The Mirror Master

"She really is a lunatic!"

Chen Xiaofeng couldn’t help but curse aloud.

Just because she couldn’t stand to see others happy, she destroyed their entire family.

No normal person would ever do something like that.

"So why did your mother target my Chen Family?"

Chen Tieshan asked again.

"I... I don’t know."

A flicker of fear crossed Zhou Yu’s eyes, as if he’d remembered something. "I haven’t dared to speak much with my mother for a long time. I don’t even go into her room. It’s... it’s so sinister in there..."

Chen Tieshan’s expression was grim and unsettled.

"Master, I’ve told you everything I know! I’m innocent, please, show mercy!"

Zhou Yu scrambled to kowtow, his face a mask of remorse as he begged for forgiveness.

Chen Tieshan didn’t respond to Zhou Yu, but instead turned and asked, "Lu Bai, you’ve killed so many people tonight. How will you explain it to the Government Office?"

Lu Bai asked, "Did I kill them?"

"What do you mean, you didn’t?"

Chen Xiaofeng’s eyes widened.

’Did Lu Bai really just kill five people only to deny it moments later?’

’Is he trying to pin this on us?’

Lu Bai said calmly, "People have been dying in the Lu Residence for a while now. Everyone in town knows it. Rumors are flying about Evil Ghosts claiming lives. Is it really so strange that a few more people died tonight?"

A while ago, after a series of violent deaths in the Lu Residence, the Government Office had come to investigate several times.

But they never found any leads, so the deaths were ruled accidental.

Eventually, when more people died, the men from the Government Office would just go through the motions.

Now, a few more people from the Lu Family were dead. The Government Office wouldn’t care.

As for the townsfolk, they’d just treat it as a bit of drama. No one would really care.

Lu Bai chose to carry out his massacre in the Lu Residence for a reason. He wanted to give his father and older brother an accounting before their memorial tablets.

More importantly, he could use the rumors of the curse on the Lu Residence to cover his tracks.

"The previous deaths in your family were caused by an Evil Technique, so the Government Office couldn’t find anything amiss."

Chen Xiaofeng couldn’t resist retorting, "But these people died by your sword! The cause of death is obvious. Do you take the Government Office for fools?"

Lu Bai asked, "Carpenter Zhang’s family was burned to death. What did the Government Office find out then?"

"Well..."

Chen Xiaofeng was at a loss for words.

"Good, good, good!"

Chen Tieshan nodded again and again. "Kill them to silence them, then destroy the bodies to hide the evidence," he murmured. "A truly watertight plan!"

With that, Chen Tieshan’s gaze fell upon Zhou Yu. It was a terrifying look.

"Ma-Master..."

Zhou Yu’s heart skipped a beat, terrified by his master’s expression.

"Don’t be afraid, Yu."

Chen Tieshan reached out a large hand and placed it on Zhou Yu’s shoulder.

Terror-stricken, Zhou Yu tried to struggle to his feet and run.

But Chen Tieshan’s hand felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds.

No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t get up.

SNAP!

Chen Tieshan reached out his other hand, grabbed Zhou Yu’s head, and twisted!

With a single motion, he broke Zhou Yu’s neck.

Zhou Yu died on the spot!

When Chen Tieshan had roamed the Jianghu, his own hands had been stained with blood.

But after retiring to Liuxi Town all these years, opening his hall and taking on disciples, his temperament had mellowed considerably.

This very disciple had nearly caused the ruin of the Chen Family. How could he possibly let Zhou Yu go!

After hearing Lu Bai’s plan to blame any deaths tonight on the Lu Family’s string of disasters, all of his reservations had vanished.

He killed Zhou Yu on the spot, cleaning house!

At that same moment, the main doors of the Memorial Hall were suddenly pushed open.

The three people inside the Memorial Hall tensed and looked toward the entrance.

After seeing Mistress Wang to sleep, Uncle Fu had still been worried about Lu Bai and had hurried over to the Memorial Hall.

As he reached the doorway, he faintly heard words like "Master, don’t be afraid" coming from inside.

Not understanding what was happening, Uncle Fu pushed the doors open.

He was just in time to see Chen Tieshan snap Zhou Yu’s neck with his bare hands.

The next thing he saw was the floor, covered in blood, and the corpses of Lu Ziyuan and his family strewn about in the pools, their deaths gruesome.

Uncle Fu was so startled his legs went soft, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

Uncle Fu swallowed hard, glanced around from the doorway, and quickly shut the Memorial Hall’s doors.

Only by leaning his back against the heavy doors could Uncle Fu manage to stay on his feet.

"Hall Master Chen, rest assured. I won’t say a single word about what happened today!"

Uncle Fu took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice.

Chen Tieshan frowned and glanced at Lu Bai.

He was asking if this man could be trusted.

Lu Bai nodded.

Chen Tieshan breathed a sigh of relief, but then he felt that something wasn’t quite right.

"I was just cleaning house."

Chen Tieshan said thoughtfully, "As for Lu Ziyuan and his people..."

"Thank you, Hall Master Chen, for your righteous intervention, for eliminating this scourge for the Lu Family!"

Uncle Fu hurried forward to thank him. "Hall Master Chen, your grace to the Lu Family is as immense as a mountain. If the master’s spirit in Heaven can see this, he can finally rest in peace."

"That’s not..."

Chen Tieshan tried to explain.

Uncle Fu sighed. "Hall Master Chen, to be honest, First Master Lu was the master’s own flesh and blood, his brother. Even if we knew they were the ones who killed the master, we would never have had the power to take this revenge."

Chen Tieshan: "..."

Chen Xiaofeng: "..."

’No power?’

Chen Tieshan’s gaze shifted, landing on Lu Bai.

Lu Bai just stood there, a picture of innocence, as if it had nothing to do with him. He offered no explanation.

When he saw Chen Tieshan looking, Lu Bai even gave him a faint smile.

Chen Tieshan suddenly realized he’d just been saddled with the blame...

Even if he told people that Lu Bai had killed Lu Ziyuan and his family, no one would believe him.

Everyone in town knew the Lu Family’s young master was neither a scholar nor a fighter—just a simple, honest, good-natured kid.

If word got out and the matter reached the Government Office, and he accused Lu Bai of the murders, the officials would probably suspect him of making a false accusation.

Chen Tieshan wanted to try explaining to Uncle Fu again, but after turning it over in his mind, he gave up.

There was no explaining this.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, even he wouldn’t have believed it.

Seeing Lu Bai’s silence, Chen Xiaofeng couldn’t hold back. "Hmph. Your young master is quite capable!"

"Hall Master Chen, Young Master Chen, to speak from the heart, First Master Lu was the master’s brother, his own flesh and blood."

Uncle Fu sighed emotionally. "I’m an old man, and the mistress is frail. Even if our young master had the power, with his kind and honest nature, I fear he never could have brought himself to do this."

Chen Xiaofeng: "???"

’Kind?’

’Couldn’t bring himself to do it?’

’If he’s honest, then there’s no one left in the world who is!’

’He looks so clean-cut, and his name is even Lu Bai, but his heart is blacker than anyone’s!’

’He kills with such clean, brutal efficiency.’

’He should just change his name to Lu Hei!’

"Xiaofeng, I didn’t just misjudge him."

Chen Tieshan sighed. "I was completely blind."

Uncle Fu was thoroughly confused.

He didn’t understand why Chen Tieshan was suddenly being so sentimental.

"Uncle Fu, deal with the bodies."

Lu Bai said.

"How should I deal with them?"

Uncle Fu asked quickly.

"Strip them of their valuables and burn the bodies."

Lu Bai continued, "Add some Stone Liquid and other accelerants. Burn them along with this Memorial Hall. Make sure it burns for a good long while."

He wasn’t aiming to burn them to dust, but as long as the flesh was turned to ash and the bones were shattered, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to find any clues.

"Right!"

Uncle Fu knew how serious this was and immediately went to prepare.

Before long, the Memorial Hall was engulfed in a raging inferno.

Lu Bai, Chen Tieshan and his son, and Uncle Fu stood before the great fire, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Lu Bai, if people die with great resentment, they might not enter the Underworld. They can easily become Evil Ghosts, returning to claim lives."

Chen Tieshan said suddenly, "Don’t blame me for not warning you."

’That would be perfect.’

Lu Bai thought to himself.

He couldn’t let it show on his face, so Lu Bai just shook his head slightly. "No matter how evil an Evil Ghost is, can it be as evil as the human heart?"

Chen Tieshan fell silent.

No matter how evil an Evil Ghost was, there were always traces to follow, always methods to exorcise them and ward them off.

But the evil of the human heart was impossible to guard against.