Wenren Lian’s expression turned serious. “What do you mean by that?”
But the funeral parlor owner clearly had no intention of explaining further. He placed the tasseled earring in their hands and turned to leave.
Ye Xun suddenly asked, “Does it have to be within three days?”
“Well,” Ji Yaozi glanced at Ye Xun, then at Kuang Zheng. “He’s an artifact refiner, he should understand that some magical items have time limits. Once the spiritual energy dissipates, it’s useless.”
“Three days,” Ji Yaozi’s figure gradually faded into the distance. “After three days, the earring’s effectiveness will begin to wane day by day. If you wait too long…”
The rest of his words faded away into the cold wind.
It was only when he had walked far enough that the funeral parlor owner muttered to himself, “I thought Jiang Luo would be safer after going to the Lian family, but now I realize I may have sent him into a tiger’s den instead. That’s right, how could I forget? Though the Lian family hasn’t surfaced in years, they’re more devout than anyone to that person. At a single word from them, the Lians even stopped letting their juniors study spellcraft. You reap what you sow… I can’t deliver the ‘Soul-Capture Pendant’ to him myself—it’ll have to be up to this bunch. The pendant’s optimal effectiveness is actually five days, but I had to pressure them. Sooner is better than later. Time is tight…”
***
Inside the Mirror.
After Jiang Luo realized Chi You was spying on him, he took off his shirt.
His curved back glowed under the warm, dim yellow lighting, taut and beautifully flexible.
He hid the faint curl at the corner of his lips, placed both hands on his belt—but didn’t make another move.
Just one wall away.
Chi You’s eyes couldn’t help but fix on those hands.
A strange, unnameable emotion slowly spread through him. The allure of this silent, sultry beauty was too much for a young man to resist. But just as he was staring, utterly focused, several strands of foreign consciousness quietly entered his body.
These foreign wills were powerful and forceful—but oddly, they seemed to belong there, almost as if they were born from within him. They neither alarmed Chi You nor the black mist that had merged with him.
And so, the malicious ghost infiltrated the body unnoticed.
Everything went so smoothly it was almost unreal. But just as the spirit tried to seize control of the body, he realized something was wrong—
He couldn’t control it.
That… shouldn’t be possible.
Even if he had only entered the mirror world with a fraction of his consciousness to avoid shattering it, it didn’t mean he was too weak to take over a person. Let alone the fact that this time, he wasn’t operating a puppet—he had personally possessed the body.
So how could this be?
He tried again to command the body—and failed again.
What’s more, his consciousness seemed to be suppressed. Trapped in another person’s body, he could see what they saw, hear what they heard. But it was like he had become a splintered fragment of their mind—he had all the sensations of the body, but no control.
His very first possession—failed just like that.
The malicious ghost was furious. But soon, a burning desire to see someone else surged up, forcing him to survey his surroundings.
Water sounds. Mist. Dampness.
A bathroom.
The spirit linked into the body’s vision.
Fog swirled. The walls were old. The light was dim and flickering.
The body was staring through a hole in the wall. The spirit lazily glanced through—only to suddenly see a half-naked Jiang Luo.
Jiang Luo seemed completely unaware he was being watched. He lazily undid his belt, the smooth curve of his pale, toned back appearing and disappearing in the hole’s view. His black hair slid off his shoulders, glistening like something from an old sepia photograph—seductive and hidden in shadow. He was just about to remove his final garment, posture relaxed but brimming with unintentional allure.
The malicious ghost stared.
The lust that should’ve been brewing was suddenly overwhelmed by a surge of murderous intent.
The person he had possessed was spying on Jiang Luo.
Even now, he was still watching.
A seething, boiling rage erupted from within, the desire to destroy this body drowning out all other thoughts. How dare this man—
A violent fury unlike anything before tore through the malicious ghost’s entire being.
His consciousness roiled and twisted in grotesque rage. But he had only sent a sliver of his awareness into this world, and for the moment, he couldn’t even kill the person he had possessed.
Yet the malicious ghost could not tolerate such a situation—
He poured in all his strength, all of his consciousness, launching a full-force invasion of this body, trying to take control of at least one arm.
Just then, Chi You, who was feeling strangely agitated while watching Jiang Luo, finally noticed something was off.
He withdrew his gaze and looked down at his right hand.
His right hand had lifted slightly on its own, without his command. As someone inheriting the art of puppet soul refinement, Chi You could clearly sense that he was losing control over his right hand.
Chi You stared darkly at his hand.
Had he not been experiencing it himself, he would never have believed that something existed in this world that could rob him of control over his own body.
How could this be?
Someone was actually able to take control of him.
—Even if it was just one arm, it was already enough to enrage Chi You beyond reason.
As if sensing his attention, the force controlling his right arm grew stronger. The hand rose further, inching closer to Chi You’s face.
What was it trying to do?
Chi You pinned the rising hand with his left, his voice low and cold enough to freeze air: “I can’t even control myself?”
Black mist curled around his right arm. Chi You released his left hand. But to his surprise, the black mist didn’t suppress the movement as he expected—it simply let the hand rise, inch by inch, until it was right in front of him.
Chi You frowned. This wasn’t what he anticipated.
Still, he quickly composed himself, coldly observing what this right hand was trying to do.
The pale index and middle fingers aligned and reached for his eyes. The intention was clear—it wanted to blind him.
And the hand had the strength to do it.
The two long fingers touched his eyelids. It was just about to plunge in and gouge out his eyes—then rip his heart from his chest—when suddenly, the hand went limp and dropped heavily at his side.
The force that had been controlling his arm had vanished.
Chi You’s gaze turned even more frigid. After a long pause, he finally looked away from his right arm and glanced once again through the hole in the wall.
Unfortunately, there were only Jiang Luo’s neatly folded clothes on the bench now. Jiang Luo had drawn the white curtain and was already soaking in the bath.
Chi You said nothing, but his left hand clenched hard—cracking the armrest of the bench into splinters.
***
Crack, crack, crack—
Everything in the room except the bed had been reduced to powder.
Sensing their master’s return, Ge Wuchen and Huali hadn’t even stepped inside when they were forced back by the sheer pressure. The two of them suppressed their fear and swallowed the blood rising in their throats, immediately bowing.
No one knew how much time passed before the horrifying noises inside the room finally ceased.
Ge Wuchen and Huali cautiously looked up.
The malicious ghost stood in the middle of the charred, ruined floor, silent for a long time.
Black mist loomed behind him, filling nearly the whole room. The ghost markings on his body grew more than ever before, crawling all the way to the corners of his eyes, contorting his handsome face into something twisted and terrifying.
Chi You rarely revealed genuine emotion, much less such seething, crazed rage. The sight alone made Ge Wuchen nearly collapse in fear. He dared to lift his head slightly and said, “Master—”
The malicious ghost turned toward him, and the moment Ge Wuchen saw those bloodshot eyes, he immediately fell silent.
Just as they stood in silent dread, the malicious ghost suddenly let out a low laugh. The laugh grew louder and louder, eventually turning into a mad cackle.
But a few seconds later, he abruptly stopped.
“Very well,” he repeated, “very well.”
In the depths of those pitch-black eyes, a red gleam flickered. Rage and malice swirled, completely shattering the malicious ghost’s self-control.
Even the wind and snow seemed to freeze for a moment in fear of his terrifying presence.
“Prepare for a second entry into the mirror world.”
He shoved both hands into the pockets of his dress pants. The crackling of his knuckles echoed with chilling clarity. “I need to move quickly.”
***
After a satisfying bath, Jiang Luo stepped out and saw that Chi You had already finished and was waiting for him under a tree.
In the mirror world, it was now spring—everything was coming back to life. The frogs croaked faintly as Jiang Luo, still damp, walked over. “You’re quick.”
Chi You turned and looked at him. “Only a bit quicker than you.”
Jiang Luo gave him a long look, a faint trace of amusement in his voice. “Hm? You don’t look so good. Something happen?”
When Jiang Luo smiled like that, the image of him taking off his shirt flashed through Chi You’s mind again. The desire that had just barely been tamped down flared anew. He even had the urge to tie this person up and watch whatever he wanted to see.
Chi You did not enjoy suppressing his nature.
But now was not the time to indulge it.
Chi You smiled. “I’m probably just feeling unwell.”
They walked back together. Jiang Luo casually chatted, “You went out last night—were you summoned by an elder too?”
Chi You nodded. “I often need to receive guidance from my elders.”
Jiang Luo was sure he hadn’t misheard. He definitely caught a strong note of sarcasm in Chi You’s use of the word “guidance.”
Feigning curiosity, Jiang Luo asked, “What kind of guidance?”
“That,” Chi You narrowed his eyes, “if you’re interested, I can take you with me.”
Although Jiang Luo was very curious, he had no desire to be targeted by the Chi family. “That won’t be necessary.”
Back in his room, after drying his hair, Jiang Luo bent down to tidy the bed. The moment he bent over, he sensed Chi You’s gaze once again vaguely fixed on him.
It hovered persistently around his tailbone and thighs—so intense it felt almost tangible, like a wolf stalking its prey.
Jiang Luo suddenly turned his head and asked sharply, “What are you looking at?”
But the flustered reaction he expected didn’t come. Chi You remained calm and composed, and his gaze even grew a little hotter, more direct. Holding his teacup, he smiled and replied, “I’m looking at you, Young Master Jiang.”
Jiang Luo was dissatisfied with how composed this younger Chi You remained. With interest, he leaned closer, sat directly across from Chi You, resting his chin on his interlaced fingers on the table, tilting his head slightly. “Looking at me? What exactly are you looking at?”
By the candlelight at the table, the curve of his red lips held a seductive allure.
Chi You’s eyes locked onto those lips. “You’re quite different from how I imagined.”
Jiang Luo: “Hm?”
The candle flickered, and the atmosphere grew heavy with an unspoken tension.
Jiang Luo continued, “You, on the other hand, are pretty much just as I imagined.”
He reached up and casually twirled a strand of his hair around his finger before letting it fall again. Chi You’s gaze followed the movement. Finally unable to hold back, he raised his hand, giving in to the desire.
Jiang Luo smirked inwardly. Heh, little virgin—couldn’t hold it in, could you?
Just as Chi You’s hand was about to touch his face, Jiang Luo suddenly stood up and said, “I’m going to the latrine. You should get some rest, Young Master Chi.”
Without hesitation, Jiang Luo left, leaving the younger Chi You—half-aroused and completely off-balance—abruptly abandoned.
The door opened and closed again. The dim lamplight remained the same, but the one who had filled the room with a sultry charge was now gone.
Chi You’s hand still lingered in midair.
After a long moment, he muttered to himself, “Was that intentional?”
“…”
“But some things… are best not provoked so casually.”
Outside, the cold wind blew, and the moon was swallowed by thick clouds.
Jiang Luo hadn’t really gone to the toilet. He had something else in mind.
For example, staking out the ghost who had been killing people at night.
—He was beyond fed up with this mirror world.
Even though teasing the younger Chi You was entertaining, it didn’t mean Jiang Luo was willing to have his memories dug up by whoever was pulling the strings behind the scenes. That part of his past—one he’d rather never revisit—being laid bare again only made him extremely, extremely irritated.
Author’s Note:
Young Chi You (crushing armrest): It’s all because of that thing controlling my hand—I didn’t get to see the clothes come off!
Adult Chi You (destroying entire room): Someone dared to spy on my wife!
