Chapter 3

Lai Fu Inn

This was the name of the inn where Yang Feng now lived. The inn was not large, only about 500 to 600 square meters, and the guest room where Yang Feng stayed was even smaller. Inside, there was only a bed, a table, and a chair. After all, Yang Feng was currently in a difficult financial situation, so he tried to save as much as possible.

Bathed in the moonlight streaming in from the window, Yang Feng sat on the chair by the window, carefully examining the bronze mirror in his hand.

The bronze mirror was only about the size of a palm. Due to its age, the surface was already covered with rust. However, what was strange was that when the moonlight shone on the mirror, the areas not covered by rust began to emit faint silver light, which seemed to have a certain spirituality.

Looking at the shining spots on the mirror, Yang Feng felt like slapping himself. This really proved the old saying: "If you don't court death, you won't die." This bronze mirror was a family heirloom. After his parents died of illness, Yang Feng had kept it in a box. A few days ago, when he accidentally found the mirror, he had a sudden idea to clean off the rust and restore its original appearance. Then, the "tragedy" happened.

Yang Feng thought that cleaning off the rust on the mirror would not be difficult and could be done in about ten minutes. However, when he actually started, he found that the rust on the mirror was much harder than he expected. After nearly half an hour of rubbing with a whetstone, he could only make the mirror reveal a tiny bit of light.

While doing this, it was already evening. Yang Feng was pleasantly surprised to find that when he rubbed the mirror with the whetstone, the moonlight shining on the polished surface emitted a faint silver light. This light was exceptionally gentle, and one glance could make a person entranced. Seeing this, Yang Feng was first surprised, then delighted. Even if he were stupid, he knew that this family heirloom was most likely a treasure. If he could clean off the rust and restore the mirror's original luster, and then take it to an appraisal show, it would definitely fetch a high price. This way, he could live a carefree life for the rest of his days.

Yes, this was Yang Feng's most genuine thought at the time. A 22-year-old man with no house, no car, no girlfriend, and both parents deceased, struggling alone in a big city, would naturally have such a reaction when he found something that could be worth a lot of money.

Desire naturally brought motivation. Thinking that his future life might change because of this treasure, Yang Feng rubbed the whetstone more diligently. However, tragedy struck. After rubbing for another ten minutes, just as the mirror was about to reveal its original luster, the gentle light on the mirror suddenly intensified. A burst of light enveloped Yang Feng, and a few seconds later, he and the mirror disappeared from the rental room.

When the silver light dissipated, Yang Feng found himself in a forest in the wilderness. After wandering through the wilderness all night, he finally arrived at a village and saw many villagers who were only seen on TV, dressed in tattered clothes and looking emaciated. After asking around, he discovered that he had somehow traveled back to the Ming Dynasty. He was stunned. Although many novels featured time travel, this was not what he had hoped for. Apart from the bronze mirror, Yang Feng only had a few coins, known as "gangbi," on him.

As a 21st-century young man who often read web literature, Yang Feng was not unfamiliar with the concept of time travel. Many people fantasized about how they would become powerful and influential if they traveled back to ancient times, using their knowledge and skills to dominate. However, Yang Feng could tell from his own painful experience how harsh life in ancient times could be.

Looking at the wary eyes of the villagers in this unfamiliar village, Yang Feng's heart felt as cold as the weather. Cold and hungry, he managed to exchange a few coins for some coarse grain cakes mixed with wild vegetables from a skeptical old farmer. When he took the first bite, the bitter and astringent taste almost overwhelmed his taste buds. He almost threw away the remaining cakes, but in this situation, they were his only means of survival.

Thus, Yang Feng temporarily stayed in this unnamed small village. Yes, he could only "stay" because no one was willing to take him in. He had to beg the old farmer who sold him the cakes to let him stay for two nights. At first, the old farmer was reluctant, but after Yang Feng gave him another coin, he reluctantly agreed to let Yang Feng sleep in his shed.

After two days in the drafty, smelly shed, Yang Feng realized that even Einstein would be helpless in such a place. If he stayed any longer, he would starve to death within half a month. The reason was simple: a young man from the 21st century who had never done farm work and knew nothing about agriculture was useless in this environment.

During these two days, Yang Feng did not stop studying the bronze mirror that had brought him to the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, every night, the sky was covered with thick clouds, and there was no moonlight or candlelight. He couldn't expect the old farmer to be kind enough to give him a candle or light an oil lamp. Candles and lamp oil were luxuries, and even if the old farmer had them, he wouldn't give them to Yang Feng.

Many novels featured protagonists who, after falling on hard times, were helped by kind people who gave them food and even offered their daughters in marriage. But reality was harsh. Young men with such fantasies should just go to bed early. Yang Feng was sure that if he didn't do something by tomorrow, the old farmer would kick him out. As for compassion... could it be eaten?

After another night sleeping by the fire in the shed, Yang Feng finally realized that staying here meant certain death. He decided to leave the village and head for Nanjing City, which was about ten miles away. After saying goodbye to the old farmer's family early in the morning, Yang Feng left the village without hesitation. What happened next is clear.

During these two days, Yang Feng also discovered something strange. Before coming to this time, after a thorough cleaning, the mirror had already shown some signs of smoothness. However, after arriving here, the rust that he had cleaned off began to reappear and gradually spread. Seeing this phenomenon that clearly defied common sense, the term "divine object conceals itself" came to mind.

As a result, Yang Feng had to once again take up the whetstone and start rubbing the mirror. As the rust slowly faded, the mirror's surface began to reveal its true form, and it absorbed more moonlight. After about half an hour, when the light enveloped him, Yang Feng, who was rubbing the mirror, suddenly stiffened. A familiar yet strange feeling spread through his body.

A warm current began to flow into his body from the outside, followed by a comfortable sensation that spread from the inside out, making him feel light and ethereal. This feeling was so captivating that when Yang Feng finally came to his senses, he found himself back in his familiar place.

"Ah..."

A scream filled with surprise, excitement, and an indescribable emotion echoed through the Chunjiang Garden neighborhood. In the quiet of the night, the sound was so loud that it startled most of the residents.

"Which damn fool is making noise in the middle of the night? Trying to reincarnate?"

"Damn, are you looking for death?"

Soon, a series of curses in Nanjing dialect came from the neighborhood, scaring Yang Feng into swallowing his voice.

"I'm back, I'm finally back!"

Looking at the familiar bed made of simple wooden planks and the poster of a smiling beauty on the wall, Yang Feng pinched his thigh hard. When the sharp pain hit his brain, he finally believed that he had returned to his familiar era.

After calming down a bit, Yang Feng, like most people, grabbed the second-hand Sony Ericsson K700c phone from the bedside table. When he pressed the button, the screen lit up. Seeing the date "January 2, 2006" on the screen, he finally relaxed.

"Thank goodness... Thank goodness, at least I didn't return to find myself a hundred years in the future."

With a deep breath, Yang Feng sat down on the chair, feeling his stomach rumble. He was about to find something to eat when he felt something sticky on his body. He touched it and found a black, sticky substance on his hand, accompanied by a foul smell.

"Ugh..."

"Here we go again..."

Yang Feng let out a scream and quickly stripped off his clothes, rushing into the bathroom.

An hour later, after finally cleaning the dirt off his body, Yang Feng came out of the bathroom.

He let out a long breath and collapsed into the chair. Reflecting on the past few days, he felt as if he had lived through a different life. The suspicious looks from the ruffians in the unnamed village and the cold, distrustful attitudes of the emaciated villagers were still vivid in his mind. If it weren't for the few coins in his pocket, he would have starved to death.

This experience left Yang Feng with a deep dislike for the people of that era. Although he understood that the villagers, who could barely feed themselves, couldn't sympathize with a stranger, he couldn't get over it.

"Never mind... I won't think about it anymore. I'll go back to work tomorrow. Although life is tight, compared to the other time, people in this era are living in paradise." Yang Feng consoled himself.