Mu Anqi followed behind, listening to Xia Fenghua hum a nursery rhyme in her sweet voice. For some reason, she felt it was a little… eerie. She had a hunch that this might be related to Xia Fenghua's life before death—perhaps the black mirror vortex she formed back then was also filled with sorrow. She was curious about these things and wanted to know more.
But after much hesitation, Mu Anqi still didn't speak up rashly. Xia Fenghua was still in the barrier-breaking period, which meant the things she had experienced had not yet "passed." If she asked, it might touch upon Xia Fenghua's pain. Xia Fenghua had been just a young girl in life, and even though she had been a ghost for so many years… she still looked like a child. Mu Anqi didn't want to make her sad.
Besides, Mu Anqi felt she had only just joined under General Ji's command, and her relationship with Xia Fenghua… was merely because General Ji had asked Xia Fenghua to guide her, so Xia Fenghua came. This should be considered part of her job.
From any angle, this curiosity could only be kept hidden in her heart.
Xia Fenghua…
What a bright and radiant name.
That dark door that only appeared at night had indeed appeared, but it was tightly shut, and Mu Anqi didn't know how to open it. She took out the key from her pocket—it was the key to her room. She didn't know if it could open this—
"Boom!"
Xia Fenghua didn't wait for Mu Anqi to try, or rather, she hadn't looked back at all the entire time. She only made sure that Mu Anqi was behind her and wouldn't be harmed. Upon seeing the door shut, Xia Fenghua forcefully flung the doll in her arms. The doll, as if alive, curled itself into a ball in midair and slammed hard against the door with a loud bang.
Xia Fenghua still wore her sweet smile. She gently lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands, then immediately launched into a sprinting flying kick. The ghostly aura around her spread out, and even Mu Anqi could see the black yin energy radiating from Xia Fenghua.
"Bang!—"
Another loud crash—the door opened.
Xia Fenghua let down her little skirt and covered her mouth with a smile like a proper young lady. "Let's go, sister~ When we encounter a disobedient host like this, we just have to give them a little punishment~"
Mu Anqi looked at Xia Fenghua and couldn't help but smile as well.
"Xiao Ai~ are you playing hide-and-seek with Daddy again?" [T/N: we gonna play hide and seek with your body parts~ (◕ᴗ◕✿)]
"Daddy's coming to find you~ Are you in the bathroom?"
"Wow, not there. Then maybe in the kitchen cabinet…"
"In the living room storage cabinet?"
"Daddy knows—you must be in the wardrobe in your room, right? So then… is it your wardrobe or Daddy's wardrobe?"
"Wishing you great success!"
"Wishing you fortune and luck!"
"Wishing you smooth sailing!"
The man in the suit dropped to the ground and did a plank. Immediately after, he went into sit-ups and high knees. In that brief moment of control, before he could transform into a monster, little Xia Fenghua blinked and appeared right in front of him, dislocated all his limb joints, and then his head.
The man's body parts scattered all over the ground. Xia Fenghua touched the man's hair, ghostly energy swirling in her hand, and she smiled sweetly: "Uncle, do you like playing games?"
"I also like playing games with dolls."
"So, I'll turn you into a doll!"
Mu Anqi stood to the side, watching as Xia Fenghua kept kneading the man's head. The ghostly energy spread out in an instant, filling the entire room. The man's head in Xia Fenghua's hands grew smaller and smaller, until it was the size of a palm. At that moment, Xia Fenghua set down the head and placed her hand on the man's chest…
Just like how ordinary dolls can be separated into limbs, torso, and head, Xia Fenghua's eyes burned with fanaticism. Her small hands touched the man's torso, then the disassembled limbs, shrinking and dividing his body before reassembling it.
He had become a doll that couldn't speak.
"He's just a little ugly." Xia Fenghua sighed. She didn't really like this kind of doll, but it wasn't meant for her anyway. She stood up and walked toward the man's bedroom. In the corner of the master bedroom's wardrobe, a little girl was curled up, trembling amidst the neatly folded clothes.
Xia Fenghua walked over, crouched in front of the wardrobe, and reached out to rub the little girl's head. "There, there, don't cry~ It'll all be over soon~"
Is this little girl the real body? Just as Mu Anqi thought that, she noticed… Xia Fenghua was only pretending to rub the little girl's head—there was no sensation of touching something real.
After offering those comforting words, Xia Fenghua walked toward the large floor-to-ceiling window. She smashed the glass with a single punch and threw the "monster" doll out toward the massive moon hanging in the sky.
The scene froze, and in the next instant, it shattered like glass, piece by piece.
Countless shards reflected various memories of the little girl. The bright, enormous moon hung in the sky, and faintly, one could see the curled-up figure of the little girl hiding inside it—silent, crying, sleeping within the moon.
"Thank you all…"
"The candy was sweet."
A childish voice echoed in the darkness, then faded away. At that moment, a small slip of paper quietly fell into Mu Anqi's hand…
[Game cleared: Silent Serenade. Rating in progress—]
[Rating: B (Barely qualifies as a passable support)]
[Passive triggered! Gained clearance points: 600]
[Drawing reward item for official player clearance—]
[Ding! Congratulations, player has received: [Lounge Chair That Feels Extra Comfortable When Lying Down]]
[Special marker detected!]
[Beep! Please enter the next game within seven days! (Or the game will be forcibly started after 168 hours)]
Just as Mu Anqi was feeling confused—"Did the Black Mirror Vortex end just like that?"—Xia Fenghua grabbed her hand.
The teleportation suddenly paused.
[Detected abnormal fluctuation. Continue teleportation?]
No.
The black vortex dissipated, and the scene faded away. Mu Anqi looked around as the surrounding buildings gradually reappeared. Her hand was still being held by Xia Fenghua as they appeared on an unfamiliar street.
"This is within the Taiyin Realm, so don't panic, Sister~ Since the Black Mirror Vortex appeared, the nearby residents were temporarily relocated~" Xia Fenghua explained with a smile. "This time, the danger level of the vortex wasn't very high. It's considered an emotional pollution, infection-type event. If left unchecked for a long time, that giant moon would appear in the city. Anyone who saw it would start to feel suffocated, fearful, oppressed…"
"I see." Mu Anqi nodded, her thoughts still lingering on the Black Mirror Vortex. She wondered, why was the little girl's true self inside the moon? Was it because, in those endlessly hopeless nights, the moon outside the window always watched her in silence, making her feel… that hiding in the moon would be better? Or was it that the moonlight was pure, capable of cleansing everything? "Just now, a note suddenly…" Mu Anqi looked at the slip of paper that had appeared in her hand. She had no idea what it was or why she had brought it out.
The night was silent. People were silent. Everything was silent.
I had to be silent too. No speaking, no talking—be a good child.
No one heard the sobs buried deep in my heart.
No one cared about the tears behind my smile.
The bright moonlight covered me, purified me.
I was strangled by the throat, until I died.
"So, this little girl…"
"Ah, once the Black Mirror Vortex disappears, she disappears too." Xia Fenghua fell silent for a moment after reading the contents of the note, then said, "Her final trace of consciousness has already said goodbye to us~ The one who formed the Black Mirror Vortex was her fear. She wasn't like the General, strong enough to control the vortex—she was trapped by it."
Mu Anqi let out a soft "ah," not knowing what to say. She closed the note in her palm, and for some reason, her nose stung with the urge to cry.
[T/N: I had held it in till now but this finally made me cry (╥_╥)]
This was just…
This was just too heartbreaking.
"Sister?" Xia Fenghua froze. She called out gently, unsure of what to say next. The General had never recruited a player before, and she herself rarely worked or interacted with players… As for scaring or devouring players, she had done that more than a few times. The tattered dolls Mu Anqi had seen before—those were ones Xia Fenghua had made for herself. In such a situation, she truly didn't know how to comfort someone. "You… Sister, do you want to go back and get some rest?"
"…Mm." Mu Anqi felt heavy-hearted, partly due to the emotional contamination from the Black Mirror Vortex. She teleported away and returned to the Nirvana Space. In this gloomy, oppressive mood, she didn't feel like doing anything—this was the first time she didn't even shower or change her clothes. Carefully placing the slip of paper into her backpack, Mu Anqi lay directly on the bed and gradually fell asleep, tossing and turning.
On the other side, Xia Fenghua hugged her doll and gave it a shake, looking helplessly at the empty street. The General had said… after resolving the Black Mirror Vortex, she was supposed to take Mu Anqi around the Taiyin Realm for a stroll, to help her get familiar with the place, and also to let others know that Mu Anqi was a player recruited by General Ji. But in the end…
Mu Anqi wasn't in a good state. In that case, it was probably better to let her go back and rest, right? Xia Fenghua thought about it, nodded, and gave herself some affirmation. What she did… should be considered very thoughtful, right?
Thinking that, Xia Fenghua hugged her doll and skipped away happily. With the Black Mirror Vortex resolved, the residents who had temporarily left could return now!
…
A restful and sweet dream.
Mu Anqi felt like she had slept for quite a long time. Although at first she had been in a dazed, groggy state—half asleep, half awake—thankfully, she eventually drifted into a deep sleep…
When she groggily climbed out of bed the next day, she still felt a bit unclear-headed.
Only afterward did she belatedly realize that she hadn't showered or changed clothes the day before.
After washing up, Mu Anqi pulled herself together and took a shower, then changed into a clean set of athletic wear. She washed her dirty clothes and hung them up to dry inside the room, then began reviewing the rewards from the Black Mirror Vortex.
[Lounge Chair That Feels Extra Comfortable When Lying Down]: Just an ordinary, unremarkable lounge chair, but for some unknown reason, everyone who has lain on it says it's great.
Uh… Mu Anqi really wanted to ask: were all the people who didn't say it was good… gone?
This should count as a piece of furniture, right? Mu Anqi figured this thing probably couldn't be stored in her backpack. She tried lying down on the lounge chair—she had just barely reclined when a feeling of relaxation and pleasant ease washed over her.
This lounge chair… was really comfortable!
Unknowingly, Mu Anqi had slumped in the lounge chair for half an hour and couldn't help but sigh: it's just a little too indulgent.
Author's note:
This might have been written a bit subtly, so some readers may not fully understand.
The central figure of this Black Mirror Vortex was the little girl, so everything that happened was her memory. She was trapped in the "past," stuck in a "nightmare," and oppressed by her own "fear."
1.The man turned into a "monster" after taking off his clothes.
2.When alone with him, the man would become a "monster."
3.In her eyes, the home was dark, twisted, and terrifying.
4.The entire building was silent. No one came to save her, no one believed her, and no one helped her.
5.She once confided in a private tutor, who believed her, but before the teacher could act, the man—who had full control over the girl's life—killed the tutor.
(Actually, I thought I wrote it pre
tty obviously, just didn't want to express it directly with those particular words.)
But of course, readers may have different interpretations—there's no fixed answer anyway.