Chapter 9:
The Ghost in the Mirror (Part 2):
The Corpse Crawled Out of the Grave…
Wang Sr. had found Chen Henian through a wealthy business acquaintance. The acquaintance had purchased a plot of land plagued by supernatural occurrences, halting construction. Chen Henian’s master, Zhou Xianzhi, had resolved the issue in a single night.
Wang Sr. had consulted other metaphysics masters, but those old, white-bearded men had fled after a single night, terrified and tight-lipped. The Wang family was desperate. Despite Chen Henian’s youth, they clung to him as their last hope.
After witnessing Chen Henian’s display of skill, Wang Sr. was even more confident in his decision. He smiled ingratiatingly. “Little Master, anything within my power, just ask.”
Chen Henian replied, “Rice and dishes, meat and vegetables, salty, spicy, and bland, and a bowl of steamed glutinous rice.”
Wang’s wife asked, “Just for eating?”
Chen Henian said, “Wasn’t I clear?”
Wang’s wife nodded absently. “Understood, I’ll have the driver buy some fresh groceries.” Her son had fallen asleep, so she called out, “Third Brother, contact the driver.”
The third brother, Wang San, reluctantly moved, glaring at Chen Henian. “You better be as good as you claim.”
Unlike their eldest brother, Wang Er and Wang San weren’t as obsequious, silently observing Chen Henian with suspicion, their minds clearly elsewhere.
Wang Sr. approached Chen Henian. “There’s another urgent matter, Little Master, concerning my father.”
He explained the situation. Their father had died two weeks prior in an accident, struck by a falling chandelier. He was discovered too late.
Local custom dictated burial the day after an accidental death, to prevent lingering resentment. The Wang family complied, holding a private funeral. But before the seventh day after his death, the entire family dreamt of their father weeping.
He just cried, offering no explanation.
They initially dismissed it as his reluctance to leave, holding a ritual and burning offerings. But on the seventh night, a security guard saw a figure standing motionless by the gate. It was their father.
His corpse had inexplicably emerged from the grave. Wang Er suspected foul play, perhaps a business rival desecrating the grave. The Wang family reburied their father, posting guards at the grave. But the following night, his corpse reappeared outside the villa.
The guards witnessed it firsthand. He had crawled out of the grave, his body uncorrupted, a chilling sight that forced the Wang family to accept the supernatural explanation.
Now, the corpse was locked in a wooden shed in the garden, but it couldn’t be contained. Last night, it had appeared in the living room. What would it do next? Desperate, with his son also afflicted, Wang Sr. had turned to Chen Henian as a last resort.
Chen Henian listened impassively. “Your family has a lot of dead people.”
“A lot? What are you talking about?” Wang Sr. denied it immediately. “Only my father has passed away recently.”
“Lies.” Chen Henian wasn’t surprised. Ordinary families rarely encountered such things. It was either vengeful spirits or earthbound spirits. But the wealthy often had unclean hands.
“I saw it when I entered, six living people, eight shadows.” Chen Henian continued his questioning. “Isn’t the female ghost possessing your son one of them?”
“What’s the relationship between that dead woman and your family?”
“What woman?” Wang Sr. shook his head vehemently. “I don’t know anything about that.”
Chen Henian changed his question. “How long have you lived in this house?”
“Since my father’s generation, about… twenty years.”
Chen Henian stated, “The house isn’t the problem. The problem is you.”
Wang’s wife overheard, accusing her husband, “Have you been cheating on me?!”
Wang Sr.’s eyes widened. “How dare you accuse me! This has nothing to do with me!”
His wife glared. “You better not be! I don’t care if you’ve been unfaithful, but if you’ve harmed our son, you’ll pay!”
“Honey, be reasonable!” Wang Sr. argued. “When would I have time to cheat? You know where I am all the time!”
Wang Er chimed in, “Sister-in-law, Eldest Brother wouldn’t do such a thing. Just because he said it’s a woman, doesn’t mean it is. This kid’s barely grown up himself, acting like he knows everything.”
His last words were clearly directed at Chen Henian. Wang Sr. warned, “Second Brother! Be polite until we know the truth!” He didn’t want to offend Chen Henian.
Chen Henian turned to Wang Er, adjusting his sunglasses, his expression unreadable. “Dark circles under your eyes, bloodshot eyes, unsteady gait. You must be very busy at night, depleting your essence. You should consume some goji berries and cistanche to replenish your vital energy.”
The Wang family was stunned. Wang’s wife asked, “Little Master, what does that mean?”
The men understood. Wang Sr. asked, puzzled, “Second Brother, have you been sneaking out at night to see women?”
“Bullshit! When have I ever done that?!” Wang Er’s face reddened. “Brat, you’re talking nonsense!”
He cursed, trying to stand, but stumbled back onto the sofa, grabbing a glass and smashing it on the floor.
Crash—!
The sound of shattering glass was drowned out by a loud thud. A dark figure fell from the ceiling, landing with a sickening crunch.
It was a person, a woman, lying on the floor, her bones broken, her neck twisted at an unnatural angle. She must have jumped from the roof.
Blood pooled on the floor. The Wang family stared in horror.
The woman’s sudden appearance was unsettling enough, but then she stood up, her face mangled, her limbs contorted, her head snapping towards Chen Henian.
Or rather, in his direction. Then, she vanished.
Chen Henian walked over, the blood already gone.
“L-Little Master, what was that?” Wang’s wife clutched her son, her face pale.
Chen Henian didn’t reply. If he hadn’t been wearing sunglasses, they would have seen the excitement in his eyes, a rare smile playing on his lips.
“Now it’s getting interesting.”
He even managed a smile at the Wang family.
The woman who had jumped was the female ghost. Chen Henian had struck her with the red string. No minor ghost could escape him, yet she had not only escaped but reappeared before him.
He was certain there was another ghost in the house, one that could conceal its presence, a powerful ghost. That was Zhou Xianzhi’s target, and Chen Henian’s task.
The powerful ghost controlled the lesser ghost, observing his every move. An ordinary practitioner would have taken the woman’s appearance as a warning and fled. But Chen Henian saw it as a challenge, a bloody declaration of war.
The Wang family couldn’t understand his reaction. His voice lightened as he opened his suitcase, beckoning Wang Sr. “Come here.”
Wang Sr. approached cautiously. Chen Henian quickly grabbed his hand, pricking his finger with a silver needle.
Wang Sr. cried out. Chen Henian released his hand, turning to pick up a compass, a treasure given to him by Zhou Xianzhi. It was a yin-yang compass, one of a pair, exceptionally sensitive to yin energy and evil entities.
The ghost must have targeted this family. Lingering ghost qi could affect a person’s blood. Wang Sr.’s blood was perfect. Chen Henian dipped the needle in the blood and touched it to the compass.
The blood seeped into the compass, and the needle began to spin.
Wang Sr. sucked on his finger, stopping the bleeding, looking at the compass curiously. “What is that?”
Chen Henian didn’t explain, following the compass to a bedroom door with three incense sticks stuck in the frame.
Wang Sr. said, “That’s my father’s room.”
Chen Henian opened the door. The room was a mess, joss paper scattered on the floor, candles burning, incense and white flowers offered on a table, and a portrait of the deceased.
The compass needle pointed at the portrait. The old man in the black and white photograph was smiling faintly.
Chen Henian picked it up, then put it down.
It was an ordinary portrait, no malevolent energy emanating from it.
Out of a sliver of empathy, he placed it on the edge of the table. He held up the compass, the needle still pointing in the same direction.
Chen Henian looked up. There was only a mirror on the wall.
“Little Master, have you found anything?” The Wang family watched from the doorway, afraid to enter.
“I have,” Chen Henian said cheerfully.
“What?”
“Payment.” He replied. “I’ll take the job, but my payment is this mirror. The meal is for saving your son. This mirror is for saving your entire family.”
“No!”
The three Wang brothers shouted in unison.
“Why not?” Chen Henian’s voice turned cold.
Sensing the change in his tone, Wang Sr. softened his voice. “It’s impossible. The mirror can’t be removed. We’ve tried, it’s very strange!”
“Is that so?” Chen Henian was unconcerned. “I like strange things. The stranger, the better.”
He reached out, his fingers gripping the edge of the mirror, his veins bulging.
The Wang family watched as he effortlessly removed the mirror, a feat workers with power drills had failed to accomplish.
There was always something his master wanted in these families. Chen Henian understood when he saw the mirror. A Bagua symbol was etched on the back. This was a Daoist artifact.
“Now that I’ve taken it, it’s mine.”
His expression was firm, his voice unwavering. “Two choices. The mirror is mine, and I help you, or I take the mirror and leave.”
