Mirror Ghost
The fiery markings on Lu Congxing’s face began to fade, restoring his usual pale, clean complexion.
He tilted his head back. “Let’s go.”
Another set of footsteps echoed through the hospital—one light, one heavy. The two figures walked side by side in silence, neither breaking the stillness.
He Zhouyan even secretly wished the corridor were a little longer.
Unfortunately, aside from being reversed, the world inside the parallel dimension didn’t differ much from reality. The corridor ended all too quickly.
Inside the elevator, Lu Congxing tried once more to reach Yingying, but it was no use.
He could feel the presence of the contract, but he couldn’t force his way through the two separate dimensions.
Lu Congxing had expected something to happen in the elevator—he was already prepared to look up and see a ghost hanging from the ceiling—but even the elevator, which had seen its fair share of horror, was eerily calm this time.
With a ding, the elevator doors slid open. He pressed the button for the top floor—twelve—but the display read 4003.
That kind of trick wasn’t enough to scare them. With an expressionless face, Lu Congxing stepped out.
The green emergency exit sign flickered. Each time the light dimmed, a tall, lanky ghost would flash into view beneath it.
The ghost cast no shadow, but its body was stretched unnaturally long.
He Zhouyan let out a cold snort. “Cheap tricks.”
As soon as that voice fell, a pale, cold light instantly lit up the room.
The mirror ghost appeared before them—his once-handsome face now ruined by heavy dark circles under his eyes.
With a lifeless tone, he spoke: “I didn’t mean to.”
He had only wanted to know who had come.
Lu Congxing showed no surprise. “So it was you who pulled me into the mirror?”
He had dealt with countless ghosts trying to devour him since childhood. Trusting a malevolent ghost completely was never an option.
The mirror ghost had always felt… off.
Ordinary mirror ghosts could appear through mirrors, but they were usually bound ghosts and couldn’t stray far from the mirror they originated from—most were confined to a single room.
Yet this frail mirror ghost, who couldn’t even stick a finger through the glass, somehow managed to transport himself from one mirror to another.
To be precise, he didn’t seem to live through the mirror—he seemed more like he had sealed himself inside it.
He was utterly lifeless, void of desire. In fact, he was the only malevolent ghost Lu Congxing had ever encountered that entered his home but didn’t try to harm him.
He had even followed Lu Congxing when he moved—across from Bai Ze. Although he couldn’t enter Bai Ze’s home, few malevolent ghosts could even manage to come that close.
Lu Congxing had never let down his guard.
That’s why he made a contract with Yingying, but not with the mirror ghost.
Perhaps to avoid any misunderstanding, the mirror ghost, for once, gathered his strength and seriously explained, “No, it wasn’t me. I really don’t know why you suddenly came in. But don’t worry—this place is no different from the other side of the mirror. You won’t be in danger here.”
Ghostly blue flames slowly ignited on the ground, surrounding them and driving away most of the oppressive aura.
Lu Congxing blinked. “The realm that Wen Yi brought me into—that’s yours too, isn’t it?”
The mirror ghost fell silent. He raised a slender hand and lightly tapped his own head. “I don’t know. I can’t remember any of that.”
He didn’t outright deny it—the feeling deep in his soul told him there was a connection.
Lu Congxing remained calm. “I looked for Chen He, then Xiao Li… Never thought it would end up being you. Was your appearance also arranged by that person? If so, your entrance was far too clumsy.”
The ghost’s blank eyes gradually filled with pain. “Arranged? What arrangement? I don’t remember… I really don’t remember.”
He didn’t know who he was. He only remembered opening his eyes one day and finding himself in the boy’s home.
At first, he simply watched—watched the boy from the other side of the mirror. Until one day, he couldn’t help it anymore and played a small prank to let the boy know he was there.
It made him happy. His heart, long dead, seemed to beat once more.
But soon, the boy left—moving to a new home right across from a divine beast’s residence, a place that made malevolent ghosts extremely uncomfortable.
Even so, he followed—going against his very nature.
It was as if he was meant to stay by the boy’s side. That his existence… found meaning only through him.
The ghostly flames coiled up Lu Congxing’s arm like venomous snakes from a tropical jungle, hissing and baring their fangs at the tortured mirror ghost.
Lu Congxing’s gaze was complicated. “I told you, a malevolent ghost without obsession can’t remain in this world.”
The mirror ghost whispered, “My… obsession is you.”
Even he seemed stunned by his own words.
He Zhouyan’s face visibly darkened.
With a swift motion, he released a wave of spiritual energy—catching the mirror ghost completely off guard and pinning him hard against the wall.
Rings of spiritual energy formed around the mirror ghost’s limbs and neck, pinning him firmly to the wall. The mirror ghost was forced to face them directly.
His usually half-lidded, lifeless eyes widened from the pressure, and he stared fixedly at Lu Congxing as he explained, “Maybe I created that realm back when I still had my memories. I don’t know why I would’ve made it… but I never intended for you to enter it.”
He had sensed it the moment Lu Congxing was pulled into that realm. That was why, after returning with Yingying, he didn’t press further. Perhaps that subtle reaction was what tipped Lu Congxing off.
Ignoring He Zhouyan’s chillingly sharp gaze, the mirror ghost continued speaking to himself, “I think I must’ve known you before… maybe even in my past life.”
As he said that, blood began to foam at the corner of his lips, leaking uncontrollably. His expression twisted with pain as the pressure crushed his internal organs.
Gritting his teeth, he struggled to keep his gaze locked on Lu Congxing, refusing to look away.
Lu Congxing raised the hand that wasn’t wrapped in ghostly flames and signaled the man behind him to stop.
He Zhouyan instantly eased his suppression of the mirror ghost. Though his eyes were fierce, he obeyed without hesitation.
The mirror ghost collapsed to the ground, coughing violently. He didn’t need to breathe anymore, yet the suffocating pressure still overwhelmed him.
It was the first time he’d felt real anger since losing his memories. He glared at He Zhouyan and thought bitterly—what a loyal, obedient guard dog.
Unfortunately, the man he was glaring at showed no reaction. He simply looked at the boy quietly, with a hint of tenderness, and asked in a soft voice, “Do you want to go back?”
In that moment, the mirror ghost was hit with a sudden, powerful impulse—he wanted to keep Lu Congxing here, forever.
But if he did… then what?
He wavered, that thought growing stronger by the second. Yet all he could do was stand there in a daze, watching as Lu Congxing nodded at the man.
He knew he wasn’t a match for that man. If he truly tried to stop them, he’d probably be killed.
That man, dressed in a suit and looking every bit the part of a gentleman, radiated cold indifference. The mirror ghost had no doubt—he wanted to kill him right now.
The only thing stopping him was Lu Congxing’s presence.
That man was nothing but a wolf dressed as a loyal dog.
Anger flared once again in the mirror ghost’s chest.
But the tall man didn’t spare him even a glance. The moment he got the boy’s nod, he smiled. Reaching out, he gently took the boy’s hand. His eyes turned a pale icy-blue, and ancient totemic symbols appeared on his hand, glowing with a power strong enough to tear through dimensions.
With that force, he slashed open the wall in front of them.
Behind the wall was a dense array of mirrors in all shapes and sizes. They reflected the two of them—but not the mirror ghost lying on the ground.
He Zhouyan pulled Lu Congxing into his arms and said softly, “Close your eyes.”
Then, holding him close, He Zhouyan stepped forward—and took him through.
The pain Lu Congxing expected from crashing into the mirror never came. Instead, he heard the sound of countless mirrors shattering, followed by the sudden surge of real-world noise.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself back in a familiar hospital room. Xiao Li was kneeling on the ground, crying, while Lin Yang and Wen Yi glared at her with fury.
From everyone else’s perspective, he had merely zoned out for a moment.
Lu Congxing turned to look at the mirror on the wall. He had been pulled in after accidentally stepping back and catching his reflection in it.
Now, it was nothing more than an ordinary mirror.
Lin Yang noticed something. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Lu Congxing shook his head, no longer sparing a glance at Xiao Li, whose face was twisted by jealousy. “I’ll have Zhai Huokang take her away.”
The police couldn’t prosecute someone for trying to harm others with supernatural means—but the specialized unit could.
As long as the evil object she used was deemed a threat to the public, she’d be sentenced to prison.
Lu Congxing turned to look at the man behind him, and for the first time, a deep sense of reassurance settled in his chest.
No matter where he was, He Zhouyan always found him.
That strange, full feeling—the kind that made your heart race—was unfamiliar to him. It felt… a little magical.
He glanced down at their still-intertwined hands after stepping out together, paused, but said nothing.
. . . . .
It was the first time since He Zhouyan officially declared himself Lu Congxing’s guardian demon that the two of them made such a high-profile appearance together at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Lu Congxing tightened his grip on the white fur beneath him.
As soon as they entered, a crowd of enthusiastic demons surrounded them, which made He Zhouyan so angry that he immediately transformed into his original form and placed the cub on his back.
Of course, he remembered not to scare the cub, so he only turned slightly bigger than a tiger.
It worked like a talisman. The moment the other demons saw his original form—Bai Ze—they scattered in fright.
Well, most of them did.
While He Zhouyan was called away by the director for a private meeting, several powerful demons hurried over from other parts of the building and quickly lured the well-behaved cub away from the office door where he was waiting.
Zhu Yin1, cloaked in black robes, pulled out a milky-sweet candy stick—completely out of place with his terrifying, night-terror-stopping appearance—and offered it to the cub.
The mountain god, whose legend said his eyes could turn day into night and whose breath could change the seasons, now stood awkwardly in front of the spiritually pure cub.
He tried his best to mimic the gentle smile Bi Fang once taught him.
Thanks to Di Jiang and his big mouth, all of the demon race now knew Lu Congxing had a fondness for milk-flavored treats.
Lu Congxing took the candy and politely said, “Thank you.”
Zhu Yin’s expression instantly cracked, his “kindly elder” facade collapsing into something far more ‘ferocious’.
He thanked me! He’s so polite!
But when he thought about how such a sweet cub had been stolen away by Bai Ze, Zhu Yin’s face fell completely.
Xing Tian2 eagerly approached as well. “That Bai Ze didn’t bully you, did he?”
He was in his original form—headless, with all his facial features on his torso.
Surrounded by these ancient spirits and powerful demons who doted on him, Lu Congxing regarded them all as elders. Patient and polite, he answered all their questions without the slightest trace of annoyance.
Ever since He Zhouyan became his guardian, this kind of interaction became a regular occurrence.
While sometimes exasperating, it also filled his heart with a quiet warmth.
Just as the big demons joyfully surrounded the cub like it was a group therapy session, the elevator behind them slowly descended to their floor.
With a soft ding, the doors parted.
A tall, stunning man stepped out—his striking features and commanding aura instantly turning heads. His pale icy-blue eyes carried a seductive, divine intensity that made one want to kneel and worship.
Right now, those eyes burned with fury as they landed on the group that had taken the cub away.
Author’s note:
Poor Bai Ze hasn’t even caught the boy yet and already managed to offend the entire “in-law family” (a.k.a the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs). Let this be a warning to all men out there.
- 烛阴 (Zhú yīn) According to the “Classic of Mountains and Seas”, Zhu Yin is the god of Zhangwei Mountain, with a human face and a snake body, red all over, and eyes that grow vertically. When he opens his eyes, it is daytime; when he closes his eyes, it is night; when he blows, it is winter; when he exhales, it is summer. He does not drink water, eat food, or breathe, but when he breathes, he turns into wind. He is a thousand miles long.
↩︎ - 刑天 (Xíng Tiān) According to the “Classic of Mountains and Seas”, Xing Tian was fighting for the throne with Huangdi (or Emperor of Heaven) and was beheaded. After losing his head, he used his breasts as eyes and his belly button as a mouth to survive, fighting with an axe in each hand and a shield.
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