Lu Fei and Xie Yao approached the rose bushes.
The faint fragrance of the flowers filled their nostrils.
Lu Fei found a dry branch and used it to hook out a rose.
Petals scattered, and beneath the dense leaves and flowers, were countless sharp thorns.
"The thorns on these roses seem especially numerous. The way these roses are distributed is also quite interesting, they just happen to encircle the grave. If they were wild, they probably wouldn't be so evenly spread, right?"
Looking at the thorns, Xie Yao couldn't help but shiver as she recalled the series of misfortunes she had experienced after her grandfather's death, and said, "Could someone have planted them here on purpose?"
"I can't say for sure. It's possible that they grew wild. But regardless, it would be best to have them cut down as soon as possible."
"I'll arrange it right away!"
Xie Yao's face was grim, as if she were being pricked by needles all over. She didn't want to wait another moment and immediately took out her phone to make a call.
After making the arrangements, she calmed herself and looked at Lu Fei with gratitude.
"Manager Lu, you've saved me again."
"Miss Xie, you're being too kind. I don't know much about feng shui; it might just be my imagination."
"No! You are definitely not imagining things!" The more Xie Yao looked at those thorny vines, the more they seemed like spiked shackles to her. "There's no such coincidence in this world. These roses were deliberately planted. I think I know who did this..."
Xie Yao's face darkened.
Soon, the people she had summoned arrived and used tools to remove the roses one by one.
"Take them all away and burn them. Don't leave a single one behind!"
When Xie Yao gave orders, she was very authoritative.
The workers complied, loading all the thorny vines onto a small truck and hauling them away.
Remarkably, after the truck left, the sense of unease that had been lingering around her suddenly vanished.
Since her grandfather's passing six months ago, Xie Yao often felt an unsettling unease, as if something was targeting her from the shadows, making her restless but unable to pinpoint the cause.
She always thought it was because of her own stress, but now with Lu Fei's guidance, she realized it wasn't so.
No wonder things have been going badly for her; it turns out someone has been working against her in the shadows all along.
If she hadn't brought Lu Fei to her grandfather's grave, even without the bone necklace, there might have been something else.
You can avoid the first, but not the fifteenth.
Xie Yao didn't know what she had done wrong. She hadn't even set foot in her family home in recent years, yet the other party still wouldn't let her be.
Constantly yielding seemed to only fuel their arrogance.
Xie Yao clenched her hands tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh.
"Miss Xie, are you alright?"
Lu Fei's voice brought Xie Yao back from her grief and anger.
The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the cemetery in a dim yellow light.
Lu Fei stood in the sunset, looking somewhat worried.
Xie Yao felt a slight warmth in her heart. Since her grandfather passed away, it seemed she had not felt genuine care for a long time.
"I'm fine... Mr. Lu, do you have time to have dinner together tonight? You've saved me twice, and I haven't even treated you to a meal yet. That's really not right!"
"Miss Xie, there's no need to be so polite! You helped me find out about my grandfather, and I should be the one thanking you. It's getting dark, let's head back first."
The sun set, and the small white Mercedes left the cemetery.
The city lights began to shine brightly.
Lu Fei declined Xie Yao's offer of dinner, but Xie Yao insisted on driving him home.
The small Mercedes slowly stopped outside the antique street, and it was already pitch black.
"Miss Xie, thank you." Lu Fei opened the door and got out of the car.
The car window lowered, revealing Xie Yao's fair and beautiful face, which showed a hint of disappointment as she looked at Lu Fei and said, "Mr. Lu, since Sinisterium Pawnshop also sells treasures, can I buy something for self-defense from Sinisterium Pawnshop?"
"Of course, but not right now." Lu Fei would never refuse a business opportunity, but before he completed his grandfather's task, he had no right to use the treasures from the Sinisterium Pawnshop.
"When will it be possible?"
"It should be next month... How about this, I will notify you when the time comes."
"That's great! I will make the arrangements as soon as I get back. If there's any news from Old Manager Lu, I will notify you immediately!"
Xie Yao checked the time and realized it was only three days until next month. Her mood inexplicably improved, and she smiled sweetly.
The Mercedes gradually merged into the night.
Lu Fei returned to the antique street and walked into a noodle shop, intending to eat something to appease his empty stomach.
This noodle shop was an old established name on the street, not only selling noodles but also offering some marinated snacks. The food was very tasty, and most of the customers were regulars.
It was dinnertime, and the noodle shop was bustling with people.
However, the diners seemed to be in no mood for eating today. Each of them was excitedly talking about something; it seemed that a major event had occurred on the antique street in the afternoon.
While eating his noodles, Lu Fei perked up his ears to listen.
"The Liang family, the boss of the shop, has had such a tragic fate!"
"Yes, I heard that there was blood all over the ground at Duobao Pavilion. How could a perfectly fine person suddenly go mad and slaughter his wife and children?"
"He was sharper in business than a monkey. He didn't seem to have any mental issues..."
Lu Fei's heart skipped a beat. The owner of Duobao Pavilion is none other than the boss of Huzi.
"This matter is so bizarre. Could it be that he acquired something unclean?"
"That's right. Just a few days ago, I heard him boasting about acquiring an incredible treasure. When asked what it was, he wouldn't say, keeping it tightly under wraps as if afraid someone would snatch it from him."
"Looks like he kept a disaster to himself."
"If you ask me, he was just too greedy. In our line of work, don't we know that things with heavy malevolent energy should not be taken in?"
The diners shook their heads and sighed.
Lu Fei asked, "Brother, what exactly happened at Duobao Hall?"
"You don't know? Boss Liang went mad last night and killed his wife and children in the middle of the night."
"In the afternoon, his employee, Huzi, went to look for him. When he didn't open the door for a long time, Huzi went over to check."
"As soon as he pushed the door open, he was hit by a strong smell of blood. It was so pungent that it choked his nose. As he walked in, he saw the floor covered in blood, and the heads of Boss Liang's wife and children were neatly arranged on the table."
"Boss Liang himself was sitting by the table, holding a knife, with blood all over his face. His appearance was more terrifying than a ghost."
"Huzi was so scared that he wet his pants and scrambled out as fast as he could."
"The police arrived quickly and, after examining the scene, confirmed that it was Boss Liang who did it..."
"What a tragedy!"
The expressions of the diners were very somber, without the usual lightheartedness when discussing gossip.
Lu Fei felt his temples throb: "How could a perfectly normal person suddenly go mad like that?"
"Who knows!"
"Three years ago, there was also a terrible incident on our Antiques Street. But at least that person didn't harm others; I heard he skinned himself alive..."
"Stop it, I can't even eat now."
"Pity Mr. Liang's wife and children. His son is only six years old, with a round, cute face..."
The diners shook their heads and sighed.
"What about Hu Zi?" Lu Fei asked again.
"Since he was taken away by the police, we haven't seen him return. He might still be over there for questioning. After such an incident, he probably doesn't want to come back..."
Lu Fei ate his noodles without tasting them, still thinking about this tragic case on his way back to the pawnshop.
If Mr. Liang suddenly went mad due to an antique he acquired, that item must definitely be a significant evil object.
If the evil object is not removed, it is very likely to continue harming people.
But Mr. Liang's family members were all dead, and he was in custody. No one knew what the evil object was or where it was.
"Has Hu-zi been having bad luck this year? Just after resolving the hungry ghost curse, he's run into something like this again..."
Lu Fei was walking alone in the alley when he suddenly felt unwell.
It was a strange feeling, as if someone with ill intentions was watching him from behind.
"Who's there?"
He suddenly turned around.