Jing Jian had been pondering all the way back but still couldn't figure out what was wrong with his remarks.
Chen Jinfa dropped off Lu Fei and his companion at Antique Street, where Jing Jian also got out of the car.
"Shopkeeper Lu, I'll contact the artifact master tomorrow. Wait for my message," he said.
With a wave of his hand, Chen Jinfa disappeared into the night in his comical outfit.
Back at home, Lu Fei first recorded the day's pawned evil items in his ledger.
Yin Dog Mutant, live pawn.
This brought the total number of received evil items to nine, moving him a step closer to his goal.
Then, he curiously took out the black umbrella and examined it carefully.
The pawn ticket described this black umbrella as capable of connecting to the Netherworld, capturing souls, and collecting ghosts.
He had already witnessed its soul-capturing function today, but he was curious about how it collected ghosts.
And what did "capable of connecting to the Netherworld" mean?
Could this umbrella somehow link to the Underworld?
The more Lu Fei looked at the black oil-paper umbrella, the more he felt it was a remarkable item.
When he opened the umbrella, dark red flowers slowly blossomed inside, exuding an indescribable eerie beauty.
The flowers seemed to captivate the soul, as if cold, watchful eyes were hidden within them.
As Lu Fei gazed at it, he felt as though the umbrella was gazing back at him.
Staring for too long gave him the illusion that the world was about to blur.
Perhaps due to his growing magical power, Lu Fei found he could now look directly at the flowers without being overwhelmed. Steeling his nerves, he leaned closer to observe.
"What kind of flower is this... Wait, what's that?"
Lu Fei didn't usually pay attention to plants, so he couldn't identify the flowers.
However, he noticed that the dark red petals were actually composed of peculiar runes.
The runes were tiny, about the size of ants, and could only be discerned up close.
Moreover, they seemed vaguely familiar.
"Where have I seen this before?"
Lu Fei scratched his head vigorously, trying to recall.
"That's it! It looks like... a map!"
Moments later, his eyes widened as he remembered something. He hurriedly grabbed his phone and pulled up a photo of the sheepskin map.
"It's the same runes!"
His heart pounded as he enlarged the photo and compared it repeatedly with the runes forming the petals.
Although the runes weren't an exact match, they were unmistakably of the same type.
It was like recognizing English as a language even if you couldn't read the words.
So, the symbols on the map weren't letters but runes. No wonder ancient text studies hadn't yielded any results.
"What kind of runes are these?"
Lu Fei had never encountered such strange symbols before. They didn't seem to belong to Taoist or Buddhist traditions.
Still, it was a breakthrough, one he hadn't expected to come from this black umbrella.
"Could Grandpa's acquisition of this umbrella be related to the sheepskin map?"
Lu Fei had a hunch that this wasn't mere coincidence.
Though physically exhausted, his curiosity kept him awake. He lay in bed clutching the black umbrella and his phone, his mind filled with red flowers and runes.
He resolved to visit Madam Feng the next day. Since she had pawned the black umbrella at the Evil Pawnshop, she must know something about the runes.
At dawn.
Lu Fei jumped out of bed as soon as it was light, quickly freshened up, left Tiger to watch the shop, and rushed to Madam Feng's residence with the black umbrella in hand.
The courtyard was eerily quiet, without a single person in line.
Since Madam Feng's spiritual powers had been destroyed, no one sought her services anymore.
The door was ajar.
As Lu Fei pushed it open, a pungent smell of dead rats assaulted his senses.
Covering his nose, he stepped inside and froze in shock.
Flies buzzed chaotically around the yard, which was littered with dead rats in various states of decay, their rotting bodies emitting a foul stench.
"Where is Madam Feng?"
A foreboding feeling gripped Lu Fei as he dashed into the house. As expected, she was nowhere to be found.
The interior was a mess. Tables and chairs were overturned, belongings scattered everywhere—clear signs of a violent search.
"Could someone have come looking for Madam Feng?"
Finally, in the bedroom near the window, Lu Fei discovered a large bloodstain.
"Could she already be dead?" His brow furrowed deeply.
Madam Feng had done plenty of shady things, so it wouldn't be surprising if someone with a grudge had come after her.
While her death might be deserved, it also severed Lu Fei's lead.
Unwilling to give up, Lu Fei braved the stench and scoured the house. Eventually, he found a clue.
Behind the door, he picked up a torn piece of fabric embroidered with the word "kill."
The blood-stained, wrinkled cloth seemed to have been intentionally ripped off.
"Could the person wearing this 'kill'-embroidered clothing have taken Madam Feng?"
Lu Fei surveyed the chaotic house and the numerous disordered footprints on the floor.
"It looks like more than one person was here. This doesn't seem like a personal vendetta—it's more like they were searching for something."
Could it be this black umbrella?
Lu Fei's heart sank. After erasing traces of his presence, he took a different route to leave quietly.
To avoid drawing attention, he didn't return to the pawnshop but headed to the Three Flavors Teahouse instead.
"Red Sister, are there any factions in the underworld whose members wear clothing with the word 'kill' embroidered on them?" he asked quietly after finding a secluded spot.
"Clothing with the word 'kill'?"
Red Sister raised her finely arched eyebrows slightly and gave Lu Fei a curious look.
"Shopkeeper Lu, what makes you suddenly ask about this?"
"Red Sister, I remember that buying information at the Three Flavors Teahouse doesn't require giving a reason," Lu Fei replied calmly.
"My bad for asking." Red Sister chuckled. "It's an assassin organization called the Blood Kill Society. As long as you pay, they'll kill anyone for you. Shopkeeper Lu... you're not planning to hire them, are you?"
"Of course not. I'm just curious. By the way, please prioritize tracking down my grandfather and Jia Banxian."
"I thought so. A newcomer like you wouldn't resort to killing so soon," Red Sister teased, patting him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. My informants say Jia Banxian might be coming to Jiang City soon. Once he shows up, I'll let you know immediately."
"Thank you."
Without further ado, Lu Fei paid for the tea and left in a hurry.
Since it was an assassin organization, getting information from them would be nearly impossible. He needed another approach.
As he walked along the street deep in thought, his phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Tiger.
But Jing Jian's voice came through instead.
"Shopkeeper Lu, why aren't you at the pawnshop? I've been waiting for ages!"
"Do you need something?"
"Don't tell me you forgot? I said I'd take you to meet the artifact master. If you're free, let's go now. The master isn't available every day, and I need my peach wood sword repaired."
Although Lu Fei wasn't in the mood, he reconsidered.
An artifact master would be knowledgeable and might recognize the runes from the sheepskin map.
With no better options, he decided to take his chances.