Sinisterium Pawnshop: Exclusive to Malevolent Objects

　　"Wow! What kind of magic is this?" Hu Zi's eyes widened in amazement, finding it hard to believe.

　　You see, Lu Fei did not pull the red string; the coin stood up on its own.

　　"This is not a spell, it's an instinct. Just like when you get to your front door, anyone can find their own home, it will also find its own grave. We just need to follow it."

　　As soon as Lu Fei finished speaking, the copper coin started rolling forward like a wheel.

　　"Hurry up and follow!"

　　Lu Fei held the red thread and followed the rolling copper coin forward.

　　Hu Zi, no longer able to afford being shocked, quickly picked up the two chickens and followed along.

　　The copper coin rolled over the ground covered with weeds and fallen leaves, heading straight in one direction.

　　Lu Fei looked ahead, suddenly stopped, and a look of confusion appeared on his face.

　　"What's going on? Why is it heading towards the village? Could the ancient tomb be in the village?"

　　"No way, right? Who would build a grave at their own doorstep? Could it be behind the village?" said Hu Zi.

　　"Let's try a different direction."

　　Lu Fei used a red thread to lift the copper coin and went around to the other side of the village, but a strange scene occurred.

　　The copper coin still rolled towards the village!

　　Lu Fei tried twice more, but no matter which direction he went, the copper coin always headed for the village.

　　The direction was clear, without a moment's hesitation.

　　"It seems its tomb is in the village," said Lu Fei, frowning.

　　"This is so weird. Building a grave in your own village, isn't that bad luck? Brother Lu Fei, could there be some mistake?" Hu Zǐ found it unbelievable.

　　"Would you ever mistake the location of your own home?"

　　"No."

　　"It wouldn't either."

　　Lu Fei put away the copper coin and waved at Hu Zǐ.

　　"Let's go to the village first and see what's going on."

　　The two of them headed towards the village, but before they even entered, the rooster in the sack began to struggle, making anxious clucking sounds.

　　It struggled so hard that Husi almost dropped it.

　　"What's wrong now, does it know it's about to be eaten?"

　　Lu Fei thought for a moment, and then told Husi to open the sack and plucked three black tail feathers from each of the roosters.

　　"Brother Lu Fei, what are you doing plucking the rooster feathers for?" Husi asked, filled with curiosity.

　　"There's an old saying, 'when the rooster crows, daylight comes.' In ancient times, people believed that roosters were solar birds that could dispel darkness. Therefore, rooster tail feathers can ward off evil spirits." Lu Fei gave three of the tail feathers to Husi.

　　Strangely enough, as soon as he had plucked the feathers, the rooster became listless and stopped struggling, as if its vitality had been taken away.

　　"I think there's something odd about this village. The rooster might have sensed something. It's better to be prepared."

　　"I used to think that only blessed treasures from masters or high monks could ward off evil, I didn't expect rooster feathers to work too!" Husi was completely impressed, and suddenly felt his 200 yuan was well spent.

　　If you want to buy any amulets or protection charms from a master, it would cost at least a thousand yuan.

　　The two of them tucked away the rooster's tail feathers and, carrying the quiet and listless rooster, walked into the ancient and secluded mountain village.

　　The trees in the village were exceptionally dense, making the light seem even dimmer than outside.

　　There weren't many houses, and they were all old mud-brick dwellings. Behind the small and narrow windows, a few pairs of cloudy eyes peered out, warily sizing up these unexpected visitors.

　　"Who are you?"

　　Accompanied by an elderly voice, several gaunt and withered old men emerged, blocking the two of them.

　　Seeing their appearance, Lu Fei and Hu Zi couldn't help but exchange a glance.

　　Regardless of their height, weight, or build, these old men had varying sizes of black spots on their faces, necks, and even the backs of their hands.

　　They looked particularly eerie.

　　"Sir, we are here to find someone." Suppressing his shock, Lu Fei put on a friendly smile.

　　"Who are you looking for?" The leader was an old man in a faded Zhongshan suit, with his hands behind his back and a sense of authority on his wrinkled face.

　　"It's an old man who wants to sell antiques to us and asked us to come over to collect them."

　　Lu Fei gave Hu Zi a wink, and Hu Zi hurriedly handed over the two roosters.

　　"We came in a hurry and didn't bring any gifts, just a small token of our respect."

　　The moment the elders saw the roosters, their eyes immediately flickered, and a light shone through their cloudy old eyes, completely changing their attitude.

　　"So it's the two bosses, we truly neglected you, please come in quickly."

　　The leading elder was the village head, who warmly led Lu Fei and Hu Zi to his home and ordered someone to boil water for tea.

　　Lu Fei observed that although there were dozens of people in the village, they were all elderly.

　　Each one of them was thin and sallow, with dark spots all over their aged skin, looking both worn out and terrifying.

　　Lu Fei had never heard of such a peculiar hereditary disease before.

　　"What would the two bosses like to buy?" The village head looked at the two unfamiliar young men and asked in a very gentle manner.

　　Lu Fei probed, "We heard that there's an ancient tomb here with quite a few good items inside."

　　"Those are just outsiders talking nonsense. How could a small village like ours have an ancient tomb? We just have a few old items passed down from our ancestors." The village head waved his hand dismissively.

　　"As long as they are genuine, old items will do," Lu Fei responded to the village head, putting his hand into his pocket and feeling the copper coin.

　　For some reason, after arriving in the village, the copper coin had become quiet.

　　"I'm really sorry, young boss, we never thought of selling our ancestral items," the village head apologized with a smile, "Who told you we were selling antiques?"

　　Huzi quickly said, "An old man in black clothes, with a big black spot on his neck."

　　He had already looked around, but did not see the old man who had sold him the copper coin.

　　"That sounds like Old Si, but it's impossible," The village head exchanged a glance with the others, and their faces all showed puzzled expressions.

　　"Old Si has been dead for half a month..."

　　"No way! I just saw him last week, the dead man can't be him." Hu Zi shook his head and said loudly.

　　Hearing this, the village chief and the other elders also became uncertain, saying doubtfully, "Don't look at all of us having spots; the only one with a lot of spots on his neck is Lao Si. His memorial photo is placed in his house, shall I take you to see it?"

　　"Alright!"

　　Right away, Lu Fei and Hu Zi followed the village chief to Lao Si's house.

　　In the dim and simple earthen house, a black and white memorial photo was placed on the cabinet.

　　Hu Zi went up and looked. In the frame, a gaunt old man with no expression. Though only half of his neck was visible, it still showed large patches of dark spots.

　　"It's him!"

　　Hu Zi's pupils constricted, and he felt a chill all over.

　　How could a dead person sell anything to him?

　　Could it be that he had encountered a ghost at that time?!

　　But it was broad daylight!

　　The elders looked at each other in surprise.

　　After a while, the village chief sighed heavily and said, "Old Four probably couldn't swallow his anger! He had always been insisting on selling the things left by our ancestors, but I didn't agree. I didn't expect..."

　　Then, he apologized to Lu Fei and Hu Zi.

　　"I'm sorry, young bosses, we didn't expect him to still cause trouble even after his death."

　　Hu Zi was at a loss and looked at Lu Fei for help, "What should we do?"

　　Lu Fei also felt a bit confused. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Village Chief, how about this? We go to his grave, light some incense, and ask him to rest in peace. Then, he won't bother us anymore."