Chapter 343: with translation of chapter title

I'm certain Liu Junyan will soften his heart; he can't bear to part with me.

I know exactly how to handle him.

Because I know, he loves me.

The one who is loved has nothing to fear.

At the moment I stood at the pawnshop door, Liu Junyan indeed compromised: "All right, then we'll go together."

The whole day had been fine weather, but by evening the sky actually grew overcast.

Standing on the west side of the corridor, as I took down the hexagonal palace lamp, I saw low, heavy clouds over the Zhu Pan River to the west, a sign that a storm was imminent.

The Red Flag Child, who had been missing for many days, returned at dinnertime carrying the Red Flag.

The little guy came barefoot, striding over, and warned: "Something will happen on the river tonight; even General Zhao might not be able to contain it. He sent me back to prepare early."

It seems our plan to move the underground tower can't stay hidden; someone wants to take advantage of this opportunity to cause trouble.

Liu Junyan said: "Mo Qiong, let Huang Fan return to guard Wufu Town."

I asked: "Are we going to use him already?"

"Huang Fan is usable," Hui Moqiong said, patting his chest in assurance, "I can guarantee it with my integrity."

So that night, Huang Fan entered the pawnshop and went to the west room to offer incense.

Last time it was too dark, I only caught a rough outline of him.

Seeing him again today, I couldn't help but marvel: the Huang Xian lineage actually could produce descendants with such thick brows, big eyes, and a sturdy build?

Not to mention the former Huang Xian, even the town mayor is gaunt, with small eyes that dart around all day, wondering who he's scheming against.

Huang Fan is indeed different from them.

He is enveloped in an austere, lethal aura; he looks upright, bearing a military bearing.

Under Hui Moqiong's guidance, he proceeded all the way to the west room, saw the frightening appearance of the Copper Coin Person on the spirit altar, yet his expression did not change.

He first offered incense, then bit his finger, dripping blood onto the talisman paper affixed to the forehead of the Huang Xian statue.

The talisman paper ignited without fire.

As the paper ash fell to the ground, I don't know if it was my imagination, but I felt Huang Fan's aura suddenly shift.

From tonight on, he officially replaces the original Huang Xian, becoming one of the Five Blessings Immortals, receiving incense offerings, and bearing the heavy responsibility of guarding the pawnshop and Wufu Town.

Liu Junyan patted Huang Fan's shoulder and said: "Tonight Wufu Town and the pawnshop are yours; don't let me down."

Huang Fan said nothing, merely nodded, then moved a chair and sat down with a bold, swaggering air in the threshold of the pawnshop's main door.

As we drove away from the pawnshop, Hui Moqiong couldn't help but interject: "Seventh Lord, you've handled this a bit wrong."

I wondered: "What's wrong?"

"If it were any other leader, they wouldn't grant Huang Fan his status at this moment," Hui Moqiong said. "At the very least, we should wait until tomorrow morning, after we return from the underground tower, and then, in the form of rewarding merit, let him take Huang Xian's place."

Indeed, that's how it should be.

What if Huang Fan, relying on his Huang Xian identity tonight, does evil?

What if tonight Wufu Town erupts in turmoil and Huang Fan can't hold it?

Everything is unknown.

Liu Junyan, however, said: "If you doubt people, you won't use them; if you use them, you won't doubt them. Since I deem Huang Fan usable, I will give him trust and will not stint on this affirmation of his status."

Hui Moqiong nodded, speaking solemnly: "On this point I stand with Seventh Lord; I like following a boss like this."

If you don't think Hui Moqiong is likable, just look at his mouth—it's as smooth as honey.

The car headed all the way to the plot of land we newly acquired; along the way, Liu Junyan tightly held my right hand, while my left hand carried the Soul-guiding Lamp.

Hui Moqiong chatted about everything under the sun while driving; I enjoyed talking with him, and Liu Junyan would occasionally interject a sentence, but for the most part he just listened quietly.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was very relaxed.

This is largely because the underground tower has become dry and settled, we had also deployed many measures in advance, and tonight whatever lies at the bottom of the tower may face a tribulation; Hui Moqiong feels victory is assured, hence his mood.

The result was that just as the car was about to enter the entrance of that area, someone came rushing over and blocked the front of the vehicle.

Hui Moqiong was startled, swore, slammed the brakes to a halt, flung open the car door, and rushed over.

In the middle of the night, in a dark wasteland, a person suddenly leapt out to block the car—indeed quite infuriating.

But soon after, Hui Moqiong returned with a cold face: "Seventh Lord, Xiao Jiu, something's happened."

I asked: "What's going on? Didn't we already set everything up?"

"Yes, the outer perimeter is all set, but we can't get into the underground tower's interior," Hui Moqiong lamented. "That was one of my men; he said about a quarter hour ago, gurgling sounds came from inside the tower, like water bubbling. They sent someone to meet me while they investigated the situation over there, and it doesn't look good."

Liu Junyan asked: "Is it water, or blood?"

Hui Moqiong blinked, uncertain: "Seventh Lord, wait a moment, I'll go check and be right back."

He moved so fast that upon stepping out of the car he transformed into his true form, whooshing into the grass and disappearing.

I wanted to get out of the car, but Liu Junyan held me back, saying: "Xiao Jiu, don't move yet; let me think this through."

He closed his eyes, leaned against the chair back, his long, thick eyelashes fluttering.

I don't know what he is imagining in his mind.

Looking at the Soul-guiding Lamp in my hand, I feel some regret.

Earlier I should have insisted on coming with them; then my understanding of that underground tower would be deeper, and I wouldn't be as clueless as I am now, unable to analyze anything.

Four or five minutes later, Liu Junyan opened his eyes.

He turned his head toward me, raised his hand, and a golden bead appeared in his palm.

That was Liu Mu's inner elixir.

The night Bai Shulan helped me separate my lingering soul essence, she also extracted this inner elixir and gave it to Liu Junyan.

Liu Junyan, however, flicked his hand and tossed the inner elixir into the Soul-guiding Lamp.

I was startled, instinctively reaching to snatch the inner elixir out, fearing it would fall into the Soul-guiding Lamp and be consumed.

Never would have thought that after the inner elixir fell into the Soul-guiding Lamp, it, like Fu Wan at first, was not only not dissolved, but instead was wrapped by the Merit Light, floating up and down in the lamp chamber.

I looked at Liu Junyan in puzzlement and asked, "Why do this?"

Liu Junyan hadn't answered me yet when Hui Moqiong returned.

He flashed into the driver's seat, turned to us and said, "What came up from beneath the underground tower is water, but because it passed through too much blood stain, it appears light red, carrying a salty damp fishy odor; it should be seawater, we tested it and it has no corrosiveness."

Seawater…… blood stain…… no corrosiveness……

These points, once raised, can explain many problems.

First, it lacks corrosiveness, which contradicts the earlier bloodstains that seeped from the tower and corroded everything.

This can only indicate one point——the truly corrosive bloodstain has already coagulated into a clot and is no longer in the underground tower.

In other words, the target we intend to eliminate tonight has already left the underground tower……