Whispers of the Mirror Realm

Late Night on Enning Road, Guangzhou,China

3:00 AM.

The surveillance footage from Xicun Metro Station captured a chilling scene.

The platform was empty, bathed in the cold glow of flickering lights. A few seconds later, a blurry figure suddenly appeared in the corner of the frame.

It was a man, barefoot, dressed in dark-colored loungewear. He stood at the edge of the platform, head lowered, eyes vacant, his face deathly pale. His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something.

But before any sound could escape, his body suddenly tilted forward—falling straight into the depths of the railway tracks.

A piercing screech of brakes shattered the silence of the night.

The next morning, local news reported the incident:

"At 3 AM, an unidentified man fell onto the tracks at Xicun Metro Station and died. Police are working to confirm his identity."

The story briefly gained attention before fading into obscurity. No one seemed particularly interested in the victim.

However, in an urban legends forum, someone uncovered a disturbing connection—

"This guy… he went missing a month ago at Jinquan Apartment."

—"Wait, you're saying he disappeared for a whole month… and then suddenly showed up at the metro station just to die?"

—"Exactly. And here's the weird part—Jinquan Apartment has been sealed off. No one should be able to get inside."

Within hours, the thread exploded, shooting to the top of the forum. More and more people started digging into the building's history.

One user pulled up old news reports and discovered a chilling pattern—Jinquan Apartment, an aging residential building in Guangzhou's Liwan District, had been the site of ten disappearances over the past three years. Every single case happened at night. There were no signs of struggle at any of the scenes.

"If they didn't just move away, then where did they go?"

That question silenced the discussion for a moment.

Then, someone unearthed an even more bizarre detail—

Jinquan Apartment was originally a hotel before being converted into residential housing. But in all the public records, there was no trace of its architectural blueprints, feng shui layout approvals, or even the name of its original designer.

A legally registered building in Guangzhou… with zero historical records?

There was only one explanation—someone deliberately erased them.

—"What if the missing people weren't 'moving away'… but were actually swallowed by the apartment?"

—"Then that man… was he 'released'—or did he escape?"

The Rational Mind of a Folklore Researcher

"Ridiculous."

Guangzhou University, Folklore Studies Research Lab.

Lin Xiao shut his laptop with one hand, his tone indifferent.

"What are you looking at now?" His colleague, Jiang Ran, leaned over, glancing at the screen before casually swiping a pastry from Lin Xiao's desk. "Don't tell me you're into urban legends now?"

Lin Xiao shot him a cold glance. "Hands off my pastry."

Jiang Ran shrugged, took a bite anyway, then opened a search engine and typed "Jinquan Apartment".

"You know, you spend all your time studying Taoist culture, feng shui taboos, and rural mysticism… but you don't believe in any of it." He chewed thoughtfully and looked up. "Isn't folklore studies about this kind of stuff?"

"We study cultural transmission and social impact. Not superstition," Lin Xiao replied flatly.

"But almost all your research papers are about religious beliefs and supernatural phenomena." Jiang Ran spread his hands.

Lin Xiao ignored him. Resting his chin on one hand, his gaze landed on a photo of Jinquan Apartment on the screen.

His research focused on folk religion—analyzing why people believed in spirits and mystical forces, rather than whether they actually existed.

But this Jinquan Apartment case…

It unsettled him.

A building with such a long history of strange incidents, yet the authorities hadn't demolished it. They had simply sealed it off—without any official explanation.

That was something he had never encountered before in all his years of research.

11:00 PM, Liwan District, Guangzhou

Wen Zhiyi sat on her sofa, absentmindedly rolling a string of red agate prayer beads between her fingers, feeling the smooth texture of each one.

She hadn't slept for three days.

Every time she closed her eyes, she would dream about that apartment.

Dimly lit hallways. Crooked room numbers. The cold, damp wind whispering through the windows…

In the dream, she always walked to Room 705 and placed her fingers on the doorknob.

But she never dared to push it open.

The nightmare had repeated too many times.

And today, when she saw a real photo of Jinquan Apartment in the news—her heart clenched painfully.

The place in her dreams actually existed.

She stared at the news article for a long time, her breath unsteady.

Then, she grabbed her coat, picked up her phone, and stood up.

Ten minutes later, she booked a car and headed straight for the apartment's address.

Jinquan Apartment Entrance

A black seal was plastered across the iron gate, rustling slightly in the wind, making a faint, whispering sound—like someone murmuring just out of earshot.

Wen Zhiyi stood at the entrance, taking a deep breath.

"You shouldn't go in."

A deep, cold voice suddenly spoke behind her.

She froze and turned around.

A man stood under the dim streetlight.

He was tall, dressed in a black trench coat, with sharp, well-defined features and a distant, almost intimidating presence.

Wen Zhiyi raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

The man didn't answer. Instead, his gaze studied her intently. After a pause, he spoke again.

"Why are you here?"

Her fingers twitched slightly. She hesitated for a brief moment, then quickly came up with an excuse.

"I'm a journalist. Investigating this place."

The man narrowed his eyes. He clearly didn't believe her.

For a few seconds, they just stared at each other.

Then, Wen Zhiyi suddenly realized something. She returned the question, "Then what about you? Why are you here?"

His expression remained calm, his tone unwavering.

"Research."

She frowned. "Research on what?"

"The feng shui taboos of Jinquan Apartment."

Wen Zhiyi stiffened slightly and took a closer look at him.

His trench coat was tailored perfectly, with subtle gold embroidery on the cuffs, exuding a quiet sophistication. In his hand, he held a black steel pen, its metallic sheen catching the faint light.

This man…

He was too composed. Too meticulous. Definitely not some amateur urban legend enthusiast.

She narrowed her eyes. "You're… Lin Xiao, aren't you?"

Lin Xiao finally glanced at her with mild interest. A faint, unreadable expression flickered across his face.

"You know me?"

Wen Zhiyi gave a small, knowing smile. "A well-known scholar in folklore studies? Of course, I've heard of you."

Lin Xiao studied her for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, the corners of his lips curled up ever so slightly.

"Is that so?" His eyes darkened slightly, his voice carrying a hint of intrigue.

"Then, do you dare to come inside with me?"

Wen Zhiyi hesitated.

The next second, he reached out—ripping off the black seal—and pushed open the apartment's gate.

"Let's go."