Chapter 794: Extra Chapter 4: 31

Xiao Jiu stood in place, tilting her head up and staring at that willow-branch bracelet for a long, long time.

The corner of her mouth slowly curled up, the angle growing larger and larger.

A willow-branch bracelet—everything……was conveyed without words.

He remembered.

Or rather, he had never truly forgotten.

He simply had a more important responsibility on his shoulders; he needed a little time.

Xiao Jiu suddenly understood why Liu Junyan had been appointed to the divine post of Dìmài Lóngshén.

Back then, in the battle at the Linghai Forbidden Ground, Liu Junyan left his sword there as a seal, scattered seven Golden Scales, and tracked seven strands of Dragon Qi…the original Nine Dragons Crown-bestowal momentum was thus the cause.

And now, Liu Junyan, having been appointed Dìmài Lóngshén, has sorted out the meridians and Dragon Veins of the whole of China—how could this not be the result?

Xiao Jiu was no longer confused, no longer hesitant.

That afternoon she took the high-speed rail back to Jiangcheng.

As soon as she stepped out of the station exit, she saw Li Qingying and Hui Moqiong waiting there, waving at her repeatedly.

On the way back, Hui Moqiong drove while Li Qingying alternately asked Xiao Jiu how the Suedi Heart had gone and briefly reported the situation on the Yin Dang Hang side.

As the sun set, colored light streamed through the car window, slanting onto Xiao Jiu; Li Qingying gazed dreamily at Xiao Jiu bathed in that light, noticing that the Xiao Jiu who had returned from Suedi now had a gentle expression in her brows and eyes.

She had not seen such gentleness and composure on Xiao Jiu for a long, long time.

She remembered that the first time she had seen such gentleness on Xiao Jiu was when Seventh Lord got a day off from the pawnshop and took Xiao Jiu out for a day.

That day, Xiao Jiu returned from outside and reclaimed Feng Wu.

That too was evening, with such fine weather; Xiao Jiu strode back from the street corner, her whole person overflowing with joy and gentleness that could not be concealed.

At that moment, Xiao Jiu was like a flower nourished by love, beautiful enough to stir the heart.

Later, the pawnshop's affairs grew more and more numerous.

Xiao Jiu was forced to grow up quickly.

She went through a great deal of chaotic mess.

Xiao Jiu was still Xiao Jiu, but between her brows and eyes there now lay more worry and sharpness.

Later still, after everything had settled, Seventh Lord ascended yet again.

Xiao Jiu said nothing, but everyone could see her endurance.

But today's Xiao Jiu seemed to have instantly pulled the timeline back to the very beginning.

The Xiao Jiu who had gained vitality from being loved had returned.

Li Qingying couldn't help but lean in and put her arm around Xiao Jiu's shoulders, pressing close to her ear to whisper: "Xiao Jiu, did this trip to Suedi bring any miraculous encounter?"

Xiao Jiu blinked, then gave Li Qingying a doubtful look.

"Is it……really that obvious?"

Xiao Jiu's cheeks flushed instantly; she lightly nodded, covered her mouth with one hand, and whispered a secret to Li Qingying.

Hui Moqiong hadn't noticed at first; he was concentrating on driving.

As he drove, he realized the car cabin had become a little too quiet.

He glanced back in the rearview mirror and saw that, at some point, Li Qingying and Xiao Jiu were pressed tightly together, their heads touching, hands half-covering their faces, murmuring indistinctly.

Hui Moqiong pricked up his ears to listen, but couldn't make out a word.

He felt a bit anxious; the less he could hear, the more it felt like a hand scratching an itch in his heart—utter torture.

But he was a grown man and couldn't act too gossipy.

Even knowing they might be talking about Seventh Lord, he really wanted to hear the latest news about him, but he couldn't ask.

When Li Qingying heard that Liu Qiye had left Xiao Jiu a willow-branch bracelet as a signal, she was moved to tears.

Her Xiao Jiu would finally see the clouds part and the moon shine.

Really nice.

The reason Xiao Jiu didn't continue following the clues to look for Liu Junyan was that she had her own considerations.

Liu Junyan holds a divine post; if he deems the timing right, he will come to see me on his own—if I rashly go looking for him, I would likely disrupt his work rhythm.

Moreover, since karma is at work in this matter, Xiao Jiu believes Liu Junyan's final stop must be the Linghai Forbidden Ground.

Once Liu Junyan returns to the Linghai Forbidden Ground, home is just a step away.

Xiao Jiu only needs to peacefully manage the Yin Dang Hang, settle Wufu Town, and wait for Liu Junyan to come home.

But what Xiao Jiu didn't expect was that, while she felt at ease, someone could not be at ease at all.

After returning from Suedi, the Yin Dang Hang had piled up several days' worth of business, keeping Xiao Jiu busy for a while.

Xiao Jiu cultivated whenever she had free time, diligently did any work that came up, and sought to accumulate more Merit, making full preparations for the next Dream Trial.

Roughly speaking, half a month passed like that.

That night, Xiao Jiu was once again pulled into a dream.

Xiao Jiu's first thought was that the Merit she had recently accumulated probably hadn't yet reached that previous threshold.

How did the Dream Trial suddenly start?

But when she steadied her mind, she realized this time the dream she entered was completely different from the Dream Trial's dream.

This place seemed to be a mountain; Xiao Jiu was certain she had never been here before.

Moreover, she was not standing at the foot or the summit; her position……seemed to be a mountain ridge.

She looked around, surveying the mountain range along the ridge, and quickly discovered that the trend of this ridge was off.

About fifty meters ahead of where she stood, that section of the ridge had a problem.

The ridge, which should have wound down from the heights, had been tampered with at the crucial spot where it descends from the peak.

Just as Xiao Jiu was about to go over to examine it properly, the whole mountain began to tremble.

Xiao Jiu hurriedly steadied her stance, but her eyes remained fixed on that critical point.

As the mountain trembled, from that point on the ridge, an arm-thick thing was slowly squeezed out of the ridge by a powerful force.

After a violent shudder of the ridge, Xiao Jiu heard a loud boom.

That was the sound of the severed ridge snapping back together.

Accompanying that tremendous roar was a Dragon Roar from deep underground!

It was Liu Junyan!

Mm……

Xiao Jiu jolted awake from her sleep.

She didn't turn on the light, opening her eyes in the darkness.

She sensed it.

The Dragon Roar sounded, and from the height of the newly rejoined ridge, a mountain wind swirled down, giving Xiao Jiu a big hug.

Xiao Jiu understood; this dream was Liu Junyan pulling her in.

In the dream, he showed her his achievements.

He was telling her what he was doing.

And this dream perfectly confirmed the speculation of the Fang Transmission Sect and the Special Affairs Handling Office.

In the following months, such a dream would occur from time to time.

Sometimes it was on mountain peaks, sometimes under the sea, sometimes even in the desert……

But each time it ended, Xiao Jiu could hear that familiar Dragon Roar and feel various forms of embrace……