"That extreme?"
Lu Fei was very surprised.
Not being able to live without foul odors has already gone beyond the scope of being attracted to unusual smells.
"What caused it?"
"That's exactly what I want to find out! Over the past few years, his condition has become more severe, and the existing odors can no longer satisfy him. When he can't find a stronger stench, I don't know what foolish things he might do."
Xu Bei spread his hands, a look of helplessness on his face.
"I've tried many methods, but none of them have been able to cure him."
"Manager Lu, in your opinion, is his condition caused by some special evil object, or is it really this strange illness?"
"Vice President Xu, I'm sorry, but without seeing him, I can't make a judgment. Besides, I'm not a doctor," Lu Fei said honestly.
Since he took over the Sinisterium Pawnshop, he had seen many peculiar and bizarre evil objects, but such a strange illness was something he had never heard of before.
He felt that, given enough time, he would encounter all kinds of peculiar things, illnesses, and even people in this world.
Xu Bei nodded, showing no sign of unhappiness, and appeared very sincere: "I understand, so I want to ask for Manager Lu's help to figure out exactly what's wrong with him."
Lu Fei thought for a moment: "I just returned to Jiang City, can you give me a few days to prepare?"
"Of course, my friend is very afraid of meeting strangers, and I also need to do some psychological preparation for him."
"Then, Vice President Xu, please let me know when you are ready."
"Good!" Xu Bei smiled, "To be honest, I didn't expect Manager Lu to agree so readily. Thank you, no matter the outcome!"
"Vice President Xu is too kind, I'm also doing it for business! If the association encounters any malevolent spirits, please don't hesitate to contact me."
Lu Fei got up to take his leave.
Although the willow branch test confirmed that Xu Bei was not carrying any foul qi, to get in touch with the mysterious and low-key president, he would likely still need to go through Xu Bei.
Therefore, whether for business or to find his grandfather, he had to help out.
Back on the antique street.
He and Hu Zi first washed up and rested, even Xiao Hei was sent to the pet store for a bath, coming back smelling fragrant.
After tidying up and finishing their meal.
Liu Fugui, as if timing his entrance, hurriedly came in through the door.
"Brother Lu, you're finally back."
"What's up?"
Lu Fei was already used to his flustered appearance, taking out the account book to record transactions.
Gold Spinning Silk.
Evil Object +1, total number of collected evil objects 24.
He didn't expect to actually collect an evil object on this trip to another place; it was truly a surprising gain.
This gold thread is extremely rare, perhaps one of a kind in the world.
To be honest, buying it for 20,000 yuan, he got a great deal.
"Mr. Lai and the others are getting quite impatient." Liu Fugui came closer.
Mr. Lai is the one who looks like a toad reincarnated.
Lu Fei closed the account book and looked up: "Did he bring the Gold Toad Wine with him?"
Since he was late, Lu Fei thought he had changed his mind.
"Not only did he bring the wine, but he also brought his wife. I knew you two went out for some business these two days, so I didn't dare to disturb you and let them wait."
Hu Zi couldn't help but be puzzled: "Why bring his wife along?"
"His wife..." Liu Fugui made a tsk sound, deliberately creating suspense, "You'll know when you see her."
"Alright, call them in,"
Lu Fei put the ledger back in the drawer.
"I need to find some people to help, otherwise they won't be able to come in!"
After saying this, Liu Fugui rushed out hurriedly.
"What do you mean they can't come in? Mr. Toad... oh, no, Mr. Lai has gained weight again?" Hu Zi became even more curious and kept peering out the door.
Half an hour later, from a distance, they saw several people, drenched in sweat, struggling to carry a large wine jar.
"Wow! Such a big jar!"
Huzi widened his eyes and quickly opened the door of the pawnshop as wide as it could go.
Several young and strong men, with much effort, carefully placed the large glass jar, which was half a person's height, on the ground, panting heavily from the exertion.
Inside the jar was an amber-colored liquid, in which numerous toads were densely submerged.
"Good grief, how many toads are there in there?" Huzi extended his finger, counting for a long time but still unable to get an accurate number.
"No need to count, there are exactly eighty-one," Lu Fei waved his hand and looked behind, "Why isn't Mr. Lai here yet?"
"Young Master Lu, they're coming from the back. They're so fat they can hardly walk; Boss Liu found some people to carry them over," Haozi, a helper from Liu Fugui's shop, replied while wiping his sweat.
Sure enough.
Shortly after, two groups of people were seen carrying two extremely obese men in recliners.
At the door, Liu Fugui supported the two fat men as they walked in.
Lu Fei and Hu Zi took a look.
The man was indeed Mr. Lai.
He had become even fatter, looking more like a toad than before.
The other person, judging by the hairstyle and clothing, was a woman, presumably Mr. Lai's wife.
Seeing her, Lu Fei and Hu Zi couldn't help but exchange glances, barely holding back their exclamations.
This woman's appearance and figure had also become toad-like, making her resemble Mr. Lai in appearance.
She had a wide head, thick neck, large belly, and short limbs.
If it weren't for her wearing women's clothes.
It would really be hard to tell if she was male or female.
"Make way, make way, everyone."
The couple, with difficulty walking, were supported by Liu Fugui and plopped down on the sofa.
The sofa shook a few times but managed to hold them up.
"Mr. Lai, what's going on with both of you?" Lu Fei couldn't help but ask.
Lu Fei knew that Mr. Lai's condition was worsening day by day, but he was surprised to see that even Mrs. Lai had turned into a toad.
The couple exchanged a glance, looked around at the people, and their faces showed a look of distress.
At this moment, the small pawnshop was packed with people.
The toad couple and the half-human-height wine jars already took up half of the pawnshop, and there were even more onlookers who stayed behind to watch the commotion.
Hu Zi almost had no place to stand.
"All unrelated people, get out! Get out, get out, what does this have to do with you!"
Liu Fugui drove these people out and closed the door. They still refused to leave and gathered outside the windows to see what was happening.
"Mr. Lai, Manager Xiao Lu has finally returned, tell us what's going on! It's a matter of life and death!" Mr. Liu Fu Gui urged kindly.
Mr. Lai sighed heavily, and his stomach made a gurgling noise again.
"Last time I went back, I was supposed to bring the wine over... but my wife wouldn't let me, no matter what. That's why it was delayed for a few days."
"Oh?" Lu Fei couldn't help but look at his wife, "Did Mrs. Lai also drink the Golden Toad Wine?"
Mrs. Lai nodded with a worried look on her face.
"Mrs. Lai, didn't you know there was something wrong with the wine?" Everyone was puzzled.
"I didn't want to drink it, he tempted me to," Mrs. Lai stretched out her short hand, pointed at Mr. Lai, and looked reproachful.
"Mr. Lai, why did you do that?"
Everyone turned to look at Mr. Lai again.
He had almost turned into a toad after drinking the wine, so why did he still make his wife drink it?