Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Looking at the item before me, I couldn’t help but recall that heart-pounding, exhaustive night and what Liu Junyan had said afterward.

He had told me, “Xiao Jiu, don’t offer things like this anymore.”

But after that last offering, his physical condition had clearly improved, hadn’t it?

So, it was a good thing-it just had… rather potent side effects.

For a moment, I found myself caught in a dilemma.

To my surprise, Li Qingying quickly wrapped the Tiger Whip back up and reached out to pat Jin Wuya on the shoulder. “Boss Jin, you’ve really outdone yourself,” she said with a hearty laugh. “From now on, we’re comrades who’ve faced life and death together. If you ever need anything, just come find me at the Pawnshop.”

Jin Wuya nodded.

I glanced at his earlobes in confusion. Why were his ears turning red?

***

After returning from the Teahouse, Li Qingying went straight to the Main Courtyard. I opened the suitcase and looked at the two million in cash inside, feeling a bit of a headache coming on.

Having suddenly come into such a large sum of money, I needed to allocate it reasonably.

First, I would set aside ten percent for Li Qingying. She had put in a lot of effort throughout this entire affair, so she deserved a share of the Dividend.

Then, I’d keep a few tens of thousands for the Pawnshop’s daily operating expenses.

The rest would go into the bank.

Regarding Jin Wuya’s situation, I had asked the Tang Family for help, so I needed to find time to buy some gifts and visit them to express my gratitude.

As for Master Hui Quan, Jin Wuya had already handled the arrangements there, so I didn’t need to worry about it.

Besides, Master Hui Quan had helped Release from Suffering so many vengeful spirits this time; there was no telling how much his Merit had increased. He was probably overjoyed.

For practitioners, money could never compare to Merit!

Having made up my mind, I packed up Li Qingying’s portion of the Dividend and took it to her room.

When I entered, I saw Li Qingying wiping her whip. The bottle of oil Jin Wuya had given her was sitting on the table beside her.

She was cleaning it very diligently, carefully dripping the oil onto the whip and spreading it evenly. She gently massaged the oil into the material before slowly wiping it down with a cloth, so focused that she didn’t even notice me approaching.

It wasn’t until I placed the money on the table with a soft thud that Li Qingying looked up.

“This is your share of the Dividend. Keep it safe,” I said.

Li Qingying didn’t want to take it, insisting she wasn’t short on money and that she had already gained quite a bit of Merit. She felt it wasn’t right to take both.

But she was no match for my persistence and eventually had no choice but to accept it.

Sitting back down, she remarked, “To be honest, I like this oil more than the money. I haven’t maintained this whip in a long time. Jin Wuya really has a lot of good stuff.”

“What kind of oil is it?” I asked.

“Deep Sea Whale Oil,” Li Qingying said, her face lighting up with excitement. “It’s a rare find that you can’t just get whenever you want. If a bottle like this were put up in the Ghost Market, people would probably fight over it.”

Jin Wuya was certainly being generous!

Still, that was a good thing. At the very least, it showed that Jin Wuya’s loyalties were shifting toward the Pawnshop. He could be considered an unofficial member of our team now.

I was happy, but there was still something weighing on my mind. I hesitated several times, the words catching in my throat.

Having spent so much time with me, Li Qingying knew me well. She asked, “Xiao Jiu, are you here for that Tiger Whip? Don’t worry, I’ve already offered it to the Seventh Master.”

What?!

I had indeed intended to ask for the Tiger Whip.

My plan was to put it away first as a collectible and only bring it out if Liu Junyan truly needed it in the future.

If it turned out he never needed it, I could have just sold it.

I hadn’t expected Li Qingying to have already made the offering.

I stood up and hurried toward the Main Hall, muttering under my breath, “He just received the Golden Scale. He doesn’t need such a heavy supplement right now, does he?”

Exactly-too much of a good thing could be a problem.
I thought it would be better if I put it away for him first.

However, when I opened the doors to the Main Hall, I saw that the Altar Table was empty.

At that moment, I felt as if I had been struck over the head with a club.

Strangely, my lower back also felt a dull, inexplicable ache.

That entire afternoon, I was completely distracted. Even though the weather had begun to turn cool, a layer of sweat broke out on my forehead while I was eating dinner.

As darkness gradually fell, Li Qingying cleared the dishes while I crouched by the Pawnshop entrance to catch the breeze.

Looking up, I was surprised to find that the Hexagonal Palace Lantern under the western corridor was enveloped in a faint golden light.

That golden light had already filled nearly half of it.

I stood up abruptly, walked over to the Hexagonal Palace Lantern in a few strides, and looked up to examine it closely.

Yes, that was right-it was almost halfway full.

Last time, there had clearly only been a thin layer at the bottom.

No, this wasn’t right. How could so much Merit have entered the Hexagonal Palace Lantern all at once?

A lot had indeed happened recently, and every matter had been quite thorny.

First, there was the painting that Tang Xun had helped bring in. It was now being enshrined in the Qingquan Taoist Temple, so it should continue to gather a bit of Merit.

Then there was the incident at Jiyu Temple.

We had broken the Formation at Jiyu Temple, driven back the Black Snake, and performed the Release from Suffering for so many wronged souls. That alone should have yielded a vast amount of Merit.

As for Master Jin Wuya, some of the credit probably counted toward our Pawnshop as well, right?

Of course, the largest portion likely came from the Golden Scale.

The first Golden Scale had been embedded into Fengwu by Liu Junyan, adding the power of Merit to the bow. This second one, however, had been taken by Liu Junyan, and its Merit and blessings now graced the entire Pawnshop.

Was its power of Merit really that strong?

Oh, I forgot-there was also that Tiger Whip…

I scratched my head, still feeling like something wasn’t quite right.

Besides these, could there be… Lord Xiao?!

That unconventional man was quite good to Liu Junyan. Perhaps he couldn’t bear to see Liu Junyan trapped in this Pawnshop, unable to move a single step?

Hadn’t Liu Junyan said that as long as the Merit in the Hexagonal Palace Lantern passed the halfway mark, he could use the lantern’s power to go outside for a walk?

Could Lord Xiao have helped?

It had to be him!

The thought that Liu Junyan would soon be able to leave the Pawnshop with the help of the Hexagonal Palace Lantern made my heart leap with joy.

It was just a little bit more.

I just needed to work a little harder.

Tonight, I was supposed to keep watch over the Pawnshop, but just after ten o’clock, Li Qingying began yawning incessantly. She claimed her injuries hadn’t healed yet and that she was sleepy and needed to go to bed.

The outside world was calm and peaceful, so I left the street-facing door of the Southern Study unlocked but closed the door connecting to the Funeral Supplies Shop. We each returned to our rooms to sleep.

At first, I didn’t think much of it, but the moment I lay down on the bed, I suddenly became wide awake. My heart began to pound wildly.

My head felt inexplicably feverish.

I tapped my forehead in frustration. *Xiao Jiu, oh Xiao Jiu, what kind of nonsense are you thinking about? Just sleep!*

But in the next instant, the mattress behind me suddenly sank. A familiar scent of agarwood enveloped me, and a man’s scorching breath pressed against the crook of my neck.

Without a single word, his burning kisses began to fan the flames everywhere with desperate urgency.

The man’s chest was like a furnace, so hot I could hardly breathe. Before long, it felt as if I had been doused in water, soaked through with sweat…

The room was very dark, with only a faint, dim yellow glow from the floor lamp in the corner by the wardrobe.

But later, even that small light seemed to be shattered bit by bit, becoming flickering sparks and swaying shadows…