novellaaa Chapter 103 Qingfu Pawnshop
Chapter 103 Qingfu Pawnshop
Chapter 103 Qingfu Pawnshop
The secret room of the library.
This is the secret base of Gu Shenyan's small group, the "Student Alliance".
"What?!"
After hearing Gu Shenyan's analysis, Jia Shouren was so shocked that he almost jumped up, his fat body trembling.
"You mean, Li Yuan last night really wanted to kill you?"
"My goodness! Isn't the Xuanzheng Division a government agency? How can a government agency be so corrupt?"
Han Sushuang sat to the side, toying with a short sword in her hand, her face terribly gloomy.
"The government?"
She sneered, her eyes full of mockery.
"In this world, sometimes the government is more terrifying than demons."
"Junior Brother Gu, what do you plan to do?"
Gu Shenyan remained calm, his fingers lightly tapping the table.
"Although Senior Brother Cao has managed to suppress what happened last night, it's only temporary."
"Since Li Yuan dared to make a move, it means he has someone backing him."
"Moreover, this person doesn't want us to investigate further."
He omitted the bone fragments and Chen An's warning.
The fewer people who know about this, the better.
"From today onwards, we must be even more careful."
"Especially when dealing with people from the Genjō-ji."
Gu Shenyan took out three communication talismans from his pocket and gave them to the two of them.
"This is my improved communication talisman."
"In the future, if there is an emergency, do not use explicit language."
"This is the code list."
He handed her another piece of paper with some seemingly unrelated words written on it.
"Buying tea" implies danger.
"Reading represents safety."
"Rain signifies retreat."
Jia Shouren took the note, looked at the densely packed coded messages on it, and frowned.
"Brother Gu, this is way too complicated! My brain is fried—"
"If you can't remember, you'll die."
Gu Shenyan interrupted him, his tone icy.
"Brother Jia, we've already entered the game."
"If you don't want to become one of those corpse puppets, you have to be smarter than a ghost."
Jia Shouren shivered, stopped talking nonsense, and began to recite obediently.
Han Sushuang put away the note and nodded.
"I will use my family connections to investigate Li Yuan and Zhou Yun's background indirectly."
"As long as they're active in the provincial capital, they can't possibly leave no trace."
"it is good."
Gu Shenyan stood up.
"Let's call it a day."
"Keep a low profile these next few days and don't attract attention."
A few days passed.
South of the city, in an old alley.
This is a slum in the provincial capital, a melting pot of all sorts of people.
A middle-aged man wearing a gray cloth long gown, with a sallow complexion and a mustache, was walking slowly down the muddy street.
He looked like a down-on-his-luck schoolteacher.
No one could recognize that this was Gu Shenyan in disguise.
He circled the alley seven or eight times to make sure there were no tails following him before stopping in front of a dilapidated shop.
A rickety signboard hung on the door.
"Qingfu Pawnshop".
The storefront was small, the interior was dimly lit, and it smelled musty.
Behind the counter sat a thin old man wearing reading glasses, dozing off on the table.
Gu Shenyan walked in and tapped his fingers lightly three times on the counter.
"Tap, tap, tap."
The old man groggily raised his head, adjusted his glasses, and his cloudy eyes darted around.
"Sir, would you like to pawn or redeem your item?"
Gu Shenyan lowered his voice and said in a slightly hoarse tone, "I won't redeem you for gold, nor for silver."
"Only seeking the shade of three locust trees and five willows."
The old man's originally cloudy eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light the moment he heard the code.
The light was extremely sharp, as if it could see through Gu Shenyan's disguise.
But he quickly returned to his drowsy state.
"oh----"
The old man slowly stood up and took out a brass key from his waist.
"There's an old willow tree in the backyard, let's go there and cool off."
As he spoke, he opened a small door next to the counter.
Gu Shenyan cupped his hands in greeting and stepped inside.
After passing through a narrow corridor, the view suddenly opened up.
This is an exquisite little courtyard.
Sure enough, there was a huge old willow tree in the courtyard.
Under the tree, there was a stone table and two rattan chairs.
A middle-aged scholar dressed in a blue robe was sitting there, holding an ancient book in his hands, reading it carefully.
His aura was as calm and unfathomable as still water.
He is definitely a master in the Foundation Establishment stage.
"sit."
The scholar didn't even raise his head, but simply uttered a single word.
Gu Shenyan sat down as instructed, and without saying a word, took out the bone fragment wrapped in animal hide from his sleeve and placed it on the stone table.
"Someone asked me to come here to have this item appraised."
The scholar put down his book and his gaze fell on the bone fragment.
In that instant, his expression turned somewhat serious.
Instead of touching it directly with his hands, he took out a pair of white gloves from his pocket and put them on. He then took out a bottle of light blue medicine and carefully dripped a drop onto the bone fragment.
"Sizzle—"
The blood-red characters on the bone fragments seemed to come alive and began to slowly wriggle.
The scholar examined it carefully for a long time, and even took out a compass to make calculations.
A full incense stick's time had passed.
He slowly took off his glasses and looked at Gu Shenyan.
"Young friend, where did you get this?"
Gu Shenyan remained expressionless.
"I found it."
The scholar smiled but did not expose him.
"Lucky, but also a hot potato."
He pointed to the bloodstains on the bone fragments.
"This is an extremely ancient blood pact from Southeast Asia."
""
"And it's a secondary film."
"This contains some of the agreements between the contracting parties."
"One side is clearly the holder of this bone fragment, which is the force behind Tonghai Trading Company."
"The other side, codenamed 'Shadow Banyan.'"
Shadow banyan?
Gu Shenyan quickly searched his mind for the name, but found nothing.
The scribe continued, "The contract is quite complex, involving several 'delivery of materials' and transfer of knowledge."
"But the most crucial point is—"
The scholar lowered his voice, which carried a hint of inexplicable chill.
"They will demonstrate their so-called 'Way of Fusion' at the upcoming Hundred Talismans Assembly, under the guise of 'orthodox rising stars.'"
"In this way, one can obtain a certain key qualification."
Hundred Talismans Ceremony!
Gu Shenyan's pupils contracted slightly.
That was a grand event held every three years in the cultivation world, and also a stage for various sects to select top talisman masters.
These Southeast Asian sorcerers actually dared to try and interfere in such a prestigious event?
"besides."
The scholar pointed to a fragmented array diagram in the corner of the bone fragment.
"This picture is very interesting."
"If I'm not mistaken, these patterns bear a striking resemblance, about seven-tenths, to the protective rune array of an ancient teleportation array remnant stored in the Xuanzheng Division's secret vault."
Gu Shenyan's heart sank.
Ancient relics.
This is no longer a simple matter of smuggling or infiltration by evil magic.
This is threatening to shake the very foundations of this world!
No wonder Li Yuan wanted to kill him to silence him.
No wonder Chen An warned him to be careful.
This pool of water is too deep.
"Senior, what should we do with this?"
Gu Shenyan took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice.
The scribe looked at him and held up two fingers.
"Two paths."
"First, completely destroy it. Pretend you've never seen it. This way you'll lose an important clue, but you'll be safe."
'
A glint of shrewdness flashed in the scholar's eyes.
"Keep it. But this thing carries a location and a curse."
"I can make a copy for you."
"All curses and ciphers have been removed, leaving only the seemingly harmless information on the surface that can actually prove the crimes of the Tonghai Trading Company."
"You can find an opportunity to submit it in a 'reasonable' way."
"It allows you to achieve merit without getting into trouble."
"As for the original document—"
The scholar paused.
"I will use a secret technique to seal it for you; you can keep it as a trump card for the future."
Gu Shenyan remained silent for a moment.
The system was calculating frantically in his mind.
[Solution under development —]
Option 1: Risk: Low. Return: Zero.
Option 2 Risk: Medium. Return: Extremely High.
I choose option two.
Gu Shenyan raised his head, his gaze resolute.
Now that we're in the game, there's no reason to back down.
Having an extra card in your hand means having an extra life.
"A wise choice."
The scholar nodded approvingly.
"However, Qingfu Pawnshop never does business at a loss."
"The sealing and replication techniques are extremely demanding."
"Two hundred silver dollars."
Gu Shenyan's lips twitched slightly.
That was all his savings.
"make a deal."
He said through gritted teeth.
"besides."
The scribe held up one finger.
You owe me a favor.
"In the future, I will ask you to do something for me that is within your power and does not go against your conscience."
Gu Shenyan looked into the scholar's deep eyes.
System notification: [The other party has no malicious intent; it is recommended to accept.]
"it is good."
Gu Shenyan nodded in agreement.
After leaving the pawnshop, Gu Shenyan felt his wallet was empty, but he felt much more at ease.
The bone fragments in his arms were already wrapped in a thin layer of gold foil, completely isolating them from any scent.
The copy, however, was made flawlessly.
That two hundred dollars was well spent.
Not long after returning to the courtyard.
An outer disciple rushed over.
"Senior Brother Gu, Senior Brother Cao requests your presence."
Gu Shenyan's heart stirred.
coming.
Cao Wenjing's villa.
The environment here is quiet and peaceful, and there are no outsiders.
Cao Wenjing was standing by the window, wiping his beloved sword.
"sit."
He pointed to the chair next to him.
Gu Shenyan sat down, his back straight.
"You must still have some lingering resentment about what happened that night, right?"
Cao Wenjing did not turn around; his voice remained calm.
Gu Shenyan hesitated for a moment, then said, "This disciple dares not."
"But—I do have some doubts."
Cao Wenjing turned around and sheathed his sword.
"What Li Yuan triggered that night was definitely not an accident."
He looked directly into Gu Shenyan's eyes and said the answer that Gu Shenyan already knew.
"Senior Brother Liu and I actually received a secret report long ago."
"There have been some dissenting voices within the Xuanzheng Division lately."
"Some people seem to be getting very close to certain external forces."
"They don't want us to investigate too deeply."
Cao Wenjing walked up to Gu Shenyan and patted him on the shoulder.
That was a heavy blow.
"Your performance that night has already caught the eye of some people."
"It's both a good thing and a bad thing."
"One month from now, the selection process for the 'Hundred Talismans Assembly' will take place."
"If you wish to participate safely and receive the true inheritance of your sect—"
Cao Wenjing's voice was very low, carrying a hint of heartfelt sincerity.
"In the future, don't trust outsiders about certain things."
"If you discover anything, you can report it to me or Senior Brother Liu in secret."
"In this sect, we are your true backers."
Gu Shenyan felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
He knew this was Cao Wenjing's pledge of allegiance.
This is also a signal that he has been formally accepted into the inner circle.
He stood up and bowed deeply.
"Disciple understands."
"I will certainly live up to my senior brother's high expectations."
Cao Wenjing nodded in satisfaction.
"Go."
"Prepare well for the selection."
"We'll take care of those rats in the sewers."
Gu Shenyan left the room.
The Hundred Talismans Ritual.
Ancient relics.
Southeast Asian sorcery.
A traitor within the Xuanzheng Division.
This net is getting bigger and bigger.