Ya She

Chapter 2 The Silent Shop and the Ancient Mirror
He Yiyao stared fascinated at the round antique mirror in the glass cabinet in front of her, not even daring to blink.

"If you're interested, you can take it out and have a look," the antique shop owner said with a gentle smile, his tone so kind that it made one feel good.

He Yiyao nodded repeatedly. Although she knew she probably couldn't afford the ancient mirror, she still wanted to hold it in her hands and touch it.

The shopkeeper unlocked the counter and took out the bronze mirror. "This is a rare fish-patterned bronze mirror from the Han Dynasty. Han Dynasty bronze mirrors often feature the four mythical creatures: dragon, tiger, phoenix, and bird. This one, with its red and green embroidery, is in excellent condition. Legend has it that it was a beloved possession of Huo Qubing, a famous general of the Han Dynasty. Miss, you have a truly discerning eye."

He Yiyao carefully held the bronze mirror, her eyes fixed on the four lifelike carp slightly convex on the back. The carvings were simple yet fluid, each with a unique shape, truly appearing as if they were swimming in water. The mirror was only about the size of her palm, thin and light—much lighter than she had imagined. He Yiyao was wondering if the bronze mirror was a fake when she turned it over and saw the mottled surface, and her uncertainty shifted.

The once smooth mirror surface was now covered in scratches, each one a testament to the relentless passage of time. Her own blurry reflection could be faintly seen on the mirror, and He Yiyao, seeing this blurred beauty, was reluctant to put her hand down.

She stumbled upon this antique shop on her way to her tutoring class. The shop's name, "Dumb Shop," was so strange that it drew her in.

She asked the owner curiously why it was called "Dumb House," and the owner replied:

The antiques in the Silent Shop each have their own story, bearing witness to many years, yet no one listens. Because they cannot speak. That's why it's called the Silent Shop.

Although the place was dilapidated and business was slow, she knew that if the shop was full of genuine products, the prices would be far beyond what a high school senior like herself could afford.

But just as she turned to leave, she discovered this ancient mirror.

She wanted it, what could she do? She didn't want to let go of the mirror; the cool touch felt incredibly comforting, as if it had touched a soft spot in her heart.

Suddenly, an absurd excuse flashed through He Yiyao's mind: "Boss, our school's club is putting on a play and needs an antique mirror. Could you rent it to us for a month?" She thought she was just doing it for the novelty, and after a month, she might not like the dirty antique mirror anymore.

However, even she herself felt that her request was too much, and just as she was about to say a few more words to salvage the situation, she unexpectedly heard the young antique shop owner say "okay".

He Yiyao was stunned for a moment, then excitedly asked what she needed to deposit and how much money she needed. It turned out they only asked for her student ID to register her, and didn't ask for anything else.

"Just a token amount for the rent, ten yuan," the antique shop owner said casually.

So cheap? He Yiyao regretted it a little; she should have just asked the price directly. Perhaps she was overthinking things; the bronze mirror was clearly a fake. But she had already said she wanted to rent it, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and sign her name in the register. She decided that if she still liked the antique mirror a month later, she would definitely come back to ask how much it cost.

The young boss glanced at the registered name, his narrow eyes narrowed even more, and his slender fingers traced the character "Yao" on the registration book. He said ambiguously, "Oh, right, there's one more thing."

"What?" He Yiyao was admiring herself in the mirror when she heard his words and reflexively looked up.

"There's one thing you need to remember: you absolutely must not wipe this bronze mirror, absolutely not." Upon hearing this, He Yiyao vaguely saw a strange smile appear on the lips of the ordinary-looking shopkeeper, but she didn't notice. At that moment, she was only focused on carefully wrapping the bronze mirror and putting it in her bag, rushing to her tutoring session.

In the evening, after finishing her homework, He Yiyao turned on her desk lamp, took the antique mirror in her hand, and carefully examined it.

"So elaborate, how did women in ancient times dress up?" He Yiyao muttered to herself, looking at the blurry reflection in the mirror. She glanced at the mottled scratches and considered wiping it with an alcohol-soaked cloth meant for computer screens, but the antique shop owner's words of advice suddenly flashed into her mind the moment her hand touched the mirror.

"There's one thing you must remember: this bronze mirror must never be wiped, absolutely never."

He Yiyao reluctantly put down the alcohol wipes. She guessed that the bronze mirror really was a fake. The shopkeeper was afraid that the more she wiped it, the newer it would look. Haha!

As he was about to put the mirror down, a casual glance at it made her heart skip a beat.

Because she suddenly realized that the blurry figure in the mirror... didn't seem to be her.

At the very least, she wouldn't have an extra bun on her head, and the figure wouldn't move with her...

"Who...who are you?" He Yiyao couldn't help but ask.

no response.

She breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed her eyes, and was about to give up, just as she was laughing at herself for seeing things, when she suddenly heard a faint, ethereal voice coming from the quiet room.

"Who...who are you?"

The sound was so soft that He Yiyao almost thought it was her imagination, but the next second, she stared intently at the mirror in her hand.

"...Who is it?"

This time the sound was clearer; it was definitely coming from inside the mirror.

Under the lamplight, the scratches on the mottled mirror surface became more obvious, but this time He Yiyao was certain that the blurry figure inside was not herself.

"Who are you?" The person in the mirror, who had obviously seen her as well, exclaimed in surprise.

"I am nobody... My name is He Yiyao." He Yiyao spoke softly in ancient language, her face full of black lines. Was she out of her mind? Or was this bronze mirror not a fake, but a ghost sealed inside?
"I am Huo Qubing." This time, the voice in the mirror answered much faster and was much clearer; it was clearly a man's voice.

"Bang!" The mirror slipped from her hand and fell onto the table with a loud crash.

"Xiao Yao! Aren't you asleep yet? It's already 10:30! Don't you have class tomorrow?" He Yiyao's mother knocked on the door. He Yiyao quickly tucked the antique mirror into her book and then turned off the light.

However, lying in bed, he tossed and turned, wondering if it was a thousand-year-old ghost? Was the great general Huo Qubing trapped in an ancient mirror?

He Yiyao discovered that no matter how she fiddled with the bronze mirror during the day, it wouldn't react; it only changed at 10 p.m.

"Are you Huo Qubing? That famous general from the Han Dynasty?"

"General? I'm currently a captain, but I'll soon become a general!"

“The book says you’re a general.” He Yiyao flipped through the Han Dynasty history book she had specially borrowed from the library today. Could it be a ghost with the same name?

"Haha! I don't know what book you're talking about. And you? How did you die? Why are you in the bronze mirror your aunt gave me?"

The words in the mirror horrified He Yiyao. She was dead? When did she die?
She quickly pinched her cheek hard. Ouch! That hurts!
"I'm alive and well! I'm in school! I'm studying!"

"Huh? Then what makes you say I'm dead? I'm perfectly fine! Riding a horse! Shooting arrows!"

He Yiyao was stunned. She wasn't dead, and he wasn't dead either. So... could this mirror connect two worlds across time and space?

"Hey! Since you say you're not a female ghost, show me what you look like! Don't be afraid to show your face just because you look dead!"

He Yiyao had long forgotten the antique shop owner's advice not to wipe the mirror, and began to gently wipe the mirror with a try-it-out attitude.

With each wipe, the mirror became slightly brighter, until her hands were almost aching from exhaustion. Then she heard that hateful voice in the mirror mockingly say, "Oh! With disheveled hair, still saying you're not a female ghost?"

"Clang!" He Yiyao tucked the ancient mirror into a book, ignoring the calls from the shadow, and went to bed.

She left it like that for three whole days. The tutoring classes and the homework assigned by her school teachers left her no time to think about anything else.

It wasn't until she occasionally flipped through her reference books these past few days that she suddenly discovered the bronze mirror tucked inside. She hadn't heard him use those literary pronouns "吾" and "汝" for several days, and instead, she found herself missing them.

He Yiyao placed the bronze mirror against her reference book and was about to start her homework when she looked at her long hair hanging down. Remembering what Huo Qubing had said before, she simply combed it into a ponytail and began to study again.

At ten o'clock, sure enough, a mocking voice came from the bronze mirror: "Long time no see! It's been a month, hasn't it? Huh? You've actually combed your hair up? Aren't female ghosts supposed to be unable to touch their own hair?"

The mechanical pencil lead in He Yiyao's hand snapped with a "snap." "You're the ghost! Wait, what did you say a month? Only three days have passed here!" She looked at the ancient mirror and found that the mirror was clearer than before. She could vaguely see a flickering candlelight and the outline of a man on the other side of the mirror.

"Hey, woman, you... wipe the mirror again. It seems like I can see a bit better after you wiped it last time." Huo Qubing imitated He Yiyao and changed "you" and "I" back to their original forms. Although it sounded a bit awkward, he found it quite novel.

He Yiyao glanced at her finished homework and simply picked up a rag from the table to start wiping. "You said you haven't seen me for a month? What happened? When were you able to see me before?"

"It started on the first day of the sixth lunar month, then the one before that was the eleventh day of the sixth lunar month, and today is the eleventh day of the seventh lunar month. I remember it very clearly. On the first day of the sixth lunar month, I went hunting in Shanglin Garden and got very drunk. When I came back, I saw you in the mirror."

"Huh? Could it be that our timelines are out of sync? Maybe this ancient mirror is like a camera, connecting two different timelines! However, the network cable might be a bit too long, causing a delay. But why isn't there a delay in our conversation?"

"Woman, please speak in a way I can understand! What is a camera? What is a network cable?" Huo Qubing tried hard to listen, but found that he could hear but did not understand.

"A webcam is just a lens that connects to a computer... Never mind, never mind." He Yiyao rolled her eyes, feeling like she was talking to an ancient person about what a webcam was. They only knew about the Tongtian Mirror!
"Hey! You wipe it too! Don't leave me to do all the work."

"What? The mirror in my hand is new! It's already very shiny! What are you wiping?" Huo Qubing flicked the bronze mirror. "Woman, does it hurt when I flick the mirror? People say that if you damage something, the ghost living inside will also feel pain!"

"Ouch, my foot!" He Yiyao scrubbed the mirror in a vulgar manner, imagining it was Huo Qubing's face, rubbing it hard! "I'm not a female ghost!"

"I know, that's why I call you woman!" someone said in a very perfunctory tone.

He Yiyao was so angry that she gritted her teeth and vigorously wiped the mirror as if to vent her anger. After a while, that annoying voice rang out again.

"I see you! What?! Those old men are lying! The female ghost isn't stunningly beautiful at all! She's more like a terrifying ghost!"

"Bang!" He Yiyao flipped the mirror over and slammed it face down on the table, then smashed the book a few times in a fit of anger.

"Is she scary-looking?" He Yiyao couldn't help but look at the mirror on her dressing table, where a delicate and lovely face was reflected.

That guy's got vision problems! He talked about riding a horse and shooting arrows! He'd be lucky if he didn't shoot his own people!
The voices calling "Woman! Woman!" kept coming from the mirror.

He Yiyao touched the patterns on the back of the bronze mirror and recalled that she had vaguely seen a handsome face before turning the mirror over.

Why is she blushing? Who cares about that guy? Turn off the lights and go to sleep!
"Hey! Woman, are you there?" At ten o'clock in the evening, someone's voice came from the bronze mirror on time, but this time, it was not so frivolous, and it sounded somewhat deep.

He Yiyao only struggled internally for two seconds before flipping the bronze mirror back over. She had to admit that having a netizen from over two thousand years ago was quite impressive, not to mention the famous General Huo.

On the mottled mirror, the scratches had lessened, revealing a handsome and dashing face. It was still somewhat blurry, but those bright, clear eyes, sparkling with a deep light, instantly captivated He Yiyao's heart, making it impossible for her to look away.

But where is he looking?

He Yiyao glanced down at her slip dress, muttering "little pervert" under her breath, and immediately grabbed an outer garment to put it on. This kind of clothing would probably be too stimulating for men in ancient times. But, men? He Yiyao poked at Huo Qubing's face in the mirror, asking curiously, "How old are you?"

"I'm sixteen this year, so what? They refused to let me join the army!" Huo Qubing picked up the wine flask in his hand and took a swig. "I'm more than qualified to go on the battlefield and kill the enemy! Don't tell me you think I'm too young like them!"

Sixteen? No wonder this netizen has such youthful features, he's actually a minor. He Yiyao raised an eyebrow and said, "Good boy, call me sister."

"No way! Woman, can't you chat with me every day? It takes ten days each time! Can't you just come whenever I call?" Huo Qubing hiccuped and made a shameless demand.

"I chat with you every day!" He Yiyao pouted. Always at your beck and call? Did Young Master Huo think he was a Harry Potter alumnus who had studied teleportation?
"It seems that one day in heaven is ten days on earth!" Young Master Huo sighed regretfully.

"Were you just praising me as a fairy? Really!" He Yiyao said, cupping her cheeks in amusement, deliberately misinterpreting Young Master Huo's meaning.

For once, Young Master Huo didn't argue with her. He was a little drunk and mumbled some incoherent words, "Woman, do you want... to see... the scenery beyond the Great Wall? You want... to stay by my side, don't, don't go... I'll take you... take you to see it." In the end, he fell asleep on the table.

He Yiyao silently gazed at the young general in the mirror, a man brimming with lofty ambitions yet drunk and dejected, and felt a tightness in her chest... She remembered that in history, Huo Qubing died young at the age of twenty-four...

Should I tell him? But if I do, he'll probably just laugh it off...

"Women, I, Huo Qubing, was born a slave and raised in luxury, yet I have never been indulging in wealth and honor. A true man is born to die on the battlefield, protecting his home and country!"

"Woman, do you know? The Xiongnu frequently harass our borders, yet His Majesty maintains relative peace through marriage alliances and dowries!"

"Woman, if I were sent to the battlefield, I would surely slay the enemy on all sides!"

"Woman... Hey! Are you even listening to me?"

"I'm listening, I'm listening!" He Yiyao picked at her ear and continued working on her review questions.

This situation continued for several weeks. Every night at 10 PM, she could see this online friend from two thousand years ago through the bronze mirror, and then be forcibly logged off after about half an hour. Huo Qubing could only see He Yiyao every ten days, so it had been almost a year.

"Who are you trying to fool? You can't even be bothered to look at my face. Is what you're writing interesting? Is it as interesting as what I am?"

This was her final assignment due tomorrow; tomorrow was the last day of her tutoring class, and then school would start! However, He Yiyao blinked, looked up at the calendar on the table, and suddenly realized that she should return the bronze mirror to the antique shop tomorrow. Although Huo Qubing's rambling 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 at the bronze mirror on her right; the mottled surface reflected his youthful yet undeniably domineering face.

"You..." He Yiyao wanted to say goodbye to him properly, but the words wouldn't come out. This bronze mirror was definitely genuine; even if she bought it, she couldn't afford it.

Moreover, she really couldn't keep talking to him like this anymore. For the past month, in order not to change the course of history, she hadn't said anything to him and had been a dutiful listener. Now he probably still thought she was just a ghost living in the mirror.

"Woman, do you know? I rarely talk to people. But with you, I always have so much to say. Maybe it's because I don't know you at all, and you don't know me..."

He Yiyao was stunned and didn't know what to say.

She had heard all his complaints these past few days. Empress Wei was his aunt, and his uncle Wei Qing was a general of the Han Dynasty. He wanted to fight on the battlefield, not live a peaceful life in Chang'an… She always felt that it was another world unrelated to her, but with his daily, subtle influence, she felt as if she were witnessing it firsthand, beside him, watching him ride across the hunting grounds through a still somewhat blurry mirror… “Woman, remember I said I would take you to see the desert and grasslands? In ten days, I will take you there!” Huo Qubing said excitedly. He Yiyao could see his raised eyebrows, like two small knives piercing the clouds, sharp and unique. “I have already volunteered and asked the Emperor to appoint me as a Colonel of the Flying Cavalry to accompany the army on the expedition! In ten days, be sure to wait for me!”

The mirror had been restored, but Huo Qubing's inspiring voice still seemed to echo in her ears.

He Yiyao's heart softened, and she rested her chin on her hand, staring blankly at the ancient mirror. She wouldn't say anything unnecessary, just listen; that should be alright, right? Tomorrow she'd go to the Silent Shop and ask the owner if she could continue renting the ancient mirror to him. She could take all the coins from her piggy bank and prepay for a year's supply; that should be fine, right?

From then on, He Yiyao's nights became incredibly exciting. Through this ancient mirror, she saw the alluring, clear moonlight of the frontier, the bloodshed and carnage of the battlefield, and the vast desert...

She flipped through history books while looking at the ancient mirror.

She glimpsed the battlefields and their vicissitudes through the lines of history books and the mirror of the past.

She didn't say anything, she just stayed with him, encouraged him, comforted him, and spent the long time with him.

One day for her is equivalent to ten days for him.

In the sixth year of the Yuanshuo era, he led eight hundred cavalrymen, galloping hundreds of miles across the vast desert in search of the enemy. His long-distance raid tactic resulted in a resounding victory in his first battle, with over two thousand men killed and the Xiongnu Chanyu's two uncles captured. He returned unscathed. Emperor Wu of Han immediately bestowed upon him the title of "Marquis of Champion," praising his unparalleled bravery.

Through the ancient mirror, she watched him travel hundreds of miles, the dust kicked up by his horse's hooves and the blood flowing from his chest, which covered the mirror's surface for the entire long night.

He said that this was his first time playing and he achieved an impressive result.

She said nothing, but simply stared at the mottled bloodstains on the ancient mirror, for this was the first time he had suffered such a serious injury.

In the spring of the second year of the Yuanshou era, he was appointed General of the Flying Cavalry and led 10,000 elite troops on a campaign against the Xiongnu. At just nineteen years old, he swiftly marched across the vast desert, fighting five Xiongnu tribes in six days, advancing relentlessly, and engaging in a fierce, life-or-death battle at Gaolan Mountain. In this battle, he achieved a pyrrhic victory, killing nearly 10,000 enemies, but only 3,000 of his 10,000 elite soldiers remained.

She watched through the ancient mirror, unable to see the scenes of his conquest. When they met again, it was a victorious scene.

He said that in order to prevent her from seeing the bloody scene, he deliberately chose to fight during the intervals between their phone calls.

She said nothing, and this time there was no blood on the mirror. But she noticed a deep knife mark on the back of the mirror.

She could see the knife marks on the ancient mirror.

But she couldn't see how many injuries he had sustained.

That same summer, Emperor Wu of Han decided to launch a campaign to reclaim the Hexi Corridor. In this campaign, he became the commander of the Han army, once again leading a small force deep into enemy territory and achieving another great victory. Right there in the Qilian Mountains, his troops killed over 30,000 enemy soldiers. The Han Dynasty recovered the Hexi Plain. From then on, the Han army's prestige soared, and the nineteen-year-old became a war god who struck fear into the hearts of the Xiongnu.

She looked through the ancient mirror, at the Hexi land beneath his feet, at his spirited demeanor, at his millions of soldiers looking up at him...

He said he really wanted her to stand beside him and experience everything.

She said nothing, because she knew it was impossible...

That autumn, Hunxie King and Xiutu King wanted to surrender to the Han Dynasty, and he went to the Yellow River to accept their surrender. As he led his troops across the Yellow River, a mutiny suddenly broke out among the surrendered Xiongnu. He surprisingly led only a few personal guards and personally charged into the Xiongnu camp, confronting Hunxie King directly and ordering the execution of the mutineers. Hunxie King had every opportunity to take him hostage or kill him in revenge, but ultimately Hunxie King refrained. His courageous act of going alone and fearlessly not only intimidated Hunxie King but also awed more than 40,000 Xiongnu soldiers. The surrender in Hexi was successfully completed.

Through the ancient mirror, she watched that night, the candlelight flickering, the situation unclear, and danger lurking everywhere. He stood there in the enemy's tent, and with just a single expression and gesture, he subdued the forty thousand soldiers and eight thousand rebels outside. The world was shocked and hailed him as the invincible God of War.

He said that this was a real adventure for him, but with him by his side, she was his guardian goddess.

She said nothing, but silently loosened the hem of her dress, which she had already twisted beyond recognition, on this side of the ancient mirror.

In the third year of the Yuanshou era, Emperor Wu of Han built him a magnificent mansion and instructed him to go and inspect it.

Through the ancient mirror, she saw the young emperor's high regard for him, and the smiling princess beside him. She knew that Emperor Wu of Han had not only bestowed upon him a luxurious mansion, but also intended for him to marry the princess.

He said, "With the Xiongnu not yet destroyed, I have no home to call my own."

She didn't say anything, but as she watched him speak, the lines on her palm were clearly visible on the mirror.

For the first time, she reached out her hand and pressed it against his.

Their hands are not only separated by a cold mirror, but also by two thousand years of time.

Yet something still flows subtly.

In the fourth year of the Yuanshou era, Emperor Wu of Han launched the unprecedented Battle of Mobei in order to completely annihilate the main force of the Xiongnu. He led his troops deep into the Gobi Desert, advancing more than 2,000 li (approximately 1,000 kilometers), annihilating more than 70,000 enemy soldiers. To pursue the Xiongnu Chanyu (ruler), he reached Mount Langjuxu and led his army in a ceremony to worship Heaven and Earth. After sealing the summit of Mount Langjuxu, he continued to lead his army deep into the Gobi Desert, winning victory after victory as far as Lake Baikal in Russia. After this battle, the Xiongnu fled far away, and there was no royal court south of the Gobi Desert. His "sealing the summit of Mount Langjuxu" became the highest pursuit and lifelong dream of military strategists throughout Chinese history. And he was only twenty-two years old that year.

Through the ancient mirror, she watched this highest-level military sacrificial ceremony in history, watched him stand at the pinnacle of his life, and watched his supreme glory.

She stayed by his side throughout his six years of campaigning, protecting him from the shadows.

He said, "Woman, are you really a ghost? All these years, your appearance hasn't changed at all..."

The mirror is covered with countless mottled knife marks, yet the mirror surface becomes clearer and clearer.

She could even see her reflection in his eyes.

He said that his ideal of pacifying the Xiongnu had been realized. His dream of becoming a general had also become a reality. He had almost fulfilled all his childhood wishes, and he could get almost everything he wanted.

He said he wanted her.

She didn't say anything, just silently shook her head, put the mirror in a sealed box, and locked it at the very back of the cabinet.

That's enough, she told herself.

She stayed with him for more than seven months, watching him go through hardships step by step, and watching him finally climb to the peak of his life. That was enough.

They were ultimately from different worlds. He preferred to believe that she was a female ghost, who had lost her magic forever, her soul scattered, and they could never meet again.

She needs to forget him.

She buried herself in her studies, focusing all her attention on her books, and never allowing herself any extra time to think about him.

Except for the occasional sharp pain in my heart every night at 10 o'clock, when I habitually look at the usual spot where the antique mirror is placed, and then force myself to look away.

What is he doing? What is he thinking? Who is he with?
She gritted her teeth; he had nothing to do with her anymore.

How could she watch him slowly fall ill, weaken, and die?
She was fed up with only being able to look at him through the ancient mirror, unable to do anything or touch him.

She admitted that she was cowardly, so she chose to run away.

Life is still the same as before: going to school, taking extra classes, doing homework... except that every morning when I wake up, my face is covered with tears.

Finally, the college entrance examination was over. She did very well and told her parents that she should be able to get into the university she had wanted to attend since she was a child. Her parents were overjoyed, but she closed the door and became sad and depressed.

The exams were over, and she was free. Without a reason to study, she couldn't suppress her longing for him.

She finally couldn't resist taking out the box that was locked deep in the cabinet, looking at the long-lost antique mirror, and gently stroking it.

This time, I must tell him.

Even though they can't be together, she has to tell him.

She likes him.

The room was empty and lonely. She sat there quietly until ten o'clock at night.

She didn't hear his voice, only a clear shattering sound—the ancient mirror in her hand suddenly cracked without warning.

Then she saw a piece of silk cloth covering the other side of the mirror.

The silk cloth was inscribed with a few powerful and vigorous characters.

—Ah Yao, in the next life, we must meet again.

She was already sobbing uncontrollably.

"Boss," He Yiyao stood in front of the counter, opened the box, and saw that the ancient mirror inside had a crack in its surface. Today was the first day of university, and also the day she had rented the ancient mirror for a year. "How much is this ancient mirror? I'll buy it."

The young antique shop owner looked at the cracked mirror, but his face didn't show much surprise. "No need. Your rent is exactly the price of this mirror."

"Really?" He Yiyao didn't believe it at all. This ancient mirror was priceless to her. Even if the shopkeeper quoted an astronomical price, she would find a way to pay it off on credit.

The shopkeeper closed the box, pushed it back to her, and smiled, "Now, it's yours."

He Yiyao lowered her eyes and carefully picked up the box.

This is her most precious possession.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing, it came with this antique mirror. Let me look for it." The shopkeeper went into the back room, searched around for a while, and then slowly came out with a yellowed, tattered piece of cloth in his hand.

He Yiyao was struck dumb, and tremblingly accepted the piece of silk.

With slightly trembling hands, she unfolded the silk cloth, on which were written several powerful characters: "Ah Yao, in the next life, we must meet again."

Holding the ancient mirror box and the piece of silk, she didn't know how she left the Silent Shop. She only knew that when she came to her senses, her parents had already sent her to the university campus.

The new student reception area was bustling with noise, but she felt as if she were standing in another space.

In her confusion, she was bumped and fell to the ground. She desperately clutched the ancient mirror, but the silk cloth fluttered to the ground.

A hand picked up the silk cloth for her; it was a hand with distinct knuckles.

Her heart suddenly clenched so tightly that she didn't even have the strength to stand up.

Looking up, I saw a familiar face. This time, there was no ancient mirror separating us, no two thousand years of separation, no neighing of warhorses, clashing of swords, or flying dust... His face was clear and real.

The difference was that he wasn't wearing his ever-present armor, but only a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans.

Tears silently streamed down her face.

The man walked up to her, unfolded the silk cloth, and, as if he had only just noticed it and was reading the words on it by chance, or as if he already knew what it said, he said forcefully:
"Ah Yao, in the next life, we must meet again."

Each antique in the Silent Shop has its own story, bearing witness to many years of history, yet no one has listened.

But they are all waiting...

(End of this chapter)