Chapter 15
Chapter 15
How do you shoot a bow without arrows?
Perhaps it was meant to be a collector’s item?
I thought I understood. “It seems this bow is very important to you, Fox Lord.”
“Extremely important,” the Fox Lord said solemnly. “It is the Lifebound Artifact of an old friend. I have always hoped that when we meet again, I can personally return this bow to her hands.”
I couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. “You are truly a man of deep sentiment, Fox Lord.”
“Heh.” Beside me, Li Qingying suddenly let out a cold snort, her tone unfriendly. “To lose even one’s Lifebound Artifact… Fox Lord, it seems the grass on your old friend’s grave must be quite tall by now, wouldn’t you say?”
Her words were sharp and barbed, delivered without the slightest hint of politeness.
I desperately wanted to reach out and cover Li Qingying’s mouth.
The Fox Lord didn’t get angry, however. Instead, he chuckled and said, “Qingying, it’s been a long time.”
Li Qingying rolled her eyes. “Better if we never met at all. Nothing good ever happens when you’re around.”
With that, she grabbed me and started walking.
Li Qingying was a trained martial artist with incredible grip strength. I couldn’t break free at all and could only look back at the Fox Lord apologetically.
The Fox Lord smiled and waved at me, watching us until we were far off in the distance.
I felt a bit uneasy, but more than that, I was curious. “Sister Qingying, are you and the Fox Lord old acquaintances?”
“Enemies on a narrow path,” Li Qingying said as she let go of me, her voice carrying a warning. “Xiao Jiu, stay away from that man in the future.”
I was puzzled. “Why? The Fox Lord helped me.”
“Small favors are only good for tricking naive little girls like you,” Li Qingying said, glancing at me. “Watch out, or he’ll sell you off one day and you’ll still be smiling while you count the money for him.”
Li Qingying didn’t sound like she was joking. I felt a pang of doubt-surely not?
My pace slowed for a moment, and she was already far ahead.
The Ghost Market was a melting pot of all sorts. The streets weren’t just lined with storefronts; there were also peddlers and vendors setting up stalls along the way, their cries filling the air.
This was my first time at the Ghost Market, and being unfamiliar with the place, it would be easy to get separated.
I jogged a few steps to catch up with Li Qingying and tugged on her sleeve. “Sister Qingying, what is a Lifebound Artifact?”
Li Qingying didn’t answer me. Instead, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes fixed on a stall laid out on the ground to the east.
I followed her gaze and saw a yellow cloth spread across the floor with several items displayed on it.
Two Black Donkey Hooves, a dried-up multicolored rooster, and a large piece of tiger skin.
Next to the tiger skin was a thick, long… Tiger Whip.
The stall-keeper was a Dark Thin Man with a goatee. He wore a blue cloth shirt and Black Cloth Shoes. One look at his frame told me he was physically formidable, yet he didn’t look like a hunter.
I took a liking to that Tiger Whip at first glance. Whether in terms of shape or color, it was a top-tier item of Pure Yang.
Needless to say, Li Qingying had her eye on it too.
She stepped forward to ask the price, and I hurried after her.
The Dark Thin Man stroked his goatee and said, “My goods aren’t for sale. Only for trade.”
It seemed this was the barter system unique to the Ghost Market.
Li Qingying felt around her person and pulled out a piece of agate the size of a pigeon’s egg. She handed it to the Dark Thin Man and asked, “Is this enough?”
The Dark Thin Man took the agate and turned it over in his hands for a long time, seemingly not very satisfied.
Li Qingying turned to look at me; clearly, she didn’t have any other decent items to offer.
Since it was my first time at the Ghost Market, I wasn’t well-prepared either.
Aside from money, the only thing I had on me was Sun Laiding’s Pen.
I pulled out the Pen, handed it to the Dark Thin Man, and asked, “Would this work?”
I hadn’t held much hope, but to my surprise, the Dark Thin Man’s eyes lit up. He took the pen and caressed it carefully, unable to put it down.
Not only did he give me the Tiger Whip, but he also threw in two Black Donkey Hooves as a bonus.
The gates of the Ghost Market only stay open for three hours, so the two of us didn’t dare wander around aimlessly lest we miss the window. Once we had everything we needed, we headed back.
On the way back, Li Qingying seemed to have something on her mind. She dropped me off at the entrance of the Pawnshop but didn’t get out of the car herself. She said to me, “Xiao Jiu, I have some matters to handle. I’ll be back in three days.”
She was the helper Liu Junyan had found for me, my partner, but she was also a free agent.
I nodded and told her to come back soon and stay safe.
After seeing Li Qingying off, I wrapped the two Black Donkey Hooves in yellow oil paper and tucked them away in a chest.
Black Donkey Hooves can ward off evil and dispel malevolent energy. My Granny used to use them back when she handled spiritual matters for people.
Having inherited Granny’s mantle, I had always cherished such items.
After putting away the Black Donkey Hooves, I went to the Main Hall and placed the Tiger Whip as an offering before the Black Coffin.
By the time I finished all this, it was already past two in the morning. When I went to the front to close the shop doors and prepare for bed, I suddenly felt like something was off.
A wind seemed to have picked up on the street, but it only swirled around the western side. Faintly, it seemed to carry the sound of whispering.
Subconsciously, I poked my head out to look toward the west. I saw several shadowy figures standing at the West Street Intersection, all of them craning their necks to stare at the Hexagonal Palace Lantern hanging under the Pawnshop’s eaves.
By the light of the lantern, I could clearly see the trash can across the street, yet for some reason, I couldn’t make out the faces of those people.
The wind blew my hair, and I was shocked to discover that the strands which had turned black on my wedding night had somehow grown several streaks of white again.
My heart skipped a beat as I suddenly realized something.
In the past, I couldn’t see things like Souls.
The first time I saw them was after Liu Junyan had touched me.
I looked at the group of figures to the west again, and they seemed even more blurred.
I hurried to close the door, my heart thumping with anxiety.
If I could no longer see these things, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle the Pawnshop’s Yin Pawn business.
Lying in bed, my mind raced with a mess of thoughts, but I couldn’t make sense of anything. I was too exhausted, and eventually, I drifted off into a daze.
I don’t know how long I slept before the mattress beside me suddenly sank. Immediately after, a powerful arm lifted my waist, pulling my entire body into a broad chest.
I was startled.
The next moment, the familiar scent of aged agarwood enveloped me, and I instantly relaxed, letting out a soft moan. “Seventh Master, I’m sleepy…”
Hot breath brushed against my ear as the man’s voice sounded exceptionally husky. “Xiao Jiu, be good. Call me by my name.”
I struggled to flutter my eyelids, but I was too tired to open them. I mumbled dismissively, “Liu Junyan, I want to sleep.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, my lips were captured, ground and rubbed in a lingering kiss.
I didn’t know what had gotten into Liu Junyan, but he was particularly passionate tonight, exuding an indescribable sexiness.
As waves of heat surged into my limbs and bones, the meridians throughout my body seemed to stretch and relax. This was likely the nourishment of Merit and True Qi.
By the time the sky grew bright, I was nestled in Liu Junyan’s arms, but my sleepiness had long since vanished.
My sweat-dampened hair had turned entirely glossy black; the few white hairs from last night were nowhere to be seen.
Liu Junyan twirled a strand of my hair around his long fingers and asked in a low voice, “Xiao Jiu, who taught you to offer that kind of thing?”