Chapter 8: Grave Goods
This small-time influencer had been livestreaming for two or three years, her following steady but stagnant.She was desperate to make it big, willing to try anything.
She had already tried a bone necklace and even dabbled in "spirit plaques" rumored to host spirits.Unfortunately, the plaques turned out to be fakes, offering no effect at all.
"Miss Bingbing, think carefully.Wearing this necklace is like living under a public microscope.Every word and action will be scrutinized.If you have any skeletons in your closet, they're likely to come to light."
Lu Fei explained the side effects clearly.
Evil Number wasn't a shady business; every deal was conducted with full transparency.
Malevolent objects could harm or help, but there was always a price to pay.
Bingbing hesitated for a while, as she had indeed done a few things she wasn't proud of for her internet fame.
But she was determined to be famous—even infamy would do.Finally, she gritted her teeth, pooled her savings, took out a small loan, and paid Lu Fei fifty thousand for the bone necklace.
A necklace with such obvious side effects sold for fifty thousand.
Low cost, high price.
This was the Evil Number's trade.
His grandfather had said that if they conducted business properly, Evil Number would never lack for fame or fortune.
Lu Fei generously gave five thousand to Liu Fugui.
When you asked for help, payment was only fair.
"Master Lu, anytime Evil Number has a treasure for sale, let me know first.I'll make sure to spread the word for you."
"Thank you, Uncle Fugui.I'll be counting on you in the future."
"No need for thanks; it's an honor to work with Evil Number."
Being able to associate with Evil Number delighted Liu Fugui, who tackled his tasks with enthusiasm.
However, Lu Fei hadn't expected the results to be so swift.
The day after he sold the bone necklace, another customer showed up.
"Lu Fei, help me, please!"
The visitor was a tall, thin man with a worried expression, sweating profusely as he rushed into the shop.
"And you are…?"
Lu Fei couldn't immediately place him.
"It's me—Tiger!"
"What?Tiger, how did you get so thin?" Lu Fei was taken aback.
Tiger was a worker at a nearby antique store.
Originally tall and muscular, nearly six feet with arms as solid as stone, he now looked emaciated, his cheeks deeply sunken, as if he hadn't eaten in months.
"I heard from people on the street that you guys deal with malevolent objects, right?" Tiger pulled a copper coin from his pocket and tossed it on the counter like he was handling a venomous snake.
"Check this thing—is it a malevolent object?"
"Hold on a moment."
Lu Fei put on gloves and picked up the copper coin to examine it closely.
The coin was round with a square hole in the center, its texture and patina indicating it was genuine and ancient, with a faint black aura swirling on its surface.
The black aura here differed from the bone necklace's—it was a deathly energy rather than a malicious one.
"This kind of ancient coin is likely a grave good.Where did you get it?"
"Impressive, you spotted it was a grave good right away!" Tiger gave him a thumbs-up."So, is it a malevolent object?"
"To determine that, I need to know the full story first." Noticing Tiger's chapped lips, Lu Fei poured him a glass of water.
But Tiger backed away in fear, waving his hands frantically."No, no, I can't drink it!I'll throw up my insides if I eat or drink anything."
"You can't eat?"
Lu Fei looked more closely at Tiger's complexion.
His forehead was shadowed, and there were dark circles under his eyes—clear signs of possession.
But the odd thing was that although Tiger was skin and bones, his belly was distended, resembling a beer belly.
It created an eerie, jarring contrast.
Curiosity piqued, Lu Fei urged, "So, are you going to tell me how you got this coin?I can't help you unless I know."
Tiger quickly shared the coin's backstory.
He had acquired it while accompanying his boss to buy antiques.
That day, as his boss was negotiating inside, he waited outside.
An old farmer approached him, asking if he would buy an ancient coin for five hundred yuan.
Over the past two years, Tiger had learned enough from his boss to recognize it as authentic, worth anywhere from several thousand to ten thousand yuan.
He figured he could flip it for a few thousand, nearly a month's salary.
So, he decided not to tell his boss and secretly bought the coin, intending to resell it later.
That very night, he began feeling off.
He couldn't say why, but his mouth felt unusually itchy, and he craved food.Usually, he'd be full after two bowls of noodles, but that night, he ate five and still wasn't satisfied.
Fearing he might hurt himself, he forced himself to stop and went to bed.
But as soon as he lay down, a searing pain gripped his abdomen, as though a knife was twisting inside.The nausea hit, and he ended up vomiting all the noodles he had eaten.
Afterward, he felt ravenously hungry again, craving food, and spent the whole night in torment, unable to sleep.
Suspecting gastroenteritis, he went to the pharmacy for medicine, but taking it only made his vomiting worse.
Unable to bear it any longer, he visited the hospital, but the doctors found nothing wrong, prescribing him some stomach-soothing medicine instead.
The hospital's medicine was also ineffective—he continued to vomit relentlessly.
In just a few days, he had wasted away to this skeletal form.
By now, even an idiot would know this wasn't an ordinary illness—it was something unclean.
After thinking it over, he realized the only thing he'd acquired recently was that ancient coin, so it had to be the source of his troubles.
He didn't know any experts but had heard that Evil Number dealt with malevolent objects, so he decided to try his luck here.
"Lu Fei, you have no idea!I eat and then vomit, and when I don't eat, I'm starving.The hunger gnaws at me, makes my teeth itch.I just want to grab someone and take a bite!"
Tiger licked his teeth, his eyes glinting strangely as he stared at Lu Fei's neck, as if he were genuinely tempted to bite him.
Lu Fei quickly stepped back, increasing the distance between them.He noticed something strange in Tiger's mouth.
"Wait a minute, Tiger.What's in your mouth?"
"Huh?I haven't eaten anything." Tiger looked confused.
"Open your mouth—let me have a look."
Tiger opened wide.
Lu Fei turned on his phone flashlight and peered inside.What he saw made his hand tremble, nearly causing him to drop the phone.
"What is it, Lu Fei?What's in my mouth?"
Seeing his reaction, Tiger felt a spike of anxiety.
After steadying himself, Lu Fei replied, "Teeth."
He considered himself a brave person, having dealt with the Soul-Sucking Chain.But what he saw in Tiger's mouth was beyond bizarre.
"Don't scare me!What's wrong with my teeth?" Tiger was on the verge of tears.