Chapter 2

Leaving the villa, Liu Yiyang immediately started running at a fast pace.

After running for more than two hours, he finally returned to the school and his dormitory. Ignoring the sweat all over his body and his heavy breathing, he lay down on the bed in a star shape. In this familiar environment, his heart finally calmed down.

The intense exercise helped him suppress the unease from before.

During this time, no one was in the dormitory; they were either in class or playing ball. The quiet environment gradually slowed his heartbeat.

Although he was very unwilling to believe everything that had happened today, and that there could be any divine artifacts that had entered his body, his rationality told him that everything was real, truly and actually happened.

This was the first time in Liu Yiyang's twenty years that he had encountered something that left him at a loss.

He couldn't tell anyone about this, and he didn't dare to. Although the kind old man had been helping and protecting him, he had warned him not to talk about these things.

...

"Third Brother, what's wrong with you today? You seem listless. Are you feeling unwell?"

On the afternoon of the next day, right after class, Liu Wei, the fifth roommate, came over and asked with concern.

There were six people in their dormitory, and he and Liu Wei were the only ones with the same surname, so they had the best relationship.

Liu Wei's family background was similar to Liu Yiyang's. They both worked part-time outside. Liu Wei worked in a restaurant near the antique market. Usually, they would go to work together after school every afternoon.

"I'm fine. I might have been tired yesterday. I'll be better after resting a bit!"

Liu Yiyang quickly shook his head. He had been constantly recalling every detail of what happened yesterday all day, so it would be strange if he felt fine.

Liu Wei didn't doubt his words and said as they walked, "Then finish your work early today and come back to rest."

Liu Wei got on a bicycle and took Liu Yiyang out. Their workplace wasn't too far or too close, so they bought a second-hand bicycle to save on bus fares and took turns riding it.

At the time, they had joked that the bicycle saved money and provided exercise, a win-win situation.

There weren't many people on the road today, and it took them only about ten minutes to reach the antique market. Liu Yiyang got off the bike, and Liu Wei waved and rode away.

Liu Yiyang arrived at the antique shop and looked up at the signboard.

"Xuanya Zhai" was the name of the shop, with a large signboard. It was said that the three large characters on the signboard were written by the famous artist Hu Zhengde, who was one of the top calligraphers in the country. Getting his personal inscription was no easy feat.

"Little Liu, why aren't you coming in?"

A middle-aged man walked out of the door, saw Liu Yiyang, and quickly greeted him with a smile.

"Uncle Lin, I'll be right in!"

Uncle Lin, whose real name was Lin Liang, was in his fifties and the manager of the shop. He was the boss's most trusted person and handled all the big and small matters in the shop. It was he who had recruited Liu Yiyang and provided him with this stable and secure job.

Inside the shop, a few young salespeople smiled and greeted Liu Yiyang. After greeting everyone, he went upstairs.

His job was to maintain and clean antiques. The second floor was large, with a VIP reception room and office on the outside. Inside, there was a corner with an iron security door. Beyond the door was a storage room and a small room, where he worked every day.

The items to be maintained today had already been placed in the small room by Xiao Lin, the guard in the storage room. After Liu Yiyang came in, Xiao Lin opened the small room and let him in alone.

Xiao Lin, Lin Liang's son, was usually a quiet person but very serious about his work. Lin Liang trusted him the most with the storage room.

In the small room, there was a small table, maintenance tools, and various antiques from different periods. This was where Liu Yiyang worked every day.

Taking a deep breath, he put yesterday's events out of his mind and picked up a bronze flower vase, preparing to start his work for the day.

Whether it was a blessing or a curse, it was something he couldn't avoid. Liu Yiyang no longer thought about things he couldn't control. After more than a day, he had thoroughly thought it through. Whatever the events of yesterday might bring him in the future, it was something for later. Since he couldn't control these things, he might as well focus on the present.

His younger brother at home was waiting for his living expenses, and his family needed his support. He needed to do his job well.

The bronze flower vase was not small, about thirty centimeters long. Liu Yiyang remembered this bronze vase, which he had maintained once before, indicating that it had been in the storage room for at least three months. Bronze artifacts were maintained every three months.

Not every antique in the antique shop could be sold quickly. Before selling, each item must be regularly maintained to keep it in the best condition, so that customers could see it in its best state when they came to buy.

Liu Yiyang remembered that this was a bronze flower vase from the Warring States period, over two thousand years old. If it weren't for a small flaw, it would have been sold long ago, and certainly not at a low price.

After calming his mind, Liu Yiyang put on gloves and started his work for the day.

Holding the bronze flower vase in one hand and a brush in the other, Liu Yiyang's expression gradually became focused.

Whether it was work or study, Liu Yiyang could quickly enter a state of concentration, discarding all distractions. This was the main reason he could get into a key university from an ordinary high school. At this moment, he was no longer thinking about anything else; his mind was only on the bronze flower vase he was maintaining.

The small brush gently wiped the greenish-blue body of the bronze flower vase, and the dust quickly disappeared. The greenish-blue body of the vase exuded an ancient and elegant feel, yet also a vibrant charm.

"What, what is this?"

Liu Yiyang's right hand, which was wiping the bronze flower vase, suddenly trembled, and he let out a scream. The vase almost fell from his hand.

The greenish-blue body of the vase was now emitting purple waves, which looked like ethereal mist or rainbow-like ribbons.

After the mist dispersed, it flew straight toward Liu Yiyang's forehead and eventually entered his third eye.

Faced with this bizarre scene, it was already quite difficult for Liu Yiyang to hold onto the vase without dropping it.

"Yiyang, what's wrong with you?"

Lin Feng walked in from outside, looking at Liu Yiyang with confusion.

Lin Feng was twenty-three, three years older than Liu Yiyang. Because he guarded the storage room, he didn't talk much with the people in the front of the shop. In the entire shop, he interacted the most with Liu Yiyang.

In his impression, Liu Yiyang was a very steady and honest young man, one of the few people he recognized.

Liu Yiyang looked up, and the confusion in Lin Feng's eyes deepened. Liu Yiyang usually worked hard and was very honest. It was unprecedented for him to shout loudly and sit there in a daze while working.

"Did you see it, the purple, the purple thing?"

Liu Yiyang looked up, slightly panicked, and raised his hand to draw Lin Feng's attention to the vase in his hand.

Lin Feng bent down and carefully examined the bronze flower vase, but his face showed confusion. "There's nothing purple. Yiyang, what are you talking about?"

"You didn't see it!" Liu Yiyang's eyes widened even more.

"No!"

Lin Feng shook his head again, his confusion deepening. If Liu Yiyang hadn't been working here for a long time, he would have doubted whether this person was the usual Liu Yiyang.

"It's nothing, I must have been mistaken. Sorry, Brother Feng. I might have been tired from yesterday, and I'm not feeling well today."

Seeing Lin Feng looking at him, Liu Yiyang quickly waved his hand and explained.

While speaking, he looked down at the bronze flower vase in his hand. The purple mist had almost disappeared, but the entire vase was now wrapped in a layer of purple, visible but not touchable.

"If you're too tired, take a day off today. I'll talk to the boss for you."

Lin Feng didn't doubt him and agreed. He had seen that Liu Yiyang's state wasn't good when he came in, so this explanation made sense.

"No, no, I'll be fine after a short rest. I'll work a bit longer today and definitely get it done."

"Alright, but don't overdo it. I'll go out now. Call me if you need anything."

Lin Feng turned and left, and Liu Yiyang's eyes showed a hint of gratitude.

Lin Feng understood him, and he also understood Lin Feng to some extent. He knew that Lin Feng was usually introverted and quiet, so it was already quite difficult for him to say so much, let alone show concern.

Lin Feng closed the small door as he left.

The room had air conditioning, and Liu Yiyang couldn't sweat while working, as too much sweat was not good for maintaining antiques. Liu Wei had once come to visit and was very envious of Liu Yiyang's working environment.

Their school dormitories didn't have air conditioning, and a private air-conditioned room was a luxury for them.

After Lin Feng left, Liu Yiyang carefully examined the bronze flower vase in his hand. He was still in shock.

The sudden appearance of the purple mist and the lingering purple around the vase would have scared him if he hadn't already had a strange experience the day before.

For a while, the vase no longer emitted purple mist, only a faint purple glow, as if telling Liu Yiyang of its existence.

Touching his forehead, Liu Yiyang recalled that when the purple mist entered his third eye, his forehead had felt slightly warm, but at the time, he was too shocked to pay much attention.

After looking at it for several minutes, Liu Yiyang put down the bronze flower vase.

He trusted Lin Feng and knew that Lin Feng would not lie about such a thing. Since Lin Feng couldn't see it, it meant that only he could see the purple.

Liu Yiyang didn't know why this was happening, but he had a vague feeling that the bronze flower vase couldn't emit purple mist for no reason, nor could it have a layer of purple light that didn't disappear. The strange event today was likely related to the bronze mirror that had entered his body yesterday.