Chapter 51

Chapter 51

My hand holding the bow was trembling, and my heart felt an inexplicable, aching heaviness.

Was Cao Yu-shi at fault?

She hadn’t chosen her lowly birth.

Enslaved by her masters, she had been timid and weak, yet she had once held her Commendation Document and managed to deal with those beasts of the Cao Family for a time.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to resist; she was simply too insignificant. Her momentary resistance had only brought about even more intensified abuse.

Even at the moment of her death, her first thought hadn’t been to become a vengeful spirit. If the resentment of those Little Ghosts hadn’t shackled her soul, she probably would have entered Reincarnation long ago, wouldn’t she?

Now, the Little Ghosts had been burned into wisps of green smoke by Fengwu’s flames. With the resentment that bound Cao Yu-shi dissipated, she… had returned to being that kind, fragile woman she once was.

Did I really have to make someone like Cao Yu-shi vanish into nothingness?

“Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, let me handle this.”

Master Hui Quan suddenly spoke. He had already put away his Ruler and stepped forward, placing a hand on Cao Yu-shi’s head while chanting under his breath.

He was performing the ritual to Release from Suffering for Cao Yu-shi.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief, put away Fengwu, and went to check on Wu Qian.

Wu Qian had literally been scared shitless and his legs were weak, but otherwise, he was fine.

Seeing that the situation was settled, the Wu Family scrambled to carry Wu Qian back to his room to clean him up.

By the time Master Hui Quan finished and Cao Yu-shi’s Souls were sent off, dawn had already broken.

The Wu Family gathered around, offering endless thanks and asking what they should do next.

Master Hui Quan instructed, “Although Cao Yu-shi has been sent off, this manor has been plagued by spirits for too long. You still need to hold three days of rites to settle the energy.”

Wu Meng said repeatedly, “Of course, of course. Also, my youngest son has been scared out of his wits. I must ask Master Hui Quan to help soothe his spirit.”

Master Hui Quan nodded in agreement, then turned to me. “Thank you for your assistance this time, Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu. I will handle the remaining cleanup work.”

“No need to be so polite, Master. I only came to help because I have a request of my own,” I said with a smile. “Once you’ve finished your work here in a few days, I will visit Qingquan Temple in person.”

Master Hui Quan was very pleased. “I shall quietly await your arrival, Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu.”

The Wu Family’s troubles were mostly resolved, but I wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Instead, I inspected every broken threshold in the manor one by one.

Sure enough, I found a section of the header from a Chastity Arch inside the main gate’s threshold. The words ‘Jielie’ were carved prominently upon it.

Based on the timeline, when Cao Houde stole and hid Cao Yu-shi’s Commendation Document, he hadn’t thought of taking it to the Pawnshop immediately.

The Commendation Document was only pawned after Cao Yu-shi died and began her killing spree. Cao Houde had sought out an expert who provided a two-part solution.

The first part was to pawn the Commendation Document at the Wufu Town Pawnshop. The second part was to seal pieces of the Chastity Arch into the thresholds-the Pomegranate Carvings in the inner room’s threshold and the ‘Jielie’ Plaque in the main gate’s threshold. This ensured that Cao Yu-shi and those Little Ghosts would be trapped forever within this manor.

What a vicious method!

Cao Yu-shi had been tormented for over a hundred years. Fortunately, she had now been granted Release from Suffering by Master Hui Quan. I hoped her next life would be peaceful and healthy, and that she would be deeply loved.

I handed the Pomegranate Carvings and the ‘Jielie’ Plaque to Wu Meng and told him, “Once you’re done with the work here, take these two items to the Pawnshop so we can finalize the paperwork.”

Wu Meng agreed repeatedly.

On the way back, Li Qingying drove while I sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window with a heavy heart.

Qingying asked with concern, “Xiao Jiu, you successfully resolved the Wu Family’s matter, so why do you look so unhappy? Are you exhausted?”

I shook my head. “I’m just wondering… should our Pawnshop have accepted that Commendation Document back then? I can’t help feeling like the Pawnshop was an accomplice to those villains.”

Who exactly was the founder of the Pawnshop?

Was the original intention of founding this Pawnshop really as simple as doing business?

Li Qingying thought for a moment and offered some comfort. “Xiao Jiu, perhaps that’s exactly why you and Seventh Master appeared at the Wufu Town Pawnshop.”

I looked back at Li Qingying. Her single sentence had suddenly enlightened me.
It was true; Liu Junyan was trapped in the Pawnshop specifically to suppress those Dirty Things.

And everything I was doing now-wasn’t it also to accumulate Merit?

At the very least, we had saved Cao Yu-shi last night, hadn’t we?

I couldn’t help but say, “Sister Qingying, you really are the one who understands me best. It’s so good to have you here.”

Li Qingying kept both hands on the steering wheel and didn’t acknowledge me.

However, a faint blush quietly crept onto her cheeks.

I was in high spirits. When we returned to Wufu Town and I stepped out of the car, I was surprised to find that a faint golden light had appeared inside the Hexagonal Palace Lantern hanging on the west side of the porch.

The golden light settled at the bottom of the Hexagonal Palace Lantern, and Fu Wan’s Essence Spirit was now enveloped within it, no longer thrashing about as it had before.

This golden light was Merit!

It must have been accumulated from the few cases I had resolved recently. Since a portion was in the Hexagonal Palace Lantern, Liu Junyan must have absorbed a portion on his end as well.

The slight gloom I had felt in the car vanished instantly.

It turned out that everything I was doing really did have meaning!

For the next three days, no business came to the Pawnshop. I was happy to enjoy the leisure, catching up on sleep with Li Qingying, practicing my techniques, and then beginning preparations for the trip to the Ghost Market.

Li Qingying seemed to have something on her mind. She asked me, “Xiao Jiu, didn’t we just go to the Ghost Market last month? We bought everything we needed. Do we really have to go again this month?”

“Yes, I have to go,” I replied while packing. “This time isn’t mainly for buying things; I want to scout for some information.”

Li Qingying fell silent.

Only then did I notice something was off. I asked, “Sister Qingying, do you have plans for that day?”

“A bit of private business,” Li Qingying said. “But it’s fine. It won’t be too late to handle my own affairs after we come out of the Ghost Market.”

I remembered that the last time was also on the fifteenth. After Li Qingying accompanied me out of the Ghost Market and sent me back to the Pawnshop, she left.

She said she would be gone for three days, but when I got into trouble, she rushed back early.

She had ended up with a deep wound on her shoulder.

Thinking of this, I asked, “Are you going away for three days again?”

Li Qingying nodded.

I really wanted to ask what kind of private business was so troublesome.

But Li Qingying clearly didn’t want to talk about it, so asking would be pointless. I decided I would try asking again someday when she felt like sharing.

Wu Meng kept his promise. As soon as he finished handling his family affairs, he brought those two items to the Pawnshop.

Since this transaction wasn’t a standard redemption or pawn but rather a barter exchange, the procedures were simple.

After I accepted the ‘Jielie’ Plaque and the Pomegranate Carvings, Wu Meng handed over two large red envelopes. He said politely, “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu and Miss Li have helped the Wu Family so much. This is a small token of my gratitude; please accept it.”

Having received two such good items, I hadn’t intended to take any money.

But Wu Meng insisted, dropping the red envelopes and running off.

I checked them. Both envelopes contained notes. The one for Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu had ten thousand yuan, and the one for Miss Li had eight thousand.

I gave Li Qingying her envelope and put mine in the bank.

On the night of the fifteenth, Li Qingying and I arrived early at the Earth God Temple behind the aquatic market to wait.

Several other people entered the gate with us tonight, but after the incident with Fang Yuan, we were more cautious and tried not to speak to anyone.

I exchanged currency at the Fengdu Bank and then went to the window that sold Pawn Tickets to buy a Pawn Ticket booklet.

The same Clerk from before was still at the window. As I was paying, I asked casually, “Excuse me, do you know the old shopkeeper of the Wufu Town Pawnshop?”

The Clerk finished counting the currency, packaged the Pawn Ticket booklet, and handed it to me. “I’m sorry, Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu. In this place, I only discuss transactions, not names or identities.”

I nodded, thanked him, and turned to leave.

But as I walked toward the exit, I felt that something was wrong.

During these two transactions, the Clerk indeed hadn’t asked for my name or identity… so why had he called me ‘Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu’ the moment he opened his mouth?