Bi Zhengxiang lived in a quadrangle courtyard. From the outside, the courtyard didn't seem like much, but once inside, it was a world of its own.
The interior was decorated with exquisite taste, even the rockery had a remarkable origin.
The moment I stepped into the reception room, I was astonished.
It was like a small exhibition hall, filled with antiques as far as the eye could see, a dazzling spectacle.
In the center were two rows of new Chinese-style sofas, with a rosewood tea table in front of them.
Fatty swallowed hard and leaned over, asking, "Did he open a museum at home?"
I replied, "Can you stop looking like you've never seen the world before?"
"No... it's just that the items here are too exquisite... Look at that vase over there, if I'm not mistaken, it should be from the Ming Dynasty, right?"
"Oh, you can tell it's from the Ming Dynasty?" I chuckled.
"I'm just guessing."
"Next time you don't have the eyesight, don't guess blindly. That's a Ding ware jar from the Song Dynasty," I said, annoyed.
"How do you know it's from the Song Dynasty?" Fatty asked.
"See that rim? It has no glaze, which is a characteristic of Ding ware from the late Northern Song Dynasty."
Fatty was stunned. "There's such a thing?"
As we were discussing, Bi Zhengxiang had changed his clothes and walked in. He happened to overhear my words and said with a smile, "Young Brother Xiang truly has a sharp eye. To identify it as Northern Song Ding ware at a glance, such vision is rare even in the entire Yanjing."
"Not at all, I was just guessing like a blind man estimating a pig through a mountain—a wild guess."
Bi Zhengxiang smiled and invited us to sit down, then he prepared two bowls of Gongfu tea for us.
Just as the tea was brewed, his bodyguard walked in carrying a brocade box.
"This is the Qin Mirror, Young Brother Xiang, please take a look?" Bi Zhengxiang gestured to the brocade box.
"Then I won't be polite."
Saying that, I opened the brocade box. Inside lay a round bronze mirror. The back was intricately patterned, with a square in the center surrounded by a small circle, and eight small characters along the edges of the square lines.
The characters were naturally in seal script, meaning: "Within and without, there is clarity; man reflects truly."
The entire mirror was covered in bronze patina, and it felt quite heavy in my hand.
I examined it closely, and it was indeed an artifact from the Qin Dynasty. As for whether it was the legendary Qin Mirror, I couldn't tell.
After all, I had never seen the legendary Qin Mirror.
When I came back to my senses, I noticed Bi Zhengxiang had been staring at me, as if trying to discern something from my expression.
Just as I was placing the mirror back into the brocade box, a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, which puzzled me somewhat.
Fatty licked his lips and said, "Can I have a look?"
Bi Zhengxiang replied, "Please, be my guest."
Fatty took it and turned it over and over for a long time without seeming to understand anything.
It didn't matter that he didn't understand anything, but the fellow's hand slipped, and the mirror fell directly to the ground with a clang.
Honestly, hearing that sound, my heart couldn't help but clench.
Bi Zhengxiang, on the other hand, jumped up from his seat.
"Oh dear! I'm so sorry, so sorry!"
Fatty, startled, lifted his large backside and burrowed under the tea table to retrieve the mirror.
When he picked it up, fortunately, the mirror was not broken.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, it was a bronze mirror. If it had been made of glass, this fatty would have caused a huge disaster today.
However, there would have been no glass mirrors in the Qin Dynasty.
"You scared me to death..."
Fatty patted his chest, still lingering in fear, and as he was about to put the bronze mirror back, he cried out "Ouch!"
I saw his expression turn pained, and his hand was also trembling.
What mischief was this fatty up to now?
"It bit me..." Fatty looked at me pitifully.
I was a bit confused, but soon I noticed that Fatty's hand was bleeding!
I quickly told him to put the mirror down, but Fatty said with a pained expression, "I can't put it down... it... it won't let go."
The mirror, which had been emitting a green glow, now had some bloodstains!
Seeing Fatty's pained state, I gritted my teeth, took the brocade box, and directly covered the mirror with it. With a strong pull, Fatty's blood splattered all over my face.
At this moment, Fatty's palm was all mangled and bloody, a truly horrifying sight!
A hint of surprise flashed in Bi Zhengxiang's eyes, which quickly turned into joy. Although it was only for a moment, I still noticed it!
"Old Master Bi, do you have any gauze?" I asked.
My question brought him back to his senses, and he quickly called someone to take Fatty to treat his wound.
I originally wanted to go with Fatty, but thinking of the strange nature of the bronze mirror, I changed my mind and decided to stay and investigate.
"What exactly is going on?" I asked Bi Zhengxiang.
He took a deep breath and shook his head. "I'm not too sure either."
"Really?" I said with a half-smile. "Could it be that this mirror eats people?"
"What do you mean?" Bi Zhengxiang asked, his brows furrowed.
"Old Master Bi, you don't need to hide anything. What's the deal with this mirror?" I sat down, leaned back on the sofa, and stared at him.
Bi Zhengxiang looked hesitant. After a long while, he sighed and sat down as well.
He fiddled with the tea set, slowly pouring boiling water into the tea washing cup and swirling it gently.
After about four or five minutes, he put down the cup, and when he looked up at me, his eyes radiated a piercing glint. "Do you really want to know?"
"I just want an explanation. My friend's hand is all mangled now," I said. "Old Master Bi, you probably knew this mirror was strange, right?"
Bi Zhengxiang took a deep breath and said, "This is a long story... I thought you also knew some things about this mirror. Now it seems you know nothing."
"As long as Old Master Bi is willing to tell, I am eager to hear the details."
"Are you sure you really want to know?"
I nodded.
Sister Ying asked me to find this mirror, and she must have had her reasons.
Of course, I wanted to know everything about this mirror.
"Have you ever heard of the ancient Shu kingdom?" Bi Zhengxiang asked.
I naturally knew about the ancient Shu kingdom. In 316 BC, King Hui of Qin sent the official Zhang Yi and Sima Cuo to lead an army to attack Shu, conquering it. Thus, the ancient Shu perished.
I didn't know why he brought this up.
"This Qin Mirror originates from ancient Shu," Bi Zhengxiang said. "Legend has it that the Shu people originated from the Shu Mountain clan and were skilled in forging. Not only that, but they were also adept at using witchcraft... When the state preceptor of the ancient Shu kingdom knew that Shu was doomed, he ordered people to forge the Qin Mirror, with the aim of reversing the situation. But who knew that halfway through the forging process, the state preceptor died suddenly, and thus the Qin Mirror became a semi-finished product, not only absorbing human essence but also capable of consuming internal organs..."
I listened in astonishment. Bi Zhengxiang's story was becoming more and more fantastical...