Chapter 74: House Viewing

After finishing the Dharma assembly for Xia Yubing’s parents yesterday and haggling with her difficult relatives for a long time, I was completely exhausted.
After finally reaching some consensus with them and getting away, I had dinner with Xiao Qing and Senior Sister Mo, then went straight back to the hotel, showered, and fell asleep on the bed.

This was the most peaceful night’s sleep I’d had in many days.
There was no threat from the Painted Skin Ghost, no dreams or sleep paralysis from Xia Yubing’s parents.
Temporarily free from mortal danger, I had a rare night of sleep without any psychological burden until dawn.

In the morning, I was woken up by my phone ringing.
I picked it up and saw it was Senior Sister Mo.
It was already eight in the morning.
I answered the phone and said, “Senior Sister Mo? Have you and Xiao Qing met up? Then you can just come over directly.”

Today was Sunday, a day off.
I had arranged with Senior Sister Mo and Xiao Qing to choose a house today, then move in directly, settling everything in one day, preferably without getting involved with those Xia family relatives.

By the time I was dressed and had finished washing up, Mo Qingyan and Xiao Qing had just arrived at the hotel.
I don’t know why, but ever since becoming Xia Yubing, I had become much more meticulous even with washing up.
It felt as if not taking care of this body properly would be a waste of Xia Yubing’s beauty.

Hearing a knock on the door, I opened it.
Mo Qingyan was a little taken aback when she saw that I was already dressed in the clothes Xiao Qing had bought for me, then she smiled and said, “You’re quite well-dressed. So cute.”

I couldn’t help but blush, looking at myself having unconsciously put on the stockings, lace gloves, and even the ribbons.
I couldn’t help it; Xia Yubing was indeed a perfect clothes horse.
Changing clothes in front of the mirror myself felt like playing a dress-up game.
Before I knew it, I had put on the entire set.

“Didn’t you say we were going to look at houses today? So I changed my clothes in advance,” I said with an embarrassed smile.
Xiao Qing was still teasing from the side, “Brother Xiao is so pretty.”

“Alright, but which house are you planning to live in? Xia Yubing’s parents had over ten properties, right? Do you have any in mind?” Mo Qingyan asked.

“Yes, I’ve already done some elimination. First of all, I’ll be living alone, so it shouldn’t be too big. It would feel empty and scary. It can’t be too far from school. Then, I’m not considering the ones that are already rented out. What’s left are these three.”

I handed the information on the three houses I had selected last night to Mo Qingyan and Xiao Qing.
Since I didn’t want to live in a big house alone, I had ruled out all the detached houses.
The three I chose were all high-rise commercial apartments, probably bought by Xia Yubing’s parents when they were speculating on real estate.

The first was a finely decorated apartment on the fourth floor, with three bedrooms and two living rooms, in a standalone high-rise building.
The second was in a real estate complex, on the twelfth floor of the fourth building, with four bedrooms and two living rooms.
It was originally used as a rental property, but the tenant had moved out not long ago, leaving the house vacant.

The last one was located in the downtown commercial district, above a large shopping mall, on the seventh floor.
According to the contract, it seemed to be a second-hand house, which Xia Yubing’s parents had bought at a price far below the average.
It had five bedrooms and three living rooms.

Xia Yubing’s parents were indeed quite rich.
Even when speculating on real estate, the houses they bought were either in school districts or near commercial centers, and none were smaller than two hundred square meters.

“They all seem quite good. Do you have a preference?” Mo Qingyan asked, looking at the information.

“Yes, the first one, the finely decorated apartment. It’s smaller and not difficult to manage,” I said.
I put it first because I was most interested in that one.

“But, that apartment was just renovated not long ago, right? It doesn’t even have furniture, and it still needs to be modified. If there’s not even a bed, it would be very difficult to move in today, right?” Mo Qingyan immediately raised an objection.

“That’s right. And a newly renovated room will have formaldehyde residue, which isn’t good for your health, right?” Xiao Qing also objected.

“Uh, then which one do you think I should live in?” They had convinced me in an instant.

“I think the one on the commercial street is better. It’s close to a large shopping mall, so shopping and takeout are very convenient. Brother Xiao doesn’t cook anyway, right?” Xiao Qing said.

She was right.
At home, my mother used to do the cooking.
For the past two days, I had been ordering takeout.
But even the pre-prepared takeout meals were much more sumptuous than what I used to eat at home.

“I think that rental property might be a better choice. It has complete furniture and facilities, so you can move in right away. And the supporting facilities of the entire complex are not bad either,” Mo Qingyan said, looking at the map on her phone.

Both of them had valid points, and both houses were quite good.
But I hesitated on which one to choose, unable to make a decision.
Finally, Mo Qingyan said, “Why don’t we go and see them in person? Maybe then you can choose which one suits your requirements better.”

“That’s true. Let’s go and have a look. I’ve already prepared the keys,” I took out three sets of keys with addresses attached.
These were all found by the police when they were sorting through the Xia family’s mansion.

“Alright, let’s go and have a look,” Mo Qingyan and Xiao Qing both nodded.
We left the hotel together and took a taxi to the first property, the standalone high-rise building that I had my eye on.

Just as Mo Qingyan had said, it had just been renovated, and the smell of paint hadn’t even dissipated.
The room was empty, and most of the owners hadn’t moved in yet.

“Luo Xiao, when choosing a place to live, don’t choose one that’s too new. The human presence is too thin, and it can’t resist demons and ghosts. Although an aura can be formed after living there for a period of time, it’s difficult for you alone to form an aura strong enough to resist ghosts. Therefore, it’s best to choose a building where the entire building is populated,” Mo Qingyan advised.

Indeed, this new building had too few residents.
I had used my aura-sight to look at it from below.
The auras were sparse and almost unformed.
If any demon or ghost were to target this building, it would be completely unobstructed.
There would be no way to stop them.

Coupled with the negative debuffs of having no furniture and being newly renovated, the first house was directly eliminated by us.

Next, we headed to the commercial street to see the second house.
Just as we reached the entrance, I felt that the atmosphere here was not right.
I said, “Senior Sister Mo, the aura of this house is so oppressive.”

“Indeed. Although it’s in a bustling area, it does feel a bit too gloomy,” Mo Qingyan nodded and said.

I opened the door with the key and smelled a faint scent of blood.
Most importantly, in my eyes, I could see a thick bloody aura rising from everywhere inside the house.

“This house… it doesn’t feel right,” Mo Qingyan said, cautiously observing the living room.
At first glance, it seemed very normal, with a very spacious living room, elegant decoration, and furniture covered with dust cloths.

Just then, the door opposite suddenly opened, and an old man walked out.
When he saw us, he said, “Little girls, I advise you not to enter this room. It’s haunted.”