Pfft!
Lu Fei couldn't help it; he spat out the water he had just sipped. It wasn't that he was trying to be unkind—he just couldn't hold it in. A middle-aged, overweight man running naked down the street at night was too vivid a picture.
What had started as a horror story had taken a comedic turn.
"Laugh, go ahead and laugh till you choke!" Liu Fugui glared angrily at Tiger.
Despite his irritation, Tiger's antics lightened the tension considerably. Liu Fugui himself felt a bit more at ease.
Lu Fei stifled his laughter and motioned for Tiger to get Liu Fugui a cup of hot water to calm his nerves.
"Jokes aside, if she took off her head, that's a ghost, right? Old Liu, why do you think she's a monster?" Tiger asked, puzzled.
"Have you ever seen a ghost appear in broad daylight? I've seen Xiao Mei out in the sun with my own eyes, and she even has a shadow," Liu Fugui stated firmly.
"Most importantly, when I was with her, I could feel her body temperature. Her skin was soft, tangible."
"Ghosts shouldn't feel like that, right?"
"I've never touched a ghost, so how would I know?" Tiger rolled his eyes and turned to Lu Fei. "Boss, what do you think this Xiao Mei really is?"
Neither human nor ghost, able to move with her head detached—it was beyond bizarre.
Lu Fei rubbed his sore cheeks from laughing and grew serious. "I haven't seen her myself, so I can't say for sure."
"I'm telling you, she's a monster, feeding on men's energy," Liu Fugui sighed. "After my divorce, I never looked for anyone else. I thought I'd found a second chance at happiness, but it turned out to be a demon..."
"Little Lu, I've worked hard for the Evil Pawnshop. You can't let me die here."
"Don't worry. You survived last night, didn't you? You're still breathing, so you won't die," Lu Fei patted Liu Fugui's thick shoulder reassuringly.
"But being this weak isn't good. What if there's lasting damage?" Liu Fugui worried. "I've got an old ginseng root stashed away. Should I cook it up and fortify myself?"
"If you want a fast ticket to meet the King of Hell, go ahead!" Lu Fei warned. "Your body is severely depleted, in a state where it can't take supplements. Eating powerful tonics now would be like ingesting poison."
Liu Fugui's eyes filled with tears. "Then what should I do?"
"I'll stabilize your yang energy first. Once that's improved, everything else will follow."
Lu Fei stood up and retrieved an exorcism talisman left by his grandfather. He made a cup of talisman water for Liu Fugui.
Though Liu Fugui was known to be stingy, he was devoted to the Evil Pawnshop's work. Lu Fei couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
"Drink this talisman water, eat a proper meal, and get some rest at home. Your yang energy will gradually recover."
"It's not safe to be alone at home! Little brother, let me stay here!" Liu Fugui begged, downing the talisman water in one gulp, even drinking the dregs. He handed Tiger two hundred yuan to buy some good food.
He generously declared that while he stayed at the Evil Pawnshop, he'd cover everyone's meals.
Tiger looked at the two bills and shook his head.
"My boss earns tens of thousands per job, and that talisman water alone was worth several hundred. Your two hundred won't cover much."
Liu Fugui's face twitched, and with a pained expression, he pulled out another three hundred.
"That's more like it."
Tiger took the money and returned with an unusually lavish breakfast.
Liu Fugui ate voraciously, as if afraid of not getting his money's worth, consuming more than half by himself.
Lu Fei couldn't help but chuckle. "Old Liu, you make plenty of money. Why so frugal?"
"Even though I'm divorced, my kid is still mine. I need to save up for them," Liu Fugui sighed, ending the topic.
After breakfast, Tiger returned the remaining money to Lu Fei, who kept two hundred as payment for the talisman water and let Tiger keep the rest for food.
He then told Liu Fugui to rest while Tiger managed the shop and went out alone.
In town, Lu Fei visited every bookstore and bought all the books on ancient scripts to take home and study.
He wouldn't abandon any clues about his grandfather.
Standing at the roadside with a pile of heavy books, Lu Fei waited for the bus, still mulling over the map. Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice interrupted his thoughts.
Looking up, he saw a haggard couple handing out flyers.
"Young man, this is my son. Please, if you see him, call us. We'll be forever grateful," the man said respectfully, handing a flyer to Lu Fei, his eyes red with desperation.
It was a missing person notice.
The flyer featured a photo of a little boy and details about his disappearance.
The boy looked about six or seven, with a chubby, adorable face.
"Okay, if I find anything, I'll let you know," Lu Fei said, taking the flyer with one hand.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
The couple expressed their gratitude and continued distributing flyers, pleading with every passerby, their posture humble and desperate.
Lu Fei watched them walk away, involuntarily thinking of his own parents.
When his parents met with misfortune, he had been around that age. So many years had passed, and he was saddened to realize he couldn't even remember what they looked like.
The bus arrived.
Lu Fei shook his head, unwilling to let himself stay down for too long, and boarded with his books.
Back at the pawnshop, Liu Fugui was dozing off when his phone buzzed.
He rolled over, not wanting to answer, but the ringing wouldn't stop.
Sighing, he pressed the answer button, still half-asleep. "Who is it?"
"Hey, you rascal, aren't you coming to see me?"
The sweet, seductive voice on the line sent a shiver down his spine, making him tingle all over.
"Yes, I'm coming right now!"
Liu Fugui sat up happily, ready to leave, when he realized he was in the Evil Pawnshop. The chill swept over him again.
"Not good, it's happening again!"
Panicking, he ran out of the guest room, shouting.
"Tiger, is Little Lu back? Xiao Mei called again!"
"Is it that serious? It's just a call," Tiger mumbled, half-asleep after a nap and annoyed at being woken.
Lu Fei closed his book on ancient scripts, rubbed his eyes, and looked up from behind the counter.
He'd returned after buying the books, but Liu Fugui had been asleep and didn't know.
"What did she say on the phone?"
"She acted like nothing happened and told me to come over. I almost fell for it again! If I hadn't realized I was at the Evil Pawnshop, I'd have run there, confused as ever!"
Liu Fugui scratched at his chest frantically.
"My chest feels itchy now, and all I want is to run to her. What do I do?"
"Bear with it for now. If you can't, we'll have to take drastic measures," Lu Fei said seriously.
"What if I can't bear it?" Liu Fugui asked, sweating.
"Then there's only one solution," Lu Fei said, eyes narrowing. "Eliminate her!"