Chapter 197: Our Pawn Shop, We Can Hold It Down!

I repeatedly drew the bow to full, continuously shooting out flames one after another, each hitting that zombie.

Feng Wu's flames ignited the zombie instantly upon contact.

The zombie let out ge ge ge cries, jumping wildly, and soon rolled like a huge eerie-green fireball, crashing about.

Qiu Fengnian's father had been buried less than ten years ago; this zombie had not been formed long, its cultivation level is as it stands, and it's not hard to deal with.

What's more, I am using Feng Wu's flames to burn it.

In just a few minutes, the zombie could no longer move.

Its fate could only be to be burned to a pile of bones, not even leaving a soul behind.

As the zombie perished, the ground stopped trembling, and the earlier chorus of frog calls vanished completely.

It seemed as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

But at the cracked grave site, a faint light shot up from below, making me wonder where the light in the grave came from.

I held the long bow in one hand and pinched copper coins in the other, cautiously approaching the grave site.

Just as I was about to reach the edge of the grave, a big hand reached from behind, grabbed me, and pulled me back.

It was Liu Junyan.

"Watch out for deceit!"

Just as he finished speaking, Qiu Fengnian's doubtful voice came from behind: "Huh, isn't this the person who ten years ago helped point out the acupuncture spot for my father's grave? He... is dead?!"

I turned my head and saw a middle-aged man in black clothes lying on the ground.

I frowned, and Liu Junyan explained: "This person had some cultivation; when I caught him, he committed suicide."

I glanced at him, then walked toward Qiu Fengnian while asking: "Boss Qiu, are you sure he's the expert who helped ten years ago? You haven't seen him in these ten years, have you?"

From tonight's situation, this person must have been guarding this mountain all along, watching over this grave.

"No." Qiu Fengnian said, "These years my business has grown bigger, I spend most of my time in the city, my time to return for ancestor worship is limited, likely avoided by the other side. When my family had trouble this year, I tried to contact him, but got no response, and I thought he had already died."

At this moment, Qiu Fengnian deeply realized he had been set up!

He was so angry he kicked the corpse twice hard.

Boom—

The ground jolted violently, then a golden light suddenly blazed up, accompanied by croaking calls.

Only then did I realize that while I was talking with Qiu Fengnian, Liu Junyan had already gone to the grave site and begun summoning the Golden Scale.

The croaking sounds rose continuously from underground, growing louder.

Just as Liu Junyan was about to succeed, the ground beneath the grave suddenly jolted hard, and a sound like… a dragon's roar… came from below.

That sound was low and penetrating, like a stranded dragon wailing.

The next moment, the croaking vanished, and the golden light disappeared as well.

Even the cracked ground recompressed and fused back together.

Liu Junyan at this moment pinched his brow with one hand and kept turning his prayer beads with the other, head bowed, fluently chanting sutras; under the moonlight, a bead-of-soybean-sized drop of sweat slid down his distinguished jawline… his condition was very poor!

I stepped forward a few steps, not daring to rush up immediately.

In this situation, I couldn't rush up to interrupt him, or else it might cause irreparable harm.

Qiu Fengnian was also dazed, he whispered: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, the master..."

"It's fine, he's performing a rites for your father's soul." I casually made up a lie to soothe Qiu Fengnian.

Upon hearing that, Qiu Fengnian thumped down on his knees, continuously kowtowing toward the grave to bid his father a good journey.

This process lasted a full five or six minutes.

During this process, I stared at Liu Junyan without blinking, fearing something might happen to him.

Fortunately, he soon steadied his mind, and by then his clothes were already soaked with sweat.

When he stopped turning the prayer beads, I then strode forward and carefully asked: "What happened just now?"

"This land cannot be moved for now." Liu Junyan said, "Xiao Jiu, take Boss Qiu and them down the mountain to discuss the procedures for this grave plot; perhaps this pawn ticket will be invalid later, but first finish the paperwork, and we'll talk about later matters later."

Liu Junyan's words made my heart leap up.

What secret could be buried beneath this grave that makes Liu Junyan so cautious?

We came this time for the Golden Scale, and casually wanted to snag that black toad.

Now neither of those has been settled, yet suddenly we're supposed to take over this grave plot?

I didn't ask further; Liu Junyan would stay to set up the seal, while I returned to the village with Qiu Fengnian and them.

Qiu Fengnian's family also has an ancestral home here; each year he funnels up to millions of funds into this village for repairing and maintaining the ancestral temple and home, as well as providing for the villagers.

Thus, even if he hasn't returned for a long time, the ancestral home remains spotless.

Even the clan leader has boiled water ready and cooled, waiting.

Qiu Fengnian was talking with me alone in the study.

I cut straight to the chase: "You've seen today's events; ten years ago you were set up, your father turned into a corpse and his body destroyed; afterward we will help the Qiu family find another auspicious grave site, not seeking a meteoric rise, but just stability and peace."

Qiu Fengnian kept nodding: "Good, good."

He then asked: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, that three-eyed golden toad..."

"That's not a three-eyed golden toad; it's a harmful thing. My master is setting up a formation to suppress the evil in that grave plot." I produced the pawn ticket and continued: "The business of pawning the black toad can't be done for now, but my master intends to acquire your family's grave plot; if Boss Qiu is willing to pawn it, we can discuss the price properly."

Qiu Fengnian hadn't expected things to turn out this way; he cautiously asked: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, this grave plot isn't a good place, it's very evil—look, my father became a zombie, and you still dare to take it?"

I smiled and said: "The more evil it is, the more daring we are to take it; this land in your hands brings no good to your family, but our pawn shop can hold it down!"

My answer clearly gave Qiu Fengnian relief: "So if I pawn this grave plot to you, my whole family can return to normal, right?"

"Yes!"

I answered succinctly.

In fact, Qiu senior had already been burned to nothing by Feng Wu's flames, and after Liu Junyan set up a formation to suppress that grave plot, the Qiu family's affairs were settled.

As for later establishing a Dao field and also re‑finding a feng shui treasure spot to serve as the Qiu family's ancestral grave, I will ask Master Huiquan to step forward.

But Liu Junyan wants this grave plot, so this business still needs to be negotiated.

Qiu Fengnian immediately said: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, to be frank with you, this mountain peak is all mine; that small mountain hollow, you want it, just take it."

"No, one thing for one thing." I said sternly, "We only want that mountain hollow, to take it in as a dead pawn; that's the rule. I know you mean well, but we must follow the rules."

Only then did Qiu Fengnian seriously discuss it with me; eventually that mountain hollow was pawned in to the pawn shop as a dead pawn for 888 yuan.