Chapter 234: The Terrifying Fate Ghost

The livestream viewer Socrates Paradox possessed an incredibly broad base of knowledge and a mindset entirely different from the norm. His words didn't touch on Buddhist cultivation or Daoist enlightenment, yet they carried a distinct, peculiar weight.

To put it nicely, his words held an inexplicable persuasiveness. To put it bluntly, he was spouting deadpan nonsense, yet I couldn't find a single way to refute him.

Socrates Paradox: "In psychology, the symbolism of mirrors is highly controversial. Some compare them to the sun and light, while others view them as the onset of misfortune."

"I personally lean toward the latter. A master hypnotist once told me that if you ever dream of a mirror, you need to be careful."

"The reflection in a mirror is separate from our physical selves. This evokes a primal sensation—the feeling that our soul has left our body. People who see mirrors in their dreams often wake up to find that, for a time, something in their lives or their own bodies is missing or damaged."

"A mirror can reflect your physical appearance, but is the person you see in it definitely yourself?"

Socrates Paradox's messages grew increasingly outrageous, pushing past the bounds of philosophy yet failing to touch upon genuine metaphysics. Throughout the entire livestream room, not a single person—myself included—could get a word in edgewise.

"Brother, rein in that runaway train of thought for a second." Seeing him stray further and further off track, I hurriedly pulled him back to the main topic. "Let's put philosophy aside for now. As for the Mirror Ghost, do you know of any way to deal with it?"

The floor mirror had been shattered, but I wasn't optimistic enough to think this had derailed the mastermind's plans. This was the very center of the Magic Mirror Maze. Whoever they were, they had gone to tremendous lengths to lure me here; they definitely wouldn't let me off the hook so easily.

I had sensed something was off the moment I began exploring this place—a constant feeling of being watched. Thinking back, those phantom figures hiding in the mirrors and staring at me were very likely forms taken by Mirror Ghosts. Just the thought of it made my scalp tingle. A single mirror had nearly cost me my life, and the entire corridor outside was constructed from them. Once I fell deeply into their trap, I would never have a chance to escape.

"Streamer, you don't need to worry. The fact that they lured you to the center of the maze before making a move says a lot. There must be strict limitations on using Mirror Ghosts. Not every mirror poses a threat to you."

"It never hurts to plan ahead."

Socrates Paradox: "Streamer, did you notice a specific detail? The Girl in Red wanted to protect you, which was why she reached out to cover your eyes. She didn't want you to look at the mirror. Have you ever considered what might have happened if she hadn't covered your eyes, and you looked directly into that floor mirror?"

The instant the girl let go, it felt as though something inside the mirror was trying to drill directly into my mind. That sensation was still fresh in my memory.

"It felt like something was trying to bore into my eyes."

Socrates Paradox: "The eyes are the windows to the soul, reflecting a person's true essence. If a Mirror Ghost was trying to drill into your eyes, it likely wanted to steal your memories. I'm not just spitballing here. Think back to Li Manman and Xiaobei. Even though they had been replaced by imposters, their habits and mannerisms felt completely identical to the real people."

Prompted by Socrates Paradox's reminder, I suddenly realized a critical point. Whoever was behind this hadn't gone through all this trouble to kill me—they were likely after the memories inside my head.

"They want to find out the Heavenly Yi Noble's whereabouts, or..." My eyes slowly narrowed. "They want to disguise themselves as me to get close to Tie Ningxiang."

The United Heart Jade hadn't transmitted any abnormalities, meaning Tie Ningxiang was likely still safe. This female detective was no decorative vase like Jiang Fei. Anyone who underestimated her would pay a steep price.

"They've been scheming and laying this trap for so long, yet neither Tie Ningxiang nor I have met with any real harm. Now, pushed to the point where a desperate dog leaps over a wall, I'm afraid they're going to pull out their ultimate tricks."

I couldn't stay here any longer. Having sorted out my thoughts, I prepared to stow the Fate Ghost and charge my way out alongside the little Girl in Red.

But when I turned my head, I saw that the phantom figure dragged from the mirror had completely vanished. The Fate Ghost's body of black hair was rippling like water, inching toward the little Girl in Red with malicious intent.

"Fate Ghost, don't hurt her." I had no idea how to properly command spirits, but fortunately, the Fate Ghost had already developed a rudimentary intelligence. It could understand simple commands.

The swirling black hair slowly receded, coiling around the shattered mirror fragments on the ground. It seemed it hadn't eaten its fill with that Mirror Ghost and was still searching for more spirits to fill its stomach.

"You really are a glutton." I looked at the Fate Ghost, which was wrapped in black hair and stood as tall as me. A body composed entirely of black hair gave off a deeply repulsive first impression, but I had grown used to it over time.

Ever since it had devoured the Ghost Infant haunting Ye Bing, the Fate Ghost had undergone a peculiar transformation. A third eye had formed between its brows. Though it was currently nothing more than a thin slit that couldn't fully open, as the creature continued to grow, that extra eye would sooner or later make all spirits tremble in fear.

From the moment I took it in, it had been devouring other entities: the Fate Ghost controlled by Lu Xing, the soul of the old man in the Lacquered Wooden Coffin, the poor bastard who had lost his own life trying to deliver a King Yama Notice to me, the Ghost Infant, and now, the Mirror Ghost.

Feasting on so many sinister entities had massively accelerated its growth, yet I couldn't shake a faint sense of unease. I was terrified that, one day, it would suddenly turn on me.

"A Fate Ghost... a spirit meant to substitute for a life. The things Blind Liu told me seem drastically different from what you've been showing me."

I wasn't sure if it understood my words, but the Fate Ghost seemed incredibly excited, acting just like a child eager to show off an achievement to its parents.

It lifted a broken mirror fragment right up to my face.

"What are you doing?" With the jagged fragment leveled at my neck, I pulled out my one remaining Suppression Talisman and eyed the creature warily.

The mirror fragment stopped right in front of my eyes. The Fate Ghost's black hair wrapped tightly around its surface. When the hair finally pulled back, I was utterly shocked to see that a single thin strand had drilled straight into the mirror!

I stepped around to check the back of the fragment. The hair hadn't pierced through the glass; instead, it swayed behind the surface as if it had entered an entirely different world.

"This is the Mirror Ghost's power!" Even though it was just a single strand of hair, it had only been a few minutes since the Fate Ghost devoured the Mirror Ghost. If it were given more time, or if it swallowed even more Mirror Ghosts, did this mean it would gain an entirely new ability?

I stared at the Fate Ghost, momentarily speechless as a wave of inexplicable terror washed over me. Compared to the Mirror Ghost, this thing was the real monster. Even the black magician who had nurtured it probably never could have imagined just how unique this Fate Ghost truly was!

I had originally planned to stow the Fate Ghost back into my cloth bag, but on second thought, I realized I had already dropped all pretenses with the mastermind. This maze was bound to be riddled with lethal traps. I might as well just let it follow closely behind me.

I glanced at the little girl huddled in the corner. She seemed rather frightened of the Fate Ghost, not daring to step forward yet unwilling to leave.

"Don't be afraid. It won't hurt you," I said softly. Every time I looked at the hideous scars on her body and the dried blood on her face—stains that not even time could wash away—my heart ached. Although the two of us belonged to the separate realms of the living and the dead, I still wanted to show her some warmth. I figured it could serve as a little bit of compensation from this cruel world.

I pushed open the door. Before I even stepped out, my reflection had already appeared on every single mirror surface lining the corridor outside.

They shared my exact face, yet they wore completely unfamiliar, hostile expressions. Every single one of them glared at me with malicious intent, looking as though they might step out of the glass in the very next second and drag me into the mirrors.

I took a step forward. In perfect unison, all of the "me"s inside the mirrors also took a step forward. They mimicked my every move flawlessly, stopping right at the boundaries of the glass.

The Talisman Paper clamped in my palm was nearly soaked through with cold sweat. I had never been this nervous before.

Deathly silence hung over the maze. In the darkness, countless phantoms wearing my face but bearing alien expressions stared back at me.

I slowly lifted my foot for another step. The phantoms in the mirrors mirrored the action perfectly. However, they were already standing at the absolute edge of the glass. If I brought my foot down, my body would exit the Treasure Room. But if they brought their feet down, they might step right out of the mirrors!

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead as my suspended foot slowly lowered toward the floor. All the "me"s inside the mirrors did the exact same. Their raised feet touched the surface of the glass, and the smiles plastered across their faces grew increasingly terrifying!

A sudden chill brushed against the back of my neck. The Girl in Red had wrapped her arms around my neck, seemingly vehemently opposed to me leaving the room.

Wiping the cold sweat from my forehead, I ultimately didn't take that step.