Chapter 26

Led by one of the brokers, Xia Zhi and Yanfei arrived at the property.

The house was located at the border between Feiyun Slope and Chihu Rock, near a wide stone crevice where water flowed steadily, crossed by a wooden bridge.

The water access was convenient and the view was pleasant. Though it was on the outskirts of Feiyun Slope, it was still in the center of Liyue City – quite a valuable location.

Unfortunately, it was next to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and was supposedly "haunted"...

Xia Zhi stood at the entrance, observing with his "God's Eye View."

The main door was tightly shut, with a thin layer of dust on the lock, suggesting no one had viewed the property for at least a month. Even the owner hadn't come to clean, perhaps afraid of the "ghosts" inside.

People from nearby shops cast strange looks when they saw another broker bringing potential buyers, but their expressions changed upon noticing Miss Yanfei among them.

It seemed this property indeed had some issues.

Also, Miss Yanfei was clearly famous in Liyue – everyone seemed to know her.

"It's broad daylight now, even if there are ghosts, they shouldn't dare to come out."

The broker who brought Xia Zhi glanced several times at the sun before finally taking out the key deposited at the real estate office and stepping forward to unlock the door.

The lock made an unpleasant sound, probably from lack of use – it needed oiling.

With a dull click, the main door opened, revealing an inexplicably deep darkness within.

"Would Mr. Xia like to go inside?"

The broker asked awkwardly, standing at the doorway.

Xia Zhi nodded and walked in by himself.

Before the door was opened, he had already checked the interior with his Detection ability and found nothing unusual.

Even if there really were "ghosts" in the house, he wasn't particularly afraid.

Although previous tenants had all fled in fear, none had suffered any physical harm or even minor ailments, suggesting these "ghosts" weren't particularly malevolent.

Moreover, Feiyun Slope was Liyue's most prosperous area – if it were truly haunted, the Qixing wouldn't have allowed it to persist for so long.

Perhaps there were some hidden circumstances...

Yanfei followed Xia Zhi, entering the house naturally.

Being half-illuminated beast with a Pyro Vision, ordinary spirits would avoid her – she had nothing to fear.

The broker hesitated at the doorway for quite a while before finally gathering the courage to follow them in.

The interior did have an unnaturally cold feeling, with a musty smell of dust from long vacancy.

The house had two floors – the upper floor for living and the lower floor for business, each about 150 square meters, quite spacious.

Xia Zhi walked around with his Detection ability active.

There was an overturned chair, probably knocked over when the last tenant fled in panic. Yanfei casually set it upright.

Otherwise, everything else seemed normal.

The broker asked, "What does Mr. Xia think of the property?"

"It's acceptable."

"Is Mr. Xia really planning to rent this property?"

"Not so fast. I'd like to check out the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor next door."

Xia Zhi left the house and walked toward the Funeral Parlor.

Unlike other shops in Feiyun Slope that faced the main street, the Funeral Parlor's entrance was oriented sideways.

Moreover, its doors were tightly shut even in broad daylight, with no one at the entrance.

Just around the corner, yet the place had a deathly silence.

Xia Zhi felt the Funeral Parlor truly had some peculiarities.

There was a large notice board in front of the Parlor with many wooden plaques hanging on it.

Xia Zhi walked over curiously but found all the plaques were blank.

Yanfei looked over and explained, "Due to the special nature of the Funeral Parlor's business, people in Liyue try to avoid direct contact with its staff. These wooden plaques are used to receive commissions – those seeking funeral services write their requirements on the plaques and pass them through the Parlor's entrance."

"I see."

"The Funeral Parlor is empty during the day, but there's a ferryman at the entrance at night."

"Mm."

Thinking to increase his progress bar, Xia Zhi chatted with Yanfei about the Funeral Parlor for a while before returning to the house's entrance.

The broker was still waiting there. Being on the main street with many passersby, he wasn't as scared as before. Seeing Xia Zhi return, he hurried over and asked, "Mr. Xia, have you made your decision? Will you rent the property?"

"Hey! Yanfei!"

Just as Xia Zhi was about to answer, he was interrupted by a suddenly playful female voice from behind.

It was a young woman with deep red twin-tails, wearing a strange black round hat with the Funeral Parlor's emblem on the brim and a bright red plum blossom inserted on the side.

She wore a patterned black satin outfit with large sleeves and a wide swallow-tail, embroidered with beautiful spider lilies and lilies. A red string was tied around her right wrist, her slender fingers painted with black nail polish, and she wore black shorts that showed her legs, white stockings with red ribbon ties, and black shoes.

To Xia Zhi's surprise, the girl had a golden progress bar above her.

Progress: [0%]

Was she Yanfei's friend? Chest girls really did attract each other.

The girl wasn't alone – beside her was a tall, handsome man with an otherworldly presence.

Xia Zhi's Detection fell on him next.

A diamond-colored progress bar suddenly appeared in his vision.

???

Xia Zhi's body froze involuntarily.

Holy crap! Where did this deity come from?! Why wasn't the Geo Archon doing anything about this?!

Yanfei turned around, smiling in greeting: "Oh, it's Hu Tao, and Consultant Zhongli."

The man called Zhongli responded coolly: "Miss Yanfei."

The broker also greeted them nervously: "Good day, Director Hu, Consultant Zhongli."

Xia Zhi tried to stay calm, turning slowly to nod: "Hello to you both."

Hu Tao asked curiously: "What are you doing here? Handling another civil dispute?"

Yanfei shook her head, saying: "No, I'm accompanying Mr. Xia here to look at the property."

Hu Tao blinked her alluring plum blossom eyes and asked: "The property? This haunted house?"

"Yes."

"Have you finished looking?"

"We have."

"And?"

"Mr. Xia must have made his decision."

Everyone turned to look at Xia Zhi.

Hu Tao asked: "Are you going to rent it?"

Xia Zhi paused for a moment before saying: "No, I'm planning to buy it outright."