A Guest In A Ghost House

I looked around and kept silent. Cheng Yifan"s face soured and he coughed a little, as if to hide his embarra.s.sment, and then whispered to the people beside him.

I touched Wu Jian, "Hey, can you do me a favor tonight?"

Wu Jian nodded. "Buy the ghost house first," he said. Looking at the committee across the table, he whispered, "I have inside information. What happened last time scared a lot of people and now there are all kinds of rumors running about. Some even made it to the Internet, and the munic.i.p.al government is under a lot of pressure. They don"t care about the money, they just want someone to move in and put an end to the rumors."

Well, it was OK not to pay right away. After all, the ghost house was a big place. If I bought it, I would technically be a multimillionaire.

While I was lost in thought, Cheng Yifan and the others seemed to have come to a decision. He cleared his throat and said, "Well, this ancient building is a cultural landmark, so any renovation mustn"t alter the original appearance. The cost of the renovations will be very high, so we have decided, after due deliberation, to set the price for the ancient building at 5 million, with the stipulation that the building must be put into use as soon as possible."

Cheng Yifan"s offer obviously drew the attention of a few businessmen, but after exchanging a few glances, they gave up on the idea. As for me, there was no difference between five million or fifty million. I couldn"t afford it all the same.

Cheng Yifan"s face was grim, but he had little else to say. He announced that bidding for the ghost house will be postponed and left together with the other representatives.

Wu Jian said to me, "So far so good. I was really afraid some idiot would buy the ghost house. Come, I"ll treat you to a snack."

Although I didn"t know why Wu Jian was so keen on me buying the ghost house, I was more interested in Wu Jian"s treat than buying the ghost house. He ended up treating me to a bowl of noodles.

It was still early when I finished eating. I told Wu Jian about Xiao Lingdang"s problem and he promised to help out. We roamed the streets for a while before heading over to the ghost house.

The ghost house was ghastly as usual, but after coming there to work every day, I no longer felt fear. As for Wu Jian, I didn"t know why, but I could see excitement in his eyes. Had something happened between him and the female ghost that accompanied him last time? Gross.

Nothing happened when we entered the ghost house this time. The bright lobby did not appear, and everything around us was still broken down and dilapidated.

Wu Jian proposed that the two of us search through every room on the second floor, even knocking on the walls to see if there were hidden compartments. We found nothing, but - I don"t know if I was just imagining it - I keep feeling like someone was watching me. Was it Xiao Lingdang monitoring my efforts?

Though slightly afraid in my heart, I was mostly really tired. After Wu Jian answered a phone call and had to leave, I collapsed limply against the wall of the ground floor main hall. Just then, everything around me suddenly went bright. I raised my hand and looked at my watch. It wasn"t even 11 o "clock yet, so why was the Fan House opening up?

I looked up and got startled. A group of women surrounded me, doom in their eyes. They didn"t show their true, terrifying, ghostly forms, but fear nevertheless bloomed in my heart.

I looked around and chuckled meekly, "Umm, what can I do for you?"

Suddenly, a deafening cacophony of voices struck me, making my ears ring. I couldn"t make out a word they were saying. The girls seemed to notice this and quieted down. They voiced their complaints one by one.

The first one was cold-faced Lulu, "What the h.e.l.l are you doing rummaging through the house with some random man?"

I was stunned for a moment. Regaining my sense, I hastily smiled, "Ah, sorry, sorry, I was trying to help Xiao Lingdang find her skin."

A less familiar female ghost chimed in, "We would have eaten you if it weren"t for Xiao Lingdang. It"s not here."

I was again stunned, "Not here? Where is it, then?"

Another ghost joined in, "How should we know?"

Xiao Lingdang"s voice came from somewhere at the back, "The elder sisters have already helped me look all over this place. My skin is not in the Fan House."

I was about to faint. You could have told me earlier! Wu Jian and I worked our a.s.ses off, but somehow we were sure the skin was somewhere in the Fan House. If it wasn"t there, how was I supposed to find it? The world is an immense place!

Looking around at the still-aggrieved ladies around me, I could not help showing a bitter face, "Dear sisters, I was wrong. Excuse me.."

The girls seemed satisfied that I had learned my lesson. Sister Hua said, "Okay, okay, that"s enough. Get ready to open up, everyone. Wu, come with me." After a pause, she added, "Xiao Lingdang, come here."

I had never thought Sister Hua"s voice could be so beautiful. Seeing the crowd scatter, I hurriedly walked over to Sister Hua with a smile.

Sister Hua nodded and then told me and the silly Xiao Lingdang how to properly look for her skin. Xiao Lingdang and I looked at each other awkwardly, because Sister Hua"s method was surprisingly simple - If Xiao Lingdang pa.s.sed a mouthful of her Yin Qi to me, I would be able to feel the skin within a certain range and not stumble around aimlessly anymore.

But, uh… I looked at Xiao Lingdang, aged 15. Her longing eyes made me feel very awkward. All right, I guess I could offer up my mouth, I suppose my hand as well. The question was - why was there a crowd of people around us?

Yan"er held Xiao Lingdang"s hand, "Xiao Lingdang, when you blow into Wu"s mouth, remember to concentrate your Yin Qi. But not too much, or Wu won"t be able to stand it."

Yan"er pulled up a friend to demonstrate. Mouths touching, her hands inside the girl"s ethereal body, Yan"er taught us about the Yin Qi transfer route. Xiao Lingdang learned eagerly.

I gulped, feeling my face get hot. It was a really tantalizing view. It"s safe to say I was even more attentive than Xiao Lingdang.

"Are you liking this?"

I involuntarily nodded, then shook my head and turned around. Lulu was giving me a disdainful look. I quickly adjusted my answer, "What are you talking about? It"s just to help with finding your skin."

At that moment, I heard the sound of an excited breath. I hurriedly turned back and saw Yan"er"s hand had already climbed up to the other woman"s breast, making a strange rubbing motion, which immediately provoked the beautiful woman"s temper as she pushed her away.

I pretended to disapprove, "Why is Yan"er doing that? She"s not teaching Xiao Lingdang seriously." With that, I shook my head to show my disagreement.

Lulu sneered, "I might believe you if you didn"t have a nosebleed."