Sanfang Qixiang, Yijin Fang, No. 108.
Amidst the historic alleyways, this old mansion did not appear out of place.
It blended seamlessly with its surroundings, utterly unremarkable.
From within the high walls, several branches, lovers of freedom, had grown, their new leaves as tender as a child's.
This scene, at this season, could only be appreciated in the south.
The weathered wooden door bore two door knockers, their rust-flecked surfaces revealing a hint of gold, suggesting it had once been the residence of a prominent family.
Yan Shouyi approached and knocked a few times with the door ring.
Long Feicheng chuckled, "Brother Yan, there's no one inside, knocking won't get anyone to open the door for you. I have the key!"
"You don't understand. Houses that have been unoccupied for a long time are very likely to become temporary residences for lonely spirits. Before the living return home, regardless of whether anyone is inside, they must knock to remind the 'things' in the house that their owners have returned, so they can move. If you barge in without warning, they'll think you're impolite and might even retaliate."
Yan Shouyi paused and added,
"Besides, we already know there's a ghost in this house. If you go straight in, aren't you disrespecting it?"
Long Feicheng found Yan Shouyi's reasoning sound and promptly handed the key to him.
Yan Shouyi slowly knocked three more times, demonstrating great politeness.
Too hasty knocking would offend the owner.
After waiting for a moment, Yan Shouyi used the key to unlock the door.
"Old sir, we're coming in!" he shouted loudly as he pushed the door open.
The first thing he saw upon opening the door was a screen wall, on which was carved a depiction of a dragon and tiger ascending. The dragon and tiger were lifelike, their majestic presence so powerful that one could feel an overwhelming aura just by looking at them.
"This old sir is indeed extraordinary," Yan Shouyi thought in surprise.
A mere screen wall possessed such an imposing aura. Regardless of whether the old sir himself had carved it, it spoke volumes of his exceptional nature.
The house was eerily silent, not a sound to be heard.
Yan Shouyi stepped over the threshold and walked a few steps inward. To his right was a small landscape featuring a welcoming pine tree.
The welcoming pine tree grew vigorously but without any hint of wildness, as if it had been deliberately pruned.
Yet, this mansion clearly hadn't been entered by any living person for a long time.
To the left was a screen door. Walking through it led to the outer courtyard, and further in was the second entrance, leading directly to the inner courtyard.
Long Feicheng leaned forward and smiled, "Brother Yan, this screen wall looks great, and so does this welcoming pine... Even if we don't end up taking this house, we can always dig up this screen wall or the pine tree. They should sell for quite a bit!"
Yan Shouyi couldn't help but laugh wryly, "Do you think that old sir would agree?"
"What can he do if he doesn't agree? Are the living going to be held back by pee? The welcoming pine is right by the door. I can just grab it and run. Can he stop me?"
Long Feicheng had no inkling of how dangerous his words were.
With that, he arrogantly stepped forward.
However, just as he was about to enter the screen door, he suddenly heard the sounds of children laughing and playing.
He lowered his head and saw a group of children wearing red bibs and with pale faces, running towards him barefoot.
Long Feicheng had encountered ghosts several times before, and he immediately recognized that these children were not alive.
For a moment, he stood frozen, afraid to move.
Unexpectedly, the children ran directly towards Long Feicheng. Upon reaching him, they jumped up and delivered a punch to his groin!
"Damn it!"
Long Feicheng, who had just recovered, was knocked down by the punch and writhed in pain.
Yan Shouyi, Huang Hai, and Zhou Yuquan, seeing this, quickly made way for the little ghosts.
Some of the children carried rattle drums, others iron hoops, and some clutched balls, all laughing as they streamed out of the mansion.
As soon as they exited, their figures vanished.
"Yan, Brother Yan, did you guys see that just now?"
Long Feicheng struggled to stand up and said indignantly,
"That ghost is too shameless! Lend me two Palm Thunder Talismans, and I'll blast those little brats to death!"
Yan Shouyi patted his shoulder, "Save your energy. You dare provoke little ghosts? Aren't you afraid they'll cling to you? That was just a small lesson. If they were serious, I'd have to give them some deference."
"No way, little ghosts are that fierce?"
"What do you think? These little ghosts are not ordinary. Red bibs and peach-shaped hairstyles – these are the typical appearances of stillborn, resentful ghosts. Don't let their small size fool you; they have big tempers and considerable abilities."
Huang Hai also added, "Moreover, resentful ghosts are usually very fierce and will retaliate for the slightest displeasure. But for some reason, they didn't seem interested in us just now."
Zhou Yuquan said, "It's more than just not being interested. I think their temperaments have changed for the better."
Yan Shouyi felt the same.
This group of resentful ghosts wouldn't appear in the old mansion without reason. Perhaps it had something to do with the old ghost.
Did the old ghost train the resentful ghosts to be this way?
Yan Shouyi pulled Long Feicheng up and led him further inside.
Past the second entrance, in the center of the middle courtyard, there was a pond with a small arched bridge.
Strangely, two fishing rods were placed on the empty arched bridge.
Fat koi swam in the pond, and a few turtles basked in the sun on the water lilies.
"It seems like someone has been taking care of this place," Huang Hai said in surprise.
"Where is that old ghost?" Long Feicheng looked around.
Yan Shouyi observed the fishing rods on the bridge from a distance.
Suddenly, he noticed a familiar symbol on one of the fishing rods.
A lifelike yellow ox.
This was the mark of items made by his grandfather!
Seeing this symbol, Yan Shouyi was filled with immense joy.
If the fishing rods belonged to the old ghost, then the old ghost must have had a connection with his grandfather!
Therefore, Yan Shouyi walked directly onto the bridge and called out loudly,
"Esteemed senior, I am Yan Shouyi, a descendant of Lu Ban. My father is Yan Chou, and my grandfather is Yan Baixiang!"
His voice echoed through the courtyard, but no one responded.
Long Feicheng and the other two kept looking around, eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary old man.
Seeing no response, Yan Shouyi called out a few more times.
But the result was the same as before.
Huang Hai said, "Could it be that the old ghost's lifespan has ended, and his soul has dispersed?"
Zhou Yuquan said, "Or perhaps he broke the rules and went out?"
Long Feicheng laughed heartily, "Or maybe he knew that Long Feicheng had arrived and hid in fear!"
*Bang!*
As soon as Long Feicheng finished speaking, a little ghost appeared from somewhere and delivered another punch to his groin!
Long Feicheng couldn't help but cry out in pain, clutching his groin and cursing,
"You damned little ghost, where did you come from? Didn't your parents teach you manners? Attacking the lower half is what kind of tactic!"
This little ghost appeared and disappeared mysteriously, and it always appeared to retaliate when Long Feicheng badmouthed the old ghost, indicating that the old ghost had not vanished.
Yan Shouyi frowned, his gaze falling on the fishing rod at his feet.
He silently picked up the fishing rod.
But the moment he picked up the fishing rod, the surrounding environment suddenly changed!
The courtyard was still the same courtyard, the pond was still the same pond, but Long Feicheng and the others had vanished.
The sky was dim, with something like ash drifting down.
Yan Shouyi, anxious, was about to walk out, "Xiao Long?!"
Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder.
The hand was terrifyingly cold, clearly not the hand of a living person.
Yan Shouyi steadied himself. He first tilted his head and saw a scrawny, skin-and-bones, bloodless hand on his shoulder.
Turning around, he saw an old man beside him, holding another fishing rod, squatting on the bridge and fishing.
Yan Shouyi looked at the fishing rod in his hand and immediately understood.
Only by holding this fishing rod could he see this old man.
And this old man's identity was clearly the mysterious old man from the story Huang Hai and the others had mentioned.