Chapter 7: The Calamity of the Medium

A pink bead curtain hangs at the outer door, and a woman's voice comes from inside, "Who is it?"

"How do you say it?" Qin Huai asked again

I caught a glimpse of my infant self in the mirror, and it startled me, for at that time my eyes were indeed green. However, I have never heard my father mention this. The woman took a few steps and hid behind the bushes, and at that moment, footsteps sounded from behind.

Qin Huai shouted, "Shan Shan, hurry back, do not make things difficult for yourself." I saw in the bronze mirror the same scene as before, Shan Shan sitting opposite me with her eyes tightly closed, while another version of her appeared in the mirror. She continued, "That girl has grown up, her eyes scorched by dark energy. If you do not save her, she may not have much time left."

The woman still did not respond, and the sand was nearly up to her waist. Shan Shan seemed a bit anxious; she shouted at me, "Girl, you go back first—" After saying this, she pushed me hard, and I instantly woke up, recalling what had just happened, causing me to shudder all over.

Qin Huai remained silent, while Shan Shan's eyes fell on my neck, asking: "Where did this jade pendant come from?"

Suddenly, Shan Shan's image appeared beside me. She stood behind a woman and asked, "Who are you? Let me see your face."

Shan Shan extended her hands and said: "Hold my hand, don't be nervous, look at yourself in the mirror, recall your childhood, remember as much as you can."

There are too many mysteries and questions; I feel as though I have entered a world shrouded in fog, with no one to provide answers. Qin Huai walked around the room, changed into a different outfit, and when he is silent, he appears quite handsome. However, as soon as he opens his mouth, I lose interest in him.

After Shan Shan entered the room, she placed the bronze mirror on the table. The fragrance in the inner room was more intense than that in the courtyard, making it quite uncomfortable to breathe. Shan Shan positioned two white candles on either side of the bronze mirror and then smiled at me, saying, "Don't be afraid, just relax. It's really just a process of hypnosis; all you need to do is sleep. However, if you see something surprising, do not shout out, as it may wake you up, and you won't be able to return to hypnosis for a while."

After leaving the hospital, Qin Huai remained frowning and did not say a word. "Where shall we go next?" Seeing that he had not responded for a long time, I tilted my head and asked.

I handed it over to Qin Huai. I hadn't looked closely before, but this jade pendant is carved in the shape of a human face, albeit with closed eyes. Behind the face is the engraving of a ghostly woman. "It seems this ghostly woman has treated you well. This jade is an antique; if I am not mistaken, it should have been obtained from that sunken sand tomb. The talisman on the back can protect you. This jade can be considered your life jade. With it, Shan Shan certainly has not communicated with the book of spells," Qin Huai explained. I inexplicably developed a certain fondness for the ghostly woman.

After Shanshan finished speaking, the woman trembled all over, slowly turning her head. Her lips moved as if she were speaking to Shanshan. Just as I was about to see her face clearly, the reflection in the mirror suddenly vanished, replaced by the faces of me and Qin Huai. The mirror had returned to being an ordinary mirror.

He was familiar with the way ahead, leading me through a winding path until we arrived at an alley. When we reached the innermost house, he stopped, did not knock on the door, and simply walked in. I was momentarily taken aback but followed him inside.

"You will know once you go." Qin Huai said lightly, then continued to immerse himself in his own world, and I suddenly felt an impulse to strangle him

The woman then turned her eyes to me and suddenly threw the copper mirror in her hand to the ground, seemingly greatly startled. Qin Huai hurried over to comfort her, while I stood there perplexed, unsure of what to do. The woman's face was pale; after a moment, she said: "The first time I saw her, a scene suddenly appeared in my mind. Her eyes were hollow, and her face was rotting, spreading all over her body." Her expression resembled those charlatans in television dramas who feign supernatural abilities. If it weren't for Qin Huai's serious demeanor, I would have truly wanted to turn and leave.

I do not know when, but suddenly my surroundings became pitch black. In the darkness, I seemed to hear a baby and a picture book crying. Gradually, I saw clearly a woman in a flowing white dress, holding a baby in her arms. Her long hair obscured her face, and I could not see her features. The baby in her arms was me. She walked for a long time until she reached a grove, where she gently placed me on a patch of yellow sand. This is the location of the Sunken Sand Tomb. The woman circled around me and walked away without looking back. I cried out loudly behind her, but she showed no reaction. Her long hair obscured her face, and I could not see her features. The baby in her arms was me. She walked for a long time until she reached a grove, where she gently placed me on a patch of yellow sand. This is the location of the Sunken Sand Tomb. The woman circled around me and walked away without looking back. I cried out loudly behind her, but she showed no reaction.

The woman did not respond immediately; she took a moment to compose herself, picked up the bronze mirror from the ground, and then said, "Let's talk inside; after the séance, we should be able to learn more." It was then that I suddenly realized that this woman named Shanshan was likely the medium that Officer Ma had mentioned earlier in relation to the town.

The woman in white emerged from the woods and stood upon the yellow sand. Her body gradually sank down, the pile of sand resembling a marsh. The sand had already reached her knees, yet she did not struggle at all, keeping her head lowered throughout. I never saw her face from beginning to end

I paused for a moment before recalling that this jade pendant was originally left to me by my second uncle as a trade for the Yin woman to buy human skin. Before leaving, the Yin woman gave me the pendant, saying it would be useful in the future. At that time, she also inscribed a certain spell on the pendant with a needle. To prevent losing it, I simply wore it around my neck.

I let out a sound and began to follow suit, my mind filled with scenes of playing around with my younger brother in childhood. Suddenly, I felt a tingling sensation in my nose and a sense of nostalgia. Shanshan closed her eyes for a long time, then suddenly frowned and said, "Strange, I can't see anything at all, it's completely blank, as if some force is blocking me from getting closer to her."

Qin Huai let out a sound and immediately got to the point, "Shan Shan, this little girl is the disciple I mentioned to you. She has absorbed negative energy for five years without any issues. I want to try using spiritual communication to see if we can uncover her origins." As soon as I heard Qin Huai call me 'little girl,' I felt uncomfortable, as if he were much older himself.

We both took a bus to the town. Qin Huai suggested that we first check out the hospital where I saw my father in my dream. As a result, we searched all around, but my father had never been admitted there. What astonished me was that I actually saw the nurse who was pushing my father's wheelchair in the dream. She looked just as surprised and said she had never seen my father, let alone me. Everything became increasingly perplexing.

After removing that piece of jade, I suddenly felt a wave of intense drowsiness wash over me. I watched as my eyes gradually closed in the mirror. Suddenly, a bronze mirror appeared in my mind, and a face that looked exactly like mine emerged from the mirror. She smiled at me in a dazed manner, and then I saw my childhood self in the mirror. That mirror was like a film projector, playing my life experiences in reverse.

I felt a sense of doubt in my heart; it turned out that this ice-cold face also knew how to care for others. Shan Shan let out a sound of acknowledgment, drew the curtains in the inner room, and lit the two candles beside the mirror and the *illustrated* book. A wave of fragrant aroma wafted through the air, and I couldn't help but start sneezing

A figure approached me, getting closer and closer. I recognized at a glance that it was my father in his youth. Upon seeing me, he scanned the surroundings, sighed, picked me up from the ground, and then returned home.

As I stepped into the courtyard, a peculiar fragrance wafted towards me. This scent was unique, elegant yet not cloying, and it was quite pleasant to inhale, evoking a sense of lightness, even making one feel as if it could penetrate the depths of the heart.

The woman saw Qin Huai and smiled, saying: "I can tell it's you; you haven't developed the habit of knocking on the door all these years"

Qin Huai did not respond, but led me inside. A woman who appeared to be in her thirties emerged from the inner chamber. She had long hair cascading over her shoulders, and her eyes were remarkably large. What captivated me the most was the eye-shaped pendant she wore around her neck, and she held a round copper mirror in her hand

The woman seemed not to hear at all. At that moment, the sand had already brushed against her legs. Shan Shan asked again, "What is your relationship with this girl, and what is this grave? Answer me—" I was taken aback; this should be my dream or a memory hidden in my consciousness. It was just like an NPC in a game; when you ask them something, they certainly won't answer you.

I nodded in confusion and glanced at Qin Huai, whose expression was one of surprise. "Are you going to use hypnosis and spirit communication? I didn't foresee her background when I did the divination; it must be a heavenly secret. Just do your best, but don't push yourself too hard."