Chapter 27: Renting a House

After such an incident, the four of them naturally lost any desire to continue their trip. After rescuing Sun Qiqi, they packed their things and left the guesthouse immediately.

Actually, Shen Chang’an thought since they’d already come all this way, they might as well stay for the night and leave in the morning. But the other three were clearly terrified and dared not linger any longer. They pleaded with Shen Chang’an to leave with them, and he had no choice but to acquiesce.

They hurried down the hillside in the middle of the night. Chen Mengchen called for a car early on, and it whisked them to a hotel in the city to rest. How she managed to arrange a car so late was anyone’s guess—perhaps this was the privilege of the wealthy. Shen Chang’an couldn’t help but shed a tear of envy.

What happened next had little to do with Shen Chang’an and his friends. Clearly, Chen Mengchen had called in professionals to deal with the aftermath, ensuring that none of the subsequent complications would involve them.

Su Hongyi and Sun Qiqi also received hush money from Chen Mengchen. Originally, they planned to go public with the incident, but after hearing that Shen Chang’an didn’t want too much attention, they dropped the idea and quietly left with their compensation.

Shen Chang’an didn’t intend to have much further contact with Chen Mengchen. He only agreed to message her his address later, then took the train and left on his own.

Thus, after only a day, Shen Chang’an’s travel plans were ruined, and he returned to the city where he had previously worked—Qiancheng.

He had planned to find a job and rent a place after his trip. But now that the journey had been cut short, he could only head over and start job hunting.

As soon as he arrived, Shen Chang’an planned to meet up with an old classmate, hoping to borrow their place for a few days until he got settled.

But—

“Hello? Chang’an? What’s up?”

“Ah? You want to stay with me... It’s a bit inconvenient these days... My girlfriend’s here...”

“Hey, don’t worry! I know a place for rent nearby, really cheap... Don’t worry, it’s right in the city center, so it’ll be convenient for job hunting, too.”

“Not expensive, really! Trust me... I’ll send you the address, just go take a look... Relax, I’ve met the landlord, we have a bit of a connection, he won’t cheat you...”

In the end, Shen Chang’an opened his navigation app and followed the directions, arriving at... an upscale residential community.

---

Shen Chang’an stared at the directions on his phone, feeling dazed for a moment. Had he taken a wrong turn? This place... cheap?

City center, luxurious community, scenic views, sprawling villas and apartments, buildings far larger than ordinary complexes, landscaping, commercial amenities, and property management services that Shen Chang’an had only seen online...

This place, cheap?

He swallowed hard, wondering if his old classmate was just messing with him. Could a place like this really be rented for a mere thousand a month?

But since he was already here, he might as well take a look.

He walked up to the gate, which required access credentials, so he approached the security guard.

The guard, hearing he was here to see a rental, glanced at Shen Chang’an’s attire and quickly asked, “Young man, are you here for apartment C17, unit 901?”

Shen Chang’an paused, curiosity piqued. “Sir, is there something wrong with that place?”

The guard seemed to want to say something, but then remembered something else, finally sighing and saying, “Young man, make sure you look carefully when you go in. Don’t be tempted by a bargain, understand?”

Shen Chang’an grew even more intrigued. Was there really something mysterious about this place?

Arriving at the building, Shen Chang’an called the landlord. The person on the other end, hearing he was the prospective tenant, asked where he was and promised to drive over within ten minutes.

Shen Chang’an squinted, took out the Jade Talisman of Zhonglong, and waved it gently under his nose. Instantly, a foul stench flooded his nostrils.

“What a dense aura of yin energy...”

He looked up, and the source of the yin energy was clearly the ninth floor.

“No smell of blood—so it hasn’t harmed anyone. But why are there so many ghosts on this floor...”

Shen Chang’an, in his twenty-some years of life, had never encountered such supernatural things. Unexpectedly, after returning from the world within the book not long ago, he’d stumbled into such events twice in quick succession.

As he pondered this, he heard the click of leather shoes approaching. Turning, he saw a somewhat haggard man walking over.

“Hello, are you Mr. Shen?”

---

Shen Chang’an nodded. “I am. Are you the landlord?”

The man nodded as well. “My surname is Fang, single character Yi.”

“Mr. Fang, is the apartment yours?”

“Yes, I bought it myself.”

“Then why are you renting it so cheaply? I’ve checked out the neighborhood—rent is at least six thousand, and still nobody wants it. Is there something wrong with the place?”

Fang Yi wiped the sweat from his brow with a piece of paper, and Shen Chang’an’s expression shifted slightly... cold sweat. Had he seen the things in the apartment?

“Heh, rest assured, Mr. Shen, there are no other issues with my place. As for the price, well, I took the Buddha’s advice to do good deeds and accumulate virtue, so I set it low.”

Shen Chang’an was noncommittal, and glanced at the man’s back—faintly, a foul odor emanated from his heart.

Doing good deeds? More like shifting trouble elsewhere.

This man bought the apartment, but the yin energy inside had begun to affect his real life. He either had to sell it, or get someone to live there to draw away the negative energy, thus avoiding personal misfortune.

To sell it, he’d need a wealthy buyer, but most rich people are savvy and wouldn’t touch a place like this. The apartment probably cost him a fortune, so selling it at a loss wasn’t an option.

So his only choice was to rent it out to others, letting the tenants draw away the yin energy for him.

Thinking this, Shen Chang’an felt a surge of revulsion. This man was well-off and didn’t even live in the apartment, yet was already tormented by the things inside. If someone less fortunate moved in, what would happen?

Haunted by ghosts, they’d soon fall ill again and again, their jobs would suffer, mistakes would multiply, and before long they’d be forced to leave the city.

If things got worse, they might be blacklisted in their entire industry, their whole life derailed.

And yet he had the nerve to call this virtue? The little bit of ancestral merit he had left was sure to be squandered soon.