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"Shh." Boss Huang made a shushing gesture. "Grandma is a Northeastern spirit medium, incredibly powerful and skilled."

"So amazing?" Wei Yanlin was surprised and looked again at Grandma on the recliner, feeling that her fragile appearance didn't match her supposed strength despite being in her eighties or nineties.

"Don't stare," Chu Yuening said. "Masters usually don't appreciate disturbances."

Regardless of their abilities.

Chu Yuening addressed elderly fellow practitioners who had accumulated much virtue without any karmic debts as 'masters.'

"Oh, I see!" Wei Yanlin quickly averted his gaze. If even Chu Yuening called her a master, she must be quite impressive.

He then examined the decorative items for warding off evil spirits. A benevolent-looking Guan Yin sat on a lotus throne, and he asked, "Ning Ning, do you need to display these for sale in your shop?"

"Mm," Chu Yuening replied after scanning the area. "We definitely need a statue of Er-God. Also, a wealth god usually sells well; we can get two of those."

"And two each for Guan Yin and Manjusri Bodhisattva."

As they spoke, they walked towards the entrance. The neighboring store also sold similar items.

Wei Yanlin was captivated by a decorative piece and walked over to examine it closely.

The figurine was made of copper but was extremely old, its surface darkened with age. It wore a golden brocaded robe, and the Buddha's face bore a smile that was almost not a smile, with half-closed eyes.

Just as Wei Yanlin reached out in curiosity, Chu Yuening blocked his path.

She frowned, observing the black aura permeating the shop, "Don't touch it. There's something wrong."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yanlin jumped back, seeking shelter behind Chu Yuening, "Yue...Yue Ning, next time, okay?"

He made a gesture with his index and middle fingers mimicking squinted eyes, "Can you please help me open my third eye first? I can't be careful enough; these things might just do me in."

As soon as he finished speaking, a muffled voice echoed from within the store, "Three thousand? Fine, then that item is mine."

moments later, a woman emerged from the shop.

She wore red sunglasses and a thin silk scarf wrapped around her head. Upon stepping out, she immediately picked up the Buddha figurine.

Wei Yanlin attempted to intervene, "There might be an issue with the item. You shouldn't buy it."

To his surprise, the woman seemed oblivious and continued on her way, cradling the Buddha statue with her head down.

"Frustrating! I was just trying to help her, and she ignores me," Wei Yanlin grumbled, stamping his foot in annoyance.

Chu Yuening glanced at the woman's retreating figure before retracting her gaze, deciding not to interfere further.

The two returned to the shop.

When Chu Yuening came back, the grandmother had already stood up. She pointed at the figurine Chu Yuening had shown interest in earlier. With her reading glasses on, she took out paper and pen, meticulously jotting down the details and pricing beside it.

Chu Yuening provided her address.

As they were about to pay,

the grandmother studied the girl through her glasses. Seeing the girl look up with confusion, she smiled and crossed out the original price.

"I'll give it to you at an 80% discount," she offered kindly.

"Whaaat! A twenty percent discount?"

Boss Huang was taken aback. He had been contemplating purchasing two more gods but, upon hearing this, he hastily carried both statues over. "Auntie Qiu, you've never given me such a deal before."

Auntie Qiu seemed to be in a good mood as she took off her reading glasses. "You've been coming here for years and have never doubted the quality of the goods next door."

Boss Huang was puzzled. "So there is actually a problem?"

"Hmph." Auntie Qiu's wrinkled eyes narrowed as she let out a cold snort. "That fellow sells harmful items without fear of retribution."

This confirmed that there was indeed an issue.

Boss Huang knew that the two families didn't get along, previously assuming it was due to their close proximity and competition for customers.

But from the sound of it, the reason wasn't that simple?

Just as Boss Huang was about to wear his gossipy smile and delve deeper, Auntie Qiu waved him off.

"I'll arrange for someone to deliver them to your store later. Off you go, I still need my afternoon nap."

Mr. Huang awkwardly rubbed his nose and left the shop.

The trio continued browsing for a while.

Chu Yuening also ordered some additional items, such as fluffy decorations and stationery like pens and notebooks.

Wei Yanlin watched the staff load up the goods, puzzled. "Ning Ning, are you planning to sell toys in your store?"

"Nope," Chu Yuening blinked. "But I'm going to bless them."

"Huh?" Wei Yanlin was perplexed. "Bless them? Can toys be blessed?"

"Sure can," Chu Yuening smiled. "If you want one later, I can gift you a doll."

"That... won't be necessary."

The three of them chatted away.

Suddenly, a black-and-white television in the store aired an entertainment news segment.

The male host's tone was filled with excitement: "This afternoon, news broke that the adopted daughter of the HSBC bank CEO has been kidnapped. Let's take a look at the on-site report."

The screen first showed a crowd of reporters, with cameras fixated on Fu Baichuan's icy expression.

"Mr. Fu, we've received reports that your daughter was seen being kidnapped at 5 PM. Can you confirm if this is true?"

"Have you reported it to the police?"

"Has the Fu family made any enemies, resulting in your adopted daughter being targeted?"

"There are also rumors that the case has been taken over by the Kowloon Major Crimes Unit C Team. Is that accurate?"

"Mr. Fu, do you have any comments?"

"Mrs. Fu, would you like to share your thoughts?"

Mrs. Fu, in a state of distress, pushed away the microphone. Fu Baichuan comforted his wife while maintaining a stern expression. "My daughter is safe and sound. I hope that friends from the media will refrain from making baseless speculations."

As he spoke, he raised his hand.

The live footage went dark.

Boss Huang watched the news, clicking his tongue in disapproval. "The media will devour any sensational story, no matter the cost. With this incident blown out of proportion, I'm afraid there's little hope for President Fu's daughter."

Wei Yanlin also found the media's actions excessive. "Once it hits the media, it's likely there's very little chance of a positive outcome."