Hu Zi watched over Liu Chongming.
The black umbrella stood guard at the entrance.
The ghostly hands of hair writhed menacingly, exuding murderous intent.
Having suffered losses from the black umbrella on the fifth floor earlier, the senior apprentice brother dared not approach for now.
Its head swiveled, the frozen grinning face turning toward Hu Zi.
"Holy shit! Again!"
Hu Zi hastily blocked his face with the broadsword, while Liu Chongming suddenly collapsed to his knees beside him.
Then, the muscles on Liu Chongming's face began twitching uncontrollably.
His eyes curved downward while his mouth corners hooked upward, forming an exaggerated smile uglier than weeping. His hands clawed abruptly at Hu Zi.
"Fuck me!"
Hu Zi blocked with his blade and dodged just in time.
"Damn contagious curse! Good thing Tiger Master here's nimble!"
Using his blade as defense, Hu Zi circled with Liu Chongming for several rounds before maneuvering behind him. A hand-chopping strike landed hard on the back of his neck.
Liu Chongming collapsed unconscious with rolled-up eyes.
"Sorry President Liu, better stay down for now."
Hu Zi swiftly dragged the unconscious man aside.
Dashige's smiling face stiffened, his headpiece turning as he looked toward Lu Fei.
"My lord, where are you going? Why won't you take your servant with you?"
The white opera costume floated around Lu Fei, its eerie opera tune resembling a venomous snake forcing its way into his ears.
Lu Fei felt waves of dizziness as the scene before him grew hazy, prompting him to quickly channel his spiritual energy to resist.
This opera tune acted like bewitching sorcery - ordinary people stood no chance against it.
Wait.
When the costume possessed Wang Xiaoqiang days ago, it wasn't this powerful.
After steadying his mind, Lu Fei looked closer.
Inside the costume was a shriveled, lifeless old woman. So emaciated was this grandmother that the costume seemed to be wrapping around her rather than being worn.
Grandma Liu.
This opera costume achieved maximum potency when worn by women.
"My lord, you can't abandon me... How can I live without you..."
The trembling opera voice dripped with lingering resentment.
Though it no longer significantly affected Lu Fei.
He swung his jujube wood staff to ward off the costume, holding back lethal force - all he needed was for it to clear the path.
Otherwise,
a single crushing strike would destroy the costume's mystical properties.
The costume showed clear wariness toward the jujube wood staff, darting away whenever Lu Fei brandished it.
Lu Fei strode purposefully toward Dashige.
Dashige's smile turned frostier as he suddenly gestured toward the opera costume.
The white opera robe spun around and floated lightly into the air, while the singing voice suddenly amplified.
"How heartless you are, my lord! I shall send you on your way now!"
Long water sleeves whirled as the resentful opera voice reverberated through the entire Liu Family Building.
Upon hearing the operatic voice, Hu Zi immediately felt dizzy. His broadsword clattered to the ground as he stumbled towards the doorway.
Black hair grew long while teeth and claws extended, warning Hu Zi not to approach.
"This evil spirit wants Hu Zi to open the door! In your dreams!"
Lu Fei took out the merit lamp and lit it.
When the dim yellow light flickered from that ancient little oil lamp, the operatic voice abruptly weakened significantly.
Holding the oil lamp, he gripped his jujube wood stick and advanced step by step towards the senior brother.
The senior brother's smile faltered with panic.
The unfailingly effective opera costume actually had no effect on this person.
Steps retreated, the hood swayed left and right in panic, then suddenly flung itself recklessly toward the wall.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Under the violent impact, the wall actually developed several cracks.
Moreover, these cracks spread out in all directions like tree branches, growing larger and larger.
Crunch crunch!
Wall dust cascaded down, and the entire building began to shake.
"Not good, he's trying to collapse the building! Xiao San, hurry!"
Lu Fei's heart tightened as he and Hei San swiftly rushed toward Da Shige.
Seeing this, Da Shige abruptly hurled himself headfirst toward the window.
Crash!
The glass shattered.
The head cover detached from the old man's body, desperately jumping out through the broken hole and rolling away with a clatter.
However, before it could escape the courtyard, it was violently repelled by the surrounding incense ash. During its panicked rolling, Lu Fei who had chased out stepped on it.
"Where else do you think you're escaping to?""
Lu Fei looked coldly at the struggling head cover.
Before taking action, he had instructed Hu Zi to spread a circle of incense ash inside and outside the Liu family's house.
Even if the head cover breached the house, it couldn't escape.
"You refused to leave when asked politely, so now we'll have to send you to your death.""
Lu Fei applied pressure with his foot, rotating the grinning face downward.
Although this object was sinister, as long as its face was turned downward, it became immobilized.
The head cover clearly sensed Lu Fei's intention, desperately resisting being turned over. Multiple ferocious grinning faces flew out from it, madly lunging at Lu Fei.
"Futile struggle.""
Lu Fei expressionlessly raised his staff for a strike.
Boom!
A flash of electricity lit up.
The grinning faces vanished into nothingness. The head cover instantly flipped over, face downward, then disintegrated into fragments.
Simultaneously,
In the living room, the opera singing abruptly ceased.
The white opera robe slumped to the ground.
Hu Zi instantly regained consciousness.
"Wait, what am I doing here... Is the house moving? An earthquake?"
The building was covered in cracks, on the verge of collapse.
Dust cascaded everywhere as walls split with terrifying creaks that made one's scalp tingle.
"It's collapsing! Hu Zi, Xiao San, hurry!"
Lu Fei shouted while rushing back, desperately dragging the three members of the Liu family out with his companions.
Boom!
The moment they stepped outside, a blood-curdling crash of collapse erupted behind them.
They didn't dare look back, fleeing the Liu compound until they deemed it safe to turn around.
Dust billowed upward.
The edifice symbolizing the Liu family's glory now lay in ruins.
The colossal commotion roused the town, lights flickering on in surrounding houses.
Residents peered through windows, gasping in astonishment.
"It really collapsed..."
Liu Chongming sat frozen on the ground, staring at his collapsed home. Setting aside grief, he frantically searched for his phone to call an ambulance.
The Liu matriarch lay lifeless, likely beyond saving.
Liu Chongming's father remained unconscious, body lacerated by glass shards.
Amidst the buzzing crowd, the ambulance carried away the two elders.
Exhausted, Liu Chongming looked at Lu Fei: "Shopkeeper Lu, has Senior Brother left?"
"He's gone."
Lu Fei placed a fragment of the remaining hood into his hand.
"As per our agreement, the theatrical costume now belongs to me! But whatever happens to the Liu family henceforth is none of my concern. If you have no objections, sign this pawn ticket."
Immediately, Lu Fei produced the pawn ticket.
Ancient theatrical costume.
Irredeemable pawn.
The condition was that Lu Fei would help his family send away the eldest martial brother.
"Finally gone..."
Liu Chongming trembled as he signed his name.
The pawn ticket was made in duplicate.
The transaction was completed.
"Hu Zi, call Xiao Hei home!"
The two found Xiao Hei and headed home.
However, although this senior brother had been dealt with, the opera costume remained unresolved.
Only by eliminating the obsession within the costume could it be sold.
The next day, Lu Fei invited Master Yan to assist.
"Master Yan, we need to perform a Yin Opera."