Chapter 818

Xiao Jiu is pregnant, Li Qingying is naturally happy.

Over these years, she has long secured her position as the City God of Jūnzhú Shān, cultivating a large batch of trusted aides, each highly capable; she is now quite idle.

The two litters of young ones also don't need her worry; from childhood to adulthood, they've been raised by Hui Moqiong.

So she often returns to stay at the Yin Dang Hang.

She has long been accustomed to running the Yin Dang Hang together with Xiao Jiu.

Xiao Jiu has many matters, always going out to help others resolve issues; Li Qingying, when she has time, helps her tidy up the Yin Dang Hang, handles the inflow and outflow of goods at the Funeral Shop, folding gold ingots and making paper money, and Li Qingying also helps with those.

Now that she has heard the news of Xiao Jiu's pregnancy, Li Qingying must return to stay.

Before Seventh Lord ascended, he constantly muttered wanting a little third; Xiao Jiu refused, and brought back Feng Ran as an adopted daughter.

Everyone dotes on Feng Ran, but they won't treat her as the little third, because she has her own identity—the future manager of the Yin Dang Hang.

Li Qingying doesn't worry about whether Seventh Lord will return or not, nor whether he remembers these things.

To her, it doesn't matter.

Whether Seventh Lord is present or not, she will take good care of Xiao Jiu and the little third.

But what those in the know never expected was that this little third is an utter slowpoke… not growing much.

When Xiao Jiu discovered she was pregnant, it was already almost three months.

At four months, Xiao Jiu's belly was still flat, with no fetal movement at all.

This made everyone very anxious.

Xiao Jiu specially went to Bai Jingmo for an ultrasound; the result showed, well, she was pregnant with another egg.

Bai Jingmo said although it's an egg and still small, a heartbeat can be detected, it's a living fetus; let Xiao Jiu not worry, just come for regular check-ups.

Xiao Jiu felt depressed.

All three of her pregnancies have been abnormal.

They say the dragon's nine offspring are all different; Liu Junyan's genes are also exceptional.

And in the following four months, Liu Junyan never came back, nor did she pull Xiao Jiu into a dream again.

Sometimes Xiao Jiu wonders if Liu Junyan did it on purpose.

Did he deliberately let her conceive the little third, knowing she was pregnant, so as not to come back and bother her?

That's just how this person is.

He never comes back, and Xiao Jiu doesn't find the days too hard to endure.

But he did come back before, then disappeared again; Xiao Jiu consequently finds it hard to let go, often thinking of him.

Sometimes while chatting with everyone, she can zone out.

However, during these months, a major event also occurred.

This event happened one month after Xiao Jiu discovered her pregnancy, namely the day marking ten years since Wu Ling's passing.

That afternoon after lunch, Bai Shulan came to the Yin Dang Hang to keep watch.

According to the rules of the Yin Dang Hang, at midnight the current job is considered completed.

Bai Shulan must wait until midnight, then immediately take the gu seed in hand; otherwise she won't be able to sleep tonight.

Xiao Jiu found the pawn ticket stub from Wu Ling back then, looking at the blood fingerprint Wu Ling last pressed, feeling somewhat heartbroken.

Wu Ling's life has been quite hard.

Perhaps only the years when she opened a teahouse in Wufu Town were the happiest of her life.

But she ultimately bears a mission; no matter how many years she flees that vortex, she will eventually be pulled back onto the proper path.

This is fate.

That day, the wind was calm and the waves still.

Xiao Jiu and Li Qingying guarded the Yin Dang Hang, making paper crafts there, while Bai Shulan sat aside reading medical texts.

The closer it got to midnight, the more restless Bai Shulan became.

Holding the medical book, she didn't turn a page for half an hour, occasionally glancing up at the quartz clock on the wall.

"Time's up!"

As the clock's chime ceased, Bai Shulan suddenly stood up and looked at Xiao Jiu, saying.

Xiao Jiu glanced at the dark street outside; ten years are up, no one came to redeem it, so it seems this gu seed is destined to be Bai Shulan's.

Xiao Jiu took out the pawn ticket stub and also the box containing the gu seed, placing both on the counter.

Although Wu Ling is gone and none of her disciples appeared, the required procedures must still be followed.

This is the professional competence expected of the manager of the Yin Dang Hang.

Bai Shulan stared at Xiao Jiu as she went through the procedures one by one; she was a bit anxious and very curious: "Xiao Jiu, can I open the box first to see what gu seed Wu Ling left behind?"

Xiao Jiu glanced again at the street outside, nodded, and pushed the silver box toward Bai Shulan.

Bai Shulan excitedly rubbed her hands and began to study the silver box.

Such a box made of antique silver is unique to the Wu Ling clan, containing a mechanism; to open it, one must first locate the mechanism.

While Bai Shulan was studying it, Xiao Jiu finally finished all the procedures and said, "Shulan sister, this gu seed..."

Before the words "It's yours" could be spoken, a hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside.

Before the person arrived, the voice came in: "Disciple of Wu Ling, Guyun Que, has come to redeem the pawn."

The voice was rich and magnetic, resonant; hearing it, one could tell the speaker possessed cultivation.

His cultivation seems not low.

Everyone looked toward the pawnshop's door.

With the hurried footsteps, a tall, handsome youth quickly appeared at the pawnshop's door.

The youth looked about twenty-one or twenty-two years old, about 1.88 meters tall, wearing an indigo-blue crossed-collar jacket with a standing collar and white-edged trim, with handsome geometric patterns embroidered on the cuffs and hem; his lower body was matching blue cloth trousers with black leg bindings; on his head he wore a dark green-black cloth long scarf wrapped into a conical hat, one corner of the scarf hanging by his ear, swaying lightly with his breath.

His attire was rich in ethnic character, with silver ornaments worn on his right ear and wrist.

In his pair of bright, spirited big eyes, starlight seemed to flicker.

Quite clear.

At a glance, if he changed clothes, he would look like a vigorous young man.

Xiao Jiu and Li Qingying both silently sighed, thinking the young man not bad-looking.

Only Bai Shulan, as if by reflex, shoved that silver box into her pocket in one motion.

With one hand slipped into her pocket, pressing on the silver box, she lifted her foot to leave.

The youth, however, stepped forward a few paces, reached out to block Bai Shulan, and said, "I've come to redeem the pawn; please leave the gu worm."

Bai Shulan instantly narrowed her eyes, on guard, and said, "The ten-year period is up, young man; you're late—this gu worm is already mine."

"I'm not late," the youth stubbornly blocked Bai Shulan's front, his gaze shifting to Xiao Jiu, and said, "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, if I recall correctly, Yin Dang Hang's regulations for live pawns stipulate that upon expiration of the live pawn period, there is a five‑day grace period; after five days, the live pawn automatically becomes a dead pawn, and the pawned item then belongs wholly to Yin Dang Hang. Since the five‑day grace period has not yet elapsed, I can still redeem the pawn, right?"

According to the pawn rules for live pawns, the youth was correct.

But…

"Live pawns have their own rules, but each live pawn also has its own specific provisions!" Bai Shulan said, "When Wuling Pawnshop accepted this gu worm, they said that after ten years it would be given to Xiao Jiu, so you are still late."

Wuling originally prevented Xiao Jiu from spreading the news precisely to await a fated person; even if you were late by a second, it would show you are not that fated one.

Furthermore, you claim to be Wuling's grand‑disciple—are you really? What proof do you have?