Chapter 65: The Sheepskin Map
Lu Fei and Tiger's sudden departure left everyone in the private room bewildered.
Especially Liu Fugui, who was enjoying his meal with great relish.
"Lu Manager must have urgent matters to attend to," Su Liguo said understandingly. "Liu Boss, I have prepared many gifts. Please take Lu Manager's share back with you."
"Su Chairman, you are too generous." Liu Fugui beamed with joy and eagerly chatted with Su Liguo.
Su Liguo, with his composed demeanor, entertained the conversation for a while.
However, with Lu Fei, the main guest, gone, the gathering soon dispersed.
Liu Fugui, seated among a carload of luxurious gifts, hummed a tune on his way home.
On the road, his phone rang.
Seeing the number on the screen, Liu Fugui's face lit up with delight.
"Xiaomei, missing me already? Haha, hold tight, I'm on my way now."
With that, he directed the chauffeur to change course to another address.
Meanwhile.
Lu Fei and Tiger took a cab to an old street following the address provided by Xie Yao.
"Lu Manager, over here."
Under the streetlamp, Xie Yao stood poised in a white dress, waiting for them.
Spotting Lu Fei, she waved enthusiastically.
Lu Fei quickly crossed the street, urgently asking, "Miss Xie, where is my grandfather?"
"Apologies, I only found places the old master visited," Xie Yao said, understanding his anxiousness, and without further ado, led them to the second floor of a nearby building.
It was a modest office, with a sign at the entrance that read **"Conscience Detective Agency"**.
The moment Lu Fei and Tiger stepped inside, they were hit by the strong smell of cigarettes.
The room was cluttered, with a sofa and coffee table for guests by the door and a large desk against the wall, piled high with files and papers.
"Brother Liang, Lu Manager is here," Xie Yao called out as she approached the desk.
A man with a head of tousled hair peered out from behind the computer monitor. He glanced at Lu Fei, stood up, and handed over a file.
"Hello, you must be the owner of the Evil Pawnshop?"
"Yes, I'm Lu Fei. Did you find any information about my grandfather?" Lu Fei nodded, noting the strange, scrutinizing look in the man's eyes.
The man, unshaven and disheveled with hair that hadn't seen scissors in who knows how long, looked sleep-deprived and had a cigarette hanging from his lips.
Could such an unkempt person be reliable?
"Just call me Brother Liang. Your grandfather, Lu Qingxuan, left the pawnshop three years ago." Fortunately, he quickly got to the point and handed Lu Fei the file.
"His aim seemed to be retrieving an... what you would call a cursed item."
It was clear he had researched the background of the Evil Pawnshop and knew what it dealt in.
"Lu Manager, have a seat and take your time. He's my cousin, and although he looks rough, he's an ex-police officer and a professional at investigations," Xie Yao reassured him with a smile and went to pour some water.
Lu Fei nodded and sat on an obviously second-hand sofa, eagerly opening the file, which contained only a few pages.
They documented the places his grandfather had visited.
Tiger stood behind him like a bodyguard.
Lu Fei flipped through the papers meticulously.
"Three years ago, your grandfather left the shop and first visited a place called Sanwei Teahouse," Brother Liang said, puffing on his cigarette.
"I looked into that teahouse. It's known to be a gathering place for people from the mystical world, sharing information. Ordinary people can't enter."
"Then, your grandfather went to the Tianlong Auction House."
"That was the last place he was seen. After leaving there, all traces disappeared."
Lu Fei repeated the names softly, deep in thought.
"Sanwei Teahouse, Tianlong Auction House... Do you know what cursed item my grandfather was after?"
The clues were few but critical.
Considering he hadn't found any leads in three years, Brother Liang's findings were impressive.
"Based on the nature of these places, I infer your grandfather first sought information at Sanwei Teahouse and then followed up by visiting Tianlong Auction House. However, he likely didn't acquire what he was looking for."
Brother Liang lit another cigarette, speaking leisurely.
"On the day your grandfather visited the auction house, a particular item went missing."
"What was it?" Lu Fei pressed.
"An ancient sheepskin map."
Brother Liang tapped his cigarette, his eyes narrowing.
"But the contents of that map are known only to the auction house's owner."
"After the map disappeared, he ordered all related records deleted and forbade any mention of it. It took some effort to uncover this."
Lu Fei sat in silence for a while before asking, "Could my grandfather have taken the map and gone to the place it marked?"
"It's possible," Brother Liang replied, eyeing Lu Fei. "But forgive me for being blunt—people are generally found within the first 72 hours of going missing. Your grandfather has been gone for three years; the chances are slim."
"I understand! But I believe my grandfather is alive!" Lu Fei's hands clenched tightly.
Xie Yao chimed in, "Mr. Lu isn't an ordinary person. I believe he has his ways to survive."
Brother Liang glanced at her before turning back to Lu Fei. "There's one more thing I should tell you."
"Go ahead," Lu Fei said, regaining his composure.
"While tracking the sheepskin map, I found out it had appeared once before, twenty years ago. That was the same year..."
He paused, softening his tone.
"...when your parents died in an accident."
"What?" Lu Fei felt as if his mind had been struck by lightning, leaving him stunned. "Could my parents' accident be related to the sheepskin map?"
"There's no evidence, only a coincidence of timing. I don't want to make irresponsible speculations," Brother Liang said cautiously.
Lu Fei sat in silence for a moment, his jaw tightening.
"There's no way that's just a coincidence! It must be! That's why my grandfather suddenly left—to find this sheepskin map!"
His grandfather had always been a composed and calm man, unruffled by anything.
But in the days leading up to his disappearance, he had looked unusually worried.
For something to make him so tense, to the point of leaving the pawnshop and Lu Fei behind, it had to be monumental.
Lu Fei had been too young to remember his parents' deaths, and his grandfather had never mentioned the details. But he now wondered how his grandfather had felt then.
What could be more heart-wrenching for a father than outliving his child?
Tiger looked at Lu Fei in surprise, feeling a pang of sympathy.
He had always thought Lu Fei was a privileged young master. Little did he know he had lost his parents so young. And now, his grandfather was missing too.
"Lu Manager." Xie Yao instinctively reached out her pale hand to comfort him.
But she hesitated and withdrew it.
"I'm fine." Lu Fei took a deep breath, a cold determination in his eyes. "Brother Liang, who is the owner of the Tianlong Auction House?"