The moment we arrived, the middle-aged man quickly walked over, pulling out the floor plan and a smart card for the house.

“This is a brand-new, fully furnished home,” he said hastily. “Barely lived in before we had to move. It’s just sitting there, which is a shame, and now that I urgently need funds for business, if you’re interested, I could even go a little lower on the price.” He glanced at Song Wei and me, a bit surprised.

He was probably wondering why two young girls were here to look at a property, a big decision like this.

Song Wei took the card and asked, “Aren’t you coming up with us?”

The middle-aged man rubbed his hands awkwardly, “No, I’ll pass. I’m a bit afraid of heights, and with my heart acting up lately and high blood pressure, I’d rather not.”

I eyed him. Generally, people selling a property are eager to show it off. Why did his gaze keep darting around, and why did he seem to want to talk as little as possible?

As we walked to the elevator, Song Wei linked her arm with mine, muttering, “My relative saw this property online. It’s listed as a quick sale and priced way below the others around here! Nearby, places go for 18,000 per square meter, and this one’s only 10,000. Do you think there’s something wrong with it?”

The elevator took us up to the 23rd floor, where we saw that the other apartments had couplets pasted on their doors, giving a lively feeling. But as we approached this one, a cold chill crept over me.

“I’ll open the door.” I sighed, stepping in front of Song Wei. There was definitely something off here.

I unlocked the smart door, and as it swung open, we could see that the interior was luxuriously decorated and fully furnished. It looked like a big family had once lived here, but with the windows and doors closed, the place now seemed eerily still.

As soon as we stepped inside, we heard a metallic “clank, clank, clank” sound. Song Wei shrieked.

Following the noise, we saw that a window on the living room balcony was rattling in the wind.

“That scared me to death! My nerves are really shot these days,” Song Wei patted her chest.

I silently thought to myself, “You? Nervous? Last time, you got grabbed by an evil master, and most girls would have fainted, but you kept screaming, crying, kicking, and even throwing insults. You’ve got plenty of guts!”

“Song Wei, don’t move around too much, especially don’t open any other doors. The owner didn’t come up with us, and if there’s any issue, he might pin it on us.” I subtly reminded her.

She nodded quickly, “Right, that guy did say he was short on cash. Maybe he thinks we’re young and easy to fool and wants to rip us off.”

I set the floor plan on the coffee table, and that strange clanking sound echoed again.

I felt goosebumps rising all over.

“The wind’s really strong this high up…” Song Wei grumbled at the noise.

I looked over at the large balcony, which was wide and faced the entire living room and entrance hall. Outside, between two tall buildings, a narrow gap faced us directly.

This layout was known as “Heavenly Killing Slash,” a powerful negative feng shui formation.

I walked over to the balcony, estimating the height of the two buildings. Combined, they stood about 130 meters tall. According to feng shui principles, for it to avoid the chopping sha effect, the gap should be more than one-eighth of that height. But the gap was narrow, leading directly to this place—a chopping sha, no doubt.

And down below, right beneath this gap, was the entrance to the community’s garage. A neighborhood can’t have perfect feng shui in every unit, after all. Wealthier buyers can afford to get feng shui assessments before buying, but for the average working-class person? Not so much.

This unit, I guessed, was probably the cheapest in the building. Nowadays, not many people believe in feng shui or ghosts, so it’s likely it sold fast.

“Xiao Qiao, what are you looking at?” Song Wei asked, coming over.

I shook my head. “This apartment’s feng shui is no good. The chopping sha effect is strong here. If it were lower down, maybe we could counteract it, but up here on the 23rd floor… better to forget it.”

Song Wei pouted. “I knew it was too good to be true… But it’s so well-decorated, with all the furniture and appliances in place. We could move in right away, and it’s a spacious 160 square meters. My mom loves it! If there’s a way to fix it, could you…?”

I nodded and took out my compass. “Let me check. If need be, we can go to my family’s shop and get some tools to counter the sha. It’s not that big a deal—”

But before I could finish, the compass needle started to tremble, then swung backward in a big arc!

An interference?

A chill ran down my spine—there was no one here, and the main power was off. There shouldn’t be any magnetic interference!

This compass was my mother’s treasure, exquisitely small and with a delicate needle. Now, the needle spun halfway around in reverse, trembling and pointing toward a spot inside the house.

I moved back into the living room, the needle shifting with me until it settled, pointing at a decorative door.

That was the shared bathroom of the apartment.

As I approached the door, a sudden wave of cold air washed over me. So, this was the source…

I took out my Five Emperors coins, held them with a special hand sign, and tapped on the door gently. In a firm voice, I said, “Excuse me, I’m here to look at the apartment.”

Song Wei stared at me, dumbfounded. “You… what are you…”

I didn’t answer and carefully turned the bathroom door handle.

A dark, cold aura hung inside. The shower curtain was half-drawn, obscuring the white ceramic bathtub behind it.

A wrinkled hand reached out from behind the curtain, trembling as it pulled the fabric aside, revealing a face filled with sorrow and emptiness.

Those dull eyes, sunken cheeks, and the grayish, deathly aura wrapped around her.

“…My son…” the ghost murmured.

A wave of chills crawled up my scalp, but I held myself steady—not because I wasn’t afraid, but because I knew the spiritual fetus within me would protect me. Summoning my courage, I replied, “…He didn’t come.”

“…He didn’t come… didn’t come… ah… when will he come… I’m so cold… so much pain…” the ghost muttered, letting go and retreating behind the curtain.

“Where does it hurt? I can pass along the message to him,” I offered.

The ghost muttered, “Where does it hurt… I hurt everywhere… everywhere hurts so much… the worst pain, the worst is in my head! Ah—my head hurts! My head hurts so much! My head smashed open! My brains spilled out!”

The ghost grew agitated, her bony, aged hands clutching the edge of the tub, and half of her body lunged forward, screaming at me!

The side of her head was smeared with dark blood, with a little white brain matter visible…

“It hurts so much! It hurts so much! Why hasn’t he come back? I cracked my head open, and he still won’t come back to save me… It hurts so much…”

I had a hunch—this was probably the mother of that middle-aged man. Living in a place with such powerful chopping sha energy, families are prone to arguments, illnesses, and, in severe cases, deadly accidents.

This old lady likely slipped while bathing, hitting her head on a protruding faucet. With no one home to help her, she waited for her son to return, but died before he came.

“Can you tell him to come home for me? Why is he avoiding me?! Why did he leave me here? I’m his mother—I wouldn’t kill him—I’d only harm that wicked woman…”