Huang Junkun suddenly became unusually enthusiastic.
Lu Fei couldn't help but turn his head, narrowing his eyes as he looked at him.
"What are you saying? Are you talking about eating excrement upside down?"
"Oh, that was just a joke, don't take it seriously!" Huang Junkun forced an awkward smile.
"No problem. Your hobbies are a bit niche, but as a classmate, I'll respect them."
Lu Fei smiled, patting Huang Junkun on the shoulder. After greeting his classmates, he left in a taxi.
Watching the taxi disappear into the distance, Huang Junkun's friendly smile turned sinister in an instant.
"Trying to steal my woman? You're dead meat!"
Antique Street.
"Boss, you're back."
Tiger quickly put down his phone and stood up as soon as he saw Lu Fei enter the pawnshop.
"Tiger, take a look—do I have something on my back?"
Lu Fei's expression was unusually serious as he turned his back to him.
Tiger checked carefully, then shook his head. "No, Boss."
"Nothing?" Lu Fei frowned, taking off his jacket and exposing his back. "Look again."
"Ah! Boss, why is there a paper figure stuck to your back?"
Tiger cried out, reaching out to remove it, but Lu Fei stopped him.
"Wait, don't touch it yet! Go dig up some mud immediately."
"Understood!"
Knowing it was serious, Tiger didn't hesitate. He grabbed a small shovel and went outside to dig.
Once Tiger returned with mud, Lu Fei mixed it with water, shaping it into a palm-sized clay figurine.
Then he pulled a tissue from his pocket, unfolding it to reveal two strands of hair.
Mixing the strands into the clay, he carved a name and birthdate onto the figure's back with a knife.
"Huang Junkun—Boss, who's this guy?"
"A classmate."
"A classmate?"
Tiger was dumbfounded. He remembered from a previous incident that clay figurines mixed with hair and inscribed with birthdates served as a proxy for the person.
Why would the boss make one for his classmate?
"Now, you can remove the paper figure from my back. Be careful not to damage it." Lu Fei handed Tiger gloves specially used by the Evil Pawnshop.
"Got it."
Suppressing his curiosity, Tiger deftly donned the gloves and carefully peeled off the small figure from Lu Fei's back.
The figure was no longer than a finger, cut from yellow paper, complete with arms and legs. Strange symbols were inscribed on its back in fine detail.
Despite its simple construction, the figure carried an uncanny realism.
"Quick, stick it onto the clay figurine's back!"
Lu Fei glanced at the figure and gave the order.
Tiger hurried to press the paper figure against the clay figurine's back.
Instantly, the paper figure seemed to come alive, stretching its limbs and melding seamlessly with the clay figurine.
"Boss, what's going on here?" Tiger was stunned.
"You've heard of 'beating the villain,' right?" Lu Fei washed his hands and set the figurine on the table.
"Of course I've heard of it." Tiger glanced between the figurine and Lu Fei. "Boss, did this guy offend you?"
"He tried to harm me first. Now, let's see how he likes it when his plan backfires." Lu Fei smiled faintly. "Tiger, go buy some snacks. There's a show coming."
"Right away!"
Late at night.
Beneath a dimly lit bridge, a hunched, frail old woman squatted on the ground.
Black, oversized rats scurried at her feet as a pile of yellow paper burned in front of her.
The flickering flames cast eerie shadows across her sharp, wrinkled face.
"It's time."
The old woman picked up a straw doll, mumbling incantations under her breath. Her cloudy eyes gleamed with malicious excitement.
"Beat your rotten head! Beat you till you burn with rage!"
She grabbed a shoe sole and struck the doll's head with brutal force.
*Pa!*
The strike was so fierce that the doll's head caved in.
In the Evil Pawnshop's courtyard.
"Boss, look! The figurine is moving!" Tiger exclaimed in astonishment, pointing at the clay figurine on the stone table.
Just moments ago, the figurine trembled violently, and its forehead suddenly dented as if it had been struck.
"The show has started."
Lu Fei smirked, tossing a peanut into his mouth.
In a nearby residential complex.
"Ahhh!"
Huang Junkun woke from his sleep, clutching his head in agony and screaming.
The commotion startled his parents, who rushed into his room.
"Son, what's wrong?"
"My head! It hurts so much!" Huang Junkun cried, holding his head tightly.
"A headache? Are you running a fever?" His mother sat by his bed, reaching to check his forehead—only to gasp in horror.
"Son, your forehead…"
Under the light, Huang Junkun's forehead was grotesquely dented.
"What's going on?" His father was equally terrified.
Before they could react further, Huang Junkun let out another bloodcurdling scream.
"Ahhh! My hands!"
His parents watched in horror as both of Huang Junkun's hands bent at unnatural angles, as if broken by an unseen force.
Under the bridge.
"Beat your rotten hands! Beat you till you can't hold money!"
The sharp-faced old woman cackled, striking the straw doll with renewed vigor. Her eyes gleamed with sadistic delight.
"Beat your rotten legs! Beat you till you can't wear shoes!"
"Beat your rotten mouth! Beat you till you choke on your breath!"
"Beat your rotten eyes! Beat you till they bulge with envy!"
By the time she finished, the straw doll was unrecognizably twisted and broken. Only then did she finally let go, satisfied.
"Lu family brat, you're still too green to challenge me!"
Her eerie laughter echoed under the bridge.
In the Evil Pawnshop courtyard.
"Boss, with the figurine looking like this, can your classmate even survive?" Tiger stared at the grotesquely twisted clay figurine, feeling chills run down his spine.
"Don't worry, he won't die," Lu Fei replied, brushing peanut shells off his hands. "But having all your bones broken one by one? That pain is worse than death."
"Yikes!" Tiger gasped, his scalp tingling.
He never imagined that the "beating the villain" ritual could be so ruthless. That guy must have done something terrible to deserve this.
Well, it served him right for trying to harm the boss!
"Son, hold on!"
Meanwhile, Huang Junkun—his entire body broken—had passed out from the pain. His parents rushed him to the hospital in the dead of night.
"Boss, does your classmate have a deep grudge against you?" Tiger asked again.
"I'm not sure," Lu Fei shrugged. "We weren't close in school, and we've had no contact since graduation. Where would a grudge come from?"
When Huang Junkun slapped him on the back earlier, Lu Fei had instantly felt a chilling sensation, and his magical powers reacted instinctively. It was a clear sign of a curse being cast.
But Huang Junkun was just an ordinary person—what did he know about magic?
Lu Fei was puzzled but remained vigilant. He pretended to pat Huang Junkun on the shoulder, quietly pocketing two strands of his hair.
If nothing had happened, all would be well. But if there was foul play, Lu Fei would retaliate tenfold.
It turned out Huang Junkun had indeed tried something malicious.
But why?
Lu Fei wasn't one to dwell on guesses. He decided to pay Huang Junkun a visit and get answers in person.