Zion was about to go to the bathroom to get some towels when he suddenly stopped and turned around upon hearing Susie's words.
"Big brother, aren't you going to get the towels?" Susie asked curiously.
Zion replied calmly, "I changed my mind. Let me make the bed first."
"Oh..." Susie watched as the ghostly woman in pajamas walked into the room, a towel draped over her shoulder.
She sat down on the bed and said, "Hey, there are new tenants again? Why only you two little ones?"
Susie looked in the direction of the bed and politely responded, "Sorry to disturb you. We're only staying for two days and will be leaving soon."
Zion walked towards the bed but suddenly stopped again and turned back to the bathroom to get the towels first.
Alex tilted his head, looking confused. "Gaga, why did you come back again?" he asked.
Zion didn't bother to answer. Alex then said, "I know, you're afraid of ghosts."
Zion sneered, "There are no ghosts in this world."
Even though he was scared by his nightmares and came to this place with Susie, he still believed that there were no ghosts in the world. Just as he was thinking this, an uncle came out of the bathroom.
Zion was shocked and stood there like he had been petrified.
Was he dreaming or hallucinating?
If Wade had seen the uncle at this moment, he would have jumped three feet high and screamed as he rushed behind Susie.
However, Zion stood still, and his face was blank.
Besides the uncle, he also saw an aunt sitting on the bed.
There was no one in the room just now, so where did they come from? If they were ghosts, how could he see them?
Zion's reflexes didn't respond at all... The uncle looked at him and complained, "There are new tenants again?
It's really annoying to have people coming and going every day, making noise and not paying for anything!"
Susie quickly ran to the luggage and took out the equipment Uncle Martin had prepared for them.
She generously took out a stack of paper money and said, "I'm sorry to disturb you. We'll pay for our stay!"
She took the money, used cinnabar to draw a circle on the ground, and left a gap in the northwest corner of the circle.
Then Susie lit the paper money and chanted some words under her breath.
Watching Susie burn the paper money, Zion finally reacted.
He shuddered and his hair stood on end.
"What... what are you doing?" he asked, feeling terrified.
Susie replied, "Burning paper money for the uncle and aunt to borrow their place to stay for a while."
Zion stiffened his spine and walked over, sitting next to Susie like a robot.
Looking at the two ghosts staring at him, Zion quickly lowered his head and looked at Susie.
"Why do we have to draw a circle?" he asked, trying to make small talk.
Susie explained, "We need to draw a circle so that they can get the money. Otherwise, the money will fly away with the wind."
Zion was speechless.
"Brother, remember, before you burn paper money for someone else, you must draw a circle.
If the person is not there, you must write down their name and birthday... otherwise, they won't receive it," Susie continued.
Zion still didn't understand why he needed to learn this.
"What about the people who burn paper money at the crossroads on July 14th?" he asked.
He had seen people burn paper money before without drawing any circles.
"That's why most of the paper money they burn never reaches their loved ones. However, when they burn paper money, there are many lonely ghosts and wandering spirits around, so the money can reach them," Susie explained.
"Have you learned it?" Susie asked, worried.
Zion was still at a loss. Why did he need to learn this?
As the fire burned the last corner of the paper money, Susie took out a peach wood sword and brushed away the ash.
"Alright, uncle and aunt, this is the rent we're paying you!" she said.
The ghostly aunt was delighted. After so many years, someone who understood had finally arrived!
For lonely ghosts and wandering spirits like them who had no one to offer sacrifices to them, no one would burn paper money for them after they died, and they could only pick up some money at various crossroads on July 14th to barely make a living.
But in this day and age, few people would go to the crossroads to burn paper money.
The ghostly aunt and uncle entered the circle through the gap in the northwest corner, happily picking up the money.
"Oh, you're such a sensible little girl! The place is yours to stay.
Your uncle and I will go next door to stay with the neighbors for two days!" the aunt said, her eyes with a smile.
The uncle was in a good mood and asked cheerfully, "Is there anything we can help you with?"
Zion was completely amazed.
The door to a new world had opened before him, and he looked bewildered.
Susie thought for a moment and asked, "Who's living next door now?"
The ghostly aunt and uncle who had taken their money were very cooperative and said, "Next door? Are you talking about the original ghosts or the current tenants?"
Susie was puzzled. "The original ghosts?"
This building wasn't meant for humans to live in after all.
The uncle said, "This land used to be an unmarked burial ground in ancient times... Later, wasn't it planned and developed?"
Susie nodded.
The aunt continued, "Before they started digging the foundation, they hired a Taoist priest.
Over the past few hundred years, who knows how many bones have been buried in this mass grave?
There are thousands of wandering spirits here who can't leave.
The priest didn't have the power to take all of us away, but he wanted money. So, he gave the big boss of this building an idea."
"He said that there needed to be a balance between Yin and Yang , meaning that once the building was constructed, each ghost in the mass grave should be given a room with a door facing outward, and the hallway should be designed to allow the flow of Yin energy.
The rooms should also be built according to the standards of the underworld... That's why most of the rooms here are very small."
Susie was stunned. "But won't this affect the living? And would the big boss agree with so many ghosts around?"
The ghostly aunt said, "As long as the living don't stay for long, it won't be a problem. People come and go in this building all the time.
As for us lonely ghosts and wandering spirits, we can't 'live' forever, and over time, we will gradually dissipate. The big boss doesn't live here, so he wouldn't have any objections."
"There are some young graduates who don't like the environment in the urban villages and can't afford the rent in the complexes... so they stay here for a few years. The girl next door is one of them."
Susie was thrilled to hear the story she wanted to hear, her little ears perking up as she listened intently with her chin resting in her hands.
The ghostly aunt couldn't resist slowing down her voice when she saw how cute Susie was. She said, "That girl who lived here for three years had some mental problems after living here for too long."
Susie nodded, "Before coming here, my dad helped me investigate, and there were many people who jumped off the building at Peach Blossom Inn."
In other words, the female ghost who attached herself to Zion wasn't the first one.
The ghostly aunt nodded, "Yes, after living here for a long time, those with weaker fortunes will become confused, depressed, and so on..."
Just like how there are bad people among humans, there are also many who take advantage of the situation to claim lives among ghosts.
"After the tenant dies, if they encounter someone who doesn't know how to handle things properly, and they don't take them away properly, the soul of the deceased will be trapped here and become a servant to the original resident ghosts."
Susie suddenly realized, "So the one living next door now is the original resident ghosts and the girl who was trapped after jumping off the building?"
The ghostly aunt and uncle were surprised. How did she know?
The ghostly aunt said, "That girl next door doesn't like to go out, she likes to stay at home and play games after work. I heard she often plays with a game accompaniment broadcaster..."
Zion thought to himself, "Damn, game accompaniment..."
Could it be him?!