The Bowl of Seven Emotions

Feng Lin City had a pleasant environment and good air quality, with numerous sanatoriums, some even privately owned, scattered around its outskirts.

This particular sanatorium sprawled across a vast expanse of land. Its buildings, while exuding an antique charm, were meticulously maintained and far from dilapidated, clearly indicating an expenditure beyond the means of an ordinary establishment.

At least, until now, Tang Susu had been completely unaware of a sanatorium named Yi Yuan in Feng Lin City.

The car rolled to a stop outside the sanatorium's main gate. Tang Susu alighted, following Huang Shan. They entered through a smaller side entrance, which was promptly shut behind them.

Glancing back at the guardhouse, Tang Susu noted its design prevented any view of the interior. She closed her eyes briefly. Gou Dan had informed her about the four armed men inside.

It felt as if her life had suddenly switched from normal mode to hard mode. She had naively assumed the Huang family was merely wealthy. Reality proved to be far more complex.

Huang Shan continued walking, explaining as they went, "This is where the elders of the Huang family reside, myself included. Recently, the head of the family has been recuperating here, so we had to invite Miss Tang to meet everyone."

Tang Susu was in no mood for pleasantries and remained silent.

Huang Shan guided her past two smaller buildings. They followed a path that led to a small courtyard situated at the very end.

The courtyard was almost entirely enclosed by the surrounding structures, highlighting the importance of its occupant.

Huang Shan knocked gently on the door. It was opened swiftly.

A middle-aged woman stood in the doorway. Her gaze, cold and hostile, settled on Tang Susu.

"The master and his wife are waiting. Come in."

Huang Shan nodded at the woman and turned to Tang Susu. "Miss Tang, please."

Tang Susu stepped into the courtyard. The door, momentarily opened, closed behind them, concealing the secrets within.

The moment she entered the room, Tang Susu froze. It wasn't as if she hadn't been scrutinized by numerous gazes before. However, never before had she felt such palpable danger.

The people before her…

Her eyes swept across the room, taking in a middle-aged couple, a man in his early thirties, and an elderly man who appeared to be around Huang Shan's age. Beside the elderly man stood a teenage boy, seemingly in his early teens.

The old man and the boy unnerved her the most. Their gazes made her feel less like a person and more like a commodity.

Silence hung heavy in the air. The old man took two steps forward. Tang Susu noticed what he held in his hand – the Scorched Bone Peony Mirror she had lent to Qi Yue.

As she suspected, something was wrong with Qi Yue.

"This mirror. It's yours?" the old man inquired, his eyes scrutinizing Tang Susu.

"Is there a problem?" she responded.

"Why did you give this mirror to Qi Yue?" The old man frowned slightly, seemingly displeased with her tone.

"I didn't give it to him. I only lent it to him for two days."

"Do you know what he did with this mirror?" The old man narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning hostile.

Tang Susu scoffed. "To mourn his ex-girlfriend, perhaps? What else?"

"Do you even know what kind of mirror this is?" the old man pressed, unfazed.

"Isn't it just a Tang Dynasty Scorched Bone Peony Mirror?" Tang Susu responded, as if amused by his question.

"Why did you buy it?"

"I liked it. I thought the meaning behind it was good, so I bought it. What's wrong with that? Can't someone spend money on something they like? The Huang family put it up for auction, didn't they? And now you're interrogating the buyer about their entire family history? This is truly an eye-opener." Sarcasm dripped from her words.

The old man studied her for a moment before turning to the middle-aged couple. He nodded at them. "What she said is true."

The middle-aged couple, presumably the parents, didn't look pleased despite the old man's confirmation.

Their daughter, upon returning from abroad, had wanted to establish her own business. As supportive parents, they had naturally agreed. Most of the items at the auction had been acquired through their daughter's connections, while some were taken from the Huang family's vault.

They hadn't been present when the items were retrieved. It never occurred to them that their daughter would take something she shouldn't have. By the time they found out, the item had already been auctioned off.

Given the Huang family's standing, they could have easily negotiated with the buyer, offered compensation, or called in a favor to retrieve the mirror. However, the buyer turned out to be Shi Chengxuan.

Before they could approach him, they heard Shi Chengxuan had gifted the mirror to someone else.

Just when they thought the mirror was lost forever, it reappeared within the Huang family. This time, however, it brought misfortune.

Huang Zhongtang and his wife had always held reservations about their daughter's boyfriend. Firstly, there was a significant disparity in their social standing. Secondly, it was evident that the young man's affections didn't lie entirely with their daughter.

Despite their disapproval, they had reluctantly accepted the relationship after all these years. However, their daughter, after meeting Shi Chengxuan, decided to end things with her boyfriend.

While they were relieved about the breakup, they hadn't anticipated what would transpire next. The young man, who had risen to power by relying on the Huang family, dared to set his sights on their precious daughter.

On the surface, the Huang family dealt in art and antiques. In reality, their fortune originated from something far more clandestine – ancient tombs and their hidden treasures. It had been a lucrative business, and though they had transitioned to more legitimate ventures, they hadn't completely severed ties with their past.

Dealing with artifacts unearthed from the ground came with its own set of risks, often involving the supernatural.

There had been several incidents in the past where people working for the Huang family had died under mysterious circumstances, their deaths gruesome and terrifying. Fortunately, the Huang family's wealth and influence, along with their connections to powerful figures, had allowed them to weather these storms and maintain their legacy.

As a result, the Huang family vault housed numerous valuable artifacts deemed too dangerous to be sold on the open market.

The Scorched Bone Peony Mirror was one such artifact.

Legend had it that the Scorched Bone Peony Mirror, also known as the Inside-Outside Mirror, could capture souls and facilitate soul transmigration.

However, the origin of this particular mirror differed from the artifacts they typically unearthed. Its history was shrouded in mystery. When Huang Zhongtang had acquired the mirror, several of his men had met with untimely and gruesome ends, forcing him to seal it away.

He never imagined that one day, this very mirror would bring misfortune upon his own daughter.

Many novels depicted soul transmigration, where one person takes over another's life, living in their stead without anyone noticing.

Reality, however, was not a work of fiction. Whether someone was their child or not could be discerned with a single glance, a few exchanged words.

Even though her appearance remained unchanged, her daughter's mannerisms and speech betrayed the presence of another soul inhabiting her body.

Their investigation revealed Qi Yue was responsible.

And the weapon he had used was this mirror.

It was no surprise that Tang Susu, the one who had provided the mirror, found herself brought before them.

At this point, they were no longer concerned about why Shi Chengxuan claimed to have gifted the mirror when it was still in Tang Susu's possession.

The old man's confirmation had convinced the Huang family of her innocence in that regard. However, she remained culpable for unwittingly playing a part in their daughter's predicament. Neither Huang Zhongtang nor his wife were willing to let her off easily.

Their gazes hardened. Huang Zhongtang, clutching his wife's hand tightly, nodded at the old man. "Master Ying, we'll leave this to you."

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