The small snake skin hidden inside the larger one—could it have special significance?
Lu Fei had scoured his family's records but found nothing about what it meant for two snake skins to be together.
Although he had the snake skins in his possession and considered the transaction complete, he still felt uneasy without fully understanding their properties.
If he left behind a hidden danger for the Su family, it wouldn't just harm them but would also tarnish the Evil Pawnshop's reputation.
Lu Fei stood up, made himself a cup of tea to clear his mind, and sat down under the osmanthus tree to go over the Su family's case and the process of collecting the evil object from start to finish.
The tropical environment of Nanyang, with its dense jungles, naturally had many snakes.
So, it wasn't surprising that the deity's true form was a snake spirit.
An evil entity, draining life essence from people's organs, hoping to transform into a human.
It referred to itself as the Buddha Mother of Wealth.
The name didn't seem to be just for deception, since it did hold something in its arms—not treasure but snake eggs.
The so-called Buddha Mother was actually a Snake Mother…
Wait!
A realization struck Lu Fei.
If it was a mother, it must have offspring.
And this large snake skin just happened to contain a smaller one.
Could the emphasis actually be on the small snake?
The Snake Mother had been using the Su family to nurture its offspring.
At this thought, Lu Fei was startled.
Could there still be a small snake hiding somewhere in the Su family home?
Although the black cat and rooster had destroyed the Snake Mother statue, no one knew if they had eliminated only one snake spirit or two.
He didn't want to take any chances.
He quickly picked up his phone to call the Su family, only to realize he didn't have their number. Frustrated, he called Liu Fugui.
Meanwhile, Liu Fugui was lazily soaking in a bath.
His plump body was submerged in warm water, steam rising around him as he enjoyed himself to the fullest.
Having secured a connection with the Su family, he had decided to reward himself with a full massage package.
His phone lay nearby, ignored, as a technician prepared essential oils beside him.
"Damn Liu Fatty, what are you doing?"
Lu Fei was pacing impatiently, almost stomping his feet in frustration.
He kept walking back and forth in the yard, trying to convince himself he was just overthinking things.
After all, if two snake skins were found together, they should have perished together.
Moreover, all of the Su family members had recovered at the same time.
But what if?
What if the Snake Mother had sacrificed itself to protect the smaller snake?
He couldn't afford to gamble with people's lives.
The Evil Pawnshop's rule was that once an evil object was collected, the customer couldn't die because of it!
He gritted his teeth, took the snake skins, quickly locked up the shop, hailed a cab, and rushed to Longteng Valley.
The sky darkened as night fell.
Jiangcheng was a city that never slept, bustling even at night.
The neon lights from the buildings and the flow of car lights illuminated the sky in a faint glow.
But there was one place that was an exception.
Although Longteng Valley was located in the heart of Jiangcheng, it was a quiet haven amid the bustling city. Dense, rare greenery formed a clear boundary, separating it from the noise of the city.
Inside the villa area, everything was tranquil and serene.
On the third floor of his study, Su Liguo sat, smoking a cigarette as he gazed through the large floor-to-ceiling windows at the distant city lights, flickering faintly.
He felt a relaxation he had never experienced before.
All of his critically ill family members had miraculously recovered. He had visited the hospital that afternoon, and the doctors had said that, with continued treatment, they could be discharged in time.
It was unbelievable.
It was as if the critical condition notices had been nothing but misdiagnoses.
The hospital staff were at a loss, and the director, along with a team of renowned doctors, personally apologized to Su Liguo, fearing the Su family might retaliate.
Of course, Su Liguo didn't blame them. Instead, he kindly asked them to continue taking good care of the patients.
The Su family's ordeal seemed to be over, and now it was time to settle accounts.
Exhaling a puff of smoke, Su Liguo took a sip of liquor, his expression growing colder. Like a lion seeking its prey, his eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
He would never let this matter rest after suffering such a huge blow.
This attack was clearly aimed at wiping out the entire Su family.
No matter who was behind it, he would pay them back double—or even tenfold!
He stubbed out his cigarette forcefully and made a call to set things in motion.
Afterward, he prepared to rest.
After days of exhaustion and tension, he was thoroughly drained. The Su family and the company still needed him to take the helm, so he had to recover as quickly as possible.
As he passed the stairwell, he inadvertently heard something downstairs.
"Hehehe…"
It sounded like a woman's laughter, faint and indistinct.
"Who's there?"
Su Liguo was puzzled.
He disliked having too many people around at home, and at night, only the housekeeper, Old Zhang, and two maids stayed in the house.
But the maids and Old Zhang stayed in the workers' quarters on the first floor, and his family members were all in the hospital. So where could this woman have come from?
Only a wall lamp was on downstairs.
The vast villa seemed dim and eerie.
He called out, but there was no response, so he cautiously descended a few steps.
"Hehehe."
The woman's cold laughter echoed eerily in the darkness, sending chills down Su Liguo's spine.
He realized the sound was coming from the second floor.
Following the sound, he found himself in front of Su Mingxuan's room.
"Hehehe…"
The laughter was emanating from the pitch-black room.
His son wasn't home, so why was there a woman's voice in his room?
An ominous feeling crept over him as he reached for the doorknob, intending to push the door open and check.
"Dad!"
A voice called from the end of the hallway.
Su Liguo turned and saw Su Mingxuan rushing up the stairs.
"Why are you back? Didn't I tell you to stay at the hospital with your sister?" Su Liguo said sternly.
"She thought I was being too noisy and kicked me out," Su Mingxuan said, looking aggrieved. "I thought you'd already gone to bed, so I didn't call. Dad, what are you doing outside my room?"
"Why are you so nervous? Hiding someone in there?" Su Liguo sneered.
Su Mingxuan looked bewildered. "Huh?"
"Don't pretend; I heard it myself!" Su Liguo's gaze was severe. "You're young, and I can understand you having fun outside, but don't bring unsavory people into our home!"
"Dad, you misunderstood! It's probably just the computer. I must have forgotten to turn it off when I left." Su Mingxuan quickly opened the door and turned on the light.
"Look, see for yourself."
Su Liguo glanced inside.
The laptop on the desk emitted a faint glow, and the room was empty.
"Always so careless. How can I entrust the Su family's responsibilities to you in the future?"
With a scolding, Su Liguo walked away with his hands behind his back.
As his father's tall, authoritative figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs, Su Mingxuan's face turned dark.
All his life, his father had been especially critical of him, never satisfied with anything he did.
To the outside world, he was the privileged young master of the Su family, blessed with endless wealth.
But at home, he was just a son who could never win his father's favor.
He shut the door and locked it.
In the dim light, a pair of slender, pale hands reached out from behind and wrapped around Su Mingxuan, gently caressing him.
Su Mingxuan closed his eyes, indulging in the sensation.
"Good… revenge…"