“Then I told Shiyun about it, and we decided to hide it first but also spread the word to see if anyone knew about the mirror’s origin. As for how the rumor about martial arts secrets came about, we have no idea.” Niu Qi? That’s too bizarre. Xinmeng’s friend is also named Niu Qi. Shang Bieye turned to look at Wu Yangfeng and Bu Yuchen, seeing the same confusion in their eyes, while Xinmeng continued eating as if nothing was amiss.
“But no matter, since you need the mirror, I’ll retrieve it for you in a few days, regardless of this Niu Qi character,” Nie Kuang said generously.
“Brother Nie, let me thank you in advance!” Shang Bieye raised his wine cup towards Nie Kuang.
“Brother Shang, your wife saved my life; my life belongs to you both. This little mirror is nothing. If you need me in the future, just say the word, and I, Nie Kuang, will not hesitate even if it means going through fire and water,” Nie Kuang said, patting his chest boldly.
“Brother Nie, you’re too generous,” Shang Bieye said with a smile.
“Haha, don’t say that. Come, come, everyone, eat more!” Nie Kuang pointed to the lavish dishes on the table. Everyone picked up their chopsticks, chatting and laughing, enjoying the meal to the fullest, both host and guests delighted.
A few days later, Nie Kuang led the group to where the Time Mirror was hidden, a dilapidated old house with broken walls.
“Brother Nie, you hid the mirror here?” Shang Bieye looked around.
“Yes, it’s an abandoned house where no one lives anymore. Usually, no one comes here,” Nie Kuang said as he stepped over broken tiles.
“Be careful, because no one comes here, there are many snakes and spiders,” Nie Kuang warned. As they walked, they came to a pile of discarded items. Nie Kuang bent down and started rummaging through a pile of broken glass.
“Brother Nie, what are you doing?” Xinmeng asked curiously.
“Looking for the mirror!” Nie Kuang laughed, “I bet you didn’t expect I’d hide the mirror here, did you?”
“Brother Nie, that’s quite a clever move!” Bu Yuchen praised, clapping his hands.
“It’s nothing,” Nie Kuang modestly replied. He carefully searched through the broken glass until he found the Time Mirror.
“Found it!” Nie Kuang picked up the Time Mirror and handed it to Shang Bieye, “Brother Shang, here’s the mirror.”
Everyone gathered around Shang Bieye, peering at it.
“This is the Time Mirror?” Bu Yuchen stared intently.
“Why does it look like something is moving when I look at it?” Wu Yangfeng pointed at the “Chou” (Ugly) section on the mirror.
“Really? I see movement in this ‘Chen’ (Dragon) area,” Bu Yuchen pointed.
“Impossible! When I first picked it up, there was nothing unusual,” Nie Kuang, skeptical, also looked down, “Huh? It really is moving at ‘Zi’ (Rat). How can this be? Shiyun, come and have a look.”
Duan Shiyun also couldn’t believe it because he had seen the mirror before without noticing any anomalies, let alone any movement, and each person seemed to see something different.
“What’s going on? It wasn’t like this before!” Duan Shiyun looked at the mirror in astonishment, seeing movement in the “You” (Rooster) area.
