The entire world went dark.
Every livestream, every screen, every digital display turned off at the same moment.
And for a brief second, it felt like humanity had stopped breathing.
In the depths of the cursed mansion, Yun Qi stumbled to her feet.
Amir was gone—dragged into the shadows beneath the chair.
The woman in white now stood before the survivors, her long hair parting to reveal a grotesque face twisted with sorrow and rage.
Her hollow eyes dripped black tears, and her mouth—stitched back together with fresh, blood-red thread—trembled as if trying to speak.
But she couldn't.
Her voice… had been taken from her long ago.
Chen Rui, still trapped in the mirror world,
screamed against the invisible barrier.
He had learned the truth.
The curse couldn't be broken by simply destroying the chair.
The spirit had to be released from her eternal pain.
And the only way to do that… was to complete the marriage she was denied.
Through the fractured mirrors, Chen Rui's reflection connected with Yun Qi's eyes.
A faint whisper echoed through the room.
"Complete… the ritual…"
Yun Qi understood.
With trembling hands, she retrieved a hidden item from her backpack—a jade hairpin once belonging to the spirit when she was still alive, recovered from an old village shrine.
She stepped toward the woman in white and knelt before her.
"Li Xiu… we accept your sorrow. You are no longer alone."
The spirit's cracked face softened for the first time.
Tears continued to fall, but her horrifying grin faded into a look of heartbreaking relief.
The air shifted.
The jasmine scent became lighter… almost sweet.
The woman in white reached out, gently took the jade hairpin, and tucked it into her matted hair.
Her body slowly faded into soft white petals of jasmine, drifting away on a phantom breeze.
The cursed chair cracked and split apart, releasing a final, mournful wail that echoed across the physical and digital worlds.
The cursed livestream stopped.
For good.
And for the first time in weeks, the world was silent.
The curse… was broken.
Or so they thought.
End of Chapter 18