Chapter 5

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And, in Chapter 5 of The Demon in the Mirror, Xi Feng finally gets to meet our male lead in his impeccable human form – only to be start clutching at straws (and her hair) the moment she realises that… our green dragon, really, is still a silly, unaware nincompoop at heart despite having nothing but the best (?) intentions.

Chapter 5: Empty Coffin (Part 5)

Due to the unceasing, relentless storms that battered Ba Shan Village in recent days, the roads leading to and exiting from Ba Shan Village were extremely muddy and difficult to walk on.

As Xi Feng slowly trudged through the quagmire, she became increasingly certain, that her stomach, which had just been filled, would have completely digested the food by the time she reached the end of the trail. What a dreadful waste of food.

How stupid of her. She should have just held her ground! Why on earth did she accede to the village chief’s request in exchange for that petty monetary reward!?

But, it can’t be helped – being an upright and righteous demon-catcher, she had no choice but to agree.

Ah, it is truly burdensome when people were overly kind – just like her.

Xi Feng continued her difficult journey plodding through the mud. If she had known earlier, that she would eventually be required to return to the green dragon, she would not have asked him to wait for her in some godforsaken, random location, and would have simply directed him to wait in the woods nearest to the Ba Shan Village.

Squelch. As Xi Feng sunk one of her feet into the mud, the mud instantly covered the entirety of her ankle. The slimy, mucky liquid seeped into Xi Feng’s shoes, and enveloped her feet, causing Xi Feng to shudder involuntarily.

Trying her best to repress her discomfort and focus on the journey, Xi Feng tried to extricate her foot from the mud – but, despite investing all her energy into lifting her foot, she found that her foot was, unfortunately, stuck.

Lowering her head, Xi Feng caught sight of a tiny, muddy hand which had taken ahold of her foot in its iron grip. All of a sudden, the tiny, muddy hand gave Xi Feng’s foot a good, hard, yank, causing the unprepared Xi Feng to crash sideways into the muddy ground. During the fall, Xi Feng’s flute had been dislodged itself from her waistband, and rolled to the side.

“Release the dog demon, and leave the Ba Shan Village. If you agree, we are willing to spare you.”

“Spare me? Isn’t that what I should be offering you instead?” Xi Feng grinned cheerily. Seating herself in an upright position, Xi Feng instantly attacked the muddy hand with her palm.

The muddy hand rose up to parry Xi Feng’s attacks, but even as it exchanged blows with Xi Feng, it persisted in dragging Xi Feng deeper into the mud.

Unknowingly, the shallow, muddy pit which Xi Feng had been traversing on, was gradually transformed into a deep swamp, and Xi Feng could only watch on helplessly as she continued sinking further into the mire. In the blink of an eye, a good half of Xi Feng’s body had already been submerged.

Quashing her original thoughts of playing with, and teasing, the muddy hand, the corners of Xi Feng’s lips turned upwards to form a cold smirk. With a severe expression on her face, Xi Feng pressed her right index and middle fingers together, and coalesced the surrounding spiritual energy to form a small, invisible sword. Swoosh. Xi Feng swung the invisible sword at the muddy hand.

The muddy hand was instantly sliced into half. However, within mere seconds, the muddy hand began to repair itself, and, once it was fully restored, it redirected its attention towards Xi Feng.

The few seconds of delay was more than sufficient for Xi Feng to extricate herself from the swamp, and, before the muddy hand could even register Xi Feng’s movements, she had already stomped unceremoniously on the muddy hand, and jabbed, “Since you attack me sneakily from behind, I have little choice but to keep you by my side as a snack for Xiao Huo, once I’ve reunited with him.”

The muddy hand quivered. Before it could disintegrate into minute pieces and escape into the mud in the swamp, however, Xi Feng had already clasped it tightly, and hauled it out of the viscous mud.

At first, Xi Feng had assumed that the muddy hand was a simple, tiny mud demon – however, the more she tugged at it, the lengthier the muddy hand became; and, even when the muddy hand had extended to the length of one foot, it still showed no signs of breaking.

Finally, Xi Feng realised that something was amiss. But it was too late – the muddy hand shot out from its original spot in the mud, and transformed mid-air. With a shriek, Xi Feng hurriedly threw the “muddy hand” to one side, and, when the “muddy hand” emerged from the mud, it took the form of a huge python that slunk towards Xi Feng with incredible speed.

Oh. My. God. Xi Feng was close to fainting – of all the demons in the six Realms, Xi Feng just had to meet the snake demon, the most disgusting demon in the six Realms!

And… And… And to think that the snake demon in such close proximity with her. To make things worse, the snake demon is continuously twisting and wriggling its body in an attempt to devour her.

“Heavenly Lightning Spell!”

Xi Feng hastily cast the most powerful spell in her repertoire – one she saved for her most critical, dire moments. And, in the blink of an eye, grey, angry clouds began to gather above her head as thunder cracked through the air. Everything seemed to come to a standstill, as the world awaited for the clouds to unleash the forceful bolts of white hot lightning.

The snake demon continued to display no semblance of fear, and remained singularly focused on launching itself at Xi Feng from the muddy swamp.

Frightened, Xi Feng tamped down the sense of disgust that welled up within her, and pressed her palms firmly together in an attempt to raise a temporary mud defense wall before her.

You’re going to be instantaneously sent to Nirvana once the Heavenly Lightning strikes you – as you so rightfully deserve, you evil twisty snake!!

All of a sudden, a violent, powerful gust of wind rippled through the area, the giddy current only ceasing once it neared Xi Feng’s back. From the corner of her eye, Xi Feng could only see a white, slender hand being stretched outwards by the new arrival, his palm facing the snake demon before her. Boom. From the palm exploded an immense surge of divine power, easily causing the four-feet-long, insanely thick python to be flung several yards away from the impact. At the same time, the streak of Heavenly Lightning which Xi Feng had summoned (which was already midway through its descent) was similarly forced back into the angry clouds, its unexpected return causing the grey, swollen clouds to implode with a blinding flash.

The immense, Natural-Law-defying divine power displayed by the new arrival was as breathtaking and as stunning as the Epiphyllum [1] flower that blooms at night. Xi Feng had, during her entire lifetime, come across innumerable demons, immortals and Gods who possessed strong powers, and had been through her fair share of highs and lows in life – to the point where she considered herself as a seasoned, old ginger that is no longer capable of being surprised; and yet, this singular burst of power, still managed to startle her, and make her question her own understanding on the limits of power.

The mud-coated Xi Feng slowly turned back, towards the direction of the newcomer. She was instantly met with a clean, white neckline, and defined, clean, white collar bones. Raising her head further, she saw a clean, white chin, and finally – a clean, white face.

A face, which possessed an unrivaled, peerless beauty. A face, fit for the Gods.

A face, which caused Xi Feng’s long lost youthful heart, which once dreamed of love, and romance, to start to beat in earnest.

Demons were always known for their unworldly beauty, but…… even their beauty, couldn’t hold a candle to this face. This face, simply defied all Natural Laws that governed the six Realms.

It was so Natural-Law-defying, that Xi Feng was seized with an uncontrollable urge, to molest him.

The new arrival slowly lowered his head, filling his entire vision with the mud-caked youth before him, and enunciated clearly, “Guide.”

Crack.

Xi Feng’s long lost youthful heart – the one with revived dreamed of love, and romance – cracked into a million pieces.

Green dragon? Green dragon?!

The man with the unrivaled, peerless face standing before her, turned out to be the green dragon?!

Who on Earth would want to molest a dragon?!

The green dragon slowly clasped her hand in his, and tugged, “Let’s go.”

Lowering his head, the green dragon gazed expressionlessly at their entwined hands, both of which were now tainted with mud. Pausing momentarily, the green dragon’s eyebrows gradually furrowed together to form a slight crease – and, before Xi Feng could even begin to wonder about what was troubling the green dragon, he had already stretched his hand towards Xi Feng, and wiped his muddied hands on the pathetic, unsullied portions of Xi Feng’s robes.

“……” Xi Feng had no other desire, but to slaughter this OCD [2] inflicted dragon.

Couldn’t he spare a thought for her feelings? She was a lady after all! And – whose fault was it that she was now cloaked in mud? If she wasn’t required to meet up with him, she wouldn’t have needed to embark on this dirty, muddy road!

Humph – who does he think he is? Does he think himself great just by virtue of his unparalleled beauty?

Ugh. But, it was true that his beauty made him amazingly extraordinary…

Xi Feng felt the slight pinches of sorrow. But, after bringing her palm to her face and caressing her rosy, supple cheeks, her sorrow instantly evaporated into thin air.

“Sir Green Dragon, where do you intend to go?” Xi Feng glanced at her muddied, unwearable clothes. No matter how beautiful or lovely she was, her beauty would definitely be hugely discounted as a result of her muddied robes. “I intend to head to town for a good wash.”

The green dragon nodded serenely, “Sure.”

“What about my Xiao Huo?”

“Do you mean the rat?”

“I’m not a rat!!” Xiao Huo protested vehemently as he clambered up the green dragon’s body and perched on his shoulder, “The rat and I – we are different species altogether!”

“What’s the difference?”

“I… I’m just different! And, and… don’t you realise we don’t look the same? The rat and I?”

The green dragon gave Xiao Huo a once-over before slowly nodding in agreement, “You’re right, you are indeed very much different from the rat. Compared to you, the rat is much better looking.”

Xiao Huo, “……”

Whilst Xiao Huo and the green dragon debated the differences between Xiao Huo and the rat species, Xi Feng had made her way to the side of the unconscious snake demon. Now that the snake demon was no longer twisting and turning, she no longer felt like dying when she laid her eyes on it.

Having been blasted by that immense beam of divine power, the snake demon was unsurprisingly in a comatose state, and lay limply on the muddy ground.

Based on the skills and attacks displayed by the snake demon, it should have at least 500 years of cultivation. Also, is the snake demon friends with the dog demon? If not, why did it demand that she hand over the dog demon?

Of course, it wasn’t surprising that the dog demon had other demon friends; what struck Xi Feng as being truly odd was the snake demon’s strange request that she leave the Ba Shan Village.

Xi Feng’s forehead crinkled in concentration – her gut feeling told her, that strange things were afoot.

Xi Feng didn’t slaughter the snake demon; instead, she transformed the snake demon into a small ball of light, and clasped it within her outstretched palm. She had every intention of returning to Ba Shan Village once she’s succeeded in sending the green dragon away, to claim her pitiful monetary reward and to come to the bottom of the mystery, once and for all.

After all, being attacked by numerous demons in the span of a few days, wasn’t really something to rejoice over.

“Guide.”

Upon hearing the green dragon’s pet term for her, Xi Feng felt as though a huge burden had been forcefully placed on her back. Now that she was forced to serve as his temporary guide, she would much rather the green dragon have an uglier outer appearance; parading around with such an attention-grabbing face would most definitely cause them to be overwhelmed by crowds of entranced females.

Nevertheless, Xi Feng plastered a smile on her face, and turned to face the green dragon, “Sir Green Dragon, I do have a name. Please feel free to call me Xi Feng.” Out of courtesy, Xi Feng inquired, “Please may I inquire what your name is, and how I might address you?”

Puzzled, the green dragon responded, “Let me try to recall.”

“……”

“Oh, I think my name is Qing [3]…”

The green dragon paused midway without completing his sentence. Xi Feng felt her hands twitch – they were itching to come into close, harsh contact with the green dragon’s face.

“My name should be……” In the end, the green dragon gave up trying to recall, and simply asked Xi Feng hesitantly, “Is my name Qing Yuan?”

Xi Feng, “…..” How on Earth was she to know what the name of the green dragon is?! She hadn’t even been born 20 years ago, much less 100,000 years ago, when the green dragon first sealed himself away!

Xiao Huo gazed at Xi Feng, pity and sympathy evident in his eyes. This short tempered, tiny companion of his, would, in all likelihood, be experiencing an explosive volcanic eruption in her inner heart. For some reason, that thought brought him secret, small feelings of joy.

The Human Realm was not as mystical or magical as the God Realm and the Devil Realm; the mountains did not float in mid-air, the waterfalls were located in far-flung, obscure locations, and the scenery was plain and ordinary, to say the least. In addition, Qing Yuan observed that although the inhabitants of the Human Realm had an outward appearance that was identical to Gods and Devils, they had various habits, and norms, that were completely different from Gods and Devils.

“They are actually using their feet to walk on the ground.”

“Of course they use their feet to walk on the ground. Don’t you…” Xi Feng retorted impatiently to Qing Yuan’s exclamation, and turned to gaze at him – only to find Qing Yuan hovering slightly above the ground as he slowly drifted his way through the crowd. Alarmed, Xi Feng stood on her toes and exerted all her strength in pressing Qing Yuan’s shoulders downwards. “Do you want to be crowded by and goggled at by large groups of people? Put your legs to good use and walk properly!”

Thankfully, the street they were at was full of pedestrians, and the green dragon’s abnormality had gone unnoticed by all.

“They are actually consuming food.”

“…… Boss, this is the Human Realm.”

“Their babies actually sleep.”

“……Boss……”

“Their cats and dogs are so tiny.”

“Boss……” Xi Feng was close to tears. This green dragon is an oversized baby in disguise, right? There was no doubt about it – he must certainly be an oversized baby.

Grabbing hold of his hand, Xi Feng attempted to lead Qing Yuan into the nearest teahouse. However, the very moment her hand came into contact with his, Qing Yuan silently shrugged her off, and, stretching his hands towards Xi Feng, he used the clean spots of Xi Feng’s robes to give his hand a good, hard, wipe, easily retransferring the mud on his hand back to Xi Feng.

…… This OCD inflicted dragon, with no emotional intelligence to speak of — the only reason why he had sealed himself away, was because he wasn’t able to find a female dragon companion, right?

Xi Feng was convinced, that she had uncovered the true reason behind the green dragon’s self-imposed isolation.

Seating themselves at a table in the nearest teahouse, Xi Feng poured a cup of tea for the green dragon, and inquired, “Sir Green Dragon, would you like to have some food?”

“I don’t eat anything.”

“What’s going to happen if you do eat something?”

Qing Yuan hadn’t the slightest clue. Xi Feng tried to persuade him as sweetly as he could, “Try eating a tiny portion of food?”

Qing Yuan returned the query, “What’s going to happen if I do eat something?”

“……” Xi Feng’s syrupy persuasion fell completely, and totally, flat. To make things worse, the green dragon even had the cheek to steal her lines. Plastering a grin over her face, she patiently responded, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll just eat by myself.”

Rather than feeling upset, she should really be feeling happy instead. After all, she managed to save on the cost of one bun, didn’t she?

Before long, the shop assistant set a plate of two plain steamed buns on the table. The steamed buns were extremely white and fluffy, and resembled pieces of translucent white jade at times, and soft, plump clouds during other times.

Qing Yuan quietly stretched out a single finger, and gave the steamed bun a good, hard poke. Unlike clouds, the buns were extremely soft, and warm.

Resisting the urge to abandon him on the street to fend for himself, Xi Feng generously pushed the plate of steamed buns before him, and gestured, “Try one.”

Qing Yuan picked up a steamed bun, and stared at it for a long time before finally taking a bite.

Xi Feng looked at him eagerly – there are countless delicacies in the Human Realm; starting with the steamed bun, she would amass all these delicacies and feed them to him.. Once she’s got his tummy’s desires wrapped around her little pinky, she would be more than qualified to sit across him at the bargaining table and demand Yin’s release – after all, she could simply threaten to cut off his favorite food supply if he refused to listen to her orders.

Having taken a bite out of the plain, steamed bun, Qing Yuan set the bun down on the table, “It tastes horrible.”

“……” Crack. That was the sound of Xi Feng’s grand plan shattering into a million pieces.

Xi Feng could no longer bring herself to curry favor with the green dragon, and simply requested directly, “Sir Green Dragon, is it possible for you to return Lady Yin’s soul to me?”

“Soul?” Qing Yuan clarified, “I didn’t retain anybody’s soul.”

Taken aback by the unexpected answer, Xi Feng was stunned into a momentary silence, “The young lady who served as the critical key for the destruction of your seal – do you remember her?”

Qing Yuan recalled the young lady who had been dressed like an outlandish, bright red flower, and affirmed, “Yes, I do.”

“You didn’t retain her soul after the seal was destroyed?”

“No, I didn’t.”

Xi Feng knew that the green dragon had no reason to lie. However, based on the villagers’ descriptions of Yin, it was undeniable that she had indeed “lost” her soul. It couldn’t be the small, black demon either – based on her observations during her duel with the small, black demon, the small, black demon had expended large amounts of demonic power to destroy the seal and activate the blood formation; there was absolutely no way the small, black demon still had sufficient demonic power to abduct Yin’s soul. In any event, the small, black demon had already succeeded in making use of Yin’s soul, and Yin’s soul would be of little use to him. But, it was also unlikely that the village chief and the villagers teamed up in order to lie to her. Xi Feng sunk deep into thought.

It looked like she had little choice, but to return to the strange Ba Shan Village.

“The inhabitants in the Human Realm……” Qing Yuan slowly surveyed the people milling about him, “actually smile constantly.”

It was entirely different from the two Realms which existed during his time.

Of course, Gods and Devils are too, capable of smiling. However, their smiles were unlike those displayed in the Human Realm. These smiles – the ones in the Human Realm – were bright and clean, and full of sincerity.

Qing Yuan began to feel, that he was starting to develop a fondness for the Human Realm., notwithstanding the tragically bad food, and the inefficient manner of walking (with one’s legs and feet).

Qing Yuan turned his attention to the mud-splattered youth in front of him. As he gazed at Xi Feng chowing down the plain, steamed buns, the horrifying steamed bun started to look extremely enticing and tasty.

Sensing Qing Yuan’s focused gaze on her face, Xi Feng, whose long lost youthful heart no longer possessed any intention of molesting him, turned to him, “Why are you staring at me?”

“I heard from your fire rat, that your singing is atrocious – to the extent that it is capable of causing the listener’s ears to malfunction.” Qing Yuan requested sincerely, “I would like to hear you sing.”

Xiao Huo, “……”

Xi Feng, “……”

Was she a terrifying, havoc-wreaking Demon King in her previous life? If not, why did the Heavens send such a demon to torture her???

W.H.Y?!?!

[1] 昙花 (Epiphyllum flower) – This flower is renowned in China for its beauty and exotic nature, to the extent that there exists a famous idiom created in connection with it – 昙花一现 (literally translated to mean ‘An Epiphyllum flower that blooms for an extremely brief period of time‘, and is often used to describe short-lived, beautiful persons / objects).

[2] OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Here, the green dragon’s “obsession” relates to his desire to remain clean and proper.

[3] 青 – This character is romanized as “Qing“, but is translated to mean the color green. Here, Qing is an extremely appropriate character to be utilised in Qing Yuan’s name given that he is – well – a green dragon after all.

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