Sinisterium Pawnshop: Exclusive to Malevolent Objects

　　The offering incense was slowly emitting a light smoke, the incense burner was full of ash, and the offerings were all fresh food.

　　It was clear that the Su family made daily devotions to this statue, showing great piety.

　　But the statue was covered tightly with a red cloth, under which strange outlines could be seen, making it impossible to discern what it actually was.

　　"May I ask, what deity is this?"

　　Lu Fei asked the butler, only to find that the butler hadn't come in at all, and was just standing outside the door with his head bowed and eyes downcast.

　　"This is the Treasure-Holding Buddha Mother, a very prestigious deity that Master brought back from a temple in the South Seas," the butler replied.

　　"Treasure-Holding Buddha Mother? This is the first time I've heard of it." Lu Fei had only encountered two evil objects so far, and he hadn't fully understood the local ones, let alone those from the South Seas.

　　But the name suggested that it was for seeking wealth.

　　"How did you determine that the family's misfortune is related to this Buddha Mother..." Lu Fei wanted to ask more clearly.

　　"Stop!"

　　The butler suddenly interrupted him with a drastic change in his expression, glancing fearfully at the statue. With a serious tone, he said, "Guest, please mind your words in front of the Buddha Mother. During worship, never touch the red cloth; otherwise, if you offend the Buddha Mother, you will bear the consequences!"

　　He seemed to be extremely cautious, as if he feared saying something wrong.

　　Lu Fei's heart skipped a beat.

　　Could it be that the statue can hear?

　　"As for how things will turn out at home, that will depend on the two of you," the steward said with a hint of meaning.

　　"I understand, I will be careful," Lu Fei replied cautiously.

　　"Then, please, the two of you."

　　The steward made a gesture of invitation, then closed the door.

　　The large side room suddenly became dark.

　　On the altar, two incense sticks flickered, and the statue, shrouded in red cloth, appeared even more eerie and mysterious.

　　"What the hell, why close the door?" Liu Fugui was startled, and his plump figure hastened to move closer to Lu Fei.

　　With the windows and doors shut tight and the thick curtains drawn, the side room, which should have been airtight, still had a cold draft seeping from behind the two of them.

　　The two of them gathered their courage and walked towards the statue of the Buddha Mother.

　　"Young Manager Lu, I heard that your grandfather has the ability to identify valuable items through objects. Surely you have it too, right?" Liu Fugui looked at Lu Fei expectantly.

　　"Rest assured, I don't have it."

　　Lu Fei had no intention of appeasing him.

　　He found that with each step he took forward, he felt an indescribable pressure.

　　It was as if there was an invisible force trying to stop him.

　　The closer he got to the Buddha Mother, the more pronounced this pressure became, to the point where even Liu Fugui could feel it.

　　"Oh no, has the Buddha Mother sensed something?" Liu Fugui whispered, speaking cautiously like a thief.

　　"Don't panic, we haven't done anything disrespectful."

　　Lu Fei remained calm and walked up to the altar.

　　At times like this, even if you are panicking inside, you must not show it.

　　No matter what kind of evil entity or deity you are facing, you must not show fear; otherwise, they will easily take advantage of you.

　　A cold, chilling air seeped out from the red cloth. Although the Buddha Mother was only half the height of a person, it gave an overwhelming sense of superiority on the altar.

　　Lu Fei tried to look up, but he felt that his head and shoulders were unusually heavy, as if something was pressing down on them, making his back bend involuntarily.

　　Liu Fugui was even more extreme, with large beads of cold sweat dripping from his forehead, and his legs quivering uncontrollably, as if he was about to collapse.

　　The oppressive aura of the Buddha Mother was so strong. Could it really be some kind of god from Nanyang?

　　No!

　　Lu Fei felt the coldness on his body.

　　This coldness was bone-chilling and clearly yin energy!

　　Yin energy suppresses yang fire!

　　Even if the deities of Nanyang are different, they can't possibly emit a sinister aura.

　　One cannot bow to malevolence.

　　Otherwise, once the yang fire weakens and fortune declines, one will either fall ill or suffer misfortunes.

　　Thinking of this, Lu Fei steeled his heart and, braving the oppressive chill, gritted his teeth and lifted his head.

　　But what followed was an even more overwhelming pressure, as if it weighed a thousand catties.

　　Lu Fei's ears rang, his scalp felt like it was about to explode, and the scene before him distorted, with the statue of the Buddha Mother spinning like a kaleidoscope.

　　The world spun around him.

　　At that moment, he suddenly felt a warmth in his chest, and a flash of golden light surged through him, forcefully repelling the pressure.

　　The pressure instantly dissipated.

　　The candle flame flickered, and the red cloth covering the statue swayed, revealing what seemed to be a black tail flashing by.

　　The red cloth quickly fell, as if it had been covered by an invisible hand.

　　Lu Fei's heart was pounding fiercely.

　　The talisman on his chest turned to ashes.

　　He had heard that the malevolent entity he would be facing today might be a demon god from Nanyang. Before setting out, he took a protective talisman left by his grandfather to carry with him, just in case.

　　He never expected it to be used so soon.

　　This damned Buddha Mother of Wealth, how evil it is!

　　Lu Fei hadn't even seen its true form, yet he almost fell victim to it.

　　All of this happened in an instant. Liu Fugui only felt a gust of wind, and the cold sensation pressing down on him suddenly vanished. He had no idea what had just occurred.

　　"What just happened?"

　　Wiping the cold sweat from his face, he looked at Lu Fei in confusion.

　　Lu Fei stood straight, looking at the statue with a serious expression, but without any sign of fear.

　　"Could it be that I just had a hallucination?"

　　Liu Fugui was even more confused.

　　However, the statue shrouded in red cloth seemed to be even gloomier, making his heart unable to stop feeling uneasy.

　　"Lu Fei, let's finish burning the incense and leave quickly."

　　He whispered, extending his plump hand to take the incense on the altar.

　　"There are so many gods and Buddhas in our country we can hardly worship all of them, why should we worship foreign deities?" But Lu Fei didn't move, showing no intention of worshipping at all.

　　Liu Fugui's plump hand paused, not reaching for the incense, and quickly asked in a low voice: "What did you see?"

　　"I don't have X-ray vision, what can I see?" Lu Fei shrugged.

　　"Oh, don't keep stalling with me, Uncle. Tell me quickly." Liu Fugui was sweating again, feeling that this Buddha Mother was very sinister, and was worried that something bad might happen to them if they worshipped her, just like the Su family.

　　But he was also afraid that not bowing before the hall would offend the Buddha Mother and bring even more bad luck.

　　"Should I bow or not, tell your uncle clearly."

　　"Anyway, we at Sinisterium Pawnshop don't have the habit of worshipping deities," Lu Fei said indifferently.

　　"Alright, I understand." Liu Fugui gritted his teeth and made up his mind to follow whatever Lu Fei did.

　　He had been doing business on the antique street for many years and knew one important principle.

　　For things he didn't understand, he should listen to the opinions of professionals and never act rashly out of stubbornness.

　　"How do you think? Should we go outside and talk in more detail?" He didn't want to stay there for another minute.

　　"Let's go, there's nothing more to see here," Lu Fei nodded.

　　He had already confirmed that the Buddha Mother was an evil object, and the butler did not allow the red cloth to be lifted, so staying longer would only be more dangerous.

　　The two quickly left.

　　At this moment, the side hall door suddenly opened, and there were also two people outside the door.

　　Four pairs of eyes, big ones staring at small ones.

　　"Who are you, and why are you in my family's Buddha hall?" The well-dressed young man outside the door shouted sternly.

　　Liu Fugui recognized him and immediately put on a smile, stepping forward to flatter: "Young Master Su, it's me, Old Liu. Chairman Su asked us to come."