Chapter 44: The Lord of the Mirror Demons (2)

After Wu Zui and his companion arrived at the Ping’an Community, they quickly found their way to the room where the full-length mirror had been placed earlier.

“Master, there really is resentful energy here!”

The moment Xiao Ke’ai entered, she immediately noticed a thin layer of black mist drifting in the air. Judging by its appearance, the mist was on the verge of dispersing completely—clearly, they had arrived a step too late. The ghost must have slipped away.

“Look around for any clues,” Wu Zui instructed as he began searching the room, and Xiao Ke’ai also started her investigation.

While Wu Zui checked the master bedroom, Xiao Ke’ai entered the secondary bedroom. From the arrangement, it was clear that the lady and master of the house had long been sleeping in separate rooms—no doubt unable to bear Liu Lei’s violent episodes during his drug withdrawal.

As Xiao Ke’ai passed a mirror on the vanity, her reflection appeared, and her expression blanked for an instant. The lively spark in her eyes vanished entirely.

Her dazed state was fleeting. She quickly regained composure, gazed at her reflection with an eerie smile, then allowed her features to settle into their usual calm. Without another word, she turned and went to find Wu Zui.

In Liu Lei’s living room, Xiao Ke’ai slumped on the couch, exhaustion written all over her face. “Master, there doesn’t seem to be anything here! Let’s check somewhere else!”

“Alright,” Wu Zui replied, emerging from the master bedroom empty-handed. But as soon as he stepped out, he noticed there was no trace of black mist above Xiao Ke’ai’s head. His hand trembled involuntarily, his heart sinking.

When did it happen? Damn it!

A shadow crossed Wu Zui’s face, though Xiao Ke’ai seemed oblivious. She hurried over, grabbed his arm, and made to leave.

Wu Zui quickly composed himself. Xiao Ke’ai was protected by magnetic energy, reinforced with portable magnetic devices and a magnetic protective suit. With such safeguards, even a ghost wouldn’t be able to possess her without making any noise.

Yet Wu Zui had heard nothing. That could only mean the spirit here had lured her soul elsewhere. But where?

Blue magnetic energy flickered in Wu Zui’s hand as he gripped the impostor’s wrist tightly. At the point where their skin touched, black smoke began to curl—this Xiao Ke’ai was no human.

“Where have you taken my apprentice?” Wu Zui demanded of the unknown ghost spirit before him.

But the false Xiao Ke’ai only sneered. “Tsk, then you can stay too! Worthless one-star!”

With a deafening crack, Xiao Ke’ai’s form split and swelled, rising from a slim five-foot-seven to over two meters. Her head pressed against the ceiling, and her flesh seemed to morph into slabs of mirrored glass.

The wrist Wu Zui grasped lengthened unnaturally; if her arms hung down, her hands would reach past her knees. This transformation took only an instant. The Mirror Ghost struck at Wu Zui with its free hand, while the other hand spun and gripped him, preventing any escape.

Wu Zui hastily activated his portable magnetic device. Blue energy shimmered over him but cracked under the Mirror Ghost’s first blow. The second and third heavy punches shattered the device completely; Wu Zui even heard the badge device on his shoulder snap.

He drew his golden sword, infused it with magnetic power, and slashed at the Mirror Ghost. But it was useless—the energy simply reflected off the mirrored surface, and the golden blade passed harmlessly through the ghost’s body.

The next moment, the Mirror Ghost punched Wu Zui into the ceiling. Agonizing pain knotted his abdomen. The magnetic suit blocked the ghostly energy, but the sheer physical force made Wu Zui cough up blood.

The ability to shift between tangible and intangible forms—this marked a three-star ghost spirit.

But the Mirror Ghost hadn’t expected Wu Zui’s spattered blood to ignite upon contact, bursting into crimson flame. The mirrors on its body crackled and shattered as several were reduced to dust in moments.

The Mirror Ghost, ruthless as ever, flung Wu Zui into the wall and immediately shed every blood-stained shard. The discarded mirrors burned to ash in the flames.

Behind the peeled-away mirrors, more mirrored surfaces lay beneath, but these were foggy and dull, as if neglected for years.

A strange look crossed the Mirror Ghost’s face. The blood-fire had burned through two layers in seconds—if Wu Zui had struck its core, that would have been fatal. In a flash, the ghost’s body dissipated, fleeing—better to hide than to die.

When the Mirror Ghost vanished, Wu Zui swallowed a white pill (adrenaline) and rushed to the secondary bedroom Xiao Ke’ai had searched earlier. The ghost’s blows had broken several of his ribs; even breathing hurt.

“The mirror… the mirror…”

He began searching immediately, but found the vanity’s mirror had shattered into fragments no larger than a fist—useless now.

He seemed to recall something and hurried to the bathroom, where a smaller but intact mirror hung. As soon as Wu Zui’s reflection appeared, his expression froze, an eerie smile crept across his face, and, no longer concerned with searching, he simply turned and left Liu Lei’s home.

The real Wu Zui had entered the mirror world.

Mirrors—everywhere, of every size.

In each mirror, Wu Zui’s image stared back at him. All looked like him, yet each wore a different expression: an uncanny grin, a cold stare, a maniacal sneer, or a feral snarl.

Yet Wu Zui did not panic. He drew his golden sword, wrapped it in blue magnetic light, and smashed a mirror. It shattered instantly—nothing but useless trash.

After a moment’s hesitation, Wu Zui stopped. His magnetic energy was limited; as long as these mirrors posed no threat, he needed to conserve his strength.

Right now, finding Xiao Ke’ai and escaping was paramount. If his guess was right, there was already an impostor with his face out there—no doubt preparing to commit some unspeakable act.

And indeed, Wu Zui’s guess was spot on.

Elsewhere in the mirror realm, Xiao Ke’ai had already put away her hammer; the ground was littered with broken glass. She had activated her portable magnetic device to replenish her energy.

“One look and it dragged me into this dump. Let me catch you and I’ll smash your ugly head!” she muttered angrily, kicking at shards of glass, lips pursed in frustration.

Who knew what would happen when she actually faced the Mirror Ghost—it was a spirit above three stars, after all!

In the real world, Wu Zui, unlike Liu Lei, still had considerable savings. Donning Wu Zui’s face and wielding fragments of his memory, the Mirror Ghost easily accessed his mobile banking app and bought a mountain of mirrors, nearly emptying his account.

When the mirrors arrived at Wu Zui’s home, the Mirror Ghost didn’t even open the packages. It simply infused its resentful energy into each one, turning them into tools that connected the mirror realm to the real world.

Anyone who caught their reflection would be trapped in the mirror realm, just as Wu Zui and Xiao Ke’ai had been. Their confusion, fear, and despair would become the Mirror Ghost’s power. Those who perished inside would become its slaves, just like Liu Lei.

To be honest, the Mirror Ghost was surprised that Wu Zui had willingly gone in. In the real world, it feared the blood-fire, but in the mirror realm, it had countless clones. Even if Wu Zui bled himself dry, he could never kill them all.

Let him play in the mirror world for a while!

After infusing energy into all the mirrors, the Mirror Ghost requested a return, refunded the money, then bought new mirrors, repeating the cycle. If Wu Zui didn’t escape soon, who knew how many would be trapped and enslaved? His account would be blacklisted by every e-commerce platform before long!

Inside the mirror world, Wu Zui had searched for ages, but found no exit. It was a labyrinth made of mirrors, those endless faces, so like his own and yet so alien, filling his mind with the urge to smash them all.

He forced himself to resist. If he wasted too much energy, the place was saturated with resentful power—he could easily be lost here. He also worried for Xiao Ke’ai—could she control herself?

Calming his mind, Wu Zui surveyed his surroundings.

The sky in the mirror world was pitch-black, as if neither stars nor moon existed. The center was a maze of mirrors, each reflecting his many faces. Even the earth beneath his feet was a mirror, the inverted figures within appearing oddly sinister.

“Hm?”

Wu Zui suddenly noticed there was no reflection beneath his feet. Every other mirror had an inverted image below, but not his. Could it be…?

He gripped his golden sword with both hands, blue magnetic energy shimmering, and drove it into the ground at his feet.

Boom—

All the surrounding mirrors exploded at once.