"Sinisterium Pawnshop."
Lu Fei simply said five words.
The old man's face immediately changed dramatically.
"Sinisterium Pawnshop?! Are you the successor of Sinisterium Pawnshop?"
"Oh, you've actually heard of my pawnshop?" Lu Fei raised an eyebrow.
"Who in the mystic world doesn't know Sinisterium Pawnshop?"
The old man smiled bitterly, a trace of desolation appearing on his aged face. Suddenly, he knelt down and offered the Lu Ban ruler with both hands.
"I, an old countryman, have been blind to the greatness of Sinisterium Pawnshop! I beg the shopkeeper not to take offense. I am willing to offer the Lu Ban ruler passed down from my ancestors, just to spare the worthless descendant of the Liu family one life."
Lu Fei glanced at the Lu Ban ruler, then looked down at the treasure-hunting coin hanging from his chest.
There was no reaction from the copper coin.
"Do you think Sinisterium Pawnshop is that easy to deceive? What are you trying to do with a fake Lu Ban ruler?" Lu Fei sneered.
When the copper coin encountered a genuine treasure, it would emit a golden light. The Lu Ban ruler in the old man's hand was not some ancient heirloom; he was merely trying to trick Lu Fei into letting him go.
The old man's previously sincere expression instantly turned dark, and he coldly said, "What exactly do you want to let him go?"
This old man was a tough character.
He had harmed the Lin father and son with wooden puppets without batting an eye.
Backing down now is simply out of fear of Lu Fei's capabilities. If Liu Jie were truly released, with his dark and twisted mind, who knows how he would take revenge on the Lin family in the future.
"If there's blame, then blame your grandson for going too far! This curse must be lifted!"
After speaking, Lu Fei let go of Liu Jie and took out the sachet that had been used to cast the curse.
"Grandpa! I don't want to die..."
Liu Jie shouted in panic.
"Stop it!" The old man rushed towards Lu Fei with all his might, a small knife slipping from his sleeve, and fiercely stabbed at Lu Fei's heart.
"Manager Lu, be careful!" Ku Deng, having already destroyed the wooden figures attacking the Lin father and son, upon seeing this, quickly pulled off a prayer bead and flicked it hard at the old man.
Bang!
The prayer bead struck the old man's wrist dead on.
The small knife fell, and the old man's hand trembled violently as he staggered backward.
Ku Deng rushed over, blocking the old man with a serious face: "Old man, if you don't listen to my advice, I know some martial arts too!"
The old man dared not move and was unable to move; he knew the fat monk had held back his strength.
Otherwise, his wrist would not just be shaking in pain, but would have been punctured by the prayer beads.
"Grandpa!"
Liu Jie supported the old man, both grandfather and grandson had the same tri-white eyes, their faces equally gloomy.
"To break this abhorrence spell using a fingernail as a talisman, it's very simple." Lu Fei smiled and picked up the small woodworking knife from the ground, "A fingernail belongs to wood, representing growth. And as we all know, in the five elements, metal overcomes wood."
Saying that, he fiercely stabbed the knife into the sachet.
"No——"
Liu Jie's face instantly turned pale.
Moments later, his body began to twist unnaturally, as if something beneath his skin was trying to break through, starting to itch.
"Grandpa, save me..."
He endured the itching with great effort, refraining from scratching with his nails, and looked to the old man for help.
As the one who had cast the curse, he knew better than anyone that if he couldn't resist scratching once, he would never be able to stop.
The thought of his body soon being covered in dense, overgrown nails really frightened him.
"Hold on! Jie, you must hold on!"
The old man hastily took off his own clothes and tied up Liu Jie's hands.
"Quick, let's go home! Grandpa will find a way to save you! There must be a way, don't be afraid. Grandpa will definitely find a way..."
His face ashen, he cared for nothing else, gave Lu Fei a cold, sinister look, and then left, staggering, with Liu Jie, whose body was constantly writhing.
"The spell has been broken; Layman Lin Han is free."
Ku Dian let out a long breath of relief, helped the father and son of the Lin family to their feet, and carefully treated and bandaged their wounds.
The Lin father and son stared blankly at their disheveled home, still in a daze.
"Laymen, rest assured from now on, this matter has been resolved," Ku Deng comforted them.
"Master, Liu Jie definitely can't be good. Will his grandfather stop causing us trouble?"
The two were filled with worry. They were just ordinary people and could not afford to provoke someone like Liu Jie and his grandfather.
"Laymen, you need not worry. I have disabled his hands; he will no longer be able to use the loathsome sorcery." Ku Deng pressed his palms together, his plump face full of compassion, "Monks are compassionate by nature, but sometimes, for certain people, only thunderous measures can reveal a merciful heart."
"Many thanks, Master! Many thanks, Master!"
The Lin father and son were moved to tears, and they felt even more remorseful for initially driving Ku Deng away, thinking he was a scammer.
"I did nothing. Your thanks should go to Manager Lu! If it weren't for him breaking the curse, I wouldn't have been able to free Benefactor Lin Han," Ku Deng said with a smile.
Lu Fei was simply a lucky star. No matter how difficult a problem, as long as Lu Fei got involved, it would always be solved smoothly.
"Many thanks, Manager Lu!"
The Lin family, father and son, expressed their profound gratitude.
"No need to thank me, I was also called here by Master Kudeng to help. You should thank him," Lu Fei said with a smile, giving Kudeng full credit.
Kudeng's gratitude was almost overflowing from his heart.
That night.
Kudeng performed a chanting ceremony for Lin Han.
Lu Fei burned paper offerings in the spirit hall, including the pawn ticket that belonged to Lin Han.
In the dim light of the fire.
Lin Han stood in a dark corner, his nails completely gone. After bowing deeply to Lu Fei, he vanished.
The transaction was complete.
Lu Fei immediately felt another warm current in his dantian.
After everything was done.
The sky had already brightened.
The Lin family paid double the usual fee to Ku Deng, and they initially wanted to give Lu Fei a share as well, but he politely declined.
His reward was far more substantial than money.
"Manager Lu, I've benefited from your help once again! It's only been a few days, yet your abilities have improved considerably. At this rate, the future of Sinisterium Pawnshop is boundless..."
Ku Deng also tried to give half of his payment to Lu Fei, who again politely refused, leaving him deeply moved.
"Master, there are no outsiders here, so let's not engage in mutual flattery." Lu Fei stretched, having worked all night long, he was quite tired, "Master, why don't we go to Sinisterium Pawnshop first to rest before you head back to the temple?"
"This matter has dragged on for too long; I haven't returned to the temple for several days, and they must be very worried. I must go back and report my safety! In a few days, I will definitely come to express my gratitude in person."
"Master, you're too kind! This small matter doesn't warrant such formality. If there are any evil creatures, please feel free to come to me anytime."
Waving their hands, they bid farewell and went their separate ways.
Antique Street.
Lu Fei hadn't even arrived, when he saw two unfamiliar men jostling each other at the entrance of his pawnshop.
"I was here first!"
"I was here first!"
"I got here two seconds before you!"
"My foot crossed the threshold first!"
The two stood at the door, neither yielding to the other.
"Gentlemen, what's going on here?" Lu Fei stepped forward, curious about the situation.
"Oh no! Another one! Let me tell you, I was here first. If you want to see Manager Lu, you'll have to wait in line behind me!"
"I clearly got here first!"
Both of them had blackened foreheads, which made Lu Fei chuckle: "What do you need from me?"
"Are you Manager Lu?"
Both of them were stunned.
Lu Fei took out his key and opened the door.
"Please come in."
"I go first!"
"I go first!"
Both of them squeezed in at the same time.
"Manager Lu, can you take a haunted second-hand house?" one of them shouted, getting ahead of the other.
The other one, not to be outdone, said: "Manager Lu, I came first. I want the haunted used car!"