The sun was high in the sky.
Lu Fei woke up feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
Huzi had already cleaned the pawnshop thoroughly, and was now practicing boxing in the courtyard.
He had taken off his shirt, his bare upper body revealing well-defined muscles and a set of eight-pack abs.
His movements were agile and steady, with every punch and kick brimming with power.
Though they looked unremarkable, each strike landed with force; these were not just flashy but ineffective moves.
This kind of skill cannot be cultivated overnight; it must be a form of Gongfu, trained from a young age, possibly even from childhood.
Lu Fei suddenly felt that Hu Zi's background might not be as simple as it seemed!
However, when Hu Zi faced the ghost raiser yesterday, he held back, only giving the other party a lesson without harming their life.
He knows his limits and is not just a reckless brute, which is quite commendable.
"Boss!"
Seeing Lu Fei coming out, Hu Zi quickly gathered his breath to the dantian and stopped his movements.
"Hu Zi, where did you learn your skills? Amazing!" Lu Fei clapped his hands in praise.
"I learned a bit of martial arts randomly when I was young, but it's nothing grand, just for the boss to laugh at." Hu Zi wiped his sweat, smiled, and deflected the compliment vaguely, "If you think I, Zhao Hu, am good enough, keep me as a helper!"
Lu Fei looked at him: "Do you really want to join Sinisterium Pawnshop?"
"Yes!" Hu Zi nodded heavily with a serious expression.
"Then I have a question for you, answer me truthfully."
"Please go ahead, boss."
"After you resolved the Hungry Ghost's Curse that day and took Old Zhao away, what exactly did you do to him?" Lu Fei had always been very curious about this matter.
Before, Hu Zi was just a customer, and whatever he did had nothing to do with Lu Fei.
But if he was going to take Hu Zi in as an employee, he needed to get a clear understanding.
"Actually, I didn't beat him or scold him. I just took him back to Carnivore Village. The village chief and those old bastards definitely wouldn't let him off easy," Hu Zi said with a smile.
"Once the Hungry Ghost's Curse was resolved, those old bastards in the village couldn't do anything to me. In the end, they kowtowed and begged for mercy, and even paid me some money, hoping I wouldn't expose their dirty secrets."
"Paid you money?" This was unexpected to Lu Fei.
"An apology is just words, what good does it do? How can that compare to real cash? Boss, don't laugh at me, but when you're poor, your ambitions are small. In this society, money is dignity," Hu Zi said frankly.
"Money, who doesn't like it? I like it too!" Lu Fei nodded. The fact that Hu Zi could be so honest indicated that he had no ill intentions.
Those who hide and keep their integrity, speaking of morality yet treating money as dirt, are the ones you need to be cautious of.
Lu Fei then said, "But what if I tell you that Sinisterium Pawnshop's purpose isn't to make money?"
"Then what is it?" Hu Zi was taken aback. In his mind, Sinisterium Pawnshop was a place for odd and unconventional business.
Three years without opening, but when it does, it makes enough to last three years.
Opening a business, if not to make money, then why?
Lu Fei didn't answer, but instead patted him on the shoulder and smiled, "You don't have to rush into a decision. Think it over first."
In fact, he already had the idea of taking Hu Zi in as an apprentice, but he still needed to assess Hu Zi's character.
After all, they hadn't known each other for very long.
In a business involving dealings with wicked creatures, capability is one thing, but the most important is that the person must be reliable.
Sinisterium Pawnshop deals with all sorts of strange and wicked objects. If Hu Zi can't resist the temptation and harbors any ill intentions, it would be detrimental to Sinisterium Pawnshop?
Lu Fei didn't want to let the family business, passed down from his ancestors, fail in his hands.
He opened for business as usual.
As soon as the door opened, Liu Fugui came in, as if he had been waiting outside.
"Brother Lu, Chairman Su asked me to pass a message. His family is almost fully recovered and he plans to invite you for a meal in a few days. He sincerely hopes you can grace them with your presence!"
"No need for a meal, our business is already settled. Tell Chairman Su there's no need to be so polite." Lu Fei wasn't in the mood for such formalities. He had other plans in mind.
"You can't say that. You saved the lives of the entire Su family. It's only natural they want to thank you with a meal. In business, it's important to build connections and make friends. Even the best wine needs good marketing. Having a meal with Chairman Su is the best publicity for Sinisterium Pawnshop..."
Liu Fugui was earnest and determined, looking as if he wouldn't give up until Lu Fei agreed.
Lu Fei had no choice but to respond, "We'll see if I'm available then."
Liu Fugui chuckled and rubbed his hands, then said, "I've noticed you've been coming and going early and late lately. Today is the first time you've opened the shop. Did you find another treasure?"
"There's no treasure, just been busy for a couple of days. In business, things can't always go smoothly."
But Lu Fei dodged the question with a laugh, not telling Liu Fugui about the sunken wood, for he had a big plan for it!
Liu Fugui was somewhat disappointed and asked again, "What about the snake slough?"
"Not for sale!" Lu Fei waved his hand.
This made Liu Fugui so anxious that it felt like he was sitting on a mountain of treasure but could only look at it and not touch it.
He found an opportunity to secretly slip a pack of cigarettes into Hu Zi's hand and asked him about the situation.
To his surprise, Hu Zi kept his mouth shut, saying he knew nothing when asked anything.
Liu Fugui lost a pack of cigarettes and got no information, so he could only remind Lu Fei to set aside time to have a meal with the Su family before leaving in disappointment.
As soon as he left, Hu Zi couldn't wait to ask, "Boss, is Boss Liu unreliable? We've already acquired the sunken wood, why didn't you tell him?"
"Because this is a yin object, and it can't be sold through regular channels," Lu Fei said. "Sunken wood excels in nourishing the yin and the soul, and it can only truly be utilized by those in the esoteric circles. For ordinary people to buy it as decoration or a feng shui trinket would be a real waste."
Hu Zi found this even more intriguing: "Then where should we sell it?"
Lu Fei gave a mysterious smile: "The Ghost Market."
"The Ghost Market?" Husky widened his eyes, "Is it the Ghost Market I'm thinking of?"
"Not the one in the antique business; that type is usually for trading stolen goods. Our Sinisterium Pawnshop is a legitimate business and doesn't get involved with that," Lu Fei waved his hand.
"The Ghost Market I'm talking about opens only once every three months. It's a place specifically for trading peculiar items, and you can only trade with other items. These kinds of阴物 are the most popular there."
"Because, not just the living go to the Ghost Market for transactions."
Husky felt incredibly excited: "Not just the living, there won't really be ghosts, will there?"
"I don't know, because when you go to the Ghost Market, you can't show your true face. Everyone has a disguise, so you can't tell if you're dealing with a person or a ghost." Lu Fei checked the time.
"The Ghost Market opens once every full moon night every three months. The next market is in seven days. I'll bring the dark wood and see if I can trade it for something good."
Husky rubbed his hands excitedly: "Boss, can I come along?"
"Sure, but there are taboos at the Ghost Market that you must strictly follow..." The two were chatting animatedly.
Suddenly, the sound of crows cawing came from outside the door.
The light and shadow at the entrance swayed, and an uninvited guest walked into Sinisterium Pawnshop.