A debt-ridden tycoon inherits a luxury mansion, but the tenants are not human.

7:30 in the morning.

The vibration of his phone woke Chen Mo up.

He touched the phone.

The screen lights up.

Li Yaohua, chairman of Xingyao Media, issued a statement clarifying the truth behind the Su Wanqing incident ten years ago.

Chen Mo clicked on it.

The statement is very long.

Li Yaohua admitted that the negative information about Su Wanqing from ten years ago was false information spread within the company to suppress her.

He himself bears unshirkable responsibility for inadequate supervision.

Star Media will permanently remove the relevant old news and establish the Su Wanqing Art Foundation.

The statement ended with the words, "May the deceased rest in peace."

Chen Mo stared at those four words for a while.

He put down his phone.

He went downstairs.

A clay figurine of earth spirits stood in the shadows of the main room.

"You saw it?"

Chen Mo nodded.

"Is it finished?"

"That's fine," the spirit said. "A public apology will clear her name, and the obsession can be put to rest."

The mark on the back of Chen Mo's neck felt hot.

Countless fragmented sounds flooded my mind.

He closed his eyes.

The shadow of the man in the suit sitting on the armchair rustled: "Don't let the stock price fall."

The shadow of a child playing with marbles on the ground: "Mommy, candy."

An old woman's shadow loomed at the kitchen doorway: "The old man won't get any."

The sounds blended together.

The ability to whisper obsessions has been officially unlocked.

The earth spirit spoke.

"You can actively listen to the inner thoughts of spirits, but if you listen too much, you will be affected by their emotions."

Chen Mo opened his eyes.

The whispers faded away.

In the courtyard, under the locust tree, a female ghost was performing a dance with flowing sleeves.

Chen Mo focused his mind.

"The last act, just the last act, fire, why? Master said I sang the best, I should finish singing it."

He looked away.

It's not the right time yet.

The phone rang.

Li Jing from the Cultural Relics Bureau called.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Zhou Ming has arrived and is processing the formalities. You can pick up the ring today. Would you like to come over?"

"Coming right away."

Chen Mo hung up the phone and went back to his room to change his clothes.

He glanced at the Book of Obsessions.

The ink on Lin Xiulan's page is almost gone.

Only one line of small text remains.

Completed after family members collect it.

Zhou Ming was waiting in the reception room of the Cultural Relics Bureau.

Early forty, dressed in business casual attire, wearing glasses.

He saw Chen Mo stand up and reach out his hand.

"Mr. Chen, thank you so much, I really didn't expect that."

"Of course."

Li Jing brought over the documents for Zhou Ming to sign.

After the formalities were completed, she took a small box out of the safe and handed it over.

Zhou Ming's hands were trembling.

He took the box and stared at the ring inside.

He pulled out a faded old photograph from his wallet.

Wedding photo of Lin Xiulan and Zhou Jiansheng.

In the photo, Lin Xiulan is wearing the same ring on her ring finger.

"Exactly the same." Zhou Ming's voice trembled with tears. "My mother kept talking about this when she passed away. My father searched for it his whole life but couldn't find it. He said it was his lifelong regret."

Chen Mo listened quietly.

Zhou Ming looked up.

"Mr. Chen, you said it was an old friend of my mother's who asked you to find this person. Is that friend's surname Chen?"

"Chen Banshan".

Zhou Ming nodded.

"I vaguely remember my mother mentioning it when I was little. She said that Mr. Chen at No. 17 Qingshi Lane knew some special things. She said that if I encountered any problems that I couldn't solve, I could go to him."

Chen Mo slowed his breathing.

"Did she mention anything else?" Chen Mo asked, "About the old house."

"She said that house was special, that it could communicate with both the living and the dead." Zhou Ming smiled wryly. "I used to think it was superstition, but now..."

He didn't go on.

He put away the ring and the photo and got up.

"No matter what, thank you. I will move my parents' graves together and put the ring there; they've been separated for too long."

Chen Mo saw him to the door.

Zhou Ming opened the car door and stopped the car.

He turned around.

"By the way, Mr. Chen, the department store where my mother lost her ring was later renovated, and it seems there was an incident there."

"What is it?"

Zhou Ming recalled.

"I heard that some bones were unearthed when they were demolishing buildings in the early 2000s. They were arranged in a strange pattern. The construction site was sealed off for several days, and then there was no news about them."

Chen Mo closed his fingers.

"The exact location?"

"It's at Wanda Plaza now," Zhou Ming said. "They dug down to five or six meters underground. If you're interested, you can check the news from back then; there might still be records."

The car drove away.

Chen Mo stood still.

bone.

pattern.

underground.

He took out his phone.

Input: The bones of the department store renovation in 2005.

Results were scarce.

There are only a few old posts from local forums.

A title pops up.

Seven skeletons were unearthed from the foundation of the department store, arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper.

Click in.

The content is very short.

"Passing by a construction site, I overheard workers saying they dug up seven skeletons arranged in the shape of a spoon. The police took them away, and some people said it was a feng shui arrangement to suppress the earth's energy."

The reply is below.

"Nonsense, it's more like a mass grave."

"My grandfather said that used to be an execution ground."

"I heard the bones are all black, with burn marks."

There was no follow-up to the post.

Chen Mo took a screenshot and turned off his phone.

北斗七星。

Feng Shui formation.

He recalled the seven anchor points and the dragon vein in the document.

Is the former department store site one of the anchor points?

My phone vibrated again.

The fortune teller, Wang, called.

"Where is the young man?"

The voice was urgent.

"What's going on at the entrance of the Cultural Relics Bureau?"

"Come back quickly!" Granny Wang said in a low voice, "Several unlicensed taxis have come to the alley entrance, and there are a few people loitering around your house, carrying copper plates."

Chen Mo felt a chill run down his spine.

"Who is it?"

"I recognize an old man, Mr. Zhao, the owner of the antique shop in the south of the city," said Granny Wang. "That guy specializes in collecting ghost items; he's never coming here for anything good."

"I'll be right back."

Chen Mo hung up the phone and stopped the car.

At the entrance of Qingshi Alley.

Two black cars were parked there.

Several men were leaning against the car, smoking.

An old man in his sixties, dressed in a Tang suit, was holding a bronze compass in his hand.

The pointer is swinging towards the old house.

Chen Mo walked over.

The old man saw him and ran his fingers across the compass.

The pointer is stationary.

He put away the compass and smiled.

"This must be Mr. Chen Mo? I am Zhao Shouyi, the owner of Shouyi Hall in the south of the city."

Chen Mo didn't speak.

Zhao Shouyi's smile remained unchanged.

"Mr. Chen's old house is a treasure. I have some knowledge of ancient architecture and would like to go inside for a visit. Would you be so kind as to grant me that request?"

"It's inconvenient," Chen Mo said. "This is a private residence."

Zhao Shouyi's smile faded.

"Mr. Chen, please don't worry. I've heard there are some special things in this house. Perhaps I can be of help."

"What do you mean?"

Zhao Shouyi took two steps closer.

Lower your voice.

"Mr. Chen, this house is one of the Seven Houses, right?"

Chen Mo took a half step back.

"Can a novice like you handle things underground?" Zhao Shouyi then asked.

Chen Mo clenched his fist in his pocket.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Zhao Shouyi sighed as he looked at him.

"Young man, there are some things you can't handle alone. The earth veins of Qizhai Town will cause trouble sooner or later if there is no inheritance."

"How about we cooperate? I'll help you ward off evil spirits, and you share some of your spiritual power with me. It's a win-win situation."

Chen Mo understood.

I came here because of the power of the vow.

"No need," Chen Mo said. "I can handle it myself."

Zhao Shouyi stopped smiling.

"Mr. Chen, don't be ungrateful. There are plenty of people eyeing this house," Zhao Shouyi said. "You're in your newbie protection period now. What will you rely on to survive once you've exhausted your resources?"

"That's my business."

Chen Mo sidestepped him and walked into the alley.

Zhao Shouyi's voice came from behind.

Very heavy.

"Three days."

"I'll give you three days to think it over."

"I'll come back in three days."

Chen Mo did not turn around.

He walked to the door of the old house and unlocked it.

Push open the door and enter the house.

He slammed the door shut behind him.

He leaned against the door panel.

I'm sweating on my back.

He was panting heavily in the dark main room.