The Mirror Master

"Ah!"

The shadowy figure that had been perched on the crossbeam suddenly let out a mournful shriek.

But amidst the ghostly wail, mixed in with the rage and resentment, there seemed to be a hint of relief, of excitement.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The white bone china jar that had rolled to the side was suddenly covered in a web of cracks.

With a BANG, the china jar shattered completely, scattering into countless fragments.

The green flames engulfing the shadowy figure flared, and it lunged at Lu Bai once more.

Lu Bai charged forward as well, waiting for the distance between them to close before trying to activate the Ancient Mirror again.

This time, however, the shadowy figure didn’t confront Lu Bai head-on. Instead, it drifted and circled around him.

It maintained a distance of just over a foot, keeping itself just outside the range of the Ancient Mirror’s faint glow.

Lu Bai didn’t know any Body Technique and Qinggong; how could he possibly catch the phantom-like figure as it drifted unpredictably?

Inside the inner hall, phantom images flickered as a sinister wind howled!

It grew colder and colder.

This wasn’t the bone-chilling cold of a frozen winter, but a sinister chill that seeped into everything!

Though the shadowy figure was wreathed in flames, it continued to radiate waves of this sinister cold.

Lu Bai could clearly feel his Blood Qi circulating more and more sluggishly. His hands and feet grew increasingly cold.

His eyes began to ache.

He had been using the Eye of Illusion for too long; his eyes clearly couldn’t take it anymore.

’If this keeps up, I’m going to end up dead at the hands of this Ghostly Creature!’

Lu Bai took a deep breath, suddenly closed his eyes, and stood perfectly still, holding his longsword horizontally across his chest.

The shadowy figure was extremely cunning and very patient.

It constantly lingered around Lu Bai, attempting to approach him several times.

But each time it got within a foot of him, it would suddenly retreat.

The abyssal vortex that had appeared on Lu Bai’s chest moments ago had given it quite a scare!

Just as the shadowy figure tried to approach again, probing Lu Bai, he suddenly snapped his eyes open, reached into his robes, and let his longsword clatter to the ground.

While the shadowy figure was stunned, Lu Bai pulled a paper packet from his robes, crushed it in his hand, and flung its contents at the figure before him!

SWISH!

A large cloud of fine, dense, vermilion sand showered the shadowy figure.

Cinnabar!

Lu Bai’s earlier stance, holding the sword across his chest, hadn’t been a Sword Move. It had been a feint to protect the packet of Cinnabar in his robes!

The Peach Wood Sword soaked in Black Dog Blood had done no harm to this Ghost Soul.

Lu Bai had no idea if the Cinnabar would actually work, but he had to try.

TSSSSSS!

Although the shadowy figure dodged in time, a small handful of Cinnabar still landed on it, making a sound like a red-hot weapon being plunged into cold water.

"Ah!"

The shadowy figure let out a bloodcurdling scream as wisps of black smoke began to rise from its body.

Its blazing green flames had clearly diminished!

’It’s working!’

Lu Bai’s eyes lit up. He strode forward, rapidly closing in on the shadowy figure, and activated the Ancient Mirror once more.

A faint glow instantly locked onto the shadowy figure.

Stimulated by Lu Bai’s Blood Qi, the Ancient Mirror began to operate, once again unleashing a powerful suction force.

"Ah!"

The shadowy figure suddenly shrieked. It was ferocious; despite its injuries, it continued to struggle, trying to escape.

In its effort to devour the shadowy figure, the Ancient Mirror began to operate on its own.

Lu Bai’s Blood Qi surged uncontrollably toward the Ancient Mirror!

The two sides were locked in a stalemate in mid-air.

The Ancient Mirror was devouring the Ghost Soul on one hand, while devouring Lu Bai’s Blood Qi on the other!

Lu Bai felt a wave of dizziness, and his legs went weak.

’At this rate, the Ancient Mirror will suck me dry before it finishes devouring this Ghost Soul!’

"There’s a commotion over by the madam’s quarters!"

"Quick, go see what’s happening!"

Shouts rang out from outside the inner hall, and the chaotic sound of footsteps rapidly approached.

The Zhou Family’s guards were rushing over.

’I can’t keep wasting time with this Ghostly Creature.’

Lu Bai took half a step back, creating a little distance.

The pressure on the shadowy figure lessened, and it broke free from the Ancient Mirror’s glow once more!

’This Ghostly Creature is too strong, far more powerful than the evil spirits I’ve encountered before!’

Lu Bai realized that even with the Ancient Mirror’s help, it would be difficult to devour this Ghostly Creature tonight.

Getting entangled in an endless fight would only put him in greater danger.

’There will be other opportunities.’

’Slaying that demoness tonight and gaining three wisps of Soul Light is already a win.’

With that thought, Lu Bai stopped paying attention to the Ghostly Creature and began to search the inner hall, hoping to find something valuable to pilfer on his way out.

However, after looking around, he didn’t see a single coin.

This was Zhou Hao’s Memorial Hall, after all. With Zhou Hao’s memorial tablet on display, what could possibly be of value here?

Lu Bai ignored the Ghostly Creature.

The shadowy figure, in turn, was extremely wary of him and didn’t dare to approach. It just watched from the shadows as Lu Bai rummaged through chests and cabinets.

Lu Bai’s gaze swept the room and suddenly landed on a few items on the bed.

There was a straw doll covered in blood-red threads, wrapped in a blood-soaked cloth, and pierced with over a dozen Silver Needles.

’A curse doll?’

Lu Bai raised an eyebrow.

’He’d heard of such methods in his previous life, but he never expected to see one with his own eyes.’

Lu Bai moved closer and glanced at the dilapidated wooden box next to it.

Inside were a few more Silver Needles and nothing else.

’So poor.’

Lu Bai clicked his tongue. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he sensed something and looked at the old wooden box again.

Lining the bottom of the box was a yellowed sheet of paper covered with lines of writing.

"Who’s there!"

"Where did this thief come from!"

A few sharp shouts came from nearby. A group of Zhou Family Guards, holding torches, was rushing toward him.

Even the one-armed Fei Ming was among them.

Lu Bai had no time for a closer look. He snatched the yellowed paper, stuffed it into his robes, grabbed his longsword from the floor, and charged out the door, preparing to carve a bloody path out.

His opponents were numerous and aggressive, charging with great momentum.

Meanwhile, Lu Bai had just suffered a huge loss of Blood Qi, and his combat strength was greatly diminished.

’If we fight, it will be a vicious battle!’

’If the commotion gets too big and attracts people from the Government Office, there’s no telling if I’ll be able to escape.’

An idea struck Lu Bai. His eyes flickered, and he unexpectedly retreated back into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Leader Fei, this is the madam’s residence. It’s a restricted area; outsiders can’t just barge in."

The group of Guards rushed to the edge of the courtyard but subconsciously stopped in their tracks.

A few servants had mistakenly entered this place before and later disappeared.

"You useless bunch! What time is it to be worrying about that!"

Fei Ming cursed, then said, "If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility! Let’s go!"

With that, Fei Ming was the first to charge into the courtyard, heading straight for the inner hall.

BOOM!

Fei Ming kicked the door open.

The men filed in one after another and immediately saw the gruesome scene inside the room.

Madam Zhou lay decapitated in a pool of blood!

And another man, a burly figure in black tight-fitting clothes, was standing by the west window, watching them coldly.

Suddenly!

The burly man in black smashed through the window and vaulted outside to escape.

"Damn you, thief! Where do you think you’re going!"

"After him!"

The men shouted and gave chase.

But when they climbed through the window and rushed outside, not only did they not see the man in black, but they also found themselves back in the inner hall they had just been in.

"What’s going on?"

"How are we back here?"

The men looked at each other, their faces filled with confusion.

"A ghost... a Ghost Wall?"

After a moment, one of them finally realized what was happening, breaking out in a cold sweat, his teeth chattering in fear.

Fei Ming seemed to have thought of something. The color drained from his face, and his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably!

The next moment, the men suddenly felt the solid ground beneath their feet turn as thick and cold as a swamp. Their feet sank into it, making it difficult to move.

The men looked down.

They saw pairs of bruised, swollen, maggot-infested hands bursting from the ground, clamping tightly onto their ankles, their calves...

"AHHHHH!"

A series of bloodcurdling howls echoed from the room.

Hearing the screams behind him, Lu Bai paused for a moment and glanced back, then turned and vanished into the night.

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