"Brother Gua, how dare you ask me that?"
Lu Fei pointed at the foul-smelling watermelon rind on the counter.
"Did you even look at what you sold me?"
"Just two watermelons..."
Brother Gua opened the plastic bag and shuddered in disgust.
"Damn, what's this smell? Were these melons soaked in a cesspool?"
"When I cut them open, both were rotten. Don't you know you're selling bad produce?" Lu Fei stared at him.
Brother Gua paused, examined his store's label on the melon rind, scratched his head, then suddenly laughed: "Ha, making such a fuss! Maybe you're just unlucky, Little Lu – these two happened to go bad! I'll replace them for you. We're neighbors – would I cheat you?"
He went to select new watermelons from the crate.
"Cut them open," Lu Fei demanded.
"No problem! Let's cut! I'll keep replacing them until you're satisfied."
Brother Gua took out his watermelon knife, wiped it with a towel, and began cutting with practiced motions.
But as soon as the blade went through...
Foul red liquid gushed out, splattering across the floor, some droplets landing on Brother Gua's hands.
A putrid stench instantly filled the shop, like exploding rotten eggs.
"yue..."
Even Brother Gua couldn't bear it, covering his mouth as he retched.
"Brother Gua, don't—" Lu Fei warned.
Too late. The rancid liquid splashed on Brother Gua's face, leaving red marks where it touched.
"My bad, Little Lu. Let me get you another one..."
"No need. All your melons are bad!"
"Impossible! I've sold melons for over a decade – can't tell good from bad?"
Defiant, Brother Gua cut open another melon – with identical results.
Staring at his hands stained with crimson stench, he stood utterly bewildered.
"Brother Gua, I'm not here to pick a fight! These aren't watermelons. They're Yin melons, evil things that harm people," Lu Fei added.
"Yin melons? What nonsense? I've sold melons for over a decade and never heard of..."
Brother Gua froze mid-sentence, suddenly feeling an itch in his hands.
As he reached to scratch, Lu Fei grabbed his wrists.
"Don't move! If Yin melon juice splashes on your skin, it'll swell and itch. Once you start scratching, you won't be able to stop."
"Itch? It really does itch..."
Brother Gua couldn't resist lightly scratching the back of his hand, but the more he scratched, the fiercer the itch grew.
Within moments, he'd torn through his skin.
Blood oozed out, yet he felt no pain—only an insatiable, maddening itch, as if separated by a layer, driving him to scratch harder and harder.
"Oh god! Brother Lu, what's happening?! Help me, quick..."
Panic surged through Brother Gua. He knew he had to stop, but his hands moved against his will.
"Believe me now?"
"Yes, yes! Just help me already..."
Brother Gua pleaded in terror.
Whether they were Yin melons or Yang melons, they were clearly cursed.
Lu Fei then fetched rope and bound Brother Gua's hands to his sides.
The itch began creeping up Brother Gua's face.
His body squirmed as if swarmed by ten thousand ants.
"I told you not to scratch. Enjoying yourself now?"
Lu Fei didn't bother hiding his schadenfreude.
Saying something ten thousand times is not as effective as letting him experience it once himself. See how quickly he behaves now.
"Oh no, Little Lu! How was I supposed to know these ghost melons were so dangerous... Is there still hope? Hurry and take me to the hospital..."
Brother Gua was nearly in tears.
"Hospitals can't cure this. If you have mugwort at home, boil water with it to wash your hands and face - that might help."
"Yes, yes! We bought some during the Dragon Boat Festival."
Hearing this, Brother Gua immediately hopped up and ran upstairs to find his wife.
When Sister Gua saw his condition, she gasped in shock, frantically boiling water.
Brother Gua plunged his hands into the mugwort-infused water. The sensation was dozens of times more intense than frostbite.
After grimacing through the soak, the itching finally subsided somewhat. However, excessive exposure to the foul liquid had raised several red, swollen sores on his hands, looking truly terrifying.
"We're done for! These melons are cursed! We'll be ruined! There's still a whole warehouse full! This is all your fault - trying to save money by buying from that unreliable farmer..." Sister Gua anxiously slapped her thighs.
"How can you think about money at a time like this? Do you know how hard I work day and night? These melons looked exactly like watermelons - who could've known they were dangerous..."
Brother Gua's anger flared uncontrollably.
"Didn't you inspect the goods when purchasing?"
"You think I'm stupid? Of course I checked! The sample melons they cut open were perfectly fine..."
The couple's argument escalated.
"Enough! Brother Gua, Sister Gua, stop fighting! How many of these melons have you sold?" Lu Fei interrupted impatiently.
"Only a few - all to regular customers in the neighborhood," Brother Gua panted.
"Sister Gua, go retrieve those melons immediately. These poisonous sores can kill people if the itching intensifies. If something really happens, you'll lose everything and still can't compensate enough."
"I-I'll go right now!"
Terrified, Sister Gua didn't dare delay for a second, rushing out the door in panic.
"Also, to completely cure these sores, we need to find the melon field. Brother Gua, you can still locate that melon farmer, right?" Lu Fei added.
"It was a one-time deal. Didn't get his number, but I remember his place. I'm going to settle accounts with him!"
Brother Gua stood up angrily, then forced a bitter smile upon seeing his swollen hands and looked at Lu Fei pleadingly.
"Little Lu, since you understand this stuff... could you come with me? I'm begging you, as neighbors, please help."
"No problem. I'll grab some things and we'll go."
Lu Fei naturally had to go - both he and Half-Immortal Jia needed melon vines for detoxification.
With that, he returned to Sinisterium Pawnshop to brief Half-Immortal Jia and Hu Zi.
"Holy shit! A melon farmer daring enough to sell this evil stuff as watermelons? Boss, I'm coming with you to teach that black-hearted bastard a lesson!"
Hu Zi protested indignantly.
"Stay here. If anything happens to Half-Immortal, you need to assist." Lu Fei waved him off and called out Xiao Hei.
"Boy Lu, be careful and come back quickly! Focus on getting those vines first - the Ghost Festival is almost here. We can't afford mistakes." Half-Immortal Jia repeatedly cautioned.
"Don't worry, Half-Immortal. I know what's important."
Lu Fei left with Xiao Hei, driving his own car with Brother Gua to the watermelon selling location.
On the road, Sister Gua called.
Miraculously, the sold watermelons had been kept uneaten in refrigerators. She'd retrieved them with apologetic smiles.
"Thank god!"
Brother Gua exhaled in delayed fear and gave Lu Fei an apologetic smile.
"Sorry Little Lu, I initially thought you were here to cause trouble."
"That's unimportant. These yin melons are rare. Our priority is getting detoxification vines."
Lu Fei shook his head dismissively, focusing on the road.
An hour later, we arrived at the intersection Brother Gua mentioned.