Sinisterium Pawnshop: Exclusive to Malevolent Objects

　　"This is an evil object, and of course, Sinisterium Pawnshop can take it."

　　Lu Fei put the necklace back on the dressing table; holding it for too long made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

　　"However, simply taking the necklace away will not solve any problems. We need to figure out what this necklace really is to address the issue and resolve Miss Xie's nightmare."

　　Sinisterium Pawnshop's acquisition of evil objects has never been as simple as just taking the items away; it also includes dealing with the malevolent spirits attached to them.

　　Xie Yao was clearly a smart woman, and she immediately understood Lu Fei's meaning, asking, "How should I cooperate with you?"

　　"If you don't mind, I would like to stay and observe for one night to find out how exactly this necklace is causing mischief."

　　"That would be perfect!"

　　After this, Xie Yao no longer doubted Lu Fei's abilities, feeling nothing but gratitude, so why would she mind?

　　The sky darkened.

　　Night fell quickly.

　　The surroundings were desolate, with darkness enveloping the exquisite little villa.

　　Following Lu Fei's advice, Xie Yao went to bed early.

　　Lu Fei moved a chair and sat in the corner.

　　"I'm counting on you, Shopkeeper Lu!" With gritted teeth, Xie Yao turned off the light and burrowed into the silk bedding.

　　The large master bedroom instantly sank into dimness, with only a faint glow from the streetlights outside seeping through the window.

　　Facing malevolent entities alone for the first time, Lu Fei was also somewhat nervous.

　　Though he had been immersed in the teachings of his grandfather for many years and was well-versed in theoretical knowledge, he had yet to put it into practice.

　　He clutched his backpack, carefully watching the necklace on the dressing table.

　　Time ticked by, second by second.

　　The shadows of the trees swayed outside the window.

　　The master bedroom was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

　　Xie Yao on the bed lay motionless, seemingly asleep.

　　The necklace on the dresser remained completely still.

　　Everything seemed calm and peaceful.

　　Gradually, Lu Fei also began to feel drowsy. He pinched his thigh to keep himself awake.

　　"Could it be that with one more person, the filthy thing won't show up?"

　　It was already past 1 AM, and Lu Fei's legs had gone numb from sitting. He got up and walked over to the dresser.

　　The necklace lay quietly in front of the mirror. The ashen-yellow bone beads exuded a cold, deathly aura, and the strange symbols on them appeared even more eerie in the dim light, like half-open eyes staring back.

　　Suddenly, a bone bead turned, as if an eye had opened!

　　"It moved?!"

　　Lu Fei instantly went on high alert, hurriedly taking a palm-sized peachwood knife from his backpack and staring intently at the necklace.

　　Peachwood is believed to ward off evil, and this particular peachwood knife had been specially treated, giving it some restraining effect on evil bone objects.

　　It was pawned to Sinisterium Pawnshop by an old man. Since he didn't come to redeem it after the pawn period, it became the property of Sinisterium Pawnshop.

　　But after waiting for a long time, there was no movement from the necklace.

　　"Could I have been mistaken?"

　　Lu Fei was both startled and doubtful, hesitating whether to use the peachwood knife to test it, when a strange sound suddenly came from behind him.

　　Scrape, scrape, scrape!

　　Scrape, scrape, scrape!

　　The sound grew from faint to clear, back and forth, in a regular pattern.

　　It was very familiar, as if heard somewhere before.

　　"Sharpening a knife?!"

　　When he heard it clearly, Lu Fei's hair stood on end.

　　Who would be sharpening a knife in the dead of night?

　　Aunt Wu, the housekeeper, had her room on the first floor and had gone to bed long ago. Xie Yao had specifically told her not to come out at night.

　　Moreover, the sound of the knife being sharpened was clearly coming from the master bedroom, where only he and Xie Yao were present.

　　And Xie Yao was asleep...

　　Lu Fei turned his head and was momentarily stunned.

　　The bed was empty.

　　Xie Yao is gone!

　　"Where is she?"

　　Lu Fei took a few steps to the bedside and lifted the silk bedding.

　　The sheet still bore the marks of Xie Yao having slept there, but the bed was cold.

　　But Lu Fei had clearly seen her in bed just a minute ago.

　　In the blink of an eye, she was gone.

　　Lu Fei felt a sense of unease and turned to look at the dressing table, his heart skipping a beat.

　　The bone necklace was also missing!

　　"Oh no, could something have happened?" Lu Fei took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, "Don't panic! Xie Yao has only just disappeared; she can't have gone far."

　　Rustle rustle rustle!

　　The grating sound of a knife being sharpened was particularly clear in the night.

　　As soon as the sound started, Xie Yao disappeared; there must be a connection between the two.

　　Lu Fei listened carefully and found that the sound of the knife being sharpened was coming from the master bedroom's bathroom. He stepped forward and, through the half-open door, cautiously peered inside.

　　The spacious bathroom had white tiles that glimmered with a cold, eerie light.

　　A slender figure, barefoot, crouched on the cold floor tiles, facing away from the door, methodically sharpening the knife.

　　The sound of metal scraping against stone was particularly jarring.

　　"Miss Xie?"

　　Lu Fei called out tentatively to the figure.

　　The figure did not respond and continued to sharpen the knife, moving in a meticulous, mechanical manner, as if it were an extremely important task.

　　Lu Fei swallowed hard, stepped into the bathroom, and finally got a clearer look.

　　Her long, disheveled hair fell loosely down her back, and she wore a pure white dress, yet her skin was paler than the dress.

　　It was Xie Yao.

　　In her hand, she held a sharp boning knife, her head lowered as she ground it forcefully. Her movements were stiff, her eyes tightly shut, like a moving corpse.

　　Lu Fei's heart raced with fear, making him hesitant to approach.

　　Late at night, a woman with wild, flowing hair crouched in the darkness, grinding a knife—who wouldn't be scared?

　　This was probably not sleepwalking; she was likely entranced.

　　But the strange thing was, Lu Fei did not see the necklace on her.

　　"No matter what, I need to wake her up first; it's too dangerous!"

　　In such a situation, abruptly waking someone could have an adverse effect on their mental state. But Lu Fei couldn't afford to worry about that; the thin, sharp boning knife gave him an ominous feeling.

　　He cautiously approached and reached out to Xie Yao.

　　No matter what Xie Yao is going to do, she must be stopped.

　　But before he could touch Xie Yao, the sound of sharpening the knife suddenly ceased.

　　Xie Yao stood up without any warning, slowly turning around in the dimness with an extremely eerie posture.

　　She was barefoot, standing on her tiptoes, her body slightly leaning forward, head hanging down, and her messy long hair covering her face completely.

　　It was as if something had lifted her by the neck, the boning knife in her hand gleaming with a cold, chilling light.

　　"Ghost tiptoe?!"

　　Lu Fei's heart also leapt in alarm.