Chapter 491

Beside him, Hui Moqiong was itching to act.

He kept giving me looks, hinting that he wanted to snatch it outright.

I lightly shook my head at him.

If we had stopped him before the corpse entered the pawn shop and snatched the Thousand-Work Key before he spoke, it would still count.

Now the corpse has spoken its demand; if we snatch it now, do we still want our pawn shop's reputation?

Who would dare to pawn anything at our shop in the future?

Weighing the pros and cons, I said: "I can take this job, but I must first confirm that this Thousand-Work Key actually works before I pay for the lamp oil—is that acceptable?"

The corpse said: "Okay."

I then took out the pawn ticket; Li Qingying immediately helped grind ink, and I filled it out carefully.

The pawn ticket was in duplicate; I signed and left my handprint, and the other party actually produced the seal of Tanluán, stamping it onto the ticket.

I gave one copy of the pawn ticket to the corpse and filed the other.

With the pawn ticket in hand, Tanluán need not worry that I would renege.

The corpse left quickly; I glanced at the time—2:50.

What a tumultuous night.

I put on special gloves, took the Thousand-Work Key to clean it, while Li Qingying swept the Nan Shu Fang and disinfected everywhere.

Once everything was done, we could still go back for a light nap.

I also returned to my room, looking at the Thousand-Work Key, and thinking about the birds' sacrifice, all the signs seemed to point me back to the Feng Clan.

Perhaps… it really is time.

I sighed, reached down to rub my belly: "Little Guy, Mom will take you back to the Feng Clan to clean up the mess—are you scared?"

There was no response.

I also worried a bit about Feng Wu; I summoned her three times in a row, but she didn't appear.

Not only did her humanoid form not appear, even her longbow didn't show up.

What's going on?

I used my phone to take several photos of the Thousand-Work Key—front, back, side, all angles—and then sent them to Jin Wuya.

Jin Wuya was in Lingnan, so it wasn't convenient to have him travel back and forth, but as a strange craftsman he should have studied the Thousand-Work Key, so I could only ask him.

After sending the message, I yawned repeatedly, tidied up a bit, and went to bed to sleep.

In my sleep, I saw that little one again.

She sat cross-legged with eyes closed, her whole body glowing red, as if about to burst into flame.

Even in the dream, I felt heartache.

Indeed, it was taxing for Feng Wu to help me absorb these external forces; any more would be beyond what she could bear.

No wonder I couldn't summon her just now; she must be in a state of closed-door cultivation.

Once she expends this wave of power, she should be able to grow a bit more.

Misfortune, where fortune leans.

Early in the morning, I was awakened by the phone ringing.

It was only six o'clock when Jin Wuya's call came through.

He excitedly told me: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, where did you get the Thousand-Work Key? Can you let me study it for a few days? I want to see the actual object."

"Will you be able to come back?" I asked, "I might not be staying at the pawn shop much longer either."

Jin Wuya froze for a moment, then asked: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, are you preparing to return to Nirvana?"

I exclaimed in surprise: "You installed surveillance in the pawn shop?"

"Impossible!" Jin Wuya hastily explained, "It was Shi Rou who said it; she knows more about your situation over there."

He then added: "Then I'll video-call you, and you let me see it in the video."

I then hung up, took out the Thousand-Work Key, and Jin Wuya's video call came through.

I slowly turned the key to show him.

Jin Wuya watched especially attentively, even scribbling on paper.

After studying for a while, he had an epiphany and gave me a detailed description of what to do when encountering the corresponding Thousand-Work Lock in order to open it successfully.

First, insert the key's tail at a 45-degree angle, turn it one full circle, catch the key, pull back, then turn another full circle, level it, push hard inward, turn clockwise three times, counterclockwise three times, then thrust hard inward—the lock will open.

I noted it down seriously, thanked Jin Wuya, and ended the video call.

After breakfast, I thought it over and still sent a message to Tang Xun.

I knew she currently had no useful news about the Feng Clan, but I still wanted her to look at the Thousand-Work Key and, by the way, tell her I was preparing to return to the Feng Clan.

What I didn't expect was that she told me the state of the Seven Halls Yama had worsened: "Xiao Jiu, his memory is completely scrambled; the whole person feels off."

My heart skipped a beat; thinking of recent events, I instinctively asked: "Is he planning to kill himself? Or to sacrifice himself to something?"

"No, quite the opposite," Tang Xun said, "He… he somehow got hold of a knife, as if he were plotting to kill someone…"

I hurriedly asked: "What kind of knife?"

Tang Xun gave a brief description, and I immediately realized: "It's a Lingchi knife; I should have guessed whom he intends to kill."

In the altered memory, the Seven Halls Yama entered the Yin Dang Hang and created a massacre of extreme cruelty.

And now, the Seven Halls Yama has been driven to madness, actually intending to make that altered memory a reality!

In the tampered memory, I have his presence, but his memory lacks my segment, so he must act alone!

What's more frightening is that he is originally a person of the Nether Realm; with that identity, each night from midnight to three a. m., he could possibly pass through the Ghost Gate and enter the Yin Dang Hang.

But the person he wants to kill is already dead.

If he enters the Yin Dang Hang and can't find that person, might he harm the innocent instead?

All kinds of possibilities could arise, and the situation is not controlled by outsiders; how can we stop him?

Tang Xun might really have no ideas left; she asked me, "Xiao Jiu, you say if I take him to the Bridge of Helplessness and beg Meng Po for a bowl of Meng Po's Soup for him to drink, could that erase all his memories?"

"Aunt, don't act recklessly." I said sternly, "Never mind whether Meng Po can give you this bowl of Meng Po's Soup; just considering his identity, you arbitrarily wiping all his memories—would the Underworld let you off?"

"I don't understand, Xiao Jiu." Tang Xun said, exhausted, "Why is it wrong for me to want to erase his tampered memories, while the person who altered his memories gets away scot-free? This isn't fair!"

I raised my hand and pinched my brow, saying, "Aunt, could it be that the person who altered his memories is using someone else as a pawn? The one who actually did it might already have been dealt with?"

Just like last night, the flock of birds' sacrifice was clearly under the opponent's control, yet the one who ultimately bears the consequences could be me!

In this world, where does fairness even come from?

It's just a matter of ability and means.

The opponent is tightening the net in earnest; we don't have much time left.

I gritted my teeth and made the final decision: "Aunt, help me send word back to the Feng Clan, saying I will return to inherit the position of Feng Lord..."