“No, the price is right,” the elderly lady said hesitantly.

Hui Yue frowned upon hearing the old woman's reply but said no more as he waited for an explanation. He was certain that it was from either the Tang or Ming dynasty, and most likely from the same place as the beautiful phoenix crown. How could it possibly be sold for such a low price? For some reason, Hui Yue felt insulted that this crown was so cheap. Insulted as if it was himself that was being considered cheap.

“It is cursed,” the old lady finally said with a sigh. She noticed how obsessed this young man had become after holding the hairpin, even though he only had it for such a short time. “Death will descend upon the owner of this hairpin.”

Hui Yue was about to snort in disbelief, but his upbringing, however, had taught him to never show arrogance in front of others, and he managed to restrain himself. He understood that people would be superstitious when there was a lack of knowledge; although in this day and age something like a curse could not scare him. Especially not since this beautiful hairpin felt as though it was a part of himself; he could already not bear to part with it.

“Young man do not make fun of curses. They are more real than you might imagine,” the elderly lady warned as she stood up and walked towards Hui Yue and the Blue Phoenix hairpin. Although Hui Yue had tried to contain his contempt, the lady easily understood his thoughts; she wished for this man to survive. She did not wish for him to become another target for the Blue Phoenix.

“It arrived in my shop three hundred years ago,” the lady started as she took the hairpin from Hui Yue’s hands and moved behind the counter. “We sold it almost immediately then the owner died three days later having been assaulted by thieves.” Hui Yue kept quiet as he did not believe that thieves could be blamed on the hairpin unless they specifically aimed to steal it.

“The thieves were then killed by relatives of the buyer, and so the hairpin went to his oldest son; however, he died from a lightning strike.” Hui Yue crooked his brows slightly. It was very unlikely for anyone to die from a lightning strike unless they intentionally sought out a location where lightning would hit them. He chose not to believe the story so far as it was more than a hundred years ago, and the story had to have been exaggerated.

“After that,” the old lady continued as she noticed that Hui Yue had doubt in his eyes. “It went from one person to another, and every one of those people died. Eventually, the last owner delivered it back here. We have sold it a few times since then, however, the results have always been the same.”

The elderly lady sighed and hoped that Hui Yue would give up. She did not mind selling the cursed hairpin to wicked people, but after she saw the genuine excitement and admiration he had while looking at the treasures in her store, she wished for him to live a long and prosperous life.

Hui Yue felt her hesitation, and he sent a genuine smile towards the elderly woman. He took the hairpin back into his hands at once while politely saying, “I wish to purchase this hairpin, and I will just have to hope that my luck is stronger than the curse.” His smile left no space for discussion causing the elderly lady to sigh once again as she accepted his money. After all, she had never personally experienced anyone being affected by the curse, so maybe this youth was right, perhaps the curse was just a superstition.

Hui Yue’s mood did not have any trace of his previous jealousy; instead, he was ecstatic as he left the antique shop. He knew that no one would use such a hairpin in this day and age; however, it was incredibly beautiful, and he could think of only one person who could match its beauty. He could not wait to gift it to Li Fen and see her happy expression; just thinking about it made him show a silly smile.

“Hui Yue!” a brilliant voice called out to him the moment he stepped back onto the pavement. He noticed that Li Fen had finished her shopping, and she had been waiting for him outside of the lingerie store. As she saw Hui Yue leave the antiques shop with something in his hand, Li Fen was overtaken by excitement. She wanted to show Hui Yue what she had purchased as well as see what he had found so without thinking she stepped onto the busy road.

Hui Yue scratched his head slightly as he realized that he had most likely spent more time than expected within the shop, but coming out he felt as though it had been worth it. Li Fen’s happy smile was quickly replaced by an expression of shock when she heard a loud honking. When she instantly looked to the side, she saw a truck heading straight towards her. The driver was doing everything he could to avoid a collision, but Li Fen was like a deer in headlights, frozen by fear and disbelief. Her body refused to move.