At midnight, I took the mirror back to the community and placed it in a secluded corner where I could see my doorstep. Few people passed by here, so it wouldn't be discovered. I hesitated for a long time, looking at the red-tinted talisman in my hand, but I still didn't tear it up.

The next day, Zhuangniang didn't go out. Normally, she would go to pick up her daughter from school, but this time it was her husband who went. I watched her husband playing and frolicking with their daughter, restraining myself from approaching.

In my heart, I wondered if it had already taken effect. I looked at the mirror in the corner and indeed, a vague figure had appeared on it.

However, on the third day, Zhuangniang went out, greeting her neighbors with a radiant smile as she walked by. I couldn't believe the vibrant look on her face. Just as I was about to question Zhuo Yun at her place, I suddenly ran into the fortune teller.

I glared at him angrily, "I already know that you and Zhuangniang are in cahoots. I don't know what I've done to you to deserve such treatment. Don't try to deceive me anymore."

He looked at me bewildered, and I repeated what Zhuo Yun had told me, asking him to stop pretending.

He exclaimed, "From what I know of the Feng Shui clan, there is no Zhu family, only a Zhu family that practices raising ghosts. Girl, you've been deceived. The mirror you mentioned is indeed a treasure of the Zhu family, capable of trapping evil spirits and ghosts. You must be the first person to look into that mirror. Go back and see if there is already a figure resembling you inside."

"Are you still trying to deceive me?" I didn't believe what he was saying.

The fortune teller shook his head, "Girl, I'm not lying to you. Take this, drip a few drops onto the mirror, wipe it off, and see if the figure inside is you. I've done everything I can to help you. If you still don't believe me, I won't force you." With that, he handed me a small bottle and walked away.

The bottle was engraved with intricate patterns, containing an unknown liquid. Although the bottle was small, it felt heavy in my hand.

My mind was in turmoil as I tried to make sense of the details from the past few days. Who was lying?

Zhuo Yun's explanation made sense too. I didn't want to doubt her, after all, we had been friends for many years. But after stopping the pasting of talismans, Zhuangniang returned to normal.

Looking at the small bottle in my hand, I thought for a long time and finally decided to give it a try to find out who was telling the truth.

I returned to the corner, dripped a few drops of the liquid from the bottle onto the mirror. The mirror gradually became foggy, as if shrouded in mist. I wiped it a few times, and the figure inside became clear.

I widened my eyes—it was me!

But after a few seconds, the mirror became blurry again, leaving behind an indistinct figure.

At that moment, my phone rang—it was Zhuo Yun. Since the day we met, we had exchanged phone numbers. I hesitated but eventually answered the call.

"Ayue, is everything going well on your end? Did a figure appear on the mirror?" Zhuo Yun asked with concern.

I hummed in response, then questioned her, "Zhuo Yun, I saw Zhuangniang go out as usual today, looking even more energetic than before. You're not lying to me, are you?"

Zhuo Yun fell silent for a few seconds. "Did someone tell you something? Ayue, I wouldn't lie to you. The frail appearance Zhuangniang showed before was probably to make you believe the words of that fortune teller."

"But I saw my own figure in the mirror."

Zhuo Yun smiled, "Ayue, your identity has been replaced by Zhuangniang. She now looks like you, so naturally your image would appear in the mirror. Besides, can a friendship of so many years be outweighed by a stranger? If I wanted to harm you, I would have done so long ago, why wait until now."

After speaking, she gave me an address, "And I found something related to your cousin. Come and take a look."

Should I go? I pondered in my heart. Zhuo Yun's explanation seemed reasonable. I had been friends with her for many years—how could I trust a stranger more than my friend? In the end, I decided to meet Zhuo Yun.

It was a quiet café, and Zhuo Yun had been waiting for me. She handed me a bag containing some information—photos of my cousin's dead body, covered in hideous runes, her face filled with pain. I couldn't bear to look any longer.

"How did you get these things?" I asked.

"I pulled some strings at home to get them. Your cousin had been abused by her parents since she was young. When she grew up, she was forced to marry scum due to a sum of money. After getting married, she was constantly beaten, and later she was targeted by an evil practitioner and turned into Zhuangniang. Because the body was too brutal, the news was blocked by the police. However, when the body was about to be sent to the funeral home for cremation, it disappeared. If all goes as expected, the mastermind behind it should be the fortune teller." Zhuo Yun answered as she looked at me.

"As I told you before, the conditions for refining Zhuangniang are very strict. First, she must be a woman born at midnight on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. Secondly, she must have her body covered with complete and accurate runes. No mistakes can be made in each stroke of the rune. The process is extremely painful. And she must die with resentment when the last stroke is completed."

I knew my cousin was born at midnight on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. It was precisely because of this birth time that she was considered inauspicious from a young age, despised and ignored by others in the village.

"But what is their purpose in replacing me? I'm just an ordinary person." I hesitated.

"Because you are special. For some people, your soul is very suitable for refining into a ghost. After being replaced, you become a grudge ghost, giving those people an opportunity." Zhuo Yun held my shoulders, looked into my eyes, and said, "Trust me, Ayue, do as I say, and soon Zhuangniang will disappear, and you can return to your previous life."

Looking into her sincere eyes, I nodded. Zhuo Yun was my friend. If I couldn't trust her, who else could I trust?