Under the light.
Master Yuan's face grew paler and paler.
"I only helped people duplicate a few items, didn't earn much money, but I don't have much flesh left on my body."
"I have to stop and rest for sure."
"But this basin won't let me stop at all!"
"The next day, someone came looking for me. I was thinking of refusing, but for some reason, I ended up agreeing without really thinking about it."
"Once those people left, I passed out. When I woke up, a few of my fingers were missing."
"Today, someone else came looking for me."
"When I woke up, my foot was gone too...."
Master Yuan, with trembling hands and feet, tried to keep his body as far away from the porcelain basin as possible, as if it wasn't a treasure basin, but a giant, man-eating mouth.
"Manager Lu, if this continues, I'm afraid I won't even see tomorrow's sun. Please, save me!"
In just two or three days, he had become disabled.
He was truly terrified. What if he woke up one morning and his head was gone?
No, can he still wake up without a head!
"Serves you right!" Hu Zi crossed his arms, brimming with schadenfreude, "That's for tricking people! This is your comeuppance!"
"Does this even count as tricking someone?" Master Yuan grimaced, "I really did turn out treasures for people! It was supposed to be a good thing, we would all get rich. Who could have thought that this treasure basin was an evil object?"
"You didn't think, if it were such a good thing, why would it fall into the hands of a despicable old swindler like you?" Hu Zi rolled his eyes.
"I, I haven't done anything that goes against heaven and reason, do I deserve this?"
Master Yuan had a sullen face, almost kneeling before Lu Fei.
"Manager Lu, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda! I will never dare to deceive anyone again, I will reform myself and start anew! Save me..."
His body brushed against the table, the black cloth scattered, revealing the white porcelain basin.
Lu Fei's eyebrows twitched.
Compared to two days ago, the porcelain basin had actually grown a size larger!
The porcelain is more translucent and delicate, with a very unique milky white surface that reflects an odd luster under the light.
The yin energy in the basin is even stronger, forming a black stream of air swirling in the center.
Of course, these are invisible to others.
"This basin looks a bit like..."
Lu Fei put on his gloves and picked up the small porcelain basin for a closer look. He couldn't help but notice that the porcelain basin was lighter than he imagined, feeling particularly cool and smooth in his hand.
Next.
He held the porcelain basin up to the light and found that it indeed had a faint translucency.
Finally, he placed the porcelain basin flat in his hand, gently flicked his finger against it, and the basin emitted a clear, ringing sound.
"It really is!"
Lu Fei confirmed his guess.
Throughout the entire process of his appraisal, Master Yuan ceased his pleading, staring at him without blinking, not even daring to breathe for fear of disturbing him.
Only after seeing Lu Fei finish the authentication did he dare to cautiously ask, "Boss Lu, what exactly is this ceramic basin?"
"Bone china!"
Lu Fei placed the ceramic basin back on the coffee table; the object was too cold, emitting a chilling air.
The fine, creamy-white texture and the crisp sound were all characteristics of bone china.
"What?"
Master Yuan was confused; he actually didn't know much, but he was especially good at boasting.
"It's porcelain made by adding bone ash powder!" Lu Fei said irritably.
"Bone ash powder?!"
Master Yuan's eyes widened in horror, his lips trembling, "N-not human bone ash, right?"
"What do you think?"
Lu Fei gave him a sidelong glance.
Can the ashes of an animal have such heavy Yin energy?
Master Yuan was sweating profusely, and his voice had changed. "Then, then why can it turn into exactly the same gold and silver treasures?"
"Do you think those transformed gold and silver are real? It's just an illusion created by the evil object!" Lu Fei snorted coldly. "I predict that in a few days, all those things will revert to their original form!"
"Ah?"
Master Yuan slumped to the ground in despair.
The last trace of hope in his heart disappeared completely.
He thought he had incredible luck and had encountered such a miraculous treasure, but it turned out to be an evil object that preys on people. What rotten luck!
"Manager Lu, save me! If it can eat my flesh, it can go and eat others. This thing is a menace! You, as the manager of Sinisterium Pawnshop, with your great skills, you must be able to subdue it, right?"
"I will take it, but I have a condition," Lu Fei said indifferently.
"Go on, go on!"
Master Yuan nodded eagerly.
"You must hold this basin and sleep with it for one night..."
Before Lu Fei could finish, Master Yuan's face changed dramatically, and he waved his hands in fear.
"Ah! Wouldn't I be as good as dead... No, no, Shopkeeper Lu..."
"Any evil object can only be dealt with by understanding its origin and characteristics. If you can't even do this, you might as well prepare for the afterlife." Lu Fei got up and was about to return to his room to sleep.
He had only just taken a proper look at the bone china once; he wasn't a god, able to understand everything about the evil object from a single glance.
"No! Please, Shopkeeper Lu!"
Master Yuan grew anxious; he was already out of options. He had inquired with others, and they all told him that only Sinisterium Pawnshop could handle such an evil object.
"I'll do it, I'll follow your instructions, okay!"
Saying this, he embraced the white porcelain basin as if he were a brave warrior going to his death.
"I'll sleep right away..."
"Don't sleep here! Go to your place!" Lu Fei waved his hand in disdain.
If anything were to happen, wouldn't it sully the reputation of Sinisterium Pawnshop?
"Alright! Alright! I'll do as Shopkeeper Lu says!"
Master Yuan nodded vigorously; as long as Lu Fei was willing to help, he would do anything.
Immediately.
Lu Fei quickly packed up and, along with Hu Zi and a drowsy Xiao Hei, headed for Master Yuan's place.
Calling it a home was a stretch—it was just a small storefront rented in a city village.
There's not even a sign on the door.
The roller shutter was pulled up, and on the wall were the characters for 'Sage Hall' in large letters.
Below it, there were words like 'Fortune Telling, Divination, Feng Shui, etc.'
"Manager Lu, please come in. The outside is my office, and the inside is the living quarters," said Master Yuan, limping as he led the two people into the inner room.
"You call this an office?" Hu Zi shook his head in disbelief.
Master Yuan just laughed awkwardly. The inner room was very narrow, with only a single bed and a cabinet, leaving only a small passageway.
"Hurry up and get in bed. If you don't sleep now, it'll be daylight soon."
Lu Fei waved his hand.
"Alright, alright."
Master Yuan, holding a porcelain basin, lay down on the bed unsteadily, looking at Lu Fei with unease.
"Manager Lu, you must absolutely..."
"What's all the fuss about!" Hu Zi glared at him, and he immediately shut up, anxiously closing his eyes.
Though his eyes were closed, his body could not help but tremble.
His heart was in a tumult.
Holding the cold white porcelain basin in his arms, he felt uncomfortable all over, with his mind filled with all sorts of terrifying speculations.
He had thought he wouldn't be able to sleep until dawn, but unexpectedly, he only had to close his eyes for a moment before feeling his head grow heavy and losing consciousness...
In a daze.
He felt as if he was standing in a vast, gray expanse.
It was unbearably hot all around, and his body burned with a fiery pain.
Amidst the swirling mist, dark shadows seemed to drift by, biting into his body like famished wolves.