"Lead the way!"
Lu Fei gave Zhao Ligen a push.
The old man stumbled forward, leading the two of them around to the back of the building. He nudged a wooden board at the base of the wall with his foot.
The board lifted, and Lu Fei moved it aside, revealing a small tunnel about a meter high.
Outside the tunnel was a patch of waist-high wild grass.
"This tunnel was dug by some folks years back, hoping to escape."
Desperate to escape, Zhao Ligen wriggled into the tunnel like a worm.
Lu Fei and Tiger quickly followed.
By now, the village elder and other villagers had already caught up.
"Stop! Don't run…"
The villagers' shouts drew nearer from behind as Lu Fei, Tiger, and Zhao Ligen scrambled away, not stopping until they could no longer see the dim lights of Huangjiao Village.
The mountain wind howled, carrying faint, angry cries that sounded like beasts in the night, making their skin crawl.
Sweat drenched their clothes, and Lu Fei's back felt ice-cold.
Tiger leaned against a tree, cursing in relief, "Forget 'meat-eating village'; 'man-eating village' is more like it…"
"Tiger!" Lu Fei snapped, pulling him aside and keeping a wary eye on Zhao Ligen.
"What's up?" Tiger felt a pang of anxiety as he turned to look at the old man.
Zhao Ligen was hunched over in the tall grass, the faint beam of the flashlight casting shadows across his sunken cheeks, but his belly had ballooned out, as if it were being inflated.
The Hungry Ghost curse was manifesting again!
Drool trickled from Zhao Ligen's deeply wrinkled mouth as he gnashed his teeth, his ravenous eyes fixed hungrily on the two men.
With a spine-chilling snarl, he opened his jagged mouth and lunged at them.
They sidestepped just in time.
With his hands still bound behind him, Zhao Ligen tumbled to the ground, struggling to get back up.
Lu Fei stepped forward, pressing a foot firmly against his back to keep him pinned.
"Tiger, come help me!"
Using the rope from earlier, Lu Fei and Tiger hurriedly bound the emaciated old man as tightly as possible.
Zhao Ligen squirmed desperately, thrashing like a dying fish, strange guttural sounds emanating from his throat.
Lu Fei sprinkled some incense ash into his mouth and used three black rooster feathers to prick his brow and temples, releasing a trickle of black blood. Finally, the old man grew still.
"Lu Fei, am I going to turn like that tonight?"
Staring at Zhao Ligen, Tiger was beginning to comprehend just how terrifying the curse was. The realization of what he might have become made him nauseous.
"Probably not. The talisman water should protect you for three days." Lu Fei reassured him.
"Maybe you should tie me up too. I'd rather die than turn into that…" The thought of it made Tiger retch.
"The fact that you're still thinking clearly means you'll be fine." Lu Fei patted him on the shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, hold on to the rooster feathers. They ward off evil and can suppress dark forces."
"Got it!"
Tiger clutched the feathers tightly in his fist, and whether it was psychological or not, he felt a bit more at ease.
After a while, noticing that he was still fully conscious, he relaxed slightly.
"Lu Fei, what are we going to do with this old rat?"
"When the curse is lifted, he'll return to normal," Lu Fei replied. "But it's not safe to break the curse at night, or else dark forces will retaliate. We'll have to wait until dawn."
"Seems a bit too kind," Tiger grumbled.
"Whether you let him off or not is your decision. I'm only here to deal with the curse." Lu Fei sat down on a dry patch of ground, taking a break.
He wasn't here to settle anyone's personal grudges. The rule of Xiezi Pawnshop was to solve clients' problems with curses and nothing more.
Tiger said nothing more, glancing now and then at the unconscious Zhao Ligen.
Finally, the night passed.
When daylight broke over the mountains, Lu Fei took out the Hungry Ghost Coin, the graveyard soil, and a bottle of cooking oil he had prepared.
He buried the coin in the grave soil, poured oil over it, and placed it in the sunlight to dry.
Sizzling sounds began to rise as the soil bubbled like a frying pan, emitting black smoke.
Once the smoke dispersed, Lu Fei removed the coin, wiped it clean, and inspected it in the sunlight. A smile crept onto his face.
"It's done!"
"That's it?" Tiger's expression was dazed. Had the curse that had tortured him so terribly really been lifted so easily?
"I can guarantee it with certainty: you're safe now!" Lu Fei patted his shoulder.
Tiger immediately ran his tongue over the roof of his mouth and found the extra sharp teeth gone. Sunlight warmed his face, and he felt a renewed joy as if he had been reborn.
"Lu Fei, you're amazing!" Tiger was utterly impressed.
Then, his gaze turned cold as he looked at Zhao Ligen lying on the ground.
"He's safe now too, isn't he?"
"Yes."
"And the whole Huangjiao Village?"
"The same."
Tiger took a deep breath, glaring coldly at Zhao Ligen. "Lu Fei, I can't bring myself to kill him, but I can't just let him off either. Wait for me here."
"Okay." Lu Fei nodded. Though curious, he didn't press for details.
Tiger grabbed Zhao Ligen by the ankles, dragging him toward Huangjiao Village. His tall figure disappeared into the trees.
Lu Fei had no sympathy for Zhao Ligen; the man's heart was as twisted as his deeds.
He sat beneath a large tree, studying the Hungry Ghost Coin in his hand, his feelings mixed.
A small copper coin had led to so many deaths and atrocities.
"Who exactly was that so-called master?"
Thinking back to Zhao Ligen's story, he couldn't shake the suspicion that the master had set up Huangjiao Village to cultivate the Hungry Ghost Coin.
The idea of live sacrifices and the copper coin had all come from that master.
Could it be that the master was nurturing the Hungry Ghost Coin for some dark ritual?
"Whatever. It's none of my business. The coin belongs to me now."
When Lu Fei couldn't find an answer, he simply shrugged it off, satisfied with his newly acquired coin.
Two hours later, Tiger returned from the mountain, looking weary yet visibly relieved.
Lu Fei refrained from asking him what he had done.
They found their way back to the van and sped back to Jiangcheng.
Once they were at the pawnshop, Lu Fei turned to Tiger, holding up the Hungry Ghost Coin. "So, how do you want to pawn this coin? How much?"
"No way I can charge you for it," Tiger said, waving him off.
"Rules are rules. Will it be a dead pawn or a live one? Name your price." Lu Fei said seriously.
Tiger scratched his head, chuckling. "I heard Xiezi Pawnshop can turn curses into treasures. What kind of price could this thing fetch on the market?"