Chapter 55: The Green-Skinned Imp

  "I understand."

  Tiger nodded solemnly, knowing full well the dangers posed by that old ghost-raiser.

  Although the old ghost-raiser had left, wary of the Evil Pawnshop, Lu Fei still took precautions, keeping the snake skin close and ensuring that both he and Tiger carried it to prevent any ambush by the ghost crow.

  Two days passed without incident, and the old ghost-raiser did not reappear.

  "Boss, that old vulture probably won't come back, right?" Tiger began to let down his guard.

  After all, the Evil Pawnshop had deep roots, and even without Lu Fei's grandfather, few would dare to stir up trouble.

  "That would be best." Lu Fei sighed in relief.

  The shop continued its business as usual.

  Out of nowhere, the internet celebrity Bingbing rushed into the shop.

  "Master Lu, has Lulu been here?"

  "Yes, she was here. Why?"

  "She's missing! I've searched everywhere but can't find her. The police have been no help either. Do you know where she might be?" Her face was filled with anxiety.

  Lu Fei exchanged a look with Tiger.

  Zhang Shan wouldn't spare Lulu, so she was likely in grave danger.

  "Miss Lulu came to pawn something a few days ago, but we haven't seen her since. We don't know where she is now," Lu Fei said.

  "Pawn something?" Bingbing's expression shifted. "What did she pawn?"

  "Sorry, but that's confidential. Without her consent, we can't disclose customer information."

  "Did something unclean harm her? I suspected something was off with her behavior lately…" Bingbing seemed to have realized something, and her heavily made-up face twisted in resentment.

  "Damn it! If she wanted to court death, that's her business, but why drag me into it?"

  "These past few days, a lot of dirt about me has been spreading online, saying that I and Lulu teamed up to suppress another influencer, causing them to commit suicide."

  "Come on! Someone else's suicide has nothing to do with me. I wanted Lulu to come out and clear things up, but now she's nowhere to be found!"

  Bingbing vented her frustration, then, realizing she was losing her composure, forced a smile and adjusted her expression.

  "Master Lu, is there any way to remove the side effects of the necklace? I don't want all this attention from those haters."

  Lu Fei glanced at her and said calmly, "Miss Bingbing, I warned you about the side effects of the necklace. If you don't want undue attention, you can remove it."

  "Remove it? But what about my popularity?" Bingbing couldn't bear the thought. "I can pay you extra!"

  "This isn't about money."

  After a moment of internal struggle, Bingbing ultimately left without removing the necklace, covering herself tightly as she exited.

  "Her hands probably aren't clean either. If this keeps up, she might end up like Lulu," Tiger muttered with a shake of his head.

  "I made it clear to her. What happens next is her responsibility. Everyone has to pay for their own choices," Lu Fei said nonchalantly, spreading his hands.

  The day passed quickly.

  The shop closed for the night.

  As the night deepened, silence enveloped the Evil Pawnshop, with Lu Fei and Tiger sound asleep.

  In the darkness, a small, cat-sized green-skinned imp silently scaled the wall and crept into the courtyard.

  The imp moved on all fours like an animal, circling the courtyard once before climbing up to the window. Its underdeveloped, misshapen nose sniffed at the air inside.

  Not finding what it was looking for, the imp jumped down soundlessly and scurried toward the pawnshop.

  The shop's layout was simple.

  A counter and a few chairs and tables, with no signs of any cursed items.

  Still not finding what it sought, the imp crawled around restlessly before stopping in front of a dark, locked storage room door.

  The lock was uniquely designed; without the key, it couldn't be opened.

  The imp stretched its neck, pressing its nose against the crack of the door and sniffing.

  Found it!

  The imp grew excited, reaching out with its small, greenish-white hand to squeeze through the crack.

  Buzz!

  The moment its uneven fingers touched the door, a golden light flared up, flinging the imp away.

  "Meow!"

  The imp let out a cat-like, chilling shriek, its small greenish-white face contorted with pain.

  "What was that?"

  Lu Fei awoke instantly.

  He listened carefully, but there was no further sound outside.

  "If it were a cat in heat, it wouldn't just cry out once. Something's off." Unsettled, Lu Fei grabbed his ghost-whipping rod from the desk and, without putting on shoes, opened his door.

  Walking barefoot on the stone floor, Lu Fei moved quietly across the courtyard toward the storage room.

  The strange cry had come from this direction.

  At the corridor's entrance, he squinted into the darkness. Seeing nothing, he turned on the light.

  Everything in the shop appeared normal.

  The storage room lock was intact, with no signs of tampering.

  "Was it really just a cat?" 

  Still suspicious, Lu Fei checked carefully and finally noticed something odd.

  At the bottom right corner of the storage room door was a small, incomplete handprint.

  The print was black, as if burned into the wood.

  Without bending down for a closer look, it would be easy to miss.

  Inscribed on the back of the door were protective runes, proof that some malevolent spirit had entered earlier.

  "It looks like a child's handprint. Could it be an imp?"

  While Lu Fei pondered, a chill spread over his scalp, and an icy breath brushed past.

  "Something's here!"

  Before he could look up, he instinctively lashed upward with the ghost-whipping rod.

  The sharp crack scattered the cold energy.

  Lu Fei looked up to see a small, greenish-white figure dart into the shadow of the corner.

  "It really is an imp!"

  Lu Fei tightened his grip on the ghost-whipping rod, eyes narrowed.

  The imp was the size of a cat, with greenish-white skin. Its limbs and facial features were underdeveloped, small and malformed.

  This type of imp was made from an unborn fetus taken from a pregnant woman, filled with intense resentment.

  The imp had approached the storage room, clearly intending to steal something inside. It couldn't have been lost.

  "No wonder there was no movement for days. They were waiting for us to let our guard down and sent this imp to steal! How despicable!"

  Who else could it be but the old man in black?

  Lu Fei didn't need to guess. With a cold snort, he swung the rod at the imp.

  The imp, nimble and as agile as a wild animal, swiftly dodged the strike and leaped at Lu Fei from the side, pushing off the wall for momentum.

  Its blackened mouth stretched wide, reaching its ears and revealing rows of jagged teeth.

  This type of imp was ferocious.

  Once it bit into its target, it wouldn't let go until its prey died.

  Lu Fei, knowing this, stepped back and blocked with the rod.

  But in the narrow corridor, the rod was hard to maneuver, limiting its effectiveness.

  The imp, small and lightning-fast, exploited every angle to get closer, moving more like a wild beast than a ghostly spirit.

  Lu Fei found himself at a disadvantage, narrowly avoiding its sharp teeth several times.

  At that moment, Tiger, awakened by the noise, rushed over.

  "Boss, are we being robbed?"

  Lu Fei was elated and shouted while fending off the imp.

  "Tiger, grab the Bagua Mirror!"

  "On it!"

  Tiger, startled by the imp's hideous appearance, didn't hesitate and sprinted to Lu Fei's room as fast as he could.

  The imp paid no attention to Tiger. Its hateful eyes were locked solely on Lu Fei.

  These malevolent spirits, while fierce, had a singular focus—once they targeted someone, they wouldn't stop until one of them was dead.