Chapter 732: The Adventures of Wen Ji
The moment her soul slipped through the mirror, Concubine Wen Ji felt as if she was treading through muddy waters. Her whole body was submerged under a tangible pressure, but she could not see anything besides twisted colors and vague shadowy figures.
Then, her feet touched something solid.
Wen Ji blinked and found herself back in her room, standing before the same mirror she passed through.
And yet everything looked unfamiliar.
The world around her was stripped of all warmth, painted in stark shades of black, white, and shadow. Every corner bled into the next with blurred outlines and sluggish motion, like a dream you barely remember.
She could feel a pressure against her skin that was not there before; it was not the qi that was pressing on her, but some kind of presence that gave her the feeling that she was being watched from all directions and not just by one person.
She looked down and saw the scattered ingredients of her ritual and the cauldron she inhaled white powder from, but unlike before… The smoke coming out of it was black!
She turned around and saw the same velvety stool she sat on before, and there was her body, still slumped in rest.
Underneath the curtains, she noticed shadows of something scary… Shadows were moving.
Even with no light and no one beside her being there, they moved with life.
And despite all the anomalies, all the heart-clenching sights around her, Wen Ji did not panic; on the contrary, she moved with familiarity.
She knew where she was… The Mirror Dimension!
The spirit realm, attached to the real world, where everything looked the same as the real one, but at the same time it was entirely different and surreal, and it was also very dangerous if someone did not know what they were doing.
When Ji started walking towards the closed door of her room, her footsteps echoed, even though the floor was velvet and soundless.
From the mirror she passed through, her reflection was looking at her back, unflinching. Even though she had her back turned to the mirror, the reflection had not changed, and Wen Ji could feel its gaze bearing on her body.
But she acted as if she did not sense it and continued walking. She also noticed the paintings around the room had turned into blank canvases, but she merely glanced at them.
Once she was in front of the door, the concubine did not stop even when she was about to collide with it.
Wen Ji inhaled deeply as she phased through the solid metal door as though it was merely there for show.
Standing in the hallway, she let out the long breath she had been unknowingly holding. For some strange reason she could taste the flavor of the air…
It tasted like dust and burnt silver.
Not sure how she knew it, but Wen Ji was certain that it was that very taste.
Wen Ji moved through the shadowy corridor with slow steps and sharp eyes. She seemed to be walking on her toes, wary of everything around her.
As she was walking through the corridor, she saw something in the corner.
Along the marble walls, she noticed a vague, shadow-like being moving behind a huge metallic vase.
Upon looking closer, she realized it was a cat. A dark, shadow-like cat that had been staring at her with its crystal blue eyes, its tail swinging in the air with grace.
Seeing the cat, Wen Ji froze before she heaved a sigh of relief and bowed to the little thing. She walked around the cat without getting closer to it, and at the same time she was keeping an eye on it, flinching even when the cat raised its hand to lick its paws.
The cat seemed to be watching the woman as well; seeing her scared reaction, it purred in disdain before whipping its tail into the air and walking away with the grace of a model walking on a huge stage with its head held high in pride.
Wen Ji scurried towards the upper floors, breathing heavily in her soul form. She started searching every corner on the floor while making her way towards the room Noah was staying in.
Once she arrived before the room, she did not stand on ceremony and entered it the same way she exited her own room. She passed through walls and doors like smoke curling through the cracks.
She looked around the guest room; it was larger than the room she had been staying in, drawing jealousy from her heart.
First she saw the empty chairs and table in the corner of the room opposite to her, but once she turned, she saw someone lying on the bed, under the sheets. Curled up under soft sheets drawn to her nose was Xin Yan.
Her light hair were spilled across the pillow like ink. Her breath was calm. Her expression—utter serenity. Her aura pulsed softly in the mirror realm, a light icy hue that seemed to be so bright it lit up the room, which was laced with the faint blush of happiness.
Seeing the powerful aura coming from her body, Wen Ji still cried in her heart in panic, 'What a monster! She is even stronger than the Emperor! Even he does not have such a dense aura being in the soul formation realm.'
Even without a heart, Wen Ji could feel panic creeping up in her chest.
She looked around and did not notice Noah in the room.
'Although she cannot see me, I should leave. Cannot afford any mistakes and expose myself.' Muttering under her breath, as Wen Ji turned to leave, she noticed a stack of papers on the table beyond Xin Yan's bed and paused.
'What is that?' Curiosity and eagerness budded in her mind. Her feet started moving closer to Xin Yan without even her realizing.
Only after a single step did Wen Ji snap out of her daze and hurriedly look down.
What she saw petrified her. Xin Yan was awake… And she was staring straight at her!