"It's an illusion, haha, it must be an illusion! Alas, I've been working too much overtime lately, and my brain is not enough......" The fat policeman muttered, starting the car a second time and heading due east.

I walked slowly to the south side of the road and waited for a taxi.

Anyone can hallucinate, but I think there's something strange about the fat cop's hallucination.

Quancheng Road is a new road, and if you go back to seventy or eighty years ago, it was one of the main roads for Japanese invaders to enter and exit. Only then will it be possible to see people in Japanese military uniforms and on war horses passing by.

After five minutes of waiting, there was not a single taxi passing by.

Tired of standing, I took a few steps to the right and sat down with my head bowed on the street steps.

"I don't know what Lian Chengbi will say when she sees me, if her eyes are really blind from crying, it will be a big trouble. Life is impermanent, and it is easy to gather and disperse. If I do die in the Big Bang, this beautiful world of Springs has nothing to do with me. I let out a long sigh and looked up to the south, wanting to enjoy the dazzling night view of Quancheng Square again.

Suddenly, I was amazed by the dilapidated scene I saw, and I involuntarily stood up.

Somehow, I couldn't see the lights in Quancheng Square, but instead of low-slung houses and narrow streets. The strangest thing is that the shops on the street are all large bluestone slabs, which is a street scene that Jinan has long been invisible in recent years.

I sat down with my head down and pondered for less than a minute, but everything changed in less than a minute.

The tall buildings, street lamps, shops, and streets were all gone, and all I could see was a dilapidated old town, and what was even more terrifying was that in the direction of Puley Street, on the old city tower, which was slightly higher than the houses, a sun flag fluttered high in the sky.

"It's an illusion, it must be an illusion. I murmured.

"Da, da", a crisp sound of horses' hooves came from the north.

I turned to look, and a tall, red-colored horse approached, and immediately sat a soldier in a formal suit. On the right side of the horse, a group of ragged prisoners was slowly moving forward.

All this in front of him is exactly the same scene as the fat cop has described.

If I were a driver, I would definitely have to stomp on both feet and press the brakes to the end when I saw these people and war horses. But the problem is, it's an illusion, a 100 percent hallucination.

The horse came to a halt when it came to me, and the officer on the horse looked down at me, looked at me for a moment, and then turned over and jumped down.

"I know there will be an adventure tonight, is it you, sir?" he said politely, speaking Chinese extremely fluently.

I tried my best to suppress my horror and anger, and quietly replied, "Maybe." ”

"Please. "He took the reins of the horse in his left hand and the stirrup in his right hand and motioned for me to mount the horse.

"Where?" I asked.

"Plum Blossom Mansion. He replied with his head bowed respectfully.

I didn't shirk and immediately got on the horse.

He took the reins and walked westward, walking slowly and looking preoccupied.

I looked up to the sky, and the night was dark, and there was no starlight.

"The moon is dark and the wind is high, and the day is murderous and arsonous. "I remembered the most famous jargon on the rivers and lakes of China.

Since the destination of this trip is the Plum Blossom Mansion, then the "Plum Blossom Mansion Notes" will definitely be involved, and the secrets written down by the Japanese will be revealed one by one.

I have never been afraid of the Japanese, and even if I was born in the war years, I did not have the genes to be a traitor or a lackey. So, when I saw the Japanese soldiers with loaded guns all over the streets, I wasn't too alarmed.

Compared with the modern Jinan, the old Jinan city is really dilapidated, and it is full of devastation left by years of war. If there was no eight-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, no Communist Party and New China, how could Jinan be built into such a harmonious homeland today?

Without comparison, we do not know the importance of national stability and social harmony.

"Sir, I've been thinking about how nice it would be if there was a man who knew the whole world, who knew everything, who knew everything, who could answer the most complex questions, who could also know history and the future!" said the soldier.

"If you want to know anything, I can try to answer it. I said.

"Well, sir, how on earth can we fit a large group of people into the mirror? especially since this group of people is armed with weapons enough to destroy this city, and each of them is a battle-hardened warrior with at least five years of battlefield experience. The Chinese were the first to invent the copper mirror, polishing the metal to the extent that it can clearly reflect the human figure, which is a pioneering achievement, I don't know how many times smarter than the glass mirror in Europe. Now what puzzles me is, what is behind the bronze mirror? Could it be that the thickness of a mirror can hold the whole world?" he asked.

Those who have read the "Notes of the Plum Blossom Mansion" will understand that he is referring to the battle of the Yellow River pontoon bridge, and anyone who sees that scene will be shocked and inexplicable, and they don't know what kind of magic the person standing at the head of the bridge used to swallow all the soldiers of the empire.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked.

The soldier stood still, cautiously raised his head and looked at me: "Sir, I am sincere in my quest for advice. Early this morning, I divined a hexagram, which is the Qiangua in "Zhou Yi". The hexagram says, Lord Lijian. After that, I made another hexagram, the Kun hexagram, and instructed me to go to that intersection and wait for you. I don't know much about "Zhou Yi", please don't laugh. ”

I was taken aback, there is no clue that the author knows the Book of Changes in the "Notes of the Plum Blossom Mansion", and if the soldier in front of him knows the "Zhou Yi", even if he can only scratch the surface, it will be a troublesome thing.

"Very good, you have been on the right path to divinate the truth of the development of things through the Qiangua and Kun hexagram. The secret of heaven must not be revealed, and if it is leaked in vain, it will be punished by heaven. I said.

The soldier immediately bowed his head and saluted me: "Thank you, sir, for your instruction, the student has written it down." ”

"Go find the Divine Water Mirror, find it, and your confusion will be solved. I said lightly.

When I was in the "crab navel", I also took a long test for the water mirror of the gods. Since it is a physical object and it is precious, it will not disappear easily.

In fact, many precious national treasure-level cultural relics disappeared in the war, and the traces will eventually be found, and most of them are in the hands of top international cultural relics dealers. After all, treasures are treasures, and they will never be buried for a long time, and there will always be a day when they will be born, just like the ancient "Hetuluo Book".

It's an illusion, but it's not just an illusion. If I do it right, I can make new discoveries.

"Sir, I already have a clue to the mysterious bronze mirror, and I am trying my best to track it down. Just the day before yesterday and yesterday, I caught two antiquities dealers from Europe, and after interrogating them separately, I got accurate information that the bronze mirror was hidden in the city. The two of them promised me that within three days they would receive the bronze mirror and present it to me in exchange for a chance to live. I already feel that I am only one step away from the truth. The soldier said.

I thought for a moment, and immediately ordered, "Take me to those two." ”

This soldier understands the essence of ancient Chinese culture, the Book of Changes, and has seen the wonder of Chinese thaumaturgists using divine water mirrors to eliminate the soldiers of the brigade, so he should be in a stage of confusion and uneasiness. In the invasion of China, there are not many people like him who have studied metaphysical skills in depth, so he must have a sense of being high and outnumbered. Now, when he divined my appearance with the I Ching, he must have believed in it and had the greatest trust in me. This is his chance, and it's my chance, and our goal is exactly the same, which is to fall into the city.

After going on a journey, he pulled his horse into the diagonal street, entered through two half-hidden green iron gates, and tied the horse to a poplar tree.

There is a quiet courtyard inside the iron gate, and on the north side is a small two-story building.

As soon as I glanced out of the corner of my eye, I had already seen that there were very hidden shooting holes in all the key parts of the small building, and there were people peeking out from time to time in the shadows.

The name of the Plum Blossom Mansion is a merchant's residence, but it is actually a spy agency, which is already a well-known secret.

He led me into the small building, and then turned downward.

As I expected, the basement, which was supposed to be a storage of miscellaneous items, had been converted into two rows of cells, twelve in all, each stained with blood.

"Sir, I put them in the best cells and gave them the best treatment, steaks, salads, borscht, and foreign women. I want them to know that if they are friends, they must share blessings and hardships. He said.

I nodded: "That's right. ”

So far, I have said very little, and I have allowed the soldier to express his thoughts.

I don't have much to say until I met the two Europeans. Of course, no one knows 100% about the Divine Mirror, and all of them are in a state of blind people touching elephants. It is a mountain stone that can be used to attack jade, and I really hope that these two Europeans can bring me a different perspective.

In one of the cells at the very end, I met two yellow-haired, red-faced, bearded foreigners. Judging by their physical characteristics, they should be Spaniards.

Sure enough, the two introduced themselves in Chinese, and sure enough, they were from Spain, who were sailors who drifted around the world, and later went ashore from Hong Kong, all the way north, and started a business of selling cultural relics.

When they saw the soldier, they were like pugs to their masters, and they were all smiling, and they wanted to kneel down and lick each other's boots.

"This is the gentleman I hired, and you have said many things, some of them are true, some of them are false, and some of them are half-truths. So, I'm asking this gentleman to come over and see what you've said. Now, I will state all the clues about the Divine Mirror to Mr. again, and definitely don't make it up, otherwise, I can't guarantee the safety of the two of you. The soldier said coldly.

There was only one chair in the cell, and I sat down, and the soldier stood opposite me, while the two antiquities dealers sat on the bunks at the base of the south wall.

"Silva, you speak first. The soldier commanded.

The man with brown eyebrows quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, I'll say it first." I got news in Guangzhou that there is a very powerful antique in Shandong, which is a bronze mirror, which is both a cultural relic and a weapon. It was the war years, and arms were worth more than anything else, so I rushed to Shandong with my companion Waller. We had been to Qingdao on our previous voyages, and we also had Chinese friends there. So, soon we found out the whereabouts of the bronze mirror, which was hidden in the Xiaoguandi Temple on Furong Street. This bronze mirror is very valuable, and it is precisely because of its value that many people are eyeing it. So, I consulted with Valle that I had to find more people to help. Just as we were looking for someone, we were caught by the army and locked up here. ”

I couldn't be more familiar with the Xiaoguandi Temple on Furong Street, if the Divine Mirror is there, I will definitely be able to find it. Now, there's a big flaw in Silva's narrative that the mirror should be in someone's hands, not hidden somewhere. Listening to him, the source is very accurate, almost handy.

"Are you sure that you will go to the Xiaoguandi Temple to get the ancient mirror now?" I asked bluntly.

Silva nodded again: "Of course, as long as you give me a team of men, I will be able to get the ancient mirror immediately." ”

I turned my head and nodded to the soldier: "As he said, take someone with him and get the ancient mirror back." ”

Having said that, I knew that even if I sent someone, I would only run away empty, and I would not get anything.

In my opinion, Silva is not a material to be an antiquities dealer, speaking too straight and not knowing how to hide. Such people go to sell cultural relics, but they are afraid that they will be sold, and they have to help others count the money.

As soon as the soldier beckoned, Silva happily got up from the bunk and followed him out.

I looked at the other man on the floor, Silva's Valle.

The man's expression was very calm, as if he hadn't woken up yet. However, while Silva was dictating, Valle's ears were pricked up, indicating that he was listening carefully to his companion's words. At the same time, a cold light flashed from the corner of his eyes from time to time, like an unusually alert hound.

Compared to Silva, he is slightly wooden, but it is likely that this kind of woodenness is pretended.

"Mr. Valle, there are only two of us here, and we can talk a few words from the bottom of our hearts. Tell me, where is the Ancient Mirror, and how are you going to retrieve it and run away?" I asked.

Valle was not surprised, shrunk his neck, and shook his head in confusion: "I don't know, sir, I'm following Silva, and I don't know anything about what he's going to do." ”

He answered cleverly, pushing the blame off on him and throwing Silva out as a shield.

"Valle, I'm not talking nonsense to you. Tell me, is the person holding the ancient mirror in the Temple of Literature, and is your real target there?" I asked.

Immediately, I got the right answer from the other person's eyes.

"Do you want to die, or do you want to live? If you want to live, just tell me when to attack. I asked.

Waaler looked me straight at me, his eyes rolling back and forth, as if to gauge how much I knew.

"You stay here and die, I'll find it myself—" I stood up and walked to the door.

"Sir, please stay, we can cooperate. Right now...... Now that the ancient mirror is in our hands, if you find a way to let me go, I will take you back to the ancient mirror. Valle exclaimed.

I stood at the door of the cell, one foot in the door, the other out of the door, and looked back at him.

"Sir, I assure you that this time I am telling the truth. Japanese people don't talk much, and I learned it in Hong Kong as early as now. Now, handing over the ancient mirror is also death, and not handing over the ancient mirror is also death. If you can give me a chance, I will be rewarded. Valle said hurriedly.

The Japanese do have the problem of "talking doesn't count", and you only need to look at the history of World War II to understand this.

I stared into Valer's eyes and groaned.

He was so anxious that he stomped his foot: "Sir, make a decision quickly, it will be too late if you don't leave." ”

My mind raced to gauge the situation, and although the soldier was temporarily gone, there were a large number of gunmen hiding outside. If I just walked out with Valle like this, I was afraid that I would be shot into a sieve immediately. Moreover, Valle may not be telling the truth, since Spain has been rich in pirates since ancient times, and pirates are even more infamous than the Japanese invaders.

"Valle, I'm sorry, but I have to see the Ancient Mirror before I can believe your words. I took a step back and deliberately moved the cell door out of the way.

"What? Oh my God, how is this possible? The ancient mirror is not on me. Valle spread out his hands and shook his head in embarrassment.

"Now, you have a good opportunity to run out from here, across one street is the Xiaoguandi Temple, and two streets to the Temple of Literature. It's up to you to go there, the choice is yours. I said.

It was a risky decision, I threw Valle as bait, and when the gunmen were shooting, I took the opportunity to flee and go to the Temple of Literature to find the ancient mirror.

There is no need for me to show mercy to two Spanish antiquities dealers.

"Well, if I can escape, I will repay the favor. Valle gritted his teeth and walked past me, quickly disappearing at the end of the hallway.

I silently calculated his running speed, and as he ran near the gate, the expected gunshot rang out.

"It's done. I let out a low cry and hurried upstairs.

I didn't rush out of the main entrance of the small building, but ran all the way to the second floor, and without hesitation, I slammed open a door, then slammed open the window opposite, and jumped out.

The front of the small building faces the courtyard, and the back faces the street, this way of escape is the most direct and safe, and the gunmen didn't have time to turn around and aim, so I disappeared behind a long row of low houses.

The old and new urban areas are different, but the Confucian Temple, Furong Street, and Xiaoguandi Temple were all built on the original site, and their locations have changed very little.

So, I walked through a few alleys and climbed over the wall into the Temple of Literature.

At this time, the Temple of Literature was in disrepair, the walls on the front had been blackened by incense, and the two black lacquered wooden doors had become mottled, one of which still had countless gun holes.

The temple door was hidden, and I walked through the crack in the door quickly, and immediately lowered myself and hid in the shadows.

I don't know how to find the mirror, I don't know who to turn to, and I don't know if Valer's words are true or not. However, I had to come, and there was really no better purpose than here. The sixth sense tells me that coming here must be rewarding, and it is a huge reward.

There are three statues in the center of the temple, and in front of the statues is a large offering table, and some people are kneeling in front of the offering table, whispering prayers.

"May the fortunes of the country prosper, the defeat of foreign enemies, and the safety of the people...... May the banner of Chinese civilization never fall and stand forever on the land of the Central Plains...... May the tens of thousands of people in Jinan survive the calamity, live and work in peace and contentment, and rebuild the city......"

It was a man, and a man of strong physique.

Such a man should appear on the battlefield and use his own hands to pick up his weapon and sweep the enemy head-on, instead of relying on hiding in a dark temple to chant scriptures and pray, and use the power of ethereal idols to "defend the homeland and the country".

I took a few steps forward, and the man turned around at the sound of footsteps, his eyes facing each other.

"Who are you?" asked both of us at the same time.

"Who are you?" paused, and we asked again.

When I saw his features, it was like seeing another old self. If you remove the wrinkles on his forehead and shave off the beard on his chin and cheeks, he will be exactly like me.

"Are you from the Xia family?" I asked.

He nodded and immediately asked the same question.

I nodded my head and couldn't help but reach out and hold his hand tightly.

"The situation is urgent, let's go. He said, "I finally waited for you to come, God pity me, that divine water mirror finally has someone to entrust!"