Chen Mo could not tell whether he had actually fallen asleep or fainted because he could no longer endure the strain.
He only vaguely remembered curling up inside his blanket, his body trembling uncontrollably. Amid that constant shivering, his consciousness gradually blurred until it finally vanished altogether.
When he opened his eyes again, dawn had already begun to break.
Sunlight slipped through the narrow gap in the curtains, falling across the floor in a thin golden beam that lay quietly on the ground.
Chen Mo stared at that ray of light for a long time, unwilling to look away, as if searching for something within its calm.
Sunlight. Daytime. There was sunlight.
Monsters were afraid of sunlight. At least that was how it was always portrayed in movies. That thing must fear sunlight too, right?
If that was true, then he should be safe now.
Yes… safe.
Chen Mo slowly crawled out from under the blanket.
His entire body ached. He must have slept curled up all night, which left him in a painfully awkward position. His neck hurt as if someone had twisted it violently.
He rubbed his stiff neck and tried to stand up.
Looking around, everything in the room seemed normal.
The door was still tightly shut and locked. The chair was still wedged firmly against it, exactly the way he had arranged it the night before.
Everything looked perfectly ordinary.
Chen Mo took a deep breath, as if exhaling the tension and anxiety inside him. His body felt slightly lighter.
Everything that happened last night must have been a dream.
When people were too exhausted, they tended to have nightmares. Work had been especially stressful lately. Old Man Lin practically made him work overtime every day. No wonder he was so tired.
That woman in the red dress… and the eerie smile in the mirror…
They must all have been part of the dream.
He moved the chair away from the door and gently opened it.
The living room looked completely normal.
The bathroom door stood open. Nothing seemed unusual inside either.
Chen Mo stepped to the bathroom doorway and looked in.
The mirror looked perfectly ordinary and calm.
In the reflection, there was only himself: his face a little pale, faint dark circles under his eyes, and hair so messy it resembled a bird's nest. But it was definitely his reflection—nothing more.
Facing the mirror, Chen Mo forced a small smile.
The reflection smiled back the same way—a normal smile, slightly relieved. His signature left canine tooth was clearly visible.
That familiar smile seemed to reassure him that everything had passed. Everything was safe now.
Everything had returned to normal.
Just as he thought—those terrifying scenes were nothing more than nightmares. Monsters and demons didn't exist in the real world. Most of the time people scare themselves.
Chen Mo had lived for twenty-seven years and had never truly encountered anything supernatural.
Just as he was thinking this, a faint breeze brushed past him, bringing a subtle chill.
He shivered slightly, but quickly reassured himself that it was just the cool air of the morning.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself completely.
What was past was past. What mattered was the present and the future.
Work might be exhausting, but life had to go on.
As long as he stayed rational and clear-headed, nothing could scare him anymore.
Chen Mo turned around, ready to begin the day.
He was about to wash his face.
But as his peripheral vision swept past the mirror, he suddenly stopped.
Something… wasn't right.
The bathroom was dimly lit by a yellow light. It was so quiet that he could hear the slow dripping of water inside the pipes.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Slowly, he turned his gaze back to the mirror.
The person in the mirror was still standing there.
He hadn't turned around.
Chen Mo's breathing stopped instantly.
He was clearly facing away from the mirror now.
But the figure inside it was still facing outward—still facing him.
Chen Mo froze.
He didn't move. He didn't turn around.
But the "him" in the mirror slowly raised his head.
A stiff smile spread across his face.
As if he had been waiting for Chen Mo to notice.
Then—
Those eyes stared directly at him.
Count to three. Everything will return to normal.
One.
Two.
Three.
When he turned back, that disturbing presence should disappear.
That was how it always happened in movies. As long as the protagonist gathered enough courage, the terrifying things would vanish.
Chen Mo suddenly turned his head.
The reflection in the mirror turned at the same time.
Chen Mo stared at the person in the mirror, and the reflection stared back at him.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Nothing happened.
Everything looked completely normal. Only his reflection remained.
Chen Mo slowly let out a breath.
The tension in his nerves finally began to loosen. His heartbeat gradually steadied.
He gave a small nod toward the mirror, as if reassuring himself.
Just a false alarm.
Everything was normal again.
It must have been his eyes playing tricks on him.
He hadn't slept well last night. That could easily cause visual illusions. Fatigue often led to strange hallucinations.
Now he was more awake.
Everything was back to normal.
Chen Mo turned on the faucet and splashed a handful of icy water onto his face.
The cold shock cleared his mind instantly.
The sensation of cold water hitting his skin gradually drove away the lingering fear.
As long as he stayed calm and clear-headed, he could handle whatever came.
Chen Mo lowered his head and wiped his face with a towel.
The towel pressed against his skin.
It felt… strangely cold.
The bathroom light flickered slightly.
He lowered the towel and looked up.
In the mirror—
Someone was standing behind him.
A red dress.
The hem hung long and heavy, reaching the ground, dark and damp as if soaked in water.
The figure lowered her head.
Long black hair draped down, hiding her face.
Chen Mo's heart tightened violently.
Almost instinctively, he spun around.
Behind him—
There was nothing.
Only the empty bathroom.
The toilet.
The sink.
The half-open door.
Nothing else.
The faucet continued dripping.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Chen Mo swallowed nervously and slowly turned back toward the mirror.
Only his reflection remained.
The red dress was gone.
He stared at the mirror for several seconds.
She was behind me.
Just now.
Right behind me.
Now she's gone.
Chen Mo's hands began to tremble.
The towel slipped from his fingers and fell onto the tiled floor.
He didn't pick it up.
His eyes remained locked on the mirror.
His reflection looked pale.
Dark circles under his eyes.
Dry, cracked lips.
Wet hair dripping.
It was him.
Only him.
Chen Mo stood perfectly still.
Thirty seconds.
One minute.
Two minutes.
The bathroom remained silent except for the dripping water.
Nothing happened.
Maybe… maybe it was just a hallucination.
People sometimes hallucinate when they are extremely tired.
He barely slept last night.
Hallucinations were normal.
Everything was fine now.
She was gone.
Chen Mo bent down and picked up the towel.
As he straightened up, he glanced at the mirror out of habit.
In the mirror—
There were many people standing behind him.
Crowds of them.
All women in red dresses.
They stood neatly in rows, motionless.
They had no faces.
No—
Not exactly.
Where their faces should have been was simply blank.
Not blurred. Not shadowed.
Just blank.
Like a sheet of paper that had not yet been painted with features.
Every blank face
was pointed toward him.
The towel slipped from Chen Mo's hand again.
He didn't dare turn around.
He knew there was nothing behind him.
But he still didn't dare turn around.
He could only stare at the mirror.
Stare at those "people."
They were moving.
Slowly.
Little by little.
Walking forward.
The one at the front
had already reached right behind him.
Less than half a meter away.
She raised her hand.
The hand was very pale.
Too pale for a living person.
Her fingernails were long.
Painted red.
The hand reached toward his shoulder—
"CHEN MO!!!"
A sudden shout exploded from outside the door.
It was Old Man Lin.
Chen Mo jolted awake.
The mirror showed nothing.
Only himself—pale, drenched in cold sweat, standing frozen in the bathroom.
"Chen Mo! What time is it? Why haven't you opened the shop yet?!"
Old Man Lin banged loudly on the door outside.
Chen Mo took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom, deliberately avoiding the mirror as he passed.
He opened the door.
Old Man Lin stood outside with an impatient expression.
"Do you know what time it is? Nine-thirty! The shop opens at nine! You made a sixty-eight-year-old man wait outside for half an hour!"
Chen Mo opened his mouth.
"I… overslept."
Old Man Lin stared at him for a few seconds.
"Why do you look so pale?"
"Didn't sleep well."
"Nightmare?"
Chen Mo hesitated.
"…Yeah."
Old Man Lin didn't press further and simply walked into the shop, beginning to arrange the fake antiques.
Chen Mo followed behind and started cleaning.
But throughout the entire time, he kept his eyes lowered.
He didn't dare look at mirrors.
He didn't dare look at the window glass.
He didn't even dare glance at any reflective surface.
Each movement of Chen Mo's sweeping was gentle and cautious, as if anything around him might accidentally reveal a hidden danger, ready to reappear the moment he let his guard down.
Was that real just now?
So many women in red dresses… all of them inside the mirror.
What did they want?
Were they trying to pull me in?
What kind of world exists inside a mirror?
Why were they there?
"Xiao Chen."
Chen Mo jumped. "Ah?"
Old Man Lin looked at him with mild confusion. "Did you lose your soul or something? I called you three times before you answered."
"N-No," Chen Mo forced out a smile, trying to hide the panic in his chest.
"Come here. Help me move something."
Chen Mo set down the broom and followed Old Man Lin toward the backyard.
There was a small storage shed in the back, packed with old items and random junk. Old Man Lin pointed at a large wooden crate in the corner.
"Move that to the front."
Chen Mo bent down and grabbed the edges of the box with both hands. It was surprisingly heavy. Gritting his teeth, he lifted it with effort, then carefully turned and carried it toward the yard.
As he passed the well in the middle of the courtyard, he glanced down instinctively.
The well was deep.
The water inside was dark.
Dark like a mirror without light.
On the surface of the water, he saw his own reflection.
And—
Someone was standing behind him.
A red dress.
Chen Mo's hands loosened instantly.
The crate dropped to the ground.
Bang.
Everything inside spilled out with a loud clatter.
Old Man Lin hurried over. "What are you doing? Those things are worth mon—"
He suddenly noticed Chen Mo's face and stopped mid-sentence.
Chen Mo stared straight at the well, his face pale as paper.
Old Man Lin followed his gaze and looked down into the well, frowning.
"What's in there?"
Chen Mo opened his mouth, but no words came out. His throat felt as if something had lodged itself inside.
His eyes were filled with naked fear and confusion, as though he had seen something utterly horrifying within the well.
Old Man Lin sensed something was wrong. Uneasiness stirred in his chest as he leaned closer and examined the well again, trying to find whatever had frightened Chen Mo so badly.
After staring at Chen Mo for a few seconds, Old Man Lin suddenly said,
"You saw it, didn't you?"
Chen Mo whipped his head around to look at him, shock and confusion filling his eyes.
Old Man Lin sighed, his voice turning serious and low.
"Come with me."
He led Chen Mo into the back room and carefully closed the door. The room suddenly felt quieter, as if the outside world had been shut away.
"When did you start seeing them?" Old Man Lin asked, a trace of tension hidden in his voice.
Chen Mo's voice was dry. His throat felt tight.
"Last night."
"What did you see?" Old Man Lin pressed, his gaze sharp.
"A woman… wearing a red dress. She had no face." Chen Mo recalled the scene from the night before, his hands beginning to tremble unconsciously. "She tried to dig out my eyes. A white cat saved me."
At the words "white cat," something flickered in Old Man Lin's eyes, as if the memory had touched something buried deep within him.
"And then?" Old Man Lin asked, his voice even heavier now.
Chen Mo swallowed, trying to steady himself. After a long pause, as if gathering the last of his courage, he continued in a trembling voice.
"Then I went home… and looked in the mirror—"
He suddenly drew in a deep breath, harsh and desperate, like someone breaking the surface after drowning.
"The me in the mirror was smiling!" he burst out. "I wasn't smiling—but he was! He… he even waved at me… and mouthed the words 'Wait for me.'"
Old Man Lin remained silent for a long time, as if digesting Chen Mo's words.
"And this morning?" he finally asked.
"This morning… I saw many… many women like that in the mirror." Chen Mo's voice shook. "They were standing behind me. The last one… she almost touched me."
Old Man Lin fell silent again.
The room was filled only with their breathing and the faint sound of wind outside the window.
Chen Mo looked at him with a trace of pleading in his eyes.
"Old Man Lin… do you believe me?"
Old Man Lin lifted his head.
"I do."
Chen Mo froze, clearly not expecting that answer.
"You believe me?"
"Not only do I believe you," Old Man Lin said slowly as he stood up and walked toward the window, turning his back to Chen Mo. "I also know what that is."
He paused.
"That's a demon."
He spoke the word calmly.
"You've opened your Yin-Yang eyes. You can see demons now."
Chen Mo's mind buzzed violently, as if the entire world had begun to spin.
So it wasn't a dream.
It really wasn't a dream.
All those terrifying experiences… those strange and impossible visions…
They were real.
Demons?
Are there really demons in this world?
And I can see them?
Chen Mo's mind was filled with fear and confusion.
Then what am I?
Why can I see them?
Can this thing be turned off?
I don't want to see them!
A deep sense of helplessness and panic washed over him, as if the entire world had suddenly become strange and dangerous.
"I… can I make it stop?" Chen Mo's voice was almost pleading.
Old Man Lin turned around. His gaze was serious and heavy.
"No. You've already been marked. The one in the red dress is a Painted-Skin Demon. She digs out people's eyes and eats them. The moment you saw her, she remembered you."
Chen Mo's legs suddenly went weak. He collapsed into a chair as if all the strength had been drained from his body.
"Then what am I supposed to do?" His voice trembled, his eyes filled with helplessness.
"Either learn how to hunt demons," Old Man Lin said calmly, "or get eaten by one."
His tone carried no hint of a joke.
"You choose."
Chen Mo opened his mouth, searching desperately for a way out.
"There's… no third option?"
Old Man Lin was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
"There is."
"What?" Chen Mo asked quickly, a spark of hope flashing in his eyes.
"Move away."
The answer crushed that hope instantly.
"But the Painted-Skin Demon remembers your face, not your address," Old Man Lin continued. "No matter where you move, she'll find you."
Chen Mo fell into deep silence.
Inside him, fear and hesitation tangled together. Every option seemed filled with danger.
Learn to hunt demons… or die.
What kind of choice is that?
That's not a choice at all.
I'm just a regular worker. My monthly salary is 3,500 yuan, and my rent is 1,800. What makes me qualified to hunt demons?
"The white cat…" Chen Mo suddenly remembered his mysterious savior. "Who is it? It saved me."
Old Man Lin's eyes flickered slightly.
"That's another demon. She's been protecting you for a long time."
"Why?" Chen Mo asked in confusion.
"Because your ancestor once saved her," Old Man Lin explained.
Chen Mo froze.
The answer surprised him and felt almost impossible to believe. He had never imagined that his family could have such a connection with demons.
Old Man Lin waved his hand dismissively.
"She'll explain the details to you later. Right now, just tell me one thing."
He looked directly at Chen Mo.
"Are you willing to learn?"
Chen Mo fell silent for three seconds.
Inside his mind, hesitation and logic wrestled with each other.
But he knew that no matter how unwilling he felt, facing reality was the only option.
Finally, he raised his head.
"I'll learn."
Old Man Lin smiled, a hint of satisfaction in his expression.
"So you figured it out?"
"I don't want to die," Chen Mo said simply.
"That's a good enough reason," Old Man Lin nodded.
Then he walked to a cabinet and took out a wooden box.
When he opened it, inside were neatly arranged stacks of yellow talisman paper, a brush, and a small porcelain bottle.
"Starting today," Old Man Lin said seriously, "I'll teach you how to hunt demons."
Chen Mo looked at those seemingly ordinary yet strangely mysterious objects. Countless questions flooded his mind.
But he knew that right now, the most important thing was learning how to survive.
"Old Man Lin… who exactly are you?" Chen Mo couldn't help asking.
Old Man Lin looked at him and spoke slowly.
"Me?"
"I'm a demon hunter too."
"I've been doing it for forty years."
Hearing this, Chen Mo found himself reevaluating the old man in front of him—the same stingy, lazy old guy who spent every day lying in a rocking chair.
Chen Mo couldn't help muttering to himself.
Old Man Lin is a demon hunter?
I've worked for him for three years. He orders me around every day, and he's never mentioned anything like this before.
And he even taught me to draw talismans using programming logic?
So all this time… Have I been working for a retired Taoist priest?
"Then…" Chen Mo hesitated for a moment. "Those things in the mirror… will they come back?"
Old Man Lin looked at him. His tone was calm but firm.
"They will."
Chen Mo's heart sank instantly, as if a huge stone had dropped onto his chest.
"But now you've got me," Old Man Lin said, patting him on the shoulder as if offering comfort. "If they come again, you draw a talisman. If you can't beat them, run. If you can't run, call me."
Chen Mo blinked, staring at him in disbelief.
"…That's it?"
"That's it."
Old Man Lin was already walking toward the door when he casually added,
"Oh right. Tuition is five hundred dollars a month. I'll deduct it from your salary."
"???"
Chen Mo stood there with a blank expression, almost certain he had misheard.
But Old Man Lin had already walked out of the room, leaving Chen Mo standing there alone, his mind in complete chaos.
Then suddenly he realized something.
The world might have changed.
But Old Man Lin's stinginess hadn't changed at all.
Chen Mo couldn't help letting out a bitter smile.
His heart was a complicated mess—fear and uncertainty about the future tangled together with a strange sense of comfort brought by the old man's familiar habits.