Chapter 29: The Mother-Child Snake Skin
Liu Fugui immediately understood and smiled, saying, "We all know Mr. Su's feelings—he's surely grateful to Little Lu for all his help. But these are the rules of the Evil Pawnshop. Doing business with the Evil Pawnshop means pawning the item. As for the price, it doesn't need to be too high; any figure will do."
Su Liguo thought for a moment and said sincerely, "How about ninety-nine? Just as water overflows when too full and the moon wanes when completely round, I hope the Evil Pawnshop continues to prosper without limits."
"Thank you, Mr. Su! I gladly accept this blessing!" Lu Fei quickly wrote out the pawn ticket.
Su Liguo's signature was bold and forceful, exuding strength and confidence.
There were two copies of the ticket.
The payment was made, and the transaction was complete!
"Mr. Su, my work here is done. You must still have plenty of matters to attend to, so I won't take up any more of your time." Lu Fei stood to take his leave.
Although Liu Fugui would have liked to chat longer with Su Liguo, he followed Lu Fei's lead and stood up.
"Leaving so soon? Why not rest a bit longer and join us for dinner?" Su Liguo tried sincerely to persuade them. "You saved the entire Su family, and we haven't even had the chance to properly thank you."
"There's no need, Mr. Su; I was simply doing my job," Lu Fei replied with a casual smile, politely declining the offer. With the evil object secured, he was eager to return to the pawnshop.
Su Liguo was slightly surprised.
Many people in Jiangcheng would give anything for the chance to associate with the Su family, and dining with Su Liguo was a rare opportunity. For instance, Liu Fugui.
Yet Lu Fei remained calm and composed, showing no desire for social climbing. He seemed to be here solely for business.
Neither arrogant nor overly humble, he remained unperturbed.
Su Liguo couldn't help but admire Lu Fei even more. Seeing that he couldn't persuade him to stay, he personally escorted Lu Fei and Liu Fugui to the door.
At that moment, the housekeeper approached with a question.
"Sir, what should we do with the rooster and black cat?"
Su Liguo looked to Lu Fei for an answer.
"They're both protective creatures. If you don't mind, Mr. Su, you could keep them as auspicious pets," Lu Fei suggested offhandedly.
"Alright, we'll keep them! Old Zhang, prepare a place and food for them."
"Understood."
Su Liguo saw them to the gates and instructed his driver to take them back to Antique Street.
"Little Lu, once my family is fully recovered, we'll pay you a formal visit of gratitude. I hope you'll honor us with your presence."
"Of course."
The luxury car drove out of the vast estate, out of the sprawling villa complex.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the entrance to Antique Street.
The driver got out with them, respectfully escorting them all the way to the pawnshop door, attracting the attention of several onlookers along the way.
"Hey, Old Wang, out for a stroll? Old Ding, off to restock?… Oh, come on, how did you know I just got back from the Su family? Really, it's nothing, nothing at all. Just a little business deal with Mr. Su…"
Liu Fugui greeted everyone he saw, practically announcing his newfound connection.
Lu Fei couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
What was there to boast about when it was just a driver accompanying them?
He unlocked the door and returned to the pawnshop.
Liu Fugui followed him inside, his face beaming with pride and satisfaction. "Little Lu, you didn't see Old Wang's expression—his eyes were practically popping out of his head…"
"Is the Su family that impressive?" Lu Fei asked nonchalantly as he opened his bag and carefully took out the snake skin, placing it on the counter for examination.
"Don't you know? They're one of the three big families in Jiangcheng, alongside the Tang and Shangguan families. Getting in with any of them is like hitting the jackpot!"
Liu Fugui was bursting with excitement.
"Little Lu, with the Su family as our backing, we're set for life…"
"Cut it out! I'm here to collect evil objects, not to find a backer. The Evil Pawnshop doesn't need that kind of support." Lu Fei shot him a look.
No matter how wealthy or influential the Su family was, to him, they were merely clients in need of pawning an evil object. It was fine to maintain a friendly relationship, but he didn't need to curry favor.
He put on gloves and carefully unfurled the snake skin for a closer inspection.
The snake skin was coiled up and looked small, but when spread out, it measured over ten meters in length.
At its widest point, it was as thick as a bowl, indicating it had belonged to a python.
The exact species, however, was unknown.
"Yes, yes, the Evil Pawnshop is truly exceptional! Who knows, one day those big families might want the Evil Pawnshop as their ally," Liu Fugui flattered, leaning over the counter with a curious look on his chubby face.
"Little Lu, what's the use of this snake skin? You can tell me now, right?"
"The properties of evil objects are often closely related to their characteristics. This Snake Mother's main strength was its power to mesmerize, and snakes are inherently seductive, so this snake skin has a charm-attraction effect."
As he sorted it out, Lu Fei explained his analysis.
"So it only attracts admirers?" Liu Fugui sounded disappointed; the trouble this evil object had caused seemed immense, yet its value was fairly ordinary.
"It's not that simple! When used properly, this snake skin can make even the most unattractive person appear stunningly beautiful to others… Wait, what's this?"
Lu Fei's face suddenly showed surprise as he pulled a thin strip of snake skin from within the larger skin.
"There's a smaller one in here?"
The small snake skin was about a meter long and as thick as a finger, nestled within the larger one. It would have gone unnoticed without unraveling the larger skin.
"Well, well, a bonus! Not bad!" Liu Fugui said cheerfully. "The small snake skin must be worth something too, right? Does it have the same effect as the large one?"
"I'm not sure…"
This unexpected find caught Lu Fei off guard, leaving him unsure of its implications. He decided to consult his grandfather's notes on evil objects.
The notebook contained records of all the evil objects encountered or heard of since the founding of the Evil Pawnshop, detailing their characteristics.
"Why worry? Let's spread the word about the large snake skin first. Being perceived as stunningly beautiful—who wouldn't want that? Especially wealthy women and celebrities…"
Liu Fugui was already dreaming up schemes.
"No, I need to confirm the details first. If I misjudge its effects, I could end up harming someone." Lu Fei put both snake skins in a cloth bag and waved Liu Fugui off.
"Uncle, we've been at this all day. Why don't you go home and rest? Once there's an offer for the 'Reversal Coin,' come find me."
"Alright, alright. You take care; I'll go check with the buyers. But as soon as you figure out the snake skins, let me know first!" Liu Fugui left the Evil Pawnshop, grinning ear to ear.
After locking up, Lu Fei took the snake skins to the backyard, pulled an ancient, yellowed book from his bedroom drawer, opened the window, and began studying it closely at his desk.
The record of evil objects was handwritten by each generation of shopkeepers in the Lu family. The characteristics of each item had been documented through experience, often at great cost.
At the end of the book, there were entries from his grandfather as well.
If Lu Fei made new discoveries in the future, he would also add them to this collection.
The entire book was the heart and soul of the Evil Pawnshop!
As he delved deeper, time slipped by unnoticed.
Outside, the osmanthus tree swayed in the breeze, and by the time Lu Fei had read through the entire record, the sky had darkened.
"There's no record of anything exactly like this. Could this be a new kind of evil object…?" Lu Fei closed the notebook, a hint of surprise and confusion on his face.