Chapter 19

Hearing Li Qingying say that, I'd better not touch this strange device for now.

There's plenty of time ahead.

After that night's events, Li Qingying's attitude toward me clearly improved, and we grew much closer.

While having breakfast, I casually asked her, "Yingying Sis, Liu Junyan's true form… doesn't seem to be a snake, does it?"

Liu Junyan's white tail is too long and thick, especially the scales on it, which no ordinary python could match.

Ever since I saw it that night, this question has lingered in my mind.

Li Qingying's chopsticks paused, and she asked, "Who told you that Seventh Lord's true form is a snake?"

"Huh? Isn't it?" I exclaimed in surprise, "Everyone calls him Seventh Lord, Liu Qiye."

Li Qingying's gaze grew even stranger: "Not Liu Qiye, but Long Qiye."

Pat

This time, my chopsticks jumped and fell onto the table.

Li Qingying lowered her head and continued drinking porridge, obviously not wanting to continue the topic.

But how could I let her off? I pulled a stool closer, grabbed her arm, and coaxed, "Yingying Sis, tell me about your Seventh Lord; I know too little about him."

Li Qingying thought for a moment, sighed, and said, "I really shouldn't gossip about Seventh Lord's background behind his back, but Xiao Jiu, you're different—you're someone from his household."

Uh, my face instantly flushed up to the base of my neck.

Li Qingying pointed west and said, "This Zhu Pan River west of Wufu Town is a tributary of Linghai, and our Seventh Lord is the sole son of the Linghai Dragon King's younger sister; his father is unknown."

I immediately sat up straight and listened attentively.

"The Linghai Dragon King has two younger brothers and one younger sister; this sister was greatly favored and also talented in cultivation, but she suffered severe injuries during a tribulation, disappeared for ten years, and when she returned ten years later, she brought back Seventh Lord."

"Seven is his rank among the Linghai Dragon Clan's numerous descendants, so he should properly be called Long Qiye, but because his father is unknown, he has always been rejected by the Linghai Dragon Clan, so—"

So few people know he is Long Qiye; because his surname is Liu, everyone calls him Liu Qiye.

I quickly asked, "What surname does the Linghai Dragon Clan have?"

Li Qingying: "They bear the surname Ao."

"Then why does Liu Junyan have the surname Liu?"

Li Qingying shook her head: "I'm not sure either; perhaps he took his father's surname, but there are far too many people named Liu in the world."

I pressed on: "Yingying Sis, do you know Second Master Liu?"

Li Qingying shook her head: "Who's that?"

As she spoke, I kept staring at her; from her microexpressions, I could tell she genuinely didn't know.

I originally thought this Second Master Liu was Liu Junyan's second brother or something like that, but now I see I was mistaken.

I kept wondering to myself.

On the night of the first day of the eighth month, five bridal sedans came to fetch me.

Besides Liu Junyan's sedan, the other four were respectively the fox, yellow, white, and gray—four great animal immortals—so I naturally assumed Liu Junyan belonged to the Five Immortals as the willow immortal.

Later, as events went more and more off track, Liu Junyan and those families clearly differed; then I learned about Second Master Liu from Dou Jin Suo's mouth, and I naturally placed Second Master Liu in the willow immortal's spot among the Five Immortals.

Yet Liu Junyan's identity became a mystery.

Only today did I figure it out—he actually comes from the Linghai Dragon Clan.

Thinking of this, I continued asking, "Yingying Sis, how did Liu Junyan come to Wufu Town, and how did he end up trapped in this pawnshop?"

"He was framed." Li Qingying gritted her teeth, "At the time he was about to enter the Flood Dragon stage; ascension was a sure thing, yet like his mother, he suddenly vanished without a trace, and even within the Linghai Dragon Clan there were rumors that he went to look for his father..."

I felt a pang of regret: "Who could have framed him, do you know?"

"Someone like Seventh Lord, for whom tribulation ascension is a major event, many people know about it, but the location and exact timing of the tribulation ascent are secret." Li Qingying said, "Anyway, as far as I know, Seventh Lord only told this secret to one person; besides him, I can't think of anyone else who would harm Seventh Lord."

I immediately clenched my fists and asked, "Who is it?"

Li Qingying's emotions flared, her eye sockets reddening, and she spat hatefully, "That person, you also know."

"I know him too?"

I instantly thought of someone: "Lord Fox?"

Li Qingying didn't speak, but didn't deny it, thus confirming it was Lord Fox.

No wonder Li Qingying harbors such hostility toward Lord Fox.

But Liu Junyan says Li Qingying misunderstands Lord Fox.

What exactly happened back then?

Is it that Li Qingying misunderstood Lord Fox, or that Lord Fox hid it too well, and Liu Junyan still hasn't discovered the cat grease?

I originally hoped to get some useful information about Wufu Town from Li Qingying, but it seems she knows no more than I do.

Instead, it made me feel even more heartache for Liu Junyan.

"Xiao Jiu," Li Qingying suddenly seized my hand and said solemnly, "Seventh Lord may appear glorious, but he has actually suffered greatly; all along he has lost far more than he has gained. Do not betray him, or… I will kill you myself!"

Li Qingying stared at me dead‑on, her gaze complex and fierce.

She wasn't joking with me.

I nodded: "Qingying Sis, I won't."

No matter who I might betray, I could never betray Liu Junyan.

I owe my survival to him to this day!

After breakfast, I sat at the pawnshop's door, gazing continually westward at the Zhu Pan River.

I am too passive, too stifled.

A person lives on a single breath; there's no reason to keep taking blows.

I returned to the pawnshop, grabbed a sack, stuffed the smashed‑to‑pieces broken mailbox into it, left a note for Li Qingying, and hoisted the sack as I hurried straight to the town chief's house.

When I entered the courtyard gate, the town chief was just about to go out; seeing me, he blinked in surprise, then smiled and asked, "Xiao Jiu, do you have business with me?"

I gave a clatter, dumping out the contents of my pocket.

The broken mailbox's wreckage was piled into a small heap in the mayor's yard.

The mayor's face changed instantly.

The mayor's son heard the sound and ran out from the main house; the mayor gave him a look, and he withdrew back.

I held up two fingers at the mayor: "Mayor Grandpa, I've come today to ask only two questions. One, the story behind the broken mailbox; two, those eight red coffins in the Zhu Pan River…"

Since Li Qingying doesn't know anything about Wufu Town's affairs, I can only go find someone who knows to ask.

But it's hard to easily pry anything from their mouths.

They're all in cahoots, and in their eyes I should have died that night on the first day of the eighth month!

To tear open a breach in this matter and let the truth slowly come out, I must be able to let go.

The mayor stared at me for a long while, then suddenly laughed: "Xiao Jiu, you're too naive; I had wanted to wait a bit longer, to let you leave happily, but now it seems I can't wait any longer."

As soon as his words fell, several people rushed in from outside the courtyard gate, instantly surrounding me.

The mayor's son also came out from the room, standing in the threshold of the main house, one hand gripping a hammer, the other…… gripping a long coffin nail……