I double-checked every corner of the room, confirming there was nothing unusual—except for the black cat.
"There are countless things in this world you wouldn't expect," the gentleman said, turning to me. "You've searched the room thoroughly, right? Did you find anything strange?"
After confirming once more, I nodded. "I've checked every corner of the room, but I didn't find anything suspicious. The only thing out of place is that black cat."
Hearing this, the gentleman seemed lost in thought.
He was certain something in this room didn't belong, which meant there was indeed something here. Finding it would likely reveal the female ghost's hiding place.
Over the past couple of days, I had read quite a bit of Tales of Yin and Yang. Though I was still far from fearless, I wasn't as clueless as before. At least now, I could do more than stand frozen in fear.
"You mentioned a basement earlier. Why don't we try opening the door and checking it out? Whatever we're looking for might be down there. We've already searched every other corner of the room. If we don't act quickly, who knows what might happen when the hour of the rat arrives."
Hearing my suggestion, the gentleman remarked that I was finally facing the situation head-on rather than avoiding it. He seemed genuinely pleased.
However, after searching the house together, we couldn't find the key to the basement door. It was clear Mr. Xu didn't fully trust us. No wonder he had left so confidently.
At first, I thought he and his family had fled in haste, leaving their valuables behind. But now it seemed that, like all cunning businessmen, he had kept a contingency plan.
Even in such dire straits, Xu Yishan didn't allow access to his basement. There must be something down there he didn't want us to see.
With no other options, we grabbed a hammer and went to the basement door.
As we approached, I caught a whiff of an alluring fragrance. No wonder the gentleman had mentioned the scent earlier. Even before entering, it was already intoxicating, yet indescribable.
"Do you know what kind of fragrance this is?" I asked.
The gentleman shook his head. "This is my first encounter with this scent. But my mentor once mentioned something similar. Let's go inside and see if my guess is correct."
Creak—
The basement door hadn't been opened in ages. Dust fell as we pushed it open.
As the door swung wide, we were greeted by a rush of damp air and the overwhelming fragrance. When we finally saw what lay inside, the sight was utterly shocking.
I swear, in my 20-odd years of life, I had never seen so much wealth—or rather, gold.
Piles of gold bars formed small mountains. The sheer amount was beyond my wildest imagination. For a moment, I forgot about the danger we were in.
Without thinking, I walked up to the gold, picked up a bar, and bit into it. The hardness nearly chipped my tooth.
What in the world? How could Xu Yishan have accumulated this much gold? Even if he was in real estate and had inherited all the wealth from before the female ghost's death, plus decades of appreciation, this amount was inconceivable.
Could Xu Yishan be hiding something sinister? Perhaps he was involved in illegal activities like drug trafficking or human smuggling?
Beyond the door and the gold, I spotted a wine rack filled with bottles of sparkling, translucent wine. I picked one up, noting the date printed on it: 1982. I didn't understand the rest of the label, but the year stood out.
Who would have thought Mr. Xu had a taste for fine wine? Judging by the nearly 20 bottles on the rack, each one would fetch at least six figures on the market.
Spying a nearby glass, I impulsively opened a bottle, pouring myself a drink. Just as I raised it to my lips, the gentleman suddenly appeared and slapped the glass out of my hand. The glass hit the ground, spilling deep red wine everywhere.
I stared at the gentleman, annoyed. "Why'd you do that?"
"Are you out of your mind?" he snapped. "When we opened the door earlier, dust fell from the frame. If this basement was truly filled with gold and fine wine, do you think Xu Yishan wouldn't visit it regularly?"
He had a point, though I tried to argue. "But these items don't need constant attention. Besides, didn't you say the ghost has been haunting them for half a year? They've been having nightmares every night. How would they have the presence of mind to come here?"
Another thought struck me then. "Why don't we donate all this gold to help children in disaster-stricken areas? As for the wine, we can turn it into spirit money and burn it as an offering to the ghost. She lived in luxury during her life—why not let her continue in death? Maybe then she'll stop haunting me."
The gentleman let out an exasperated sigh, taking several deep breaths before forcing a grim smile. "I never thought you could be so 'smart.'"
I chuckled awkwardly. Even a fool could tell his words dripped with sarcasm.
Sure enough, what he said next made me flush with embarrassment.
"Forget whether any of this belongs to you. Even if you took it all, how would you explain its origins? And as for burning it as an offering—she's already a vengeful ghost. Do you think she'll care about your trinkets?"
Though I wanted to protest, I couldn't find a single argument. In this world, he was my guide. His word was law.
"Alright then, what's your explanation for all this? The slap hurt, and the gold felt real to the touch. This can't all be an illusion, can it?"
Why would we be experiencing such a vivid illusion? That was the part I couldn't understand. Even the gentleman seemed to have fallen for it.