The Bone-Illuminating Mirror's inability to reflect Tao Mian puzzled both of them.

"This mirror can reveal bones and reflect past events. Little Tao, do you have no past?"

"Past events, huh..."

Tao Mian thought for a moment, and the events of his previous life seemed as distant as smoke.

He remembered getting lost and losing his way. Before him was a small stream sealed by ice and snow, so he followed it.

He didn't know how long he walked, but after turning a corner, he saw a vast peach grove appear before him, vibrant and passionate, like an endless spring. The ice and snow melted away, and the stream flowed like a silver ribbon, its shimmering water a delight to behold.

It felt as if he had walked from winter for a long, long time before stepping into this spring scene, never to return.

Rong Zheng blinked, waiting for his answer.

Tao Mian tapped her forehead.

"You're overthinking it. This mirror is only for you humans and demons. As your master, I'm an Immortal, and ordinary mirrors can't reflect my true form."

Rong Zheng raised her hand to cover her forehead, muttered a few words, and continued to examine the mirror.

Tao Mian looked at the scenery retreating outside the carriage. The morning light was faint, the sky just beginning to brighten, and the street's breakfast stalls were already set up.

He wanted to ask Rong Zheng if she was hungry, but when he turned his head, the Fifth Disciple was holding the bronze mirror in her arms, leaning against the carriage wall, asleep.

Even in her dreams, she seemed troubled, her brows tightly knit, her eyelids fluttering.

The past night had been exhausting for her.

Tao Mian draped a thick cloak over her and raised his right hand to brush her brow.

"Have a peaceful dream."

Rong Zheng's brows slowly relaxed, her face becoming serene. Her breathing slowed, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

By the time she woke up, the carriage had already reached the foot of Peach Blossom Mountain. The villagers, who had risen early to till the fields, were returning with their hoes, greeting Tao Mian one after another as they encountered him by the roadside.

"Little Taoist Tao—"

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"Little Tao Immortal!"

Tao Mian responded with a smile, greeting them as well. He could accurately recall each villager's name and remembered their parents, grandparents... and their children.

Some had left Peach Blossom Mountain in their youth, never to return.

Others, after seeing the glitz of the outside world, returned to the mountain with their families to live as honest farmers.

There were also outsiders who settled here, took root, started families, and became people of Peach Blossom Mountain.

Coming and going, the village always had just the right number of households.

The fact that there was an ageless Immortal in the mountain was known to them, but they never coveted the secret of immortality.

Tao Mian himself occasionally found it strange. He had read many bizarre stories of royals and nobles who came up with all sorts of ways to foolishly pursue immortality.

But the people here seemed never to have had any such ideas about him.

Once, he asked an honest young man in the village if he wanted to live forever.

The young man chuckled, rubbing his round head, saying, "Who wouldn't want that?"

Tao Mian casually mentioned that people outside said there was a secret to immortality.

The young man responded with an "Oh."

Tao Mian curiously asked if he didn't want to know what the secret was.

The young man chuckled again.

"I can't read, so I wouldn't be able to learn it anyway."

"......"

That was a reason Tao Mian had never considered.

When he asked the young man what he thought of him as the mountain's Immortal Being, the young man spoke frankly.

"Little Tao Immortal is an Immortal. An Immortal is just an Immortal. Because you live long, the village can always be peaceful and safe, and we ordinary people can have food to eat."

In the young man's world, a happy family, harmonious neighbors, bountiful harvests from the fields, and plump chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs in the pen were his entire wish for this small world.

Now that his wishes were fulfilled, it was because the Immortal in the mountain was watching over them.

"So Immortal, you should eat more every day. My wife said that when this year's rice is harvested, we'll bring you a bag first. You must have more worries than us, fulfilling so many wishes."

These words made Tao Mian feel guilty.

"I haven't done much. The harvest and full granaries are because of your hard work."

"Ah, but we still need Heaven's favor. If Heaven didn't give face to the Immortal, we might have to chew on tree bark."

The young man's wife happened to overhear this and made him spit out the bad words, wishing for a bountiful harvest every year.

In the end, the young man was dragged back by his wife, but not before bidding farewell to the Immortal. After a brief quarrel, the couple made up happily.

The people in the mountain were not schemers. They simply believed that as long as the mountain and the Immortal were there, everything would be fine.

How could they harbor any covetous thoughts?

...

The coachman had gone somewhere to relieve himself, and the two horses were nibbling on the grass. Rong Zheng leaned out of the carriage, greeting Tao Mian.

"Little Tao, I'm awake!"

"Awake?"

Tao Mian withdrew his gaze, smiling at his disciple, with the morning glow and green mountains behind him.

"Now that you're awake, let's go home and figure out what's going on with that mirror of yours."

Back in the mountain, Tao Mian was feeding the chickens, while Rong Zheng respectfully placed the mirror in the center of the table, along with two plates of fruits and fresh flowers in clean water.

"Is this... an offering?"

Tao Mian held a handful of rice, letting small pinches fall to the yellow chicken. Noble Consort Xin was taking a nap, dozing off. Its large head rested on the roof, eyes squinting, waiting for the sun to come out and warm its back.

Rong Zheng replied to Tao Mian.

"I asked my brothers about it."

"Your brothers aren't reliable."

"…Never mind, I'll trust them this once. They said if I offer the mirror and place it by my bedside, it will help me dream, and I'll see past events in my dreams."

"Sounds reasonable. But won't you scare yourself if you wake up at night with the mirror by your bed?"

"You know I sleep like the dead once I close my eyes, not even thunder would wake me."

"…If it's thunder, you should wake up."

After some casual banter, they each went about their tasks. Rong Zheng was eager to recover her memories, as it was a regret she had accumulated over many years.

She wanted to see which people and events had been stripped away by her missing memories.

For three days, she offered to the mirror, changing the water for the flowers daily and replacing the wilted fruits, diligently.

Seeing her enthusiasm, Tao Mian didn't say much. However, as the Bone-Illuminating Mirror continued to have no effect, he worried his disciple might be disappointed.

"If it doesn't work, I can take a trip to the Underworld and ask around for you."

"Do you know the way to the Underworld?"

"No."

"…Forget it, Little Tao, don't try anything reckless. I'm afraid you won't come back if you go."

Rong Zheng was not easily disappointed. She always held onto hope, believing that even if something didn't happen today or tomorrow, it would eventually occur; it was just a matter of time.

Fortunately, Heaven did not disappoint. Finally, on the tenth night after returning to the mountain, she dreamt.

The next morning, when Tao Mian asked what she had dreamt of, she hesitated.

"I... dreamt of Du Hong's brother."