Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Jin Wuya spoke of ‘admiration,’ but the look in his eyes was one of pity.

As someone who walked the same path, he was a senior to me in every sense. How could he not know the dangers involved? How could he not see that I was merely one of the Sacrificial Offerings?

We had only met by chance, yet he was willing to tell me these things. I felt a surge of gratitude.

I gave a bitter smile and said, “Boss Jin, you’re joking. If it weren’t for circumstances beyond my control, who would want to be stuck in a quagmire with no way out?”

Jin Wuya sipped his tea, seemingly weighing his words. After a long moment, he said, “Actually, a Grand Formation like this must have a Formation Eye. If Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu can find the Formation Eye, there might be a way out after all.”

A Formation Eye?

The moment Jin Wuya mentioned it, I immediately thought of the Bagua Well under the Great Locust Tree in the Pawnshop’s front courtyard.

If I had to name the Formation Eye of the Pawnshop, it would undoubtedly be that well. After all, the Seal on the mouth of the well was incredibly obvious.

As I fell into thought, Jin Wuya laughed and brushed it off. “I’m just speaking off the cuff. Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, don’t take it to heart. I’m only a half-wit when it comes to these things; I wouldn’t want to lead you astray.”

I shrugged, not minding at all. “If you’re a half-wit, Boss Jin, then I’m barely a novice. Even if I found the Formation Eye, I wouldn’t have the power to break it, would I?”

“That’s true,” Jin Wuya admitted. “The Pawnshop is tied to the safety of all Wufu Town. If it were ever broken, Wufu Town would surely face a total catastrophe. This is a matter of great importance; it won’t be easy.”

The topic reached a natural end. Jin Wuya and I both lowered our heads to sip our tea. After a brief silence, I spoke up to change the subject. “Boss Jin, the two items I showed you at the Ghost Market are still available. If you’re interested, we can close the deal today.”

“I’ve actually been hesitating for the past two days.” Jin Wuya let out a long sigh, as if making a monumental decision. “I could have traded various Pure Yang or Pure Yin objects with you, but the matter of the Golden Scale has been weighing on my heart for over twenty years. Perhaps I can find a breakthrough here with Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu.”

My mind raced. Jin Wuya’s words held a deeper meaning.

I asked tentatively, “Do you really have news regarding the Golden Scale?”

“Over twenty years ago, my master died because of this matter,” Jin Wuya began slowly. “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, you likely know that I am a Guijiang. I lived and worked with my master for many years.

“My master was once famous on this path, and countless people sought him out for his services. About sixty years ago, he was invited to a Temple to help embed a Golden Scale into a Bell. Then, over twenty years ago, the Temple’s Abbot personally sought out my master, saying that the Golden Scale had started to come loose and asking him to re-embed it.

“But after that trip, my master fell gravely ill. He hurriedly handed the family business over to me and… passed away.”

How could that be?

Jin Wuya gripped his teacup so hard that his knuckles turned white. “This is a knot in my heart. I’ve always felt that my master must have encountered something in that Temple. Otherwise, with his constitution, he wouldn’t have died so suddenly. I’ve visited that Temple countless times over the years, but I’ve never found anything suspicious.”

He paused and looked up at me, his eyes filled with pain. “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu is looking for the Golden Scale, and I want to find any clue from that Golden Scale regarding the cause of my master’s death. I believe this trade is worth making.”

Of course it was!

I immediately stated my position. “Fine. Let’s set a time, and I’ll accompany you to that Temple. Naturally, I will give you both the Pomegranate Carvings and the ‘Jielie’ Plaque.”

Jin Wuya tried to decline. “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, you’re being too kind. We both get what we want from this trade; I shouldn’t take your items as well.”

I smiled. “Shopkeeper Jin, I felt an immediate connection with you. I’m sure I’ll be troubling you for help in the future, so you must accept these two items.”

In business, it was all about the give and take.

I had even considered the idea of recruiting Jin Wuya to work at the Pawnshop. How could I afford to be stingy now?
Jin Wuya thought for a moment and said, “Alright, I’ll take those two items. Once they’re refurbished and sold, we’ll split the proceeds fifty-fifty.”

I nodded in agreement.

After that, Jin Wuya gave me the specific details about the temple. I returned to the Pawnshop to get the two items for him, and we agreed to meet again in two days.

The reason I set it for two days later was that I wanted to wait for Li Qingying.

Today was already the second day since she had left. If nothing went wrong, she would be back by tomorrow night at the latest.

She had been so badly injured last time that I was worried. I needed to see her return safely with my own eyes before I could focus on anything else.

After seeing Jin Wuya off, I returned to the Pawnshop and began searching for information about that temple on my phone.

As it turned out, I found quite a bit.

The temple was located on the border between Jiangcheng and Huicheng, and it was called Jiyu Temple.

Jiyu Temple was originally just a small, obscure place. It rose to prominence over sixty years ago during a severe drought in the region. It was said that not a single drop of rain fell for three years, and the fields yielded no harvest at all.

The Abbot of Jiyu Temple at the time had set up an altar to perform rituals and pray for rain for the people, but there was no result for months.

Unable to bear the suffering of the world, that Abbot eventually offered his own body as a sacrifice upon the altar to the heavens. This act moved the heavens, finally bringing a great rain that saved the people.

Since then, the incense offerings at Jiyu Temple had flourished, continuing to this day.

Everything seemed perfectly normal and quite touching.

At least for now, I couldn’t see any issues.

It seemed I would have to wait until I actually visited Jiyu Temple.

On the second night, Li Qingying did indeed return.

She looked exhausted and had quite a few injuries on her body, but she was in much better shape than the last time.

I prepared a meal for her and made sure she ate her fill before she went to wash up and rest.

During breakfast the next morning, I told Li Qingying about my plan to go to Jiyu Temple.

She immediately insisted on coming with me.

I shook my head. “It’s fine. I’m going with Shopkeeper Jin just to take a look. I’ll be back by evening at the latest. You stay home and rest well. I have something to tell you when I get back.”

Li Qingying refused to back down. “I’m fine, I’ve already recovered. I’ll drive you.”

I couldn’t win the argument, so I had to agree.

We met up with Jin Wuya at the edge of Wufu Town, and by noon, we had arrived at Jiyu Temple.

It happened to be the weekend, so there were quite a lot of people coming up the mountain to offer incense at Jiyu Temple.

To my surprise, a large proportion of them were young people.

Jin Wuya had been here many times and was quite familiar with Jiyu Temple. He led us straight through the front hall to the large courtyard in the back.

In the very center of the courtyard stood a massive Bell. It was covered in red and gold ribbons, and those ribbons were hung thick with small wooden plaques.

A wish was written on every single wooden plaque.

Many incense offerings were placed around the Bell; clearly, it was being treated as a wishing bell.

I bowed toward the Bell as well, then studied it carefully. It was tall and heavy, and indeed, a faint aura of Merit seemed to shroud its frame.

I didn’t find anything unusual.

I shook my head at Jin Wuya. A flash of disappointment crossed his eyes, but perhaps he hadn’t held much hope for this trip to begin with, as he quickly composed himself. “In that case, let’s head back down the mountain.”

I was about to respond when a commotion broke out nearby. It seemed two girls were arguing over a Fortune Stick.

One girl was wearing a red dress, while the other was in Ash-Gray Sportswear.

A Little Monk stood beside them, bowing slightly to the Red Dress Girl. “Jiyu Temple only allows three fortune sticks per person a day, and we go by first come, first served. If the Lady Benefactor is sincere in seeking a fortune, please come earlier tomorrow.”

As he spoke, the Little Monk tried to take the Fortune Stick Tube from the Red Dress Girl to give it to the girl in gray.

But the Red Dress Girl was quite arrogant. “I have to work tomorrow! I’m the one who got the Fortune Stick Tube, so I’m the one who gets to seek my fortune first!”

The girl in gray wasn’t backing down either and reached out to grab it.

In the back-and-forth struggle, a single Fortune Stick suddenly flew out of the Fortune Stick Tube and shot straight toward me…