Chapter 307

Li Qingying has always been eager to seek talent.

A fly flew past the pawnshop door; if it had any skill, I felt Li Qingying would want to recruit it.

I gave her a glare and said, "Now is a troubled time; let's forget it. After Wufu Town is pacified, we'll recruit talent then."

Li Qingying muttered softly, "It's precisely because there's a lot to do that we need to hire people. Once the world is at peace, are we going to hire people just to support them in retirement?"

I couldn't help poking Li Qingying's nose with my finger; I really didn't know what to say about her.

But what she said actually made sense, didn't it?

Actually, I also want to bring all the experts I know into our pawnshop.

But after seeing the grandeur of Changshi's Hall of Gray Immortals, our pawnshop really seems too small and shabby.

Take Jiang Que as an example: now that he's helping, we just need to tidy a side room for him; but if we wanted to recruit him into the pawnshop as a true member, one side room would definitely not be enough.

Not to mention his wife and children, just drying herbs and pelts would require a separate small courtyard for him to use.

Those are the key materials he needs when employing his peculiar embroidery technique.

Yes, at least he'd need a space like an operating room. Thinking this, I even feel that our newly repaired backyard, if given solely to Jiang Que, would still be insufficient.

Having sought talent eagerly and found it, we must treat it well; otherwise, why would anyone follow you through life and death?

While speaking, Fu Wan returned.

She didn't go directly to the west wing but entered the South Study, standing beside the skin effigy and staring at it.

I noticed that when Fu Wan arrived, the skin effigy seemed to cower, shrinking onto the clothes rack with its eyes closed.

Then Fu Wan spoke, her voice unusually clear and sweet: "You go to sleep; I'll guard it until dawn."

After three o'clock, the skin effigy dared not go out.

Jiang Que, unfazed, scratched his head and said, "I already have some ideas; I'll go back to my room to draw the plans, and leave this to… this lady warrior."

Li Qingying quickly said, "Mr. Jiang, this is Fu Wan, our pawnshop's Clear Wind."

Jiang Que nodded repeatedly: "Pleasure to meet you."

Fu Wan also nodded at him: "Mr. Jiang, thank you for your trouble."

Afterwards, Li Qingying and I went to sleep; both doors of the South Study were closed, and Fu Wan guarded inside.

The next morning we woke up; Fu Wan had already returned to the west wing's spirit tablet, the black cloth on the drying rack was neatly covered, the skin effigy hung inside, behaving properly.

When breakfast was ready, Li Qingying went to glance at Jiang Que's room.

In Jiang Que's room the light was still on, he was slumped over the desk asleep, a sheet of draft paper lay on the desk with many scribbles and drawings, and there were paper balls on the floor.

Li Qingying tiptoed away and then told me, "I didn't expect Mr. Jiang to be a creative type as well, Xiao Jiu; he's truly a treasure—are you sure you don't want to take him in?"

I hummed in agreement: "Later, if we ever have a plot of land as large as Changshi's Hall of Gray Immortals, I'll definitely recruit them all; but for now we need to work hard to make money, otherwise we couldn't support such a big household."

Li Qingying's eyes lit up: "Money? Don't worry about it, Xiao Jiu—I've told you before, our Seventh Lord is very rich."

As we were speaking, footsteps came from the courtyard.

I and Li Qingying turned our heads and saw the Red Flag Child returning, clutching his flag, looking puffed with anger.

The little guy was barefoot, cheeks puffed, feeling like he was about to cry.

Li Qingying felt heartbroken, hurried forward to stop him, and led him to the dining hall: "Little guy, what's wrong? Who bullied you again?"

I still clearly remember the last time the Red Flag Child complained to General Zhao Zixun.

This question made the Red Flag Child really cry.

He pouted and cried so hard he almost lost breath: "I'm useless; I can't get those yin soldiers from the water route to Wufu Town—there are so many, I can't even bring one away, waa… so many…"

That was the reason.

When we left the Small Camp Mouth ancient battlefield, Hui Moqiong said the remaining yin spirits on the battlefield had been taken by the Red Flag Child into the deep mountains, and would later be transported by water, wave after wave, to Wufu Town.

It seems he failed.

I then asked, "What about those yin soldiers? How did you settle them?"

Before the Red Flag Child could answer, someone else entered.

It was Xiao Tiao and Yu Mo of the Gray.

The pawnshop doesn't let just anyone in, but Xiao Tiao's spirit tablet is enshrined in the altar, so he's one of us, and Yu Mo needs no saying.

Upon seeing Xiao Tiao, the Red Flag Child actually bared his teeth at him, then tossed off, "I'm going to go play with General Zhao," and ran away.

Xiao Tiao said somewhat apologetically, "The yin spirits left at the Small Camp Mouth ancient battlefield—neither the Red Flag Child nor Old Fang could handle them; in the end I subdued them. So I'm here to inform you, Boss Xiao Jiu, that those yin spirits may need to be incorporated into our hall."

Xiao Tiao being able to control those yin spirits is both unexpected and reasonable.

I still remember how he intimidated the miner zombies in the mine shaft.

His over-a-century of painstaking cultivation isn't just talk; Xiao Tiao is capable.

He personally came to Jiangcheng to file a report—one motive is sincerity, another is that he likely has his own agenda.

After all, if the Red Flag Child could get General Zhao Zixun to personally dispatch those yin soldiers, it wouldn't be impossible.

He wants me to step forward and settle this matter.

I'm also willing to do him this favor: "Fine, since we can't transfer them, let's incorporate them into the Hall of Gray Immortals; we're all one family."

Xiao Tiao clasped his fists and exclaimed excitedly, "Thank you, Boss Xiao Jiu!"

Yu Mo was also happy and asked, "Where's my brother? Why haven't I seen him?"

"He went to Mount Song and will return in a few days," Li Qingying said. "Yu Mo, stay a few extra days this time; last time you came and left in a rush, your brother kept mentioning you for days."

Yu Mo then said, "There will be plenty of opportunities later; the Hall of Gray Immortals has just been cleared out, everything awaits revival, Xiao Tiao still needs to hold real authority, so I must help him."

"Busy busy busy, you're the busiest person in the world!" Hui Moqiong's voice suddenly came from outside, "Without you, would the Hall of Gray Immortals even be able to stand?"

I jumped up with a rustle, eagerly looking outside, my heart pounding violently.

Hui Moqiong actually returned!

He's back—what about Liu Junyan?

He stayed in Songshan, or did he come back together?

Hui Moqiong had a dark expression, strode into the main courtyard; Hui Xiao Tiao's spine stiffened instantly, and Hui Yu Mo and Li Qingying both went forward to meet him.

Hui Moqiong then pointed outside and said to me, "Xiao Jiu'er, Seventh Lord also came back together; he's in Nan Shu Fang..."

Before his words had finished, I had already rushed out……