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墨書 Inktalez
Qiongqi is one of the Four Great Beasts from ancient times, rumored to be a manifestation of the resentment left behind by Gonggong after his death. In folklore, Qiongqi is used to symbolize treachery and betrayal, representing a great evil beast.
The crack in the mirror gradually widened, and the Noble Lady trembled uncontrollably, unsure of what to do. She was in a state of extreme panic and unease, and I could see the growing terror in her eyes—a despair that came from witnessing death approaching.
With a powerful impact from within, the mirror became exceedingly fragile, shattering in an instant. Jun Chong suddenly stepped back, positioning himself in front of me. I quickly grabbed Lin You and shielded her behind me.
“Qiongqi is about to emerge. Stay behind me and don’t move.”
I nodded and pointed at the Noble Lady, asking, “What about her?”
“The mirror is the soul of the Mirror Demon. Once it shatters, it cannot be restored; she will undoubtedly die. And that woman’s soul will be trapped in the Mirror World for eternity.”
No sooner had Jun Chong finished speaking than the Noble Lady let out a heart-wrenching scream. Then came a sharp crack as the mirror shattered, its fragments falling to the ground.
The Noble Lady’s eyes rolled back, and she collapsed onto the bed, motionless. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed cracks appearing on the photograph outside the Leather Bag, and the person in the photo vanished just like what I had seen that day in the Photography Studio.
“Roar—”
The roar of the beast was deafening, shaking the ground beneath us. I clutched Lin You tightly with one hand while gripping Jun Chong's clothing with the other. The air was thick with the strong scent of Qiongqi’s blood.
Its entire body was covered in red fur, standing erect like a porcupine, its mouth wide open in an aggressive stance. I even saw a severed hand caught between its teeth, just like when we eat meat and bits get stuck between our teeth—left there without time to remove them.
“Anxin, run outside and don’t look back.”
Jun Chong suddenly spoke up, pushing me forcefully backward. Before I could react, the door slammed shut behind us. Outside, I could already hear neighbors knocking and talking—it seemed they had called the police.
I exchanged glances with Lin You, the door in front of us was deliberately closed by Jun Chong. Inside was a fierce battle, while behind us was the blockade set up by the neighbors. If we went out from here, we would definitely be discovered. With no way forward and no way back, our rhythm was thrown into chaos.
I wasn't worried about myself; I was only concerned about Jun Chong, who had just regained his spiritual power facing the Ancient Beasts. Clearly, it would be a tough fight.
Lin You grabbed my arm as I tried to move forward, shaking her head. "Anxin, Jun Chong is very capable; he will be fine. It's best for us to leave first."
"But—"
"I heard screams coming from inside; something must have happened. This kid has been acting strange these past few days. Noble Lady, Noble Lady—"
As she spoke, a middle-aged woman in her fifties entered through the opened door with a security guard. Behind her were several onlookers. The moment Lin You opened the door, she pulled me to hide behind the curtain.
Caught off guard by their sudden arrival, neither of us dared to move. The woman confidently headed toward Noble Lady's room. I could still hear the fighting sounds coming from inside. If she opened that door, it would surely spell trouble—not for Jun Chong being discovered but for innocent bystanders getting caught up in this mess.
I prepared to rush out immediately, but Lin You held me back tightly, shaking her head vigorously as if to say, "We can't go out."
"But if we don't, they will be in danger." I gestured toward the group of people. Lin You continued to shake her head and then subtly nodded toward one of the men among them, whispering in my ear, "Look at that man."
I turned my gaze and was taken aback; the young man following the woman was none other than the guy from the Photography Studio.
"How did he end up here?"
Lin You shook her head. At that moment, the woman had already opened Noble Lady's door. My heart tightened, and the next second, her scream echoed out: "Noble Lady! Noble Lady! What happened? Call an ambulance!"
I saw someone step out to call for an ambulance and felt puzzled; the sounds of fighting were still ongoing—had they not noticed?
Suddenly, a piercing sound cut through the air as I heard glass shattering. The woman cried out in panic, "W-What happened to that window? How did it break on its own?"
She can't see?
As the window shattered, I felt Jun Chong's presence fade away. Tao Wu's quiet voice reached my ears, "The Lord and Qiongqi have already left this place. Sister, let me take you away."
"Tao Wu, didn't they notice Jun Chong and Qiongqi?" I asked in my mind.
Tao Wu replied softly, "The Lord did not reveal himself, so outsiders naturally cannot see him. And Qiongqi is a magical beast; mortals cannot perceive it."
Mortals cannot see, but— I turned to glance at Lin You beside me. She was focused on the commotion over there, unaware that I was watching her.
"Anxin, that man has already left. Let's take this chance to escape. Take off your shoes to avoid making noise."
As Lin You spoke, she removed her shoes. When she turned and noticed me frozen in place, she reached out and flicked my forehead. "What are you dazed about?"
"Oh! I got it."
I pushed aside the questions flashing in my mind and quickly took off my sandals, holding them in my hand as I crouched low with Lin You and moved toward the door. Perhaps we were lucky enough; we went unnoticed even as we entered the elevator.
As the elevator descended, we both sighed in relief simultaneously, exchanging a glance before bursting into laughter.
"It feels like we just played thieves and fled empty-handed."
"You've ruined my image," I joked as I put my shoes back on. Lin You teased, "Ruined is ruined; anyway, you're already married while I'm still single!"
"Isn't Su Ziqian a person?"
Lin You gave a meaningful smile. "Do you think there's any possibility for us?"
I paused in the act of putting on my shoes, an inexplicable thought of Ling Feng crossing my mind, a hint of bitterness flashing in my eyes. Lin You was momentarily taken aback as well, then waved her hand and slipped on her shoes. "Did you still see that guy's death aura?"
"I did." I quickly finished putting on my shoes and walked out of the elevator alongside Lin You. "How could he be here? And how can someone suddenly have death aura one moment and not the next?"
"Necromancer."
"What?" Lin You uttered those three words, and since I didn't catch it clearly, I asked again. She shook her head, spreading her hands. "I don't know either."
I blinked, watching her step into the darkness, feeling a strange familiarity mixed with distance. This Lin You felt both familiar and unfamiliar; it was as if she was shrouded in mist—she was my Lin You, yet so far away, no longer the friend with whom I shared everything.
"Don't think too much about it; she's always been herself."
I tried to convince myself not to dwell on these thoughts, holding onto the belief that the future would surely brighten.
Because Tao Wu insisted I go home and I was worried about Jun Chong's safety, Lin You voluntarily stayed behind to keep me company. We searched the apartment and outside but found no trace of that man, so we had to give up.
I poured a glass of water for Lin You and sat beside her. Over an hour had passed since we returned, and Jun Chong still hadn't come back. Although I didn't voice it, I was deeply concerned. I asked Tao Wu to look for him, but Tao Wu received orders to guard me and not let me leave.
I knew she couldn't defy Jun Chong's orders, so I let it go. It wasn't until midnight that Su Ziqian called Lin You. Lin You stepped away from me to answer the phone. After a brief conversation, she said she had to leave.
I didn’t ask anything; Su Ziqian was her boyfriend, and I felt more at ease knowing he would take her home. After seeing Lin You off, I returned to my room feeling somewhat fatigued. Rubbing my temples, I prepared to wait for Jun Chong.
To my surprise, when I opened the door, I found him standing by the window. "Jun Chong."
I rushed over and hugged his waist tightly, anxiously asking, "Are you hurt? Why were you gone for so long?"
Jun Chong turned around; the Sealing Spell on his left cheek flickered again. My heart ached as I reached up to touch his face. "Why has the Sealing Spell appeared again? Did you waste a lot of spiritual energy?" As I spoke, I pushed him away slightly to grab a knife to cut my skin and feed him my blood, but he pulled me tightly into his embrace instead.
"I’m not injured, so I don’t need your blood. The Sealing Spell is just me gathering spiritual energy to temporarily retreat; it won’t last long before I return."
I slightly parted my lips and then pressed them tightly together, quietly snuggling in his embrace without asking why he needed to temporarily retreat the Sealing Spell. Jun Chong said nothing until the sound of Su Ziqian's Lamborghini rushed away downstairs like the wind.
"What about Qiongqi?"
"It ran away."
"He’s an Ancient Beast; how could he appear in the Mirror World? Does this have anything to do with the Demon Realm?"
"No." Jun Chong frowned, his voice somewhat heavy. "I sensed a trace of Curse controlling him, but he was resisting. It seems the other party wasn’t able to control him easily."
"Controlling Qiongqi?" I was shocked. "Who would try to control Qiongqi?" Anyone capable of using a Curse to control a magical beast surely wouldn’t be from the Demon Realm, nor would it be Qi Qi. So who would want to control Qiongqi? What was their purpose?
"Could it be that man?" I tilted my head back, trying hard to recall scattered images of that man. "When I first saw him in the Crystal Shop, there was no death aura around him; it appeared later. The Noble Lady didn’t have it when she separated from him either. And when you and Qiongqi were fighting in the room, I saw that man come in with an older woman and a security guard. After you left, he left too."
To my surprise, Jun Chong looked down at me with a frown and asked, "That man has appeared?"
"Yes?" I looked at him in confusion. "Didn’t you feel it?" Jun Chong shook his head. He sensed others’ auras far beyond mine, so how could he not notice? If it weren’t for Lin You’s reminder, I wouldn’t have noticed that man either. But once she mentioned it, I saw him and noticed the death aura surrounding him.
My confusion deepened, and I hesitated about whether to tell Jun Chong. He then said, "Take me to see that man tomorrow before we draw any conclusions."
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