This person was tall and dressed in a black robe, with their face hidden in the shadows.
Even in broad daylight, it was difficult to see their features clearly, exuding a gloomy and malevolent aura.
Tiger's face changed dramatically at the sight of this person, he clenched his fists and took a defensive stance.
Because perched on this person's shoulder was a green-eyed ghost crow.
This ghost crow was different from the one they had seen at Zhang Shan's place; it was larger in size, with its claws as red as fresh blood. The most unsettling thing was its gaze.
It no longer held the wild, ignorant look of an animal, but rather, it was filled with the sinister look of a human eye.
Lu Fei held Tiger back and calmly said, "Hello, may I ask what you need?"
"I heard that the Sinisterium Pawnshop has resurfaced." The other party spoke, in a hoarse old man's voice. His sharp eagle-like eyes, hidden under a black robe, scrutinized Lu Fei intently.
Lu Fei felt goosebumps all over, as if he were prey being stared down by a beast.
The visitor was not friendly!
Lu Fei remained calm and replied politely, "That's right, I am the current shopkeeper of the Sinisterium Pawnshop. May I ask, elder, are you here to pawn something or to buy something?"
The old man in the black robe only glanced at Lu Fei before pulling his gaze away indifferently, seemingly not taking Lu Fei seriously.
"Is the old geezer Lu Qingxuan not around?"
Lu Fei frowned and said, "My grandfather is out on business. Whatever you need, you can tell me. It's the same thing."
"Oh? Where did he go? He didn't die, did he?" The old man in the black robe spoke with a playful tone.
"With the elder's concern, my grandfather will surely live to a ripe old age!" Lu Fei's expression turned cold. "If the elder isn't here to pawn or buy anything, please leave. Our Sinisterium Pawnshop does not welcome irrelevant people!"
"Young people are always so impatient!" The old man in the black robe sneered. "What are you in a hurry for? Who said that this old man isn't here to discuss business?"
"Oh? What do you want?" Lu Fei looked at him.
The old man in the black robe stared at Lu Fei: "Yinchen wood!"
Tiger's heart skipped a beat.
Sure enough, this old turtle is here for the Yinchen wood. He and Zhang Shan both keep ghost birds; they must be partners!
But instead, Lu Fei smiled and said, "I can sell it to you as long as the price is to my liking."
"Price?" The old man in the black robe snorted coldly, "This piece of Yinchen wood originally belonged to me. It was just that you got it cheap. How dare you talk about price with me?"
"We at Sinisterium Pawnshop are in business, and if not to talk about price, then what? I acquired the Yinchen wood from someone else, and I have the pawn ticket as proof. If you are not sincerely interested in buying, then don't waste my time." Lu Fei smiled faintly.
The old man in the black robe pondered for a moment and said, "For the sake of your grandfather, I can offer you 10,000, so people won't say I'm bullying the younger generation of Sinisterium Pawnshop."
Ten thousand?
As if giving alms to a beggar.
Hu Zi frowned.
How could the items from Sinisterium Pawnshop be sold so cheaply?
"Old man, didn't you leave out a digit?" Lu Fei extended a finger and said, "For the dark wood, ten million, no bargaining!"
"!!!"
At these words, not only did the black-robed elder abruptly stop.
"Boy, are you joking with me?" The black-robed elder's tone was filled with restrained anger.
This boy is really bold with his price.
For a moment, he even wondered if he had heard wrong.
"Of course I'm not joking. If you have ten million, I'll sell you the dark wood right away. If not, please leave." Lu Fei made a gesture to see him off.
"Young man, is this how Lu Qingxuan taught you to do business? Are you not planning to keep Sinisterium Pawnshop open anymore?!" The black-robed elder's gaze suddenly turned cold, and a sinister and dangerous aura erupted from him.
The green-eyed ghost crow on his shoulder also glared at Lu Fei at the same time.
The temperature in the pawnshop instantly dropped a few degrees.
Even Huzi's spine felt a chill.
"How do you speak, old man? We at Sinisterium Pawnshop have always clearly marked our prices. You wouldn't be so poor as to not even have this much money, would you?" Lu Fei chuckled.
Huzi's solid muscles bulged on his arm as he clenched his fist and shouted at the black-robed elder, "Did you hear that? Clearly marked prices. If you can't afford it, get out early and don't embarrass yourself here!"
The black-robed elder glared intently at the two of them, his eyes seeming capable of devouring people.
A gloomy and oppressive atmosphere enveloped the small pawnshop, making it suffocating.
Lu Fei remained expressionless, fearlessly meeting those cold, sharp eyes, while Huzi was ready to fight at any moment.
"Young Master Lu, I will remember you!"
The black-robed elder ultimately did not make a move, seemingly wary of something. He left with a harsh remark, coldly brushing his sleeve and departing.
The ghost raven let out two vicious squawks at Lu Fei before diving into the elder's black robe.
The old man walked in a bizarre manner, disappearing into the street outside in just a few steps.
When he was completely out of sight, Lu Fei's body relaxed, and he sat down on a chair, wiping the sweat from his palms.
Facing off against a ghost keeper was no small pressure.
"He thinks he can buy something from Sinisterium Pawnshop for just 10,000 yuan; that old man is deliberately causing trouble!" Hu Zi's tense muscles also relaxed.
"Even if he had 10 million, I wouldn't sell to him. He wasn't really here to buy the dark wood, and moreover, he was disrespectful to my grandfather!"
If the old man had been more respectful and simply wanted to buy the dark wood at a lower price, Lu Fei might have been more courteous. But since he was disrespectful to his grandfather, Lu Fei would not give him a good face.
"That old bastard also has a green-eyed ghost bird, so he must be a ghost keeper too, right? He seems much more formidable than Zhang Shan from yesterday. If he had dared to snatch it, I would have fought him to the death,"
"This is Sinisterium Pawnshop. If he dares to cause trouble, I have ways to make sure he won't leave!" Lu Fei gave a cold laugh, a flash of murderous intent in his eyes.
No matter how powerful a ghost keeper may be, they still rely on their ghostly creatures. In broad daylight, it's uncertain who would suffer if it came to a fight.
Sinisterium Pawnshop is not a place to be bullied. If word got out, how could it continue to do business?
Tiger felt a chill in his heart. Lu Fei usually appeared gentle and polite, like a university student without a temper, but the look in his eyes just now showed that he had truly made up his mind to be ruthless.
His future boss might not be as gentle as he seemed on the surface; there was a wolfish nature hidden within him.
It was just that he usually kept it under wraps and only bared his claws when the situation called for it.
Tiger remembered his father telling him that this kind of person was the most dangerous. The ones who were all bark and no bite, the ones who made a big fuss over little things, were the least useful.
The ruthlessness in Lu Fei's eyes flickered away and he immediately returned to his calm demeanor.
"Yinchen wood is very important to ghostkeepers. Not getting it must have left him quite frustrated. Regardless of his relationship with Zhang Shan, Zhang Shan's ghost bird and his are not even on the same level. Did you see those red claws?"
"I saw them. They looked like they had been soaked in blood." Tiger nodded, feeling a shiver just from the memory.
"That's right, they were stained with human blood. Those claws must have seen many lives. That old man is not a good person. Ghostkeepers love to play dirty. Be more cautious these next couple of days," Lu Fei instructed in a grave voice.