Seeing that the man seemed to know the old fellow, Tiger's anger flared up. "I'm looking for that old Wang…"
Lu Fei quickly interrupted, saying, "We're just here to find the old gentleman to buy antiques. He sold my friend an item last time, but we left in a hurry and didn't get a good look at it. We're back now to take another look."
He knew that if the old man was indeed from this village, the man might cover for him if he realized Tiger was here to settle scores.
He gave Tiger a nudge with his elbow.
Tiger quickly caught on, nodding. "Yes, yes, we're here for antiques."
"For antiques? When did that happen?" The man looked at them, his face even more perplexed.
"A few days ago, the same day my boss came by to buy that ceramic bowl from you. The old guy asked me if I wanted to buy something while I was waiting outside."
"You're sure it was an old man with dark spots on his skin?"
"I'd recognize him even if he turned to ash—no mistake!" Tiger insisted.
The man's eyes widened in surprise. "Incredible! The folks up at Huangjiao Village actually sold one of their treasures?"
Tiger couldn't wait to ask, "Mister, do you know him?"
"Not personally. People from that village rarely interact with outsiders. But they have some sort of genetic condition—when they get old, they develop dark spots. If you saw that, he's most likely from Huangjiao Village."
"Where is Huangjiao Village?"
"It's just up in the hills! Funny, quite a few antique collectors have tried their luck up there, only to get chased off, and now they're the ones coming out to sell."
Lu Fei was intrigued. "Are their antiques well-known?"
"They say there's an ancient tomb up on the mountain, filled with treasures." The man gave them a look. "You didn't know?"
"He didn't tell us much—just showed us an item."
"Then you'd better be cautious!" The man leaned closer, his voice hushed. "That tomb is cursed. Many have tried their luck, but not a single one ever came back!"
"Is it really that dangerous?"
Lu Fei and Tiger exchanged glances, sensing that this tomb was likely where the hungry ghost was buried.
"The tomb's artifacts are valuable, but far too malevolent for anyone to handle. If you're really here for antiques, I've got a family heirloom…"
"Thanks, mister, but we'd like to check out Huangjiao Village first."
Tiger handed over the whole pack of cigarettes.
The man pocketed them with a nod, offering one last piece of advice. "If you're really going, don't go empty-handed. The folks up there are… peculiar. Plenty of antique buyers have been chased away."
Tiger rolled up his sleeves. "I don't care if they're peculiar…"
Lu Fei held him back, asking the man, "What should we bring, then?"
"The people there love meat—they eat it three times a day. They're known as the 'Meat-Eating Village.' Back during the famine, while other families starved, they somehow had meat every day. Bring them some meat, and things might go more smoothly."
"Meat?"
Tiger looked confused.
"Look, I can see you came a long way. I've got a few free-range chickens. Take a couple with you. I'm not trying to profit—just two hundred yuan."
"Two hundred?"
"Trust me, there are plenty of valuable things in that tomb. Once you get your hands on them, you'll make a fortune. What's a couple of chickens?"
Before Tiger could respond, Lu Fei agreed.
"Deal, mister. Give us two roosters with red combs."
"Got it!"
The man packed two red-combed roosters into a burlap sack and handed them to Tiger.
Tiger handed over the money, his head spinning as he left the village.
"Lu Fei, did I just get scammed again? 'Meat-Eating Village'? He probably made that up just to sell me some chickens."
Lu Fei chuckled. "Maybe not. We're dealing with a tomb. Roosters might actually be useful."
Since there was no road to the mountain, they had to hike up on foot.
Tiger, still weakened, struggled and panted heavily.
Lu Fei, meanwhile, climbed with ease.
Following a winding path, they reached a giant Huangjiao tree halfway up.
Its trunk was enormous—two adults would have to join hands to encircle it. It was at least a hundred years old.
But the tree was long dead, its bare branches twisted up toward the sky, exuding an air of desolation.
Behind the tree stood a few old village houses.
"This must be the place."
Lu Fei squinted, studying the tree.
"This kind of tree is usually a village's feng shui tree. A tree this massive indicates that this village must have once been prosperous. But now that it's dead, the village's feng shui has soured."
Tiger looked at him with admiration. "Lu Fei, you know about feng shui, too?"
"I know a little." Lu Fei smiled slightly.
As a child, he'd often heard his grandfather talk about feng shui, fortune-telling, and the taboos of yin and yang. His grandfather always said that anyone dealing with malevolent items needed to know a bit of everything to avoid missteps.
Lu Fei had absorbed a lot of knowledge over the years, though his grandfather had insisted he focus on his studies and hadn't given him many chances to practice.
"A feng shui tree this sturdy doesn't usually die easily. The blackened bark suggests something powerful struck it down. Something big must've happened here."
He looked toward the village.
Nestled among the mountain's greenery, the dilapidated houses lay scattered.
The mud walls and grey tiles were weathered and worn, like an old face etched with deep wrinkles. Weeds poked through the cracks, and trees surrounded the yards, giving the place an eerie, desolate feel.
It looked like an ordinary mountain village, but there was something unsettling about it, a vague sense of dread.
"I don't care what happened here. I'm going to find that old man and settle things!"
Tiger wiped his brow, stepping toward the village.
"Hold on! If you confront him now, he'll deny everything. We're here for the grave soil—let's deal with your Hungry Ghost curse first."
Lu Fei called out, stopping him.
Tiger thought it over and reluctantly held back.
"You're right! I'll deal with him once I survive this!"
With that, he scanned their surroundings.
"This mountain's huge. How are we supposed to find the tomb? Didn't you say you had a plan once we got here?"
"I do." Lu Fei nodded.
"What's the plan?"
"Simple—it'll come to us."
Lu Fei had Tiger hold onto the chickens, then took out the Hungry Ghost Coin, tied a red string around it, and dropped it onto the ground.
A gust of wind rustled the leaves and grass.
Then, to their astonishment, the coin began to stand upright on its own!