I flung the old fox far away.

Returning to the spirit hall, I held the Golden Elixir in my hand, yet hesitated to make a decision.

To eat, or not to eat?

What if the old fox was deliberately leading me on?

What if I die after eating it?

This was a matter of great importance; I dared not try it rashly, as life only comes once!

After a moment of thought, I took a photo and sent it to Wen Rou, who was far away on Longhu Mountain.

Wen Rou is now a Taoist priest.

Perhaps she knew the purpose and usage of the Golden Elixir.

Even if she didn’t know, her beautiful master certainly would.

It was already the wee hours of the morning.

Wen Rou was probably asleep and did not reply.

I wasn’t in a hurry, but I was afraid those animals would return!

Fortunately, they did not.

At dawn, I brought a set of clothes my grandfather had worn and placed them in the coffin.

My grandfather was killed by a snake demon, leaving no remains, so we could only bury his clothes.

Early in the morning, my parents came and told me to go back to sleep.

Relatives with the surname Zhang from various generations also arrived.

Even the suona players came.

Suona refers to a traditional musical band.

Their arrival meant that my grandfather’s funeral procession was to take place today!

It was a bit rushed, but it seemed normal upon reflection.

Although autumn had begun, the days were still scorching hot.

According to rural customs, bodies couldn’t be cremated, and summer funerals had to be conducted early to prevent the body from decomposing.

I was truly exhausted that night, and as soon as I returned to my room, I fell asleep on the bed.

When I woke up, it was already afternoon.

My cousin and I carried wreaths, walking at the front of the funeral procession, seeing off my grandfather on his last journey.

Busy until evening, the house finally regained its usual tranquility.

Only, I no longer had my grandfather.

My mother took my hand and earnestly said, “Yuan, your grandfather left in a hurry and didn’t have time to say many things to you. His greatest wish, as well as your father’s and mine, is for you to settle down in the city as soon as possible, get married, and have children. First thing tomorrow morning, you should hurry back to the city and attend to your career.”

I said, “Grandfather just passed away; I’m not in the mood.”

My father said, “Society is different now; there’s no need to mourn for years when an elder passes away. Filial piety is carried in the heart. Just remember to burn some paper for your grandfather during the holidays. It’s even more painful for your mother and me to see you at home.”

“Alright then!”

I sighed and swore to myself that I must make a lot of money soon to give my parents a better life.

The greatest regret in life is to wish to provide for one’s parents when they are no longer around.

I couldn’t let this regret happen to me.

…

The next morning, I left Wangjia Village.

My parents asked why I didn’t drive.

I didn’t dare to say that the car was lost, so I lied that I had rented it out to someone, which seemed to satisfy them.

When it rains, it pours!

Not only was the car gone, but the lease on my house in the city had also expired!

This added insult to injury for someone who was already not wealthy!

The most urgent task at hand was to rent a place to stay.

When leaving Longhu Mountain, Wen Rou had transferred five thousand yuan to me.

After spending three thousand on transportation and my grandfather’s funeral, I only had two thousand yuan left on me.

I could probably only afford to rent a shared room in a civilian house!

I opened my phone and browsed through rental listings.

I filtered out the ads and agency posts, focusing only on information posted by landlords themselves, which would be more authentic and likely cheaper.

Soon, a rental listing caught my interest.

Wancheng Apartment: one bedroom, one living room, one bathroom, 40 square meters, fully furnished with appliances, 500 yuan per month, one month’s deposit and one month’s rent in advance.

Contact: Miss Zhao.

Mobile: XXXX

Wancheng Apartment is a well-known high-end apartment complex in Green Vine City.

Although it can’t compare with villas and large flats, it’s located in the heart of the city center, amidst prosperity!

I heard that many young ladies involved in e-commerce and live streaming live there, all wealthy!

With some luck, you might even encounter internet celebrities walking their dogs downstairs!

Five hundred yuan a month is absolutely impossible!

“Could it be a scammer?”

“The last four digits of the mobile number are the same; it might be fake too!”

Although I suspected it might be a scam, driven by the prospect of a good deal, I still dialed the number…

Dial… Dial… Dial…

“Hello?”

After three rings, the call actually went through!

It was a young lady!

I said, “Hello, is this Miss Zhao?”

The other party asked, “You are…?”

I said, “I’m from the rental app. I saw that you have a place for rent. Is it still available?”

“Ah…”

“Yes, it is!”

Miss Zhao said, “Wancheng Apartment, one bedroom, one living room, 500 yuan a month, one month’s deposit and one month’s rent in advance, right?”

“Yes!”

I was afraid that someone else would snatch the place, so I said, “Do you have time now? Maybe… I could come over and take a look at the apartment? If it’s suitable, I can pay right away!”

“Sure!”

Miss Zhao said, “I’ll be there in about twenty minutes. What about you?”

I estimated it would take me about the same time to walk there, so I said, “About the same. Let’s meet at the entrance of the complex then!”

“Okay!”

Twenty minutes later, I arrived at Wancheng Apartment.

After waiting a few minutes with no one in sight, I was about to call the other party.

At that moment, a burgundy Porsche Macan stopped beside me.

The window rolled down, and inside was a young lady in her early twenties, wearing a black camisole, taking off her sunglasses, and asking me, “Are you the one who wants to see the apartment?”

“Yes!”

I quickly nodded.

She said, “Get in, I’ll take you there!”

The car entered the complex, took a turn, and we arrived.

Single apartments usually don’t have underground parking, so it was convenient to park directly above.

Building 17, Apartment 701.

As I entered, I was dazzled!

Such a beautiful apartment!

Such beautiful decor!

Great lighting, everything was perfect!

Only the price… was abnormally low!

Seeing that I was silent, Miss Zhao said, “The apartment looks suitable, doesn’t it?”

“Suitable!”

I answered truthfully.

Miss Zhao said, “The price… if you think it’s expensive, we can still negotiate!”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t hold back and directly asked, “Sorry to be blunt, but I have to ask, why is this apartment so much cheaper than the market price? I’ve also looked at others in the same complex, and for one like yours, it should be at least two thousand a month, and that’s with annual payment!”

Miss Zhao hesitated and said, “Isn’t it good to be cheap?”

I said, “Cheap is good, but it makes me uneasy.”

Miss Zhao said, “It’s normal for you to have doubts. How about this, you rent it for a month to try! If it’s good, continue renting. If you decide you don’t want to stay midway, I’ll refund all your money!”

“I’m dizzy!”

The more I listened, the more outrageous it sounded, and I couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Zhao, don’t take offense if I say something wrong! Is there something wrong with this apartment? In other words, is it a Haunted House?”

“Absolutely not a Haunted House!”

Miss Zhao assured me, but then she quickly changed her tone and said, “But… there is indeed something odd!”

I pressed on, “What kind of odd?”

Miss Zhao hesitated for a long time, then sighed and said, “Alright, I’ll tell you! I don’t know if it’s a feng shui issue, but this room is a bit hot, the kind that’s still hot even with the air conditioning on!”

I was curious, “Why?”

Miss Zhao said, “If I knew the reason, I would have fixed it long ago!”

If it were cold, it might indeed be related to a Haunted House, but hot? What kind of ghost is that?

Miss Zhao added, “It’s hot now, and it might be uncomfortable to sleep at night, but the weather will cool down soon, and it’s really a good deal! You definitely won’t need to turn on the air conditioning in winter!”

“Okay, I’ll rent it!”

I was afraid that if I hesitated any longer, she might get annoyed.

I’ll live there for a month and see!