Chapter 117

Chapter 117

Dou Zhile laughed along with me.

He tapped out the bowl of his pipe, as if to light it, then stopped himself and said, “Negotiating with smart people really is refreshing. Granny Yu had a good eye after all.”

Dou Zhile had brought up Granny more than once. It seemed the two of them had been on pretty good terms back then.

I asked, “Then for this deal, Old Dou, would you like a Live Pawn or a Dead Pawn?”

“Dead Pawn.” Dou Zhile pointed the bowl of his pipe toward the western side of the corridor outside. “The pawn price will be two drops of Lamp Oil.”

“Lamp Oil?”

There was Lamp Oil inside the Hexagonal Palace Lantern?

Before, there had only been Merit in it.

Dou Zhile raised an eyebrow. “When I came over just now, I took a special look. There is already Lamp Oil in the Soul-Guiding Lantern. That means you must have used the Soul-Guiding Lantern to judge Souls recently, correct?”

Judge Souls?

Was he talking about… Old Lady Bai?

Li Qingying immediately ran out to check. When she came back, she nodded at me. “Xiao Jiu, there really is Lamp Oil. Just a shallow layer, and it’s green.”

Something stirred in my heart, and I asked without thinking, “Old Dou, may I ask what you need the Lamp Oil for?”

Dou Zhile shook his head. “When the time comes, you’ll know. There is no need to take out the Lamp Oil for now. When I need it, I’ll come to you for it.”

“All right.”

I agreed, then took out a Pawn Ticket and started filling it in. Afterward, I handed it to Dou Zhile to sign and press his fingerprint on.

There were two copies of the Pawn Ticket: one to keep on file, and one for Dou Zhile.

After putting away the Pawn Ticket, Dou Zhile did not leave right away. Instead, he said, “Girl, may I go offer Granny Yu a stick of incense?”

“Of course.”

I led Dou Zhile over to the Funeral Supplies Shop. Granny’s memorial tablet had always been enshrined against the wall on the western side. As long as I was home, the incense there had never gone out.

Although I knew she had long since entered Reincarnation, Granny had always remained the deepest attachment in my heart, as well as my spiritual support.

Dou Zhile took three sticks of Yellow Incense, lit them, and bowed deeply toward Granny’s portrait. When he raised his head again, I heard him say softly, “Senior Sister, I always thought I would be the one to go before you. I never imagined you would be more carefree than me.”

Then he inserted the Yellow Incense into the Incense Burner and left without looking back.

I stood where I was for a long time, unable to come back to myself.

Granny and Dou Zhile were actually fellow disciples?

Right. Why couldn’t they have been?

One ran a Funeral Supplies Shop, and the other ran a coffin shop. They were both in the funeral business, dealing in the trade of Yin-Yang.

I couldn’t help sighing inwardly. Things had truly changed beyond recognition.

Turning around, I went under the corridor to take a look at the Hexagonal Palace Lantern.

They all said this was a Soul-Guiding Lantern.

But what exactly was a Soul-Guiding Lantern?

Before, I had thought it simply meant a lantern that could attract Souls. Now it seemed that was not the case at all.

It could not only guide Souls and nourish Souls, but even judge Souls.

It was far more powerful than I had imagined.

As I was looking at it, I suddenly realized something was wrong.

Where was that little black speck inside the lamp chamber?

Where was the Black Cat?

Why was it gone?!

Could its injuries have healed, and it ran off?

That ungrateful little thing. It didn’t even know to say goodbye before leaving!

I shrugged. From the very beginning, I had already prepared myself for the possibility that the Black Cat would not acknowledge me as its master, so I was not too disappointed now.

I returned to the Southern Study, opened the bag again, and reached in, intending to move the Qiankun Mandarin Duck Hook around and take a look at its full appearance.

But before I even touched it, I felt a sharp, bone-chilling yin coldness coming from the murder weapon and immediately withdrew my hand.

This thing was probably not something an ordinary person could keep under control.

Without another word, I tied the bag shut and carried it toward the Main Courtyard.
If I couldn’t touch it, then I would offer it to the Dirty Things in the Main Hall!

But when I pushed open the doors to the Main Hall, I saw a pitch-black bundle curled up on Liu Junyan’s Black Coffin. At the sound, its two upright ears twitched. It lifted its head and gave me a lazy glance, then buried its face again and went back to sleep.

Hah. So the little Black Cat was here!

I set the cloth bag on the Altar Table, then circled over to the Black Coffin, wanting to reach out and pet it.

In the end, it only shrank farther inside and wouldn’t let me touch it at all.

So very haughty!

I waited in the Main Hall for a while, but I never saw those Dirty Things come out to devour the Qiankun Mandarin Duck Hook.

Was this thing really that vicious?

Compared to the Lingchi Blade, which one was worse?

I didn’t take the Qiankun Mandarin Duck Hook away. I just left it sitting on the Altar Table.

When I returned to the Southern Study, Li Qingying actually came in from outside.

I asked, “Sister Qingying, did you go out just now?”

“Mm,” Li Qingying said. “The Dou family’s first commission has been accepted. I had to go find out exactly who handed over this Qiankun Mandarin Duck Hook.”

Right. I had originally planned to go to the Teahouse tomorrow to ask around. Li Qingying was far more efficient than I was.

So I asked, “Did you find out?”

Li Qingying deliberately kept me in suspense. “Guess.”

I said, “It should be the Bai Family.”

Li Qingying asked curiously, “Why?”

“No matter who the real killer is, the one who shows their face can only be the Bai Family,” I analyzed. “Because the Bai Family has to force the Dou family to help them make the Human-Skin Red Coffin. This is the perfect opportunity. What I’m not sure about is who the Bai Family pushed forward.”

It couldn’t possibly be Bai Jingmo personally showing up, and the Dou family wouldn’t acknowledge just anyone. So who they pushed forward mattered a lot.

“Do you still remember the man who was with Old Lady Bai before?” Li Qingying said. “He was the one who came forward to take the blame. Blood was spilled on the spot.”

So it was him.

“He may not have been innocent either,” I said. “For the sake of the Human-Skin Red Coffin, Bai Jingmo really is willing to pay any price. What exactly are they trying to do?”

That night, the coffin that had risen rumbling from the Zhu Pan River-who exactly was inside it?

Was it really Chen Ping?

Nine Human-Skin Red Coffin, nine girls with completely yin constitutions. What kind of Formation was this?

Was it meant to suppress Chen Ping, or…

No. No matter what it was, I had to stop all of this from happening smoothly.

Early the next morning, I took the Flesh Thorn Lu Qiusheng had handed to me on two separate occasions and went straight to the Bai Family Medical Hall.

The Bai Family Medical Hall hadn’t been open for business lately, but people were at home, and guards were stationed at the main entrance.

I walked up and stated my purpose. “I’m Xiao Jiu from the Wufu Town Pawnshop. I have business with Bai Jingmo.”

One of them immediately went in to report. After I waited a while, someone came to lead me into the front hall.

Before long, Bai Jingmo arrived.

Today, he looked much better. Aside from the wisp of black energy still lingering between his brows, he seemed refreshed and clear-headed. He greeted me with a smile. “Xiao Jiu, did you need something from me?”

I pushed the Flesh Thorn in front of him and said, “I came today because I want to use this to trade for a person.”

The moment Bai Jingmo saw the Flesh Thorn, the corner of his eye trembled slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled. “What is this? Xiao Jiu, if there’s someone you want, just tell me. What’s mine will be yours sooner or later.”

“Bai Jingmo,” I said solemnly. “There’s no need for us to keep playing coy. You know better than anyone where your needle technique came from. And you know better than anyone who committed Chen Tao’s Flaying Case. The people the authorities can’t judge-I may not be unable to judge them myself!”