He Yiyao gazed mesmerizingly at the round ancient mirror inside the glass cabinet in front of her, not willing to blink even once.
“If you like it, you can take it out for a closer look.” The antique shop owner smiled gently, his tone warm and amiable, naturally inspiring good feelings.
He Yiyao nodded repeatedly. Although she knew this ancient mirror was probably beyond her means, she still wanted to hold it in her hands and truly touch it.
The owner unlocked the display case and took out the bronze mirror. “This is a rare fish-patterned bronze mirror from the Han Dynasty. Han Dynasty bronze mirrors usually feature dragons, tigers, phoenixes, and birds as their four divine patterns. This piece has excellent red-green patina. Legend says it was the beloved possession of the famous Han Dynasty general Huo Qubing. Miss, you truly have an excellent eye.”
He Yiyao carefully cradled the bronze mirror, staring intently at the four lifelike carp fish slightly raised on the back surface. The carved patterns were simple yet flowing, each with different poses, truly resembling fish swimming freely in water. The mirror was roughly the size of her palm, with a very thin and light body – much lighter than she had imagined. He Yiyao was mentally wondering if this bronze mirror might be a fake when she flipped it over to see the mottled mirror surface, making her somewhat uncertain again.
The relatively smooth mirror surface was covered in scratches everywhere, each representing the merciless baptism of time. She could vaguely see her own blurred reflection in the mirror surface. Seeing this kind of hazy beauty, He Yiyao became reluctant to put it down.
She had wandered into this antique shop by chance on her way to tutoring class, drawn in by the shop’s peculiar name – “Mute House.”
She curiously asked the owner why it was called Mute House. The owner replied:
“The antiques in Mute House each have their own stories, carrying many years of history, yet no one listens to them. Because they cannot speak. So it’s named Mute House.”
Although this place was quite run-down with little business, she knew that if the items in this shop were all authentic, the prices would certainly be beyond what a high school senior like her could afford.
But just as she turned to leave, she discovered this ancient mirror.
She wanted it – what should she do? She didn’t want to let go of the mirror, feeling that this cool touch was particularly comfortable, as if it touched some soft spot in her heart.
A ridiculous excuse suddenly flashed through He Yiyao’s mind: “Boss, our school’s drama club is putting on a play and needs to use an ancient mirror. Could you rent it to us for a month?” She thought she was just satisfying temporary curiosity, and perhaps after a month, she might have already lost interest in this dirty old mirror.
However, even she felt this request was too presumptuous. Just as she was about to say more to salvage the situation, she unexpectedly heard the young antique shop owner say “okay.”
He Yiyao was stunned for a moment, then began excitedly asking what she needed to put down as collateral and how much money would be enough. But the other party only took her student ID to register, requiring nothing else.
“The rental fee is just a token amount – ten yuan,” the antique shop owner said casually.
So cheap? He Yiyao felt some regret – if she had known, she would have asked the price directly. Perhaps she was overthinking it, and this bronze mirror was simply a fake. But since she had already said she wanted to rent it, she could only bite the bullet and sign her name in the registration book, deciding in her heart that if she still liked this ancient mirror after a month, she would definitely come ask about the price.
The young owner glanced at the registered name, his slender eyes narrowing even more. His long fingers traced over the character “Yao” in the registration book, saying ambiguously: “Oh, by the way, there’s one more thing.”
“What?” He Yiyao was fondly admiring the mirror when she heard this and reflexively looked up.
“There’s one thing you must remember – this bronze mirror absolutely cannot be wiped clean, absolutely not.” When she heard these words, He Yiyao had a fleeting impression that this ordinary-looking owner’s mouth seemed to curve into a strange smile, but she didn’t pay attention. At that time, she was only focused on wrapping the bronze mirror properly and putting it in her bag, rushing off to her tutoring location.
That evening, after He Yiyao finished her homework, she turned on her small desk lamp and took the ancient mirror in her hands, examining it carefully and thoroughly.
“With such a blurry surface, how did ancient women do their makeup?” He Yiyao looked at the unclear reflection in the mirror surface and couldn’t help muttering quietly. Looking at the mottled scratches on it, she originally wanted to use an alcohol cotton cloth for cleaning computer screens to wipe it, but just as her hand touched the mirror surface, the antique shop owner’s warning suddenly appeared in her mind.
“There’s one thing you must remember – this bronze mirror absolutely cannot be wiped clean, absolutely not.”
He Yiyao reluctantly put down the alcohol cotton cloth, figuring this bronze mirror was probably really a fake – the owner was afraid that wiping it would make it look newer and newer, haha!
When she was about to put down the mirror, a casual glance made her heart skip a beat.
Because she actually discovered that the blurry figure in the mirror… didn’t seem to be her. At least, she definitely wouldn’t have an additional hair bun on her head, and moreover, that figure didn’t move with her movements…
“Who… who are you?” He Yiyao couldn’t help but ask aloud.
No response.
She sighed in relief, rubbed her eyes, and just as she was mocking herself for seeing things and preparing to give up, she suddenly heard a ethereal, illusory voice coming from the quiet room.
“You… who are you?”
This voice was so soft that He Yiyao almost thought it was her own hallucination, but the next second, she stared desperately at the mirror in her hands.
“…Who are you?”
This time the voice was clearer, definitely coming from this mirror.
Under the desk lamp’s illumination, the mottled scratches on the mirror surface became more obvious, but this time He Yiyao was very certain that the blurry figure inside was not herself.
“Who are you?” The person in the mirror clearly saw her too and exclaimed in surprise.
“I’m not ‘who’… my name is He Yiyao.” He Yiyao spoke softly using ancient language, her face full of dark lines. Was there something wrong with her mentally? Or was this bronze mirror not a fake, with a ghost sealed inside?
“I am Huo Qubing.” This time the voice from the mirror answered much faster, and the voice was much clearer too. She could even tell it was a man’s voice.
“Clang!” The mirror slipped from her hands and fell onto the desk with a loud sound.
“Xiao Yao! Are you still not asleep? It’s already 10:30! Don’t you have class tomorrow?” He Yiyao’s mother knocked on the door outside. He Yiyao quickly sandwiched the ancient mirror between books, then turned off the light.
However, lying in bed, she tossed and turned thinking – was that a thousand-year-old ghost? The great general Huo Qubing trapped in an ancient mirror?
He Yiyao discovered that during the day, no matter how she handled the bronze mirror, there was no response. Only at ten o’clock at night would the mirror show changes.
“Are you Huo Qubing? That very famous Han Dynasty general?”
“General? I’m currently a lieutenant, but I’ll become a general very soon!”
“The books say you were a general.” He Yiyao flipped through the Han Dynasty history book she had specially borrowed from the library today. Could this be a ghost with the same name?
“Haha! I don’t know what book you’re talking about. What about you? How did you die? Why are you in the bronze mirror my aunt gave me?”
The words from the mirror horrified He Yiyao. She died? When did she die?
She quickly pinched her face hard. Ow! It hurt!
“I’m alive and well! I’m in school! I’m studying!”
“Eh? Then why do you say I’m dead? This young master is also alive and well! Riding horses! Shooting arrows!”
He Yiyao was stunned. She wasn’t dead, and he wasn’t dead either. So that meant… this mirror could cross time and space, connecting two worlds?
“Hey! Since you say you’re not a female ghost, show me your appearance! Don’t be afraid to meet people because you have a corpse-like face!”
He Yiyao had long forgotten the antique shop owner’s warning not to wipe the mirror surface. With an experimental attitude, she began gently wiping the mirror surface.
With each wipe, the mirror surface became slightly brighter. When her hands were almost sore from exhaustion, she heard that detestable voice from the mirror say mockingly: “Yo! With disheveled hair, you still say you’re not a female ghost?”
“Clang!” He Yiyao slammed the ancient mirror between the books and went to bed, no longer caring how the voice from the shadows called out.
She left it like this for a full three days. The homework from tutoring class and school teachers left her no time to think about other things.
It wasn’t until she was casually flipping through reference books these past few days that she suddenly discovered the bronze mirror sandwiched inside. She hadn’t heard his pretentious “I” and “you” for several days, and she actually missed it quite a bit.
He Yiyao propped the bronze mirror against her reference book, and just as she was about to lower her head to do homework, looking at her own long hair hanging down, she remembered what Huo Qubing had said before. She simply combed her hair into a proper ponytail before starting to study.
When ten o’clock came, sure enough, a mocking voice came from the bronze mirror: “Long time no see! Has it been a month? Eh? You actually combed your hair? Can’t female ghosts touch their own hair?”
The lead in He Yiyao’s mechanical pencil snapped with a “pop.” “You’re the female ghost! No wait, what do you mean a month? Only three days have passed here!” She looked toward the ancient mirror and found the mirror surface was somewhat clearer than last time. She could vaguely see a flickering candle flame on the other side of the mirror, and the outline of a man.
“Hey, woman, you… wipe the mirror surface again. After you wiped it last time, it seems I could see more clearly.” Huo Qubing tried to change “you” and “I” following He Yiyao’s example. Although it felt awkward, it made him feel incredibly novel.
He Yiyao looked at her already completed homework and simply picked up the cloth on the desk to start wiping. “You said you hadn’t seen me for a month? What’s going on? What time could you see me before?”
“At first it was the first day of the sixth month, then the time before last was the eleventh of the sixth month, and today is the eleventh of the seventh month. I remember very clearly – on the first day of the sixth month, I went hunting in Shanglin Garden, got very drunk, and when I came back, I discovered you in the mirror.”
“Eh? Could it be that our time isn’t synchronized? Maybe this ancient mirror is like a camera, connecting two time-spaces! It’s just that this network cable might be a bit too long, causing delays. But wait, why is there no delay when we talk?”
“Woman, please speak in words I can understand! What’s a camera? What’s a network cable?” Huo Qubing tried very hard to listen but found that he heard but didn’t understand.
“A camera is a lens connected to a computer… forget it, pretend I didn’t say anything.” He Yiyao rolled her eyes, thinking how could she explain cameras to an ancient person? They only understood divine mirrors!
“Hey! You wipe too! Don’t make me do all the work alone.”
“Me wipe? The mirror in my hands is new! It’s already very bright! What’s there to wipe?” Huo Qubing flicked the bronze mirror surface. “Woman, when I flick the mirror surface, does it hurt you? People say that if you damage an object, the ghost residing inside will also feel pain!”
“Hurt my ghost!” He Yiyao wiped the mirror surface like a marketplace vendor, imagining it was Huo Qubing’s face – I’m scrubbing, I’m scrubbing hard! “I’m not a female ghost!”
“I know, that’s why I call you woman!” Someone used a very perfunctory tone.
He Yiyao was so angry her teeth itched, and she scrubbed the mirror surface hard as if venting her anger. After a while, that annoying voice rang out again.
“I can see you! What the heck! Those old men were lying! Female ghosts aren’t supposed to be stunningly beautiful! They should look very scary!”
“Clang!” He Yiyao directly flipped the mirror face-down on the desk, then took a book and hit it a few times as if venting her anger.
She looked scary? He Yiyao couldn’t help but look toward the mirror on her vanity table, which reflected a delicate and cute face.
That guy had eye problems! And he talked about riding horses and shooting arrows! It would be good enough if he didn’t shoot his own people!
The mirror kept transmitting calls of “Woman! Woman!”
He Yiyao touched the patterns on the back of the bronze mirror, remembering that just before flipping the mirror over, she had vaguely seen a handsome face.
Why was she blushing? Who cared about that guy? Turn off the lights and sleep!
“Hey! Woman, are you there?” At ten o’clock at night, someone’s voice came punctually from the bronze mirror, but this time it wasn’t so frivolous – it sounded somewhat deep.
He Yiyao struggled internally for only two seconds before flipping the overturned bronze mirror back over. She had to admit that having a netizen from over two thousand years ago was pretty awesome, not to mention the famous General Huo!
On the mottled mirror surface, the scratches had decreased somewhat, reflecting a handsome and spirited face. It was still somewhat blurry, but those bright, piercing eyes, clear and shining with profound light, immediately captured He Yiyao’s heart, and she could no longer look away.
But where was he looking?
He Yiyao looked down at her spaghetti-strap nightgown and silently cursed the little pervert, immediately going to find an outer garment to put on. This kind of outfit was probably too stimulating for ancient men. But, a man? He Yiyao poked at Huo Qubing’s face on the mirror surface and asked curiously: “How old are you?”
“This young master is sixteen this year, what about it? They refuse to let me join the army!” Huo Qubing picked up the wine flask in his hand and took a gulp. “I’m already qualified enough to go into battle and kill enemies! Don’t tell me you’re like them, thinking I’m too young!”
Sixteen? No wonder this netizen had such youthful features – he was an underage teenager. He Yiyao raised her eyebrows and said: “Good boy, call me big sister.”
“Won’t call you that! Woman, can you chat with me every day? I have to wait ten days each time! Can’t you be on call?”
“I am chatting with you every day!” He Yiyao pouted. On call? Did Young Master Huo think he was a Hogwarts classmate who had learned Apparition?
“Looks like it’s one day in heaven, ten days on earth!” Young Master Huo sighed regretfully.
“Did you just praise me for being a fairy? Really!” He Yiyao cupped her cheeks embarrassedly, deliberately misinterpreting Young Master Huo’s meaning.
Young Master Huo rarely refrained from bickering with her. He had drunk quite a bit and was somewhat incoherent, mumbling some confused words: “Woman, do you want… want to see… the scenery beyond the frontier? Stay… stay by my side always, don’t… don’t leave… I’ll take you… take you to see it.” By the end, he had fallen asleep with his head on the table.
He Yiyao silently watched the young general in the mirror who harbored grand ambitions yet was drunkenly collapsed, feeling somewhat congested in her chest… She remembered that in history, Huo Qubing died young at twenty-four…
Should she tell him? But if she did, he would probably treat it as a joke…
“Woman, I, Huo Qubing, was born as a slave’s child and raised in luxury, yet I have never indulged in wealth and glory. A real man should die on the battlefield, defending his country!”
“Woman, do you know? The Xiongnu constantly harass our dynasty’s borders, yet His Majesty maintains relative peace through marriage alliances and dowry payments!”
“Woman, if I could go to the battlefield, I would definitely kill enemies in all directions!”
“Woman… hey! Are you listening to me?”
“Listening, listening!” He Yiyao dug at her ears and continued looking down at her review exercises.
This situation continued for several weeks. Every day at ten o’clock at night, she could see this netizen from two thousand years ago through the bronze mirror for about half an hour before being forced offline. And Huo Qubing could only see He Yiyao every ten days, so counting up, it had been almost a year.
“Who are you kidding? You don’t even bother to look at my face. Is that thing you’re writing more interesting than me?”
This was her last assignment due tomorrow. Tutoring class would end tomorrow, and then school would start! However, He Yiyao blinked and looked at the desk calendar, suddenly realizing that she should return this bronze mirror to the antique shop tomorrow.
Although Huo Qubing’s constant chatter was somewhat annoying, she found that she had gotten used to listening to him pour out his troubles every night. She couldn’t help but look toward the bronze mirror on her right. The mottled mirror surface showed the other party’s youthful but undeniably domineering face.
“You…” He Yiyao wanted to say a proper goodbye to him, but when the words reached her lips, she couldn’t say them. This bronze mirror was definitely authentic – even if she sold herself, she couldn’t afford it.
Moreover, she really couldn’t continue chatting with him like this. During this month, in order not to change the course of history, she hadn’t told him anything, dutifully playing the role of a listener. Now he probably still thought she was just a female ghost residing in the mirror.
“Woman, do you know? Actually, I rarely talk to people. But facing you, I always have endless things to say. Maybe it’s because I don’t know you at all, and you don’t know me…”
He Yiyao was stunned, not knowing what to say.
She had listened to all the complaints he had made these days. Empress Wei Zifu was his aunt, his uncle Wei Qing was a great Han general, he wanted to go into battle to kill enemies, he didn’t want to live the peaceful life of Chang’an… She always felt that was another world unrelated to her, but under his daily bit-by-bit influence, she felt as if she were witnessing it firsthand, by his side, looking through the still somewhat blurry mirror at him galloping on horseback in the hunting grounds…
“Woman, remember I said I would take you to see the desert and grasslands? In ten days, I’ll take you to see them!” Huo Qubing said excitedly. He Yiyao could see his soaring eyebrows, like two small knives piercing the clouds, sharp and unique. “I’ve already volunteered and asked His Majesty to appoint me as Lieutenant Piaoyao to accompany the army on expedition! In ten days, you must wait for me!”
The mirror surface had returned to normal, but Huo Qubing’s excited voice seemed to still echo in her ears.
He Yiyao’s heart softened, and she propped her chin with one hand, staring blankly at the ancient mirror. If she didn’t say anything extra and just remained a listener, that should be okay, right? Tomorrow she would go to Mute House and ask the owner if she could continue renting the ancient mirror. She could take out all the coins from her piggy bank savings and prepay for a year’s worth – that should be no problem, right?
From then on, He Yiyao’s evenings became extremely exciting. Through this ancient mirror, she saw the alluring clear moonlight beyond the frontier, saw the bloody storms of the battlefield, saw the vast desert…
She flipped through history books while looking at the ancient mirror.
She read about the battlefield’s changing winds and clouds from between the lines of history books and in the ancient mirror.
She said nothing, just accompanied him, encouraged him, comforted him, passing through the long years.
Her one day equaled his ten days.
In the sixth year of Yuanshuo, he led eight hundred cavalry, galloping hundreds of miles through the vast desert searching for enemy traces. His long-distance raid tactics succeeded in the first battle, killing over two thousand enemies. The Xiongnu chanyu’s two uncles – one was killed and one was captured alive. He led his troops back completely unharmed. Emperor Wu immediately appointed him “Champion Marquis,” praising him for his courage that crowned the three armies.
She watched through the ancient mirror as he traveled hundreds of miles, dust rising under horse hooves, blood flowing down his chest, covering the entire mirror surface all night long.
He said this was his first time in battle, and he had achieved proud results.
She said nothing, just quietly looked at the mottled bloodstains on the ancient mirror, because this was the first time he had been so seriously injured.
In the spring of the second year of Yuanshou, he was appointed as General Piaoji, leading ten thousand elite troops alone to expedition against the Xiongnu. At just nineteen, he made lightning raids through the thousand-mile desert. In six days, he fought through five Xiongnu tribes, advancing all the way, and fought a hard life-and-death battle at Mount Gaolan. In this battle, he won miserably – although he killed nearly ten thousand enemies, only three thousand of his ten thousand elite troops remained.
She watched through the ancient mirror but didn’t see his battle scenes. When they met again, it was already a scene of victory.
He said that to prevent her from seeing bloody scenes, he deliberately chose the intervals of their conversations to fight battles.
She said nothing. This time there was no blood on the mirror surface. But she discovered that on the back of the mirror, there was an additional deep knife scar.
She could see the knife scars on the ancient mirror.
But she couldn’t see how many wounds he had sustained.
In the summer of the same year, Emperor Wu decided to launch the campaign to recover Hexi. In this battle, he became the commander of the Han army, once again advancing alone deep into enemy territory, and once again achieving great victory. At Qilian Mountain, his forces killed over thirty thousand enemies. The Han Dynasty recovered the Hexi Plain. From then on, the Han army’s military might was greatly enhanced, and at nineteen, he became a war god that made the Xiongnu tremble with fear at the mere mention of his name.
She watched through the ancient mirror at the Hexi land beneath his feet, at his high spirits, at his countless soldiers looking up to him…
He said he really wanted her to stand beside him and feel all of this.
She said nothing because she knew it was impossible…
In the autumn of the same year, King Hunye and King Xiutu wanted to surrender to the Han Dynasty. He went to the Yellow River to accept their surrender. When he led his troops across the Yellow River, a mutiny suddenly broke out among the surrendering Xiongnu forces. He actually charged into the Xiongnu camp with only a few personal guards, faced King Hunye directly, and ordered the execution of the mutinous soldiers. King Hunye had every opportunity to take him hostage or kill him for revenge, but ultimately King Hunye gave up. His courage to risk his life alone not only intimidated King Hunye but also shocked over forty thousand Xiongnu soldiers. The Hexi surrender ended smoothly.
She watched through the ancient mirror at that night when candlelight flickered, the situation was confusing and crisis-ridden. He stood in the enemy’s tent like that, using just one expression and one gesture to subdue the forty thousand troops outside the tent and eight thousand rebellious soldiers. The world was shocked, cheering that the war god was invincible.
He said he really took a risk this time, but with her accompanying him, she was his guardian goddess.
She said nothing, just quietly released the corners of her clothes that she had already crumpled beyond recognition on this side of the ancient mirror.
In the third year of Yuanshou, Emperor Wu built exquisite mansions for him and instructed him to go inspect them.
She watched through the ancient mirror, seeing the young emperor’s regard for him in his eyes, seeing the smiling princess beside him. She knew that Emperor Wu not only bestowed mansions upon him but also intended for him to marry the princess.
He said, “While the Xiongnu are not yet destroyed, how can I have a family?”
She said nothing, just watched as he spoke while his hand on the mirror surface showed clear palm lines.
For the first time, she extended her own hand and pressed it against his.
Their hands were separated not only by a cold mirror surface but also by two thousand years of time.
Yet still, something flowed between them.
In the fourth year of Yuanshou, to completely eliminate the main Xiongnu forces, Emperor Wu launched the unprecedented Battle of Mobei. He led his troops deep into Mobei, raiding over two thousand miles and annihilating over seventy thousand enemies. To pursue and kill the Xiongnu chanyu, he came all the way to Mount Langju and led his army in a ceremony to worship heaven and earth. After the Feng Lang Ju Xu ceremony, he continued leading his army deeper, fighting all the way to the area around Russia’s Lake Baikal, winning consecutive victories. After this battle, the Xiongnu fled far away, and there were no royal courts south of the desert. His “Feng Lang Ju Xu” became the highest pursuit and lifelong dream of Chinese military strategists throughout history. And that year, he was only twenty-two years old.
She watched through the ancient mirror at this highest military ceremony of worship to heaven in history, at him standing at the pinnacle of his life, at his supreme glory.
During his six years of campaigns, she had always accompanied him, protecting him close to his chest.
He said, “Woman, are you really a female ghost? After all these years, your appearance hasn’t changed at all…”
On the mirror, the mottled knife scars were countless, yet the mirror surface became clearer and clearer.
She could even see her own reflection in his eyes.
He said he had realized his ideal of pacifying the Xiongnu. His general’s dream had also become reality. He had almost accomplished all his childhood wishes, and he could almost obtain everything he wanted.
He said he wanted her.
She said nothing, just silently shook her head, put the mirror in a sealed box, and locked it in the innermost part of her cabinet.
Enough, she told herself.
She had accompanied him for over seven months, watching him arduously walk step by step, watching him finally climb to the pinnacle of his life. That was enough.
They were ultimately not people of the same world. She would rather he think she was a female ghost who had permanently lost her powers and had already vanished into thin air, never to meet again.
She had to forget him.
She buried herself in studies, putting all her attention on books, not allowing herself any extra time to think of him.
Except every day at ten o’clock at night, when her heart would ache, habitually looking at the usual place where the ancient mirror was placed, then forcing herself to look away.
What was he doing? What was he thinking? Who was he with?
She bit her teeth – he had nothing to do with her anymore.
How could she watch him slowly fall ill, weaken, until he died?
She had had enough of only being able to watch him through the ancient mirror while being unable to do anything, unable to touch anything.
She admitted she was very cowardly, so she chose to escape.
Life continued as before – school, tutoring, homework… only every morning when she woke up, her face was covered with tear stains.
Finally, the college entrance examination ended. She did very well and told her parents she should be able to get into the university she had wanted to attend since childhood. Her parents were overjoyed, while she closed her door in dark sorrow.
The exams were over, and she had free time. Without the excuse of studying, she began to be unable to suppress her longing for him.
She finally couldn’t help but take out the box that had been deeply locked in the cabinet, looking at the long-missed ancient mirror, gently caressing it.
This time, she must tell him.
Although they couldn’t be together, she must tell him.
She loved him.
The room was empty and lonely. She just sat quietly like this, waiting until ten o’clock at night.
She didn’t hear his voice, only a clear sound of breaking – the ancient mirror in her hands showed a crack without warning.
Then she saw the other side of the mirror covered with a silk cloth.
On the silk cloth were written several powerful characters:
“Ah Yao, in the next life, we must meet.”
She was already sobbing uncontrollably.
“Boss,” He Yiyao stood in front of the counter, opening the box. Inside, the ancient mirror had a crack on its surface. Today was the first day of university and exactly one year since she had rented this ancient mirror. “How much is this ancient mirror? I want to buy it.”
The young antique shop owner looked at the cracked ancient mirror, but his face showed no surprise. “No need. Your rental fee is exactly its price.”
“Really?” He Yiyao didn’t believe it at all. This ancient mirror was priceless to her. Even if the owner quoted an astronomical figure, she would find a way to pay it back on credit.
The owner closed the box and pushed it back to her, smiling: “Now, it’s yours.”
He Yiyao lowered her eyes and carefully picked up the box.
This was her most precious possession.
“By the way, there’s another item that came with this ancient mirror. Let me look for it.” The owner walked into the back room, and after some rummaging, he came out slowly, holding a yellowed, worn piece of yellow cloth.
He Yiyao was thunderstruck, tremblingly receiving this piece of silk cloth.
Her hands slightly shaking as she unfolded the silk cloth, on which were written several powerful characters: “Ah Yao, in the next life, we must meet.”
Holding the ancient mirror box and gripping this silk cloth, she didn’t know how she walked out of Mute House. She only knew that when she came to her senses, she had already been sent to the university campus by her parents.
The new student reception area was bustling with voices, while she felt like she was standing in another dimension.
In her confusion, someone bumped into her, and she fell to the ground. She desperately hugged the ancient mirror, but the silk cloth fluttered to the ground.
A hand picked up the silk cloth for her – a hand with distinct knuckles.
Her heart suddenly clenched tight, and she didn’t even have the strength to stand up.
Looking up, she saw a familiar face. This time there was no ancient mirror between them, no distant two thousand years, no neighing war horses, clashing weapons, or flying dust… His features were clear and real.
What was different was that he wasn’t wearing the armor that never left his body, just a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans.
Tears quietly slid down.
That person walked in front of her, unfolded the silk cloth, and as if casually seeing what was written on it for the first time, yet also as if he had long known what was written there, he said forcefully:
“Ah Yao, in the next life, we must meet.”
The antiques in Mute House each have their own stories, carrying many years of history with no one to listen.
But they are all waiting…