Antique Shop Zero: Disfigured School Beauty Becomes a Succubus to Pay Off Debts

The meeting ended, in a hotel room.

Yang Xiao sat casually in the chair, his legs propped up on the coffee table, toying with the demon mask in his hand:

"Boss, you seem really interested in going to Xia Kingdom?"

He saw the puppeteer laughing.

I've been grinning like an idiot ever since I got to the room.

Yang Xiao thought this guy was a bit sleazy.

"I really want to go to Xia Kingdom, but I don't have the opportunity."

The puppeteer turned around with a smile, but when he saw Yang Xiao take off his mask, his expression changed drastically.

"You—put on your mask right now!"

If anyone sees you, you're finished!

"oh."

Yang Xiao slowly put the mask back on his face:

Why do you want to go to Xia Kingdom so much?

The puppeteer coughed lightly:

"This has nothing to do with you. Just remember, on the day we go to Xia Kingdom, you must stick close to me."

Even though that's your hometown, it's still a bit dangerous for a newbie like you to be with a bunch of hellish messengers.

Yang Xiao gave him a deep look.

That gaze, peering through the eye holes of the mask, was like a soft knife—not sharp, but chilling.

A moment later, he chuckled and uttered two words: "Okay."

This puppeteer is alright.

I felt a little embarrassed to kill him.

......

South China Sea, Zero Antique Shop.

Jiang Chaosheng stared at the mirror without saying a word.

The "self" in the mirror didn't speak either.

They remained deadlocked.

Finally, Jiang Chaosheng spoke.

"How did I die?"

Jiang Chaosheng looked up in the mirror.

One eye was deathly gray, its pupil shrunk to pinpoints; the other was stained with blood, a terrifying scarlet.

He spoke, his voice dull and lifeless, like an old phonograph slowly turning:

"I should have killed that woman a long time ago."

She died, and all the subsequent disasters will not happen.

I will not fall under the curse, nor will I lose the protection of Antique Shop Zero, nor will I be betrayed by the members of the Forbidden Society.

Jiang Chaosheng narrowed his eyes.

This passage contains four pieces of information, each more explosive than the last.

First, who is that woman?

Second, why am I trapped in this curse?

Third, what kind of woman could make the Zero Antique Shop no longer protect her?

Fourth, and this is the most surprising point for him.

A member of the Forbidden Society betrayed him? How could that be?

The mirror of knowledge doesn't lie, but it keeps deceiving you.

Jiang Chaosheng was puzzled.

At this moment, the little shadow figure on his wrist jumped down and formed a line of crooked text:

"Sir, in one week, the Dark Council will send thirty-eight Hell Messengers to escort a mysterious woman to the Xia Kingdom."

Jiang Chaosheng's eyes flickered slightly.

woman?

Just now, the Mirror of Knowledge said that the source of all disasters is a woman.

Could this be the one escorted by the Dark Council?

In fact, regardless of whether this woman is the source of the disaster or not, I should get involved.

A woman who commands such attention from the Dark Council must be hiding some secret.

Jiang Chaosheng paused for a moment when he thought of this.

Odin met his end in Ragnarok because he believed the mirror.

Then I certainly can't listen to the mirror, and I can't follow the mirror's instructions to kill that woman.

If I hadn't used this mirror today, would I have killed that woman?

But the mirror is clearly saying that it did not kill the woman.

Mirrors can deceive, but they never lie.

Jiang Chaosheng became increasingly confused as he thought about it.

He suddenly chuckled, and said softly:

"These are forbidden items; each one is an extremely bizarre and mysterious object."

I really took this mirror far too seriously.

Just pick out the useful information it provides and remember it; that's enough to have a general idea.

Those things that might influence your decision-making should be ignored.

Jiang Chaosheng in the mirror was still muttering to himself in terror, like a cassette tape recorder repeatedly playing the same words:

"The members of the Forbidden Society have all betrayed me."

Daji watched as the Jinghe Dragon King disobeyed his orders.

Jin Meiting, Xia Li, Liu Weiqian, and Zhong Shu stayed far away.

Even Yang Xiao hid—he's not coming to save me at all!

When Jiang Chaosheng heard these words, he didn't even realize that he felt a slight sense of relief.

It says, "Daji is watching right there"—which means that the source of its misfortune is not Daji.

To be honest, I might not be able to bring myself to kill Daji right now.

He ignored his reflection's rambling and asked a more practical question:

"Where will I die?"

Jiang Chaosheng in the mirror stopped his madness and became wooden again, like a corpse.

"White Fish Village".

As soon as the words were spoken, the mirror returned to chaos.

The hazy fog rose again, engulfing that miserable face, like water submerging a drowned corpse.

Jiang Chaosheng put down the mirror and walked towards the door.

.....

Jinmu Coffee Shop.

Jiang Chaosheng sat by the window.

The afternoon sun streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, cutting a bright diagonal line across the wooden floor.

A cup of coffee sat in front of him, now completely cold.

He likes the environment here.

It could also be for some other reason.

His mother had appeared on Dream Island, and the owner of this coffee shop was the designer of Dream Island.

It could also be for some other reason.

His mother had appeared on Dream Island, and the owner of this coffee shop was the designer of Dream Island.

Sitting in this coffee shop, you can always catch a glimpse of your mother's presence.

It's like... an echo left in the air.

A notebook lay open in front of him, the pen scratching across the paper, leaving neat lines of writing:

The Mirror's Words:

My name is Jiang Chaosheng, and I am dead.

I should have killed that woman long ago...

The members of the Forbidden Society have all betrayed me...

...White Fish Village.

He started a new line and continued writing:

"A woman I should kill."

If the mirror isn't lying, then I should kill that woman.

If the mirror is deceiving me, then I should protect that woman.

He paused here, looked at the line of text, and shook his head with a smile.

This is simply a paradox.

He twirled the pen between his fingers and added another line:

"Or, I could imprison her."

Doesn't Zhongshu want to create a mini-hell and become its warden?

He seems to have his eye on the Taiping Dao's stronghold—the underground palace.

"Why don't we let him imprison this woman first, and then we can talk about it later?"

He closed his notebook, leaned back in his chair, and looked out the window.

A cup was gently placed on the table, the tea inside was clear and fragrant.

Jiang Chaosheng raised his head.

A young man dressed in sportswear stood by the table, his face clean, his eyebrows relaxed, and a perfectly timed smile on his lips.

Meng Xing is the owner of Jinmu Coffee Shop.

Meng Xing sat down opposite Jiang Chaosheng with a grin and pushed his cup towards Jiang Chaosheng.

"We don't have teacups at home, so we'll just have to make do with a coffee cup."

Jiang Chaosheng gently rubbed the hot coffee cup between his fingers and said:

"You actually remember that I like to drink tea."

Meng Xing raised an eyebrow:

"After you brought back the photos of Dream Island for me, I made up my mind—"

Meng Xing looked at Jiang Chaosheng solemnly, his expression very serious:

"From now on, Jiang Shaosheng, you are my best friend!"

Jiang Chaosheng frowned.

Meng Xing was stunned:

"What, you don't want to?"

Jiang Chaosheng spoke slowly and deliberately:

"River, tide, life."

Meng Xing scratched his head and said awkwardly:

"Okay."

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Jiang Chaosheng's lips.

He never had any friends.

Although this friend came at a cheap price, it was still a very interesting experience.

Meng Xingdao:

"My wife and I haven't been in Nanhai for long; we just bought the house a few days ago."

Tonight is the first time my family has cooked at home to celebrate moving into our new house. Want to come join us?

Jiang Chaosheng closed his notebook:

I'll eat dumplings.

Meng Xing snapped his fingers:

"No problem! Frozen ones are fine, the kind you put in hot pot."