[Jiu: Where are you?]
Xu Qi An stared at the mirror’s surface, dumbfounded for a while. Did the mirror just speak? Was it a treasure with self-awareness?
What did “Jiu” mean? Was that the mirror’s name?
No, if it were the mirror’s spirit, it wouldn’t have asked “Where are you?” After all, we sleep in the same bed every night.
Xu Qi An gazed at the mirror, deep in thought.
He was contemplating four questions:
First, what kind of treasure was this mirror? Besides storing items, could it also receive messages?
Second, was this a message? If so, who sent it?
Third, who was the old Daoist priest, and why did he gift me this mirror?
Fourth, should I respond?
To err on the side of caution, Xu Qi An adhered to the philosophy of “If I pretend it didn’t happen, then it doesn’t exist.” He quietly put away the mirror, deciding not to respond.
Besides, he didn’t know how to respond anyway.
Stepping into the courtyard, he dunked his head in the water vat, then dried off with a towel before leaving the small courtyard.
He had already joined the Night Watchmen, but his official start date was the day after tomorrow. The Night Watchmen’s office was preparing his uniform and bronze gong.
It was still early, about half past noon.
Xu Qi An first went to the Changle County Office to inform his colleagues and Magistrate Zhu about becoming a Night Watchman.
Magistrate Zhu had already received the news, as the Night Watchmen had retrieved Xu Qi An’s household registration from the Changle County Office in advance.
Xu Qi An arranged with his colleagues and Magistrate Zhu to have dinner together that evening. It would serve as both a farewell dinner and a celebration of his promotion.
The venue, of course, was the Xiaoyue Pavilion, not far from the county office. For official socializing, brothels were the top choice.
Before that, Xu Qi An planned to visit a performance house to enjoy some music while having lunch.
…
The farewell dinner started at 4 PM and lasted until 7:45 PM.
During the meal, Magistrate Zhu sighed, “Ah, Ning Yan, you came from our Changle County Office. Becoming a Night Watchman is a blessing for our Changle County. I always saw potential in you…”
He paused and drained his cup in one go.
If I can continue to climb the ranks… Magistrate Zhu might become my first reliable connection in official circles… Xu Qi An understood the implication and also emptied his cup.
After the dinner ended, the county runners didn’t leave. The madam called in a group of young and beautiful girls, bringing them to the private room for the officials to choose from.
They’re quite attractive. In my previous life, they’d be like the fresh faces at high-end clubs… Xu Qi An shook his head. After tasting the sweetness of a beauty like Fu Xiang, he found ordinary girls somewhat lacking.
After arranging for Magistrate Zhu and his fellow runners, Xu Qi An left the Xiaoyue Pavilion and headed home.
Arriving at his courtyard gate, he found the lock open and candlelight shining from inside the house.
Did Second Uncle come to find me?
Xu Qi An pushed open the gate and entered the house.
In the twilight candlelight, a young woman in a plain long dress sat at the table, her chin resting on one hand, her head nodding slightly.
Xu Qi An immediately glanced at the cabinet by the bed, seeing no signs of it being opened, and felt slightly relieved.
“Hmm, perhaps I should consider writing my diary in English,” he mused.
He walked over and gently woke Xu Lingyu.
“Where did Big Brother go…” Xu Lingyu opened her eyes, looking confused for a moment before joy spread across her face.
Her delicate oval face in the candlelight looked like a piece of warm, flawless jade. Her eyes sparkled.
“My little sister is truly beautiful,” Xu Qi An sighed.
Xu Lingyu lowered her head shyly, her cheeks flushing a breathtaking red.
She said in a soft voice, “Why didn’t Big Brother come home for dinner? Father said you must have gone to the brothels.”
My second Uncle really… knows me well!
Xu Qi An said, “No, no, it was just normal social obligations. I went to the Night Watchmen’s office, so I treated my colleagues to dinner.”
But it was normal for Second Uncle to think that way. A typical martial artist, finally reaching the Qi Condensation realm after being pent up for ten or twenty years, would naturally want to indulge until completely spent.
“Big Brother has been drinking… Since you’ve already eaten, I’ll head back now. There’s still hot food in the kitchen,” Xu Lingyu said, smiling a bit, having believed her brother’s explanation.
Xu Qi An felt touched. In this family, besides the Second Uncle, this sister treated him the best.
“Hmm… it’s dark now, and it’s not safe for you to walk alone at night. Let me escort you,” he offered.
Xu Lingyu didn’t refuse. From the small courtyard to the main gate of the Xu mansion was about two or three hundred meters, and it indeed wasn’t safe for a weak woman to walk alone.
But she didn’t expect Xu Qi An to lead her to the corner of the courtyard, wrap an arm around her slender waist, and leap over the wall.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, she hurriedly pushed Xu Qi An away, both embarrassed and angry. “How can Big Brother be so frivolous?”
Men and women should keep their distance after the age of seven. She was already seventeen. How could a brother embrace his sister like this? Holding her hand at the Yunlu Academy was already overstepping boundaries. The Xu family wasn’t a strict scholarly household, so it wasn’t necessary to be overly concerned.
But just now, embracing her waist like that… Was a woman’s waist something to be casually held? Riding a horse was different, and even then, her waist had never been embraced.
Xu Lingyu’s legs felt a bit weak. Seeing Xu Qi An looking somewhat dazed, she stomped her foot in anger and walked away with quick, small steps.
She seemed angry, but the flavor of coy resentment was stronger than true anger… Xu Qi An sighed, reminding himself to be more mindful.
Although in his previous life, even casual male-female relationships wouldn’t be too concerned about some physical contact, and some strangers of opposite sexes would even press tightly against each other, feeling each other’s warmth and strength, faces flushed, brows furrowed, breathing heavily… referring to the crowded subway during rush hour.
But now he was in an era of feudal etiquette. Even with a sister, one couldn’t be too intimate. Xu Qi An had been a bit careless in this regard.
Watching Xu Lingyu’s figure disappear, Xu Qi An leaped back into his courtyard.
At this moment, he felt that inexplicable palpitation again. He took out the small jade mirror from his pocket, and a line of small text slowly appeared on its clean surface:
[Jiu: Where are you?]
Xu Qi An frowned, wondering what this was all about.
The message kept coming through again and again. If not resolved, it felt like a potential danger.
Xu Qi An leaned against the wall, pondering for a long time before deciding to reply to the message.
There were two reasons for replying: First, the mirror was now his possession. If he could fully understand its functions and mystical properties, it would be beneficial to him.
It was like having an AK-47 in your hands but using it as a walking stick.
Second, he suspected this message was sent by that old Daoist priest. If so, he could use this opportunity to find out why the man had given him this treasure.
An unknown gift was always unsettling.
Xu Qi An tried voice input: “Hehe, taking a bath.”
The clean mirror surface showed no change.
Xu Qi An tried another method, using his finger as a pen to write the sentence on the mirror surface.
A miraculous thing happened. The mirror surface displayed a line of text: [San: Hehe, taking a bath.]
Transmitting thoughts through touch?
Does San represent the number of this mirror… The other side is Jiu… Does he also have a mirror?
[Jiu: Who are you?]
Xu Qi An didn’t answer.
The other side also fell silent. After a few minutes, another message came: [Jiu: Where is Senior Brother Jinlian? Is he alive or dead? How did you get this mirror? Are you from the Tiandi Society?!]
Senior Brother Jinlian should be the Daoist who gave me the mirror. This Jiu calls him senior brother, so they’re from the same sect…
Tiandi Society, how come there’s still an “Overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming” movement in this other world?
After roughly figuring out the other party’s identity, Xu Qi An relaxed a bit and used his finger as a pen to input a message:
[San: I’m not from the Tiandi Society. This mirror was given to me by an old Daoist priest.]
[Jiu: How can you prove you’re not from the Tiandi Society? Tell this poor Daoist your name.]
Xu Qi An felt like a reader asking for his address to send some local specialties. He instinctively resisted and didn’t agree.
[San: Daoist, I’m just a nobody.]
After a while.
[Jiu: Where is the Daoist who gave you the mirror?]
[San: I don’t know.] Xu Qi An sent this and waited quietly to see what the other side would say.
[Jiu: This poor Daoist is Zilian. The Daoist who gave you the mirror is my senior brother. This mirror is a magical treasure of our Earth Sect.
[Hehe, since my senior brother gave you the mirror, you must not be an ordinary person. You must have heard of the great name of our Earth Sect.]
Xu Qi An replied: [San: Sorry, I know nothing about it.]
The other side was silent for a long time, then replied without emotion: [Jiu: The Dao School is divided into three sects: Heaven, Earth, and Human.]
So it’s people from the Dao School… Xu Qi An’s spirits lifted.