Chapter 182: with translation of chapter title

Before Li Qingying could even stop the car, Little Guy flashed and was already sitting beside me.

The G‑model car is large, the rear seat is very spacious.

I sat on the right, he on the left, head lowered, fingers intertwined, his bare little feet crossed together below.

From the side, his little cheeks puffed out high.

He looks truly wronged.

I asked him several times what was wrong, but the child merely glanced out the window, as if afraid of something, and ultimately said nothing.

Only when the car was about to reach Xijiekou did Little Guy suddenly break into a grin and wail dryly: "Sister, it's so bullying, he's bullying kids!"

For a moment I didn't react: "Who's bullying you?"

"That's the guy on horseback with a big sword." Red Flag Child said angrily, "Since Seventh Lord sealed that black coffin, he's lost his master, become like a jobless vagrant; lately I don't know what's wrong with him, he keeps coming to my place, stealing my turf, disturbing my cultivation—I can't stand it."

The guy on horseback with a big sword?

Li Qingying and I almost in unison: "Zhao Zixun?"

Red Flag Child nodded repeatedly: "That's him."

He said, pointing his little hand at his own brow, adding: "He originally had a coffin nail there, didn't he? Now that nail has loosened, and he seems to have regained some of his own consciousness."

Li Qingying's gaze met mine in the rearview mirror; we were both astonished.

Regarding the Zhu Pan River incident, that black coffin was re‑suppressed into the riverbed by Liu Junyan using a copper‑coin array.

Chen Ping inside the black coffin was Zhao Zixun's master.

After Zhao Zixun had a coffin nail driven into his brow, he became entirely a puppet and executioner in Chen Ping's hands.

Now that Chen Ping is firmly suppressed, the Yin‑Soldier Formation was also pressed back into the river; at that time only Zhao Zixun remained, and Liu Junyan did not act against him.

Several months have passed, and I never expected to hear news of Zhao Zixun again—let alone like this.

I asked Red Flag Child: "Has he been staying in the woods on that side of the stream?"

"Sometimes in the woods, sometimes at the stream," Red Flag Child said. "He's strange—sometimes he sits by the stream, exactly where we dug up the thing he left me before his mishap, and sits there all night like a stone statue, completely still."

What we dug up in the stream back then was something Zhao Zixun left for Fu Wan.

Now the coffin nail in his brow has loosened a bit; he may have genuinely regained some consciousness.

Could he… be remembering Fu Wan?

The tragedy between Zhao Zixun and Fu Wan is not their own fault.

They're both ill‑fated.

But… deep down I actually don't hope that these two will ever rekindle their ghostly bond.

It's too painful.

Yet I also hope that lovers can ultimately become a family, even if they are a ghostly couple.

How contradictory.

I reached out and ruffled Red Flag Child's little head, asking: "You and he can't coexist peacefully, is that right?"

Red Flag Child huffed: "Not at all, sister—I need to close off and cultivate in peace."

"Well…" I coaxed, "Would you be interested in joining our pawnshop?"

If Red Flag Child had not appeared at all in the Zhu Pan River battle, I would certainly not have made this suggestion to him—I don't want to drag an innocent person into the pawnshop's conflict.

But he showed up voluntarily and stood with us at the crucial moment; from then on he could no longer stay out of it.

So this time I unhesitatingly extended an olive branch to him.

Li Qingying perked up at once: "Yeah, little brother, our pawnshop isn't just for business—the west room of the main courtyard houses a shrine; if you truly want to cultivate in peace, the pawnshop would be a great choice."

Red Flag Child didn't respond, just sat silently, unknown what he was thinking.

Soon the car turned into Xijiekou and stopped steadily at the pawnshop's entrance.

Liu Junyan and Hui Moqiong had already returned.

Liu Junyan was meditating, while Hui Moqiong leaned against the pawnshop doorway, enjoying the moon.

When we got out of the car, Red Flag Child seemed to have second thoughts again and refused to get down.

Hui Moqiong then asked what was going on.

Li Qingying briefly explained the matter to Hui Moqiong.

Hui Moqiong immediately slapped his chest: "Just this little thing—leave it to me; I'll have a good chat with this young brother."

I thought he'd sit in the car and talk to Red Flag Child, but he walked over a few steps, reached out, and directly lifted Red Flag Child by the back of his collar.

Red Flag Child isn't an ordinary kid—he instantly tried to flee.

But Hui Moqiong's fingers were long and strong; Red Flag Child spun a few times in his grip, and in the end was hauled and dragged into the pawnshop, straight to the main courtyard.

Li Qingying and I were speechless, worried something might happen, so we hurried after them.

When Red Flag Child was brought into the west room and saw the huge shrine, with its statues and spirit tablets, he suddenly stopped struggling.

Hui Moqiong took the opportunity to start brainwashing him.

In the end he even released the black cat to attract the little guy.

Before a quarter of an hour had passed, Little Guy was completely subdued.

From then on, an additional spirit tablet was added to the shrine—dedicated to Red Flag Child.

I'm happiest to have taken in Red Flag Child; I'd had this idea for a while.

He holds the Red Flag in his hand and can command the Yin soldiers—a great asset.

That night, Liu Junyan and I lay in bed and talked about Zhao Zixun.

I wondered: "When you sealed the black coffin and suppressed the Yin‑Soldier Formation, why did you alone let Zhao Zixun go?"

Liu Junyan said: "The yin qi at the bottom of Zhu Pan River is too heavy; sealing him down there would only tighten the coffin nail's control over him. I've always felt Zhao Zixun shouldn't be on our opposing side."

I agreed with his view.

Back then at the small stream, if Zhao Zixun had been determined to kill me, I might not have been able to escape at all.

But in the end he let me off.

At that time, the Coffin Nail on his brow was somewhat loose.

Liu Junyan said, "Find a time, I'll go meet him first and then we'll talk."

But what none of us expected was that, before we could find a chance to 'bump into' Zhao Zixun, he showed up himself.

That was the night of the twenty-eighth; I was snuggled in Liu Junyan's arms, sleeping soundly, when a sudden fluffy sensation brushed my cheek, scratching back and forth.

I opened my sleepy eyes, and the first thing I saw was the Mystic Cat's pair of deep green pupils.

It sensed I had awakened, meowed at me, turned and leapt down, heading toward the door.

After a few steps, it turned back to look at me.

It seemed to be saying, "Hurry up and follow!"

As soon as I moved, Liu Junyan woke instantly and asked what was wrong.

I pointed at the Mystic Cat and said, "It seems to have discovered something; let's go check it out."

The Mystic Cat finally stopped behind the gate of Dang Pu, waiting for us to open the door.

I felt suspicious, realizing something might be outside; in the dead of night I didn't dare open the door right away, but instead peered out through the small window of the rear house.

Upon seeing that, my whole body went rigid.

Under the hexagonal palace lantern beneath the west corridor, stood a……faint shadow……