Fang Xiu obtained some information about the century-old residence on Xinhe Road from the lawyer Zhou Hongshen. The documents showed that the courtyard had been built in 1904, more than a hundred years ago.
At the time, this place still belonged to a concession. It later endured several wars and passed through several eras. One could say that this house had weathered the vicissitudes of time and borne witness to a century of upheaval in Wei Port City.
The residence had also gone through more than twenty owners. Some stayed for two or three decades, while others stayed only a few months. There had been foreigners and Chinese, people who had bought it and people who had merely rented it for a time.
However, Fang Xiu could only see their names. Their specific identities and life experiences were unavailable. When Zhou Hongshen had collected this information, it had merely been to evaluate the assets under Wang Hao's name.
"If you want to find more detailed information, you can look through the records at the District Library. It isn't far from your house." Zhou Hongshen offered Fang Xiu a suggestion.
The library was larger and older than Fang Xiu had imagined. It was said to have been established even earlier than his residence. Following the librarian's directions, Fang Xiu found old newspapers, documents, and books from that period and tried to find bits and pieces of clues within them. However, because so much time had passed, the information was not easy to gather.
"You're looking for records from the 1930s, right? Perhaps you could look at Mr. Li Cheng's autobiographical memoirs. He lived on Xinhe Road back then, so they should contain what you're looking for." Fang Xiu felt that this librarian was no ordinary person. At the very least, he could be called extraordinarily well-read.
Fang Xiu found the autobiographical memoir and sat at a library table to read it. It was a thick, brick-like book, its pages packed densely with print. It also contained some old photographs treasured by Elder Mr. Li. Together, they vividly reflected the lives and little details of that era.
After turning a few pages, Fang Xiu immediately found what interested him and what he wanted to know.
"When Fifth Miss Chen moved here, it was the twenty-fourth year of the Republic. Many people admired her at the time, and the local celebrities and refined gentlemen came calling one after another. When I first saw her, she was standing at the courtyard gate in a Western-style dress, holding a little girl by the hand. She was graceful and elegant, with exquisite features—truly a peerless beauty. Perhaps because she had studied abroad, she possessed an air unlike anything we had ever seen."
"Only then did I learn that she was already a mother. As for who the child's father was, I had been her neighbor for quite some time, yet I still didn't know. I had only vaguely heard people say that he was a Westerner."
"At the time, Fifth Miss Chen's fame had spread throughout Weigang City. She was known as Weigang City's number-one beauty and was also the most famous socialite in high society. As for me, I was merely a minor editor at a newspaper—a shabby, impoverished writer."
"That day, I had just returned from outside when Shopkeeper Wang told me that Fifth Miss Chen had gone mad. She had slit her wrists and killed herself at home, and no one discovered her body until a week later."
"After that, I never saw another beauty with an air like hers. Whenever I passed the gate of that residence, I would inexplicably remember that slender, graceful figure, smiling faintly over her shoulder at me, her eyes knotted with sorrow that could never disperse."
The descriptions of Fifth Miss Chen spanned two or three years, and most merely mentioned her in passing. Fang Xiu turned through many pages until he reached the page describing Fifth Miss Chen's death, where he saw a photograph in the upper-left corner.
It was a somewhat blurry and faded old black-and-white photograph. At the center stood a woman wearing a white qipao patterned with ink designs like blue-and-white porcelain. She stood in front of an old rice shop, staring straight into the camera. Her appearance was remarkably similar to the little girl Fang Xiu had seen earlier.
Yet after reading the entire book, Fang Xiu still found no information about Fifth Miss Chen's daughter. There was no record of her at all—not even her name.
"It should be her! The time, place, and appearance all match. The girl I saw really was this so-called Fifth Miss Chen's daughter?"
Fang Xiu borrowed some of the materials and prepared to examine them carefully after returning home.
Yet on the way back, Fang Xiu remained deep in thought. Why did I see someone from more than a hundred years ago? Was she a ghost? But this is a world without magic. How could something like this appear? Where would a ghost come from? How could ghosts possibly exist? Then how is this a world without magic? And after looking at the Space-Time Management Log and the information I've gathered, this doesn't seem to be something from another space-time either.
More than a hundred years have passed. Why did it happen neither earlier nor later, but precisely after I arrived, when I happened to encounter a ghost? The records from before never mentioned anything like this.
Then it can only be because of me. My actions caused this supernatural paranormal event to occur.
Fang Xiu immediately considered what unusual things he had done recently. I discovered and opened a strange underground chamber. That chamber looked just like an Underground Cell.
I made some preliminary modifications to the chamber and placed the supernatural items inside it.
Fang Xiu quickly reached a basic conclusion. There are still problems with that chamber that I haven't discovered. As for the paranormal event, it should be because I happened to place the supernatural items there, creating the necessary conditions for a supernatural incident.
These supernatural items are truly dangerous. Even if they're left untouched, they can still affect the world around them?
Fang Xiu did not walk quickly, but since the library was not far from his home, he soon reached his gate on foot. He had finally more or less sorted out the cause of the entire paranormal event.
Standing at the gate with his eyes closed, Fang Xiu's mind spun rapidly. It was troublesome in one sense and not troublesome in another. The only truly difficult part was that, in his ordinary state, Fang Xiu could not see that kind of spirit at all. Moreover, Deceitful Clown's Face, Giant Force Hand, and Deep One's Blood were not supernatural items capable of affecting spirits.
Even so, Fang Xiu instantly organized three methods for resolving the paranormal event.
First, he could use Saint's Ring to resolve the matter directly, but Fang Xiu felt that would be a waste.
Second, Fang Xiu could move the three supernatural items away and cut off the source of the other's power.
Third, he could unravel the secrets in the chamber and discover why placing supernatural items inside it caused a paranormal event.
Fang Xiu decided to try the latter two methods first. If they still failed to resolve the problem, he would use Saint's Ring.
Fang Xiu entered the courtyard. The grass was gently swaying, and it looked as if someone had sprinkled a layer of water over it. When he pushed open the door, he found that the arrangement of the living room had undergone some minor changes. The sofa had been shifted, flowers had been placed in the vase, and everything had been tidied up in perfect order.
This female ghost currently posed no threat to Fang Xiu, but living under the same roof as someone he could not see still made him feel extremely unnerved.
"Regardless, I have to figure out exactly what this paranormal event is about first."
He picked up a sledgehammer, a crowbar, and an electric drill, opened the basement floor, and headed downward. Then he turned on the light below.
The lights came on. Fang Xiu was just about to begin when he sensed that something was wrong in the chamber.
Fang Xiu abruptly raised his head and saw Deceitful Clown's Face, which had originally been placed inside the cabinet, floating through the air as though it had lost all gravity. It emitted a faint glow.
As its luminescence flowed and shifted, a phantom could be seen taking shape beneath its radiance.
The first thing he saw was a slender, gaunt hand gripping the mask. Its skin was so pale and tender that one could almost see the veins beneath it. Then came a lace-trimmed top and a long red skirt. The bright-red skirt spread out and spun, like blood splattering in all directions, while below it, a pair of little feet were crossed together.
In that instant, Fang Xiu seemed to see a poppy blooming—so beautiful that it made him tremble.
She had a face like a porcelain doll. Tilting her head, she looked at Fang Xiu curiously, her eyes filled with an air of innocence and loneliness.
The hand holding Deceitful Clown's Face slowly brought it to her own face, like a child who had found an interesting toy.
The mask's originally comical smile immediately changed into an expression that seemed to be crying and laughing at once. It was impossible to tell whether it was sorrow or happiness.
A childish voice came from beneath the mask. "Hey! Do you hate me too?"
"Do you... want to kill me too?"
Before you continue