Chapter 8: Reader Visits A Mirror Shop

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Reader Visits A Mirror Shop

Seeing Bai Suichen occupied with negotiating the price of a spiritual artifact, Sui Sui leaned over and said, "Brother, I’m going to look around the shop next door."

Bai Suichen glanced in his direction before nodding. "Don’t wander too far."

"I won’t." With that, Sui Sui slipped away and entered the deserted mirror shop.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the bustling sounds of the marketplace seemed to fade into the background.

The shop was surprisingly quiet.

Rows upon rows of mirrors lined the shelves. There were bronze hand mirrors, full-length standing mirrors, vanity mirrors, folding mirrors, and even a few oddly shaped ones whose purposes he couldn’t guess. A thin layer of dust covered many of them, as if time had long since dulled their reflective surfaces, leaving them cloudy and blurred.

Judging by their condition, this shop had likely been standing here for many years. Sui Sui wandered through the shop at a leisurely pace, examining the displays one by one. Nothing seemed particularly remarkable.

Just an ordinary mirror shop...?

After making a full circuit of the store, he reached the counter at the very back. Finding nothing that interested him, he turned to leave

Just as he turned around— His footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

"...Hm?"

Something resting quietly in the corner of the shelf caught his attention.

For reasons he couldn’t explain, his gaze lingered on it. Almost as if...it had been waiting for him.

Sui Sui slowly walked over and picked it up. It was an old circular hand mirror. Its bronze frame was worn with age, covered in countless tiny scratches and dents. The intricate patterns carved around its edges had nearly been eroded by time, making it appear no different from any other old mirror in the shop.

Yet...The instant it rested in his hands, an indescribable sense of familiarity washed over him and his brows gradually furrowed.

"This..."

Unlike the other mirrors surrounding it, its reflective surface was astonishingly clear. Not a single blemish or crack, It reflected his veiled figure as though it were brand new.

Sui Sui unconsciously ran his fingers along the weathered frame, tracing every dent, scratching and tiny engraving.

The longer he looked...The more familiar it became and his breathing unconsciously slowed.

It looked...Exactly like the hand mirror he had owned in his previous life.

His parents had given it to him when he was still a child.

Back then, his body had been so frail that he spent more time in hospitals than at home. He vaguely remembered his parents once telling him that, as a child, he had nearly died. He had remained unconscious for several months, and even the doctors had warned that he might never wake again.

Desperate to save their only son, they had sought help everywhere. In the end, they visited an old Taoist master. After performing an elaborate ritual, the Taoist had handed them this very mirror, claiming it would protect their child and ward off calamity.

At the time, Sui Sui had dismissed it as nothing more than a comforting superstition.

But now, a strange thought surfaced in his mind.

His heartbeat quickened and with slightly trembling fingers, he slowly turned the mirror over and sure enough, Two small characters were engraved on the back.

Bai Sui Sui.

His pupils were constricted.

"..."

It really was his mirror. The one that had belonged to him in his previous life.

But...

How could it possibly be here?

"Would you like to buy that mirror?" Just as Sui Sui was lost in thought, a gentle voice suddenly sounded from behind him and then the hair on his body unconsciously stood up.

He had clearly inspected the entire shop a moment ago. Aside from the countless mirrors lining the shelves, there hadn’t been another soul in sight. So where did this voice come from?

Suppressing the strange feeling creeping into his heart, Sui Sui slowly turned around. The once-empty counter at the back of the shop was no longer deserted. A woman now stood quietly behind it.

She was dressed in plain robes that blended into the dim interior of the shop, her hands resting lightly upon the worn wooden counter. The sunlight pouring in through the doorway should have illuminated her face, yet no matter how hard Sui Sui focused, her features remained frustratingly indistinct, as though a thin veil of mist separated them.

He could only make out her graceful figure and hear the faint laugh hidden within her voice.

After a brief pause, Sui Sui raised the hand mirror in his grasp. "...Excuse me, Did you make this mirror yourself?"

The woman’s gaze drifted toward the mirror. She looked at it for a long while before slowly shaking her head.

"No." Her voice was gentle, carrying an indescribable calm.

"I do not make mirrors."

"I merely sell them." As she spoke, her fingertips lightly brushed across the wooden countertop. "Every mirror in this shop once belonged to someone. They are left here by their owner, waiting patiently until the day they return to reclaim them."

Sui Sui’s brows are knitted together. "How could that be?"

His eyes instinctively dropped to the mirror in his hands before looking back at the mysterious woman. "But... this mirror is mine."

A soft chuckle escaped the woman’s lips. There was neither surprise nor doubt in her reaction, as though his answer had long been expected.

"Precisely." Her gaze lingered on the mirror before returning to Sui Sui.

"So...Will you be taking it home?" The question caught Sui Sui off guard. He lowered his head and carefully examined the old hand mirror once more.

No matter how he looked at it, the dents along the frame, the faded carvings, and even the tiny scratches were identical to the one he had in his previous life and there was no mistake.

After taking a quiet breath, he looked back up. "I’ll buy it, how much is it?"

Seeing him agree, the woman slowly folded her hands together. "I require no spirit coins. I ask only for a single favor."

"A favor?" Sui Sui’s expression immediately became vigilant. "What kind of favor?"

"You need not know today." The woman spoke unhurriedly, every word calm and composed. "When the appropriate time arrives, I shall come to collect it."

Sui Sui frowned. He wasn’t some naïve child. Agreeing to an unknown favor without knowing its contents was no different from signing away his life. He shook his head. "I can’t casually agree to something like that. What if the favor you ask of me endangers me... or even my family?"

The woman wasn’t offended. Instead, she smiled ever so slightly. The atmosphere inside the shop remained strangely tranquil, as though even the mirrors were quietly listening to their conversation.

"Rest assured child, my request will never harm you. Nor will it bring misfortune upon those you cherish." Sui Sui quietly studied her. Although he couldn’t see her face, for reasons he couldn’t explain, he didn’t sense any malice from her.

Sui Sui lowered his gaze to the worn hand mirror resting quietly in his palms. Objectively speaking, agreeing to an unknown favor in exchange for an old mirror was undoubtedly a losing deal. Any sensible person would have refused without a second thought.

Yet...

His fingertips gently brushed over the weathered bronze frame, tracing the familiar surface. This mirror was a bit special to him as It was the only tangible proof that his previous life had truly existed.

It carried memories of his parents—their worry, their love, and the countless sleepless nights they had spent searching for a way to save him. Even if the mirror itself possessed no extraordinary abilities, it was already priceless to him.

After a long moment of silence, Sui Sui slowly looked up.

"...Alright." His voice was quiet, but resolute. "I accept your request."

The woman merely smiled, as though she had expected that answer from the very beginning.

"Then our here transaction is complete, When the time comes, I will collect the payment that I seek, by then I hope you will not refuse my request." After saying that, the woman bid farewell, as she retreated in a dark corner of the room

For the briefest instant, Sui Sui thought the mirror in his hands had grown slightly warm. The sensation vanished almost as quickly as it appeared, leaving him wondering whether he had imagined it.

Sui Sui nodded lightly at the woman, holding the mirror carefully in his hands, he turned and walked toward the entrance.

Just as he stepped across the threshold, the woman’s voice drifted softly from behind him.

"Goodbye... Youying."

"May we meet again."

Sui Sui’s footsteps faltered.

His brows knitted together in confusion as he slowly turned around.

"Youying?"

He looked at the mysterious woman blankly.

"What’s Youying?"

"Sui Sui!"

Before Sui Sui could receive an answer, Bai Suichen’s familiar voice called out from ahead.

"There you are." A hint of helplessness flashed across Bai Suichen’s face as he walked over. He had merely turned away for a short while to purchase an item, yet somehow his younger brother had disappeared without a trace, forcing him to search half the market before finally finding him.

"I’ve been looking for you everywhere." His gaze naturally fell to the object Sui Sui was holding. His brows lifted slightly in confusion.

"Where did you get that old mirror from?" He looked at it for another moment before adding with a puzzled expression, "And why is the mirror so blurry?"

Sui Sui blinked.

"Blurry?"

He instinctively lowered his head and looked at the mirror in his hands.

The bronze frame was indeed old and covered with traces of age, but the mirror itself was exceptionally clear. The reflection was as smooth as still water, without the slightest hint of cloudiness or distortion.

Blurry? It was perfectly clear to him though?

Still confused, Sui Sui raised the mirror slightly.

"I bought it from that mirror shop." He turned around and pointed behind him.

"..."

The words caught in his throat. His outstretched hand froze in midair.

The mirror shop...

...was gone.

The place where the shop had been only moments ago was now nothing more than an empty stretch between two neighboring buildings, as though it had never existed in the first place.

A cool breeze swept through the narrow alley. Sui Sui stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the empty space before him.

Impossible...

It was just right here.

His fingers unconsciously tightened around the hand mirror. The cool weight in his hands reminded him that everything that had just happened was real. It couldn’t have been his imagination.

"...Sui Sui?"

Bai Suichen followed the direction of his gaze before looking back at him in confusion. "What were you saying?"

Sui Sui remained silent for a long moment. His lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Finally, he slowly lowered his hand and forced a faint smile.

"...It’s nothing."

He shook his head, deciding not to mention what had happened.

"Let’s go, brother."