Otherworldly Merchant

Yin Xinyue hurriedly explained, “Director Wang, please don’t get mad, but listen to Brother Zhang. He’s a man with skills. Remember the human bone necklace? Actually, that human bone necklace was found by him.” 

Later on, I learned that the man’s name was Wang Shaocong, the General Director of an advertising company. 

Obviously, Wang Shaocong knew about the human bone necklace. After listening to Yin Xinyue, he was surprised and started studying me. His attitude became much friendlier. “So, sir, can you tell me the details? How did my girlfriend get involved with this foul thing?” 

I nodded, signaling for Wang Shaocong to take a seat. Then, I asked him, “There’s a golden necklace your girlfriend doesn’t want to take off, right? Even when she takes a bath or sleeps, she’ll put it next to the mirror by her side. I wonder, does she let you use the mirror whenever she puts the necklace there? I’m guessing she doesn’t.” 

The corner of Wang Shaocong’s mouth slightly twitched. Apparently, what I’d said was all true!

After thinking it over for a while, Wang Shaocong was still perplexed. “But, how does that relate to the foul things that follow her?” 

Li Mazi said, “You can’t even guess it? Okay, let me tell you honestly. When she puts the necklace next to the mirror, the spirit from the necklace will go to the mirror and show itself. Your girlfriend’s afraid that it could scare you.” 

“There’s a spirit dwelling inside that golden necklace?!” Wang Shaocong screamed. “It… How could that be? It’s just an ordinary golden necklace.” 

"No,” I said. “Why would Qingqing care about an ordinary necklace that much? That golden necklace has a magic power that can enchant people. It’s like a drug, so you’d better solve this early. Otherwise, you’ll have to bear the consequences.” 

Wang Shaocong looked pensive. Then, he nodded as he somewhat believed me.

No matter what, everything that was happening was really strange.

“Brother, can you name a price?” Wang Shaocong handed me a cigarette. “As long as Qingqing can recover her normal self, I’m willing to pay any price.” 

Li Mazi looked somewhat irritated. “Director Wang, I say, why are you so infatuated with that woman? With your credentials, the girls chasing after you could form a battalion.” 

Wang Shaocong did not sound too confident as he said that they were each other’s true love. 

Later, Yin Xinyue told me that Wang Shaocong’s so-called ‘true love’ meant that Qingqing’s father had a few assets worth several hundred million renminbi.

Then, I told Wang Shaocong, “If we want to deal with the evil spirit inside the golden necklace, we must first know that spirit’s origin. And, if we want to know its origin, we have to make direct contact with the golden necklace.” 

Wang Shaocong drew two cigarettes as he nodded. “Okay, I’ll swap her golden necklace tonight. Then, you can have time to study it.” 

I agreed. 

After setting up the plan, everybody stayed and waited at my shop. 

At the same time, Qingqing asked Wang Shaocong to go shopping. However, Wang Shaocong rejected her, and Qingqing’s jealousy arose. She scolded him on the phone, asking what was more important in his heart; her or work? 

Wang Shaocong awkwardly hung up the phone, then begged me to expel that evil spirit. 

The sky darkened fast. I asked Wang Shaocong to go to Qingqing and apologize to her. Tonight, he must try his best to stay with Qingqing and distract her from realizing that her golden necklace is stolen.

Wang Shaocong nodded. “Don’t worry, it’s no problem for me to be entangled with a woman.” 

After Wang Shaocong had left, we stayed and waited for his call. Not long after, he called us and asked us to hurry over to Qingqing’s to watch.

It would be easy to spot us if we went in a big group. Thus, I let Li Mazi and Yin Xinyue wait in the shop. I left with a bag of human ash joss sticks, and drove to Qingqing’s apartment. 

I found a remote, dark corner, and waited there. Not long afterward, Wang Shaocong’s Mercedes-Benz pulled to a halt in front of the building. Wang Shaocong held Qingqing’s hand as he walked to her apartment. 

On the way, Wang Shaocong bumped into a friend of his and stopped to chat for a moment. However, Qingqing acted like a freak. She started quarreling, accusing Wang Shaocong of having an ambiguous relationship with the other woman. Wang Shaocong was so embarrassed. 

I was a bit worried. If they couldn’t ‘stay together’ tonight, everything we’d prepared this morning would’ve been done in vain. 

However, I’d underestimated Wang Shaocong’s skills when it came to taming women. He only needed to say a few words, and Qingqing immediately relaxed. I exhaled in relief. 

After Wang Shaocong and Qingqing had entered her apartment, I came closer to watch by her door. 

They exchanged sweet words for a while before Qingqing went to take a bath. Seizing the time she was in the bathroom, Wang Shaocong swapped the golden necklace. Hurriedly, he opened the door and threw me the necklace, asking me to leave quickly. 

I caught the necklace, hurriedly getting in my car. Burning the bone ash joss sticks, I placed the golden necklace next to the sticks, stepped on the throttle, and started driving to my shop. 

I drove as fast as lightning since I was worried that the golden necklace could affect me. To prevent any possible mistakes, I chose the long way around, avoiding routes packed with traffic or people. 

I sometimes checked the rear-view mirror to see the bone ash joss ticks behind me. Since the smoke looked normal, I thought that there wouldn’t be something out of my expectations. 

However, when I looked back at the road, a shadow was standing in front of my car. I didn’t know when or how it had appeared. 

Frightened, I stepped on the brake and turned the wheel immediately. However, it was too late. My car hit the shadow. 

I took a deep breath, then stopped the car. However, as soon as I halted, someone hit the back of my car. I turned around and found that an Audi had just hit me. 

The Audi’s driver got out and started to scream at me, demanding to know why I’d braked all of a sudden. I didn’t have time to mind the Audi’s driver. The most urgent issue now was to check if I’d hit someone. 

However, when I got out of the car, I didn’t see anybody that I might’ve hit. There wasn’t a scratch on my car, either! 

What bad luck! I hurried to get in the car to go home. 

However, the driver of the Audi that had bumped into the back of my car was still pestering me. Right at this moment, Yin Xinyue called me and asked, “How’s it going?” 

I told her that an Audi had just kissed my car. Yin Xinyue told me not to worry because she knew the Chief of the Traffic Police team and would give her a call. 

After the Audi’s driver, who was screaming and cursing arrogantly, received a mysterious call, he didn’t even dare to utter a word. So, I quickly seized the opportunity to leave.

I was anxious as I knew that the shadow was a trick caused by the golden necklace! Immediately, I checked on it and I could see a vague human head floating above the golden necklace. 

It was the face of a man with a thick beard covering almost all of his face. He was staring at me with red eyes. I was terrified and promptly blinked to check that what I was seeing was real. The human head was gone and the golden necklace was still laying on the back seat. The human ash joss sticks were extinguished… 

Not good!

I cursed under my breath and lit the rest of the ash joss sticks I’d brought. 

To help the resentment-like energy in the ash joss sticks maximize their subduing effect on the golden necklace, I didn’t even open the windows. Smoke hovered in my car, making me dizzy. 

It was really hard to get to the antique shop in such a condition. As soon as I got out of the car, I began to retch, so Yin Xinyue and Li Mazi hurried to support me. I asked Li Mazi to fetch the golden necklace. I needed to examine it carefully!

This golden necklace, at first glance, wasn't made of pure gold. It wasn’t shiny enough. When I touched it, the surface was a little rough as it wasn't a delicately made accessory. The necklace had many black dots with red tints. 

Li Mazi said, “Isn’t it made of artificial gold? And, it looks like this because the old artificial gold has faded.”  

I shook my head as I thought that wasn’t the cause. 

I was sure that the red tint was the root cause of this evil necklace. 

I lit an alcohol burner and kept the part of the necklace with red tint above the flame. Soon, the yellow flame burned and charred the golden necklace. The heat followed the necklace and burned my hand. I couldn’t do anything else but put on a glove and continue to burn it. 

At this moment, faint sounds arose from inside the golden necklace. 

Immediately, I tried to listen carefully. I heard a crackling noise as if someone had splashed water into a wok of boiling oil. 

What’s going on here? I suddenly felt strange.

“Oh crap, it’s bleeding!” While I was trying to listen attentively, Li Mazi suddenly screamed. I was surprised and instantly checked the necklace.  

A drop of blood was seeping out of the area I was burning the golden necklace!

Under the yellow flame, the blood was clearly visible. It was singed and cracked, but it seemed to be becoming one with the golden necklace. No matter how high the flame burned, the drop of blood clung to the necklace and didn’t fall. 

“Li Mazi, turn the flame higher!” I immediately asked Li Mazi.