Chapter 56: I Have Loved Only One Person

Is the dream false, or is the cloaked man in it simply not Liu Junyan at all?

Speaking from my own feelings, I certainly don't want it to be Liu Junyan!

Another doubt is that the blood‑stained mask the girl holds in the dream seems not to have originally belonged to her.

But… it might belong to me?

Chaos!

Too chaotic!

The more I think, the more my head hurts.

What on earth is the truth?!

I shook my head hard, clenched my teeth on my lips, and my lips soon bled.

Liu Junyan held me in his arms, one hand gently patting my back, coaxing: "Xiao Jiu, you were just caught in a nightmare; nothing in the dream was real, don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here."

I flung myself into his embrace and clung to him tightly.

Liu Junyan sensed my fragile emotion, asked nothing, and simply held me tight, kissing my hair and wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes.

We held each other like that for a while, and my emotions gradually calmed.

Some things cannot be escaped.

That girl has already moved against me; she will surely come knocking sooner or later.

Rather than let things become awkward for both sides later, it would be better to……

Thinking this, I pushed Liu Junyan away.

He had just infused me with true qi, easing the pain in my shoulder blade.

I sat up straight, staring at him unblinking, and said solemnly: "Liu Junyan, are you sure I'm the little fire fox you've been looking for?"

Liu Junyan blinked, obviously not expecting me to ask that suddenly.

But he showed no hesitation, replying directly: "I'm sure."

"What if you're mistaken?" I pressed. "What if one day the real little fire fox shows up at the door?"

This time, Liu Junyan did not rush to answer my question.

He regarded me with a scrutinizing gaze, then cupped my cheeks and asked solemnly: "Xiao Jiu, tell me, what exactly has happened lately?"

I shook my head, insisting: "Answer my question first."

"I won't mistake you." Liu Junyan said firmly. "Besides, in this life I have chosen the girl Xiao Jiu — that's you."

I realized Liu Junyan can always ease all my anxieties with just a sentence.

I resentfully thought, perhaps it's because I've relied on him for too many years.

Twelve years.

Exactly twelve years.

This reliance has become habit, forming a wall of trust in my heart long ago.

If one day that wall of trust were to collapse, it would be enough to take half my life!

"I trust you, Liu Junyan, but only this once." My voice trembled, my eyes reddening. "If one day you discover you've mistaken the person, then return the pawn ticket pressed beneath the black coffin and set me free, okay?"

Liu Junyan's hand paused, then he lowered his head until his forehead nearly touched mine, his vertical pupils seeming to blaze with fury: "Xiao Jiu, don't even dream of it!"

"I, Liu Junyan, am not so deaf and blind as to fail to recognize the woman I love deeply. Don't indulge in wild thoughts, and don't let outsiders stir up our feelings. Xiao Jiu, I have loved only you, and will love only you forever."

The sudden confession left me somewhat stunned.

Liu Junyan kissed my forehead, held me tightly, then asked: "Having just come back from outside, haven't you eaten yet? Are you hungry?"

I nodded hesitantly: "Hungry."

"Wait."

Liu Junyan let go of me and went to the kitchen on his own.

I wondered, he can actually cook?

I got up, washed up, changed into clean loungewear, and then headed to the kitchen.

At half past five in the morning, stars still hung in the sky, and the scent of egg noodles drifted from the kitchen.

I sat at the table, picked up my chopsticks, and ate slowly while blowing on them.

While eating I praised: "Color, fragrance, and flavor are all perfect, Liu Junyan—I never expected your noodles to be so delicious."

"I can do a lot." Liu Junyan smiled. "My grilled fish is fragrant too."

Upon mentioning grilled fish, I immediately thought of that painting and couldn't help asking: "Did the scene in that painting really happen?"

Liu Junyan nodded: "When the chance comes, I'll take you back to that place, Xiao Jiu. You still owe me a fish grilled crisp outside and tender inside."

As he spoke, his eyes fixed on me, the corners of his mouth holding a gentle smile, and there was an inexplicable fondness.

I ventured: "So, you like lively… somewhat mischievous girls?"

"Yes." Liu Junyan admitted openly, then shifted tone: "But I also like you, Xiao Jiu—well‑behaved yet brave—and I love every side of you."

My face, against my will, flushed all the way to the base of my neck.

Is Liu Junyan just coaxing me?

Because my emotions have been swinging wildly lately, I'm overly sensitive, so he's been soothing me this way.

I felt moved, yet dared not indulge too much, so I bluntly changed the subject: "You can't leave the pawn shop; if you want grilled fish, we can cook it in the courtyard."

"Soon." Liu Junyan said seriously. "Thanks to Xiao Jiu, I should soon have the chance to go out occasionally."

I exclaimed: "Really?"

"Really."

Liu Junyan pointed ahead and said: "The hexagonal palace lamp under the eaves of the pawn shop has accumulated quite a bit of merit; when its merit exceeds half, I can use it to briefly accompany you out for a stroll."

I exclaimed delightedly: "That's wonderful! I'll definitely work hard and accumulate half the merit as soon as possible."

Liu Junyan helplessly hooked a finger and tapped my nose: "Xiao Jiu, look after yourself first; the rest, let it be."

I grunted, my mood finally improved, and I lowered my head to eat noodles.

Liu Junyan stayed with me until noon, then gave me another infusion of true qi; after confirming my shoulder blade no longer hurt, he returned to the black coffin.

In the afternoon, while I was sitting at the counter stacking gold ingots, the door was lightly knocked.

I looked up and saw that the visitor was actually Jin Wuya.

After parting at Gui Shi, I had been waiting for his call, but I never expected him to come to the pawnshop in person.

I hurriedly rose to greet him, intending to let him come in for a detailed talk.

Jin Wuya, however, stepped back two paces, then carefully surveyed the pawnshop again, his brows furrowing tighter: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, let's talk outside."

I was doubtful, but Jin Wuya had the information I wanted about the Golden Scale; whatever he said, I would follow.

I locked the pawnshop door, took him to a tea house on South Street in Wufu Town, requested a private room, sat down, and we chatted while drinking tea.

I hadn't even sat down when Jin Wuya said: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, your life is really tough."

I blinked: "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Haven't you seen the aerial map of your town?" Jin Wuya said, "The overall layout of Wufu Town resembles a fat pixiu, and your pawnshop protrudes to the west, standing out distinctly—clearly the pixiu's head."

The Zhu Pan River to the west flows eastward, and just where it faces the pawnshop it bends south; all the filth in the river gathers at that bend, which the pawnshop draws into the pixiu's belly.

A pixiu only takes in and never lets out, so the filth accumulates year after year in the town; by rights, Wufu Town is a deadly ominous layout and should not have survived.

But presumably an expert set up a formation in the pawnshop; sorry, my eyes are unskilled—I can't make out the formation's pattern, but it's nothing more than a Trapping Soul type of formation.

Put simply, the disaster that should have been borne by the whole of Wufu Town now rests entirely on the pawnshop; that Xiao Jiu Zhanggui dares to hold the fort, keep the shop open—this courage… is admirable.