ying wagged his finger left and right and said, "No, no, no. Great General Feng, you have taken the most important thing from my Gui Clan."
Feng Xiyan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "This general truly has never taken anything from your clan."
Seeing that he was not lying, Gui Ying pointed at the bronze mirror. "That is my clan’s ancestral bronze mirror. The Yin Mirror."
Hearing this, Feng Xiyan frowned deeply. "Young Master Gui, you must be mistaken. That bronze mirror was a gift to my mother, bestowed upon her by an abbot. He said it would protect this general on the battlefield."
Gui Ying rolled his eyes when he heard that. "Nonsense. This mirror is clearly my Gui Clan’s Yin Mirror. Who is that abbot? How dare he say that this Yin Mirror is his?"
Noticing Gui Ying’s certainty and anger, Feng Xiyan asked, "How can you be so sure?"
Gui Ying brushed aside their swords and pointed to the bronze mirror’s frame.
"Look here. These carvings are the runes of my Gui Clan. The frame is etched with a time-and-space formation that can open a gate to the underworld and the living."
He then turned to Feng Xiyan and continued, "In ancient times, when this world was still brimming with spiritual energy, two immortals were born of my clan. Before they ascended to Heaven, they left behind their life artifacts—the Yin Yang Mirror."
"Since they were husband and wife, each held one-half. The Yin Mirror connects the living world to the underworld, while the Yang Mirror connects the underworld back to the living world."
"Using both, my clan could travel freely between the realms of the living and the dead."
Feng Xiyan narrowed his eyes at Gui Ying’s explanation and muttered with a hint of surprise in his voice, "So the rumor that the Gui Clan can walk between the dead and the living is true."
"Of course." Gui Ying nodded and added, "Since you have heard the rumor, this young master believes that Great General Feng also knows that my Gui Clan is the last surviving clan of the five ancient clans."
Feng Xiyan gave a slight nod.
Seeing this, Gui Ying smirked and asked, "Then you must also know of my clan’s strength, right?"