Chapter 218: Correcting the Attitude

　　"Face or the blood jade, it's up to Boss Dong to decide. However, the blood jade might not wait for you."

　　Lu Fei gave a faint smile, picked up the little black dog, and turned to leave with Hu Zi.

　　Dong Shanhai is not a trustworthy person. Solving the problem for him so easily is just too lenient on him!

　　We must make him show some sincerity!

　　"Manager Lu, Manager Lu, don't rush off." Hu Guidong hurried forward to retain him, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it! I will definitely find out who spread the rumors."

　　"Brother Hu, you didn't believe or spread the rumors, so there's no need for you to apologize," Lu Fei said.

　　"Manager Lu, what do you mean? Are you deliberately making things difficult for me?" Dong Shanhai's face looked very displeased, "The blood jade is related to the profit and loss of my entire mine. Is it wrong for me to be cautious?"

　　"Being cautious is fine, but our Sinisterium Pawnshop's reputation has been damaged, and we need an explanation, which is reasonable, right?"

　　Lu Fei didn't say any more to him and got into the car directly.

　　"Brother Dong, look at this..." Hu Guidong was drenched in sweat with anxiety, "The mine has been shut down for so long, and so many workers are still in the hospital. If they don't wake up, how can we bear such a huge responsibility?"

　　Dong Shanhai's face was tense, his eyes darting around. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, his expression relaxed and he put on a smile.

　　He walked up to the car door and politely clasped his hands at Lu Fei.

　　"Manager Lu, I, Dong, did not treat you well before, and I have offended you! I apologize to you here, Manager Lu!"

　　"As long as Manager Lu can solve the Blood Jade problem, I will agree to any terms!"

　　"Isn't it just a public apology? No problem!"

　　Dong Shanhai seemed to be going all in, slapping his chest forcefully.

　　Hu Guidong also chimed in, "Manager Lu, even if you don't help, I will still take care of this matter for you! But please do us a favor. After all, there are over a dozen workers in the hospital, and if something happens to them, we won't be able to explain it to their families."

　　Tiger whispered to Lu Fei, "Boss, I feel like this guy is not genuinely apologizing. Do you think he has some trick up his sleeve?"

　　"It's fine. If he tries anything, he'll be the one out of luck. We've come all this way; we can't return empty-handed."

　　Lu Fei hadn't had any new evil objects for quite some time, so naturally, he couldn't let this opportunity slip by.

　　Now that Dong Shanhai had adjusted his attitude, he could give his nod.

　　"Brother Hu is right. We can't stand by and watch while people suffer."

　　Dong Shanhai happily invited Lu Fei back to his office and personally made tea for him.

　　"Master Lu, how exactly can the grudge of this blood jade be removed?"

　　"To subdue an evil object, one must first understand its origin and characteristics before one can apply the appropriate remedy."

　　Currently, it is only known that those who have come into contact with the blood jade fall into a deep sleep, but it is still unclear exactly how the blood jade exerts its malevolent influence.

　　"Didn't an old miner say that the blood jade was the treasure of the mountain god?" Lu Fei thought for a moment, feeling that he could start from here.

　　"Old Huang is a local. I'll call him right away," said Dong Shanhai, making a phone call to have a bodyguard fetch him.

　　They waited for more than half an hour.

　　The bodyguard returned with a gaunt old man.

　　This old man had dark, rough skin, calloused fingers, and was covered in dust, clearly someone who had done hard labor for a long time.

　　"Old Huang, quickly tell Master Lu about the mountain god's treasure!" urged Dong Shanhai.

　　Old Huang shrank back, his eyes filled with fear, and said, "We must not speak recklessly. The Mountain God will be angry if he hears us."

　　Hu Guidong poured him a glass of water and said, "Old Huang, don't be afraid. This Mr. Lu is a highly skilled individual. He can help us solve the problem."

　　"A highly skilled individual so young?" Old Huang looked at Lu Fei in surprise and shook his head. "I've already said it. We need to return the Jade Beauty and apologize to the Mountain God. Only then will there be a turning point."

　　"Easier said than done! If we return the jade, who's going to pay our wages without money?" Dong Shanhai smacked the table and glared. "How long have you all been on hold? Don't you want to work anymore?"

　　"If we don't want to work, then we won't! It was never auspicious to dig on the Mountain God's territory," Old Huang blurted out. "You are courting your own death! I still want to live!"

　　"Old Huang, have a cigarette and calm down!"

　　Hu Guidong gestured for Dong Shanhai to be quiet and pulled Old Huang to one side, trying to persuade him earnestly.

　　"Think about it. If the construction site really stops, where will the money come from to pay your wages? What about those workers in the hospital? They are the pillars of their families, supporting both the elderly and the young..."

　　"Sigh, Xiao Hu, stop. I understand..." Old Huang sighed and gave a bitter smile, looking at Lu Fei. "I'll say it, but young man, if you can't solve it, don't force it. Returning the Jade Beauty might give us a chance, but don't risk your life."

　　"Thank you for your reminder, Elder. Rest assured, I know my limits. You can tell me anything you know." Lu Fei smiled and nodded.

　　Old Huang felt that this young man was quite decent, rather amiable. He took a puff of his cigarette and began to recount the local legend of the mountain god.

　　"Our mountain village is different from the cities outside; the conditions are tough, and there isn't much food produced here throughout the year. To support their families, people used to go into the mountains to find food."

　　"But when too many people went into the mountains and took too much, the mountain god would get angry and cause thunderstorms and landslides, blocking the roads."

　　"At its worst, the floods could even reach the village."

　　"To prevent the mountain god from getting angry, everyone came up with a way to pay homage to the mountain god by sending the most beautiful girl in the village to him."

　　"The original place for the offerings was roughly where this ore deposit is now."

　　"This whole area is the mountain god's territory. Digging for a bit of jade is fine, but taking something as rare as the Jade Beauty will surely anger the mountain god."

　　After Old Huang finished speaking, Lu Fei frowned.

　　Isn't this just a form of human sacrifice?

　　In ancient times, this kind of sacrificial practice was not uncommon, such as sacrificing to the river god."

　　This cruel custom is usually formed due to ignorance and lack of knowledge.

　　The soil here is loose, and after heavy rains, landslides are prone to occur, which is a natural disaster, but the people in the mountains interpret this as the mountain god's anger.

　　However, these are all due to the times, there's no need to criticize the old man.

　　"Old man, how was the sacrifice conducted back then?" asked Lu Fei.

　　This should be the key to the formation of blood jade.

　　Old Huang hesitated, sighed, and then said, "Such a sin! I heard from the old folks that they would dig a hole in the mountain, throw the girl in, and then seal the entrance of the hole."

　　"There was one girl who had a strong spirit. In order to escape, she dug with her hands until all ten fingers were injured and the soil was stained red with her blood, but she still couldn't get out."

　　"Chosen by the mountain god, how could she possibly escape?" Old Huang shook his head.

　　Lu Fei understood.

　　"Her blood stained the soil, and the girl was unable to escape the cave even until death. The resentment she felt must have been profound. This place is also rich in jade, so her blood coagulated within the jade, ultimately forming this piece of blood jade."

　　After hearing this, everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

　　"It really is a stroke of fate! But why does everyone who touches this jade fall into a deep sleep?"

　　"They should be trapped by this jade."

　　"Trapped? Trapped where?" Dong Shanhai was puzzled.

　　Lu Fei looked at him and smiled slightly, as if there was some deeper meaning.

　　"By tonight, Boss Dong will naturally understand."