QingWu gripped Madam Luo by the throat with one hand while snatching the bronze mirror from her with the other. Lowering her gaze, she met the sorrowful, bloodstained ghostly eyes of the original owner of this body. Disgust immediately filled her, and she couldn't bear to look any longer. "You really are something!" she scolded. She had given YunQingwu the chance to seek revenge herself, but after just half a night, she had been captured.
The Judge's Brush clicked in confusion. "Can this bronze mirror devour ghosts? Besides Yun Qingwu, how come there are so many ghosts hidden inside? Madam Luo used her own life force to open the mirror, trying to lock these ghosts. Is she brainless? This kind of cursed object takes a life in exchange for every of its use!"
QingWu sneered, muttering to herself, "Yeah, sacrificing her own life force to lock the ghosts to harm others, even pigs wouldn't be this stupid."
Madam Luo stared in disbelief, her eyes widening as if she wanted to deny it.
Seeing this, QingWu found it even more amusing. "Hahaha, this fool really doesn't know, does she? She's been sold out and still doesn't realize it?" QingWu smirked, savoring the moment. "Let me guess, the person who gave you this mirror was that demon Taoist Wushuang? Or was it Wuji?"
Madam Luo's lips trembled, unable to speak, but her reaction had already given QingWu the answer. QingWu silently mocked her, the doubt in her heart finally resolving.
The Judge's Brush spoke again: "The ghosts in this mirror are filled with hatred toward Madam Luo and the people around her. Looks like she was the one who caused their deaths!"
"Those two demon Taoists and Madam Luo must have colluded long ago. They gave her this mirror, probably with the intention to silence her! Hahaha! This fool thought the mirror was a talisman for protection!"
QingWu's smile was chilling as she spoke a single sentence that made Madam Luo feel like she had fallen into an ice pit: "I'm really curious, how does a woman of the inner chambers get her hands on so many lives, especially the lives of young children?"
Madam Luo's pupils shook violently, as if struck by lightning. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Y-You... what do you know?"
QingWu didn't answer but instead laughed coldly. "Didn't you want to use this mirror? Come, let me teach you how it's really used."
QingWu's voice fell, and the bronze mirror in her hand cracked open. One by one, phantom-like figures rushed out of the mirror, fighting to get through. The moment QingWu released her grip, ghostly hands took over and seized Madam Luo.
A chill swept over her, and she screamed, but soon she could no longer even make a sound. The ghostly figures crashed into the housekeeper and the other guards, their bodies overtaken by the spirits. The red rope snapped, and the evil ghosts took control. Chaos ensued as demons ran wild.
Lü Qiao and Hong Rui stood frozen, too frightened to move. The two once fierce maids now appeared small, pitiful, and helpless. Especially when they watched the housekeeper, in a trance, start pulling his own teeth out one by one and, with a bloodied mouth, lunge at Madam Luo, tearing into her. Their breath caught in their throats from fear.
QingWu walked over, and the two maids instinctively took a step back. But then they gathered their courage and spoke, "My..My Queen... they..."
QingWu blinked. "Isn't this spectacle entertaining?"
Lü Qiao's face turned pale, and Hong Rui swallowed hard. "Yes... entertaining." But it was also life-threatening.
"Do you want to see it more clearly?"
The two maids, despite their fear, couldn't resist their curiosity and nodded. QingWu raised her hand and tapped each of their left eyelids, opening half of their yin-yang eyes. She didn't open them fully, not wanting to scare them too much on their first encounter with ghosts.
In an instant, the door to a new world opened before their eyes. They saw Madam Luo and her group, each of them either carrying or being wrapped in a ghostly figure. The maids couldn't make out the exact appearance of the ghosts but could only see their shapes.
All of them appeared to be children. The only adult-like figure was a female ghost attached to Madam Luo, violently tearing out her hair.
"So many ghosts! Why do they all look like children? Were they all trapped in the mirror before?"
QingWu hummed in acknowledgment. "The mirror can connect to the netherworld, capable of both capturing and suppressing ghosts, but that bronze mirror has been forged into a cursed artifact that devours spirits."
"Controlling such malevolent objects always comes at a price. Did they really think they could exploit the power of evil spirits so easily?"
Lü Qiao, torn between fear and boldness, cautiously asked, "So now, is Madam Luo being attacked by backlash? Are these little ghosts acting under the Queen's command to punish them?"
"Backlash is real," QingWu replied lazily, her voice indifferent and her gaze icy. "But I didn't order them to act. Blood debts must be paid in blood—whoever caused their deaths will naturally be held accountable."
Lü Qiao's face paled instantly. The courtyard swarmed with dozens, perhaps hundreds, of ghostly children. Did that mean Madam Luo and her people were responsible for hundreds of lives, all of them children? The thought sent rage surging through the two maids. They felt an almost uncontrollable urge to rush forward and slash Madam Luo themselves.
The sheer number of child victims pointed to one horrifying possibility: child trafficking. But unlike ordinary traffickers who sought profit, Madam Luo's motives clearly went far beyond money.
"This woman deserves to die! How could someone like her become the wife of the Minister of Revenue? Even the Yun family must be involved in this!" Lü Qiao exclaimed, trembling with fury.
Hearing the name of Old Yun, QingWu smirked, her memory jogged. Clapping her hands, she brought the chaos to an abrupt halt. Every being—living or otherwise—turned to look at her. A shiver ran down Lü Qiao and Hong Rui's spines as the eerie silence enveloped the courtyard.
QingWu crooked a finger at Madam Luo, whose body was now fully possessed by Yun Qingwu. The specter stepped forward, bowing with utmost deference.
"Don't be selfish," QingWu chided with feigned seriousness. "How could you forget your closest kin in such an entertaining scene? Fairness is key, don't you think?"
Yun Qingwu nodded fervently, as though enlightened. Yes, yes, of course! She cursed herself for being so inexperienced in her first act as a ghost.
With a grand gesture, QingWu waved her hand. "Go ahead. These little ghosts are now at your command. Keep the revelry alive—let the dance continue!"
The courtyard's nailed-shut gates burst open with a loud crash. At that moment, the evil spirits were unleashed, and chaos erupted across the Ministry of Revenue's Mansion. A macabre celebration began.
QingWu, thoroughly amused, clasped her hands behind her back and hummed a cheerful tune. "This lively spectacle you're enjoying—it's exactly what you asked for."
Suffering brought upon oneself deserved to be savored. And as for stopping it? That was out of the question.