"The Evil Pawnshop is renowned; who hasn't heard of your legends? It's just that your grandfather has always kept a low profile... But Chairman Su probably doesn't know your grandfather, otherwise, wouldn't he have gone straight to the Evil Pawnshop to find you? Let's not dwell on this. You need to think of a solution!" Liu Fugui urged.
Actually, Lu Fei was anxious as well, as there were only two days left in this month.
If he didn't collect the third cursed item and complete the task assigned by his grandfather, he wouldn't be qualified to manage the Evil Pawnshop.
The Evil Pawnshop would truly become nothing but a legend.
"How about we go to the Buddhist hall and take a look…"
Just as Liu Fugui set down his teacup and stood up, he saw a car drive in from outside, and his face lit up with joy.
"Chairman Su is back!"
The car door opened, and an extraordinary middle-aged man stepped out.
Butler Zhang approached him and respectfully said a few words; he nodded slightly and looked toward the tea room.
"That's Su Liguo, Chairman Su."
Liu Fugui excitedly waved at him.
"Sorry to keep you two waiting." Su Liguo soon arrived at the tea room.
"Not at all, Chairman Su. We understand you must be busy with family matters; we can wait a bit longer." Liu Fugui quickly asked with concern, "How is Madam and the old lady?"
"The doctor said it's not good. Surgery needs to be done as soon as possible."
Su Liguo's brow showed signs of fatigue; he briefly mentioned it and then looked at Lu Fei.
"And this gentleman?"
"Hello, Chairman Su. I'm Lu Fei," Lu Fei said with a polite nod.
Chairman Su, around fifty, had a prominent forehead, a broad face, thick eyebrows, and bright eyes—an appearance of great wealth and prosperity. He was tall, with some gray at his temples, exuding both elegance and dominance.
"Lu Qingxuan, the old shopkeeper, is your grandfather?"
"That's correct."
"Could we invite him back?"
"Sorry, Chairman Su, my grandfather is not in Jiangcheng and won't be back anytime soon. The Evil Pawnshop is currently managed by me." Lu Fei explained this to someone he wasn't familiar with.
"Not in Jiangcheng?" A flash of disappointment crossed Su Liguo's eyes.
When he heard Liu Fugui claiming to know the shopkeeper of the Evil Pawnshop, he had assumed the visitor would be the old shopkeeper, Lu Qingxuan.
Though Lu Fei was Lu Qingxuan's descendant, he seemed too young. How much could he have learned about the Evil Pawnshop?
Liu Fugui quickly reassured him, "Chairman Su, don't worry. Young Master Lu is talented. I have personally witnessed his capabilities; he's absolutely on par with the old shopkeeper."
"Then have you both seen the Buddha Mother? What countermeasures do you have?" Su Liguo had fought his way through the business world for many years and had long mastered his emotions; he would never be as rude as his son and chase people away.
Lu Fei glanced at him.
The space between his eyebrows and under his eyes darkened, his complexion grim; this indicated he had been touched by something unclean.
Meanwhile, the slight twitching of his eyelids, the redness in his eyes, and his fingers' involuntary trembling showed signs of anxiety and urgency.
Even though he felt completely overwhelmed inside, he maintained his composure on the surface. A person of such wealth truly had an extraordinary temperament.
"To be honest, Chairman Su, I just arrived and had a brief glance at the Buddha Mother. I don't know what exactly happened in your home, so I truly hesitate to draw any conclusions." Lu Fei said sincerely.
"You need to tell me what happened after you brought the Buddha Mother into your home," Su Liguo insisted.
Liu Fugui added, "Chairman Su, isn't it customary in medicine to observe and inquire? Without understanding the situation, even Young Master Lu, no matter how capable, wouldn't be able to help."
Su Liguo rotated his jade ring; he didn't know Lu Fei's abilities, but seeing his earnest attitude without boasting gave him some confidence to give it a try.
His son Su Mingxuan had invited Master Yang over, so it would be good to compare the two and see who was more capable.
So, he sat down and spoke softly, "The Buddha Mother comes from a certain temple in Nanyang; you must have heard of it. It was found for me by a familiar Taoist master."
"I spent a great deal of money to bring her home and set up a Buddhist hall to worship her properly."
"The effect of the Buddha Mother was indeed remarkable; the very next day, a big business deal came knocking."
"However, just as I signed the contract, I received a call from home saying my mother suddenly collapsed and was hospitalized. The doctor said it was heart disease."
"My mother is very health-conscious; she has caretakers for her daily routine and diet, and her health has always been robust. Before this, there were no signs of heart disease. The doctor's explanation was that as people age, various ailments are bound to arise."
"We reluctantly accepted this explanation and transferred my mother to the best hospital for treatment."
"Seven days later, the second big business deal was signed. The other party's demands were incredibly low, almost as if they were rushing to hand over the money. Yet, it was at the moment of signing the contract that another family member fell seriously ill."
"My elder brother, Su Lidong, was diagnosed with liver cancer."
"When the third deal was concluded, my sister-in-law had a car accident, suffering severe spleen injuries, putting her life in danger."
"It's three misfortunes in a row; I can't convince myself that this is mere coincidence." Su Liguo inhaled deeply, "Because the timing is too precise! Almost every time I finalize a business deal, someone in my family suffers an incident."
"You shouldn't summon the gods recklessly, nor should you casually request help from them." Lu Fei said thoughtfully, "Some deities aren't orthodox; while their effects may be good, the price you pay isn't ordinary. Did that master not explain this to you, Chairman Su?"
That Buddha Mother likely had some sort of spirit attached.
"He assured me that as long as I didn't lift the red cloth, there would be no side effects. By the time I discovered the Buddha Mother had issues, that person was already unreachable." Su Liguo's gaze turned icy.
Lu Fei and Liu Fugui exchanged glances.
The Su family was clearly caught in a trap.
"I intended to halt all business, but my son Mingxuan happened to sign a new deal. This time, the one in trouble is my wife." Su Liguo's fists clenched.
"She has been diagnosed with lung cancer."
"Now, four members of my family are lying in the ICU, their lives hanging by a thread."
"One business deal, one life! If this continues, the Su family may be wiped out."
A trace of exhaustion and torment finally appeared on Su Liguo's face as he heavily declared, "Regardless of whether it's you or Master Yang, whoever can save them will be a benefactor to the Su family!"
Liu Fugui quickly replied, "Chairman Su, you honor us too much; it's our privilege to relieve your worries. Both Young Master Lu and I will do our utmost."
He then turned to Lu Fei, "Young Master Lu, since Chairman Su has made his situation clear, you must have some ideas by now, right?"
Lu Fei seemed to be deep in thought and didn't respond.
"Heart, liver, spleen, lung... plus kidney; aren't these the five organs of the human body? Why are these specific areas getting sick?"
He raised his head and asked, "Chairman Su, is it true that every few days one person has an incident?"
"Seven days."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely sure!"
This timing is very regular, and since it just happened, Su Liguo would definitely not forget.
Lu Fei took a sharp breath, as a thought crossed his mind: if that cursed item fell into the wrong hands, it might be impossible to save the Su family.
"Young Master Lu, are you implying you have seen something?" Su Liguo asked.
Lu Fei was about to respond.
"Ah—!"
Suddenly, a strange scream echoed from the side hall.
The villa was very quiet, making the scream sound particularly jarring.
"Old Zhang, what's that noise?"
"It seems to be coming from the Buddhist hall. The young master and Master Yang are inside... Oh no, could it be that they disturbed the Buddha Mother?" The butler's face changed dramatically.