Xie Yao was stunned, her face full of disbelief.
She froze for several seconds before finally responding.
"What do you mean?Are you saying I'm lying?Why would I lie?"
"That's a question you should ask yourself.I'll admit, your story is quite captivating, but our Evil Relics Pawnshop only deals with cursed objects, not tales," Lu Fei said, his expression serious.
"You… if you didn't want to take this cursed item, you could have just said so!There's no need for such ridiculous excuses!" Xie Yao was furious, clenching her fists tightly.
Lu Fei calmly took a lock of black hair from the jewelry box.
"Miss Xie, is this what you wanted to pawn?"
The strand of hair held no trace of dark energy; it was just ordinary hair.
"That's impossible!"
Xie Yao's face turned pale as she sprang up, grabbing the jewelry box and examining it closely.
"It was clearly a necklace—how could it turn into hair?"
She quickly opened her bag, frantically emptying its contents onto the coffee table, rummaging through them.
"How could it have disappeared?"
"I put the necklace in this box right before leaving; how could it have turned into hair?"
Her reaction seemed genuine, and more importantly, the heavy aura around her was no illusion.
After a moment's thought, Lu Fei spoke in a low voice, "Miss Xie, if you truly aren't lying, then there's only one explanation."
"What explanation?" Xie Yao stopped searching, her gaze fixed on Lu Fei.
"You've been mentally influenced by the cursed item and grabbed the wrong object.It's already aware that you're trying to get rid of it."
"It knows?"
"Cursed objects are often items imbued with lingering resentment or grudges, acting purely on instinct.A cursed item that can sense a person's intent is extremely rare."
"So what should I do?Shopkeeper Lu, can you come with me to retrieve it?"
Xie Yao's face was ashen, on the brink of collapse; she didn't dare face that necklace alone.
Lu Fei also felt a twinge of unease, but after a brief hesitation, he replied, "Alright, but I have one condition."
"Money is no issue!" Xie Yao quickly replied.
"Miss Xie, there's no need to rush.Let's discuss the price and terms after I appraise the item." Lu Fei lightly held up the business card."Once everything is settled, I'd like to meet the person who gave you this card."
Xie Yao was taken aback.She'd expected him to name a price, but his condition had nothing to do with money.
Her expression grew complex, but she nodded in agreement.
"Alright, no problem!"
"Can you describe the necklace for me?"
"I'm not sure about the material; it's a string of beads with a color between gray and yellow—very unusual."
"Grayish-yellow?" A glimmer of realization flashed in Lu Fei's mind."Wait a moment.I'll go prepare."
He turned to the back of the pawnshop, gathering some items and placing them into a backpack.
Dealing with cursed items was dangerous, and one careless move could invite disaster.
This line of work was profitable but carried substantial risk.
But this was his first official business as the owner of Evil Relics Pawnshop, and no matter how dangerous, he couldn't back down.Otherwise, he wouldn't be qualified to run the shop.
Not to mention, the person in question held one of his grandfather's business cards.
His grandfather rarely gave out business cards, and the elder in Xie Yao's family likely had a deep connection with him.
"Miss Xie, are you ready?"
Locking up the shop, the two left the antique street and took a taxi straight to Xie Yao's residence.
The sun was setting slowly.
A small villa bathed in the warm glow of dusk came into view.
"This is my home.I prefer quiet, so it's just me and the housekeeper," Xie Yao said, leading Lu Fei inside.
The interior was tastefully decorated, exuding a refined elegance that spoke of wealth.
"You're back, Miss."
As they entered, a middle-aged woman in her forties greeted her.
"Wu Ma, please don't mind me for now; I have urgent matters to attend to."
As the sky grew darker, Xie Yao, looking uneasy, led Lu Fei quickly upstairs, ignoring the housekeeper's puzzled gaze.
On the second floor, in the master bedroom.
Xie Yao turned on the lights, mustering her courage as she glanced around.
"There it is!"
She pointed to the dressing table, where the necklace lay.
Lu Fei put on a pair of leather gloves and cautiously approached the dressing table, picking up the necklace to examine it.
As soon as he touched it, a bone-chilling cold radiated from the necklace.
The necklace was a string of irregularly shaped grayish-white beads with a faint, eerie yellow sheen.The surface was smooth and glossy, clearly well-worn.
Each bead was engraved with strange symbols, faintly shrouded in black mist.
Lu Fei counted the beads carefully—forty-nine in total.
Grayish-white, ominous aura, forty-nine beads…
He reached a conclusion.
"A necklace made of human bones!"
Lu Fei's voice was grave.
"What?"
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Xie Yao couldn't help but shudder.
"Made from human bones?"
"Yes.In Vajrayana Buddhism, there is a type of ornament called a 'kapala,' made from the skull or finger bones of a high monk.It's believed that a kapala made from the bones of a high-ranking monk can enhance one's spiritual practice."
Lu Fei looked at Xie Yao, his gaze probing.
"But ordinary people can't handle such an item.Few would dare to keep one.Miss Xie, how did you end up with such a cursed item?"
There were no antique displays in the villa, and its decor was modern; Xie Yao didn't seem like someone with an interest in relics.
Xie Yao gave a bitter smile."I don't know if you'll believe me, but I have no recollection of how I came to own this necklace.I'm certain that I didn't buy it—I don't even like these kinds of things."
"I believe you.Cursed items can not only deceive the eyes but also influence memories," Lu Fei said, showing understanding.
Xie Yao looked slightly relieved.She had tried to tell others about these strange occurrences before, but they'd dismissed her as overly stressed and suggested she rest.
Some experiences were hard to comprehend without going through them personally.
"So, is this necklace really a kapala?" she asked.
"No, and that's the problem," Lu Fei shook his head, staring intently at the necklace."A kapala wouldn't have engravings, but each bead on this necklace has symbols carved into it."
"Symbols?Do they have any special meaning?" Xie Yao asked, puzzled.
"I don't recognize them—they look like some kind of ancient incantation.The forty-nine beads likely have a particular significance," Lu Fei replied honestly, recalling his grandfather's tales of cursed objects but finding no immediate clues.
"Then… can you accept it?" This was Xie Yao's primary concern.