In a flash, Lu Yingjiu suddenly stretched out his hand and went straight to the face of the person in the mirror!
In just half a second, he had summoned the spirit. If the spirit had hit him, the ghost's head would have been shattered or at least dizzy.
However, the other hand was one step ahead of him.
Jing Xian returned to his side without knowing when, and stretched out his hand nonchalantly, but it made a sound of breaking wind.
"Bang!"
The mirror was pierced by him, and the fragments flew up, with a faint green fire in each piece.
Lu Yingjiu hurriedly stopped him: "Don't kill him!"
It's too late.
The ghost's head was crushed to pieces by Jing Xian.
Blood mist flew everywhere, staining the walls of the mirrored world with scarlet, but not a single drop of it could escape the broken mirror. Jing Xian retracted his hand, which was still clean, as if nothing had happened.
Silence returned to the house.
Lu Yingjiu held his forehead and said, "It would be better if I didn't kill it. There is obviously another space behind the mirror."
Jing Xian was not very happy: "I held back, it wasn't completely dead. It had the guts to imitate you, and even deliberately separated us. It would not be enough if it died a thousand times."
"..." Lu Yingjiu smiled, "Forget it, let's go buy another mirror and put it away, maybe we can do it again."
It's the middle of the night, and I don't know where to buy a dressing mirror of the same size.
Jing Xian sent out the little ghosts, and soon they brought a mirror from somewhere.
The size is about the same and the thickness is just right.
Lu Ying put the wine in place again, placed it on the bed, and then lay back down again: "Jing Xian, please be more restrained this time."
Jing Xian reluctantly agreed.
The bed was crowded and Lu Yingjiu continued to sleep in his arms.
"Tick-tock..."
"Tick-tock..."
Sure enough, not long after, Lu Ying sobered up again.
In response, Xian did not disappear. He was still lying beside him, narrowing his deep black eyes and looking into the mirror in front of him.
The European-style round mirror was facing the bed, reflecting the two of them.
Just like before, there was no reflection of green flames in the eyes of the person in the mirror.
Lu Yingjiu got out of bed, walked barefoot over to look at the person in the mirror.
They still smiled.
As he was laughing, his expression froze—
Jing Xian stood behind Lu Yingjiu with a murderous look on his face and smiled grimly.
Man in the Mirror:?!
The two turned around and tried to run, but Lu Yingjiu suddenly stretched out his hand. The back of his hand was wrapped with fine talisman paper, and when he sank into the mirror, it was like a light dip into the water. The mirror was still intact, and he had already grabbed the collars of the two ghosts.
Man in the mirror: "!!hsdf*&!#!"
There was a lot of chattering, and Lu Yingjiu couldn't understand it, but he probably knew they were expressing fear. He gently pulled, and two ghosts came out of the mirror.
Once they left the mirror, they could no longer imitate others, and in the blink of an eye they turned into two little ghosts.
The little ghosts were about the size of a three-year-old child, with one eye, ghost horns, and a grim face. They had amulets hanging around their necks and were dressed in ancient exorcist costumes, with various runes painted on their wide robes, and two Di Tings, one black and one white, one male and one female, painted on their backs.
They hid in the corner tremblingly, trying to run into the mirror.
Lu Yingjiu threw out the talisman paper, and it landed on the mirror. No matter how the two little ghosts touched the mirror, they could not go back.
Imp: "oe%i!*seg!"
Lu Yingjiu frowned slightly: "What are you talking about?" He looked at Jing Xian, "Can you translate it?"
Jing Xian said: "They speak in a dialect that I can't understand either."
Road to welcome wine:
Lu Yingjiu: "Ghosts have dialects?"
"Of course." Jing Xian said, "I speak the official language to most of the priests, but ghosts of every species can speak some dialect." He looked at the little ghost, "But I can find a ghost that can understand it."
He snapped his fingers, and an unknown ghost emerged from the ground. Jing Xian gave it a few instructions, and it nodded repeatedly.
But half a minute later, the ghost returned with a... black cat.
The black cat has scarlet eyes and three tails.
Imp: "shgl!?nn?*owe"
The black cat opened its mouth and spoke in human language: "It's asking, what are you doing here? Are you bad people? They don't want to hurt anyone, they just want to drive you away."
A ghost asking "Are you a bad guy?" is quite strange.
After all, ghosts generally don't care about what is good or bad and have no moral standards.
only…
Judging from their clothes, they must have been dealing with exorcists all year round, so it’s not surprising that they asked such questions.
Lu Yingjiu said honestly: "Let's go find Zhang Shuwan."
The kid muttered to himself for a while.
Black Cat Translation: "We don't know the Zhang Shuwan you are talking about. Let's go quickly. This is someone else's room."
I knew he was lying the moment I heard it.
Lu Yingjiu pointed at their clothes and said, "It's the clothes of a ghost exorcist. Apart from the Zhang family, no one else would paint Di Ting on them."
After hearing this, the little ghost shook his head repeatedly. Just as he was about to continue denying it, his eyes suddenly fell on Jing Xian.
They were very sensitive to danger, shrank a little, and their voices became a little softer.
Lu Yingjiu took out some talismans and showed them, saying, "I am also a ghost exorcist. I worked in the Qingdeng Society for a while. If it weren't for the last resort, we wouldn't barge in without permission."
The little ghost took his talisman paper, looked at it with a few muttering sounds, and wanted to confirm its authenticity.
Jing Xian was already impatient and said coldly: "If we really had ill intentions, you would have died long ago."
The two little ghosts shuddered.
One of the shabby-clothed ghosts swallowed his saliva and mustered up the courage to say, "We, we don't want to think you are the bad guys, so..."
Another man in black clothes continued: "How can any decent person hug each other in someone else's bed!"
"Just keep doing it, keep doing it, one holding my waist and one hanging my legs. We were out for two seconds and we saw your evil deeds clearly."
"That's too bad. They actually had a secret relationship in Mr. Zhang's bed. That's too perverted..."
Lu Yingjiu: “…”
Lu Yingjiu: "Do you think I want to sleep in someone else's bed?!"
"No need to say more." Jing Xian smiled grimly, "Just give him a beating and it will be over."
The two little devils shrank their heads and cried.
The black cat translated at the right time: "They are scolding you for being in cahoots with each other and being idiots. They also say that they are not afraid of death and can sacrifice themselves generously."
Lu Yingjiu's eyebrows jumped: "What are you talking about?"
Mao Tuan, who was standing at his feet, echoed: "Ahhh!"
Unexpectedly, its bark caused the two little devils to stop cursing.
They all looked at the fur ball at the same time, taking in its ghost horns, its silver-gray eyes, and its round body.
Little ghost in black clothes: "Are you a glutton?"
"Absolutely!" The black-clothed imp nodded, "Look at its short legs. It's exactly as Master Zhang said!"
Maotuan: “…”
It was so angry that its fur stood up like an exploding dandelion.
“Taotie, that’s all I can say.” The young ghost in black clothes looked up, carefully sized up Lu Yingjiu, and asked cautiously, “Are you surnamed Lu?”
Lu Yingjiu raised her eyebrows in surprise: "Yeah. Do you know me?"
The little ghost's face changed.
The black-clad ghost replied, "We don't know you, but Lady Zhang knows you. She has been waiting for you and said that you will definitely come to find her one day."
"We are so sorry for what we said just now. We are so sorry for what we said just now." The little ghost in white clothes said, holding the green lantern and bowing deeply, "We didn't expect to miss you. Please come with me. Master Zhang has been waiting for you for a long time."
Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian took a look.
This "Mr. Zhang" is a man with eight or nine fingers.
The little ghost also said that Zhang Shuwan had been waiting for him for a long time...
Could it be that, as a member of the aristocratic family, Zhang Shuwan, like the others, had been secretly monitoring Lu Yingjiu? Waiting for the day when he would be returned to the heaven
Things became confusing.
It seems that I have no choice but to follow them.
Lu Yingjiu said, "You lead the way."
The little ghost responded and said, "We want to go into the mirror."
After saying this, they raised their lanterns and stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the mirror. The green lights of the two lanterns shone, falling into the mirror and illuminating the faces of each of them.
After a few seconds, the mirror surface began to ripple like water.
"Come with us." The little ghost said, taking the first step, his body seemed to melt into the mirror.
Jing Xian took Lu Yingjiu's hand and walked in front as usual.
The two of them walked across the mirror.
The mirror still showed Zhang Shuwan's bedroom, but it was completely upside down. The green lamp in the little ghost's hand shone brightly, and it was several times brighter.
The little ghost in black clothes said: "You should stay in the light of the lanterns as much as possible, otherwise you may be repelled from the mirror world. Then you have to start a new round."
Lu Yingjiu responded, followed them to the living room, opened the door and went to the corridor.
The corridor was empty and still upside down. The elevator buttons were all dark, so I could only walk down the long staircase. I finally got to the first floor and pushed open the door—
But it's no longer a community outside.
There was only darkness, a deep darkness.
The world in the mirror was so dark that one could not even reach out one's hand, and the world was like a dye vat. Only where the two green lamps shone could one see the ground beneath one's feet.
"Please follow us--" said the little devil in black.
Lu Yingjiu was led by Jing Xian and looked around. As they walked forward, the lights flickered, illuminating some passing phantoms. It was hard to tell what they were, like flying birds or ghosts, bringing up a cold wind that made the green lantern sway left and right.
The surrounding area is not flat.
Occasionally, the light illuminates the gray walls, the black eaves and a vermilion door.
Everything was an ancient building, so it seemed as if they had traveled back a thousand years, becoming a member of the Qingdeng Pavilion, wearing black clothes, walking in the long night with lanterns, slaying demons and monsters, not asking for fame, but only wishing to bring dawn with their own efforts.
The little ghost in black clothes said: "The world in the mirror was originally where Di Ting lived. These mirrors are called 'Green Mirrors'. They are treasures specially made for Di Ting after the Zhang family made a contract with him. Di Ting has been traveling in the mirror, listening to everything and sensing people's hearts for hundreds and thousands of years."
This is a rumor that Lu Yingjiu had heard of.
But he had never been in the mirror himself.
He asked: "For some time, Zhang Shuwan has been staying in the mirror?"
"Yes." The little ghost nodded. "Ms. Zhang has been in there all the time. But we haven't gone to look for her so soon."
The two little ghosts whistled sharply.
The phantoms surged even more violently, making their clothes rustle in the wind. The lanterns swayed violently, and in the wind, their shadows fell in disorder on the ground.
In the distance, the door opened.
A vermilion door with peeling paint opened silently, and behind the door was still dark. The little ghosts led the way, leading Lu Yingjiu and Jingxian, and stepped into the gate.
“Crash—”
The blue flames surged violently and then suddenly went out.
There was darkness all around, and then there was... a child's voice
"Grandma!" the child called out, "I learned an English song at school today!"
"Okay—" an old voice replied, "Sing it for grandma quickly."
The cheerful prelude of the music sounded.
In the darkness, Jing Xian still held Lu Yingjiu's hand and asked, "What song are you singing?"
"A very famous old English song called Lemon Tree." Lu Yingjiu narrowed his eyes slightly.
He was a little confused and didn't know which play the singer was singing about.
The childish voice began to sing in non-standard English pronunciation:
"i'm sitting herea boring room
I sat in this lifeless room.
it's just another rainy sunday afternoon
Another rainy Sunday afternoon
… ”
Lu Yingjiu whispered, "He was singing with a microphone, so he must be singing in a karaoke bar or something like that."
Jing Xian hummed.
"You sing really well!" The old voice appeared again, "Come, let grandma kiss you."
At that moment, the bright light made it impossible to open one's eyes.
Lu Yingjiu's eyes lit up, he squinted, and after several seconds he took in his surroundings clearly: they were already in a KTV room without knowing when, with melons and drinks on the table, and balloons hanging on the wall, spelling out the words: Happy Birthday to Little Ark!
ark.
The name sounds familiar.
Lu Yingjiu's gaze moved to the family on the sofa, and then paused.
Chen Minlan, with her hair full of flowers, smiled so much that her eyes narrowed, while her son, daughter-in-law, granddaughter Chen Yanyan, and grandson Chen Fangzhou all sat around the table with smiles on their faces.
…
It turned out to be the case of the Chen family being massacred!
Chen Fangzhou held the microphone in one hand and held Chen Minlan's hand with the other, saying seriously: "Grandma, this song tells the story of a man who separated from his beloved and then waited under the lemon tree forever. You are all my beloved ones, you all need to be healthy and never separate."
"Oh!" Chen Minlan smiled even more brightly and touched Chen Fangzhou's hair. "Grandson is so good! Grandma also hopes that you will be healthy and happy."
In such a peaceful atmosphere, no one noticed that Chen Yanyan's expression was strange.
And Lu Yingjiu knew everything.
At this moment, Chen Yanyan was wearing a mask and Fan Xin, and her schoolbag contained the things that the evil ghost was obsessed with. In a few minutes, the ghost would rush out and tear apart this beautiful thing.
"Hey, you guys..."
Even though he knew that he had passed by, Lu Yingjiu still subconsciously wanted to speak, but found that his voice was as thin as a mosquito's feet.
Jing Xian shook his head slightly and said, "They can't hear us. Our perspective is very strange, and we are in a mirror world. I guess we are now in a mirror on the wall."
Lu Yingjiu was stunned for a few seconds.
In other words, they are looking at past scenes through the mirror.
The family was singing happily. Chen Minlan was not very good at singing, so she just clapped her hands with a smile on her face.
A few minutes later, her cell phone rang.
She looked down, the smile on her face disappeared immediately, and she stood up and quickly walked out of the room.
The scene changed, and Lu Yingjiu's perspective also shifted to the mirror in the corridor.
Chen Minlan stood alone at the end of the corridor.
The thin clothes were blown up by the wind.
That kind and gentle temperament disappeared without a trace, replaced by a serious... even a majestic one. She has been the head of the Chen family for many years, and even though her hair has turned gray and her back has become hunched, her aura has not changed.
Caller's name: Chen Zheng
Lu Yingjiu knew that Chen Zheng had been studying with Chen Minlan since he was a child and regarded her as his mentor.
"Hello," Chen Minlan answered the phone, "I'm spending the day with Fang Zhou."
"… You continue to follow up," she lowered her voice a little, "Last time we destroyed a large amount of goods at the dock warehouse, and the other party can no longer hold back. Once they get impatient, there will be more loopholes. You ask Rongrong and Xiaofeng to take the people from your family and check the slaughterhouse and the port in detail."
She gave a few more instructions, saying, "We must uncover this underground industry chain, not only for the Chen family, but also for the safety of everyone. Human skin/masks and other things should have been completely eliminated long ago."
Sure enough, Lu Yingjiu thought, Chen Minlan and Chen Zheng had been investigating the matter of the mask.
Chen Zheng seemed to say something.
Chen Minlan laughed: "As long as I am alive, the human skin mask will never be seen. It would be best if this thing is lost. The Chen family cannot survive by relying on this thing."
However, before hanging up the phone, a look of hesitation appeared on her face.
She said slowly: "Chen Zheng, there is one thing you need to pay attention to: you should keep a closer eye on Chen Qi, he is suspicious."
"I know he is your brother. From my perspective, I hope you can be friendly and respectful to each other, support and care for each other. But even brothers can't fully understand each other. When you have doubts, I hope you can be firm in your determination."
"Chen Zheng, you have to be a brave and kind person."
Chen Zheng responded quietly.
Chen Minlan hung up the phone.
The evening breeze outside the window blew her gray hair and blew across her wrinkled face. She didn't know what she was thinking, and after a long time, she turned around and went back to the private room.
—At this time, no one knew that Chen Qi had already realized the suspicion.
Fan Xin then saw the time bomb he had arranged, which was about to explode.
Chen Minlan returned to the private room and calmed down all her emotions.
She thought of the kind, harmless old grandmother again. When she listened to her grandchildren singing, she would narrow her eyes with delight and laugh until her silver hair trembled.
Everyone let down their guard.
A thick shadow emerged from the girl's backpack and wrapped around the sofa.
After that, Lu Yingjiu knew everything.
The evil ghost appeared, blood flew everywhere, splattering all over the wall.
The jukebox was playing a song with a cheerful melody.
"i'm stepping around the desertjoy
I walk on the happy sandbar
baby anyhow i'll get another toy
Dear, I will find someone else to love anyway.
and everything will happen and you'll wonder
Then everything I expect will come true, and the depression may be caused by you."
Chen Minlan stretched out her hands and held Chen Fangzhou in her arms. In the past, she was a brave warrior who could fight against hundreds of ghosts, but her skills had faded with the years, and the only thing she could do was to resist with her flesh and blood.
“Puff—”
The evil ghost's sharp claws scratched across her back, exposing bones and a mixture of scarlet and forest.
“yesterday you told about the blue blue sky
Yesterday you were talking to me about the beautiful weather
and all that i can see
But now I can see
and all that i can see
But now I can see
is just a yellow lemon tree
There is only one golden lemon tree."
The room became quiet.
The only survivor was the culprit Fan Xin.
She huddled in the corner, shivering, and watched the evil ghost lick his sharp claws contentedly, smile mockingly at her, and then turn into a shadow and disappear.
What awaited Fan Xin next was a life of suffering, struggle, and guilt for many more years.
In the pool of blood, Chen Minlan's hand moved slightly.
She reached very slowly for the flip phone not far away.
Lu Yingjiu knew what Chen Minlan was going to do.
The old man opened his cell phone with his trembling hands, but did not call the police.
Blood stained the screen.
She tapped a number and typed the words with difficulty: Lu Yingjiu, your time has come
After pressing the send button, Chen Minlan's hands dropped weakly.
Her chest rose and fell slightly, and she let out a long, sticky breath, as if she had finally accomplished something she had been thinking about.
—She didn’t know that Lu Yingjiu no longer used that cell phone number.
It was not until several years later when he investigated the case again that the text message seemed like a protruding reef, now lost in the tide of time.
At this moment, she slowly closed her eyes.
Lu Yingjiu's breathing couldn't help but stagnate.
Even though the aristocratic family had been monitoring him and trying to take his life, the tragedy of an entire family still made people sigh.
Chen Minlan is about to die.
The blood loss brought a damp and cold feeling, and the vitality was quickly stripped from the old body. The rise and fall of her chest slowed down, and she slowly exhaled her last breath of turbid air—
Suddenly she opened her eyes again!
The out-of-focus eyes actually stared at Lu Yingjiu's direction. Through the mirror, through several years of time, they missed each other!
Chen Minlan said hoarsely: "... Lu Yingjiu, Lu Yingjiu, are you there?"
Lu Yingjiu was horrified.
She said: "I know you are there, go find the Zhang family, no matter what you have to..."
The sound stopped abruptly and she died.