Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 26 Haunted

The Jiangning Prefectural Government Office is located on East Street and occupies a considerable area. Two stone lions stand majestically at the entrance, baring their teeth and glaring with wide eyes.

Two constables stood at the door, swords hanging from their waists, their eyes scanning the area.

The fat man led Jiang Xun through the main gate, and after several twists and turns, passing through two moon gates, they arrived at a side courtyard.

A wooden sign hangs at the entrance of the courtyard, bearing the three characters: "Household House".

The characters were written in black lacquer, and they had been there for many years; the lacquer had developed cracks.

Inside was a large hall, behind which sat several clerks, engrossed in writing and drawing, their pens making a soft scratching sound.

The air smelled of ink and old paper mixed together, a stuffy, musty odor.

The fat man walked up to a middle-aged clerk in his forties, cupped his hands in greeting, and smiled broadly.

"Liu, the clerk, thank you for your trouble."

Liu, the clerk, raised his head, first glanced at the fat man, then at Jiang Xun behind him, his gaze lingering on Jiang Xun before scanning him from head to toe.

"Fatty Qian, has the house been sold?"

The fat man smiled obsequiously and bent over slightly: "Sold! Sold! This young master bought it."

"How many?"

"One hundred and eighty taels."

"One hundred and eighty taels?"

Liu Dianli glanced at him, then at Jiang Xun, and suddenly smiled.

The smile was somewhat meaningful; the corners of his mouth twitched upwards, but his eyelids remained unchanged.

"Okay." He nodded, rummaged through the drawer and pulled out a stack of papers, flipped through them and took out two sheets.

"Number 17 Willow Lane, the original owner was Qian Wanguan, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

Clerk Liu spread two pieces of paper on the table, one was a house deed, and the other was a land deed.

The address, boundaries, and area were written on it, the handwriting was neat and tidy, and it was stamped with the official red seal of the government office, the ink of which was bright red.

He pulled out another book, opened it, and pushed it in front of Jiang Xun.

"Put your fingerprint and sign."

Jiang Xun looked down and saw that the book was densely covered with names and fingerprints. Some were neat, some were messy, and some fingerprints were pressed so hard that they were almost black.

He picked up a pen and wrote his name in the last column.

"Jiang Xun".

It's crooked and distorted, like a dog crawling, with the strokes squeezed together like a pile of firewood sticks.

Liu Dianli glanced at it, said nothing, and then pointed to the inkpad box next to him.

Jiang Xun pressed his thumb into the inkpad and stamped it on the name, leaving a bright red mark.

Liu, the clerk, took back the house and land deeds, stamped them on the back, dipped his inkpad in it, and stamped them on the book as well.

Then he handed the two papers to Jiang Xun.

"Alright. This house is yours now."

Jiang Xun took the two pieces of paper and looked down at them.

The house deed and land deed have your name written on them.

The paper was a bit rough, with slightly curled edges, and the ink wasn't completely dry; it bled a little when touched.

He suddenly felt a little dazed.

For the first time in my seventeen years of life, I own my own house.

It's not a dilapidated temple, not a shack, not under someone else's eaves.

It's mine.

"Young Master Jiang?" the fat man called out to him from the side, his voice pulling him back to reality. "Shall we settle the payment?"

Jiang Xun snapped out of his daze, took out some silver from his pocket, counted it out one ingot at a time, totaling one hundred and eighty taels, and handed it to the fat man.

The fat man took the silver, counted it, and stuffed it into his pocket, grinning from ear to ear, his face crinkling with wrinkles.

"Young Master Jiang, congratulations! Wishing you a prosperous new home and a large and thriving family!"

Jiang Xun nodded without saying anything.

He carefully folded the two contracts and placed them close to his chest; they were hard and a little cool.

…………

After leaving the government office, Jiang Xun first went to buy bedding, pots and pans, firewood, rice, oil and salt.

I carried the items home trip after trip until the sun was almost setting, and my arms were aching, but I finally got everything I needed.

The quilts were made of freshly fluffed cotton, soft and fluffy; the pots and pans were the cheapest ones, large rough porcelain bowls, and iron pots that were shiny black; rice, flour, oil, and salt were each packed in a small bag, neatly stacked on the kitchen counter.

He put his things down and was about to close the door when he suddenly heard someone talking outside.

The sound wasn't loud, but the alley was quiet, and every word could be heard clearly.

"This is the place."

"Did it really sell?"

"That's right, I heard it was just sold today for 180 taels."

"One hundred and eighty taels? That's so cheap?"

"What's so cheap about it? Do you even know the history of this house?"

"What's your background?"

"Haunted."

Jiang Xun's hand stopped on the door latch, his fingers frozen.

"Really?"

"Of course it's true! In the past two weeks, Fatty Qian and his family have been hearing noises coming from the attic. When they went up to check, they found nothing there."

The two children even fell ill as a result, suffering from fevers for several days. Doctors couldn't diagnose the symptoms.

Later, they invited a Taoist priest to take a look. The priest said the house was filled with yin energy and was uninhabitable, which frightened Fatty Qian so much that he moved out overnight.

"So, this buyer today..."

"I wonder which sucker got ripped off by that fat guy surnamed Qian."

Jiang Xun's face darkened.

He slammed the door shut with a loud bang, making the door panel vibrate and buzz.

A rustling sound came from outside the door, as if someone was running out. The footsteps faded into the distance and soon disappeared.

Jiang Xun stood behind the door, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

Haunted?

Damn it, no wonder it was so cheap!

No wonder that fat man was so agreeable, and those constables were looking at me so strangely!

He took a deep breath, then another. His chest rose and fell like a bellows.

Then he suddenly laughed.

Haunted?

He grew up in a dilapidated temple, slept in piles of dead bodies, and urinated in mass graves.

Outside Jiangzhou City, in that mass grave, will-o'-the-wisps flickered in the middle of the night, yet he still lay down to sleep.

Talk to him about ghosts?

He wanted to see what kind of devil dared to come looking for him.

He bolted the door, turned and went inside, his footsteps pounding loudly, as if he were deliberately making sure someone could hear him.

He wiped down the dusty furniture and then went to the kitchen to make himself a simple bowl of noodles.

That night, Jiang Xun did not sleep in the main room.

He chose the east wing, laid out the bedding, and lay down.

The windows of the east wing face east, so the moonlight can't shine in, and the room is so dark you can't see your hand in front of your face.

The courtyard was pitch black, with only moonlight filtering through the windows of the main house, casting a white shadow on the ground like a layer of frost.

Jiang Xun closed his eyes.

One hundred and eighty taels of silver to buy a small courtyard with an attic.

I can even wake up laughing in my sleep.

But there are ghosts.

He rolled over, a smile still on his lips.

ghost?

He wanted to see what kind of monster it was.

Lost in thought, I drifted off to sleep.

I don't know how much time has passed—

"Squeak."

A soft sound, subtle, like someone quietly pushing the door open.

Jiang Xun suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils shrinking in the darkness.

The moonlight is still there, and the white expanse on the ground is still there.

He pricked up his ears, remained motionless, and even softened his breathing.

There was no sound at all.

The courtyard was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat, thump-thump-thump, each beat hitting your eardrums.

Was I dreaming?