Chapter 73: The Talisman Fails

　　Faces?

　　When Hu Zi said these two words, both Lu Fei and Wan Chunhui were startled.

　　"Boss, stand back a bit and squint, then you'll see it," Hu Zi said, standing behind the two, farthest from the wall, which allowed him to see something.

　　Lu Fei and Wan Chunhui both stepped back and squinted hard.

　　The lines formed by blood were rough and chaotic, like an oil painting that was unclear up close but revealed its contents from a distance.

　　"It's a face!" Wan Chunhui felt his scalp tingle with dread.

　　They were twisted and grotesque faces, sharp and pointed, with eyes like crimson blood holes, glaring menacingly at the people in the ward.

　　"That's right, they're women's faces!" Lu Fei's eyebrows twitched uncontrollably.

　　Once you could make out what they were, the faces became extraordinarily clear, densely packed together, with sinister grins, as if they were about to burst out of the walls.

　　Wan Chunhui quickly averted his gaze, not wanting to see those terrifying faces anymore.

　　He took a deep breath to calm himself down from the shock, and asked, "Why are they women's faces?"

　　"Maybe it's the scene the security guard saw in the ancient painting," Lu Fei mused, "There was only one woman in that painting, and that was the bride in the sedan chair."

　　"But I remember that the bride was veiled, and her face wasn't shown," Wan Chunhui said, feeling both uneasy and puzzled.

　　He had glanced at the painting inadvertently a few times and knew some of its content.

　　"Evil things naturally cannot be understood by common logic. What he saw must be related to the ancient painting."

　　"No matter what he saw, as long as Mr. Lu can resolve the unclean things on the painting, it's fine." Wan Chunhui waved his hand and reminded, "But there's one condition: the painting must not be damaged."

　　"Don't worry, I will be careful."

　　Outside the window, the sun had already set behind the mountains.

　　"It's about time to head back to the auction house."

　　The three of them left the ward.

　　The security guard was still using his tattered fingers, repeatedly smearing on the wall in a dazed state.

　　The wall was covered with bloody faces of women, as if they were coldly watching the three people leave.

　　The sky gradually darkened.

　　Tianlong Auction House.

　　The two security guards, looking at the empty and gloomy auction house, couldn't help but shiver.

　　"You said that painting was so sinister. Do you think we'll be okay tonight?"

　　"What's there to be afraid of? Boss Wan has already hired a master, hasn't he?"

　　"That guy looks like some pretty boy. How can he possibly be a master? Can he really be reliable? And the other one is just a big oaf. What use can he be? We should still be on our guard. If something really happens, don't just charge ahead blindly."

　　"Yeah, for a salary of a few thousand, why risk our lives? If we end up blind or insane like Xiao An, what good is money?"

　　The two security guards chattered on.

　　One of them suddenly fell silent, staring straight at the other's back.

　　"What is it? What are you looking at?" The person being stared at felt goosebumps all over his body and turned his stiff neck to look behind him.

　　The dim and deep corridor was clean and empty.

　　Only the light flickered slightly twice.

　　"Damn it, you did that on purpose to scare me?"

　　"Didn't you hear it?"

　　Just as he was about to flare up, he suddenly heard the sound of gongs and drums.

　　The sound came from the direction of the storeroom, seeming very distant and ethereal.

　　"Here it comes again!"

　　His hair stood on end, and he moved his steps in panic.

　　"Don't panic. Boss Wan said it's okay if we only hear the sound, as long as we don't look at that painting." The other security guard swallowed hard, trying his best to stay calm.

　　The two of them huddled together, carefully stepping back a few steps, trying to ignore the sound.

　　But the sound of the gongs and drums grew closer, as if rushing towards them down the corridor.

　　"Oh my God!"

　　The two people shouted and staggered towards the main gate.

　　"What are you doing?"

　　At that moment, a stern shout came from outside the door.

　　The two looked up and saw Wan Chunhui and Lu Fei.

　　"Boss Wan, that sound, the sound of gongs and drums, has come out again." The two people shivered as they spoke.

　　Lu Fei's face tightened: "You didn't touch the arrangement in the warehouse, did you?"

　　"Heaven and earth as our witness, we have been guarding outside and absolutely haven't touched anything!" The two security guards swore with an oath.

　　With a somber face, Lu Fei quickly ran toward the warehouse.

　　"Boss!" Hu Zi hurriedly followed.

　　Dong qiang, dong qiang! (onomatopoeia for drum and gong sounds)

　　The sound of gongs and drums echoed through the dim corridor.

　　Lu Fei's face changed slightly, and he quickened his pace, rushing to the warehouse in one breath.

　　The ghost-repelling talisman pasted on the door was now blurred and about to lose its efficacy.

　　"Boss, this talisman?" Hu Zi cried out in shock.

　　"It has been tainted by evil energy and is no longer effective! When the sun sets, the power of the yin becomes stronger, and the strength of the ancient painting is much greater than during the day!"

　　Lu Fei's heart sank.

　　"Young Manager Lu, what's the situation here?"

　　Wan Chunhui, followed by security guards, came panting after them.

　　"Mr. Wan, open the door quickly."

　　"Alright."

　　Wanchunhui threw the key to a security guard and told him to open the door.

　　The guard's hands were trembling, and it took him quite an effort to insert the key into the lock.

　　Click.

　　The door opened a crack.

　　Dong Dong Qiang! Dong Dong Qiang!

　　The sound of gongs and drums suddenly amplified, assaulting the eardrums of everyone present.

　　The guard turned pale and hurriedly stepped back.

　　Lu Fei, holding the ghost-whipping whip, stepped forward and carefully pushed the door open.

　　However, just as the door fully opened, the sound of the gongs and drums abruptly stopped.

　　In the chilly storeroom, the ancient painting lay quietly in the glass cabinet, with part of the scroll inexplicably unrolled.

　　And the ghosthead saber Lu Fei had placed on the glass cabinet fell to the ground.

　　The ghost-banishing characters on the three walls were gone, with some paper ashes scattered on the floor.

　　"Fortunately, the ghosthead saber was left behind!"

　　Lu Fei went forward to pick up the ghosthead saber, feeling a wave of lingering fear.

　　If it weren't for this ghosthead saber, the evil aura of the ancient painting would have long broken free.

　　"Young Manager Lu..."

　　Wan Chunhui's voice came from outside the door.

　　"Don't come in!" Lu Fei immediately shouted loudly.

　　Wan Chunhui retracted his just-taken step and cautiously retreated.

　　The security guards clustered at his side.

　　"The day is Yang, the night is Yin, and the night is the domain of evil creatures. Mr. Wan, you all just guard outside!"

　　"Understood."

　　Wan Chunhui, having witnessed the danger of evil creatures, led the security guards to retreat further, maintaining a distance where they could still see what was happening in the warehouse.

　　"Huzi, be careful tonight!"

　　Lu Fei had Huzi hold the ghost-head saber, while he took out seven ghost-repelling talismans and placed them according to the positions of the Big Dipper, forming a small Seven Stars Formation to prevent the evil energy from spreading.

　　"Boss, I'm not afraid! We have this Slaughter Saber, don't we? No matter what kind of evil spirits come, if they cause trouble, I'll cut them down with one slash!"

　　Huzi said, trying to boost his own confidence.

　　"I hope it's that simple."

　　After completing the setup, Lu Fei surveyed the entire warehouse, waiting for the evil spirits to appear.

　　Both inside and outside the auction house were silent.

　　Wan Chunhui and the security guards were outside the door, anxiously looking into the warehouse.

　　One of the guards, perhaps due to extreme nervousness, squeezed his legs together and whispered to Wan Chunhui, "Mr. Wan, I need to use the restroom."