Not long after Yusuf Zuck turned off his mobile phone, he arrived at Bryce Harper’s store, where Harper and Miles O’Brien were sitting on the first floor, chatting.
Upon seeing Yusuf Zuck come in, O’Brien immediately poured him some tea, and Harper gestured for Zuck to sit down.
"Yusuf, Louise told me that you guys are going to look at Old Han’s shop today?" Harper got straight to the point.
"The Han family? I don’t know, I haven’t gone to see it yet," Zuck shook his head.
"Don’t look at it, you must not rent that shop," Harper said gravely to Zuck.
"Yeah, let’s not rent that shop for now. I’ll look for another one today; let’s switch to a different one," O’Brien said as he handed Zuck the teacup.
"Why not?" Zuck looked at the two in confusion.
"Hehe, those of us in the collecting game believe most in Feng Shui. The previous owner of that shop was Old Zhou. He died in a car accident three years ago, and Old Han mysteriously died at home in a shower accident due to a water heater electrocution a month ago. Two owners in a row have died, and moreover, that shop has always caused losses for whoever runs it. There was a Feng Shui master who said that the shop is the sinistral convergence point of the entire Ruiz Family Garden, the worst place in terms of energy. If you weren’t friends with Louise, I’d be happy to watch the spectacle. But you are friends, and I can’t watch you jump into a pit of fire."
"Is there such a belief?" Yusuf Zuck was shocked. Two consecutive owners dying like that was indeed troubling.
"So, there’s no rush to find a shop. Just let us know once you’ve picked a good one, and we’ll help you consider it!"
"Alright, thanks a lot, Uncle Bryce," Zuck nodded, acknowledging Harper’s kind intentions.
"Yeah, as long as you listen, that’s good. Also, next spring, the stone gambling fair is starting, and Old Liu and I think that you should join us. Then, we will pay for the raw stones you choose. If it turns out to be jade, depending on the color and water, we’ll evaluate the value, and it’ll be thirty percent for you, seventy for us. How about it?"
"But what if all the stones I pick out turn out to be duds? Wouldn’t you guys be losing out?" Zuck asked curiously.
"It’s a gamble on stones after all; no one can guarantee anything. But in a couple of days, when you have some time, come with me to the big warehouse," Harper said with a smile.
"Go to the warehouse? What does that mean?" Zuck didn’t understand.
"Uncle Bryce, Uncle Liu, and a few other uncles have a big warehouse. There’s a lot of raw material in stock there. Harper means that whether we can collaborate at next year’s stone gambling fair partially depends on your performance when you visit the warehouse."
"He’s testing you," O’Brien said with an amused smile.
"Oh, okay. I’ll go check it out then. It’ll be a good experience," Zuck said nonchalantly.
"Alright then, have fun. If you find any shop you’re interested in, don’t be hasty to make a deal. Come back and discuss it with me," Harper said, chuckling.
"Okay, we’re heading off," Zuck said as he took O’Brien by the hand, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
A moment later, as they passed by the junk area, O’Brien suddenly pointed to a shop diagonally opposite them that had a ’For Rent or Sale’ sign on it and said, "That’s Old Han’s shop. His children are eager to transfer it out. But no one dares to take it over in the circle. No one wants to die."
"Really?" Zuck looked at the shop, which had the sign "Curio Spot" and a large storefront with the door open and customers coming in and out.
"There are customers too," Zuck said in surprise.
"Even if there are customers, few buy anything," O’Brien said.
"Come on, let’s go in and take a look," Zuck said, wanting to see for himself what was strange about the shop.
"Let’s not go. After hearing what Uncle Harper said, it gives me the creeps," O’Brien said.
"You go ahead and browse around here. I’ll go in and see, okay? Shops also depend on the person. If you’re tough enough, you can suppress anything!" Zuck ignored O’Brien’s reluctance and quickly stepped into Curio Spot. Latest content published on Nove1Fire.net
In the shop, there were only two or three people and a young man sitting on a chair, playing with his phone.
The shop’s inventory was sparse; most compartments were empty, apparently after Old Han’s death, the Escober children took away all the valuables, leaving behind only worthless items.
Yusuf Zuck scanned the area and didn’t feel any chill of ghostly presence. Apart from the room being a bit cooler due to the lack of human warmth, everything was normal.
Standing in front of the counter, pretending to look at antiques, he also immediately released his telekinesis. Within a fifteen-meter radius, everything was laid out in his mind.
On the second floor there was a bed and a pile of various items, but nothing else; the first floor was populated with paintings and scholarly objects called the "Four Treasures of the Study," and there was nothing unusual.
There was a small storeroom under the stairs, stuffed with some tools and the like.
Nothing was different; everything was as regular as it could be.
"Hmm, what’s that?" Just as he was about to retract his telekinesis, casting an unintentional glance at the ground floor, a reflection caught his eye— a reflection carrying an incredibly sinister aura.
At the same time, under that gleam, his telekinesis shattered instantly!
Yusuf Zuck was startled into a cold sweat. Something could actually shatter his telekinesis? What kind of strange object was that?
Taking a deep breath, he looked toward the direction of that peculiar reflection.
That spot was exactly under the chair of the man fiddling with his phone.
"Damn, there really is something odd here, no wonder there’s been deaths," Yusuf mumbled to himself, shaking a little. This kind of unknown anomaly he had encountered for the first time.
Of course, he was also extremely curious about what was causing the reflection that emitted such a terrifying Sinister Aura. Could it be a ghost?
He calmed himself for two or three seconds, then once again directed his telekinesis downward from the young phone user’s feet.
One meter... Two meters... Three meters... Four meters... At nearly five meters deep, his telekinesis once again encountered the reflection, and beneath it, there was a large stone urn covered with a lid, and that reflective object was on top of the lid.
It was a piece of jade, blood-red like blood itself.
"Whew," he avoided the Blood Jade, and his telekinesis delved into the urn.
"Buzzing," his head spun, stars fleeting before his eyes, and the moment he saw what was inside the urn, Yusuf nearly screamed.
"Yusuf..." At that moment, Miles O’Brien, worried about Yusuf, had also mustered the courage to come inside.
"Ah, Miss Zheng has arrived!" The young man, engrossed in his phone until then, immediately stood up with a smile when he saw Miles O’Brien entering. Clearly, he had met Miles before, considering Miles had visited to view the place the day before.
"Miss Zheng, how is it going? What did your boss say?" the young man asked anxiously.
"My boss is right here," Miles O’Brien pointed to Yusuf as she spoke.
"Oh, the honored guest has already graced us with his presence! Please, take a seat!" the young man said enthusiastically.
"No need to sit. I’ll take the shop, but how about you give me a discount on the rent?" said Yusuf, his eyes sharp with resolve. "I’ve heard that the last two owners of this shop died tragically. I’m risking my life here, so you ought to give me a discount, right?"
"What? Yusuf, you..." Miles O’Brien was stunned and momentarily lost for words upon hearing that Yusuf still wanted to rent the shop.
"Fine, Mr. Zuck is it? Since you’ve named your price, I can’t refuse you. Let’s do this: a three-year lease with an annual rent of nine hundred thousand, making it a total of two million seven hundred thousand. That’s the lowest I can go."
"Deal. Louise, draft the contract with him, and we’ll go to the bank to make the payment afterward," Yusuf said decisively.
PS: Let’s go, let’s go, push for the monthly tickets!