Chapter 197: Borrowing Fortune

　　"Borrowing fortune?"

　　Upon hearing Lu Fei say this, Zhou Yuyang's face showed surprise.

　　"Can a person's luck be borrowed away?"

　　Liu Fugui and Hu Zi also looked at Lu Fei curiously.

　　"To be precise, it's not borrowing, but stealing! Some people with ill intentions will use obscure and nefarious spells to steal someone else's fortune for their own benefit."

　　Lu Fei looked at Zhou Yuyang.

　　"Director Zhou must have been targeted because of his good fortune. Have you ever revealed your birth date and time to someone else?"

　　"Birth date and time?"

　　Zhou Yuyang thought for a moment, looking puzzled: "A lot of people know my birthday, some close friends, my girlfriend, and my family... It can't be them, right?"

　　"To borrow luck, besides the person's birth date and time, one also needs items like hair and nail clippings as mediums," Lu Fei said slowly.

　　"Nail clippings represent the liver, hair represents the kidneys... In short, they are a manifestation of a person's vitality and spirit."

　　"Director Zhou, think about it again. Among those who know your birth date and time, who could have gotten hold of your nail clippings and hair?"

　　Zhou Yuyang's face turned pale as he said: "It definitely couldn't be my parents, so there's only one person left."

　　"Who?"

　　Liu Fugui and Hu Zi asked almost in unison.

　　"My girlfriend."

　　Zhou Yuyang clenched his fist, his eyes filled with disbelief.

　　"She suddenly moved in with me two months ago... But why? I was already prepared to propose to her. What benefit does she get from doing this?"

　　Lu Fei and the other two exchanged glances, all feeling some sympathy for him.

　　"Mr. Zhou, this is just my speculation; it may not be her who did it. Why don't you go back first and investigate thoroughly?" Lu Fei comforted him.

　　"Exactly, maybe it's some jealous person who envies your success, and they stole your nails and hair?" Liu Fugui added, patting him on the shoulder.

　　Zhou Yuyang lowered his head, silent for a while, then asked nervously, "Manager Lu, can this kind of dark magic be dispelled?"

　　"Of course it can. As long as there's no blood involved, the method is very simple. Just retrieve your hair and nails and burn them, and the spell will naturally be broken. However, the person who borrowed your luck might suffer from a backlash." Lu Fei explained.

　　"That's good!" Zhou Yuyang heaved a sigh of relief, his face looking slightly better. "Manager Lu, thank you so much! I won't bother you any more today. I'll go back and get to the bottom of this."

　　Saying that, he tried to pay.

　　"No need, President Zhou, it's just a small effort, no need for money. If you know where there are malevolent objects, you can refer them to me," Lu Fei said generously, waving his hand.

　　"Then I'll come back and thank the two of you properly after I've dealt with the matter." After a few words of gratitude, Zhou Yuyang quickly took his leave.

　　"President Zhou, let me see you off."

　　Liu Fugui nodded to Lu Fei and escorted Zhou Yuyang out of the antique street.

　　"President Zhou, don't be in a hurry. Talk to your wife carefully when you get back and don't scare her. What if it's not her? It might affect your relationship a lot."

　　"Brother Liu, I know you mean well. But I really can't think of anyone else. Ever since she moved in with me, my luck has been bad. How could there be such a coincidence?"

　　Zhou Yuyang gave a bitter smile and got into his BMW.

　　"Still, don't act impulsively. First, get your fortune back. If you can't solve it, just give me a call. Don't worry about Shopkeeper Lu; he will definitely help you for my sake."

　　"Thanks, Brother Liu."

　　Zhou Yuyang drove away in a hurry.

　　"Seems like being handsome is no use; he still got tricked by a woman." Liu Fugui shook his head and returned to Sinisterium Pawnshop.

　　"Old Liu, the guests are all gone. Why don't you go back to your own shop instead of always coming here?" Huzi deliberately took away his teacup.

　　Liu Fugui didn't mind at all and poured himself a glass of water, his face full of gossip.

　　"Tell me, what does CEO Zhou's girlfriend want? Isn't it good to have a handsome and wealthy boyfriend? Why would she take his luck away?"

　　"You should ask his girlfriend about that. How would we know?" Lu Fei shrugged.

　　"This might not be so easily resolved. Would his girlfriend even admit it? I think when the time comes, he will definitely come to us for help." Liu Fugui pursed his lips.

　　Huzi said, "Don't jump to conclusions too early. What if it's not his girlfriend but someone else?"

　　"How about this, let's make a bet? The one who loses pays five hundred dollars!" Liu Fugui frowned.

　　Huzi, not one to back down, said, "Fine, let's bet! Whoever doesn't admit it later is a dog!"

　　The two argued a bit more.

　　"No matter what, I've come to understand that women are nothing but trouble!" Liu Fugui leaned in close to Lu Fei, speaking very seriously: "Brother Lu, can you quickly take a look and tell me if someone has borrowed my luck?"

　　"You?" Lu Fei looked at him in surprise.

　　"I haven't been doing well these past couple of years. That Xiao Mei incident and the corpse eel... I must have had my luck borrowed!" Liu Fugui sighed.

　　"Is that what you call having your luck borrowed? You brought all this upon yourself because of your gluttony and lust, okay?" Lu Fei rolled his eyes.

　　"Hahaha!" Hu Zi didn't hide his mocking smile as he also came over to ask Lu Fei, "Boss, can you check for me, is the reason I'm so poor because someone borrowed my luck?"

　　"Have you ever been wealthy?" Lu Fei sat behind the counter, rummaging through a drawer without even looking at him.

　　"Not really."

　　"And have your parents ever been wealthy?"

　　"No, not really."

　　"Then may I ask, what use would there be in borrowing your kind of luck?"

　　"Ah..."

　　Huzi was dumbfounded.

　　"Hahaha!" This time, it was Liu Fugui's turn to laugh.

　　Huzi immediately picked up the broom and started sweeping near Liu Fugui's feet.

　　"Go, go, go, don't just stand there, you're going to dirty our shop's floor!"

　　Liu Fugui dodged left and right, transforming into a nimble fat man, and jumped to Lu Fei's side.

　　After hesitating for a while, he poured Lu Fei some water and gave him a shoulder massage, finally he chuckled: "Brother Lu, speaking of which, did you make a big catch when you went out all geared up a couple of days ago?"

　　Lu Fei knew that there must be a reason why he was lingering, so he said: "Yes, we did."

　　"It must be another incredible treasure!" Liu Fugui's eyes immediately lit up, excitedly rubbing his hands, "Just give me the word, and I'll spread the news right away!"

　　Lu Fei thought about it; they had two fish skins, and indeed one could be sold.

　　He told Liu Fugui about the benefits of fish skin, and the fat man smacked his lips in amazement: "Repairing skin? That's a good deed! People with disfigurements dream of getting back to normal!"

　　Liu Fugui patted his chest vigorously, flattered him for a while, and then hurried back to spread the news.

　　The pawnshop returned to its calm state.

　　Lu Fei then took out his ledger and recorded his gains from this transaction.

　　Catfish skins, two pieces.

　　The total number of evil objects he had collected now stood at 11.

　　The Fish Fright Stone and the inner dan of the fish demon were both used to enhance cultivation, so he didn't count them as evil objects.

　　He calculated the time; it had only been more than two months since he opened the store. At this rate, he was sure to collect a hundred evil objects within three years.

　　Having made the record, he tidied up a bit and left Hu Zi to watch the store.

　　He then took the small black dog with him, bought a lot of nutritional supplements and fruits, and went to visit Jia Banxian.

　　The matter of the coffin fungus needs to be postponed; we should at least give people a heads-up.