Reflection in the Mirror

aid of Bai WuchangI ran home like crazy, locking myself in my room. I had to know, what was he!As soon as midnight struck, he appeared in my room almost on time.Still that cold mask, still so...simple..."The chicken is a transformation of the divine beast, Chongming Bird. Chongming can ward off jackals, tigers, leopards, demons and ghosts, all kinds of evil spirits. Ancients also called it the five virtues bird." Jiang Qiyun held my hand and led me inside.

A passerby saw me walking outside the hospital wall with one hand slightly spread out, tilting my head and talking to myself, and they looked at me with that kind of "What a nice girl who actually has a problem" stare.

I'm used to it, I don't mind if they call me crazy. It's rare for Jiang Qiyun to talk to me like this, so calmly and peacefully.

What is the "Five Virtue Bird"

“That is to say, it has a crest on its head, signifying literary virtue; spurs on its feet, indicating martial virtue; a sharp beak like a knife, representing courage; it dares to fight when the enemy is present, showing bravery; it calls its own kind when there is food, demonstrating benevolence; and it stays awake throughout the night until dawn, adhering to schedule and trustworthiness… Therefore, some people raise this kind of rooster using special methods as a talisman against evil spirits.”

These few roosters were actually magical artifacts raised by a skilled Taoist priest. They fed on centipedes, which have medicinal properties that can calm wind and convulsions, dispel toxins and break up masses, and relieve pain and unblock channels. Therefore, these roosters are fearless of insidious poisons and corpse poison.

When I got to my dad's ward, my brother and Cheng Banshen were already setting things up.

"You two go sit outside. If a nurse comes in, stop her. If a nurse finds out we're doing this feudal superstition in the hospital, she might call security and have us thrown out." My brother grinned at me.

Jiang Qiyun said faintly, "Just set up a barrier. How long will it take you"

"An hour is enough."

I sat on a chair outside, watching Jiang Qiyun draw talismans behind the door. My brother and Cheng Banshen were also busy. I was just a idle person, wanting to help but unable to.

Cheng Banxian dragged over a large suitcase and took out several mirrors wrapped in silk. He laid them under my father's bed.

Then he took out a bag of little wooden figurines, each one sitting cross-legged with red paint used to draw on their eyebrows, eyes, and mouths. They looked like they were smiling, friendly and approachable.

These little wooden people are lined up around my dad's bed.

He took out another bag of little wooden men. They were identical in shape to the previous ones, but their faces were painted black. Their eyes and lips were all drawn downwards, giving them a sullen and menacing look, as if they held some unknown malice.

He placed these black little heads upside down on the mirror under the bed, each one facing upwards like a reflection.

I stared at the upside-down black wooden figurine, its menacing face twitching slightly. Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine and took a few steps back in fear.

Cheng Banxian looked up at me, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Your constitution is indeed special. You can actually sense the sinister aura above..."

"You, aren't you supposed to be exorcising Why are you using such a ferocious thing" I asked with concern.

"You'll find out soon enough." Cheng Banshen took out a bronze mirror with eight sides, opened the frame behind the mirror, circled the bed, and then lit a white candle in front of the mirror.

"Alright, we can begin. All of you leave this room, alright Don't come in and interrupt the process." He patted his chest and said, "I'm an old doctor, I assure you, it'll be fine."

What can I say My only hope is that he recovers, even if he can't get up. As long as he regains his senses, we can take him home and take good care of him.

Chuan Banxian muttered a spell and pinched a formula. I saw those wooden figures tremble slightly, especially the black figurine reflected upside down on the mirror, almost swaying to its fall. At the same time, the candle flame in front of the eight-faced bronze mirror flickered green.

A chill ran down my spine. The room suddenly felt filled with an oppressive, ghostly presence, causing me to involuntarily step back in fear.

Jiang Qiyun raised his hand and pressed on my shoulder: "Don't be afraid... that is his true face."

I looked at Cheng Banxian, his fair and delicate skin gradually turned into rough, dark green, and two small pointed horns grew on his forehead...

I heard my brother swallow, and he got nervous too — there was a real ghost right in front of us.

Jiang Qiyun braced my waist, preventing me from going limp and sliding to the ground.

I saw in the mirror under the bed that black mist gradually gathered, little by little forming the shape of a human head, dashing and rolling randomly in the mirror.

At this moment, in the eight bronze mirrors surrounding him, hazy images suddenly appeared.

I saw the outline of my father, he was hugging a woman tightly, while in another mirror he seemed to be arguing with her, and in yet another mirror the woman was holding a child...

These events' influence keeps repeating, like the deepest memory in my father's heart. That is how I can awaken his spirit.

The shadow in the mirror began to roar: "You woman! Why do you make me love you so much! I want to eat you! Crush your bones!"

Hearing this, I was jolted — it was my dad's voice!!

"Ugh...ugh...so noisy! This child is so noisy! I really want to kill him!"

"You're about to die, why are you still having children! Are they more important than me!! I'll kill them all to keep you company!!"

These piercing screams chilled me to the bone. Was that my father Could this person uttering such horrifying words be my father!

Why does he want to kill Mom and us

My brother's expression was grave, and I couldn't help but tremble.

"Don't be afraid." Jiang Qiyun held me: "This is just the embodiment of all the evil thoughts deep within our hearts."

"All things are born and die. Many people think about just giving up, wondering why they still haven't died, asking why you don't just die… These are karmic obstacles. Even if it's a momentary impulsive outburst, it adds to one's karma. That previous Ghost King wasn't he simply the result of fate and coincidence, merging with the malicious thoughts I abandoned deep in Yin Mountain That's how he became so powerful."

I buried my head in his arms, afraid to look at the scene inside the room. Jiang Qiyun chatted with me to distract me: "Xiaoqiao, have you ever had any evil thoughts"

I pondered for a moment, then mumbled, "Does jealousy count..."

He let out a light chuckle, but didn't answer.

In the room, Cheng Banxian suddenly jumped onto my dad's hospital bed and slowly climbed on top of him... My brother clenched his fists, looking like he wanted to rush in and pull them apart.

Because he's stealing my dad's chi! There are two black wisps of energy slowly coming out of my dad's nose, and he's backing away as he inhales them.

The more black qi emerged, the less the black mist in the mirror under the bed became.

Finally, he spat out the black qi onto the ground, where it turned into segments that resembled intestines.

It was so disgusting I couldn't bear to look. The loud crowing of roosters reached my ears, and they rushed in like they saw a feast, frantically pecking at it.

After a while, the oppressive atmosphere in the room dissipated.

"Well..." a raspy voice began.

I looked at Cheng Banxian. His skin, both on his face and hands, was dry and cracked like parched earth.

“You, you… what is this…” I stared at him in horror.

He wryly smiled: “They all say it’s harmful to the body… Sigh, I have to hurry back to Widow Alley and let the yin qi nurture me…”ing onI looked over there, the safety passage door creaked open, and out came two figures dressed in white robes, wearing square, tall hats, with blue-black faces...GhostI widened my eyes, just about...