Pfft!
Lu Fei couldn't hold back, and all the water he just drank spurted out of his mouth.
It's not that he was being disrespectful, he just couldn't hold it in.
A middle-aged, chubby man, running naked on the street at night.
That scene was too beautiful to look at.
How did a perfectly good horror story end up becoming a comedy?
"Go ahead, laugh, laugh until you drop!" Liu Fugui glared at Huzi indignantly.
However, with Huzi's interruption, the atmosphere of fear lightened considerably.
Liu Fugui himself also felt much more relaxed.
Lu Fei held back his laughter and asked Huzi to pour a cup of hot water for Liu Fugui to calm him down.
"But speaking of which, if she has no head, wouldn't that make her a ghost? Why do you say she's a monster, Old Liu?" Huzi asked, perplexed.
"Have you ever seen a ghost appear in broad daylight? I saw Xiao Mei walking around outside in the middle of the day, and she even cast a shadow on the ground."
Liu Fugui stated firmly.
"Most importantly, when I slept with her, I could feel her body temperature. Her body was soft and tangible, something you can touch and see."
"A ghost shouldn't have that kind of texture, right?"
"I've never touched a ghost, how would I know!" Huzi rolled his eyes at him and turned to the boss, saying, "Boss, what do you think that Xiaomei really is?"
Not human, not ghost, her head can still move after being removed, it's truly bizarre.
Lu Fei rubbed his sore cheeks from laughing and said seriously, "I haven't seen it with my own eyes, so it's hard to say."
"I say she's a monster transformed, specifically to absorb men's vital energy," Liu Fugui sighed, "After the divorce, I hadn't looked for anyone, thinking I'd found a second chance, but who knew it was a monster..."
"Brother Lu, I've been running errands for Sinisterium Pawnshop, you can't just watch me die."
"Don't worry, didn't she fail to suck your energy last night? You're still breathing, so you won't die." Lu Fei patted his thick shoulder, trying to comfort him.
"But this is too fragile, what if there are lasting effects?" Liu Fugui was deeply worried, "I still have an old ginseng root. Should I stew it and take it to boost myself?"
"If you want to see King Yama, then go ahead and eat it!" Lu Fei said immediately, "Your body is severely depleted right now, in a state where you can't handle strong tonics. Taking such medicine now is like consuming poison."
Liu Fugui was on the verge of tears again, "Then what should I do?"
"I'll stabilize your yang fire first. Once the yang fire is good, everything will be fine."
Lu Fei got up, went to the bedroom to fetch a talisman left by his grandfather, and made a cup of talisman water for Liu Fugui.
Although Liu Fugui loved money, he was diligent in his work for the Sinisterium Pawnshop. He could not turn a blind eye to it, both out of sentiment and principle.
"After drinking this cup of talisman water, go eat something normal, then go home and have a good sleep. When you rest well, your yang fire will gradually recover."
"If I go home, I'll be alone, and that's too unsafe! Little brother, let me stay here with you for now!"
Liu Fugui latched onto Lu Fei, gulping down the talisman water in one breath, not even leaving any dregs, and then took out two hundred yuan to have Hu Zi buy some food.
He generously offered to cover everyone's meals while he stayed at the Sinisterium Pawnshop.
Hu Zi looked at the two bills and shook his head.
"My boss makes tens of thousands of yuan in a single deal. Just the talisman water you drank is worth several hundred. This two hundred, is it enough for anyone to eat?"
Liu Fugui's face twitched, and he reluctantly took out another three hundred yuan.
"Now that's more like it."
Huzi took the money and went out to pack an unusually sumptuous breakfast.
Liu Fugui ate as if his life depended on it, fearing a loss, and consumed more than half of the food by himself.
Lu Fei couldn't help but laugh: "Old Liu, I haven't seen you losing money. Why are you being so stingy?"
"Although I divorced my ex-wife, the child is still my own. I have to save more for my kid, don't I?" Liu Fugui sighed and didn't elaborate on the topic.
After the meal.
Huzi handed over the remaining money to Lu Fei, who only accepted two hundred jiao for the符水 (note: '符水' does not have a direct English translation and seems to refer to a specific type of magical or traditional medicinal water, which will be left untranslated), letting Huzi keep the rest for meals.
Then, he told Liu Fugui to take a rest and asked Huzi to watch the store while he went out alone.
In the urban area.
Lu Fei visited all the bookstores and bought every ancient text research book available, preparing to study them at home gradually.
He would never give up on the clues from his grandfather.
Carrying a heavy load of books, Lu Fei stood by the roadside waiting for a vehicle, his mind preoccupied with the matter of the map, when he suddenly heard a stranger's voice.
He snapped back to reality and saw a couple, with haggard faces, distributing flyers.
"Young man, this is my son. Please do me a favor—if you see him, please call us, we'll be very grateful!"
The man respectfully handed the flyer to Lu Fei, his red eyes full of pleading.
It was a missing person notice.
It bore a photo of a little boy and details about his disappearance.
The child looked to be around six or seven years old, with a round, cute face.
"Alright, I'll contact you if I have any leads," Lu Fei said, taking the flyer with one hand.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
The couple was profusely grateful and continued to distribute their flyers, begging everyone they met, their demeanor extremely humble.
Lu Fei gazed at their backs, involuntarily thinking of his own parents.
When his parents had their accident, he was only six or seven years old. After so many years, he sadly realized that he could no longer remember what they looked like.
The car arrived.
Lu Fei shook his head, not allowing himself to be disheartened for too long, and got into the car with his belongings.
Pawn shop.
Liu Fugui was in a daze when his phone suddenly vibrated.
He turned over, not wanting to answer, but the phone kept ringing persistently.
He had to squint and press the answer button, asking irritably, "Who is it?"
"You scoundrel, why haven't you come to see me yet?"
A sweet, coquettish voice came through the receiver, like an electric current passing through his ears, making him feel tingles all over.
"Coming, I'll be right there!"
Liu Fugui sat up cheerfully from the bed, about to go out, when he suddenly realized he was in Sinisterium Pawnshop, and instantly felt a chill run through his body.
"Oh no, here it comes again!"
He rushed out of the guest room in a panic, shouting loudly.
"Huzi, has Brother Xiaolu come back? He's here, Xiao Mei's phone call is coming again!"
"Is it really necessary to get so scared over a phone call?" Huzi had been dozing off on a chair, just having a nice dream, only to be awakened by Liu Fugui's commotion.
Lu Fei closed the book on ancient script research, rubbed his eyes, and raised his head from behind the counter.
After buying the books, he had returned, but Liu Fugui was sleeping soundly and didn't know.
"What did she say on the phone?"
"She called me to her house as if nothing was wrong, and I almost fell for it again! If I hadn't realized I was in Sinisterium Pawnshop, I would have gone over there with a confused mind again!"
Liu Fugui scratched his chest vigorously.
"I feel a strong urge right now, I just want to go over there. What should I do?"
"Just hold it in for now, we'll talk if you really can't stand it." Lu Fei said.
Liu Fugui, drenched in sweat, asked: "What if I can't hold it in?"
"Then there's only one way," Lu Fei said firmly, "Get rid of her!"