Chapter 45

Chapter 45

“What is mine is yours.”

“Now, it belongs to you.”

It was a Golden Scale! It had once been integrated with Liu Junyan’s Lifebound Artifact.

Liu Junyan had given it to me without the slightest hesitation. It would be impossible to say I didn’t like it or wasn’t moved.

“Go outside and try it.”

Liu Junyan pulled me into the courtyard. I gripped the bow inlaid with the Golden Scale, drew it to full tension, and released. *Thump…*

As I let go of the taut string, a hollow resonance echoed through the vast Pawnshop.

There was no wind today, yet I heard the leaves of the large locust tree in the front yard rustling loudly.

Even Li Qingying, who was busy organizing things, came running over. When she saw the Golden Scale embedded in my bow, her eyes twitched. Ultimately, she said nothing and went back to her work.

I was pleasantly surprised. “Liu Junyan, with the blessing of the Golden Scale, Fengwu’s explosive power has really increased a lot.”

Liu Junyan, however, frowned, seemingly dissatisfied. “By all rights, it should be even stronger.”

“Perhaps Old Lady Bai drained some of the Merit and spiritual power inherent in the Golden Scale over the years,” I speculated. “Or maybe it lost too much while helping me withstand the backlash of the Thunder Summoning Talisman.”

“You used a Thunder Summoning Talisman?” Liu Junyan’s large hand immediately covered my back. He felt carefully for a moment before saying, “Xiao Jiu, you have internal injuries.”

Tang Xun had fed me a Heart-Protecting Pill, and I had rested well last night. Before I left this morning, Tang Xun had not only packed the medicinal herbs for my recovery but also gave me some supplements to bring back.

At the moment, I didn’t feel too uncomfortable.

I explained these things to Liu Junyan. “You don’t need to worry about me. The Golden Scale blocked the vast majority of the backlash. I just need to rest and recover for a while.”

Liu Junyan patted my head and said, “No rush. Focus on healing your body first, then train slowly. Once Fengwu and the Golden Scale are fully synchronized, your spiritual power will reach a new level.”

I stroked the bow and the Golden Scale upon it, unable to put it down, my heart filled with joy.

Liu Junyan told me that this Golden Scale was a Spiritual Artifact. The Merit and spiritual power it contained would aid my cultivation. At the same time, the Merit I earned and the spiritual power I cultivated would, in turn, strengthen the Golden Scale, allowing us to grow together.

I was a mere mortal and couldn’t normally cultivate, but after reclaiming Fengwu, my constitution had been subtly changing under its influence.

First of all, I could now see those Dirty Things on my own, without needing help from Liu Junyan’s Merit and power.

Secondly, I could actually try to cultivate now.

Although Li Qingying often complained that my foundation was unstable and that I hadn’t found the right method yet, as long as the foundation existed, I wasn’t in a hurry.

After chatting for a while, Liu Junyan urged me to lie down and rest. He reminded me to take care of myself before returning to the Black Coffin.

Li Qingying had also finished brewing the medicine and called me over to drink it.

There was nothing major happening in the Pawnshop, so after drinking the medicine, Li Qingying pressed me into bed to recover.

Leaning against the headboard, I ate the small desserts I had brought back from the Tang Family while scrolling through my phone.

I accidentally came across a news headline that made me frown instantly.

[Shocking: Rising Star of Law Chen Lu goes mad in court, bites plaintiff; fears of mental breakdown due to extreme pressure!]

Going mad in court? Biting the plaintiff?

What kind of bizarre headlines were these?

This Rising Star of Law, Chen Lu, was the woman who had bought the Pen I had pawned off.

She had become famous overnight not too long ago. How could these writers portray her like this in such a short time?

Had she offended someone?

But when I saw the accompanying photos below, I froze.

The photos showed the interior of the courtroom during the trial. In the pictures, Chen Lu’s hair was disheveled, and she had indeed lunged forward to bite the plaintiff’s neck!

There was blood all over the floor.

My temples began to throb. How could this happen?

The only reason Chen Lu had been able to suppress the Evergreen Tree of Law, Si Heng, was because of that Pen modified by a Guijiang.
Li Qingying told me that the Pen had been modified into a cursed artifact, but using such things came with taboos. If those taboos were violated, one would suffer a terrible backlash.

It seemed Chen Lu was a victim of that very backlash.

From the looks of it, cursed artifacts really weren’t meant for ordinary people.

For the next few days, I stayed home to recover.

Li Qingying brewed medicinal tonics for me every day, watching over me to ensure I drank them on schedule. In her spare time, she quietly went out to scout for news about the Bai Family.

The Bai Family Medical Hall was operating normally during those days, but Old Lady Bai hadn’t made a single appearance. She was likely recuperating as well.

“Old Lady Bai has committed so many evils; she deserves to die. I honestly hope she doesn’t pull through this time!” Li Qingying said resentfully.

I, however, was full of worry. “Evil lasts for a thousand years. She won’t die that easily. Hasn’t Bai Jingmo already started making small moves?”

To extend her life, there was no telling how many people the Bai Family would harm this time.

I wondered when the Bai Family’s retribution would finally come.

On the fourth day after returning from the Tang Family, Cai Bin arrived.

His complexion looked much better. He was full of gratitude, saying that Mrs. Cai had regained her senses and would soon be able to return to a normal life.

“Here is two hundred thousand yuan,” Cai Bin said, placing a small bag on the counter. “Thank you, Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, for risking your life to help us. I hope you will accept this.”

After saying that, he handed over a long, rectangular box. “This is that painting. The Tang Family has resealed it. Tang Xun asked me to tell you that the seal must not be broken. It would be best to find a temple or a similar place to perform a ritual to Release from Suffering and then keep it as an offering for a while.”

I nodded and took the painting, feeling a slight stir in my heart.

I had thought Tang Xun would keep the painting for herself.

Cai Bin rubbed his hands together, looking a bit awkward. “My original intention was to give you a million yuan to thank you, Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, but Tang Xun said the Pawnshop has its own rules. A token of appreciation in cash is fine, but the painting must be pawned to you.”

I pushed the bag of money back toward Cai Bin and said, “Aunt Tang is right. The Pawnshop has its rules. Take the money; I only want the painting.”

Cai Bin immediately pushed the bag back.

We went back and forth until Cai Bin finally, helplessly, took back the two hundred thousand yuan.

I then asked, “Mr. Cai, do you intend for this to be a Live Pawn or a Dead Pawn? How much do you want for it?”

“Dead Pawn.” Cai Bin had clearly done his homework beforehand. He said, “Let’s pawn it for eight yuan and eighty cents. A lucky number for both of us, haha.”

I laughed along with him; businessmen were indeed very particular about such things.

I took out a Pawn Ticket and my seal, ground the ink, and wrote carefully.

The Pawn Ticket was made in duplicate. I had Cai Bin sign and leave a thumbprint before stamping it with the Pawnshop’s seal.

I gave one copy of the Pawn Ticket to Cai Bin along with eight yuan and eighty cents, and filed the other copy away.

With that, I had completed another transaction.

As I put the painting away, I suddenly thought of Master Hui Quan.

If I got the chance, perhaps I should pay him a visit.

One reason was for this painting, and the other was that I wanted to ask him to look at my fate again.

After all, Tang Tang had said Master Hui Quan possessed some genuine skill.

To my surprise, it wasn’t long before I met Master Hui Quan again.

It happened like this: that day, a middle-aged man around sixty years old came into the Pawnshop. He was wearing a modified Tang suit. As soon as he entered, he asked, “Excuse me, is Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu in? I would like to Redeem Pawn.”

Redeem Pawn?

Since the Pawnshop reopened, this was the very first redemption business. I immediately went to greet him. “May I ask what you wish to redeem, sir? Did you bring the Ticket Stub from the original transaction?”

“I brought it.” The man handed over a yellowed Pawn Ticket and said, “Please take a look, Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu.”

I took the Pawn Ticket and inspected it very seriously.

The Pawn Ticket was real, and the seal was indeed that of the Wufu Town Pawnshop. Furthermore, I had seen the item the man wanted to redeem when I was taking inventory of the Pawned Items earlier.

It was a Commendation Document.

However, the Pawn Period for this Commendation Document had already expired over a hundred years ago…