Chapter 184
Chapter 184
As I walked in, Li Qingying suddenly tugged my sleeve and pointed her chin toward East Street.
I looked over in confusion towards East Street, and unexpectedly saw someone I hadn’t seen in a long time… Bai Jingmo.
He had lost a lot of weight, wearing a light gray tracksuit that seemed to hang loosely on him.
He was staring towards the Pawnshop.
When our eyes met, he still stood there quietly, with no intention of greeting me.
But his eyes were so deep that I couldn’t fathom them.
Just as I was about to look away and ignore it, out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of several Yellow Weasels standing upright on a nearby roof.
Their slightly whitish figures were half-hidden in the dying light of the sunset, appearing somewhat indistinct.
I frowned, my confusion deepening.
What on earth is going on?!
The New Year’s Eve dinner was already sumptuous, everyone eating and drinking, and at first the atmosphere was quite lively.
I had planned to take advantage of the festive mood to get a game of mahjong going.
After all, on New Year’s Eve, we stay up to see the year out. There shouldn’t be any business at the Southern Study tonight.
The night is long, so why not pass the time with some mahjong?
We couldn’t just do what Li Qingying and I usually do-making paper figures and folding Gold Ingots to keep vigil.
But no one supported my idea.
They all seemed preoccupied, as if waiting for something.
But they weren’t sure if what they were waiting for would come, so they hadn’t told me.
I privately pulled Liu Junyan aside and asked him quietly, but he just hugged me and said, “Xiao Jiu, don’t ask. When the time comes, you’ll know.”
At eleven o’clock, everyone gathered in the living room of the Rear-facing Room, leaving me alone behind the counter in the Southern Study.
Even the connecting small door was shut.
The more they acted this way, the more curious and inexplicably anxious I became.
So I waited and waited. When I grew impatient, I stepped out of the small door of the Southern Study to look outside.
On East Street, Bai Jingmo had long since disappeared.
But the several Yellow Weasels on the roof were still there.
When I looked over at West Street Entrance, I got a fright.
The streetlight there was normally fine, but tonight for some reason it was flickering.
In the darkness, with each flicker, I seemed to see shadowy figures over there.
As if many people were standing there.
And I seemed… to see Zhao Zixun riding a warhorse.
I silently retreated back behind the counter.
Something was bound to happen tonight. Something big!
I’d better just wait obediently.
Having nothing better to do, I cleaned the counter again and tidied up the items inside.
I also sorted all the Pawn Tickets that had been issued since the Pawnshop reopened.
While tidying up, a thought suddenly struck me.
The moment I thought of it, my heart pounded like a drum, thumping loudly.
Could it be what I was thinking?
At that moment, I finally understood how everyone else felt.
Just after eleven fifty, a wind suddenly rose outside.
This Yin Wind didn’t blow in from East Street or West Street Entrance; instead, it seemed to rise straight up from the ground.
Immediately after, a pitch-black door suddenly appeared in mid-air over the street outside.
Seeing that illusory door appearing out of nowhere, all my guesses settled into place.
It was the Underworld Emissary.
During the Old Lady Bai incident, when the Underworld Emissary came to lock up her soul, they said before leaving that since I run the Pawnshop and perform Salvation of Souls, Merit would be accumulated, and there would be rewards based on my deeds.
That was a long time ago.
Moreover, after they left, the Hexagonal Palace Lantern had gained even more Light of Merit and Lamp Oil, so I naturally assumed that was the reward.
Now, though, it seemed that wasn’t the case.
The true assessment of merits and bestowal of rewards was taking place tonight.
Was this some kind of year-end review?
As I pondered that, two Underworld Emissaries emerged from the doorway. They wore loose, dark-red robes with wide sleeves and a ring of auspicious clouds embroidered around the hems. Official caps sat atop their heads, and broad sashes encircled their waists.
I stood frozen behind the counter, completely at a loss for what to do.
For a moment, I even wondered whether I ought to receive this the way people received imperial edicts in ancient times…
Before I could make up my mind, the two Underworld Emissaries had already taken their places outside the Southern Study.
A shrill, eerie voice rang out. “Xiao Jiu, shopkeeper of the Wufu Town Pawnshop, assumed her post on the First Day of the Eighth Month. During her tenure, she has fulfilled her duties with diligence, subdued evil entities, and brought Salvation to lost souls…”
The two Underworld Emissaries went on to recite nearly every item I had accepted and every soul I had brought Salvation to since the First Day of the Eighth Month.
Then came the assessment of my achievements and the rewards for them.
As the Underworld Emissary read out the proclamation, item after item appeared on the counter.
What surprised me most were two pieces of Black-Gold Stone.
Granny had told me about Black-Gold Stone before. Very little of it was produced in the Realm of the Living. Most came from rivers in the Underworld, and it was hard currency on both sides of the Yin-Yang divide.
It was extremely valuable.
Even at the Ghost Market, it was nearly impossible to buy, no matter how much money one had.
At last, one of the Underworld Emissaries stepped forward, took a small, pure-black box from his voluminous sleeve, and placed it on the counter. “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu’s performance has been outstanding. In addition to the rewards prescribed by the rules, this item has been specially prepared for Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu.”
I bent down for a closer look, only to realize it could hardly even be called a box.
It was one seamless piece, without so much as a hint of where it might open.
The Underworld Emissary continued, “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, you must remember this. If you ever have the opportunity to enter the Underworld in the future-including the Ghost Market-you must bring it with you.”
I opened my mouth to ask a question, but it happened to be exactly midnight.
The two Underworld Emissaries instantly retreated through the black door and vanished.
From their appearance to their disappearance and the return of silence, the entire event had lasted no more than ten minutes.
Yet I was left in a daze, as though I had just awakened from the strangest of dreams.
But everything laid out on the counter, along with the Light of Merit nearly overflowing from the Hexagonal Palace Lantern, told me that everything I had just witnessed was real.
The Netherworld Realm’s rewards for my achievements had come at last, late though they were.
The small door connecting the Rear-facing Room to the Southern Study was pulled open, and everyone stood in the doorway looking at me.
Li Qingying was the first to rush over. She threw her arms around me. “Xiao Jiu, congratulations! Your status has finally been officially recognized!”
Yu Nian came over next, a smile playing on her lips. “Xiao Jiu, things are only going to get better for you.”
Everyone was elated.
On the final day of the year, all the upheaval of the past seven-odd months had finally been given the best possible conclusion.
Jin Wuya, Dou Jinsuo, and the others departed one after another.
Before Hu Yulin left, he gave me a long, searching look and said, “Xiao Jiu, congratulations.”
My feelings toward Hu Yulin had once been complicated.
He had saved me, but he had also hurt me.
Yet ever since he joined forces with Liu Junyan, everything he had done had been for our sake. From now on, we would be long-term allies as well.
So I smiled back. “Thank you, Brother Hu.”
Hu Yulin smiled and coughed several times. He had recently forced himself to activate the Nine-Tailed Sky-Covering Formation beyond his level, then used the Phantom Shadow Tracking Technique. The strain had been immense, and he needed to return to Yin Mountain to recuperate.
“Congratulations, Sister-in-law,” Lord Xiao said. Then he extended a fist and bumped Liu Junyan on the shoulder. “Don’t forget what you promised me. I’ll be waiting for you to come back…”