Chapter 71: A Scene Smudged with Blood

　　Lu Fei returned to the pawnshop and went straight to the storeroom to retrieve the ghost-head knife.

　　"My goodness!" Hu Zi's eyes bulged, "To use this knife to deal with that painting, how powerful it must be!"

　　"This knife is born for killing. Although the murderous aura on it has been removed, its lingering power remains, and it's enhanced by an official's authority. It's an excellent knife for suppressing evil, perfect for dealing with malevolent entities!"

　　Lu Fei wrapped the heavy knife in red cloth and asked Hu Zi to go buy some pomelo leaves to boil water.

　　Pomelo leaf water can dispel evil and negative energy, and it could alleviate the damage the ancient painting had caused to Hu Zi's eyes.

　　He then poured out all the remaining rooster comb blood and wrote several ghost-repelling characters.

　　"Boss, this pomelo leaf water really works wonders! I washed my eyes a few times, and they feel much better!" Hu Zi looked in the mirror, his eyes were much less red, and he felt much more comfortable.

　　"Fortunately, the injury wasn't too deep. Otherwise, washing with pomelo leaf water many times wouldn't have helped. When we get back to the auction house, don't look around recklessly anymore."

　　"A fall brings a bit of wisdom, I'll definitely be more careful from now on!"

　　Lu Fei told him to bottle the remaining pomelo leaf water and take it with him, while he grabbed some common exorcism tools, and they hurried off to the auction house.

　　Little did they know, they almost collided with someone as soon as they stepped out the door.

　　Lu Fei looked up and, to his surprise, it was Liu Fugui, who was carrying quite a few bags in his hands.

　　"Brother Lu, where are you guys heading? Yesterday, you left in such a hurry. Chairman Su prepared a lot of gifts and asked me to bring them back for you."

　　He yawned, looking rather listless.

　　"Uncle Fugui, what did you do last night? Your complexion is so bad today?"

　　Lu Fei couldn't help but be shocked when he saw his face.

　　In just one night, Liu Fugui's slightly poor complexion had turned completely dark, even Hu Zi noticed it.

　　"Old Liu, what happened to you? You look this weak!" Hu Zi exclaimed with a tsk.

　　Liu Fugui coughed lightly, looking rather proud, "Ah, I was dragged by an admirer to have a heart-to-heart talk again last night. Too much charm can be a bother..."

　　"Uncle Fugui, aside from feeling physically weak, do you also feel like your steps are unsteady and that you're walking as if you have no weight at all?" Lu Fei interrupted, asking sharply.

　　"Yeah, I might have been a bit overworked recently and lost some weight. I'll just eat more kidneys to replenish myself..."

　　Liu Fugui felt a jolt in his heart as he was being examined, and timidly asked, "Is there something wrong?"

　　"It's a big problem! Your appearance shows that your vital energy has been sucked away. You look the same on the outside, but inside, you're already empty! That woman of yours may not be quite right!" Lu Fei said with a serious expression.

　　"What?!"

　　Liu Fugui trembled all over, dropping the gifts he was holding.

　　"You, you're not scaring me, are you?"

　　"Why would I scare you?" Lu Fei rolled his eyes.

　　Liu Fugui was instantly terrified and grabbed Lu Fei's arm, "Brother Lu, you have to save me!"

　　"I have important matters to attend to for the next couple of days. Keep this with you at all times, and try to stay in places with lots of people. Whatever you do, don't see that woman again,"

　　Lu Fei, eager to deal with the ancient painting, couldn't afford to pay attention to him for the time being, and gave him a ghost-repelling talisman.

　　"What will happen if I do?"

　　"If you see her, you might never see tomorrow's sun. Choose wisely."

　　Liu Fugui's face turned ashen: "Is it that serious?"

　　"Old Liu, remember the knife hanging over your head when it comes to women. Listen to the boss and don't mess around," Hu Zi said, picking up the scattered gifts and putting them into the pawnshop.

　　Locking the door, the two of them left the antique street without much further conversation with Liu Fugui.

　　Tianlong Auction House.

　　When Lu Fei and his companion arrived, a sign reading 'Under internal renovation, temporarily closed' was already placed at the entrance.

　　Wan Chunhui had dismissed most of the staff, leaving only a few security guards. The large auction house now appeared empty and unusually quiet.

　　"Young Master Lu, welcome back," Wan Chunhui greeted as soon as he saw Lu Fei.

　　"Why are there still people here?" Lu Fei glanced at the security guards.

　　"I was afraid something might happen tonight, and it would be too much for Young Master Lu to handle alone, so I left a few people to help you," Wan Chunhui explained with a smile.

　　"I can help, but Mr. Wan, I have to be honest with you, the process of subduing evil objects is very dangerous. Everyone must follow my instructions and not act on their own initiative," Lu Fei said seriously and sincerely, "Otherwise, if they get hurt or something happens, I won't be responsible!" He could guess that the other party was not at ease, after all, there were so many valuable items in the auction house and no one would feel comfortable entrusting them to two outsiders.

　　"Young Master Lu, please rest assured! The boss has instructed us to fully cooperate with you and follow your arrangements." Wan Chunhui's attitude was very good.

　　"Thank you very much."

　　Lu Fei nodded.

　　After that, no one said much more, and the group arrived outside the storeroom where the ancient paintings were kept.

　　The Ghost-Sealing Talisman was still intact, stuck to the door.

　　"I strictly followed Young Master Lu's instructions and did not allow anyone to touch it," Wan Chunhui said.

　　"Then I will ask Mr. Wan to open the door for us."

　　"Alright."

　　Wan Chunhui opened the door with a key.

　　The cold light turned on, and the ancient painting lay quietly in the glass cabinet.

　　Lu Fei quickly looked around and saw that the ghost-repelling characters pasted on the three walls were intact.

　　No evil aura was emanating, and Lu Fei slightly relaxed, realizing that his method was quite effective.

　　Then, he had Huzi mix the incense ash and cinnabar, sprinkling it along the base of the walls to encircle the entire warehouse.

　　"Mr. Wan, when the time comes, just stay outside and guard, but don't step over the incense ash, and don't move around, understand?" Lu Fei instructed.

　　"Don't worry, we will remember that!" Wan Chunhui glanced at the security guards.

　　The security guards all nodded in agreement.

　　Afterward, Wan Chunhui took out his phone.

　　"Young Master Lu, they've sent me the photos of the security guards scribbling randomly, as you requested.

　　"Great."

　　Lu Fei walked out of the warehouse, and Wan Chunhui immediately pulled up the photos.

　　Huzi also came over and only after getting Lu Fei's permission did he start to look at the pictures on the phone.

　　The scene on the screen was shocking.

　　The white wall was covered with scarlet blood.

　　The lines were twisted and bizarre, overlapping in a chaotic mess; just looking at the image made one imagine how deranged the person who had painted it must have been.

　　Lu Fei looked through several photos, feeling that there seemed to be some kind of pattern to what the security guard had painted, but it was too disorganized to discern easily.

　　He narrowed his eyes and continued to scroll down.

　　At that moment, Wan Chunhui's phone suddenly vibrated, and a call came in.

　　"It's from the hospital? Manager Lu, I'm sorry, I need to take this call."

　　Wan Chunhui answered the phone.

　　An anxious and panicked voice came out.

　　"It's not good, President Wan, something happened to Lingling!"