Chapter 106

It turns out this house used to belong to an official from a previous dynasty, living peacefully.

But after a renovation, a strange and jagged stone was unearthed from the ground.

It had words inscribed on it, saying ‘Touch and you’ll die’.

Such things usually only appear in graves, so the workers panicked, fearing the previous owner might be buried underneath…

The family living there also believed in such superstitions, immediately terrified, they sought the help of high-ranking monks and Taoist priests to perform rituals.

After several rituals, nearby residents could hear chanting and smell incense.

They thought it was all over, but not long after, the head of that household was sentenced to death for a mistake he made.

The house was sealed off, and the family members were exiled. Upon hearing this news, the old lady of the house suffered a stroke and passed away in fear.

A family that had weathered storms for decades, suddenly collapsed, leaving behind a story of destruction, quickly becoming gossip among the townsfolk.

The workers who had initially kept quiet due to the authority of the household head, now had no qualms and spread the story far and wide.

This led to various rumors of supernatural forces, stirring up a commotion. Some said the renovation disrupted the feng shui, others claimed there was a grave beneath the house, disturbing the ancestors underground.

Some had vivid imaginations, suggesting that the family’s prosperity was due to forbidden and secret techniques, using some sort of formation to build the house atop a grave, stealing others’ luck.

When the formation broke during the renovation, their luck turned sour.

This theory was the most elaborate and bizarre, believed by many.

Some even saw it as a business opportunity and directly turned the story into a script.

The script sold exceptionally well, and it was even adapted into a theatrical performance.

Decades have passed since then, even into the new dynasty, yet it remains a well-known and enduring tale passed down through generations in the city.

It wasn’t until the new dynasty that the house was unsealed and put up for public use.

The founding emperor included it among other rewards, gifting it to a capable military general from Qingzhou Prefecture.

One would think a military general, with his strong aura, wouldn’t stir up the same troubles as before, right?

Wrong. Within a few years, the general retired and returned to his hometown.

Also from Qingzhou Prefecture, he grew up hearing the rumors about the house.

Initially, he dared not live there, only allowing the house to be thoroughly renovated before moving in with his family, thinking it would be safe.

But not long after, every night the general would be ‘possessed’, wielding a large knife, attacking his family.

Each time, family members were injured, blood spattered everywhere, and lives were nearly lost.

The family then sought the help of experts to exorcise the house, but despite their efforts, it was futile. Eventually, they moved elsewhere.

Once they left, the family vanished without a trace.

The next time anyone heard of them, they had faced some unknown tragedy, ending up broken and dispersed.

They sold the house.

After changing hands several times, it ended up with the current owner. Throughout, no one dared to live there, fearing the potential consequences.

After all, who knows if trying it out would lead to ruin? The cost of such experimentation is too high.

Left empty, the owner set a very low price, hoping that if a brave family dared to live there for a year or two without incident, it would dispel the deeply ingrained ghostly rumors.

Though it might seem like a short-term loss financially, as long as the house is no longer considered haunted, it could turn a good profit in the long run!

However, this price, though extremely cheap in the owner’s eyes, is still a significant expense for ordinary folks, paying fifty taels of silver annually for rent. And those who could afford such a sum aren’t exactly destitute; would they really lack a place to live to the point of staying in this cursed house?

Thus, the house became a headache, remaining unrented.

Though the toothman wished to facilitate the deal, he was quite honest and shared all those incidents with Shen Cui and the others.

As they conversed, a gust of wind blew through, and inside the house, unkempt due to long abandonment, trees and grass had grown wildly, significantly cooler than outside.

The chill wind, accompanied by the rustling of leaves, made the toothman’s face pale, wiping cold sweat as he said, “That’s the situation. I’ve explained it all to Madam. I’ve only found these three places that meet your requirements. If none are suitable, you’ll have to seek elsewhere.”

With that, the toothman stepped out of the house, indicating he would wait outside.

Shen Cui first consulted with the system in her mind: [Are there really supernatural events here?]

The system initially responded no, then added: [This is a dimension of imperial examination literature. The host has read the original book’s plot. How could there be ghosts?]

[I think so too. But what the toothman said seems quite detailed.]

[Do you need me to gather data and tell the host the truth?]

After spending so much time together, Shen Cui understood the system inside out.

If it could speak, it would have told her directly.

Specifically asking likely meant it wanted to ask for shopping points to pay for its energy consumption.

So Shen Cui immediately declined, [No need, I’ll guess it myself. Don’t tell me. The official probably offended someone, intentionally burying this stone in his ancestral home, perhaps as a curse or to implicate him in something later, laying the groundwork, or simply to disturb his peace of mind… As for the founding general, he probably either rose too high or violated some taboo, so he retired abruptly after his achievements. The so-called nighttime possession might be sleepwalking? I’ve read about it in my past life; it’s said that people under great psychological pressure or who have experienced trauma are prone to this condition. Such secrets of high-ranking families should have been kept hidden. The fact that it became widely known in the city was likely intentional by that family, perhaps to evade something. But in the end, they couldn’t escape it, and the family met a tragic end.]

The system remained silent, confirming Shen Cui’s speculation.

She then checked the luck values of the young men—hmm, they hadn’t decreased. So there wasn’t anything affecting their luck here.

But her satisfaction with the house was irrelevant if the young men were afraid of it.

She looked at everyone with an inquiring gaze.

Mu Er Pang spoke first, “Mom, don’t look at me. Though I’m the youngest, I’m not afraid, but what if a ghost really appeared in the end? Just a joke.”

When the incident of the previous misunderstanding was mentioned, Wei Xi couldn’t help but laugh, “I’m not afraid either. I don’t believe in such things.”

Wei Shu, even more fearless, said, “The bigger the place, the better. I see there’s a stable in this house; I’ll have someone bring over some of our family’s horses. In our leisure time, I can teach everyone how to ride.”

Finally, it was Mei Ruochu’s turn. He laughed self-deprecatingly, “I’m even less concerned. If there really were ghosts, who knows who would end up unlucky if they bothered me.”

Finally, only Luo Buyu remained, despite being the oldest, he was the most timid.

But as a woman, Shen Cui wasn’t afraid, and since the students had all spoken up, if he said he was afraid, it would be embarrassing.

After stammering a bit, he said, “Then I won’t stay alone at night.”

With everyone onboard, it was unanimously agreed upon. Although Mrs. Zhou hadn’t come along, she would follow Mu Yunchuan to the capital later, so she wouldn’t stay here for long anyway.

Despite her frail appearance, being able to raise her younger brother on her own showed she had a resilient and courageous nature deep down, not someone who would be afraid of such things.

Shen Cui then went outside and told the toothman that she was quite satisfied with the house, then inquired about the next steps.

The toothman hadn’t expected the deal to go through, after being stunned for a moment, he said, “The next step is to draw up a contract, with all three parties signing and sealing it. I’ll inform the owner, and when it’s convenient on their end, we’ll finalize the contract in person.”

This process was quite similar to renting a house through a real estate agency in later years.

Shen Cui nodded to indicate her understanding. Seeing that it was getting late, the group got onto the carriage and headed back to the courtyard.

After bathing and grooming, everyone went about their own business, not mentioning it further.

The toothman’s actions were much quicker this time.

The next day, he sent someone to discuss the contract, which happened to coincide with the second round of exams.

Undoubtedly, Wei Shu, Wei Xi, and Mei Ruochu had not been eliminated in the first round and smoothly advanced to the next stage.

But that wasn’t a problem. Since Shen Cui only needed to escort them to the exam in the morning, finalize the contract at noon, and pick them up in the evening, everything aligned perfectly.

The process of the second round of exams was no different from the first, and the rules of this dimension didn’t play any tricks.

While Mei Ruochu lost 40 luck points in the first round, he only lost 5 points symbolically in the second round.

During the search, as he emptied his pockets, the remaining 35 luck points led him to encounter the same soldier who had mistaken him for a thief a few days ago.

The soldier still thought his behavior was abnormal and was determined to find something on him.

After thoroughly searching his clothes, he noticed the thick belt, crooked stitching, and eye-catching details… and decided to cut open his belt with his dagger.

Even though the items produced by the system were of higher quality than the fabric of this dimension, they couldn’t withstand such treatment.

The belt was torn into pieces, and its enhancement effect was lost.

However, fortunately, the clothes made by Shen Cui also increased luck points, and the soldier didn’t go so far as to damage them all.

That would have been more than just a routine search; it would have been deliberate humiliation.

In the end, Mei Ruochu entered the exam room with 60 luck points, barely meeting the passing line.