"Nannan, can you shield the surrounding awareness of vigilance?" Fang Ming asked.
Fang Ming wanted Qing Mian to go down and check the situation, but he was worried about triggering some of the Liu family's defensive mechanisms again, as some Sha Zhong's ferocious means were incredible.
Nannan nodded, indicating it was not a problem. With a wave of her small hand, countless strands of hair merged into the air.
"I have already sealed off the perception of resentment within a hundred meters. As long as one's strength does not exceed mine, they will not be able to probe this area by any means," Nannan said.
"Alright, Qing Mian, I'll trouble you next."
Qing Mian nodded, his body disappeared into the mirror and burrowed underground. Fang Ming and Nannan waited in place.
Ten minutes later, Qing Mian reappeared beside Fang Ming.
"How is it?" Fang Ming inquired.
"There is a very deep dungeon below, about thirty meters underground. But strangely, the dungeon is completely sealed, with no entrances or exits. There is also a dying old man in the dungeon," Qing Mian said simply.
"An old man..." Fang Ming rubbed his chin and pondered. What was the relationship between this old man and the Liu family?
A Taoist priest, appearing in a place filled with resentment and ferocity, could he be an enemy of the Liu family?
"Take me down, I'll go and ask him," Fang Ming said to Qing Mian.
"This... what if he is an enemy?" Qing Mian worried.
"It's nothing. He's just a dying old man, he doesn't have much ability. Besides, you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing your child. This old man might understand the Liu family better," Fang Ming explained.
"Alright." Qing Mian sighed helplessly. This old man was indeed a breakthrough for them to understand the Liu family at the moment.
"Nannan, you stay here and guard, in case we encounter danger when we come out."
"Mhm, I know," Nannan replied obediently.
Qing Mian opened an entrance to the mirror world, and Fang Ming followed him in.
This was Fang Ming's second time entering Qing Mian's mirror world. The first time was when Qing Mian decided to follow him, and he had taken him to see it.
Arriving in the gray mirror world, Fang Ming curiously observed his surroundings and stomped on the ground.
"Why am I sinking into the soil?" Fang Ming asked.
"Just wait for me to use my ability." Qing Mian placed a hand on the ground. The entire ground gradually softened, transforming from a solid to a liquid-like state, and Fang Ming's body began to sink slowly.
Fang Ming marveled. Soon, they sank into the ground. In less than a minute, they felt a sense of weightlessness under their feet. Fang Ming looked down and saw that they had reached a small, open area, and he and Qing Mian were in freefall.
"Bang!"
Fang Ming landed steadily on the ground, while Qing Mian floated in mid-air like a ghost.
"The old man is over there," Qing Mian said, pointing with his finger.
Fang Ming followed his gesture and saw a person locked in an iron cage not far away, lying on the ground, on the verge of death. Several rusty iron chains pierced his body, fixing him firmly. Due to the mirror effect, his pained expression was frozen in an instant.
Fang Ming carefully observed the old man and the surrounding environment. Suddenly, his expression tensed, and he quickly walked to the cage, examining the iron bars at the four corners of the cage.
"Are these... runes?" Fang Ming murmured, touching the small runes engraved on them.
He had actually discovered runes in this world as well. Moreover, he recognized them at a glance as originating from his father, Fang Daolong!
"What exactly does my father do? How are there traces of him everywhere?" Fang Ming became increasingly confused.
The runes left by his father, Fang Daolong, from the ancient Blood Relative King to the current Eighteen Floors, Bai Mu Village, Eighteen Floors, underground tomb, wherever he had been, there were traces of his father's runes!
In Fang Ming's impression, Fang Daolong was just a petty owner of a funeral service shop who did nothing every day, and his mother was just an ordinary housewife.
But ever since he got the diary, everything seemed to have overturned his understanding.
"What's wrong?" Qing Mian asked, seeing Fang Ming's unusual expression.
"Nothing, it's nothing." Fang Ming waved his hand, suppressing the doubts in his heart. Perhaps he could learn about these runes after he rescued the old man.
"Let's leave the mirror world. I'll go and see this person."
Qing Mian waved his hand, and a rift appeared. The two walked out.
In the real world, the old man suddenly felt two strong resentments appear. His eyes snapped open, and they shot like lightning towards the source of the resentment.
Two Half-Sha appeared from the void, one of them looking at him with curiosity.
As soon as Fang Ming came out, he felt a gaze like needles on his back. He quickly looked in the direction of the gaze, and it was the dying old man from the mirror world.
"Hello, my name is Fang Ming. I have no ill intentions here; I just want to rescue you," Fang Ming introduced himself first.
"Hmph! Why would the Liu family suddenly remember me and send two Half-Sha? Are they underestimating me a bit!" the old man said without preamble. He suddenly sprang up, the chains binding him clanging. He made a hand seal in the air, and a golden sword of light appeared before him.
Fang Ming was stunned and almost shouted, "Holy crap, a deity!"
Why did this good resentment and ferocity world suddenly turn into an immortal cultivation world because of this old man?
"Go!" The old man pushed with both hands, and the sword of light shot towards Fang Ming like a stream of light.
Fang Ming recovered and his right hand instantly transformed into its Sha Zhong state.
"Clang!" A metallic sound of clashing weapons echoed. Fang Ming firmly caught the old man's blow. With a squeeze, the entire sword of light instantly shattered into a mass of fluorescence that slowly dissipated.
The old man was also counter-attacked. A wisp of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and his spirit instantly weakened.
"If it weren't... if it weren't for me being imprisoned for too long, with just your Half-Sha..." the old man said breathlessly and helplessly.
"Hey, I'll say it again, I'm not your enemy, nor am I from the Liu family. I'm here to scout the Liu family and happened to sense this Taoist priest's aura, so I came to take a look," Fang Ming said with annoyance.
No one would be in a good mood if they were slapped by the other party as soon as they met.
"Heh." The old man slumped to the ground, a sneer on his face.
"Hey, hey, what's your attitude? Do you want to get out or not?" Fang Ming was a little angry. This old fellow was refusing a toast and insisting on a banquets.
"It doesn't matter if you're from the Liu family or not. All resentment and ferocity in the world should be exterminated. You are just the filth produced by this world!" the old man sneered, his attitude towards Fang Ming extremely hostile.
"You..." Fang Ming was so angry that he almost couldn't breathe.
"Can't you see clearly, old man? I'm human! Can you blame me for being infected by resentment?" Fang Ming said angrily, throwing all thoughts of respecting the old and cherishing the young out of his mind.
"What?" The old man's eyes flashed with shock. "You've been infected but haven't lost your mind?"
Ordinary beings, once infected by resentment, would quickly turn into mindless monsters. Except for certain special items that could temporarily suppress this condition, it was impossible to have someone like Fang Ming under normal circumstances!
"Are you blind? You should have considerable strength, so why can't you even see my condition?" Fang Ming taunted.
The old man ignored Fang Ming's mockery, crawled to the edge of the iron cage, held onto the bars with both hands, and pleaded, "Please let me see your condition. How exactly do you maintain your sanity?"
Fang Ming saw that his condition did not seem fake. He moved a few steps closer and asked, "How do you want to see?"
"Your hand, just extend one of your hands. I'll check your pulse."
Fang Ming hesitated for a moment, but then extended his hand to let the old man check.
The old man clasped Fang Ming's arm with both hands, then placed one hand on Fang Ming's pulse. His expression shifted between surprise and realization, and only after a few minutes did he reluctantly let go.
"How is it?" Fang Ming asked.
"Alas, it's hard to replicate, hard to replicate," the old man sighed.
"What exactly is the situation? Just say it," Fang Ming was a little anxious. This old fellow was speaking in half-measures, making people uncomfortable.
The old man then sighed and said, "The Liu family is dominant here, but almost half of them are resentment and ferocity, their numbers are terrifying. We humans spontaneously formed some resistance alliances to fight them, but it was like trying to stop a chariot with a mantis."
"In the battles with them, ordinary people who are infected by resentment will turn into bloodthirsty Sha Zhong at night, with no possibility of rescue. This is also one of the reasons why our resistance has always failed."
"Your condition is closely related to your physique. The resentment does not erode your brain, which is why you maintain your sanity. We cannot replicate this."
After listening to the old man's words, Fang Ming suddenly felt a doubt: "That's not right. I've seen many infected Sha Zhong when I came to the Liu family. Why didn't they lose their minds?"
The old man gave a bitter smile: "Because behind them is a master who controls their every move."
"Master?" Fang Ming's eyes lit up when he heard this. As expected, it was likely the fierce entity that constructed this world!
He quickly pressed: "Do you know who this master is?"
The old man shook his head: "It's laughable, we've been resisting for decades and have never seen that master. We only know he's called 'The Painter'."
The Painter? Fang Ming had never heard of him, but at least he had a goal now—to find this Painter!
"Let me help you out first. We'll talk in detail after we leave," Fang Ming said. He then grabbed the iron cage with both hands and exerted force. The runes at the four corners emitted a fluorescent light, blocking Fang Ming's destructive force and preventing him from damaging the cage at all.
"Almost forgot about this," Fang Ming patted his forehead, let go, and went to the runes. He found the nodes, grabbed a node with his hand, and twisted it forcefully, grinding the rune flat.
"Little brother, you know this too?" the old man exclaimed, surprised. He didn't understand this kind of rune himself.
"A little bit. I'd like to ask you about the origin of this rune later."
A few minutes later, Fang Ming had ground the runes at the four corners flat and pried open the cage to rescue the old man.
"Thank you, little brother. I apologize for my earlier behavior. My name is Gu Cheng. If you don't mind, you can call me Brother Gu." Gu Cheng cupped his fists.
"Brother Gu." Fang Ming cupped his fists in imitation of Gu Cheng.
After rescuing Gu Cheng, Fang Ming did not delay. He immediately asked Qing Mian to open the mirror, and the three returned to the ground from the mirror world.
Happy New Year everyone! I wish you all the best and that all your wishes come true!