Chapter 2: The Ominous Artifact

　　Lu Fei frowned slightly, sensing trouble.

　　He rarely had any customers, and when one finally came, it was for an ominous artifact.

　　Was fate toying with him?

　　But facing the customer, he remained calm, saying steadily, "Miss Xie, my grandfather won't be back for now.If there's something you need to pawn, please tell me.I learned everything he taught."

　　"You?"

　　Suspicion filled Xie Yao's eyes.

　　It was no wonder—Lu Fei looked far too young.

　　As the owner of a pawnshop specializing in dark artifacts, how could he discern the sinister aura of items without rich experience?Especially when the item in question concerned life and death.

　　Lu Fei understood her doubts.After all, entrusting one's life to a young stranger wasn't easy.

　　He knew he'd have to demonstrate some real skill to earn her trust.

　　So, he said gently, "Miss Xie, have you recently been feeling constantly tired, plagued by nightmares?Has your sense of touch dulled, unable to feel hot or cold—even to the point of drinking boiling water without sensing the heat?"

　　Xie Yao looked at him in shock and asked in disbelief, "How do you know?"

　　Just yesterday, she'd nearly scalded her esophagus.She hadn't mentioned it to anyone, so how could he have guessed?

　　Lu Fei smiled calmly without explaining.

　　Her long trail of shadows was hard to miss, after all!

　　Of course, she couldn't see them herself.

　　It was Lu Fei's unique talent—he had always been able to see things others couldn't.

　　"Miss Xie, forgive my bluntness, but at this rate, you may collapse within three days."

　　"Three days?Are you certain?"

　　Xie Yao's eyes widened as she struggled to suppress her emotions.

　　"Miss Xie, if you don't believe me, you're free to leave.At the Evil Relics Pawnshop, we never force a transaction."

　　Lu Fei's words were polite, but he didn't directly mention the misfortune she might face.

　　"However, since you have my grandfather's business card, why not let me examine the item you'd like to pawn?If you're not satisfied, you don't have to pawn it."

　　"If you're pleased, we can proceed."

　　"Examine" was a term of art in the trade, meaning to appraise the item.

　　Xie Yao hesitated for a moment, seeming to have no other choice, and finally gritted her teeth as she pulled a small black jewelry box from her bag and placed it on the coffee table.

　　"The item I want to pawn is in here."

　　"Ever since I started wearing it, my nightmares haven't stopped."

　　"To be honest, I'm more hopeful than you that you'll figure out what this is, but I'm not trusting you—I'm trusting this business card."

　　"Please don't worry, Miss Xie; I'll do my best."

　　Lu Fei carefully put on a pair of gloves.

　　After all, this was his first official appraisal, and the item was likely to be extremely ominous, which made him a bit nervous.

　　He took a deep breath, steadying his mind.

　　Carefully, he opened the box, but as soon as he saw the item inside, he froze.

　　What was this?

　　He looked at Xie Yao's pale face with doubt and asked tentatively, "Miss Xie, are you sure this is the item affecting you?"

　　"I'm very sure!Since I started wearing it, I've had the same nightmare every night!" Xie Yao's voice was firm."No, it's not a dream—it's real!"

　　Lu Fei grew more puzzled and asked, "What kind of dream?"

　　Xie Yao seemed reluctant to recall, her pale fingers clutching her bag tightly.

　　After a moment's silence, she spoke in a low voice, "In the dream, a blurry shadow stands at the foot of my bed, watching me.I'm terrified, but I can't move or make a sound."

　　"I don't know how to describe it; though I can't see its face, I can feel its gaze full of malice."

　　"If it had only happened once, I wouldn't think much of it."

　　"But it stands by my bed every night.I'm fully conscious but unable to move.This isn't an ordinary dream."

　　"I suspected it wasn't a regular piece of jewelry and tried throwing it in the trash."

　　"But at night…"

　　Xie Yao's long eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes showing undisguised fear.

　　Lu Fei listened intently, not interrupting.

　　"The shadow didn't disappear—instead, another one appeared!In the morning, the item I discarded was back around my neck."

　　"I tried various ways: throwing it in the river, burning it, even smashing it, but nothing worked.If anything, it seemed to make it angrier."

　　"Each time I attempted to abandon it, the shadow in my dream multiplied... Last night, my bed was nearly surrounded by them."

　　"They were all staring at me!"

　　Xie Yao fixed her gaze on Lu Fei.

　　"Can you imagine that feeling?"

　　"Not knowing what they want or why they're watching, just feeling yourself withering away, time slipping through your fingers."

　　Lu Fei nodded.If what she described was true, it was indeed chilling.

　　Xie Yao took a deep breath and slowly said, "So, Shopkeeper Lu, can you tell me what this thing really is?And why it's haunting me?"

　　But Lu Fei pushed the jewelry box back toward her.

　　"Sorry, Miss Xie, I can't help you."

　　"Why?"

　　"Because you're lying.The item in here isn't an evil relic at all!"