The Remnants of the Ancient Town and the Trap of the Ghost in the Mirror
The morning mist in Qingwu Town had not yet dissipated. The stone pavement, stained with last night's dew, creaked softly underfoot. Lin Shen walked in front, dagger in hand. The silver coating shone coldly in the mist. His eyes warily scanned the closed wooden doors on either side. Since the destruction of the evil witch god, this ancient town had become a forbidden place, a place no one dared to enter. Only they would reenter, to thoroughly exorcise the evil spirit.
"Everyone, watch your step. The evil energy left by the evil witch god has not completely dissipated. Be careful not to step on the remaining vines." Lin Shen lowered his voice. Although the wound on his arm that was previously corroded by the evil energy had healed, he could still feel a slight tingling, as if reminding him that the danger here had never really disappeared.
Xiuxiu skipped along beside him, her peach wood sword slung across her back. The runes on the blade occasionally flashed a red light, dispelling the surrounding mist. "Brother Lin Shen, I seem to sense a strange aura coming from the east. It's not from the evil witch god, nor from the mandarin duck girl." Xiuxiu paused, her dark eyes turning eastward toward the ancient town, a hint of confusion on her face. "That aura is icy and cold, as if it's hidden within something."
Lin Munan immediately raised his silver bow, a gleaming arrow resting on the bowstring. He looked towards the east with sharp eyes. "To the east is the theater in the ancient town. We didn't go there before when we fought the evil witch god. Perhaps there are other evil creatures hiding there."
Everyone exchanged glances and headed toward the theater. The closer they got, the colder the air grew, and the mist thickened, so thick that even tiny ice crystals shimmered through it. The theater's vermilion gate was already mottled, and the tattered door god portraits affixed to the panels rustled in the wind, a silent warning to those approaching.
"Squeak!" Li Ye pushed open the theater's door, and a lingering smell of decay, mingled with the faint scent of rouge, hit him. The theater was dimly lit, the stage covered in thick dust. A few broken lanterns hung from the beams, swaying gently in the draft, casting distorted shadows on the ground.
"That aura is behind the stage." Xiuxiu's peach wood sword suddenly trembled violently, and the red light on the sword became dazzling. "And there is more than one aura, it seems that there are many things hidden there!"
Chen Ba pulled a bronze compass from his pocket. The needle spun frantically, finally pointing to the screen behind the stage. "That's where Yin energy gathers. There are at least three evil creatures, and they're quite powerful." Chen Ba's expression grew serious. He pulled several pottery jars from his backpack. "These are 'Evil-Suppressing Gu'. I'll use the Gu insects to attract their attention later. You can take advantage of this opportunity to attack."
Su Wan placed talismans on everyone's clothes. The cinnabar runes on the talismans glowed faintly in the dim theater. "These talismans can temporarily block the invasion of Yin Qi. Once the talismans turn black, it means that the Yin Qi has broken through the defense and must be retreated immediately."
Meng Yao gripped her camera tightly. Although her previous one was broken, she had borrowed a special one from Lin Munan, its lens coated with silver powder that could capture images of evil. She took a deep breath and followed the crowd around the stage toward the screen.
The "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" pattern embroidered on the screen had long since faded, and the fabric was riddled with holes. Through the holes, one could see a large bronze mirror behind it. The mirror's surface was covered in a thick layer of dust, but it still vaguely reflected a figure, and the cold aura emanated from the mirror.
"That's the mirror!" Xiuxiu pointed her mahogany sword at the bronze mirror. A red light suddenly surged, and the dust on the mirror's surface suddenly began to fall off, revealing a smooth mirror surface. The mirror reflected everyone's figures, but strangely, each person's shadow appeared extremely distorted, like a stretched rubber band.
"Something's wrong! There's something wrong with this mirror!" Lin Munan suddenly shouted, drawing his silver bow to its full length and shooting at the bronze mirror. The silver arrow pierced the mirror without leaving any trace, instead bouncing back and shooting towards Meng Yao.
"Be careful!" Li Ye was quick-witted and quick-handed, pushing Meng Yao away. The silver arrow brushed past Meng Yao's shoulder and hit the pillar behind him. The runes on the arrow made a crackling sound and soon lost their luster.
At this moment, the shadow in the bronze mirror suddenly moved! Lin Shen's shadow crawled out of the mirror, transforming into a black shadow identical to him. Holding a black dagger in its hand, it stabbed at Lin Shen. "This is the ghost in the mirror! They can copy our appearance and abilities!" Lin Munan's voice was a little hurried. She pulled the silver bow again and shot at the shadow behind Lin Shen. "We must destroy the bronze mirror, otherwise they will continue to copy us!"
Everyone was thrown into chaos. Each person's shadow crawled out of the bronze mirror, transforming into a dark shadow and attacking the original body. These shadows not only copied everyone's appearance, but also their weapons and abilities. Su Wan's shadow held a talisman paper, Li Ye's shadow held a hiking stick, Chen Ba's shadow even controlled several black poisonous insects, and even Xiu Xiu's shadow held a black peach wood sword, the blade shrouded in a strange black mist.
Lin Shen grappled with his own shadow, the black dagger clashing with his silver-powdered dagger with a sharp metallic sound. The shadow's movements were perfectly aligned with his, even anticipating his attacks, and quickly cornered him. "This isn't a solution! We can't defeat our own shadows!" Lin Shen's arm was scratched by the shadow, and blood dripped onto the ground, instantly frozen into ice crystals by the surrounding Yin Qi.
Xiuxiu's situation wasn't optimistic either. Her shadow controlled the black mist, constantly suppressing the red glow of the peach wood sword. It even replicated her "blood sacrifice" technique. Black blood dripped from the shadow's fingertips, landing on the ground where it sprouted black vines that entwined around Xiuxiu. "Brother Lin Shen! Quickly, find a way to destroy the bronze mirror!" Xiuxiu's voice was tinged with tears. The red glow of the peach wood sword grew fainter, and her body began to become transparent.
Lin Munan attempted to attack the bronze mirror again, but was entangled by her own shadow. The shadow wielded a black longbow, raining arrows down upon her. Each arrow was imbued with a dense, sinister aura, forcing her to retreat. "Chen Ba! Use your poisonous insect to attack the bronze mirror!" Lin Munan shouted, drawing the dagger from her waist and severing the arrows aimed at her.
Chen Ba immediately controlled the Evil-Suppressing Gu and flew towards the bronze mirror. But just as the insect was about to reach the mirror, Chen Ba's shadow suddenly threw a black pottery jar. The insect inside the jar engaged the Evil-Suppressing Gu, quickly devouring it. "My insect was copied!" Chen Ba's face turned pale. She hadn't expected the ghost in the mirror to be so powerful that it could even copy insects.
Meng Yao hid behind a pillar, watching the chaos unfold before her. A wave of despair welled up in her. Remembering how Lin Munan had taught her to use a camera, she immediately raised it, pointed the lens at the bronze mirror, and pressed the shutter. The flash instantly lit up, its blinding white light piercing the mist and illuminating the bronze mirror. A tiny crack appeared on the mirror's surface, and the shadow within it paused.
"The flash worked!" Meng Yao exclaimed in delight, pressing the shutter button again. The white light continued to shine on the bronze mirror, cracks appeared more and more, and the dark shadow in the mirror became increasingly blurred. "Everyone, quickly attack the bronze mirror with strong light!"
Everyone reacted immediately. Su Wan pulled out a lighter, lit a talisman, and threw it at the bronze mirror. Li Ye used his hiking pole to pick up a broken lantern and smashed it at the mirror. Lin Shen also pulled out his phone, turned on his flashlight, and aimed it at the mirror. The strong light converged on the mirror, and with a "crack," it shattered completely, fragments scattering to the ground. The dark shadow in the mirror also dissipated as it shattered.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed on the ground. The talismans on their bodies had all turned black, and everyone was injured to varying degrees. Xiuxiu's face remained pale, and the red light on the peach wood sword had faded. She leaned on Lin Shen's shoulder and said weakly, "There's still... there's still a presence... on the second floor of the theater..."
Lin Munan immediately stood up, gripped the silver bow tightly, and walked towards the second floor: "We can't be careless, there may be other evil things hiding there."
Everyone supported each other and followed Lin Munan up to the second floor. The room on the second floor was filled with worn-out costumes and props. The air was thick with the scent of rouge, and even the faint sound of opera singing could be heard. In the corner of the room, a box covered with red cloth was placed. The cold air emanated from the box.
"Be careful, the contents of this box may be more dangerous than the ghost in the mirror." Lin Shen gripped his dagger tightly and walked towards the box. He carefully lifted the red cloth. Inside the box was a costume embroidered with gold thread and a delicate phoenix crown. However, both the costume and the phoenix crown were stained with black blood and exuded a strong sinister aura.
"This is... a costume for burial!" Chen Ba's face turned pale, and he took a step back. "Legend has it that in ancient times, some actors would be buried alive in the theater, wearing their costumes. Those with strong resentment would turn into evil creatures, specifically luring living people to wear the costumes and seize their souls."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the costume suddenly moved, automatically slipping onto a tattered puppet. The puppet's eyes suddenly opened, transforming into two black holes as it lunged towards Meng Yao. "Meng Yao! Get out of the way!" Li Ye shouted, raising his hiking pole and hurling it at the puppet.
The puppet dodged nimbly, its costume fluttering and emitting a thick, sinister aura that trapped Meng Yao. Her body stiffened, her eyes hollow, as if she were being consumed by the yin energy. "She's being controlled by resentment!" Su Wan shouted, pressing a talisman to Meng Yao's forehead. The talisman instantly turned black, but it still failed to awaken her.
Xiuxiu raised her peach wood sword and stabbed at the puppet. The sword's red light pierced through the yin energy and pierced the puppet, causing it to let out a piercing scream and its costume to burst into flames. But the puppet paid no mind, instead lunging at Xiuxiu. Black tears of blood flowed from its hollow black eyes, dripping onto the ground and sprouting black vines.
Lin Munan drew his silver bow to full strength and shot a silver arrow into the puppet's eye. The runes on the arrow instantly ignited, and golden flames spread along the puppet's body, quickly reducing the puppet and its costume to ash. The yin energy dissipated as the flames burned, and Meng Yao regained consciousness, collapsing on the ground and gasping for air.
"The evil creatures in the theater have been eliminated. Let's leave here and return to town to rest." Lin Shen looked at the tired faces of the crowd, and a sense of dread welled up in his heart. He had originally thought that after the evil witch god was eliminated, Qingwu Town would be safe. He had not expected so many evil creatures to hide in the dark. It seemed that their mission was far from over.
Everyone supported each other as they exited the theater. The morning mist had dissipated, and sunlight shone on the stone pavement of Qingwu Town, but it still couldn't dispel the chill in the air. Lin Shen glanced back at the theater, secretly resolving to completely eradicate all evil from Qingwu Town and restore true peace to this ancient town.
But what he didn't know was that deep within Qingwu Town, in an abandoned temple, a figure in black monk's robes stood before a Buddha statue, clutching a string of black Buddhist beads, each bead reflecting a tormented face. "Although the Evil Witch God is dead, his vengeance remains. These little creatures are just appetizers." The figure's lips curled into a strange smile. "Next, it's time to let them experience true fear."
The black Buddhist beads suddenly emitted a dark light, and the eyes of the Buddha statue in the temple suddenly opened, transforming into two black holes, emitting a thick, sinister aura that spread to every corner of Qingwu Town. A new crisis was quietly brewing.
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