Destiny in Cinders

A minor flaw like that was more than enough to put his life at risk! Then again, it wasn't a massive flaw, so there was a chance it could be patched up if the situation didn't worsen. All An Jing had to do was to maintain that he was a member of a tribe deep in Dustdawn rather than those border tribes that were aligned with the fiend cult. He immediately thought up a good explanation all the while he nodded politely as if he was waiting for the sage to speak.

Overseer Cao went straight to the point. "I've heard from the city manager of Keensight about your brave exploits. You defeated seven members of the True Fiend Cult on your own and saved many kidnapping victims without asking for a single thing in return. You truly are the epitome of a hero. I understand that it is a major display of virtue on your part for not claiming your reward. However, Grand Chen will not allow such deeds to go unrewarded. With how much of a rush you are in to return home, it's a shame that we aren't able to host a public ceremony for you. But that wouldn't stop you from letting us know where your tribe's settlement is, right? The administration of Huang Prefecture will send an ambassador to pay you a visit."

In other words, Overseer Cao was demanding Jing Xuan to reveal his background. An Jing calmly answered, "Revered Sage, I hail from a hidden tribe northeast of Voidsight Mountain at the north bank of the marsh overseen by Brightstrife Peak. Due to the snow calamity, my tribe sent out an expedition team to pay a visit to the sage of Brightstrife Peak. I was part of that expedition, but I was itching for fun and excitement. Dazzled by Grand Chen's glory, I couldn't help but sneak away from the expedition to Keensight to experience the culture of the empire here myself. I am somewhat martially capable, which made it possible to come alone.

"Little did I know that I would get wrapped up in the heavenly fiends' affair as a result. Fortunately, you were around, Revered Sage, to wipe the fiends out and save Keensight from certain disaster. I am incredibly thankful to have made it out in one piece!

"As for the commendation, I am incredibly honored, but I had to make my way back home as soon as possible so as to not worry my parents. I can't imagine how they feel, knowing I'm out here while the snow and fiend calamities rage on."

"Hmm." Overseer Cao nodded at the long-winded introduction and explanation. "Brightstrife Peak... marsh... There was indeed something like that."

Of course there was. I wouldn't just make things up. An Jing had learned a lot about Dustdawn from taking part in trade back home. He knew how the tribes were spread out across the territories. There were five main mountains, each one with several peaks that had jurisdiction over their respective lands in which different tribes settled. Given such a framework, it wouldn't be difficult to come up with a plausible-sounding tribe. The things he told the sage were based on real places that he had used to craft his identity as Jing Xuan.

"Given your capabilities, you would indeed have been fine if not for the fiend and snow calamities. It's no wonder your family wasn't too concerned about you sneaking off."

Overseer Cao seemed to have understood something and nodded. He took out a precious mirror and said, "This is the treasured mirror of your household, right? Its craftsmanship is exquisite indeed. This absolute masterpiece must have taken many precious materials and tools to make. Your family or ancestors must be a legend of the peaks to be able to possess something like this. Given how some heavenly fiends are still wreaking havoc in Dustdawn, you should let me know which tribe you hail from so I can reach out to them to get someone to escort you back safely."

This was the absolute worst. An Jing gulped audibly and almost let out cold sweat. Even though he had prepared a cover story, he hadn't expected the overseer to be able to obtain his mirror. The exquisite manufacturing techniques of Skysource caused Overseer Cao to mistake An Jing to be someone from a famous lineage.

Perhaps the overseer was trying to test if the nonexistent "legend of the peaks" was trying to cause trouble in Grand Chen, or he was just genuinely trying to inform Jing Xuan's seniors to escort him back safely to prevent someone of his status from running into an accident along the way, which risked making things awkward for both sides. An Jing was slowly being roasted above the fire.

What should I do? Do I just make up a name and escape using the Grandvoid Pathway while the overseer is trying to contact them? No, that's going too far. This isn't a life-or-death situation. Should I be honest about my true identity? I can claim to be a traitor of the demonic cult. Perhaps it isn't such a big deal after all. Or maybe I should claim to be from a minor tribe that inherited this mirror from a distant ancestor? But that would conflict with the rumors that I intentionally spread much earlier. It could work well enough to get me out of this though... Alright, we'll figure this out one step at a time!

"Sir..." An Jing showed him a troubled look.

The overseer furrowed his brow and asked, "What is it? Is there something you can't tell me?"

Right as An Jing was about to "admit" to lying about being from a large tribe and actually hailing from a tribe that didn't actually have a relationship with a sage of the peaks, a beam of light flashed from the sky and turned into a precious mirror that hung above their heads.

"Brother Cao, why are you giving that junior so much trouble?" A Void Divine Treasures sage in white robes stepped out of the void from the mirror. He had a head of long, graying hair. Sage Mystic Mirror Ming Guangchen stood between Overseer Cao and An Jing with a calm expression. "Do you think this junior could've done everything on his own? He's obviously here on instruction from a senior. If you want to ask, you should come straight to me instead of causing my disciple trouble."

"You?!" Overseer Cao shot An Jing an odd look before turning back to Ming Guangchen. "He's your disciple?!"

Me? Whose disciple did you say I was again?! An Jing thought, but didn't let it show on his face.

"Huh? You're actually his disciple?!" You Ruhui conveyed telepathically in shock.

"That's right." Ming Guangchen seemed unperturbed in the slightest. He took a step back and patted An Jing on the shoulder. "He's my disciple."

Silence fell on the plains of Xishan's wilderness. The rest of the convoy completely prostrated themselves without daring to say a single word. Two godlike sages had appeared before them in a row and they seemed to have a point of conflict with each other, and that person was the one who had hired them.

Jing Xuan is Sage Mystic Mirror's disciple?! Of course! Everyone who had the slightest doubts about An Jing's identity earlier felt them wash away completely. Only the disciple of a sage could possibly be so powerful! Otherwise, how did An Jing show up at Keensight just in time to fight off the True Fiend Cult? He must have come as a representative of his master who couldn't casually enter Grand Chen's borders to look into the situation in Keensight!

Overseer Cao looked as if he had an epiphany. "Him? Your disciple? Jing Xuan... Xuan Jing... Mystic Mirror. Oh, I figured it out!" [1]

What in the world did you figure out?!

1. While not all the Chinese characters used for Jing Xuan 靖玄 and Mystic Mirror 玄镜 are identical, they sound the same, just inverted. The Xuan 玄 character is the same in both cases. ☜