Leslie and Casey steps into the store. Leslie stops, just inside the entrance, and looks at all the stuff the owner had on display “oh, I could spend days in here. This place is more equipped than Ching’s in downtown London.”

A smile appears on Casey’s face as she listens to Leslie’s comment. She knew her wife loved Asian items “you can do some shopping afterward.”

“Okay.” Leslie heads towards the back of the store.

The wall behind the counter looked like it had a million small drawers. Each of them had a label written in Chinese. On the smooth ancient countertop was a silver bell.

“Hello, is anyone here?” Leslie saw a door on the left-hand side of the wall of cabinets.

Casey rings the silver bell sitting on the counter. She wonders where the proprietor was. After a few minutes, the door next to the cabinet wall opens and a short, ancient-looking Chinese man comes walkout. He was wearing an old-style blue shirt held closed by little ribbons and loose black pants. He had a short white beard and a thin mustache.

Behind him was a younger gentleman that appeared to be a little older than Leslie, but younger than Casey. He was dressed more modern and looked like he could be a movie star. He had a strong jaw and deep-set eyes that were very observant.

Luo Kun and his grandson Cao Kun had been in the back of the store, organizing and moving some old stock they had on hand. As soon as they walked through the doorway past the cabinet wall, they spotted two women with dark hair.

Both women were dressed nicely and were watching them. Luo could tell the taller one was very watchful and observed what he and his grandson was doing. She had the gaze of an eagle, her eyes locked onto him and his grandson.

The other woman looked to be younger and watched them as well. He could tell she was like most modern stage magicians nowadays. He could tell in the way she stood. He could also sense something else about her but couldn’t put his finger on it. Her shoulder-length hair hid her neck.

Cao walks up to the counter and looks at Casey and Leslie “how can I help you ladies, today?”

“We were sent here by Cheshire Patel. She said you guys might be able to tell us something about this?” Leslie pulls the necklace out from under her blouse to show them.

Cao’s eyes go wide when he sees the necklace “where did you get that necklace?”

Luo had been keeping back and watching his grandson deal with the ladies. However, when the one woman pulled out the necklace of Toy
Xiao-xing. That got his attention right away.

The last he heard about the necklace; it had been taken from the previous wearer after her death. She had been buried with it still around her neck and sealed inside a tomb in Japan. According to the information he received. Someone broke into the tomb and cut the head off and took the necklace.

He knew only a direct descendant of Toy Xiao-xing himself, could wear or uses the mystical properties of the necklace. It could be possible that
she was related to Toy Xiao-xing from one of many of his descendants.

“We recovered it from the private collection of a member of the Hunter organization.” Leslie didn’t see any reason why she shouldn’t tell the truth.

Cao looks at his grandfather and notices that he was staring at the necklace as well. He figures that his grandfather should handle this. He only knew bits and pieces about the legend of Toy Xiao-xing.

“What would you like to know, ma’am?” Cao looks back towards Leslie.

“First off, why can’t I take this damn thing off, and secondly, why is changing me?” Leslie wanted some answers.

“The reason it won’t come off you, ma’am. It is a safety measure that Toy Xiao-xing himself put on it. It was to prevent thieves from stealing it
from off him. Only a direct descendent of Toy Xiao-xing can wear and uses the mystical properties of the necklace. Anyone else, who tries to wear it or use it would rot away. As for your second question, how is it changing you?”

“It has changed certain physical attributes of my body. It’s widened my hips and enlarged my breasts at least another cup size or more. Made my face look more feminine and changed my voice slightly.”

A slight smile appears on Luo’s face “it is only accessing the traits you carry in your blood.”

“None of my family is Chinese. They are either British, Scottish, or Irish.” Leslie didn’t know of any of her family being Chinese.

“Somewhere in your family line, one of your ancestors married a descendent of Toy Xiao-xing. I’m not talking just once either. It would have to have happened several times for the necklace to be able to affect you as it has.” Luo gives Leslie a knowing look.

“I don’t know much about my family background. Still, why is it changing me?” Leslie still wanted an answer.

“Because, the mystical properties of that necklace, must have felt that there was something about you. That you wanted for yourself. It only reacts to the wearer and what they want.”

“Okay, I have another question for you. How can I take this damn thing off?”

“There are several ways. The first and the most obvious is to have your head cut off. Then the necklace will fall off. The second way is for you to reject the necklace entirely and what it has done to you. Once you reject it, you can never touch it again. A third way is if you have children and they wish to follow in your footsteps, then you can pass the necklace onto them. Past that, the necklace is yours by blood.”

“Okay, can you please tell me about this Toy Xiao-xing person?” Casey wanted to know more about him.

“Before China was united like it is today. It uses to be divided into smaller Kingdom’s. Toy Xiao-xing was one of the best magicians of the day.
He uses to entertain the rulers and the people of those kingdoms. Some say he was the last magician to possess actual magic. “

“There’s no such thing, as actual magic. It doesn’t exist.” Casey didn’t believe in magic.

“Sweetie, that’s not entirely true. Magic is real, but it is extremely weak and only certain special people can weld it.” Leslie looks at her wife.

Casey looks at Leslie with a questionable look on her face. She didn’t think her wife would believe in such things.

“You’re joking, right?”

“No. It’s something we try to keep secret from everyone. Because in the past, people who could use magic were hunted down and killed.

That’s why there were the Witch trails in Europe. There are also families who possess the talent, but use to use their magic to influence governments and such.” Leslie had done some reading while she was in the magical shops.

“You’re saying that magic is real, real?” Casey always thought magic as everyone knew it, was make-believe.

"Yes, magic is real. However, the energies you need to use it, is weak." Cao could use magic.

“So, you’re saying that Toy Xiao-xing was a real magician?” Casey looks back at Luo.

“Yes, so before he died. He constructed that amulet you are wearing and empowered it with all his magic. That amulet holds a piece of bone fragments, along with some of his blood inside it.” Luo had read that in one of the many ancient scrolls he protected.

“So, that explains why it called to me when we found it.” Leslie was now seeing why she ended up with it.

“So, why did the Hunter organization dig it up and take it?” Casey was a little confused on that matter.

“One for a trophy, secondly to keep it out of the descendant of Toy Xiao-xing.”

“That makes sense since they believed all the descendants of Toy Xiao-xing were dead.” Leslie looks at both Luo and Cao.

“Yes, we all did. The last person to possess that amulet died childless.” Luo personally knew the last owner of the necklace.

They had been lovers for a short while. He wishes she had listened to him and not risk her life , like she did.