Chapter 222: Kowtowing Apology

　　"You must find them!"

　　They went down the mine, and Dong Shanhai watched from a distance, his bloodshot eyes filled with hope.

　　The construction site had limited facilities, and the injuries to his fingers and arms could only be treated with simple first aid; there were no painkillers, so the pain continued unabated.

　　Pain in the fingertips is felt in the heart.

　　The pain left him completely drained of energy, but he dared not fall asleep.

　　He wanted to make a cup of tea to refresh himself, but his hands couldn't even hold a teacup. Every time his fingers touched anything, he would grimace in pain.

　　In all his years, he had never suffered such torment.

　　He was deeply regretful.

　　If he had been more polite to Lu Feike from the beginning, everything would have been fine, wouldn't it?

　　Dong Shanhai secretly glanced at Lu Fei.

　　Lu Fei was sitting on a chair, holding a small black dog and resting with his eyes closed.

　　The morning light fell on his well-defined profile, and although his expression was calm, it exuded a stern aura.

　　Dong Shanhai sighed, turned his head, and stared longingly at the mine not far away.

　　One hour.

　　Two hours.

　　Dong Shanhai felt like he could hardly hold on any longer when Hu Guidong and the other two finally returned, covered in dirt.

　　The bodyguard was carrying a bamboo basket that looked heavy, filled with quite a few things.

　　"Little Hu, how was it? Did you find it?"

　　Dong Shanhai quickly walked forward, his legs weak and sore.

　　"Found some, not sure if they count." The bodyguard placed the basket on the ground and lifted a corner of the white cloth covering it.

　　Dong Shanhai took a look inside.

　　There were all sorts of sizes, all resembling human-shaped stones.

　　"Manager Lu, are these the ones?" he asked Lu Fei nervously.

　　Lu Fei, holding the small black dog, walked over slowly. After taking a look, he said, "So much time has passed; the bones have long since rotted and turned to stone. Let's try them out."

　　Hu Guide wiped his sweat and said, "We brought out everything that looked like a human figure. It's better to have extras than to miss any."

　　Dong Shanhai was moved and gratefully said, "Brother, you've worked hard."

　　"Since Brother Dong also calls me brother, no need for formalities," Hu Guide laughed, "Manager Lu, how should we bury these?"

　　"Find a place with good feng shui, preferably far from here. Bring plenty of offerings and burn lots of joss paper. The sincerity must be genuine."

　　"Understood, I'll handle it!"

　　Hu Guidong immediately loaded the remains onto the vehicle.

　　"Wait."

　　Lu Fei stopped him and pointed at Dong Shanhai.

　　"Boss Dong, you should go along wearing the peace amulet from Huangjia Village, and bow your head to apologize to the remains. It would increase the success rate a bit more."

　　"I should bow my head and apologize?" Dong Shanhai was taken aback.

　　"Is there a problem?"

　　Lu Fei smiled at him.

　　"No problem, no problem! It's only right!" Dong Shanhai nodded hastily.

　　"Alright, I'll go make the arrangements first. When I find a suitable place, I'll come back to pick you up."

　　Hu Guidong worked tirelessly, and finally found a suitable burial ground before dark.

　　The remains were placed in a coffin, with a set of burial clothes put on top, and then buried according to the proper procedures.

　　Many offerings were placed in front of the grave.

　　Incense was lit and paper money was burned.

　　Dong Shanhai, with two huge dark circles under his eyes, knelt down and kowtowed three times towards the grave with great sincerity.

　　"I'm so sorry, young lady! We didn't know about your situation before. So, we found you a new, more auspicious burial site."

　　"I am apologizing to you by kowtowing, please have mercy on us. There's always someone responsible for a wrong. This was not our doing..."

　　After kowtowing,

　　the amulet slipped out from his clothing and fell into the fire, burning up quickly.

　　Lu Fei also lit a stick of incense.

　　"Rest in peace."

　　wisps of smoke rose, and the incense candles burned steadily.

　　"It's done." Lu Fei said with a relaxed smile.

　　"What's done? This matter is resolved?" Dong Shanhai asked, hardly daring to believe it.

　　"That's right, it's resolved."

　　Receiving Lu Fei's affirmation, Dong Shanhai's weary face twitched, as if he wanted to laugh, but then his eyes closed, and he fell backwards stiffly.

　　"Brother Dong, Brother Dong! What's wrong with you?"

　　Hu Guidong and the bodyguards hurriedly caught him, their faces full of concern.

　　"Manager Lu, what's happening with him..."

　　Before they could finish asking, they heard Dong Shanhai's thunderous snoring.

　　Having not slept for a day and a night, he simply couldn't hold on any longer.

　　Hu Guidong could not help but smile.

　　Then, he received a call from the hospital.

　　"They woke up! All of the dozen workers have woken up. Manager Lu, you are truly amazing!" He was incredibly excited and full of admiration for Lu Fei.

　　On the way back, Lu Fei had Hu Zi drive, as Hu Guidong had been busy for a day and a night and needed to rest.

　　When they returned to the mine, it was already dark.

　　Everyone was short on sleep, so they just munched on some dry rations and then went to rest.

　　The night passed without incident.

　　When Lu Fei woke up the next day, it was already noon.

　　Dong Shanhai was still sleeping, clutching that piece of blood jade even as he slept.

　　Though the blood jade no longer harbored any resentment and could no longer project the image of a beauty, its rare color and texture still made it a top-quality jade.

　　Hu Guidong got up early and prepared breakfast for everyone.

　　"Brother Hu, the matter has been resolved. We won't stay any longer and will head back to Jiang City today."

　　"The conditions in the mountains are poor, so I won't keep you. Let the driver take you back first. Once we handle things here, we'll catch the person who spread the rumors right away at Sinisterium Pawnshop."

　　After the meal, Lu Fei and Hu Zi got into the car.

　　The car drove out of the mountains, circling around and around.

　　After a non-stop journey, they finally returned to Jiang City.

　　Lu Fei and Hu Zi took a refreshing shower, had a good sleep, and then went out for a hearty meal.

　　Well-fed and refreshed, their spirits were restored.

　　Lu Fei then called Liu Fugui.

　　"Old Liu, how's the investigation going?"

　　"Brother Xiao Lu, you're back? I've figured out what's going on with that couple. I'll be right over."

　　Liu Fugui didn't waste any time and headed straight for Sinisterium Pawnshop after hanging up the phone.

　　When he came in, Lu Fei had already prepared the tea.

　　"Old Liu, sit down and take your time to tell me."

　　Liu Fugui took a few deep breaths, too rushed to drink the tea, and said, "Actually, that couple had no ill intentions. The rumors weren't spread by them. They wanted to buy the immortal skin but were afraid of being scammed, so they were just observing from outside the door."

　　"Go on."

　　"The culprit is that internet celebrity, Bing Bing! She told the couple that Sinisterium Pawnshop is a dodgy place and advised them not to buy anything here."

　　Liu Fugui was grinding his teeth in anger.

　　"I had someone look into it, and she's the one who spread the rumors about us online."

　　"That internet celebrity is really a piece of work! She couldn't buy what she wanted, so she ruined our reputation! But I didn't tip her off; I was waiting for you to handle it!"

　　Lu Fei slightly nodded, sipping his tea with a very calm expression, and said, "Anything else?"

　　"Anything else?" Liu Fugui scratched his head. "Oh, that couple said they also met a woman who also spoke ill of our Sinisterium Pawnshop... It should be Sister Feng."

　　"Just the two of them? Do they have that much influence? The rumors have spread beyond Jiangcheng." Lu Fei narrowed his eyes.

　　Liu Fugui was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Who else could it be?"