Chapter 211: When a Name

Before today, I didn't know Du Chan.

Obviously, the Du family didn't know me either.

Two completely unrelated people—how could Yu Nian say Du Chan had an accident? It's likely related to me.

Just because our fates are similar?

For a moment I was a bit dazed, unable to grasp the meaning of Yu Nian's words.

Yu Nian reminded me, "Xiao Jiu, could it be that Du Chan is your substitute?"

My substitute?

I suddenly realized: "You mean… Feng Lizhu?!"

As the three words "Feng Lizhu" left my mouth, Liu Junyan and Tang Tang both looked at me.

My heart also started racing.

Du Chan's fate is similar to mine, and she has a twin sister who might now be in a controlled, half-dead torment.

But Du Chan's parents said the sister died before she was three.

So… Du Lian didn't really die back then; instead, for some reason she was targeted by someone, made to appear dead, and taken away?

Twin sisters… substitute…

Two extremely toxic words flashed in my mind: companion birth! Body seizure!

I am Feng Lizhu's companion birth, but she was backlashed by me, and her situation is now somewhat bad.

Last time we met in Peach Blossom Spring, Feng Lizhu's half-body was nearly rotting.

She desperately needs my nourishment.

But because Liu Junyan offered that Buddha lamp for me at the Great Dharma King Temple, Feng Lizhu couldn't receive my nourishment, so she took another path.

What's more frightening is that, in the long time before my birth, without my nourishment, how many people did Feng Lizhu find to substitute for me?

Yu Nian asked, "Xiao Jiu, do you need me to come help?"

"Not needed for now," I said. "I'm a bit confused; let me sort things out first."

Yu Nian urged me to tell her immediately if I needed anything, and she would rush over to help.

I said okay.

After hanging up, I looked at Du Chan.

I finally understood why Du Chan's condition resembled those sacrificed people, yet she wasn't chosen by the Qilin Divine Lord.

Because she wouldn't be reborn in Tafengcun like Jiang Bin; she was selected as a companion birth provider from the moment of birth, even before birth.

Du Lian is still alive, but merely a puppet waiting to be body-seized at any moment.

She is a body-seizure target that Feng Lizhu has been raising for a long time; perhaps my appearance diverted Feng Lizhu's attention.

After several clashes, Feng Lizhu couldn't get what she wanted from me.

Body-seizing me is hopeless for now, so she turned her gaze back to the puppet she's been raising.

If Tang Tang hadn't coincidentally met Du Chan, Feng Lizhu would likely have appeared before me in another form soon.

But not necessarily.

The Phoenix Clan is ancient and mysterious; changing a puppet's appearance after body-seizure is not impossible.

In other words, the body Feng Lizhu currently inhabits is likely not her original self!

What kind of monster is Feng Lizhu exactly!

"Take her back to the pawnshop first," Liu Junyan said, feeling my agitation and helplessness as she put her arm around my shoulders. "Keep her safe; as long as Du Chan is in our hands, the other side can't stir up big trouble."

I nodded; I thought the same.

Du Chan's parents were extremely worried and had countless questions they wanted answered.

Tang Tang negotiated with them for a while before they agreed to let Du Chan go with us.

Du Chan's mother persisted, asking, "Miss, what about my little Lian…"

"Just assume she's already dead," Liu Junyan said, voicing what I wanted to say but couldn't bring myself to utter. "Even if she's still alive, she's no longer the three-and-a-half-year-old she once was; we can only do our best to protect Du Chan."

Du Chan's mother burst into tears again.

Du Chan's father shielded his wife and turned away.

I knew he was signaling us to take Du Chan away now.

Tang Tang and I practically hugged Du Chan into the car, all the way back to the pawnshop, and sent her into the west room.

In the west room, the strong incense made Du Chan tremble all over; after several sneezes, her consciousness seemed to clear a little.

Although she was still kneeling, her head wasn't as low, and her back wasn't as straight.

Liu Junyan burned more talisman paper, having Li Qingying pinch Du Chan's jaw and force the liquid down.

After Du Chan spat out several mouthfuls of black blood, she crashed to the ground with a boom and passed out.

Tang Tang felt nervous: "Will… will she be okay?"

"It's fine," Li Qingying said indifferently. "That bowl of talisman water dispelled some of her yin sha qi; her condition improved a bit—didn't you see her limbs relax?"

Indeed it was.

At this moment, Du Chan lying on the ground looked more like she was asleep.

Tang Tang had been busy all day and still had to go back to school.

I relayed some important information I'd inferred to Hui Moqiong, who was busy outside, telling him to check the grave mound and the direction of the Qilin Temple.

At night, Li Qingying and I guarded the Nan Shu Fang while waiting for Hui Moqiong to return.

At eleven, we didn't wait for Hui Moqiong; instead, another unexpected guest arrived.

At that late hour, a sudden yin wind blew from the Xijiekou direction, streaming straight into the alley, and Li Qingying and I stopped our gold ingot stacking in unison.

The two of us tacitly turned to look toward the door of the Nan Shu Fang.

Not long after, a young man completely wrapped in a black overcoat appeared on the street outside Nan Shu Fang, with black blood continuously flowing down his leg.

His whole body was wrapped in the black overcoat; the black blood flowed down and fell onto the street, yet it did not dirty the ground.

This isn't real black blood!

He is not a human.

The man looked back and forth along the street several times before slowly walking up step by step.

He seemed to have just become a ghost not long ago, still not accustomed to ghostly abilities, and didn't know he could simply float over.

I immediately rose from the counter, ready to receive customers.

The man walked very slowly; after sitting down at the counter, he remained silent for a good while.

He seemed quite dazed.

I proactively asked, 'May I ask if you're here to pawn something?'

The man hesitated and nodded.

I then asked, 'What do you want to pawn? Can you take it out so I can have a look?'

After thinking, the man said, 'I want to pawn a name, a dead pledge; may I ask if your pawnshop accepts such things?'

A name?

Can a name be pawned?

It should be possible, right?

After all, there are people who pawn their yang lifespan and yin lifespan.

Since the other party is a soul, this transaction belongs to yin pawn.

For a yin pawn, if there is a request, it cannot be refused.

Therefore, even if the other party wants to pawn a name, I can only accept it as requested.

Thinking this through, I asked, 'May I ask what kind of name you wish to pawn? Could you tell me the story behind this name?'

The man replied, 'The name I want to pawn is called Jiang Bin, like a tattoo, it would be inked on the back of my neck…'