Chapter 14

Chapter 14

What terrified Sun Laiding even more was that ever since the Pen appeared in her schoolbag, she would unconsciously get out of bed every night, take the Pen, and incessantly write legal complaints in a notebook.

The content of these complaints was always her grandmother accusing her of stealing fifty yuan.

“Sister, I’m so scared,” Sun Laiding said, her voice trembling. “I took the Pen to my grandmother’s grave to confess and beg for her forgiveness, but it didn’t work.

“I buried the Pen in her burial mound, but when I woke up, it was back in my schoolbag.

“I even tried burning it, but it wouldn’t burn. I threw it into the river, and it found its way back on its own…

“I really didn’t know what else to do. A few days ago, I came to town to find my parents. I lied and said the school needed money for study materials to get fifty yuan from them. They gave me a real earful for it. I went to the grave and burned the money for my grandmother, but it was no use. She’s still asking me for money.”

So that was the whole story.

It was hard to imagine how such a young child had endured this alone for over a month.

No wonder she looked so haggard.

I asked again, “Then how did you find your way to my Pawnshop?”

After all, the Pawnshop had only just reopened. This industry had long since withered away; ordinary people wouldn’t normally come looking for it.

Sun Laiding said, “When I came to find my parents a few days ago, I passed by here and saw a big brother come in to pawn a piece of paper. I thought if paper could be pawned, then a Pen should be able to be pawned too.

“Sister, I know this is asking a lot, but I just got fifty yuan from my parents and I can’t ask them for more. Can I leave the Pen here as collateral for fifty yuan? I’ll try burning money for my grandmother one more time. Once I’ve saved up enough, I’ll pay you back.”

Listening to Sun Laiding’s words, my heart broke.

What era was this, that parents would be so stingy with their own biological daughter!

Although my childhood was also quite miserable, Granny had raised me well during the years I lived with her.

Compared to Sun Laiding, I was truly much more fortunate.

It made me miss Granny a little.

I reached out and gave Sun Laiding a hug, saying to her, “Dingding, I can take this Pen. In a sense, it’s a Yin Evil Object. It might be a source of trouble for you, but for my Pawnshop, it’s a good thing.”

I thought for a moment, held up five fingers, and said, “I’ll give you five thousand yuan to buy out the Pen. How does that sound?”

“Five… five thousand?” Sun Laiding waved her hands in disbelief. “Sister, you don’t have to pity me. It’s not worth that much.”

I insisted, “Dingding, the Pawnshop is open for business, and I’m a businesswoman. Businesspeople don’t make deals that lose money. Trust me, if I say it’s worth that much, it’s worth that much.”

This Pen was indeed one of the Yin Objects. By taking it in, I could use it later as an offering for the Dirty Things in the Main Hall.

As for whether it was actually worth five thousand yuan, I didn’t know.

Granny had saved a sum of money for me long ago to use for my education.

Since I couldn’t return to school for the time being, taking five thousand yuan from that fund to give to Sun Laiding would improve her life a little. At the very least, it would ensure she had money to buy sanitary pads when her period came, right?

To me, that made it worth it.

“Dingding, the Pawnshop has its rules for pawning,” I continued. “Pawning is divided into two types: Dead Pawn and Live Pawn. A Dead Pawn means you pawn it without the intent to redeem it; the transaction is settled then and there. A Live Pawn means we agree on a time limit and a redemption amount. Within that period, you can bring the money back and reclaim the Pen. Which one do you choose?”

Sun Laiding said without hesitation, “I choose a Dead Pawn.”

I nodded, took out the last Pawn Ticket, ground the ink, and carefully filled it out.

The Pawn Ticket was made in duplicate. After having Sun Laiding sign and leave a thumbprint, I pressed the Pawnshop’s Seal onto it.

Then, I handed one copy of the Pawn Ticket and five thousand yuan to Sun Laiding.

Sun Laiding’s hands shook as she held the ticket and the money. Her eyes were red from crying as she thanked me repeatedly.

“Dingding, keep this money safe. Don’t let anyone know about it. Use it wisely, study hard, and I hope your life gets better and better.”

Sun Laiding nodded vigorously. “Sister, I definitely will.”

But she didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she asked hesitantly, “Sister, will this Pen show up in my schoolbag again tomorrow morning?”

Her concern was not without reason.

However, Granny was skilled in Yin-Yang and Feng Shui Arts. Having been influenced by her since I was a child, I had also learned a few tricks.

The reason I dared to take this Pen was because I knew how to appease her grandmother’s obsession.

“Dingding, your grandmother is haunting you because she has a powerful obsession with that fifty yuan. You were right to try and settle the matter by paying her back, but your method was wrong.”

Sun Laiding asked in confusion, “Then what should I have done?”

“The money you burned for your grandmother is currency used in the world of the living. Your grandmother can’t use it in the underworld,” I explained. “To calm your grandmother’s resentment, you must give her offerings suited for the underworld. Once she is satisfied, her resentment will naturally dissipate.”
Sun Laiding’s eyes instantly lit up. “Sister, please teach me,” she urged.

After a moment of thought, I wrote a list for her. “Go and prepare one portion each of chicken, duck, fish, and a pig’s head. Also, stock up on incense, candles, joss paper, gold ingots, and the like-my shop sells all of that. Tonight, take these offerings to your grandmother’s grave. If she accepts them, she won’t come looking for you again. If she doesn’t, come back to me, and I’ll find another way.”

Sun Laiding noted down every item and hurried off to prepare.

I archived that Pen and had a good night’s sleep.

The next day at noon, Sun Laiding returned.

Her thin little face was beaming with joy. She told me she had followed my instructions last night; in her dreams, she saw her grandmother sitting in front of the grave, counting money and feasting with great satisfaction. She had truly let her granddaughter off the hook.

The Pen never appeared in her backpack again.

Sun Laiding was incredibly grateful. After I finally saw her off, I turned around and noticed something new in the Hexagonal Palace Lantern hanging on the west side of the corridor. Beside the eerie green glow, there was now a tiny, bean-sized speck of golden light that refused to dissipate.

My heart skipped a beat. Could this be Merit?

By helping Sun Laiding, had I accumulated Merit?

Overjoyed, I grabbed a bamboo pole, intending to take the Hexagonal Palace Lantern down and place it in the Main Hall.

Liu Junyan needed Merit.

But before the pole could even touch the Hexagonal Palace Lantern, a low shout came from behind me: “Don’t touch it!”

Startled, I pulled the pole back. I turned to see Li Qingying standing coolly at the bottom of the steps, dressed in black leather, carrying a black backpack, and with her hands in her pockets.

“Sister Qingying! You’re finally here!” I exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

Li Qingying nodded.

I put the pole away and led her inside. “Sister Qingying, why can’t I touch that Hexagonal Palace Lantern?”

“I don’t know either,” Li Qingying replied. “But that lantern is ancient and contains Merit and Yin Souls. If an ordinary person could touch it, do you think it would still be hanging there in one piece?”

That seemed to make sense.

“Where is Seventh Master?” Li Qingying asked.

I led her to the back and opened the doors to the Main Hall.

Without me saying a word, Li Qingying knew that Liu Junyan was inside that Black Coffin.

She stepped forward, lit three sticks of Yellow Incense, and knelt before the Black Coffin with a thud. She kowtowed three times, her forehead hitting the floor. “Seventh Master, Qingying is here. Rest assured, I will protect Xiao Jiu.”

After placing the Yellow Incense in the burner, she turned to me. “Where am I staying?”

I quickly grabbed the keys and led her out, pointing toward the east and west wing rooms. “You can pick any of these rooms. Any one will do.”

Li Qingying chose the first room in the east wing.

It was a suite with an inner and outer room, quite spacious.

I helped her tidy up.

As we worked, I told her about my plan to go to the Ghost Market on the fifteenth.

Li Qingying clearly knew about the Ghost Market. She said, “The Ghost Market opens its gates exactly at midnight. I’ll take you in. There’s a Fengdu Bank inside where you can exchange currency for Fengdu Coins. If you have any good items, you can bring them along too; there’s bartering in the Ghost Market.”

I noted everything down.

On the morning of the fifteenth, I selected two Pure Yin items from the Antique Shelf and placed them as offerings in the Main Hall.

I also went to the bank to withdraw a sum of money to exchange for the Pawn Ticket later.

Before leaving that night, on a strange whim, I brought along the Pen that Sun Laiding had pawned, thinking I might be able to trade it for some useful trinket in the Ghost Market.

Once everything was ready, Li Qingying drove me to an Earth God Temple located behind the aquatic market.

A few people were already waiting there.

As soon as midnight struck, the small Earth God Temple suddenly became towering and majestic. The surrounding scenery shifted.

The gates of the Earth God Temple turned a dark, ghostly red, shrouded in a thick mist.

Li Qingying took my hand and led me across the threshold.

In that instant, my mind went blank, as if I had fallen into a dream. The next moment, we were standing inside the Ghost Market.

The Ghost Market was vast and perpetually gray. Bizarrely styled buildings were scattered along the streets, which were crowded with… strangely shaped people… and they weren’t all human.

Li Qingying led me straight to the Fengdu Bank. We queued up to exchange for Fengdu Coins, and at another window, I purchased a Pawn Ticket.

The staff member behind the window looked at me with a grin and remarked, “It’s been many years since someone last came to buy a Pawn Ticket. Work hard, little girl.”

I returned the smile and gave a nod of agreement.

Just as we stepped out of the Fengdu Bank and found our bearings, I heard someone call my name from across the street: “Xiao Jiu, it really is you.”

I looked up and met a pair of beautiful peach-blossom eyes. It was the Fox Lord!

The Fox Lord walked over in a few strides and asked with a smile, “Is Xiao Jiu here to buy something?”

“Just some Pawn Tickets,” I replied. “Is the Fox Lord here to buy something too?”

The Fox Lord nodded. “I’ve been looking for something. I come to the Ghost Market every month to try my luck.”

Curious, I asked, “What are you looking for?”

“A bow,” the Fox Lord said, looking at me with a deep, meaningful gaze. “A bow without arrows.”