Chapter 83: You Can’t Avoid It Forever

  Hearing Lu Fei's words, Liu Fugui hesitated and said cautiously, "How about I just try to endure it a bit longer? As long as my body recovers, I'll leave it be."

  Tiger smirked, his disdain apparent. "Old Liu, don't tell me you're still attached? She's draining you dry, and you're still worried about that monster?"

  "Rubbish! I'm not attached—I'm worried about your safety!" Liu Fugui snapped, his face serious. "That thing can move around even after taking her head off; she's not going to be easy to deal with."

  "It's one thing for me, but if anything happens to Little Shopkeeper Lu, how am I supposed to face his grandfather?"

  After drinking the talisman water and resting for a day, Liu Fugui's spirits had improved. His complexion no longer looked like that of a corpse, and he had the energy to argue with Tiger.

  "Afraid to die? Just say that, instead of dragging my boss into it. Listen to you, talking like you're best friends with his grandpa."

  "Who isn't afraid to die? Are you not? At least I've seen Old Lu; have you? Yet you keep saying 'my boss' this and 'my boss' that," Liu Fugui retorted, genuinely annoyed. "What did I do to make you always oppose me?"

  "Little Lu, please, get him under control!"

  "All right, enough! Why are you two grown men bickering?" Lu Fei intervened, slightly exasperated. Tiger was generally reasonable, so why he was so confrontational with Liu Fugui was beyond him. But now wasn't the time for that. "Old Liu, I'm guessing this situation isn't something you can avoid forever."

  "You're already under Xiao Mei's spell. Whether you go today or not, you'll end up going sooner or later."

  Liu Fugui's expression darkened. "So, you're saying I have to go tonight?"

  "Unless you have an iron will and can resist forever," Lu Fei shook his head, "Otherwise, as they say, you can dodge the first day but not the fifteenth."

  "And what's to stop her from coming to find you instead?"

  As if to prove Lu Fei's point, Liu Fugui's phone buzzed again.

  It was a message from Xiao Mei asking if he had arrived.

  Liu Fugui's face paled. He gritted his teeth and said, "Then let's go! With Little Lu around, what do I have to fear?"

  Lu Fei didn't like causing trouble, but he couldn't just leave Liu Fugui to his fate. Ignoring it might mean the man wouldn't live long enough to see another day.

  He planned to confront the strange being. If they could handle it, great. If not, they could always make a run for it.

  Lu Fei had Tiger gather their things, grabbed his ghost-head knife, and then set off with Liu Fugui.

  Just to be safe, Lu Fei had Tiger drive Liu Fugui's car while he and Liu Fugui sat in the back.

  "Old Liu, tell me again, how did you meet this Xiao Mei?"

  "I met her when I was singing at a KTV with some clients. She was a server there," Liu Fugui sighed.

  "She was very attentive. I drank a lot that night, and she took great care of me. I thought she was nice, so I added her on WeChat."

  "We chatted back and forth, got to know each other better, and eventually, she invited me to her place, saying she was great at massages."

  "I was tipsy and agreed... and then I kept going back."

  Liu Fugui looked regretful.

  "I thought I'd struck it lucky with love but ended up entangled with something this sinister."

  In truth, he couldn't be fully blamed. Who wouldn't be tempted by an opportunity that came so easily?

  "Old Liu, do you even look at your age? Do you really think a proper young woman would throw herself at you?" Tiger said as he drove, not missing a chance to jab at Liu Fugui.

  "What's wrong with me? I'm only in my forties—still in my prime!" Liu Fugui huffed. "I'm a business owner. I've been with plenty of women! Not like some people who probably haven't even held a woman's hand."

  Tiger, neck stiffening, retorted, "What you're doing is reckless. Not everyone is like you."

  "If you're that desperate, I can set you up with someone. Don't say I don't look out for you," Liu Fugui shot back, feeling triumphant for once.

  Lu Fei, however, was deep in thought. "If she can work at a KTV, then she isn't a ghost. She has a physical body, at least outwardly appearing human."

  "Yeah, except for that scarf she always wears around her neck, she looks normal. If I hadn't seen her take her head off, I wouldn't believe she was anything but human."

  Liu Fugui glanced nervously at Lu Fei.

  "Little Shopkeeper, I know the Evil Pawnshop is known for handling these things, but do you think you can deal with this kind of monster?"

  "I can't say for sure, but we'll try." Without having met Xiao Mei, Lu Fei couldn't make any promises.

  Liu Fugui fell silent, worry etched into his face.

  Xiao Mei's house was in a remote part of the outskirts.

  Few people lived there, and the area felt eerily deserted.

  There were only a few lit windows in the entire complex, casting it in a ghostly darkness.

  After getting out of the car, Lu Fei surveyed the surroundings. The complex's location felt off, but in the poor light, he couldn't tell exactly why.

  "Xiao Mei lives in Building 4."

  Liu Fugui led them into the complex.

  The security guard at the gate was napping, hat pulled over his face, making the gate effectively useless.

  Building 4 was at the very back of the complex.

  Although the complex wasn't large, it was well landscaped with dense trees.

  "She lives on the first floor. See that window with the light?" Liu Fugui pointed to a window with a faint glow.

  Lu Fei thought for a moment and said, "All right, Old Liu, go inside and open the curtains a bit. Tiger and I will watch from outside and figure out what she really is."

  Going in blindly wasn't wise, especially with such an unusual entity.

  "But... I don't dare go in alone," Liu Fugui said, face pale.

  "Don't worry. Hold this talisman. If there's danger, slap it on her forehead. Leave the door ajar, and we'll come in to help."

  Lu Fei pressed a ghost-repelling talisman into Liu Fugui's hand and called him.

  "Put in your earphones, and we'll stay in touch. I'll guide you if anything happens."

  Tiger rolled his eyes. "It's your life on the line. You won't fight for it yourself, just relying on us?"

  "Promise me you'll come if anything goes wrong!"

  Liu Fugui knew it was true and reluctantly agreed. After double-checking that the talisman was safely in his pocket, he went to knock on the door.

  Lu Fei and Tiger crept through the greenery to the window.

  Creak.

  The door opened, and a beautiful woman's face appeared under the dim light.

  "Why are you so late, you scoundrel?"

  She reached out, hooking her finger into Liu Fugui's belt, and pulled him inside.

  "Traffic, a bit of a jam," Liu Fugui stammered, glancing nervously at her neck.

  She still wore that black scarf with red flowers.

  He hadn't noticed it before, but now the flowers looked disturbingly like bloodstains.