The dim candlelight flickered, illuminating nearby objects in a ghostly manner.
Qin Sisi stared into the mirror at her own blurry reflection, and at Xiao Hei, who had almost merged into the darkness. She finally shut her eyes tightly, crossed her hands over her chest, and began to count silently in her heart: "One, two, three, four, five..."
She didn’t know what would appear in the mirror when she opened her eyes, she only knew that since she had made her choice, she had to move forward without hesitation.
After counting to thirteen, Qin Sisi stopped and slowly opened her eyes.
Then, her expression turned to incredulity, her small mouth slightly agape as she stared blankly at the image in the mirror.
There was a young man in the mirror; slender and upright, with mid-length hair just covering his ears. Some unruly bangs hung down his forehead. His tailored black shirt tucked into his trousers accentuated his slender figure. In the middle of his belt was a pair of wings, seemingly encrusted with diamonds, shimmering with dazzling brilliance in the dark. He wore a dark long coat outside, and its row of buttons glowed brightly.
He seemed like an elf who came from the darkness of the night, or an angel fallen into the human realm, exuding an indescribable charm and a kind of audacious pride that looked down upon the world.
The light was dim, and his facial features were not very clear, but Qin Sisi could tell that he was very handsome, surpassing all the male stars she could remember.
Qin Sisi stared at him, and he quietly looked back at Qin Sisi. Time seemed to stand still. Both pairs of focused eyes seemed to penetrate the smooth mirror surface and enter each other’s eyes, bringing their souls infinitely close.
After a while, he blinked in the mirror, and Qin Sisi suddenly noticed his violet eyes. Even in such darkness, his eyes were still flashing a strange glow.
Those eyes were familiar to Qin Sisi.
"You... you are....." Even though she had a guess in her mind, she still could not bring herself to utter the name.
"I am Xiao Hei," he said, as if talking about something mundane.
The first thing Qin Sisi did was to look down at Xiao Hei sitting on the basin. Much to her disappointment and surprise, Xiao Hei was still a cat, quietly sitting there as if nothing had happened.
Qin Sisi lifted her head, her mind full of questions and doubts, not knowing where to start.
The Xiao Hei in the mirror seemed to see through Qin Sisi’s thoughts. Without waiting for her to ask, he took the initiative to explain, "I am not from this world. I come from the Demon Sacred Realm."
"Demon Sacred Realm?" Qin Sisi blankly repeated, even now, she still couldn’t fully believe what was happening before her eyes.
"Yes, it’s a magical world." Xiao Hei’s voice was distant but clear, as if coming from a faraway place, yet it seemed to echo in her ears.
Qin Sisi took a moment to calm her shocked heart and asked the most important question, "Why did you turn into a cat?"
Xiao Hei lowered his eyes and said, "I’m cursed." His slightly magnetic voice failed to hide a trace of loneliness and sorrow.
"Cursed?" Qin Sisi repeated Xiao Hei’s answer. Each word he said was enough for her to digest for a long time.
Xiao Hei fell silent.
Looking at his slightly lonely figure in the mirror, Qin Sisi felt a pang of heartache. Unaware of her own feelings, she asked, "Can you turn back?"
Xiao Hei replied, "Returning to the Demon Sacred Realm, breaking the curse, I can revert back to human."
Qin Sisi pressed on, "How can you return to the Demon Sacred Realm?"
Xiao Hei paused before saying, "The midnight of the fifteenth day of each July is the time of the year when the Yin energy is at its peak. At that time, the portal of the spirit realm opens, and with the power of eighty-one ghosts, I can traverse the time tunnel and return to my world."
July fifteenth? Qin Sisi suddenly remembered that Xiao Hei had come to her on July fifteenth, and she brought it home that day. It must have just traversed the time tunnel into the human world that day, right?
Qin Sisi hesitated for a moment and said, "This year’s July fifteenth has passed, so we have to wait until next year, right?"
"Yes, I will use this year to collect the eighty-one ghosts."
Qin Sisi suddenly remembered something and asked urgently, "What happened at the dumpling shop today?"
Xiao Hei lifted his head to look at Qin Sisi, "Don’t you trust me?"
Qin Sisi remained silent, which meant yes.
Xiao Hei lowered his eyes, sighed quietly, and Qin Sisi felt as if a string in her heart had snapped with his sigh, a feeling of unspeakable pain spread throughout.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Hei finally spoke gradually, "I was trying to save her, there was a lethal fierce ghost following her," Xiao Hei finished, and looked at Qin Sisi with a complicated expression. He never bothered to explain anything to anyone, but Qin Sisi’s misunderstanding made him feel upset, a feeling he had never experienced before.
Upon hearing Xiao Hei’s words, Qin Sisi heaved a sigh of relief, "So that’s what it was." Her suspicion lifted instantly, and her relief was evident on her face.
Xiao Hei, observing the change in Qin Sisi’s expression, gradually relaxed, and their smiles slowly returned.
Looking at the unfamiliar yet recognizable man in the mirror, Qin Sisi felt her face heat up uncontrollably. She nervously touched her face, thinking to herself, "Am I blushing? Luckily, the lighting is dim; he probably can’t tell."
Unbeknownst to her, Xiao Hei’s eyes were not affected by the light. Seeing the red flush on Qin Sisi’s cheeks, the smile on Xiao Hei’s mouth deepened.
Qin Sisi, trying to alleviate the awkwardness and continue to probe her doubts, asked, "So, the ghosts you mentioned, are those what we refer to as ghosts?"
"Mm," Xiao Hei responded softly.
Once Qin Sisi had her guess confirmed, she nervously clenched her fist, "Are there really ghosts in this world?"
Xiao Hei looked at Qin Sisi intently and hesitated for a moment before saying, "There are two ghosts who want to meet you. Don’t be afraid."
"What?" Qin Sisi’s face turned pale, feeling fearful but somewhat expectant.
Xiao Hei opened his hand, a faint halo diffused. He reached into the air, the light flashed in the mirror, and nothing could be seen.
About a minute later, the mirror returned to calm, and the image inside reappeared.
"Ah..." Qin Sisi let out a gasp, covering her mouth, her body trembling slightly.
Behind Xiao Hei, two figures emerged. Although the lighting was dim, they were the people Qin Sisi was most familiar with, so she recognized them at a glance.