In the photo, Hao Hao's little face still bears an innocent smile.
But the color of his life seems to have faded along with his lifespan, leaving behind only endless gloom.
That old man must have been kneeling in front of Hao Hao's photo every day, borrowing his lifespan.
Luo Xingfa felt a chill run through his body.
"This is too much! Too much!"
His hands and feet trembled uncontrollably, unable to comprehend how such a terrifying person could exist in the world.
Anger and fear were not enough to describe his emotions at that moment.
"There are always people who will stop at nothing for their own interests."
Lu Fei was already used to such things and moved closer to examine the mirror.
The mirror was quite ordinary, different from a bronze mirror; it was just a small mirror commonly found in rural households.
However, there were some kind of runes written in blood around the mirror.
And behind the mirror, it seemed as if a corner of a photograph was showing.
Lu Fei pulled it out to take a look.
They were two black-and-white photographs.
In the photos, one was a weathered elderly peasant woman, and the other was a simply dressed young man.
"Isn't this Luo Youliang's wife and son! How did their photos end up..."
Luo Xingfa was greatly shocked.
"It seems that the death of his wife and children was not an accident! Before he laid hands on Hao Hao, he had already taken away his family's remaining years, sacrificing them for his own survival..."
A chill rose in Lu Fei's heart.
Although he had seen such things many times, he could never get used to it.
"Absolutely insane!" Luo Xingfa was at a loss to understand.
"This man has no humanity left!"
Lu Fei shook his head, put the photo back, and draped the black cloth over the mirror again.
"Now we can be sure that he will definitely come back tonight to borrow life from the mirror. Let's wait and see!"
The two of them left the house.
Lu Fei specifically broke off a branch from outside to sweep away their footprints and returned the door to its original position, leaving it slightly ajar.
They went back to the car and recounted what had happened.
Luo Xingfa's wife, pale with fright, clung tightly to her unconscious son.
"The most common method of borrowing life in folk practice is by paying for it with money and kowtowing, but these methods can at most borrow a few years of life; borrowing too much can easily be detected by the underworld." Master Xiang's expression was grave.
"But for someone to be able to use magic to borrow another person's entire lifespan, that's truly no small feat."
"Mr. Luo, what kind of person is he? Do you know anything about him?"
Such a person might also be proficient in other dark arts; it's better to learn more to be well-prepared, as sometimes people are more terrifying than ghosts.
Luo Xingfa shook his head bitterly, "I moved to the city with my parents when I was very young, so I don't know much. I've heard that he spent most of his time outside, only returning to the village occasionally."
"Sometimes he would come back with a lot of money, and sometimes he would return in rags. When people asked him what business he was in, he never said. But every time he came back, he would fall seriously ill."
"Could it be that he was doing something immoral?" Master Xiang frowned.
The more he heard about the old man, the more sinister he seemed, making him feel like a very difficult opponent.
"Manager Lu, what do you think?"
"No matter who he is, our focus is on retrieving the child's remaining life. Since he borrowed life through the mirror, naturally the solution lies in the mirror as well."
Lu Fei thought for a moment and asked Luo Xingfa to find a photo of Hao Hao from his phone; it would be useful later that night.
Waiting is always an agonizing process.
Throughout the day, Mr. and Mrs. Luo Xingfa were extremely anxious and had no heart to rest.
Nightfall finally arrived.
To keep Hao Hao from waking up, Master Xiang replaced the talisman with a new one for calming the spirit.
Mrs. Luo Xingfa was left to take care of Hao Hao while everyone else set up an ambush at Luo Youliang's house.
The night grew deeper.
The bamboo grove swayed, emitting a rustling sound.
A crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a faint light over the tranquil village.
A dark figure emerged from the mountains and silently entered the old house surrounded by bamboo groves.
"He's here."
Lu Fei warned in a low voice, causing everyone in the house to instantly tense up.
Under the moonlight.
The face of the dark figure was unusually pale, and he wore a pair of black cloth shoes; it was Luo Youliang. His throat had uneven lumps, making him look particularly frightening.
He pushed open the door of his house, stepped over the threshold with a missing piece, and walked straight to the corner where the mirror was placed.
"What's that smell?"
Lu Fei immediately caught a whiff of a peculiar odor emanating from Luo Youliang.
Luo Youliang pulled off the black cloth covering the mirror and glared venomously at Hao Hao's black-and-white photo on the mirror's surface.
As soon as midnight struck, he would immediately kowtow to the photo.
Lu Fei and the others were hiding in the next room, holding their breath and not making a sound. Luo Xingfa was so nervous he didn't dare to even breathe heavily.
Soon.
The time had come.
In the corner, the mirror with Hao Hao's photo on it began to tremble slightly, as the runes around the mirror seemed to come alive, wriggling oddly.
Lu Fei immediately told Luo Xingfa to turn on his phone and bring up Hao Hao's photo.
While he positioned the bronze mirror towards the photo.
A moment later.
Hao Hao's face appeared on the mirror in front of Luo Youliang.
He seemed to let out a sigh of relief, a cold smile appearing on his face as he knelt before the mirror.
Just at that moment.
Lu Fei immediately aimed the bronze mirror at Luo Youliang.
It is impossible for a person to borrow lifespan from themselves.
As long as Luo Youliang kowtows to his own reflection in the mirror, the life-borrowing technique would naturally be broken.
But just as Luo Youliang bent down, there was suddenly the sound of wings flapping by the window, as if a bird had flown over.
"Hmm?"
Hearing the noise, Luo Youliang immediately raised his head.
He was greatly startled to find that the face in the mirror was his own. He stood up and warily looked around.
Lu Fei frowned.
How could it be that, by sheer coincidence, a bird arrived at this very moment?
This makes it unlikely that the technique can be broken quietly.
Sure enough.
Luo Youliang grabbed the black cloth and covered the mirror with it.
He seemed to sense something, reaching into his pocket to pull out a peculiar tool, and cautiously began moving towards the next room.
As he approached, the foul odor emanating from him grew stronger.
Luo Xingfa panicked, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Master Xiang pulled out a few copper coins, ready for whatever was to come.
Lu Fei narrowed his eyes calmly.
Since they had been discovered, might as well go all in!
He gestured to Master Xiang, then positioned himself against the wall by the door.
As soon as Luo Youliang stepped into the room, Master Xiang immediately flicked a copper coin, drawing his attention.
Swish!
Luo Youliang was extra vigilant and immediately dodged to the side.
Following that, with a rustling sound, he threw a peculiar long rope towards Master Xiang.
It was like a chain, with sharp claw-like hooks at the front.
"Flying Hu Zi Claw!"
Master Xiang was greatly startled, and his assistant quickly pulled the wheelchair back.
Lu Fei instantly understood.
The strange smell on Luo Youliang was the scent of earth!
And "ground rat" is another term for a tomb raider, and the Flying Hu Zi Claw is a common weapon used by tomb raiders.
No wonder this person would sometimes be wealthy and sometimes destitute, and every time he came home, he would fall seriously ill.
Tomb raiders often enter graves, their bodies contaminated by yin energy and corpse qi, so it's no wonder they get sick.
Upon learning the identity of the person, Lu Fei actually felt relieved.
"Bind him!"
He had already taken out his black umbrella.
At the same moment, Xiao Hei suddenly darted out, opening its large mouth towards Luo Youliang's calf.