Chapter 203
Chapter 203
An hour later, Tang Xun finally woke up, looking remarkably alert and energetic.
She kept saying that for some time now, her body had felt unbearably heavy and exhausted, leaving her in a constant daze.
After sleeping for several days, she felt as though she had come back to life.
Her memories stopped just before she went to the Hushan Ancient Tomb to harvest the Crystal Orchid. She had completely forgotten the bizarre experience involving the Ghost King Butterfly.
By unspoken agreement, none of us mentioned it again.
Tang Xun was safe now, but this matter was far from over.
The story of Tang Xun and her destined partner had only just begun…
Tang Ao was overjoyed. He had been a disheveled mess for days, and even more of his hair had turned white.
He had food and rooms ready for us, telling us to eat our fill and get some rest. He would take care of Tang Xun’s recuperation from there.
Uncle Huo also spent the night at the Tang Family residence, but he barely slept. He stayed beside Snow Phoenix the entire time.
By the time we woke the next morning, his eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night.
He called me over and pointed at Snow Phoenix, who lay asleep among the chunks of ice in the Styrofoam cooler. “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, I observed her for a long time last night. It seems her wounds only stop deteriorating when she remains in a frigid environment. Once you take her back, it would be best to recreate this sort of habitat for her as closely as possible.”
Surprised, I asked, “Would the freezer compartment work? Could she freeze to death or suffocate?”
“It should be fine. In this sort of environment, she enters a state similar to hibernation, which will help her injuries heal,” Uncle Huo said. “I’ll visit her in a couple of days to check on her condition and make any necessary adjustments. There shouldn’t be any major problems.”
I nodded several times.
Uncle Huo gave me another pointed reminder. “Don’t put her together with all the other frozen food in there. There’s too much bacteria, and Snow Phoenix is far too precious.”
I laughed and agreed.
Uncle Huo then brought over the small bamboo basket we had returned with earlier. It was completely empty.
“I’ve examined the medicinal roots you brought back. They’re all premium-grade spirit herbs, but they aren’t meant for ordinary people, and they have special storage requirements. I’ll keep them safe for now. Once Snow Phoenix recovers, I can return them at any time.”
So all of them were spirit herbs?
Snow Phoenix had encountered Feng Lishu while gathering them. I had no idea whether she had intended to sell them or use them to save someone.
Either way, these spirit herbs had to be extremely important to her.
As an Occult Physician, Uncle Huo truly was the best person to keep them safe. For now, I entrusted them to him on Snow Phoenix’s behalf.
Before leaving, Uncle Huo examined Snow Phoenix’s injuries one more time. He only departed after confirming that there were no major problems.
Li Qingying had messaged me early that morning to ask how things were going on my end. After breakfast, Liu Junyan and I prepared to head home.
Yu Nian would remain at the Tang Family residence for a while longer. She said there were some things she wanted to discuss properly with Aunt Tang.
I knew she had also sensed the changing state of affairs throughout Huicheng and now wanted to establish a deeper partnership with the Tang Family.
That was a good sign!
On the way back, Liu Junyan drove while I sat in the passenger seat with the Styrofoam cooler in my arms, lost in thought.
Seeing my dazed expression, Liu Junyan asked with concern, “Did you go to bed too late last night? Didn’t sleep well?”
“No,” I answered honestly. “I was wondering if we ought to replace our refrigerator with a bigger one.”
The refrigerator we had now was the one Granny had bought when she was still alive. It was already over ten years old.
There had only been the two of us back then, so we hadn’t bought a large one.
And by now, it was really showing its age.
I hadn’t thought much of keeping the Buddha Eyes in the refrigerator before, but Snow Phoenix was different… After all, I had seen her take human form with my own eyes. Putting her beside frozen meat and fish…
No. Absolutely not!
Even if we cleared out an entire shelf just for it, I still couldn’t accept the idea.
Besides, our Pawnshop family was only going to keep growing. It was time to buy everything we would need.
“When we pass through the county seat later, let’s look around and replace it with a bigger one,” Liu Junyan said. “I’m also planning to have Moqiong find some people to renovate the Pawnshop’s rear courtyard. We’ll be making use of it in the future.”
I nodded repeatedly. “I’ll pick out the refrigerator. You handle the renovations.”
The Pawnshop — especially the areas beyond the Main Courtyard — wasn’t somewhere just anyone could enter at will. Fortunately, Hui Moqiong knew some Lu Ban Arts himself, and he had plenty of disciples and grand-disciples under him. There was no one better suited to the job.
We spent quite a while shopping around the county seat and eventually picked out a large double-door refrigerator along with a few small appliances.
We also grabbed some tasty food to go.
When we returned to the Pawnshop, however, Li Qingying was the only one there. Curious, I asked, “Where’s Fifth Master Hui?”
He was usually the most active one around. Had he gone out on some errand?
But when I saw Li Qingying hesitate as though she didn’t know what to say, I knew something must have happened to Hui Moqiong.
Liu Junyan asked, “What happened to Moqiong?”
“He’s in the West Room,” Li Qingying said. “Sometime after midnight last night, he chased a huge Grey Rat through who knows how many streets. He didn’t come back until dawn. He’s been in a terrible mood ever since, and he was injured too.”
I frowned. “A Grey Rat?”
The Gray Immortal Lineage was particularly complicated, with all sorts among its ranks.
Hui Moqiong was Wufu Town’s legitimate Gray Immortal and had once been one of the Five Blessing Immortals.
But he had been trapped in the Dou Family Ancestral Tomb for years. During that time, the power within the Gray Immortal Lineage had gradually splintered. Before Dou Zhile’s return, another Grey Rat faction had controlled the lineage.
And it was that same Grey Rat faction that had killed my Granny.
Granny’s death was a thorn lodged deep in my heart.
Although she had told me before she passed away that her time had come and that I wasn’t to avenge her…
Although Liu Junyan had spent a vast amount of Merit to grant Granny Release from Suffering and allow her to enter Reincarnation…
That didn’t mean the matter could simply end there without a sound!
Especially now that they had dared come to our door and provoke us. They must have been tired of living!
Hui Moqiong might usually act carefree and unserious, but he hated evil with a passion and was fiercely protective of his own.
The Grey Rat faction had controlled the Gray Immortal Lineage for so many years. Hui Moqiong had never forgotten that score either!
“Go ahead and eat,” Liu Junyan said. “I’ll check on him.”
I agreed, then took Li Qingying with me to check on Snow Phoenix. I also repeated Uncle Huo’s instructions to her. “The new refrigerator and the small appliances will be delivered this afternoon. I plan to put the new refrigerator in the Main Courtyard. The rear courtyard will be renovated soon too, so we may be a little busy over the next few days.”
“Just leave those chores to me.” Li Qingying patted her chest. “I’m the best at running a household.”
I smiled and praised her. “Sister Qingying, you’re the perfect wife and helper.”
Li Qingying laughed and tapped me on the forehead with one finger. “Xiao Jiu, why does that sound a little strange?”
I hugged her and nuzzled my cheek against her arm.
My life had truly only come alive after Li Qingying arrived at the Pawnshop.
I was grateful to her, and I felt incredibly close to her.
Li Qingying and I were nearly done eating when Liu Junyan came over with Hui Moqiong.
Hui Moqiong looked utterly dejected, his head hanging low. A deep scratch now marred the right side of his neck. Its edges had turned black, and it looked quite serious.
I stared in shock. “What powerful baleful energy! Has that Grey Rat taken up a different cultivation path?”