Chapter 83 The Mirror World: Commander Fu

"Back then, our ancestor believed Xie Yingxuan's nonsense, saying that he could refine a Yin Lamp that would bring prosperity to the family, and tricked him into willingly becoming the wick of the lamp."

Liu Yongchang's voice was hoarse, his eyes filled with complex emotions, "In the end, the lamp was successfully made, but the person turned into a monster that wanted to eat the blood of their offspring!"

“My son was eaten by those sea cockroaches last year; they all ended up inside those lantern-shaped creatures! Our Liu family is the biggest victim!”

After hearing this, Xie Xun suddenly sneered, "So you're asking me to cooperate because I've formed a symbiotic pact with Fu Qinghuai?"

"That's right!"

Liu Yongchang said urgently, "Only you can deal with that lantern now. It relies on absorbing the Xie family's fortune to survive, and you are currently protected by Fu Qinghuai's ghostly power..."

“If we join forces, you destroy the lanterns, and I'll help you break the Xie family's curse. This is a very worthwhile deal.”

He lowered his voice, unable to hide his anxiety, "And... my daughter was just sucked into the mirror world. She's my only child. If you go in and re-sign a contract with the mirror spirit, you can help me bring my daughter back."

Xie Xun recalled all the unfortunate things that had happened to him since childhood, and then he thought of his father's hesitant expression before he died.

"Okay, but I'm worried about you."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly grabbed Liu Yongchang and pulled him close, ripped open his collar, and used the blood from his bitten finger to draw a talisman on Liu's chest.

"This is a pact of shared destiny."

Xie Xun released him, his eyes sharp. "If anything happens to me, you won't live either."

As he spoke, he grabbed Jiang Lehui's hand again and drew a Taoist talisman on his palm.

"This is a Heart-Connecting Talisman; if anything happens to him, I'll know immediately. If my friend loses even a single hair..."

Xie Xun stared coldly at Liu Yongchang, the blood talisman on his chest suddenly glowing with a scorching red light, "Just wait until your internal organs are burned to ashes."

Liu Yongchang broke out in a cold sweat and nodded repeatedly, "Don't worry, I absolutely guarantee their safety!"

After Xie Xun finished explaining to Jiang Le, Liu Yongchang pointed to the end of the corridor.

"The entrance to the Mirror Realm is over there, follow me."

The group walked through a messy corridor and came to a carved wooden door.

Liu Yongchang pushed open the door, revealing a Chinese-style tea room with a bronze mirror as tall as a person hanging on the wall.

The mirror's surface rippled with eerie waves, and one could faintly hear a little girl crying inside.

"It's this mirror,"

Liu Yongchang swallowed nervously. "My daughter is trapped inside."

As soon as Fu Qinghuai approached, the mirror surface emitted a golden light, directly blocking him from entering.

He frowned and stepped back, then slipped a piece of black jade into Xie Xun's hand. "Take this. Crush it when it matters. I can sense it."

Just before Xie Xun reached out to touch the mirror, Fu Qinghuai suddenly pulled him back and kissed him.

The kiss was urgent and fierce, carrying the sinister aura of a thousand-year-old demon. Only when the mirror's suction grew stronger did Fu Qinghuai have no choice but to release him.

"remember,"

Fu Qinghuai pressed his forehead against his, "No matter how tough I am, the one inside is just a remnant soul. You are the living one, so you always have more solutions than him."

Xie Xun wiped his mouth, turned around, and placed his hand on the mirror. The water rippled, and he was gone. The last thing heard was Fu Qinghuai's shout:

"Don't be fooled by him, I'm the best at lying."

...

When Xie Xun opened his eyes again, he was almost choked by the smell of cosmetics. The sound of a erhu playing softly filled the air. He looked down and realized that he had somehow changed into a moon-white theatrical costume with sleeves that were so long they dragged on the ground.

"Boss Xie! You've finally arrived!"

A steward with messy hair rushed over, "General Fu ordered your play 'The Peony Pavilion' and is waiting in the private room! He doesn't look too good!"

Xie Xun's heart skipped a beat.

Marshal Fu? Is it Fu Qinghuai at the height of his power?

I never expected this mirror to have role-playing elements; it's really interesting.

He lifted the curtain and peeked up to the second floor. Inside the private room sat a man in military uniform, looking very imposing.

Her profile was sharply defined, with slightly upturned eyes and a beauty mark under her peach blossom eyes. She should have had a passionate look, but her gaze swept over with an indescribable coldness.

Xie Xun pulled his head back and lowered the curtain.

"I'll get ready right away." He steadied himself and replied in the tone of the opera troupe leader.

As soon as the gongs and drums sounded, Xie Xun steeled himself and stepped onto the stage.

With a flick of his sleeves and a captivating glance, his naturally fox-like eyes, enhanced by his makeup, became even more alluring. Despite being a man, he possessed a certain voluptuous and vibrant beauty.

"The vibrant colors of spring have faded, leaving only broken wells and crumbling walls..."

He opened his lips and sang softly, his voice clear and melodious, perfectly capturing Du Liniang's sorrow in her boudoir.

In a private room on the second floor, Fu Qinghuai crossed his legs, casually stroking the white jade thumb ring in his hand, and squinting at the people on the stage.

"What's this man's background?" he asked his adjutant beside him in a low voice.

Although the adjutant was a little confused, he quickly bowed and said, "Reporting to the commander, it is Boss Xie, the star of the troupe, who sings female roles."

"Bullshit."

Fu Qinghuai scoffed, his military boot lightly kicking his adjutant's shin. "I've been listening to operas here for three months, I remember every single mole on the extras' calves, where did this star come from?"

Life reflected in this broken mirror is like a donkey pulling a millstone, every day is the same.

He was an old ghost who had been dead for over a thousand years, trapped in this tiny space. He had been holding back his anger for a long time and was just waiting to find a way out.

Today, out of nowhere, this wonderful person has appeared.

What's even stranger is that the more he looked at the young woman, the more uneasy he felt. Although they had never met before, he felt an intimate familiarity with her as if they had slept in the same bed, and he could even vaguely smell his own yin energy on her.

This is fucking bizarre!

Although he himself is a ghost. And a hapless ghost who can't remember how he died and is trapped in this broken mirror.

Fu Qinghuai licked his back teeth, a hint of interest in his eyes.

After being stuck in this wretched place for so long, we've finally found something interesting... who knows... it might be the key to getting out.

Xie Xun had only sung two lines when he felt the gaze from the second floor fixed on him, burning him as if it wanted to burn two holes in him.

After the first act was finished, the audience erupted in applause.

Just as Xie Xun was about to step down from the stage, a deep voice came from the second floor, "Wait a moment."

Fu Qinghuai stood up, his excessively handsome face expressionless, except for his pair of captivating eyes that stared at him like hooks.

"Mr. Xie sang quite well. Come to my residence tonight and sing a couple of songs for me alone."

This isn't negotiation; it's clearly kidnapping.

The audience fell silent instantly, everyone knowing that the people invited away by Commander Fu had disappeared without a trace.

Xie Xun cursed inwardly, "You're really giving me too much credit. You still have to pretend to be embarrassed, and when you lower your head, you deliberately show half of your white neck."

"Master, there are rules in the class that we can't go out to perform at private parties."

"Rules? Ha."

Fu Qinghuai narrowed his eyes, his beauty mark under the light appearing somewhat eerie. "In this territory, my word is law."

He jumped off the stage and reached out to touch Xie Xun's beautiful, androgynous face, behaving like a complete bully. "Walk yourself, or should I carry you?"

Xie Xun dodged back, concealing his clenched fist with his water sleeves, and said with a forced smile, "Tomorrow at this time, I'll sing the whole show just for you, how about that?"

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Fu Qinghuai stared at his handsome face for a long time before suddenly smiling, his beauty mark twitching.

"Okay, tomorrow then."

He took a half step closer and lowered his voice, "Don't stand me up."

As soon as the others left, the manager practically pounced on them.

"Oh my god, Boss Xie! My goodness! You're trying to kill me! Is that guy someone to mess with?"

He was so anxious he was stamping his feet. "One word from him could shut our opera troupe down!"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Xie Xun waved his hand absentmindedly, "You go ahead and keep an eye on things, I have something to do."

After dismissing the manager, he slipped into the backstage storage room.

All the talismans, peach wood swords, soul-locking chains, and ancient swords were kept outside the mirror, not to mention Xiao Lü. Now he could only try his luck and see if the opera troupe had any usable tools.

He rummaged through the storeroom, but instead of finding the compass, he pulled out a stack of dusty yellow paper and a half-empty jar of dried cinnabar.

"Fine, I'll just have to make do with it."