Chapter 699

We all understand in our hearts that this persistent high temperature is not an ordinary weather change; it is some kind of omen.

When heavenly omens appear, a major event is bound to happen.

What we can now be certain of is that this impending major event will greatly affect us souls, corpses, and so on.

My situation is somewhat better, after all I have merit supporting me and I also receive the incense offerings of the pawnshop; as long as I don't court death, the pawnshop is enough to keep me safe.

But Zhao Zixun is not so fortunate.

He himself is a walking corpse—his flesh does not rot, he moves freely, he retains his sanity… all of this is related to that coffin nail on his brow.

This persistent high temperature acts on the coffin nail, causing its yin and lethal qi to grow ever fainter, so it can no longer keep Zhao Zixun's flesh from rotting.

Zhao Zixun's condition worsens day by day; I again brought up the matter of joining the pawnshop's hall, but he still rejected it.

His attitude was resolute; I had no choice but to say, 'Then let's try another way—as a pawnseeker, we ask Xiao Jiu Zhanggui to save you, okay?'

Zhao Zixun still shook his head: 'Wanwan, to meet you again and have our hearts in tune is already a special mercy from heaven; I have no regrets in this life, now is the time for reckoning, all my merits and faults will be settled after my coffin is closed—don't grieve for me, this is what I deserve.'

I wanted to take his hand, but he dodged away.

He feared that his decaying aura would contaminate me and harm my soul body.

My emotions nearly broke: 'Zhao Zixun, I don't care—in my heart you are a brave and skilled general, a warrior who guards peace in one region, and also the person I love most; I have only just reunited with you, I won't let you just abandon me!'

I admit, I am selfish.

But anyone in my position could not possibly remain truly unmoved, could they?

I earnestly persuaded him: 'Zhao Zixun, I don't want to be separated from you; we already missed once, I don't want to miss a second time—as you said, if we miss this chance we may never meet again in any lifetime; can you really let go?'

Zhao Zixun's eyes showed reluctance.

I knew his heart was also wavering.

So I stepped back and discussed with him: 'I know you don't want to trouble Xiao Jiu Zhanggui again, but how do you know that Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, including Seventh Lord and the others, don't want to help you? How can you be certain they lack the ability to help you? Let's not give up on ourselves prematurely; let me go talk to Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, and if we truly find no better solution, I swear I will immediately let you go.'

Zhao Zixun finally relented.

But plans change faster than expected; just as I was pondering how to approach Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, a torrential downpour poured down.

This rainstorm not only washed away the heat, but also welcomed back Li Qingying, who had succeeded at the Dragon Leap Gate.

Xiao Jiu Zhanggui's second child also went into labor almost at the same moment.

After a frantic scramble, the child was born safely.

Xiao Jiu Zhanggui gave birth to a daughter, whose nickname is Shan Shan.

When Shan Shan was born, the entire sky over Wufu Town was surrounded by various birds, circling in midair and constantly crying out, as if celebrating her arrival.

After settling things at the pawnshop here, I immediately went to the opposite bank of the Zhu Pan River to find Zhao Zixun, wanting to see if his condition had improved.

But I discovered Zhao Zixun was gone.

Even his warhorse had vanished along with him.

I was utterly at a loss, so I went to find the Red Flag Child, hoping to get some useful news from him.

Unfortunately, the Red Flag Child had just emerged from seclusion; he had no idea what had happened, answering 'I don't know' to every question.

At that moment, I panicked to the point that my very soul body began to destabilize.

What on earth happened?

Why did Zhao Zixun suddenly disappear?

Was the promise he made to me earlier merely a stopgap to pacify me, or was his physical condition truly unsustainable, forcing him to leave?

That day, I don't even know how I made it back to the pawnshop.

Everyone was gathered around Xiao Jiu Zhanggui; I didn't go to disturb them, instead I returned directly to the west room and sat blankly before the spirit tablet.

I looked around.

Most of the statues, spirit tablets, and so on enshrined on the west room's Buddhist altar had been moved to the new hall in the Jiuyan District; only a few remained, and my spirit tablet stayed on the divine altar.

When the Black Cat did not go with the Copper Coin Person to the Zang District, it always clung to me and kept me company, so I never felt lonely.

But now, the Black Cat remains in the Zang District, assisting Xiao Jiu Zhanggui's eldest son Xingchen, who rarely returns to Wufu Town anymore.

We haven't seen each other for a very long time.

I miss the Black Cat a little.

That day, I thought a great deal.

In the end I made a decision: I will go look for Zhao Zixun.

Whether he has vanished into ashes and smoke or is hiding from me, I must find out what happened.

But before I leave, I intend to leave a letter for Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, telling her the full story so they won't worry.

As a result, I had barely written the opening of the letter when Li Qingying came over.

As soon as she entered, she called out to me: 'Wanwan, what are you doing? Are you feeling unwell?'

I shook my head: 'Sister Qingying, I'm fine, nothing is uncomfortable, welcome back.'

Seeing her, I gave up the idea of leaving a note and decided instead to talk directly to Li Qingying about my plan to depart.

Li Qingying walked over and sat down beside me.

She looked me up and down, then nodded satisfied: 'It seems the incense offerings are still effective; you haven't been affected by the hot weather, your soul body remains full.'

'Mm, I've been well under the pawnshop's care,' I said. 'The ones most affected are Zhao Zixun and the Yin soldiers in the Zhu Pan River.'

Li Qingying was not surprised; she said: 'Shan Shan is the fire seed of the phoenix clan, the new phoenix lord; her birth will be accompanied by various changes. The abnormal heat in Wufu Town is a symbol of her Nirvana phoenix nature, and the Nirvana qi will have a great impact on you souls, walking corpses, and even the Yin soldiers—this is quite normal.'

So that's how it is.

'As for why Zhao Zixun left…' Li Qingying thought for a moment, then said, 'There could be many possibilities—for instance, I have just been appointed as the river god of the Zhu Pan River; as a new official taking office, I will inevitably carry out a major overhaul of everything in my jurisdiction, so Zhao Zixun may have left early to avoid causing me trouble; or it could be that the birth of the Nirvana phoenix exerts pressure on unstable factors in the surroundings, and where there is pressure there is a backlash, so Zhao Zixun may have encountered some thorny problem; and furthermore…'

She didn't say it outright, but I understood in my heart that there was also the possibility that Zhao Zixun had already been reduced to ashes and smoke.

Li Qingying reached out and patted my shoulder, saying: 'Although I am temporarily holding the post of river god of the Zhu Pan River, I will in fact soon be confirmed as the city god of this region; the city god has the authority to investigate the comings and goings, life and death, etc., of those under its jurisdiction. Wanwan, don't be anxious—I will have people look into it right away…'