"When Zhu Zihao said that the sea-view house behind was haunted, I almost burst out laughing. I pointed at Cha Wenbin and said: "Well, isn't it lucky today? This guy is a professional ghost catcher."

  "Lawyer?" He hastily ran to Cha Wenbin's side, looked him up and down, then pinched his chin and ran back to my side, whispering: "Doesn't look like it."

  I smiled and said: "We don't call him a Dharma Master, you have to call him Daozhang."

  "Are you really the Taoist master?" He still couldn't believe that this person, who was about his age, could be the legendary Taoist. In Hong Kong, people who knew a bit about Feng Shui were in high demand. Although the place had become a British colony 100 years ago, the ancient Chinese customs had been preserved here. The people of Hong Kong paid great attention to tradition, and most families worshipped ancestral tablets at home. For example, Wong Tai Sin Temple was said to have its prayers answered, with incense burning in profusion, something that temples on the mainland could hardly match.

  Cha Wenbin politely nodded towards Zhu Zihao and said: "Can you take me in for a visit?"

  All the way to the house, Cha Wenbin took out a compass, and Zhu Zihao's suspicious eyes finally returned to calm. He secretly asked me: "How is this great immortal, oh no, Daoist priest's skill?"

  "You take a look yourself." I deliberately knocked on him and said: "Considering we are friends, just seal it with a red envelope and that's it."

  "That's it, that's it. Wanting to get a feng shui master in Hong Kong costs hundreds of thousands, I'm a bit short on cash." He looked embarrassed, so I casually said: "Just wrap up two or three hundred thousand yuan and that's it."

  "Whatever it takes, I'll pay the 30,000!" Zhu Zihao gritted his teeth and said.

  I was secretly delighted, if I had known earlier, I would have brought him to Hong Kong long ago, this is much better than selling junk. I thought about letting Cha Wenbin casually fool around and get away with it, but unexpectedly, after Cha Wenbin walked around the living room of that house with his head down, his expression became somewhat solemn.

  In the garden, we two sat there, Cha Wenbin first spoke: "Who built this house, who was the first owner?"

  "My grandfather was a Nationalist, and when he came over, it's said that he bought this from a British designer, so it's got about 60 or 70 years of history. My father was born here. Strictly speaking, my grandfather is the first owner of this house, how about that? Is this mansion haunted?"

  "Zha Wenbin asked him: 'How did you feel that this house is haunted?'"

  "It's been a long time." Zhu Zihao continued, "When I was young, this place was haunted. According to my family's old master, every time I came here, I would cry. At that time, I was only three or four years old and couldn't remember the situation. It is said that at that time, a master was invited, and the master only said that I was not suitable for living here and suggested moving away. Later, my father took me and my mother to Tongluowan."

  "You're saying it's haunted? That's just too..."

  "Please continue." Zhang Wenbin interrupted my speech, gesturing for Zhu Zihao to go on.

  "My grandfather had four small wives, all of whom were married in this house, but none of them left any descendants." Zhu Zihao looked at me with a strange gaze and hastily said: "It's not that he was incapable, it's just that they died young, one after another. It's said that more than ten babies died. My father is the only son, but he wasn't born here. And oh, those concubines also died in this house later on, all hanging themselves to death in the same room. That room has been sealed off with iron plates until now, and no one is allowed to enter."

  "Which one?" asked Zha Wenbin.

  "Right there, on the third floor, at the far west end."

  I looked up and saw that on the west side, there was a window with a thick layer of paper stuck to it, and the windowsill was covered in ivy. On the west side, there was also a huge pomelo tree, half of its branches just blocking half of the wall. After Zhu Zihao said that, I really felt like it was true, quite fitting for this atmosphere.

  "West Wing's hanging foot building, Brother Zi Hao, are you talking about Liaozhai with me?"

  "Little Xiaoye, this house has had some incidents before, and several buyers have backed out. Just recently, a rich businessman from Singapore was interested in buying it for 300 million Hong Kong dollars, and he even paid the deposit. But after staying here for one night, he ran away without even asking for his deposit back. Now, rumors are spreading outside that this house is haunted, and even at a third of its original price, nobody dares to take it over. That's why I came here myself to stay for a few days, to dispel the rumors, and since you're not coming, having more people can boost our courage..."

  As soon as I heard that, I realized what was going on. I said to myself, "No wonder this kid is being so polite!" I grabbed Zhang Wenbin and turned around to leave, saying: "Let's go, Wenbin! We'll stay in a hotel. I'll take you to see the view of Victoria Harbour, this turtle egg."

  "Hey, hey, hey, Xia Ye, you didn't say this was a master..."

  I stretched out one hand and said: "50,000!" I saw him hesitate, and continued walking forward saying: "Forget it, let's just stay in a hotel."

  "Alright, alright, five hundred thousand it is! But I'm warning you, we have to make sure everything goes smoothly!"

  I took a glance at Cha Wenbin, his mind seemed to be completely elsewhere from our conversation. I said to Zhu Zihao, "Don't worry, leave it to us."

  This villa belongs to the typical Republic of China style, with a white exterior and a large hall at the entrance made of light yellow marble. The arrangement of objects inside is also very deliberate, with various wood carvings and strange rocks placed in a harmonious manner. On the east side is the dining room, with a small door leading to the kitchen.

  On the west side, there are two rooms, which were originally for servants. In the last room, there is a spiral staircase that leads directly to the second floor. The ceiling is high, over four meters, and it's indeed the style of a rich family. The furniture in the house is all made of red wood, and the chandelier on the ceiling seems to be embedded with diamonds, shining brightly. This kind of house can tell that the owner is extraordinary.

  "Can you take me upstairs for a visit?"

  "This way, please." Zhu Zihao led the way in front, and on the wall at the corner of the second floor, there were several old photos hanging. The photos were of different women, quite a few of whom were pretty. Zhu Zihao explained that these were his grandfather's concubines. The last photo was of a woman wearing a veil, and he said this was his grandmother.

  "My grandmother died less than a year after giving birth to my father, and from then on, no one lived in that room again," said Zhu Zihao. He was referring to the room on the east side of the second floor with a south-facing window, which had a red wooden door with an ancient bronze frame tightly closed. From the layout, this room was indeed the best in the house.

  "My grandmother was said to be exceptionally beautiful when she was young, so this gene has been passed down to me." Zhu Zihao didn't say a few words before he started bragging about his looks, but he really did look quite handsome, with a bit of a mixed-blood flavor, especially his eyes were very deep and his nose bridge was high, I used to think he wasn't Chinese.

  "I just saw her photo with her face covered, why?"

  "I don't know, I only have one photo of my grandmother, anyway, I don't know what she looks like, I also heard it from my grandfather." Zhu Zihao forcefully twisted the doorknob a few times, "Can't open it, this door hasn't been opened since I can remember, when the buyer comes, we'll probably have to replace it with a new one."

  "This is easy." Brother Fatty and I had learned how to pick locks, this kind of ancient lock only has one lock core, even I can do it. I found a steel wire and fiddled with it inside for a few times, "click" the lock core opened. This move made Zhu Zihao praise me repeatedly, asking if I used to be in the underworld before.

  The moment I opened the door, I smelled a musty smell. It's no wonder that no one has come in for decades and there is no ventilation. This place is no different from those underground old tombs.

  With a creak, I stepped down and the floorboard suddenly broke into two pieces. The ceiling above had already collapsed, and the inside of the house was in shambles. Spider webs were everywhere. However, it was still possible to make out a bed, a dresser, a bookshelf, and several chairs, all arranged quite simply.

  Zhu Zihao covered his nose and urged me: "Let's go, let's go, there's nothing good to see here, the haunted place isn't here."

  I turned to leave but suddenly caught sight of a photo frame on the edge of the bookshelf, although it was covered in a thick layer of dust, I still felt something familiar about it, and it gave me an urge to go take a closer look.

  "Wait, I want to go in for a bit, no problem?"

  Zhu Zihao said indifferently: "Never mind, I'm just afraid that later on this dress will get dirty."

  I carefully made my way through the ceiling that was about to collapse at any moment, and for some reason, I always felt like there was something guiding me in this room. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but the feeling was very real.

  When I wiped off the ash on the glass cover, my hands were shaking and my heart was also shaking. I couldn't suppress the excitement in my heart and shouted loudly: "Zha Wenbin! Something's happened, something big has happened!"

  Cha Wenbin was then measuring the living room on the second floor, he heard the shouting and rushed in immediately. When he saw the glass cover, I believe his expression was the same as mine.

  This is not a photo, but a painting!