Chapter 7: This House Is a Bit Noisy

The noise by the river continued, over a dozen constables arriving from all directions, using pleasure boats to haul the carriage out of the water.

Fortunately, the inland river wasn't deep; the two steeds were unharmed, though the carriage frame was smashed.

Countless students and townsfolk gathered around, blocking the street completely, while on a nearby side alley stood three figures, the middleman and constable calling out:

"Young Master Xie?"

"Xie Jinhuan? Xie Jinhuan? Where is he?"

"Didn't he run off?"

Constable Xiao Wang, seeing Xie Jinhuan had vanished, grew tense, wondering whether he should immediately return to report.

But before long, a figure leapt down from a rooftop and landed before the three:

"Sorry, I was just watching the spectacle."

Seeing the man and the bird return, Xiao Wang sighed in relief.

The middleman rushed forward anxiously:

"You young man, I told you to wait here—why did you wander off? Master Hou was pulled away from urgent matters just to come here; if you delay him, you won't be able to bear the consequences."

"Sorry, please, Master Hou… uh…"

Xie Jinhuan had tangled with a Sky-Touching Succubus; his current situation was grim, his mind full of turmoil, and he hadn't paid much attention—until he looked up and was stunned to find that Master Hou, standing in the alley, looked utterly unconventional!

He stood at most one meter sixty tall, thin as a monkey, holding a white paper fan, dressed in a black jacket, with shifty eyes, a pointed nose and chin, and a pair of tiny mustaches.

If the sixteen-foot Succubus earlier had been the pinnacle of beauty, this steward was unquestionably the gutter oil of aesthetics—opposite directions, yet equally unmatched in their absurdity!

Even with his iron will, Xie Jinhuan was momentarily stunned, setting aside the Sky-Touching Succubus for now, glancing left and right, wondering if he'd accidentally slipped into an underground resistance station.

Meiqiu, perched on his shoulder, also opened her beak wide, eyes bulging, her expression clearly saying—Is this a monkey spirit?

Master Hou gently fanned himself, seemingly accustomed to his terrifying aura, and said impatiently:

"You want to rent a house? The Princess's estate has many properties—what kind are you looking for?"

The only Princess who had established her fief in Danyang was Princess Changning, a first-rank noble and the eldest daughter of Prince Dan; Xie Jinhuan hadn't expected his landlord's background to be so immense, nor his steward so bizarre—he suppressed his thoughts:

"Just for a short stay—somewhere to sleep will do. Preferably in Qingquan Alley."

Master Hou, with a string of keys hanging from his waist, fanned himself as he led the way:

"Qingquan Alley is a prime spot—step out and you're in the priceless Taoxian District, where food, drink, and entertainment are all convenient; there's even a brothel street inside, where the girls are fresh and lovely, tsk tsk tsk…"

Brothel street…

Xie Jinhuan recalled the bandits' conversation, but now had no interest in seeing Hu Ji; he asked:

"How much is the rent?"

"The smallest one-court yard: fifty taels per month, one month's deposit, three months' rent paid upfront."

Fifty taels?!

Xie Jinhuan halted, stunned.

Though he'd never held a job, he wasn't ignorant of prices.

His father, as a rank-eight County Constable, earned only fifteen taels a month, plus a little rice, firewood, and cloth.

Fifty taels monthly equaled three months of his father's income; with deposit and advance payment, he'd need two hundred taels of silver.

This rent rivaled mansions near the imperial capital!

Thinking of this, Xie Jinhuan took down the money pouch donated by the Monk and checked it.

Inside were silver fragments and copper coins, plus one official banknote—totaling less than thirty taels…

Realizing that killing three men hadn't even covered one month's rent, Xie Jinhuan was stunned by Danyang's housing prices; he tucked the pouch away and asked:

"Does County Constable Yang also live here?"

Master Hou pointed his fan toward two lanterns glowing deep in the alley:

"That's his. Constable Yang is a veteran of the government office; the Wang Fu allotted him the house—no rent required, unlike you. You seem short on funds; I happen to have a two-court mansion that's a bit noisy, never rented out. If you don't mind, I'll give you twenty taels a month, no deposit, pay monthly."

Twenty taels was still no small sum; Xie Jinhuan had chosen nearby housing because he had little money, but now it seemed cheaper to stay at an inn—twenty taels would cover a month easily.

Constable Xiao Wang, who understood the rent was exorbitant, now became helpful:

"Young Master Xie is only passing through, assisting the government office with an investigation—he won't stay long. Master Hou, could you lower the rent a bit?"

Master Hou snapped: "Minimum two taels. No less."

"Gūjī?"

All three stumbled; even Meiqiu froze in shock!

It was already slashed to a fraction—now slashed again? What's the difference from giving it away?

Had the whole household been executed?

Or was it raining outside and drizzling inside?

Xie Jinhuan, filled with suspicion, followed Master Hou deeper into the alley—soon, a white-walled, blue-tiled courtyard appeared before them.

The courtyard was new; on either side of two white-Bai Shi steps stood stone drums carved with auspicious beasts, the black-lacquered gate heavy and imposing, locked with a bronze padlock.

Opening the gate, a spacious front courtyard came into view: a white-Bai Shi path ran down the center, with stables, kitchen, guest rooms, and tea hall on either side; straight ahead stood a moon gate of white walls and blue tiles, revealing a refined rear courtyard beyond.

The entire residence was covered in blue-glazed tiles, with carved beams and painted rafters—elegant yet grand; even the paving stones on the path were meticulously laid; save for a few fallen leaves, not a single flaw could be found.

Xie Jinhuan wasn't unworldly; just by looking at the kitchen walls, he knew the house was brand-new—never once had a stove been lit.

"Master Hou, you're sure this place rents for two taels a month?!"

Master Hou frowned: "Still think it's expensive? I'll knock off three copper coins more—take it or leave it…"

You can knock off more?!

Xie Jinhuan knew cheap things were usually shoddy, but he couldn't imagine what loss Master Hou could be suffering; he walked through the courtyard, inspecting left and right:

"Where's the noise in this house? Are there invisible tenants?"

"Not at all."

Housekeeper Hou was very candid, gesturing with his folding fan toward the rear.

"Behind the main house is the Wu Wei Pavilion of the Princess's residence. Her Highness often hosts banquets there at night, so there's bound to be some music and noise—if you can tolerate it, take the lease."

Xie Jinhuan didn't believe a word of it.

Even if the landlady were noisy, she couldn't throw banquets every day, and even if she did, it was just clinking cups and glasses—how loud could it possibly be?

Such a grand mansion, for only one tael and seven qian per month…

There must be invisible ghosts…

Xie Jinhuan happened to be carrying a female ghost—this was truly a haunted house, perfect for concealment—so he pulled out a handful of silver shards:

"Fine, I'll take it."

"Straightforward."

Housekeeper Hou fetched the lease contract; after Xie Jinhuan signed it, he took it to inspect, his eyes narrowing slyly:

"Oh? Your handwriting's quite good."

Xie Jinhuan had known since childhood to win at the starting line—how could he neglect something as vital as handwriting? Since age three, he'd copied master calligraphers' scripts; his father's official documents were all written by him.

Facing the compliment, Xie Jinhuan had been about to humble himself, but then Housekeeper Hou added:

"Now I've got someone to write the New Year couplets. Don't move out too early, better stay till after the New Year."

"?"

Xie Jinhuan couldn't be bothered to respond.

Soon after, Housekeeper Hou and the broker-Constable departed together, shutting the gate behind them.

Click.

The two-courtyard residence fell utterly silent, leaving only the rustling of wind through bamboo leaves.

Shush-shush-shush~

Xie Jinhuan stood alone in the courtyard, bringing the bounding Meiqiu to the rear compound to search for any possible ghosts.

The rear compound consisted of the main house and east and west wings; the master bedroom was spacious, with a redwood bed frame large enough for five people to play cards without crowding—but there were no quilts or pillows, just the bare frame.

Xie Jinhuan found no trace of anything foul. He grew even more puzzled, since he already had a giant ghost beside him—he gave up searching, lay back on the bed frame, and pondered what to do next.

He couldn't undo the Soul-Sealing Spell himself, nor could he seek a healer for his mind—any inquiry into his condition would expose him…

The Night Demoness was alive; he couldn't casually discard the sword, nor could he keep digging graves.

The only thing he could do now was climb to Rank 1 as fast as possible and bury this goddess back where she belonged.

As for his father's whereabouts, he'd have to wait until he escaped Dan Yang alive to investigate…

How the hell did I lose my mind and dig up the Spirit-Subduing Tomb?

…

Amid such regret, before he'd fully sorted his thoughts, the drawback Housekeeper Hou mentioned suddenly manifested:

"Dong-dong-dong~…"

"Dreams shattered beneath clouds of Wu Mountain's rain—cold jade quilts, I lie alone, still dressed~…"

…

As night deepened, pipa music and a singer's melody suddenly rose from behind the main house—judging by the source, it came from the second floor, directly above the bedroom.

The pipa was pleasing to the ear; the singer's voice was sweet and lilting.

Xie Jinhuan had initially thought it a treat, but soon the music was drowned out by the clamor of giggling women:

"You sneaky hussy, cheating again?"

"Eight and six!"

"Where's Linghu Qingmo?"

"Says she's unwell, resting inside."

"Oh~…"

Swish-swish-swish…

Ding-dong-ding…

The clatter of dice, running footsteps, feminine giggles and scolding, even the crisp sound of slaps—each one sounding wonderfully elastic.

Xie Jinhuan, baffled, turned to look behind him, thinking:

Is the Princess's residence throwing a silver party?

But all the voices were women—it sounded more like a lesbian party.

He'd heard that wealthy ladies in Jingcheng had wild tastes—could the girls of Dan Yang be this insane?

Xie Jinhuan frowned, reasoning the banquet would end within an hour or so, and didn't pay it much mind—he prepared to sleep.

But the rear wall of the master bedroom and the Princess's banquet hall were separated by barely five meters; after a moment of noise, a thunderous blast suddenly erupted:

Boom—

It sounded like a musket shot, deafening.

Meiqiu, lying beside him, was startled into a full puff of fur, leaping up and spinning 180 degrees to stare at the ceiling, eyes wide with terror:

"Ji—?!"

Xie Jinhuan jolted awake, gripping Tian Gang Iron Club—only to hear a chorus of women cheering:

"Your Highness hit it perfectly!"

"Again! Again…"

…

Then fireworks erupted nearby, just like New Year's Eve.

Boom-boom-boom…

Xie Jinhuan's face turned black, and suddenly understood why the rent for this house was so cheap.

Is this even fit for humans to live in?!

Even the Nian Beast would be scared into bristling if it lived here…

Xie Jinhuan felt he was still too young—cheap goods really are worthless—and he frowned hard, forcing himself to endure it.

But moments later, he suddenly noticed the noise had vanished again; the room fell into deathly silence.

?

Xie Jinhuan froze, opened his eyes to look around, and was stunned to find a woman beside him!

The woman wore a red bridal gown, stood about his height, and lay right next to him—her face as white as paper, tongue hanging out, just like a hanged ghost!

(End of Chapter)