As the ghost shadow slowly delved into the bronze mirror,
a twisted world eerily reflected back from it, filled with many pale, ethereal figures floating in the air.
"Is this what entering the Mirror World looks like?"
Mu Jinyu squinted his eyes, watching this eerie scene, wondering if those pale figures were like Ah-Huang, souls that had been pulled into the Mirror World.
Everyone held their breath, afraid to speak, lest they disturb Xiang Mantang's operation.
Xiang Mantang himself, seeing his control of the ghost shadow truly entering the Mirror World, also narrowed his eyes and then, gripping Jian Ruyan's hand, he stepped forward slowly.
He reached out his other hand that was empty, gently extending it towards the surface of the bronze mirror.
Then, his palm began to slowly and gradually penetrate the surface of the bronze mirror.
To those watching behind him, it seemed as if the mirror was swallowing his hand whole.
What was strange was that the world reflected in the mirror did not show Xiang Mantang's hand appearing within it.
Mu Jinyu grew increasingly nervous as he watched, feeling that the Mirror World wasn't as simple as they had initially surmised.
It likely harbored great danger and was unpredictable.
After Xiang Mantang's hand had reached into the mirror and knowing it was possible to enter, he held Jian Ruyan's hand tightly and whispered, then pulled her as he stepped entirely into the bronze mirror.
Consequently, Jian Ruyan, holding his hand, also entered halfway into the bronze mirror with him.
It looked extremely eerie, as if they were being devoured by the bronze mirror.
Mu Jinyu watched anxiously, and suddenly having a thought, he snatched the Ghost Candle from Sheng Rulai's hand and grabbed Jian Ruyan's right hand that was still dangling outside the mirror, pulling her along as they both were drawn in.
Sheng Rulai hadn't reacted before the three of them disappeared into the bronze mirror.
With Xiang Mantang's disappearance and the absence of the ghost shadow's influence, the mirror's surface wobbled slightly, not only failing to reveal the trio's figures but also causing the previously eerie world to vanish, turning it back into an ordinary bronze mirror.
Sheng Rulai didn't understand why Mu Jinyu also decided to go in, let alone why he took the Ghost Candle; watching the bronze mirror return to normal, he approached it with concern, tapping the mirror surface only to find that he couldn't reach inside.
"Sigh…" Sheng Rulai sighed lightly, turning to look at Reinhardt, "What do we do now?"
"Wait, the Dragon King brought the Ghost Candle with him; there must be a reason. Perhaps he's concerned that the Mirror World is vast, and the Tide of Chaos could be wandering aimlessly. Hall Master Xiang may not find the Tide of Chaos and end up lost in the Mirror World, so maybe that's why?" Reinhardt conjectured.
"I hope they come out safely," Sheng Rulai said, his words tinged with worry.
In a world devoid of color and shrouded in gray,
suddenly, a light screen appeared out of nowhere.
The screen twisted nonstop, and then a hand cautiously reached through, followed by half a torso, and finally three people fell from the sky together.
Xiang Mantang fell from above, quickly correcting his posture, not landing awkwardly on the ground but steadying himself upon the ground with stability.
Jian Ruyan, initially panicked from being suddenly grabbed by the hand and trying to shake it off ceaselessly, became less anxious when she realized it was Mu Jinyu who had taken her hand upon entering the Mirror World. She still felt somewhat uncomfortable,
as she seldom had contact with men other than her brother Xiang Mantang, and she hadn't been this close to anyone else.
After descending, Xiang Mantang discovered that Mu Jinyu had followed in and couldn't help frowning, "Senior Brother, why did you also come in? It's very dangerous here."
Xiang Mantang had not hoped that Mu Jinyu would follow, to tell the truth, if Jian Ruyan wasn't by his side, their combined bloodlines supressing his Ghost Shadow, he wouldn't have wanted to bring his sister here at all.
Once Mu Jinyu steadied herself, she continued to hold Jian Ruyan's hand, not letting go, for fear that loosening her grip might lead her to be guided by this strange world and get separated on her own.
Hearing Xiang Mantang's words, he held up the Ghost Candle in his right hand, explaining, "It's fine, if there's trouble you'll block it, right? I'll just hide behind you, I won't be in any danger. This Ghost Candle can attract demons, and I was worried that this Mirror World is too vast. After you entered, you might not find the Tide of Chaos immediately and could get lost, unable to find your way out, so I followed in."
Upon hearing Mu Jinyu's words, Xiang Mantang sighed faintly, "Alright, since you're already in, just stay close to me later, and don't wander too far away."
"Don't worry, I've died once; I value my life greatly now," Mu Jinyu said with a smile.
Afterward, he began to meticulously inspect the Mirror World.
Before his eyes lay a vista of dim, grey buildings that Mu Jinyu eyed, seemingly identical to a Dongying town they had just passed through.
But the weird part was that the city adjoining it abruptly changed its architectural style—it was no longer Dongying-style buildings but European-style ones instead. Mu Jinyu hadn't been to Europe much, but he knew this had to be a city from some European country.
In the real world, these two cities were far apart, but in this Mirror World, they were forcefully stitched together, a very artificial style, yet it seemed somewhat natural in this twisted grey tableau.
Not far off, Mu Jinyu could see quite a few silhouettes standing on the streets.
These people stood still by the roadside, with pale faces and vacant eyes. Some wore foolish grins, while others had fierce expressions, as if enduring pain.
It was unclear if they were happy or suffering.
"These people, are they not demons but rather souls that have been dragged in by the Tide of Chaos or the Tide of Chaos?"
Mu Jinyu said, not entirely certain.
He then turned his head toward Xiang Mantang and asked, "Should we..."
He wanted to ask if they should just light the Ghost Candle to see if it could attract the Tide of Chaos or if they should first scout out the situation here.
That's when he felt Jian Ruyan struggling with her small hand, making no small effort.
Mu Jinyu looked at her in surprise, asking, "What are you doing?"
Jian Ruyan stopped her struggle, her expression rigid as she said, "I... am not used to..."
"What's there to be unused to? I haven't done anything to you. I'm just holding your hand, don't you do the same with your brother?" Mu Jinyu asked, puzzled. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑~𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖾~𝖓𝖊𝖙
Seeing a hint of color creep onto Jian Ruyan's snow-white face, Mu Jinyu found it quite amusing.
However, he decided not to tease her, to prevent Jian Ruyan from getting infuriated and possibly getting into a fight with him.
So Mu Jinyu said, "Or I could hold onto your sleeve, would that be alright?"
Jian Ruyan still seemed a bit uncomfortable, "Go hold my brother's other hand!"
"No!" Mu Jinyu shook his head, "What's the point of two grown men holding hands? Besides, he's our main support here; he should keep one hand free to deal with any emergencies, right? You're the weakest, so if you can't free your hands, you might as well be useful as a tool, right?"
Xiang Mantang spoke gravely, "Enough, Ah-Xiu stop being squeamish, Senior Brother stop teasing her, everyone be more aware of our surroundings."
Jian Ruyan and Mu Jinyu looked up upon hearing Xiang Mantang's words and saw the previously lifeless-eyed figures beginning to lumber their way, possibly attracted by the noise from Mu Jinyu and Jian Ruyan's bickering.
Mu Jinyu loosened his tight grip on Jian Ruyan's hand and switched to tugging at her sleeve, then he said to Xiang Mantang, "Should we clear them out directly?"