I Return From Hell

Chapter 87: Chapter 82: Leatherface

The dressing table.

The two cabinets below were made of beechwood and carved with intricate, mysterious, and beautiful patterns.

The oval mirror above was forged entirely from copper, giving it an archaic and blurry appearance—a far cry from the perfect clarity of modern mirrors. Its frame was ebony, decorated with hollowed-out patterns and inlaid with yellow peach wood for accent.

A single glance was enough to tell it was an item once used by a noble lady from ancient times.

Looking closer...

She saw a crack running right through the center of the mirror’s surface, and she recalled what the innocent-looking girl had just said.

No matter how you looked at it, the sight was unsettling.

It was inexplicably bizarre.

As she stared...

Xia Yu felt the sounds around her fade away as the figures of the others grew blurry and disappeared.

While the others were distracted by ’Little Flower’, Xia Yu had begun to approach the dressing table step by step. She wasn’t consciously aware of her own actions, only that the situation around her felt increasingly wrong.

It wasn’t until a reflection of herself in ancient clothing appeared in the mirror.

Her pupils contracted.

’It’s targeted me!’

’People are always afraid of the unknown.’

’Even I can’t avoid that.’

’And when ghosts kill, they often prey on that fear.’

’Too bad you’ve picked the wrong person! I’m actually curious to see what you really are.’

Xia Yu keenly sensed her consciousness growing hazy, but she felt no fear. She decided to rely entirely on her body’s senses and intuition for danger to assess the situation and find an opportunity to break the spell!

And so...

She closed her eyes with extreme confidence.

The scene before her instantly vanished.

A chill crept over her body. She could faintly hear a bumping sound, as if something was desperately trying to break out of a cage and was on the verge of succeeding.

Strangely, the sound was getting closer and closer to her!

Meanwhile, the perception and intuition Xia Yu had always been proud of were gradually fading.

From Zhu Fangfang and the others’ perspective:

Xia Yu was sitting before the dressing table, her upper body leaning forward continuously, her pretty face drawing nearer and nearer to the surface of the copper mirror.

The bizarre scene sent a chill through everyone’s hearts, horrifying them.

’Could there really be a ghost?’

”Save her! Quick!”

The innocent-looking girl stumbled back in fear, yelling, ”Otherwise, she’ll die! She’s going to die!”

Fifth Brother and Song Zichao, who had been skeptical, were now complete believers. A wave of belated fear washed over them.

”Look!”

”A new crack appeared on the mirror!”

Zhu Fangfang’s expression changed drastically.

Everyone’s attention was fixed on the copper mirror.

Immediately after,

more and more cracks appeared, spreading faster and faster. The copper mirror looked like it could shatter at any moment.

”What will happen if the mirror breaks?”

Zhao Huan asked.

”Save her! If she dies, we’ll all die,”

Zhu Fangfang knew the situation was critical. With no time to analyze—not that she could figure anything out anyway—she shouted urgently.

Everyone’s expression grew anxious. They had clearly realized this as well, and they all looked ready to make a move.

But not a single person moved.

Even Fifth Brother, who had saved the innocent-looking girl earlier, didn’t dare to step forward now. He knew something was wrong with the mirror and had completely lost the courage to go near it.

”You guys...”

Zhu Fangfang was furious.

”Let’s hold hands!”

Song Zichao spoke up, suggesting, ”I’ll be the one to save her, alright?”

The group exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

Fifth Brother desperately tried to signal him with his eyes. Song Zichao knew what his brother meant but pretended not to see, still choosing to take the lead.

Fifth Brother felt helpless.

But just then,

Xia Yu suddenly stopped moving.

CRACK.

SHATTER.

The copper mirror broke completely.

A bloodcurdling scream echoed from within the mirror.

It was a wail, a sob,

that made one’s blood run cold.

An uncontrollable chill ran down their spines.

”AH!”

The innocent-looking girl screamed, shoved the door open, and bolted.

Song Zichao and the others all recoiled. Their hands trembled, and their phones clattered to the floor, casting chaotic, shaking beams of light everywhere.

In the flickering light, they vaguely saw a little girl crawling out of the copper mirror.

”Holy shit!”

In that instant, fear exploded in their hearts. They could no longer control their bodies and turned to run.

Zhu Fangfang, who had already sprained her ankle, was shoved by a hand and fell straight to the ground.

In her desperation,

”Wake up! Hurry!”

she screamed, trying to wake Xia Yu.

Clearly, she knew that her only chance of survival now was to rely on Xia Yu.

Xia Yu’s eyes snapped open.

A human face was floating right before her, almost close enough to touch. Her pupils constricted, her heart pounded wildly, and she immediately recited the ”People come separated by thick paper” mantra in her mind, causing the face’s approach to slow abruptly.

”Aargh.”

The face was grotesque, lunging and snapping ferociously.

Like an Evil Ghost.

PFFT.

The Blood Butterfly precisely pierced the center of its brow.

All the way through!

The face instantly lost all support.

Like a sheet of human skin, it hung from the Blood Butterfly, limp and swaying.

Xia Yu’s heart relaxed slightly. Her palms were covered in sweat; clearly, she too had been given quite a scare just now.

’But why did the bloodcurdling scream from before disappear?’

’Is this... real human skin?’

She reached out and touched it. The texture was smooth, soft, and slightly elastic.

’Was this just peeled from a person? How else could it feel like this?’

’A human face hidden inside a ghost artifact... what’s going on?’

Xia Yu’s mind raced. In the midst of her confusion, she suddenly noticed something that made her heart jump:

After this child’s face left it, the dressing table no longer had any Yin Qi Fluctuation. Instead, the face itself was emitting the Yin Qi Fluctuation.

’The dressing table isn’t the ghost artifact?’

’This is!’

Just then,

”AHH!”

”Help me!”

Screams erupted from outside the courtyard gate.

’They all ran outside?’

Xia Yu’s attention was drawn away.

She quickly placed the face into a Jade Box she had prepared beforehand, preventing it from flying away again.

’Ghost artifacts, once subdued, can be used by the living!’

’But it requires a certain price.’

’And now was not the time to subdue it.’

”No.”

”I’m still here.”

Zhu Fangfang, who hadn’t dared to make a sound, finally found the courage to speak.

”Hm?”

Xia Yu glanced at Zhu Fangfang and charged out. ”Stay close to me!”

This was no time to let the group get separated. Otherwise, they would be picked off one by one. If it came down to just the two of them, their room to maneuver against the Soul-eating Ghost would shrink dramatically.

”I... okay.”

Zhu Fangfang struggled to her feet. The pain in her ankle made her suck in a sharp breath.

But Xia Yu was already gone. Zhu Fangfang glanced at the destroyed dressing table, still terrified. She forced herself to endure the pain and quickly chased after her.

She didn’t want to stay in this room for a second longer!

SWOOSH.

Xia Yu had no intention of waiting for Zhu Fangfang. She knew that as long as the two of them weren’t too far apart, neither would be considered ’alone,’ and the condition for the Soul-eating Ghost to kill wouldn’t be met.

Besides, the ghost from the mirror had already been captured.

Zhu Fangfang would be safe.

Song Zichao and the others, on the other hand, were in extreme danger.

However, what Xia Yu didn’t expect was that she would run into someone the moment she rushed out of the courtyard gate.

”It’s you?!”