After the item catalog was updated, there were over a dozen new items added. I didn’t look closely, as I just wanted to leave the New Shanghai High School as quickly as possible.
As for what to exchange, I’ll need to study it carefully before making a decision. I helped Xiao Feng leave the school; we supported each other, and we walked quite a distance before finally getting into a taxi. We both smelled unpleasant, with Xiao Feng wearing a blood-red wedding dress that startled the driver when we got in. I had to come up with an excuse about filming a movie to explain it away.
“Xiao Feng, how did you find your way here last night?”
“As soon as you left, I hailed a taxi and followed you. The driver seemed to know you; he was a middle-aged balding man who was very interested in paranormal live streaming.”
“That balding man? That’s quite a coincidence.”
“He even said that people in the entertainment industry like you guys need to be careful, as you might be sneaking out to meet someone secretly.”
“Uh…”
As I looked at Xiao Feng tightly hugging her arms, I didn’t know what to say. She definitely had a huge secret hidden within her, but I didn’t know how to ask about it. “Never mind, things are fine as they are.”
When we returned to the peak of happiness store at the Tingtang Road, Xiao Feng and I were shocked as soon as we got out of the car. “Whoever dared to smash my store will be damned!” Xiao Feng had left the rolling shutter door unlocked last night, and now the glass door inside was shattered, with merchandise scattered all over the floor and trampled beyond recognition.
I had planned to come back, take a shower, and get a good night’s sleep, but now my store was vandalized.
“Damn it!” I rolled up my sleeves and stormed into the store, only to see Blind Liu leaning on his cane, holding something in his hand, tinkering with it and occasionally adjusting the switches, feeling the different vibrations.
“What’s this thing for? There’s not even an instruction manual?”
“You stinky blind man! I treated you like a brother, and you went and smashed my store! This is all my hard-earned savings from years of work!” I grabbed Blind Liu by the collar, intending to give him a good lesson. However, before I knew it, he flicked his cane, and his hands flew, overpowering me and pinning me to the ground.
“Why would I bother smashing your store? I’m a dying cripple, and I don’t need to bring any more bad luck upon myself,” Blind Liu retorted.
“If not you, then who else could it be? I yelled for half an hour in your house yesterday, but you were nowhere to be found. Yet today, you came running here on your own. It’s like a weasel wishing a chicken Happy New Year!” I replied angrily.
“I alone have limited capabilities, so I went out of town to find my senior brother,” Blind Liu explained.
“Did you find him?” I asked.
“No,” he replied.
“Your uncle! You dare to speak so calmly to me without even finding him? Let go of me! I want to fight it out with you!” I yelled, ready to confront him.
Blind Liu was about to say something when he suddenly saw Xiao Feng, dressed in bridal attire, walking into the room. His face changed dramatically, and he placed his cane in front of his chest, protecting me behind him.
“What kind of evil spirit are you? How dare you show up in broad daylight?” he exclaimed.
“Who the hell do you think you are? She’s my hired waitress, so let go of her!” I managed to break free from the restraint and explained to Blind Liu about Xiao Feng’s background. After hearing it, he furrowed his brows and remained silent for a moment.
“Old man, if you didn’t vandalize my store, then who else could have done it?” I asked.
Blind Liu pinched his fingers and just when I thought he was going to resort to some divination, the old trickster pointed at the surveillance camera outside the store. “Take a look for yourself.”
We pulled up the surveillance footage, which showed a group of people arriving in a van in front of my store in the early hours of the morning, around 2-3 a.m. They carried clubs and started smashing without any hesitation. Although their license plates were covered, their faces were visible, and one of the thugs had a scorpion tattoo on his chest. After vandalizing the store, he even flicked off at the camera.
“They’re so arrogant.” I remarked. Recently, I had offended quite a few people, so I couldn’t determine their identities for sure.
Xiao Feng, who was busy tidying up inside the house, looked worried and said, “Should we call the police?”
“Call the police?” Even if they get caught, they’ll probably be out in a week or two. Such a light punishment won’t quench my thirst for revenge,” I said, feeling frustrated. “I’ll investigate this myself, regardless of who’s backing them up. Whoever dared to vandalize my store will pay for it.” I was not afraid of threats and was willing to risk everything at this point.
After finishing tidying up the store, it was already noon. Xiao Feng and I freshened up and changed into normal clothes before inviting Blind Liu to have a meal with us outside.
After a few rounds of drinks, Blind Liu remained silent. It wasn’t until he saw that Xiao Feng had passed out from being drunk that he dipped his hand in water and wrote on the table, “Have you two been intimate?”
I chuckled when I saw it. “Brother Liu, do I look like someone who can’t resist temptation? She has nowhere to go, so I temporarily took her in. We have a pure friendship.”
“She is destined to be a Red Luan, but she’s plagued by vengeful spirits. She has a dual identity—a living demon! Don’t provoke her; send her away as far as possible!” Blind Liu waved his fingers and wrote down the words one by one.
When I saw this, I didn’t think much of it. “Have you had too much to drink?” I asked.
If it wasn’t for Xiao Feng yesterday, I would have been dead already. Even if it meant risking my life, I couldn’t treat her unfairly.
“Karmic entanglements, endless cause and effect. You will sink deeper and deeper, and in the end, there are only two options,” Blind Liu stood up, and the last few words were written with wine: “Either marry her, or kill her!”
“You’re really drunk. I won’t marry her, and I won’t kill her,” I said firmly after taking a bite of food.
Blind Liu was about to write something else, but he sighed deeply when he heard my resolute tone.
“Forget it, it’s all fate, and human efforts are futile.”
He looked at me for more than ten seconds through the blindfold. “You are already seriously ill, with resentment penetrating your bone marrow. I don’t know where you went last night, but the resentment on you has multiplied several times. If you continue like this, even without her harming you, you won’t live long.”
“I understand that, but there are some places I must go.” I played games with ghosts last night and searched for corpses alone in the room where the Heaven and Earth Divine Wrath Seal was sealed. If there is no heavy Yin energy on me, that would be strange. “Old Liu, do you know how to remove Yin energy from the body?”
“Items that can remove Yin energy are rare treasures from heaven and earth, and even with money, they may not be easily obtainable. Right now, you should be more concerned about another issue,” he turned to look at Xiao Feng, “Having a heavy Yin energy will attract more negative entities to come closer, making your situation increasingly dangerous.”
“Don’t worry too much about debts or encountering negative entities. The more you see them, the less impact they have,” I replied nonchalantly.
“You’re quite optimistic,” Blind Liu was speechless with my attitude. “It’s always better to be cautious. You should consider keeping some roosters or black dogs in your shop as early warning signals. When a real danger comes, they might buy you some time.”
“Keeping roosters in the shop might not be suitable…” I hesitated.
“I’m saying this for your own good. When you can lose your own life, why worry about trivial matters?” Blind Liu finished his drink, picked up his shoulder pole, and left.
After settling the bill, I carried the drunken Xiao Feng back to the shop. Seeing her delicate and charming appearance, with rosy lips gently panting, I had no desire to sleep.
I covered her with a blanket, locked the shop door, and headed to the largest pet market in Jiangcheng.
Blind Liu was right, some animals do have the ability to ward off evil spirits. Buying one and keeping it in the shop would be a great idea for added protection when there are no customers around.
It was my first time coming to the pet market, and I was surprised to see how bustling it was.
“Buy two green iguanas or chameleons and get one free, for only 1999!”
“Feeling lonely and misunderstood? Need someone to talk to? Get a monk parrot, it’s not just a pet, but a therapist for your soul!”
“Introducing the intelligent red rose, queen of the spider world. Aren’t you tempted?”
As I looked at the shops on both sides of the street and the cages outside, I felt too embarrassed to go in and say, “Boss, I need two roosters with white feathers and red combs…”
After strolling down the street for a while, I finally came across a shop that sold pet dogs. Upon entering, I saw that they were all cute and adorable breeds that would surely win the hearts of girls.
I shook my head and was about to leave when the enthusiastic shop owner stopped me, saying, “Brother, you seem dissatisfied with my dogs based on your expression.”
“Too feminine, I want something more majestic,” I didn’t dare to tell him that I was buying a dog for warding off evil spirits.
“I understand, customers are gods. Please come inside, those dogs have fierce temperaments, and I don’t want to scare away passersbies by keeping them outside.” The owner lifted the thick curtain and led me into the backyard.
The dogs here looked fierce, but for some reason, as soon as I walked past, they immediately retreated to the back of their cages, trembling with fear, making the owner quite embarrassed.
“This shouldn’t be happening, these dogs are usually aggressive, why aren’t they even barking today?” The owner looked at me with suspicion.
I was also speechless, suspecting that it was because I had too much Yin energy on me, perhaps influenced by the divination of the old man.
Seeing that I was about to leave, the owner stopped me with a determined tone, “Wait, I still have some dogs in the shop that are top-notch in quality. But whether you buy them or not, please don’t make a fuss outside; I’m afraid of trouble.”
“Oh, are there even fiercer dogs than these?” I asked.
“Of course.” The owner took out a key and opened the innermost room.
As soon as the door opened, I smelled the strong odor of raw meat.
“Be careful not to get too close to the cages. These are all large fighting dogs, and there are also mastiffs being boarded here, all fed with raw meat. They are wild.” The owner stood by the door, gesturing for me to go in and see for myself.
I nodded, and as soon as I took a step forward, all the iron cages started rattling with the sound of chains, as if a bowl of cold water was poured into hot oil.
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