Chapter 198

Chapter 198

After Qiu Fengnian and I finished the paperwork, I called Master Hui Quan and asked if he had time to come to Chang City to perform a ritual.

Master Hui Quan readily agreed, saying he would bring his disciples over by tomorrow at the latest.

Qiu Fengnian took the phone from me and said, “Master Hui Quan, I’ll send someone to pick you and your disciples up tonight. I’d like to ask you to conduct rituals for an entire month and help us find a suitable new location for our ancestral graves while you’re here. Bring as many people as you need. I promise you’ll be well compensated.”

By the end of the conversation, both sides were very pleased.

Just after the call ended, Liu Junyan returned.

He looked a little pale, but with Qiu Fengnian present, I couldn’t ask what had happened.

Qiu Fengnian repeatedly invited us to stay for a few days and insisted on paying us, but I declined all his offers.

We left Chang City that very night.

I drove on the way back, while Liu Junyan sat in the passenger seat.

There wasn’t much traffic on the highway at night. With both hands on the wheel, I chatted with him intermittently.

Eventually, I steered the conversation back to the grave pit.

I asked tentatively, “Ah Yan, what’s inside that grave pit? You saw it, didn’t you?”

“No, I didn’t,” Liu Junyan said. “But just as I was about to retrieve the Golden Scale, it felt as if countless memories flashed through my mind. I couldn’t see them clearly, but they slammed into my nerves. I felt terrible at the time.”

So that was what had happened.

“Could there be a Dragon buried down there?” I asked. “I thought I heard the roar of a Dragon.”

Liu Junyan’s frown deepened.

It seemed that merely mentioning the Dragon’s roar made him uncomfortable again.

We drove on for quite some time before Liu Junyan finally spoke. “Xiao Jiu, when we get back, tell Master Hui Quan that there’s an auspicious feng shui site on a high ridge about two and a half kilometers southeast of that mountain range. Have the Qiu Family ancestral graves relocated there, and move the entire village there as well.

“We can’t touch whatever is buried in that graveyard for now, but we’re not going to abandon it. Fence the area off. When I have time, I’ll investigate it properly.”

I agreed to everything.

By the time we entered Jiangcheng, it was already well past midnight. Liu Junyan leaned back in his seat and fell asleep.

Looking at his exhausted profile, my heart ached for him.

For people like us, peace and stability were unattainable luxuries.

We were always on the road, constantly facing problems both great and small.

Our lives were perpetually on the line.

I didn’t know when it would ever end.

The two who had stayed behind to look after the Pawnshop hadn’t expected us to return that very night. Li Qingying hurried off to cook, while Hui Moqiong immediately noticed that something was wrong with Liu Junyan. He followed Liu Junyan all the way into the West Room, questioning him as they walked. “Was the situation over there that troublesome? Where’s the Three-Eyed Golden Toad? You didn’t manage to bring it back? How did you end up this exhausted? I told you that you should’ve taken me with you…”

I didn’t follow them. I gave them some space to talk in private.

I took a hot shower and changed into clean clothes. By then, Li Qingying was already calling us to eat.

She had made piping-hot noodles with egg and beef. I ate a huge bowl, and warmth finally spread through my entire body.

Figuring that they must be almost done talking, I went to the West Room to call Liu Junyan.

As soon as I entered, I saw Liu Junyan sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion. The Red Banner Child was circling him with the Red Banner clutched in his arms.

Every so often, he would stop and lean close to Liu Junyan, sniffing with his tiny nose. Then he would stroke his chin, deep in thought.

Hui Moqiong, standing to one side, was clearly growing impatient. He stepped forward, scooped up the Red Banner Child, and began tickling him under the arms. “What are you looking at, little guy? Why all the sneaking around?”
“Who are you calling sneaky?!” Red Banner Child protested. “I just caught a familiar scent on Seventh Master.”

Everyone’s gaze instantly snapped toward Red Banner Child.

I asked, “A familiar scent? What kind?”

“It wasn’t Seventh Master’s own scent. He brought it back from somewhere else.” Red Banner Child rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes, struggling to remember. “But it’s been so long that I can’t quite place it… When and where did I smell it before?”

He racked his brains.

The rest of us waited with bated breath.

After a long while, Red Banner Child’s eyes lit up. “I remember! It was years ago, the last time we saw Zhao Zixun before something happened to him. I smelled this scent on Zhao Zixun! Yes, there’s no mistake!

“It left such a deep impression because it carried the distinctive yin energy and killing intent of someone who had been buried on a battlefield for years! It was even heavier than the baleful aura clinging to Zhao Zixun!”

None of us had expected that answer.

Could there be a general buried beneath that graveyard as well?

Red Banner Child spoke again. “Unfortunately, the scent on Seventh Master is about to fade. Otherwise, we could have Zhao Zixun smell it and see if he recognizes it. But… no, that wouldn’t work either. How could Zhao Zixun possibly come anywhere near us? There’s no way he’d go to Chang City with us.”

“Why not?” Hui Moqiong said. “I’ll go tie up that saber-carrying brat on horseback and drag him over right now!”

“Stop!” Liu Junyan cut him off. “That land has already been taken into the Pawnshop, and I’ve placed a Seal on it. The time isn’t ripe yet, so don’t alert the enemy.”

Hui Moqiong glanced at me and gave me a thumbs-up. “Xiao Jiu’er, you even managed to take that in? You’re incredible! How much did you pay?”

“Eight hundred and eighty-eight yuan,” I said. “And only because I insisted. Otherwise, I could’ve gotten it for free.”

Hui Moqiong jabbed his thumb in my direction again. “You have my utmost admiration.”

The mood immediately lightened.

The little episode passed like a gust of wind, leaving barely a ripple behind.

But all of us knew that when the day came to unearth this matter again, we would face an ordeal unlike any we had ever encountered.

Seven days flew by, giving us a much-needed chance to rest and recover.

Once again, Hui Moqiong and Li Qingying stayed behind to hold down the fort while Liu Junyan and I drove to Huicheng.

This time, Liu Junyan drove while I carried the Soul-Guiding Lantern. The Black Cat lay sprawled lazily across my lap, snoring away.

I hadn’t planned on bringing the Black Cat, but the moment the car door opened, it darted inside. There was nothing I could do about it.

Besides, it had already traveled Yellow Springs Road before. Bringing it along would give us another capable helper.

For the past seven days, Yu Nian had remained at the Tang Family home to care for Tang Xun.

Tang Xun’s condition was neither good nor bad. Sometimes she would wake up and seem perfectly normal, only to suddenly lapse into sleep again. Once she did, she wouldn’t wake unless someone called to her.

Then, on the afternoon of the seventh day, Tang Xun abruptly fell into a deep coma.

The butterfly chrysalis on her lower back had slowly begun to split open.

The process was already slow, and Yu Nian had placed a Soul-Stabilizing Talisman on Tang Xun to delay the chrysalis from breaking free.

By the time we arrived at the Tang Family home, the runes on the Talisman Paper had faded almost completely. It looked ready to burst into flames and turn to ash at any moment.

I placed the Soul-Guiding Lantern on the bedside table, and Yu Nian peeled away the Soul-Stabilizing Talisman.

Tang Xun immediately let out a long yawn. Then her body arched sharply, making her look exactly like a chrysalis struggling with all its might to break free…