Chapter 133: The Debt-Ridden Neighbor and the Buddhist Gift

“Fei’er? I know her. Her surname is Liu, and her full name is Liu Fei. She’s lived here for about… two or three years? She stays here with her parents,” Fan Yuxuan said.

“Then, do you know if she has any issues like sleepwalking? Or perhaps a habit of taking walks late at night?” I asked.

Since he had lived here for so long, I assumed he would be aware of Fei’er’s nightly excursions.

To my surprise, Fan Yuxuan shook his head. “No? I never knew about that.”

I was momentarily stunned.

He actually didn’t know. Could it be that Fan Yuxuan usually stayed at his university, which was why he was unaware of Fei’er’s sleepwalking?

I had assumed that because Fei’er came out to walk almost every night and her footsteps were so loud, the neighbors would have noticed.

They should have reported the issue to Fei’er’s parents, but since even Fan Yuxuan was in the dark, I didn’t know how to proceed with my questions.

“Alright. Are you familiar with her parents, then? Do you know what they like or if they have any specific taboos?” I asked, considering whether I should pay their home a visit.

“Heh, I’m not close with them either. At most, we’re just on nodding terms. After all, we don’t live on the same floor, so I can’t really introduce you,” Fan Yuxuan replied.

“I heard her family also rents their place from that old lady on the tenth floor?” I asked again.

Fan Yuxuan nodded. “Yes. Every apartment from the fifth to the tenth floor was bought by that old lady; she uses them all as rentals.”

I hadn’t expected that old lady to be so wealthy.

However, since they were all her properties, it was impossible for her to be unaware of a tenant wandering around in a sleepwalking state every night, wasn’t it?

“Does that old lady have anything she particularly likes? If I were to visit her, what kind of gift should I prepare?”

“Many people know the answer to that. The old lady loves anything related to Buddhism. Whether it’s prayer beads, Buddha statues, or scriptures, she likes them all, and she’s constantly collecting them. You can just buy any small handicraft as a gift to bring to her door,” Fan Yuxuan said with certainty.

I recalled the first time I saw that old lady.

She indeed wore many Buddhist Dharma artifacts on her person and was constantly chanting scriptures, the very image of a devoted Buddhist believer.

The Buddhist light radiating from her home was so strong that it could practically illuminate the entire residential area, even at night.

“Thank you. I have one more question. You told me before that it was better not to get too close to the woman in Room 12-1. Is she in some kind of trouble?” I inquired.

The weirdo who had been pounding on her door last night had left a deep impression on me.

Fan Yuxuan’s expression finally turned serious.

“I’ve heard that woman owes a lot of money from gambling and has taken out high-interest loans. Later, she was even caught by a gang and forced into prostitution to pay back the debt. She used to have a husband, but he abandoned her and ran away.”

“Huh? If she’s in that state, how can she still afford to rent a place here?” I asked dubiously.

Judging by the three thousand yuan she had transferred to me that day, the monthly rent here was likely at least six thousand. How could she afford it?

“Exactly, that’s what confuses me too. Logically, she should have looked for a small room costing a few hundred yuan or shared a place with others, but she insists on renting here for some reason,” Fan Yuxuan mused, puzzled.

“As far as I know, it’s also because your parents are quite merciful. They often allow her to fall behind on rent, and every once in a while, she actually manages to produce some money to pay it off. No one knows where that money comes from.”

The furrow between Fan Yuxuan’s brows deepened.

He wore a look of sheer disgust, likely thinking that even if she were selling herself, she shouldn’t be making that much money.

Six thousand yuan a month was an immense burden for a single woman.

Who was the weirdo who came to pound on her door and collect debts last night? Was he sent by a casino, a loan shark, or perhaps a brothel owner?

All of them seemed like possibilities; no wonder Fan Yuxuan had warned me not to get too close to her.

“Thank you for telling me so much. I won’t disturb you any longer.”

I stood up to take my leave, and Fan Yuxuan warmly saw me to the door before closing it.

Fan Yuxuan seemed mostly fine; at least I hadn’t seen anything amiss in his home, and his attitude and mental state appeared normal.

The next question was whether I should visit that old lady.

However, I wasn’t prepared today, so I decided to let it go for now and see how things developed.

I returned home and performed the routine ritual for Xia Yubing’s parents. After last night’s ceremony, they did indeed seem to have settled down quite a bit.

Considering all the shocking and eerie sights I had seen last night, if Xia Yubing’s parents were still haunting the place and wandering outside all day, they might run into those various monsters and spirits.

If they provoked any trouble, I would be the one suffering for it.

When night fell, I intentionally stayed awake, waiting until midnight.

Sure enough, the familiar sound of a door opening rang out.

Fei’er walked out of her room and entered the stairwell, still moving with that rhythmic, unhurried pace.

This time, I had the Golden Bee Gu fly outside the staircase, watching Fei’er from a distance to ensure she wouldn’t notice it.

This led to a new discovery.

She wasn’t just cycling up and down aimlessly; when she reached the third floor, she took out a colored marker and began drawing on the wall.

After a few strokes, she stopped, tucked the marker away, and continued walking.

I suddenly remembered that when I was walking upstairs yesterday after the weirdo had been pounding on the door, I had indeed seen some child-like graffiti on the lower floors.

They had been quite creepy, and as it turned out, Fei’er was the one drawing them.

After that, she didn’t draw anymore, but continued walking up and down just like the night before.

She paced for about an hour before returning to her home on the seventh floor at one o’clock, exactly the same as the previous night.

It seemed I definitely had to visit her landlady, the old lady.

I only went to sleep after finalizing my plan for the next day.

The next day was Sunday. In the morning, I planned to buy a Buddhist ornament as a greeting gift.

It didn’t need to be too expensive, so I headed to a street known for selling handicrafts called Zhongzheng Road.

I suddenly remembered that the Feng Shui shop owner who had read my fortune before had moved his shop to Zhongzheng Road as well.

Perhaps I could drop by and see him later.

Upon arriving at the street, I immediately noticed the spiritual light emanating from many of the storefronts.

Unlike the gathered ominous aura in the funeral shops back on Xiangshan Road, most of the light here was pure and thick.

At a glance, one could tell it was quite positive.

This street didn’t just sell handicrafts; it also sold antiques and Dharma artifacts.

As soon as I entered, I saw a shop nearby called Yisen Pavilion.

The sign claimed it sold Feng Shui lucky charms, and the interior was filled with various items like golden toads, longevity turtles, and coiled dragons.

However, I saw that the spiritual light in this shop was sparse and scattered, failing to form any significant presence.

The Feng Shui items he sold were all merely decorations, not Dharma artifacts at all.

But because they were sold very cheaply, quite a few people were inside making purchases.