Misery: There is a pawn shop here

Chapter 11 The Second Transaction
The bronze lamp flickered, and curls of sandalwood smoke rose from the purple-gold incense burner. Li Xuanxiao sat upright on a chair, his golden threads swirling like living creatures, his wide sleeves fluttering in the breeze.

"My dear guest, this is wrong."

Inside a pawnshop, the serene atmosphere was like a stagnant pool, the dim light seemingly swallowed by this eerie place. Li Xuanxiao once again encountered the assassination of love. Looking at the pawnshop's first returning customer, a gentle yet unpredictable smile crossed his face as he leisurely denied the assassination's words.

"A pawnshop is a place open for business. Since a customer has come, how can we turn him away? On the other hand, if the customer didn't have the intention to trade, why would he set foot in the pawnshop a second time?"

When Qingsha heard this, his sword-like brows slightly frowned, and a trace of disgust flashed in his eyes. The smile of the person in front of him was like spring breeze melting snow, and he looked like a gentle gentleman. However, he reminded him of the incorruptible jade figurines in ancient tombs. He exuded a cold aura and had no human aura at all.

But that has nothing to do with him. He came here again today to kill for a crime of passion with only one purpose.

"What price do I have to pay to kill Master Pi Gu?" Qingsha asked coldly, his words seemed to be wrapped in frost and were loud and clear.

"The life of the drummer?" Li Xuanxiao softly repeated his demand for a murder of passion, a barely perceptible hint of surprise flashing in his slightly narrowed eyes.

He knew that the murderer couldn't be unaware of He Changling's significance to Qin Juexian. If Qin Juexian knew He Changling's death was linked to the murder, given his passionate nature, while he wouldn't react to the murder, he'd likely be forced to commit suicide. Even if he survived, he and the murderer would never see each other again. Li Xuanxiao was convinced that the murderer himself was also aware of this.

"You are not the first customer to come here and ask for his life." Li Xuanxiao looked at Qingsha with burning eyes and said slowly.

Qingsha looked back at Li Xuanxiao, a dream suddenly flashing through his mind. In the dream, there was a young man with a deep blood feud, perhaps named Mingzhan? The young man's face gradually emerged in his memory, but the surrounding scene was so blurry.

"You want the drummer to die, but the pawnshop only sells living things, not dead ones," Li Xuanxiao said slowly.

This is also the new store rule that Li Xuanxiao summarized after Mingzhan's business. After all, everyone is a potential user of the pawnshop, so there is no reason to kill your potential customers.

"If you want to kill the Drummer, the pawnshop has enough power to kill him. The last customer did the same, but he had nothing, so he had no choice. Fortunately, you are different from him. Even if you lose everything, you still have something of great value on you."

Upon hearing this, Qingsha's brows furrowed even deeper. In that dream, the boy seemed to have chosen the latter, but at what price? Suddenly, Qingsha realized that the dream was no longer as clear as it had been at the beginning. He couldn't remember what the boy had traded with the pawnshop in exchange for that power.

"Okay, then I need to pay a price for my ability to kill the drummer." Qingsha's tone was firm, without any sign of wavering.

Seeing that Qingsha had made the decision, Li Xuanxiao simply nodded slowly, his expression as calm as water: "Now that you have lost your sword, the price you need to pay this time will be even heavier."

Knife... So the previous transaction took place here?

In a trance, Qingsha only felt that he was a little ridiculous, just as the drummer said, stupid and ridiculous.

But now that he has embarked on this path, can he turn back?

"What is the price?" Qingsha gritted his teeth and continued to ask.

"Family ties and the health of the five senses." Li Xuanxiao spoke word by word, his voice as if coming from the Nine Nether Hell, icy and piercing.

"What did you say?!" Qingsha was horrified when he heard this, and took several steps back, his face full of disbelief. He came to this pawnshop again, ready to pay the price, but when the heavy price was actually placed before him, he was still shocked by its weight. "Everyone has his lifespan, luck, and opportunities. If you want to take his life, you must bear the consequences of ending his luck and opportunities prematurely." Li Xuanxiao's expression was solemn, and he explained slowly, "In the martial arts world, Su Huanzhen and Yi Ye Shu often escaped death or even came back to life when faced with disasters; Qin Jiaxian always managed to survive. So, if you want to kill someone, you need to consider many subtle factors, which is much more complicated than you think."

"If you think the price is too high, you might as well seek help from another killer organization in the martial arts world." Li Xuanxiao raised his eyes slightly, looking at Qingsha with a sharp gaze, quietly waiting for his response.

Killer Organization...

He had thought about a murder of passion, but the killer organizations in the martial arts world were too costly for him to afford.

If he had not pawned his knife the first time, he would still have the strength to fight the drum maker head-on, instead of having to rely on the transaction and being at the mercy of others like he is now!
Sure enough, everything is a trap!
"Since you are the first returning customer, I can show leniency to you." Seeing the entanglement of love killing, Li Xuanxiao spoke slowly again, with a hint of imperceptible temptation in his voice.

"Or, you can add one more chip to your arsenal: your love."

love……

"Impossible!" Before Li Xuanxiao could finish his words, he was interrupted by Qingsha, who almost shouted these three words.

Li Xuanxiao looked at Qingsha whose face turned red in just a few breaths. Qingsha had never looked like this when he mentioned family affection before. Humans are indeed magical creatures. How could Feng Ma's weight in Qingsha's heart not even compare to Qin Juexian?
Qingsha also realized that something was wrong with him. He staggered back a few steps, lowered his head, and his mind was in chaos.

"It seems you still need to think about it." Li Xuanxiao waved his sleeves, and the pawnshop door that was originally closed opened again. Looking from inside the house to the entrance, there was only darkness, like an abyss.

"Please." Li Xuanxiao said calmly, "Transactions in a pawnshop are always consensual."

"Wait a minute!" Qingsha looked at Li Xuanxiao and said.

"I can't give up love or family, but I'm willing to use my life as a bargaining chip. How do you think?"

Without health, his life would be spent in pain and plagued by illness. It would be better to end his life as soon as possible. However, Feng Ma might be sad, but without him, Feng Ma might be able to live a better life, and he would not have to be hostile to the goddess and give her an explanation.

To die and end it all is really in line with the practice of passion killings in this period. Although escaping is shameful, it is useful.

But, I'm sorry...

"My dear guest, your lifespan is not worth the price of these three things. If you are unwilling to give up your family and love, then you have something else that can be traded."

"what?"

"Your soul."

(End of this chapter)