I looked at Black Moon in confusion.
"How did you know?"
Black Moon's two crescent-shaped eyes lifted.
"I guessed."
I withdrew my outstretched hand. Beside me, Jade Zeng lay flat against the mirror surface, looking at me expectantly.
"Miss Rachel Lan, can you take me out of here? I can't stand it anymore, I've been here for so many years."
The Jade Zeng before me should be the Mirror Ghost Yuna Ji mentioned earlier. I asked her:
"How exactly did you end up in here?"
I asked, and Jade Zeng let out a long sigh. Black Moon was also lying on the mirror surface now, unable to leave. I stepped forward to try again, reaching out a finger to poke at the mirror. My fingertip sank into it as if dipping into water—strangely fascinating.
"Take me out, Miss Rachel Lan. Let me possess you, and you can bring me out. I'm begging you."
Zhang Zhiqing arrived at Jade Zeng's home and immediately found the source—the mirror. He told the couple that the mirror was likely made with human blood, and that a spell was cast on it from the beginning. He asked Jade Zeng where the mirror had been purchased.
However, Jade Zeng didn't know, nor did her family. The mirror had been in her father's office for years; it looked beautiful, so he gave it to Jade Zeng. The whole family was frantic, but Zhang Zhiqing reassured them. He explained that the mirror had absorbed Jade Zeng's vitality, and if he could return it to her, she would recover.
As promised, Zhang Zhiqing restored Jade Zeng's vitality and her mysterious illness was cured. Within days, she regained her beauty. The Zeng family wanted Zhang Zhiqing to destroy the mirror, but he couldn't. He explained that the mirror was now linked to Jade Zeng's soul—if the mirror was damaged, she would be hurt too. Zhang Zhiqing broke off a small piece of the mirror, and Jade Zeng's arm bled as if a chunk of flesh had been cut away.
The whole family was terrified. Zhang Zhiqing warned them that the mirror must never be destroyed. He would return to help again after the mirror drained Jade Zeng's vitality for a while. He also urged both families to do good; if they continued their evil ways, their line would end with this generation.
Both Jade Zeng's and her husband's families had always abused their power, exploiting others for personal gain. Jade Zeng herself had advised her husband on how to make more money. Despite their loving marriage, they never had children, and nothing changed in their behavior.
Three years after Zhang Zhiqing left, Jade Zeng fell ill again. The family searched everywhere for Zhang Zhiqing but couldn't find him. Five years later, he finally returned. Seeing the families unchanged, he shook his head and questioned why they hadn't listened to him.
With Zhang Zhiqing's help, Jade Zeng recovered once more. But this time, he warned it would be his last intervention. If the families refused to do good, he would be powerless to help in the future.
At this point, I understood—the mirror exploited Jade Zeng's evil thoughts, having been cursed from the start. Anyone harboring such darkness would have their vitality drained and eventually die.
"What happened next?"
I asked, and Jade Zeng lowered her head, a bitter smile on her face.
"To ensure my husband's family line continued, my husband took a second wife."
With the arrival of the second wife, Jade Zeng felt increasingly hopeless. She didn't understand why the mirror targeted her and not anyone else in the household. Her husband's attitude grew cold, especially after the second wife became pregnant.
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Gradually, Jade Zeng was treated like she belonged in the cold palace. The year the second wife gave birth, Jade Zeng fell ill again. The family continued their evil deeds and ignored her, even forcing her to move out. Only servants cared for her. Her husband said they would wait for Zhang Zhiqing to return.
But this time, Zhang Zhiqing did not return as promised. The agreed years passed, and Jade Zeng knew she was dying. She grew older and frailer, and her husband never visited her again after she moved out.
In her deep sorrow, Jade Zeng finally met Zhang Zhiqing once more.
Zhang Zhiqing told Jade Zeng there was nothing more he could do. He advised her to become vegetarian, chant Buddhist scriptures, and let go of worldly attachments. But Jade Zeng was furious and unwilling to accept her fate. Zhang Zhiqing explained that the mirror only targeted those with strong evil thoughts. She was simply unlucky—born into such a family, and the youngest, so the mirror latched onto her.
If both families had done good, their fortune and prosperity would have gradually returned, and only by using this energy could the curse be broken. But they did nothing, and as their exploitation continued, the mirror's draining grew more frequent. Zhang Zhiqing could do nothing more.
Zhang Zhiqing left behind a gourd, telling Jade Zeng to breathe into it daily—it would help her feel a little better. Two years after Zhang Zhiqing left, Jade Zeng died.
After death, Jade Zeng awoke to find herself trapped inside the mirror. She was filled with hatred and regret, forced to watch as the mirror was sold and resold. She tried to affect the outside world, but nothing she did had any impact.
The mirror grew old, but its wood remained fine. Buyers painted it anew and it changed hands many times over the years. Jade Zeng watched countless women dress themselves before it, screaming for someone to hear her. One day, she saw the second wife in the mirror—the mirror had come full circle and returned home. Consumed by hatred, Jade Zeng cried before the mirror every day.
Jade Zeng's husband, though the mirror looked new, felt uneasy and disliked it. He asked the second wife to throw it away, but she insisted on keeping it. Life improved for her husband's family after they had a son.
Zhang Zhiqing had previously told both families that Jade Zeng suffered on their behalf, shielding them from disaster. Yet, her family ignored her and claimed publicly that she died of a strange illness.
I quietly watched Black Moon—he seemed to know a lot, but now fell silent. Jade Zeng remained lost in her memories, eyes sad and face heavy, standing before the mirror and gazing longingly at the cluttered storeroom beyond, desperate to escape.
I could leave, but Black Moon had a point—if I left and couldn't return, things would get complicated.
"What did you mean earlier about fate being sealed for those with a black mole in their palm?"
Black Moon stared at Jade Zeng for a while before finally speaking.
"Those with a black mole in their palm either wield power and enjoy lifelong wealth, or suffer endlessly. It's a peculiar fate. I've seen many with such a mark—some prosper, others, like this lady, face growing misfortune."
"Can you take me out? Miss Rachel Lan, I truly want to leave. Please help me—will you?"
Jade Zeng kept begging. I glanced at the mirror, then reached out—my hand passed easily through its surface.
"Did you later cause your husband's family to perish?"
I asked. Jade Zeng shook her head.
"Even if I hadn't haunted them, their family's fate was sealed. Generations of exploitation led to their downfall—they were executed and their clan wiped out. My revenge was already complete. Miss Rachel Lan, please take me out. I truly want to leave."