Tiger stood with his eyes shut, gripping an invisible blade in both hands, slashing at the air as if executing someone.
Each time he swung, a pained, conflicted expression surfaced on his face.
He muttered apologies as he cut, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Lu Fei knew he was being influenced by the Ghost-Headed Blade. Seeing that Tiger wasn't in immediate danger, he decided to observe what the blade was compelling him to do.
The child's cries continued.
Lu Fei noticed that each time Tiger swung the imaginary blade, the child's wails grew more anguished.
"Waa, waa, it hurts, it hurts!"
What connection was there?
Lu Fei stayed close, watching intently.
After a few more swings, Tiger's expression twisted with despair.
"Why can't I cut it off? Why won't it come off? If I can't cut yours, I'll cut my own…"
Suddenly, he lifted his hands to mimic slashing at his own neck.
"Tiger!"
Lu Fei knew he couldn't wait any longer. He lunged forward to intercept, but Tiger missed his own neck and turned feral, his face contorted with rage.
Still holding the imaginary blade, he swung viciously at Lu Fei.
"Execution!"
Although his hands were empty, a sharp, deadly energy radiated from his downward motion, aimed directly at Lu Fei's neck.
In that moment, Tiger embodied an executioner.
The killing intent wasn't a joke—it could genuinely take Lu Fei's life.
Lu Fei didn't dare block it head-on and narrowly dodged to the side.
Tiger, failing to hit his target, swung again, his impressive skills now a dangerous liability. Chairs and tables were knocked over in the chaos.
Struggling to keep up and fearing Tiger might destroy the shop, Lu Fei lured him toward the back courtyard.
Tiger followed, slashing as he moved.
Though Tiger's movements weren't fast, Lu Fei kept a safe distance. But when Tiger couldn't reach him, he turned the blade on himself, a terrifying sight.
Acting quickly, Lu Fei circled behind him and slapped a ghost-repelling talisman onto his back. Tiger froze, rooted to the spot as if under a spell.
His hands stayed in position, suspended mid-swing.
Next, Lu Fei stepped in front of him and slapped his forehead hard while shouting a command.
"Release!"
With a sharp crack, Tiger shuddered. His hands dropped, and he opened his eyes, dazed.
"Boss, what's going on? Did I fall asleep?" Tiger rubbed his eyes, unaware of what had just happened.
"You were affected by the blade." Lu Fei explained what had transpired and asked, "Did you hear anything before you fell asleep?"
Tiger, now frightened, calmed down after seeing both he and Lu Fei were unharmed.
He thought hard. "I vaguely remember a child saying he was in pain and handing me a knife, asking me to cut off his head."
"Then, I don't know why, but I felt sorry for him. I wanted to end his pain quickly, so I kept trying to cut his head off."
"But no matter how hard I tried, the knife couldn't cut through. It felt too dull."
"I felt so guilty that I wanted to cut off my own head to apologize... and then someone stopped me, which made me furious, so I turned the knife on them..."
Tiger shivered at the memory.
"Damn! That's creepy as hell. I don't even know how I got affected. I just blinked, and then the kid appeared."
"If I hadn't woken up in time, would we have ended up like Boss Liang's family?"
"Pretty much. Either you would have killed yourself or me." Lu Fei considered, "I suspect the Ghost-Headed Blade's influence compels its victim to kill. It craves blood."
"Boss Liang and his wife must have been under its sway, too. One of them had to die, and even their dog wasn't spared. It seems this blade spares no living being in its vicinity."
"The blade has slain too many, carrying an overwhelming murderous aura that few can resist."
The fact that Lu Fei hadn't succumbed might be due to his newfound spiritual power.
Tiger glanced back at the shop, a new layer of fear settling over him.
The blade lay still, yet its mere presence could drive someone to murder.
If not for his capable boss, the consequences would have been dire.
"But one thing puzzles me—why the sound of a child crying?" Returning to the shop, Lu Fei looked at the dark blade, deep in thought.
From start to finish, the blade hadn't moved. Its power lay in the killing aura it exuded.
"Tiger, what did the child look like?"
He recalled the old stories about Duo Bao Xuan being haunted by a child's crying. Perhaps they were connected.
But when the cries began, Lu Fei hadn't seen any ghostly figure, suggesting that the child was merely an echo.
"I couldn't see clearly, but his head seemed crooked, tilted unnaturally on his neck as if it were barely hanging on."
Tiger shivered. Being under the blade's influence hadn't been terrifying, but recalling it now was truly frightening.
"A tilted head?"
That was bizarre. Lu Fei couldn't immediately piece it together.
"Could it have been Boss Liang's son?"
He didn't know if children were ever executed in ancient times, but the only child killed by this blade recently was Boss Liang's son.
Tiger's face turned pale. "I didn't think so at first, but now that you mention it, it could have been Strongstrong."
"That makes this even stranger. If both the mistress and Strongstrong were victims of this blade, why is Strongstrong an echo while the mistress became a full ghost?"
"Maybe because Strongstrong was a child and more vulnerable?" Tiger guessed.
"That's very likely. A child's spirit is not as stable. When killed in such a brutal way, the soul could dissipate, leaving only an echo that repeats the trauma."
Lu Fei sighed.
"I think I understand why the mistress wanted to pawn the blade. No mother would want to see her child suffer endlessly."
"Boss, is there a way we can help Strongstrong?" The fear Tiger had felt gave way to compassion as he recalled the child's ghostly image.
"It seems the blade's influence is tied to its killing aura. If we can neutralize that, Strongstrong should be at peace. But we need some materials, so we'll start tomorrow."
Although they had a plan, neither dared to be careless. They remained vigilant.
Tiger even placed a ghost-repelling talisman nearby, just in case he fell under the blade's spell again.
However, the rest of the night passed without incident. The blade lay dormant.
As dawn broke, Tiger exhaled a long breath of relief.
Lu Fei couldn't shake the feeling that things were going too smoothly. For such a malevolent object, its silence was suspicious.
But neutralizing the killing aura was a necessary step, no matter what.
"Tiger, go out and buy four copper mirrors. They don't need to be antiques—authentic copper mirrors will do."