Lin Dong spoke, holding a mirror artifact in one hand and biting his finger to draw blood, smearing it on the mirror's frame.
The next moment.
A bizarre scene unfolded.
The mirror seemed to absorb the blood like a sponge, instantly soaking into the frame. Simultaneously, the mirror surface lit up. Upon closer inspection, it reflected Qiu Xiaolin, whose image on the mirror was enveloped in a blood-red glow.
Seeing this, Lin Dong's face broke into a chilling smile. He pointed his fingers at Qiu Xiaolin's reflection in the mirror and uttered a soft command:
"Freeze!"
As his words left his lips.
The woman and her companions looked on with surprise. They all saw Qiu Xiaolin, bathed in blood-red light on the mirror, become completely still at Lin Dong's gesture.
In response.
Lin Dong looked at the mirror with great satisfaction, smugly explaining to the woman and her companions:
"This is a curse artifact I refined. As long as I capture someone in the mirror and use my own blood as a medium, I can control them. Anyone not at the Ghost King level can be controlled at will. Whatever I tell them to do, they will do. Just like this, I told the girl from the Wei Dao Division to stop, and she stopped."
After he finished speaking.
The woman and her companions instinctively glanced at Qiu Xiaolin opposite them. Indeed, as Lin Dong had said, Qiu Xiaolin in the mirror was frozen. It seemed... the real Qiu Xiaolin had also stopped moving, standing there stunned.
Regarding this.
Lin Dong chuckled dismissively and said to Qiu Xiaolin:
"Don't you feel like you can't move? Haha, this is my mirror artifact. Regretting it now, aren't you? For not dodging my mirror's reflection. What a pity, it's all too late. You are now under my control."
Unbidden.
The woman and her companions' eyes lit up, and they were about to speak. However, before they could utter a word, Lin Dong, as if anticipating their thoughts, spoke first:
"Not only can I make her stop, but I can also make her kill herself. Her body is controlled by me. Watch, I'll demonstrate."
Immediately.
Lin Dong pointed his fingers at Qiu Xiaolin's reflection in the mirror again, his mind racing as he commanded Qiu Xiaolin:
"Choke yourself to death."
Then...
Nothing happened.
It could be seen.
Qiu Xiaolin, standing not far away, continued her previous actions, looking at Lin Dong with stunned confusion. As Lin Dong spoke, her eyes held not only bewilderment but also undisguised amusement. She suddenly asked:
"Have you been controlling me since earlier? Telling me to stop, and now telling me to kill myself? Are you sure you're controlling me?"
Her voice was not loud, but Lin Dong and the others could hear it clearly.
Lin Dong: "????"
The woman and her companions: "????"
Looking at Qiu Xiaolin, who tilted her head in confusion, Lin Dong was stunned:
"Huh? You can still move?"
Instinctively.
Lin Dong thought something had gone wrong and quickly pointed at the mirror again:
"Freeze! Die! Freeze! Damn it, what's going on?"
However, no matter how much he shouted, even issuing various commands...
"Slap yourself, dance, spin in place, turn left... Damn it, why aren't you moving!"
By the end of his shouting.
Lin Dong was exasperated. None of his commands had any effect on Qiu Xiaolin, who continued to move freely. Seeing Lin Dong shouting with all his might, she couldn't help but ask him:
"You mean I should be controlling myself to slap myself or dance right now?"
In her words.
A smile appeared on Qiu Xiaolin's cute face, and she said playfully:
"It seems your mirror isn't very effective. It has no effect on me at all. Oh dear, no, I think I'm being controlled. Ah! My hand is reacting."
The moment she finished speaking.
Under the watchful eyes of Lin Dong and the others, Qiu Xiaolin, as if her hand was beyond her control, raised it and gave Lin Dong and his companions the middle finger.
Lin Dong: "..."
The woman and her companions: "..."
In response.
Qiu Xiaolin giggled:
"Oh dear, how could this happen? Why can't I stop my fingers from mocking you? It's too terrifying, your mirror artifact."
[Ding! Lin Dong wants to curse... You damn... ]
[Host has gained System Points +50]
At this moment.
Having confirmed that Lin Dong had cast a curse on her with his artifact, but feeling nothing, Qiu Xiaolin was certain that the talisman Zhang Wei had given her was working, making her immune to artifact curses.
Realizing this.
Qiu Xiaolin covered her mouth and chuckled inwardly:
"The talismans Wei Zi drew are even more effective than I expected. I thought I'd feel at least something from the artifact, but I don't feel any curse at all. As expected of my Wei Zi, hehe."
Earlier, when Lin Dong had frozen her in place with the mirror, she hadn't actually been frozen. She had simply been stunned and stood there, wondering why she wasn't reacting and if Lin Dong hadn't actually cast the spell. But now, it seemed to be Zhang Wei's protection.
On Lin Dong's side.
Looking at the smiling Qiu Xiaolin, Lin Dong was utterly bewildered, scrutinizing his mirror artifact:
"Why isn't my artifact working? Is it broken? It shouldn't be. I checked it before I came."
Just then.
Lin Dong sensed something and looked at the woman and her companions. The next second, his mouth twitched. He saw them looking at him with strange expressions, as if they were looking at an idiot. Finally, the woman and her companions couldn't help but speak.
"Is this what you wanted us to see? Your artifact... are you sure it's not a joke?"
"Your artifact isn't as good as you said it was."
Lin Dong's mouth twitched:
"Perhaps when I smuggled it over, the artifact was accidentally damaged. Don't worry, I have other artifacts, and they are just as powerful. I'll demonstrate them to you now."
In his mind, his artifact couldn't possibly have no effect on Qiu Xiaolin; it must have been broken. To salvage his image with his buyers, he didn't dare to delay, as he was counting on them to help him establish an identity. He quickly took out other artifacts.
Subsequently.
Lin Dong took out one artifact after another. He explained the usage of each artifact, and without exception, they were all evil in nature, causing great harm to ghost hunters. One of them was even horrifying, capable of cursing a person's descendants.
However...
Despite his descriptions of each artifact and their evil uses, and although the woman and her companions' eyes lit up upon hearing them, none of the artifacts produced the expected effects when used on Qiu Xiaolin.
All that could be heard was Qiu Xiaolin's voice echoing:
"Did you use your artifact? My goodness, why do I feel a slight pain in my body? Is it your artifact? Oh, sorry, it's just my period."
"Excuse me, have you already cast your artifact?"
"Um... is your artifact's damage silent, painless, and imperceptible? I feel nothing."
"Cough, your artifact seems to be broken too. I'm breathing quite smoothly."
Lin Dong: "...!!@%@!#……% "
The woman and her companions: "..."
[Ding! Lin Dong... Damn it, what the hell is going on! Why aren't my artifacts working? Are they all broken?!]
[Host has gained System Points +50]
[Ding! Other evil ghost hunters... Is there a problem with Lin Dong's refined artifacts, or is there a problem with this girl?]
[Host has gained System Points +80]
...