Sinisterium Pawnshop: Exclusive to Malevolent Objects

　　The reputation of the Sinisterium Pawnshop was built by generations of the Lu family through hard work and dedication. How could they allow it to be casually defamed?

　　Lu Fei's expression was calm, but Hu Guidong felt a strange chill from his gaze.

　　"Sorry, Mr. Lu, this rumor didn't come from me; it was the big boss of the mine who heard it from somewhere." Hu Guidong recounted the events.

　　He is just a small shareholder in the mine and doesn't have much say.

　　Zhou Yuyang recommended Lu Fei to him, and he had heard of Sinisterium Pawnshop's reputation. Trusting his old friend, he gladly recommended Sinisterium Pawnshop to the major shareholder of the mine.

　　Blood jade is valuable, so the major shareholder was very cautious and commissioned someone else to investigate.

　　Somewhere along the line, he heard the rumor that Sinisterium Pawnshop was a black market shop. To be safe, he temporarily notified Hu Guidong to cancel the invitation.

　　"Mr. Hu, you mean if I want to find out who started the rumor, I need to go to the mine and meet this big boss?" Lu Fei asked.

　　"Mr. Lu, that's not what I meant! Even if you don't go, I will find out for you," Hu Guidong explained anxiously, "It's our fault for not handling this properly. How could we back out at the last minute on a promised deal?"

　　Zhou Yuyang followed up, "Mr. Lu, it's also my fault for not making things clear to Old Hu. He is usually very honest, and if the big boss hadn't made a mistake, this wouldn't have happened."

　　"You two are misunderstanding. I'm not blaming anyone; it's not like you started the rumor, right? I just want to find the person who spread the rumor as soon as possible!" Seeing their tense expressions, Lu Fei couldn't help but smile.

　　Hearing him say that, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

　　"Manager Lu, I've talked to the big boss again. If you're willing to put past grievances aside, would you mind making a trip to help us with your expertise?"

　　"I was already prepared, and I really want to see the blood jade that can reveal beauties."

　　Lu Fei got up with a smile.

　　"Please!"

　　Hu Guidong was overjoyed.

　　Close the door, hang the sign.

　　Lu Fei, carrying the small black dog, and Hu Zi, with his backpack, followed Hu Guidong out of the antique street.

　　The shabbily dressed couple was still at the corner, and upon seeing them, they pretended to be in conversation, looking flustered.

　　Their poor acting was so obvious that even Zhou Yuyang noticed something was amiss.

　　Hu Zi was very angry and clenched his fists, wanting to teach the couple a lesson, but Lu Fei held him back.

　　The matter is still unclear, now is not the time.

　　He sent a message to Liu Fugui, asking Liu Fugui to keep an eye on them.

　　"They must have eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard, daring to slander Sinisterium Pawnshop behind our backs! Brother Lu, rest assured, I will definitely handle this for you!"

　　Liu Fugui was greatly shocked and more anxious than Lu Fei.

　　In fact, in recent days, he had also heard some gossip, but he just thought that it was natural for a tall tree to attract the wind and didn't pay too much attention to it.

　　He never expected that the rumors would be so outrageous, even reaching Lu Fei's ears.

　　He immediately had his staff open the shop and took action himself.

　　Lu Fei and Hu Zi also got into the car heading to the mine.

　　"Manager Lu, the mine is far from here, it will take at least two days by car. The journey is tiring, so try to get as much rest as possible." Hu Guidong had prepared plenty of food and water in the car.

　　There were even a few bottles of alcohol.

　　They were afraid of neglecting Lu Fei.

　　This, on the contrary, made Lu Fei feel a bit embarrassed. He said, "President Hu, you are too polite. I am not that particular. Just be casual."

　　"It's all as it should be," Hu Guidong replied with a genial smile. "Boss Lu, don't call me President Hu. I'm just a factory owner. If you don't mind, just call me Old Hu, like Yu Yang does."

　　"Since you are older than me, I will call you Brother Hu," Lu Fei smiled. "Brother Hu, let's skip the formalities. Tell me about that blood jade."

　　"That piece of jade was unearthed half a month ago. In fact, a strange incident happened on the day it was unearthed," Hu Guidong began to recount in detail.

　　Their mine was located in a remote and desolate area in the mountains of Southwest China.

　　The main products from the deposit were nan hong (a kind of red agate), carnelian, and jadeite.

　　When the blood jade was first unearthed, due to its similar color, the workers thought it was nan hong.

　　After the master cleaned it, they realized this piece of stone was extraordinary. The blood-like color and its transparent luster were very rare.

　　The master removed the debris around it, and without any carving, he got a smooth, oval-shaped piece of jade.

　　There are slight natural protrusions on the surface of the jade, seemingly forming some kind of pattern, but it's not clear during the day.

　　But at night, when you shine a flashlight on it, you can see a very beautiful woman's face.

　　From different angles, the beauty displays different expressions.

　　It is lifelike and exquisitely beautiful.

　　The master was immediately excited. He had been an old miner all his life, but he had never seen such a rare piece of jade!

　　For it to be so beautiful without any carving, it must be invaluable! So, he immediately informed the big boss.

　　The big boss was out of town at the time and told him to make sure to take good care of the jade and not let anyone else know about it.

　　The big boss rushed back overnight and went straight to the dormitory to look for him. However, no matter how long he knocked on the door, there was no answer.

　　The big boss became anxious, thinking that he had run away with the jade. He quickly got someone to break down the door and found that he was still sleeping in bed.

　　At this point, Hu Guidong sighed lightly.

　　"Master Ma has been asleep and hasn't woken up since then."

　　"At that time, the blood jade was under his pillow, and he was still smiling while sleeping. The boss tried many ways to wake him up, but none worked, so he sent him to the hospital."

　　"The doctor said he was just sleeping."

　　"But being in a constant sleep without waking up is also life-threatening. He didn't eat or drink for half a month, and you could see him visibly losing weight, surviving only on intravenous fluids."

　　"We had no idea what was wrong with him at the time. We didn't even think about the blood jade, thinking he might have some rare disease."

　　"Who would have known that another worker fell into a deep sleep the next day."

　　"On the third day, another one followed."

　　"Every day, one more person was added, and everyone at the mine was panic-stricken."

　　"An old miner said that the blood jade was the treasure of the mountain god. By taking the blood jade, we had offended the mountain god, and the deep sleep was the mountain god's punishment."

　　"But how could the boss bear to return the jade? Now, there are more than ten people in the hospital, and the workers are striking. We are almost beside ourselves with worry, hoping someone can help us solve this problem."

　　Hu Guidong spoke in one breath, finally clearing up the matter. He picked up a bottle of water and gulped down several large mouthfuls to moisten his dry throat.

　　"Punishment from the mountain god? That's quite an interesting statement." Lu Fei said, his face turning serious.

　　The situation was much more severe than he had imagined.

　　At the same time, he understood why Hu Guidong was willing to come to him, hat in hand.

　　Because they really needed someone to solve this bizarre problem.