A mirror grinder? No, call me the master polisher of magical tools.

Chapter 1 A Shocking Moment

"Startling the maiden's quarters" is Zhong Ming's profession.

It also has a more down-to-earth name: "Mirror Grinder".

There is a beautiful woman in the world, and she is the first to be seen in the bronze mirror in her boudoir.

The water chestnut flower is silent, and the gentleman cannot understand it.

This was a wealthy and powerful family. Between the main gate and the screen wall stood a young man dressed in a crimson brocade robe adorned with flowers. At first glance, he appeared to be from a wealthy family, but upon closer inspection, he was wearing ordinary cloth shoes and had no extra ornaments on his head. He carried a long elm wood bench on his shoulder, with two baskets tied to the legs of the bench.

It can be said that: from afar, he looks like a dashing young man in fine clothes; up close, he's just a silk-wrapped chaff.

Zhong Ming put his hands on his hips, thinking to himself, 'I'm working for the wealthy Gao family in town today; surely this outfit isn't beneath me.'

The gatekeeper, suppressing a laugh, welcomed him into the mansion.

The bronze mirror in my house needs to be polished every six months, and it's about time it was due.

In the courtyard, Zhong Ming looked around. The sun inside the mansion was no different from the sun outside. There seemed to be more bonsai around, and less space to put his "carrying pole bench".

The faint fragrance of flowers and the clear, melodious voice of a woman, like an oriole singing in the willows, drifted together toward the sound of the bell.

"Hey, you're here to work hard again today."

At first glance, it was Lan Hua, Miss Gao's maid.

"Orchid Girl, it's been a long time, you've become even more beautiful." Zhong Ming meant it sincerely, and respectfully accepted the bronze mirror with both hands, but in return, he was met with the other party's unrestrained scrutiny.

The maid chuckled and said, "As the saying goes, clothes make the man and a saddle makes the horse. With your figure, wearing the brocade robes of the Eight Sages Manor today, you do look like a young marquis."

"I dare not accept the title of Marquis." Despite saying this, Zhong Ming showed no humility whatsoever.

To say that Zhong Ming, a mere mirror grinder, could command such a title is... quite a fascinating story.

Legend has it that on that day, Zhong Ming's father...

I got up early to collect manure.

The job of a night soil collector is tough, but at least it's enough to make a living.

That day was "very fruitful".

That day, a carrying pole and two large buckets full of muddy yellow material were carried out of the city and headed towards the old composting farm.

On that day, the emperor happened to be traveling incognito when he was attacked by assassins.

.....

Half an incense stick later, a bucket of excrement fell on the emperor's head, and another bucket was placed on the assassin's head.

Fortunately, Zhong Ming's father recognized the situation and swung his carrying pole, whipping the assassin repeatedly.

They held out until the officials who had greeted them and the guards who had been tricked returned to their aid.

(At this point, the emperor landed "relatively gracefully" in the nearby stream.)

Old Zhong was overjoyed to have saved the day!

The contemporary emperor, who considered himself a wise ruler, still bestowed a reward upon the lowly commoner before him, even though he was in a fit of anger.

The imperial decree states: "To be granted the title of 'Marquis of One Household'."

The officials were dumbfounded. There were indeed marquises with ten thousand households, but those with a thousand or a hundred households were official ranks, not marquises. This "marquis with one household"...

Let's exempt one household from taxes.

But a ruler's word is law; if the emperor declared him a "Marquis," then official protocol dictated that he be treated as such. Officials of all ranks busied themselves, issuing him a gold plaque, confirming his fiefdom (though it was just a dilapidated house), and documenting it... The Zhong family was granted a special pardon, exempting them from the rites of a marquis. Of course, the court didn't provide any financial compensation.

Otherwise, the imperial court stipulated that marquises must travel in a two-horse carriage, and given the Zhong family's wealth, Old Zhong would have to "live off his family fortune for the rest of his life."

In the days that followed, Zhongming's father felt that he was a person of status, and the first thing he did was to think of a grand and impressive name for his child.

He said it was alright for Zhong Ergou to suffer, but the child couldn't be made to suffer.

After racking my brains, I finally found a sophisticated explanation from the most obscure corner of my mind.

"A family that enjoys a life of luxury and prosperity."

So the son was named Zhong Ming.

Next, he decided to find a more respectable job, but he didn't have any skills. After thinking it over, he suddenly had an idea.

In Qingxi Town, a small river runs north-south through the town. The wealthy families live on the east side, while the poorer families live on the west side. Therefore, mirror polishers and other "lower-class" people cannot go to the east side and can only wait for the servants of the wealthy families to come and call them.

Things are different now, I'm an aristocrat now!

So he prepared a mirror polishing agent made from a mixture of deer antler powder, alum, tin, and mercury, and took over the mirror polishing work in the wealthy areas.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that mercury is highly poisonous, and prolonged exposure would inevitably shorten his lifespan.

Four years ago, Zhong Ming's parents both passed away, leaving Zhong Ming alone.

Zhong Ming first went to the Gao family to have his mirror polished, and they have been visiting each other many times, so they are now old acquaintances.

After mocking Zhong Ming, Lan Hua crossed her arms, leaned against a nanmu pillar, and looked down at him.

Zhong Ming slowly and methodically applied the lens polish, his movements precise and deliberate, as if performing a solemn ceremony.

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the front yard.

But then Old Liu, the farmhand, let out a loud shout that echoed throughout the hall:

"Master! Hurry up and go out, Second Master is back, he..."

He slew a dragon!

He's going to treat the whole village to dragon meat!

Then, shouts rose and fell, like a calm sea suddenly turning into a raging storm, quickly sweeping across the town with surprise, confusion, excitement and ecstasy.

The entire town of Qingxi quickly turned into a boiling pot, bustling with noise, and even the most tranquil mansions and secluded chambers were not spared.

"Orchid Girl, it seems something terrible has happened." Upon hearing the shout, Zhong Ming's desire to join in the fun immediately ignited.

Ignoring the need to "protect the fine clothes," he suddenly exerted force with both arms and polished the bronze mirror several times until the grime disappeared and it shone as brightly as ever.

This earth-shattering news did not throw Lan Hua into a panic. To her, whether the news was true or false was merely idle gossip during breaks. But...

A maid who doesn't do her job well will really be beaten.

"If anything important happens, someone will come back to report... Well done, Zhong Ming, you've polished the mirror in just a few strokes? What were you doing before...?"

"Tell me! Are you trying to use this as an excuse to stay longer and sneak peeks at my young lady?!"

Orchid stood with her hands on her hips, looking just like an angry rooster ready to peck someone.

Zhong Ming inwardly groaned, 'If I don't stall a little longer, won't the Gao family think I'm not doing my job properly? Where will I get my reward money then?'

Chaos quickly spread to the backyard. Surprisingly, the first to enter was the Gao family's "supreme chef."

"Old Zhong, are you done with your work? Come over and sharpen your knife... There's no time to lose, hurry up and take your tools with you to the town entrance."

Upon hearing the word "dragon meat," the cooks immediately pulled out their best knives. They were so skilled that even just wiping a piece of dragon meat with a knife was enough to make them family heirlooms.

Zhong Ming looked at the orchid with a completely "sincere" expression.

The haughty maid curled her lip and said, "Go with the cook. We'll settle your wages together later. The Gao family is so big and powerful, how could we possibly shortchange you?"

Having said that, he slapped Zhong Ming's wrist hard with his palm and snatched the polished bronze mirror away.

"But Miss, don't even think about it." Lan Hua stamped her foot and hurriedly went into her boudoir.

With a hint of apology the size of a fingernail, Zhong Ming forced a smile and turned to quickly pack his things.

A long bench is laid across the room, with two baskets hanging at the front and back. The front basket holds a whetstone, and the back basket holds tools for polishing mirrors.

As soon as he was hoisted onto the chef's shoulder, the chef grabbed him and rushed out.

.....

As soon as I got to the bridge, it was already packed with people.

Suddenly, amidst the chaos, a thick arm wrapped in rough burlap stretched out, as powerful and gnarled as the trunk of a centuries-old tree, and clamped down on Zhong Ming.

"Old Zhong, hurry up, we have to get ahead."

With a large hand pulling Zhong Ming, he roughly shoved several people aside, along with his "carrying pole and bench" and the heavy whetstone.

"Hey, you surnamed Jin, grab my basket and run ahead!"

The visitor's name was Jin Facai, and he was Zhong Ming's all-weather, in-depth economic strategic partner...

He was the owner of the only butcher shop on the poor side of the town, and all he thought about was marrying his daughter, who weighed over 200 pounds, to Zhong Ming so that she could become the father-in-law of a "marquis".

From behind came the shout of the head chef of the Gao family: "No, you have to sharpen my knife first..." But it was quickly drowned out by the excited discussion around him.

Qingxi Town has never been so lively before; not even during the Spring Festival have so many people flocked to the riverside street.

Before the dragon meat was even seen, a long dragon appeared in Qingxi Town—a long dragon of human flesh made up of human heads as scales and streams as mane.

No one had ever seen a dragon, nor had anyone ever eaten dragon meat. The lively discussions on both sides constantly filled Zhong Ming's ears. The closer they got to the town entrance, the more outrageous the rumors became, until finally it turned into the story of Master Gao Er, who had mastered Taoism, descending to the East Sea and capturing the Dragon King with his bare hands.

.....

The rumors came to an abrupt end at the town entrance.

Zhong Ming stood on the dividing line between noise and silence, gazing into the distance.

That's the entrance to the town, on the south side. A clear stream flows through the town, rushing down from there and merging with countless other streams before heading towards the river and the sea.

It used to be a steep downhill slope.

Not anymore.

The majestic dragon body lies prostrate on the loess road, its winding spine as perfect as a king's robe, its scales reflecting a dazzling golden brilliance, as if the town's exit has become a shining golden avenue, leading straight to the heavens.

Zhong Ming wanted to exclaim, to shout, to praise it with the richest emotions, but he just opened his mouth and couldn't say a word.

Though the dragon was dead, its imposing presence remained undiminished, its piercing eyes fixed on the town's entrance. An invisible pressure, like the blazing sun, weighed heavily on the people, making it hard for them to breathe.

On the dragon's head stood a man with an air of otherworldly grace, wearing a Supreme Pure Lotus Crown, a robe with shattered stars and a bright moon pattern, and lacquered gold cloud-stepping boots. He held a green-handled, white-bearded whisk, on which hung a large crimson Heavenly Flame Pearl.

His elegance was unparalleled, and he shone like a god.

The gods are silent, and all living beings are still.

After a moment, seeing that the crowd had gathered sufficiently, Master Gao finally spoke:

"Gentlemen, my name is Gao Jin, and my Taoist name is Qingliu. I have been traveling in the East China Sea for decades. On the shore of the East China Sea, I encountered a dragon causing trouble. I slew it with my sword and now I have returned home to share the dragon meat with you all."

The crowd fell silent for a second, and then the head of the Gao family was the first to react, kicking the old servant next to him.

The farmhand, Old Liu, immediately knelt down with a thud and shouted loudly, "Welcome back to the home of the High Immortal Master!!!"

The townspeople around them knelt down in a flurry and started shouting at the top of their lungs, afraid that if they spoke too softly, the immortal master would think they were not sincere and would blame them.

Master Qingliu swept his divine sense across the area, and his smile grew even brighter.

Within the town, there was a faint aura of the true dragon of the human emperor.