Chapter 207: Azure Paulownia Nether Seal

I pulled Liu Junyan quietly back to the room, leaving the space for the two of them.

Hui Moqiong, this guy… is quite capable.

After all that, it's almost 3 a. m., and I'm so tired I keep yawning.

Liu Junyan kept me company lying down for a while; I was dazed and wanted to sleep, then I felt him lean over and touch my forehead, whispering, "The outside is quiet now; you sleep first, I'll go with Mo Qiong to check the backyard."

This is to find where the seal's loophole is in the pawn shop.

I nodded, letting Liu Junyan go attend to his business, and I didn't follow.

The pawn shop's overall formation array shouldn't have any problems; otherwise Liu Junyan and the others would have noticed long ago, and they couldn't possibly block so many powerful figures.

And these buildings in the pawn shop, including the big locust tree in the front yard, should all be positioned on the formation points; any damage could cause an error.

Liu Junyan had planned to repair the backyard earlier, but he's been busy these days and hasn't started yet.

Now that this has happened, perfecting the formation array is urgent.

Hui Moqiong knows some Lu Ban techniques; he's an expert, so let them tinker.

I seem especially tired today; my body feels heavy, and I can't muster any energy.

Not long after Liu Junyan left, I sank deeply into sleep.

"A Li…"

"A Li, you came back, right?"

"I sensed your aura, the unique aura of the Azure Paulownia Nether Seal; you must have come back, right?"

"Since you came back, why leave? A Li, can you really bear to abandon me?"

"……"

Sound after sound, word after word, like weeping and lamenting.

At first, my vision was pitch black.

After I finally managed to adjust, in the hazy gloom I saw a figure standing amid the endless yellow sand.

My heart jolted—could I have been dragged onto the Yellow Spring Road again?

Meow~

Before I could even struggle back, the mystic cat's call burst in, and right away I felt a tightness in my chest, jolting awake from sleep.

Immediately I saw the mystic cat standing on my chest, its two front paws pacing back and forth, its emerald-green eyes fixed on me.

Seeing me awake, it leaned over and lay in my arms.

I sat up, turned on the light, and held the mystic cat, gently stroking it.

It's incredibly perceptive.

If it weren't for it just now, I'd surely be tormented again.

The other party is truly opportunistic—whenever I fall asleep and Liu Junyan isn't by my side, they appear immediately.

It seems that when Liu Junyan isn't around, I can only sleep holding the mystic cat.

The mystic cat wasn't used to my clinginess, so it quickly jumped off the bed and left.

I leaned against the headboard but couldn't sleep anymore.

Recalling the dream scene, the other party said they sensed my return.

Liu Junyan said that the secluded utopia lies right next to Azure Paulownia Mountain, so it's no surprise they could sense my aura.

But what exactly is the Azure Paulownia Nether Seal?

Just hearing about it makes it seem far from simple.

Before I and Liu Junyan decided to go to the Nether Realm, we made many preparations and brought along many things.

The two most special items were the jade pendant given to me by Hu Yulin, and the black lump that was awarded on New Year's Eve.

That journey to the Nether Realm went especially smoothly under the strong protection of Tang Xun Zhengyuan.

After returning, I put those prepared items back into the hidden compartment, saving them for next time.

Thinking of this, I rolled over and got out of bed, opened the hidden compartment, took those things out again, and examined them one by one.

When I picked up that black lump, I froze.

Originally there was nothing special about it—just a black, cube‑shaped lump—but at some point, fine patterns appeared on its surface.

I leaned in close to the light and examined it carefully, tracing the patterns with my finger; I discovered they looked like the roots of some plant, tangled together in a knotted, thread‑like mass.

Plant roots…?

For no reason, a dull ache began in my shoulder blade.

This pain, which had not appeared for a long time since I took back Feng Wu and began cultivating,

At first I thought it was because the mystic cat had stepped on my ribs just now, causing the pain.

But when I pressed my fingers on the two lowest ribs, a memory I had almost completely forgotten surged forth.

I had a CT scan at the hospital.

Then the doctor told me that the two lowest ribs in my chest showed a strange liquefied state.

Yet within those liquefied ribs, thread‑like strands resembling plant roots were wrapped around, supporting my ribs.

Yes, that's exactly what the doctor said back then.

Comparing again the patterns on this black lump, some crucial information seems about to surface!

This black lump should be the Azure Paulownia Nether Seal spoken of by those people.

The Netherworld Emissary urged me to enter the Netherworld, insisting I must bring this black lump—and the reason is right here.

The black lump reacts when it's near Azure Paulownia Mountain.

It will show some subtle changes.

I just don't know what these changes signify, nor what it will ultimately become.

I just had a feeling, it's very important.

I held it and examined it repeatedly, but in the end I still couldn't make anything out, so I could only put it back into the hidden compartment to keep it safe.

Early in the morning, the backyard was already bustling.

Hui Moqiong directed a group of people working overtime to repair the backyard houses.

Liu Junyan, however, was not in the pawnshop anymore.

Li Qingying said Liu Junyan had left early in the morning, without saying where she was going.

Yesterday he said he had some personal matters to attend to; maybe he went to the Linghai Dragon Palace to find Xiaoye?

He was too busy, and last night another little incident came up, so I didn't even get a chance to tell him about the ice silkworm and the black lump.

Especially this black lump, it concerns Mount Cangwu; I need to talk to Liu Junyan about it as soon as possible.

Around nine o'clock, Uncle Huo arrived.

The third day after we returned to the pawnshop, he came by once, just to check on Snow Phoenix's condition, and left after seeing it was fine.

This time he came, he went straight to the point as usual.

To our surprise, Uncle Huo had just changed Snow Phoenix's medicine when she woke up.

She darted her little eyes around, looking east and west.

As soon as she saw me, she flapped her wings and tried to fly toward me.

Unfortunately, one of her wings was torn too badly, so she couldn't fly and still needs time to rest and recover.

I walked over, crouched down, and reached out my hand to her.

Snow Phoenix stepped onto my palm with her tiny claws, opened her mouth and called out: "Older sister..."

After just that one call, she then made a bird's chirping sound.

Uncle Huo said: "We have to take it slow; being able to speak is already remarkable. After the wing tear heals, she'll still need test flights, and Xiao Jiu Zhanggui needs to take extra care."

I said I would, so Uncle Huo can rest easy.

After seeing Uncle Huo off, I turned around and saw Snow Phoenix perched on the back of the sofa, staring at me.

As I watched, she suddenly trembled all over, her wings snapping forward to cover her whole body; the pose gave me the feeling that she was devoutly worshipping something...