Chapter 422: Yin Dang Hang

Liu Junyan gave Hu Yulin an "Are you serious?" look, while Hu Yulin kept smiling at Liu Junyan with a candid gaze.

Liu Junyan then said to me, "Xiao Jiu, wait for me a moment."

Having said that, he jumped into the river without hesitation.

I didn't react in time and was startled.

The river water was dark, the surface calm and waveless; not even a ripple formed when Liu Junyan jumped in just moments ago, giving an inexplicably eerie feeling.

I instinctively moved to follow Liu Junyan into the water, but Hu Yulin grabbed me, shook his head at me, and said, "Xiao Jiu, don't panic; wait a bit, let's see the situation first."

Hu Yulin isn't a bad person; he and Liu Junyan are childhood friends, so I'm not afraid he'd harm Liu Junyan—I just feel a bit uneasy.

Fortunately, not long after, Liu Junyan suddenly surfaced from the water.

He sprang ashore, wiped the river water from his face, and told me, "There really is a barrier hidden beneath the water; entering it leads to a narrow, long street paved with blue bricks, red tiles, and stone slabs—its layout closely resembles that of the alley west of our pawnshop."

At the street's entrance, I saw a sign hanging on the wall for the Chenghuang Temple Heaven and Earth Pawnshop; the street seemed to have only one shopfront, shrouded in a layer of mist, making its true state unclear.

Just as I was about to go further inside to see the details, a ragged, filthy man leapt out, brandishing his sword across his chest and blocking me.

Hu Yulin couldn't help but say, "That guy is actually still here!"

As soon as he spoke, Liu Junyan asked, "Brother Hu, honestly tell me—how did you discover back then that this method could let you enter the barrier?"

I was also curious about that.

Hu Yulin immediately began to hem and haw, changing the subject.

Liu Junyan, however, would not let up, adopting the posture of someone determined to get to the bottom of things.

Hu Yulin finally had no choice but to compromise: "Alright, I'll tell the truth. When you and A Li met with misfortune one after another, I felt grieved and despondent, seeking Feng Wu as emotional solace; each time I came to Gui Shi to search and found nothing, I would drown my sorrows in drink, getting dead drunk.

That time, I somehow stumbled to the riverside at this spot…

Saying this, Hu Yulin felt guilty and embarrassed, rubbing the tip of his nose, but then trailed off.

I asked curiously, "Big Brother Hu, could it be that you got so drunk you lost your balance and just toppled into the water?"

I thought my remark was already embarrassing enough for Hu Yulin, but Liu Junyan's mouth was even sharper.

He bluntly asked, "Brother Hu, could it be that you can't accept reality, came here seeking death, and accidentally discovered the barrier?"

Hu Yulin immediately jumped up, protesting, "Someone as sunny and outgoing with my status and background—how could I possibly seek a shortcut?"

Alright, that's just getting drunk and falling into the water.

"Enough, stop researching those pointless old sesame and millet matters here—it's meaningless." Hu Yulin then turned to me and said, "Xiao Jiu, time waits for no one; let's go down together and settle this quickly."

After saying that, he leapt into the river first; I lifted the Soul-guiding Lamp and jumped in with Liu Junyan.

Upon entering the water, I was instantly shocked by the icy cold, swimming forward forty or fifty meters—about where we had seen the river's source shrouded in mist from the bank—and there a barrier appeared.

The river has a certain depth, and outside that barrier lay a heap of white bones!

There were fish, shrimp, small creatures… and… human remains…

It seems ordinary creatures that fall down to the barrier cannot break it and also put their lives at risk.

These bones have accumulated over the years, and their number is not small.

In the midst of my thoughts, I felt the water around me stir slightly; Hu Yulin had already managed to open a small gap in the barrier, waving his folding fan to signal us to hurry in.

Passing through the barrier, we instantly entered another space.

The river water was gone, and ahead a street indeed appeared.

The long, narrow street stretches out of sight at a glance, not only because mist obscures it, but also because it is mysterious—as if some unseen force in the shadows weakens its presence, making it visible yet indistinct, hard to touch or feel.

In other words, it gives one an extreme sense of unreality, like being in a dream.

On the wall facing us hung a plaque bearing the bold characters: Chenghuang Temple Heaven and Earth Pawnshop!

We walked a few steps further when suddenly a man appeared—close to two meters tall, with long, disheveled hair, wearing tattered clothes, and faintly emitting a foul odor.

He moved so swiftly that I couldn't even tell where he had jumped out from.

He thrust his arm toward us, long sword held across his chest, and snarled a single word: "Get lost!"

His voice rang like a great bell, his aura overpowering.

At first listen, you could tell he was a martial artist.

Someone like that is certainly not to be offended.

It's not that Liu Junyan and Hu Yulin can't beat him; rather, this is his turf, we are intruders, and causing a commotion couldn't be resolved in just a couple of hours.

By then Gui Shi would close, leaving us stranded—more loss than gain.

I timely lifted the black cloth covering the Soul-guiding Lamp; the Merit Light instantly turned a ghostly green, and the demonic face on the lamp's chamber began to wail and howl, spinning nonstop around the chamber.

The man's gaze trembled as it fell upon the Soul-guiding Lamp in my hand.

The next moment, he pointed with his sword‑hand at Liu Junyan and Hu Yulin, saying, "You two, get lost!"

Hu Yulin rolled his eyes dramatically and muttered under his breath, "I'm already an Eight‑Tailed Spirit Fox; taking care of you brat is a cinch—what's there to fuss about?"

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist, and I saw a pill appear in his hand.

Liu Junyan passed me the backpack, lowering his voice to warn, "Unless necessary, don't provoke trouble."

Hu Yulin shut up and put the pill away.

Shouldering the backpack and holding the Soul-guiding Lamp, I stepped forward and announced, "I am Xiao Jiu, manager of the Wufu Town Pawnshop… Feng Wu Jiu, and I have a prior appointment with Yin Dang Hang; please, sir, show us the way."

The man said nothing, still gripping his sword, he stepped aside to let me in, then remained standing like a door god at his post.

I glanced back at Liu Junyan, who waved his hand, indicating I need not worry about them.

I took a deep breath, lifted the Soul-guiding Lamp, and strode forward along the street.

After walking about a hundred steps like this, ahead, where the door faced west, a gate finally appeared, bearing a plaque with a white lantern hung on each side— the lanterns long unlit— and the entrance was flanked by a platform of stacked blue stone slabs.

I stepped onto the platform, turned to face the plaque, looked up, and saw the three strong, vigorous characters on its black‑white background: Yin Dang Hang…