"That should be about it," the man muttered to himself as he fashioned a casing for Qi Yu with cold iron, repairing and sealing the shattered mirror body before placing it in a cool spot to air out. "The Jade Restoration Paste has miraculous effects in repairing spiritual artifacts. It should be fully recovered in no time."
Qi Yu looked around, confusion clouding her features.
Who was this person?
Had he painstakingly gathered her pieces after she had shattered into so many fragments?
But there were so many mirrors in the world. Why hadn't he just bought a new one, and instead, picked up this useless broken thing?
She was broken, no longer beautiful.
Qi Yu thought hazily, her consciousness drifting as the severe injuries lulled her back to sleep.
Three months later.
When Qi Yu awoke, the pain in her body had subsided.
The sky outside the window was clear and bright.
The man who had saved her that day was sitting on a cushion, placing her in the center of his desk. He was lecturing a group of disciples below.
"Everyone, look closely. This is the Yan Zhen Mirror, a rare congenital spiritual artifact that appears only once in a century."
"The Yan Zhen Mirror is formed from jade. It can discern truth from falsehood, transform into myriad forms, protect mountains and forests, nourish all things with spiritual energy, and even manifest a human form to cultivate the righteous path. It is an extremely rare spiritual object in the world. However, because its true form is not very conspicuous, unless one is fated, even if someone encounters it, they will not recognize the treasure's true form."
"That's right. Your master, I, am that fated person. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found such a powerful treasure."
Although the man had a cool and noble appearance, his tone and demeanor were amiable and approachable, without a hint of arrogance.
Qi Yu listened intently, finding him quite interesting.
A disciple below raised his hand.
"Venerable Li Yu, I think you are not only fated with this Yan Zhen Mirror, but with many spiritual artifacts."
Other disciples chimed in:
"Yes, Venerable Li Yu, you often bring back damaged magical artifacts or treasures. Our Beiyuan Sect alone has eight storerooms filled with artifacts that haven't yet manifested human form."
"Those that have manifested human form number at least ten, and that's not counting the immortal herbs that have gained sentience. The total number is almost more than the disciples."
"Cough, cough, cough," Li Yu tapped the table lightly with his finger. "Isn't this to broaden your knowledge? You little brats don't understand anything. Quickly jot down what I just said."
Seeing the disciples all burying their heads in their work, diligently recording with their brushes, Qi Yu felt curious to see their calligraphy. But as her original form was immobile, Qi Yu could only withdraw her gaze in annoyance and silently check her own divine power.
She had initially thought that her divine power had been completely depleted before she was found, and with her original form shattered, she wouldn't be able to recover much.
But to her surprise, her divine power had already recovered more than half. Her shattered original form had indeed been firmly mended by the glue called Jade Restoration Paste.
Although the cracks were still faintly visible, they were at most a few hairline fractures, no longer very obvious.
Qi Yu was overjoyed and tried to transform into human form, finding that she could.
Just as she was about to cast the spell, she recalled her previous experiences at the Xuanyue Sect, and a wave of unease washed over her.
She was worried about being recognized by the people of the Beiyuan Sect.
Furthermore, they were in the middle of a lesson.
So, Qi Yu waited a little longer. Only after two hours, when everyone had left, did she disguise herself as a man, transforming into a male appearance, and materialized in the room.
After transforming, Qi Yu looked down at the robe she was wearing. Just as she was about to walk to the window to conjure a mirror to examine her current appearance, she bumped squarely into Li Yu, who was watering flowers outside, after only a few steps.
Li Yu looked up at the handsome young man before him, dressed in an emerald green robe, with a jade hairpin adorning his black hair that cascaded to his waist. He had a melon-seed face, phoenix eyes, and a red mole between his brows. His features were delicate and well-defined. He smiled and asked, "Oh, little mirror, you can manifest human form now? It seems you've recovered well. How is it? Do you still feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
"No," Qi Yu was momentarily stunned by his familiarity. Recovering her senses, she quickly cupped her hands in a salute. "My name is Qi Yu. Thank you, benefactor, for your rescue."
"You're welcome, Qi Yu. Since you've recovered, what are your plans now?" Li Yu raised an eyebrow, looking at Qi Yu. "Do you have anywhere to go?"
"Um... not for now," Qi Yu shook her head gently. "I was driven out."
"Then stay," Li Yu said warmly. "I happen to be in need of disciples. How about you become my personal disciple, ranked seventh? You can help me out. What do you say?"