Chapter 217: Man Nourishes Jade

　　Lu Fei glanced at Dong Shanhai before picking up the red cloth and unwrapping it layer by layer.

　　An egg-shaped piece of jade was revealed.

　　It was a striking red, resembling coagulated blood.

　　The front of the jade had some natural patterns, which indeed resembled a woman's face when put together.

　　Even through his gloves, Lu Fei could feel the cold and smooth texture, as if he were really touching the soft, smooth skin of a woman's face.

　　"Manager Lu, Master Ma said that if you shine a light on this jade, you can see the face of a beautiful woman. I've tried it many times, but I can't see anything. Can you figure out what's going on?" Dong Shanhai puffed out a cloud of smoke and said.

　　"Just a moment."

　　Lu Fei took the blood jade and looked at it for a while, then suddenly stood up and walked outside with the blood jade in hand.

　　"Where are you going?"

　　Dong Shanhai had been watching Lu Fei closely, and when he suddenly went out, he immediately became tense. He hastily ordered his bodyguards to follow, and he also got up.

　　Huzi quickly blocked the bodyguards, not allowing them to approach his boss.

　　The small black dog lay at Lu Fei's feet, its back arched, and it watched warily with a fierce expression in its eyes.

　　"Brother Dong, Manager Lu is just finding a better place to examine it. It must be too dark in this room," Hu Guidong hurriedly intervened.

　　Dong Shanhai quickly came out.

　　He saw Lu Fei standing outside, placing the blood jade in the sunlight.

　　The red light refracted on the ground, projecting the face of a beautiful woman.

　　Although it was a shadow, it was very clear. The eyes were filled with affection, enchanting anyone who saw them.

　　"Beautiful face! It's this beautiful face!"

　　Dong Shanhai widened his eyes excitedly.

　　"I said I couldn't see the beautiful face on the blood jade, so it turns out you have to look at the shadow. Impressive, Manager Lu, you have a keen eye!"

　　"Now I can rest assured. Such a miraculous jade is surely priceless!"

　　"Manager Lu has sharp eyes, of course there's no problem!" Hu Guidong breathed a small sigh of relief, "But, Brother Dong, we didn't just invite Manager Lu for the appraisal. The most important thing is to find out if there's anything wrong with the jade, and whether it could harm someone."

　　"Yes, yes, yes, Manager Lu, take another look. Is there any connection between the workers not waking up and this jade?" Dong Shanhai held the blood jade like a precious treasure and asked with satisfaction.

　　Lu Fei squinted at the blood jade for a while, then withdrew his gaze and returned it to Dong Shanhai.

　　"This jade, is alive."

　　"Living jade?" Dong Shanhai was taken aback for a moment, then he grinned excitedly: "Living jade is great! Living jade is more valuable!"

　　"That's not what I meant." Lu Fei shook his head.

　　Jade is divided into dead jade and living jade.

　　Dead jade refers to jade that has undergone long periods of natural oxidation and petrification, making its texture very stable, with almost no transparency at all. 

　　It remains the same after being unearthed—it has poor water content, lacks luster, and no matter how much it is handled, it cannot be brought to life.

　　On the other hand, living jade retains its natural luster and transparency and becomes increasingly smooth and oily through the wearer's nourishment.

　　It is said that these jades contain trace elements that, when worn for a long time, can promote mental and physical health.

　　The saying "People nurture jade, and jade nurtures people" refers to this kind of living jade. Some living jade, when worn for a long time, can even develop a spirit and help its owner ward off disasters and difficulties.

　　But Lu Fei clearly did not mean that.

　　"What I mean is, this blood jade is a living thing. If you look closely in the sunlight, you can see the blood inside is moving," Lu Fei explained.

　　"A living thing?" Dong Shanhai's hand trembled slightly, he picked up the blood jade and, imitating Lu Fei, scrutinized it in the sunlight for a long while, frowning: "I can't figure it out?"

　　Hu Guidong also glanced over and showed a hint of confusion.

　　Such subtle changes could only be detected by someone with enhanced senses like Lu Fei, so it was natural that they couldn't see it.

　　Lu Fei didn't bother to explain but said, "This piece of jade is different from ordinary stones. It was probably formed by coagulated blood, and specifically, a woman's blood, which carries a heavy grudge. Wearing it will not only bring no benefits but will also attract misfortune."

　　"So, you mean the workers who couldn't wake up were affected by this jade?" Dong Shanhai was half-convinced and half-doubtful.

　　Lu Fei thought for a moment and said, "This jade cannot nurture anyone; rather, it needs to be nurtured by people. The workers who fell into a deep sleep must have come into contact with it, right?"

　　"What do you mean by 'contact'?"

　　"Direct skin contact, like touching it with their hands."

　　"Master Ma definitely touched it, and the other workers went to see what was happening at the time. I'm not sure if they all touched it, but they are all in bed now, and I can't ask them..."

　　Dong Shanhai's face changed. Wasn't he touching the blood jade right now?

　　But then, he quickly steadied himself and said suspiciously, "That's not right. I touch this jade every day, so why am I fine?"

　　Lu Fei glanced at him and gave a slight smile, saying, "Boss Dong must be wearing something to ward off evil and protect himself. That item has been shielding you from misfortune, but it looks like it won't last much longer."

　　"Do you mean this? I had a high-ranking monk at the temple bless it for me..." Dong Shanhai pulled out a jade Guanyin pendant from under his collar.

　　"Brother Dong, your Guanyin..." Hu Guidong pointed at the pendant in shock.

　　"What's wrong?" He looked down and was instantly startled.

　　There were many new cracks on the jade Guanyin, as if it could shatter at any moment.

　　"How did it get like this?"

　　He stared blankly at the jade Guanyin and, realizing what had happened, felt the priceless blood jade in his hand turn into a hot potato.

　　He hurriedly wrapped the blood jade in a red cloth and stuffed it into his leather bag.

　　Standing nearby, Hu Guidong felt immensely relieved. Thanks to Dong Shanhai's great attachment to this jade, no one else had touched it since he took it over. If he had ever touched the jade, he would have certainly ended up in the same state.

　　"Manager Lu, can the resentment in this jade be removed?" Dong Shanhai wiped the sweat from his forehead, and his gaze towards Lu Fei became much friendlier.

　　"Boss Dong, you know the rules of Sinisterium Pawnshop, right?" Lu Fei said calmly.

　　"What rules?"

　　Huzi said loudly, "If you want our manager to solve the problem, you must pawn the cursed object to Sinisterium Pawnshop!"

　　"This..." Dong Shanhai hesitated.

　　Even if the blood jade was inauspicious, it was still a rare treasure. How could he bear to just pawn it to Lu Fei?

　　"Brother Dong, I know the rules of Sinisterium Pawnshop; there are dead pawns and live pawns," Hu Guide explained, "We'll choose a live pawn, so we can redeem the blood jade at any time."

　　"Alright, alright, then let's go with a live pawn." Dong Shanhai understood and nodded eagerly, smiling, "Manager Lu, how much do you ask?"

　　"When it comes to money, I'm afraid Boss Dong can't afford the price," Lu Fei said lightly.

　　"Oh, yes, yes, as long as you solve the problem with the blood jade, I will immediately tell you the source of the rumors."

　　"Not enough."

　　Dong Shanhai frowned: "Manager Lu, what exactly do you want? Just say it outright."

　　"After this matter is settled, I hope that Mr. Dong will personally send the person who spread the rumors to Sinisterium Pawnshop and publicly clarify and apologize."

　　Lu Fei showed a smile.

　　"Manager Lu, you're not giving me, Dong, any face!"

　　Dong Shanhai's face fell.

　　He was, after all, a big boss. Many people had to watch his expressions. Asking him to publicly apologize would be a huge blow to his pride.