Chapter 26

Chapter 26

As soon as those words left my mouth, everyone froze.

Back when my grandmother sold me as a Dead Pawn to the Wufu Town Pawnshop, Granny had told everyone present that my ties of kinship with the Jiang Family were severed from that day forward, and we were to have no further dealings with each other.

Speaking such a bloody truth now, with such calm indifference, was like a resounding slap across my grandmother’s face.

Calling her ‘Auntie Jiang’ was both distant and heartless.

My grandmother pointed a finger at me, shaking with rage, but she couldn’t squeeze out another word.

Such is human nature.

She was the one who threw me away.

She was the one who beat me.

She was the one who sold me as a Dead Pawn, never caring whether I lived or died.

She felt entitled to insult and exclude me as much as she pleased, yet she couldn’t accept me being the one to actively draw a line between us.

But I… I survived after all, and I grew up well.

Beside me, Liu Junyan patted my head as if to comfort me.

I gave him a small smile to show I was fine.

Liu Junyan took my hand and led me past the crowd, heading toward Qilin Mountain behind the village.

The villagers followed closely behind us, but shortly after we started up the mountain, a layer of mist suddenly rose. The villagers were quickly lost from sight.

Liu Junyan kept holding my hand, never letting go.

“Can the villagers not see you?” I asked.

Liu Junyan nodded. “Correct.”

I asked again, “Did you create the mist behind us?”

“Yes,” Liu Junyan admitted bluntly. “I didn’t want them disturbing our time alone together.”

I felt like my ears were about to bleed from the heat.

This man… he was far too clingy.

Yet, on the night of the First Day of the Eighth Month when he first truly appeared before me, he had opened his mouth only to mock me.

When did his attitude change?

It seemed to be after he touched my back and became certain that I was the ‘Little Fire Fox.’

Am I really the Little Fire Fox?

If I’m not, and the real Little Fire Fox suddenly returns one day, how will Liu Junyan treat me then?

How would I even face myself at that point?

No, Xiao Jiu, don’t be greedy.

You were supposed to have nothing; even this little life of yours was a stroke of luck. Everything you have now is an unexpected gift.

Enjoy the present.

As for the future, leave it all to time.

Lost in thought, we soon arrived before the Qilin Temple.

The Qilin Temple was the fertility temple of Tafeng Village.

*The Qilin brings children, arriving upon a phoenix.*

Inside the Qilin Temple, a Qilin Statue was enshrined-a divine beast treading upon a golden phoenix with a hundred children upon its back.

It was said that all the children of Tafeng Village were sought from the Qilin Temple, including me.

Only, on the day I was born, a great fire broke out at the Qilin Temple. Half the mountain was scorched, and the Qilin Statue was left covered in cracks.

I stood at the entrance of the Qilin Temple for a moment.

Nowadays, the temple’s incense was flourishing. The Qilin Statue had been gilded in gold and shone brilliantly.

But I wasn’t sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me; looking from a distance at the entrance, I thought I saw faint wisps of black energy drifting around that towering Qilin Statue.

“Do you want to go in, light some incense, and pay your respects?” Liu Junyan asked.

I shook my head. “Better not.”

I didn’t want the incense of Tafeng Village to be cut off for no reason just because I went in to offer a prayer.

Instead, I walked toward the south side of the Qilin Temple, where a lush Wutong Tree stood tall.

I bowed toward the Wutong Tree.

When I was a child, several of my narrow escapes from death were related to this tree.

In my heart, it had truly become my lucky tree.

After I finished my bows, Liu Junyan asked, “You like this Wutong Tree very much?”

I gave a soft hum of affirmation. “Even my name was born because of this tree.”
Liu Junyan didn’t seem surprised. “As it should be,” he said.

I looked at him, confused, and found him staring back at me.

After a long moment, he spoke again. “Xiao Jiu, I’m going to teach you a Hand Seal. Commit it to memory.”

My eyes immediately lit up. “Seventh Master, are you going to teach me some of your skills?”

Liu Junyan couldn’t help but pinch the tip of my nose. He smiled and said, “Don’t call me Seventh Master. Call me by my name, or you can call me Seventh Brother.”

How could I possibly have the nerve to call him Seventh Brother?

However, he clearly disliked me calling him Seventh Master; he had already corrected me several times.

Liu Junyan’s smile faded as he seriously taught me a Hand Seal.

Press your palms together in front of your chest, then form the Sword Finger with both hands pointing at each other. Quickly pull them apart and rotate them clockwise. Finally, merge the Sword Fingers together, point them forward, and shout: “Fengwu, return to the body!”

This Hand Seal was easy to remember, but it required an explosive burst of energy. If I wasn’t careful, I could easily sprain my wrist.

I tried it several times in a row before I finally became proficient.

Then Liu Junyan said, “Good, that’s enough. Xiao Jiu, now stand facing the Wutong Tree and perform the seal again.”

I did as I was told.

The first time, nothing happened.

The second time, the third time…

I did it intermittently no less than ten times, but still, nothing happened.

I began to feel doubtful and instinctively looked toward Liu Junyan. He was stroking his chin, lost in thought.

After a while, he walked over and placed his large hand on my shoulder blade. I immediately felt a surge of heat pour into my body, rushing through my limbs and bones.

Liu Junyan was transferring True Qi to me again.

“Try again,” Liu Junyan encouraged.

I didn’t know what kind of effect he expected me to achieve with this seal, but I didn’t want to disappoint him. I performed the seal one more time, putting in every ounce of effort.

This time, as I shouted the words “Fengwu, return to the body,” a hot wind rose from the ground, making the leaves of the Wutong Tree rustle loudly.

I felt a powerful suction force appear out of thin air between me and the Wutong Tree. In the center of the tree trunk, a faint flicker of fire erupted.

That fire gradually condensed, eventually forming a flaming bow.

As I finished the gesture, the bow shot out from the trunk of the Wutong Tree. A moment later, it slammed into me head-on.

A powerful impact crashed into my body. For a moment, it felt as if I were burning inside again, especially in the space between my eyebrows and my eyes.

I stood there dazed, unable to recover for a long time.

Beside my ear, Liu Junyan’s voice came again, sounding clearly excited. “Xiao Jiu, perform the seal again. Recite ‘Fengwu, emerge’ to finish it.”

Although my whole body felt uncomfortable, I still did as I was told.

I did it over and over again.

It wasn’t until the seventh time, as I recited “Fengwu, emerge,” that my body swayed violently. The bow shot out of my body and suspended itself in mid-air.

The entire bow was wrapped in flames, glowing a brilliant red.

Before I could even process what was happening, Liu Junyan pulled me into his arms.

He lowered his head and kissed my forehead, the corners of my eyes… and finally, he captured my lips. He kissed me deeply, lingering as if he could never get enough.

I was practically suffocating from the kiss. I kept pushing at him with both hands until Liu Junyan finally let me go.

I raised my hands to rub my flushed cheeks. Once I had calmed down a bit, I pointed at the bow and asked Liu Junyan, “Did it… did it just sink into my body?”

That feeling was truly incredible.

Even though it had been uncomfortable, I felt a strange sense of compatibility with it, as if it were originally a part of me.

Liu Junyan’s next words left me even more stunned. “Yes. It is your Lifebound Artifact, Fengwu!”