Chapter 185: Āyàn, Happy New Year!

The clock struck midnight, and the tumultuous year just passed like that.

After seeing everyone off, Hui Moqiong took Li Qingying to the riverside to set off fireworks, and the Red Flag Child and Yu Nian followed.

Fireworks shot into the sky; at the moment they brilliantly bloomed in midair, Liu Junyan lowered her head to look at me: "Xiao Jiu, Happy New Year."

I also smiled and said: "Āyàn, Happy New Year!"

Liu Junyan hugged me into her arms and softly said in my ear: "Xiao Jiu, we will still spend many, many New Years together; we will surely get better and better."

In such a beautiful and intimate moment, my heart inexplicably felt uneasy.

I tentatively asked: "What did Xiaoye mean by those words when he left? Āyàn, are you going back to the Linghai Dragon Clan?"

"I'll have to go back eventually, but not now." Liu Junyan said, "Xiao Jiu, don't worry about me; if I return, I will definitely let you know in advance."

He will certainly return, because his mother's soul is still imprisoned in the Linghai Forbidden Ground.

And Xiaoye's beloved.

And his natal magic artifact.

After the fireworks ended, I first offered incense at my grandmother's tablet, then followed Liu Junyan to offer incense at the western room of the main hall.

Now on the spirit shelf of the western room, there are additional tablets for the Mystic Cat, the Red Flag Child, Madame, and Aunt Yu.

What surprised me was that the talisman paper stuck on the Fox Immortal's forehead was gone.

Earlier, when Hui Moqiong returned, the talisman paper on the Hui Immortal's forehead had already been torn off.

After finishing the incense offering, I quietly asked Liu Junyan: "Did the Yin Mountain Fox Clan ultimately choose to return?"

Liu Junyan nodded: "Yes, Yulin came today; besides witnessing your merit evaluation, he came to talk about this."

The Yin Mountain Fox Clan is a sizable group; its leader is a woman who is not only the master of Yin Mountain but also an elder of Hu Yulin.

Therefore, Hu Yulin cannot decide whether to return.

But the Fox Immortal's eventual return surely involved Hu Yulin's contribution.

I have developed a strong curiosity about the master of Yin Mountain; I still haven't seen her.

This year, although there were ups and downs, overall everything was heading for the better.

Yu Nian spent a night at the pawnshop and had to return to Huicheng early the next morning.

Li Qingying drove her there.

I then made a video call to Tang Tang, and gave New Year greetings to Tang Xun and Tang Ao.

Tang Tang was very happy; we agreed she would come play on the fifth day of the new year.

After a busy morning, when I had free time, I took out the pitch-black wood knot I had obtained the previous night, hoping to find a way to open it.

But after fiddling with it for a long time, it remained just a wood knot.

It was naturally formed, with no opening to be found.

I felt somewhat annoyed and shoved it back into the hidden compartment.

Lately I don't go to the ghost market, so I don't need to carry it with me.

Afterwards I also recalled Bai Jingmo from last night, as well as the yellow weasel on the roof.

At first I didn't know why they were watching the pawnshop, but now it's not hard to guess that they were somewhat conflicted about returning to the pawnshop.

Now the Hui Immortal and Fox Immortal have returned, while the Liu Immortal is temporarily under Liu Junyan's firm control, leaving only the White Immortal and Yellow Immortal.

The White Immortal distrusts Liu Junyan; wanting to establish her own sect is understandable.

But only she herself knows whether the path of establishing her own sect will be smooth.

As for the Yellow Immortal, he's just a lackey.

I think even if they intended to defect, Liu Junyan wouldn't want them.

In the blink of an eye it was the evening of the fourth day of the new year; before bed I sent Tang Tang a message asking when she could arrive tomorrow and whether I should pick her up.

Tang Tang never replied.

I thought the Tang family, being a major household, would surely be busy during the New Year, so I didn't think much of it.

But by noon of the fifth day of the new year, Tang Tang still hadn't come, nor replied to my message, and I began to feel uneasy.

I called Tang Tang, but she didn't answer.

I also called Tang Xun, but still no one answered.

I thought it over and called Jin Wuya, probing indirectly whether he had recently been in contact with Tang Ao; Jin Wuya said he hadn't been able to reach Tang Ao these past two days.

Tang Xun often runs around outside, so it's normal not to reach him.

But Tang Tang and Tang Ao both being unreachable is somewhat worrying.

I actually had prepared a gift; if Tang Tang hadn't said she'd come on the fifth, I would definitely have brought the gift to the Tang family's home.

Or… should I just go there now?

But before I could set out, Tang Tang's call came through.

Seeing the caller ID, I breathed a slight sigh of relief.

As I picked up and was about to speak, Tang Tang's weary, trembling voice came through: "Xiao Jiu, Auntie has met with disaster."

Those words struck me like a bolt from the blue, catching me completely off guard.

I hurriedly asked: "What happened to Aunt Tang?"

"Xiao Jiu, can you come to my place?" Tang Tang almost cried, "It's very serious."

Since I've known Tang Tang, she has always been an optimist.

When she cried, I panicked: "Senior sister, don't cry; I'm leaving right now, I'll bring Liu Junyan with me!"

Tang Tang gave an affirmative hum.

After hanging up, I immediately went to find Liu Junyan.

After a quarter of an hour, the four of us set off together, with the gifts in the trunk.

Tang Xun lives in the old residence; I've been there several times, so I drove straight to the big courtyard and then headed straight to the main hall.

On the sofa in the main hall, Tang Ao sat with his hands clasped, head lowered.

He is a prominent figure in Huicheng, and his outward image has always been impeccable.

But now his hair is messy, his beard stubbly, and I don't know how many days it's been since he last showered; he looks utterly slovenly.

Tang Tang came downstairs hearing the noise, her eyes swollen from crying; at the sight of me, her lips trembled uncontrollably: "Xiao Jiu, you've finally come."

She flung herself into my arms; after I comforted her with a few words, I asked, "How is Aunt Tang? Is she upstairs?"

Tang Tang opened her mouth but didn't know how to describe Tang Xun's situation to me.

On the other side, Tang Ao beat his chest and stamped his feet, crying, "It's all my fault! All my fault!"

I didn't understand, so I asked softly, "What's wrong, Uncle?"

"Actually, Yu Nian gave us a heads-up about this early on." Tang Tang said, her eyes red, "Back when we had just met, when Yu Nian left the Tang Family, she warned my father to keep a low profile for the past year, or else disaster would easily strike."

"You know what my father's like—he's spent his life chasing fame and profit. Even though he's tried to cut back on social engagements, being in his position, many things are beyond his control."

"Not long ago he acquired a painting; after obtaining it, he began to linger on his sickbed, so he had Uncle Huo come take a look. Uncle Huo said my father might have been afflicted with a flower poison; to cure it, there are only two ways: find the person who cast the poison to help undo it, or seek a rare medicinal herb called crystal orchid to use as a primer—Uncle Huo could help him draw out the poison."

"Someone intended to harm my father; once they succeeded, how could they easily talk? Coincidentally, my aunt came back for the New Year and said she had seen crystal orchid in an ancient tomb before and could pick it back up for medicinal use."

"But who would have thought that the crystal orchid was indeed gathered back, yet my aunt—"