The street ahead was deserted, its surface littered with fallen leaves. I took out the small sphere Kane had given me—a chill swept across my palm as I gripped it. Holding the sphere aloft, I stepped across the boundary between two distinctly different places.
As I moved it across, the sphere showed no reaction. I silently observed the street, where every house displayed a red-framed mirror.
"Curse Wolf."
I called out softly. Black mist curled around my neck, quickly merging into a wolf's head trailing a black tail, which flew across the street. Everything Curse Wolf saw and sensed was transmitted to my mind—I could see through its eyes.
Curse Wolf approached a mirror, circling its frame, but I still sensed nothing. Black Moon sat nearby on the ground, her crescent eyes vertical and unfocused, lost in thought.
"Do you sense anything?"
I asked. Black Moon shook her head.
"Should we just head over? Don’t you have that scroll Old Book Sage gave you?"
I hummed in reply. With a thought, Curse Wolf returned to me, circling at my feet before gradually dissipating.
Black Moon and I stepped into the old town ahead. Leaves on the street danced in the breeze as we walked to the first house. A strong gust swept past, sending the fallen leaves whirling through the air.
I glanced back—the town we’d come from had vanished. I hurriedly ran toward where it had been, and as soon as I crossed over, the town reappeared. It was uncanny. I understood now why Cao Wanzhi didn’t dare go further: once you move ahead, you can’t see the place you came from, and if you get lost, it becomes nearly impossible to return.
Soon, we reached a crossroads. The houses in every direction looked almost identical, and each doorway had a mirror.
We headed left. After a while, we stopped—there was a fork ahead, with only two paths: left, which seemed to loop back to the exit, and right, whose destination was unknown.
Holding the scroll, I studied the path we’d taken. Black Moon and I chose the right road. We walked for over ten minutes without encountering any more forks. The scroll showed a long stretch of road behind us.
Eventually, the path ended in a dead end. I stared in frustration. Black Moon stepped forward, suddenly raising a hand—whooshing sounds echoed as black crescent blades shot out, instantly slicing through the house before us. With a rumble, it collapsed.
"That’s more like it."
I muttered. With the house demolished, a cross street was revealed. We climbed over the rubble and continued onward.
"Do you sense anything?"
I watched Black Moon, who seemed lost in thought. After a long pause, she looked to the left.
"I sense the Boss’s aura on the left."
Just as I was about to leave, Black Moon called out to me.
"Rachel Lan, wait here for me. I’ll find you—let me go ahead instead."
I thought it over and nodded. If I ran into another hallucination like before, I wouldn’t be able to handle it. So I stayed put while Black Moon dashed off down the left street.
After Black Moon left, I approached a house by the street and looked at the mirror on its door. Peering through the window, I saw a simple interior—just wooden tables, chairs, and a few small objects. I pushed the door open; a chill swept over me. Pinching my nose against the musty smell, I stepped inside.
With a creak, the door behind me suddenly moved. I grabbed the door, and saw a wild-haired woman in the mirror reach out to close it. I caught her hand in mine.
"You’d better come out, or I’ll kill you."
I threatened her. The black sphere in my pocket was already frantically absorbing the ghostly energy she emitted. Seeing I wasn’t afraid, the ghost in the mirror wailed. I yanked her out—the same ghost I’d killed before.
With a whoosh, the pale, wild-haired woman landed lightly on the street. I’d already rushed out of the house, gripping Belle, its blade pressed to the ghost’s throat.
"What do you want?"
As soon as I asked, every mirror on the street reflected a woman identical to the ghost before me. Their shrill wails filled the air. The ghost lunged at me, but Belle’s blade swept across her throat—she turned to ash. What shocked me was that she had no ghost soul, only ghostly energy. Something was wrong.
Now, the mirrors filled with female ghosts radiating black energy, their clawed hands clutching fresh flowers as they wailed and flew toward me.
I stared quietly as the ghosts lunged at me, their faces twisted with rage, eager to tear me apart. Waves of overwhelming resentment crashed over me.
"I warned you."
I said icily. Flames flickered on my forehead, tracing fiery patterns across my cheeks. Golden fire flowed over my body, and as I raised my hand, the flames surged outward in streams.
In an instant, the ghosts from the mirrors were reduced to ash, houses disintegrating in the blaze. I watched the burning golden flames—they would not go out, but continue to exist. The fire marks on my face were the "human fire" Emperor Yan taught me: as long as my human flame burned, the fire I released would never die.
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Golden flames burned all around me. Amid the chaos, I had already released Curse Wolf beneath the ground. Now, I could see clear divisions of black and white in many places. Suddenly, I spotted a house nearby—pure black.
I wandered aimlessly as golden flames gathered around me. The mirrors on the intact houses showed nothing now. I reached the pure black house, and instantly, flames surrounded it from all sides.
"Come out, or I won’t be so merciful."
I spoke angrily, but there was no response from the house. Instantly, the golden flames twisted into ropes, reducing the house to ash. Amid the wailing, I saw the ghost’s position, raised my hand, and the fire formed a thick rope, looping around her neck. She whimpered as I dragged her out, slamming her onto the ground. I glared coldly at her.
"Tell me, what’s really going on here?"
I demanded. Only then did the female ghost show fear and begin to plead.
"Miss, please let me go. I’m no match for you. I’ve been trapped here for centuries—please, have mercy."
With a thought, I drew the golden fire rope back into myself, then crouched before the ghost and helped her up.
"Miss, I’m just hungry—I only wanted something to eat."
"So you saw me and wanted to eat me?"
The ghost nodded, then explained her name was Jade Zeng. She’d been trapped here for centuries, unable to escape. She desperately wanted to leave the mirror, but it was impossible.
"Isn’t there anywhere else here? Why don’t you go..."
Before I could finish, Jade Zeng told me that this place was nothing but identical blocks, and a mirror through which she could see the living world. She could pull people into the mirror, but only those with very weak resistance.
"Show me."
I was a little surprised as Jade Zeng floated up and led me onward. The houses I’d burned down with my flames suddenly restored themselves. After weaving through the streets, Jade Zeng brought me to a building that stood out—a round, three-story house with four entrances. With a wave of her hand, one door opened. Inside, mirrors lined every wall. When I entered, I found the mirrors couldn’t reflect me, but they showed Jade Zeng’s image clearly.
"What’s going on?"
"Miss, how did you get in here?"
Jade Zeng was shocked and asked me. I didn’t reveal how I’d gotten in—just said I could. As she stared in amazement, I pressed for details. Jade Zeng led me to the second floor, a cluttered storeroom filled with boxes, tools, and scraps of paper. I glanced at some blueprints—they were reversed. Then I noticed a redwood-framed mirror, about a meter and a half tall, in the corner. Everything inside the mirror matched this place exactly.
"I was placed in a basement."
Jade Zeng pointed at something in the mirror. I reached out, and to my shock, my hand passed through the glass. As I prepared to step through, a swirl of black energy surged beside me.
"If you go out, you’ll never come back."
Suddenly, Black Moon appeared and grabbed me.