"Lucky? Did I hear you right?"
Hearing Lu Fei say that, Tiger's sallow face twitched, caught between crying and laughing.
"This thing has almost tortured me to death, and you call me lucky? If this is good luck… you're welcome to take it!" His voice was rough, his throat scratched raw by the ashes.
"Haven't you already handed over the coin? This 'good luck' is mine now." Lu Fei smiled, helping Tiger up and settling him to rest.
"Take a breather; I'll clean up here."
With that, he began gathering the bowls, ashes, and other remnants of the offering into plastic bags, then covered Tiger's vomit with a layer of dirt.
Even though it was a quiet intersection, leaving it a mess would raise eyebrows among anyone passing by.
Lu Fei wasn't overly strict about cleanliness, but he disliked inconveniencing others over his own matters.
Tiger leaned against the streetlamp, breathing heavily. Seeing Lu Fei's calm expression, a flicker of hope surfaced within him. "Lu Fei, am I really going to be okay?"
"Of course."
"You're not just trying to make me feel better, are you? I'm a reasonable guy. If I can't be saved, I won't hold it against you after I'm gone…"
"Even if you came back to haunt me, I wouldn't be scared!" Lu Fei cut him off, half-amused. "And anyway, you're not going to die—not now, at least. I know what that cursed item is, and now that I do, we can handle it."
Tiger's sunken eyes lit up. "So, what is it?"
"Let's head back first. The crossroads are full of yin energy. You're low on yang energy, like a house with its door wide open. Anything unclean could get in."
After tossing everything in the trash, Lu Fei dusted himself off and helped Tiger to his feet.
Despite being in his twenties, Tiger walked like an elderly man. His once-strong body was hunched over, and it took them an hour to make the normally twenty-minute walk back to the shop.
Lu Fei settled Tiger in a chair, then took a key to the back room. Opening an old chest, he retrieved a worn yellow talisman.
Lighting the talisman, he let it burn into a glass of water, making a cup of charm water, and handed it to the feeble Tiger.
"Drink this."
"You're kidding, right? Haven't I thrown up enough?" Tiger grimaced.
"This is talisman water; it wards off evil. It should ease your discomfort and maybe even let you eat."
"Really?" Tiger's trembling hands took the glass. "If you had something this good, why didn't you give it to me sooner?"
"Saving you money, of course. This cup costs 200 yuan." Lu Fei spoke with a straight face. "If we'd sent that starving ghost off tonight, you wouldn't need to spend a cent. But things got complicated. Oh, and I spent another 100 yuan on a replacement coin. Don't forget to cover that."
In truth, the talisman was one of his grandfather's, a rare item he used sparingly.
"You're a good guy, you know."
Tiger managed a weak smile, cautiously sipping the water. Finding he didn't feel nauseous, he drank the rest.
"Damn, it's been so long since I ate anything that even this water tastes good!"
Tiger smacked his lips, savoring the warmth that spread through his belly, reviving his icy, numb limbs. His distended stomach deflated somewhat, and the itch in his teeth faded.
"It really worked!" Overjoyed, Tiger looked at Lu Fei with gratitude.
"Lu Fei, no—Master Lu, what exactly is this cursed coin? And how can we get rid of it?"
Lu Fei took out the copper coin, examining it under the light. "This is a Hungry Ghost Coin."
"What does that mean?"
"It's a special type of cursed item. Certain conditions have to be met for a Hungry Ghost Coin to form. You don't just dig it up from any grave. First, it has to be a mouth seal coin placed in the mouth of the deceased; second, the deceased has to be a starving ghost."
Lu Fei smiled at Tiger.
"Mouth seal coins are common, and there are plenty of hungry ghosts, but meeting both criteria is extremely rare. If that's not good luck, what is?"
Tiger waved his hands vigorously. "Anyone who wants that luck can have it! Just tell me how to get rid of it."
"To break the curse of the Hungry Ghost, you need to gather soil from the ghost's grave."
"What? So we're still stuck! I have no idea where it's buried—how am I supposed to get grave soil?"
"Don't worry, I have a plan. Tomorrow, we'll go to the village where you got the coin. Leave the rest to me. It's late, so get some sleep. Rest up—you'll need your strength for grave digging."
Lu Fei patted Tiger on the shoulder.
Tiger, reassured by Lu Fei's confidence, suppressed his questions. He was beyond exhausted, and after all the night's turmoil, he drifted off almost immediately.
The talisman water had warmed his body, and with the nausea gone, it was the best sleep he'd had in days.
The next morning.
Tiger could finally eat normally.
Sitting at a roadside stall, he gnawed on steaming meat buns, tears streaming down his face.
Watching his ravenous eating, Lu Fei nearly pretended he didn't know him.
"Take it easy. The charm water lasts three days. We need to wrap this up in that time."
"You don't know what it's like to be starving for days on end! Even if we can't find the grave soil, I'll go out on a full stomach. I'd rather be a stuffed ghost than a starving one. Starving to death sounds worse than being beaten to death."
Tiger devoured six trays of buns and even packed some for the road.
The stall owner, moved by his appetite, gave him two extra trays for free.
The village where they'd gotten the coin was in a remote county under Jiangdu's jurisdiction. To reach it early, Tiger borrowed a van from a friend.
The trip was bumpy, and Tiger munched on buns as he drove. After half a day's journey, they finally reached the village entrance.
"My boss bought an antique bowl from a house on the west side. We can ask around there. If the old man who sold me the coin really lives here, we should be able to find him."
With a full stomach, Tiger's energy had returned, though he still looked emaciated.
He parked the van and led Lu Fei into the village, soon finding the house.
The homeowner, a middle-aged man with sun-darkened skin and yellow teeth, recognized Tiger from the recent sale of the antique bowl.
"Excuse me, sir, could I ask you something?" Tiger offered him a cigarette.
"Go ahead." The man tucked the cigarette behind his ear.
"Is there an old man here who wears a black cloth shirt and green rubber shoes, really skinny?"
"Old men all look like that. Give me a name."
"I don't know his name." Tiger scratched his head, trying to remember more details. "Oh, he has a big dark spot on his neck and spots on his hands."
"A dark spot?" The man paused, his expression turning strange as he looked at Tiger. "Why are you looking for him?"