Chapter 153: The Terrifying Ghost Puppet!

Inside the box was a jade-carved Buddha statue.

The sculpture stood thirty centimeters tall.

Exquisitely crafted and lifelike, it was clearly worth a fortune at first glance.

Ye Tianci reached out to touch the jade Buddha, smiling faintly, "A fine piece! How much did you pay for it?"

"Not expensive, just over six million," Shen Zun replied.

"Where did you buy it?"

"Qingbao Jade Company."

Ye Tianci narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice suddenly turning cold, "Who is the owner of Qingbao Jade? Their intentions are utterly sinister and vicious!"

"Mr. Ye, what do you mean by that?"

Shen Zun looked bewildered. "Are you saying I bought a fake for six million?"

Without answering, Ye Tianci grabbed the jade Buddha and smashed it directly onto the floor!

*Crash!*

The jade Buddha shattered instantly, breaking into pieces.

*Clatter!*

Something rolled out onto the ground.

At the sight of the object, both Shen Zun and his bodyguards widened their eyes in horror!

It was a doll about the size of an adult's palm.

Carved entirely from bone, roughly as thick as an arm, it had a distinct head, face, nose, and eyes!

The entire doll was pitch black, except for its tongue, which was blood-red, and its features were carved into a terrifying, hideous grimace.

Looking at it, Shen Zun and his bodyguards felt a sudden chill run down their spines!

"Mr. Ye, what... what on earth is this thing?"

Goosebumps instantly erupted all over Shen Zun's skin.

"This thing is called a ghost doll. It's made by soaking a dead person's bones in corpse oil for forty-nine days, then steeping them in special medicinal herbs for seven days and seven nights, before finally being carved. It can remain undecayed for a thousand years!"

"If this ghost doll gets close to someone, they will be infected by the aura of death it radiates. Over time, they will inevitably die a sudden death!"

Hearing these words, Shen Zun turned pale with fright!

*Thud!*

Shen Zun dropped straight to his knees.

"Mr. Ye, I... I had no idea there was such a filthy thing hidden inside the jade carving!"

"I genuinely bought it as a gift for you... it was absolutely not meant to harm you!"

Shen Zun was utterly panicked, his words stumbling over each other.

Ye Tianci said calmly, "You don't need to explain further. Given your capability, you wouldn't have been able to detect the existence of this ghost doll."

"Nor do you have the guts."

He could tell that Shen Zun's fear in front of him was entirely genuine.

Even if Shen Zun were given a hundred lives, he wouldn't dare to frame him now.

Shen Zun nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Mr. Ye, you're right. I certainly couldn't have detected this foul thing, let alone have the courage to frame you!"

Ye Tianci flicked out a silver needle and pierced it directly into the center of the ghost doll's brow.

In an instant, the ghost doll seemed to come alive. Its rigid expression twisted, its facial features warped, and its blood-red tongue protruded.

The entire ghost doll began to emit a dense, billowing black aura!

It was utterly terrifying!

*Thud!*

Scared out of his wits, Shen Zun fell flat on his rear end!

His bodyguards, all broad-shouldered men over six feet tall, turned completely pale and retreated in panic!

"Be still!" Ye Tianci uttered in a low shout. He bit his finger and let a drop of fresh blood fall onto the silver needle, which flowed straight into the ghost doll's glabella!

*Whoosh!*

It was like a pile of ash meeting a gust of wind.

All the black qi emanating from the ghost doll vanished into thin air instantly!

The black color on its exterior faded at a speed visible to the naked eye. The ghost doll's distorted facial features instantly petrified, turning back into a mediocre, lifeless carving.

"Now, it's just an ordinary piece of dead bone."

Ye Tianci gave the ghost doll a kick.

Shen Zun scrambled up from the ground, gritting his teeth in fury. "Damn it, they tried to frame me!"

"Mr. Ye, the big boss of Qingbao Jade Company is Pei Qingzhi, the jade tycoon of Shucheng!"

"However, Pei Qingzhi has long since retired behind the scenes. The current owner managing Qingbao Jade Company is his adopted daughter, Feng Xiaoyan!"

"How dare Feng Xiaoyan sell such an evil object to me? I must go and settle accounts with them!"

With that, he looked pleadingly at Ye Tianci. "Mr. Ye, will you back me up?"

Ye Tianci said indifferently, "Since they gave you such a malevolent item, they intended to harm both you and me. Let's go."

Overjoyed, Shen Zun immediately hurried to open the car door for Ye Tianci while calling in reinforcements on his phone.

Half an hour later, a convoy of eight vehicles roared to a stop right in front of the main entrance of Qingbao Jade.

*Screech!*

Harsh braking sounds echoed one after another as the convoy parked in a semi-circle, completely blocking the entrance of Qingbao Jade!

The car doors flew open, and over twenty men swarmed out, each wielding a retractable baton!

Shen Zun walked at the very front, his head wrapped in bandages, walking with a pronounced limp.

Though he looked somewhat comical, he exuded a murderous aura and a formidable presence!

Led by Shen Zun, the menacing group rushed into the Qingbao Jade store, while Ye Tianci walked quietly at the very rear.

Qingbao Jade ran a massive business, operating three branches in Shucheng—one flagship store and two smaller ones.

The location here was the flagship store, occupying a space equivalent to nine storefronts, with a spacious courtyard of over a thousand square meters in the back!

Most of the salesclerks were young, attractive women, and customers streamed in endlessly every day, making the business booming and extremely popular.

Shen Zun's aggressive charge startled the customers inside, who hurriedly backed away and sought cover.

Several security guards immediately rushed forward, forming a line to block Shen Zun and his men. The head security manager nervously barked, "What do you people want?"

Shen Zun made a domineering wave of his hand. "Step aside! You're not qualified to speak to me!"

"Tell your boss, Feng Xiaoyan, to come out!"

The security manager gestured, and someone immediately hurried off to notify Feng Xiaoyan.

Moments later, a crisp, seductive laugh rang out. "What's gotten into Young Master Shen, making such a grand display?"

Everyone looked up to see an exquisite young married woman slowly descending the stairs.

She possessed delicate features, fair skin, a standard oval face, and eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips that all radiated a deep, captivating allure.

She was none other than the current owner of Qingbao Jade and the adopted daughter of jade tycoon Pei Qingzhi—Feng Xiaoyan.

Walking down gracefully from the second floor, Feng Xiaoyan wore a smile, her graceful figure swaying as a faint fragrance trailed in her wake, causing many male customers to stare dumbfounded.

Approaching Shen Zun, Feng Xiaoyan smiled enchantingly, her eyes seeming to cast electric sparks. "Why has Young Master Shen returned so soon, and with so many people?"

Faced with the mature and seductive Feng Xiaoyan, Shen Zun's breath hitched for a moment, nearly causing him to lose his footing.

He had been with plenty of women, but every time he encountered a spellbinding, alluring young matron like Feng Xiaoyan, he would inexplicably lose his composure for a moment, for reasons unknown.

Shen Zun quickly regained his wits and his face darkened. "Feng Xiaoyan, cut the act!"

"What is Young Master Shen talking about? You bring a crowd storming into my shop and disrupt my business, yet I haven't blamed you, and instead, you're berating me."

"Whether I somehow offended you or one of my subordinates upset you, just spell it out, and I'll gladly apologize."

Feng Xiaoyan's words were watertight, placing her firmly on the moral high ground within a few sentences, making her sound like the wronged party.

Shen Zun frowned, not expecting Feng Xiaoyan to have such a sharp tongue and be so difficult to deal with.

Seeing her calm and collected demeanor, had he not witnessed the ghost doll hidden inside the Buddha statue with his own eyes, he almost would have thought he had wronged her.

"Bring the stuff up!"

Without wasting words, Shen Zun waved his hand.

Two bodyguards stepped forward and dumped the shattered jade Buddha and the lifeless ghost doll onto the floor with a clatter.

The surrounding customers widened their eyes in curiosity, whispering among themselves in confusion.

The moment she caught sight of the ghost doll, a flash of suspicion crossed Feng Xiaoyan's eyes, though it vanished just as quickly.

"Young Master Shen, what is the meaning of this?" Feng Xiaoyan asked with a composed expression.