It was too late for Boss Liang to regret his actions.
"I received the Ghost-Headed Blade that day and contacted the collector. He agreed to come for the blade within two days."
"I hid the blade in a secret compartment in my bedroom."
"At first, everything seemed fine, though occasionally I heard a voice in my head, as if someone were speaking to me. I couldn't make out the words and thought it was just tinnitus, so I ignored it."
"But by the next day, the voice grew louder, crying out in pain, 'It hurts, cut... hurry and cut...' It made my head throb."
"From that moment, I started feeling dazed. Sometimes my vision would blur, and I'd see a figure holding a knife approaching me."
"I was terrified and instinctively knew it had to do with the Ghost-Headed Blade."
At this, Boss Liang couldn't help but slap himself hard.
"If only I hadn't been greedy for that money, my family would still be alive."
"I realized the blade was problematic, so I placed some talismans on it, hoping to suppress whatever it was until the buyer came to take it."
"I don't know if the talismans worked or not, but the voice would come and go. Then, that night…"
"I was sleeping when I suddenly felt a cold blade against my neck. I jolted awake, only to find it was a dream. There was no knife at my neck, but my wife and child were no longer in bed."
"It struck me as odd since my child rarely got up at night. Where could they have gone?"
"I got up to check and found them in the kitchen."
"My wife was holding a knife, pressing it against her neck. I was so scared, I rushed to take the knife from her."
"She was unusually strong, and I struggled to wrestle the knife away. Exhausted, I sat down in a chair to catch my breath."
"Though it was night, somehow, it felt like it had turned to day..."
Boss Liang pulled at his hair desperately.
"Then Tiger ran in, screamed in horror, and dashed out."
"That's when I realized I was covered in blood, holding the bloody knife, and their heads were at my feet…"
"I distinctly remember trying to stop her. I don't know what happened."
"The police all said I did it… At first, I refused to believe it. My wife and child were everything to me. How could I... But now, whether or not I did it doesn't matter. They died because of the blade I brought home."
"The one who truly deserves to die is me."
Boss Liang couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears.
Tiger wanted to comfort him but didn't know what to say.
Lu Fei could only sigh.
Cursed objects were perilous. Ordinary people encountering them might suffer misfortune or illness; the worst-case scenario could mean the destruction of their lives.
The visiting time was up.
"Master Lu, please, you must take that blade! You can have all my assets; otherwise, even in death, I couldn't face them..." Boss Liang bowed deeply to Lu Fei and Tiger before being led away.
Leaving the detention center, both men felt a wave of heavy emotions.
Words were useless now. Securing that blade and letting the spirits of the mistress and child rest was the priority.
Back at the antique street, they headed straight for Duo Bao Xuan.
There was indeed a hidden compartment in the bedroom—no wonder they hadn't found anything before.
Inside the compartment was a safe.
Tiger used the password given by Boss Liang to open it. Besides some cash and jewelry, there was a large blade wrapped in black cloth.
The blade leaned diagonally inside the safe, with three yellow talismans stuck to it. Even wrapped in cloth, it exuded a chilling, murderous aura.
"This is it!" Lu Fei said.
He put on gloves and carefully took out the blade.
It was heavy, its touch icy.
They left everything else in the safe, closed the hidden compartment, and took the blade back to the Evil Pawnshop.
The black-clothed blade lay across the counter.
"Most Ghost-Headed Blades, even if imbued with killing energy, have lost much of their potency over time. One this malicious is rare," Lu Fei said solemnly.
"Boss, maybe I should handle it," Tiger said, worried about the danger.
"It's fine."
Lu Fei reached out and began to unwrap the layers of cloth around the blade.
The rusted blade came into view.
It was about 1.2 meters long, straight with a slanted tip, and a thick, broad back. The handle, made of dark ebony, was carved with a ferocious-looking ghost's head with horns and sharp fangs.
The blade was worn down, evidence of many executions.
"This is definitely an authentic Ghost-Headed Blade!" Lu Fei's eyes narrowed.
"A quality Ghost-Headed Blade could sink three inches into wood, its edge sharp enough to cut through iron. Its length, three feet seven, symbolized cutting away the three souls and seven spirits; its width, six inches seven, meant severing the six desires and seven emotions."
"The ebony handle had a dark, glossy finish."
"Though rusted now, no longer cutting iron like mud, and with a dulled handle, this blade still showed it had been formidable."
Tiger glanced at it warily. "Could there be ghosts or evil spirits in it?"
"So far, I only sense yin energy and a strong killing aura." Lu Fei wrapped the blade in the cloth again. "There are two taboos for executioners using these blades."
"First, executions must be done at noon, the time of peak yang energy, or else the vengeful spirits of the executed might seek revenge."
"Second, a Ghost-Headed Blade shouldn't be used to behead more than a hundred people; otherwise, the executioner risks having no descendants, and the blade turns into a cursed object."
"But since this blade was a family heirloom, the executioner probably wasn't cursed. It likely hasn't been used for over a hundred executions. The problem must lie elsewhere."
"We'll keep it for a few days to see what kind of curse it holds."
Thinking of Boss Liang's fate, Tiger's heart sank. "I'll stay and guard it, just in case..."
"No need to worry too much. This is the Evil Pawnshop; we can handle whatever comes our way." Lu Fei patted Tiger's shoulder and placed the blade on the shelf behind the counter.
That day passed uneventfully.
Neither Lu Fei nor Tiger heard anything unusual.
At night.
They closed up and stayed in the shop.
Tiger kept glancing at the dark blade, anxiety gnawing at him.
Lu Fei remained composed. He had faced many cursed objects before, and now, with newfound spiritual energy, most evil spirits posed little threat.
As the night deepened, Lu Fei decided to rest his eyes.
Tiger, unable to relax, kept vigil over the blade, but for some reason, he felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier, and soon, he was nodding off.
"Waa... waa..."
"Waa... waa..."
Lu Fei wasn't sure how much time had passed when he heard the faint, pitiful cries of a child.
"A child?"
He snapped his eyes open and looked toward the Ghost-Headed Blade.
It lay quietly on the wooden shelf, showing no signs of activity.
But the child's sobs grew louder, echoing in his mind as if the sound were coming from inside his head.
The voice wept and moaned in pain.
"It hurts... it hurts so much..." The voice was heart-wrenching, making Lu Fei's chest tighten.
"Where are you?"
Lu Fei frowned, scanning the shop. He couldn't find the source of the sound, but then he saw Tiger.
Tiger was sitting with his eyes shut, hands gripping the air as if holding a knife, slashing at an invisible target.