Chapter 323: A Joy in Vain

"I'm not joking, I'm telling the truth," Yang Lili said.

Yang Jinlong pinched his chin and said with a blank look: "This is truly strange. Why would Lili see Mr. Lin in the Ghost Mirror? No, no, I mean, why would she see a murderous ghost that looks just like Mr. Lin?"

Lin Feng suddenly reached out and grabbed Yang Lili's slender wrist.

Yang Jinlong was so frightened that his expression changed drastically; he thought Yang Lili had angered Lin Feng with her nonsense and that Lin Feng wanted to attack her.

But seeing that Lin Feng did not make any further moves after grabbing Yang Lili's wrist, Yang Jinlong suppressed the urge to shout at him and did not say a word.

"Mr. Lin, what are you doing?" Yang Lili asked tremblingly.

Yang Lili was very afraid of Lin Feng.

Even now, she could not forget the sight of this man using his hands, which were like pliers, to snap her leg bone by bone.

She never wanted to taste that pain again—a pain so intense it felt like ten thousand ants gnawing at her heart.

"I am, of course, examining you," Lin Feng said.

"Did you find anything?" Yang Lili asked again.

"I did indeed find a problem... Give me the Ghost Mirror, let me try," Lin Feng said.

However, just as Lin Feng took the Ghost Mirror from Yang Lili's hands, Zhou Chen, who had been holding it in for a long time, could no longer contain himself and shouted: "No need to try anymore! Mr. Lin, this Ghost Mirror is an heirloom from my uncle's family; it cannot be given to you."

"How about this? I will pay. I'll give you five million as a token of gratitude for curing my cousin. What do you think?"

Lin Feng sneered and said: "Do you think you are very rich?"

"Richer than you!" Zhou Chen said angrily.

Yang Jinlong sternly rebuked: "Shut up! Zhou Chen, if you dare to say one more word, don't blame me for kicking you out!"

"Uncle, we are family!" Zhou Chen said with grief and indignation.

"Enough nonsense!" Yang Jinlong scolded.

Zhou Chen gritted his teeth, but in the end, he closed his mouth, albeit unwillingly.

Afterward, Yang Jinlong said to Lin Feng with an apologetic look: "Mr. Lin, this kid is ignorant. You are a big person with a big heart, please don't hold it against him."

"I certainly won't take such a small character to heart," Lin Feng said indifferently.

Hearing this, Zhou Chen felt even more furious, but Yang Jinlong breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Feng had already lifted the mirror and was staring at the surface.

The people around them dared not breathe, and no one dared to speak randomly.

Zhou Chen, however, was full of malice inside, wanting to see Lin Feng make a fool of himself, especially since Yang Jinlong, Yang Lili, and Chen Yilin had all been scared into a cold sweat and looked incredibly disheveled just moments ago.

In his view, Lin Feng would surely be frightened out of his wits by the horror in the Ghost Mirror.

Yet, half a minute passed, and the expression on Lin Feng's face remained perfectly calm; there was even a faint smile hanging at the corners of his mouth.

Yang Lili could not help it anymore and whispered: "Could it be that this Ghost Mirror has no effect on Mr. Lin? Did he not see the ghost in the mirror?"

"That shouldn't be..." Yang Jinlong said as if talking to himself.

Suddenly, Lin Feng lowered the Ghost Mirror in his hand and said with a chuckle: "So that's how it is. I know the principle behind this now."

Seeing that Lin Feng was not scared at all and had regained his composure without anyone's help, Zhou Chen was extremely disappointed; he might as well have had the word 'disappointed' written on his face.

Yang Jinlong and Yang Lili, however, were curious to the extreme and watched Lin Feng with undivided attention.

"Mr. Lin, have you discovered the secret of this Ghost Mirror?" Yang Jinlong asked.

Yang Lili urged: "Then what are you waiting for? Tell us, tell us quickly."

Lin Feng laughed: "This Ghost Mirror is actually just an ordinary antique. It has nothing to do with any Martial Artist, and it is certainly not a Dharma Treasure."

"That's impossible! If it's not a Dharma Treasure, why can we see ghosts in the mirror? To possess such a phenomenon, it is definitely not a mundane object!" Yang Jinlong said heavily.

Lin Feng said: "The reason you all saw terrifying scenes is because you were all poisoned!"

"What? Poisoned?" Yang Jinlong's expression changed drastically.

Lin Feng held the Ghost Mirror and suddenly snapped it with force, causing it to crack down the middle.

It could be seen that the edges of the Ghost Mirror were actually hollow, containing a pale yellow paste-like substance, somewhat like toothpaste that had dried out after being left for a long time.

"See? This pale yellow paste is a type of poison stored inside the Ghost Mirror, known as Terror Grass Toxin."

"Terror Grass Toxin is not a very potent poison and does not cause much harm to the human body. Even if the toxin enters the body, as long as one stays away from the source of the toxin, it will be metabolized through respiration within a few minutes."

"However, those poisoned will experience various hallucinations, seeing the things and scenes they fear most in their hearts."

"So the principle of this Ghost Mirror is actually very simple. When you hold the Ghost Mirror with both hands, the toxin seeps out from the gaps in the edges and enters your body through the pores of your skin. Once you are poisoned, combined with the belief that there is a ghost in the mirror, the dual effect of psychological suggestion and the toxin makes you see ghosts in the mirror."

"But those are not ghosts at all; they are merely hallucinations you produced."

"It is precisely because of this that everyone fears different things, so the hallucinations produced are different, and the ghosts seen are naturally different as well."

Lin Feng finally stopped after a long explanation, but his words were straightforward and easy to understand, and everyone present understood.

Yang Jinlong said in disbelief: "So the ghosts we saw were not real ghosts, but hallucinations..."

"I was wondering why I saw the ghost in the mirror as you, Mr. Lin. It turns out it was because I was poisoned, and since I was scared by you today, I had hallucinations related to that," Yang Lili realized with a sudden flash of insight, smiling happily.

Chen Yilin looked at Lin Feng with an expression of admiration.

Yang Jinlong had possessed this Ghost Mirror for such a long time, yet he had never been able to figure out what it was or why it could make people see ghosts.

But now, Lin Feng had arrived and solved the mystery in less than an hour. Comparing the two, the gap was truly too great!

"Then... do you still want this Ghost Mirror, Mr. Lin?" Yang Jinlong said very awkwardly.

Lin Feng sneered: "This mirror is just an ordinary antique. I have no interest in it. City Head Yang, you should keep it yourself."

To be honest, Lin Feng was currently feeling both annoyed and amused.

He had thought he might pick up a bargain today and obtain another Dharma Treasure.

But after all that effort, it turned out to be all for nothing.

Oh well, oh well. Since he was idle anyway, he would just treat it as a change of pace.

Lin Feng indifferently restored the Ghost Mirror to its complete state and handed it to Yang Jinlong.