Chapter 28: The Mirror of Heaven and Earth

As the saying goes, a setback brings wisdom.

This time, I was careful—not rushing blindly to attack the Phantom Demon.

Just as I was about to reach it, I seized an opening and launched a covert assault.

Though the sneak attack succeeded, it failed to harm the Phantom Demon.

Instead, it enraged the creature. Originally, it had been engaged with Lin Weiyan and the others, but suddenly it redirected its fury toward me.

In an instant, I was knocked flat.

I struggled to rise, only to cough up blood and collapse again.

The Phantom Demon snorted coldly. "Hmph, overestimating yourself."

With that, it kicked me aside.

"Big brother, are you alright?" Little Ling ran toward me.

Seeing me wounded, Lin Weiyan and Feng Zimo gritted their teeth and charged again.

Lin Weiyan, in particular, wielded the Scarlet Dawn Sword, its crimson light flashing, sending waves of sword energy at the Phantom Demon.

But the creature’s strength was overwhelming; we were no match for it.

Soon, Lin Weiyan and the others were also wounded.

Supported by Little Ling, I managed to stand, gazing at the injured Lin Weiyan and Feng Zimo.

If the fight continued, we would all perish here.

Yet even if we tried to escape, the Phantom Demon would not give us the chance.

"Master, are you hurt?" Black Jiao asked from within me.

"I'm fine," I replied, then asked, "Is your injury alright?"

"Thank you for your concern, Master," Black Jiao said. "I’m holding up."

Hearing that, I was relieved.

At that moment, Feng Zimo and Lin Weiyan were both struck down by the Phantom Demon.

Seeing Lin Weiyan wounded, Little Ling cried out, vowing to fight the creature.

"You villain, Little Ling will take you down!"

She rushed forward, but I grabbed her. "Don’t go, you can’t beat it."

Unexpectedly, Little Ling broke free from my grasp.

I tried to follow, but after only two steps, I collapsed.

Helplessly, I watched Little Ling run up to the Phantom Demon. My heart leapt into my throat.

I dared not watch what would happen next.

"You big villain, big villain! Little Ling will kill you!"

Little Ling shouted as she clawed at the creature.

The Phantom Demon raised its hand, aiming a blow at Little Ling’s head.

Yet, just as its hand was about to strike, it suddenly stopped.

The Phantom Demon hesitated, but Little Ling did not.

She kept scratching at it, growing more vigorous with each swipe.

The creature was finally overwhelmed, suffering scratches across its body.

Even so, it did not retaliate against Little Ling.

It stared at her for a moment, then abruptly departed.

"Don’t run, you villain!" Little Ling cursed after it.

Once the Phantom Demon left, Little Ling ran to Lin Weiyan and helped her up.

"Weiyan, are you alright?"

Lin Weiyan nodded, indicating she was fine.

Just then, Su Wanyi awoke.

Seeing us all battered and bruised, she asked in confusion, "What happened to you all? Did something happen?"

"Why ask? Don’t you remember how you fainted?" I said.

Hearing this, Su Wanyi seemed to recall something, her body shuddering.

She quickly looked up at the ceiling.

A glance brought her relief, for the bats and blood corpses had vanished along with the Phantom Demon.

After leaving the company, Lin Weiyan brought us to her residence.

She explained that the villa belonged to Elder Jiang.

Before his death, Elder Jiang bequeathed all his assets to me.

Thus, this two-story villa was now mine.

The news nearly overwhelmed me with excitement.

In the south, where every inch of land is precious, owning such a villa was priceless.

As a mere worker, I’d never dared dream of having a villa here.

Though thrilled, I kept my composure.

Sitting in the living room, I watched Little Ling, puzzled as to why the Phantom Demon hadn’t harmed her.

Was it afraid of her?

Or did it simply not attack children?

None of these guesses seemed plausible. The Phantom Demon was so formidable—how could it fear a child, even if Little Ling was a demon herself? She could never match its power.

What could have compelled the Phantom Demon to leave?

I asked Lin Weiyan, "Why didn’t the Phantom Demon dare attack Little Ling?"

Feng Zimo was as curious as I was.

Lin Weiyan shook her head. "I don’t know the reason either."

Could it really be as I suspected?

The Phantom Demon doesn’t attack children?

Perhaps, but since I couldn’t figure it out, I decided not to dwell on it.

Seeing our injuries, Su Wanyi stopped asking if we were going to view Sun Wenwen’s corpse.

Soon after, she found an excuse to leave.

Before departing, she reminded me to visit the bureau when I had time.

I was speechless, unable to fathom what kind of person she truly was.

After Su Wanyi left, I asked Lin Weiyan,

"Do you think the Phantom Demon could be the culprit?"

"It’s possible," Lin Weiyan replied.

Feng Zimo disagreed. "The Phantom Demon isn’t the culprit."

"Why?" I asked.

He smiled, "Just a feeling."

I was defeated by his answer.

Now, the most pressing issue was how to defeat the Phantom Demon.

This time, thanks to Little Ling, we narrowly escaped with our lives.

But what about next time? Or the time after that? No one could guarantee our safety.

We needed a way to deal with the Phantom Demon, or we would remain on the edge of danger.

By noon, Lin Weiyan cooked a few simple dishes.

To my surprise, she could cook—and the food was quite good.

After lunch, Feng Zimo lay on the sofa and took a nap.

Lin Weiyan called me to the study, taking out a square wooden box.

"Elder Jiang asked me to pass this to you. Open it and see."

I took the box and opened it.

Inside were three items: a silver ring, an ancient book, and a copper coin.

"What are these?" I asked.

Lin Weiyan shook her head. "I don’t know, but Elder Jiang said you’ll need them in the future."

She continued, "Remember the Mirror of Heaven and Earth Elder Jiang gave you before he died?"

"I remember," I replied. "And there was a book—both are with me now."

Lin Weiyan nodded. "Good, I’ll teach you how to use the Mirror of Heaven and Earth. Listen carefully."

"The Mirror of Heaven and Earth: its front represents thunder, its back wind. The higher your cultivation, the greater its power. When using it, there’s a mantra you must remember."

With that, Lin Weiyan whispered the mantra in my ear.