Misery: There is a pawn shop here

Chapter 118 A Lonely Life, Proudly Reaching the Heavens
A cold moon hangs over the crumbling peaks, and crows cry blood-red cries. Jagged rocks hang upside down like swords, and a biting north wind, carrying frost and snow, whips the robes of two figures into layers of silver waves. Bei Chenyin, in his iron armor reflecting the moonlight, and Jue Qingshu, their faces veiled in white gauze, stand silently beneath the pavilion, watching the grey-robed scholar hold his pawn token.

A mysterious place where any wish can be fulfilled? Lonely Marquis found it laughable.

Human desires are insatiable; they are never satisfied. One may want a fortune and a beautiful wife, yet one's life is short, filled with endless worries and an insatiable thirst.

How ridiculous that there is a place in the world that dares to claim it can fulfill all wishes.

However, this did not stop Lonely Marquis from being curious. Bei Chenyin was a hero of his time, and Jueqing Shu, as a member of the Blood List, must have extraordinary insight. Since the two of them would both serve the same person, then this person must be worth his attention.

Perhaps the unusual celestial phenomena are related to this.

As the pawn token was activated, the passage to Youjian Pawnshop opened. Looking at the darkness before him, Jimo Hou coughed softly and stepped inside. Immediately, he felt dizzy and then saw only a row of ancient bronze lamps emitting blue flames to illuminate the path ahead. At the end of the path, a dark pavilion stood. As Jimo Hou approached, the copper bells on the eaves of the pavilion swayed slightly and made a real ringing sound.

With a creak, the door opened, and Jimo Hou glanced at the plaque with the four characters "Youjian Pawnshop" hanging above, then stepped straight inside. Inside the lobby of Youjian Pawnshop, Li Xuanxiao was already waiting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lonely Marquis."

"You are the person in charge of this pawnshop?"

Marquis Lonely sat down opposite Li Xuanxiao. Every move he made was calm and composed. Although he looked sick, his extraordinary demeanor remained unchanged.

"Yes, I am the owner of Youjian Pawnshop."

"May I ask your name?"

"A shopkeeper is just a shopkeeper; what you call him is not important."

“Ha, that’s true.” Lonely Marquis said, “Before we came here, Bei Chenyin and Jueqing Shu both said that this place was incredibly magical, and that it could be the wish of the whole world. But I don’t know if it’s really that magical… Hmm?”

Before he could finish speaking, Lonely Marquis paused, his brows furrowing slightly. He circulated his qi within himself; the old, deep-seated injuries within him remained, and that sluggish feeling was still familiar, but…

"No wonder Bei Chenyin speaks highly of it; Youjian Pawnshop is indeed extraordinary."

Due to a childhood tragedy, Jimo Hou suffered from chronic illnesses and old injuries for many years. Although there were doctors who could treat him, they were unwilling to do so. As a result, Jimo Hou often coughed due to discomfort in his body, and even when he used martial arts, his meridians and body would bear great pressure. However, since entering Youjian Pawnshop, Jimo Hou found that he had stopped coughing. Although his qi was still sluggish just now, the heavy pressure on his meridians and body had disappeared without a trace.

Li Xuanxiao simply smiled at what Lonely Marquis said, raised his hand to serve tea, and said, "Since it's business, it should be conducted in a comfortable environment for both parties. It's also a small demonstration of the pawnshop's strength."

"Well, since there is such an extraordinary pawnshop, you should know what I want even without me saying anything."

"A peaceful world without strife, desires, or killing."

Upon hearing Li Xuanxiao's words, Jimo Hou paused slightly in his tea-serving hand, looking at Li Xuanxiao opposite him.

A pair of eyes reflected the black-robed figure opposite, whose face was unseen, as if it were the purest darkness.

After a moment of silence, Lonely Marquis spoke again: "Since you know what I seek, and since you claim that you can grant any wish, then perhaps you can fulfill this wish of Lonely Marquis's." "It is a very difficult wish. In such a world without desires, how many desires will be buried? For this one transaction with you, the future of Youjian Pawnshop will be ruined. Although there is a path to achieve it, you cannot afford such a price."

Without contention, without desire, there is naturally no desire. If people have no desire, then the pawnshop will naturally lose its foundation for existence.

A world where the living live in peace and the dead are laid out in their places is not impossible to achieve. As long as the frequency of transactions is sufficient and the points are enough, a world-destroying act like that of the one in the Six Heavens Realm is not impossible. In fact, Li Xuanxiao doesn't even need to take action himself; just providing a little help in that one's actions would be enough.

However, such a result would be that the pawnshop would lose a great deal of business, making the loss far outweigh the gain.

Lonely Marquis was not surprised by Li Xuanxiao's answer. How could a place that prides itself on fulfilling human desires allow a world without strife and desires to exist?

As for the price and responsibility that Li Xuanxiao mentioned, in Jimo Hou's view, it was more like an excuse to maintain appearances.

In the end, it's nothing special...

Although Li Xuanxiao could not fully guess Lonely Marquis's thoughts, he could at least make some guesses. Lonely Marquis had developed an extreme view of humanity due to his childhood experiences, so he wanted a peaceful world, but his ideals for achieving his goal were too bloody.

The idea of ​​"saving the world by banning martial arts" isn't absolutely impossible in a world like the Bitter Realm, but it requires intelligence, martial prowess, virtue, and temperament—all are indispensable. At least, based on what Li Xuanxiao knows of in the Pili Puppet Show, no one is qualified. However, the two fanfiction books he read before his transmigration, featuring protagonists named Ji Qingyang or Lin Chongyang, do seem to offer a possibility.

“Since that’s the case, Marquis Lonely has no further requests.” Marquis Lonely took a sip of tea, put down the cup, and bowed to Li Xuanxiao. “Farewell.”

"In that case, please."

Seeing that Lonely Marquis was about to leave without any hesitation, Li Xuanxiao did not intend to stop him.

With his wisdom, Lonely Marquis naturally couldn't have been unaware that while a pawnshop couldn't fulfill his inner desires, it wouldn't be difficult to heal his injuries and make him the perfect sage described by a certain physician. However, perhaps as a result of his inner weighing, or perhaps out of the pride and arrogance of a sage, Lonely Marquis didn't voice such a deal, and Li Xuanxiao wouldn't bring it up either. Thus, their first meeting with this top sage was destined to end hastily.

After bidding farewell, Lonely Marquis walked out of the pawnshop without hesitation, following the path illuminated by the ancient bronze lamp, until he left the space where the pawnshop was located and returned to the Cold Moon Remnant Peak.

Bei Chenyin and Jueqingshu had long since left, and nothing around them seemed to have changed much, as if everything before had just been a dream.

"Every wish comes with a price."

"Making a deal with the devil will never make Lonely Marquis whole."

Apart from that one wish, there is nothing else in the world worth sacrificing everything for Lonely Hou.

The moment the pawnshop owner spoke, Lonely Marquis was certain that the celestial anomalies were related to the pawnshop.

"Gazing coldly at the vast clouds, I live a lonely life, proudly defying the heavens... cough cough cough."

(End of this chapter)