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墨書 Inktalez
What? The founder of the Mirror Gate, the Master, died before reaching forty? So young?
Human thinking is often filled with biases. When I hear the word "Master," the image that automatically forms in my mind is that of an old man with white hair. And upon hearing "friendship across generations," I somehow assume that this Master must be much older than the main figure of Frosty Snow Manor.
The term "Master" refers to someone from a previous generation, a generation before the last.
How could someone from such an esteemed lineage merely be a middle-aged man?
Wait a moment, let me do some calculations.
Putting together the information I previously gathered, it turns into an application problem as follows:
Nie Qiuyuan is twenty-two years old this year. When his family suffered Annihilation, he was five. At that time, it was the Master of Mirror Gate who saved him, which means Mirror Gate already existed then. The Dark One passed away five years ago during the Snowfall Villa incident at the age of thirty-eight. So, how old was the Dark One when he saved five-year-old Nie Qiuyuan?
The answer should be twenty-six.
This means that the founding of Mirror Gate happened when the Dark One was still under twenty-six. Therefore, even earlier than that, he must have already been a renowned figure in the court—a remarkable young talent!
I imagined a scene where a young man, about the same age as Nie Qiuyuan now, saved a beautiful five-year-old boy, holding his hand as they traversed the world together, punishing evil and promoting good. Oh my gosh, it looked just like a loving father-son duo!
And if I think about how my idol has grown into such an enchanting figure now, that five-year-old must have been incredibly beautiful and adorable! Oh my gosh, I can't think about it anymore; my heart might melt.
"Is this Great Black Master handsome?" In my imagination, he had to be a strikingly handsome uncle to make the scene more beautiful, so I unconsciously asked.
Luo Dachun was already familiar with my way of speaking and smiled lightly.
"Ying Ying, ever since you survived that disaster last year, I've felt like you've completely changed. Your personality is entirely different from before. The thoughts in your mind are always quite peculiar and interesting."
Indeed, he must have sensed something; after all, he pays so much attention to Ye Liuhui. Even if he doesn't say it out loud, he must know Ye Liuhui better than anyone else.
Luo Dachun cleared his throat and said, "The Dark One was once rumored to be the Most Handsome Man in the World over twenty years ago. During his service in the previous dynasty, his looks severely interfered with his investigations; wherever he went, people would follow and watch him. Thus, he became a unique figure, a renowned detective who handled cases with a face like that of a Rakshasa."
Oh my, how handsome must he have been to achieve not only a hundred percent turn-back rate but also a high following rate? Even film stars cannot accomplish that. Thinking about how such a person eventually turned into a pile of white bones beneath the loess made me reflect on the fleeting nature of life.
So, does the eternally masked night pay homage to the Dark One in some way?
It’s truly a pity I never got to see him! Although I secretly began to regard this Dark One as my "father-in-law," I felt an unexpected sense of familiarity. Oh dear, how embarrassing.
"There are also such rumors in the world. The Former Emperor of Sui cherished the Dark One's talents greatly, so by the time he was not yet twenty, he held an official position in court and was promoted to a high rank in a very short time. The Dark One handled many cases, and there are countless stories about his detective work among the people; no one speaks of him without admiration. The Dark One continuously advised the emperor, proposing many suggestions to improve laws and strengthen law enforcement. However, he later discovered that the emperor summoned him to the palace not for the purpose of rectifying laws and upholding justice but because he was captivated by his striking beauty and wanted him as a secret male consort."
I was quite taken aback by such gossip. It seems that this Former Sui truly deserved its downfall.
"It appears this Master is indeed a perfect figure!" I exclaimed.
"Perfect?" Luo Dachun chuckled lightly. "Qiu Yuan has told me quite a bit about the Dark One. From my perspective, he probably cannot be considered perfect."
The first beauty, the first master detective, and with unfathomable martial skills—how could such a person not be deemed perfect? This is enough to drive us ordinary folks mad!
"It's quite strange; when the Dark One is solving cases, his mind is extraordinarily sharp and clear. Yet once he steps away from that state, it seems as if his intellect suddenly falls into chaos. He becomes forgetful and muddled to an outrageous degree, whether in daily life or dealing with interpersonal relationships in court—it's simply a mess. The Dark One has no wife or children; after saving Qiu Yuan, he intended to raise him by his side. However, starting from age seven, Qiu Yuan took care of all his meals and daily affairs meticulously; otherwise, he simply couldn't survive..."
I felt a wave of confusion wash over me. I had thought Nie Qiuyuan was already quite complex with his dual personas—one for show and another behind the scenes—but it turns out there’s someone even more complicated here. Truly, like father like son.
I really don’t understand how someone like him could be so idealistic as to establish an organization like Mirror Gate—a rebellious yet principled group—and how he managed to grow it. Perhaps when handling public affairs, the Dark One was in an absolutely perfect state.
So then, is Nie Qiuyuan the only unfortunate one? It seems their relationship is labeled as master and disciple but is actually akin to that of father and son. It appears roles are somewhat reversed; it’s as if the son raised the father while growing up himself.
However, looking at it from another angle, doesn’t this imply that Nie Qiuyuan’s innate skills include managing household affairs as efficiently as a virtuous daughter-in-law? After all, he has undergone over ten years of survival training in this regard!
Oh my, have I just stumbled upon a great bargain?
But Qiu has never mentioned to me that he can cook and do laundry! That cunning fellow, just wait until I turn around to deal with him!
“Ying Ying, I’ve noticed that you seem to be able to connect many thoughts from just one sentence. Really, I've never seen you like this before.”
I was taken aback, only to find Luo Dachun smiling gently at me.
“Ying Ying, when I first met Qiu Yuan, we were both exhausted after a fight, unable to move. Our organizations were not suited for casual interactions with outsiders, but at that moment, we were both immobilized. Given our age back then, we surprisingly hit it off. Later, I learned that he was a disciple of the Dark One, who happened to be a good friend of my grandfather Sikong Yan.”
As for how Sun-Moon Ghost Blade Sikong Yan and the Dark One crossed paths and became close friends, no one really knows. However, when Mirror Gate was established, Sikong Yan also founded the predecessor of Snowfall Villa, the Eerie Blade Sect. It’s not surprising that they had dealings in the martial world.
“In the two years after getting to know Qiu Yuan, we wandered through the martial world separately but met privately a few times. The tasks we executed for our organizations were quite challenging, yet every time we gathered with Qiu Yuan to discuss strategies, we always managed to achieve twice the result with half the effort. For some reason, it seemed like we had a complementary understanding in both ideas and martial skills.”
“At that time, there was no animosity between Mirror Gate and Snowfall Villa; on the contrary, due to the relationship between our founders, Mirror Gate was the only organization in the martial world that had private dealings with Snowfall Villa. That period was truly memorable, and my friendship with Qiu Yuan deepened over time. Time passed peacefully until five years ago when Snowfall Villa faced its calamity.”
Luo Dachun set down his teacup and asked, “Are you full?”
I had been so engrossed in listening that I hadn’t realized he had suddenly changed the subject. It dawned on me that we had actually finished eating quite some time ago; not only had the leftovers gone cold, but even the tea had cooled.
I had always wanted to know what happened during the calamity at Snowfall Villa and what exactly transpired back then. However, for Luo Dachun, it was clearly a painful memory, so I had never dared to ask. Was he now going to take the initiative to tell me about it?
“Come on, Ying Ying. Accompany me to another place.”
I followed him as we slowly made our way through the bustling market until we reached an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. It seemed like no one had lived here for a long time; weeds had overtaken the courtyard.
In the center of the yard stood a massive ancient ginkgo tree, its fresh green leaves just beginning to cover its branches in springtime, exuding vitality.
Luo Dachun approached the Ginkgo Tree, placing his palm against the trunk, his eyes filled with tenderness.
"We once stayed here together for a while. I can still clearly remember what that family looked like back then."
He wrapped his arms around my waist, and with a gentle sway, I was surprised to find ourselves standing on a branch near the top of the great tree.
Before me, two intertwined copper locks hung from the branches at the tree's peak. These locks were clearly old, weathered by wind and rain, now covered in rust.
"Ying Ying, this is what we left here ten years ago. Back then, I wanted to use my lightness skill to carry you up, but you insisted on climbing the tree yourself. By the time you reached the top, your face was as dirty as a little cat's. But you wanted to climb up by yourself so that your wish would come true." His eyelids drooped slightly in melancholy. "You said that when you grew up, you would come to Snowfall Villa to find me."
A pang of emotion surged in my heart. I could understand Ye Liuhui's feelings—the determination to overcome any hardship to reach that important person. I had felt that way too; I was just like that.
"I thought about it; I wouldn't wait for you at Snowfall Villa. When I could control my own fate, I would come find you first and make you happy. But unexpectedly, our meeting wasn't because I controlled fate; it was because fate forced us into a dead end."
He carefully stroked the Iron Lock hanging from the treetop as if it were something extremely fragile that needed to be treated with care. He gazed at it for a moment before smiling gently again, pulling me close as he leaped down from the top of the tree.
"Ying Ying, the only reason we can meet again is all thanks to Qiu Yuan. He has done so much for me that I can never repay in this lifetime. I think I should tell you about that time, but first, we need to start with the mission of Snowfall Villa."
He sat down beside me under the tree, a mischievous smile on his face. "Listen closely; what I'm about to tell you is a big secret known only to a few."
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