[The Outcast] + [Pawnshop of All Things] + [No Hand-Holding] + [One Female Lead]
In the chaotic Republic of China era, Wu Zang started out with no identity and no one to rely on. He carved out a place for himself amid the turmoil with his pawnshop.
Over time, the Outsider world learned that this shop would take anything as collateral, even obsessions and emotions. Its ironclad rule never changed: “Only business, no favors.”
The System had strict rules: qi, techniques, memories, and senses could all be appraised, but every exchange had to be strictly equivalent, and no credit was allowed.
Rare pawned items could be converted into System energy, unlocking advanced features such as protection across time and space and the analysis of techniques.
Nine forbidden items of unknown origin were scattered throughout the world, each bearing the most extreme emotions and irreversible forbidden powers.
Their whereabouts were deeply tied to the flow of qi between heaven and earth, as well as the secrets of the Jia Shen turmoil.
The secrets of Jia Shen that Tian Jinzhong guarded with his life, and Lu Jin’s insights into Threefold Reversal;
Wang Ye’s deductions about Feng Hou Qimen, and Feng Zhenghao’s knowledge of spirit control, all became bargaining chips.
Zhang Chulan carried memories hinting at the Qi-State Origin-Flow and only wanted to trade for clues about Feng Baobao’s origins.
Even the Old Celestial Master watched with interest as Wu Zang tracked changes in the flow of qi and sensed clues linking Wu Gensheng to Divine Spirit, keeping an eye on this forbidden item of unknown origin.
Only Chen Duo was an exception. She pawned a non-core trait of her symbiosis with myriad poisons in exchange for the right to choose for herself;
she pawned her complicated obsession with Liao Zhong in exchange for peace of mind.
Wu Zang made a promise through their contract: he would protect her through the trip to Biyou Village and grant her true freedom.
From his years in hiding during the Republic of China era to the modern day, Wu Zang continued collecting forbidden items and investigating the fundamental connection between the System and the flow of qi between heaven and earth.
With the rules and forbidden items in his hands, he refused to be anyone’s backing and ultimately became the one and only arbiter of rules in the Outsider world.
