117 Shards of the Ancient Mirror

After leaving the police station, I happened to run into Xue Ning and Sun Xiaoxiao, who had just arrived. I quickly pulled the two of them away from there.

I asked where they had been, but these two girls acted awkward and embarrassed, reluctant to say.

After a long while, Xue Ning finally admitted shyly that they had gone shopping.

Truly, the world of women is beyond our understanding—how could they go shopping under such circumstances?

I hurriedly led the three of us—a man and two women—back to Lin Xiayue’s home. Just then, we encountered Lin Xiayue and Chen Hao, both wearing frowns etched deeply on their faces.

It seemed they hadn’t succeeded in forming an alliance either.

Judging by this, our forced alliance with Su Mu was the only good news of the day.

The few of us gathered in the dining hall. Evening was settling in, yet none of us felt particularly hungry.

Lin Xiayue instructed Aunt Wang to clear away the tableware and replace the tablecloth, transforming the space into something resembling a conference room.

“I’m furious,” Lin Xiaoxiao slammed her palm onto the table.

A heavy silence filled the room; no one spoke, all waiting for Lin Xiayue to explain.

Pouting, Lin Xiayue said, “That Gao Ge, he’s so full of himself! I, the eldest lady of the Lin family, went to pull him into an alliance, and he actually refused.”

“And that Wu Mingran brat, he even taunted me on the side.”

“If it weren’t for Chen Hao holding me back, I swear I’d have beaten him up!”

Having fired off this volley, Lin Xiayue sat back down, sulking.

We now understood the situation: not only had they failed to forge an alliance, but it seemed they had been humiliated.

“Um, Brother Zijian, Wu Mingran and the others have started recruiting allies too,” Chen Hao said helplessly. “But they’ve openly declared opposition to us.”

I was surprised. Wu Mingran had previously promised me he wanted to form an alliance; I hadn’t expected him to turn so quickly.

“Also, Brother Zijian,” Chen Hao continued, “before we left, we overheard Wu Mingran taking a call.”

“It seems Hu Qingqing has joined his alliance, as well as Wen Lingyu and Wang Yan…”

“What! Wang Yan betrayed us too?” Lin Xiayue flared up again. “That fiend Hu Qingqing, she stole my dear Xing’er and even my allies?”

“Wait a moment,” I soothed. “Since we mentioned Hu Qingqing, let me explain.”

I stood up, about to speak, when Lin Xiayue interrupted unintentionally, “Wasn’t it Xue Ning and the others who went to find Hu Qingqing?”

“Just listen first.”

Because we had left in a hurry earlier, I hadn’t had a chance to explain to them. Now I would lay everything out.

The news of Hu Qingqing killing Wei Yan shocked everyone, even Xue Ning, who had long suspected Wei Yan was a wildcard, was stunned.

“Wei Yan? Dead?”

I nodded solemnly. Wei Yan’s strength was undeniably formidable, but when faced with Hu Qingqing, one of the Flower Knights, he stood no chance.

I gave a detailed explanation of Hu Qingqing’s abilities, and others had similar reactions.

No one expected the ability called “Balance” to be wielded by Hu Qingqing with such mastery.

It seems there are no weak powers—only those who have yet to fully unleash their true strength.

If Lin Wan hadn’t died prematurely, I believe his potential would have been boundless. His Four-Value Gong Cao Ruler, which controls time, is undoubtedly a cheat-level artifact.

But now, Lin Wan is dead, leaving only a dim, lifeless Spade Six card and the Four-Value Gong Cao Ruler behind.

I have always kept these with me, hoping one day to revive Lin Wan.

Because I know, among the Spade cards, there is one with the power of resurrection.

That is the Spade Eight, which has yet to appear. Though not one of the Seven Ancient Relics of the Spirit Sect, the Spade Eight’s ancient relic, the Five Emperors Tower, is a special artifact passed down from antiquity, capable of bringing the dead back to life.

But the Five Emperors Tower has its flaws: each time it is awakened by a holder, it can only grant up to five resurrections.

After five uses, the relic loses its power and becomes ordinary until the next sealing ritual restores its abilities.

“If Wei Yan is dead, then the leader of the Plum Ghost cards has been lost yet again.”

Lin Xiayue showed a triumphant expression. Although we were allied, the rules still applied.

The death of a Plum card member among the four suits benefits the others.

“Now that Wei Yan is dead, the known members of the Ghost cards are Shadow Ghost Zheng Wei, Nightmare Ghost Jiang Linlin, Wronged Ghost Zhou Tongtong, Fire Ghost Xia Qingqiu, the Black and White Impermanence, and Wang Shaowei.”

“Let’s not consider the Awakened ones who are untouchable.”

“Jiang Linlin and Wang Shaowei aren’t that strong—why don’t we just take them out first?”

Lin Xiayue said gleefully, clearly so pleased with Wei Yan’s death she had forgotten our alliance’s principles.

“Miss Lin!”

Chen Hao whispered sharply, “Have you forgotten that our alliance forbids us from attacking others proactively?”

Lin Xiayue sneered but didn’t reply.

After this farce, we exchanged opinions.

Since we couldn’t find other contractors, rushing out all at once would be unwise.

It was better to stay a few days at Lin Xiayue’s mansion, sending Aunt Wang and the butler to gather information.

Night had blanketed the sky. After our discussion, each of us returned to our rooms.

Feng Qian and Chen Hao, exhausted from the day, had already fallen asleep.

I, however, found no peace of mind and went alone to the rooftop outside.

Han Xue, when will I see you again?

A day without finding Han Xue is a day I cannot rest.

And the Big and Small Ghost cards—when will their true colors be revealed?

Five Emperors Tower, no matter who your contractor is, I must win them over!

And my own relic, the Ancient Mirror.

Unfortunately, I only possess a single shard, and I still don’t know how to use it.

The frame, the handle, and other shards remain missing. Only by gathering them all can I truly become a contractor.

It seems there is a shard of the Ancient Mirror in Lin Xiayue’s mansion, but after that supernatural incident, I no longer sensed its power.

Suddenly, I thought I heard noises coming from the main hall.

The Lin family has many strict rules; at this hour, no one should be in other rooms.

But curiosity got the better of me, and I stealthily approached the hall.

The dining room was unlit, and Aunt Wang and the butler were gone.

Yet two candles burned on the table, and it seemed two figures were doing something there.

Could it be Lin Xiayue’s parents? Dining at this hour seemed odd.

I didn’t interrupt; I quietly observed the two by the table.

“Enhance vision!”

My eyesight sharpened, and I looked closely.

The two beings at the table were far from human. Their features were grotesquely twisted, frantically clawing at the food on their plates, their hands smeared with an unknown liquid.

“What kind of ghosts are these?”

I looked down below them.

Nothing—no legs beneath their trousers.

“Whoa! I’m seeing ghosts!”

I wasn’t sure if it was excitement or adrenaline. Maybe it was because of all the strange events I’d experienced. I wasn’t afraid of ghosts anymore—instead, I walked right in and cleared my throat twice.

The two ghosts were stunned by my boldness, but then lunged at me with gaping maws.

“Wait!”

Before they could reach me, I shouted. The two paused, exchanging confused glances, as if it was the first time they’d seen someone unafraid of ghosts.

“Aren’t you afraid of me?”

I smiled, my palm glowing with golden light. Though my power was suppressed, as long as I didn’t release it, I could still control it.

At the sight of the golden light, the two ghosts stepped back hastily.

“How do you have this power too?”

Their words only deepened my curiosity.

“Have you seen this light before?” I revealed the shard of the Ancient Mirror in my hand.

The ghosts stepped back another two steps, warily replying, “If you tell us, will you let us go?”

“Are you crazy? How can you make deals with people?”

The other ghost immediately objected, but I didn’t care about their trust and pressed on.

“If you speak, I’ll pretend we never met tonight.”

The ghost who’d spoken first seemed reassured and said slowly, “The owner of this house has a cat. The beads around its neck emit a light very similar to yours.”