Chapter 70: Evil Aura Spreading
"Yes, the blood from the guard's eyes did drip onto the painting. I thought for sure it would be ruined," Wan Chunhui said, taking a deep breath and showing an incredulous expression.
"When I returned from the hospital at dawn, I gathered the courage to go back to the storeroom with some staff and picked up the painting to take another look."
"And the painting was spotless, not a single drop of blood."
"Nothing? It absorbed the blood?" Lu Fei frowned, finding this particularly troubling.
"I don't know what happened. Things were chaotic, so I might have been mistaken. I immediately put the painting aside in a separate storage and posted guards outside to prevent anyone from approaching before reporting to my boss."
Wan Chunhui's brows knitted tightly together.
"I couldn't keep something like this hidden."
"I was only halfway through explaining when I got a call from the guard."
"He said a female employee had gone berserk and was determined to break into the storeroom with the painting. They tried to stop her, but she broke through and rushed in."
"Fortunately, she only managed to unroll the painting halfway before being subdued by the guards. But she was biting and thrashing like a madwoman, even biting one of the guards."
"She was also taken to the hospital. Although she didn't gouge out her eyes, she went insane, draping sheets over herself and mumbling about the wedding time being near."
"Later, I remembered that on the day the painting was brought in, she had helped carry it for a while. Maybe she saw something then."
"A wedding?" Lu Fei mused.
The painting depicted a wedding procession, which fit the idea of a wedding scene.
"Now, with two employees affected by this painting, we are at our wits' end. My boss loves collecting niche paintings and antiques, but if we can't find a solution, we may have to burn the painting, painful as it is."
Wan Chunhui glanced at Lu Fei with a hopeful look.
"If Shopkeeper Lu can resolve this issue, my boss will be happy to share the information about the sheepskin map."
"I understand," Lu Fei nodded, his expression serious.
"The evil aura from the painting is heavy and has already spread beyond the storeroom. The priority is to contain it to prevent further spread. Otherwise, more employees could be affected."
"It's already spread outside the storeroom? That serious?" Wan Chunhui glanced around nervously, looking uneasy.
Of course, he couldn't see anything.
Only those born with Yin-Yang eyes or those who had opened their third eye could see such an aura.
Lu Fei belonged to the former group.
"If I'm correct, the painting's aura wasn't that strong initially. It only intensified after absorbing the guard's blood."
"The female employee's sudden outburst during the day was likely due to the increase in the aura. If this continues unchecked, more people will suffer!"
Any evil object would become more powerful after coming into contact with human blood.
Wan Chunhui immediately took the matter seriously. "So, does Shopkeeper Lu have a plan?"
"I have some charms that, while not directly solving the issue of the painting, can contain the aura and stop it from spreading for now."
Lu Fei took out several ghost-repelling charms and had Wan Chunhui unlock the storeroom. He placed a charm on each of the four walls and the door.
Oddly enough, Wan Chunhui always felt an uncomfortable chill whenever he approached the storeroom, as if an invisible, cold presence hovered behind him, making his back tingle.
Once the charms were in place, the discomfort vanished instantly.
"Shopkeeper Lu, what kind of charms are these?" Wan Chunhui looked at Lu Fei with newfound respect.
Initially, they had sought out Lu Fei only because he was a descendant of the Evil Pawnshop, with a tentative hope. They didn't expect him to have real skills.
"Evil Pawnshop's specialized charms," Lu Fei said, instructing Wan Chunhui to lock the door and warning him not to let anyone approach or remove the charms.
"Manager Wan, tonight I'll personally confront this painting. Until the issue is resolved, I suggest the auction house close and give the employees a few days off."
"That...," Wan Chunhui hesitated, "the auction house operates daily, and closing even for a day is a significant loss..."
Tiger frowned and snapped, "Seriously? Is money more important than your employees' lives? Two people have already been hurt, and you're still thinking about profit!"
These bosses really had no conscience!
"Manager Wan, this is for the best approach to deal with the painting. The employees know nothing about these matters. If someone else gets affected and their blood ends up on the painting, it will be even more difficult to handle. The more people an evil object harms, the stronger it becomes," Lu Fei said sternly.
"I'll need to consult my boss," Wan Chunhui said, unable to decide on his own. He stepped aside to make a call.
He returned shortly after, smiling. "My boss said, out of respect for Old Master Lu, we can give Shopkeeper Lu two days. The auction house will close and fully cooperate for these two days."
"But if by dawn the day after tomorrow, Shopkeeper Lu hasn't resolved the painting's problem, we'll have to bring in someone else. And we won't be able to share the information about the sheepskin map."
"No problem," Lu Fei nodded, agreeing.
He was the one seeking help, so it was reasonable for others to set conditions. His biggest concern was if they refused to set any terms at all.
"Please wait for a bit while I make the arrangements," Wan Chunhui said.
"No need to wait. We need to go back and prepare some things."
"I'll have a car take you."
Wan Chunhui respectfully ordered an auction house driver to take Lu Fei and Tiger back. He himself began gathering the staff to arrange for the time off.
On the road.
Tiger couldn't help but whisper, "Boss, have you figured out what kind of evil object that painting is?"
"It's not that simple. Besides basic types, most require direct contact to understand," Lu Fei said, staring out the window as if deep in thought.
"That painting is something else, definitely no less troublesome than that ghost-headed knife," Tiger said, rubbing his chin.
"Scared?" Lu Fei turned to look at him.
"Scared... not a chance!" Tiger immediately straightened, putting on a fearless expression. "I'm Tiger, who has seen all kinds of things with you. A painting can't scare me!"
The next moment, he grinned sheepishly, "Boss, my protective charm burned up. Can I get a few more?"
Lu Fei chuckled, "This time, I have something even better for you."