A few minutes later.
Lu Fei came out carrying an ancient-looking peachwood ritual sword.
"What do you think of this sword?"
"Is this a ritual sword?!"
Jing Jian's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly put down the heavy sack, wiped the dust off his hands, and then carefully picked up the ritual sword to examine it.
The sword was not long; it was a short sword.
Its design was simple and rustic, made entirely of peach wood, with the pattern of the Big Dipper engraved on the blade.
This type of sword is also called a Seven-Star Sword.
The Daoist Tianyuan that Lu Fei met at Jiang University's Ghost Tower had a Seven-Star Sword as well.
However, Tianyuan's sword was inscribed with many runes, and its hilt was adorned with tassels, making it quite elaborate.
In contrast, this one was particularly plain and unadorned, and due to the passage of time, it looked very old.
This sword was pawned to Sinisterium Pawnshop by an unknown elderly Daoist many years ago. As the redemption period had long expired, the sword now belonged to Sinisterium Pawnshop.
Lu Fei could dispose of it as he saw fit.
"Although this sword is ordinary in craftsmanship, the peach wood used to make it seems quite good," Jing Jian observed, looking at it over and over again.
Lu Fei asked, "Can you use it?"
Jing Jian picked it up, carefully swinging it a few times, and said with delight, "It feels quite handy... How much does this sword cost? We've known each other for quite a while now, can you give me a discount?"
"Brothers should be clear about money!" Lu Fei chuckled, "But talking about money is no fun. If you want it, trade it for an evil object."
"Trade for an evil object?" Jing Jian was taken aback.
"That's right, it's called bartering! As long as the value is equivalent, you can exchange it, just like trading one item for another. But since you helped me find the coffin fungus, I'll make an exception and let you have it on credit. You can handle the paperwork after you find an evil object," Lu Fei smiled.
After all, Jing Jian had damaged the peach wood sword to help him.
He wanted to compensate Jing Jian with a magical artifact, but giving it directly didn't feel right.
"They say there's no such thing as an honest businessman, are you really being so kind?" Jing Jian asked, surprised and pleased, "What kind of evil object do you need?"
"Any kind of evil object will do, the more the better. Hurry up, the Lingyin Society's test is starting in a couple of days, and I don't want you to drag me down!" Lu Fei said, deliberately putting on a stern face.
"Alright, alright, I got it!"
Jing Jian hurriedly picked up the Seven Star Magic Sword, shouldered the mountain goods, and ran off as fast as he could, as if afraid that Lu Fei would change his mind.
"That guy, he didn't even take the prescription!"
Lu Fei couldn't help but laugh.
"Forget it, Hu Zi, when you go to get the medicine, pick up his share as well."
"Sure, boss."
The two of them tidied up the pawnshop, and then Hu Zi went out to get the medicine.
Lu Fei took out his phone and sent a message to Duan Lingyue, notifying her to come and collect the herbs.
"Big Brother Lu Fei, you guys are finally back! Are you all safe and sound?"
"Thank you for your concern, little Lingyue. We are all fine."
"Great, I'll tell grandpa the good news right away."
The little girl sent over several emojis of her dancing and waving, and after a few minutes, she replied again, "Brother Lu Fei, Grandpa said it's getting late today, and he wants you to have a good rest. We'll come again tomorrow."
"No problem."
After that, the little girl asked Lu Fei about many things in the mountains, and only reluctantly said goodbye when her grandpa urged her to go and read.
Lu Fei put down his phone and sat behind the counter, organizing the unexpected gains from the mountain.
Wish Stone.
Corpse Bell.
The effects of the Wish Stone can be both good and bad.
But this Corpse Bell is definitely a great thing. It can immobilize zombies and also control them, making it a unique magical instrument of the Corpse Driver practice.
Speaking of which, being able to obtain these two malevolent objects was all thanks to the Corpse Nurturing Woman.
Could it be that she is actually from the lineage of corpse drivers?
I don't know if she is dead or alive.
In the future, when using this bell, I still need to avoid the corpse drivers.
Lu Fei wrapped the corpse driving bell with a white cloth.
Then, he looked at the wish force stone again.
This evil object is also called an incense stone. To activate its power, one needs to light an incense stick.
It can be used by oneself or given to others.
It's like adding a buff.
Those with good luck will get better and better, while those with bad luck will get worse and worse.
As for the duration of its effect, it varies depending on the amount of wish force. The specific duration for this one still needs to be determined through Lu Fei's own practice.
Lu Fei put it away, then took out his ledger and made a record.
Coffin fungus, Vow Stone, Corpse Leading Bell.
The total number of evil objects collected has reached 15.
Adding three evil objects at once, Lu Fei was quite satisfied.
Reflecting on it, he had only been running the shop for just over two months.
At this rate, he was sure to achieve his small goal of collecting one hundred evil objects in three years.
Soon after.
Huzi returned with the medicine, drenched in sweat.
"Boss, you have no idea, I almost didn't make it back getting the medicine."
"What happened?"
"As soon as the doctor at the clinic saw these two prescriptions, he grabbed me and asked who wrote them. He wouldn't let me go until I told him."
"How did you handle it?" Lu Fei looked at the two packets of Chinese medicine in his hand.
"With my strength, do you think those old men could stop me? I promised Lord Jiu, so I definitely couldn't say. Later, I thought of a way to split the prescriptions in half, getting one half from one pharmacy and the other half from another. Hehe."
"Not bad, you know how to use your brain. The medicine from Lord Jiu is effective even before it's taken."
Lu Fei burst into laughter. He burned the prescriptions as agreed and had Hu Zi deliver one packet to Jing Jian. When he returned, he started to brew the medicine.
Drinking the medicine early would still allow for body adjustment before the trial began.
"Tomorrow is the day they issue the notice, but I wonder what the trial will be about..."
The next day, Lu Fei opened the door as usual and was sitting behind the counter, lost in thought.
"Manager Lu, are you there?"
A timid voice came from outside the door.
"Come in."
Lu Fei pulled himself together and put on a polite smile for his guests.
The two figures outside the door hesitated for a moment before timidly walking in.
"Is it you? Have you found the evil object?"
Lu Fei was slightly surprised; it was the shabby couple who had wanted to buy the catfish skin.
Since they couldn't afford much, Lu Fei had suggested that they exchange an evil object instead.
"We've been waiting for you for several days, and finally, you're back! We don't understand anything. Manager Lu, please take a look and see if any of these are the evil objects you were talking about?"
The man carefully placed the paper box he was holding on the counter.
Inside the box, there were several items wrapped in old clothes.
"Just a moment."
Lu Fei put on his gloves and took out the items one by one.
They were all old things.
A ceramic bowl, with a piece missing from the rim.
A jade bracelet.
And a red cloth shoe.
"Manager Lu, how is it? Are there any evil objects?" The couple looked at Lu Fei nervously.
Lu Fei did not express an opinion but instead asked, "Where did you get these things from?"
"We collected them from our hometown. They say that old things can become spirits, and these are the oldest antiques in our village," the man answered hastily.
"Did you spend money on these items?" Lu Fei asked again.
"Yes, we did. Otherwise, they wouldn't have given them to us."
"You've been duped." Lu Fei shook his head. "This broken bowl is not an antique, it's just a common porcelain bowl. And this jade bracelet is fake."
"Ah! They told me it was passed down from our ancestors..."
The couple immediately started pacing in distress.
"Let me finish first." Lu Fei waved his hand and pointed to the red cloth shoes, saying, "These red shoes have some issues. Where is the other one?"