Misery: There is a pawn shop here

Chapter 157 Pawnshop Agency
To retrieve Anaru's Eye, Tan Wuyu and Mu Shaoai revisited Youjian Pawnshop. Inside, candlelight flickered. Li Xuanxiao sat behind a gilded sandalwood table, his white robe spotless, his black hair cascading down like a waterfall. His brows seemed to hold a hint of a smile, and his eyes held a hint of mystery. Wisps of white smoke rose from the celadon teacup on the table, swirling around him, making him seem out of place in the mundane world, like a celestial being from a painting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Li Xuanxiao's voice was clear and melodious, like jade striking jade, echoing in the quiet pawnshop.

Mu Shaoai strode over to the table, slammed his hand on the wooden chair, and sat down with a carefree gait. The chair legs creaked softly as they scraped against the floor. He looked up at Li Xuanxiao, a nonchalant smile playing on his lips: "Shopkeeper, we've done business a few times already, so let's skip the formalities."

Through several encounters, both Tan Wuyu and Mu Shaoai knew that the owner of the pawnshop, though mysterious, was an extremely "rule-abiding" person.

Tan Wuyu sat down right after Mu Shaoai and said, "I'm sure the shopkeeper knows the purpose of my and the pharmacist's visit."

Li Xuanxiao nodded slightly, his fingertips tracing the rim of the teacup, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes: "Of course. What you two seek is merely the eyes of Anaru. The talented Yue is meticulous and shrewd, leaving no room for error; I admire you."

"hiss……"

Upon hearing this, both Tan Wuyu and Mu Shaoai were shocked. Their conversation outside the pawnshop had been overheard by the pawnshop owner. Could it be that his influence extended beyond the pawnshop? The two subconsciously looked at the pawn token in Mu Shaoai's hand.

“Hey, you two don’t need to be so nervous. There’s no such thing as a listening device in a pawn shop. Besides, as Yue Cai Zi said, there are rules in the pawn shop. As guests, you two haven’t overstepped them, so naturally nothing will happen.” Before the two could make a move, Li Xuan Xiao spoke again, still with a smile on his face.

However, from Mu Shaoai and Tan Wuyu's perspective, a cloud of mist enveloped Li Xuanxiao, preventing them from seeing his expression. They could only hear what Li Xuanxiao was saying, making them feel that the person in front of them was even more unpredictable.

"Hahaha..." After a moment, Tan Wuyu finally opened his mouth and chuckled a few times, forcibly changing the subject: "A few minor incidents have interfered with the main business I was thinking of. Now that you, shopkeeper, know if your shop really has the Eye of Anaru?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xuanxiao raised his hand, and a wooden box appeared out of thin air in front of Mu Shaoai and Tan Wuyu, before slowly landing in front of them.

“Inside the wooden box is the Eye of Anuruddha that you two have been seeking,” Li Xuanxiao said.

Looking at the wooden box in front of him, Mu Shaoai looked up at Li Xuanxiao and asked, "I wonder if this Anaru Eye is the one that was stolen from Kui Liaoxuan back then?"

Li Xuanxiao smiled slightly when he heard the question, "That's right, this item was once hidden in the Pit of Sin, and I later obtained it."

Sin Pit...

Upon hearing Li Xuanxiao's words, Mu Shaoai and Tan Wuyu understood why Buddha Sword Fenshuo's search for Anaru's Eye had been fruitless that day. It turned out that it had already been taken by someone else. They just didn't know whether it had been taken by a pawnshop or...

At this moment, Li Xuanxiao spoke up: "Esteemed guests, if you wish to take this item, please do not forget the rules of the pawnshop."

"I wonder who needs to trade or pawn this item?" Tan Wuyu asked.

Li Xuanxiao lightly raised his fingertip, pointing directly at Tan Wuyu: "You."

These words struck them like a thunderbolt. Mu Shaoai abruptly stood up, the chair leg scraping against the floor with a jarring sound: "Manager, this joke has gone a bit too far."
Wuyu was also taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"That's a rather big joke. Surely I wouldn't risk my life for just one Anuruddha eye?" Li Xuanxiao shook his head, saying, "Not at all. What I'm referring to is your one year."

Tan Wuyu raised an eyebrow, secretly thinking: This pawnshop owner is indeed shrewd. The Anaru Eye is of great importance; if he were to pawn it with ordinary items, it would hardly be commensurate with its value. A year seems harsh, but…

"What does this mean? Please explain, shopkeeper," Mu Shaoai asked.

"Ha." Tan Wuyu chuckled again. "I didn't expect that I, Tan, would be so sought after. Even the shopkeeper appreciates me so much."

"For one year, you will act as an agent for the pawnshop, traversing the harsh landscape and possessing some authority over pawn transactions. However, your life will also be tied to the frequency of your transactions. How about it?"

"What does it mean to link life and death with the frequency of transactions?" Tan Wuyu asked.

“As the name suggests.” Li Xuanxiao raised his hand again, and an hourglass appeared out of thin air, with grains of sand flowing out of it.

"The hourglass symbolizes your life. Each time, you must complete a transaction before the sand runs out, or you will be destroyed. Each sand runs for seven days."

"Having to conduct a transaction every seven days is incredibly stressful," Tan Wuyu said, flicking his whisk. "And what exactly is this so-called limited transaction?"

"Your transactions can only be paid for with gold or silver, and there is a limit to the amount of gold or silver that can be paid out."

Upon hearing this, Tan Wuyu narrowed his eyes slightly. Using gold and silver as pawned items and having "clearly marked prices" meant that his transactions were mainly aimed at ordinary people or lower-level martial arts practitioners, rather than the big shots in the martial arts world.

Another question that had been lingering in my mind—why the pawnshop didn't target ordinary people for transactions—was also conveniently answered. Was this intentional targeting, or...?

“I don’t think this condition is excessive,” Li Xuanxiao said with a smile. “This force might make people do evil by any means necessary, but who says it can’t save all living beings?”

Why did the otherworldly fairy talk about her initial intention to be without desire?
Save all living beings!

"Tan Wuyu..." Upon hearing this, Mu Shaoai still felt uneasy and was about to speak to stop him, but Tan Wuyu spoke first.

“Interesting. I won’t miss such an opportunity. I agree to this deal!” Tan Wuyu said first, ignoring Mu Shaoai’s attempt to object.

"This will also allow me to experience the wonders of Youjian Pawnshop."

By agreeing to this deal, even with the limited powers of Youjian Pawnshop, Tan Wuyu could at least experience the wonders of Youjian Pawnshop and prepare for the future.

On the other hand, power itself is neither good nor evil, so who says that he cannot use this power for good if he talks about being without desire?
"So be it." Before Li Xuanxiao could finish speaking, the contract had already landed. "Let's make the contract."

(End of this chapter)