Chapter 317

Even though they were wearing red veils, I could still feel the eight gazes beneath the veils staring fixedly at me.

It seemed that if I dared to utter a word of refusal, they would rush forward to tear me apart and devour me alive.

My mind raced; redeeming them was impossible, and if a fight broke out, I wondered what sorcery I could use to repel them instantly.

From the iron chains locked around their ankles, it was clear they remained under Chen Ping's control.

Time ticked by, the rain outside grew heavier, and black blood seeped onto the red veil, spreading from the top downward, turning it black bit by bit.

That thick, foul-smelling black blood was nauseating.

On the nearby drying rack, a skin-covered effigy draped in black cloth, like a dog, caught a whiff of something and grew agitated.

"Meow!"

"Get lost!"

A cat's cry rang out, accompanied by a sweet, soft female voice that held infinite deterrence, and the heads of the eight female corpses beneath their red veils turned in unison toward the small door of the Funeral Shop.

There stood Fu Wan and the Black Cat.

Fu Wan wore a cold expression, the Black Cat arched its back, both fully poised to strike at any moment.

The grinding of teeth grew louder, a creaking sound.

The next moment, the eight coffin nails on the counter flew up together, shooting straight at Fu Wan and the Black Cat.

The Black Cat didn't move, nor did Fu Wan.

Seeing the eight coffin nails nearly upon her, Fu Wan suddenly thrust her right hand forward, palm meeting the nails.

In an instant, countless white spikes of varying lengths shot from her hand.

The white spikes collided with the coffin nails, and I seemed to hear the sound of an arrow piercing a water column.

The coffin nails were dispersed like water by the white spikes, a faint gold light instantly wrapping the black aura that burst from the shattered nails… Fu Wan thus effortlessly shattered the eight coffin nails.

But it was obvious these eight coffin nails were not the actual nails, but manifestations of yin killing energy.

What I found more curious was, these white spikes Fu Wan shot… how they resembled exactly those fired by Bai Xian'er earlier.

No, that's not right.

To be precise, they were the little monster's white spikes!

I recalled that the Black Cat had dug out the little monster's demon core and fed it to Fu Wan upon returning.

It seems Fu Wan absorbed the little monster's inner core, gaining some of its abilities.

Just as I, after merging my mother's inner core, rapidly strengthened my grasp of ancient sorcery, this follows the same principle.

The eight female corpses simultaneously raised their hands, feeling beneath the red veils.

Instinctively I reached into my pocket, pulled out a handful of yellow talismans, and, channeling my inner power, shot them out.

Before heading to Changshi, my senior sister Yu Nian had specially sent me many talisman papers; they were unused then, but tonight they proved a great help.

The yellow talismans struck the female corpses, freezing their raised-hand motions instantly.

But soon, the eight yellow talismans spontaneously combusted without flame.

Just as I was about to repeat the trick, and Fu Wan and the Black Cat prepared to strike again, a loud rooster crow suddenly came from outside the door.

The rooster's crow—has it already passed three a. m.?

I furrowed my brow.

The eight ladies had already turned in unison and swiftly exited the pawnshop, retreating toward the Zhu Pan River.

Their movement was both swift and orderly.

The next moment, Li Qingying entered, holding a large rooster.

That large rooster had brilliant plumage, a big red comb, and bore a vigorous, spirited air.

Li Qingying set it on the ground, patted its head, and said, "Excellent! Stay put, don't run—I'll go get you some grain."

I glanced again at the doorway of the Funeral Shop; Fu Wan and the Black Cat had already left.

Not long after, Li Qingying emerged carrying a brimming ladle of grain, the rooster excitedly circling her legs.

Li Qingying poured the grain onto the ground, and the rooster immediately began to peck at it in a flurry.

I leaned on the counter, watching the rooster in a daze.

Li Qingying said with lingering fear, "Fortunately I was quick-witted; on my way back I noticed something amiss in the Nan Shu Fang, so I turned and fetched this rooster from the neighbor's house."

I glanced at the time—it was exactly three a. m.

Li Qingying saw my low spirits and asked, "Xiao Jiu, what's wrong? Were you frightened? Are you afraid they'll come again tomorrow night?"

I replied, "They will definitely come."

Li Qingying said, "No problem; worst case, after dawn I'll go buy this rooster from the neighbor, and when the female corpses come I'll have it crow."

I shook my head: "Using the same tactic again won't be as effective, and I'm not afraid the eight corpses will return tomorrow night—we can hold the pawnshop."

Li Qingying puzzled: "Then what are you still worried about?"

"The pawn tickets, or rather those eight deeds of sale, must still be in the pawnshop."

When I first took over the pawnshop, I conducted a detailed inventory of the existing pawn tickets and items, yet I never saw those eight female managers' pawn tickets.

Where have those few pawn tickets been hidden?

Li Qingying still didn't grasp it: "Even if the tickets are still there, what does it matter? Put bluntly, they were sold to the pawnshop as dead pawns; as long as we ignore them, they cannot redeem themselves."

"The problem is, if the tickets remain, they can trade in another way—not redeeming but pawning." I said, "They are female corpses; if they come to pawn items, it's a yin pawn, which cannot be refused. If what they demand as pawn money is precisely their own pawn tickets…"

Li Qingying froze.

Yin pawns cannot be refused, but this rule is not absolute.

I can forcibly refuse, but the cost would also be enormous.

Either way, they come out unscathed.

"Find!" I immediately decided, "Even if we have to dig three feet deep, we must locate and destroy those few pawn tickets before nightfall tomorrow."

After the dead pawn, let alone those few pawn tickets, according to reason, even the eight female corpses just now belong to the pawn shop; I have the right to destroy them!

But the problem is, the eight female corpses are now controlled by Chen Ping… no, I just thought of another problem: who were those eight female corpses originally pawned to?

What if they weren't pawned to the pawn shop?

Just like me.

Back then, Grandma bought me from my wet nurse's hands; the deed and seal were made in Liu Junyan's name.

So to put it precisely, I was dead-pawned to Liu Junyan.

And Liu Junyan was then controlled by the pawn shop's formation array; naturally, I too came under the pawn shop's control.

But what if those eight female corpses were originally dead-pawned to some person hidden behind the pawn shop?

I've long wondered: who originally established this pawn shop?

Who truly is the real master behind this pawn shop?

Is that person still alive?

Are the pawn tickets now clenched in that person's hand?

If he is the true master of the pawn shop, then even if those eight female corpses were dead-pawned to him, they would still belong to the pawn shop.

The pawn tickets still exist, but I can't produce them.

If at night the female corpses come for a dark pawn… the trouble would be too great!

I've tidied all the rooms in the rear-facing wing; unless they're buried underground or built into the walls, I'm certain those eight pawn tickets aren't here.

No need to search the rear courtyard either; it was only recently repaired.

So, the only places left are the front courtyard and the main hall.

The front courtyard has only a large locust tree and a well of the Eight Trigrams; what's sealed in the Eight Trigrams well should be those Wufu Town villagers killed by Chen Ping, so the chance of hiding the pawn tickets there is also low.

Therefore, the main hall is the most suspect.

Could it be… could it be on the Copper Coin Person?