Chapter 294
Chapter 294
The instant Liu Junyan opened his eyes, golden light flashed through his amber slit pupils, then swiftly vanished.
At first, his gaze was clear and utterly still. Then it gradually took on the emotions of the mortal world, followed by a swirl of complicated feelings. It all happened in the blink of an eye, yet every change was so distinct, so vivid and alive.
Then he reached out with one long arm, pulled me into his embrace, and held me tight.
His body was ice-cold and trembling faintly. He buried his face in the hollow of my shoulder and whispered, “Xiao Jiu…”
Tears spilled from my eyes. “Ah Yan, I’m here! I came to find you. We won!”
We had survived the Calamity.
What had been lost was ours again.
I had almost believed I was truly going to lose him.
Meow! Meow!
The Buddha Head began shaking violently. The Black Cat paced frantically in circles, meowing without pause. It pawed at me, then at Liu Junyan, as if it wished more than anything that it could speak and warn us.
Liu Junyan released me, only to wrap an arm around my waist. Then he scooped up the Black Cat with his other hand.
With one arm around me and the other holding the Black Cat, he leaped from Buddha Head Mountain, carrying us both with him.
The instant we landed safely, the ground shook fiercely. Not far behind us, Buddha Head Mountain collapsed with a deafening crash.
Liu Junyan had barely released me when Hui Moqiong charged over and engulfed him in a bear hug.
“Seventh Master, you’re finally out! I thought…”
His words dissolved into choked sobs.
The tears I had finally managed to hold back burst free once more.
I knew Hui Moqiong had truly been terrified.
After all, he had already lived through a situation like this once before.
Last time, the Copper-Coin Figure had been placed under a complete Seal inside the Pawnshop’s West Room, while he himself had been trapped in the Dou Family Ancestral Tomb.
This time had been even more dangerous. If something had happened to Liu Junyan, then even if we ultimately won the battle in Chang City, it would still have been a devastating blow to the Pawnshop!
The Wufu Town Pawnshop without Liu Junyan… the Five Blessing Immortals without Liu Junyan… It would have been nothing short of a catastrophe.
Thankfully, Liu Junyan had come back to life.
Hui Moqiong hit him with so much force that he nearly knocked Liu Junyan over. Overcome with emotion, he even raised a fist to pound Liu Junyan’s chest. Hui Yumo and I hurriedly grabbed him from either side, pried him off Liu Junyan, and forcibly dragged him away.
The ground continued to shake violently. The surrounding mountains buckled and swayed, and falling rocks could come crashing down at any moment.
Everyone quickly withdrew from Xiaoyingkou Ancient Battlefield.
By the time we reached the Riverside, we found a huge crowd waiting there.
All our people were present.
Fang Chuanzong, Fang Luo, and the others were there too.
There were also representatives from all the major sects, as well as members of Chang City’s Gray Immortal Hall.
But the most striking sight was the long line of Mouse Immortal juniors assembled along the Riverside.
Those one hundred little fellows had followed me through life-or-death dangers, displaying tremendous courage and resolve. Not only had they helped me break the deadlock, but they had also given me one final push at the most critical moment.
For the “Hundred Children Frolic with the Dragon Lantern” incident, the medals of honor belonged to them!
The moment they saw me, they erupted into cheers, unable to contain their excitement.
Perhaps it was just my imagination, but when they gathered together, I thought I saw a faint golden glow radiating from their bodies.
That was Merit!
Sure enough, they had already received the reward they deserved.
Just then, a huge crowd of villagers and Townsfolk came running over from the distance.
Many of them carried half-grown children in their arms. They hurried over to thank the Mouse Immortal juniors, then Hui Xiaotiao, Fang Luo, and the others, before finally coming to thank us as well…
Those were the hundred children who had nearly been offered up as a Sacrifice!
Hui Yumo quietly told me, “From now on, Gray Immortal Hall will take over everything in this area and handle the cleanup. The children’s parents had already discussed erecting a monument here in Xiaoyingkou to commemorate our achievements. Then people from the Qiu Family came in person and said the Qiu Family would fund the construction of a shrine here, where people could make incense offerings to us in the future.”
She jerked her chin toward the hundred Mouse Immortal juniors. “Those kids have really made it big this time.”
I smiled. “They earned it by risking their lives. It’s also a blessing for the Gray Immortal Hall in Chang City.”
“That’s right,” Hui Yumo said with a sigh. “Our hall went through a major purge before, and it was like cutting off one of our own arms. I’d been worried Xiao Tiao wouldn’t be able to hold the hall together after coming back. But now, we’ll be raising these youngsters ourselves, little by little. In the future, they’ll all be part of our trusted inner circle.”
The torrential rain gradually subsided, and the first pale light of dawn appeared on the horizon.
After that harrowing night, daybreak had finally arrived.
The local morning news in Chang City reported that an earthquake had struck Xiaoyingkou and the surrounding mountain ranges, while the downpour had caused severe flooding…
I made a point of asking what had happened to the remaining Ghost Soldiers at the Xiaoyingkou Ancient Battlefield.
Hui Moqiong told me that when they broke through Xiaoyingkou’s defensive line, Red Banner Child had used the Red Banner to command the Ghost Soldiers and lead them deep into the mountains. They would be transferred to Wufu Town little by little afterward.
Naturally, they would travel by water.
When Zhao Zixun left, I’d assumed Red Banner Child and the Black Cat had gone with him.
To my surprise, both little fellows had remained at their posts and played another crucial role at the critical moment.
The cleanup of the Xiaoyingkou Ancient Battlefield was being handled not only by the Gray Immortal Hall, but also by Fang Chuanzong’s men.
Fang Chuanzong was extremely busy. He had rendered great service in the battle at Xiaoyingkou.
Next, he had to write a report and enter the entire incident into the official archives. It was a massive undertaking.
Moreover, certain details could not be included in either the report or the records.
For example, the Mojin Talisman’s final whereabouts…
Before attending to all that, however, he met privately with Liu Junyan and me.
I also had a few things I wanted to discuss with him in detail.
Inside the RV, Fang Chuanzong personally brewed Liu Junyan and me each a cup of light tea. Raising his cup with a smile, he said, “The Xiaoyingkou Ancient Battlefield has always weighed heavily on my mind. We were only able to uproot it completely this time thanks to the two of you. I will truthfully report the contributions made by you and your many friends, and rewards will be distributed according to merit. Seventh Master Liu, Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, allow me to offer you a toast with tea in place of wine.”
We raised our cups and took a small sip.
Fang Chuanzong continued, “Of course, I also made two serious mistakes during this incident. If the two of you hadn’t turned the situation around, I’m afraid… There’s no point in saying more. I’ll punish myself with another cup of tea in place of wine.”
With that, he drained his tea in one gulp.
After setting down his cup, he went on, “My offer still stands. Once I’ve finished dealing with everything here, you’re welcome to visit the Special Affairs Office at any time. If there’s anything you need my help with, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do everything in my power.”
This was not the first time Fang Chuanzong had extended an olive branch to us.
We’d had too many reservations before and hadn’t wanted to accept it.
But after the battle at Xiaoyingkou, we could now consider ourselves comrades-in-arms.
So this time, Liu Junyan and I gladly accepted his offer.
After finishing my tea, I couldn’t help asking, “Elder Fang, have you interrogated Mao Jingxuan yet? How did it go?”
The moment Mao Jingxuan was mentioned, Fang Chuanzong gritted his teeth. “I have. I personally interrogated him at the first opportunity. He confessed to everything regarding the elixir poisoning.”
I shook my head. “The elixir poisoning isn’t my concern. What I want to know is why he was so obsessed with that Three-Eyed Toad that he was willing to make enemies of every major sect in East China for its sake.”