Chapter 96: The Soul-Piercing Stake

　　Seeing that Lu Fei had obtained the coffin, Chen Jinfat immediately waved to the workers, "Alright, all of you can leave now!"

　　"Boss Chen, what about our wages?"

　　"Ah Long, take them to get paid."

　　The workers followed Along to the side.

　　"Manager Lu, what exactly is this?" Chen Jinfah looked at Lu Fei anxiously, "Why are there two of them?"

　　"Let's talk inside; the things in the coffin can't be exposed to light."

　　Lu Fei climbed out using the ladder set up by the workers, carrying the small coffin and pointing to the prefab house.

　　The group quickly walked into the office.

　　On the table, Lu Fei placed the two small coffins side by side.

　　The two small coffins were identical in color, size, and shape, as if they had been replicated.

　　"There should also be a clay doll in this coffin."

　　"The clay doll is a substitute for a person, buried in the concrete pillar in place of that person."

　　Lu Fei did not open the coffin.

　　"Why is that?" Chen Jinfah asked with a puzzled look, "It's not a real person, what's the use of burying it in a concrete pile?"

　　"This is called a soul-binding pile!" Lu Fei said gravely.

　　"What? What's that?" Chen Jinfah was even more confused.

　　Lu Fei said, "Brother Fa, you should know about the living pile, right?"

　　"I know about that. Anybody in construction knows about the living pile! It's a wicked and morally corrupt act!"

　　The living pile is a very cruel architectural practice, said to originate from the book of Lu Ban.

　　In ancient times, when people were building houses or constructing bridges and roads, if an accident like a collapse occurred, they would believe that during the excavation, they had disturbed the local feng shui and offended the spirits and ghosts.

　　They believed that human lives were needed to fill the void, appease the spirits and ghosts, and thus ensure the smooth progress of the project.

　　In other words, it means using live human sacrifices, burying them alive in concrete piles and offering them to the spirits and ghosts.

　　Sometimes, when some homeless people disappeared without a trace, perhaps they were taken away for the living pile.

　　This practice is morally reprehensible, but a day's halt in construction can result in incalculable losses, especially for large-scale projects.

　　Therefore, there are always people who knowingly commit such acts.

　　"When the project was not going well recently, someone suggested this unfortunate idea to me, and I immediately gave him a good slap!" Chen Jinfat said indignantly, pointing at himself with his thumb.

　　"I, Chen Jinfat, have been around for so many years, leading a life of integrity. I may not be a great person, but I would never do such despicable and underhanded things!"

　　He cursed fiercely, and it was unclear whether he was just putting on an act or if he genuinely felt this way.

　　"The Soul Pile and the Living Pile are similar types of rituals, but the Soul Pile is more ancient. It uses souls, while the Living Pile uses living people," Lu Fei explained.

　　"What?" Chen Jinfat's brows instantly knitted into a deep frown.

　　"The Soul Pile requires the souls of a man and a woman. Nails and hair are added to clay dolls to represent them, and then these dolls are placed in two small coffins and secured with three soul-locking nails.

　　"Their souls can never escape. They are buried in the concrete piles, forever trapped in darkness!

　　"Whether it's the Living Pile or the Soul Pile, both practices share the same purpose: to sacrifice human lives to ensure the smooth progress of the project. After the ritual, the man and woman whose souls are used in the Soul Pile will suddenly die."

　　"If I have to point out the biggest difference, it's that one can't be convicted in a court of law. After all, what's buried isn't a living person, but a clay figure."

　　Lu Fei shook his head, wondering who had originally built the mall; there must be some underhanded dealings involved!

　　"It seems there were issues from the very beginning when the mall was being constructed."

　　"I heard it was the Tang Corporation that took on the project. I'll find out for sure later!" Chen Jinfah said with a troubled look, "But since sacrifices have already been made, why is the mall still not peaceful? Fires and accidents happen every few days here."

　　"Such methods can only ensure that the building is smoothly constructed, but they don't guarantee that no problems will arise afterward," Lu Fei pondered.

　　"The souls of these deceased are trapped in the concrete pillars, often filled with resentment. You see, roads built using this method of burying live people tend to have more frequent accidents, right?"

　　"Adding a sharp-pointed sha, it's hard for the mall to be at peace."

　　"Damn it!" Chen Jinfah finally understood and started cursing, "Getting me to take on such a problematic project is like setting me up! That bastard Qiangzi, I'll deal with him later!"

　　"Mr. Lu, since you've figured out the origin of this coffin, you must have a way to resolve this, right?"

　　"When you opened the coffin and broke the seal of the soul nail, the ghost inside was released. Having been sealed in the concrete pillar for years, it must harbor a lot of resentment, which is why it's causing trouble and preventing your project from progressing smoothly."

　　Lu Fei analyzed,

　　"If we capture the ghost, there should be no more problem."

　　"That's great! When can Manager Lu do it?" Chen Jinfab asked anxiously.

　　"Ghosts only show up at night, so of course, we have to wait until nightfall," Lu Fei said seriously. "But there's one thing I need to clarify with Brother Fa."

　　"Oh, what is it?"

　　"Do you know the rules of our Sinisterium Pawnshop, Brother Fa? If you want me to help you solve this trouble, you'll have to pawn the evil object to me."

　　As long as the evil presence inside could be removed, this small coffin would have a great use and might even make Lu Fei a fortune.

　　"I thought it was a big deal!" Chen Jinfab's expression relaxed, and he immediately waved his hand.

　　"I'm more than happy for you to take this cursed coffin away! You can rest assured, there's definitely no problem. If you help me solve this big trouble, I'll not only give you the coffin but also reward you handsomely!"

　　"Alright, let's start tonight. Don't touch this intact small coffin for now; I will need it in the evening," Lu Fei added.

　　"No problem, whatever you say goes!" Chen Jinfat immediately agreed.

　　Lu Fei smiled.

　　After some interaction, he found that Chen Jinfat was actually quite a good person. Though he looked like a nouveau riche, he was very straightforward in both his words and actions.

　　When it comes to collecting evil objects, the biggest fear is people who take matters into their own hands, ignore instructions, and create unnecessary trouble.

　　Afterward.

　　Chen Jinfat had Ah Long book a room nearby for everyone to rest.

　　He hadn't slept at all the previous night and was very tired, so he fell asleep as soon as he entered the room.

　　Lu Fei and Huzi also rested in the room.

　　Huzi watched TV for a while before falling asleep, snoring loudly.

　　Lu Fei was a bit excited. He took out his thunderstruck jujube wooden stick, feeling the powerful energy it contained, and could hardly put it down.

　　This stick is half a meter long, like a small rolling pin. At first glance, it looks unremarkable, but who would have thought it's such a rare and wonderful thing!

　　"Now I have a life-bound magical artifact of my own. I'll test the power of this lightning-struck wood tonight!"

　　He was filled with anticipation and, in order to be in better condition for the evening, forced himself to take a brief nap.

　　Evening.

　　Chen Jinfah treated Lu Fei and his companion to dinner, and then the group returned to the construction site early.

　　Night fell, and the lights came on.

　　Around the construction site, the city's bright neon lights were twinkling.

　　Outside, cars passed back and forth, and voices buzzed.

　　From this, it can be seen that the location of this shopping mall is indeed very good, but no one knows what problems arose initially that required the use of soul-piercing stakes to fill!

　　The houses that form sharp angles against the mall are newer, built later, so clearly, they are not the cause of the problem.

　　Lu Fei's eyes narrowed slightly.

　　This place has been problematic from the very beginning!