Volume Three: The Dual-Faced Demon Infant - Chapter 155: The Tale of the Haunted House

I offhandedly remarked, "There are countless houses in this world where people have died, and it doesn't mean every single one of them is a haunted house. If that were the case, people die in hospitals every single day, and if they all turned into haunted houses, who would ever dare to go?"

Xue Quangui waved his hands frantically. "No, no, that house really is haunted."

"You're so certain. Did something else happen in the house after that incident?" I asked.

Xue Quangui hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "Not really."

I pressed further, "Really not? Have you ever gone back to live there later?"

Xue Quangui shook his head vigorously. "I certainly don't want to live in that place. But I did think about renting it out, though I was afraid something might happen, so I didn't..."

Seeing the look of terror on Xue Quangui's face, I smiled and said, "You're so rich, if you don't want to rent out the house, then don't. Just leave it be."

Xue Quangui pulled a few tissues from the table to wipe his sweat, repeating, "It won't work. This matter is spreading wider and wider. The police already know I have a house there. I figure my wife's family will find out very soon. If they find out, they'll... they'll..."

From Xue Quangui's behavior, one could easily imagine his status within his wife's family.

"You're afraid your wife's family will find out about this, which is why you want to get rid of this house as soon as possible?"

Xue Quangui nodded. "It would be best if you guys take over and transfer the title of this house. The sooner, the better, and the price is open to negotiation."

"This..." I was extremely hesitant. Buying a house was no small matter, especially with Third Uncle away. I had no idea whether buying it would mean it would just end up stuck in our hands.

At that moment, Chen Tao suddenly walked over and said, "Deputy Manager Li, Third Uncle left instructions when he went away that if there are suitable properties, we should secure them first. He said I would be in charge of the specific acquisition matters."

Hearing this, I thought Third Uncle was something else. Even when leaving, he had everything arranged.

Upon hearing this, Xue Quangui eagerly grabbed Chen Tao, and the two of them sat down to discuss the transaction details.

I was torn between laughter and tears, but more than happy to have some peace and quiet. Since I didn't need to handle it, I went upstairs to get ready to continue sleeping.

As a result, in less than fifteen minutes, Chen Tao came upstairs holding a contract and said, "Li Yang, the house has been bought. In that location, a normal property could sell for at least a million. We got it secured for three hundred thousand. Now, the rest depends on you."

"Holy shit, since when has our company been so rich? Buying something for three hundred thousand just like that?" I asked, startled.

Li Yang explained, "Didn't the thirty thousand police bounty just hit our account yesterday? I temporarily diverted it. Oh wait, not diverted by me—this was also Third Uncle's instruction."

I slapped my forehead. "Holy shit. This Li Dagang must be Zhuge Liang reincarnated. How is it that even when he's not around, he has everything arranged? Wasn't that money supposed to be given back to Ma Su and the others?"

Li Yang shrugged. "I'm not clear on that. Third Uncle instructed that once we take it over, I should have you go resolve it as soon as possible. If this job is done well, we could have a surplus of seven hundred thousand."

I waved my hand impatiently. "It's already bought, we'll talk when Li Dagang comes back. Why should I be in a rush? By the way, why did you praise me to the high heavens in front of that Xue Quangui, claiming I'm well-versed in Daoist magic and Feng Shui, and adept at dealing with ghosts and spirits? What are your intentions? Was that also my Third Uncle's instruction?"

Li Yang gave an awkward smile. Without saying anything more, he made up an excuse and left.

I turned around and pondered: Third Uncle is in such a hurry to have me break the curse of a haunted house—could he have some other ulterior motive?

I flipped through the notebook of haunted houses I had copied out, seeing if I could find any methods within it to crack such haunted dwellings.

Regarding the concept of haunted houses, according to Daoist teachings, they involve ghosts and spirits that have not yet broken free from reincarnation, forming deep obsessions. Combined with home Feng Shui, the fact that no living people have entered for a long time leads to a lack of *Yang* energy, severely disrupting the normal magnetic field. It requires a specialist to perform purification and deliverance rituals, releasing karmic creditors and lonely wandering souls, repairing the house's magnetic field, and adjusting the Feng Shui until the Yin and Yang of heaven and earth are in harmony, making it suitable for human energy fields.

Therefore, some simple haunted houses are not difficult to resolve. As long as one knows how to perform deliverance and send away the vengeful and lonely ghosts lingering in the rooms, it is considered successfully resolved.

According to Xue Quangui's account, his judgment that the house was haunted was entirely based on his own assumptions. A child had died inside, and Shao Xiaoyao had died there too; resentment and *Yin* energy were undoubtedly present. If such a house were left untreated, it would indeed be detrimental to the health of anyone moving in.

If that was the case, the situation inside wasn't too complicated, and I could certainly give it a try.

Besides, Third Uncle had instructed before he left that if I encountered any difficult situations, I could go find "Thin Bamboo Pole" Chu Liuyan. Coincidentally, after so many days, I also needed to go check if Chu Liuyan's half-corpse symptoms had eased.

Thinking of this, I tidied up briefly, got into that beat-up car, and headed toward Evergreen Street, Number 18, to the antique shop called Five Mountains Hall where Chu Liuyan stayed.

After my previous visit, Third Uncle had told me that this antique shop was run by Chu Liuyan. He only held a part-time position at the police station; unless there were bizarre cases, he rarely went there and spent most of his time cooped up in this antique shop.

I parked my car at the street corner and walked into the antique shop alone.

Chu Liuyan was lying leisurely on a rattan chair, waving a folding fan and looking carefree. However, the shop was dead quiet, without a single customer in sight.

Hearing footsteps, Chu Liuyan lifted his eyelids for a glance. He didn't seem surprised by my arrival, just smiled and pointed at the red sandalwood sofa nearby. "You're here. Sit down and pour yourself some water."

I acknowledged him and retorted, "Boss Chu, your business isn't doing so well, is it? I've never seen a customer come in. You don't look worried at all—aren't you afraid of going out of business?"

Chu Liuyan was in good spirits and laughed heartily. "That's because you don't understand. In this trade, you don't open for business for three years, but once you make a sale, you eat for three years. Just doing one job a year is enough for me."

I nodded. The waters in this trade ran too deep, and I had indeed heard of this saying before.

I glanced at Chu Liuyan and asked, "How is your illness... doing?"

Chu Liuyan closed his folding fan, leaped down from the rattan chair with a swish, pulled open his clothes, patted his chest, and said, "It's healed. Look, that Dragon Gallstone Sand really was effective."

I looked at Chu Liuyan's chest. The area of skin that had previously looked like leather had now peeled away, revealing a thick new layer of skin. The muscles beneath that skin had a healthy reddish tint.

Chu Liuyan pressed it with his finger, and the skin underneath was quite elastic, just like a normal person's.

Seeing that Chu Liuyan's condition had improved, I felt a bit more confident. Third Uncle's condition was milder than Chu Liuyan's, so presumably, Third Uncle's situation should be mostly better as well.

Chu Liuyan buttoned his clothes back up and looked at me. "Why did you suddenly come today? Where is your Third Uncle?"