Chapter 752

When the news of Wufu Town Pawnshop closing got out, the whole place burst into an uproar.

For ordinary people, the impact wasn't significant.

But for those who walk between the yin and yang realms and seek out unorthodox paths, this was an utterly bewildering event.

Over the past two years, the reputation of Wufu Town Pawnshop has been growing stronger.

In Wufu Town, Xiao Jiu and the Seventh Lord led their subordinates in carrying out numerous great deeds, all plain for everyone to see.

Now that everything has settled, with all factions integrated, each individual under their command is capable of standing on their own.

To everyone, this seemed like the perfect moment for Wufu Town Pawnshop to flex its muscles, yet it chose to retreat at this critical juncture, leaving everyone shocked and giving rise to a wave of suspicions and rumors.

Rumors and gossip ran rampant.

During that period, Liu Junyan recalled all personnel stationed elsewhere, and the Jiǔyàn qū district only accepted ordinary requests for divination and medical consultations.

On Xiao Jiu's end, phone calls came in one after another—some were probing, but most expressed concern.

Those who genuinely cared about Wufu Town Pawnshop worried whether Xiao Jiu had offended someone or run into serious trouble at work, and they all said they would lend their full support if needed.

Xiao Jiu gave a unified reply: the pawnshop's facilities are outdated, it's closing for renovations, and there's nothing major going on.

At first, in the days right after Xiao Jiu announced the closure, nothing significant happened.

However, important members inside the pawnshop locked their doors and held a lengthy meeting.

Xiao Jiu presented the reminders from Futu Qilin and Xingchen, along with his own ideas, elaborating on every detail, and drafted an initial framework for the pawnshop's upcoming plans.

"When I first took over Wufu Town Pawnshop, I was just an ordinary person controlled by an ill-fated destiny, starting from scratch. Without everyone's protection, I, Xiao Jiu, would have struggled to move forward."

"Nowadays, both the pawnshop and all of us have gained fame abroad. In the future, the patrons we face will not only increase in number but also diversify in identity; the karmic cycles of the three realms and six paths are beyond anyone's comprehension."

"With many people and many affairs, mistakes are easy to make. Without a sound management system, it's easy to offend others—as the saying goes, 'Yama is easy to see, but little ghosts are hard to deal with.' We must nip every possible problem in the bud; for those we can't eliminate, we must establish clear rules so we have something to follow; and if we ever reach a point where reasoning alone can't solve the problem..."

"Leave this to me!" Hui Moqiong raised his hand, saying, "I'd love to discipline those disobedient rascals!"

Li Qingying gave him a sideways glance, then turned to Xiao Jiu and said, "I'll soon be taking over the City God Temple of Jūnzhú Shān. At that time, the surrounding areas, including several towns like Wufu Town, will fall under my jurisdiction. For minor disturbances, I'll have the Fifth Lord train a special guard squad to handle them; for serious offenses, I'll intervene personally and have the troublemakers 'escorted out' of Wufu Town's territory."

Now continue scanning.

Such a person, even after death and becoming a ghost, will still be bullied.

Because it's a black household.

Not being taken in by the City God Temple means one cannot enter the cycle of rebirth; aside from being devoured by fierce ghosts or refined into puppets by evil cultivators, the only fate left is to vanish into ashes and smoke.

Xiao Jiu noted this down, to be written into the detailed regulations later.

"The safety and order of the pawnshop will be entrusted to Qingying and the Fifth Lord. Remember: if a situation can be resolved through negotiation or deterrence, never resort to force."

Li Qingying glanced again at Hui Moqiong and said, "Don't worry, Xiao Jiu—with me around, nothing will go wrong."

Xiao Jiu nodded and continued, "Next comes the renovation of the pawnshop's layout. Our storefront isn't large, but privacy is poor and there's no division of labor. I plan to invite my senior sister over to help design the blueprints, remodeling and dividing work according to the former Yin Dang Hang model. When the time comes, I'll first select suitable personnel from our own hall to take charge, and also recruit talented outsiders, setting clear salary standards. Naturally, the pawnshop's compensation will include not just money, but also merit."

Hui Moqiong raised his hand again: "I'll oversee the manpower and timeline needed for the pawnshop's renovation; I have experience, and Huang Fan will assist me."

Huang Fan immediately nodded: "Good."

Hui Moqiong patted Huang Fan on the shoulder; their brotherly bond keeps growing stronger.

Xiao Jiu brought up several more points in a piecemeal fashion, and all received everyone's acknowledgment and support.

"The final point is our pawnshop's operating rules, i. e., the regulations. Our pawnshop originally had three rules: first, items can be pawned and redeemed, with pawn tickets in duplicate; once the pledged item leaves hand, it cannot be taken back. Second, items forfeited in a dead pawn belong to the pawnshop, as do items left unredeemed past the deadline for a live pawn; the pawnshop may handle them as it sees fit. These two points remain unchanged."

But the third rule—that requests from the Yin Dang must not be refused—will be struck out outright; any new regulations we add later will be worked out as we go.

My thought is: don't rush, for haste makes waste, but we shouldn't do nothing either. By tomorrow, the pawnshop will have been closed for four days, and during these four days who knows how many people have been watching our next move; we need to find a way to provoke them into action.

Liu Junyan frowned and asked, "Xiao Jiu, what do you plan to do?"

Xiao Jiu declared firmly, "Tomorrow we'll release another announcement: Wufu Town Pawnshop will adjust its operating rules, with details to follow—please stay tuned."

Liu Junyan hissed, "Xiao Jiu, do you know what kind of challenge this announcement will pose for our pawnshop once it's released?"

Hui Moqiong wondered doubtfully, "What could happen? Could it be that someone will come knocking to stir up trouble? Whoever dares to come, I'll break their legs!"

"Shut up!" Li Qingying scolded, "Did you just ignore everything Xiao Jiu said? We all know you're capable, but as a Gray Immortal receiving offerings, shouldn't you bear the demeanor of an old immortal?"

Hui Moqiong rubbed his nose, embarrassed, saying, "I'm used to being wild; suddenly having to put on airs feels awkward."

Li Qingying ignored him and turned to Xiao Jiu, asking, "Xiao Jiu, the rule that requests from the Yin Dang must not be refused will be struck out—should we announce this to the outside?"

Xiao Jiu shook his head: "Not for now."

At that, everyone was stunned.

He touched his nose, feeling embarrassed: "I'm used to being wild, so suddenly having to put on airs like this still feels a bit awkward."

Ling Qingying ignored him and turned to ask: "Xiao Jiu, the clause 'In the gloom, a request cannot be refused' is going to be struck out—should we announce this to the public?"

Xiao Jiu shook his head: "Not for now."

At that moment, everyone was stunned.

Dang Pu's rules need to be changed, but it does not clearly indicate whether the existing rules have changed; putting out such an ambiguous message simply scratches the hearts of those concerned about Dang Pu's reform……