In the mirror, Fatty's and my faces were clearly visible.
I could also clearly see the cold sweat beading on Fatty's forehead...
For a moment, I felt like I had been tricked. As I breathed a sigh of relief, I stared at the fat man in the mirror and said, "Isn't that you?"
As soon as the words left my mouth, Fatty screamed and scrambled behind me, grabbing onto my clothes tightly.
"I'm gone... I'm gone... It's over, I'm going to die..." Fatty muttered hoarsely, trembling all over.
I pulled him out from behind me and shoved the mirror directly into his face: "Who else could it be if not you? Take a good look!"
"No... no..." Fatty panicked and snatched the mirror from my hand, throwing it violently.
With a "crack," the mirror shattered instantly.
At this moment, Gai Hongkuang rushed in.
Fatty jumped off the bed and made a dash for the door without a word, clearly intending to escape.
"Stop him!" I quickly shouted.
Gai Hongkuang reacted swiftly, delivering a palm strike to the back of Fatty's neck. Fatty immediately collapsed, unconscious.
It was a good thing Gai Hongkuang was strong; he caught Fatty. If it had been me, it would have been difficult.
After placing Fatty back on the bed and looking at his plump face, I felt a pang of unease.
Using ropes, I tied him up again and asked Gai Hongkuang to find someone to clean up the broken mirror.
Leaving the room, I went to find Bi Zhengxiang.
As soon as he saw me, he asked how things were.
I recounted everything Fatty had told me, word for word.
After listening, he frowned: "Before, did your friend have any..."
I knew what he was trying to say and interjected, "He's perfectly normal, no mental illness."
"If that's the case, how could he..."
I said, "I think it still has something to do with Qin Jing."
Bi Zhengxiang raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"
I glanced at the brocade box placed nearby and asked, "May I see that mirror again?"
"Of course."
Opening the brocade box, I felt a strange nervousness.
Seeing the unremarkable bronze mirror inside, I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that I was just scaring myself. Could this mirror really eat people?
Given Fatty's previous experience, Bi Zhengxiang handed me a pair of specially made gloves: "Wear these."
After putting on the gloves, I took out the Qin Jing and examined it carefully in my hands.
What was so strange about this mirror?
After holding it for a while, I found nothing out of the ordinary.
I placed the Qin Jing back into the brocade box, and Bi Zhengxiang asked, "Did you find anything, Young Master Xiang?"
I shook my head: "This Qin Jing doesn't seem to have anything special about it. Has Old Master Bi had someone investigate the cause of my friend's hand rotting last time?"
Bi Zhengxiang replied, "I had experts extract some material for analysis, but they found nothing."
"Then what happened to my friend's hand?" I asked.
Bi Zhengxiang gave a wry smile: "I'd like to know that too."
"It seems we'll need to find an expert to study it..."
As I said this, I suddenly thought of someone. Perhaps seeking her out would be a good idea!
"Old Master Bi, I know someone who might be able to discover something if she examines the Qin Jing."
Bi Zhengxiang's eyes lit up: "Oh? And who might that be?"
"An expert from the Yan Jing Archaeological Research Institute," I replied.
"An expert?" Bi Zhengxiang seemed a bit hesitant. "I know quite a few retired professors who have considerable research on bronze artifacts. I've had them look at it before."
"Old Master Bi, the person I'm referring to might be different from them. It's worth a try."
Bi Zhengxiang hesitated for a moment: "Alright, then I'll trouble you, Young Master Xiang."
"You're too kind."
...
When Fatty woke up, I spent a lot of time trying to talk him around before he finally calmed down.
"Don't dwell on it. If you can't see yourself in the mirror, so be it. What's the big deal? You can still eat and sleep, right? You won't lose any weight?" I said.
Fatty looked at me with a bitter expression: "Easy for you to say. If it were you, could you just pretend it didn't happen? Think about it, you wouldn't even know what you look like, you wouldn't know if you had any pimples on your face, or..."
I cut him off: "I'll take you to buy a camera later. You can take a photo of yourself every morning and get it developed. Then you'll be able to see yourself."
"What if I can't see myself in the photos either?"
I said helplessly, "If you can't see yourself in photos either, I'll have someone draw you, alright?"
At my words, Fatty seemed to consider it: "That's not an option..."
"But what if I can't see myself even in the drawing?" he added.
I didn't want to waste any more time arguing with him, so I said, "Old Master Bi has arranged a five-star hotel for us. They say the hotel not only has a great environment but also serves first-class food..."
Before I could finish, Fatty asked, "Can I go too?"
"That depends on you," I said. "If you want to come with me, then stop obsessing over this."
Fatty looked hesitant. After a moment, he gritted his teeth: "Damn it! You're right. If I can't see myself, so be it! At least Fatty is still alive. As long as a person is alive, they need to eat! I'll listen to you!"
I chuckled and shook my head. This foolish Fatty would forget anything when he heard about food.
That evening, Fatty and I checked into the hotel. We not only enjoyed delicious food but also relaxed in the sauna.
Back in our room, Fatty's gloom had vanished. He was back to his usual chatter, though he would occasionally bring up the mirror.
He'd say things like it was better not to see oneself, imagining oneself as the dawn to boost his confidence.
Too lazy to bother with him, I took out my phone and called Bai Hanyan.
"Why did you go to Yan Jing?" Bai Hanyan asked me on the phone.
"I came for something..."
"You suddenly called me, are you looking for my help again?"
As the saying goes, once you have the first time, there will be a second and a third.
Now, when I asked Bai Hanyan for help, I felt no shame.
"I want your mother to help me look at something," I said.
"What is it?"
"A bronze mirror."
"A bronze mirror? You can't even tell the genuine from the fake?"
"It's not about authenticity. I want her to help me see if the mirror has anything special about it."
Bai Hanyan chuckled: "It's not another one of those weird things from last time, is it?"
"You're so clever."
"Alright, I'll call her later and let her know. I'll tell you when she has time."
"Thank you in advance."
"If you really want to thank me, then pay more attention to what my dad asked you to do."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it as soon as I'm done with my business here in Yan Jing."