Gu Fangchen stared at the reflection in the mirror, at that familiar face, and a wave of goosebumps raced up his arms.
The moment his gaze met the eyes in the glass, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, then all blanked out, before collapsing into just two words.
"Holy. Shit."
His eyes widened. The first thought that came to him was:
"Wait a damn second, this isn't right! I've seen what this body looks like before, and it's completely different from me! Otherwise, why the hell would I have bothered to disguise myself back then?!"
In his previous life, his appearance had been the mild, harmless sort, fair-skinned, gentle-featured, the kind of face that made everyone think good person at first glance.
That was why he'd later used that face for his "Not a Daoist" persona.
But the original body's features were strikingly handsome, almost predatory, a face so sharp and defined that even Gu Youren had to admit it was a peerless vessel.
As the saying went: "A painted pillow of flowers may be stuffed with straw... but at least it's still a painted pillow." If the pillow itself were rotten, the name wouldn't fit.
"Wait, wait, let me think. Let me think this through properly."
Gu Fangchen muttered to himself, forcing his racing thoughts to slow.
First, he had to confirm that what he was seeing wasn't some illusion of his own making.
He made a few expressions at the mirror, raised eyebrows, grinned, frowned. All were smooth and natural, no delay, confirming that the reflection was indeed of himself.
Then he had the maid bring another mirror. The result was the same.
No matter which mirror he used, the face reflected back was the one from his previous life.
Next, he went out to the courtyard pond and peered into the water.
There, his reflection was that of his current body, the original Gu Fangchen's face.
"That's right. Back at the rear courtyard of the White Horse Temple, when I saw my reflection in the water, there wasn't any difference either."
"Otherwise, I'd have noticed something was wrong long ago."
His expression darkened. He extended a hand, stirring the pond's surface. Ripples spread, shattering his reflection before reforming it again.
Since the day he crossed into this world, he had never once looked into a mirror.
He had only seen his face reflected in water.
Now that he thought about it, not only had the Xiefang Courtyard been devoid of mirrors, even the chamber reserved for him in the Sword Pavilion lacked one as well.
Goddammit!
For the original body, it had become second nature. With servants to attend every need, the absence of mirrors barely mattered.
That was why he'd never once suspected anything about his appearance!
Gu Fangchen's temples throbbed as he tried to collect his thoughts.
His attention to detail was what had allowed him to clear all six endings of Mirror in the Dust. A little focus was enough to pinpoint the anomaly.
And soon, a question surfaced in his mind, strange, yet somehow inevitable.
"Why the mirror?"
"Yes... why the mirror?"
In a haze, he seemed to return to that fateful day when he first crossed over.
He'd just cleared the tangled web of the game's countless storylines, reaching what he believed to be the true ending.
Yet instead of the satisfaction of revelation, there had been a lingering hesitation, a faint sense that something still didn't add up.
That sense had almost broken through, until a runaway semi-truck cut it short.
Since then, he'd been scrambling for survival with no time to think.
But now, finally, he remembered the question that had been on the verge of surfacing before everything ended.
"Mirror in the Dust... why was it called Mirror in the Dust?"
It sounded trivial, even redundant. But everyone knew, a title, no matter how cryptic, always hinted at the core theme or key to a story.
When the game first released, players had held two main theories.
The first: Mirror in the Dust referred to an immensely powerful artifact, something like the "Xuanyuan Sword," a world-shaping relic.
The second: it was merely a poetic metaphor, "the mortal world as dust, the mirror as reflection", without any literal object.
But as more walkthroughs and routes piled up, players stopped caring.
Most eventually concluded that the title was just a pretentious flourish from the devs.
After all, throughout the entire game, not a single "Mirror in the Dust" ever appeared!
But now... that question had become crucial.
"'Mirror in the Dust,' 'Mirror in the Dust'... mirrors, reflections, before and after transmigration, and the heart's blood and soul-strand that vanished..."
Gu Fangchen muttered under his breath, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Don't tell me... the game was named after me?"
He already knew that the mysterious "Honglu Corporation" was likely behind his transmigration.
And if the mirror itself was a key piece of information, that meant the game's title wasn't some random nonsense, it was intentional.
Which could only mean one thing: Gu Fangchen existed first... and then came Mirror in the Dust.
His transmigration had been preordained.
"If I and the original Gu Fangchen were one and the same, then my soul feeling whole now isn't because I possessed him..."
"It's because the missing heart's blood and soul-strand finally returned, making this body complete again."
"But then, how could they be so sure I'd beat the damn game?"
"And this 'Honglu Corporation'... who are they? The Lord of the Dao of Constancy?"
"No... that doesn't fit. His Dao is balance and permanence. But I came here carrying every plotline, I'm destined to overturn everything and create endless change."
"The 'Six Dusts Return to Purity' ending destroys Constancy itself, ending the Great Wei Dynasty!"
"Unless... that grand debate all those years ago broke the Lord of Constancy's brain?"
Gu Fangchen exhaled slowly. His head throbbed, not with pain, but with that same familiar frustration he'd felt when hitting a dead end in the game.
He glared at his reflection in the pond, then dunked his entire head into the freezing water.
"Glug, glug..."
Cold water closed over his ears, muffling all sound.
Over the years, even the original Gu Fangchen's memories about his refusal to have mirrors had faded.
But as he probed them carefully, a faint recollection emerged.
When the child Gu Fangchen had seen a stranger's face staring back from a mirror, the shock had shattered his young mind.
Tragic. Truly tragic.
It would've been bad enough just being used by Gu Yuye. But now it seemed he'd been nothing more than a rag, passed around for others to wipe their hands with.
Everyone had used him, again and again.
Wait.
Gu Fangchen's eyes snapped open, a spark of realization igniting.
Someone... had already said something like this about the original body!
"Chen'er! Chen'er! What are you doing?! Someone come! Xuexiang, help me!"
A familiar, panicked voice called out. Before he could react, delicate hands grabbed his arm, trying to pull him up.
The strength was pitiful, soft and trembling, completely unable to move a cultivator at the peak of Sixth Grade.
Then another voice shrieked, "Coming! Ah! Your Highness!"
Another pair of tiny hands joined in, tugging hard, still to no effect.
"Splash!"
Utterly exasperated, Gu Fangchen stood up from the pond, shook water from his hair, sighed, and turned toward the two women.
Ning Caiyong and Xuexiang froze. The three of them stared at each other, faces burning with awkwardness.
Outside the courtyard, a servant's voice called, "Your Ladyship, is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong," Ning Caiyong immediately answered, her tone smooth but tight. "Carry on with your duties."
Though suspicious, the servants obeyed and left.
Mortified at her overreaction, Ning Caiyong waved everyone away. Her cheeks flushed red as she bit her lip, she'd never shown panic before her son.
She'd always seen herself as his pillar of support, even when he'd acted spoiled or foolish.
And indeed, in the past, he'd faked all sorts of dramatics to get his way, pretending to faint, threaten suicide, or cry for sympathy.
She'd always indulged him, but never lost her composure.
Now, realizing her own overreaction, she felt deeply embarrassed.
Still, she couldn't help thinking that her center of gravity, her sense of reliance, had quietly shifted from her husband to her son.
The thought of him being in danger was enough to make her mind go blank.
Beside her, Xuexiang blinked and murmured, "Ah... so His Highness wasn't trying to end his life after all..."
Gu Fangchen folded his arms, raising a brow at the flushed, beautiful woman before him.
"End my life? Why would I? If I died, wouldn't the Heir's seat I just won end up back in that waste Gu Yuandao's hands?"
At this point, he no longer needed to hide his identity.
His words were bold, his tone arrogant, worse than before.
If Gu Yuye had heard him, he'd probably have vomited blood on the spot.
But in truth, Gu Fangchen was testing Ning Caiyong's reaction.
Yet after seeing Gu Yuandao attack her own son with her own eyes, Ning Caiyong's lingering goodwill toward him had long since vanished.
She only sighed, telling Xuexiang to fetch a towel. "You child... asking for a mirror out of nowhere, then dunking your head into water, you frightened me half to death."
"Ever since you were little, you refused to have mirrors near you, and any place you lived was cleared of them. Why suddenly change your mind?"
Gu Fangchen grinned. "Just a whim. That childhood quirk seems gone now."
"As for the water, it's been getting hot lately. I just wanted to cool off. I didn't mean to worry you, Mother."
Ning Caiyong accepted the towel and sat him down, gently drying his hair, her care meticulous.
Gu Fangchen sat quietly, looking unexpectedly obedient.
The courtyard was filled with blooming flowers, petals drifting softly in the air, landing on their shoulders. The moment felt still and warm.
Ning Caiyong sighed. "Ever since you turned sixteen, you haven't let me arrange your daily affairs."
Gu Fangchen pinched her fingertips lightly and said with a teasing smile, "If Mother wishes, I'll let you handle everything again."
She scolded gently, "Nonsense. Do you mean to work your poor mother to death? Once you have a consort and concubines, they'll tend to you instead."
Then, lowering her gaze, she brushed a few petals from his shoulder.
Gu Fangchen: "..."
So the ancient curse of mothers pushing for marriage was eternal, after all.
Ning Caiyong looked back up and said softly, "Your birthday falls on the next autumn equinox. That will be your coming-of-age ceremony. It wouldn't do for you to be without a companion by then."
"I'll find time to see which families have suitable young ladies."
Gu Fangchen paused.
Even their birthdays were identical.
In the game, Gu Fangchen had died too early for such details to appear.
Had he noticed all these coincidences sooner, he would've realized something was wrong long ago.
But hindsight was useless now. "Honglu Corporation" must have deliberately hidden these facts.
"I'll follow whatever Mother decides."
He raised both hands in surrender, cutting off her mounting enthusiasm.
"But with my reputation, it'll take time to fix it. I doubt any family would want to marry their daughter to me right now."
Given the Northern Garrison Prince's influence, there was no shortage of willing houses, only that his wastrel infamy had scared them off.
Ning Caiyong lightly tapped his forehead, sighing inwardly. With his current demeanor, it was more likely he'd reject others instead.
...
After some further small talk, he finally saw her off. By then, night had fallen.
He looked up at the star-strewn sky and murmured, "Lived confused, died in vain, used as a rag by others and still proud of it..."
That line had come from the "Yang Division" chief of the Sky-Eye Division, the Great Wei Empire's supreme intelligence agency, a line meant to describe Gu Fangchen.
But thinking on it now, it didn't quite fit the man in the story.
It fit him.
"Sky-Eye Division... looks like the name really does fit. I should pay them a visit sometime, to see if their eyes truly reach heaven."
Gu Fangchen narrowed his eyes.
He sat cross-legged, taking out a few drops of Jade Nectar Essence from the Spirit-Nurturing Bottle, refining them to strengthen his divine cultivation.
Even on the road back, he hadn't slacked. Within moments, he felt his power nearing the peak of Seventh Grade.
Then, a knock on the door.
A trembling voice called from outside.
"B-Big Brother... open the door..."
It was Gu Lianqian.