Ji Huaichu smiled again. She looked at Mu Anqi; this little money tree was becoming more and more… to her taste.
After killing the man, the entire room began to undergo a strange transformation. The blood scattered across the floor seemed to come alive, crawling along the ground and walls like snakes formed of blood, turning the whole room crimson.
"W-what's happening…" Mu Anqi had never seen such a scene before. She held the substitute paper doll in her palm as if facing a great enemy, while her other hand gripped the handgun, not knowing which blood thread to shoot at.
In that instant, the entire room seemed to come alive. The blood threads on the walls were like pulsing veins. The three already-dead female corpses radiated intense resentment, and the endless blood threads spread from beneath them. The blood threads gradually extended to the doorway, and the moment they touched the man's body, a black mist surged from him. The instant the blood threads made contact, a sharp "sizzling" sound rang out, very much like the sound of meat placed on a hot stone slab.
The man stood up stiffly, black mist enveloping his entire head. He seemed to have become a monster, yet at the same time, appeared to be "alive" again. He picked up the butcher's knife from the floor and gripped it in his hand. The dark figure suddenly lunged into the living room, frantically attacking the women's corpses with furious swings.
Blood threads converged from all directions, attempting to trap the man. The two daughters' bodies also moved, lunging at him, only to be easily cut down. They fell to the floor, blood flowing from their bodies, forming even more red threads.
One by one, the blood threads surged toward the man, like tentacles, yet also like silkworms weaving a cocoon, layer upon layer, wrapping the black-mist-shrouded man along with the women, forming a massive blood-colored cocoon.
"Although this can be considered revenge within the Black Mirror, in most cases, it's better to interrupt it," Ji Huaichu said softly, her tone extremely gentle. "But since it's your first time seeing this, observing the consequences of letting it unfold isn't bad either."
Black Mirror vortex… both sides generate malicious intent. And this malice is completely irrational, so instinctively it seeks revenge. But after the revenge target disappears, will it attack anyone who enters the Black Mirror vortex? Mu Anqi thought of the strand of hair that had just attacked her, then looked at that special "cocoon," breaking open into a butterfly… So at this moment, if one side eliminates the other, does it also absorb the other's malice and energy, making the surviving side stronger and harder to deal with? This is what General Ji wanted her to observe.
What was General Ji worried about? Mu Anqi's gaze moved from the blood-colored cocoon to Ji Huaichu. The general's expression was calm, simply observing everything with a sense of quiet confidence. This gave Mu Anqi a great sense of safety. It was clear that the general was teaching her. The reason…
Mu Anqi reflected for a moment. She indeed preferred that the victims take revenge using their own strength. And when both sides fought, Mu Anqi would either refrain from intervening or, if she did intervene, she would be biased toward helping the other side.
"General, I understand," Mu Anqi said softly. She was someone who valued her life. Even if she sometimes appeared "skilled and fearless" or "recklessly bold," it was only because she hadn't used a free resurrection opportunity yet.
A rustling, crackling sound came from the blood cocoon. This enormous blood-colored cocoon occasionally bulged as if something inside was constantly pounding against it. The entire room was completely soaked in red, and as the sound grew increasingly urgent and violent, the cocoon finally split open. A pair of sharp antennae emerged—black and red. It was a massive moth, a type Mu Anqi had never seen before.
Mu Anqi looked at it and whispered, "May you soon reach ultimate bliss and be reborn in the Pure Land."[1]
The giant moth froze for a moment. The resentment gathered on its body hadn't yet attacked, but its wings and antennae began twisting uncontrollably. Perhaps… it was dancing? But Mu Anqi couldn't understand the moth's dance.
Just as Mu Anqi was about to fire, a patch of black shadow appeared beneath Ji Huaichu's feet. Within this dark area, countless shadows sprang out, sticking to the black-and-red moth like a second skin, devouring it bit by bit. The shadows traveled back and forth between the dark area and the moth. Ji Huaichu simply watched calmly until the moth collapsed with a crash. The shadows then intertwined with the blood threads on the walls and building, as well as the broken blood cocoon…
General Ji's ability seemed both like devouring and commanding. Was it because she had been a general in life that she gradually mastered such a power? Mu Anqi looked at Ji Huaichu's expressionless face and lowered her gun. She waited until everything ended. The room had returned to its previous state; the corpses were gone, leaving only traces of blood.
Ji Huaichu let out a satisfied sigh. The ghostly shadows all merged back into the black area beneath her feet, which then also dissipated.
"General, what does malice taste like?" Mu Anqi couldn't help asking.
It was the first time Ji Huaichu had heard this question. She thought for a moment, choosing her words carefully: "Cold… not much of a taste?"
Mu Anqi showed a disappointed expression.
"But it makes ghosts stronger," Ji Huaichu added.
"Alright then," Mu Anqi let go of her curiosity. After thinking for a moment, she asked again, "What about the Guan Si? What does it taste like?"
"No taste, but the texture is very hard and crisp," Ji Huaichu explained patiently. "However, when consuming Guan Si, you can experience a bit of random emotion."
After all, Guan Si is made from emotional energy. Each piece contains subtle emotional energy. This small amount of energy isn't enough to cause strong emotions in the person consuming it, but like a small pebble, it can create tiny, random ripples.
"I see…" Mu Xiaobai had become increasingly human-like, perhaps thanks to those few pieces of Guan Si. Mu Anqi thought that after this game ended, when she went to visit her, she could give her more Guan Si to snack on.
Exiting room 102, Mu Anqi headed toward the second floor. The seventh floor of this old house was a balcony, which meant… there were twelve households here. Twelve entangled manifestations of malice.
Not wanting General Ji to handle it, Mu Anqi took the initiative to stand at the door of 201 and politely knocked. After doing so, she looked back at Ji Huaichu. Seeing the general nod at her, Mu Anqi finally smiled.
"Who is it! Wait a minute!"
Unexpectedly, the voice from inside 201 was strong and full of energy. Mu Anqi and the others waited a moment, then heard hurried footsteps approaching as the door was opened.
The person who came to open the door was a woman, with a man standing behind her. They looked like a married couple.
"Who are you…?"
"Oh, it's like this. We're community workers, here today to conduct a personal census registration. This old building… well, policies have come down, and there might be future demolition." Mu Anqi's mind turned quickly, and she spoke without changing her expression, taking out her pen and notebook. "We need to record the house area, head of household, household registration, and so on. It also happens to be time to check the water meter this month, so I thought I'd do it at the same time. Hope we're not disturbing you?"
The couple inside exchanged a glance and visibly relaxed.
"No disturbance at all," the woman said, smiling and waving, ushering Mu Anqi and the others inside. "We'll cooperate with your work. You must be working hard too."
"Go on, go on, quickly pour two cups of tea," the woman said, giving the man a look. He stepped back, replied, "Right away," and headed toward the kitchen.
"Don't mind us, we're just doing a little business, packing some parcels right now."
Mu Anqi and Ji Huaichu sat down on the living room sofa and naturally noticed the dozen or so delivery boxes arranged there. The boxes were all roughly the same size, with a stack of black packaging bags beside them.
"Your business is doing well," Mu Anqi complimented. The woman's expression stiffened for a moment, then she smiled and replied, "Yes," adding, "Actually, we don't make much money." Mu Anqi could smell a faint metallic scent of blood in the air. Keeping her expression neutral, she flipped her notebook to a blank page and continued, "Is it convenient for you to register the information now?"
"…Yes, it is," the woman nodded. "I'll go find the household registration book. You two wait a moment and have some hot water. Tao! Haven't you poured the water yet?"
"Coming, coming," the man said, hurrying out with two cups of water. He handed them over with a smile. "You two can rest first, or check the water meter if you like. We had a sudden idea to buy a small swimming pool these past couple of days, but didn't really get anywhere with it, just ended up wasting a lot of water."
"I see. I've bought one of those before too; it really wastes water. Better to just go to a swimming pool," Mu Anqi agreed with the man. As she took the water, she subtly glanced at the packed delivery boxes. The floor was slightly damp, as if it had just been mopped, and one of the boxes… seemed hastily packed. Something inside appeared to have leaked, leaving small wet spots.
Mu Anqi held the cup in both hands without drinking. Her nose twitched slightly—the faint metallic scent of blood was still in the air. Just then, the sound of flushing came from the bathroom. A moment later, the woman emerged with an apologetic expression: "Look at me, I just can't remember where I put things. Why don't you come back in a couple of days? This registration isn't that urgent, right?"
"Yes," the man agreed. Then both of them fixed their gaze on Mu Anqi, their nervousness plainly visible.
"I see," Mu Anqi said, putting on a troubled expression. "It's not easy for me to come here just once. How about you find it first, and I'll go to the other households to register, and come back here last?"
The two visibly relaxed.
Mu Anqi already had a plan. She stood and walked toward the door, with Ji Huaichu quietly following. As they reached the entrance, the woman and man moved closer to see them out. At that moment, Mu Anqi turned back, softly sending them two blessings: "I wish you both abundant wealth and prosperity every year."
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Footnotes—
1.Pure Land Buddhism is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Pure Land, a blissful realm free from suffering, through faith in Amitabha Buddha