“Amazing…”
Watching someone command the wind in person was completely different from hearing about it. Du Ge and the others were utterly stunned by Jiang Luo. Their hands were red from clapping, disbelief shattered by what they had witnessed—and replaced by wild joy.
So there had been an expert among them all along!
In this bizarre and dangerous mirror world, having someone this powerful on their side gave them an instant sense of security.
Lian Qiang eagerly scooted up to Jiang Luo with a flattering smile. “Senior brother is senior brother indeed—using a Bagua formation technique as casually as breathing. No wonder you were first place in the big competition. You’re a role model for our generation!”
“I thought senior brother was just a one-in-a-million talisman master, but it turns out you’re amazing at everything,” Lian Bing chimed in, quickly following up with praise that made Jiang Luo’s scalp tingle. “From now on I’m your most loyal little follower. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it. Senior brother—could you give me a talisman for protection?”
He had finally gotten to the point—life-saving talismans from a master like Jiang Luo were priceless.
Lian Xue gave a small smile. “Stop groveling. Since senior brother said there are many ghosts in this world, we’d better be careful. We should investigate the malicious ghost, but our top priority is staying alive.”
Jiang Luo nodded. “Lian Xue’s right. I don’t have any talismans with me. Lian Bing, since you work in the kitchen, you can get me some rooster blood and yellow talisman paper. If we don’t have protective items, I can at least teach you some ghost-repelling techniques. Remember them—they might save your life in a critical moment.”
He was mainly addressing Du Ge and the four students.
“Fresh blood from the middle finger or the tip of the tongue has the strongest yang energy. In a crisis, bite down and fling the blood at the ghost. Don’t lean against walls—ghosts love clinging to cold surfaces. Doing that makes it easier for them to possess you…”
A while later, they exited the cave discreetly and prepared to return to their respective roles. Qin Yun suddenly remembered something and asked, “The owner we were staying with also looked into the mirror with us—he must have come in too. But why haven’t I seen him anywhere?”
Jiang Luo didn’t answer.
As he and Lian Xue walked back, Lian Xue suddenly sighed. “Senior brother, you must have figured out the name of the young master of this household by now.”
“Yes.”
“His name is Chi You,” Lian Xue said, already looking troubled at the mention. “Even though our Lian family lives hidden in the mountains and we’ve never seen him in person, I’ve still heard of him. It’s been about six months since he died. But here he is, in this mirror world. And not just him—the entire Chi family in this world seems to mirror the real Chi family.”
“The way this Chi You looks, and the man who took us in… they’re practically identical. Do you think… the one who took us in is actually the already-dead Chi You? And it’s him who brought us into this mirror world?”
“Duanzi was the one who suggested looking in the mirror at midnight,” Jiang Luo replied, clearly disagreeing. “If it really was Chi You who brought us into the mirror world, then what? Just to make us kill some malicious ghost? By the way, when you woke up, the voice that told you to kill the malicious ghost so you could leave—did it only say that one thing?”
Lian Xue: “Yes. Just that one sentence.”
But the voice had said many things to Jiang Luo.
Now, thinking back on it, the voice had already grown blurry in his memory. He couldn’t tell if it had been male or female, old or young. But every word it spoke seemed to have a deeper meaning.
The form of sin at its inception…
Jiang Luo was sure of one thing: it absolutely wasn’t Chi You’s voice. And it absolutely wasn’t something Chi You would say.
“Senior brother, we…” Lian Xue suddenly fell silent, bowing her head.
Jiang Luo looked up and saw a young man standing at the bridge ahead, smiling as he waited for them.
The sky was still gloomy today, and a cold wind blew lightly. Chi You stood pale-faced by the lakeside, his black hair billowing in the breeze. He smiled gently at Jiang Luo and Lian Xue, the very picture of calm and warmth.
After seeing that Jiang Luo had noticed him, Chi You extended a hand toward him. “Jiang Luo, come here.”
He had just come of age, and his words carried no overt force, yet when those pitch-black eyes landed on someone, they left no room for refusal.
Jiang Luo stepped forward, lowered his gaze to the offered hand, and, not wanting to shake hands with a brat, asked, “You came to find me?”
Chi You smiled, then took the initiative to grasp Jiang Luo’s hand and turned to walk away with him. “The elders at home want to meet you.”
This hand of Chi You’s—still in his teenage years—felt no different from the one after his death. Equally devoid of warmth, making one wonder if the blood flowing beneath his skin had always been cold.
But… this was the first time Jiang Luo had truly held hands with Chi You.
Jiang Luo instinctively tugged his hand back, uncomfortable, but though Chi You’s grip looked gentle, it was actually firm, hard to break away from. Instead, Chi You only held tighter, turning back with a smile. “What’s wrong?”
“Good brother,” Jiang Luo said with a forced smile, “let go.”
“Bear with it a little,” Chi You smiled apologetically. “The elders sent servants to keep an eye on us along the way. You’ve just entered the household—if I don’t act close to you, the next eight years won’t be easy for you.”
Jiang Luo looked at him in sudden realization. “So what, I should thank you?”
Chi You said calmly, “No need.”
Heh.
Jiang Luo gripped his hand back, interlocking fingers with Chi You’s, and smiled sweetly. “In that case, let’s take it all the way.”
Chi You was slightly stunned. He looked down at their ten fingers tightly intertwined. Jiang Luo had already stepped in front of him, giving him a tug and glancing back, the corners of his eyes carrying a faint teasing smile. “Young master, time to go.”
It wasn’t until he’d been pulled along for two steps that Chi You snapped out of it. He looked at Jiang Luo’s back, and a dark light flashed through his eyes.
This young master from the Jiang family… was unexpectedly interesting.
***
The “elders” of the Chi family said they wanted to meet Jiang Luo, but in reality, it was just a meal together. No—calling it a “meal” was even giving Jiang Luo too much credit. These elders merely glanced at him before losing interest and spent the whole time talking to Chi You.
Jiang Luo finally got a sense of how many people were in the Chi family. Chi You was the last direct descendant of the main branch. In addition to the main line, there were six collateral branches, and four clan elders—all of whom were elder generation figures from Chi You’s grandfather’s era.
At the meal, there were eleven or twelve elders. Throughout the meal, they barely ate anything, taking turns talking at Chi You.
“You’re married now—you need to take responsibility for the whole Chi family. Don’t just loaf around like before. When you were young, we had to clean up after all your messes. You expect us to keep doing that for the rest of your life?”
“Since you’re from the main branch, you’d better do everything perfectly. Don’t be a disgrace like your father… Your line’s reputation stinks—it’s dragging the rest of us down.”
“Have you forgotten table manners? Stop giving him food. Doesn’t he have hands?”
“Ancestors above, eat slowly and chew carefully. You eating so fast—you in a hurry to be reincarnated? Born a starving ghost, huh? No matter how we teach you, you never learn.”
“We’ve been lecturing you all this time and you don’t say a word. Just eat and eat—what else are you good for?”
Chi You, expression unchanged, placed food into Jiang Luo’s bowl and continued eating.
Jiang Luo watched him eat. The young man sat upright, face calm, every move so elegant it could be from a textbook. Rushed? Really?
If he went any slower, this meal would take two hours just to fill one’s stomach.
Those eleven or twelve mouths never stopped. They treated “lecturing Chi You” as a badge of honor. Every scolding line seemed to bring them pleasure—like they were suppressing the main branch on behalf of the collateral lines. If one person scolded him once, the next had to say two more things. From start to finish, they picked apart every flaw of Chi You, as if his mere existence was a waste of air. Jiang Luo was completely ignored, but by the end of the meal, he’d lost his appetite too. He felt like he was surrounded by a flock of noisy ducks, driving him to the edge of a breakdown.
From these Chi family elders, Jiang Luo saw the shadow of his own father, Jiang Pingcheng.
It irritated him to no end, even making him want to flip the table and leave. But now clearly wasn’t the time to lose his temper. Jiang Luo kept a smile on his face and looked down at his rice, letting no one see the mounting hostility in his heart.
Finally, these people seemed to find satisfaction in having thoroughly suppressed Chi You. They left the table with puffed-up chests, as if they’d won a battle—carrying themselves like the rightful heirs.
The table full of untouched, lavish dishes had already gone cold. The delicious aroma had turned into an oily stench. Chi You turned to Jiang Luo. “Why aren’t you eating?”
Jiang Luo glanced at him and drawled, “No appetite.”
Even he could barely hold back the urge to shut those people up—how had Chi You endured it?
Chi You looked at the table, pointing toward a dish not far away. “You could try this crispy chicken. It’s the chef’s specialty—crisp skin, tender meat, juicy and flavorful.”
“Forget it,” Jiang Luo replied bluntly. “For all I know, someone might’ve spit on it.”
Chi You let out a laugh. He gently set down his chopsticks, chuckling, “That’s why I only ate the dishes in front of me.”
Jiang Luo really couldn’t understand how he could still laugh. He straightened up. “Are you full? If so, let’s go.”
Chi You took a handkerchief, wiped his hands and lips, then finally stood up. “Let’s go.”
That meal had been lunch, but the midday sky was already dim like late afternoon. The air was sharp and cold. Jiang Luo took a deep breath, chill filling his lungs—but it didn’t put out the irritation burning in his chest.
“Got a cigarette?” he asked.
“A cigarette?” Chi You looked at him in surprise.
Jiang Luo gave a slight smile. “A cigarette.”
Chi You stared at him for a moment, then started walking toward the main gates of the Chi residence. “I don’t have one, but I can take you to buy some.”
The two of them walked out through the gates. There were hardly any people around the entrance. Jiang Luo looked up at the sky—this mirror world’s sky was strange. He couldn’t make out the weather clearly, and said uncertainly, “Let’s make it quick. Looks like it’s about to rain.”
Chi You nodded. After walking a short distance, he casually remarked, “That maid walking beside you this morning… judging by her expression, she seemed to recognize me.”
