“His troubles will vanish just the same.”

With a faint hope that perhaps the person before him could truly solve his troubles, Wen Rujin began, slowly recounting the events that had befallen him to Ji Ningzhao and the others.

Unlike Chen Yiming, who lived apart from his parents, Wen Rujin had always lived with his parents and elder brother. The first sign that something was wrong came after a banquet. He was certain he wasn’t drunk, yet when he looked into the mirror, the reflection seemed less like himself and more like his brother. Although Wen Rujin and Wen Ruyue were brothers born of the same mother, they were not twins and naturally looked different. The sensation was fleeting, and at the time, Wen Rujin dismissed it as a trick of his mind.

Ji Ningzhao, listening quietly, quickly caught the key word: mirror.

Chen Yiming’s first fright at home had also involved a mirror. In the world of mysticism and feng shui, mirrors play a significant role. Folklore often claims that mirrors connect the living and the dead, serving as gateways to other realms. Many so-called methods for seeing ghosts, popular on the internet, invariably involve mirrors.

Yet Ji Ningzhao did not interrupt Wen Rujin’s recollections. She listened as he continued.

That mirror episode seemed, at first, to be a fleeting hallucination. But what followed convinced Wen Rujin he hadn’t been mistaken. Not long after, he began to hear tapping sounds on his window whenever he was alone in his room. He called in workers to inspect the windows, even replaced the glass, but nothing changed.

About two weeks after the noises began, Wen Rujin started to see indistinct white shadows flitting through his home. At first, his family thought he was simply overstressed and hallucinating, especially as no one else saw anything. Wen Rujin even went to the hospital, but nothing was found. The white shadow, however, appeared more and more frequently, drawing ever closer to him. One night, he woke in a panic to find it standing beside his bed, staring at him silently for who knows how long.

Faced with supernatural happenings only he could see, and the disbelief of his family, Wen Rujin’s mental strain grew daily.

But it took only one event to change the Wen family’s attitude: the violent death of Kong Xi in his own home. The family, privy to some inside information about the incident, realized that as the person who’d organized the ill-fated gathering, Wen Rujin might be suffering vengeance by association.

Suddenly, his parents and elder brother were frantic. No longer did they urge him to see doctors; instead, they began inviting masters from various sects into their home day after day. Yet, more so than Chen Yiming’s situation, Wen Rujin’s problem proved elusive. No matter their skill, none of the mystics detected any sign of haunting upon him.

Meanwhile, every night at precisely two o’clock, Wen Rujin was jolted awake by nightmares. In each, he wandered a mist-shrouded place—sometimes a cemetery, sometimes his own house—but could never find his way out. Upon waking, he would see the faceless white shadow gazing silently at his bedside, unmoving until dawn’s first light.

During these nightmares, he would lose control, thrashing and screaming so violently that it required at least two grown men to restrain him. On one such night, in his frenzy, he injured his father. After that, Wen Rujin himself requested admission to a sanatorium, where at least professional caretakers and—if necessary—restraints could keep him safe.

Now, Wen Rujin deeply regretted ever arranging that gathering. If only his troubles could be resolved, he would even be willing to make offerings to that girl, if that’s what it took.

When he finished, Ji Ningzhao and Xie Qingfa wore thoughtful expressions. Chen Yiming, however, seemed embarrassed as he glanced at Wen Rujin, worried that sharing the truth might frighten him further.

Noticing Chen Yiming’s discomfort, Wen Rujin spoke up directly, “Yiming, just say whatever you need to. We’re friends, after all—and it’s my fault you got dragged into this in the first place.”

The fact that the Chen family had been seeking out mystics was no secret in Hang City, and Wen Rujin naturally assumed it was due to the same matter.

Yet Chen Yiming stopped him before he could continue blaming himself. With a complicated look, he said, “No, Wen, it’s not what you think. Our situation probably has little to do with that incident.” He then recounted everything that had happened over the past few days.

From Chen Yiming’s tone, Wen Rujin could tell that he now had complete trust and admiration for Ji Ningzhao.

As good friends, Wen Rujin understood Chen Yiming’s character well. Because of his family’s status, Chen Yiming was proud by nature—an only child, unaccustomed to bowing to others. For him to admit someone’s abilities was no small thing.

Wen Rujin leaned back in his chair, feeling lost. Compared to Chen Yiming, who still indulged in wild escapades, Wen Rujin was the more steady and reliable one. He had studied abroad, returned home after graduation, and managed the family business with his brother, always conducting himself properly. The Wen family’s affairs were aboveboard, and Wen’s father was known throughout Hang City for his charity work.

Now, hearing that his predicament might have nothing to do with Kong Xi’s death, Wen Rujin was plunged into confusion. Try as he might, he could not recall a single misdeed that might have brought such things upon him.

Ji Ningzhao needed only one look at his bewildered face to know that, like Chen Yiming, Wen Rujin had simply fallen under some supernatural influence, unable to remember whatever had drawn the spirits to him.

But Ji Ningzhao had not come today expecting to find answers from Wen Rujin; what she sought, she had already learned.

As they took their leave from the sanatorium, Chen Yiming hesitated for a long while before finally asking, “Ningzhao, do you have a way to solve Wen’s problem?”

Ji Ningzhao nodded at him. “Once your issue is resolved, his troubles will vanish as well.”

Relieved, Chen Yiming eagerly opened the car door for her. “It’s hard to get a cab here. Let me drive you back.”

Ji Ningzhao couldn’t help but smile, shaking her head. “No need. I have other matters to attend to. You and Xiao Xie head back first.”

“But I will call on you again tomorrow. Please ask Mr. and Mrs. Chen to spare some time for me.”