Chapitre 107: Chapter 107 The Haunting of the Infant Spirit
"Manager Lu, why aren't you eating?" Chen Jinfah asked in confusion.
"Brother Fa, Old Liu, I'm afraid we can't eat this Moon-watching eel," Lu Fei said seriously.
Everyone's chopsticks paused in mid-air.
Liu Fugui had already taken a couple of bites, and upon hearing this, he suddenly felt an ominous premonition: "Young Manager Lu, why can't we eat it? Is there something wrong with the eel?"
In the private room, several pairs of eyes stared intently at Lu Fei.
"I've heard of a type of Moon-watching eel that grows up by feeding on the rotting carcasses of cats and dogs. It's the same size as this eel, particularly large," Lu Fei said slowly.
"In ancient times, there was a saying that even the poorest wouldn't eat the Moon-watching eel because it feeds on these rotting corpses and has a highly toxic substance in its body. Eating it can cause health problems, and in severe cases, even death."
"What?" Liu Fugui's face immediately changed, and his chopsticks trembled, "I've already swallowed some, am I going to die?"
"You won't die! Brother Fugui, just keep eating with peace of mind!" Chen Jinfah's face relaxed, and he laughed, waving his hand: "Haha, I thought something serious was wrong, but it turns out Manager Lu was talking about this."
"No worries, everyone, just enjoy the meal. The eels here are bred by the owner himself, not those purely wild ones, so they're guaranteed to be non-toxic."
"Is that so?" Lu Fei frowned and looked at the tempting large eel on the plate, "I feel like this eel has a corpse aura, as if it's grown on human flesh."
"Human flesh?!"
As soon as he said this, the private room fell into a dead silence.
"Boss Lu, you can't be serious, right? Could you be mistaken?" Chen Jinfah was full of shock, "Isn't corpse aura supposed to be smelly? This eel smells so good."
"Everything in excess becomes its opposite. When the corpse aura is concentrated to a certain degree, it doesn't smell bad, but rather fragrant, which is called corpse fragrance," Lu Fei said solemnly.
"Old Liu, take a sniff, does this fragrance remind you of the same scent from that bottle of corpse oil Xiao Mei has?"
Clatter!
Liu Fugui dropped his chopsticks, and his whole demeanor changed, saying, "R-Really, it does kind of smell the same... I can't be that unlucky, can I?!"
First, sleeping with a dead body, and now eating eels raised on human flesh.
Why are you fixated on the idea of using dead people?
Chen Jinfah looked at Liu Fugui, then at Lu Fei, still in disbelief.
"It shouldn't be! Business here is booming, and so many people have eaten the Wangyue eels. If these eels were really fed with dead people's flesh, something would have happened by now, right?"
"Plus, everyone who's eaten here says it's good, and they all come back again and again."
"Moreover, they sell hundreds of eels every day. How many corpses would that take to feed them? Such a large number of corpses couldn't be hidden, someone would have found out long ago!"
"You're right, I've never eaten anything like this before; I might have made a mistake," Lu Fei thought for a moment, realizing it made sense. "I'm sorry, Brother Fa, you guys eat. Don't let me ruin your meal."
But everyone had lost their appetite, afraid of the slightest chance that something might be wrong.
"It's fine, if no one feels like eating, we won't. There are so many delicious foods out there, let's try something else." Chen Jinfah had originally intended to treat Lu Fei to something special and didn't want his good intentions to backfire.
He asked A Long to go find a waiter to add more dishes.
Just as A Long stood up, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside, and a bald man walked in with a bottle of wine, smiling broadly.
"Brother Fa, all the dishes are served, why isn't anyone eating! I should have greeted you at the door personally, but I was so busy with business that I only managed to free up now."
As soon as this bald man entered, Lu Fei noticed several small, dark shadows on him, resembling infant spirits.
However, he was completely unaware and opened a bottle of wine, enthusiastically pouring it for Chen Jinfɑ."
"Now that you're President Hua, it's understandable that you're busy with important matters," Chen Jinfɑ said faintly.
"Brother Fa, you flatter me. Once a big brother, always a big brother. This is what I should do."
The bald man's shrewd eyes scanned the room and then fixed on Lu Fei: "Could this be the manager Lu from Sinisterium Pawnshop?"
"Exactly!" Chen Jinfɑ replied.
"I've heard a lot about you, Manager Lu!" The bald man walked towards Lu Fei, the dark shadows trailing him, stirring a slight breeze of cold air.
But in the private room, no one except Lu Fei could see the dark shadows; they only felt the air turn colder when the bald man approached or passed by.
"I've long heard that Sinisterium Pawnshop specializes in collecting evil objects with extraordinary skills! Meeting Manager Lu today, you truly live up to your reputation!" The bald man was very solicitous, pouring wine for Lu Fei.
His words were pleasant, but the look in his eyes as he looked at Lu Fei was clearly one of suspicion.
Lu Fei took it in stride, smiling politely and said, "Mr. Hua is too kind; Sinisterium Pawnshop indeed collects some peculiar little trinkets."
"Shopkeeper Lu, you're being too modest. Your Sinisterium Pawnshop is quite famous in the world! I heard that when my Brother Fa's construction site had issues, you resolved it in just two days!"
The bald man flattered him, and the smile on his face never faded.
But Lu Fei felt that this person was not sincere.
He was all smiles on the surface, a typical wolf in sheep's clothing.
Standing closer, Lu Fei got a clearer view of the small, dark shadows on this person's body.
They were indeed a few small infant spirits.
Some clung to his back, some hugged his thighs, some sat on his shoulders, and one even hung around his neck.
Lu Fei counted and found there were seven in total.
It is indeed rare for a living person to be haunted by such a large number of infant spirits.
What's even stranger is that ordinary people who are haunted by just one infant spirit usually encounter misfortune, either bad luck or illness.
But he looks as if nothing is wrong, with a ruddy complexion and full of energy.
For a moment, Lu Fei was a bit confused.
"Enough, Lai Touhua, stop making up stories here!" Chen Jinfat waved his hand brusquely, "If you really encountered something evil, just show it. Don't dilly-dally and waste Manager Lu's time!"
A flicker of displeasure passed through the bald man's eyes, but he still smiled and said, "We haven't even had dinner yet. No matter how urgent, we should let Manager Lu eat first, shouldn't we?"
"Perfect, have someone bring out some better dishes. Manager Lu doesn't like this Moon Gazer Eel."
"Don't like it?"
The bald man was taken aback, looking very surprised, and gazed at Lu Fei, saying, "Manager Lu, this Moon Gazer Eel is a specialty of our place, freshly killed and prepared. Is there anything not to your taste? If you prefer a different flavor, I can have the chef prepare another one right away."
As he moved, the infant spirits attached to him also moved, creating a very eerie sight.
"No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Hua, I just don't like eating fish," Lu Fei said calmly, "If you really encountered something evil, you can tell me now. We can talk while we eat."
"Is this appropriate?" the bald man looked at Chen Jinfa.
"Then let's follow Manager Lu! But we should still add that dish!" Chen Jinfa replied without hesitation.
"Alright, Manager Lu, you go ahead and eat. I'll make the preparations." The bald man smiled at everyone, put down the wine, and left the private room.
As soon as he left, Chen Jinfa said, "Manager Lu, there's no need to be polite with him. Lai Tou Hua used to be just a runner under me. He only made a little money in recent years from running his restaurant."
Lu Fei thought for a moment and asked, "Does he have any children?"
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone