The Landlady's Invitation, I'm Home Alone Today

The exhaustion from a night of excitement hadn't yet faded when Qin Feng was jolted awake by the "buzzing" vibration of his old phone on the bedside table.

He didn't even fully open his eyes, instinctively thinking it was a death-knell alarm. But after unlocking the screen, a message from his landlady, Liu Yan, instantly sobered him up.

"Little Qin, are you home? I'm home alone today, and I happen to need your help with something. Is it convenient for you to come over now? We can also chat about the rent."

At the end of the message was a blushing [shy] emoji.

Qin Feng's brows furrowed instantly.

Liu Yan? The woman famous for her fiery temper, who could curse from the first to the sixth floor when chasing rent, speaking in such a tone?

Yesterday, he might have thought the sun rose in the west. But now, having experienced life and death, Qin Feng's vigilance was etched into his very bones.

With a thought, a faint blue system panel appeared before his eyes.

[Host: Qin Feng]
[Cleansing Points: 20]
[Legendary Armament: Scissors of Truth (E-Class)]
[Origin Enhancement: Spirit Touch Realm (Early Stage)]
[Mastered Abilities: Item Affinity (Passive)]

Looking at the meager 20 Cleansing Points, Qin Feng chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Rent was an urgent problem, and his Cleansing Points weren't even enough to sharpen the scissors.

Poverty, indeed, was the greatest original sin.

Whether this was a honey trap or a banquet of deception, he had to plunge into it.

Perhaps... it could even be a "performance" delivered right to his doorstep.

Feeling the cold touch of the [Scissors of Truth] on his right arm, Qin Feng felt his heart settle.

He put on a T-shirt and left the apartment.

Liu Yan's home was on the fifth floor of the adjacent building, so it didn't take long.

Standing before the anti-theft door of 501, Qin Feng didn't knock immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused.

A chilling aura, like that leaking from a morgue, seeped through the crack in the door, carrying a rotten, fishy sweetness. The source of this undisguised malice clearly pointed inside!

With a sense of certainty, he raised his hand and knocked on the door. "Knock, knock, knock."

The door creaked open a sliver, and Liu Yan's heavily made-up face peeked out.

Her face was swollen and had an unhealthy pallor. Thick foundation desperately covered the corpse-like dark circles under her eyes.

She wore an extremely stiff smile, her lips stretched into a bizarrely wide arc, as if pulled by invisible strings.

"Little Qin, you're here. Come in quickly." Liu Yan turned sideways, opening the door completely.

A more potent wave of coldness mixed with cheap perfume washed over him. Beneath the perfume was the deliberately concealed stench, like rotten mud.

Qin Feng remained composed, playing the role of the familiar, somewhat socially awkward, poor student, and awkwardly stepped inside.

The living room was draped with heavy, tightly sealed curtains, making the air stuffy and oppressive.

"Sis, what did you need me for?" Qin Feng stood at the entrance, looking a bit flustered.

"Oh, don't just stand there, come in," Liu Yan said with excessive enthusiasm, inviting Qin Feng further in before turning to pour him water.

"It's like this, Little Qin," Liu Yan handed him a glass of water, leaning forward deliberately, a chill emanating from her. "I want to move my bedroom bed, but I can't move it by myself. You're young and strong, could you help your sister?"

The bedroom bed?

Qin Feng sneered inwardly. The source of the coldness and malice was coming from the bedroom.

"Sure, Sis, no problem!" Qin Feng readily agreed, picking up the glass and pretending to take a sip. He casually scanned the living room layout from the corner of his eye.

"That's great, follow me." Seeing his agreement, Liu Yan's stiff smile seemed a little more genuine. She got up and led him towards the bedroom.

As soon as the bedroom door was pushed open, the stale, chilling aura almost solidified, making him dizzy. The room was also curtained, eerily empty, with only a large bed and a bedside table as furnishings.

The moment Qin Feng stepped into the bedroom, a "ding" sounded in his mind, and the system panel flashed open!

[Weird Tale Compendium Activated!]
[Target Locked: The Thing Under the Bed]
[Danger Level: E-Class (Parasitic)]
[Sin Points: 15]
[Background Story: Under the bed of every solitary dweller, an "It" may hide. It craves warm bodies, yet it hates the souls sleeping on the bed...]
[Rule Analysis: Uses the bed as a medium to absorb the host's life essence. When someone peers under the bed and shows fear, it can drag them under the bed to complete a "replacement."]
[Rule Loophole: Fears pure Yang objects, dislikes stimulating odors and violent vibrations.]

Replacement!

Qin Feng instantly understood why Liu Yan looked so haggard and what her true purpose was in calling him here!

She was completely entangled with this thing, being drained of her life force, and he was the new target for "replacement"!

"Little Qin, just this bed, let's move it towards the window."

Liu Yan pointed at the bed, urging him on.

Her eyes couldn't help but dart towards the underside of the bed, a flicker of unconcealable fear and malice flashing by.

"Coming right up."

Qin Feng replied verbally, but didn't move.

He scratched his head and said with embarrassment, "Uh... Sister Liu, I'm really sorry, can I go to the restroom first? I drank too much soy milk this morning and I really can't hold it."

Liu Yan's expression visibly froze. Her eyes showed strong reluctance, as if she didn't want him to leave her sight for even a second. But this reason was impossible to refuse, so she could only stiffly nod, "Go and come back quickly."

Qin Feng immediately turned and left the bedroom, almost jogging into the bathroom in the living room. He shut the door behind him with a 'click'.

He leaned against the door and let out a long sigh.

[Rule Loophole: Fear of Pure Yang Objects]

A thought flashed through Qin Feng's mind, and his expression turned a little strange.

"Damn it, I never expected my twenty-plus years of virginity wouldn't be used for romance, but for demon-slaying..."

He mocked himself with a wry smile, but his gaze sharpened.

Now wasn't the time to worry about dignity; survival was the top priority!

He quickly scanned the bathroom, his eyes landing on a half-empty bottle of mineral water in the corner.

Too bad it wasn't black tea flavored, wouldn't have the same effect.

He twisted off the cap and poured out the remaining water.

Hey, as a guest, how could I come empty-handed? Fill 'er up!

Holding a special drink brimming with "pure yang energy," Qin Feng seemed to see his future. "Hehehehe!"