Chapter 10

That night, Wang Junhui didn't come out of his room again, probably having gone to sleep. Ning Haoyu and I, however, couldn't fall asleep for a long time because we both felt that the matter had ended too abruptly, and it didn't seem like it was really over.

Ning Haoyu kept nagging in my ear: "You know, that ghost was hiding and even possessed someone yesterday, but today it was so calm in front of that Daoist Wang, and we didn't hear any commotion at all. It was just taken care of?"

I was also thinking about those things and casually replied, "He's an expert."

That night, Ning Haoyu and I naturally couldn't come to any conclusions, so we went to sleep.

The next morning, Wang Junhui got up very early, and he was the one who woke Ning Haoyu and me up. I then remembered that I hadn't paid him, so I asked him how much I owed him.

Wang Junhui looked at me for a moment and said, "No need. Just remember what I told you. If you think it through and are willing to work with me, give me a call."

I smiled and nodded, but in my heart, I was reluctant to leave this place, as it was where my grandfather and I had lived together.

Wang Junhui didn't waste any words and left after having breakfast with me. Ning Haoyu hadn't been to his shop for two days, so after Wang Junhui left, he went to check on his shop. Before closing to go to the city, he still needed to quickly clear out the remaining stock.

As for that haunted desk, Wang Junhui didn't let Chengguo and Bai Jing move it away. It remained in my small shop. When I was tidying up the shop, I still felt a bit uneasy seeing that desk.

Since everything was settled, I needed to continue preparing to open my fortune-telling shop. So, I found a small GG company to make a sign for me.

The sign was very simple, just saying "Fortune Telling" with my phone number printed below. It looked as rustic as it could be, but it was also the cheapest way to make it.

The sign was made quickly, and the GG company installed it the next day. My small shop thus transformed from a wreath shop into a fortune-telling storefront.

However, for three days after opening, I didn't have a single customer. Only Ning Haoyu came by to wander around and mock me, saying I might as well rent out the place, as it would be better than me messing around here.

It was the fourth day of my shop's opening. After having breakfast and preparing to open, I suddenly heard a man's scream from upstairs. It wasn't from one of our tenants.

Hearing the scream, I went upstairs and saw a man in only his underwear standing at Xiang Li's door. He was probably a "guest" Xiang Li had brought back.

This guy was fat and had a beer belly that looked like he was pregnant. Most importantly, his forehead was very dark, indicating a bad omen.

Additionally, his facial lines showed breaks and damage, indicating a sign of disaster.

Furthermore, his eyes were bloodshot, and his aura was chaotic, indicating a sign of imprisonment.

This fat man was plagued by multiple misfortunes. I had never seen such a unlucky face. He was standing at Xiang Li's door, and I wondered if Xiang Li...

Thinking this, I rushed over and asked the fat man, "What's wrong?"

As I spoke, I glanced inside the room and saw Xiang Li lying on the bed, motionless, with only a towel covering her waist, the rest of her body naked.

I asked the fat man, "Who are you? Why are you in my house? What happened to Xiang Li?"

This fat man was timid. When I asked him, he started crying and said, "She, she's dead!"

When the fat man screamed earlier, the other tenants had already gathered. Hearing "she's dead," there was a sudden commotion.

I was also stunned.

Seeing me dazed, the fat man turned to me and asked, "Bro, what do we do?"

I kicked him in the stomach and said, "Are we friends? Call me bro? Did you kill her? What do we do? Call the police, yes, call the police!"

Saying this, I quickly took out my phone and called the police. The other tenants all retreated to their rooms, apparently preparing to pack up and leave, not wanting to get involved in the trouble.

I was afraid they would leave, so I said, "No one is allowed to leave. Wait for the police to arrive."

I usually had a fierce landlord's face, and when I shouted, no one dared to leave.

While I was shouting, I had already dialed the police. They asked about the situation, and I told them someone had died and gave them the address. The police told me to stay calm, protect the scene, and that they would dispatch officers immediately.

Before the police arrived, the fat man tried to run, but I blocked him and threatened him, saying, "If you didn't kill her, the police will investigate. If you run now, you'll become a murderer."

Our county is small, and my place isn't hard to find. Soon, we heard the sound of police sirens, and then the police and forensic experts arrived at the scene.

Our county has relatively good public security, and murders are rare. When someone died at my place, it naturally drew high attention from the police. My home was quickly cordoned off, and a police line was set up. While the forensic experts were examining the scene, the police were already taking statements from us, and we all consistently believed that the fat man in his underwear was the killer.

Since we all witnessed the early morning incident, our statements were consistent, and we were quickly cleared of suspicion. The police then took the fat man into custody. The fat man kept crying and shouting that he was innocent, saying that she had died on her own and that he only discovered it when he woke up in the morning.

A little while later, a deputy chief from the police station arrived, followed by reporters from the county TV station. My small courtyard was soon filled with people.

The forensic experts soon determined the preliminary cause of Xiang Li's death: sudden cardiac ischemia leading to sudden death. Homicide was basically ruled out, but a more detailed autopsy would be needed at the police station to confirm the results.

The deputy chief, upon hearing that it wasn't a serious criminal case, breathed a sigh of relief, spoke a few words to the reporters, and then left.

The police then continued to gather evidence. Xiang Li's body was taken away, and her room was temporarily sealed off. They told me not to disturb the room's setup until the investigation was complete.

I quickly nodded.

This ordeal took up half the day. After a detailed questioning, the police took the fat man away, and I and the other tenants were temporarily free of trouble.

When the police left, the tenants all came to me, saying they wanted to move out.

I understood this, as no one wants to live next to a place where someone has died. I reluctantly offered to reduce their rent, but they refused to stay. In the end, all my tenants moved out within a day, and I refunded the fat man the rent for the months he had prepaid.

By evening, I was the only one left in the house. The empty house made me feel a deep sense of loneliness, especially since my first-floor shop had been haunted, and now a room on the second floor had a dead person in it...

Thinking about this, I not only felt a chill in my heart but also a cold sweat all over my body.

I couldn't stay here alone anymore, so I called Ning Haoyu and asked if I could stay at his place for a day.

Ning Haoyu replied, "I'm not in the county. I'm at my uncle's place. What's wrong? Why do you want to stay at my place?"

I explained my situation to Ning Haoyu, and after hearing me out, he was surprised and said, "You're really unlucky. You have no tenants left, and you have to guard a haunted room and a room where someone died?"

I said, "Yes, I was thinking of staying at your place for a couple of days."

Ning Haoyu, a bit embarrassed, said, "Sorry, I'm not home. I can call my dad and ask you to stay at our place for a few days."

Since he wasn't home, and I wasn't close to his parents, I didn't feel comfortable going there, so I told him, "It's okay, I'll stay at a hotel for a few days. I can't stay here anymore."

Ning Haoyu first expressed sympathy and then asked if I wanted to go to the city for a few days.

I thought about it. My shop had no business, I had no tenants, and I didn't dare stay at home alone. So, I agreed to go to the city for a few days.

By evening, I packed my things and prepared to stay at a hotel for a day before going to the city the next morning. As I was about to leave, I felt a chill on my back, but I was the only one in the house, so I didn't dare turn around and just hurried forward.

As I quickened my steps, I suddenly heard a faint woman's cry from behind me. The sound came and went quickly, and I wasn't sure if it was a hallucination or if a woman was really crying.

But whether it was real or not, I didn't dare turn around.

I took a deep breath, put my index finger in my mouth, and bit it hard, drawing a vertical line on my forehead to seal the "gate of fate." I felt the chill on my back lessen.

"Ha ha!"

As I opened the door to step out, I suddenly heard a woman's laugh from behind me. It was undoubtedly Xiang Li's. Oh no, was I going to see a ghost again?

I didn't dare turn around, opened the door, and rushed out, then turned around and closed the door.

After the door was closed, I slowly turned around and locked it.

"Ha ha!"

Another woman's sinister laugh came from the doorway. I was so scared that I almost dropped my keys and quickly backed up a few steps, leaning against the wall on the other side of the alley.

I stared at the front door of my house, afraid that something might come out.

After confirming that nothing was chasing me, I ran to the alley entrance. Damn, this is too eerie. If I had planned to stay at home alone tonight, I would have been scared to death.

Previously, when facing the old ghost possessing Xiang Li, I dared to try my skills because the other tenants were there, Ning Haoyu was beside me, and it was daytime. But now it was night, and the house was pitch black, with only me in it.

My courage was already gone...