Chapter 7: Dead Pawn

　　"A living puppet?"

　　Xie Yao had thought nothing could sound more terrifying than death.

　　But Lu Fei's answer once again shook her worldview.

　　"To put it simply, anyone whose soul is absorbed by this necklace becomes a soulless puppet."

　　"They look like regular people, needing to eat and sleep, but in reality, they're just dolls without self-awareness, obeying only the necklace owner's commands."

　　"This type of bone necklace is also known as a 'obedience chain' or a 'control chain'."

　　"If you wanted someone to obey you unconditionally, giving everything to you, you'd have them wear this necklace."

　　Xie Yao's face grew darker than ever, her voice tense as she asked, "Who's the owner of the necklace?The one who gave it to me?"

　　"I can't be certain.Typically, the person who creates the necklace is its owner, but it's possible someone paid to have it made."

　　Lu Fei finished his milk and continued.

　　"This kind of deliberately crafted malevolent object is different from other spirits that act on instinct.It has a clear purpose: to steal souls and turn people into slaves."

　　"It's something ancient dark practitioners used to harm others.I'd only ever heard stories about it from my grandfather; I never thought such things still existed."

　　That explained why he hadn't recognized it at first.

　　"This is a rare item, something you couldn't buy even if you had the money.Whoever's using it on you must harbor deep hatred.They wouldn't be hard to identify, right?"

　　"No need to look; I already know who sent the necklace!" Xie Yao closed her eyes, her long lashes trembling with a cold, complex smile.

　　"The irony is, I don't have any serious grudge against him.In fact, we're supposed to get married in a few months."

　　"What?" Lu Fei was dumbfounded.

　　About to be married—her fiancé?

　　He could hardly believe it.Her fiancé was the one trying to harm her?

　　But why?

　　And Xie Yao wasn't the first victim; several others had lost their souls to the necklace before her.

　　Could her fiancé be a dark practitioner?

　　Lu Fei shook his head and glanced toward the basement door."Miss Xie, there's one more thing you need to know."

　　"Please, go on."

　　"Last night, you sleepwalked down to the basement.When I tried to get you out, the door was locked from the outside."

　　"Locked?By whom?"

　　"She's currently locked in the basement," Lu Fei replied without elaborating.

　　Xie Yao, sharp as she was, understood immediately.

　　"She's been in my house for three years.I treated her well, and yet she's betrayed me!"

　　Xie Yao took a deep breath, her eyes filled with cold resolve.

　　"Master Lu, thank you.Not only did you save my life, but you've also helped me see people's true colors!"

　　Lu Fei felt a pang of sympathy.

　　To be manipulated by her own fiancé, no matter how strong she was, would still be devastating.

　　Not knowing how to console her, he decided to focus on business.

　　"Miss Xie, there's no need to thank me; dealing with malevolent objects is my job.Now, shall we discuss the price of this necklace?Will it be a dead pawn or a live pawn?"

　　A dead pawn meant selling the item outright to the pawnshop, while a live pawn allowed her to redeem it in the future.

　　Regaining her composure, Xie Yao asked, "If possible, I'd like to choose a dead pawn.Will this necklace cause any trouble for you?"

　　"No, it won't!As long as you know how to counter it, even the most powerful malevolent object can be tamed."

　　Lu Fei picked up a salt shaker from the kitchen and sprinkled some salt on the necklace.

　　The necklace emitted a faint sizzle and black smoke rose.When the smoke cleared, the yellowish sheen on the necklace's surface had faded away.

　　"The Soul-Sucking Chain's greatest weakness is salt.Sprinkling it renders the necklace harmless; it can't absorb souls anymore," Lu Fei said with a smile.

　　"It's interesting, isn't it?Such a cruel object, yet something so simple can neutralize it."

　　"Yes, but who else but your Evil Number pawnshop would know?" Xie Yao said, her smile a bit rueful.

　　"But now that it's lost its power, can you still make any money from it?Honestly, you saved my life; I should be paying you a reward."

　　"Don't worry, Miss Xie.Our Evil Number pawnshop never makes a loss!Though it no longer absorbs souls, it still has other uses."

　　"Oh?Like what?"

　　"No need to concern yourself with that.Rest assured, it won't harm anyone."

　　"That's not what I meant.I just didn't want your trip to be in vain.I've heard Evil Number has a knack for transforming the malevolent into valuable artifacts, so perhaps I was overthinking."

　　Xie Yao gave him an apologetic smile.

　　"Could I just gift it to you?"

　　"A gift isn't the same as a pawn." Lu Fei shook his head, declining politely.

　　That was the rule of the Evil Number: a transaction was a transaction, with no lingering ties.

　　In this line of work, dealing with the supernatural, they couldn't casually interfere with others' affairs, or they'd risk endless karmic entanglements.But if it was business, that was a different matter.

　　"Then… I'll pawn it for one yuan."

　　"That works."

　　Lu Fei took out a pawn ticket and pen, noting down the transaction details and price.

　　"Bone necklace, dead pawn, price one yuan."

　　"Miss Xie, please sign and stamp here, and the necklace will belong to Evil Number."

　　Xie Yao signed and pressed her fingerprint without hesitation.

　　The pawn ticket was made in duplicate.

　　Lu Fei rummaged in his bag and found a coin.

　　"Miss Xie, pleasure doing business!"

　　He placed the coin in her hand, packed up his belongings, and prepared to leave.

　　"Master Lu, I promised to introduce you to my family after this.But I have some things to take care of first.Once I'm done, I'll definitely fulfill my promise."

　　"I understand.Here's my contact information; reach out whenever you're ready."

　　Lu Fei handed her his business card, nodded, and left the villa with the bone necklace in tow.

　　Xie Yao watched his departing figure, then turned toward the basement door, her gaze icy.

　　She picked up her phone and dialed a number.

　　"Investigate two people for me.How soon can you get results…?"

　　Antique Street.

　　Lu Fei got out of the taxi and headed straight home to get some sleep.

　　He was completely drained.

　　Having spent the whole night expending yang energy, he felt hollowed out, and breakfast alone wasn't enough to replenish him.

　　He collapsed into bed as soon as he got home, sleeping through to noon the next day.He might have slept even longer if his hunger hadn't woken him.

　　After a huge meal, he finally felt somewhat better.

　　Looking at the bone necklace, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement—he had finally secured a malevolent object through his own efforts.

　　With a dead pawn, the object fully belonged to Evil Number, meaning Lu Fei could keep it, or sell it.

　　The spirits had been removed from the necklace, and it now had a new purpose: it could help someone attract attention, making them the center of any room they entered.

　　But there was a catch.

　　While the necklace could draw people's gaze, it didn't discriminate between admiration and hostility.

　　Wearing it meant living in the spotlight, where every flaw would be magnified.

　　One would have to live like a saint, flawless and beyond reproach.

　　Lu Fei had no desire to live like a saint.He planned to sell the necklace, partly to make money, but mostly to reestablish Evil Number's reputation.

　　He informed Liu Fugui, the owner of a nearby antique shop, about the necklace.

　　Liu Fugui was familiar with Evil Number and wasted no time, quickly finding a buyer.

　　The buyer turned out to be a small internet influencer.