"Don't rush, Manager Wan. Before we proceed, I need to know—where exactly did you acquire this painting?" Lu Fei inquired.
Wan Chunhui hesitated for a moment before answering, "We bought it from an elderly man selling goods by the roadside. The old man himself didn't know its origin. He mentioned that it was pledged to him by a friend who had become addicted to gambling."
"That friend lost everything and borrowed heavily from friends and relatives, unable to repay the debts. He somehow came upon this painting and used it as collateral. But after that, the friend disappeared without a trace. The old man assumed he went into hiding to escape his debts. Not knowing whether the painting was genuine or not, he decided to put it up for sale to see if anyone recognized its value."
"My boss found the painting intriguing. He wasn't too concerned about whether it was authentic and bought it anyway." Wan Chunhui looked at Lu Fei as he finished. "Shopkeeper Lu, do you think there's something off about this painting's origin?"
"This is not a painting meant for display," Lu Fei said firmly.
"Oh?" Wan Chunhui was perplexed. "If it's not for display, then what is it for?"
"This is called a Soul-Sealing Painting, an ancient form of art that traps a soul within the artwork. The technique involves mixing the blood of the deceased into the paint, using it to create a painting that binds the soul inside, condemning it to an eternity of torment," Lu Fei explained, leaving Wan Chunhui's eyes wide with shock.
"So, are you saying that a ghost is trapped in this painting?"
Tiger clenched his fists angrily. "Another evil trick designed to harm people!"
"To be precise, it's not just any ghost—it's the resentment of a bride," Lu Fei continued gravely. "Manager Wan, do you remember the contents of the painting?"
"Wasn't it just an old scene of a wedding procession?"
"Yes, a wedding procession—but the figures in it were never meant to be people; they were paper effigies. The bride was being sent as a burial companion for the dead."
"Buried with the dead? Why?" Wan Chunhui's face went pale.
"Think back, Manager Wan. The gate in the painting—was it narrower at the top and wider at the base?" Lu Fei asked.
Wan Chunhui thought for a moment and nodded. "I believe it was."
"That wasn't a mistake; that door was shaped like a coffin. The bride was to marry a deceased groom, and the coffin was naturally her bridal chamber."
"This painting depicts a ghostly wedding."
Wan Chunhui gasped. What he had believed to be a cheerful, traditional scene turned out to be an ominous and deadly affair.
"I knew it! This is what they call a ghost marriage!" Tiger chimed in angrily. "There was something like this in our village once. A young woman died unexpectedly, and her parents, in exchange for money, sold her body to a nearby village to marry a dead man."
"To do that to their own daughter just for money—how heartless! Everyone in the village despised them, and people would spit on their doorstep whenever they passed."
"What you described is already bad enough, but at least the deceased won't feel any more pain," Lu Fei said with a shake of his head. He sighed, "The bride in this painting was forced to marry a dead man while still alive."
"Ancient ghost marriages were brutal. After the wedding ceremony, the bride would be buried alive with the dead groom, which is no different from execution."
"Imagine being a young girl in the prime of life, condemned to such a fate. Could there be no resentment in her heart?"
"Absolutely despicable! The dead can't feel loneliness, so why drag someone alive down with them?" Tiger's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists. "If they're so afraid their son would be lonely, why don't the parents join him in the grave?"
Wan Chunhui seemed to understand more now. "Shopkeeper Lu, you mean to say that the ghost trapped in this painting is the spirit of the bride?"
"Exactly. Those who orchestrated the bride's ghost marriage knew they were committing a heinous act and feared retribution from the bride's spirit. So they would hire a sorcerer to suppress it."
"Some malicious practitioners would use the bride's blood to create a painting, binding her spirit within."
"Thus, this type of painting is known as the Bride's Curse."
Lu Fei paused, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"There was originally a seal in the bottom right corner of the painting—a mark meant to keep the spirit contained. For some reason, that seal has faded."
"That's right, there was a seal-like mark in the corner," Wan Chunhui quickly confirmed. "But my boss accidentally spilled water on the painting when examining it."
"Oddly enough, after wiping off the water, the painting showed no signs of damage, but the seal disappeared."
"My boss found it so strange that he asked me to store it in the auction house and seek an expert's appraisal."
"Little did we know that trouble would start that very night."
Lu Fei glanced at him pointedly. "Why didn't you mention such an important detail earlier?"
Wan Chunhui gave an embarrassed shrug. "I didn't think it was related... but Shopkeeper Lu, you're truly worthy of being a descendant of the Evil Pawnshop. Even without my input, you uncovered the truth about this painting."
No wonder only the employees who had seen the painting suffered while the boss remained unharmed.
Lu Fei let out a sigh. "With the seal gone, there's no suppression. The bride's resentment, bottled up for so long, is now seeping out. That's why the painting is so malevolent. Anyone affected by it gets drawn into the painting for a ghost marriage."
Wan Chunhui's brow furrowed in confusion. "But the guards are still in the hospital."
"Manager Wan, come here and take a look at this painting." Lu Fei beckoned him over.
Wan Chunhui hesitated but eventually, with Lu Fei's reassurance, gathered the courage to take a peek.
His eyes widened in shock. "Why are there two grooms now? They weren't there when my boss acquired the painting!"
"Look closely at their faces. Don't they resemble the two injured guards?" Lu Fei asked.
"It's them! What's going on?" Wan Chunhui was bewildered.
"The figures in the painting are their souls. The women become the brides, and the men, the grooms," Lu Fei explained. "When the soul is lost, the person becomes vacant and deranged."
Wan Chunhui's realization hit him hard. "No wonder Lingling kept putting on makeup and muttering about getting married."
"Soul retrieval must happen within seven days, or the person will become permanently lost to madness."
"Yes, yes! I've heard that saying back home," Tiger interjected. "There's a man in our village who's mentally disabled, but the elders said he was very bright as a child until he lost his soul and it wasn't found in time."
Wan Chunhui did a quick mental calculation, and his expression darkened. "The first guard to be affected has already been hospitalized for five days... Is there still hope for him?"
"As long as we recover their souls within seven days, they can be saved. It's just more complicated," Lu Fei said thoughtfully.
"They're still employees of the auction house. Please, Shopkeeper Lu, do what you can," Wan Chunhui pleaded sincerely.
"That depends on whether Manager Wan is willing to cooperate," Lu Fei said with a smile.
The conversation had come full circle, piquing Wan Chunhui's curiosity even more. "What exactly do you need me to do?"
Lu Fei replied with one word.
"Fire."