tailleur

Chapitre 1

The Enigma of the Ancient Mirror

The moon had already risen. In an abandoned house on the outskirts of the city, the withered yellow grass on the ground appeared even more gloomy and messy under the waning moonlight. Dead vines climbed haphazardly on the wall beside it, and a gloomy and gloomy atmosphere permeated the entire courtyard.

A black figure darted swiftly into the courtyard, like a ghostly apparition that appears after nightfall.

A commotion grew louder as several villagers approached from a distance, hurrying home for dinner. Upon seeing the mansion, which resembled a colossal beast in the dim light, their earlier chatter fell silent instantly, their expressions grave. As they passed the mansion, they kept their eyes closed, heads bowed, holding their breath, and quickly moved away from the suffocatingly dark atmosphere.

The boy at the back of the group seemed to hear a noise as he passed the mansion. He couldn't help but look up and peer into the courtyard...

In the hellish, dimly lit courtyard, a dark shadow suddenly flashed by. The boy, terrified, fell straight forward. As his face slammed onto the ground, his pupils gradually dilated, reflecting a horrifying crimson...

Chapter One: The Ancient Mirror

July in summer should be sunny and bright, but at this time, the sky over Black Town is just as its name suggests: dark and gloomy, with incessant rain.

Heizhen is an ancient town on the southwestern border. Established during the Nanzhao Kingdom, it flourished most during the Ming Dynasty and was a renowned salt-producing area. Due to its remote location, the buildings in Heizhen have largely retained their Ming and Qing Dynasty style. The only bustling area in the entire town is a slightly wider bluestone-paved road. Along both sides of this road, rows of "one-seal" style courtyard houses sit haphazardly. Most of these courtyards were built during the Ming Dynasty and are quite old; their weathered walls still reveal the gray-tiled, white-walled, Jiangnan-style courtyard architecture of that era.

A beautiful, youthful figure flitted back and forth between the ancient city walls, like a beautiful, colorful butterfly dancing among them, adding a vibrant rainbow to the ancient and solemn Black Town, and attracting the admiring glances of many men.

Ningxia, brimming with youthful energy, strolled along the oldest stone-paved road in Heizhen, completely at ease, seemingly unaware of the slight ripples her presence caused, nor feeling the discomfort brought by the rainy weather. She had recently read about this almost forgotten ancient town in the newspaper and immediately became very interested. As soon as the weekend arrived, she couldn't wait to hop on a train alone and come to Heizhen.

The town of Heizhen in the drizzling rain is like a newly completed Chinese ink painting scroll. The ancient city walls, exquisite small buildings, and towering ancient trees all exude a rare old-fashioned charm. Although the colors of the entire town are somber, they also have a moist quality, as if the painter's ink has not yet dried, and the scroll still exudes a lingering fragrance of ink.

In just half a day, Ningxia had explored the entire Black Town, her interest undiminished. Even as evening approached, she braved the drizzling rain, strolling along the town's only cobblestone street, browsing the shops that still retained their ancient charm.

Most of the shops here opened gradually after the 1970s. Many shop owners converted the first-floor hall of their courtyard houses into shops, while the second floor and inner courtyard were divided into residential areas for several families. After the reform and opening up, the shop owners abandoned their traditional trades and displayed various modern daily necessities, appliances, colorful clothes, magazines, etc., which coexisted in a very discordant way with the old style of the shops with carved window lattices.

However, what interested Ningxia was not these trendy goods, but the few shops that still carried on the tradition of selling ancient items. She was surprised to find that things like bronzeware, silverware, leather goods, and fabrics, which were long gone in big cities, were still popular here. Walking among them, one felt as if they had traveled through a fantastical time-travel between ancient and modern times.

At the very top of the bluestone path stood three neatly arranged memorial archways, representative of the town, bestowed by the emperor during the Ming Dynasty to commemorate three virtuous women. Ningxia scoffed at such ancient practices that stifled human freedom, and so she turned and walked into a narrow alleyway between the tiled houses beside the bluestone path.

Ningxia regretted coming to this secluded alley, because this road was just a shortcut for the town's residents to go home. On both sides were ordinary houses with earthen walls and gray tiles, and even the more solemn courtyards that had been next to the bluestone road were rare. It was quiet all around, and a faint, strange atmosphere silently wafted from the depths of the alley. The further she went, the stronger this feeling became.

Guided by this feeling, Ningxia quickly arrived at a barren meadow at the end of the alley. Beyond that lay a vast expanse of lush green woods, which from a distance resembled a thick, dark green wall, shutting out the hustle and bustle of the world at this far end. A shiver ran through her, and Ningxia sneezed, realizing that goosebumps had risen all over her body. Just as she was about to turn back, the light rain intensified, turning the road into a muddy mess.

A small courtyard came into view. It was an extremely inconspicuous little courtyard, with mottled water stains showing on the gray and old walls. But at this moment, the only thing that could shelter Ningxia from the heavy rain was the eaves in front of this courtyard. There was no time to hesitate; the increasingly heavy rain forced her to run towards the eaves.

As soon as she reached the eaves, a torrential downpour began. Ningxia was somewhat annoyed that she had only worn a tourist hat when she went out. She took off the soaking wet hat, shook off the water droplets, and her right hand touched a soft object. She turned around sharply and saw that there was a person standing behind her! She almost screamed. When she ran over here, she hadn't seen anyone there at all. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere without making a sound.

Once Ningxia calmed down, she realized that the person standing before her was an extremely old man. His exact age was impossible to discern; his hair was completely white, and he wore an old-fashioned black robe. In his right hand, he held a sandalwood cane that gleamed with a purple light. This elderly man, his face covered in deep wrinkles, stared intently at Ningxia with cold, icy eyes. The almost invisible whites of his eyes pierced Ningxia's body like needles, causing her to shudder.

Under the gaze of the dark-skinned old man, Ningxia shivered again, swallowed hard, and stammered in a hoarse voice, "Uncle... old man!"

The old man stared at Ningxia for a moment with his somber, cold eyes before asking, "What do you want to buy?"

Ningxia paused, glanced behind the old man, and suddenly realized that this was actually a small, old shop. This little shop wasn't much different from the shops lining the cobblestone streets of Black Town, but its location in such a remote place was quite puzzling. As she carefully examined the items inside, a chill ran through her again.

The shop in front of me is a two-story "Yikeyin" building, which is much older and more dilapidated than the courtyard houses lining the bluestone-paved road. The vermilion gate, which should have been red, has been blackened by cooking fumes and is unrecognizable. The window frames, which are carved with dragon and phoenix patterns, are also covered with thick layers of grease, and you can still vaguely see the original gilded base color. Only from the tall gate can you still trace the glory of this building many years ago.

Inside the small shop, numerous wreaths of varying colors and all sorts of funerary clothes and implements were displayed, with two dark, gleaming coffins in the corner! What shocked Ningxia most wasn't just the overwhelming array of funerary objects, but the human figure directly in front of her. The room was dimly lit, with only a small door at the back of the hall letting in some light. Although most of the funerary objects were made of brightly colored paper, the entire hall was filled with a somber, deathly atmosphere, sending chills down one's spine.

On the Eight Immortals table in the center of the hall, three sticks of sandalwood incense in an exquisitely crafted bronze incense burner were emitting wisps of smoke, and the light shining through the small door created a very strange scene. The musty smell in the whole hall was mixed with the sandalwood scent, and the aroma was also indescribably strange.

Everything in the room, in Ningxia's eyes, seemed to form a background color, and what this background color highlighted was the most eye-catching painting on the wall—a slender, beautiful woman in ancient costume, standing facing her on a scroll whose paper had turned grayish-yellow! The entire scroll looked quite old, but the woman in the painting suddenly evoked an indescribable sense of awe in Ningxia!

The woman in the painting has a cloud-like hair bun adorned with a five-phoenix hairpin with pearls hanging from it. She wears a bright red satin blouse embroidered with gold and colorful floral and bird patterns on a bright red satin background. Over this, she wears a red vest with silver fur trim. She also wears a red pleated skirt with butterflies embroidered in gold and silver. A long magenta sash is tied around her waist, and next to it hangs a small red sachet, on which a delicate butterfly also flutters.

Judging from her attire, she looks like a woman about to get married, but the red headscarf on her head is missing from the picture, and her beautiful face carries an extremely melancholy and sad coldness.

Due to its age, the original bright red color turned into a dark blood red, and the woman's skin also turned sallow. This gloomy color gave people a strange chill, but the woman's lifelike melancholy expression and cold eyes made it seem as if she lived in a painting, making people feel incredibly real.

"Want some antiques?" the strange old man asked in a hoarse voice.

This sentence made Ningxia stop in her tracks. The reason she liked to visit these old shops was precisely because of her love for antiques.

Turning around, Ningxia felt a chill run down her spine. She felt as if the strange old man before her could read her mind, and her voice trembled slightly: "What...antique?"

The old man's wrinkles twitched, making it impossible to tell whether he was laughing or crying; his expression was extremely grim. He slowly took a square cloth bag from the cabinet next to him where funeral clothes were displayed and placed it on the table.

Upon seeing the cloth bag, a strange feeling arose spontaneously. Curiosity outweighed the initial fear, and Ningxia slowly walked towards the bag. The cloth bag was made of blue tie-dyed homespun cloth, common in the southwest region. The color had turned grayish-white, and it looked quite old. The bag was shrouded in rising blue smoke, and an eerie atmosphere spread from all sides.

Ningxia swallowed hard, lowering her head to avoid looking at the woman in the portrait, feeling her gaze fixed directly on her. She reached out and untied the knot in the cloth bundle. The grey-blue cloth unfurled, revealing a rectangular, purplish-brown wooden box, roughly the size of a dictionary. The box's thickness was equal to its width, and its four sides were carved with scenes of the Queen Mother's birthday banquet. Various deities presented different treasures to the revered Queen Mother. Besides flowing clouds, ancient trees, and various mythical beasts, the entire box was also uniquely carved with an ancient, translucent pattern, the craftsmanship exquisite.

"What is this?" Ningxia asked curiously, looking down at the exquisitely carved patterns on the sandalwood-like box in front of her. She had never seen such patterns before, nor had she ever seen such a box.

"This is the dressing table!" the old man said.

"A cosmetic box?" Ningxia suddenly realized what it looked like. She had learned about such a thing from books; it was a box used by women in ancient times to store cosmetics. Thinking of this, Ningxia unconsciously looked up at the woman in the portrait, whose eyes were also quietly looking down at her.

"This thing belongs to her!" The strange old man revealed Ningxia's thoughts.

"Really?" A chill ran down Ningxia's spine. She had intended to leave as quickly as possible, but the sandalwood box before her was captivating. Her hand unconsciously reached for it, and a strange yet familiar sensation suddenly shot through her like an electric shock, coursing through her bones and reaching her cerebral cortex. In a daze, she saw an anciently patterned butterfly fluttering towards her, but as she tried to catch it, it vanished.

Startled for a moment, Ningxia opened the box. A surprised face suddenly appeared before her eyes. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the seemingly familiar face was actually her own – a bronze mirror had appeared in the box!

Its mirror wasn't a typical circle or oval, but rather a near-circular sunflower shape with eight petals, the edges of which were raised and finely engraved with S-shaped stripes. Ningxia was captivated by this bronze mirror, reaching out to touch the copper spots on its surface, a familiar yet strange feeling instantly rising within her. Turning the mirror around, the decoration on the back was even more astonishing. Scattered across the sunflower-shaped back were exquisite patterns of flowers, birds, butterflies, and flying apsaras, engraved in gold and silver. The apsaras, in flowing, light dresses, seemed to dance in the air, set against a backdrop of flowers, birds, and butterflies. The shimmering silver apsaras and the golden flowers and birds complemented each other, creating a magnificent and opulent scene. Two shafts connected the back of the bronze mirror to a square case. When the case was opened, the mirror would stand upright, revealing several compartments below for storing cosmetics and jewelry—both beautiful and practical.

She had clearly placed the mirror back into the box and carefully closed the lid, but now, the yellowish-green sunflower-shaped mirror on the purplish-brown box was gleaming eerily at Ningxia. Her mind went blank for a moment, but Ningxia quickly regained her composure. She rushed to the dressing table, placed the sunflower mirror back into the box, closed the lid, took it to the coffee table in the living room, quickly closed the bedroom door, turned off the lights, and lay down, pulling the covers over her head.

When Ningxia was huddled under the covers, almost suffocating, she realized she was soaked in sweat, even her pillow was nearly half wet. Her parents' three-bedroom apartment was a dormitory building provided by their work unit, located on Lingyun Road, a relatively remote suburb. Several research institutions and residences lined the road, surrounded by vast fields of farmland. It was already quiet during the day, but at night it was even more silent. The only sound was the rustling of leaves in the wind in the yard, so Lingyun Road fell into complete silence as soon as night fell.

At this moment, Ningxia wished she were in a bustling city, hearing the lively sounds of people. But in the courtyard, already past midnight, even the wind had stopped, not even the rustling of leaves could be heard; it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. She dared not move, and after holding her breath for so long, she finally had to peek her head out from under the covers. The room remained silent; thankfully, she didn't hear the terrifying sound. After counting to two thousand five hundred and thirty-one sheep, she drifted off to sleep…

She didn't know how long she had slept when a cold wind swept towards Ningxia. In her daze, she turned her head to look in the direction the wind was coming from and suddenly realized that the bedroom door was wide open, facing her.

As if propelled by springs, Ningxia sat bolt upright in bed, holding her breath. An unprecedented chill gripped her entire body; though it was summer, the room felt like an ice cave. She sat frozen on the bed for about ten minutes before gradually recovering. Trembling, she turned on the bedside lamp and slowly walked towards the living room. The sight of the coffee table nearly made her faint with terror! On the coffee table, the eerie sunflower-shaped bronze mirror from the box stood upright once more! The mirror, gleaming with a yellowish-green light, seemed like a strange, living eye, staring intently at her.

Suddenly, Ningxia felt as if she had lost all feeling in her legs. She froze in place, unable to move at all. Cold sweat poured down her body, soaking her pajamas. The hairs on her arms stood on end, and the breath she exhaled formed wisps of white mist in the air.

Just as Ningxia was about to lose consciousness, she suddenly saw a figure flash by in the mirror. Although the room was dimly lit, Ningxia clearly felt the blood-red figure reflected in her widening pupils. Her resolve finally crumbled, her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground...

"Beep beep beep..." The sound of an electronic clock woke Ningxia from her deep sleep. Groggy, she found herself lying comfortably in bed. Looking up, she saw the dressing table opposite her, its lid closed, placed exactly where it had been before she fell asleep. The bedroom door was also closed. A headache shot through her. Was what she had seen last night just a dream? Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the dressing table and giving it a faint reddish glow, making its originally dull color appear even more vibrant.

"You could buy your own place and live there, why live with your parents?" said Su Yun, a fair-skinned, slender woman wearing glasses. She was a member of the property class and had taken out a loan to buy a two-bedroom apartment two years ago, where she lived alone.

Chen Ying rolled her eyes: "You don't understand! I live with my parents to maintain family ties, unlike you!"

"Yeah! Yeah! To continue the family bond, she still can't even wash a pair of socks. How will she get married in the future?" Su Yun teased.

Chen Ying smiled and continued eating her potato chips: "So what? At worst, I just won't get married!"

"Hmph! If your mother heard you say that, she'd probably chase you away with a broom again..." Su Yun suddenly stopped talking, staring blankly ahead, a strange expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Chen Ying asked, puzzled. Following Su Yun's gaze, she saw Ning Xia standing in front of the bedroom door, holding a strange object.

"Wow! It's so exquisite!" Chen Ying jumped up first, her expression full of surprise.

Su Yun looked at Fang Lian with an extremely strange and surprised expression. He stared at Ning Xia and said, "You, where did you get this thing? Cough cough..." He then coughed violently.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" Chen Ying quickly handed her a glass of water.

Su Yun's expression was as if he had seen a ghost; the muscles on his face almost twitched, and his eyes were fixed on the box in Ning Xia's hand.

Ningxia was surprised by Su Yun's reaction and somewhat uneasy: "Su Yun, have you seen this before?"

"Ah! That...no. I saw it somewhere before, I think it was in an antique shop." The forced smile on Su Yun's face made Ning Xia feel a surge of doubt.

"Wow! It's quite pretty!" Just as she was about to say something, she was interrupted by Chen Ying, who was completely unaware of what was going on. Ningxia glanced at Su Yun's strange expression and stopped asking questions.

Ningxia placed the box on the coffee table and opened the sunflower-shaped bronze mirror inside. When the mirror's dazzling surface appeared, Chen Ying and Su Yun almost stopped breathing, staring blankly at the dreamlike mirror. After finally calming them down, she recounted how she obtained the box, but she overlooked the vivid dream she had experienced the previous night.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ying's first reaction was, "Are you sure you haven't been scammed? It's over two thousand yuan!"

Su Yun remained silent, staring at Ning Xia with a strange look in her eyes. When Ning Xia looked at her questioningly, she avoided her gaze.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Even Chen Ying sensed that the atmosphere was a bit strange.

Ningxia smiled and said, "No!"

"This...is this really what you bought?" Su Yun looked at Ning Xia, seemingly somewhat disbelieving her words.

"What? You don't even believe this? Ningxia has no reason to lie to us!" Chen Ying said, trying to smooth things over.

Su Yun suddenly looked up at the box and asked, "What exactly did you see?"

Ningxia's heart skipped a beat. How did she know?

"What do you mean, 'see what'? What are you talking about?'" Chen Ying looked at the two of them and suddenly felt something was off. "You don't mean to say that there's something inside here..." As she spoke, Chen Ying's expression changed.

Ningxia lowered her head and remained silent.

"Hey, you two, don't scare me!" Chen Ying said, quickly leaning back as she saw their expressions.

Su Yun glanced again at the sunflower-shaped bronze mirror that made her feel uneasy, then suddenly reached out and slammed it shut, saying, "What's wrong with you?"

Ningxia looked up at Su Yun, whose eyes were sharp, and said in a low voice, "I just find it hard for you to believe this!"

Chen Ying exclaimed, "Don't tell ghost stories!"

After suppressing her emotions, Ningxia slowly recounted what had happened last night. After she finished, Su Yun and Chen Ying exchanged glances, remaining silent for a long time, seemingly unable to believe it. Chen Ying almost burst into tears, hugging a cushion tightly: "Is it true? You scared me to death!" She glanced at the square box on the coffee table, then quickly looked away; she didn't even have the courage to look at the bronze mirror again.

Chen Ying cried out from the side, "No way!" Su Yun glared at her, opened the box, and lifted the sunflower bronze mirror from the bottom. The yellow-green sunflower bronze mirror shimmered eerily under the living room light. Suddenly, a cold wind blew in from the window, and for some reason, the temperature in the room suddenly dropped.

"Ugh! I'm getting goosebumps!" The more Chen Ying looked at the bronze mirror, the more terrifying it seemed. She suddenly thought of various things from "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio".

Su Yun fiddled with the box for a few moments but couldn't see anything. She said, "Is it only possible to see it at midnight?"

"What did you say? Midnight? That's terrifying!" Chen Ying screamed, staring incredulously at Su Yun, whose face remained expressionless.

"I'd like to see the figure you're talking about!" Su Yun sneered. Ning Xia stared blankly at Su Yun, puzzled.

"No way! I... my mom will worry, I'm going back now!" Chen Ying jumped up, ready to leave.

"There are no cars now, this is the suburbs! Cough! Cough..." Su Yun said coldly, her cough had been getting more and more frequent lately.

Ningxia's residence was in the suburbs, about a half-hour drive from the city center, and the last bus stopped running at 8:30 PM. Chen Ying glanced at the clock; it was already 9:00 PM. Annoyed, she sat down and said, "Ningxia! You know I'm easily frightened. Why did you make me go with you? Su Yun could have gone with you!"

"I'm sorry! I..." Ningxia said apologetically.

Su Yun said coldly, "What kind of friend are you?" Chen Ying pouted and stopped talking.

"Are we just going to wait like this?" Ningxia looked at the sunflower bronze mirror and asked Su Yun.

"That's right!" Su Yun crossed his arms and stared coldly at the bronze mirror on the coffee table that gleamed with a chilling light.

For the next few hours, the three of them played cards and watched TV absentmindedly, until the clock in the living room struck twelve. "Twelve o'clock?" Chen Ying's shrill voice rang out, trembling slightly. Ning Xia looked at the sunflower-shaped bronze mirror, and that strange feeling spread around her again, making her feel uneasy.

Su Yun looked down at the bronze mirror carefully, then suddenly ordered Ningxia, "Turn off the lights!"

"What?" Chen Ying's voice changed. Knowing Su Yun's personality, she immediately hugged a cushion tightly and pressed herself against Su Yun without daring to breathe.

Ningxia slowly walked to the corner, the strange feeling growing stronger. She glanced back at Su Yun, whose face was filled with determination, and Chen Ying, whose face was filled with fear. She reached out and pressed the light switch on the wall. The entire room plunged into darkness. Just as she turned to walk towards the sofa, her gaze fell upon the mirror on the coffee table. Su Yun had somehow turned the mirror so that it faced the direction Ningxia was standing. Su Yun and Chen Ying sat quietly on the sofa, their shadows forming strange shapes in the dim light from the window. She was about to speak when she suddenly felt as if her whole body was filled with lead, unable to move an inch, not even her lips or tongue, just like last night. A chill spread from around the mirror on the coffee table, seeping into Ningxia's pores, reaching the deepest part of her heart. Her breathing became rapid, white breaths clearly escaping from her nostrils, and her shirt was soaked with cold sweat.

In the dim, yellowish light emanating from the mirror, a blurry figure reappeared in Ningxia's sight. Despite the extreme darkness, she could still clearly make out the figure's blood-red skirt. This time, she didn't faint; she just stared fixedly at the mirror in front of her, her mind reeling. The woman in the mirror gradually became clearer. Ningxia felt as if she were watching a once-sensational horror movie, the ending of which featured a vengeful spirit crawling out of a television set to claim her life.

A deathly pale woman slowly approached the mirror. Her appearance was identical to the portrait in the old shop in Black Town, with the same melancholy expression and cold eyes. Ningxia nearly fainted; sweat poured down her back, her hair stood on end, her heart nearly stopped, and she was enveloped in a profound sense of terror. The woman stared fixedly at Ningxia in the mirror, then suddenly raised her arm and stretched it towards the mirror. The yellow butterfly on her wrist fluttered like a ghost. Ningxia shuddered and let out a piercing scream. The entire mirror suddenly went dark, and the image vanished. The room suddenly brightened. Su Yun shook the still screaming Ningxia violently, shouting, "What's wrong? What's wrong? Wake up!"