I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 107 - 88: The Woman in the Mirror

Sang Que was anxious and hurriedly asked, "Is the storyteller’s story written casually on any kind of paper, or does it need to be on a special kind of paper?"

Passing through the side gate of the main courtyard, Su Liangyuan took Sang Que to where the servants of Ming Mansion resided, stopping at the entrance as if waiting for something.

"Did Yan Daozi ever tell you about talisman painting?"

Sang Que shook her head, "I haven’t been with Master for long."

It’s only been three days, after which ’Master’ disappeared.

Su Liangyuan sighed and shook his head, "He didn’t even tell you such basic knowledge; truly irresponsible. I think you should join me instead. I will teach you wholeheartedly, and with your age and talent, you will undoubtedly achieve great success in the future."

Sang Que put on a troubled expression, secretly cursing that these two were indeed good senior brothers!

Su Liangyuan left it at that and continued, "The yellow paper used for talisman painting in the Taoist Sect is offered by worshippers to the Taoist Temple, imbued with Incense Fire Wishing Power, only then can it bear the Power of Daoist Lord."

"The paper used by the storyteller is the same; it must be taken from the various academies, from the writing paper offered as tuition by the students, mixed with the storyteller’s blood to blend the ink, only then does it have effect."

Sang Que breathed a sigh of relief, meaning that the stories her mom wrote wouldn’t affect her lifespan, as she didn’t write horror stories but rather feel-good narratives with herself as the protagonist.

Even though she was still weak at the moment and not yet enjoying it, she would strive!

Don’t underestimate the struggling youth!

"Now, we just need to drive the story quickly to its conclusion, and the storyteller will certainly appear. Let me test you, what kind of ending fits the tone of a horror story?"

Sang Que’s fingers holding the sword tensed up. The ticking in her mind gave her an increasing headache—what was this, a language class?

Taking a deep breath, Sang Que spoke slowly, "No one can survive, causing utmost despair and fear."

Su Liangyuan nodded, "Correct. Since horror is the main theme, and to punish evil and promote good, the protagonist in the story must inherently carry sins, eventually being killed by ghosts. This is frightening yet fits the theme."

"With this premise, as long as we can have all the protagonists mentioned in the story die, the story can end. After all, without characters, the story can’t continue!"

Sang Que frowned, knowing the protagonists mentioned probably referred to those written on the page titled ’Story Begins’: the returning guest escaping trouble, the fierce Green Forest Man, and the mysterious monk.

The old monk was now missing. Judging by his age and Xia Chan’s discovery of his blood-drinking behavior, the old monk could very well be someone who escaped from Ming Mansion and was related to the monstrous young lady.

As for those three Green Forest Men, they couldn’t have been born fifty years ago, so what connection could they have with the events at Ming Mansion fifty years prior? For now, it was unknown.

And the returning guest referred to Skinny, as well as herself.

Could Skinny’s mother have been a victim of Ming Mansion back in the day, and this whole thing turned around so Skinny was dragged into paying his mother’s ’debt’?

As for herself, she was directly linked to the storyteller. The storyteller might have been searching for her, thus using the general term ’returning guest’ to include her, pulling her into the story with its invisible power.

This could also explain the storyteller’s meaning of ’entering the game with one’s body.’ If the storyteller wasn’t here, she wouldn’t have delved so deeply into Ming Mansion.

In addition to that, the storyteller also baited Su Liangyuan into the game, not just her.

Su Liangyuan was also part of the story, and it was possible that his current actions were influenced by the storyteller. He thought he was on the path to breaking the game, but in fact, he was heading into the pit dug by the storyteller.

Having analyzed these matters, Sang Que really wanted to seek some praise from her mom, to show her mom’s readers that she wasn’t just a blockhead who had to rely on her mom for everything; she could think on her feet in critical moments too.

"Master Uncle, what do you plan to do?" Sang Que asked softly.

Su Liangyuan continued to stare at the residence of Ming Mansion’s servants in the dark. Sang Que watched as well, confused. In the stormy night, the red lanterns under the eaves swayed perilously, with the door and windows of the damaged houses crisscrossed with red threads.

"Based on the fragments of stories I’ve collected so far, it’s clear the storyteller’s story centers around a maid named ’Huilan.’ By uncovering her tragic past, we revisit the tragedy of the ’Nie God Sacrifice’ day at Ming Mansion fifty years ago, step by step."

"The story needs conflict, so while having a protagonist, it certainly needs a villain. Huilan, the victim from fifty years ago, has now become the ’villain’ in the story, requiring vengeance to fit the logic of a horror story."

"But as you’ve seen along the way, red threads and talisman papers are scattered throughout Ming Mansion. After the incident back then, someone sealed the resentment and malice of everyone in Ming Mansion, and Huilan is also sealed."

"Earlier, I wanted to use ghosts to kill people, but those Green Forest Men died in two ran away one. Now, we should help Huilan break the seal and release her. She will naturally hunt down the story’s protagonist one by one, killing them off, which aligns with the story’s direction. Do you understand what I mean?"

Sang Que’s fists tightened. She understood; Su Liangyuan was courting death while dragging her down with him!

He completely followed the storyteller’s narrative, and the fact he survived until now might be because the storyteller allowed him to push the plot forward, using him to release Huilan.

Perhaps, this was also a survival strategy within the story, going with the flow of the narrative to seize opportunities for resolving the crisis rather than blindly resisting?

"What exactly happened at Ming Mansion fifty years ago?" Sang Que asked again.

"I’m not sure. It’s likely just Huilan was driven to an extreme, did something that turned her into a curse or Evil Ghost, and then enraged the Nie God worshiped by the Ming Family, resulting in backlash that led to the downfall of the Ming Family. Our goal is to capture the storyteller; other details are inconsequential."

"It’s gone, relax and don’t resist."

Su Liangyuan said softly, and rolling gray mist dispersed from his body, enveloping Sang Que in an instant. The next moment, the two of them were directly transported from the outside to a room inside.

Instant Teleportation!

Sang Que was stunned; Su Liangyuan’s Evil Mist could teleport people instantly!

Moreover, he just saw something leave, while she didn’t see it, proving that Su Liangyuan’s cultivation was more advanced than hers.

Sang Que was again relieved she hadn’t acted against Su Liangyuan earlier. Otherwise, just this Instant Teleportation skill would’ve dodged the attacks of the pig-killing knife and Corpse Worms.

To deal with him, only a key could have been used as a last resort, but she no longer had the chance for Recovery, and had to be cautious.

"There are heavy setups outside the courtyard. Should someone clueless step in carelessly, they would die without a grave. Fortunately, you encountered me, or you wouldn’t have entered here. Do you see the copper mirror on the dressing table over there?"

Su Liangyuan gestured with his chin to the front, and Sang Que squinted to slowly adapt to the darkness.

Inside was a large sleeping platform, at the end of which stood a wooden dressing table. The dressing table was entwined with many red threads, a copper mirror covered in grime atop it, beside which lay a yellow talisman that had lost its effectiveness.

Something seemed to move in the copper mirror. Sang Que took a few steps forward cautiously, moving toward the nearby door.

Boom!

Lightning flashed, illuminating the room suddenly. Sang Que saw a woman in a red bridal gown, long black hair draped down, seated at the dressing table. Her hair covered most of her face, combing her hair methodically, tears of blood streaming from the exposed eye.

Su Liangyuan walked to Sang Que’s side, "That is Huilan. Once we release her, the mission is accomplished."

Sang Que feigned fear, leaning against the door, "How... do we release her?"

Su Liangyuan looked steadily at Sang Que, "Did Yan Daozi ever teach you that when people die and become spirits, or turn into Evil Ghosts, they have an obsession with rebirth."

"You and Huilan, as women, just need to smear your blood on the mirror. Huilan’s obsession will naturally boil over, breaking through the mirror’s seal, attempting to possess you. Rest assured, I will be by your side to protect and ensure your safety!"