**Chapter 30: The Forbidden Art of Three Corpses Blocking Wealth (Part 1)**
Li Chengfeng stormed into Shenghai Gold Shop, slamming a plastic bag onto the counter. "Scammers!" he roared. "You sold me fake gold! *Eighty thousand yuan* for brass coated in gilt! Refund me—*now*!"
The clerk—a sharp-faced woman in a red blazer and miniskirt—smirked. "Sir, every item here is certified 999 pure. You inspected them yourself. Return scams won't work here."
As curious shoppers gathered, Li Chengfeng held up the incense burner. "Look! Flakes of gold reveal *copper* underneath! This place peddles lies!"
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. A middle-aged man scrutinized the burner, scowling. "She's right… this is fake!"
Panicked customers began edging toward the exit. That's when manager Han Lili glided over, her smile venomously sweet. "Ladies and gentlemen, this man purchased these items *two days ago*. Now he brings counterfeits, demanding a refund. Classic fraud."
The crowd's sympathy curdled. "Disgusting!" someone spat. "Call the police!"
Li Chengfeng's throat tightened. *They've done this before.* The receipt in his hand meant nothing now. Han Lili's voice dripped faux compassion. "We'll let you go this time. But remember: karma *always* collects."
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Humiliated, Li Chengfeng staggered into an alley. His fists clenched. *Eighty thousand… gone.* Worse, the Ancestral Master's portrait would *never* let him live this down.
A whiff of decay halted him. Beside a trash bin lay a skeletal cat—ribs protruding, fur patchy from disease.
"Poor thing," he murmured. Then froze.
*Three Corpses Blocking Wealth.*
The forbidden technique surfaced in his mind: a curse to strangle prosperity. It required three "corpses"—a cat dead of sickness, a featherless crow, and an emaciated bat. Each a vessel of decay, their combined rot powerful enough to choke even the greediest enterprise.
Li Chengfeng knelt, wrapping the cat's stiff body in his jacket. "You want to play dirty, Shenghai? Let's dance."
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