The door has a distinctly British-style shape. In the center of a round signboard, the word “ancient” is inscribed in Chinese characters on the right side.


    Lin Wan’er (ni), standing nearby, pointed to a number te adjacent to the store’s entrance and remarked, “Sir, this shop is located in Queens, New York.”


    “Oh, really?” Charlie responded with curiosity. “How can you tell? I can’t make out the details at this resolution.”


    “The Nu family resided in Queens,” Lin Wan’er (ni) exined. “The size, color, and cement of this number te reflect an early style typical of Queens. I’m not sure if it’s still in use today.” “New York…”


    Charlie nodded, suddenly recalling what his uncle had mentioned a few days earlier. His parents had purchased a set of antique books from a shop in New York, specifically the “Preface to the Nine Mysteries Sutra.”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    As he connected the dots with the antique store in the photo, Charlie eximed to Lin Wan’er, “This could very well be the store where my father bought the ‘Preface to the Nine Mysteries Sutra’!” Lin Wan’er reacted with surprise and quickly responded, “The Preface to the Nine Mysteries Sutra!”


    “There must be a significant link to the ‘Nine Mysterious Scriptures.’ The young master stumbled upon the ‘Nine Mysterious Scriptures’ in an antique shop in Aurous Hill, while your father acquired the ‘Nine Mysterious Scriptures Preface’ in a New York antique store. The connection can’t be just a coincidence!”<fn11c3> ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? FιndＮovel</fn11c3>


    Charlie agreed, saying, “It’s hard to believe that two such enigmatic scriptures found their way into the hands of a father and son, especially with over twenty years and half the globe separating their discoveries…”


    After saying this, Charlie nced down again.


    The second photograph in the lower left corner shows Charlie’s father, Bruce, alongside a younger man in front of the antique store.


    In the image, both men are supporting each other’s backs while giving a thumbs up to the camera with their free hands.


    Lin Wan’er (ni) pointed to the individuals surrounding Charlie’s father and inquired, “Mr. Do you recognize this person?”


    Charlie shook his head, replying, “I don’t know him.”


    Lin Wan’er continued, “It seems he had a very close rtionship with your father. Didn’t the young master meet him during his childhood?”


    “No,” Charlie asserted firmly. “I’ve never seen this person before.”


    As he spoke, Charlie scrutinized the man’s features, suddenly frowning. “It’s odd… I genuinely don’t recall this person from my childhood, especially before my parents and I left Yanjing. I’ve certainly never encountered someone like him, yet… there’s something familiar about him, but I can’t quite ce it.” Lin Wan’er thought for a moment and said earnestly, “That sense of familiarity must have a reason. It’s possible that while the young master hasn’t met him, he may have encountered his rtives, creating that sense of recognition. Alternatively, the young master might have seen him, but he has changed significantly since then—perhaps he’s gained weight, gone bald, matured, or simply aged.”


    Charlie acknowledged, “What you’re saying does make sense, but I can’t seem to recall any specific clues right now.”


    With a thoughtful expression, Lin Wan’er bit her lip and asked, “Could the young master check the photos again? There might be something written on the back. People often had the habit of jotting down notes on the back of their photos as mementos.”


    Charlie nodded, “Sure, let’s take a look.” Lin Wan’er carefully pulled out the photo, nced at the back, and eximed in surprise, “Sir, there’s definitely writing on the back of this photo!”


    Charlie took the photo from her and examined it. On the back of the white photo paper, adorned with the Kodak logo, he saw a handwritten line: “eens ith chou, 1211.”<h3 ss="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center" id="chapter-list"><strong></strong>