For thirty years, he has roamed the Northeast, his divine might overwhelming all immortals under hea

"Xiaoxiao, take us to where you live."

I patted my stomach.

Now that I've had my fill of food and drink, it's time for me to get down to business.

Zhu Xiaoxiao nodded and led us toward her residential compound.

She lives in a residential complex near the county hospital; it's a six-story staff housing building.

As one of the first residential buildings built in the county town, the county hospital staff quarters have a history of quite some time.

I heard that this was built by the Japanese when they came to Japan.

The environment in the community is quite nice, with several tall pine trees and a small garden.

The three of us walked into the hallway, which was dimly lit. The walls were covered with mottled stains, and the air was filled with a damp, musty smell that was very unpleasant to smell.

Zhu Xiaoxiao's home was on the fourth floor. She took out her key and opened the door.

With a creak, the door slowly opened, and a thick, eerie aura instantly rushed out of the room, making me shiver.

I stepped into the house, my eyes quickly scanning the entire room.

Zhu Xiaoxiao lives in a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment with a square layout and a south-facing living room, which should be a good place with plenty of yang energy.

The strange thing is that even though it was past three in the afternoon, when the sun was at its strongest, not a single ray of sunlight could get into the living room.

The curtains were drawn tightly shut, the fabric as thick as charcoal. Only a dim yellow lamp was on in the room, the light so weak that the outlines of the furniture could barely be seen.

The sofa was old, the fabric was worn and pilled, there were several empty cans on the coffee table, and a stack of cardboard boxes was piled up in the corner, covered in dust.

The bedroom door was ajar, and the eerie atmosphere emanating from the crack was even stronger, as if countless cold hands were crawling up my ankles.

"Mr. Thirteen, please come in."

Zhu Xiaoxiao's voice trembled slightly as she went in first and reached out to pull back the curtains.

"Don't touch it!"

I suddenly stopped her.

Zhu Xiaoxiao's hand froze in mid-air, and Brother Sanlv was also startled by me.

"What's wrong, Thirteen? Is there something special about these curtains?"

"On the surface, there seems to be nothing wrong with the feng shui of this house."

As I spoke, I paced back and forth in the living room with my feet turned outwards, my eyes fixed on the floor and the corner of the wall.

"It faces north and has a square layout. There's no bad luck with doors facing each other or any taboo about beams pressing down on you. But you two, smell this."

I raised my hand and fanned myself under my nose.

"Besides the musty smell, is there also a faint fishy odor? This is not ordinary yin energy; it is a malevolent aura carrying blood and evil spirits."

Sanlu Ge and Zhu Xiaoxiao also followed my example and smelled it. I don't know if they really smelled it or if my words made them preconceived notions.

"Yes, it really exists!"

"Why didn't I smell it just now?"

"You are a man with strong yang energy; ordinary yin energy cannot get close to you."

I pointed at Zhu Xiaoxiao.

"But she's different. She's carrying a ghost child, and her yang energy has been almost completely depleted. For her, this yin energy is a deadly knife."

Zhu Xiaoxiao swayed, and if Brother Sanlu hadn't caught her in time, she probably would have collapsed to the ground.

I had no time to consider her feelings; my mind was racing.

If the feng shui is fine, then the problem must lie with the house itself.

Either someone died in this house, or it was used to hide some evil spirit.

I pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up and asked Zhu Xiaoxiao.

"How much is the rent for your apartment?"

Zhu Xiaoxiao was taken aback, seemingly not expecting me to ask that. She thought for a moment and then whispered.

"Five yuan a month."

"What?!"

Brother Sanlu exploded on the spot.

"Five yuan?! Xiaoxiao, are you kidding me?! This location is prime in the county town. The one-bedroom apartment next door costs fifteen yuan a month! How could your two-bedroom apartment only cost five yuan?"

I felt relieved; just as I expected.

Five yuan is a lot of money, but it's impossible to rent a two-bedroom apartment like this; it's simply a pipe dream.

There is only one possibility.

This house is haunted, and the landlord is in a hurry to rent it out but doesn't dare to make it public, so he can only drive the price down to an absurd level.

"Who is the landlord?"

I pressed for details.

"She's an old lady, she lives on the first floor."

Zhu Xiaoxiao's voice grew softer and softer.

"When I came to rent the place, she told me that the apartment was cheap, but I shouldn't ask too many questions or bring any strangers. At the time, I was thinking about saving money, and since I was from out of town, I figured it was better to avoid trouble, so I didn't think much of it..."

"You're not saving money, you're risking your life!"

Brother Sanlu was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet.

Did the old lady mention who lived in this house before?

Zhu Xiaoxiao shook her head, her face paler than paper.

I took a deep breath; I already had an idea in mind.

"I need to stay in this house for a few more days."

"What?"

Sanlu Ge and Zhu Xiaoxiao shouted it out in unison.

"Thirteen, are you crazy?! This house is so eerie, aren't you just asking for trouble by staying here?"

Brother Sanlu grabbed my arm.

"I'll stay if you want. I invited you. If something happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to your mother!"

"You're useless living here."

I patted Brother Sanlu's hand.

"I have a celestial being protecting me, so the yin energy can't harm me. You two are different; one has strong yang energy but doesn't understand the ways, and the other carries a ghost fetus with weak yang energy. I'll stay here for two reasons: first, to keep an eye on the ghost fetus's movements, and second, to find the root cause of the problem in this house."

After a pause, I added.

"To avoid any misunderstanding, Brother Sanlu, you stay too. Zhu Xiaoxiao, you'll stay in the bedroom, but don't close the door. Brother Sanlu, I'll make do with you in the living room for a few nights."

Brother Sanlu wanted to say something more, but I stopped him with a look.

After agreeing on the terms, Zhu Xiaoxiao went to the bedroom to tidy up.

For dinner, Brother Sanlu went downstairs to buy food and drinks. Zhu Xiaoxiao only ate a few bites before returning to her bedroom, saying she wasn't feeling well.

Brother Sanlv and I sat on the living room floor, talking and eating.

"Thirteen, what exactly is the origin of this ghost fetus?"

Brother Sanlu asked in a low voice.

"Why did it specifically target Xiaoxiao?"

"The formation of a ghost fetus is either due to the absorption of the resentment of wandering ghosts in a place of yin energy, or it is due to the resentment of a woman who died and was about to give birth in this house, which is then reborn through the womb."

I took a bite of the chicken leg.

"The rent for this house is so cheap, it's most likely the latter. I'll check it out again tonight, I should be able to figure out what's going on."

Brother Sanlu nodded and said nothing more. He knew that if I said that, I must have my reasons.

As night deepened, the hustle and bustle of the county town gradually subsided, with only the occasional bark of a dog coming from outside the window.

The living room light had been off long ago, and neither of us was asleep, lying on the sofa.

I closed my eyes, but my ears were perked up, listening intently to every sound in the room.

Huang Dalang's voice echoed softly in my mind.

"Thirteen, be careful, the Yin energy is starting to stir."

I nodded slightly and held my breath.

It was around 3 a.m., which is the time of day when yin energy is at its peak and yang energy is at its weakest.

Suddenly, I heard very light footsteps coming from the direction of the bedroom.

The footsteps were strange; they were neither the heavy footsteps of an adult nor the weak, dragging footsteps of Zhu Xiaoxiao. Instead, they sounded like a toddler just learning to walk, step by step, making soft "pat-pat" sounds on the floor.

The sound was very soft; if I hadn't had exceptional hearing and hadn't been paying close attention, I wouldn't have been able to hear it at all.

I squinted and, using the sliver of moonlight streaming in from the window, made out the figure.

It was a child, maybe two or three years old at most.

He was wearing a small red bib, his hair was sparse, his face was as white as paper, but his lips were a deep, purplish red.

He was short and walked with a wobbly gait, yet he walked with unusual determination toward the living room.

His footsteps were very light, as if he were stepping on cotton, without making a sound.

My heart sank to the bottom instantly.

Huang Dalang's voice carried a hint of solemnity.

"Thirteen, that's it! This isn't an ordinary little ghost, it's the embryonic form of a ghost! It's come out to absorb yang energy!"

Before a ghost fetus takes shape, it needs to continuously absorb the yang energy of living people to strengthen itself.

Zhu Xiaoxiao's yang energy has been almost completely drained, and now it has set its sights on me and Brother Sanlv.

I quietly nudged Brother Sanlv next to me with my elbow. He was fast asleep, but when I touched him, he groggily opened his eyes.

I quickly gestured for him to be quiet and then looked at the center of the living room.

Following my gaze, Brother Sanlu stared wide-eyed at the child in the red bib, his mouth gaping open like an egg. He tried to shout, but I quickly covered his mouth.

I could feel that Brother Sanlu's body was trembling violently, and even my hand covering his mouth was shaking.

The child didn't seem to notice we were awake. He continued to stagger around the living room, stopping every now and then to look up and stare intently at the bedroom door with his pupil-less eyes, as if waiting for something.

A dense aura of yin energy emanated from him, instantly lowering the temperature in the living room, making my teeth chatter from the cold.

I stared intently at the child, my mind racing.

Now is not the time to take action.

Although the nascent form of the demonic fetus is powerful, its true form is still inside Zhu Xiaoxiao's stomach. If it is harmed now, Zhu Xiaoxiao will surely suffer a backlash.

I can only wait, wait for it to show its flaws, wait for me to find the root cause of the problem in this house, before I can eradicate it completely.

The child wandered around the living room for about half an hour before slowly turning around and walking towards the bedroom.

Its footsteps remained light, disappearing step by step behind the half-open bedroom door.

Only after that small figure completely disappeared did I release my hand from covering Brother Sanlu's mouth.

Brother Sanlu gasped for breath, his voice trembling with tears, and spoke almost into my ear.

"Ten...thirteen...what...what is that?! A red bellyband...is it a ghost fetus?!"

I nodded, keeping my voice very low.

"It's this one. Things in this house are more complicated than I imagined. Let's not make a fuss tonight. I'll go and meet with the landlady downstairs when it's light."

Brother Sanlu nodded repeatedly, not daring to have the slightest objection.

We lay in bed, completely unable to fall asleep.

In a daze, dawn broke, and I got up and went to the bedroom door to take a look at Zhu Xiaoxiao.

Although I know that men and women are different, when it comes to life, what do rules and morals matter?

It doesn't matter anymore.

Zhu Xiaoxiao is sleeping soundly, and it seems that there are no problems so far.

Then we should go and meet the landlady Zhu Xiaoxiao mentioned.

Brother Sanlu's eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night, and he looked like a panda. He sat on the sofa rubbing his hands, barely daring to breathe.

I patted him on the shoulder and said in a low voice.

"Come on, let's go downstairs and meet that landlady."

"Shall we go now?"

Brother Sanlu's voice was a little hoarse.

"Yes, let's go now and find out indirectly."

We went outside.

The light in the hallway was a bit brighter than yesterday, but the damp, musty smell was still pungent, and the stains on the walls looked even more mottled in the sunlight.

Go down to the first floor, and the house on the east side is where the landlady lives. The door is ajar, and you can hear the sound of a radio coming from inside, whirring and creaking, like someone singing Pingju opera.

I raised my hand and gently knocked on the door.

"Auntie, are you home?"

The radio inside the door paused for a moment, then came the voice of an old woman, slightly hoarse.

Who is it?

"Auntie, I'm a friend of Zhu Xiaoxiao, the tenant on the fourth floor. I'd like to ask you something."

I replied with a smile, trying to make my voice sound friendly.

The door creaked open, revealing an elderly woman with gray hair.

She was wearing a gray cloth jacket, and her face was covered with wrinkles like walnuts, but her eyes were bright. She looked me and Brother Sanlu up and down, with a hint of wariness and something else that was hard to describe.

"What's up?"

The old lady moved further into the house.

"Come in, don't stand at the door."

When Sanlu and I entered the house, it was completely different from Zhu Xiaoxiao's place.

It's also a two-bedroom apartment, but this one is sunny, bright, and clean, with even the air smelling warm from the sun.

On the living room table was a bowl of freshly cooked millet porridge and a dish of pickled vegetables, indicating that the old lady was just preparing to eat breakfast.

"Auntie, we are Zhu Xiaoxiao's colleagues. She hasn't been feeling well lately, so we've come to take care of her for a few days."

"We stayed there for one night and found the house incredibly damp. We couldn't see the sun even in broad daylight, and it had a strange smell. We were wondering if you knew of any ways to prevent the house from being so damp?"

The old lady picked up the bowl of porridge and stirred it slowly with a spoon, without even lifting her eyelids.

"It's an old building, that's how it is. It was built by the Japanese back then, the foundations are deep, it's damp, nothing special, just ventilate it more, what else can you do?"

"But I think the lighting here is quite good."

I picked up the conversation, my tone tinged with doubt.

"It's the same old building, so why is that fourth-floor apartment so special? Ma'am, who lived in this apartment before? Is it because it's been uninhabited for so long that it's so damp?"

The old lady paused for a moment, and a few drops of millet porridge in the bowl splashed onto the table.

She raised her head, her eyes suddenly turning sharp, and looked at me.

"Young man, when I rented this house to Zhu Xiaoxiao, I made it very clear to her. The house was cheap, so she shouldn't ask any questions or bring any outsiders. What do you mean by coming here to ask these questions now? If you don't like the house, just move out. Do you think I have trouble renting it out?"

When she said that, both Sanlu and I were stunned. The old lady's reaction was a bit too intense, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Brother Sanlu quickly smoothed things over.

"Auntie, that's not what we meant. We're just worried about Xiaoxiao's health. She's a girl from out of town, without any relatives or friends here. As her colleagues, shouldn't we be more concerned about her?"