Chapter 9: Mouth Seal Coin

  "Your mouth… You've got rows and rows of teeth! They're all sharp! It's like something straight out of a horror movie."

  Lu Fei forced down a wave of nausea and took a picture with his phone, showing it to Tiger so he could see for himself.

  Tiger glanced at the photo, his whole body shuddering. His sallow face went white, drained of any remaining color.

  "How… How did I grow so many teeth…?"

  A normal person only has two rows of teeth—one upper and one lower. But Tiger's mouth was crammed with several rows of sharp teeth.

  It was a grotesque and eerie sight.

  Lu Fei spoke seriously, "Tiger, it seems likely that you've been conned! Did that old man tell you where this coin came from?"

  "He just mentioned it was dug up from his ancestral grave. Antique dealers always say that kind of thing," Tiger replied bitterly.

  "Even if it's a grave good, it shouldn't be this malevolent. Plenty of grave items circulate in the antique markets. Unless…"

  "Unless what?"

  "Unless it's a mouth seal coin!"

  Tiger's face turned deathly pale at these words.

  As someone in the antiques business, he knew exactly what a mouth seal coin was.

  A mouth seal coin, also called a 'holding coin,' was part of an ancient burial custom. Placing a jade or copper coin in the deceased's mouth was a tradition, symbolizing a blessing for their descendants or a prosperous rebirth.

  Wealthy families used jade, while ordinary families used copper.

  It was said to be the only wealth a person could take to the afterlife.

  Think about it—if all the wealth someone accumulated in life was taken by someone else after death, wouldn't that cause an intense grievance?

  So whoever takes this coin risks being haunted by the deceased; even the greediest grave robbers steer clear of them.

  "That old man knew it was a mouth seal coin and sold it to me anyway! He's trying to kill me!" Tiger cursed in anger.

  But now wasn't the time for revenge—survival came first.

  "Lu Fei, this mouth seal coin must be bad news, right? Can you get rid of it for me?" He looked at Lu Fei with pleading eyes, as if he were a lifeline.

  "I can, but first we have to neutralize the resentment attached to it. Otherwise, you won't survive," Lu Fei explained.

  "How do we do that?"

  "The simplest way is to return the coin to its original place and offer some tribute, sincerely apologizing to the deceased. However, if we do that, I won't be able to take it from you—you'll have to handle it yourself."

  With only seven days left in the month, Lu Fei wanted to secure his second malevolent item, but he wasn't about to mislead Tiger.

  Evil Number never did business in bad faith.

  They wouldn't push clients into danger for the sake of acquiring an artifact. If there was an easier solution, they would inform the client.

  "What?" Tiger said, frowning. "I have no idea where he's buried. That old man's probably a scam artist, and I don't even know if he's really from that village. At this rate, I'll either starve or vomit to death before I find him!"

  "Lu Fei, isn't there another way? Something that could be done today?"

  Tiger rubbed his cheeks with his thick fingers, as if his teeth were itching again.

  Lu Fei thought for a moment before replying, "There is, but it's risky, and I can't guarantee it'll work."

  "As long as it gets rid of this thing, I'll take any risk!" Tiger nodded immediately.

  "Alright, go gather some supplies."

  Lu Fei took out a pen and paper, jotting down a list for Tiger.

  "Buy everything on this list—don't skip a single item. Get extra incense and ghost money, too."

  Tiger squinted at the list, growing more puzzled as he read.

  "Pork head, soaked rice, raw eggs, white tofu, locust flower wine, incense, paper effigies… What is all this?"

  "All things spirits love to eat! Whether you were conned or tricked, you still took something from the dead. We'll set up a spirit offering and apologize."

  "Why does it also mention another copper coin?"

  "The copper coin is crucial! If you want to give the coin to me, you need to buy a replacement to offer back to the spirit. Find a coin from a similar era; don't try to fool the dead with a fake."

  Lu Fei urged him on.

  "Don't delay. Make sure everything's ready by sunset so we can send it off tonight."

  "Alright!"

  With his life on the line, Tiger dared not waste any time. He left immediately to go shopping, list in hand.

  Meanwhile, Lu Fei stayed in the shop, preparing some additional items.

  In the late afternoon, Tiger returned, sweating profusely and lugging several bags.

  "Finally got everything…" 

  He was so exhausted that he collapsed to the floor, panting heavily.

  Normally, this wouldn't be a challenge for him; he was used to doing physical work, running errands, and heavy lifting. But after days without food or water, he was utterly drained, barely staying upright on sheer willpower.

  "Brother Lu, you asked for so many things. I had to visit several stores to get them all. Is it enough?"

  Lu Fei checked each item and nodded. "These are good. Where's the copper coin?"

  "Here. I kept it in my innermost pocket to make sure I didn't lose it."

  Tiger wiped his brow, pulling a copper coin from his pocket with a reluctant look on his face.

  "I couldn't get it from my boss, so I went to another antique shop. This one coin cost me two thousand yuan."

  "With everything else, I've spent thousands. Once I'm better, I'm definitely tracking down that old man for payback!"

  "Don't fret over the cost; think of it as paying to avoid disaster." Lu Fei took the coin to inspect it, his brow suddenly furrowing. "Hold on, this coin is a fake!"

  "Impossible! The owner of Treasures Antique guaranteed it was real." Tiger was stunned. "I even verified it myself!"

  "You don't have the experience. It's a good replica, almost indistinguishable from the real thing, but it lacks the 'aged scent' that only genuine antiquities have." Lu Fei shook his head.

  "So I got ripped off again?" Tiger, struggling with his weakened body, staggered to his feet. "This is too much! I'm going to confront him!"

  "It won't help. There are no refunds. He won't admit to anything now."

  "What do I do, then? Without this coin, can we still appease the spirit?" Tiger looked utterly lost.

  "Calm down. I'll think of something. Wait here for me." Leaving him with these words, Lu Fei headed to Linglong Pavilion to find Liu Fugui.

  Liu Fugui brought out a box filled with antique coins, offering Lu Fei his pick.

  After careful selection, Lu Fei finally found one with a matching date.

  "Uncle Fugui, how much for this one?"

  "You're making it weird by talking money. Just take it if you like it," Liu Fugui replied generously.

  "I insist. Business is business." Lu Fei, suspicious of Liu Fugui's sudden generosity, insisted on paying.

  Liu Fugui accepted a token hundred yuan and smiled. "You're dealing with malevolent items, right? I have a friend who might be facing something unclean."

  It turned out he had a favor to ask—hence the generosity.

  "Oh, what's the item?"

  "He brought a deity statue home a while ago, supposedly to bring good fortune. But since it arrived, his family has been plagued with misfortune. He's worried the statue is the problem. What do you think?"

  "I can't say for sure without seeing it. But bringing in a deity requires certain precautions; if handled improperly, it could invite something else."

  "Can you handle it?"

  "If it's a malevolent item, yes. But I'll need to handle Tiger's situation first."

  Business was business, and Lu Fei was more than willing to accept. But for now, he had to resolve Tiger's issue.

  When he returned to Evil Number, Tiger was already waiting anxiously. Before he could speak, Lu Fei gathered up the items on the floor.

  "I've got a genuine copper coin now. Let's go to a quiet crossroads."