Chapter 41: The Haunted House

Wang Liang watched as Sanjin departed. He then found a spot to sit down and began leafing through the books he’d brought out from the game. Most of these books had been specially selected by the Pope, intended as gifts for Hubilie. Perhaps the Pope didn’t quite understand matters of the East, or maybe he’d been misled—because among these gifts, the majority consisted of histories of various European countries.

Of course, these histories were interwoven with a fair share of myth, and their timeline extended roughly to the period around the founding of their Radiant Faith. As for more ancient legends, there was little record of them here.

Wang Liang realized that if he read these books as mere histories, he would often, almost unconsciously, glean certain things from between the lines. Sometimes these were simply typographical errors, but at other times, they were truths buried beneath the surface of history.

At first, Wang Liang attributed this to his many years of study. After all, he’d come up through the imperial examination system and was well-versed in reading classical texts that required careful parsing. Compared to ancient Chinese works, these Western histories seemed almost simple.

But later, Wang Liang sensed that something wasn’t quite right—especially after he’d acquired a skill from reading these books. He began to feel that, in certain respects, he might possess a bit of innate talent. It was as if he could intuitively sense which information would be useful to him, and when he relied on this feeling, he chose correctly more than sixty percent of the time. If he added a touch of sudden inspiration or divination, his success rate climbed to about ninety-seven percent.

With this understanding, Wang Liang began to experiment with the newly mastered Water-Repelling Charm, holding out his hands as he practiced, all while flipping through the other volumes in hopes of uncovering new skills. Yet, by the time Sanjin returned with several sturdy men in tow, Wang Liang had not discovered anything new.

All this was observed by the Butcher, who had specially reported the situation to Sanjin. Sanjin’s eyes lit up, and he nodded in agreement, instructing the Butcher to go on ahead.

When Wang Liang saw Sanjin approaching with his retinue, he knew the matter was settled. He tossed aside the water sphere he’d been conjuring, packed up his books, and stood up.

“Young Master Wang, we’ve secured that estate. Just as you suspected, it’s the one in Twin Tea Lane, Clearwave Gate. The timeline is set between the theft of the official silver and the start of the Qingming Festival. Please rest assured. This is our Five Metals Guild’s chief patron, a Grand Feng Shui Master of level 103. He’ll personally seal the haunted manor for you, ensuring you get exactly what you desire.”

As he spoke, Sanjin introduced the men behind him to Wang Liang.

“This is our guild’s master architect. He’s versed in the design and construction of estates and gardens from every dynasty—whatever changes you wish to make to the estate, just tell him directly. This is our chief mechanic; you needn’t worry about security with him on the job.

“And finally, this is our chief summoner. Should you require any kind of servant or pet, simply let him know.”

Having finished the introductions, Sanjin added proudly, “I’ve already spoken with the guild leader. As a gesture of gratitude to our client, all the feng shui adjustments, renovations, mechanical installations, and staff arrangements will be provided entirely free of charge.”

With that, Sanjin gestured invitingly, and without any visible effort, he opened a portal of light before Wang Liang.

Wang Liang glanced at Sanjin, then stepped through the portal.

In the next instant, he found himself in a place of darkness, floating as if suspended in midair. Looking down, he saw a large estate sprawled below.

The manor covered nearly a hundred acres, its perimeter marked by high crimson walls. There were four gates: the main entrance, two side gates, and a rear gate.

Within the compound, most of the buildings had been destroyed, but from above, he could clearly see that the estate was divided into three parts: the front courtyard, the main building, and the rear garden. The main and side gates all opened into the front courtyard, where a pond—now long dry—could still be seen.

The main building must once have occupied a vast area, but now it was reduced to ruins. The rear garden was smaller, yet there was a garden, many trees, and even a swing, now hidden beneath a tangle of plants.

Other small structures were scattered here and there, but they didn’t disrupt the overall layout.

As Wang Liang surveyed the estate, Sanjin and his men appeared behind him.

“Well, Young Master Wang, what do you think? Will this do?”

Though the manor had been all but destroyed, Wang Liang could still discern its original style at a glance. Compared to his residence in Chang’an, it was quite satisfactory. He nodded in approval. At this, several of Sanjin’s companions immediately stepped forward.

The Grand Feng Shui Master reached out, and a scale model of the estate appeared before Wang Liang, capturing every detail—including the flow of water seven meters beneath the ground.

Pointing at the model, the master traced a few blue lines and marked several red nodes.

Wang Liang, versed in The Book of Changes, could understand some of the feng shui principles at play. That understanding prompted him to speak.

“This house is gravely inauspicious, isn’t it?”

“Indeed, gravely so,” the Feng Shui Master confirmed. “The original master only considered the surface feng shui and ignored the underground currents, never realizing this was an ill-omened site. After the entire household was slaughtered, the place became thoroughly accursed. It’s no surprise that monsters are drawn here. Still, for us, there’s advantage to be gained. My proposal is to sever the front and rear feng shui lines and concentrate all the baleful energy in the main building, using the utmost calamity to transform strangeness into control, thereby dominating the estate’s spiritual flow.

“As long as we can suppress the supernatural presence, this haunted house will become a treasure.”

He glanced at Wang Liang, clearly waiting for his decision.

Wang Liang pondered seriously for a moment, then offered his own suggestion. “Wouldn’t it be a waste to simply suppress all that malevolent energy?”

The Feng Shui Master looked at him in surprise. “An interesting idea. Let me think… Yes, that could well be possible.”

With that, he gathered the others to discuss further.

Soon, the architect began making adjustments to the scale model, while the Feng Shui Master directed refinements to the details.

Watching from the side, Wang Liang saw them divide the estate into two sections and construct a T-shaped building toward the front of the grounds. The two arms of the T extended to the red walls on either side, with the side gates positioned at the tips of the arms. The central stroke, clearly larger, would serve as the main building of the estate.

The main building cut across the grounds, dividing the estate into front and rear sections, and all the baleful energy was being channeled into the heart of the main building.

As Wang Liang looked on, the architect began to explain their design.